Chapter 19: Happenings in the real world
Hey, hey!! I'm totally sorry I haven't updated all week!! I hope you aren't too mad at me... Anyway, I have decided what to do with Relena! You'll have to read the chapter to find out, but I'm pretty sure you'll like it. So, here's my story!
"Hey, guys!!" Venus almost yelled to the five somber characters sitting at the head of the long table.
All of the five boys looked up quickly. Duo grinned and pulled Venus down next to him. "Hey, babe, how's it goin'?"
Venus laughed and pushed him away. "I thought you had a girlfriend..." She whispered.
"Aw, it wasn't working out. So how about we order something?" Duo said back.
At that moment, a waiter stepped up to the table. "And what will you be having today, sirs and madams?"
Everyone put down their menus. Laytha, at the foot of the table, ordered first. "Um, just a cheeseburger. Plain."
The order echoed down the table. "Same."
"Same here."
"That sounds good."
"Same thing."
The order continued, until the waiter went away with twelve orders of cheeseburgers. Plain. After he left, the table sat in silence. "So how has everything been?" Jupiter asked.
"It has been fine. Why do you ask?" Quatre asked.
"Just making conversation."
The table was once again silent. No one spoke. The group listened to the gossip of the people around them while they waited.
"Did you hear about the Walshes..."
"Yeah, they're getting a divorce..."
"Oh the steaks...really delicious..."
"Have you seen Triple X yet..."
"No, have you..."
"Yeah, it's awesome..."
"Hey, honey...there's two forks..."
"Yes, honey, one's the salad fork..."
"Here is your meal, sirs and madams." The waiter interrupted the string of murmurs with a large tray of plates.
"Thank you."
"Thanks."
"Hn."
Once again, after the waiter left, it was silent. Venus broke the silence this time. "Geez, what happened? Why are you all so...dreary?"
"We're not dreary. Simply, serious." Trowa said between mouthfuls.
"So, where is a good hotel around here? We are going to need a good place to sleep, you know." Venus asked.
Quatre shook his head vigorously and swallowed. "No, you don't have to find a hotel; you can stay at my place."
"Oh, we don't want to intrude..." Mercury said, setting down her burger.
"Not at all-" He insisted.
"His place is definitely big enough." Duo added.
"Oh, all of you are welcome too." Quatre turned to the boys.
"Aw, Quatre, you're sooo sweet." Duo flashed him a grin.
"Thank you." Wufei added his first comment to the conversation.
"Hn."
Zechs stared at his food. He had not touched his dinner. Pluto leaned over and put her hand over his. "I'm sure you are welcome too, right Quatre?"
"Of course." There was an uneasy silence at the table. Heero glared down into his plate. "There won't be any trouble at all." Quatre said forcefully, looking pointedly at Heero.
"Hn."
Jupiter leaned over and looked down the table. "Heero, I told you. It's rude to grunt like that."
"Hn."
Jupiter went back to her burger and rolled her eyes. Mars laughed. "She has a point though." She picked up her napkin and wiped her mouth. "That was good. Maybe it's even better than your cooking, Jupiter." She joked.
"Hey, don't even joke about that." Jupiter said half seriously.
"But it was good..." Venus teased as she finished off her own burger.
"Well, if we are going to get to Quatre's house, we should get going." Heero said as he stood up and tossed down three dollars for his own meal. The others repeated his action and left the restaurant. The group left.
Ten minutes later, everyone was in the back of an abandoned bus, watching the city fly away. "Wow, this is such pretty scenery. I wonder if it's like this outside of Crystal Tokyo? We should get out more often." Mercury sighed.
The bus stopped after almost twenty minutes of relaxed silence. "Winner residence." The driver called back.
"Thank you!" Venus yelled back up at him as they got off. "Whoa, you said his place was big, but man..." Venus muttered as she stared up at the mansion. Though it wasn't as huge as the Crystal Palace, it was quite a large house. "Uh oh. I think security is coming to bust us..."
"No, those are my men!" Quatre said happily, waving to the approaching men. Venus nervously inched behind Duo, just in case.
Quatre ran towards them and they embraced him like a long-lost brother.
"Master Quatre!"
"It really is you!"
"Where have you been?"
Quatre stood back. "I'll answer everything in time, but first these are my friends I brought with me." He stood back to give the men a view of everyone else. "This is Venus and Duo, that's Mars, and Jupiter, then Wufei, Trowa and Heero, Pluto, Mercury," Quatre unconsciously paused, and the men noticed this but said nothing. "And Zechs." The men quietly took n breaths and stepped back a bit.
