Chapter four: Lunchtime rumors
By Lolo Winner
Disclaimer: nope, don't own Gundam Wing. I do own most of the characters in this scene though. Everyone but Heero, Relena, Hilde, and Duo. I wish I did. but I don't.
Mel navigated herself though the lunchtime crowd to her usual table. The clique was already assembled at the table where they, the sophomore A group, sat. Mel was the undisputed Queen of the A group, she had reigned supreme over the much envious, and very selective, faction since the children naturally separated into their cliques way back in grade school. Her natural ability to rule was blamed for her sovereignty, as well as the fact that the most popular boy in school was her boyfriend. The later was only added a year and a half ago, and only added to Mel's prestige.
She took a seat at her position at the head of the table. "Good afternoon girls." She said sweetly.
Veronica, the second in command, smiled in return, "My, my Mel, aren't we hungry today?"
Mel glanced down at her plate, piled high with foods that, a few months ago, she had absolutely no taste for, and until a few months ago, were excluded from the list of foods that were appropriate for the A group to eat. Before Mel could excuse herself Addy stepped in, "Oh Veronica, Mel can be considered an exception to those ludicrous rules."
Veronica glanced at Addy for intruding in her territory, and back at Mel, "Speaking of which, it looks as if you are beginning to show."
"You didn't expect me to keep my figure though all of this did you?" Mel asked with a hint of spite. She loathed Veronica; she thought she was a manipulator. The unspoken truth of Veronica's secret plot to take control from Mel, was very apparent in Mel's eyes.
She perched in chin delicately in her woven fingers, resting her elbows on the table, "You must tell us all about how this came to be." She said.
"Didn't you get the memo Vernie?" She purposely called Veronica by her hated nickname. "As you recall, and as everyone has been told, I was raped."
"You can't expect us to believe that Mel-/Anna/, not after all the interesting variations to the tale, I for one, have overheard."
"Oh believe me I would love to tell you all of the steamy details, but there are none to share. It wasn't exactly a steamy, or enjoyable, time."
"I bet you had a very enjoyable time." She prodded.
"You do have to admit that the circumstances are questionable." Joan said.
"Yes, I'm sure you have heard the rumors." Added Sterrif, "I'm not saying there is any truth behind them, all though they are all very good stories."
Mel had heard the rumors, and had cried over their claims every night since they started. She kept up face in front of her 'friends' however, "I can assure you that there is no truth behind them."
"You know what my favorite rumor is?" Veronica would simply not let the subject drop, "My favorite rumor is the one about how you and that priceless little catch of yours got a little heavy under the covers, if you do catch my drift."
That was the rumor that hurt Mel the most, not because of how untrue it was, but about the truth behind it. Still, she kept up the façade. She laughed, covering her mouth with her hand, "Where do you get this stuff Nica? Honestly, I can assure you that Clint had nothing to do with this."
Veronica was beginning to get angry, she was determined to expose Mel and secure her position. "You can't expect us to believe that lie. It's been common knowledge for ever that you two are /extremely/ close."
"Veronica, I believe you are overstepping your boundaries." Addy said.
"Forgive me, I do not have the strength to take this abuse. I'm going to go sit with my boyfriend; whom, I can assure you is not the father, and seemingly the one person who is supportive, and not questioning the circumstances. So if you would excuse me." She stood with her lunch and waltzed over to the table which Clint's group occupied. She was greeted with a little kiss, as he insisted that he carried her lunch and her bag, as if the weight would kill her in her 'condition'.
Veronica simply shook her head, "It's so sad when good girls like Mel go bad."
"What exactly is that suppose to mean?" Sterrif asked. They all knew what Veronica meant, however.
Veronica's eyes lit up, "You will never believe what I heard from Garba."
"Honestly Veronica, you still listen to that little gossip?" Addy questioned.
"Oh, this one is different, it's a very good, and credible, theory on our little Mel."
"I hate-" Serrif was cut off on her rant on 'Garb the Gab,' (as she was rightfully called) by Joan.
"Tell me, is it better than last week's scenario. You know, the one where Mel supposedly slept with old Mr. Peterson to raise her grade?"
"Oh much better." Veronica leaned forward, accenting the secrecy of the fable. "You all remember Mel's father right, the absolutely hostile one."
