Family
Chapter 28: Sakura Festival AC 203 Part Two
Author's note: Previously on Family, the Annual Sakura Festivals are here. Fate talks to Rachel and Helen about Heero. Meanwhile Heero came to Sakura City and both of them resolve their problems. Heero is currently staying in Sakura Mansion with Fate. Also Heero approached Belmont and both of them are working together on cellular regeneration. Belmont then finds out that Heero already has plans to marry Fate.
Thank you for reading this story and I hope that you continue to support it. Please read and review, NO FLAMERS! Pairing: HeeroXOC
After Colony 203, 5th April
Japan, Sakura City, Sakura Mansion,
Evening
Heero returned to Sakura Mansion after checking on his company's branches in Sakura City. It took a rather long time, but at least he's assured that there wasn't anything wrong with the numbers in the financial statements. It was also good news for Heero to learn that his company's products are still very popular among the people in Japan. He was exhausted when he came back and all he wanted was to take a bath, eat dinner before retiring to bed. Light informed him that the girls were back after a long day of shopping and will be having their dinner soon. Heero nodded and was about to return to his room when Light informed him that the girls were still having a bath hence they were still in Fate's private bathroom.
Heero didn't understand what Light meant until he realized that Light was warning Heero not to take a bath at this time. This will definitely bring him some inconvenience, but there was no other way around it. Fate has a very large private bathroom which consists of a usual bathroom with a bathtub and a large spa pool. Heero could never understand why Fate has such a large spa pool in her private bathroom. But that's not all; her private bathroom is also connected to a large indoor hot spring. It was a natural hot spring, despite the fact that it was indoors. However the bathroom that Heero's room has is also connected to the indoor hot spring. Hence in other words, he can enter Fate's private bathroom and her room through the connected indoor hot springs while Fate can do the same to enter his room.
Of course he had enough integrity to not peek at Fate when she's having her bath though he didn't see a reason to. As a precaution of avoiding them meeting each other by coincidence or by accident, Heero would only bath when he knows that Fate is asleep. This helps him to avoid misunderstandings as well. But now that there are five females in Fate's private bathroom, they will take a very long time. Which meant that Heero won't be able to take a bath until it's late at night. But he was feeling rather unclean after such a long day.
"You can choose to use Elaine and my bathroom instead." Light offered.
"No, that wouldn't be right." Heero said.
"It's quite a small bathroom and it's nothing like Miss Fate's bathroom. But it is also connected to a small indoor hot spring. Hence you can soak in the hot spring after your bath." Light said.
"Is it connected to the indoor hot spring from Fate's room?" Heero asked.
"It isn't connected however they come from the same water source." Light answered him.
"Which means?" Heero asked.
"It's directly behind the indoor hot spring linked to Miss Fate's room." Light explained.
It meant that even though he couldn't see them, he could still hear them if all of them were in the hot spring. It didn't feel right to be eavesdropping on their private girl talk but Heero really needed to freshen up. He thought about the matter and decided to take up on Light's offer.
Light showed him to his own private room and Heero thanked him for offering his bathroom to him. Indeed Light's bathroom was a lot smaller, but it was kept very clean. He took a bath before going to the indoor hot spring. The room for the indoor hot spring was also a lot smaller than what Fate has. But it's more than enough for about six people to be inside at the same time. Heero got into the hot spring and winced as he felt the temperature of the hot water against his skin. It took him a while to get used to the heat and it was rather comfortable to soak in the hot waters.
He relaxed and thought of how his entire day went. Then again it has been a long time since he last soaked in a hot spring. He closed his eyes and stayed like that for a while before he realized that he wasn't alone. The girls were now entering the hot spring. Although there was a large and tall bamboo fence separating the hot springs into two, he could still hear them even though he can't see them.
"My goodness you have a hot spring in your house!" He heard Isabelle exclaim in wonder.
Fate didn't answer and then he heard the sound of water movements.
"The water's really hot." Isabelle said.
Heero could hear the sound of the waters as the girls got into the hot spring and their sigh as they soak in the hot water.
