Only Time
By: Zarabeth McGregor
Chapter 17
Disclaimer: Big one, now: I don't own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon, I don't own Duo's motorcycle (one can only dream), I don't own the guy 'Hugh the Relentless', the name comes from a novel, 'Mystique' by Amanda Quick. Uh, I don't own the songs 'Ugly', 'Purple Hills', 'Whenever Wherever' or 'I Do It For You'…Heero's car, the song 'Cleaning out my Closet' (that belongs to Eminem, don't own him either). Okay, that's it for now…I think…
Yeah, I've been listening to 'The Eminem Show' every day for the past few weeks…unedited. Skip Track 9 people…for the sake of your sanity, skip 'Drips'…
Sorry for the annoying way the last few paragraphs of the last chapter came out…I was copy and pasting the lyrics of those songs…
The song Duo sang to Ami was supposed to be 'Come What May' from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. Not that song…*rolls eyes*
Oh, I think I must be giving you peeps a preview of my upcoming fics. I'll do that at the end of this chapter, k?
Oh, and for anyone who cares: I made prefect, yo!!! First years beware!
Yes, onto the Q or C and A:
Valysis: I'm glad you loved it, considering this was the first time I've posted up a fic with a kissy-scene. I will read your other chapters; I'll make sure that I do.
LadyMiaka11: So lucky…you've got a guy. A very sweet one, I bet. Oh, well, I wish you the best of luck. Thank you for the glowing compliments. Anne Rice, you say? Hmm, well, the attempted philosophical debates thing, I'm borrowing that from her.
Wicked Lady: Glad to see I made your day…or was it your week? Uh, your whining had a…how could I say this…strong, yeah, strong influence on that chapter…marry him? Hmm.
Kid: Sad? I was being influenced by Eminem, so sad may not be the word to describe it…*laughs*. I enjoyed writing the dancing scene, and I'm so sorry about the stretched out part thingy; that was because I was too lazy to type out the lyrics. Well, I guess I'll have to glomp her for that one, huh?
Meio-chan: Whomever are you talking about?
WikeD tEnShI: There can be miracles…
Phoenix: Uh…You wouldn't do that, would you Hee-chan?
*Heero quirks a brow* What makes you think so?
*Zarabeth smiles charmingly* Because you love me!
*Heero throws back his head and laughs loudly, Zarabeth pouts*
Oldestof3: Yeah, circles are cool…but I love triangles!
Jessica: Detailed…actually, I could do worse…that's what happens when you read romance novels as much as I do…
Mercury Ice Storm: *jumps around the room, clapping hands* Yay!!! Ooh, I can't wait!!!
Silver Star: Blue eyes, black hair…I always had a thing for guys with dark hair and beautiful blue eyes…*swoons; flutters fingers, coquettish smile, flirty voice* Hi Bob!
Omigod! I corrupted Li!!! *Laughs insanely*
Crystal Dragon: Okay, we have this blue dress with a button up bodice and we have to wear a belt to prevent it from making us look totally fat and shapeless *rolls eyes* actually, I'd prefer knee socks. Seriously, I would. Cliffhanger…not yet at least!
Minimerc: You do? Okay…*mutters something about not being able to lie very well* Hmm.
Autumn Ice: I must admit, it is fun to write…
Myst Lady: Well, when you do, let me know please!
Kaiya: I finished 'Queen of the Damned' about two weeks ago. Damn, I love that book. I read 'Pandora' too. I'm yet to read 'Merrick' and 'Tale of the Body Thief' is begging me to read it. Oh, I have a little message for you at the end of this chapter…*cackles*
Eternal Sailor Mercury: *brightens* Oh, okay. Sure, you can chase mine away anytime…just watch where you swing that thing, huh?
~*~
Well, I guess it's safe to say that I was on cloud nine. The images of our kiss kept flashing through my mind. I vividly remembered every moment, every movement emblazoned on my consciousness. And the fact that I kissed him back immediately afterwards. I was beyond shocked when we pulled away from each other. Yes, pulled, or at least I had to.
