Perplexing Kiss

by Nozomi Anshin

Relena narrates the story of how she overcomes her Heero obsession...

There's nothing worse than knowing the one you love loves another. The pain you feel every time they look at that person, or the tenderness in their voice when he or she is the topic of conversation. The look in their eyes when they see him or her enter the room, the way every word they say makes the one you love smile and laugh in a way you never could. This is how things have been here. The five of them moved in a few days ago, and ever since, my love had been more outspoken and gentle than I've ever known him to be before. I know, I know, we have very different personalities, but so do he and the one he loves. Perhaps I'm crazy, for I've had no confirmation of my suspicions, but a girl can tell when someone's in love. And to me, he is. Though, with whom remains a mystery. It could be any one of them. Or even someone outside this little circle. Who knew? I had my suspicions as to which the object of my love's affections was, and I could see why. The beauty in the face, the subtle femininity, the carefree nature and the love of life. How could anyone resist? I had to watch and wait, to determine the true object of his affections. I watched his every move. Whether he'd put his arm around someone, whether or not someone shared a room with him, and those were just the obvious things I looked for. I also examined the more indirect signs, like the look in his eyes or the tone of his voice. But, so far, I had had no success. But I would not give up-it wasn't like me to give up.

"Oh, come on! There's no way! I'll not be beaten by an amateur!" exclaimed the usually quiet WuFei. He and Quatre were involved in an intense game of chess (how chess can be intense is beyond me, but it was), which WuFei had just taught Quatre how to play. So far, the beginner was overtaking the self-proclaimed expert.

"WuFei, it's just a game. Don't take it so seriously," Quatre retorted.

"Nothing's ever a game to him. Everything is win or lose, and if lose, it may as well be death. Just pretend you're playing with someone who's not so black and white and imagine a little gray in the game," Duo said, being unusually smart. That was Duo's biggest drawback-his lack of smarts. Sure, he knew enough to fool people into thinking he was smart, but when it got right down to it, he was just a little dumb. But he could survive in life on just his good looks and good-natured personality.

Heero, who had just sat by the board and watched, smiled when Duo pointed out WuFei's view of things. "He's right, Quatre. WuFei is like me in that respect. If I must lose, it will be to someone with more experience and an ability greater than mine."

Trowa remained seated by the window, his nose deep in a book. "Kick his tail, Quatre," he said with a smile.

I was sure Heero didn't love the Arabian or European. They seemed to be involved with each other. That left the energetic American, Duo, or the Chinese martial artist. And to picture Heero with WuFei was a stretch, even for the most creative imagination. So, naturally, I was under the assumption that my Heero's affections lay with the braided Duo. Or someone totally unconnected with them and myself, but that would make it difficult to explain his much-improved demeanor around his fellow pilots and myself.

"I'm doing my best, Trowa-kun," replied the blonde pilot. I continued to watch them from the walkway over the two-story living room.

"How goes the detective business, Miss Relena?" inquired Dorothy, who had snuck up behind me on the walkway. "Do you know yet?"

"Not quite. I have a strong suspicion, but I have nothing to confirm it. That's really all I'm waiting for," I replied, leaning against the rail.

"I see. Well, I guess I should go down there and try to instigate something to help you," she said as she headed down the stairs.

"Dorothy!" I called after her in a whisper. She didn't respond. I would have called again, but for her to hear me I would have had to speak louder and, in doing so, reveal myself as an eavesdropper, so, I merely watched. Perhaps this time she would be helpful.

"Hello, gentlemen," she said as she entered the living room.

The only one who even seemed to notice was Quatre. "Hello, Dorothy."

"So, Heero. The last time we met, if memory serves me correctly, you were quite different. What could have caused such a drastic change?"

I couldn't believe my ears! She wasn't going to beat around the bush even a little! She just jumped right in!

"I met someone who really showed me what I was missing in life. And, I think you'll agree I'm all the better for it," he replied, smiling.

Her tactics did it. Duo's face turned blood red, and Heero had turned his face toward Duo as he replied. I was amazed. Amazed that she did it and amazed that I was right. My suspicions were again confirmed as Heero placed his arm around Duo's waist and Duo lay his head on Heero's shoulder.

WuFei shook his head. "Jeez. Am I the only one in this house who is not in a relationship?" he asked rhetorically.

"Actually, no. Both Miss Relena and I are single, at the moment," Dorothy replied.

WuFei rolled his eyes. "Check."

Quatre made a move, clean and simple.

WuFei moved again. Then Quatre. Then WuFei, and again Quatre.

After about ten more turns, Quatre was deep in thought. When a smile crossed his Arabian face, I knew what was to come. "Check.. Mate," he said, with a tone of severe finality.

"What?! That can't be!" WuFei inspected the board carefully. "Khe wu. He did it. He really did it. I'll be damned."

Trowa shut his book and walked toward the board. He inspected it just as carefully, apparently in disbelief that Quatre, the rookie, had actually won. But, he nodded and kissed Quatre's cheek. "That's my Quatre," he smiled.

I shook my head. Those two really seemed to be compatible, with both of them having tranquil, overall peaceful demeanors, but enough difference of opinion to keep it interesting. Trowa was like my Heero, trained to be unemotional and firm, while Quatre was peaceful and a bit naïve. They both needed someone to help them through the tragedies of war, and who better than someone with the same needs?

I decided I'd go down and join them, just for kicks, I suppose. I walked into the living room slowly; WuFei, I knew, was not particularly fond of me. He had said, on more than one occasion, "I do not approve of Relena Peacecraft". Of course, WuFei made living with the Gundam pilots interesting. While Duo kept it lively, WuFei was not like any of the others. Heero and Trowa were quite similar, as were their significant others. But WuFei had a character all his own. He was quiet, but not a dangerous sort of quiet. Not a peaceful sort of quiet either. Perhaps the word I'm searching for is troubled. He seemed to have had a difficult past, and a difficult time dealing with it. He had been trained a fighter, but he may in fact be peaceful inside. WuFei Chang was a mystery to be explored, and I loved to explore. Which is why I challenged him every chance I got.

As soon as I entered the room, he repeated himself by saying, "I do not approve of you, Relena Peacecraft."

"Why not? What's to disapprove of?"

"You're too unrealistic. Total pacifism is impossible."

"But if the entire world strives toward it, things will, at least, improve. How is that to be disapproved of?"

"Because the entire world will never strive for a common goal. And, even if you did manage to achieve peace on Earth, how would you go about achieving it within the colonies?"

"One step at a time, WuFei. I'd cross that bridge when I came to it, that's how. But until then, why worry about it?"

He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it, without having spoken a word. I had gotten him with that one. He crossed his arms over his chest indignantly, stuck his nose slightly in the air, and repeated, "I do not approve of Relena Peacecraft."

"But, why?"

With that, he stormed out of the room.

"Leave him alone, Relena," Quatre said.

"I would, but he's such an interesting person. And besides. He keeps saying he doesn't approve of me, but can't come up with a valid reason why," I said, defending myself.

"But still. You don't need to keep pestering him like you do. It isn't nice," said the Arabian.

"Well, when he starts being nicer to me, at minimum, civil, then I'll ease up. After all, I am letting you all live here and not charging you rent. I think I deserve civility for that. Am I wrong?"

"No, you have a point," sighed Quatre.

"Miss Relena, you're so good at arguments! I love to watch and learn from you!" exclaimed Dorothy. What a weirdo.

I sighed. "Go to bed, Dorothy. The action's over. There'll be nothing more to see tonight."

She did as I asked, to my surprise. I sighed again, relieved to have her out of the room. In the time I had known her, she had only gotten weirder. I was beginning to think I ought to not let her live here anymore....

"So. Now what?" asked Duo.

I shrugged. So did Trowa.

"Anyone up for a game of Chess?" asked Quatre.

We all groaned.

"I'm actually kind of tired. I think I'll go to bed," said Heero, standing up and stretching. "Good night, guys, Relena."

"Good night, Heero," I said.

"G'night, Heero. I'll be there in a few," said the violet-eyed American.

So they were sharing a room. I had just missed it, somehow. Hmm.

"You two are so cute together," Quatre cooed after Heero was out of earshot.

"Ya think?" asked Duo.

"Oh yeah. And he's so much happier now that you two have hooked up. I think it's great," Quatre replied.

Duo smiled. "I just hope it stays this great," he said thoughtfully.

"I'm sure it will, Duo," added Trowa. He helped Quatre to his feet and put his arm around the blonde's waist. "I don't know about you, but I'm ready for bed," said the green-eyed European. Quatre nodded, and away they went, bidding Duo and myself goodnight.

"Well, I hate to leave ya alone, Relena, but I'm gonna hit the hay," Duo said politely.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I was actually going to head to my room soon anyway. Good night, Duo," I said.

"G'night," the American replied as he left the room. It had been a long day of observation for me, and I really was tired.

So, my Heero was involved with the beautiful Duo. I could see why a girl would fall for him quickly, but why my Heero? The last time I saw them together before they moved in here, Heero could barely tolerate him, much less be in love with him. What was the appeal? Why would my Heero prefer Duo over me? What did he have that I didn't, besides testosterone and a penis? I shrugged to myself and sighed, headed to my room, and changed into my pajamas. I climbed into bed and turned off the light. "I'll just keep watching them," I yawned as I shut my eyes.

The next morning, I awoke to an unusual silence. On a typical day, the house was quite noisy, with all five boys being up and about. But today, there was hardly a sound. I showered, got dressed, and headed downstairs.

When I reached the living room, I found it occupied by only the quiet WuFei, who was reading the daily paper.

"Where is everyone?" I asked.

"Out," he replied.

"Ha ha. Funny."

"The couples are on an all day double date, if you must know," he replied, never taking his eyes off the paper.

"And Dorothy?"

"Who knows, and frankly, I don't care. I like her even less than I like you," he replied.

I was surprised. "So, you do actually like me, just a little?"

"I only said I liked her less than I like you," he clarified.

"I see. So you don't like me, and you hate her."

"I didn't say that either, Relena," he said defensively.

That was the first time he had said my name outside his little disapproval line.

I laughed. "Okay, okay. I'll quit pestering you about it. I do know what you meant," I told him.

He seemed surprised, but he didn't complain. He resumed his reading, and I went to make breakfast.

"You hungry, WuFei?"

"Yes, actually," came his reply.

I proceeded to make enough for the two of us, and when it was done, I carried it into the living room. "Breakfast is served," I told him.

He put the paper down and took his plate from the tray. "Can I ask you something?"

I was a bit surprised. "Sure. Shoot."

"Why are you always challenging me?"

I blinked in surprise, but answered truthfully. "Well, I don't know you very well, so I challenge your ideas to get to know you."

"You could just-ask, you know."

"Yeah, but then I don't get to analyze you like I do when I bug you. Besides, it's just not as fun," I smiled.

He rolled his eyes, shook his head, and sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"

"You aren't?"

"No."

"Well, now I am. Why aren't you?"

"I actually tend to be the same way. I don't like to ask because then I don't see the hidden traits," he explained.

"Well, what do you know. We have something in common," I said, laughing a little.

He sipped the hot tea I had made especially for him. "So, factually, what do you want to know?"

"Tell me about your past."

"Well, I'm an orphan, raised by Master Long, my martial arts instructor. I grew up on the only all-Chinese colony, and I was married when I was fifteen. My wife died only a few months after our marriage," he told me.

"Oh, how awful. Did you love her?"

"Not at first, but she grew on me. Although, now that I think about it, we probably wouldn't have lasted long anyway."

"What was her name?"

"Merian."

The following silence was a bit awkward. But, after a few minutes, he sipped his tea and asked me to continue my questioning.

I had to think about the next one. "Why are you so pessimistic?"

