Belonging
Heero: Choices
Part three
A Gundam Wing Fan fiction by Louise Tjandrasjahan
It wasn't easy for her to accept what had happened to her in the past few
days, but she managed to pull herself through so far. It still shocked the hell
out of her, however. Even after a few days of brooding and sleeping pills, she
still couldn't elude the feeling of being scandalised. Her mistake was that she
never saw the problem coming, but come it did. And believe her, it was in her
list of her worst nightmares. And thank you very much indeed, she fumed silently
as she dug out more weeds ferociously and tossed them into the available basket
beside her.
Mud splattered as she stabbed the ground furiously with her spade, hissing
and cursing viciously. Somehow she expected her temper to mellow down a little
bit with her sudden spur of action, but somehow it only fuelled her resentment.
She couldn't believe he would do that to her! And under a very obvious
circumstances, too.
Relena wiped her wet face as beads of rain ran down her face, managing to
stain her smooth fleck-free skin with soil. She blinked her eyes rapidly. For
her, the prospect of playing with mud and sand was one of the most appealing
experiences while gardening.
This time the fun was absent, however. She was far too angry and tired to
really revel in the joy of gardening she treasured most of time.
Sitting on her heels, she sighed in exhaustion. Her thought finally calmed
down as she relaxed her body eventually, echoing only a dull ache in her heart.
Ignoring the stains of mud on her clothes, she shivered involuntary as she
hugged herself. Beads of rain slowly seeped into her thin cardigan, chilling her
soft skin. An ironic smile spread across her features as she raised her face
skyward. Tasting the sweet flavour of the free falling rain, she closed her damp
eyes.
She would not cry now.
Relena only opened her eyes when the rain stopped plummeting on her face
altogether. Raised her eyebrows in mild surprise, she let her curiosity wander
even if only for a while as her eyes encountered a very bright red object on top
of her head.
Crimson. Bloody scarlet. Bright, blinding red.
The rich colour insulted her eyes, and she looked away from it to meet
Heero's intense azure orbs. She was more than ready to scold him for disturbing
her reverie, and yet her annoyance melted quickly into awe as realisation dawned
upon her. She had never expected Heero to be there for her, especially in the
moments when she had needed his emotional support. Well, he did show up in
critical situations, but it was mostly for the physical, security reasons.
Not for the sentimental reasons, she mused inwardly.
One hand flew to the base of her neck in a defensive gesture, as the
sudden and illogical urge to protect herself against his intense atmosphere
overwhelmed her feelings. Her other hand swept a wet strand off her face as she
narrowed her jewel eyes in scrutiny, drinking the sight before her. Or, should
she say, measuring him warily from head to toe.
"Oh, it's you." Relena remarked indifferently as she turned away from him,
trying very hard to ignore Heero's presence as she focused her mind back to the
task she had been doing before the distraction. She would never cry before Heero
Yui. Never ever. And she didn't plan to break her vow any time soon. She just
prayed he had never seen her tears earlier.
Heero merely lifted an eyebrow at her cold display and planted one hand
casually into his waist. Annoyance darkened the colour of his eyes, although his
overall stance betrayed none of his resentment.
Relena's attitude made him think, unfortunately.
It wasn't common for Relena to avoid him, and never in their four years of
acquaintance did she ignore him. She was always excited and happy whenever they
saw each other, much to his annoyance and satisfaction.
She even reached the point of inanely crying one day, when she greeted him
from returning from his ever-expanding missions. She had annoyed the hell out of
him when she jumped onto him all of sudden, causing both of them to lose balance
and fell on the ground. However, as much as he told himself that he disliked her
attention, there was always this warm emotion lingering in his heart whenever he
set his eyes upon her delicate features and her soft smile.
Relena probably didn't want him to know that she had been crying, but he
caught her shedding the tears, even as she turned away to avoid his eyes.
Whatever happened must have grated on her sturdy walls of security.