And the way Duo smiled at me, the way he stroked my cheek, tucked my stray strands behind my ear made me blush. I was beginning to realize how complicated my feelings were, I couldn't even identify the feelings that were coursing through me. It frustrating. I usually knew what I wanted, what I felt. I was always in control of my emotions. I was always in control. And all of that went out of the window in a few minutes.
Why did I let him kiss me? Or more importantly, why did I kiss him back? Why did I feel so feverish suddenly, why did my knees feel like they were going to buckle under me? Why were my suddenly heightened nerves replaying every sensation that was flowing through me during the past few minutes? I knew the confusion was showing on my face, because I felt myself frowning heavily.
That was when Duo smiled and touched me, sending my heart wild once again. I wanted to pull away, but I couldn't. I didn't want to.
"Confused?" he asked simply, softly. I looked away from him at that point. I didn't want him to see the utter bewilderment in my eyes, as if he didn't see it already. But I did try to offer an explanation.
"I'm not used to…" I began, before sighing in irritation. "I don't know."
"How do you feel?" he asked patiently. By now I was out of his arms. I was pacing around the room in a frenzy, rubbing my temples.
"I am so confused right now," I groaned. I looked up at him a matter a factly. "At this moment, I can't even tell you if I'm hungry; that's how messed up I am." I saw Duo smile, attempting to hold in laughter. I felt my temper surge.
"It's not funny!" I declared hotly, throwing my hands in the air. Duo waved a hand in submission.
"I know, I know," he said calmly. His eyes twinkled, however. "It's just your analogy, I found it amusing." I rolled my eyes angrily. I couldn't believe he wasn't taking this seriously. Duo must've sensed the reason for my vexation because nodded solemnly.
"I understand, don't get me wrong," he said. I still had my arms folded. "I understand you never had a guy as handsome as myself fawning over you…" if he said that in an attempt to lift my spirits, it worked. At least slightly, because I felt the corners of my mouth moving upwards. Duo smiled as well as he approached me. "It's not love you're feeling, I'll be honest with you; we don't know each other well enough for it to develop that much, but it's a sort of…" he trailed off, looking for a word which I promptly supplied.
"Excitement," I said with a shrug. He nodded.
"Yeah, excitement, that comes when you're attracted to a person," he stepped closer to me, gazing into my eyes. "See, when I stand this close to you and stare into your eyes like this, your breathing becomes erratic." Duo said softly. I took several deep breaths to regulate my breathing. Duo smirked. He lifted my hand in his and I felt my pulse quicken, my blood rush to my face.
"I touch you and your heart rate accelerates," he held my hand in his softly, gently. Entwining his fingers into mine, his raised them to his lips. He spoke softly, his breath warm against my now sensitive palm. "Your sense of touch has intensified, your skin is very sensitive to the slightest…" he lowered his lips to the palm of my hand and kissed it tenderly, deliberately, "…stimulus." Oh, I felt that kiss in every nerve cell throughout my body. I suddenly wanted him to kiss me again, to feel his lips against mine.
"It's a chemical reaction, really; Mother Nature's plan to continue the species," Duo continued before kissing the back of my hand. He looked up at me and smiled. "But it feels damn good."
I realized that I was getting a free Biology lesson from a guy. A guy that I met a week ago. A guy that I just kissed. And it was way more interesting than anything I learnt in school. And it made perfect sense.
"So what you're trying to say," I replied, finding my voice finally, "is that all these feelings, physical and emotional combined is the…passion I feel for you?" I asked, not entirely serious; I felt flirty all of a sudden.
"That coquettishness is another reaction," Duo said with a smile. "But yes, that's basically it."
By the time we left the castle, I official had my first serious boyfriend.
~*~
Though I hardly got any sleep that night, I was glowing nevertheless the next morning when I got up for work. I felt happy. See, I figured that everything was going right in my life: I felt like I could fly. Seriously, if I didn't have to go to work, I'm sure I would've gone out on my window ledge and tried it out.
That morning, I put on a lilac suit with a fitted jacket and a skirt that was a few inches well above my knees and black strappy heels. I began putting my hair in a bun, but I changed my mind. I ran a brush through it and put some hairspray in to keep it from flying around the place. Last week, I bought a Calvin Klein fragrance 'Obsession' and a sprayed it on lavishly. Then I brushed a little sheer eye shadow over my eyelids and applied some Grape flavored lip-gloss. And all the while, I was singing along to the songs on the radio as loudly and callously as I did the previous afternoon.
