Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.

AN: Hey everyone! I just wanted to thank everyone here for reviewing for this story. I got to 40 reviews!!! This is my most popular story ^-^ Thank you so much for reviewing!! Now, let's see… just a minute to acknowledge my reviewers, and reply to the last chapter's.

Computer Geek Michelle: Hey! I'm glad you came over to read this story!! Well, as promised, I've made a second story, and it should be better than the last. Thanks for your reviews and here's the next chappie!!

Hououza: Yes, that did come out of nowhere, but the whole idea here is to make it seem real. I doubt the daughter of Relena could go through school long without attracting people, and there's got be some complications to her plans… or else it would seem set up, right? I'm just hoping for a realistic effect here.

Queen of Shadows: Heh, yeah, that's pretty much it. And this guy's a good kid too, as you'll find out. Aki's plans are slowly changing, but you'll have to wait a while before she actually gets to Preventers… Aren't I evil? Making you wait?


Also, thanks to Morrighan of Crimson and Sable, Nikki, Two-bitGortez, Erinamation-limited2-nothing, Masaka ai, MC-88, the Fic Critic, Duck3, Jero, Rayo, Eienvine, Viper, Arihat and Luna-Sarita for helping my get to my best record yet. Lollipops and chocolate hugs for all!! Lol, I'm kind o hyper. And Heero may be a bit OoC here.

Black Hair and Gray Eyes

Chapter 12

It was odd, so very odd. Why was it, that when she was just about to break through to Heero, and start on her mother, that things were to complicate? Of course, Aki had noticed that Dawn had been watching her with a rather pitiful expression, and Lee was an older boy, so it was natural that Aki wouldn't see him. At the thought of him, she blushed.

She growled and situated herself in a better position in the tree. Her thoughts were confusing. After Relena had adopted her, Aki had thought that it was all she would need. She had friends in space, a family, and was going to, someday, have a father. She also was part of the most famous family in the world, and knew the five pilots personally, and had participated in some major events in this time.

But when Dawn had invited her to her birthday party, and made her feel at home, Aki had a sudden urge for more. She seemed to want to be around kids her age, and grown tiresome of the loneliness she was used to, and let Dawn drag her around, meeting new people. So far, she had met practically everyone in her junior high, and befriended a few, like Sylvester, Terran, and Saguaro. They were her best friends, besides Dawn.

Sylvester was a guy, with red, short hair which hung in a messy bunch atop his head. He had deep, blue eyes, and a few freckles. The boy was a lanky one, which made him rather good in basketball. He was a rocker-style kid, and wanted desperately to grow his hair, but he stuck by his mother and left it short.

Terran was also a guy, with clean-cut, dark brown hair. His eyes were brown too, which made him appear dull. Instead, he was the hyper-active one of the group, and especially loved to play practical jokes on people. He often dreamed about being an artist, so Aki made it a point not to draw around him, for fear he might act up somehow.

Saguaro was a Thai girl. She, unlike Aki, was talkative, and got into everybody's business, as long as she was allowed. Everyday, she would try and get Aki to talk and every day she failed. Though, she had once made Aki say two full sentences, and was damn proud.

It had all happened in three days, which was odd. It felt like weeks, though the reason was probably because she had been pestered non-stop by Saguaro, who had started right after meeting her. She wasn't exactly a pain, but Aki could probably do without her questions.

And then, there was Lee. He was sweet, handsome, popular, and kind. She didn't know what was wrong with her though. Never before, whether in the face of danger, anger, work or play, had she ever felt this odd about someone. Every time he came by, Aki had the sudden urge to comb her hair, straighten her clothes, and make sure she looked perfect. She had often caught herself doing it, over and over again, but she couldn't seem to control it.

Maybe someday she'd figure out how to control her nervousness, and act normal around the boy, but it was difficult. After their first meeting, he had found out he walked the same way as her, and often offered to wait with her at the corner Pagan picked her up at. Of course, she couldn't refuse him. It was embarrassing too, sitting there talking to him when Pagan or Heero came and picked her up.

The first two days, it had been Pagan, and he simply smiled. The way a grandfather would. Then, today, it was to be Heero. Pagan was much too busy, and Heero was the next most trusted person to be left with the Vice Foreign Minister's daughter. As Aki swallowed a lump out of nervousness, a voice startled here… too much.

 "Penny for your thoughts?" Having been jolted out of her thoughts so suddenly, Aki lost her balance, and fell to the ground. On her way down, she felt arms encircle her waist. The lighter-than-needed brown pants of her school uniform let her feel the person's strong arms rather too easily, and everything seemed to slow as her ears and mind began to register the voice. But she was too occupied with the feel and smell of the boy holding her to really care.

Luckily, Aki hadn't been too high up in the tree, and her saviour had been on the lowest branch, so the fall didn't hurt either much. What did hurt, though, was any ego Aki had in her at school, because she ended up right on top of Lee, the boy that had just been on her thoughts. What's worse, they were both too paralyzed to move; who knows who had seen them in that position.

 "Gah!" after fully realizing what had just occurred, and comprehending what a mess she was in, Aki sat up quickly, hurting Lee a bit at she moved. His groan, however, brought her back to reality.

 "Lee!" it sounded way too nervous for comfort. Cleary her throat, Aki tried to speak more calmly. "I'm sorry. Here, do you need some help?" Hoarse, now her voice sounded hoarse.