"This heat is good for my legs." Fayne said
"Your legs wouldn't hurt that badly if you didn't wear such tall heels." Faith said.
"If there's no pain, there's no gain." Fayne said haughtily.
Heero shook his head, knowing that he should leave or he will only continue to eavesdrop on them. He recognized all of their voices hence it wasn't hard to make out who was speaking.
"Did the two of you have fun today?" Fate seems to asking Felicia and Isabelle.
"Of course, which girl wouldn't have fun shopping?" Isabelle asked.
"I had a lot of fun as well, thank you Fate." Felicia said.
"You are welcome." Fate said in return.
Then their conversation changed topic to be about men and that was when the conversation topic went off course. They were talking about very personal things and Heero wished that he wasn't there to hear them. He ran a hand through his wet hair, but he wasn't ready to get out of the hot waters yet. Hence he stayed and continued eavesdropping though he didn't do it intentionally, it was simply because the bamboo fences were not good at sound proofing.
"My goodness, Faith you have such soft skin!" Isabelle exclaimed.
"Isabelle!" Faith exclaimed as if in shock.
Isabelle laughed instead and soon they were laughing and comparing their bodies with each other. Heero knew that at this point they were touching each other to find out whose skin was the smoothest and softest. He heard shocked gasps and they would scold each other playfully. They will also comment on each other's body and skin. Heero knew that this was forming a very bad image in his mind. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the hot water around him. His mind wondered to his work and his job in the army which was starting to have many complications.
"Heero?" He heard someone call his name after some time.
He opened his eyes and realized that he was still alone in the hot spring, who was calling his name? Did he imagine it?
"I know that you are still there." Came Fate's soft voice.
Heero turned to look at the bamboo wall that was the only thing separating them. The hot springs was rather quiet hence he knew that the other girls had already left when he was deep in his own thoughts.
"How did you know?" Heero asked as he shifted around as his legs was getting numb from sitting too long.
"I don't really know how to explain it, but I just always seem to know that it's you or if you are near." Fate said.
"Where are the rest?" Heero asked.
"They left a while ago." Fate whispered.
It felt odd that they were so close to each other yet they couldn't see each other at all through the bamboo wall. Heero submerged himself further into the water until the water reached his neck.
"How is the water?" Fate asked.
Heero didn't answer her question then again it wasn't the first time he was soaking in the indoor hot springs at her house. He did soak himself in the hot springs the few times he was here, but he had used Fate's side of the hot springs which was a lot bigger than the hot spring he's in now. It feels good to know that they are sharing the same hot springs though indirectly. He should be getting out soon; the waters are getting too hot for him.
"Meteor, you know that I have to retrieve you if you drift too far off." Fate said.
"Enjoying the water, swimming, swimming!" Meteor exclaimed.
Heero could imagine Fate shaking her head as she smiles at Meteor. Heero stood up instead.
"I'm getting out, see you." Heero said.
"See you later." Fate said.
Heero got out of the hot springs, towel dried and got dressed before he returned to his room. They had dinner soon after and Fate joined them last. Their eyes met briefly and she smiled at him, Heero merely nod at her in acknowledgement. Dinner was rather lively, though Heero didn't participate much in the conversations. But he could tell that the ladies enjoyed each other's company. He will cast Fate a few glances throughout the entire dinner, yet she always catches them. She would always smile at him in return before turning to the person who was still talking. After dinner, Heero returned to his room and buried himself with more work.
The next day, 6th April,
Sakura Mansion, Morning
Heero went out early for a morning run; he took time to take in the surroundings during his long run. The morning air was fresh and even though it was still fairly early, there were already many people rushing to go to work. He stopped by a nearby shop to get newspaper before running back to Sakura Mansion. He took a bath and got dressed in a new set of clothes. After that he went to the kitchen and was surprised that Elaine was already making breakfast. He ate breakfast early before reading the newspapers. He was already used to reading Japanese kanji words, hence it wasn't very hard for him to read it. He checked on his company as well as on his work in the army, to make sure that everything was going as planned.