I floated downstairs and hailed a cab to the office, over tipping him when I got out. I greeted everyone I met along the way with a gracious smile and a 'Good Day'. When I got into my office, put down my briefcase and walked over into Relena's office. There, she was sitting behind her desk, squinting at the computer.
"Morning," I greeted cheerfully. Relena looked up at me and quirked a brow.
"Well, aren't we positively glowing this morning?" she commented with surprised smile. "I tried calling you yesterday afternoon." I couldn't help it, I broke out into a full-blown smile.
"I was…out," I replied secretively as I flopped down on her cream couch. She raised both brows now.
"Out?" she repeated slowly. "Out where?" I'm sure I was smiling like the cat that ate the canary and got the cream.
"With Duo," I answered lightly. Relena's eyes widened. She put a hand to her mouth as she got up from her chair.
"Stop it," she whispered. I nodded. "Stop it!" she was smiling as much as I was now. "The two of you…"
"Uh huh," I nodded. Relena gasped.
"Stop it! Ooh!" she walked over to me quickly and embraced me warmly. "Oh, my Gosh, the two of you hook up!" for the next few seconds, it was just a bunch of giggling and laughing. then she pulled away from me and sat up in a business-like manner. "Okay, I want detail now. Where did he take you?"
"To this really sweet, romantic castle not far from the beach," I sighed.
"Ooh!" she wriggled her brows. "Care to tell me more?" I wagged a finger at her.
"That, boss lady, is none of your concern," I laughed. Relena rolled her eyes playfully.
"You're not fair," she pouted. I raised a brow.
"Oh? What about you and Heero Saturday night?" I asked, folding my arms. Relena blinked and rubbed the back of her head.
"We just…drove around for a bit…talked…you know," she replied lightly. I raised both brows.
"Talked about what?" Relena wagged a finger at me.
"Now that is none of your concern," she replied. I rolled my eyes.
"Whatever."
~*~
I had the rest of the day off, so after lunch, I went to the mall to pick up a few items I would need for the trip. The day was perfectly sunny, not a single cloud in the sky when I went in.
However, when I exited half an hour later, rain was coming down in sheets. I should've known better, seeing as English weather was the most unpredictable; I should've been prepared. Unfortunately, I forgot my umbrella. So, here I was standing outside the mall, not able to move in any direction. Though I was standing under the awning, I was still getting wet. And there wasn't a single taxicab in sight. I was suddenly aware of the weight of the shopping bags in my hands. I sighed heavily as I remembered I forgot my cellular phone this morning, so I couldn't call a cab. I couldn't call Duo either; he had classes this afternoon. The architect was also so very…can't find a word right now…but the bottom line was the pay phones were across the street, which meant I would have to run in rain. I was feeling very frustrated, you can imagine.
I heard it before I saw it. The screech of car tires as it stopped right in front of me. I looked up in surprise then, since I was looking at my leather pumps, dreading their becoming soaked so they would smell when they dried. Before me was a sleek, beautiful silver/grey Alteeza. The windows were covered with opaque sliver tint, so I couldn't see who was in the car. However, I wasn't going to have to wait for long before I found out whom it was. The window of the driver's side was being rolled down slowly.
"Do you need a ride home?" he asked nonchalantly. I felt a wave of relief wash over me. I was going home sometime this century! I ran around to the other side quickly and got in. as soon as I buckled my seat belt, Heero sped off. The air conditioning in the car was cold, and I started to shiver slightly. Though it only took me a few seconds to get into the car, I was soaked from head to toe.
"Here," Heero said monotonously as he handed me a black fluffy towel, which I accepted gratefully. I wiped at my hair and face before running it over my legs. When I was dried to my satisfaction, I draped the towel over my shoulders.
For a few minutes, there was a silence between us, except for the car's radio. Heero was solely concentrating on his driving; which was equally to that of any Grand Prix racecar driver. He took corners sharply with the slightest turn of the steering wheel and sped down highways with the calm and ease of a professional driver. Considering it was sill raining, I should've been at least slightly worried. But I wasn't; I guess after being on a motorcycle, I could face anything. The silence wasn't even that uncomfortable.
