Chapter 15: Secrets

Relena knocked on the door of Aiden's family's room. She had had an early meeting with some delegates and Aiden's mother had asked her to come by when she was off and they would have lunch together.

She waited, but no one came. Trying the knob, the door opened and she peeked in, only to swing the door wider.

"Hello?" she called. No one was there. The room had been recently cleaned, and the usual toys that covered its floor were gone. The drawers were empty too.

Relena ran downstairs and found Duo. "Duo!" she grabbed his arm. "Aiden's family is gone! Where are they?! Is everything all right?!"

Duo blinked down at her, surprised, before giving a small sad smile. "Calm down, Ojousan. They just went home. Heero was done, so they went home."

"Even Kia?" she frowned, a pit opening up in her stomach.

"Moved to their hometown hospital." He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Relena looked up at him. "Tell me where they are," she demanded.

Duo sighed and took his hand away. "I can't."

"What?"

He looked down at her. "I can't, 'Jousan. I'm sorry, but I promised Heero I wouldn't tell anyone." He cast his eyes down. "He didn't want anyone to know – especially not you."

Relena swallowed, trying to keep her chin from trembling as she looked up at him. "I knew following him around like that would come back to haunt me," she tried to smile and make light of it, but tears blurred her vision and she lost the battle with her chin. She turned away from him and buried her face in her hands, crying softly.

"Oh, 'Jousan," he felt terrible, ran a hand through his bangs, and wrapped his arms around her. "'Jousan, please, I hate it when girls cry." Duo rubbed her back helplessly.

"Sorry," she gasped out between sobs, "I can't really help it." She trembled in Duo's arms, and finally calmed, whispering, "Why doesn't he ever tell me when he's going to do something like this? He always just . . . leaves!"

"Relena?" she heard Ryo on the stair but didn't turn to look at him, only cried harder.

"What's wrong with her?" Wufei stood at the base of the stairs and looked at the weeping woman oddly. He held a water bottle in one hand, but wasn't drinking it.

"Heero left again," Duo told him over her sandy head. Wufei only rolled his eyes in disgust and turned to leave.

"He does this often?" Ryo asked Wufei, eyes still on Relena.

Wufei snorted. "Hell, yeah. Every time he's ever been near her, he's up and left without a word, so they tell me." He cast a look over to Duo trying to placate the Vice Foreign Minister. "First time she's done this, though." He drank some of his water and capped the bottle back, turning and leaving.

"Relena . . ." Ryo stepped forward, then stopped, looking self-conscious. He closed his eyes briefly and spoke to Duo. "Mr. Maxwell, could you give us a moment?" Duo looked up at him and nodded, detaching the young woman and grabbing her a few Kleenex before he left them.

Ryo guided Relena into the small parlor under the stairs, closing and locking the door behind them.

"Relena, tell me what's going on."

She used up one of her Kleenex and threw it in the little trash can by the couch. "I'm sorry," she tried to smile, but the effect was spoiled by her red nose and watery eyes. She sniffled.

"Relena," Ryo looked at her seriously and she turned away. "Just tell me, okay? Please. You owe me that."

She used another Kleenex and wouldn't look at him, but spoke simply and seriously. "I've always loved him, I still do, and he always does this to me. It wasn't so bad before, but this time . . . I don't know . . . it's different."

"This time, he loved you back," Ryo felt pain wrenching his guts as she shook her head, blonde hair flying.

"No, he never did. He wouldn't have done that to me again if he did."

Ryo closed his eyes briefly. "Yes, Relena. I found a stuffed bunny in your room when I went in there today. I thought he was trying to take you from me. I threw away the note he left in it. I'm really sorry now. I didn't know." She was looking at him now, quietly. "He told you goodbye in it, and . . . that he loves you." He looked up at her face. "I'm sorry, Relena. I didn't know you felt like this about him. I wish I had known sooner. I'm really sorry." "He said . . . that he loved me?" she stared at him, unbelieving. The tears were coming again, slowly, and then darkness claimed her.