"Zechs, Zechs Marquise? The Lightning Count?" One said nervously.
Zechs looked away. "I..."
Quatre spoke up. "He is our guest, and I expect all of you to treat him such."
"Well, if he is a friend of Master Quatre, then he is all right."
Zechs silently thanked the young boy.
Soon everyone was inside and warm in front of a nice fire. Quatre was in the kitchen with his men, 'explaining' where he had been for two months. Jupiter listened with one ear to his tale. Quatre had apparently simply needed a break and gone out into the country. He had decided to spend a night at the girls' bed and breakfast, and liked it so much, he wanted to stay for a while. Jupiter smiled. (For such an honest boy, he sure is a good liar.) After a while Quatre returned and spent the next few hours in silence with the others.
Venus suddenly broke the gloom. "Geez, why is everyone so grim and sad? It's like we just got back from a funeral!"
Heero did not look at her. "We are not gloomy, just-"
"Serious." Venus finished. "Come on! I'm going to bed. Maybe my dreams will be a bit more exciting." She stuck her tongue out at Heero and went up the stairs. After a moment, she came back down. "This is the way to the bedrooms, right?" She asked Quatre.
He smiled. "Yes."
Venus left again and Duo yawned and went up after her. Wufei stood up silently a few minutes later and set off up the stairs. After a moment's consideration, and a poke from Jupiter, Mars followed him.
"Wufei..." She said to his back as he stopped at a door.
He sighed and opened the door. "Why don't you come in." He said wearily. Mars looked at him for a moment, before going inside. The room was decent size, if empty save a bed, mirror and dresser. Mars sat on the bed and Wufei stood next to her.
"Wufei, what is wrong?" Mars suddenly burst out. "All of you are acting as though someone has died, but you haven't said anything. What is it?"
Wufei sighed heavily and looked at her. His onyx eyes were filled with despair beyond hope. Mars stood up and took his shoulders. "Wufei, what is it? There is something wrong. Please tell me."
He reached up and squeezed Mars's hand. (What am I doing? Am I getting too weak to deal with my emotions by myself?) His mind asked tiredly. He paid no attention to his thoughts. "Do you remember when I told you that I had someone waiting for me?" He sat down and looked at her for her answer.
"Yes, Sally, wasn't it?"
"Yes." He nodded without taking his eyes from hers. "I saw her today. She got engaged to a man three days ago."
"Oh, Wufei..."
"No. I don't want your pity." (But I wish I had something else...) The thought jerked Wufei out of his trance. The thought must have shown on his face because Mars let her hands slip down to his elbows and she looked away and once again, her hair fell to her face and hid the blush there.
Wufei reached up and brushed it back. (This is what I want.) He felt himself pull closer to her and wrapped his arms around her in a hug, before it fell into anything else. (This feels so right. Why didn't I see this sooner?) He felt himself smile and suppressed a sigh as she slid her arms around him.
In the living room~~~~
Soon, everyone had gone upstairs, leaving Quatre, Mercury, Heero and Jupiter down in front of the fire. Mercury looked around and noticed that the others had gone and realized why. She touched Quatre on the shoulder and discreetly nodded her head towards the stairs. Quatre blushed for a moment, misinterpreting her meaning, but she glanced pointedly at Heero and Jupiter and back to Quatre. He understood this time and they both quietly went up the stairs, leaving Heero and Jupiter alone.
Jupiter awoke from her doze to find everyone but Heero gone. She went over to his couch and sat beside him. He looked at her, but did not move. "So what are you thinking about, Heero Yuy?" She asked him, her tone light.
"Someone."
She leaned forward. "Oh, is this someone a special someone?"
Heero looked back at Jupiter and let his gaze sink into hers before answering. "Hn."
Jupiter leaned over close to him. "It's not polite to grunt at people..." She whispered slowly.
"Hn." Though he had too much experience to let a smile onto his face, there was a sparkle behind his eyes.
Jupiter smiled and punched him playfully in the shoulder. "Heero, your manners are so terrible..."
They spent the next few hours into the night, until the fire died, sitting next to each other. Heero couldn't help his gaze that wandered continually back to her. (She is so different from-) His thoughts halted. (Why did I think that? Why should I compare her to Relena? I will never have to protect Jupiter from anything...) His eyes wandered back to Jupiter, and he stopped his thoughts from telling himself that that is what he wanted.
The next morning everyone was up bright and early to the smell of breakfast. Jupiter smiled as she entered the kitchen. "To whoever is cooking, I hope it's good, or I'll have to take over." The tall thin man in front of the stove turned.
