Author's Note: I figure Relena's got to be a normal teenager sometime. You
know, Relena and Hilde are acting an awful lot like me and my best friend.
Heck, we even kinda look alike.'cept my hair's a bit darker than Relena's
and Laurel Mer's hair is a smidgen lighter than Hilde's.
Disclaimer: Raise your hand if you don't want Gundam Wing! *smiles happily* A's for everyone since nobody raised their hands! Now raise your hands if you DO own Gundam Wing! *frowns* Stop it, Self. *puts hand down* ^__^
^*^*^*^* From One Façade to Another ^*^*^*^*
With a sigh Relena finished typing up her report before spellchecking and printing it. Satisfied with her work, she logged off her computer and shut it down until the next morning when she would again return to work. Picking up her briefcase and grabbing her spring jacket she walked out of her office and locked the door behind her. Walking steadily down the hall, she entered the elevator and went down six flights before walking into the front lobby. Stopping by the front desk she dropped off her report to one of the many secretaries who graciously accepted the paperwork without a second glance. Ruefully Relena watched as it was shelved; she hoped it made it to its final destination.
Walking out the front door of the office building, Vice Foreign Minister Relena Darlian disappeared to be replaced by seventeen-year-old Relena Peacecraft. Reaching up a slender hand to the back of her honey-brown hair, the teen unclasped the annoying clip that held all of her hair back in a tight bun. Allowing the late afternoon sunlight to catch her hair, she shook her head as if to loosen herself up. A smile took place on her face as she made her way to the small two-bedroom apartment she shared with her best friend, Hilde Schbeiker. Relena couldn't wait to get home and change out of her stuffy business suit and into the more comfortable jeans and t-shirt.
Upon entering the small apartment Relena heard laughter coming from the back room, both the light of Hilde and the heavy of Duo Maxwell, Hilde's boyfriend. Grinning, Relena made her way to the back room where indeed Hilde and Duo were laughing, but a third guest was also present-Heero Yuy, Duo's best friend and the bane of Relena's existence. She had been in love with him since almost day one, but never once had he ever given her any hint of returning her love. After the Mariemaia incident a year and a half ago at Christmas, Relena had thought her relationship with Heero would change, and it had, but not in the direction she had hoped. They were more cordial with each other than previously, but they weren't familiar. Sometimes Relena swore Heero was trying to keep his distance from her, as if she were a contagious disease like pinkeye or Maxwell.
"You're late. You look terrible," Hilde greeted the young politician, her violet eyes sparkling with life.
"Hey, VFM, I was beginning to suspect that office of yours ate you alive," Duo said, standing up and offering Relena a hug.
"I feel like it eats me alive every day," Relena responded. "It's good to see you again, Duo! Oh, I love you too, Hilde." Setting aside her friend voice and pulling on an air of formality, Relena greeted Heero. "Hello Heero. How have you been?" Her efforts were greeted with a grunt, but she hadn't expected much else. Heero never had much to say, despite Duo's protestation that the man talked the braided American's ear off at home.
Excusing herself with the excuse of needing to change, Relena quickly walked to her room to slip out of her jail clothes into the clothes God meant all people to wear.
^*^*^*^*
"A grunt. Way to go, Heero, I'd say you have now scored negative one points with the Vice Foreign Minister!" Duo announced as if it were a sporting event for all the world to see. "Keep this up and you may be in the negatives for years!"
Heero grunted again. What was there to honestly say? He didn't speak much in public, and he most certainly didn't have anything to say to Relena. The girl pined away after him like a lost puppy dog! Okay, so she hadn't pined after him since they first met over two years ago, but that was beside the point. Honestly, Duo expected sparks to fly between the two teenagers as if everything was normal. Well, everything wasn't normal. He was an ex-Gundam Pilot and she was the Vice Foreign Minister, a match made in heaven-if you didn't mind mixing murderers with pacifists.
Soft footsteps sounded and Relena returned, making Heero do a double-take. She was dressed casually in blue jeans and a white t-shirt sporting a Cinq Kingdom logo, her honey blonde hair casually pulled back in a ponytail, her feet adorned only by frog socks. Nothing about her was breathtaking or absolutely stunning, but Heero had never seen Relena dressed like that before. It was foreign, almost alien. He didn't quite know how to respond to this teenage version of Relena. All he'd ever seen before was the rich politician.
"Come join us, Rel," Hilde spoke up. "We're just about to start a game of poker."
"Sweet!" Relena replied. "It's been a good long time since I've played that. I suck, just to warn you."
"All the better for me to win," Duo said in his macho man voice. Heero only barely kept himself from staring at the transformed youth. He had never before heard Relena speak like that. He hadn't even known suck was in her vocabulary. He began to wonder just how much there was to this young maiden that he'd missed before.
Relena sat down on the floor with the other three teens and Duo dealt our four hands of five cards. Picking up his cards, Heero quickly scanned them and assessed his situation before reverting his gaze to Relena. He still could not get over how different she looked dressed as a normal teenager. It took away the ice of politician and made her seem more human.
"Hmm.give me two cards, please," Relena said, placing to cards upside down on the floor. Heero in turn asked for three, Hilde for one and Duo for two. "So, are we betting anything or is this just fun?" Relena asked.
"Oh, I forgot!" Duo said. "We usually play strip poker, since it's more fun and gives you a better incentive to win, but since you're here Lena we can bet.something else."
Relena's innocent eyes widened a wee bit, but she said, "No, strip poker's okay. Of course, I may have to go back to my room and grab more layers." Duo laughed and Heero fought to keep a smile off his face. He was Mr. Stoic, Brick-Wall Yuy. A smile would not be becoming now, even if it would in turn make Relena smile. Come to think of it, would it make Relena smile? Had she ever seen him smile? He wasn't sure she had.