Addy waved her off, "You aren't suggesting what I think you are. Come now, that is even more ludicrous than your prostitution claim."
"Believe me, this one has credit." The girls leaned forward, perching their chins in their hands in the very respectable listening posture. "Garba heard from Tiffany Flint, whom you all know lives very close to Mel, that she nightly hears sounds of a struggle between Mr. Yuy and Mel." Veronica continued to eat and jabber, as if she was talking about the weather, "Now as you recall, Mr. Yuy is an extremely. peculiar man."
Joan and Serrif nodded, as Veronica continued. Addy could no longer resist the erg to listen to the new story. She too leaned forward in the same fashion, hanging on to every one of Veronica's words. "Now my father has told me many times the characteristics of a rapist. Sadly for Mel, her father seems to fit all of these traits."
No one disputed her father's word. Her father, after all, was the foremost physiatrist in the colony. All four of his books had made it to the top of the bestseller list, and every respectable party wanted him as a guest. So they all continued to listen to Veronica's chronicle, and all the 'proof' she had behind it. ".And poor Mrs. Yuy." Veronica shook her head in mock pity, "You all know how damaging a controversy at this scale would be to her career. She has no choice but to sit back, and go along with the little rape claim."
Clint saw how Mel was staring vacantly at her little nitch off in the distance. Her piece of Hawaiian pizza cooled as it was held up in the air, half way to her mouth. Mel knew that he was watching her, and decided to save the questioning, "I know they are talking about me." She said.
"How do you know that?"
Mel continued to stare. The girls occasionally stole glances over her way, "I just do."
He pulled her close to him, "Don't let those little bitches get to you."
She looked at him defensively, "Those bitches happen to be my friends."
"You mean the girls who, at this very moment, are stabbing your back?"
She looked down at her pizza, "Yes, those girls." She took a bite out of the slice.
Heero watched with wide eyes as Mel scarfed down her dinner. His fork was in mid air in front of his mouth. The food on it had already cooled, he didn't care though, he was fixated on the vigor Mel had as she attacked her dinner. Relena smiled, "It's good to see that you have your appetite back."
Mel nodded. He swallowed the food in her mouth, "Tell Jeannine that this is absolutely wonderful." She dove back into her dinner. Heero finally snapped out of it and took his first bite of the portabella ravioli.
Mel downed her milk. She dabbed the damask napkin to her face and looked at Relena, "I'm starting to think about names, do you have any suggestions?"
Relena's eyes lit up. She nodded, "Sean." She said.
Heero glared at her. Mel didn't notice her father's menacing look, "Oh I love that name. Sean Maxwell, I like the sound of that."
"No, I won't allow that name to be used."
"Heero, stop it."
"That name will not be used." Heero said again. He stood from the table and left.
Mel looked at her mother with a questioning look. Relena sighed, "I think it's time for me to tell you how we met." She said, looking at her plate. She stood and left the room. Mel, unsure of what to do, decided to follow her mother.
Relena led Mel into the library. Mel sat on the couch and watched as her mother scanned the shelves of the books. Mel tried to draw her knees up to her chest, but found it uncomfortable with her child, who was now four months along, straining to find room for growth. She sat upright instead, resting her arms on her belly as she continued to watch Relena.
Relena stopped at one row. Instead of selecting one of the Bradbury's she reached behind the old leather-bound hardbacks, and took something out from behind. She sat down next to Mel with the old photo album.
She wiped the thick layer of dust, a testament to its years of neglection, off the cover and began. "Like I told you, your father and I promised each other when you were born that we would never show you this. I did ask him if I could, he refused though." She looked up at Mel, "Think you can keep a secret?" She winked.
Mel nodded; Relena opened the album to the first page. Mel's eyes it up at the pictures of Relena in her royal dressings from the Sank Kingdom. "Oh wow, look at those outfits." She pointed to one of Relena and Noin, "Is that you and aunt Noin?" She asked.
Relena nodded. Mel looked at the next page. A panoramic view of a city resting next to the ocean, and nestled beneath lush green mountains caught her attention. "Where is this mother."
"That's Newport City, the capital of the Sank Kingdom."
Mel broke her eyes away from the pictures, and looked at her mother, "The Sank Kingdom?"
"It's not in existence anymore. After I stepped down from the throne there was no one to take over the monarchy."
