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'

***

It was a lazy and quiet late afternoon in The Imperial as the crickets chirped under the blazing sun. The widescreen 41" television was showing a random soap opera filmed in the early 80s and Trowa was silently watching it with no expression on his face. Heero was sitting beside him on the comfortable sofa, having a well-deserved nap. Wufei was in the spacious gym working out a sweat towards energetic music while Quatre was slowly sipping jasmine tea while flipping over a page from his novel in his room. Duo was engrossed in copying MP3 songs from his laptop to a CD-R with his portable CD-RW drive whilst humming the current song playing at a comfortable volume. Relena was in her room, scribbling thoughtfully in her diary book and occasionally putting down her pen to munch on some tidbits. Quatre's sister and her fiancé had taken a ride in their rented car to a nice picnic spot that morning and had informed the rest that they would only be back at night.

All in all, it was a very soothing scene …

" HEYA EVERYONE !!!!! "

" WHERE'RE YOU GUYS ?! WE'VE ARRIVED !! "

" THIS PLACE IS SPACIOUS ! "

" WOW ! LOOK AT THE DÉCOR ! "

Trowa came to life with a start as he regarded the television with some doubt, wondering whether the noises were emitting from it. Heero snapped his eyes open, irritation showing across his face which had been looking quite peaceful in blissful slumber. Duo tumbled off his seat in shock as he yelped while singing, Quatre spilled the drink as he jumped involuntarily by the sudden announcements and Relena choked on her cookie in fright. Only Wufei was spared the sudden intrusion and disruption of the addicting afternoon peace.

" Quatre … "

Dorothy caught sight of the Arabian blonde as he made his way down the stairs. He had a confused and uncertain expression on his face when he first emerged but upon setting his sights onto the new visitors, he broke into a sincere smile and hastened his footsteps. Soon, he was greeting the excited girls and offering to show them around as one bellboy took their luggage.

" Quatre, we realised that there weren't many staffs around this resort. "

" Hai, since it was going to be just the few of us, I decided to minimise the manpower around here. There are the few essential roles still in service, but they're mostly just one or two .. depending on how important they are. Don't worry, I'll see to anything else if that's what you're concerned about, Sally-san. "

" No no, I was just being curious. Fantastic place ! I loved it when the chauffeur was driving us up here. Beautiful ! "

" I'm glad. "

Quatre smiled in gratitude at Sally before he set his sight onto Dorothy. She had been gazing around all this while, basking in the interior designs of the beautiful Victorian-styled manor-turned-resort. Today, she was dressed in a simple denim dress with sunglasses plopped on her head.

" Do you like it, Dorothy ? "

Quatre softly asked the girl who had now taken up an important part in his life, although he was oblivious to it over the years.

[ When did I realise this ? I don't even really know … ]

" Yes Quatre, you indeed have an eye for such brilliant choices. "

Dorothy turned to face him as she took one last approving glance around her. Their gaze met and they looked at each other for a tad longer than intended.

" You've become slightly more tanned. "

" You seemed to have grown taller. "

" Taller ? Dorothy, we've not seen each other for only close to 6 months. Surely it's not possible ? "

" You never know ! "

" Never know what ? Let me tell you girls something … that was SOME entrance ! "

A grinning Duo sailed down the stairs, hands behind his head in his trademark pose. As he strode up to them, he gave them all a small bow which caused the girls to chuckle in response. As he looked up again, he quickly averted his eyes to Hilde.

" Hey there … "

" Hey … "

Both of them smiled as they remained in their positions. Hilde was wearing a black top with white bermudas, complete with a white cap sitting slightly more to her left.

" I haven't seen you for so long, Hilde. "

" Yeah … "

" Surely you can give me a kiss now ? "

Hilde smacked Duo playfully on his head as he laughed jokingly. As the other bystanders joined in the infectious laughing fray, Trowa stepped into the hall and stonily raised his right hand in greeting. He was still a little groggy from his earlier half-conscious state but he was alert enough to know that the girls had arrived. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he walked up to them and nodded accordingly as they greeted him one-by-one.

" Trowa, you've not been eating well again ? You look so skinny. "

Catherine regarded the silent boy with some concern as she stepped up to him. He did not flinch from her as he allowed her to observe him by brushing away his bangs and peering at his face like a doctor.

" Sheesh Catherine, you fuss over him like a mother hen. "

" Duo … "

A glare was all it took for Catherine as Duo held his hands up in a surrender gesture.

" Girls !! "

Relena was standing at the top of the staircase and evident joy was written on her expression as she rushed down haphazardly in her anxious bid to meet up with her long-lost friends. How long had she last seen them all ? 2 years ? 3 years ?? There were more happy laughter as Relena hugged each and everyone of them.