"Okay then, everybody has to bet an article of clothing," Duo announced. He of course pulled off the stupid baseball cap of his he never seemed to be without and set it in the middle. A moment of thinking set Relena about removing one of her socks and Hilde donated her left shoe. Heero also tossed in his left shoe. Everybody laid down their cards, and it turned out Duo won with a full house. Five minutes of explaining ensued so that Relena would understand just what she was going for exactly. Heero once again resisted the urge to smile; she was cute when she was confused.
Another round was played, and again Duo won, but Relena seemed to be getting the hang of things. Three rounds later she most definitely had the hang of things, and a round after that she managed to win back one of her socks which she gratefully slipped on her foot. Now that she was no longer a rookie, the game heated up, capturing all of Heero's attention, leaving no room left over for other thoughts.
^*^*^*^*
Evaluating her cards, Relena carefully selected two to trade in. She intended to win this round no matter what. Her shirt was on the line and there was no way she could afford to lose that. Picking up the two new cards she was dealt, she carefully slipped her politician face into play so as not to betray her emotions. Sometimes it helped that she spent hours schooling her face into submission, both with uppity politicians and friends playing strip poker. Duo announced it was time to show their hands after nobody folded, and she triumphantly held out her Straight flush.
"Aww, shoot it all to He-" Duo started.
"Language," Hilde threatened.
"-eeeeeewaii! Hewaii! You know, the island closely related to Hawaii." Hilde's glare shut him up as Relena gleefully collected her prizes. Scrupulously she avoided meeting Heero's death gaze. He'd also bargained his shirt, and had lost it. Pulling it over his head, it was tossed on the pile and Relena spread it over her lap, absently tracing the Nike logo on it as she snuck a look at him. He was now sitting barefoot in his jeans, only a green tank top covering his torso. Relena blinked before grinning. That was the same shirt he'd worn through the entire war or she'd eat her sock! Looking up into Hilde's eyes, Relena motioned to Heero with her own eyes and allowed her grin to widen a little bit. Hilde grinned back, getting the message; in one of their moments as true teenagers, Relena and Hilde had been picking on Heero's bad habit of never washing his clothes during the war, in specific his black spandex shorts and green tank top. The two of them had gone so far as to name both articles of clothing, the top being Sale, French for dirty, and the shorts being Miam, French for yummy. She wasn't quite sure where that one had come from, but there it was. "What's all the grinning going on that I don't get?" Duo asked as he dealt out another hand.
"Nothing," Relena said innocently. "Hilde and I were simply commenting to each other that we're glad Sale could grace us with his presence once in a while. It's nice to see old friends."
"Who's Sale?" Heero asked as he picked up his new hand. Relena couldn't help but giggle.
"Oh, nobody," Hilde breezed. "Hm, Relena, wouldn't it be nice if Sale would show what's underneath? You know, find out what lies under his cover. Might be pretty." Barely holding in a squeal, Relena giggled instead.
"Sale isn't aware of the beauty he hides, let me tell you," she responded, the grin on her face becoming tighter, all the while Duo and Heero sharing confused looks. Not feeling the least bit inclined to bring the boys into their confidence, Relena continued. "I was actually beginning to wonder if Miam would show up. It's quite possible, you know, especially if Heero and Duo keep losing the way they have been."
Hilde giggled viciously. "They're running out of clothes, Rel. They can only go so much farther."
"I really wish you'd stop all this coded talking," Duo whined. "Tell us what you're talking about!"
"Oh stop your puling[1]," Relena said. "My ante is Duo's jean jacket."
"I'm bloody well running out of clothes," Duo grumbled. "I guess it's my tank top on the line this time. Suddenly I'm glad I listened to Heero and wore one."
"Heero's shoes," Hilde said. "Yup, both of them. They smell. I'm hoping to get rid of them this round."
"Same as Duo," Heero grunted. Satisfied, Relena started the round by setting down two cards. Picking up her new couple, she grinned triumphantly, the expression hidden by her high-held cards. If Heero didn't fold, Sale would be hers and what lay beneath would be exposed.
"You're eyes are twinkling just a little too much, Lena." Duo stated. "I fold."
"So do I," Hilde said happily. "At least I got rid of Heero's stinking shoes!"
"AAH, KNEESLAPPER!" Relena shrieked, slapping her knee and laughing. Hilde joined in the act while Duo muttered, "And I thought I was weird," and Heero rolled his eyes.
"You folding, buddy?" Duo asked Heero while the girls regained their composure. At a shake from the perfect soldier, Relena decided to up the ante a wee bit.
"To stay in you have to bet something else," she said. "I'm betting Duo's left sock. What about you, Heero?"
Heero looked himself over before giving a small, almost undetectable sigh. "My jeans it is."
"Helloooo Miam," Hilde mouthed to Relena who had to work hard to contain herself. Barely holding her composure, Relena nodded to Heero and waited for him to lay down his hand. Upon doing so, Relena nodded with satisfaction-a full house. Not too shabby, but not good enough to beat her. Laying down her own hand, she was met with a whistle by Duo. She had four of a kind.
Happily collecting her bounty, Relena shared a vicious grin with Hilde when Miam made his appearance. This day couldn't get any better.
The phone rang, and Relena dropped her armload of clothes to dash into the hall to answer it. Flipping on the vidphone, her clear voice rang out. "Hello?"
"I'm looking for Vice Foreign Minister Darlian," the voice from the other end said, matching itself with a man's face of about forty years.
"One moment please," Relena said and ducked out of sight. Pulling her hair down out of its ponytail, she straightened her appearance and schooled her face into its politician cover before returning once again to the vidphone. Pulling on her most sophisticated voice, she reverted back to her adult mindset as she rejoined the conversation. "How may I help you?"
