Silver: -evil laughter- Fluffy romance for Quatre! Strange title, but matches very well with the story that I wrote—
Mist: -whack- Hey! I wrote this too, you know. Don't hog the spotlight.
Silver: -scoffs- Anyways, takes place after Endless Waltz and contains all original pairings—
Mist: Except for Quatre. -eyes turn starry- My dear, sweet Quatre...
Silver: -gagging- As if.Now on to the disclaimer. We, unfortunately, do not—
Mist: -screams- No! We don't own Gundam Wing! How can this be? I can't believe I don't own Quatre! No! Why must the world be so cruel! Why? -sobs hysterically-
Silver: -pats Mist on the head- I know, I felt the same way when I realized that I don't own Heero. Although I am over the fact that I do not own Gundam Wing, I refuse to accept that Heero belongs to Relena.
Mist: -hugging photo of Quatre- My beloved Quatre…-dashes off-
Silver: -raises eyebrow- I hope she's not doing anything stupid. Anyways, moving on to the story before we bore you all to death. Without any further ado—
Chibi Mist: -bounds in with a bag of sugar- Storytime! Sugartime! Storytime! Sugartime!
Silver: -eyes widen- How did she find the sugar? Mist! -chases after Mist-
InSaNiTy
Chapter 1
Quatre sighed and allowed his eyes to wander around the faces in the room, finally settling on Richard Evans, the conservative L3 delegate currently speaking. Once he was out of this conference, he planned to take an entire week off. He should definitely ask Rashid too book him the next flight to Earth.
"Do you agree, Mr. Winner?"
Quatre snapped out of his reverie and focused back on Richard. He racked his brain for what Richard had been saying. Fortunately, Shane Carter, one of the more liberal delegates, interrupted.
"That's absurd! I see no reason for us to childishly blame Earth."
"I am not childishly blaming Earth," Richard defended, standing up and glaring down at Shane. "There is reasonable doubt that Earth is behind the attacks. They have never been one to obey the rules. They think they can just do whatever they want."
"There is no reason as to why Earth would instigate such small skirmishes," Shane retorted, also standing up.
"That's enough, gentlemen," Quatre's calm but firm voice cut in. "There is no hard evidence to show that Earth is behind the recent attacks. And I personally don't believe that they have any motive to attack these sites."
"But Mr. Winner…"
"These attacks are possibly by a terrorist group aiming to destroy the fragile peace that we have fought so hard to preserve. We are certainly weak for falling to prey to, if that is, their goal."
Pausing, Quatre glanced around the room to see most with their heads down in shame. Clearing his throat, Quatre continued, eager to put an end to the silly accusations and leave the tense atmosphere.
"I think we should all allow the Preventers some time to thoroughly investigate the recent incidents. After all, that is their job. And we should all take this time to relax and think about what our true focus should be—preserving the peace. If there are no objections, then the meeting is adjourned."
Knowing that no one would dare object to his logic, Quatre gathered his papers and stood up, the other delegates following suit. Walking quickly out of the room before anyone could stop and speak with him, Quatre sighed once he entered the elevator alone.
"Master Quatre," Rashid greeted as Quatre stepped out of the elevator.
"Thank you for waiting, Rashid. Do you know when the next shuttle leaves for Asia?"
"On Earth?" Rashid ventured, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Yes, I'd like to visit China. Wufei and Sally tell me that it's quite nice this time of the year."
"Very well, Master Quatre. I shall find out and book you the earliest flight."
"Thank you very much, Rashid," Quatre smiled as he slipped into the limousine. Sighing, he leaned his head back and mentally made plans to call Wufei for information on the museums in China. He could not wait to see Earth again, and it would be for his own personal pleasure this time.
Quatre tipped the bellboy as he stepped into the suite. He had managed to convince Rashid to let him go alone, but the older man still insisted on a comfortable stay. Looking around the room, he realized that Rashid misunderstood comfortable for luxurious—the perfect word to describe the three-room suite. Quatre honestly didn't think the mini-kitchen would be used much during the trip, seeing as how he couldn't really cook.