" I'm so glad to see everyone again ! We have so much to catch up on ! "

This was met with more ethusiastic nods and more bear hugs, much to the guys' quiet amusement. Heero had not bothered picking himself up from the sofa to greet them since he wasn't expecting anyone in particular. He would have to see them for meals anyway. As he sat there watching the moving images from the television absent-mindedly, he wondered whether an awkward situation like yesterday night would replay itself again.

[ NO ! It will NOT and never will again ]

With a fierce determination in his eyes, Heero made up his mind to sleep on the floor. No persuasion would make him budge.

Relena realised in an instant that Sally was looking around the hall, trying to spot someone seemingly. Immediately guessing Sally's mind, she smiled almost mischieviously and couldn't resist taking a stab at her.

" Sally, if you're looking for Wufei … he's in the gym … don't worry … "

A guilty and embarrassed Sally peered hard at Relena before breaking out into hapless laughter. Resignedly, she frowned mockingly at Relena but it was obvious that Sally was relieved.

" Anyway, you'll get to see him later. You're sharing a room with him right ? "

This was followed by a short silence as Sally was at a sudden loss on how to respond appropriately.

[ Weren't we here to tease Relena ?! Why am I getting all the darts now ? ]

Sally thought in a slight panic as she smiled and tried to maintain a cool front.

" Yes Relena, I was just wondering whether that boy is. I … I have lots of things to trash out with him. "

[ Haha, that is to get you back for trying to plan and scheme behind my back ! ]

Relena was not one to bear grudges but she wasn't one who would go down without a fight. Feeling satisfied, she smiled as mischief glinted in her eyes. Dorothy caught it and couldn't help but burst into giggles. Hilde wanted to ask when dinner would be served but Duo gently took her hand at this point, causing her to avert her attention to the braided boy.

" I'll show you around, is it okay ? "

" Of course silly. "

They smiled happily at each other, sparkling some unanimous envy and admiration amongst the rest of the onlookers. Quatre decided to be more pro-active as he spoke to Dorothy after seeing the pair disappear down the halls.

" Dorothy, I want you to see what I've come up with in my new strategic game. It's in my .. erm .. "

Quatre was quick to see Relena's intent stare.

" … I mean … it's in our room. So … err … you should … erm … "

Dorothy had caught Relena's hawk-like vision onto poor stuttering Quatre and she had to help him out of the mess before he gave the whole game away.

" Oh yes, OUR room yeah ? Sure sure, we'll go see it now. I hope you didn't put something disgusting up on the walls ! "

Dorothy didn't know what she was rattling about but Quatre had sighed with gratitude as he led her up the stairs towards the room. Relena felt a little disappointed that Dorothy was not opposed to the idea.

[ Why is everyone so comfortable with this arrangement ? I think I'm the ONLY one who's not very happy with it and I got to coax my poor bunkmate to sleep on a decent bed. I know it's misleading but it's because he's Heero Yuy and that's why I'm so confident to let him share my bed. With that brain of his, he'll never think of doing anything funny … ever ! … He's just so … ]

" Relena ? RELENA ?? "

" Eh ? "

" Sorry to disturb you ! I was just trying to tell you that Catherine and Trowa had already left for their room and I am going to search for the gym to meet up with Wufei. "

" Oh … yeah … please go ahead. Erm .. I'm sorry Sally .. if I offended you just now. I had to take some revenge for what you guys did to me and Heero .. "

Relena smiled sheepishly as Sally gave a small chuckle.

" It's all right Relena. You'll be thanking us when this vacation is over. "

" Huh ? "

Sally was already halfway across the big hall, walking towards the other main facilities before Relena had a chance to clarify what Sally's last sentence had meant.

" That's really weird, why would I thank her for such an arrangement ? "

Relena mumbled thoughtfully to herself as she opened the door to her room. Her diary book was still spilled wide open and the box of chocolate chip cookies was left forgotten on the edge of the bed. As she silently closed the book shut and replaced the pen in its cover, she turned around and gasped out loud as Heero stepped out of the bathroom.

" Wh .. since .. when .. how .. ?! "

Relena's surprised words came out incoherently as she struggled to recover with some dignity as quickly as possible. Somehow, she didn't like losing her cool in front of Heero. Maybe it was because Heero was very rarely taken by surprise.

[ Rare .. but at least I've caught him by surprise once ]

Or maybe because Heero was merely clad in a luxurious white towel around his waist and looking wet with water droplets running down his body. His hair was glistening and in a rare matted mess. Relena was still sharp enough to catch a glimpse of Heero's one-second-long astonished look in his eyes. It was making sense to her gradually. Heero had thought she would be taking eons to return to the room, probably presuming that she was catching up with the girls so he had returned to have a shower. Heero was still frozen in his position, unable to budge, much to his regret. He was seriously taken aback that Relena had suddenly returned without warning and he had not heard her enter the room.

