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'
***
Dorothy stifled a yawn as she lazily approached the white marble door of the Recreation Room located on the 4th storey. It was just another hot sunny Tuesday early afternoon as she absent-mindledly fidled with the long over-folding spaghetti straps on her right shoulder. Knocking twice firmly, she was greeted by the voice she was expecting to hear.
" Ohayo Quatre-kun. "
" Konnichiwa Dorothy-san. "
Dorothy made a face as she rolled her eyes at Quatre's indirect joke. She lightly stepped into the room and closed the door gently behind her. Quatre was already sitting down on a splendid white couch with a beautiful wooden carved chess set placed on the transparent coffee table before his legs. Dorothy grinned as she took in the chess set, wondering whether she could persuade Quatre to give it to her. As she gracefully sat down opposite the Arabian boy, he gestured for her to start the game. Dorothy couldn't help but notice that Quatre's favourite teapot and cups were already placed neatly next to the chess set, with steam sprouting steadily from the mouth.
" You sure are always ready for a game. "
" That's because I have an excellent opponent. "
Dorothy smiled in a rather exasperated way, waving his compliment away with a casual fling of her hand.
" We'll see who's the winner in half an hour's time so I can grab lunch and finish up my thesis. "
" You're still NOT done with it ? You've been mooning over it since I talked to you during school term. "
Dorothy ignored the hint of mock horror from Quatre and continued rambling on.
" And anyway, I don't have all the time for a chess game with you ! "
" Yes yes Dorothy-san, I totally understand. "
The smile from Quatre's lips was knowing and calculated, causing Dorothy to pout almost instinctively. Shaking her head vigorously, she quickly snatched a chess piece with her fore and middle fingers and placed it smackly to announce the beginning of their challenge.
Heero strolled aimlessly in the spacious garden preened and taken care of by the employees who had taken a liking to the lush greenery which seemed to go on forever. He thought it was queer to see such a majestic garden situated so near to the sea. He was feeling slightly lethargic, due to the awful fact that there was nothing for him to do for the past few weeks AND for many weeks to come. Heero had never felt so lost before. All his life, he had ALWAYS had something to do. Protecting Relena was his priority here, but even he had to admit, it was a job suitable for even the normal bodyguards available on the market. Relena was obviously quite secure in their premises. He had grown so tired of being alert at all times and decided to do something which he had no opportunity to do so for the past 17 years.
Stroll in the garden leisurely.
Sure, everyone would be amazed that he had never been able to do so. His work had always been the obstacle for his secret yearn to be a normal boy. A butterfly fluttered near his head as Heero became lost in his thoughts. This had become a daily occurrence to the perfect soldier and although he resented it at first, it wore down gradually as the weeks went by.
" Heero ? "
The warm voice broke through his blurry train of thoughts as Heero turned around to face her.
Relena.
He continued looking at her with absolutely no change of expression or acknowledgment on his face. That was something he supposed would never change, or wouldn't for a long time to come.
" Erm, lunch is starting soon. I tried to look for you inside but you weren't around so I presumed you would be here. "
Heero nodded, but not curtly. He knew he had somehow mellowed down by leaps and bounds after being thrown to this island.
" This place is beautiful isn't it ? I wish Sanc Kingdom would have such lush greenery too. "
" You could always construct them. "
Relena threw a sideway glance to the boy beside her as his eyes were deep in concentration at nothing in particular. She couldn't help but smile gently. Heero had changed so much that it struck her deeply. Although it wasn't obvious physically, but the cold steely look was no longer in use all the time. To her, it was a big occurrence and she wanted to unravel him further. Heero no longer resisted sharing the same bed as Relena did but he was careful to maintain a distance as far away as possible.
" Both of you !! Come on in now ! Lunch is served ! "
Sally's voice broke the peaceful silence between them as she shouted at them from an upstairs window. Heero motioned for Relena to lead first, much to her surprise. As she felt Heero following her, she couldn't help but feel very safe in his presence.
As all gathered at the big table, it was evident that Sally and Wufei seemed to have changed. In fact, it seemed that Wufei was the one who had a big transformation and Sally was just basking in the after-effects of it. The curiousity was rising at an all-time high temperature but no one dared to start the ball rolling. Finally, Hilde could bear it no longer.
" Sally-san, what's going on ? "
Wufei was deprived of his food as Sally was distracted and left the spoon hanging in mid-air, with the intention of feeding him. With a girlish giggle, Sally placed the spoon down and propped her jaw with her hand, pondering on how to answer the question. Wufei continued digging in, but was also busily fishing out Sally's favourite dishes from the table onto her plate. Duo's mouth was already as big as it could go while Quatre watched with genuine happiness on his face. Trowa was smiling a very small secretive smile which he alone could muster up with while Heero simply looked at Wufei, thoughts running through his mind. The girls were all inching nearer to hear Sally's answer. Nicholas and Quatre's sister had retired to their room with their shares, wanting to eat in each other's company only.