 "No it's okay. You're not that heavy, you know." Suddenly realizing that she was straddling him, she jumped back and sat on the ground, on her knees, blushing madly, and staring intensely at the ground. 'shit shit…" she repeated it over and over in her head. 'Somebody… save me…'

 "Umm… Lee, may I ask you why you were in that tree?" Her blush was fading, and he was getting up. Soon, she would have to look at him. Aki prayed that her blush would disappear by then.

 "Actually, I was just looking for you. You know, so that we could walk together to that corner where you get picked up. I was looking around when I saw you in that tree." Finally, it was gone, and Aki looked up at Lee. Truth be told, she had nearly lost herself in his wonderfully deep, strong voice.

 She mentally shook her head. 'No, no, I am not going to let this bother me. I am not going to dream about him, nor woo over him. Calm, girl, calm.' Her breathing leveled and she looked up, to see his worried face looking down at her.

 "Oh." It was short, but only because her breath had caught in her throat. 'Stupid!!' Her sister would've been proud…

 His brows furrowed as he inspected her. "You're not hurt, are you? That fall seemed rough enough." He looked up to inspect the tree they had fallen out of, not noticing her internal struggle to keep calm.

 "No, after all, I landed on you. Why should I be hurt?" How could he be so calm? Didn't he know she was practically freaking out? Could he tell that she was trying her best to stay calm? Could he tell what she was thinking? At all?

 He laughed, and got up to extend a hand. She grabbed it and let him pull her up, silently thanking the heavens that she wasn't so infatuated that her knees would buckle. Only make her nervous, and she already hated herself for just that.

 "You know, Aki, that what I like best about you. You're stronger than the other girls. Heck, I even think you're stronger than me." They began to walk out of school grounds, and turned the corner out into the street. As usual, he talked, then waited for a response, then continued if he got none, which was often.

Like now. "So… Are you going to Dawn's party?" Aki nearly stopped. She was surprised he knew about Dawn, being a year or two older and all. Then again, he was down to earth, not a snuck-up brat like some of the people in the school.

 "Yeah." Lee frowned at the short response. In awe, Aki looked at his slightly golden hair as it glistened in the sun, and wanted to run her fingers through it, caressing it. She had the urge to just fall over and let him catch her, and then rock her to sleep.

At realizing her own thoughts, she shook her head, mentally. 'It must be the exhaustion.' She concluded, knowing that school had taken a lot out of her this past week, what with all that had been going on.

 "I am too. She invited me the other day. I guess I'll see you there." This time, Aki simply nodded. She'd have to find a way to deal with these butterflies, soon. "She said it'd be a blast, and told be to invite a few of my friends too."

They finally reached the corner, and both sat down on the bench. He simply sat there, gazing at the scenery in front of him. A small wind blew through the air, making the scenario almost mystical. Then, all too soon, a black, sleek, limousine pulled up in front of them. Lee was the first to react.

 "Hey, that's not your butler…" he stood up, defensively blocking me. At this, Heero rolled down his window, peering at the young boy oddly. He then looked at Aki, and then looked back at the two.

 "Who are you?" Aki stood up, but was kept from stepping forward by Lee's hand.

 "I could ask you the same question." They glared at each other, and Aki took this as the cue to intervene. She stepped in between the two and smiled nervously at Lee. She could've sworn she had seen some kind of reaction from him.

 "Lee, this is Heero, my mom's bodyguard, and at times, mine too. Heero, this is Lee, he goes to my school." Introductions over, Aki began to clear up the confused look on Lee's face. "My butler, Pagan, was busy today, so Heero came instead. I'm sorry, I should've warned you." She opened the door, shifted her bag slightly.

 "I suppose I'll see you at Dawn's birthday party, won't I?" He smiled and nodded as she slipped into the car. Heero and Lee exchanged glares one last time before he stepped back and let Heero drive off.

 "I don't think Relena would approve of you having a boyfriend and not telling her." This was going to be a long ride home.

*~*~*~*~*

 "For the last time, he is not my boyfriend. He is a schoolmate who happens to walk the same way as me and doesn't like to see girls waiting all by their lonesome." Aki flexed her hands in exasperation and walked around the corner, to the kitchen.

 "What's this I hear about a boyfriend?"

 "Gah!!" Before they knew it, Relena and Aki were standing, facing each other, one with a sly look, the other with an annoyed look. Aki's shoulders slumped at the thought of having to explain the whole thing over again.

 "There's this guy at school, named Lee. He's like, you know, one of the popular guys, and he's nice. He walks with me to the corner where Pagan picks me up and waits with me. Well, today, Heero saw him and now, apparently boys whom act nice are immediately considered your boyfriend. He was just being nice!"

She grabbed an apple and walked up to her room, closing the door behind her. After she walked out, though, Heero came in. He was met, face to face, with a stern Relena.

 "That's not very nice, teasing her like that." He looked at her blankly. After blinking twice, consecutively, Relena's shoulders slumped and she began to laugh. He continued to look at her.

 "Jeez, Heero, you know how odd that is when you do that?" She gave a tinkling laugh and did a crude imitation of him, before laughing again. After recovering, she patted his shoulder light-heartedly and lightly nudged him across the hallway, into the living room.

 "Come on, let's go watch some TV." She strode off, nearly skipping, leaving Heero to wonder what had her so happy today. No work maybe?

*~*~*~*~*

Whoa, I wrote out a few chapters to stall a few events, but I didn't think the stall would be this long! There's going to be another chapter, Dawn's party, and if I can write a whole chapter there, I'll have the meeting at Preventers the chapter after that. A bit longer until I can add some action into it!! Well, R&R please!