Strolling to the window, Quatre glanced down at the crowded streets of Beijing, smiling in anticipation of mingling with the locals. His stomach growled and he decided to get out and find a local diner to have lunch.
As he wandered the streets of Beijing, Quatre realized it wasn't a great idea to come along, especially since he couldn't speak any dialect of Chinese. After half an hour of receiving fearful looks for the locals when he tried to ask for directions in English, Quatre finally found a cozy café and decided to take a break.
"Ni hau ma?"
Quatre looked up startled, staring at a Chinese girl a few inches shorter than himself with shoulder-length black hair and glasses framing her brown eyes. Blushing, Quatre averted his eyes back down his menu, but frowning when he realized he couldn't read anything.
"I'm sorry, Miss. I'm afraid I don't understand Chinese."
"That's all right," the girl replied with a smile. "I can speak English."
"You don't know how relieved I am to find someone who can speak English!" Quatre said in relief, nearly jumping out of his chair to hug the girl. "Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Quatre Raberba Winner."
Bowing, the girl replied, "I'm Alice Hsih, Mr. Winner."
"Please call me Quatre, Miss Hsih," he interrupted with a smile.
"As long as you call me Alice, Quatre," Alice said with a giggle, causing him to blush. "Now how about I suggest some of the local flavors? The tapioca milk drink is fairly popular in America too."
"Sounds good," Quatre replied, handing her the menu.
"Anything to eat? Fried rice maybe?"
"Oh, yes please! I was so excited I forgot I was hungry."
"Coming right up!" Alice announced with a chuckle.
In a few minutes, Alice returned with the drink and food. "Here you go, Quatre."
Quatre nodded his thanks, staring at the cute girl in front of him. Maybe he should ask her out, as a guide of course. After all, he couldn't possibly wander around a foreign place without any directions.
"I'm sorry, Alice, but are you busy later? I was hoping you'd be willing to take me around town. As you can see, I'm not really familiar with the language or the place."
"Of course. Actually, I'm off work in about an hour. Could you stay that long?"
"Of course," Quatre responded with a shy smile. He would wait all day if he had to.
An hour later, the two walked around the city looking through various authentic shops and popular tourist attractions. Quatre had managed a few simple but useful phrases in Chinese, which would hopefully help him out if he ever needed a taxi to take him back to the hotel or if he really needed to use a restroom.
As they walked past a dress shop, Alice stopped and sighed, admiring an elegant Chinese-styled dress.
"That's a beautiful dress," Quatre commented as he stood beside her.
Alice sighed and agreed. After a few more lingering gazes, she started to walk off.
"Aren't you going to buy it?" Quatre questioned, still standing in front of the window.
Alice shook her head dejectedly. "I would, but it's quite expensive and I'm on a budget. Besides, there's no occasion for me to wear—what are you doing, Quatre?"
Quatre had opened the door to the shop, waiting for her to enter.
"Come on," he urged, holding out his hand. "I must get you a gift for spending an entire day with me."
"Oh no, I couldn't," Alice protested, shaking her head vigorously.
"Please, Alice, I insist," Quatre persisted, giving her his most charming smile. Seeing her falter slightly, he continued, "Trust me, it's not a big deal to me. Please, as a favor?"
"Oh, I—" Alice eyed the dress, and finally sighed in consent. "Thank you so much, Quatre! This is very wonderful of you!"
"It was wonderful of you to show me around," he said as they entered. "And as celebration of your new dress, how about I treat you to dinner tomorrow at the hotel's diner? At least I'll understand the menus there."
Alice giggled but shook her head. "You've already done too much for me, Quatre. I couldn't possibly—"
"Please, Alice," Quatre began. "I still feel indebted to you and if you don't let me do this, I'll feel like I owe you."