"Whoa wait, you expect me to believe that you once ruled a country?"
Relena didn't answer. She only turned the page. On that page was an invitation to a ball, held during the Kingdom's short-lived days of glory. It was a beautiful hand written invitation on custom-made parchment. Mel read the flowing words out loud, "Miss. Lucratzia Noin has been invited to attend the coronation ball for Princess Relena Peacecraft." Mel remembered how many people called her mother by that last name. She mouthed the remaining words, except when it came to the date. "Saturday, the eleventh of June, year One-hundred Ninety Five. 195, so you were."
"Fifteen years old."
She looked back up at Relena, "Why didn't you ever tell me that you are a princess?"
"Well so are you. If you were alive when I gave the land to Denmark, I would of kept it to give to you."
"You mean that I would have been the heir to a kingdom?"
Relena nodded. Mel was dumbfounded. "Wait, there's more."
"More?" Mel studdered.
"Oh much more. You ready to see what else I ruled?" Relena turned forward a few pages. Mel nearly fainted at the headline that jumped off of the yellowing newspaper clipping. "Relena Peacecraft Takes Throne to Earth's Sphere."
Mel almost laughed, "Please don't tell me that I was the heir for the world as well."
Relena shrugged, "I suppose you would have been if I had been in control for longer than a month."
"They kick you out for not being good enough or something?"
She ignored the question and stared at the picture of herself in her white satin gown. Mel answered her own question by reading the other newspaper clip on that page, "Former Sovereign Dismisses Queen Relena." She began to read about how Terize Kushranada, a name she remembered her parents using on a few occasions, retook control from her mother.
"Treize wasn't really a bad man. He just wanted to obtain peace using other means."
"Father doesn't agree with that."
"Well your father was Treize's enemy."
"Enemy?"
"I'm getting a head of myself." She started flipping though the album, "Let's see. ah, here we go." She stopped halfway though the album. There were a few pictures of Heero clad in his shorts and tank.
Mel started laughing, "What on earth is he wearing? Tell me that wasn't the style."
Relena laughed, "No, that was his own statement."
Heero stood in the garage, staring at the car. He thought about what he had done, and what Relena had asked a month back. //"Please Heero, she should know."
"No, I don't want her to."
"Then stop being so cold towards her, she thinks that you hate her."//
He sighed, "But. I don't hate her." He said out loud, reciting from the conversation.
//"Then let her know that."
"But I don't want her to know, no, she can't know."//
"I don't hate her." He said again, quietly to himself. He decided that it was time, that he should explain himself to his daughter. He let the wrench that he had grabbed in preparation of working on the car slip from his hands. He turned as the wrench hit the ground.
He went back to the kitchen, trying to think of what he would say. /"Mel- Anna, first off I'm sorry, but there is something you should know about me." No, that doesn't work, "Mel-Anna, please forgive me, it's just-" No, no I'm not going to make excuses./ He stopped, /"Mel-Anna, I'm a cold hearted killer."/ He looked up at the table; no one was there. He heard laughter from the library and headed over there.
He began to open the door, but stopped when he heard the conversation. He heard Mel laugh, "What on earth is he wearing? Tell me that wasn't the style." He started sanarios of who she could be talking about, and realized that it could only be about him. He shuddered in remembrance of that outfit. Clothes were scarce where he grew up; it wasn't his fault that that was all that was available to him.
"No, that was his own statement." He heard Relena say. He stepped away from the door. She was already telling her, he didn't care, it would come out better from her mouth anyways. He backed away from the door and leaned up against the wall adjacent to it. He listened in as his past was slowly revealed.
"Statement of what?" Mel stopped laughed, "'Shooting star maybe enemy weapon,' 'Gundam 01 destroys Liberia base.' Why is this on this page?" She turned the page and read more of the headlines, "'OZ carrier destroyed by enemy weapon,' 'Rebel mobile self detonates.' 'Gundam 01's destruction confirmed,' 'Death toll at Moscow tops 700,'"
Relena watched as he daughter continued to read the headlines, "'Gundam defeats Luxemburg,' 'Unidentified Gundam defends Sank Kingdom,' 'Zero spotted on Earth,'" She turned the page, where there were even more articles, "'3,000 die at hands of Gundam over Tokyo Bay,' 'OZ no closer to stopping Gundams,'" She stopped and shakily read the last headline, "'Gundam pilot Heero Yuy saves earth.'" She looked at her mother for an explanation.