Narrowing his cobalt eyes into two slits, Heero scrutinised the slender
back of the young woman who once had gladly thrown herself within the range of
his lethal gun. Tenderness soon stole its way to his eyes as they marvelled
along the silky sandy blonde tresses, beads of rain dangling and shimmering on
each end of the thread like little diamonds.
Tightening his hold on the umbrella's handle, Heero stifled a sigh as he
crouched down beside her. He grinded his teeth when his shoulder brushed hers
accidentally, and the urge to run his fingers along the iridescent tresses
intensified all of sudden. A temptation it was, her damp but irresistibly
beautiful strands.
Heero almost smiled as he regarded her quietly with inexplicable pride.
She was really beautiful, he had always told himself. And he was confident other
people would have agreed with him. Time had presented them with Relena's fully
bloomed beauty.
It was true Relena still had the same facial features – the same sparkling
aquamarine eyes, small and straight nose, and the same rosy buds of lips, but
the recent years had also presented him with a different Relena. She had opted
to wear her longer hair into a classic and stylish coil on her nape, fastened by
a simple diamond pin she favoured more than any other intricate jewellery.
Her figure had ripened as well. Her body had matured into the curvaceous
figure of a mature woman, and she had chosen her fashion carefully, reflecting
her no-nonsense nature as well as the consciousness of the power that her
physical development had given her. She was no longer the dreamy girl who
favoured frilly dress over practical and well-fitted office garb she preferred
to wear now.
Primarily, she had gained grace and confidence along with her experiences
of dealing with difficult people and bureaucrats, who simply had no wish to
acknowledge her authority despite her abilities as a minister. Time had been
harsh to Relena Peacecraft, but it had also done her a big favour by moulding
her into a self-assured young woman. The softness that used to be evident on her
face had hardened with wisdom and resolution as calm reigned gloriously over her
handsome features. She was no longer a girl pretending to be an adult or a
queen. She was a real woman and a queen now.
"Something was bothering you." Heero started conversationally, one
fingertip brushing a wet strand, tucking it behind her ear. He could sense her
body stiffened under his touch. Her hand clutched the spade's handle painfully,
her eyes widened. Turning around, she tried to glare at him, but finally
softened her expression as she slid off her latex-gloves and slung them on the
brim of her basket. She could never be angry with Heero even if the world came
to an end.
Rising slowly to her feet, she wiped her damp face with the back of her
hand. Her eyes never left his, as if waiting for him to say something. She
sighed and resigned as it occurred to her that he would not say a word any
sooner.
"You changed, Heero." Instead she told him melancholically. Her eyes were
wistful as they follow his every movement, although she attempted to chase away
her emotions by pretending to smooth the wrinkles of her wet skirt. Her crystal
blue eyes sparkling for a brief moment, she flashed him a brave grin and added
hastily, "But I do think it's not enough to understand my dilemma."
An eyebrow lifted, and a dry, "Why, try me."
Waving a hand in plain dismissal, Relena gave away a non-committal sigh.
Turning away to leave him, she glanced at her watch as she informed him without
expression, "I have a meeting in a few hours at Andorra Summit Building. If I go
now, I will still have time to have a nice hot shower before getting ready."
Heero's hand slashed through the air and grabbed her arm in a dead grip,
forcing a startled gasp out of the little mouth of hers. Glaring balefully at
Heero, she ignored the dangerous glint in Heero cobalt blue eyes and tried to
shrug out of his grip without avail. The message of Heero's action was clear,
though. It was: tell me everything, or else…
Stifling the urge to sigh her frustration, Relena eyed him indignantly as
she finally resigned, silently admitted her strength would never match Heero's.
She began to relax under Heero's steely grip gradually and even pulled away to
cross her arms in front of her chest in an awkward attempt. She tugged slightly
at Heero's hand since he refused to release her arm in fear she would avoid him
and refused to answer his question.
