BACK TO SCHOOL !
( The Vacation Saga )
Author's Notes
Note that I don't own ANY of the characters throughout the fanfic. * sob *
Don't flame me for any pairings and there's no yaoi for you people out there ! 0_0'
***
{ You have reached the mailbox of Miss Relena Peacecraft of extension 2115 … please leave your message after the beep }
Heero cursed silently at his luck and placed the receiver down. He didn't like the idea of ' leaving a message after the beep ' since it could pretty well be bugged by Michael or any other crazed fans she had. She was an international idol after all.
[ Guess I'll try again at a later time ]
Relena hummed happily as she marched up the stairs to her room. It was nearing night when she decided to leave her friend's private apartment somewhere downtown. She had an amazing collection of antiques that Relena was interested in and she could not help but lingered on longer than she had intended. She felt light-headed as the exams had finally ended and Quatre was mentioning something about a lovely vacation.
" I feel your love reflection …
Atsuku yume wo kasanete …
Ayamachi osorezu ni motomeau seishun … "
Relena sang out at a comfortable volume as she searched through her schoolcase for her keys. She did a little dance as she finally dug out the silver bunch and unlocked her door.
" I feel your love reflection … AH !! "
Relena jumped as she stepped into her room. Standing a few inches from her face was Heero Yuy, looking rather …
[ Surprised ? ]
Relena's first instance as she peered into Heero's face was that he looked genuinely taken aback, somehow by her actions. His usual expression was still there .. but .. he had raised his eyebrow slightly higher than usual and … and his eyes … they were staring uncertainly at her. Backstepping a little, she realised slowly that she had sang the last line straight into his face literally.
[ Oh gawd … ]
Relena placed her hand over her mouth to hide her shock. One part of her wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all, the other half wanted to dig a hole in her room and bury her head in it. However, her determined side won it all and she quickly flipped on the lights.
" What are you doing in my room AGAIN, Heero ? You do know a girl respects her privacy very much. "
Heero almost snorted sarcastically, wondering how she would react if he told her they were SO close to sharing a room for almost 3 weeks. Honestly, he HAD been taken aback when Relena sang the line in front of him a few moments ago. He knew she didn't mean it, but it prompted him speechless for a while as his system interpreted it in a different way.
" Heero ?! "
Relena was trying to get the soldier's attention as she waved a hand over his eyes in a rather mocking way. Heero snapped his head away and stared at her almost coldly.
" I tried to call you but you weren't at home. "
" Yeah, I went to a friend's house. "
" You did not mention this to any of us again I presume. "
" I'm giving you guys a break ! After all, exams had just finished and nothing will happen to me. I took great care … "
" Aren't you afraid that Michael will scheme after you ? "
" I'm sure he will … but right now I'm not really bothered. You haven't told me the purpose of your little night visit. "
[ Little night visit ?! Hah, that came out all wrong … luckily I'm talking to Mr Clueless Guy of The Universe here ]
Heero continued staring at her, wondering how he was going to convey the news. He decided to opt for the easier way out.
" We're leaving for The Imperial on the 12th which is in a week's time. Be packed and ready by then. "
Silence
" That's it ? "
" What else do you want to know ? "
" Who else is going ?! "
" Dorothy, Catherine, Noin, Sally, Hilde and Zechs. "
" Onii-san ?! "
Relena stared at Heero for confirmation.
" Ah. "
Relena smiled in earnest as she couldn't help but be thrilled at seeing her only kin again. Heero looked at her joyful expression, wondering how it felt to be reunited with family members. He had none to start with and he'll never have any.
" I have to leave now. "
Heero opened her door and was in the corridor when Relena realised that he was leaving in a different way.
" Isn't it dangerous ? "
" I've checked .. no one would be around at this time. "
With that, the quiet boy had disappeared into the beckoning darkness in the streets as Relena continued to gaze after him.
The 12th of June
A small aircraft was floating through the clouds, bringing Relena and the 5 ex-pilots to a deserted little island near the West Coast of the Sanc Kingdom. Relena was busy reading a book, Heero was catching a nap in another corner, Quatre was having an animated chat with Dorothy on his handphone, Trowa was peering at the sight of an endless blue sky from his window seat, Duo was sitting in the cockpit talking to the pilot and Wufei was slowly and carefully polishing his small dagger he had brought along. All in all, it was a very quiet trip. Heero had managed to bug Michael's wallet with one of the most sophisticated equipment he had laid his hands on and linked it to his laptop. He was determined not to let Michael get wind of their vacation's exact location so bugging his wallet was to convey to him where Michael was at all times. He was not doing this for his own sake of course … he was doing it to protect Relena. She was his mission … he had to carry out his mission … that was all …
" Urgh. "
Heero grunted under his breath as he sleepily blinked himself into consciousness.
