Well, I guess you want me to continue this fic. This will be a multipart fic, and it's extremely involved. It may be my best work yet. ::sob:: I'm getting all verclempt! Talk amongst yourselves....
Title: Relena's Secret: Chapter 1
Author: Anika
Disclaimers: If I owned Gundam Wing, would I have to write a fanfic about it? That's what I thought...
Warnings: Mild cussing, perhaps? Dark theme. Kleenex alert!
Last time, in "Relena's Secret"
"Relena Peacecraft has died."
Relena's Secret: Chapter 1
Duo slumped heavily in his seat as the news was delivered. Hilde began crying her own silent tears in mirror to Duo's sadness. Relena is dead? She thought, There's no way! It's not possible! The two sat there in shocked silence for a moment or to before Hilde registered Heero's reaction. The cold, unfeeling, Perfect Soldier was in place of the Heero that had been in their company for the past two and a half years. No feeling escaped his guarded eyes as he sat staring straight ahead, yet unseeing.
The American pilot narrowed his eyes at his friend's lack of reaction. "Heero," he started. Hilde put a hand on his arm in an attempt to calm him down, but Duo was unaffected by her touch. "She just DIED, for the love of God! And all you can do is just sit there? She was the one who helped you regain your emotions, and you can't even show them at a time like this?"
"You don't understand..." Heero whispered after a moment.
"Yeah, I guess I never will!" Duo spat at his fellow pilot. Heero looked at Duo, and for the first time, he was scared of the unfeeling coldness in his eyes.
"You have no idea what I'm feeling. And you're right. You never will understand." He shot a glare at him, and then shared an understanding look with Hilde. She knew. She had always known, somehow. All his problems, she had him figured. Right from the start, Hilde was the only one, save Relena, that could read right through him.
Heero threw some money down on the small round table of the cafe and stood abruptly, knocking over the chair he had been seated in. Then, in the way that only the Perfect Soldier could do stalked out of the dinner and out into the pouring rain.
*Scene Change*
Heero stood in his darkend apartment, folding yet another shirt. He was packing for the weeklong trip to Earth. For her funeral. Each of the pilots' attendance had been requested, along with a short speech from each of them. Heero sighed. This had been one week from hell. But it couldn't get any worse, he mused.
~*~Flashback~*~
"Relena, will you marry me?" He asked, kneeling down on one knee before her. It was the New Years Eve Ball held at the Preventer Headquarters. The young Vice Foreign Minister looked down at him with shimmering eyes, never thinking the day would come. Hardly able to believe her ears. Everyone in the room looked from Heero to Relena, then back again nervously. The tension in the room was almost palatable.
"Yes," she murmured demurely, blushing heavily. Heero stalked out of the room as Relena embraced her new "fiancée", Connor. They had meet at a summit meeting in Glanid five months ago, and he had swept the unsuspecting princess off her feet. They had been seeing each other almost exclusively since that meeting, but not everyone trusted him. He had a wild reputation and a stubborn streak a mile wide. But when he was with Relena, he seemed a better person.
"Yes, but everyone's a better person when they're around her," he muttered under his breath as he reached his car. As he opened the door to the sedan, he heard an all too familiar voice call out to him.
"Heero! Wait!"
He quickly entered his vehicle and turned the key, trying desperately to avoid her eyes. Her beautiful sea blue eyes...he found he couldn't resist them. He found himself lost in her pleading eyes, begging him for an explanation. Heero tore his gaze from her and quickly departed from the party.
For the next months, he avoided her at all costs. Granted, it wasn't hard, her being a politician and he being in the Preventers. But whenever he'd see her on a vid screen, or see a magazine with her picture on the cover, he'd look away. Then, he got the invitation to her wedding.
He looked down at the calligraphy on the letter and began seeing red. Much like the first time he received an invitation from Relena, Heero tore the paper in two and let it fall to the floor of his apartment. His hands shook slightly with anger and his eyes narrowed. Then, an idea hit him, one so outrageous he didn't even consider it at first. But then he started to think about it. And the more he thought about it, the more the idea made sense. He would go to her, before the wedding, and tell her exactly how he felt about her.
Resolute, he packed up and went to Earth, where he met Duo at the airport. He had arrived the day before the ceremony, not being able to stand seeing Relena and Connor together.
When he arrived at the Mansion, everyone was asleep. The night had snuck up on them, and soon Heero realized that he was exhausted. But he had more important matters than sleep to attend to. He walked down the dimly lit hallway from his room towards hers, gulping nervously. Stopping at her door, he raised his fist to knock on it. Before he could make contact, though, it swung open to reveal Relena. She stood on the other side of the door, her long hair falling loosely past her waist. She was clad in a light blue pajama set with little yellow moons on them, and white fuzzy slippers completed the ensemble. To Heero, she had never looked more beautiful.
