Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters belong to Sotsu, Sunrise, and Bandai. Of course, this fic belongs to me.
The Kissing Bough
by
Waltz195
The light glow of a monitor screen spilled onto the control panel, illuminating the face of a young man seated diligently before it. Similar monitors were set up along the expanse of one wall in the darkened room. Cool, dark eyes scanned over each one carefully, following the movements of a certain blond diplomat with the concentration of a hawk. His hands flew across the controls in front of him and the screens flickered momentarily, before changing to a different perspective.
On one screen, the Vice Foreign Minister was standing rather demurely with her hands held in front of her, as the political congregation listened to the President's speech. He caught a glimpse of movement to her left, as Senator Deinwald inched closer to stand right next to her. The watcher's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Hn."
Relena seemed not to notice the senator, but he caught a shift in her posture as she discreetly sidestepped her former position. A corner of his mouth lifted into a shadow of a smile, his dark Prussian eyes twinkling with amusement.
"She doesn't seem to enjoy the Senator's company much, does she?" The figure called to the darkness behind him.
A deep sigh escaped the shadows and a bulky form emerged into the light. A large bag thudded onto the floor followed by a red winter cap.
"Nothing ever gets by you, does it? And here I thought I could sneak in, get my clothes, and get away before you even noticed." Duo Maxwell appeared behind him, a slightly dejected look on his face.
"Highly unlikely."
"Yeah, yeah. Heero Yuy, the Perfect Soldier. Man, I'm hungry...got any chow?"
Heero glanced back at him for a moment, before returning his attention to the monitors. "You're going back home, aren't you? With all the food you claim Hilde is preparing, you should get something then."
"That's assuming she ever lets me in the house again, after the lame excuse I gave her," Duo grumbled. "There I was, saying 'Hilde-babe, I gotta go buy some milk. Go ahead and start dinner without me. I'll be back soon!' You know she's not gonna buy that, considering I've been gone for six hours!"
"That's your problem. I just needed your help for tonight. I didn't say I'd play diplomat for your domestic troubles."
"Gee, thanks," Duo mumbled under his breath. "I hope you say such nice things about me at my funeral, too. I'm as good as dead when I get home."
Heero was silent for a moment. "If it helps, I'll explain the situation to her at the party tomorrow."
From behind him, Duo's face perked up with relief and interest. "Oh, really? When I offered an hour ago, you didn't want to go, but now you do? Interesting." He raised a brow. "What changed your mind?"
Heero simply stood and turned to face him, his features blank. "I'm going downstairs. Watch the monitors for me and report anything suspicious while I'm gone."
Duo nodded and Heero moved to a corner of the room, where a coat rack stood. He pulled on a black overcoat, effectively hiding his hip holster and revolver from sight as it setteld across his lean form.
"Going down for a better view?" Duo teased, a smug look on his face.
Heero ignored him and reached for his communicator on a nearby desk. At this point, Duo turned a bit serious.
"Heero?" he asked. "Why do you do this, man? I mean, sure, I'm glad to help you out, once in a while, but you know she'd rather have you at her side. Why the shadows? And don't give me that 'I-have-to-be-invisible-to-protect-her' junk. You know how much she cares about you."
Heero paused a moment, his back turned to the other man. He was silent as he formulated his answer.
"I have my reasons," was all he said.
Duo let out an exasperated sigh. "Man, you're hopeless! Nevermind, where's my gear? I gotta get out of this outfit. It's too weird for even me to wear." He had already begun shedding the padding under the red coat.
Heero reached into a nearby storage unit and tossed a bundle of clothing to him. "You should get use to it. You'll have to wear it again for the visit to the orphanage tomorrow."
"Yeah. I admit, it'd be kinda cool being an object of such adoration." Duo grinned as he dislodged a small listening device from his left ear.
Over the course of the evening, he had been using it to keep in touch with Heero as he moved around the ballroom. Along with the hidden cameras in the building's light fixtures and Duo's coat buckles, it was the equipment Heero had insisted on using to monitor the security of the celebration, regardless of the fact that at least a hundred other Preventers agents were doing the same thing.
"More like their easy ticket to gifts," Heero answered blandly as he headed out the door.
"You're just jealous she invited me, instead of you. I told you to do it yourself, but no! Mr. Perfect Soldier's too chicken!" Duo called after him.
His brief tirade fell on deaf ears. Duo found himself sighing and shaking his head again. It always was the case with those stubborn, independent types. They never listened to a word of reason.
"Those two have got it bad for each other and won't even admit it."
Heero swiftly navigated through the darkened halls of the building, ducking behind pillars to avoid straggling guests. He slid into a hidden passage and emerged onto the balcony directly to the right of the main stage.
He scanned the adjoining balconies and spotted a few other uniformed agents patrolling the area. Before they could call out to him, he moved his coat collar aside to reveal a Preventers badge, its bright red crest identifying him as a superior officer. They saluted briefly and, after his nod, returned to their duties.
Satisfied that his surroundings were secure, he finally let himself focus on the stage, or rather, a certain young blond woman on the stage. He watched as she stepped towards the podium, thanking the President and beginning her account of the past year.
Heero listened to her words for a minute but soon concentrated solely on her. He had heard her words before, knew their meaning and the sincerity in which she spoke them. She had always had a special way with words, with people, and most especially, with him. He took a moment to study her appearance. Even though he saw her on a regular basis, without her knowing, he enjoyed watching her just the same.
Relena was wearing a wine-red, off-shoulder gown with black fur trim at the collar, wrists, and hem, the dark color contrasting with the golden sheen of her hair in its stylish half-bun. It was a simple gown, modest yet nicely cut, enchantingly feminine. She had matured nicely over the years, yet that same innocent air he'd sensed all those years ago, one that held compassion and understanding, still hung around her, an invisible golden halo of light.
Heero slowly pulled himself from his thoughts, remembering that he was here to watch over the woman, not ogle her. Hesitantly, he took his gaze off Relena to scan the crowd before her, mentally listing off each of the politicians and Earth Sphere delegates present. When his gaze reached Senator Deinwald, he paused a moment to analyze the man.
Of average coloring, height, and weight, the senator was as normal as any other politician in the room. Though Heero suspected his motives for wanting to 'court' Relena were for occupational purposes, he could understand why any man would be attracted to her.
Relena wasn't a classic beauty but she was radiant nonetheless. There was an inner light about her that drew people to her, as it had him. He remembered she had once said he had possessed that inner light, and he often wondered if it was a reflection of hers. Ever since he had met her, he had developed a new outlook on life, finding that battle was not the only thing that defined him, and that held a wealth of meaning for him.
Turning his attention back to Relena, he judged that her speech would end soon. Unfortunately, that meant she would be in the company of the senator again. Glancing at the man once more, Heero knew that Relena didn't appreciate the senator's advances and would be more than happy to be rid of his company. In fact, Heero admitted to himself, so would he.
Quickly formulating a plan, Heero took one last look at her graceful figure, before blending back into the shadows.