[ To think that her name appears in my dreams as well now ]
It didn't take him long to reach full alert, a habit he had been trained long before he was of age. He walked along the aisle to the little bar area where the dispensible coffee and tea machines were. Sitting beside it was Relena, still engrossed in her book and oblivious to the world.
" Yuy .. "
Heero stopped a little distance away from his destination and turned to Wufei, who shoved him a little piece of paper. Heero stared at Wufei for sometime before he read the few lines on it.
{ There is some conspiracy cooked up by Winner and Maxwell .. be on your alert }
Heero folded the paper roughly and shoved it into his pocket. It was too risky to crush it and leave it around on the plane. Without a second glance, he walked onwards as though nothing had happened and Wufei was already deep in concentration on cleansing out a rather tricky spot on his beloved weapon. This was nothing compared to life-threatening situations … but it seriously affected him in another way. He could not forgive himself for faltering in front of Quatre the other day. To protect Relena, he was willing to stay by her bedside and put her under surveillance 24/7 … but this was in another aspect … it brought a totally different meaning. He would never live it down and he totally understood Wufei's intentions.
" Ojou-san, the pilot said it'll be just a few more minutes before we touch down. "
" Thanks Duo. "
Relena placed the book down and smiled at the hyper boy as he closed the cockpit door behind him. As she turned to her left, she realised that Heero had woken up and was making himself a cup of coffee. His back was towards her as he waited for the aromatic drink to fill up his cup.
[ He has changed physically … ]
She remembered how they used to be almost of the same height when they were 15 or 16, how he rarely showed his true feelings except for one memorable time where he had reassured her that he will return in his Wing Zero.
[ He only revealed his true self when we were wearing space suits and helmets … was he so afraid of doing so face-to-face ? ]
She knew it wasn't love she had experienced when he turned those cobalt eyes towards her and had so gently whispered those words to her before pushing her away. It was more of a reassurance she felt … that Heero Yuy wasn't a machine after all …
" Hey Heero, did you bring the floppy disks I asked you the other day ? "
" Ah. "
[ He's grown to be so tall … like Duo … they've sprouted to almost a head taller than me, but that isn't surprising. He was not as scrawny as he used to be a few years ago, having gained some muscles and weight mass in a very proportionate manner ]
Relena felt the familiar twinge of warmness attack her cheeks as she remembered Heero's brief expression the other night. They were so close to each other and she had just had to utter something like ' your love reflection ' right in front of him.
[ Oh damn, I'd NEVER wish for something so embarrassing to happen again … ]
She quickly picked up her book again and stuffed it into her bag. They were stopping soon.
" It's beautiful … ! "
Relena gasped at the splendid building sprawled over the coast overlooking the sea in the distance. Quatre beamed at Relena's happy approval and started to pick up the bags left by the side of the plane.
" I have a car waiting for us at the Porter's Lodge where the chauffeur will bring us to the building. I've tried to limit the usage of manpower around here so that the people who knows of Relena-san's presence here will be kept at a minimal. "
Heero couldn't help but admire Quatre's advance planning at times. He was always so careful and cautious, probably due to his own upbringing in a rich family and helping out with the massive fortune at a young age.
" I don't know how to thank you, Quatre. I really am such a trouble at times. "
" It can't be helped, so don't be apologetic ! Saa … we'll have to get going before the sun sets on us. "
Heero suddenly caught sight of Duo smiling almost too meaningfully at him and he glared back almost on an instinct. He knew most of the guys had got wind of the news that he was NOT telling Relena of the bedroom arrangements but no one had been on his case, which was a very strange thing. Of course he kept low, making sure to keep out of any more human contacts until the day they were to set off. A knot was forming at the pit of his stomach, warning him that there was something BIG plotting against him. He felt vulnerable, for he had no knowledge on how to handle such issues and he was most likely to screw up, one day or another. Just the other night, he was already stunned by Relena's abrupt lyrics …
[ QUIT thinking about it ! ]
Heero gritted his teeth as his mind betrayed his orders for once, repeating the stupid scenario over and over again. He was about to consider escaping from the whole trip thing when Trowa appeared from behind very quietly.