"Heero! Come in!" Relena grabbed hold of him and drug him into her room, which was a good thing, considering he had lost all motor skills at the sight of her. He sat numbly on her bed and she sat next to him.
"I'm so glad you came!" She babbled on happily. "It just wouldn't be the same without you." Heero gave her an odd look, and she quickly added, "or the other Gundam pilots."
There was an uncomfortable silence in the room for a few moments, then both began to speak at once.
"Relena, I need to tell you -"
"Heero, can I ask you -"
"Go ahead," Heero offered. Relena gave him a grateful smile and continued. "I'm so glad that we never did get together, Heero. I know there was a time when I was in love with you. But that time is over and we can both get on with our lives. Me with Connor, and you with.... what's her name again?"
"Samantha," Heero said through clenched teeth. His girlfriend. Who was, by coincidence I assure you, could pass as Relena's twin. Her replacement, if you may. But both of them knew it was never going to work because he was still in love with the Vice Foreign Minister. In fact, they had broken up two weeks ago for that very reason.
"Samantha, right. Well, is she here? Did you bring her with you?"
"No."
Relena sighed complacently and shrugged. "Oh well. Do you want to see my dress? I've been dying to show someone."
As she went over the closet, Heero felt the knife in his heart twist and turn, causing him the worst pain he had ever felt. He looked behind him and saw her twirling around the room, her dress pressed up against her and flaring out around her. He stood up, knowing what he had to do.
"Relena..."
She turned to face the now standing Heero. As he got closer to her, he noticed a bruise on her arm. She noticed that he noticed and gave a small laugh.
"I ran into a door the other day. Doesn't it figure?"
Heero narrowed his eyes at her, but said nothing. He was so close to her, he could smell the vanilla of her shampoo. He put a hand on her cheek and said softly.
"I hope you're very happy with him."
Turning suddenly, he walked quickly away from her before her eyes convinced him to stay. She would never see the tears that were threatening to fall. And he would never see the other, lighter bruise she sported on her cheek.
Heero left that night, before he could regret his decision. He never saw Relena again after that, it hurt to much.
~*~*End Flashback~*~*
Heero was startled out of his memories by the honk of his taxi in the lower parking lot. Putting the last shirt in his suitcase, he grabbed it, his coat, and his wallet and headed out the door and towards the airport.
Title: Relena's Secret: Chapter 1
Author: Anika
Disclaimers: If I owned Gundam Wing, would I have to write a fanfic about it? That's what I thought...
Warnings: Mild cussing, perhaps? Dark theme. Kleenex alert!
Last time, in "Relena's Secret"
"Relena Peacecraft has died."
Relena's Secret: Chapter 1
Duo slumped heavily in his seat as the news was delivered. Hilde began crying her own silent tears in mirror to Duo's sadness. Relena is dead? She thought, There's no way! It's not possible! The two sat there in shocked silence for a moment or to before Hilde registered Heero's reaction. The cold, unfeeling, Perfect Soldier was in place of the Heero that had been in their company for the past two and a half years. No feeling escaped his guarded eyes as he sat staring straight ahead, yet unseeing.
The American pilot narrowed his eyes at his friend's lack of reaction. "Heero," he started. Hilde put a hand on his arm in an attempt to calm him down, but Duo was unaffected by her touch. "She just DIED, for the love of God! And all you can do is just sit there? She was the one who helped you regain your emotions, and you can't even show them at a time like this?"
"You don't understand..." Heero whispered after a moment.
"Yeah, I guess I never will!" Duo spat at his fellow pilot. Heero looked at Duo, and for the first time, he was scared of the unfeeling coldness in his eyes.
"You have no idea what I'm feeling. And you're right. You never will understand." He shot a glare at him, and then shared an understanding look with Hilde. She knew. She had always known, somehow. All his problems, she had him figured. Right from the start, Hilde was the only one, save Relena, that could read right through him.
Heero threw some money down on the small round table of the cafe and stood abruptly, knocking over the chair he had been seated in. Then, in the way that only the Perfect Soldier could do stalked out of the dinner and out into the pouring rain.
*Scene Change*
Heero stood in his darkend apartment, folding yet another shirt. He was packing for the weeklong trip to Earth. For her funeral. Each of the pilots' attendance had been requested, along with a short speech from each of them. Heero sighed. This had been one week from hell. But it couldn't get any worse, he mused.