Fate came into the dining room at exactly 9.00am, dressed in a white sleeveless high collar dress. She kissed him on his cheek and greeted him morning. Heero nodded in acknowledgement and continued reading his newspaper as Fate ate her breakfast. She didn't chat much with him and Heero's attention was on the newspaper as well as on his mini tablet computer that was before him. Fate wondered if he could really do three things at one time, hence she tried not to bother him. Heero closed the newspaper after he finished reading it and drank his cup of coffee. He frowned as he stared at the cup.
"I take it that you don't like the coffee that Elaine made." Fate said.
Heero nodded, it wasn't strong enough. Today was the sixth day of the Sakura Festivals; it also meant that it was the day of the competitions. There will be many competitions that will be taking place all morning till late afternoon. Heero had entered the archery competition this year as well.
"Are you excited about the competition later?" Fate asked.
Heero didn't answer; he felt the same as usual. Fate told him that Federick had arrived in Sakura City last night.
"I think he's so excited that he can't sleep." Fate commented.
Heero raised an eyebrow at her.
"He has always been looking forward to going up against you, especially since you weren't here last year." Fate pointed out.
Heero could never understand why Federick chose him to be his rival.
"Good luck Heero." Fate said.
"I was under the impression that you wouldn't take sides." Heero said.
"Well I was on neutral sides before, as it was hard choosing to support either you or my brother. But now that I'm your girlfriend, naturally I will be supporting you." Fate told him with a smile on her face.
Heero didn't say anything else and Fate stood up.
"We better get going or we will be late." Fate said.
Sakura City, Competition Grounds
Heero and Fate were the last to arrive as everyone else was already here, including Carlton. Heero found out from Jace that Federick was sent to be Carlton's bodyguard and it was the only reason why he was here. Or else his job would cause him to miss the competitions. Heero went over to greet his family as well as Fate's family. Federick looked tired, but he seemed determined.
"This year will be the year where I will win the first place title against you." Federick told Heero.
Heero nod his head once to tell Federick that he accepts his challenge.
"I will beat you fair and square this year." Federick said.
"Bring it on." Heero said.
The two of them glared at each other as if they were about to get into a huge fight with each other. This attracted some attention from many passerby and their families found it hard to pull the two of them away from each other. That was when Fate intervened.
"Heero." Fate called out, going over to him.
"Don't you think that it's getting a little too warm?" Fate asked softly.
Heero was distracted and found himself staring at Fate instead who was smiling a little too widely at him.
"We should… get some shade." Heero muttered.
"Yes, that sounds like a very good idea." Fate said, placing her hand on his arm.
She then turned to Federick.
"I will see you later, Fed." Fate said in dismissal.
Federick watched as Heero led Fate to where the shaded areas were.
"I can't believe she just walked in there like she's not afraid of the two of you." Jace told Federick.
"She's just trying to make sure that none of us cause a scene. Besides she seems to be able to handle Heero well. Or rather, it's surprising to see Heero so obedient." Federick said.
Both of them watched as Fate was talking to Heero about something. Heero's face was as emotionless as ever but he was giving Fate his full attention.
"I guess she's not his girlfriend for nothing. Anyway, good luck man, I know that you are going to need it." Jace said.
Federick frowned at Jace instead. It didn't take long before the competitions started. The preliminaries went by quickly, as not many of the people taking part in the archery competition were very skilled. Fate wasn't worried about the two of them, as she knew that both of them would make it to the finals without much trouble. Faith would always give her hand a squeeze whenever it was Federick's turn to shoot an arrow, as if she was the one who's still nervous for him.
"Gosh, don't you feel nervous? They might miss the target board totally." Faith said.
"Knowing them, that's not really likely." Fate said.
Soon it was Heero's turn and she smiled at Heero as he looked at her briefly before firing his arrow. Federick and Heero didn't miss a single bulls-eye and they had the same total score until it was the finals. They beat everyone else easily as they had scored a full ten on every arrow that they have fired. With their total score being the highest, they moved straight to the finals. Both of them have ten regular arrows and it was Federick's turn to shoot them first.