" Heero … have you made the necessary arrangements with regards to Michael ? "
" Ah. "
" Quatre told me today that Relena had left him a voicemail message talking about the vacation. Do you think … "
" She WHAT ? "
" I take it as an offensive. "
" That stupid woman, she just undid all our prior preparations. "
" You think that Michael could have gotten hold of our plans ? "
" He used to attend military school during age 13 ~ 16 before attending College here. He graduated with stars and stripes capable of putting him into the top few elite positions in the national military forces. What do you think ? "
Trowa looked rather pensive as Heero started to churn out information he had gotten from Michael's private database in a monotone way.
" Guess we had better be on alert then. "
" I think I know that. "
Heero cursed as he flipped his haversack behind his back and walked off, not seeing the exasperated Trowa turning in a Are-You-Now-Satisfied manner to a smiling Duo.
" One-san !! "
Quatre dropped his bag as he received a fierce embrace from his sister who was standing in front of the grand doors of the resort building.
" What are you doing here ? I thought you told me you were too busy to make it at all !! "
" I managed to finish all my work in time and I thought I couldn't do it initially … I brought my fiancé along because we decided we should take a holiday as well … I hope we're not intruding … "
" Of course not ! "
Relena added the last line as she was the next one to be hugged.
" Oh Relena dear, I've not seen you in YEARS ! You look wonderful ! How has life been treating you ? "
" Pretty kindly … life away from politics is indeed more relaxing and quiet. "
" Relena, I want you to meet Nicholas Sanderwoods, my fiancé for 4 years now. Nicholas, I'm sure you need no introduction to this wonderful lady. "
" Of course ! It's my pleasure to meet you in person, Miss Peacecraft. "
Relena smiled as she extended her hand to be kissed in a formal gesture.
" Relena would do. "
" You can call me Nicholas. "
" OK everyone ! Let's hurry inside … I can't wait ! I'm hungry ! "
There was a unison of laughter as Duo hurriedly pushed them into the building. As Heero started to walk up the steps, Quatre led him away to another corner in an apparently anxious state.
" Heero, I really didn't know my sister was visiting … and erm … you know Nicholas is here too … so since you and Relena have taken up the 2 remaining rooms … "
" NO. "
Heero's mind had acted REALLY fast this time as he listened with rising anxiety at what Quatre was about to say.
[ Please … please don't ask me to give up my room … ]
" But Heero, we really need one of the rooms ! After all, Relena needs round-the-clock protection ! "
[ Stupid Michael affair ]
" I don't like the idea of sharing a room with … "
" Hey guys, what are you two doing here ? Lunch is about to be served. "
Relena had walked up to them and was questioning the surprised boys who were in a heated argument by now. Heero looked utterly devastated by her appearance and his normal icy look was multiplied by almost a hundred times. Relena almost retreated back by the odd treatment when Quatre grabbed her arm and pulled her nearer to them hurriedly.
" Relena … the situation is … "
" Quatre, you're not .. ?! "
" Yes Heero. NOW … Relena, this is the situation … "
" For the whole period ?! "
Relena almost shrieked in surprise as she was thrown such news on her very first day of vacation.
" Why ME ? Why can't you guys share a room while I bunk in with Hilde or Noin or … "
" Erm … because … erm … they're all not available. "
" What do you mean by NOT available ?! "
Relena's eyes were flashing with embarassment and anger as she questioned Quatre in her business-like manner, something which she used when some of the politicians opposed her ideas or suggestions.
" They're sleeping with the other guys. "
" HEERO !! "
Quatre and Relena both turned on Heero at the same time in unison, surprised at the usage of words he had to use for such an awkward situation. Relena soon recovered and turned to Quatre again, demanding a thorough explanation.
" Heero is right .. but in ANOTHER way of course. The girls have already chosen a companion to share the rooms with and the only other person available is Heero right now. We definitely can't leave you alone in a room … anything can happen … "
" I … I don't believe this … "
Relena was not comfortable now. She regretted feverishly for accepting the invitation to come. She wished she was at home. She wished she was studying for the exams. She wished she could be trashing matters out with those cheesy old politicians. As she turned to glare at Heero for withholding the prior arrangements from her, a sudden thought struck her.
[ What if Heero didn't want me to know so that I would come unknowingly ? Then … if he purposely did that … it couldn't mean that he … wanted it ?!! ]
Relena shook her head firmly, much to the surprise of Heero and Quatre.