"I'm not. I'm just not optimistic. I live in the reality. Why are you so optimistic?"

"To an extent, I'm not. I know total pacifism is a difficult thing to achieve, but I would give up all hope of it if I didn't stay optimistic. I guess you could say I'm optimistic because it keeps me motivated."

He nodded, showing he understood.

Again, we were silent. We just sat, facing each other. After a few minutes, we heard the front door shut, and WuFei's eyebrows rose. I turned to see what he saw.

Behind me stood Dorothy, her back to us, with her skirt caught in her pantyhose in such a way that her underwear was exposed.

I tried to stifle a laugh, then put my finger to my lips, telling WuFei not to say a word.

"Hey, Dorothy. How's the weather?" I asked.

"I'd say it's a bit chilly out there," she said as she headed upstairs.

WuFei and I both burst out laughing.

"I have to give you credit for that one, Relena," he said.

"Well, can you blame me for taking advantage of an opportunity to make her look stupid?"

"Not at all."

We finished laughing and I extended my hand to him. "Truce?"

He shook my hand and nodded. "Truce."

I smiled, and for the first time since he'd moved in, I saw WuFei smile, too.

The rest of the day was passed with pleasant conversation passing between WuFei and myself. He really seemed to be a nice guy, who just never really had anyone to talk to, and therefore, rarely spoke.

But during the course of the day, I got to know him better, and when the two couples returned, they found us engaged in a tense chess match.

"Uh-oh. Whoever loses is gonna regret it," Duo said as he entered the living room.

"How long's the game been going?" asked Quatre.

"Almost an hour," I replied.

"Has it been that long?" asked my opponent.

"Uh-huh."

"Hm."

"So, what do you two have riding on this game?" Heero asked suspiciously.

"Nothing. Just a friendly game," WuFei replied.

"Come on, really. What's the bet?"

"No bet," I told him.

"But you two never get along!" Heero exclaimed, apparently confused.

"People change," was WuFei's simple reply.

Heero just shrugged. Quatre sat down to watch, but WuFei put his hand over Quatre's blue eyes.

"You can't watch," he explained.

"Why not?"

"You beat me on your first game. You don't need to watch and learn," WuFei replied.

"Aw, come on. That was just beginner's luck," whined the Arabian.

"He's probably right, WuFei," I said.

After some consideration, WuFei allowed Quatre to watch the game. "But if he beats me next time, I'll blame you, Relena."

"Okay. Fair enough," I agreed. It was my turn, and I thought hard. WuFei was good. I made my move, and waited for him to make his.

"So, what brought on this little bit of peace between you two?" inquired my Heero.

"Relena made a total fool of Dorothy. I have to respect her for that," replied WuFei.

"Why?"

"I didn't think she'd do it, that's all."

"How'd you do it, Relena?" asked Quatre.

"Dorothy came in from outside, and her back was to us. WuFei noticed that her skirt was tucked up inside her hose, and I asked her how the weather was outside. She replied, 'I'd say it's a bit chilly out there' and headed upstairs. We both had a good laugh over it, then called a truce," I explained.

"So you're friends now?"

"Not necessarily friends, but we will go easier on each other now," was WuFei's reply.

"So, did you four have fun today?" I asked politely, a bit upset about my Heero being with Duo.

"Oh, it was great!" exclaimed the braided American. "We went out to breakfast, then saw a movie, then had lunch and went to the park. Quatre and I had a snowball fight, and Heero got nailed right in the nuts by a stray snowball some little kid threw. He doubled over! It was hilarious!!"

"It wasn't so funny to me. That sucker hurt like hell," Heero said, cringing at the memory.

Duo moved close to Heero and tried to whisper, "I'll make it feel all better tonight, Hee-chan."

WuFei heard; I saw him roll his eyes. I sighed sadly.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm beat. I'm gonna head on up to bed, alright, Quatre?" said Trowa.

"Alright. I'll be up in a few," replied the blonde.

"You ready for bed, Duo?" asked my cobalt-eyed pilot.

"Yeah," Duo yawned.

"Well, don't get too sleepy. I'm gonna hold you to your promise."

Duo laughed. "Alright," he said, and the two headed up.

Quatre was still intent on watching the game. WuFei took his turn, then I took mine. It wasn't long before WuFei had me in checkmate.

"Darn. And I thought I was doing well," I pouted.

"You were. But you weren't watching your king like you should have been. You could have caught me, actually, because there were several chances for you to checkmate me, but you didn't take them because you weren't watching your king," WuFei informed me.

"Well, next time I'll pay more attention, then."

"Well, now that your game is over, I'm heading to bed. I'll see you guys in the morning," said Quatre.

"Okay. Good night, Quatre," I said. WuFei waved him goodnight.

"You really have a thing for Heero, don't you?" asked the Chinese pilot as we put away the chess set.

"Since the day I saw him, I've had a deep interest in him. He's just always fascinated me," I admitted.

"Ah. And somehow, you've come to believe you love him, am I right?"

"Yes. How'd you know?"

"I can read it in the way you act, and the way the look in your eyes changes whenever you see him with Duo," he replied.

"Hm."

"But do you really love him?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is what you feel for him love, or just that fascination?"

I thought about it for a little. "I don't know. Someone once told me that I was definitely in love with him, because I could never stop talking about him, and I guess I've just believed that ever since."

"Well, I recommend that you set yourself straight. Decide if what you feel is love, or is just that fascination. You may be surprised what you discover when you analyze yourself."

"Really?"

He nodded. "I don't like to analyze myself much, but when I do, I always discover something I didn't know was there. Like with Merian. When I analyze the way I felt for her, it was truly a deep respect and friendship, not love. Which is why I now believe we wouldn't have lasted."

"Hm. I'll have to try that. Who knows. If I'm not really in love with him, then the fact that he's with Duo won't bother me nearly so much. The whole male-male thing will bug me."

"Trust me. You'll get used to it. You may not approve, heavens know I don't, but you'll learn to accept that if that's the way they want to lead their lives, that's their choice. And then, it won't bother you."

"I should have serious conversations with you more often, WuFei. You seem to be very wise."

"I've learned a lot as a Gundam pilot. You'd be surprised what you learn when you look back on your life."

I put the chess box back into the game cabinet in the corner. "Well, I think I'm gonna go get some sleep, maybe analyze myself in my dreams. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Relena."

"Good night, WuFei."

A few days later, there was a terrible blizzard. All seven of us were caught inside, and that made for an interesting situation.....

"I wanna go outside!!!" whined the braided Duo.

"Duo, settle down. If you want to go outside so badly, why don't you go out there and start moving it away from the doors and off the driveway?" suggested Heero.

"But I don't wanna work!!" Duo whined again.

"Then stop complaining."

He stopped whining, but his pouting continued. I couldn't help but laugh at them. Whether I liked to admit it or not, they did make a cute couple.

Over the past few days, I had analyzed what I felt for Heero. So far, I hadn't found any good reason for me to be so hung up on him. I still wanted to do a little more analyzing, but if by the end of the day I didn't find anything in the way of love for him, I'd assume that what I felt was only the fascination for his character, and not love.

WuFei and I had continued our truce, and so far, I was actually enjoying the time he and I spent together, regardless of the presence of the others. He was a very honest guy, whose opinions were strong. He wasn't opposed to hearing opposing arguments, however, and when I challenged him in a more friendly tone, we had nice discussions, instead of battles.

WuFei chuckled. "I must admit, even I'm getting a little tired of being cooped up inside. Maybe I'll go work on moving that snow," he said, getting out of his chair. "Anyone care to go with me?" He asked this looking in my general direction.

I took it as his way of suggesting I go with him, so I said, "Sure. I'll help," and stood up. He and I both headed to our rooms and put on layers of clothing to keep us warm. When we met up, I suggested we go at it starting through the garage. "That way we don't get snow inside the house." He nodded, and away we went.

"I still can't believe those two are getting along," I heard Heero say as the door to the garage shut.

"So how's the analyzing going?" WuFei asked, pushing up the garage door.

"Well, so far I have no reason to believe that I am in fact in love with him. And if I can't find one by the end of today, then I'm gonna quit looking and assume that he just fascinates me, and nothing more," I replied.

WuFei nodded. "And has the fact that he's with Duo been bothering you?"

"Not as much as it did a few days ago," I admitted. "I do have to admit. They do kinda make a cute pair, don't they?"

"Yes, they do. Cuter if Duo was a girl, but still cute."

I laughed. "True."

We continued to work in almost silence. It seemed neither one of us had anything to say. But we quickly had the snow out of the driveway, and I noticed a snowplow heading our way on the street.

"They're gonna put that right on my driveway!" I half-whined.

WuFei looked up just as the plow passed my house. "It's okay. I'll get it. I've been slacking off on my training lately, and I could use the exercise," he said as he headed that way.

I couldn't help but smile. WuFei was really a nice guy once I took the time to get to know him. He still intrigued me, but in a different way. I wanted to know him more, to see more of this side he rarely showed to the other pilots.

"WuFei?" I asked as I went to the end of the driveway to help him.

"Hm?"

"Do the other pilots know about Merian?" I wanted to see if they knew him as well as I did, or if I knew him better.

"No. I've never told anyone, except you."

"Then why would you tell me?"

"You asked. They've never asked about my past, and I generally don't reveal details like that unless I'm asked about it."

"Really?" I was intrigued again. "Why not?"

He stopped working and looked at me; his eyes told me he was deep in thought. "You know,....I don't know. I just.....never have." He shrugged. "Hm." He continued shoveling the drive, but I could tell he was thinking about something.

I resumed my work as well.

"You know, Relena, I just realized something."

"What's that?"

"Last night, the guy who built Nataku and I were having a conversation, and he asked where I was staying. You know what I told him? I said, 'I'm staying at a friend's house'. I called you a friend last night and didn't realize it." He laughed a little.

I smiled. I was glad we were becoming friends now. But he had said something that confused me. "Who's Nataku?"

He seemed surprised that I asked, then seemed to remember he'd never mentioned the name around me. "Nataku is what I call my Gundam."

"Why's that?"

"Merian died in a mobile suit battle. She wasn't supposed to fight, because on our colony, only men were allowed to pilot mobile suits. But, stubborn girl that she was, she insisted. As she climbed into the mobile suit and was told not to, she replied, 'Just call me Nataku!' and flew away. Nataku is the name she gave herself, and I call my Gundam that because I fight in her memory. If she hadn't been willing to go against what was accepted and sacrifice herself to save the colony, I would have turned down the job as a Gundam pilot. So, to keep me motivated, I treat my Gundam like her spirit is in it, and thus call it Nataku," he explained.

"Wow."

"She was a very noble woman, who defied everything I had been taught about women. If I hadn't known her, I'd be much more of a chauvinist than I am."

"You admit you're a chauvinist?"

He nodded. "Yes. Because I know that's what I am. I was raised to believe that women are weak, and should stay in the kitchen cooking for their husbands while barefoot and pregnant. But since the war, I've met many women who defy what I was taught. You, for one."

"Me? How do I defy it? I don't fight."

"You fight in your own way. I was taught women are also weak-willed, but your will is strong. You desire to achieve total pacifism, and you refuse to give up, no matter what the obstacle," he replied.

I nodded, seeing his point. We finished the driveway and worked on the walkway to the front door in silence.

Out of nowhere a snowball flew at me and hit my back. I had gotten so caught up in clearing the walkway that I hadn't noticed WuFei slip away. I turned around to see the Chinese pilot packing another snowball. "WuFei, don't you dare."

He dared. He hurled the snowball right at me; it hit my left shoulder.

"That's it," I said as I picked up a handful of snow and began forming it into a ball. I flung it at him, but missed.