" Well .. Wufei and I .. we're kinda .. "
She turned to look at Wufei, as though she wanted confirmation. As soon as Wufei's eyes came into contact with hers, her smile became more determined and she nodded as though some secret communication had just passed through the two of them.
" We're a couple. "
There was a split second silence before all hell broke loose. The girls rushed over and had a big group hug with loads of excited squeals and screams. Wufei frowned a little, but the smile on his face was not erased. Trowa cocked his head to one side slightly, obviously amused by the scene before him. Quatre and Duo both broke into hearty laughter, congratulating Wufei. Heero continued staring at Wufei, his mind now as confused as the clothings in a washing machine. Wufei now regarded his look squarely and smiled, causing Heero to jerk from his state of mind. It was as though Wufei had just taught him something without the use of words. He stared at his food, wondering why they looked foreign to him now.
" I see The Imperial ! "
Noin announced excitedly as the private helicopter was preparing to land some distance away from the resort. Zechs was already preparing the luggage and was talking to the pilot.
" Oh Gods ! We're finally here ! I wonder what I've missed. "
" I'm sure it's nothing much. There are no events going on anyway on this island. It's just going to be us. "
Noin couldn't help but grin widely at the sight of Zechs if he found out that his beloved little sister was sleeping in the same bed with the Gundam Zero pilot all this time. She was sure Heero was a gentleman through and through but seeing Zech's reaction was something she wanted to record into her newly-purchased digital camcorder. Zechs noticed the unusually conspiratorily grin for a second before Noin almost slickly wiped it away, replacing it with a normal excited smile. Zechs blinked twice, wondering whether he was seeing things.
Dorothy and Quatre returned to the Recreation Room to continue their game. As usual, their normal time clocked was always almost more than 3 hours. Both refused to give each other a lifeline and the games would almost result in a tie when both were in tip-top condition. They hoped the lunch had rejuvenated their senses and wit. Dorothy desperately wanted the game to end. She had a thesis to complete ! She knew she should have finished it before vacation started but she was so caught up in fencing practices for the upcoming competitions that she had no time for schoolwork. Regretting it feverishly, she made a wrong move halfway through her mullings and Quatre jumped onto it almost immediately.
" Checkmate. "
Dorothy slumped into her seat in defeat, holding both hands up in a surrender gesture. Weakly, she sipped the fragrant jasmine tea from the delicate china cup and let the warm liquid soothe her tired and overworked brain cells. Quatre looked at her with concern and placed a hand on her shoulder.
" I'm fine Quatre. I'm just too bogged down with too many things to worry about. "
" I can help you know. "
" No, I'm sure I can handle it by myself. Thanks anyway. "
Dorothy flushed a little when she realised that Quatre's hand was gently placed on her bare shoulder. Her heart was starting to beat faster and she knew she had to get out of Quatre's sight before he realised that something was wrong. Bading a hasty farewell, she stood up so quickly and suddenly that all the blood drained from her head.
" Ah .. "
As Dorothy's sight turned into a fantastic view of black and green dots, a surprised Quatre found her falling into his arms literally. Seeing the paleness of the girl's face, he quickly sat her down back onto the couch, her head now resting heavily on his shoulder.
" Do you need to lie down ? "
" Nooo … "
The slur in Dorothy's voice was enough to give Quatre the answer. Dorothy was still making uncertain sounds and wavering about unsteadily. Carefully, Quatre was about to carry her back when Heero walked into the room thinking that no one was occupying it.
From Heero's angle, it looked as though Quatre was passionately embracing Dorothy and the girl was content enough to lay her head down onto Quatre's chest. Quatre's expression was so serious that it seemed as though he was about to kiss Dorothy or something similar to that extent. Heero found that his heart was clenching up at such a scene and he quickly departed without a second look. Quatre of course was confused because his main priority was a semi-conscious Dorothy and he quickly dismissed any doubts in his head.
" Feeling better ? "
Dorothy smiled weakly from the bed in Quatre's room as she nodded. Gingerly, she sat herself up in bed with Quatre's gentle help and she heaved a sign of relief as she leaned back into the soft pillows.
" I am so sorry … "
" Don't be, it's your body's way of telling you that you've overworked and stressed yourself out. You're lucky I was with you. "
Dorothy smiled in gratitude as she recalled the embarrassing moment before she had almost passed out. Was it partly the cause ? But she remembered vaguely how Quatre had carried her back to his room and she flushed slightly again when she realised that Quatre seemed to be carrying her over the threshold as in all marriages' procedures when he stepped into his room still carrying her. Luckily no one was around to witness the embarrassing posture. Unknown to her, Heero had already seen her in Quatre's embrace though.
[ 18 year old Quatre … ]
Dorothy carefully peered at the gentle Arabian's features. He was slightly more tanned than he used to be and the beautiful green windows to his soul had darkened to a very mystical shade. His features were now sharper, following the facial outline of Zechs. As Quatre stood up to retrieve more water for Dorothy, she observed his build from behind him. Tall and elegant, he stood with a certain flair that she could never quite place. He was wearing a blue sweatshirt and white track-pants today, causing his sunshine-yellow crown of hair to appear more distinctive.