Federick fired the first arrow and scored a ten, while Heero continued to do the same. They continued shooting their next arrows and no one missed a single bulls' eye. Hence they were once again at a draw. They now entered the death match, where the target boards would move at different speeds.
Fate knew that this was the only part that makes her nervous. If any of them fires their arrow too early or too late, they might end up missing the entire target board. This was a test of their skills and it would be the stage that would set them apart. With each arrow, the speed of the moving target boards would only increase.
Federick has to fire first. He took aim and fired his arrow, the crowd watched anxiously as the arrow hit the dead center of the target board. The crowd cheered as Federick was awarded another full ten points. It was then Heero's turn. Heero took aim and Fate watched as Heero continued watching the movements of the target boards. He fired his arrow and it too hit the dead center of his target board.
This pattern continued for the next two arrows, even as the speed of the moving target boards increased. Since they were still evenly matched, they were presented their fourth arrow. The movement speed of the target boards were at the maximum and it was even hard to catch sight of them. Fate knew that it was this same arrow that caused Federick to take second place two years ago. She watched as Heero and Federick eyed each other before Federick moved to shoot the fourth arrow.
Everyone was at the edge of their seats as they waited for Federick to fire his fourth arrow. Federick closed his eyes to sense the movement of the target boards and when the right time came, he fired his arrow. Everyone watched as Federick's arrow hit the dead center of the moving target board. The crowd cheered while Fate frowned.
"He did it!" Faith exclaimed.
"Now it's Heero's turn." Jace said softly.
Fate stared at Heero and watched as he moved into the firing position. Her hands clenched into a fist at her sides but she believes that Heero will be able to score a full ten as well. You can do it, Heero. She thought to herself, somehow hoping that Heero could hear it as well. She noticed how Heero looked at her through the corner of his eye and Fate nodded her head once at him. He seems to understand what it meant before he closed his eyes to sense the movement of the target boards.
I cannot miss this. Heero told himself that as he concentrated on finding the right moment to fire his arrow.
He waited for his chance and when the moment was right, he fired his arrow. He watched as the arrow hit the bull's eye of the fast moving target board as well. The crowd cheered but the competition official frowned. He then told them that usually, a winner will be determined by the fourth death match arrow, and hence now they were in a dilemma.
"Increase the distance to the target board." Federick suggested.
"Fire three arrows at the same time." Heero suggested.
"Are you mad? This bow is only made to fire an arrow at one time." Federick said.
"You will be given two arrows, and fire them at each of the moving target boards." The competition official said.
Heero rolled his eyes; it wasn't going to make any difference. True enough, both of them scored a full twenty point for both arrows, despite the fact that they now have two target boards.
"We will keep firing until someone misses." The official said.
With that, both of them took their turns to fire two arrows each, but none of them missed and all of them were a bulls' eye. They did this for four consecutive turns until Heero was determined that there wouldn't be a loser if this goes on and the competition had already dragged on for too long. He was going to throw his last arrow but he noticed the look on Federick's face.
"Don't even think of letting me win." Federick said.
"This can't go on." Heero said.
"This will be the last two arrows, but now I require the second arrow to split the first one. And you will only have one target board." The official told them.
Heero knew that this would be the last two arrows as it wasn't easy to split an arrow with another arrow. It meant that they have to hit the target board at the exact same spot. To top it off, the target boards are moving at a fast speed, hence increasing the difficulty. Federick fired his first arrow and waited for the right time before he fired his second arrow. His second arrow did hit the moving target board's center, but he didn't manage to split his first arrow.
Heero knew that this was his opportunity to win. He have split his own bullets and arrows before, hence this wasn't something that he was unfamiliar with. However, his target boards were never mobile; hence it all came down to his accuracy and when he releases his arrow. He fired the first arrow successfully, hitting the bulls' eyes of the moving target board. This was it; Heero went into firing position and released his second arrow when he sensed that the time was right. His second arrow managed to split his first arrow directly into two, making him the clear winner.
The crowd cheered as Heero was announced the winner. He received the golden trophy from the competition official, while Federick received the silver trophy. Federick approached him.
"You won, fair and square." Federick said, offering him his hand.
Heero shook Federick's hand.