He laughed. "Whoops. Here. Use mine," he said sarcastically, hurling another snowball at me.

I caught him by surprise when I caught it and threw it back, hitting him in the chest. "I think I will."

"Good one, Relena," he said as he hurled another one my way.

I caught it, and was about to throw it when he ran at me and grabbed my hand.

"Oh, no you don't. You're not going to do that again," he said as he tried to pry the snowball out of my hand. I kept my hold on it, and before either of us knew it, we were on the ground, rolling around in the snow and laughing. When we stopped rolling, it was only because the snowball had been crushed. WuFei was on top of me, and we were both laughing and out of breath. "See. I told you you weren't going to do it again."

I laughed and noticed that some of his black hair had fallen out of its ponytail. I reached up and gently pushed the stray strands behind his ear, my fingertips brushing his face as I did so. Perhaps it was the cold wind that began to blow, but his cheeks turned a bit pink, almost like he was blushing.

He stood up, then offered his hand to me to help me up. I took it, as I was still out of breath. He surveyed the walk and the driveway, then said, "Looks like we're done out here."

"Yeah. I don't know about you, but I could use a nice cup of hot chocolate right about now."

"Sounds good."

We picked up our shovels and headed into the garage. I was extremely curious whether or not he had blushed.

I was surprised when WuFei held open the door into the house for me, but I smiled. I really was beginning to think of him as a friend. A very good friend, at that. I headed into the kitchen and started to make two cups of hot chocolate. WuFei headed upstairs, to change into some regular clothes, I assumed.

The timing couldn't have been better. Just as the second cup was finished, WuFei came down the stairs. I handed the cup to him, noticing that not only had he changed, but he had re-done his ponytail as well.

"Perfect timing, WuFei," I told him. He nodded silently. Why was he being so quiet all of a sudden? Had he really blushed, and did he know that I saw? I was confused, but I wasn't going to bring it up in front of the rest of the guys. We joined the others in the living room.

"Done already?" asked Duo, his violet eyes sparkling at the idea of going outside.

I nodded.

"Yeah! I'm gonna go outside! Who's with me?" he said excitedly. No one volunteered. "Oh, fine. I'll just go out alone, then." He pretended to pout a little, then went upstairs to change.

"WuFei, you're being quiet. Anything wrong?" asked Dorothy, getting only a few inches from his face.

He glared at her. "Get out of my face, woman," he grumbled.

"Sheesh. Grou-chy. Wha'd you do to him, Miss Relena?"

"She didn't do anything," WuFei said.

Something had changed. He was grouchy now; he hadn't been at all before. I figured I'd ask him later.

"Well, then why are you so grouchy?" Dorothy insisted.

"Dorothy, leave him alone," I commanded.

"I can fight my own battles, Relena," WuFei said harshly, though, not as harshly as he would have without our truce.

"I was only trying to help, WuFei," I said quietly. Somewhere, deep inside, I felt like crying, although the rest of me didn't know why.

I think he noticed that I sounded a bit hurt, because the expression in his eyes became softer, but he said nothing.

"Okay. What's with you two? First, you're acting all buddy-buddy, and now you barely speak to each other," Heero wanted to know.

"What goes on between us is no concern of yours, Heero," replied WuFei.

I sipped my hot chocolate. What was going on with us? I was only being quiet because WuFei was, and I didn't want to upset his temper. But...why was he so quiet all of a sudden?

The next day, the question was still bothering me. This sudden silence between us made me sad, though, it seemed to be a sadness greater than that between two friends who were drifting apart. It was a strong silence, because I kept wondering if I had done something to make him mad. I hoped not; any number of things could set him like this.

I hoped for a chance to talk with him, but fate was not with me that day, or the next.

Dorothy was always hanging around us, and I figured this was a subject best talked about when alone. She never allowed us any time alone, however, and she was really beginning to annoy me. She seemed to be getting on everyone's nerves.

"Dorothy, why are you always hanging around me?" I asked her, three days after the tension between WuFei and myself began.

"I adore you, Miss Relena! I want to learn all I can from you," was her obnoxious reply.

"Well, stop. I have nothing to teach you," I told her.

"But, Miss Relena.."

"Either that, or get out of my house. You've done nothing but annoy me since you moved in. And frankly, I'm sick of it. So, it's your choice. Either go, or leave me alone."

"I'll leave you alone, then, Miss Relena," she said meekly.

"Thank you, Dorothy."

I wondered if this effort of mine was too late to save the friendship that had begun to grow between myself and WuFei. I hoped not, but I feared so.

It wasn't until the following day, four days after the snowball fight, that I had a chance to talk alone with WuFei.

"WuFei, can I--ask you something?"

He was reading the paper. "Hm?"

"Why were you so different when we came in from shoveling the driveway?"

He kept his eyes on the paper, but he appeared to have stopped reading. "It's........hard to explain, Relena," he replied softly.

"Could you at least try, WuFei?"

He said nothing.

I thought that maybe if I revealed something to him, it would help him explain it to me. "WuFei," I began. "I have to admit something. That day, when you told me you could fight your own battles,....." I paused, choking on the words a bit.

He looked up at me from behind the paper.

"Well....it upset me. I was only trying to help you get Dorothy to leave you alone. I meant no disrespect," I finished.

"I know. And...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so harsh about it," he said, putting down the paper.

I smiled. Maybe it wasn't too late after all.

"It's okay. But I'm still curious about your change in mood...."

"Again, I owe you an apology. It's just....." He trailed off and turned his face away from me. This time, there was no question. He was blushing.

"Just what?" I asked softly, sitting beside him on the couch.

He stared at the floor. "Well, I don't let people see me with my hair down."

I was confused. I hadn't seen his hair down. Unless he meant that little bit I had pushed behind his ear that day....

"And even though you didn't see it all down, you saw more than most people. With my hair down, I'm much more emotionally vulnerable," he told me.

Now I understood. "Okay, just one more question, then I'll leave it alone. Just after I pushed the stray hairs behind your ear, were you blushing?"

His eyes grew wide and his face turned red again. "Darn you. You are somehow managing to make me feel vulnerable, even when my ponytail's perfect.' He turned his face from me.

I couldn't believe he just said that. How could I--unless just the fact that I had seen part of his hair down was enough...which it very well could be.

"I don't mean to be a pest, but.........."

"Yes, okay? I blushed. There. I admitted it." He sounded a bit frustrated.

For some reason, I blushed lightly when he said that. I put my hand on the cheek he had away from me and turned his face toward mine, so he could see that I was blushing too. "It's okay, WuFei. There's nothing wrong with blushing. It's actually...kinda cute," I said, shrugging. "And don't worry. I won't tell anyone, okay?"

He nodded silently. This time, there was a bashful silence about him. Our eyes met, and for the first time, I had a glimpse into the fragile and emotional WuFei hidden behind his Gundam-tough exterior.

He turned away, but not completely. I could tell he was thinking about something, so I let him be.

The clock chimed ten, and I had begun to feel sleepy.

"I'm gonna go to bed. Good night, WuFei," I told him as I stood up.

"Good night, Relena."

During the remainder of the winter, there was very little interaction between WuFei and I. With the New Year came a new war, and the boys would be gone for days at a time. Once, they were gone for ten days straight.

I was not unentertained, however. With the fighting came many requests for me to speak about my dream of total pacifism. At each press conference and speech I gave, I could almost see the boys: Heero, with his arms crossed over his chest; Duo, with a smile for my determination; Trowa, hands in pockets, leaning against the wall; Quatre, with a gleam of eagerness for peace in his eyes, and WuFei, arms crossed over his chest while shaking his head and muttering something about the impossibility of total peace.

And all the while, I missed having them around. With Dorothy as my only company, I really wanted them to come back.

Finally, about mid to late spring, there came a break in the fighting, and the Gundam five returned to my house. They all seemed weary of the war.

"Why don't you just stop fighting?" I asked them one day.

"It's not that easy, Relena. We're Earth's best defense. If we just quit, our side will lose," said Duo.

"What is this war about, anyway?" inquired Dorothy.

"Who knows. Most wars are pretty pointless when it gets right down to it," replied WuFei.

His comment surprised me. "But if they're so pointless, why do you fight?" I asked.

"There's always two sides to every war. I fight to protect my side."

"And what are the two sides of this one?"

"Really, I don't know. It seems to be another Colonies versus Earth, and right now, I'm fighting for the Earth."

"But you're from the colonies. I'm sure they feel betrayed."

"The colonies are very fickle. If we fight for them, they don't really care. But if we fight against them, they treat us like any other enemy," explained Trowa.

"But don't you feel any loyalty to them?" I asked.

"I don't. Not anymore. Mine is no longer in existence. I have only loyalty to myself now," replied WuFei.

"We fight for what we believe in, even if that means fighting against the colonies," Quatre explained. "I'm fighting for the peace that the Earth has lately been trying to achieve. Even though I know it may not work, at least they're trying."

I nodded. The Earth had been striving for peace since the war began, and truces and treaties were springing up all over, due, in part, to me. At least, that's what the press said.

"They're only working together because they have a common enemy right now. The Colonies. As soon as the war between the Earth and the Colonies is finished, the Earth will again become divided," stated WuFei.

He had a point which I could not argue. I knew there was a great chance that as soon as the war was over, the peace that had begun to spread would fade. I sighed.

"Well, this is depressing," sighed Dorothy. "I'm going to bed. You guys make me so bored.." She stood up and left.

"You haven't kicked her out yet?" WuFei asked when she was out of earshot.

"Be nice, WuFei," Quatre scolded.

"Actually, Quatre, she's been really on my nerves. I really would have kicked her out, but I'd be lonely without anyone here, so I've let her stay just so I'm not totally bored," I replied.

WuFei laughed. "You could get a goldfish and have better company," he said.

I couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm serious. All you have to do is feed the goldfish and clean the bowl once in a while. Then, you can tell it whatever you want, and it'll never talk back. That's the difference. Dorothy will talk back to you."

I laughed again. How I had missed them all.

Duo turned on the news, just to fill the silence that had filled the room.

"This just in," began the reporter. "There has been a truce called between the two sides of this latest war. It appears, there will be peace."

I screamed. "Yeah!!" I got right up in WuFei's face, and, just to spite him, I exclaimed, "Toldja so!"

Quatre cheered as well, as did Trowa and Duo. Though Heero was silent, he seemed to have a happy look in his eyes.

"That was uncalled for, Relena," WuFei said angrily as he stormed out of the room and through the kitchen, probably to the back patio.

His comment put a damper on everyone's mood, especially mine. "Maybe he's right. It was uncalled for," I admitted. I sat back down in my chair.

"He's just been really touchy for a while now. I don't understand it myself," said Duo as he turned off the news.

"Maybe I should go talk to him…" I thought out loud.

Duo shrugged.

"He may just want to be alone, Relena," replied Heero.

"You may be right. Maybe later," I sighed.

It was almost a week before I had the chance to talk to him. Dorothy would never leave us alone, and in the few times we were alone, he would leave the room before I could say anything. This time, I was going to talk to him.

"WuFei," I began.

He stood up to leave.

"Stay. I wanna talk to you," I said. He seemed surprised that I commanded him, but he stayed. "I've noticed you've been avoiding me…I'm assuming because of that comment I made about a week ago."

He just listened.

"I wanted to apologize. I know it was uncalled for, and I'm sorry. I just got caught up in the possibility of peace."

He nodded, then smiled. "It's okay…on one condition."

"What's that?"

"The next time fighting breaks out, I get to say it to you."

"Fair enough."

"Shake on it," he said, extending his hand. I shook it.

"So are we okay now?" I asked.

"Yeah."

I smiled, glad I could say he was a friend again.