"Operation Meteor was what it was called. That was when the five mobile suits known as Gundams came to earth to free the colonies from oppression. Although seen as the enemy, the pilots were doing the right thing. They risked their lives many a time for the peace of the colonies. Your father was one of those pilots."
"Your joking right? We learned that the Gundams were pilots by mere children with nearly super-human abilities."
Relena calmly turned the page. There was a picture of Heero and Relena in front of 01, another of them in front of the badly damaged Zero after the Mariemea Rebellion, and a third candid shot taken of Heero leaning over into the cockpit of Epyon, fixing something. He turned around, just in time for the camera to catch his stunned face.
Mel couldn't find her voice as she stared at the younger version of her parents in front of the giant machines. Relena continued with her story, "We were both only fifteen when we met. I was heir to the throne of a pacifist nation, and your father was sent to start a war. I first met him unconscious on a beach, after he had first come to the planet. He acted so strange, trying to make sure I didn't see who he was. After that he began to go to my school, where he threatened to kill me quite a few times."
"He tried to kill you? But he didn't, I mean, he didn't kill anyone did he?"
Relena started to close the book, "Perhaps I shouldn't continue. I should of known this was a bad idea."
Mel put her hand on Relena, stopping her form closing the album, "Please continue, I want to know."
She sighed, "Mel-Anna, your father is a trained assassin."
Mel gasped, "An assassin?"
"He was trained form a very young- and I do mean very young, he said that they began to mold him when he was only three- molded to be a killing machine."
"You didn't answer me, he didn't kill anyone did he?"
Relena recited some of the headlines a few pages back, "'Death toll at Moscow tops 700,' '3,000 die at hands of Gundam over Tokyo Bay,'" She continued with some not in the book, "'Pacifist Noventa assassinated by Gundam,' '15,000 dead at Luxemburg,' 'Only two survive Gundam attack.'"
"Mother, stop it."
She couldn't stop though, "'900 civilians die when neighboring base was attacked,'" Tears sprouted from her eyes from the painful memories, "'Over 5,000 estimated dead at New Edwards,' 'War death toll calculated at over 500,000.'"
Mel shook her head, "No, father couldn't. he isn't."
"Now you see why your father didn't want you to know."
"You forgot a few." Relena jumped, she looked at the door where Heero stood, unable to stay out of the conversation any more. "'Village parishes during battle,' '7,527 die in Gobi,' among thousands of other such incidents."
"Heero I."
"It's okay, I should have told her that years ago." he stayed in toe doorway. He looked at Mel, who looked like she was about to die of fright, "I want you to understand that I didn't kill one of those people because I wanted to."
Mel nodded, not trusting her voice in the eyes of whom she now saw as a killer. "Look Mel-Anna, I'm. I'm really sorry about how I've been treating you. I. I just." He looked to Relena for help.
"Heero-"
Heero nodded.
"Are you sure?'
"Yeah."
Relena took a deep breath, and faced Mel. "Mel-Anna when your father and I were still dating. We um. well we had the same dilemma."
"Your not saying."
"Truthfully, it was the reason we got married in the first place." She said.
"Wh-what happened?"
Relena sighed sadly, "I had a miscarriage before anyone but your father knew."
"Mel-Anna, I'm sorry I was so angry towards you, I just couldn't bare to see what almost happened to us happen to you. I had no right to though."
"Is that why you objected to that name? Because you were going to name him that?"
Heero was quiet for a few moments, Relena decided to let him answer though. "Yeah." He finally said.
"That's no reason." Mel said.
"Huh?"
"That's no reason to not let me use that name." She looked up at Heero with anger in her eyes, "Why didn't you tell me? Why did you let me think that you hated me? Did you not think I would understand? Trust me father, I understand." She touched her stomach, "God knows I understand."
"I know, it's just. I just." Heero couldn't continue anymore. He looked down at the floor, "No, you don't understand. Relena, tell her that she can't understand."
"I'm not going to say what you have to say Heero."
He looked at Relena; his face was strangely void of feelings. "I." He trailed off. He couldn't bring himself to say what was on his mind. He turned and left the library.
Mel looked at Relena for explanation. Relena simply shook her head, "It's not my place." She said.