"Oh, Master Quatre told me specifically not to let you cook. He said you had cooked for him everyday he was gone, and wants you to relax. And I must thank you for keeping him in such good health. He does not cook well himself, but don't tell him I said so."
"I heard that, Raul." Quatre opened the door and smiled slightly. Raul opened his mouth to protest, but Quatre continued. "Don't worry, you are absolutely right. Now, what is for breakfast?"
Eventually, everyone made it down, and considerably more cheerful than the night before. Conversation got going and Duo asked Raul what was happening in the world. "We've been out in the country and haven't really kept up with the news."
"Oh, not much has happened since Master Quatre left. Hmmm...The taxes have gone down a bit since there is more ease between Earth and the colonies...Oh, yes and that young diplomat girl, Relena, she retired." Heero dropped his fork.
"She what?" The room silenced.
"Retired." Raul repeated without turning from the stove. "If I may enter my own opinion..." He cast a sideways glance at Quatre. After a nod, he continued. "Not many noticed but Miss Relena, well, put on a few pounds. If I may venture further, it seemed to really build up a bit after Master Quatre left. It seemed a simple flux at first, she gained even more weight. I don't mean to offend, but..." After another nod from Quatre, "It seems that her added weight resulted in a slight loss of confidence in her, from the people. It became quite well known she was trying all manners of things to try and lose it, but she didn't change much. Miss Relena wasn't much of a public figure anymore, and formally announced her retirement about a week and a half ago. Hmmm....If she had simply gone to the gym and tried to lose it naturally, it may have not soiled her reputation like it did..." Raul ended with a sigh and turned off the stove. "Anyway, that seems to be it in major news. Like I said, not much has changed. Enjoy your breakfast." He left with a smile.
The room was completely silent for the next few minutes. This silence was different from the other times. It was an amazed, almost shocked silence. Venus spoke softly. "I take it you guys know this Relena girl?"
So, so, so! How was that? Yes, this was another long chapter, but don't get used to it! If I can manage to get out chapters during the week, they will be shorter. Like 1700 words short. (This one was 2100). Anyway, what do you think? If you like this picture of Relena, then you'll just love what's to come. And do you like the little love scene with Mars and Wufei? I sure love writing it...They are such a cute couple, doncha think? Well, R&R! Let me know what you think!
Hey, hey!! I'm totally sorry I haven't updated all week!! I hope you aren't too mad at me... Anyway, I have decided what to do with Relena! You'll have to read the chapter to find out, but I'm pretty sure you'll like it. So, here's my story!
"Hey, guys!!" Venus almost yelled to the five somber characters sitting at the head of the long table.
All of the five boys looked up quickly. Duo grinned and pulled Venus down next to him. "Hey, babe, how's it goin'?"
Venus laughed and pushed him away. "I thought you had a girlfriend..." She whispered.
"Aw, it wasn't working out. So how about we order something?" Duo said back.
At that moment, a waiter stepped up to the table. "And what will you be having today, sirs and madams?"
Everyone put down their menus. Laytha, at the foot of the table, ordered first. "Um, just a cheeseburger. Plain."
The order echoed down the table. "Same."
"Same here."
"That sounds good."
"Same thing."
The order continued, until the waiter went away with twelve orders of cheeseburgers. Plain. After he left, the table sat in silence. "So how has everything been?" Jupiter asked.
"It has been fine. Why do you ask?" Quatre asked.
"Just making conversation."
The table was once again silent. No one spoke. The group listened to the gossip of the people around them while they waited.
"Did you hear about the Walshes..."
"Yeah, they're getting a divorce..."
"Oh the steaks...really delicious..."
"Have you seen Triple X yet..."
"No, have you..."
"Yeah, it's awesome..."
"Hey, honey...there's two forks..."
"Yes, honey, one's the salad fork..."
"Here is your meal, sirs and madams." The waiter interrupted the string of murmurs with a large tray of plates.
"Thank you."
"Thanks."
"Hn."
Once again, after the waiter left, it was silent. Venus broke the silence this time. "Geez, what happened? Why are you all so...dreary?"
"We're not dreary. Simply, serious." Trowa said between mouthfuls.
"So, where is a good hotel around here? We are going to need a good place to sleep, you know." Venus asked.
Quatre shook his head vigorously and swallowed. "No, you don't have to find a hotel; you can stay at my place."
"Oh, we don't want to intrude..." Mercury said, setting down her burger.
"Not at all-" He insisted.
"His place is definitely big enough." Duo added.
"Oh, all of you are welcome too." Quatre turned to the boys.