"My name is Charles Lavignon. A situation has arisen that needs your immediate attention." Several minutes ensued of details, Relena clocking everything away for future reference. "If you could fly out to Milan, Italy right now it would be most appreciated," the man concluded. Holding in a sigh, Relena gave her consent and said she would be in Italy as soon as she could get to an airport and hop on a plane. Severing the connection, she could feel a tinge of a headache coming on as she walked back to her friends waiting patiently on the floor for her to resume their game.
The grin on Hilde's face vanished as Relena returned. "Your hair is down. A work call, and judging by the nonexistent smile on your face you have to go somewhere."
"Milan, actually," Relena sighed. "Sorry I must depart so soon, but I need to leave immediately. The Vice Foreign Minister doesn't have the option of saying no. You can divide my clothes between the three of you, which is pretty much everything the three of you were wearing. Good luck with the rest of the game, I hope you enjoy yourselves." Turning on her heel, Relena headed to her room to quickly change and grab her ever-ready duffel bag for the just in case something like this happened. Calling out one last goodbye to Hilde she walked out the front door and headed towards the airport.
^*^*^*^* Heero was having a hard time getting over how quickly Relena could change from political dignitary to average teenager and then back again. In the space of an hour and a half he'd seen her switch twice. He couldn't help but wonder if there was any possible way both personalities could merge into one so she could always be herself.
Pondering a bit more on this prospect, he wondered what it was exactly that made her reserve her happy-go-lucky personality only for the home life with people she loved and trusted. More than likely it was simply because she couldn't be a teenager in the grown-up world she'd been forced into far too early. Only adult minds were accepted in the realm of politicians, and while Relena possessed quite an adult mind, she was still a youth a still enjoyed being youthful and doing youthful things. Once again Heero wondered just how much he'd missed about this fair young maiden.
"It gets me every time just how quickly she can switch between being normal and being an adult," Duo commented, shaking his head. "Nigh on breaks my heart."
"Why?" Hilde asked, setting herself in front of Relena's pile and tossing everybody's clothes back at them. Nobody had officially declared it, but they all knew the game was over. "She enjoys what she does, save for now and then, such as today, when she's exhausted from her duties. She may be almost two entirely different people at work and at home, but she loves both lives. Only one thing could possibly make her happier, and that one thing seems to think it's okay to sit in limbo for eternity." Her sideways glance at Heero left no room for interpretation on that line. With a blank stare Heero got up and strode to the window overlooking the backstreet. What did Hilde expect him to do? He had nothing to offer Relena, and even though she pined away after him, he was positive she would be happier without him than with him.
Staring out the window, Heero let his attention get caught by the not-too- distant park and the children playing there. Unconsciously a smile found its way to his lips as he watched pure joy be exhibited from the innocent children. Little kids rarely ever had any idea of the turmoils going on around them. They were the pure embodiment of fun, joy, and honesty. Heero had never had a chance to be a true kid, having been forced to be an adult from almost day one, and he enjoyed the rare moment in which he could watch life to its fullest in the form of these little tykes. Nobody knew it, but Heero's only dream nowadays was to be a father one day and make his kids turn out right, not into cold blooded killers like him. They'd have normal lives, and be able to go to the park and play until their mother called them in, not have to go to the gym and work on building their body until an evil mechanical doctor told them food was prepared.
Duo's voice pulled Heero out of his thoughts. "They're perfect for each other, Hilde," he was saying. "Relena switches from Relena Darlian, the happy-go-lucky teen at home to Relena Darlian the Vice Foreign Minister at work, and Heero changes from Heero Yuy, normal teen at home, to Heero Yuy the Gundam Pilot with no feelings whatsoever everywhere else! It's a match made in heaven!"
"Only if you don't mind mixing pacifism with murder," Heero called out coldly.
"You forget she's not a complete pacifist anymore," Duo pointed out. "After the Mariemaia incident she realized how screwed up her ideals were and altered them slightly."
"Duo's right," Hilde said, entering the discussion. "Relena still believes pacifism is the best way, but not always the only way. She's willing to admit that sometimes war is necessary."
"Fine," Heero said. "In any case, you still don't mix devils with angels." As soon as he said it, he knew it was the wrong thing to say. Hilde's sudden grin and Duo's guffaw told him he'd made a mistake and it was too late to rectify.
"It's a classic!" Duo exclaimed. "Evil devil thinks he's not worthy of perfect angel, but perfect angel is dying to be with evil devil. You two'd fit together like peas in a pod!"
"Shut up, Maxwell," Heero snapped, turning around and giving Duo his Yuy Death Glare.
A moment of silence ensued before Hilde again said something. "Seriously, Heero, have you ever even entertained the thought of going after Relena? She may not be a lovesick puppy, but she'd love nothing more than to know you at least think about her. Now I'm not supposed to be saying any of this, but her entire demeanor changes when you are mentioned or are around. She tries to impress you without doing anything that isn't her, and she tries to act and be like she thinks you want her to be."
"I probably shouldn't say this either, especially not with Heero standing right there already ready to kill me, but every time Relena is on TV he glues himself to the set until she's off. We have every magazine she's ever been featured in, even if it's only a two word quote she said. He even-"
Funny, how animal rage can suddenly be personified. Heero was on top of Duo trying to suffocate him before Hilde had so much as blinked. The blue- raven haired girl couldn't decide whether to laugh at her loved one's misfortune or try and prevent Heero from killing the braided baka. Heero took full advantage of Hilde's occupied attention and did his very best to rid the world of one more idiot, but Hilde sprang into action to save Duo's life before Heero could do any real damage. The American sat up, strangled sounds emitting from his throat as he tried to breathe normally again. Heero let loose the full fury of The Yuy Death Glare on the man, but Duo was so used to it that it barely fazed him.
"Dude, just stating truth," Duo croaked.