By Lolo Winner
Disclaimer: nope, don't own Gundam Wing. I do own most of the characters in this scene though. Everyone but Heero, Relena, Hilde, and Duo. I wish I did. but I don't.
Mel navigated herself though the lunchtime crowd to her usual table. The clique was already assembled at the table where they, the sophomore A group, sat. Mel was the undisputed Queen of the A group, she had reigned supreme over the much envious, and very selective, faction since the children naturally separated into their cliques way back in grade school. Her natural ability to rule was blamed for her sovereignty, as well as the fact that the most popular boy in school was her boyfriend. The later was only added a year and a half ago, and only added to Mel's prestige.
She took a seat at her position at the head of the table. "Good afternoon girls." She said sweetly.
Veronica, the second in command, smiled in return, "My, my Mel, aren't we hungry today?"
Mel glanced down at her plate, piled high with foods that, a few months ago, she had absolutely no taste for, and until a few months ago, were excluded from the list of foods that were appropriate for the A group to eat. Before Mel could excuse herself Addy stepped in, "Oh Veronica, Mel can be considered an exception to those ludicrous rules."
Veronica glanced at Addy for intruding in her territory, and back at Mel, "Speaking of which, it looks as if you are beginning to show."
"You didn't expect me to keep my figure though all of this did you?" Mel asked with a hint of spite. She loathed Veronica; she thought she was a manipulator. The unspoken truth of Veronica's secret plot to take control from Mel, was very apparent in Mel's eyes.
She perched in chin delicately in her woven fingers, resting her elbows on the table, "You must tell us all about how this came to be." She said.
"Didn't you get the memo Vernie?" She purposely called Veronica by her hated nickname. "As you recall, and as everyone has been told, I was raped."
"You can't expect us to believe that Mel-/Anna/, not after all the interesting variations to the tale, I for one, have overheard."
"Oh believe me I would love to tell you all of the steamy details, but there are none to share. It wasn't exactly a steamy, or enjoyable, time."
"I bet you had a very enjoyable time." She prodded.
"You do have to admit that the circumstances are questionable." Joan said.
"Yes, I'm sure you have heard the rumors." Added Sterrif, "I'm not saying there is any truth behind them, all though they are all very good stories."
Mel had heard the rumors, and had cried over their claims every night since they started. She kept up face in front of her 'friends' however, "I can assure you that there is no truth behind them."
"You know what my favorite rumor is?" Veronica would simply not let the subject drop, "My favorite rumor is the one about how you and that priceless little catch of yours got a little heavy under the covers, if you do catch my drift."
That was the rumor that hurt Mel the most, not because of how untrue it was, but about the truth behind it. Still, she kept up the façade. She laughed, covering her mouth with her hand, "Where do you get this stuff Nica? Honestly, I can assure you that Clint had nothing to do with this."
Veronica was beginning to get angry, she was determined to expose Mel and secure her position. "You can't expect us to believe that lie. It's been common knowledge for ever that you two are /extremely/ close."
"Veronica, I believe you are overstepping your boundaries." Addy said.
"Forgive me, I do not have the strength to take this abuse. I'm going to go sit with my boyfriend; whom, I can assure you is not the father, and seemingly the one person who is supportive, and not questioning the circumstances. So if you would excuse me." She stood with her lunch and waltzed over to the table which Clint's group occupied. She was greeted with a little kiss, as he insisted that he carried her lunch and her bag, as if the weight would kill her in her 'condition'.
Veronica simply shook her head, "It's so sad when good girls like Mel go bad."
"What exactly is that suppose to mean?" Sterrif asked. They all knew what Veronica meant, however.
Veronica's eyes lit up, "You will never believe what I heard from Garba."
"Honestly Veronica, you still listen to that little gossip?" Addy questioned.
"Oh, this one is different, it's a very good, and credible, theory on our little Mel."
"I hate-" Serrif was cut off on her rant on 'Garb the Gab,' (as she was rightfully called) by Joan.
"Tell me, is it better than last week's scenario. You know, the one where Mel supposedly slept with old Mr. Peterson to raise her grade?"
"Oh much better." Veronica leaned forward, accenting the secrecy of the fable. "You all remember Mel's father right, the absolutely hostile one."