He sat back down on the sofa, and I sat on the other end of it. We were engulfed in an awkward silence when Duo popped in.

"Hey guys. What's up?" he asked.

"Not much. You?" asked WuFei.

"Heero's out, so I'm bored," was Duo's reply. "You guys talking again?"

"Yes," replied WuFei.

"Aww. That's good."

Now, even with Duo there, the room was filled with an unusual silence. WuFei seemed deep in thought; I tried to read his expression and perhaps get an idea what was on his mind, but his face was turned too far from me. Duo turned on the television and began watching his favorite cartoon. He could be such a child sometimes. WuFei and I seemed to share the question, "What are we going to do about him?"

I watched WuFei roll his eyes at the animated drawings that Duo found so entertaining. He picked up the paper that was lying on the coffee table and opened it. He read, or perhaps pretended to read, the article on the page.

I on the other hand, just remained still, wondering what I could do for entertainment. One word came to my mind: Chess.

"Care for a game of Chess, WuFei?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Why not."

I got the Chess set out of the corner closet and set it out on the coffee table. We set up our respective pieces; thus started the game.

Duo sat down facing the board and watched as we began the game.

WuFei moved first, then me. The game was played out almost entirely in silence, except for the occasional call of "check". It was I who made the call most; Duo's cartoons seemed to distract WuFei.

Suddenly, WuFei growled. "Duo, please turn off that idiocy," he said, referring to the cartoons.

Duo eeped and turned the TV off.

"Thank you."

Now, WuFei became a much more aggressive opponent. He managed to get me in near-checkmate three times in a row before I could even check him once.

I kept a better eye on my king this game, and found that he did indeed leave plenty of opportunities for me to checkmate him, if only I were a few moves ahead. But to my dismay, he always managed to make the situation less to worry about for him, and more to worry about for me in one turn, making it hard for me to progress. Finally, after about an hour of playing, I caught him in one of his few mistakes. "Check. Mate," I called.

I watched him check the board, making sure it was in fact checkmate. "Looks like you got me, Relena," he said, smiling an almost suspicious smile.

I looked him in the eyes. "Wait a minute…You let me win!"

His smile grew.

"You did! You let me win! I don't believe you!" I put my hands on my hips. "I can't believe you would stoop so low!" I joked.

"Looks like you don't know me so well, do you, Relena?"

I sighed. "I can't believe you would let me win."

Duo ran out to tell someone the news, and WuFei leaned over the board to me.

"Can I tell you a secret?" he asked. I nodded. "I let Quatre win, too."

My jaw dropped. "No." He nodded. "You're a heck of an actor, then."

He shook his head. "Only in things in which there is no real emotion involved," he said mysteriously as he stood up and headed outside through the kitchen.

I stayed seated and cleaned up the game. "What in the world does he mean by that?" I asked aloud. 'Only in things in which there is no real emotion involved'. Hm…What did he mean by that? Perhaps…when there was real emotion, he was as open as a book…but what distinguished the two situations, then? Maybe…a situation that was not truly important involved no real emotion…but, what was a truly important situation? That WuFei. He was such a paradox. Everything about him perplexed me to no end. And the more he intrigued me, the more I wanted to know him. And…the closer to him I wanted to be…

I wondered if I should ask him about that, or if I should leave it alone. I finished putting away the game and sat down on the couch, propped my elbow on my knee, and my chin on my palm and thought.

Why did I suddenly want to know him so well? Why did he intrigue me in ways Heero never had? What was the difference? And why was it driving me crazy like this? I sighed.

"Something wrong, Relena?"

I jumped, then saw that it was only Quatre.

"Oh, sorry to startle you."

"It's alright. I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"Not much," I lied.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Right. And WuFei's a feminist," he replied.

I couldn't help but laugh. The idea of WuFei defending women's rights was rather amusing. "Okay, okay. So maybe I was doing some pretty heavy thinking. But…it's all thoughts I'm not sure I want to say right now. I have a lot of thinking to do before any of these leave my head," I told him.

He chuckled. "Alright. But if you have something you want to say, you can tell me."

"I'll remember that, Quatre," I smiled.

Just then, Duo popped into the living room. "Hey. You guys have got to see this!" he said, grinning widely.

Quatre and I looked at each other, intrigued, then followed Duo outside.

"Up there," Duo said, pointing at one of the trees. Quatre and I looked where he was pointing, and saw WuFei standing on one of the higher branches, facing away from the house. He wasn't bracing himself with anything; he just stood, his feet planted firmly on the branch. Dorothy was at the base of the tree, staring up at him and tapping her foot impatiently.

"WuFei Chang, get down here! You're gonna fall and get yourself killed!" she called to him.

He didn't move, nor did he even seem to have heard her. She repeated her command, and once again, he did not respond.

I wondered if he was going to stay up there. He seemed content, until Dorothy threw a small rock up at him. He caught it, with his lightning-fast reflexes, then glared down at her.

"Are you trying to kill me, stupid onna?" he asked.

"Get down here!"

"I take no orders!"

"I don't care. Get down here!" When he didn't move, Dorothy looked over at me. "Miss Relena! Tell him to come down!"

WuFei glanced over his shoulder at me, awaiting my response.

"He can stay there, if he likes, Dorothy. There's nothing wrong with climbing a tree now and then," I replied. It was hard to tell from that distance, but I thought I saw him smile at me.

"Uh! Miss Relena! Don't you care if he falls and hurts himself?" proclaimed Dorothy.

"Of course I care, Dorothy. That's why I'm asking you to stop throwing rocks at him. But if he wants to stand in the tree, he can stand in the tree," I replied.

Dorothy put her hands on her hips. "I don't believe you!"

"Sorry," I said, no real apology in my tone.

WuFei sat down on the branch, still facing away from the house.

I turned and walked back into the house, having no more to say.

Duo and Quatre followed me, as did a rather angry Dorothy.

"Miss Relena! How could you let him do that? He could get killed!" Dorothy exclaimed.

"True. But, as a Gundam pilot, I believe that WuFei has survived worse than something as simple as a fall from a tree. And, if I'm right, then what have we to fear if he falls out of the tree? He'll heal, and be good as new," I replied.

"Oooooh!" Dorothy stormed from the room.

"Ya know, I gotta admit, Relena. It did kinda sound like ya didn't care," said Duo.

"Trust me, Duo. I care. But, I also know that if he wants to be alone for whatever reason, he should be given that freedom. If he does fall, I'm going to worry about him, of course. But he's a tough guy. He'll be alright."

"Oh-kay. If you say so," he said with a shrug. Duo left the room; Quatre followed.

I turned to look out the window at WuFei, who was still sitting in the tree. I care, Duo. I may even care more than I'm willing to admit to myself…

A few hours later, the sun had started to set, and no one had seen WuFei. I looked out the window of the kitchen to see if he was still sitting in the tree. He was. I slid open the door and stepped outside, heading towards the tree.

I stood at the base of the tree and looked up at WuFei. He seemed to be deep in thought; so deep, I wondered if saying something would disturb him. I leaned my back against the trunk of the tree, facing the same direction as WuFei.

"Relena?" WuFei's voice came from above me.

I turned and looked up at him. "Yes?"

"What are you doing out here?

Good question. What was I doing out there? I shrugged. "I don't know," I replied.

He chuckled a little, then jumped down from the tree, landing solidly on his feet.

I smiled. "I told them we had nothing to worry about with you being up there," I said.

He looked over at me and smiled. "So. You don't know why you're out here?"

I quickly thought of a reason. "Well, I do now. To yell at you some more for letting Quatre and I beat you at Chess," I said with a smile.

"Right. Well, yell away."

"Why did you let us win?"

"Well, with Quatre, it's easy. To help him not hate the game. A lot of people who lose their first match end up hating the game. And they only lost because they were playing against a very experienced player. But why I let you win…" He shrugged.

"You don't know?"

"Iie. I don't. I wish I could say I did," he replied.

I sighed. "Well, next time, don't let me win. And don't let Quatre win either. It'll give him a false esteem about himself," I said.

"Okay."

I was a bit surprised that he had given in that easily. I wondered… "WuFei?"

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Always."

"What did you mean when you said you're only a good actor in things in which no real emotion is involved?"

He blinked in surprise, and his cheeks flushed a little. "W-well, you know how I can be sometimes…y-you know, like…now. I can't stop myself from blushing, because I'm--I'm a little embarrassed. But, well, if what I'm doing isn't going to change anything major, like, well, like playing a game of Chess, I can act all I want, and rather convincingly at that.

I thought about his statement for a bit. So, if what he's doing or what he's saying may affect something seriously, perhaps, in this case, someone's opinion of him, he can't hide how he truly feels. He must be honest. But, I thought I'd clarify. "So, if…say, you are asked a question that to answer it may change someone's opinion of you…"

"Whether I'd like to lie or not, I've learned that in a case like that, if I do lie, there's no point. Whoever it is I'm talking to has only to look me in the eyes to know that I'm not being honest."

"I see." I'd have to remember that. I remembered hearing somewhere that the eyes are the windows to a person's soul. Apparently, with WuFei at least, that was true.

He sighed. "And I hate that. There are times in which I wish I could convincingly keep people out, but they look me in the eyes and know that what I'm saying is not the truth, and I am forced to let them in."

"You don't seem to want to keep me out, though. I would think I'd be one of those you'd want out. I'm a snoopy, prying, pain-in-the-butt."

He laughed. "Yes, you are. But…" He turned and looked away from me, as though he wanted to tell me a lie and not have me know. He said nothing.

"But…" Now, he had gone and made me curious.

He turned and looked me in the eyes, almost as though he wanted to make sure I knew he wasn't lying, this time, and, after a moment of silence, he spoke. "But, for some reason, I don't want to keep you out. In fact, I…" He clenched a fist, then continued. "I seem to want to pull you closer," he finished, his face very definitely red.

I searched his eyes…I don't think anyone could have been more open or more honest than he had just been. I felt my face flush as well. "I…I don't know what to say…"

"Then don't say anything," he said, putting his hand behind the base of my neck and pulling me closer. This was the first time I had been close enough to him to really realize that he was slightly taller. He looked down into my eyes, and I saw a swirl of emotion in his. He leaned slightly closer and tilted his head down a bit, tilting mine upward to meet his. He slowly closed his eyes, and I felt my pulse quicken as he pressed his lips on mine.

My first instinct was to push him away, and I moved my arms to do so, but…something in this felt…right. I let my arms fall to my sides and leaned into it, daring to kiss him back. I felt his other arm snake around my waist and pull me a little closer, then hold me tight. I couldn't help but smile, and lightly wrap my arms around his shoulders.

"What the…?!"

We broke apart quickly, both our faces red. I glanced at the speaker long enough to see who it was, then turned my face from them. It was Duo.

WuFei looked at me; he seemed to be reading my expression. Then, he turned to Duo, and looked him straight in the eyes. "Not a word of this…to anyone…" he growled, grabbing Duo by the shirt collar.

Duo's violet eyes grew wide, and he gulped audibly. "C-can I…at least…get an explanation?" he dared to ask.

WuFei slowly let go of his collar. "Maybe later."

Duo gulped again. "K-kay," he said, taking off for the house.

WuFei then turned to me and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Relena?" he asked. He sounded nervous.

"Hm?" I asked, turning back toward him.

His face was still red. He tried to say something, but nothing came out. After a minute or two, he finally spoke. "Sorry," he said, as he turned toward the house. I watched him pass the living room, where the rest of the guys were sitting, no doubt, and head up the stairs.

It was almost dark out now, and I decided I should head inside, thoughts swirling in my head. Sorry? Why was he sorry? Did I not kiss him back? And…why was it something he wanted the others not to know about? He never ceased to confuse me.