"It was a close match." Heero admitted.
"I was far from splitting my first arrow." Federick said, as if telling Heero not to lie to him so as to make him feel better.
Heero didn't say anything else, and he didn't have the chance to as he was surrounded by his family who came over to congratulate him. He thanked them and he couldn't be happier when he saw Fate. Fate smiled at him and waited for her turn to congratulate him.
"My goodness, you two had us at the edge of our seats. Every time the arrow was shot, we all held our breaths and watch as it hits the target boards. Trust me it made my heart race every time it was fired." Jace told him.
Heero didn't respond.
"The ladies were so anxious that they were squeezing my hand very tightly." Jace said.
Heero gave a small smile.
"Naturally we were anxious, we were afraid that Heero might miss the target board." Felicia explained.
"Yes, but my hand is not a stress ball!" Jace exclaimed.
Heero shook his head and went over to find Fate. She smiled up at him.
"Congratulations on winning." Fate said.
"Thank you."
She smiled as she watched both of their families chat with each other.
"Were you worried as well?" Heero asked her softly.
"I was, but I know that you can do it. Although you need to stop looking at me like that, I wouldn't want you to blame me if you missed an arrow." Fate said softly.
Heero smiled, he had always looked at Fate out of the corner of his eye before he fired his arrows.
"I had to make sure that you were watching." Heero said.
"Of course I will be watching; what else will I be doing?" Fate asked.
"I wanted to make sure that you were watching me." Heero admitted softly.
Fate looked surprised at first but then she smiled instead.
"Of course I was also watching you, I couldn't be more proud of you." Fate said.
Heero smiled and was about to kiss her when Isabelle came over to drag him away. He looked back at Fate instead who merely smiled in return.
The next day, 7th April
Sakura City, Sakura Mansion,
Morning
Heero was bored and he hadn't seen Fate since after the archery competition. After he won first place, his family dragged him off to celebrate his victory. Faith, Fayne and Federick joined them as well, but Fate was missing. Federick mentioned that Fate was going to the recording studios to practice for the closing ceremony's performance. After their celebration, it was already evening time. The night market was open and since his siblings wanted to check it out, while Heero was also forced to accompany them.
He was forced to wait for them but he did walk around the entire night market a few times to see what was for sale. The food that they were selling was rather delicious and it was already ten o'clock at night when he finally returned to Sakura Mansion. Light informed him that Fate had already retired to bed and when he woke up this morning, she was already gone.
Sighing, he pushed thoughts of her aside and continued doing the work that he had brought with him from VLA. Time passed by slowly and Heero couldn't wait for the evening to be here sooner.
Hours past and Heero received a phone call from Rachel informing him to come to the Moonlight mansion as they were going to the closing ceremony as a family. Heero took a bath, got dressed in a new suit and Light drove him over to Moonlight Mansion. After that he went with his family to the closing ceremony. As usual, a stage was set up at the large open field in the park. There were many performances for the closing ceremony and as it was an open-air performance, many residents of Sakura City have gathered in the open field to watch the performances on stage. The entire field was packed with many people and they were lucky that they have the front two row seats reserved for them.
Heero sat next to Jace and watched the performances in silence, as he was waiting for Fate. The girls have gone off to do some last minute shopping at the long line of stalls set up for the Sakura Festivals. A lot of the women were wearing kimonos, making the entire crowd look very colourful. Soon it was Fate's turn to perform and as usual, she has many fans that came down specially to support her.
Fate smiled and waved to everyone before starting to sing one of her newest songs. Heero smiled, watching her perform on the stage that she's too familiar by now. Heero could even feel her emotions in the way she expressed them through her song. He was sure that the audience was able to feel it too. Heero was impressed when Fate proved yet again why she was such an excellent singer when she finished the song with her powerful voice.
When Fate finished, the crowd went wild, cheering and screaming her name. Fate smiled instead.
"Thank you, thank you everyone!" She said, waving to the audience.