[ NAH ! We're talking about Heero Yuy here … what were you thinking about Relena ? Baka ~ ]
" Relena, I'm really sorry that things had to turn out this way. Heero really thought it was fine because both of you were not … err … sharing a room. "
Heero felt torn. For once, he was satisfied that Relena had acted negatively towards one of their security proposals for this was very absurd. The 12th ~ 29th June was a LONG period and he could swallow it down if it was for 1 night or so. But then, another small little secret half was gnawing at him, making him wonder … making him think …
[ What if she had been fine with it ? Would you WANT her to go along with it ? ]
Heero shut his eyes and cursed himself again, wishing that the naggy devilish voice would leave him alone.
" HEY ! Come along now, all 3 of you ! Shinigami is going to finish up all the food if you dilly-dally around ! "
Quatre quickly left, chuckling to himself quietly as he made his way to the dining table. Duo passed him a grin as Quatre gave him the thumbs-up sign. Wufei was quietly munching through a chicken leg with a disdained look on his face while Trowa pretended he saw absolutely nothing.
There was the most awkward silence reigning between the boy and the girl as they stood some distance away from each other, both deep in their thoughts. Lunch was long forgotten as they continued wading in the atmosphere. Finally, Relena did a little stretching and sighed resignedly to herself, attracting Heero's attention to her.
" I suppose we don't have a choice now. I don't think it would be kind of me to ask you to sleep in the corridors and I'm positive that you won't be up to any tricks anyway. We'll just do what we usually do okay ? "
Heero nodded mechanically, still remaining quiet.
" On the brighter side of things, you'll have a peace of mind that I won't go sneaking away in the midst of the night or disappearing abruptly the next morning. It'll make your job easier. "
Heero nodded again.
" So … it won't be such a bad thing after all … I won't mind it ! You can do what you want with your laptop or other documents and I won't make a single sound. "
Heero nodded again.
" Heero, would you let me know how you feel about this … orally ?! "
" Ah. "
Relena narrowed her eyes in response but decided to let it go anyway.
" Okay then, I'm going for the remainders of any lunch left behind by Shinigami and whatever people over there. You coming ? "
Heero nodded again and picked up his belongings, along with Relena's bag. This simple gesture thoroughly caught Relena's heart in an odd way and it was so sudden that she forgot about what she had intended to do.
" Why are you still standing there for ? "
" Err … yeah … I'm coming … "
Relena managed an uncertain smile as she caught up wth Heero and walked towards the noisy crowd together.
" So Trowa, this is the key to the adjourning door between our rooms. At any time you are about to retire to bed, just use this key and open it so we can swop places. "
Trowa took over the piece of metal and nodded in understanding. There were only 3 rooms which had common doors between them inside and Quatre had cleverly allocated Trowa, Wufei and himself in them. He amended the floor plan before showing it to Heero so that he wouldn't suspect anything. If all goes well, they need not spend the night with the girls and they could swop safely without ever leaving their main doors. The girls might have to squeeze into one room because they were in odd numbers but they had agreed to it almost immediately, giggling as they learnt of the grand plan. Wufei was adamant that he was to share with no one for the night so Quatre and Trowa were to bunk in for the nights that were to come. The only real couples who were content to share a room together were therefore Duo and Hilde, Zechs and Noin and Quatre's sister and her fiancé.
Unknown to the victims of the plan, all rooms were granted with a king-sized double bed, a television, a beautiful bathroom and no sofas so that Heero had no alternative but to either sleep on the cold floor or on the bed. Noin had almost choked on her drink as she took in the news from a delighted Dorothy over the phone and both cackled relentlessly after that. Relena was the most innocent and slowest-witted amongst the girls in such issues and they were certainly having fun pairing Heero and her up.
Relena surveyed the simple decorations in Room 602 in tensed silence as Heero walked in first to ' check it out '. It was clear as day on Heero's expression that he HATED the arrangements in the awfully huge room, regardless how beautiful it looked. Heero almost smirked in disgust as he placed their belongings near the television stand. The room looked too comfortable and cosy … too romantic … he had to admit that there was a brilliant view of the coast from their window and the sun's rays were coming down on the bed with a light …
[ What the hell … ?! ]
Heero's eyes almost burgled out when he realised that the bed was a really big double-sized one, which only implied that it was meant for *two* people. With a swift glance around the room, he realised that he was truly set up by the others.