"Well, if you put it that way, I suppose I could."
"Then it's settled. How does six sound?"
"Sounds lovely, Mr. Winner," Alice replied playfully, winking.
"Then I shall see you tomorrow night, my dear lady."
Quatre awoke to the ringing of the vid-phone. Blinking sleepily, he climbed out of bed and dragged his feet to the screen, wondering who knew he was in China. He had told Rashid not to tell anyone, unless some terrorist group was threatening to crash a colony into Earth again.
"Hello, Quatre. How's China?"
Quatre squinted as the Earth Foreign Minister's face popped up.
"Miss Relena. How did you know I was in China?"
"I haven't talked to you in months and that's the greeting I get?"
"I'm sorry, Miss Relena," Quatre quickly apologized. "I did not mean to be rude. It's just that—"
Relena laughed. "Don't worry Quatre. It's probably morning over there right now. I'm sorry for waking you up."
"No, don't worry about it," Quatre said with a smile. "I was going to get up in half an hour anyways. But I'm curious as to how you were able to find me?"
Heero's faced appeared next to hers, his eyebrow raised. "Quatre."
Quatre chuckled. "Heero. I should have known. Is this an emergency?"
"No—"
"It is, actually," Relena interrupted, ignoring Heero's scowl. "My birthday's in two days so I'm having a small party for close friends. So if you want to make it, you'll have to leave tomorrow."
"That's hardly an emergency," Heero muttered.
"I forgot! I'm so sorry, Miss Relena!"
"Just show up on Saturday and I'll forgive you," Relena said with a wink.
"Of course I'll—" Quatre stopped as he suddenly remembered his dinner plans.
"What's the matter, Quatre?" Relena asked, seeing his frown.
"It's just that, I met this girl, who I'm going on a date with tonight—"
"A date?" Heero questioned blandly.
"Well, no, not like that," Quatre spluttered. "It's just, she—"
"Bring her with you," Relena cut in. "We'd all like to meet her."
"I'm not sure if she'll be able to make it, but I guess I could ask…"
"Good. Then we'll see you Friday," Relena said, giving him a wave before the screen clicked shut.
The two sat quietly opposite each other, each stealing glances at the other but looking away when their eyes meet.
"So," Quatre started, "how's the soup?"
"Very good," Alice replied, taking a sip of the clam chowder. "I love Chinese food, but sometimes a change can be good."
"I'm glad," he replied. He took a deep breath and worked up the courage to invite her. "Um, Alice?"
"Yes, Quatre?"
"Are you busy this weekend?"
"No, why? I have a week off starting tomorrow."
"Oh good," Quatre sighed with a smile. "Would you mind attending a small party with me? It's my friend's birthday and I would love for them to meet you."
"But, it wouldn't be too much trouble?"
"Of course not," Quatre dismissed her worries. "In fact, she invited you. She's really looking forward to meeting you."
"Well, I really don't want to intrude…"
Quatre gave her a pout. "Please? For me?"
Alice laughed and gave in. "Okay, I'll come. How can I resist that look?"
Quatre grinned playfully. "You can't."
"Quatre! How was the flight?" Relena greeted as she gave him a hug.
Before he could reply, Duo burst into the foyer and slung an arm around Quatre's neck. "So where's the girl, Quatre? When Relena told me, I almost didn't believe her, but Heero confirmed it. And we all know Heero never lies. So where's your girlfriend?"
"Duo," Quatre gasped, managing to duck out of his grasp. "It's good to see you too."
"Yeah, yeah," Duo waved him off, trying to look over Quatre's shoulder. "Is that her? The Asian? Hey, she's kind of cute."
Duo suddenly brushed past Quatre and out the door, coming to a stop in front of the surprised Alice.
"Hey, beautiful," Duo greeted with a smile, snaking his arm around the girl's waist. "My name is Duo. Duo Maxwell. But you can call me lov—"
"Duo!" Quatre shouted as he moved to guide Alice away from Duo. "Thank you, Duo. I'll show her to the drawing room now."