Heero smiled, she nailed this performance as well, just like how she always did at every performance. Fate left the stage while the remaining performances continued. It was some time later when Heero check his watch and knew that it was time to leave. He stood up, left his seat and made his way through the human crowd. After that he took his time to take in the scenery as he walked to the Sakura Gardens, knowing that Fate would be there as well.
As everyone else was busy watching the closing ceremony, the Sakura Gardens was totally deserted, just like the last time he was here. In the spring, the gardens were filled with life, with trees all blooming with pink Sakura flowers. The entire floor was filled with fallen pink petals. This place was beautiful and it never seemed to change no matter how long it has been since he was last here.
He looked up at the sky to see that it was a full, clear moon tonight as well. He walked towards the end of the Sakura Gardens and picked up Fate's scent briefly. He smiled knowing that Fate was already here. True enough, he found her by the bottom of the largest Sakura Tree.
Fate was dressed in a red kimono and her long golden blonde hair was pinned up neatly into a French twist hairstyle. She was staring up at the Sakura Tree and didn't seem to notice him. A gentle wind blew by and she closed her eyes as if to feel the wind. Heero approached her slowly, hoping that she wouldn't notice him until he was near. Unfortunately Meteor gave him away by announcing him.
"Heero! Heero's here!" Meteor announced jumping up and down.
Fate turned and smiled at the sight of him. Heero smiled as well, she looked so beautiful in that kimono. He came to a stop next to her.
"I always wondered how you manage to change in time." Heero said.
Fate merely smiled.
"A lady is always prepared." She answered.
Both of them stared up at the large Sakura Tree and watched as more Sakura flower petals fell slowly to the floor. Fate gently touched the tree's bark where she had carved the Japanese kanji words for him. Using her finger, she gently traced the kanji characters. Heero hugged her from behind suddenly and she smiled up at him.
"It feels great to be here with you." Fate whispered.
"Fate…"
"Hmm?" She asked.
"I intend to keep the promise that we made under this tree from now onwards." Heero told her softly.
Fate smiled and said nothing as she continued to stare at the kanji words on the tree's bark.
"There's something I want to show you." Heero said.
"What is it?" Fate asked.
"Come."
Heero broke their hug and took her hand in his. He led her to the back of the Sakura Tree instead. Fate looked a little confused as she didn't see anything here. Heero pointed to the bark of the Sakura Tree. She came closer to get a better look and saw that there were Japanese kanji characters being carved into the bark of the tree as well.
"I love you too." She read those words aloud.
Then she turned to look at Heero in surprise.
"I carved this in the last time I was here, before I met you here again that day." Heero explained.
Fate gently touched the tree's bark, tracing the kanji characters with her fingers.
"Why did you carve this in?" She asked softly.
"At that point of time I didn't know how to tell you the words that I wanted to say, or rather I knew that I couldn't say them. Hence I carved them in, knowing that maybe you might see them." Heero said.
"But anyone could have carved it in." Fate whispered.
Heero then placed his hand over hers and guided her hand lower to where there was something else being carved into the bark. Fate traced her finger through it and realized that it was a simplified version of Heero's signature. She looked at him in surprise before smiling at him.
"You signed it." She whispered.
"I did, knowing that you might think that some random person might come along and carve this in. Hence this is the evidence that I carved it in." Heero said.
Fate laughed instead.
"I never thought that you would do something like this." She whispered.
"We are all fools when it comes to love." Heero said softly, shrugging.
Fate smiled and threw herself into his arms instead. Heero was a little caught off guard, but he smiled as well. Fate was looking up at him endearingly and she was looking straight into his eyes. He could see the love that she feels for him, written in her eyes. Heero smiled and claimed her lips just as the first fireworks exploded in the night sky above. They broke apart briefly to look at the fireworks display that was now lighting up the sky. Fate smiled at him and Heero returned her smile. Then he lowered his head and claimed her lips again. Fate closed her eyes and kissed him back eagerly. Damn he had always wanted to kiss her here, just as the fireworks were starting.
"Fireworks! Pretty Fireworks!" Meteor exclaimed as it flew around them in circles.
Heero pressed Meteor to the ground.
"Don't ruin the moment." He muttered.