Addy waved her off, "You aren't suggesting what I think you are. Come now, that is even more ludicrous than your prostitution claim."
"Believe me, this one has credit." The girls leaned forward, perching their chins in their hands in the very respectable listening posture. "Garba heard from Tiffany Flint, whom you all know lives very close to Mel, that she nightly hears sounds of a struggle between Mr. Yuy and Mel." Veronica continued to eat and jabber, as if she was talking about the weather, "Now as you recall, Mr. Yuy is an extremely. peculiar man."
Joan and Serrif nodded, as Veronica continued. Addy could no longer resist the erg to listen to the new story. She too leaned forward in the same fashion, hanging on to every one of Veronica's words. "Now my father has told me many times the characteristics of a rapist. Sadly for Mel, her father seems to fit all of these traits."
No one disputed her father's word. Her father, after all, was the foremost physiatrist in the colony. All four of his books had made it to the top of the bestseller list, and every respectable party wanted him as a guest. So they all continued to listen to Veronica's chronicle, and all the 'proof' she had behind it. ".And poor Mrs. Yuy." Veronica shook her head in mock pity, "You all know how damaging a controversy at this scale would be to her career. She has no choice but to sit back, and go along with the little rape claim."
Clint saw how Mel was staring vacantly at her little nitch off in the distance. Her piece of Hawaiian pizza cooled as it was held up in the air, half way to her mouth. Mel knew that he was watching her, and decided to save the questioning, "I know they are talking about me." She said.
"How do you know that?"
Mel continued to stare. The girls occasionally stole glances over her way, "I just do."
He pulled her close to him, "Don't let those little bitches get to you."
She looked at him defensively, "Those bitches happen to be my friends."
"You mean the girls who, at this very moment, are stabbing your back?"
She looked down at her pizza, "Yes, those girls." She took a bite out of the slice.
Heero watched with wide eyes as Mel scarfed down her dinner. His fork was in mid air in front of his mouth. The food on it had already cooled, he didn't care though, he was fixated on the vigor Mel had as she attacked her dinner. Relena smiled, "It's good to see that you have your appetite back."
Mel nodded. He swallowed the food in her mouth, "Tell Jeannine that this is absolutely wonderful." She dove back into her dinner. Heero finally snapped out of it and took his first bite of the portabella ravioli.
Mel downed her milk. She dabbed the damask napkin to her face and looked at Relena, "I'm starting to think about names, do you have any suggestions?"
Relena's eyes lit up. She nodded, "Sean." She said.
Heero glared at her. Mel didn't notice her father's menacing look, "Oh I love that name. Sean Maxwell, I like the sound of that."
"No, I won't allow that name to be used."
"Heero, stop it."
"That name will not be used." Heero said again. He stood from the table and left.
Mel looked at her mother with a questioning look. Relena sighed, "I think it's time for me to tell you how we met." She said, looking at her plate. She stood and left the room. Mel, unsure of what to do, decided to follow her mother.
Relena led Mel into the library. Mel sat on the couch and watched as her mother scanned the shelves of the books. Mel tried to draw her knees up to her chest, but found it uncomfortable with her child, who was now four months along, straining to find room for growth. She sat upright instead, resting her arms on her belly as she continued to watch Relena.
Relena stopped at one row. Instead of selecting one of the Bradbury's she reached behind the old leather-bound hardbacks, and took something out from behind. She sat down next to Mel with the old photo album.
She wiped the thick layer of dust, a testament to its years of neglection, off the cover and began. "Like I told you, your father and I promised each other when you were born that we would never show you this. I did ask him if I could, he refused though." She looked up at Mel, "Think you can keep a secret?" She winked.
Mel nodded; Relena opened the album to the first page. Mel's eyes it up at the pictures of Relena in her royal dressings from the Sank Kingdom. "Oh wow, look at those outfits." She pointed to one of Relena and Noin, "Is that you and aunt Noin?" She asked.
Relena nodded. Mel looked at the next page. A panoramic view of a city resting next to the ocean, and nestled beneath lush green mountains caught her attention. "Where is this mother."
"That's Newport City, the capital of the Sank Kingdom."
Mel broke her eyes away from the pictures, and looked at her mother, "The Sank Kingdom?"
"It's not in existence anymore. After I stepped down from the throne there was no one to take over the monarchy."
"Whoa wait, you expect me to believe that you once ruled a country?"