Rolling her eyes at his display of stubbornness, Relena informed him
cynically, "I'm not going anywhere, Mister. So if you'll be so kind as to
release my poor throbbing arm…your grip is crushing it." Wiping a wet strand out
of her face, she grumbled in a low voice, "Men,"
Much to her surprise, Heero lifted the corners of his lips in what seemed
to be an apologetic smile, and loosened his hold on her. She stepped back as
soon as he released her, but kept her promise nonetheless.
Rubbing her sore arm, she glared at him menacingly before inhaling deeply
and telling him the whole story. In truth, Heero was the last person she wanted
to speak about her problem with, "Quatre has proposed a marriage to me," There
was a short pause before she hastily added, "And he is serious."
His expression didn't waver as what she had expected. She was right as
usual. Instead of getting the reaction she so longed to hear, he only presented
her with his ignorance, and soon disappointment filled the holes of her broken
heart. She was twice broken-hearted.
Seeing Heero with his cold expressionless eyes staring back at her stabbed
and wounded her deeply. She didn't mind seeing his anger or even hearing his
cold and heartless remark, but she didn't want him to freeze, uttering nothing
but looking at her as if…as if what?
She didn't understand. Never could she interpret it. She had never seen
him so…concerned?
Was it concern she was witnessing in Heero's face? It had to be her
imagination. Heero had never been taken aback by anything, especially by things
happening to her.
Still, he didn't say a word, and what she saw just then was gone in
seconds. Her imagination apparently had led her to believe that he still cared.
At any rate, it was her fault. She shouldn't have told Heero in the first
place. Heartache was all she would receive in the end. What did she see in a
person like him anyway? He never cared even for his own emotional needs. And he
was never willing to acknowledge her existence in his world. Mourning her
dignity and retreating behind her mask of formality and false smiles were the
best she could do to cover her growing love and hate. Inside, she was hurt,
bleeding and wounded.
Gathering the small amount of pride and courage still left within her, she
squared her shoulders bravely in an attempt to restore a bit of her stripped
dignity, although her voice cracked as she produced a barely audible whisper,
"Satisfied?"
Nodding, Heero frowned as he put his hand on her shoulder and felt it
stiffening once again. Was she afraid of him? Was he too rough on her? There
were millions of other questions he wished he could ask her, but in his
foolishness he asked the question he shouldn't have even thought about instead.
"Do you love Quatre?" he blurted, his fists clenched as soon as he
realised his stupidity.
The answer should have come with ease, since she had known it a long time
ago. Even as friendship blossomed between them as the result of their
collaboration in the world of politics and economics, she had never regarded
Quatre Raberba Winner as a lover.
However, as she gazed deeply into Heero's eyes, Relena found it difficult
to tell the once-her-killer candidate the matter of her heart, afraid of his
latter reaction. She took a sudden interest in her shirt's buttons as relentless
enveloped her persona, prolonging her time to answer the simple but difficult
question.
"No." Relena closed her eyes as she finally breathed out her answer along
with a rush of air. She wanted to cry, but she blinked the tears away, willing
herself not to weep in front of Heero. She didn't want him to stare at her
mercilessly as she shattered before him.
Unexpected relief washed over him as he suppressed the urge to circle his
arm around her shoulders and crushed her into his embrace. He never wished to
worsen the already complicated situation. He had somehow managed to get himself
tangled in her problems by asking her the question, so he didn't want to add to
the troubles.
However, he was once again baffled by his own stupidity as he blurted
without thinking, "Do you love someone else?" Self-destruct was the only
appealing idea for him to do at the moment. He felt downright imprudent, stupid.
Aquamarine orbs widened in surprise, she found herself stumbling for an
answer, searching her brain for an appropriate response to his blunt question.
An uncertain smile started to spread across her features, and amusement melted
the coldness in her heart as she finally resolved in half the truth. Placing a
palm flat against his chest, she tiptoed and whispered her answer in his ear; a
slight smile appeared as she caught Heero's astonished expression, "I supposed.
Do you?"
"What?"