Fate laughed instead and kissed him yet again. Heero couldn't help smiling; this year was the best Sakura Festivals ever! After that they took a photo of the two of them under the Sakura Tree and with the fireworks in the night sky behind them.
They were on their way back to Sakura Mansions after the closing ceremony and the fireworks display was over. It was a rather short walk, but they were walking slowly as it was hard for Fate to take large strides while wearing a kimono. Fate had linked her arm around his and they were chatting with each other during their walk. Heero was listening to her while Fate did most of the talking.
"And then…" She paused and looked down slightly as a group of people walked past them.
Heero didn't say a single word, but he knew that Fate was hoping that they wouldn't recognize her. It would save them the need to escape from the crazy mob of fans that will soon follow. Luckily they didn't recognize her and they continued their walk silently.
"I have been wondering when we are going to tell the media about us." Heero said.
"I thought that you felt that it was best if we kept it a secret?" Fate asked.
"Yes, but I want the whole world to know that you are mine." Heero said softly.
"We can always announce it to the media during your birthday party." Fate suggested.
Heero nodded, making a mental note to do that. He was against letting any outsiders know about it for fear that Fate might be targeted by his enemies. Nevertheless it was hard to keep secrets from the media and he had his fair share of avoiding the media when he's with Relena. Plus with Fate always being in the limelight and was often followed by the paparazzi, it would only be a matter of time before the media found out.
It would be best if he could control when the media gets hold of the information. Although there were risks involved, he knows that he could only protect her from his enemies or die trying to do so. Then again, their photos will be all over the newspapers, television, internet and magazines for the next two weeks once the media knows about it. He can only keep an eye on a few and hope that he doesn't have to sue any of those journalists for writing something bad and defaming.
They remained silent on their way back to Sakura Mansion, taking in the bright lights of the city at night as they continued their walk. After they have reached the mansion, they returned to their rooms to get ready for bed. Heero took off his own suit jacket and was untying his tie when he remembered that he forgot to mention a few things to Fate. He went over to the sliding doors at the side of his room which leads to Fate's room.
"Fate." He called out.
"Yes?" Fate asked.
"Fate, there's something that I need to talk to you about, can I come in?" Heero asked.
He didn't receive a reply; instead she opened the sliding door. They stood there staring at each other and Heero noticed that she was still fully dressed in her kimono.
"You were saying?" Fate asked.
A part of Heero wanted to kiss her senseless and lead them into her room, where he will start undressing her. But he knew better than to do that hence he pushed those dirty thoughts away and looked at her.
"Lady…"
Heero trailed off when he heard the sound of vibrations coming from his room. He turned to look back at his room. Fate then watched as Heero walked to the small desk and picked up his mobile phone. Heero saw the name of the contact on his phone's screen before he hung up the call. He went back to where Fate was standing.
"As I was saying…" He trailed off when his phone was vibrating again.
Heero returned to look at it and he hung up the call yet again.
"Maybe you should take that call, it seems important." Fate suggested.
"No, it's nothing important." He said.
Fate didn't say anything else, knowing that Heero probably won't take the call again should the person call back again. Heero was about to walk towards her when there was another ringing sound coming from his suitcase.
"Give me a second." Heero told her.
Fate nodded and watched as Heero rushed over to his suitcase, opened it and dug through his clothing to find the ringing phone. He frowned when he saw the name on the ringing phone's screen. Fate was even more surprised when the other mobile phone that he was holding in his hand started vibrating again for the third time.
Fate could tell that it was definitely something important and was about to leave Heero to take his call when he hung up the call from the vibrating phone. He picked up the call from the ringing phone instead.
"Wingate." He said stiffly.
Fate watch with curiosity as Heero turned to look at her. He put his hand up, signaling to her that he would get back to her.
"I'm in Sakura City." He said.
Heero was silent for a rather long moment, listening to what the person on the other end of the phone had to say. Then he frowned.
"Are you sure?" Heero asked.
Then it was followed by more silence.
"How long has it been?" Heero asked.
Heero checked his watch before nodding his head.
"It would still take a while; I will be there earliest by 7am." Heero said.