Duo pouted. "What? I was just being nice."
"A little too nice," Relena said, chuckling as they made their way to the others.
The ten people sat around in the room, nibbling on the cookies and sipping their tea, calmly catching up with one another. Suddenly, Relena shot up from her seat and stared down at Heero in horror.
"What is it?" Heero asked in concern, standing up as well.
"Quatre, Alice," Relena said instead as she turned to the couple. "I'm sorry, but the west wing in under renovation, so only the rooms in the east wing are available. And I forgot that my brother is coming tomorrow, so I'll need you two to share a room. Would that be okay?"
Quatre glanced at Alice, who smiled and nodded. "It's fine, Miss Relena," he answered.
"Your brother's coming?" Heero asked in a dangerously quiet tone.
"Um, yes? Don't worry, Heero—I'm sure he won't take it too badly."
Hilde stared. "Are you telling me that he doesn't know about you two?"
"Um, no?"
"Oh, this will be good," Duo snickered. "Look at it this way—you'll finally be able to finish your battle with him, Heero."
"I don't want them to fight!" Relena wailed as Heero glared at Duo. "I want them to get along!"
"Heero and Relena's brother aren't exactly on friendly temrs," Quatre whispered to Alice when he saw her confused look.
"Hey, how about a game," Duo suggested, changing the subject to avoid any Heero-caused injuries.
"I refuse to play strip poker again," Wufei sniffed indignantly.
"Only because you always lost," Duo snickered, ignoring Wufei's murderous glare. "Besides, I was thinking of a drinking game. Like Ten Fingers."
"That's not a drinking game," Hilde said, brows furrowed in thought.
"It can be," Duo explained. "Instead of losing a finger—"
"Oh, bad image," Hilde groaned.
"—you have to take a shot," Duo finished.
"Oh, sounds even better," Hilde squealed.
"I'm not sure if that's a good idea," Quatre ventured, especially since Duo and Hilde were looking at each other as if silently planning everyone's demise.
"Don't be silly," Duo assured him with a grin, although Quatre just felt more nervous. "It'll be fun."
"Maxwell, your definition of fun differs greatly from ours," Wufei snorted.
"That's not what you said last night," Duo countered in a singsong voice.
Wufei tried to lunge at him, but Sally held him back. Even so, seeing Wufei's angry red face, Duo laughed nervously and offered to grab the vodka bottles and shot glasses, dashing out of the room.
Alice glanced around at the laughing group, save for an infuriated Wufei, and frowned in confusion.
"What happened last night?"
Silver: -dumps ice-cold water on Chibi Mist-
Mist: -blinks- Hey, when did it rain?
Silver: Bad Mist! What did I tell you about sugar?
Mist: Um…eat it?
Silver: No, don't eat it! Hopeless. -shakes head-
Mist: -laughs nervously- Well, hey! We finished the first chapter! -cheers-
Silver: Yeah, but we have to keep writing. Don't want to keep our readers in suspense now, do we? -smirks-
Mist: -sarcastically- Of course not! Why would we do that? Unless,of course, they don't review. -glares-
Silver: Yeah, so you all better review! No reviews, then no more chapters. Meaning you won't know how they're game goes. And if you don't even know what the game is, meaning you won't find out. Hah!
Mist: -sweetly- So, will you please review? Pretty please? With a cherry on top?
Silver: -raises eyebrow- Okay, what's wrong with you?
Mist: -grins- Hey, that works most of the time. -winks-
Silver: -rolls eyes- Anyways, really, please review! We just love to hear everyone's thoughts, right?
Mist: Of course. Especially ideas for a much better title! -glares at Silver-
Silver: -whistles and shuffles away-
Mist: -snorts- Don't forget to click the Review button and submit a review. Thank you! -shouts and chases after Silver-