[ No couch … hah … it's just SO meticulous of them to eradicate every obstacle ]
Relena had been following Heero's gaze and had therefore figured out what was bothering him. She had no idea what he was going to do now but it was almost obvious that she was going to occupy the bed and she wondered whether she should invite him to share it …
[ Ohhhhh nooooo … he'll think I'm a pervert even if I meant well … ]
Relena almost grinned, wondering when she had stepped into the role of the guy and Heero into a girl's. As she strode in after a while, she sat down on the bed and immediately took a liking to it. It was soft and bouncy, as though it knew what she had always wanted in a bedding. Heero was still standing in the room, since there were no chairs to sit about even.
" Heero, you can sit on the bed if you want to. It's obvious that there aren't any places you can sit on. "
" I'll sit on the floor. "
" Don't be silly ! I can let you sit on the bed, it's not going to kill me nor you. We're not doing anything shameful anyway. "
As Heero regarded her with an icy look again, Relena shrugged her shoulders and stood up to face him.
" Look Heero, since we're put in a room together, I think I need to make things clear with you again … "
" That we're being set-up. "
" Eh ? "
Heero continued regarding her almost coldly, waiting for the facts to sink in. He could hardly believe that she was so trusting.
" S … set-up ? "
" They want us to sleep together. "
" HEERO ! Watch your words ! How many times do I have to remind you ?!! "
Heero grunted and looked away, exasperated.
[ It's a fact anyway ]
" You mean everyone was involved ? "
" Zechs can't be involved. "
Relena almost laughed out loud instinctively but managed to surpress it down.
" Okay, if this is a set-up, we're still left with no choice. There are indeed no more rooms and we're stuck. "
" I can scout around for any storerooms. "
" So you can squeeze yourself in there ? Look Heero, the only obstacle is that we belong to different genders .. that's all .. "
[ That's EVERYTHING to me, Peacecraft ! ]
" I'm sure we can … *cough* … share a bed together without much embarrassment. For one thing, you're not exactly like Michael and I know I can trust you. "
" So you want me to sleep with you ? "
" No No No !! Watch your mouth Yuy !! "
Relena grumbled under her breath as she watched Heero cross his arms together.
" We SHARE a bed together Yuy … is that understood ?! Of course if you have a better alternative, I'm all ready to accept it. "
" Ah. "
Heero walked towards the bed and he lifted the covers off, checking the beddings inside.
" If you're thinking of trying to peel off a separate sheet to lay on the floor, there isn't any. "
Heero looked up again, expertly hiding his amazement on his face.
" That is exactly why I have to resort to sharing the bed with you. I'm not comfortable with you sleeping directly on the floor without a decent sheet or cover and only with a pillow. "
" I've been through worse. "
" We're on vacation ! I don't want to feel guilty … "
Relena hurriedly covered her mouth as she realised she had let slipped her real feelings behind her intentions. Heero continued to survey the surroundings outside the window as though he did not hear it.
[ Thank you Heero, for pretending … ]
Zechs ran through some of the documents on his table as he made some editings on them. As he silently drank from his mug, Noin came in smiling. She was just on simultaneous net-conferencing with Hilde, Sally and Dorothy and they were leaving for the island on the 15th together. Dorothy had informed them that Quatre had ICQ-ed her a few moments ago, informing her of the progress of the wicked little side-plan and other stuffs which were obviously amongst themselves only. Noin wished she could be there with them but they could only leave on the 19th since Zechs had one final project to see through personally.
[ Thank God for the information highway we have now ]
" Noin, could you check through something for me on the IKA system for File Number 2772263 ? "
" No problem. "
" You seem very cheerful today. "
" I was talking to the girls just now and they're busily packing since they're leaving on the 15th. "
" I'm sorry I have to drag this a little longer than them … "
" Don't be silly, work comes first sometimes. I totally understand … "
" I can't wait to see Relena, it's been almost 2 years since I've last met her. "
Noin bit her lip to prevent herself from giggling, which might give the whole game away.
[ Oh yes Zechs, you're going to see Relena in a different light when you do meet her ]
Author's Ramblings
I had some trouble with this chapter because I was not satisfied with it no matter how many times I read it ! I'm uploading it anyway and reviews are VERY welcomed … ^_^ … more awful things are in store for H+R when night beckons * evil cackle *
The reason why Quatre and Duo are setting Heero up with Relena will be revealed in due time and I will also be focusing on the others in the later chapters. No sweat ! Let me know if you don't wish for me to continue …
I have been nice and I've duly emailed those sweet souls out there who wished for me to inform you when there is a new chapter. Please don't be obligated ! It is my honour instead ! Domo arigato for the support !!
15th December 2001