[ Damn the water in the ears ]

Relena knew she shouldn't be doing this, but she couldn't resist observing Heero's half-naked body. Knowing that doing so might make things more embarrassing, she quickly chided herself and turned away sharply. A blush had worked itself up to her cheeks and she scolded herself for being so daring.

[ Please Heero ! Go away ! Retreat into the bathroom or something … go dress yourself and leave … ARGH !! I'm so flustered ]

Much to her despair, Heero was still rooted to the spot. She had an uncanny feeling that he was now observing her intently behind her back. A strange flutter of a pleasant feeling suddenly seized her heart as she pictured him doing so.

[ What … what's wrong with me … ? ]

" Did I scare you ? "

Heero's tone-dead voice snapped her out of her internal turmoil as she slowly turned around to look at the origin of it all. Heero had been careful to eradicate all emotions out of his voice and expression before addressing Relena again.

" Erm … yes you did. Oh never mind … I'm fine now. "

Relena gave a weak wave of her hand before sitting down on the bed's railings. Her gaze landed onto the clothes draped close to where she was sitting and she figured it was Heero's. Trying to salvage the situation, she quickly picked them all up and tried to hand them over to him. Relena had kept her head low all this while, not knowing that Heero had walked up close behind her to reach for his clothes as well. As he realised what Relena was doing, he tried to back off but Relena had stood up too swiftly for him and they soon found each other in close proximity … probably just five inches of distance from each other's bodies …

[ OH LORD ! ]

Relena groaned mentally to herself as she almost touched Heero's exposed chest with her movements. It certainly didn't look good and she was feeling more and more depressed.

[ What is he going to think about this ?! He's going to be so irritated and exasperated with me … ]

Contrary to what Relena feared, Heero's mind was going into overdrive. He was feeling totally vulnerable, wondering why these weird and even weirder situations were dumped onto him relentlessly.

[ Surely these couldn't be the result of Professor J's meddling ? What's causing these things ? Why her ? Why me ? ]

Despite a confused mind, Heero could still rely on his gut instincts and the little reasoning he had left after these new emotions conquered his being.

" Relena … "

Then again, maybe not.

[ Shit ! Why did I utter her name ? What's wrong with me ? What's with the tone ?! ]

True to his fears, Relena had looked at him with doubtful eyes. She was just as confused as he was, with her jaw slightly opening in disbelief. The clothes were lying on the floor forgotten, dropped by Relena in her haste.

[ Was it me or was it REALLY Heero whispering my name in … in a … husky voice ?! ]

Relena could feel Heero's warm breath on her skin. That was just how close they were. None had made the effort to move away as yet and she now wondered why she wasn't doing so, or why Heero wasn't going to dismiss the whole situation by coolly picking up his clothes and retreating to the bathroom to dress.

[ Why is he still standing so close to me ? Why am I not budging myself ? ]

As they finally caught each other's eyes in an instant, Relena thought she saw a totally different expression in Heero's eyes. Beyond the steel look he had always worn, he was now almost open and accessible. It was as if he was slowly letting himself out of his shell. There seemed to be some acceptance or recognition which Relena couldn't quite place it. Heero's breath was quickening gradually as he couldn't tear his eyes away from her orbs, knowing that she was somehow drawing *something* out from him, slowly extracting a very odd and unfamiliar feeling within him.

[ What is it ? What are you doing to me Relena ? ]

Relena was fascinated. She had never seen Heero in such a state before and she was not going to give up a chance like this. His front seemed to be melting away and she realised that Heero was reluctant to break the eye contact.

[ He's voluntarily opening up ? But why me Heero ? ]

Part of Heero actually wanted to embrace this girl again. The last time he had allowed his instincts to take over was when she was crying and it had been a cold night. Now he was half-naked with only a towel draped around him, standing before the same girl dressed in a flimsy dress. It did not help that they were so close, they could hear each other's heartbeats.

No, it did not help a single bit.

" Relena … "

His voice came out thick and uncertainly, causing one part of Relena's brain to snap into action. Throwing caution to the wind, she found herself pressing against Heero gently and wasn't exactly surprised when she felt one of Heero's arm snake around her waist in response.

[ Why Heero … why do you cause such a reaction within me ? ]

[ Relena, why do I act like this around you ? ]

" Hey guys ! AH .. .. "

A surprised Hilde stared in amazement and wonder at the same time as she caught the pair in this very intimate position. It wouldn't have been so if Heero had been more appropriately dressed. Hilde could sense the certain awkwardness that still hung around them despite the body positioning. Smiling, she whistled a tune and closed the door .. but not without a wink at Relena. Heero released his hold on Relena and picked up his clothes without a sound. Relena stared at the floor for a while, wondering how to discuss with him on such a sensitive topic. He didn't seem very ethusiastic now. He didn't even seem just as flustered that Hilde caught them in such a compromising position.

[ He's back to being himself again ]

Relena looked on with a twinge of regret as she watched the bathroom door close behind him.