"Aw, Quatre, you're sooo sweet." Duo flashed him a grin.
"Thank you." Wufei added his first comment to the conversation.
"Hn."
Zechs stared at his food. He had not touched his dinner. Pluto leaned over and put her hand over his. "I'm sure you are welcome too, right Quatre?"
"Of course." There was an uneasy silence at the table. Heero glared down into his plate. "There won't be any trouble at all." Quatre said forcefully, looking pointedly at Heero.
"Hn."
Jupiter leaned over and looked down the table. "Heero, I told you. It's rude to grunt like that."
"Hn."
Jupiter went back to her burger and rolled her eyes. Mars laughed. "She has a point though." She picked up her napkin and wiped her mouth. "That was good. Maybe it's even better than your cooking, Jupiter." She joked.
"Hey, don't even joke about that." Jupiter said half seriously.
"But it was good..." Venus teased as she finished off her own burger.
"Well, if we are going to get to Quatre's house, we should get going." Heero said as he stood up and tossed down three dollars for his own meal. The others repeated his action and left the restaurant. The group left.
Ten minutes later, everyone was in the back of an abandoned bus, watching the city fly away. "Wow, this is such pretty scenery. I wonder if it's like this outside of Crystal Tokyo? We should get out more often." Mercury sighed.
The bus stopped after almost twenty minutes of relaxed silence. "Winner residence." The driver called back.
"Thank you!" Venus yelled back up at him as they got off. "Whoa, you said his place was big, but man..." Venus muttered as she stared up at the mansion. Though it wasn't as huge as the Crystal Palace, it was quite a large house. "Uh oh. I think security is coming to bust us..."
"No, those are my men!" Quatre said happily, waving to the approaching men. Venus nervously inched behind Duo, just in case.
Quatre ran towards them and they embraced him like a long-lost brother.
"Master Quatre!"
"It really is you!"
"Where have you been?"
Quatre stood back. "I'll answer everything in time, but first these are my friends I brought with me." He stood back to give the men a view of everyone else. "This is Venus and Duo, that's Mars, and Jupiter, then Wufei, Trowa and Heero, Pluto, Mercury," Quatre unconsciously paused, and the men noticed this but said nothing. "And Zechs." The men quietly took n breaths and stepped back a bit.
"Zechs, Zechs Marquise? The Lightning Count?" One said nervously.
Zechs looked away. "I..."
Quatre spoke up. "He is our guest, and I expect all of you to treat him such."
"Well, if he is a friend of Master Quatre, then he is all right."
Zechs silently thanked the young boy.
Soon everyone was inside and warm in front of a nice fire. Quatre was in the kitchen with his men, 'explaining' where he had been for two months. Jupiter listened with one ear to his tale. Quatre had apparently simply needed a break and gone out into the country. He had decided to spend a night at the girls' bed and breakfast, and liked it so much, he wanted to stay for a while. Jupiter smiled. (For such an honest boy, he sure is a good liar.) After a while Quatre returned and spent the next few hours in silence with the others.
Venus suddenly broke the gloom. "Geez, why is everyone so grim and sad? It's like we just got back from a funeral!"
Heero did not look at her. "We are not gloomy, just-"
"Serious." Venus finished. "Come on! I'm going to bed. Maybe my dreams will be a bit more exciting." She stuck her tongue out at Heero and went up the stairs. After a moment, she came back down. "This is the way to the bedrooms, right?" She asked Quatre.
He smiled. "Yes."
Venus left again and Duo yawned and went up after her. Wufei stood up silently a few minutes later and set off up the stairs. After a moment's consideration, and a poke from Jupiter, Mars followed him.
"Wufei..." She said to his back as he stopped at a door.
He sighed and opened the door. "Why don't you come in." He said wearily. Mars looked at him for a moment, before going inside. The room was decent size, if empty save a bed, mirror and dresser. Mars sat on the bed and Wufei stood next to her.
"Wufei, what is wrong?" Mars suddenly burst out. "All of you are acting as though someone has died, but you haven't said anything. What is it?"
Wufei sighed heavily and looked at her. His onyx eyes were filled with despair beyond hope. Mars stood up and took his shoulders. "Wufei, what is it? There is something wrong. Please tell me."
He reached up and squeezed Mars's hand. (What am I doing? Am I getting too weak to deal with my emotions by myself?) His mind asked tiredly. He paid no attention to his thoughts. "Do you remember when I told you that I had someone waiting for me?" He sat down and looked at her for her answer.
"Yes, Sally, wasn't it?"