Having assured herself Duo was going to live, Hilde turned her full attention on Heero. "It sounds like love to me, Heero. Try something. It can be small! You only have to ask her out. Take her to the movies! That requires almost no effort, and not much talking, either! Please, Heero," she pleaded. "It'll make her happy, and you as well. At least think about it?" Nobody knew it, but Heero had a very hard time saying no to women despite all pretenses, and now was no exception. Knowing he was doomed, Heero finally nodded, agreeing only to think about it, nothing more. "Thank you," Hilde said with sincerity.
Grabbing his jacket off the floor, he said his goodbyes and started to leave. If he was going to think, he needed to get started now because he knew he would be doing an awful lot of it. Right before he shut the door, Duo called after him, "The airport's on Broad Street! Just make sure you're home by midnight!" Hilde's apartment door slammed behind Heero as he left.
^*^*^*^*
With an exasperated sigh Relena fell into the hard plastic chair in the terminal of the airport. There wasn't going to be a flight out to Milan for another two hours and she had nothing to do with her time until then. She supposed she could walk home, but what was the point? Almost as soon as she walked in the front door she'd have to turn around and come back to make sure she arrived in plenty of time. Wishing she had something to do, Relena mentally told herself to get a book for her Always Ready Duffel Bag.
The Vice Foreign Minister's thoughts drifted for several minutes before they came to rest on Heero Yuy. Wincing, Relena told herself she did not want to think about him, she'd already wasted enough time on the subject, but her brain wasn't in the mood to listen to her. Or perhaps her heart wasn't willing to listen to her brain. In any case, no matter what she did she couldn't shake the ex-Gundam Pilot from her mind. Succumbing to her stubborn self, she let Heero take over her mind.
It was a strange relationship, theirs. For almost an entire year he'd told her at every meeting that he was going to kill her. It had frightened Relena the first time she'd heard it, but oddly enough she'd never believed for a moment he'd truly cause physical harm to her person. For some reason it just didn't seem plausible, though Heaven help her if she knew why. Fortunately her instinct was right and he never had hurt her-physically, anyway. She'd had more than her fair share of emotional hurts from the Perfect Soldier. The very first one had been when he tore up the invitation to her birthday party in front of her face. Smiling slightly, she couldn't help but patronize her former self at being so upset at a torn invitation. If she'd known Heero then like she knew him now she'd have been happy that was all he did, especially in the midst of such an important mission.
Unbidden thoughts of Heero after he shot down Mariemaia's fortress came to her mind. He'd shot the girl with an empty gun and had then fallen to the floor, landing softly only because Relena caught him. She'd held him in her arms as he whispered fervently, "I don't have to kill anymore." She remembered the electricity that had run through her body when he'd uttered those words. For the very first time ever, they had truly connected, and at that moment she had thought for sure he would stay with her forever, no matter what, but once again she was wrong. Heero had stayed with her for three weeks, overcoming the many ordeals he'd been through, before he told her it was time to leave. Relena had held a strong front as he said goodbye and went off in search of Duo. The moment he'd left, though, she'd sobbed her heart out and felt for sure she was going to die, the doctors discovering a broken heart when they performed her autopsy. Miraculously she'd managed to survive and gave up living alone in her luxurious manor in favour of always being with her best friend. Hilde was a great person, and she understood Relena's feelings and respected the little privacy she demanded. That had been the smartest move Relena ever made, and with Hilde she'd even managed to survive being friends with Heero because of Duo. Relena knew she'd always want to be more than just friends with Heero, but she also knew that wasn't possible. They were lucky to be acquaintances, and any other dreaming of hers was pretty much just that-dreaming.
Yawning a little, Relena tried to push Heero out of her mind and think about her impending doom-a very long flight to Milan. She loved her job and enjoyed it immensely, but right now she wanted to go home and sleep and take tomorrow off. She was in the mood to be Relena, not Vice Foreign Minister. "Eh, since when did anybody ever ask me what I want?" she asked aloud to herself, a smile full of irony sliding onto her face.
"Up until the day I showed up in your life," a deep masculine voice said and Relena whirled around to face the one, the only, Heero Yuy. "You were the nicest spoiled brat I ever met."
It took several seconds of shock and open-jawed staring before Relena was able to form words. "What are you doing here?" She asked.
"Funny how I just happen to be going to Milan," he said, taking a seat next to her. "That okay with you?"
A smile of true happiness replaced her stare. "Of course it's fine with me, Heero." The two friends sat there in silence, but for the first time in about a year it was a comfortable silence, not an awkward one. Relena even felt her political self be replaced by her self, signifying true companionship with the man she sat next to. Her smile never left her face and she found herself thinking that the upcoming flight wouldn't be so bad after all. Maybe she and Heero would finally be able to take a step together in the right direction.
A few moments later Relena found her hand, resting on the armrest, covered by Heero's. Looking at his face, she saw his eyes closed, appearing to the average passerby to be slooming [2], but she could tell otherwise. Smiling contentedly, she closed her eyes and imagined the world to be perfect. Opening her blue orbs again, she was surprised to discover that she felt different-happier, more complete-more like herself. Over all she felt whole. So this was the magic Heero had over her. Well, it was a good magic and she was more than willing to keep hold of it forever. Closing her eyes again, she sat like that for the remainder of the two hours.
^*^*^*^*
Heero placed his hand on Relena's, squeezing it very gently to let her know he was there. Their companionable silence filled his ears for one minute before he realized he felt a change in Relena. A small smile came over his face, for he felt the same change in himself. They had both become whole, one person, no longer split in two. Together they had become whole. Suddenly his future looked bright and happy, just the way he liked it.