Duo came up to me as I passed the living room. "Um…" he pulled me away, then continued. "WuFei said I could tell no one…does that include Heero?" he whispered.

I nodded. "I assume so, Duo," I replied.

He pouted. "Aww…but…I hate keeping secrets from him…"

"Sorry. Looks like you'll have to."

"But…"

"No buts, Duo. That's how it's gonna have to be," I said, turning to head upstairs.

Duo pouted at me, but I paid no attention to it. Darn that WuFei. What did he mean by 'Sorry'? Did he regret it? Did he think I was mad about it? What did he mean?! I thought about going to his room and asking him, but his door was shut completely. He usually left it open a little bit. I decided it would be best to ask him tomorrow and headed to my own room.

The next morning I headed to his room to see if he was up. The door was still shut, so I let it be. I headed downstairs and found Duo and Heero already up and arguing.

"Duo, you've been acting strange lately. Why can't you tell me what's up?" asked Heero.

"I just can't, Heero! It's-it's an order!" Duo exclaimed, nearly in tears.

"An order? From whom?"

"From…someone! I can't say! Come on, Heero!"

"Who in the world would order you something like that?!" Heero demanded.

Just then, WuFei's voice was heard from above. "I would."

"What? Since when do you give orders to Duo, and since when does he listen?"

"Since yesterday," replied WuFei as he came downstairs.

I was surprised to see him out of his usual navy tank top and white pants. He wore a pair of blue jeans, and a pale grayish blue long sleeve button down shirt over a white v-neck T-shirt. (wufeisexy.jpg) He looked really nice.

"Whoa, WuFei. Nice outfit," said Quatre.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one caught off-guard by his change of clothing.

WuFei smiled slightly, but said nothing as he walked toward Heero. "I told him not to tell anyone, Heero. He knows the consequences if he does." He glared at Duo.

Duo eeped and hid behind his lover. "Don't worry! I ain't sayin' a word!" he exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Good. Because if I find out you did…"

Duo eeped again.

I didn't know what to say, and therefore said nothing.

WuFei sat down on the sofa and picked up the newspaper.

Duo looked at Heero. "See? I told you I couldn't tell you."

"Okay. I believe you. But still…now you two have gotten my curiosity. What could be so important about him that he would make you not tell?" Heero asked.

"Well, to answer that question would be to tell you exactly what he doesn't want me to tell you," Duo replied. "And to be honest…I don't know why he's making such a big deal about it…"

"Drop it, Duo," commanded WuFei.

He did.

I sat down by the window and looked out to the backyard, where…last night…had occurred. I still wanted to know why he had done that…and why he had apologized…

The room got very quiet, very fast. Trowa and Quatre weren't up yet, and neither was Dorothy. Duo and Heero apparently had nothing more to say to each other; well, at least, if they did, they weren't saying it in front of us.

I hated the awkward silence, but I didn't know what to say to break it, so I sat and gazed out the window, just thinking.

The room was quiet, even after Trowa, Quatre, and Dorothy had gotten up and joined us. Trowa quietly played a game of Chess with Quatre, and Dorothy watched. Heero and Duo just cuddled on the sofa, and WuFei read the paper. No one seemed to want to break the silence, and yet it almost seemed as though we all wanted it broken.

"Anyone hungry?" I asked.

Duo perked up immediately. "You bet!"

"What else is new?" Heero asked sarcastically. "Although, I must admit, so am I."

"Yeah," said Trowa and Quatre in unison.

"WuFei?" I asked.

He nodded. "Hn."

"I'll help you make it, Miss Relena," said Dorothy as I headed toward the kitchen.

I rolled my eyes but said nothing.

"So…" she began as soon as we reached the kitchen. "Why's everyone so quiet?"

"I don't know. I only know why I've been quiet."

"Which is..?" she pried.

"None of your business," was my reply.

"But, Miss Relena…"

"No buts. It's not your business, Dorothy. Accept it," I said a bit harshly.

She pouted. "Why not?"

"It doesn't concern you, Dorothy," I said, beginning to get agitated.

"Who does it concern, then?"

"Not. you," I replied, glaring at her.

"Miss Relena…"

"That's it. One more complaint out of you, and you're outta here. Got it?"

"But-"

"That's it. OUT!" I pointed to the door. "Pack your bags and go. You've got until the end of the day, Dorothy Catalonia. If you're not out by then, I'm packing your things and personally kicking you out. Literally."

Her eyes grew wide, and she opened her mouth to protest.

"You heard me. GO!"

She pouted, but she went.

I went ahead and made breakfast, then carried it out to the boys.

"Um…" was all Duo could manage.

"We heard that all the way out here, Relena," said Quatre.

"Oh?" I asked.

Quatre nodded.

"It's about time," spoke up WuFei.

That sent Duo into a fit of giggles.

"I'm afraid I must agree," said Trowa. "She did seem to be getting on everyone's nerves."

Quatre nodded. "Yeah."

I sighed. "Is it wrong that that felt really good?"

WuFei replied, without taking his gaze from the paper. "Not at all."

"Well, that's good. At least I won't feel guilty about it, then," I replied.

WuFei chuckled. "You shouldn't. Someone had to tell her off eventually. I figured I'd wait for you to do it, since this is your house. Otherwise, I would have done it long ago."

"I believe that."

"You should."

I laughed a little.

"Well, at least it broke the silence," said Quatre.

We all laughed.

"That it did, Quatre," replied his European lover.

"Well, now what?" I asked.

"Now, we eat!" exclaimed Duo.

We laughed, but agreed and dug in.

Later that evening, Dorothy had her bags packed, and I called her a cab. I was serious when I told her to leave. I wondered why I hadn't done it sooner.

She looked at me as she climbed into the cab, her face pleading with me to let her stay. My response was to wave farewell and smile.

It wasn't until the cab drove away that I realized WuFei had his hand on the small of my back. I looked over at him suspiciously. His only response was a wink. I raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what was going on in that ever-perplexing mind of his. Yesterday he apologized for kissing me, now he had his hand on the small of my back. He winked again, then went inside.

Duo, Quatre, Trowa, and Heero followed. I stayed out a bit longer, thinking about what he could be thinking.

It didn't make any sense. One minute, he's acting one way, and a different way the next. He sure seemed to be trying to confuse me; in which case, he was doing a wonderful job. And I always thought it was the girls that could never be understood. I shrugged, and turned to go inside, when I saw the boys suddenly bolt out the door toward their Gundams.

"Hey, what the..?"

WuFei paused to explain, by saying, "I told you the peace wouldn't last," with a grin. He turned toward his Gundam, but I grabbed his wrist.

"Be careful, WuFei," I said, feeling a deep, genuine worry.

He smiled at me and stroked my cheek. "I will. In the meantime, you keep up those speeches of yours. Maybe they do work," he said with a shrug as he headed toward his mobile suit.

My jaw almost hit the ground. Did he just admit…I might be right?? Now that was something for the record books. I watched as the five mobile suits headed off to battle, hoping that they'd all come back alive…

The sun had fully set, and no sign of the Gundams. I started to worry, but I told myself they had been gone for longer than this and been fine…and yet…for some odd reason, I was more worried about them than I had ever been. I wasn't sure if it was a premonition, or just a silly, needless worry. Or…was it something more?

I shrugged and dressed for bed, still hoping they'd come back soon. But I knew the possibility of them returning that night was slim, so I did my best to convince myself they'd be fine; despite my effort, however, I still went to bed, worrying about the five of them.

The night was filled with dreams of battle and bloodshed, and left me shaking in the morning. I wrapped my robe around me and headed downstairs to make myself some hot chocolate to calm my nerves. I don't drink coffee, otherwise I would have made some. Why in the world was I so worried about them? Duh. They had become good friends of mine; I wanted them to survive. Well, I wanted everyone to survive the wars and the fighting, but especially those who were close to me. After all, I'm only human.

I sipped at my hot chocolate and thought a while. What in the world was going on? WuFei kisses me. Then he apologizes. Then, the next day, he dresses different, and barely says anything to me for most of the day. As Dorothy left, he had his hand on the small of my back. He left for the battle, with me telling him to be careful. And the farewell we said was rather affectionate, if I do say so myself. And then me worrying about all of them so much…it didn't make sense to me. Maybe the answer was there and I was just missing it. Or maybe I was crazy. Maybe there was nothing at all, and I was imagining all of it. Maybe this was one tremendous and extremely realistic dream.

I sighed, tired of thinking. I sipped my hot chocolate again and headed to the living room. I turned on the TV to the news, to see if there was anything about the battle that the guys were fighting. I was surprised to hear nothing about it. I began to wonder just where the battle was being held, that the media didn't know about it. Antarctica, maybe?

Heh. Then again, the media probably had their ways of reaching there too. I shrugged. I was determined not to worry.

The phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. I went to answer it. "Hello?"

"Relena?"

"Yes?"

"It's Quatre. Um…I don't know how to tell you…but…"

I felt my heart beating in my throat. "But what, Quatre?"

"Well, I'm the only one not hospitalized after the battle."

"Wh-what?" My heart skipped a beat.

"They're all alive, but hospitalized. I was lucky. I got away with a broken arm and a few broken ribs," Quatre told me.

"That's lucky?"

"Yeah," he said sadly.

"What happened?"

"We were totally ambushed. Mobile dolls everywhere we turned, and they just kept coming. They were everywhere, and we were lucky to get out alive."

"What about your Gundams? Does the enemy have them?"

"No, fortunately. We all were able to hide them before going to the hospital. But…well…"

"Spit it out, Quatre," I said, my heart seeming to beat twice its normal rate.

"Well, the doctors…they're not sure…if WuFei's going to make it or not…"

"Where are you?"

"The hospital in the Cinq Kingdom."

"Wow. So close. I'll be there soon," I said, hanging up the phone before he could respond. I ran upstairs and got dressed, then drove to the hospital as fast as I could.

I managed to get there in a matter of minutes. I may have driven like a madwoman, but I wasn't going to let WuFei die on me. (Did I just say that?)

I ran into the hospital, and Quatre was there waiting for me.

"That was fast," he said.

"Yeah. I know. Where's WuFei?"

"Room 138. Last I heard, he wasn't conscious," Quatre told me.

I headed to 138, my heart pounding. With a shaky hand, I turned the knob and let myself in.

WuFei lie in the bed, thick, red bandages wrapped around his chest. His eyes were closed; whether or not he was conscious, I couldn't tell. A nurse came in behind me and began to change his bandages. There was an IV in his left arm, and a bandage around his forehead as well. I noticed a few strands of his ponytail creeping out from under his head and smiled. I remembered how self-conscious he was about his hair.

I approached the nurse quietly. "How is he?"

"He's lost a lot of blood, but we can't do a transfusion until he's stopped bleeding. Honestly, he may not make it," she replied somberly.

"Oh, jeez."

"Well, there is good news. His bleeding has slowed considerably from the time he was brought in. He has a chance, but I don't know how good that chance is."

I looked over at him. He seemed so peaceful, lying there; if only he was asleep, and not unconscious, and not at risk of death… I gulped and clenched my hand into a fist. "I told him to be careful," I barely choked out, a tear cascading down my cheek.

The nurse looked at me, her eyes full of sympathy, and handed me a tissue. "We'll all be doing everything we can to make sure he comes out of this alive, Miss," she said.

I smiled at her weakly, biting on my lower lip. "I'll try to take comfort in that," I replied.

She returned to her task, and I just stood, motionless, watching and waiting. I hoped more than anything that he would make it through this, but… Why was I freaking out about it like this? I still didn't understand myself.

I wiped a few tears from my eyes with the tissue and sat down in the chair beside his bed when the nurse left. I couldn't take my eyes off him, and I couldn't stop wishing that he would open his eyes and smile at me, even if it was only for a brief second.

