"Well," Heero said as he looked out across the grounds of his future home,
"Isn't my idea of a nice place to live, but I guess if Relena will be
happy, then that's all that matters."
Milliardo smiled, "She will be happy with what you have done with this place."
"I hope so," Heero replied, "Cause if it was up to me, I would just rent an apartment downtown and be done with it."
"Well," Milliardo laughed, "If that's so, then you made a mistake in marrying a princess."
"Maybe so," Heero replied, "But I was destined to become a royal anyways."
Milliardo laughed, "Welcome to club Mister Yuy."
"Thanks," Heero replied sarcastically.
Just then Duo appeared. "So, I guess we missed Christmas didn't we?"
Heero laughed, "Yeah, I guess so, and spring semester started last week too."
"Man, what do you need all that school for anyways? It doesn't help you win wars or learn how to defend yourself," Duo said, gesturing with his hands, "I just don't understand why we have to go."
"Because," Heero broke in, "It teaches you skills in dealing with problems in life, but personally I don't find it very challenging."
"Well, doesn't Quarrentine have Christmas or anything?" Duo asked.
"No, all we celebrate on Quarrentine are birthdays, special war dates, and that's about it." Heero told him.
Duo frowned, "Well, I guess it's not quite Christmas until I'm back on Earth with Hilde."
"I don't know if it'll make a difference to you or not," Milliardo broke in, "But we can have our own Christmas celebration at the Peacecraft Manor when we all get home, if you like."
"With Santa Clause and everything?"
Milliardo rolled his eyes, "Even if Santa Clause was real, he'd be dead by now, so probably not."
"Bummer."
"Well, as fascinating as this all is," Heero said, changing the conversation, "I think I'm gonna go find Hwoarang and let him take control of all this."
"Where you goin'?" Duo asked.
"You're not tagging along with me Duo."
"Why come?" Duo asked, hurt, "Where you goin' that's so secretive?"
"Why do you want to know so bad?" Heero asked, annoyed.
"I don't know," Duo replied, "I just want to hang with you today."
"Oh alright," Heero agreed, "You can come, but we've got to go find us some motorcycles or something." _____
After Armand had provided Heero and Duo with some old-fashioned Ninja motorcycles, they had wound their way through the countryside, until they found themselves in downtown Quarrentine City. The place was huge, and just as Heero remembered it. The sounds, the smells, the shops; not much had changed.
"So," Duo said as they parked the Ninjas and took off their helmets, "What exactly are we lookin' for?"
"An engagement ring for Relena." Heero replied as he plunged his hands into his pockets and began down the sidewalk.
Duo raised his eyebrows as he followed Heero, "Oh, is that the big secret?"
"Yes," Heero replied, "And I swear Duo, if you tell her that I bought it, I'll kill you."
"You're gonna kill me again?" Duo asked jokingly. "You say that at least once a day."
"Well I'm serious," he replied as he looked up at the store signs, "I want it to be a surprise."
"Alright, I get the point," Duo replied, "I'll keep my mouth shut."
"Good." Heero replied as he finally found the name he was looking for. "Mr. Moonglow, here it is."
"Mr. Moonglow?" Duo asked, confused, "Doesn't sound like any jeweler that I've heard of."
"That's because this is Quarrentine," Heero replied.
"Good afternoon gentlemen," the shopkeeper quoted cheerfully, "How may I help you today?"
"Yeah," Heero asked as he walked over to the counter, Duo in tow, "I'm looking for an engagement ring for a princess who has everything."
"Oh, you have one of those girlfriends do you?" the shopkeeper asked pleasantly.
"No, she's a real princess," Heero informed him.
The shopkeeper looked up at him, trying to figure out who Heero really was, "I don't believe I've ever seen you around here before."
"You have," Heero replied, "My name is Heero Yuy, but to you I'd be known as Ansel Chiaki."
"Ansel Chiaki?" the shopkeeper asked in disbelief, "The little boy who used to run around this shop, after training sessions?"
"Yes sir," Heero replied, "How've you been Gohan?"
"Fine," the man said as he came around the counter to hug Heero, "We thought you were dead for sure." Then he pulled Heero through the store to the back, "Vachel! You won't believe who's here!"