^*^*^*^* [1] Pule - to whine [2] Slooming - dozing
A/N: Well folks, that's my story. It took me forever to write, and finally, when I was about a paragraph and a half away from being done my best friend called me and detained me for half an hour! AAGH! ^__^ By the way, pule and sloom are real English words, but they're so obscure and unused that they can almost only be found in the Unabridged Oxford Dictionary (or whatever the heck it's called). Many thanks to Elise for not telling me I suck (what she doesn't know is I probably would have killed her if she'd said that.even though I told her to be truthful.) Review, please! Namarie! ~~Callisto
Disclaimer: Raise your hand if you don't want Gundam Wing! *smiles happily* A's for everyone since nobody raised their hands! Now raise your hands if you DO own Gundam Wing! *frowns* Stop it, Self. *puts hand down* ^__^
^*^*^*^* From One Façade to Another ^*^*^*^*
With a sigh Relena finished typing up her report before spellchecking and printing it. Satisfied with her work, she logged off her computer and shut it down until the next morning when she would again return to work. Picking up her briefcase and grabbing her spring jacket she walked out of her office and locked the door behind her. Walking steadily down the hall, she entered the elevator and went down six flights before walking into the front lobby. Stopping by the front desk she dropped off her report to one of the many secretaries who graciously accepted the paperwork without a second glance. Ruefully Relena watched as it was shelved; she hoped it made it to its final destination.
Walking out the front door of the office building, Vice Foreign Minister Relena Darlian disappeared to be replaced by seventeen-year-old Relena Peacecraft. Reaching up a slender hand to the back of her honey-brown hair, the teen unclasped the annoying clip that held all of her hair back in a tight bun. Allowing the late afternoon sunlight to catch her hair, she shook her head as if to loosen herself up. A smile took place on her face as she made her way to the small two-bedroom apartment she shared with her best friend, Hilde Schbeiker. Relena couldn't wait to get home and change out of her stuffy business suit and into the more comfortable jeans and t-shirt.
Upon entering the small apartment Relena heard laughter coming from the back room, both the light of Hilde and the heavy of Duo Maxwell, Hilde's boyfriend. Grinning, Relena made her way to the back room where indeed Hilde and Duo were laughing, but a third guest was also present-Heero Yuy, Duo's best friend and the bane of Relena's existence. She had been in love with him since almost day one, but never once had he ever given her any hint of returning her love. After the Mariemaia incident a year and a half ago at Christmas, Relena had thought her relationship with Heero would change, and it had, but not in the direction she had hoped. They were more cordial with each other than previously, but they weren't familiar. Sometimes Relena swore Heero was trying to keep his distance from her, as if she were a contagious disease like pinkeye or Maxwell.
"You're late. You look terrible," Hilde greeted the young politician, her violet eyes sparkling with life.
"Hey, VFM, I was beginning to suspect that office of yours ate you alive," Duo said, standing up and offering Relena a hug.
"I feel like it eats me alive every day," Relena responded. "It's good to see you again, Duo! Oh, I love you too, Hilde." Setting aside her friend voice and pulling on an air of formality, Relena greeted Heero. "Hello Heero. How have you been?" Her efforts were greeted with a grunt, but she hadn't expected much else. Heero never had much to say, despite Duo's protestation that the man talked the braided American's ear off at home.
Excusing herself with the excuse of needing to change, Relena quickly walked to her room to slip out of her jail clothes into the clothes God meant all people to wear.
^*^*^*^*
"A grunt. Way to go, Heero, I'd say you have now scored negative one points with the Vice Foreign Minister!" Duo announced as if it were a sporting event for all the world to see. "Keep this up and you may be in the negatives for years!"
Heero grunted again. What was there to honestly say? He didn't speak much in public, and he most certainly didn't have anything to say to Relena. The girl pined away after him like a lost puppy dog! Okay, so she hadn't pined after him since they first met over two years ago, but that was beside the point. Honestly, Duo expected sparks to fly between the two teenagers as if everything was normal. Well, everything wasn't normal. He was an ex-Gundam Pilot and she was the Vice Foreign Minister, a match made in heaven-if you didn't mind mixing murderers with pacifists.
Soft footsteps sounded and Relena returned, making Heero do a double-take. She was dressed casually in blue jeans and a white t-shirt sporting a Cinq Kingdom logo, her honey blonde hair casually pulled back in a ponytail, her feet adorned only by frog socks. Nothing about her was breathtaking or absolutely stunning, but Heero had never seen Relena dressed like that before. It was foreign, almost alien. He didn't quite know how to respond to this teenage version of Relena. All he'd ever seen before was the rich politician.
"Come join us, Rel," Hilde spoke up. "We're just about to start a game of poker."
"Sweet!" Relena replied. "It's been a good long time since I've played that. I suck, just to warn you."
"All the better for me to win," Duo said in his macho man voice. Heero only barely kept himself from staring at the transformed youth. He had never before heard Relena speak like that. He hadn't even known suck was in her vocabulary. He began to wonder just how much there was to this young maiden that he'd missed before.
Relena sat down on the floor with the other three teens and Duo dealt our four hands of five cards. Picking up his cards, Heero quickly scanned them and assessed his situation before reverting his gaze to Relena. He still could not get over how different she looked dressed as a normal teenager. It took away the ice of politician and made her seem more human.
"Hmm.give me two cards, please," Relena said, placing to cards upside down on the floor. Heero in turn asked for three, Hilde for one and Duo for two. "So, are we betting anything or is this just fun?" Relena asked.
"Oh, I forgot!" Duo said. "We usually play strip poker, since it's more fun and gives you a better incentive to win, but since you're here Lena we can bet.something else."
Relena's innocent eyes widened a wee bit, but she said, "No, strip poker's okay. Of course, I may have to go back to my room and grab more layers." Duo laughed and Heero fought to keep a smile off his face. He was Mr. Stoic, Brick-Wall Yuy. A smile would not be becoming now, even if it would in turn make Relena smile. Come to think of it, would it make Relena smile? Had she ever seen him smile? He wasn't sure she had.