"Relena?"

I looked up. Quatre had softly entered the room.

"You okay?"

I sniffed. "Yeah…" I lied.

Quatre smiled. "Liar," he said gently. "I've noticed little things, Relena, between you and WuFei."

"Oh? Like…like what?"

Quatre smiled. "Like how he had his hand on your back when Dorothy left, for one."

"Y-you…you noticed that?"

He nodded. "And the way he smiled and winked at you when you noticed it. And how you two have had a mutual respect that is truly admirable. You are so different in opinions, but you seem to get along. And that day when he was up the tree…he smiled at you when you told Dorothy to leave him alone. It's very seldom that I see WuFei smile, and he seems to do it quite a bit when you're around. Not to mention what Duo's not allowed to tell…"

My eyes grew wide. "What about it? He didn't tell, did he?"

"No. But he didn't need to. I read it all in his, WuFei's, and your actions yesterday. You blushed a bit when he came down, I don't know if you know that. And he was all dressed up, for no apparent reason. And Duo's persistence in telling…I'll admit, I don't know exactly what went on that night, but I can make an educated guess," he said with a smile and a wink.

I blinked in surprise. "Oh?"

"I'm willing to bet…you guys aren't quite 'just friends', Relena," he said.

I felt my face turn red, and I turned my gaze from Quatre to WuFei. Could he be right? Was that it? Was that why I felt so worried about him? And why I wanted to get to know him really well? Could that really be the case? No. No, that wasn't it. It couldn't be. We were too different. But then…why..?

"Relena? Daijoubouka?"

"Yeah. I'm fine," I lied again.

Quatre laughed. "You're lying again," he said with a gentle smile. "You know, you could say I'm the one that hooked up Heero and Duo. They flirted a lot, but neither of them realized that it was actually flirting. Then, I pointed out to them that I had noticed. They went from there, and you see how they are now. Who knows. Maybe this little talk will get you and WuFei together," he said, a sly smile crossing his lips.

I kept my gaze on WuFei as he lay there, breathing slowly, his bandages very gradually beginning to absorb the blood that still trickled from his veins.

"You don't think he and I are too different?" I asked, surprising myself.

"Trust me. I had a harder time picturing Heero with Duo back when I noticed their flirting than I do picturing you with him. The biggest obstacle with the two of you would be the fact that he fights, and you speak against fighting. You seem to have proven to him that you're not a weak woman, which is the first major step to creating a relationship with him. He won't surround himself with weak people; he acknowledges the inner strength you have, Relena. I think, and this is assuming he makes it, that you two would be very cute together."

I sighed. Maybe…maybe Quatre was right. Well, for the time being, that had to become the last thing on my mind. The most important thing to me right then was WuFei, and seeing to it that he got the best care possible. But I couldn't forget about the others. They were important too. "So…how's everyone else?" I asked Quatre.

"Heero's got a broken leg, which the doctors won't let him set, and a broken arm, which is part of why they won't let him set his leg."

"He wants to set his own broken leg?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah. If ya talk to Duo, he'll tell you he's done it before."

"Oh my."

"Hehe. Yeah. He's also got a minor concussion. Duo's in a similar predicament. He's got some pretty serious cuts on his chest, as well as some broken ribs. He's got a cut right down the side of his face, along his jaw line, that he's afraid will scar…"

"How very Duo," I said.

"Yeah. And his left ankle is broken in a couple of places. Trowa got away relatively lucky, but he's not lucky enough to be up and walking. His right ankle is sprained, and if he walks on it, there's a good chance he'll break it. His left arm is in a cast, and a small piece of glass had found it's way into his eye. The doctors got it out okay, but they had to bandage his eye shut, and it's gotta stay that way for a while. But, they'll all live. It's only WuFei that the doctors are worried about," Quatre told me.

"Well, let's go visit the others. I can come back and check on him later," I said, standing up.

Quatre nodded. "The good news is that you'll only have to go to one room to see all three of them," he said with a grin.

"They put all three in one room?"

"Yeah. What were those doctors thinking?"

I smiled. "Who knows." But Quatre was right. I could hear their voices as we approached the room.

"Don't worry, Duo. One little scar won't matter," said Heero.

"But it'll ruin my pretty face!" was the whiny reply.

I laughed. "I see what you mean, Quatre."

Quatre just smiled and opened the door. "You've got a visitor," he said, opening it more.

I stepped into the room, and found all three of them with some sort of bandage on one of their legs, raised up in a sling. Trowa did indeed have a bandage over his right eye, and I could see the bandage for the cut along Duo's jaw. Heero was squirming, apparently still objecting to not being allowed to set his own broken leg. Duo was picking at the bandage along his jaw.

"I wouldn't pick at that, Duo. You might make it scar, if it won't already," said Heero.

Duo let out a high-pitched whine of protest, but gave in.

"Hello, Relena," said Trowa, who until then had been quiet.

"Hey Trowa. Glad to see you're alive."

"Me too. It was terrible."

"Quatre told me a little about it on the phone. Sounds like you guys were lucky."

"Very. With as many mobile dolls as there were, I'm surprised we made it out at all; I'm even more surprised that more of us aren't in WuFei's condition."

I tried to remember what little information I knew about the Gundams. "You and Quatre pilot the ones with the most armor, right?"

"Yeah. Which is probably why we got out as well as we did. What I can't figure out is why WuFei's worse off than Duo. Duo's has the least armor."

"But mine's the fastest, Trowa. The hits I got were bad, but I was too quick to get a lot of hits," replied Duo.

"Ah. Point."

"But, didn't someone say that each Gundam has a specific strength?" I asked.

"Hai," replied Heero. "Sandrock is the best defended. Heavyarms has the most ammo. Deathscythe has the speed, and Zero has the power. The Altron has the best weapons variety. But, they each have a weakness. Sometimes it's the way it's piloted, like with Trowa using up all of the Heavyarms' bullets very quickly, leaving him only that switchblade as a weapon. In the case of the Deathscythe, it had to be light to be so fast. And to be light, the armor had to be reduced. It's great if you're fighting someone and need a good offense, but in a case like this, where we really needed strong defense, it wasn't so great."

I had always thought Heero was the 'expert' on the Gundams. Now, it showed. He did know quite a lot about each of them. I could see now why it was that he seemed to be the leader.

"But it still doesn't quite make sense why WuFei would get the worst from this battle. He's an excellent pilot, with a lot of skill," added Quatre.

"Well, guys, maybe it was just me, but…didn't he seem to be acting kinda strange during the battle?" asked Heero.

"Hm. Now that you mention it, Heero, he did. Ranting something about having to stay alive…He normally doesn't do that," said Trowa.

Quatre looked over at me and winked. I blushed.

"Really?" I asked.

Duo chewed on his lower lip. "Yeah."

"Hm…" I found that rather interesting. So he had planned on being careful during battle. I couldn't help but smile a little at this thought, that maybe, Quatre was right. Maybe there was something there… but if there was, was it really what Quatre thought? Or…were we just good friends?

Trowa raised an eyebrow at me as I stood, deep in thought.

"What? Can't a girl think around here?"

"Only out loud," replied Heero.

"Uh, I don't think so, Heero. You're not hearing what's going through my mind right now," I replied.

"Aw, why not?" Duo inquired.

"Because last time I checked, they were my thoughts, Duo," I retorted. I was glad things seemed to be normal between all of us, except for their respective conditions. I began to think about wandering back down to WuFei's room.

Duo responded by sticking out his tongue.

"Baby," I retorted.

Heero laughed.

I headed out the door and back to 138. I quietly stepped into his room and gazed at him, his eyes closed peacefully, his breathing slow, but rhythmic. "Oh, WuFei…why was it you who got the worst of it?" I asked in a whisper. "Why'd it have to be you?"

A little had changed since I was there last. He had a heart monitor hooked up to him, that I must have missed the first time I was there. His head was turned the away from the door. He had directly faced the ceiling during my first visit. Had he been awake? Or just dreaming?

"WuFei, just come out of this…" I said, just then hearing the shakiness of my own voice.

"Don't worry. I intend to," came a soft whisper.

I felt my heart skip a beat. WuFei? I glanced at him and smiled when I saw his beautiful coal-black eyes open. "Y-you're awake…" I whispered, afraid of my shaky voice.

"What's wrong? You-your voice…is shaking…" He seemed worried.

I ran over to him. "I-I'm just…glad you're awake…" I said, feeling the tears in my eyes.

"Of course I am, silly onna. Didn't I tell you I was going to be careful?" he said with a little smile.

"Yeah…I was just afraid…when Quatre called me…that you might not make it…"

"I'll make it. Don't worry, Relena," he said softly.

I couldn't resist the urge; I took his hand in mine and squeezed it lightly. "I'll hold you to that," I said, smiling weakly.

"I know you will. In fact, I'm counting on it. I…I have to admit something, Relena…" he began.

I waited for him to continue. He squeezed my hand.

"Khe wu. I thought I could do it," he said almost under his breath, turning his gaze from me.

"WuFei? Daijoubuka?" Now that was a word I had picked up from Heero.

He nodded weakly. "Daijoubu."

I continued to gaze at his face, wondering what was going on in his mind. He was still such a mystery to me.

Just then, a doctor came in. "Ah, he's awake, I see. Wonderful."

"Is he gonna be okay?" I asked.

"We still don't know yet. He's stopped bleeding, which means," he paused, picking up the clipboard with WuFei's details. "Which means, Mr. Chang, we've gotta get you in for a blood transfusion. You've lost a lot, and if we don't do it soon, I doubt you'll make it."

WuFei nodded, and a few orderlies lifted him onto a stretcher.

I didn't want to let go, but I knew I had to. I let go slowly, watching as they wheeled him out. "Do you really think he'll be okay?" I asked the doctor.

"Well, now that he's awake, his chances are much better. It would have been bad if he had gone into a coma. And after this transfusion, his chances will increase even more. Don't worry, Miss. He's in good hands. Now, if you'll excuse me."

I nodded, then decided that while WuFei was getting the transfusion, I would go back to the rest of the guys.

"Hey. Where'd ya run off to?" asked Duo, as soon as I set foot into the room.

"I went to check on WuFei. He's going for a blood transfusion right now," I replied quietly. I still wondered what he had wanted to admit…

"Ah. Was he awake?"

"Yeah." I sighed.

"Anything wrong?"

"Just tired. I didn't sleep too well last night, and now all of this," I replied. That was true. I was tired.

"Aw. Maybe you should go home and get some sleep," suggested Quatre.

I shook my head. "I can't do that."

"Why not?" asked Heero.

"Just can't. And don't bother asking me to explain, because I won't."

"Heh. Okay, then."

I took a seat in the empty chair beside Trowa and just thought to myself. I hoped he'd be okay…and what in the world had he wanted to tell me? That was going to drive me nuts. I had started to say something, and judging by his tone, it was important, but…what could it be? What could be so important, at least, in his mind…that it would require him being ready to tell me? I had no idea. But apparently, it was important to him. And speaking of things about him that confused me, I still wanted to know why he had apologized for kissing me the other day…

But most importantly of all, I wondered if he was going to make it through all of this. He was pretty badly injured, and the doctors still weren't sure if he would survive. I hoped he would make it through this. Things wouldn't be the same without him. They'd be too…oh, what's the word…calm? I don't know. We wouldn't have a chauvinist parading around the house, or someone to make quiet, sarcastic little remarks about Duo's insanity and idiocy when appropriate. It just wouldn't be the same…

"Relena? Daijoubuka?"

I looked up to see everyone looking at me. "Huh?"

"You okay? You're shaking," said Heero.