"Yes." He nodded without taking his eyes from hers. "I saw her today. She got engaged to a man three days ago."
"Oh, Wufei..."
"No. I don't want your pity." (But I wish I had something else...) The thought jerked Wufei out of his trance. The thought must have shown on his face because Mars let her hands slip down to his elbows and she looked away and once again, her hair fell to her face and hid the blush there.
Wufei reached up and brushed it back. (This is what I want.) He felt himself pull closer to her and wrapped his arms around her in a hug, before it fell into anything else. (This feels so right. Why didn't I see this sooner?) He felt himself smile and suppressed a sigh as she slid her arms around him.
In the living room~~~~
Soon, everyone had gone upstairs, leaving Quatre, Mercury, Heero and Jupiter down in front of the fire. Mercury looked around and noticed that the others had gone and realized why. She touched Quatre on the shoulder and discreetly nodded her head towards the stairs. Quatre blushed for a moment, misinterpreting her meaning, but she glanced pointedly at Heero and Jupiter and back to Quatre. He understood this time and they both quietly went up the stairs, leaving Heero and Jupiter alone.
Jupiter awoke from her doze to find everyone but Heero gone. She went over to his couch and sat beside him. He looked at her, but did not move. "So what are you thinking about, Heero Yuy?" She asked him, her tone light.
"Someone."
She leaned forward. "Oh, is this someone a special someone?"
Heero looked back at Jupiter and let his gaze sink into hers before answering. "Hn."
Jupiter leaned over close to him. "It's not polite to grunt at people..." She whispered slowly.
"Hn." Though he had too much experience to let a smile onto his face, there was a sparkle behind his eyes.
Jupiter smiled and punched him playfully in the shoulder. "Heero, your manners are so terrible..."
They spent the next few hours into the night, until the fire died, sitting next to each other. Heero couldn't help his gaze that wandered continually back to her. (She is so different from-) His thoughts halted. (Why did I think that? Why should I compare her to Relena? I will never have to protect Jupiter from anything...) His eyes wandered back to Jupiter, and he stopped his thoughts from telling himself that that is what he wanted.
The next morning everyone was up bright and early to the smell of breakfast. Jupiter smiled as she entered the kitchen. "To whoever is cooking, I hope it's good, or I'll have to take over." The tall thin man in front of the stove turned.
"Oh, Master Quatre told me specifically not to let you cook. He said you had cooked for him everyday he was gone, and wants you to relax. And I must thank you for keeping him in such good health. He does not cook well himself, but don't tell him I said so."
"I heard that, Raul." Quatre opened the door and smiled slightly. Raul opened his mouth to protest, but Quatre continued. "Don't worry, you are absolutely right. Now, what is for breakfast?"
Eventually, everyone made it down, and considerably more cheerful than the night before. Conversation got going and Duo asked Raul what was happening in the world. "We've been out in the country and haven't really kept up with the news."
"Oh, not much has happened since Master Quatre left. Hmmm...The taxes have gone down a bit since there is more ease between Earth and the colonies...Oh, yes and that young diplomat girl, Relena, she retired." Heero dropped his fork.
"She what?" The room silenced.
"Retired." Raul repeated without turning from the stove. "If I may enter my own opinion..." He cast a sideways glance at Quatre. After a nod, he continued. "Not many noticed but Miss Relena, well, put on a few pounds. If I may venture further, it seemed to really build up a bit after Master Quatre left. It seemed a simple flux at first, she gained even more weight. I don't mean to offend, but..." After another nod from Quatre, "It seems that her added weight resulted in a slight loss of confidence in her, from the people. It became quite well known she was trying all manners of things to try and lose it, but she didn't change much. Miss Relena wasn't much of a public figure anymore, and formally announced her retirement about a week and a half ago. Hmmm....If she had simply gone to the gym and tried to lose it naturally, it may have not soiled her reputation like it did..." Raul ended with a sigh and turned off the stove. "Anyway, that seems to be it in major news. Like I said, not much has changed. Enjoy your breakfast." He left with a smile.
The room was completely silent for the next few minutes. This silence was different from the other times. It was an amazed, almost shocked silence. Venus spoke softly. "I take it you guys know this Relena girl?"
So, so, so! How was that? Yes, this was another long chapter, but don't get used to it! If I can manage to get out chapters during the week, they will be shorter. Like 1700 words short. (This one was 2100). Anyway, what do you think? If you like this picture of Relena, then you'll just love what's to come. And do you like the little love scene with Mars and Wufei? I sure love writing it...They are such a cute couple, doncha think? Well, R&R! Let me know what you think!