"Okay then, everybody has to bet an article of clothing," Duo announced. He of course pulled off the stupid baseball cap of his he never seemed to be without and set it in the middle. A moment of thinking set Relena about removing one of her socks and Hilde donated her left shoe. Heero also tossed in his left shoe. Everybody laid down their cards, and it turned out Duo won with a full house. Five minutes of explaining ensued so that Relena would understand just what she was going for exactly. Heero once again resisted the urge to smile; she was cute when she was confused.
Another round was played, and again Duo won, but Relena seemed to be getting the hang of things. Three rounds later she most definitely had the hang of things, and a round after that she managed to win back one of her socks which she gratefully slipped on her foot. Now that she was no longer a rookie, the game heated up, capturing all of Heero's attention, leaving no room left over for other thoughts.
^*^*^*^*
Evaluating her cards, Relena carefully selected two to trade in. She intended to win this round no matter what. Her shirt was on the line and there was no way she could afford to lose that. Picking up the two new cards she was dealt, she carefully slipped her politician face into play so as not to betray her emotions. Sometimes it helped that she spent hours schooling her face into submission, both with uppity politicians and friends playing strip poker. Duo announced it was time to show their hands after nobody folded, and she triumphantly held out her Straight flush.
"Aww, shoot it all to He-" Duo started.
"Language," Hilde threatened.
"-eeeeeewaii! Hewaii! You know, the island closely related to Hawaii." Hilde's glare shut him up as Relena gleefully collected her prizes. Scrupulously she avoided meeting Heero's death gaze. He'd also bargained his shirt, and had lost it. Pulling it over his head, it was tossed on the pile and Relena spread it over her lap, absently tracing the Nike logo on it as she snuck a look at him. He was now sitting barefoot in his jeans, only a green tank top covering his torso. Relena blinked before grinning. That was the same shirt he'd worn through the entire war or she'd eat her sock! Looking up into Hilde's eyes, Relena motioned to Heero with her own eyes and allowed her grin to widen a little bit. Hilde grinned back, getting the message; in one of their moments as true teenagers, Relena and Hilde had been picking on Heero's bad habit of never washing his clothes during the war, in specific his black spandex shorts and green tank top. The two of them had gone so far as to name both articles of clothing, the top being Sale, French for dirty, and the shorts being Miam, French for yummy. She wasn't quite sure where that one had come from, but there it was. "What's all the grinning going on that I don't get?" Duo asked as he dealt out another hand.
"Nothing," Relena said innocently. "Hilde and I were simply commenting to each other that we're glad Sale could grace us with his presence once in a while. It's nice to see old friends."
"Who's Sale?" Heero asked as he picked up his new hand. Relena couldn't help but giggle.
"Oh, nobody," Hilde breezed. "Hm, Relena, wouldn't it be nice if Sale would show what's underneath? You know, find out what lies under his cover. Might be pretty." Barely holding in a squeal, Relena giggled instead.
"Sale isn't aware of the beauty he hides, let me tell you," she responded, the grin on her face becoming tighter, all the while Duo and Heero sharing confused looks. Not feeling the least bit inclined to bring the boys into their confidence, Relena continued. "I was actually beginning to wonder if Miam would show up. It's quite possible, you know, especially if Heero and Duo keep losing the way they have been."
Hilde giggled viciously. "They're running out of clothes, Rel. They can only go so much farther."
"I really wish you'd stop all this coded talking," Duo whined. "Tell us what you're talking about!"
"Oh stop your puling[1]," Relena said. "My ante is Duo's jean jacket."
"I'm bloody well running out of clothes," Duo grumbled. "I guess it's my tank top on the line this time. Suddenly I'm glad I listened to Heero and wore one."
"Heero's shoes," Hilde said. "Yup, both of them. They smell. I'm hoping to get rid of them this round."
"Same as Duo," Heero grunted. Satisfied, Relena started the round by setting down two cards. Picking up her new couple, she grinned triumphantly, the expression hidden by her high-held cards. If Heero didn't fold, Sale would be hers and what lay beneath would be exposed.
"You're eyes are twinkling just a little too much, Lena." Duo stated. "I fold."
"So do I," Hilde said happily. "At least I got rid of Heero's stinking shoes!"
"AAH, KNEESLAPPER!" Relena shrieked, slapping her knee and laughing. Hilde joined in the act while Duo muttered, "And I thought I was weird," and Heero rolled his eyes.
"You folding, buddy?" Duo asked Heero while the girls regained their composure. At a shake from the perfect soldier, Relena decided to up the ante a wee bit.
"To stay in you have to bet something else," she said. "I'm betting Duo's left sock. What about you, Heero?"
Heero looked himself over before giving a small, almost undetectable sigh. "My jeans it is."
"Helloooo Miam," Hilde mouthed to Relena who had to work hard to contain herself. Barely holding her composure, Relena nodded to Heero and waited for him to lay down his hand. Upon doing so, Relena nodded with satisfaction-a full house. Not too shabby, but not good enough to beat her. Laying down her own hand, she was met with a whistle by Duo. She had four of a kind.
Happily collecting her bounty, Relena shared a vicious grin with Hilde when Miam made his appearance. This day couldn't get any better.
The phone rang, and Relena dropped her armload of clothes to dash into the hall to answer it. Flipping on the vidphone, her clear voice rang out. "Hello?"
"I'm looking for Vice Foreign Minister Darlian," the voice from the other end said, matching itself with a man's face of about forty years.
"One moment please," Relena said and ducked out of sight. Pulling her hair down out of its ponytail, she straightened her appearance and schooled her face into its politician cover before returning once again to the vidphone. Pulling on her most sophisticated voice, she reverted back to her adult mindset as she rejoined the conversation. "How may I help you?"
"My name is Charles Lavignon. A situation has arisen that needs your immediate attention." Several minutes ensued of details, Relena clocking everything away for future reference. "If you could fly out to Milan, Italy right now it would be most appreciated," the man concluded. Holding in a sigh, Relena gave her consent and said she would be in Italy as soon as she could get to an airport and hop on a plane. Severing the connection, she could feel a tinge of a headache coming on as she walked back to her friends waiting patiently on the floor for her to resume their game.