I looked at my hands. I was shaking. I sat on them. "I-I'm fine," I replied, my face burning.

"Relena, something's bothering you. What's up?" Trowa asked.

"N-nothing. I told you…I'm fine," I replied. Why-why was I shaking like this? Was it because…I'd never…felt…like this…before? Like this. Like what? I didn't even know what it was that I felt. But whatever it was, it was powerful. It was powerful, and in my case, it was a bit scary. Could--could Quatre be right? Did I think of him as more than just a 'friend'? Maybe-maybe he…No, no. Not that.

"You're sure?" asked Quatre.

He seemed to know what I was thinking. Curse him. Heh. I was even starting to sound a little like WuFei. I could just hear him yelling 'Curses!' when he was mad. "Yeah, Quatre," I replied, a bit more solidly than I had replied to Trowa.

"If you say so," he said with a shrug.

I tried to return to my thoughts, but now I was paranoid. I didn't want to be shaking, nor did I want them staring at me. So, I sat, waiting for something, anything, to happen. It was about half an hour more before anything did.

"Well, aren't you a talkative bunch."

That voice…I looked up and saw WuFei being wheeled into the room on a stretcher by an orderly. I felt the blood rush to my face as I smiled. He still had the bandages around his chest and head, but otherwise, he seemed fine. He even had some color in his face.

"WuFei!" exclaimed Duo with a large smile on his face. "Oh, man! You're still alive!"

"I'm a resilient little bugger sometimes," he replied, smiling a bit.

The orderly wheeled the stretcher and IV to the empty bed beside Trowa-the bed next to the chair I was in.

"Doctor says it looks like I'm gonna make it," WuFei reported.

Quatre smiled…at me…and Duo let out a loud "Yay!"

I smiled too. I would have said something, but my thoughts from not long before were jumbled up in what would have come out, so I said nothing. I couldn't even bring myself to look at him, for fear I'd blush profusely.

"The blood transfusion went well, I assume?" asked Quatre.

"Yeah. The doctor was amazed that I recovered from it so quickly," was the reply.

"That's good."

I glanced up at Duo, who was chewing on his lower lip. His eyes were darting between me and WuFei. I wondered what he was thinking. Was he trying to figure out what was going on between us? Or did he already know and just didn't believe it? If he already knew, I would be mad.

"Duo? You're awful quiet," said Heero.

"Eep. Oh. No reason, really. Just thinking," Duo replied, still not quite there.

"Just don't hurt yourself, okay?"

"I'll try."

WuFei chuckled. "He'll try. Heh."

I smiled, glad to hear WuFei making jokes and laughing. It was a good sign about his recovery. And he seemed to be in extremely good spirits, which I took as a good thing. I glanced at the clock, realizing I had no idea what time it was. It was about six in the evening. Wow. That late. And I hadn't eaten…

As if on cue, my stomach growled. Loudly. My face went beet red. I realized all I had had that day was the hot chocolate in the morning.

WuFei glanced over at me with a raised eyebrow. "Hungry?"

I laughed. "It just occurred to me that I haven't eaten anything today. I had just gotten up when Quatre called me, and I hurried here," I said with a red face.

"Well, go eat. I'm sure the hospital has a cafeteria, somewhere," WuFei replied.

I sighed. "I guess I should, huh?"

He nodded. "Go on. I'm not going anywhere."

I blushed again. "I'll be back, guys," I said, heading out the door.

"Of course you will. We can't get rid of you," teased Heero as I left.

I ate quickly and returned to the room. As I approached, I heard commotion from inside. I opened the door carefully.

"I'll not say a word about that, Duo," WuFei said firmly.

"Oh, come on, Wu! Not even letting me tell Heero has been driving me nuts!"

"Sorry."

"Oh, you're so mean!"

"You shouldn't have let him find out that you had a secret, Duo. Now he wants to know. And thanks to you, I'm sure Trowa and Quatre are curious as well. But it's not your business to tell," WuFei said, gently crossing his arms over his bandaged chest. He was sitting up in his bed; Duo was sitting as far up as he could get, thanks to his leg.

"You're so mean!"

"What in the world did I walk into?" I asked quietly.

Silence fell over the room for a moment, then WuFei explained.

"Duo's begging me to let him tell that secret."

That did it. "Whoa, whoa whoa. You mean she knows too? This is too much!" exclaimed Heero.

WuFei glared at Duo, who was biting his lower lip, and growled, "Not a word, Maxwell. Not a word."

"Oh, my…" was all I could say.

"Come on, Relena. Spill," said Heero.

I shook my head. "Uh-uh. I'm not stupid."

"Besides, Heero. How do you know you won't find out if you just leave it alone?" said Quatre.

WuFei's eyes grew wide. "What do you mean by that, Quatre?"

The Arabian threw up his hands innocently. "Hey! Don't look at me like that! Relena can fill ya in on it all! Sheesh!" He ducked behind Trowa.

WuFei raised an eyebrow at me, and I felt myself blush. "Well?" he asked.

"I-I can't. Not here, not now, not without…at least…hinting at Duo's little secret," I replied.

"Well, then you'll have to fill me in later, Relena," WuFei said.

I bit my lower lip, and nodded slowly. Did I really want to? Considering I didn't know whether or not I thought it was true? Oh well. I couldn't really say no to him.

"Oh, now this isn't fair," whined Heero.

Wait a sec. Heero? Whining? As hard as it may be to believe, he really whined.

"And why isn't Trowa complaining?" asked Duo.

All eyes turned to the Heavyarms pilot.

"To tell you the truth, Quatre told me a while ago what I'm pretty sure he's told Relena…today was it?" he asked, looking at his lover. Quatre nodded. "I know half of it, and I figure that if the rest was meant to be known, it will be made known. So, I'm not really that bothered by it," he said, concluding his statement with a wink in my direction.

"So I'm the only one who knows nothing about this…great," Heero said angrily. "Am I ever gonna find out?"

I looked at WuFei, wondering the same thing. What was going to happen? I was a complete mess about all this; it seemed that only WuFei knew what was going on.

The Chinese pilot shrugged. "We'll see. It all depends…"

"Depends? On what?" asked Heero.

"Something outside your control and mine, Heero. Now just drop it."

Now that was an ambiguous answer if ever I heard one. Outside WuFei's control? Was he referring to…me? Oh, I hoped they'd all get out of the hospital soon, so WuFei and I would have a chance to talk…even if he stayed longer than the rest of them, I'd still be able to talk to him without them around…this was making me nuts!

I sighed heavily and returned to my chair…the one beside WuFei. I rest my head on my hand and closed my eyes. Suddenly, I felt very tired.

"Sleepy, Relena?" WuFei asked softly.

I nodded. "I didn't sleep to well last night. I feel like I've been up forever," I replied, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Aw. Why don't you go home and get some sleep, then?"

I shrugged. "I don't want to."

"Why not?"

"I don't think I could sleep, though." Well, not there, anyway. If I fell asleep here, I'd know if something happened to him. If I went home, I'd have to wait for a phone call or until morning. And I didn't want to do that.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I just feel tired. That doesn't mean I'd actually sleep," I replied.

He just smiled at me, which made me smile in return. I was glad his prognosis was good. I'd really miss him if he didn't make it.

"So, how long are you guys gonna be in the hospital?" I asked.

"Well, I can go home today, if I want to. Trowa, Duo, and Heero will probably be a few days," replied Quatre.

"Yeah. The doctor said about two, which isn't too bad," added Trowa.

"What about you, WuFei?" I asked.

"Eh. I don't know. Probably longer than the rest of them," he said with a sigh.

Well, there was an up side to that. Perhaps he and I would have some time to talk fairly soon after all…

Quatre and I went home that night, and as I predicted, I didn't sleep well. I kept having dreams about WuFei falling into a coma and not making it out. The next day was spent almost entirely at the hospital, where we found out that Duo, Heero, and Trowa were free to go. The couples were ecstatic to be able to share a bed again, and once again, I slept terribly. The day after that, I went to visit WuFei, by myself. I had to talk to him. All of this was getting to me.

I stepped softly into his room, in case he was asleep. He wasn't.

"Hey Relena," he said, sounding happy to see me.

"Hey yourself," I replied.

He smiled. "You sound tired."

"I am. I haven't slept well lately."

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

"Aw."

I smiled. "WuFei…can I…ask you something?" I was going to dive right in.

"You know you can," he replied.

I opened my mouth to ask him, but I couldn't. I just couldn't get it out. I took a few deep breaths and just plunged into it. "That day…that you…" I gulped nervously. "That you kissed me…why did you apologize?"

His face turned red. "Well, two reasons, really. One, for getting almost violent with Duo in front of you, and two…I felt I had to. I can't really explain it. That whole scene was just completely spur of the moment. I had no idea what I was doing."

He sounded like he regretted it. "Oh," I replied, noticing a hint of sadness in my voice.

"But don't get me wrong. It's not that I didn't want to," he began, turning his reddening face from me. "It's…I just wasn't sure I wanted to do it then." He sighed.

I nodded. "I see." Well, yeah, I guess that would make sense. "Then…what caused the change in you the next day? You wore a different outfit, and as Dorothy was leaving you were…I dare say, almost flirtatious…"

"Well, I must admit, I was in a rather flirty mood that day. Why is beyond me, but…I was," he replied with a shrug. I could hear in his voice that he was nervous. "So…what did Quatre tell you?"

I laughed. "You sure you want to know?"

He looked at me and blinked. "Um…I'm pretty sure…why?"

"Oh, no reason."

He raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Okay, you. Spill."

"Well, to put it in a nutshell…ooh, I can't say it."

"Relena…"

"Hey. You were about to say something that first day you were in here and you couldn't say it," I retorted.

He blushed furiously. "Yeah…I…I know…"

"You first."

His eyes grew wide. "Relena, please don't do that to me…" he said, chewing on his lower lip.

Was he really that nervous?? What could make him so nervous?? What had he been about to say?

"Why not…?" I asked, wanting to know.

"It's…not easy…for me…"

"Alright." He sighed a sigh of relief. "Quatre seems to think…that…maybe…we aren't just friends…" I told him; I could feel my cheeks turn pink.

"Oh he does, does he?"

I nodded, turning my gaze to the floor. I couldn't bring myself to face him, as much as I was blushing.

"Heh."

I dared to glance up, and saw him smiling at me. He scooted over a bit and patted a free spot on his bed, gesturing for me to sit there. I sat, slightly facing him.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"I think I want to know what you were going to say your first day here," I replied, a mischievous smile on my face.

"Well," he began. "This may very well lead into it…"

I was surprised. "Oh really?"

"Really. So, what do you think?"

"I-I don't know. I don't know what I think," I replied honestly. "I think…that we at least have a deep friendship…whether or not it goes beyond that…I don't know."

He nodded, his eyes seeming a bit disappointed.

Could that mean…that…as far as WuFei was concerned, anyway…Quatre was right? Was that what WuFei was getting at? I felt myself blush at the thought…

"What are you thinking, Relena?" asked WuFei.

"Oh, uh…nothing, really," I lied.

"You're like me. You're a terrible liar."

Dang. "I'm just…trying to sort some things out," I replied.

"Like what?"

"Well, like…if Quatre is right…and some other stuff…"

"Do you want him to be?"

That caught me off-guard. "I…I don't know…" Why was this so hard for me? Dang it! I mean, come on, Relena! He's a nice guy, and…well, he is cute…he's not such a jerk when you get to know him…he's honest, and honorable, he's gentle in his own right…and if you get close to him, he's not that hard to understand…What's not to like? And…with WuFei in the hospital, I was so worried that I couldn't sleep for several nights in a row…maybe…maybe Quatre was right…maybe…maybe I did think of him as more than a friend…

I blushed furiously at that last thought, a sudden blast of emotions following it through my mind…that…that could explain why that one kiss felt…right…and why I worried about him…It was like my supposed thing for Heero, only thousands of times stronger…

WuFei looked at me curiously as I thought. "Well, you certainly can't hide what you're thinking when you lie, but if you keep quiet, I can't even begin to read you," he said.