Heero stepped through the door that led into the back part of the store that provided an area for lounging and eating. He smiled at the familiar old sight as the dearest woman he knew stepped in front of him. Her hair was a blue gray color tied up into the same old neat bun on top of her head and her eyes were the same intense blue as always. Heero smiled again, not much had changed here either. "Ansel?"
"Miss Vachel," he replied as he hugged her gently, "How's everything been since I've been gone?"
"Fine, except for the war and everything," she smiled, "So, if Taobu didn't kill you, what happened? And by the way, who's your friend?"
"Oh," Heero replied as he turned to Duo, "This is Duo Maxwell."
"The Duo Maxwell?" Gohan asked in astonishment. "'God of Death' Duo Maxwell?"
"Yup, that's me," Duo replied somewhat cockily, and Heero elbowed him, "Ow!"
"Then you really are the great Heero Yuy of the universe then," Gohan replied respectfully, "How'd you manage that?"
"Basically," Heero replied, "Amnesia."
"Oh, well," Vachel chimed, "That explains a lot."
After going through all the details of the past ten years, and a kettle of green tea, they finally got around to the real reason why Heero had come.
"So, who's this princess of yours?" Gohan asked.
"Just Relena Peacecraft of Earth," Heero replied as they all filed into the front part of the store.
"Relena Peacecraft!" Vachel exclaimed, "You mean to tell me that you, Mister-Run-Off-to-War is marrying a pacifist?!"
"Yeah," Duo shook his head, "Kinda weird isn't it?"
"Kinda," Gohan agreed.
"Well, I love her," Heero replied, "And I'm gonna marry her."
"So how's Lark doing?" Vachel asked as Gohan opened some of the cases and pulled out various rings.
"Good," Heero replied, "She's marrying Trowa Barton the same time I marry Relena."
"My goodness!" Vachel exclaimed, "Are all the gundam pilots from the colonies here on Quarrentine?"
"Most of them," Heero replied, "Wufei Chang went back to the colonies already, but Quatre Winner is still here."
"My goodness," Vachel was surprised, "So I take it that you guys defeated Octavian and Taobu then?"
"Pretty much." Heero replied as he looked through the rings. Finding one that had a pink prismic type stone with an engraving of a lahunand underneath, he picked it up and examined it, "I like this one, it's unique."
"I'm sure that the princess from earth who has everything won't have one of these," Gohan replied as he took the ring and put it in a box.
"How much do I owe you?" Heero asked.
"Don't worry about it," Gohan told him, "Maybe you can come redo my store or something one day."
"Yeah, something," Heero replied as he made his way to the door, "Thanks for this, and don't forget to come to the wedding!"
"We won't," Gohan said as he put an arm around his wife's shoulders and they watched the two pilots leave, "Don't be a stranger Ansel!" _____
"So, what'd you do today?" Relena asked as she sat down beside Heero on the bench to watch the final construction on their mansion.
"Not much," Heero replied, "I helped around here some, then went and saw some old friends."
"Oh really?" Relena said as she snuggled next to him.
"Did you have fun today?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
"Oh yes," she replied, "It was great, I got a lot of really nice furniture for the mansion too."
"Cool, so, are you excited?"
"Of course!" Relena squealed. "What bride wouldn't be excited about her wedding day?!"
"Well," Heero said as he stood and pulled Relena to her feet, "Let's go for a walk."
"Ok," she agreed as she held his hand and followed him, "We're we going?"
"Let's go see our beach," he replied.
When they finally got there, Heero watched Relena as she twirled around, barefoot in the sand. Her long, sleeveless dress, whipping about her body, and her long blonde hair blowing in the ocean breeze, then she looked at him and smiled. He smiled back at her, amazed at how she had completely taken him.
"Relena," he said as she stopped and looked at him, "Come here."
She walked over and looked at him, "Are you ok?"
"Yeah," he replied, "I'm fine, I just wanted to give you something."
"Oh," Relena was interested, "Like what?"
"When we got engaged, I didn't exactly have a ring for you," he pulled out the box and opened it, "I got you a ring."
She was completely in shock as Heero put the ring on her finger. It was so beautiful! "Is that a unicorn?"
"A luhunand," Heero replied. "They're native to Quarrentine, I thought you might like it."