The grin on Hilde's face vanished as Relena returned. "Your hair is down. A work call, and judging by the nonexistent smile on your face you have to go somewhere."
"Milan, actually," Relena sighed. "Sorry I must depart so soon, but I need to leave immediately. The Vice Foreign Minister doesn't have the option of saying no. You can divide my clothes between the three of you, which is pretty much everything the three of you were wearing. Good luck with the rest of the game, I hope you enjoy yourselves." Turning on her heel, Relena headed to her room to quickly change and grab her ever-ready duffel bag for the just in case something like this happened. Calling out one last goodbye to Hilde she walked out the front door and headed towards the airport.
^*^*^*^* Heero was having a hard time getting over how quickly Relena could change from political dignitary to average teenager and then back again. In the space of an hour and a half he'd seen her switch twice. He couldn't help but wonder if there was any possible way both personalities could merge into one so she could always be herself.
Pondering a bit more on this prospect, he wondered what it was exactly that made her reserve her happy-go-lucky personality only for the home life with people she loved and trusted. More than likely it was simply because she couldn't be a teenager in the grown-up world she'd been forced into far too early. Only adult minds were accepted in the realm of politicians, and while Relena possessed quite an adult mind, she was still a youth a still enjoyed being youthful and doing youthful things. Once again Heero wondered just how much he'd missed about this fair young maiden.
"It gets me every time just how quickly she can switch between being normal and being an adult," Duo commented, shaking his head. "Nigh on breaks my heart."
"Why?" Hilde asked, setting herself in front of Relena's pile and tossing everybody's clothes back at them. Nobody had officially declared it, but they all knew the game was over. "She enjoys what she does, save for now and then, such as today, when she's exhausted from her duties. She may be almost two entirely different people at work and at home, but she loves both lives. Only one thing could possibly make her happier, and that one thing seems to think it's okay to sit in limbo for eternity." Her sideways glance at Heero left no room for interpretation on that line. With a blank stare Heero got up and strode to the window overlooking the backstreet. What did Hilde expect him to do? He had nothing to offer Relena, and even though she pined away after him, he was positive she would be happier without him than with him.
Staring out the window, Heero let his attention get caught by the not-too- distant park and the children playing there. Unconsciously a smile found its way to his lips as he watched pure joy be exhibited from the innocent children. Little kids rarely ever had any idea of the turmoils going on around them. They were the pure embodiment of fun, joy, and honesty. Heero had never had a chance to be a true kid, having been forced to be an adult from almost day one, and he enjoyed the rare moment in which he could watch life to its fullest in the form of these little tykes. Nobody knew it, but Heero's only dream nowadays was to be a father one day and make his kids turn out right, not into cold blooded killers like him. They'd have normal lives, and be able to go to the park and play until their mother called them in, not have to go to the gym and work on building their body until an evil mechanical doctor told them food was prepared.
Duo's voice pulled Heero out of his thoughts. "They're perfect for each other, Hilde," he was saying. "Relena switches from Relena Darlian, the happy-go-lucky teen at home to Relena Darlian the Vice Foreign Minister at work, and Heero changes from Heero Yuy, normal teen at home, to Heero Yuy the Gundam Pilot with no feelings whatsoever everywhere else! It's a match made in heaven!"
"Only if you don't mind mixing pacifism with murder," Heero called out coldly.
"You forget she's not a complete pacifist anymore," Duo pointed out. "After the Mariemaia incident she realized how screwed up her ideals were and altered them slightly."
"Duo's right," Hilde said, entering the discussion. "Relena still believes pacifism is the best way, but not always the only way. She's willing to admit that sometimes war is necessary."
"Fine," Heero said. "In any case, you still don't mix devils with angels." As soon as he said it, he knew it was the wrong thing to say. Hilde's sudden grin and Duo's guffaw told him he'd made a mistake and it was too late to rectify.
"It's a classic!" Duo exclaimed. "Evil devil thinks he's not worthy of perfect angel, but perfect angel is dying to be with evil devil. You two'd fit together like peas in a pod!"
"Shut up, Maxwell," Heero snapped, turning around and giving Duo his Yuy Death Glare.
A moment of silence ensued before Hilde again said something. "Seriously, Heero, have you ever even entertained the thought of going after Relena? She may not be a lovesick puppy, but she'd love nothing more than to know you at least think about her. Now I'm not supposed to be saying any of this, but her entire demeanor changes when you are mentioned or are around. She tries to impress you without doing anything that isn't her, and she tries to act and be like she thinks you want her to be."
"I probably shouldn't say this either, especially not with Heero standing right there already ready to kill me, but every time Relena is on TV he glues himself to the set until she's off. We have every magazine she's ever been featured in, even if it's only a two word quote she said. He even-"
Funny, how animal rage can suddenly be personified. Heero was on top of Duo trying to suffocate him before Hilde had so much as blinked. The blue- raven haired girl couldn't decide whether to laugh at her loved one's misfortune or try and prevent Heero from killing the braided baka. Heero took full advantage of Hilde's occupied attention and did his very best to rid the world of one more idiot, but Hilde sprang into action to save Duo's life before Heero could do any real damage. The American sat up, strangled sounds emitting from his throat as he tried to breathe normally again. Heero let loose the full fury of The Yuy Death Glare on the man, but Duo was so used to it that it barely fazed him.
"Dude, just stating truth," Duo croaked.
Having assured herself Duo was going to live, Hilde turned her full attention on Heero. "It sounds like love to me, Heero. Try something. It can be small! You only have to ask her out. Take her to the movies! That requires almost no effort, and not much talking, either! Please, Heero," she pleaded. "It'll make her happy, and you as well. At least think about it?" Nobody knew it, but Heero had a very hard time saying no to women despite all pretenses, and now was no exception. Knowing he was doomed, Heero finally nodded, agreeing only to think about it, nothing more. "Thank you," Hilde said with sincerity.