"Love someone?" Relena knew well she was pushing her luck, but she could
care less. The moment she told Heero she didn't love Quatre was enough a
statement to shatter her cover of indifferent shell. Like it or not, she would
demand an honest answer. It was only fair of him, since he had been so insistent
in uncovering her deepest emotions. Feeling like being bold, she jabbed a finger
at his chest, her lips curved up into a slight smirk as she warned him gently,
"And don't try to run away."
Permitting himself the luxury of a simple genuine smile, Heero simply
gathered her smaller frame into his arm and tucked her head under his chin, his
eyes fluttering close in appreciation as he revelled in the silky texture of her
hair. He knew she was waiting for his answer, but he would savour the silent
moment dearly, enjoying every second of the soft drumming sounds of his heart
beating against his ribcage, with some strange, unfamiliar emotions fluttering.
He could sense resistance coming from Relena, but instead of letting her
go, he tightened his arms. Quickly he shielded both of them under the umbrella
as she shivered against him, unconsciously snuggling up to the source of his
body heat.
"Where…?" anxiety sounded in the unfinished question, and Relena finished
it with a reprimanded look, "I'm not going back with you. Besides, you dodged
me. Again."
Lifting his eyebrows in mock astonishment, Heero countered her accusation
with a mild, "Am I?"
"Yes, you are." Nodding in satisfaction, she apparently took pleasure in
measuring his reaction, "Don't tell me you don't feel. You're a human-being,
after all."
Heero needed a few seconds to consider his response. After all, he was in
the mood for a light bantering, something that rarely came his way, considering
his dark personality and people's reluctance to get acquainted with him.
"Let's just say that…" he said conversationally, a hint of teasing evident
in his voice, "I still don't understand a lot of things."
Almost smiling, Relena merely shrugged as she told him, "I knew you would
say such things." Quickening her pace, she followed Heero silently. Sensing her
willingness to follow him, he tightened his hold on Relena's lithe shoulder and
steered her to the direction of a shelter not so far away from where they were.
His sanctuary.
Heero: Choices
Part three
A Gundam Wing Fan fiction by Louise Tjandrasjahan
It wasn't easy for her to accept what had happened to her in the past few
days, but she managed to pull herself through so far. It still shocked the hell
out of her, however. Even after a few days of brooding and sleeping pills, she
still couldn't elude the feeling of being scandalised. Her mistake was that she
never saw the problem coming, but come it did. And believe her, it was in her
list of her worst nightmares. And thank you very much indeed, she fumed silently
as she dug out more weeds ferociously and tossed them into the available basket
beside her.
Mud splattered as she stabbed the ground furiously with her spade, hissing
and cursing viciously. Somehow she expected her temper to mellow down a little
bit with her sudden spur of action, but somehow it only fuelled her resentment.
She couldn't believe he would do that to her! And under a very obvious
circumstances, too.
Relena wiped her wet face as beads of rain ran down her face, managing to
stain her smooth fleck-free skin with soil. She blinked her eyes rapidly. For
her, the prospect of playing with mud and sand was one of the most appealing
experiences while gardening.
This time the fun was absent, however. She was far too angry and tired to
really revel in the joy of gardening she treasured most of time.
Sitting on her heels, she sighed in exhaustion. Her thought finally calmed
down as she relaxed her body eventually, echoing only a dull ache in her heart.
Ignoring the stains of mud on her clothes, she shivered involuntary as she
hugged herself. Beads of rain slowly seeped into her thin cardigan, chilling her
soft skin. An ironic smile spread across her features as she raised her face
skyward. Tasting the sweet flavour of the free falling rain, she closed her damp
eyes.
She would not cry now.
Relena only opened her eyes when the rain stopped plummeting on her face
altogether. Raised her eyebrows in mild surprise, she let her curiosity wander
even if only for a while as her eyes encountered a very bright red object on top
of her head.
Crimson. Bloody scarlet. Bright, blinding red.