"Oh Heero," she squealed as she hugged him, "I love it!!"
Milliardo smiled, "She will be happy with what you have done with this place."
"I hope so," Heero replied, "Cause if it was up to me, I would just rent an apartment downtown and be done with it."
"Well," Milliardo laughed, "If that's so, then you made a mistake in marrying a princess."
"Maybe so," Heero replied, "But I was destined to become a royal anyways."
Milliardo laughed, "Welcome to club Mister Yuy."
"Thanks," Heero replied sarcastically.
Just then Duo appeared. "So, I guess we missed Christmas didn't we?"
Heero laughed, "Yeah, I guess so, and spring semester started last week too."
"Man, what do you need all that school for anyways? It doesn't help you win wars or learn how to defend yourself," Duo said, gesturing with his hands, "I just don't understand why we have to go."
"Because," Heero broke in, "It teaches you skills in dealing with problems in life, but personally I don't find it very challenging."
"Well, doesn't Quarrentine have Christmas or anything?" Duo asked.
"No, all we celebrate on Quarrentine are birthdays, special war dates, and that's about it." Heero told him.
Duo frowned, "Well, I guess it's not quite Christmas until I'm back on Earth with Hilde."
"I don't know if it'll make a difference to you or not," Milliardo broke in, "But we can have our own Christmas celebration at the Peacecraft Manor when we all get home, if you like."
"With Santa Clause and everything?"
Milliardo rolled his eyes, "Even if Santa Clause was real, he'd be dead by now, so probably not."
"Bummer."
"Well, as fascinating as this all is," Heero said, changing the conversation, "I think I'm gonna go find Hwoarang and let him take control of all this."
"Where you goin'?" Duo asked.
"You're not tagging along with me Duo."
"Why come?" Duo asked, hurt, "Where you goin' that's so secretive?"
"Why do you want to know so bad?" Heero asked, annoyed.
"I don't know," Duo replied, "I just want to hang with you today."
"Oh alright," Heero agreed, "You can come, but we've got to go find us some motorcycles or something." _____
After Armand had provided Heero and Duo with some old-fashioned Ninja motorcycles, they had wound their way through the countryside, until they found themselves in downtown Quarrentine City. The place was huge, and just as Heero remembered it. The sounds, the smells, the shops; not much had changed.
"So," Duo said as they parked the Ninjas and took off their helmets, "What exactly are we lookin' for?"
"An engagement ring for Relena." Heero replied as he plunged his hands into his pockets and began down the sidewalk.
Duo raised his eyebrows as he followed Heero, "Oh, is that the big secret?"
"Yes," Heero replied, "And I swear Duo, if you tell her that I bought it, I'll kill you."
"You're gonna kill me again?" Duo asked jokingly. "You say that at least once a day."
"Well I'm serious," he replied as he looked up at the store signs, "I want it to be a surprise."
"Alright, I get the point," Duo replied, "I'll keep my mouth shut."
"Good." Heero replied as he finally found the name he was looking for. "Mr. Moonglow, here it is."
"Mr. Moonglow?" Duo asked, confused, "Doesn't sound like any jeweler that I've heard of."
"That's because this is Quarrentine," Heero replied.
"Good afternoon gentlemen," the shopkeeper quoted cheerfully, "How may I help you today?"
"Yeah," Heero asked as he walked over to the counter, Duo in tow, "I'm looking for an engagement ring for a princess who has everything."
"Oh, you have one of those girlfriends do you?" the shopkeeper asked pleasantly.
"No, she's a real princess," Heero informed him.
The shopkeeper looked up at him, trying to figure out who Heero really was, "I don't believe I've ever seen you around here before."
"You have," Heero replied, "My name is Heero Yuy, but to you I'd be known as Ansel Chiaki."
"Ansel Chiaki?" the shopkeeper asked in disbelief, "The little boy who used to run around this shop, after training sessions?"
"Yes sir," Heero replied, "How've you been Gohan?"
"Fine," the man said as he came around the counter to hug Heero, "We thought you were dead for sure." Then he pulled Heero through the store to the back, "Vachel! You won't believe who's here!"