[ He's becoming more attractive to me every year … but all I can do is admire him from afar ]
Dorothy sadly peeled her eyes away from him and focused on the white sheets covering her. She liked the new change in her, knowing fully well that it was partly because of Quatre's influence and partly because she wanted to throw her past behind her.
[ He would never accept a person like me ]
[ Dorothy ? ]
Quatre wondered to himself as he turned around to hand her a cup of water. She was now looking at the sheets intensely, as though something was biting into her again. His heart ached for her, knowing that she shouldn't be straining herself again. Walking towards her, he felt struck by her form. Usually, she had her shoulder-length hair half-tied up in the same fashion as Relena but this time, everything was let down and it seemed to make her feel more vulnerable but gentler. He seemed to be able to reach to her this time.
[ Could I ? ]
Quatre knew that there was a certain limit which Dorothy and him could reach. Whenever they touched that invisible limit line, both would recline back to their shells. He wasn't exactly sure whether Dorothy felt the same for him, but he felt for her … a lot. She was his only enemy and confidante. However, whenever he was sure he could reach into her inner self, he would recoil for fear of causing Dorothy to bolt. Dorothy was always treating him like a worthy enemy, someone worth her time to spend with. Although she had changed drastically through the years, Quatre was never sure. They shared many secrets which no one else knew but each still kept some matters close to their own hearts. He was uncertain on how to handle Dorothy. She was like a fragile china vase, once broken, never to be mended fully again.
[ I know I like her ]
Would it spell the end of their unusual friendship ? He wished he could confide in Trowa but he knew he would most possibly obtain nothing out of him. Trowa was just as unsure as he was in affairs of the heart. The unexpected brushing of fingers as Dorothy took the glass out of his hand caused him to gasp in surprise and water found itself seeping through Dorothy's clothes.
" Oooooh noooooo ! "
Quatre apologetically rushed to grab all kinds of napkins and towels available, hurriedly dumping them onto the bed. This unusual behaviour could be atrributed to his slow recovery from all the random thoughts earlier.
" Quatre ? Don't worry about it .. I'm fine .. "
" I'm not ! "
Quatre blurted out before he even knew it, much to Dorothy's amused grin. She slowly slid out of the cold sheets and pressed the napkins down onto the excess water around the bed and on her clothes.
" I'm SO sorry … "
" Don't worry about it ! Take it as a return of my favour for helping me earlier. "
" But .. "
" Just phone up the chambermaid and ask her for a change of sheets. She's the only one around right ? "
" Hai .. I'll do so now. "
Quatre sheepishly told the chambermaid about the accident and thanked her profusely before hanging up the phone. She came in a few minutes' time and laughed at the incident as Dorothy recounted it in details for her. Quatre quietly flushed in a corner, hoping that the nightmare would end. They were laughing at his expense ! Soon, the experienced chambermaid had completed her task in a very short time and bade them farewell as she closed the door behind her.
" So I reckoned you're fine now, laughing with her as though there was no tomorrow. "
" Don't be angry Quatre … "
" So what are you going to do now ? "
" Probably rest for a few more days before starting on my thesis. No more chess games regretfully. "
" Sure, I can live with that. I had no opponents during my school term you know. "
" Me too … "
There was an awkward silence reigning between them as they realised that they were on to something more intimate. Quatre knew they were once again reaching the invisible line but this time, he was determined to try his luck.
" So you probably missed me whenever you looked at your chess set ? "
Quatre tried to use the humour tactic, something which he was more comfortable with. Thankfully Dorothy lapped it up with no difficulty.
" Yeah, I was itching to defeat you again. No one in school posed much of a challenge ! "
They laughed in unison and Quatre felt the urge to confess immediately. However, it still did not feel right. The time seemed so inappropriate. Suddenly, Dorothy stared into Quatre's eyes longer than usual, a foreign look in her dark yellow orbs. Quatre was overcome by a strange sensation, his lips twitching lightly. He was slowly drawn to this power within him, his body slowly inching nearer to the girl whom he had spent the past 2 years together. Dorothy on the other hand was unbelievably still, as though she was just waiting for it to happen, wanting it to happen. Nothing was in her mind now, all that was barely ticking in her brain was Quatre, Quatre, Quatre.
Never had they known that their lips tasted so sweet together.
Author's Notes :
Oh crap ! I finally managed to churn out one chapter ! School was so amazingly busy for the past month ! I still have 3 more essays to deliver by March, revision and horrible tutorials every week to prepare for ! Gomen minna-san if this chapter is not up to your standards. I've REALLY tried !! * SOB SOB *
But anyway, please read + review yeah ? That would of course be most highly appreciated at all times.
JYA NE ~
19th February 2002