The rich colour insulted her eyes, and she looked away from it to meet
Heero's intense azure orbs. She was more than ready to scold him for disturbing
her reverie, and yet her annoyance melted quickly into awe as realisation dawned
upon her. She had never expected Heero to be there for her, especially in the
moments when she had needed his emotional support. Well, he did show up in
critical situations, but it was mostly for the physical, security reasons.
Not for the sentimental reasons, she mused inwardly.
One hand flew to the base of her neck in a defensive gesture, as the
sudden and illogical urge to protect herself against his intense atmosphere
overwhelmed her feelings. Her other hand swept a wet strand off her face as she
narrowed her jewel eyes in scrutiny, drinking the sight before her. Or, should
she say, measuring him warily from head to toe.
"Oh, it's you." Relena remarked indifferently as she turned away from him,
trying very hard to ignore Heero's presence as she focused her mind back to the
task she had been doing before the distraction. She would never cry before Heero
Yui. Never ever. And she didn't plan to break her vow any time soon. She just
prayed he had never seen her tears earlier.
Heero merely lifted an eyebrow at her cold display and planted one hand
casually into his waist. Annoyance darkened the colour of his eyes, although his
overall stance betrayed none of his resentment.
Relena's attitude made him think, unfortunately.
It wasn't common for Relena to avoid him, and never in their four years of
acquaintance did she ignore him. She was always excited and happy whenever they
saw each other, much to his annoyance and satisfaction.
She even reached the point of inanely crying one day, when she greeted him
from returning from his ever-expanding missions. She had annoyed the hell out of
him when she jumped onto him all of sudden, causing both of them to lose balance
and fell on the ground. However, as much as he told himself that he disliked her
attention, there was always this warm emotion lingering in his heart whenever he
set his eyes upon her delicate features and her soft smile.
Relena probably didn't want him to know that she had been crying, but he
caught her shedding the tears, even as she turned away to avoid his eyes.
Whatever happened must have grated on her sturdy walls of security.
Narrowing his cobalt eyes into two slits, Heero scrutinised the slender
back of the young woman who once had gladly thrown herself within the range of
his lethal gun. Tenderness soon stole its way to his eyes as they marvelled
along the silky sandy blonde tresses, beads of rain dangling and shimmering on
each end of the thread like little diamonds.
Tightening his hold on the umbrella's handle, Heero stifled a sigh as he
crouched down beside her. He grinded his teeth when his shoulder brushed hers
accidentally, and the urge to run his fingers along the iridescent tresses
intensified all of sudden. A temptation it was, her damp but irresistibly
beautiful strands.
Heero almost smiled as he regarded her quietly with inexplicable pride.
She was really beautiful, he had always told himself. And he was confident other
people would have agreed with him. Time had presented them with Relena's fully
bloomed beauty.
It was true Relena still had the same facial features – the same sparkling
aquamarine eyes, small and straight nose, and the same rosy buds of lips, but
the recent years had also presented him with a different Relena. She had opted
to wear her longer hair into a classic and stylish coil on her nape, fastened by
a simple diamond pin she favoured more than any other intricate jewellery.
Her figure had ripened as well. Her body had matured into the curvaceous
figure of a mature woman, and she had chosen her fashion carefully, reflecting
her no-nonsense nature as well as the consciousness of the power that her
physical development had given her. She was no longer the dreamy girl who
favoured frilly dress over practical and well-fitted office garb she preferred
to wear now.
Primarily, she had gained grace and confidence along with her experiences
of dealing with difficult people and bureaucrats, who simply had no wish to
acknowledge her authority despite her abilities as a minister. Time had been
harsh to Relena Peacecraft, but it had also done her a big favour by moulding
her into a self-assured young woman. The softness that used to be evident on her
face had hardened with wisdom and resolution as calm reigned gloriously over her
handsome features. She was no longer a girl pretending to be an adult or a
queen. She was a real woman and a queen now.