Heero stepped through the door that led into the back part of the store that provided an area for lounging and eating. He smiled at the familiar old sight as the dearest woman he knew stepped in front of him. Her hair was a blue gray color tied up into the same old neat bun on top of her head and her eyes were the same intense blue as always. Heero smiled again, not much had changed here either. "Ansel?"
"Miss Vachel," he replied as he hugged her gently, "How's everything been since I've been gone?"
"Fine, except for the war and everything," she smiled, "So, if Taobu didn't kill you, what happened? And by the way, who's your friend?"
"Oh," Heero replied as he turned to Duo, "This is Duo Maxwell."
"The Duo Maxwell?" Gohan asked in astonishment. "'God of Death' Duo Maxwell?"
"Yup, that's me," Duo replied somewhat cockily, and Heero elbowed him, "Ow!"
"Then you really are the great Heero Yuy of the universe then," Gohan replied respectfully, "How'd you manage that?"
"Basically," Heero replied, "Amnesia."
"Oh, well," Vachel chimed, "That explains a lot."
After going through all the details of the past ten years, and a kettle of green tea, they finally got around to the real reason why Heero had come.
"So, who's this princess of yours?" Gohan asked.
"Just Relena Peacecraft of Earth," Heero replied as they all filed into the front part of the store.
"Relena Peacecraft!" Vachel exclaimed, "You mean to tell me that you, Mister-Run-Off-to-War is marrying a pacifist?!"
"Yeah," Duo shook his head, "Kinda weird isn't it?"
"Kinda," Gohan agreed.
"Well, I love her," Heero replied, "And I'm gonna marry her."
"So how's Lark doing?" Vachel asked as Gohan opened some of the cases and pulled out various rings.
"Good," Heero replied, "She's marrying Trowa Barton the same time I marry Relena."
"My goodness!" Vachel exclaimed, "Are all the gundam pilots from the colonies here on Quarrentine?"
"Most of them," Heero replied, "Wufei Chang went back to the colonies already, but Quatre Winner is still here."
"My goodness," Vachel was surprised, "So I take it that you guys defeated Octavian and Taobu then?"
"Pretty much." Heero replied as he looked through the rings. Finding one that had a pink prismic type stone with an engraving of a lahunand underneath, he picked it up and examined it, "I like this one, it's unique."
"I'm sure that the princess from earth who has everything won't have one of these," Gohan replied as he took the ring and put it in a box.
"How much do I owe you?" Heero asked.
"Don't worry about it," Gohan told him, "Maybe you can come redo my store or something one day."
"Yeah, something," Heero replied as he made his way to the door, "Thanks for this, and don't forget to come to the wedding!"
"We won't," Gohan said as he put an arm around his wife's shoulders and they watched the two pilots leave, "Don't be a stranger Ansel!" _____
"So, what'd you do today?" Relena asked as she sat down beside Heero on the bench to watch the final construction on their mansion.
"Not much," Heero replied, "I helped around here some, then went and saw some old friends."
"Oh really?" Relena said as she snuggled next to him.
"Did you have fun today?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
"Oh yes," she replied, "It was great, I got a lot of really nice furniture for the mansion too."
"Cool, so, are you excited?"
"Of course!" Relena squealed. "What bride wouldn't be excited about her wedding day?!"
"Well," Heero said as he stood and pulled Relena to her feet, "Let's go for a walk."
"Ok," she agreed as she held his hand and followed him, "We're we going?"
"Let's go see our beach," he replied.
When they finally got there, Heero watched Relena as she twirled around, barefoot in the sand. Her long, sleeveless dress, whipping about her body, and her long blonde hair blowing in the ocean breeze, then she looked at him and smiled. He smiled back at her, amazed at how she had completely taken him.
"Relena," he said as she stopped and looked at him, "Come here."
She walked over and looked at him, "Are you ok?"
"Yeah," he replied, "I'm fine, I just wanted to give you something."
"Oh," Relena was interested, "Like what?"
"When we got engaged, I didn't exactly have a ring for you," he pulled out the box and opened it, "I got you a ring."
She was completely in shock as Heero put the ring on her finger. It was so beautiful! "Is that a unicorn?"
"A luhunand," Heero replied. "They're native to Quarrentine, I thought you might like it."
"Oh Heero," she squealed as she hugged him, "I love it!!"