Relena didn't answer. She only turned the page. On that page was an invitation to a ball, held during the Kingdom's short-lived days of glory. It was a beautiful hand written invitation on custom-made parchment. Mel read the flowing words out loud, "Miss. Lucratzia Noin has been invited to attend the coronation ball for Princess Relena Peacecraft." Mel remembered how many people called her mother by that last name. She mouthed the remaining words, except when it came to the date. "Saturday, the eleventh of June, year One-hundred Ninety Five. 195, so you were."
"Fifteen years old."
She looked back up at Relena, "Why didn't you ever tell me that you are a princess?"
"Well so are you. If you were alive when I gave the land to Denmark, I would of kept it to give to you."
"You mean that I would have been the heir to a kingdom?"
Relena nodded. Mel was dumbfounded. "Wait, there's more."
"More?" Mel studdered.
"Oh much more. You ready to see what else I ruled?" Relena turned forward a few pages. Mel nearly fainted at the headline that jumped off of the yellowing newspaper clipping. "Relena Peacecraft Takes Throne to Earth's Sphere."
Mel almost laughed, "Please don't tell me that I was the heir for the world as well."
Relena shrugged, "I suppose you would have been if I had been in control for longer than a month."
"They kick you out for not being good enough or something?"
She ignored the question and stared at the picture of herself in her white satin gown. Mel answered her own question by reading the other newspaper clip on that page, "Former Sovereign Dismisses Queen Relena." She began to read about how Terize Kushranada, a name she remembered her parents using on a few occasions, retook control from her mother.
"Treize wasn't really a bad man. He just wanted to obtain peace using other means."
"Father doesn't agree with that."
"Well your father was Treize's enemy."
"Enemy?"
"I'm getting a head of myself." She started flipping though the album, "Let's see. ah, here we go." She stopped halfway though the album. There were a few pictures of Heero clad in his shorts and tank.
Mel started laughing, "What on earth is he wearing? Tell me that wasn't the style."
Relena laughed, "No, that was his own statement."
Heero stood in the garage, staring at the car. He thought about what he had done, and what Relena had asked a month back. //"Please Heero, she should know."
"No, I don't want her to."
"Then stop being so cold towards her, she thinks that you hate her."//
He sighed, "But. I don't hate her." He said out loud, reciting from the conversation.
//"Then let her know that."
"But I don't want her to know, no, she can't know."//
"I don't hate her." He said again, quietly to himself. He decided that it was time, that he should explain himself to his daughter. He let the wrench that he had grabbed in preparation of working on the car slip from his hands. He turned as the wrench hit the ground.
He went back to the kitchen, trying to think of what he would say. /"Mel- Anna, first off I'm sorry, but there is something you should know about me." No, that doesn't work, "Mel-Anna, please forgive me, it's just-" No, no I'm not going to make excuses./ He stopped, /"Mel-Anna, I'm a cold hearted killer."/ He looked up at the table; no one was there. He heard laughter from the library and headed over there.
He began to open the door, but stopped when he heard the conversation. He heard Mel laugh, "What on earth is he wearing? Tell me that wasn't the style." He started sanarios of who she could be talking about, and realized that it could only be about him. He shuddered in remembrance of that outfit. Clothes were scarce where he grew up; it wasn't his fault that that was all that was available to him.
"No, that was his own statement." He heard Relena say. He stepped away from the door. She was already telling her, he didn't care, it would come out better from her mouth anyways. He backed away from the door and leaned up against the wall adjacent to it. He listened in as his past was slowly revealed.
"Statement of what?" Mel stopped laughed, "'Shooting star maybe enemy weapon,' 'Gundam 01 destroys Liberia base.' Why is this on this page?" She turned the page and read more of the headlines, "'OZ carrier destroyed by enemy weapon,' 'Rebel mobile self detonates.' 'Gundam 01's destruction confirmed,' 'Death toll at Moscow tops 700,'"
Relena watched as he daughter continued to read the headlines, "'Gundam defeats Luxemburg,' 'Unidentified Gundam defends Sank Kingdom,' 'Zero spotted on Earth,'" She turned the page, where there were even more articles, "'3,000 die at hands of Gundam over Tokyo Bay,' 'OZ no closer to stopping Gundams,'" She stopped and shakily read the last headline, "'Gundam pilot Heero Yuy saves earth.'" She looked at her mother for an explanation.