There was a slight pause.
"See you." He said before hanging up.
Then he immediately dialed another number.
"Get the jet ready, I'm coming over in thirty minutes time." He ordered before hanging up.
"What's wrong?" Fate asked softly.
"An emergency came up; I have to go back to VLA." Heero told her softly.
Fate was disappointed and she didn't need to pretend that she wasn't as Heero was already packing his suitcase.
"I see." She whispered.
"Fate, I'm sorry. I know that the Sakura Festivals meant a lot to you." Heero said.
"No, it's alright, after all the festivals are already over. At least you stayed till the end with me this year." Fate whispered, blinking back tears.
"Fate…"
"You should get going; I wouldn't want you to miss your flight." Fate said, cutting in before he said anything else.
Heero continued packing his suitcase while Fate merely stood there and watched.
"You can reach me on my mobile, if you need me." Heero told her.
"I know." Fate said, forcing a smile.
Heero came over and kissed her on her forehead.
"I will see you in VLA soon, and we will continue where we left off." Heero said.
Fate nodded before she stepped back into her room.
"Goodbye Heero."
Heero nodded as Fate closed the doors back gently. She sat down on the edge of her bed and sighed. Just when she thought that everything was going well, an emergency have to come up. She sighed yet again and went to take a hot bath instead. By the time she had finished her bath and dressed for bed, Heero had already left. But oddly enough, she had two missed calls from Towa. Frowning, Fate dialed Trowa's number hoping to find out what was going on. He picked up almost immediately.
"Hello?"
"Hi Trowa, it's me, Fate." She said.
"Fate, I called you as Heero wouldn't pick up his phone; hence I thought that maybe he was with you." Trowa said.
"He was with me but he had already left for the airport." Fate said.
"That was fast." Trowa remarked.
"Is there something going on that I should know about?" Fate asked.
Trowa was silent for a rather long time as if he's hesitating.
"It's… about Lady Une." Trowa said softly.
Fate was confused, why was there an emergency regarding Lady Une? That was when she remembered what Heero had tried to tell her, was he trying to tell her something about Lady Une as well?
"What about her?" Fate asked.
"He didn't tell you?" Trowa asked.
Fate was feeling really confused now.
"No, Heero didn't say anything to me. What's going on, Trowa?" Fate asked.
"Lady Une is getting married in a week's time and her adopted daughter is missing." Trowa explained.
"I didn't know that she's getting married. Wait a minute; what does her adopted daughter have anything to do with this?" Fate asked.
"Remember during Christmas AC 196, when a kid openly declared war on the Earth Sphere United Nations?" Trowa asked.
"Yes…"
"That's Lady Une's adopted daughter." Trowa said softly.
It took Fate a while to link the information that Trowa had just told her. Then she stared ahead in shock when she realized what was going on.
"I didn't know that." She whispered.
She then understood why this was an emergency and knew that this was something the five ex-Gundam pilots needed to settle on their own.
"Do you need help?" She asked.
"We got it covered for now." He said.
"I understand, I hope that you find her soon." She whispered.
"I hope so too."
After that they bid goodbye and she hung up. She stood there in silence as she thought of what was going on. Could it be that someone had kidnapped her because they knew who she was? Or maybe this girl was running away because she doesn't want her stepmother to get married? If it was the second reason, she foresees that maybe the five of them wouldn't be of much help, as they wouldn't be able to understand what the girl was thinking. Maybe she should get to VLA as soon as possible to help this girl as well.
To be continued…
Author's Note: Sorry of the late update, have been busy with work for a while. As you can probably tell from this chapter, I have included a few parts that gives you the impression that Heero does feel physical attraction to Fate, after all he is a man as well.
This chapter shows that they were able to spend more time together and how they enjoyed the Sakura Festivals this year. I do have to apologize for the cliff hanger as it was a necessary plot line regarding Lady Une and Mariemaia. I have always wanted to involve more characters in the original Gundam Wing series into the story. The next few chapters to come will focus on Lady Une more.
I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and please do continue to support this story. Please Read and Review, but NO FLAMMERS! Thank you and until the next time…