~*~Flashback~*~
"Relena, will you marry me?" He asked, kneeling down on one knee before her. It was the New Years Eve Ball held at the Preventer Headquarters. The young Vice Foreign Minister looked down at him with shimmering eyes, never thinking the day would come. Hardly able to believe her ears. Everyone in the room looked from Heero to Relena, then back again nervously. The tension in the room was almost palatable.
"Yes," she murmured demurely, blushing heavily. Heero stalked out of the room as Relena embraced her new "fiancée", Connor. They had meet at a summit meeting in Glanid five months ago, and he had swept the unsuspecting princess off her feet. They had been seeing each other almost exclusively since that meeting, but not everyone trusted him. He had a wild reputation and a stubborn streak a mile wide. But when he was with Relena, he seemed a better person.
"Yes, but everyone's a better person when they're around her," he muttered under his breath as he reached his car. As he opened the door to the sedan, he heard an all too familiar voice call out to him.
"Heero! Wait!"
He quickly entered his vehicle and turned the key, trying desperately to avoid her eyes. Her beautiful sea blue eyes...he found he couldn't resist them. He found himself lost in her pleading eyes, begging him for an explanation. Heero tore his gaze from her and quickly departed from the party.
For the next months, he avoided her at all costs. Granted, it wasn't hard, her being a politician and he being in the Preventers. But whenever he'd see her on a vid screen, or see a magazine with her picture on the cover, he'd look away. Then, he got the invitation to her wedding.
He looked down at the calligraphy on the letter and began seeing red. Much like the first time he received an invitation from Relena, Heero tore the paper in two and let it fall to the floor of his apartment. His hands shook slightly with anger and his eyes narrowed. Then, an idea hit him, one so outrageous he didn't even consider it at first. But then he started to think about it. And the more he thought about it, the more the idea made sense. He would go to her, before the wedding, and tell her exactly how he felt about her.
Resolute, he packed up and went to Earth, where he met Duo at the airport. He had arrived the day before the ceremony, not being able to stand seeing Relena and Connor together.
When he arrived at the Mansion, everyone was asleep. The night had snuck up on them, and soon Heero realized that he was exhausted. But he had more important matters than sleep to attend to. He walked down the dimly lit hallway from his room towards hers, gulping nervously. Stopping at her door, he raised his fist to knock on it. Before he could make contact, though, it swung open to reveal Relena. She stood on the other side of the door, her long hair falling loosely past her waist. She was clad in a light blue pajama set with little yellow moons on them, and white fuzzy slippers completed the ensemble. To Heero, she had never looked more beautiful.
"Heero! Come in!" Relena grabbed hold of him and drug him into her room, which was a good thing, considering he had lost all motor skills at the sight of her. He sat numbly on her bed and she sat next to him.
"I'm so glad you came!" She babbled on happily. "It just wouldn't be the same without you." Heero gave her an odd look, and she quickly added, "or the other Gundam pilots."
There was an uncomfortable silence in the room for a few moments, then both began to speak at once.
"Relena, I need to tell you -"
"Heero, can I ask you -"
"Go ahead," Heero offered. Relena gave him a grateful smile and continued. "I'm so glad that we never did get together, Heero. I know there was a time when I was in love with you. But that time is over and we can both get on with our lives. Me with Connor, and you with.... what's her name again?"
"Samantha," Heero said through clenched teeth. His girlfriend. Who was, by coincidence I assure you, could pass as Relena's twin. Her replacement, if you may. But both of them knew it was never going to work because he was still in love with the Vice Foreign Minister. In fact, they had broken up two weeks ago for that very reason.
"Samantha, right. Well, is she here? Did you bring her with you?"
"No."
Relena sighed complacently and shrugged. "Oh well. Do you want to see my dress? I've been dying to show someone."
As she went over the closet, Heero felt the knife in his heart twist and turn, causing him the worst pain he had ever felt. He looked behind him and saw her twirling around the room, her dress pressed up against her and flaring out around her. He stood up, knowing what he had to do.
"Relena..."
She turned to face the now standing Heero. As he got closer to her, he noticed a bruise on her arm. She noticed that he noticed and gave a small laugh.
"I ran into a door the other day. Doesn't it figure?"
Heero narrowed his eyes at her, but said nothing. He was so close to her, he could smell the vanilla of her shampoo. He put a hand on her cheek and said softly.
"I hope you're very happy with him."
Turning suddenly, he walked quickly away from her before her eyes convinced him to stay. She would never see the tears that were threatening to fall. And he would never see the other, lighter bruise she sported on her cheek.
Heero left that night, before he could regret his decision. He never saw Relena again after that, it hurt to much.
~*~*End Flashback~*~*
Heero was startled out of his memories by the honk of his taxi in the lower parking lot. Putting the last shirt in his suitcase, he grabbed it, his coat, and his wallet and headed out the door and towards the airport.