"Operation Meteor was what it was called. That was when the five mobile suits known as Gundams came to earth to free the colonies from oppression. Although seen as the enemy, the pilots were doing the right thing. They risked their lives many a time for the peace of the colonies. Your father was one of those pilots."
"Your joking right? We learned that the Gundams were pilots by mere children with nearly super-human abilities."
Relena calmly turned the page. There was a picture of Heero and Relena in front of 01, another of them in front of the badly damaged Zero after the Mariemea Rebellion, and a third candid shot taken of Heero leaning over into the cockpit of Epyon, fixing something. He turned around, just in time for the camera to catch his stunned face.
Mel couldn't find her voice as she stared at the younger version of her parents in front of the giant machines. Relena continued with her story, "We were both only fifteen when we met. I was heir to the throne of a pacifist nation, and your father was sent to start a war. I first met him unconscious on a beach, after he had first come to the planet. He acted so strange, trying to make sure I didn't see who he was. After that he began to go to my school, where he threatened to kill me quite a few times."
"He tried to kill you? But he didn't, I mean, he didn't kill anyone did he?"
Relena started to close the book, "Perhaps I shouldn't continue. I should of known this was a bad idea."
Mel put her hand on Relena, stopping her form closing the album, "Please continue, I want to know."
She sighed, "Mel-Anna, your father is a trained assassin."
Mel gasped, "An assassin?"
"He was trained form a very young- and I do mean very young, he said that they began to mold him when he was only three- molded to be a killing machine."
"You didn't answer me, he didn't kill anyone did he?"
Relena recited some of the headlines a few pages back, "'Death toll at Moscow tops 700,' '3,000 die at hands of Gundam over Tokyo Bay,'" She continued with some not in the book, "'Pacifist Noventa assassinated by Gundam,' '15,000 dead at Luxemburg,' 'Only two survive Gundam attack.'"
"Mother, stop it."
She couldn't stop though, "'900 civilians die when neighboring base was attacked,'" Tears sprouted from her eyes from the painful memories, "'Over 5,000 estimated dead at New Edwards,' 'War death toll calculated at over 500,000.'"
Mel shook her head, "No, father couldn't. he isn't."
"Now you see why your father didn't want you to know."
"You forgot a few." Relena jumped, she looked at the door where Heero stood, unable to stay out of the conversation any more. "'Village parishes during battle,' '7,527 die in Gobi,' among thousands of other such incidents."
"Heero I."
"It's okay, I should have told her that years ago." he stayed in toe doorway. He looked at Mel, who looked like she was about to die of fright, "I want you to understand that I didn't kill one of those people because I wanted to."
Mel nodded, not trusting her voice in the eyes of whom she now saw as a killer. "Look Mel-Anna, I'm. I'm really sorry about how I've been treating you. I. I just." He looked to Relena for help.
"Heero-"
Heero nodded.
"Are you sure?'
"Yeah."
Relena took a deep breath, and faced Mel. "Mel-Anna when your father and I were still dating. We um. well we had the same dilemma."
"Your not saying."
"Truthfully, it was the reason we got married in the first place." She said.
"Wh-what happened?"
Relena sighed sadly, "I had a miscarriage before anyone but your father knew."
"Mel-Anna, I'm sorry I was so angry towards you, I just couldn't bare to see what almost happened to us happen to you. I had no right to though."
"Is that why you objected to that name? Because you were going to name him that?"
Heero was quiet for a few moments, Relena decided to let him answer though. "Yeah." He finally said.
"That's no reason." Mel said.
"Huh?"
"That's no reason to not let me use that name." She looked up at Heero with anger in her eyes, "Why didn't you tell me? Why did you let me think that you hated me? Did you not think I would understand? Trust me father, I understand." She touched her stomach, "God knows I understand."
"I know, it's just. I just." Heero couldn't continue anymore. He looked down at the floor, "No, you don't understand. Relena, tell her that she can't understand."
"I'm not going to say what you have to say Heero."
He looked at Relena; his face was strangely void of feelings. "I." He trailed off. He couldn't bring himself to say what was on his mind. He turned and left the library.
Mel looked at Relena for explanation. Relena simply shook her head, "It's not my place." She said.