"Something was bothering you." Heero started conversationally, one
fingertip brushing a wet strand, tucking it behind her ear. He could sense her
body stiffened under his touch. Her hand clutched the spade's handle painfully,
her eyes widened. Turning around, she tried to glare at him, but finally
softened her expression as she slid off her latex-gloves and slung them on the
brim of her basket. She could never be angry with Heero even if the world came
to an end.
Rising slowly to her feet, she wiped her damp face with the back of her
hand. Her eyes never left his, as if waiting for him to say something. She
sighed and resigned as it occurred to her that he would not say a word any
sooner.
"You changed, Heero." Instead she told him melancholically. Her eyes were
wistful as they follow his every movement, although she attempted to chase away
her emotions by pretending to smooth the wrinkles of her wet skirt. Her crystal
blue eyes sparkling for a brief moment, she flashed him a brave grin and added
hastily, "But I do think it's not enough to understand my dilemma."
An eyebrow lifted, and a dry, "Why, try me."
Waving a hand in plain dismissal, Relena gave away a non-committal sigh.
Turning away to leave him, she glanced at her watch as she informed him without
expression, "I have a meeting in a few hours at Andorra Summit Building. If I go
now, I will still have time to have a nice hot shower before getting ready."
Heero's hand slashed through the air and grabbed her arm in a dead grip,
forcing a startled gasp out of the little mouth of hers. Glaring balefully at
Heero, she ignored the dangerous glint in Heero cobalt blue eyes and tried to
shrug out of his grip without avail. The message of Heero's action was clear,
though. It was: tell me everything, or else…
Stifling the urge to sigh her frustration, Relena eyed him indignantly as
she finally resigned, silently admitted her strength would never match Heero's.
She began to relax under Heero's steely grip gradually and even pulled away to
cross her arms in front of her chest in an awkward attempt. She tugged slightly
at Heero's hand since he refused to release her arm in fear she would avoid him
and refused to answer his question.
Rolling her eyes at his display of stubbornness, Relena informed him
cynically, "I'm not going anywhere, Mister. So if you'll be so kind as to
release my poor throbbing arm…your grip is crushing it." Wiping a wet strand out
of her face, she grumbled in a low voice, "Men,"
Much to her surprise, Heero lifted the corners of his lips in what seemed
to be an apologetic smile, and loosened his hold on her. She stepped back as
soon as he released her, but kept her promise nonetheless.
Rubbing her sore arm, she glared at him menacingly before inhaling deeply
and telling him the whole story. In truth, Heero was the last person she wanted
to speak about her problem with, "Quatre has proposed a marriage to me," There
was a short pause before she hastily added, "And he is serious."
His expression didn't waver as what she had expected. She was right as
usual. Instead of getting the reaction she so longed to hear, he only presented
her with his ignorance, and soon disappointment filled the holes of her broken
heart. She was twice broken-hearted.
Seeing Heero with his cold expressionless eyes staring back at her stabbed
and wounded her deeply. She didn't mind seeing his anger or even hearing his
cold and heartless remark, but she didn't want him to freeze, uttering nothing
but looking at her as if…as if what?
She didn't understand. Never could she interpret it. She had never seen
him so…concerned?
Was it concern she was witnessing in Heero's face? It had to be her
imagination. Heero had never been taken aback by anything, especially by things
happening to her.
Still, he didn't say a word, and what she saw just then was gone in
seconds. Her imagination apparently had led her to believe that he still cared.
At any rate, it was her fault. She shouldn't have told Heero in the first
place. Heartache was all she would receive in the end. What did she see in a
person like him anyway? He never cared even for his own emotional needs. And he
was never willing to acknowledge her existence in his world. Mourning her
dignity and retreating behind her mask of formality and false smiles were the
best she could do to cover her growing love and hate. Inside, she was hurt,
bleeding and wounded.
Gathering the small amount of pride and courage still left within her, she
squared her shoulders bravely in an attempt to restore a bit of her stripped
dignity, although her voice cracked as she produced a barely audible whisper,
"Satisfied?"