Grabbing his jacket off the floor, he said his goodbyes and started to leave. If he was going to think, he needed to get started now because he knew he would be doing an awful lot of it. Right before he shut the door, Duo called after him, "The airport's on Broad Street! Just make sure you're home by midnight!" Hilde's apartment door slammed behind Heero as he left.
^*^*^*^*
With an exasperated sigh Relena fell into the hard plastic chair in the terminal of the airport. There wasn't going to be a flight out to Milan for another two hours and she had nothing to do with her time until then. She supposed she could walk home, but what was the point? Almost as soon as she walked in the front door she'd have to turn around and come back to make sure she arrived in plenty of time. Wishing she had something to do, Relena mentally told herself to get a book for her Always Ready Duffel Bag.
The Vice Foreign Minister's thoughts drifted for several minutes before they came to rest on Heero Yuy. Wincing, Relena told herself she did not want to think about him, she'd already wasted enough time on the subject, but her brain wasn't in the mood to listen to her. Or perhaps her heart wasn't willing to listen to her brain. In any case, no matter what she did she couldn't shake the ex-Gundam Pilot from her mind. Succumbing to her stubborn self, she let Heero take over her mind.
It was a strange relationship, theirs. For almost an entire year he'd told her at every meeting that he was going to kill her. It had frightened Relena the first time she'd heard it, but oddly enough she'd never believed for a moment he'd truly cause physical harm to her person. For some reason it just didn't seem plausible, though Heaven help her if she knew why. Fortunately her instinct was right and he never had hurt her-physically, anyway. She'd had more than her fair share of emotional hurts from the Perfect Soldier. The very first one had been when he tore up the invitation to her birthday party in front of her face. Smiling slightly, she couldn't help but patronize her former self at being so upset at a torn invitation. If she'd known Heero then like she knew him now she'd have been happy that was all he did, especially in the midst of such an important mission.
Unbidden thoughts of Heero after he shot down Mariemaia's fortress came to her mind. He'd shot the girl with an empty gun and had then fallen to the floor, landing softly only because Relena caught him. She'd held him in her arms as he whispered fervently, "I don't have to kill anymore." She remembered the electricity that had run through her body when he'd uttered those words. For the very first time ever, they had truly connected, and at that moment she had thought for sure he would stay with her forever, no matter what, but once again she was wrong. Heero had stayed with her for three weeks, overcoming the many ordeals he'd been through, before he told her it was time to leave. Relena had held a strong front as he said goodbye and went off in search of Duo. The moment he'd left, though, she'd sobbed her heart out and felt for sure she was going to die, the doctors discovering a broken heart when they performed her autopsy. Miraculously she'd managed to survive and gave up living alone in her luxurious manor in favour of always being with her best friend. Hilde was a great person, and she understood Relena's feelings and respected the little privacy she demanded. That had been the smartest move Relena ever made, and with Hilde she'd even managed to survive being friends with Heero because of Duo. Relena knew she'd always want to be more than just friends with Heero, but she also knew that wasn't possible. They were lucky to be acquaintances, and any other dreaming of hers was pretty much just that-dreaming.
Yawning a little, Relena tried to push Heero out of her mind and think about her impending doom-a very long flight to Milan. She loved her job and enjoyed it immensely, but right now she wanted to go home and sleep and take tomorrow off. She was in the mood to be Relena, not Vice Foreign Minister. "Eh, since when did anybody ever ask me what I want?" she asked aloud to herself, a smile full of irony sliding onto her face.
"Up until the day I showed up in your life," a deep masculine voice said and Relena whirled around to face the one, the only, Heero Yuy. "You were the nicest spoiled brat I ever met."
It took several seconds of shock and open-jawed staring before Relena was able to form words. "What are you doing here?" She asked.
"Funny how I just happen to be going to Milan," he said, taking a seat next to her. "That okay with you?"
A smile of true happiness replaced her stare. "Of course it's fine with me, Heero." The two friends sat there in silence, but for the first time in about a year it was a comfortable silence, not an awkward one. Relena even felt her political self be replaced by her self, signifying true companionship with the man she sat next to. Her smile never left her face and she found herself thinking that the upcoming flight wouldn't be so bad after all. Maybe she and Heero would finally be able to take a step together in the right direction.
A few moments later Relena found her hand, resting on the armrest, covered by Heero's. Looking at his face, she saw his eyes closed, appearing to the average passerby to be slooming [2], but she could tell otherwise. Smiling contentedly, she closed her eyes and imagined the world to be perfect. Opening her blue orbs again, she was surprised to discover that she felt different-happier, more complete-more like herself. Over all she felt whole. So this was the magic Heero had over her. Well, it was a good magic and she was more than willing to keep hold of it forever. Closing her eyes again, she sat like that for the remainder of the two hours.
^*^*^*^*
Heero placed his hand on Relena's, squeezing it very gently to let her know he was there. Their companionable silence filled his ears for one minute before he realized he felt a change in Relena. A small smile came over his face, for he felt the same change in himself. They had both become whole, one person, no longer split in two. Together they had become whole. Suddenly his future looked bright and happy, just the way he liked it.
^*^*^*^* [1] Pule - to whine [2] Slooming - dozing
A/N: Well folks, that's my story. It took me forever to write, and finally, when I was about a paragraph and a half away from being done my best friend called me and detained me for half an hour! AAGH! ^__^ By the way, pule and sloom are real English words, but they're so obscure and unused that they can almost only be found in the Unabridged Oxford Dictionary (or whatever the heck it's called). Many thanks to Elise for not telling me I suck (what she doesn't know is I probably would have killed her if she'd said that.even though I told her to be truthful.) Review, please! Namarie! ~~Callisto