Warnings: Errm, weirdness towards the end. OOCness.
Disclaimers: Gundam Wing and all related characters do not belong
to me.
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No Title Yet - Chapter Five
That day, I stayed in my room, not really feeling like doing anything. It was a windy Friday afternoon, and although I was supposed to be at work, serving the general public, I called in sick. I didn't really care for world peace at that moment. I started doubting myself again, just as I have done many times before - if I wasn't just being naive, believing in total pacifism.
Fortunately, before I could ponder more about any of this, my brother knocked on the door, and walked in.
"How are you feeling, Relena?" he asked, as he sat down on my bed.
Standing by the window, I carefully watched his reflection on the clear surface. There was concern in his eyes, and something else which I couldn't quite place. Recognizing his words as a question, I simply shrugged.
"Do you want me to kill him for you? I'd gladly--"
"Nah," I said, trying to sound casual. Milliardo and I haven't really ever been that close. I didn't want him to see my weak side... yet.
Pause.
"Ok," he sighed. "Noin says dinner's ready." And with that, he walked out the door again. Sometimes I wish we were closer.
I had considered hiring someone to finish off Duo for me before, but that would be completely unrealistic and over the top. After all, he was a trained Gundam Pilot. Yet that offer was... tempting to say the least.
----
A few weeks later, Heero and I signed the divorce papers. We split everything up fairly; I got the house, the furniture and the percentage of money that I have made during the year. Heero got the rest, of course, and moved in with Duo. Soon afterwards, I returned to work. That's all I did, nowadays. Work. There wasn't really any other reason for me to keep going. The feeling of being needed was... comforting, in a warped and twisted kind of way, but... it kept me alive.
Days, weeks, even months slowly crept past. Milliardo and Noin announced their engagement at the beginning of November, as well as Quatre, who was going to marry some redhead from work. It send a twist of pain and jealousy into my heart, but I ignored it. They would all make their own mistakes. Yet I missed the fresh feeling of love, and the hope that it would never end, and never leave you.
Funny, how much older I feel, when it is them who are beyond my own years. Maybe that was the problem - we were too young to see the inevitable.
I tried to ignore everything, and I finally began to heal... unfortunately, it was a very slow process. I buried myself in my peace projects, and helped out with the preparations of the weddings. Noin and Milliardo's wedding was going to wait until next year, but Quatre's was scheduled for the 1st of January on his home colony. Great date he picked - I really have to say that.
Quatre invited me, of course. I didn't really know if I should go, though. I mean... Heero and Duo were invited, of that I was sure. I didn't know if I was healed enough to face them without breaking into a fit of tears or rage.
But sweet, angelic Quatre worked his magic on me, as usual.
"Please, Miss Relena? It won't be the same without you," he begged, a sincere look in his aquamarine eyes.
"You don't need me to get wed, Quatre," I pointed out. "And besides, it'll mean more media than already expected.
"Oh, don't worry about the media. The Maguanacs(1) have offered to keep them off the grounds." Seeing my determined look, he sighed and repeated, "Please?" His eyes shone with pure hope. He was always so open - it was something I admired about him. I didn't want to destroy his hope - I wasn't a murderer. Whoever his fiancée was, she was a lucky girl. He would never betray her.
I sighed in defeat, "All right Quatre. I'll be there." I smiled.
The hope was immediately replaced by gratitude and sincerity. Thanking me endlessly, the blond finally left me alone with my thoughts.
Why did I always end up in these kind of situations?
----
The weeks passed way too quickly for my taste. While I was helping prepare for Quatre's wedding, I somehow felt I was preparing for my own. The excitement had infected me, as well as all the other pilots. I got to see both Heero and Duo a couple of times, but we never spoke with words, only with silent gestures. I was too afraid, I guess.
Quatre's fiancée, Ronya, and I got to know each other a bit. She is really nice, and a great match for the blond ex-pilot. I helped her pick out a beautiful dress (which, err... happened to look exactly like my one did...), and of course a wedding cake. Everything was going too fast, and I kept thinking back to when Heero and I got married.
I remember it clearly. It was a spring morning of AC200. We decided to get married on Earth - in Japan, his home country. Everyone was there, except one of the ex-pilots who couldn't make it. Quatre and WuFei were ushers and Duo the best man. Dorothy was there, too, as a bride's maid, as well as a girl called Hilde. I never got to know her, but she was an acquaintance of the pilot's during the war. My brother and Noin, recently announced as a couple, had come too. Unfortunately, Heero didn't know of any family he might have had, and the only person he had known to ever be close to a father had died a long time ago.
There was a lot about Heero I didn't know, and I still don't. Sometimes I wish he had been more open with me.
The wedding had been perfect. Perfect weather, perfect ceremony, perfect reception... perfect everything. Even the honeymoon... Ooh, the honeymoon. Delicious. We rented an island on Earth somewhere in the Indian Ocean(2), and lived in a small cottage for a week. It was beautiful - watching the sunset together every morning, and for once the media wasn't there to block the view - Heero had made sure of that.
But all that was over, and now it was Quatre's turn to taste the sweet
life.
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The 31st December.
Quatre had invited all of us to a New Year's party; a pre-celebration of his wedding. Everyone came, of course. Who wouldn't? Quatre threw great parties. He had rented an entire restaurant, with a karoke bar and dance floor.
Ooh, the karoke bar was a bad idea. But I'll get to that later.
First, we all sat down to dinner. I was sitting next to Dorothy who was enthusiastically chatting up WuFei, and ... you won't believe this - Circus guy! The one with the half mask! Just without the mask.
I blinked at him, "You?"
He turned his head my way a bit and blinked back, "Sorry?"
"You're that guy from the circus!" I exclaimed. "So you're the one who sold me out to Heero."
"Um, yeah... That's me." He replied while picking at the caviar surrounding a gloriously smelling Turkey.
"I never caught your name. What was it?" I asked, curiosity perking up inside me.
"Barton. Trowa Barton."
I quirked an eyebrow at him. "You mean the guy who wanted to crash a colony on Earth?"
"Errm, no. Not exactly," he looked a bit embarrassed. "I just stole his name."
"Oh." Never expected that one. "Should I ask how?"
"Please don't."
I smiled at him. From behind his long, reddish brown hair, I saw his emerald eyes focus on me. For a moment, we just looked at each other in that way, neither one parting gaze.
Suddenly, my cheeks flushed with embarrassment, as I realized what I was doing. Quickly looking away, I hauled mounts of food - I didn't even look what - onto my plate, and started eating.
"You crazy onna!" WuFei suddenly screamed, and fell backwards on his
chair. Dorothy beside me just giggled hysterically. She couldn't
contain herself anymore, as she started laughing out loud, while WuFei
yelled and ranted at her. I wasn't even going to ask...
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(1) I have no idea how to spell that.
(2) I don't know any Geography, so if it is impossible to have an island
in that region for whatever reasons at all, sorry.