Nodding, Heero frowned as he put his hand on her shoulder and felt it
stiffening once again. Was she afraid of him? Was he too rough on her? There
were millions of other questions he wished he could ask her, but in his
foolishness he asked the question he shouldn't have even thought about instead.
"Do you love Quatre?" he blurted, his fists clenched as soon as he
realised his stupidity.
The answer should have come with ease, since she had known it a long time
ago. Even as friendship blossomed between them as the result of their
collaboration in the world of politics and economics, she had never regarded
Quatre Raberba Winner as a lover.
However, as she gazed deeply into Heero's eyes, Relena found it difficult
to tell the once-her-killer candidate the matter of her heart, afraid of his
latter reaction. She took a sudden interest in her shirt's buttons as relentless
enveloped her persona, prolonging her time to answer the simple but difficult
question.
"No." Relena closed her eyes as she finally breathed out her answer along
with a rush of air. She wanted to cry, but she blinked the tears away, willing
herself not to weep in front of Heero. She didn't want him to stare at her
mercilessly as she shattered before him.
Unexpected relief washed over him as he suppressed the urge to circle his
arm around her shoulders and crushed her into his embrace. He never wished to
worsen the already complicated situation. He had somehow managed to get himself
tangled in her problems by asking her the question, so he didn't want to add to
the troubles.
However, he was once again baffled by his own stupidity as he blurted
without thinking, "Do you love someone else?" Self-destruct was the only
appealing idea for him to do at the moment. He felt downright imprudent, stupid.
Aquamarine orbs widened in surprise, she found herself stumbling for an
answer, searching her brain for an appropriate response to his blunt question.
An uncertain smile started to spread across her features, and amusement melted
the coldness in her heart as she finally resolved in half the truth. Placing a
palm flat against his chest, she tiptoed and whispered her answer in his ear; a
slight smile appeared as she caught Heero's astonished expression, "I supposed.
Do you?"
"What?"
"Love someone?" Relena knew well she was pushing her luck, but she could
care less. The moment she told Heero she didn't love Quatre was enough a
statement to shatter her cover of indifferent shell. Like it or not, she would
demand an honest answer. It was only fair of him, since he had been so insistent
in uncovering her deepest emotions. Feeling like being bold, she jabbed a finger
at his chest, her lips curved up into a slight smirk as she warned him gently,
"And don't try to run away."
Permitting himself the luxury of a simple genuine smile, Heero simply
gathered her smaller frame into his arm and tucked her head under his chin, his
eyes fluttering close in appreciation as he revelled in the silky texture of her
hair. He knew she was waiting for his answer, but he would savour the silent
moment dearly, enjoying every second of the soft drumming sounds of his heart
beating against his ribcage, with some strange, unfamiliar emotions fluttering.
He could sense resistance coming from Relena, but instead of letting her
go, he tightened his arms. Quickly he shielded both of them under the umbrella
as she shivered against him, unconsciously snuggling up to the source of his
body heat.
"Where…?" anxiety sounded in the unfinished question, and Relena finished
it with a reprimanded look, "I'm not going back with you. Besides, you dodged
me. Again."
Lifting his eyebrows in mock astonishment, Heero countered her accusation
with a mild, "Am I?"
"Yes, you are." Nodding in satisfaction, she apparently took pleasure in
measuring his reaction, "Don't tell me you don't feel. You're a human-being,
after all."
Heero needed a few seconds to consider his response. After all, he was in
the mood for a light bantering, something that rarely came his way, considering
his dark personality and people's reluctance to get acquainted with him.
"Let's just say that…" he said conversationally, a hint of teasing evident
in his voice, "I still don't understand a lot of things."
Almost smiling, Relena merely shrugged as she told him, "I knew you would
say such things." Quickening her pace, she followed Heero silently. Sensing her
willingness to follow him, he tightened his hold on Relena's lithe shoulder and
steered her to the direction of a shelter not so far away from where they were.
His sanctuary.