Presently, a new song came on the radio. One I soon recognized as Eminem's 'Cleaning out my Closet'.
"You like Eminem?" I asked, hardly able to contain my surprise. Heero was nodding his head and I could see his lips moving ever so slightly.
"Yeah," he answered simply.
"Why?" I asked. Okay, I have nothing against Eminem; he's got a nice voice. But his lyrics are just too…disturbing for my liking. Let's just say if I had a choice, I wouldn't listen to his songs.
"Because, unlike most singers, he tells the truth," he replied softly.
"Oh?" I blinked. Heero nodded.
"Yeah."
"He disses his mother, Heero," I said incredulously. "How can you like anyone who disses his mother?" Heero looked across at me with a small smirk.
"Have you ever listened to the lyrics to this song?" he asked me plainly. I sniffed.
"I've heard others," I said with a shrug.
"But have you listened to this particular song?" I asked again.
"No, but you've heard one, you've heard them all," I said with such conviction and simplicity. Heero chuckled.
"That's not fair," he said. "You see, in his other songs, he just bad-talks her. He doesn't really give a reason why. But in this song, he explains it." I shook my head.
"Okay, so neglected him. Welcome to the real world," I told Heero. "That sort of stuff happens everyday to a whole bunch of children. It's the way of the life on this planet," he raised a brow.
"I thought you said there was good in the world," I could hear the mocking in his voice.
"I did. But just because I said so, doesn't mean I'm not a realist," I replied with a roll of my eyes. "But anyway, he isn't justified. Eminem is just a thug who wants attention. Have you listened to his lyrics? He promotes violence against gays and…have you heard how he talks about Kim?"
"First, Kim hurt him badly. This is just his way of letting out his pent up anger. And secondly, if his lyrics are literal, how can he raise a little girl?" Heero asked me, a hint of challenge in his voice.
"Pardon?" I queried, quite confused. Heero chuckled again.
"His daughter, Hailie? You've heard of her, right?" I shrugged.
"Yeah…"
"So, if he really was into what he sings about, how can he raise his daughter? He loves controversy, that's evident, but if he really was a pistol packing drug addict, why would the courts see it fit for him to raise Hailie? Wouldn't they have done something about it? Would his ex file a petition against him or something?"
Okay, I found myself speechless. When Heero put it that way…it almost made sense. Almost. However, he just pulled up by my apartment, so we couldn't continue the debate. I also noticed the rain had eased up.
"Well, I must be going now before the rain breaks again," I said as I gather my bags up. "Thanks for the ride." Heero nodded.
"No problem," I stepped out of the car and began to walk up the stairs. "Oh, Ami?" I looked back and I saw Heero was handing me a white box. I took it.
"What's this?" I asked.
"Open it," he said softly. I frowned but followed his command.
Inside was an immaculate white rose. The truth hit me like a ton of bricks.
"Oh my…" as I looked up, I heard car tires squealing. Heero was gone.
Heero was my secret admirer.
Yes, a whole bunch of you saw this coming, no? Ah, well, I tried.
Okay, I have my ideas here to share with you:
Somewhere In Time: I've always been kind of obsessed with Setsuna. Things like: where she came from, how old she is, what really goes through her head. So, I decided to satisfy my own curiosity and write her 'life story'.
The Show Must Go On: This is a serious satire. You know how some people always obsess over the popular people; how they think they are so perfect? Well, as we all know, they aren't. I'm just making it official. Oh, Sailor Moon/ Gundam Wing, by the way.
Complicated: My tribute to the world of the music industry. Very Complicated. It's not like the song at all, but it's…complicated. Okay, there's a triangle in here somewhere.
Okay, that's it for now. Oh, I'm also going to continue the 'Only Time' series. Yes, I'm going to do this to the other four scouts. I have all their stories more or less planned out. Of course, seeing as I have my studies to tend to and all, these won't be posted until…next year June. Sorry!
Oh, and Kaiya, I had to re-write almost every chapter of this fic: from the previous chapter up until the end. Yes, this one was re-written too. So, you can forget about the notebook, it's worthless. *Grins*