Hm. Maybe that was a good thing.

"Except when you're blushing like you are now…"

Dangit.

"Then I go getting ideas…and trying to figure out what you're trying to figure out…"

"Have you reached any conclusions?" I asked.

"Not a one."

I smiled a little at that. Good. Then he didn't know what was going on in my mind.

"You like that, don't you?"

"Is that bad?"

"Not really. Just a little frustrating," he replied. He sat up a little more, for what reason, I have no idea.

I turned my back completely to him. "What would you say if I told you I do want Quatre to be right?" I asked, my face going completely red as I spoke.

He said nothing. After a few minutes, I felt his arm slide around my waist as he buried his face in the back of my neck. "I'd say that would make me incredibly happy," he replied in a whisper.

I turned to face him, my face bright red and smiling. He looked at me, and equally happy smile on his face. I couldn't resist gently throwing my arms around him and hugging him. (I had to remember to do it gently because of his injured chest.)

He returned the gesture, burying his face in my hair. "Oh, how I've wanted to do this," he said, sighing happily.

"Really?" I asked.

He nodded. "And…to say what I was going to say…before my transfusion…"

I blinked. Was he really going to say it this time? "Oh?"

"Relena, I…"

I felt my pulse quicken with anticipation.

"Wo ai ni," he whispered softly.

I had no idea what that meant. Darn it! I had to assume it was Chinese for something…"WuFei…? I hate to ruin the moment we've got here, but…I don't speak Chinese…"

He laughed. "Gomen. It means…I love you," came his soft reply.

I flushed furiously. "I-I love you too, WuFei," I replied in what little voice I could manage.

He pulled away and smiled at me, his face as flushed as mine. He caressed my cheek softly, then let his hand trace down my jaw line; it came to rest under my chin. He tilted my face slightly upward toward his and kissed me softly. This time, I didn't hesitate to kiss him back, my arms still lightly wrapped around him.

"Aw, how cute," came a female voice.

We pulled away quickly, both our faces rather red. It was just a nurse coming in to check on WuFei.

"Lemme guess. Newly together?" she asked, smiling.

"Yeah, you could say that," WuFei replied, smiling at me.

"Well, then I'll do what I need to do quickly so I can leave you two to each other," she said with a wink.

I laughed a little.

"Oh, and speaking of doing what needs to be done…The doctor told me to tell you that if you can get up and walk around a bit without any problem, you're free to go home, Mr. Chang," said the nurse.

WuFei's face lit up. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yup. He said he's never seen anyone recover as quickly as you did, but if you feel fine, you can go home whenever you're ready."

"Nice," WuFei replied with a smile.

The nurse finished putting fresh bandages on WuFei. "Well, feel like trying to walk while a professional's around?" she asked. "I get the feeling you're tired of this place."

"Sure," he replied, slowly swinging his legs around to the edge of the bed. The nurse helped him onto his feet, then stepped back, telling him that she was there, but he was on his own.

I turned my face away as I realized that he only had on his boxers…(tee hee).

"Oh, heh," he chuckled, probably realizing why I turned away. The nurse tossed him a hospital gown, which judging by the sound of it, he gladly put on. "It's safe now, Relena," he said.

I looked back to him. I had been right. He was now covered by a hospital gown.

He took a few tentative steps around near the bed, then gradually began to walk to the farther corners of his room. "I feel fine," he replied with a smile. "But, uh…well…my clothes were pretty well in shreds when I came in here, if I remember right," he said.

The nurse nodded. "I don't know if you remember me, probably not, but I was on duty when you and the other four boys came in. You were all a mess. And the only thing that wasn't ruined of your clothing is what you have on now," she said with a slight grin.

WuFei blushed. "Heh. Like I thought."

"I can run back and bring you something," I volunteered.

"Alright. Just…my usual," he said.

I nodded. "I'll be back soon," I promised, hurrying out the door.

I hurried to my car and back home.

"Hey, Relena," said Quatre as I dashed back in and upstairs.

"Hey guys," I replied quickly. I hesitated a bit before going into WuFei's room, but I opened the door and went to his closet. "No wonder he wears the same thing all the time," I said, seeing that he had at least ten of what he had referred to as 'his usual'. I grabbed one, folded it neatly (as it was hanging up on hangers), and rushed back down. "Bye guys," I called as I dashed out the door.

I hurried back to the hospital, then intentionally slowed my pace a bit as I headed back to his room.

He was sitting on his bed, still in the hospital gown. The nurse had left. "Well, that was quick," he commented as I handed him his outfit.

"Hehe. No traffic," I replied. I turned around as he began to remove the hospital gown. I stood, with my back to him, and waited. It wasn't too long before I felt his arm slip around my waist again.

He kissed my neck once. "Ready?" he asked.

I turned to face him and smiled. "Yeah." We walked out together, his arm around my waist the whole way. He signed himself out, and we headed to my car.

"So…how are we gonna handle this around the others?" he asked.

"Hm…do you have a preference?"

"No, not really…hehe."

"What?"

"Just imagine…Duo's reaction if we kissed in front of everyone…"

I imagined. "Heh. He'd probably faint, then once he recovered, he'd want to kill us for making him keep it secret."

"I think I'd like to see that…" WuFei smiled wryly.

I giggled. "But we can't do it right away. We should torture Duo a little. Just for kicks."

He laughed. "Yeah. Settled, then?"

"Yeah."

The rest of the drive was made mostly in silence, and I couldn't help but giggle at our little plan as we got out of the car and headed toward the house.

"Keep a straight face, Relena. We can't let them figure it out…" he said with a wink.

I nodded, took a moment to straighten my face, then we headed inside.

"Welcome back, Relena," said Quatre. "What was all that about?"

"She offered to come back and get me something to wear so I could come home today," said WuFei, stepping into the view of the others.

"Hey, Wu! They let you out already?" asked Duo.

He nodded. "What can I say? I'm a fast healer."

"Welcome home, WuFei," Trowa said with a smile.

"Thanks," he replied.

I headed straight to the kitchen.

"Relena? What are you doing?" asked my new lover. (Wow does it ever feel weird to call him that.)

"Well, because I've been so tired lately, we've all been eating take- out. And let me tell you, I'm sure we're all in the mood for a good, home- cooked meal," I replied.

"You're not still tired?"

"I suddenly have a lot of energy. Don't know why though." Honestly, this was just because I thought WuFei might have gotten tired of hospital food. It was more for him than the rest of them.

"Ah hah. So you say," came his reply.

"Do you doubt me?"

"No, not really."

"Okay then. Stop your complaining. Besides. I thought that you would be tired of hospital food," I half-teased.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop complaining."

"Thank you."

"Douitashimashite*," he replied, using another one of Heero's words. This one, however, I still didn't know the meaning for.

"What?"

"You're welcome," he translated.

"Ah." I'd have to remember that. I proceeded to cook dinner for the boys, and smiled to myself the entire time. I didn't quite understand why I was so happy about it all, but hey. Who am I to question something that just feels so right?

It wasn't long before dinner was finished. "Come and get it, guys!"

As soon as those words were out of my mouth, Duo appeared at the table. I couldn't resist laughing. WuFei, Heero, Trowa, and Quatre were not far behind, however.

The couples sat together, leaving an empty spot for me beside WuFei, as I carried dinner to the dining room. I took my seat beside WuFei and tried to hide the smile that began to cross my face as he secretly placed his hand on my knee.

"Dig in, guys," I said. Duo wasted no time in doing just that.

We all ate in blissful near-silence, and the meal was done in no time.

WuFei helped me clean up, for no apparent reason. Heero kept watching us, as did Duo. Trowa and Quatre would watch us occasionally, but they didn't make a profession of it.

At one point, I could feel all four of them watching me, or rather, us, as I sat beside WuFei watching him and Quatre play a game of Chess. It was at this point that WuFei decided to place a light kiss on my cheek, seemingly out of nowhere. I remembered our plan from the car, and giggled a little.

Duo eeped rather loudly. I grinned. WuFei winked at me. Quatre's eyes grew wide. Trowa closed the book he had used to hide the fact that he was watching, and Heero fell out of his chair.

Duo placed his hands on our shoulders and said, rather angrily, I might add, "Okay, explain. Wu, you said you'd explain later…"

"I said I might, Duo," corrected WuFei.

"Well, I suggest you do explain…"

WuFei chuckled. "What if I say no?"

"Then you'll have all of us on your case," said Trowa, setting down his book.

Heero and Quatre nodded.

WuFei turned to me. "Shall we?"

I smiled and nodded.

"Take this however you will…" WuFei said, smiling at me. With that said, he leaned toward me and kissed me. I, of course, returned the kiss.

Duo fell over. "What the heck?!?!?!" he exclaimed from his spot on the floor.

"Um…" was all Heero could say.

"Does that mean I was right?" asked Quatre.

We pulled apart, and I giggled. "You could say that, Quatre," I replied.

"Whoo hoo!"

That sent WuFei into a fit of laughter. "Quatre the Observant, as usual," he said.

I laughed too.

"Um…" Heero again.

"So, am I off the hook now?" Duo asked WuFei.

My lover nodded.

Duo sighed. "Finally. Okay. My secret…I happened to see their first kiss," Duo explained.

"When?!" exclaimed Quatre.

"The night when Wu was up the tree," he said simply.

"What?!" It was Quatre's turn to fall over. (We were all doing a lot of falling that night… :P )

"So…Are you two…" began Heero.

"A couple? You could say that," replied WuFei.

"Um…I don't…know…what to say…" stuttered Heero.

"Hehe. Congratulate them, Heero," said Quatre.

"Um…congrats…"

We laughed. The clock in the hall chimed nine, and I yawned.

"Heh. I think we're all tired, Relena," said WuFei.

Everyone nodded, and headed upstairs. WuFei lingered behind, and held me by the wrist as I started to follow.

"What?" I asked.

"Relena, this may sound nuts, but…I had a thought. Have you not been able to sleep well because you were worried about me?"

"Honestly, I think that's it."

"Well, don't take this the wrong way, but…would you want to sleep in my room tonight? I don't mean to imply that we do something other than sleep, just…you know," he said, blushing a little.

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "I…I don't know. Let me think about it some, okay?"

"Alright."

With that, we headed upstairs. We went into our separate rooms and dressed in our pajamas, then went to the already crowded bathroom and joined the others in a tooth-brushing party.

Trowa and Quatre retired quickly. I was still thinking about WuFei's offer as I walked past his room toward mine; he grabbed my wrist and looked at me pleadingly. This little gesture caught Heero's attention, and he stood, watching to see my reaction as Duo thought nothing of it and went into their room.

I looked deeply into WuFei's eyes and could see that he was honest. All that would go on would be sleeping. Nothing more. I smiled, sighed, and walked into his room.

The toothbrush which had been lying in Heero's open mouth clacked to the floor as his jaw dropped.

I shut the door behind me.

"What made you come?" WuFei asked, sitting on the bed.

"I saw the honesty in your eyes," I replied.

"You see? I can't lie when it comes to something important," he said with a smile.

"Apparently." I smiled and blushed slightly as I climbed into bed with him. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close. There we were, lying in bed, facing each other, my face nuzzled against his chest, his arms wrapped firmly around me. I smiled, feeling very at ease.

"Wo ai ni, Relena," he said softly.

I smiled. "I love you too, WuFei."

********************THE*END********************