Chapter 6
Hotaru listened as Relena drawled on about the up coming tea party that she must attend. And they'd have to make plans for a party to celebrate her and Duo's 'wedding'. Hotaru prayed to Serenity for help from the talkative bundle of energy. Sure, Relena was kind and pleasant. But she was a bit too.. Sweet.
However, Hotaru couldn't help but like the girl. She reminded her a bit of Serena. And that made her feel a better about things. Out of the corner of her eye, Hotaru spotted four women approaching them.
"Hilde! Sally! Cathleen! Dorthy!" Relena cried and hugged the four girls who smiled at her. Sally was the oldest, maybe four years older then herself. Hotaru thought. Dorthy looked a bit snobbish, but just on the outside. Cathleen looked like a thoughtful person, one who worried over people. And Hilde, she looked smart but very sensitive inside. She was the one Duo mentioned.
Relena giggled and clasped Hotaru's shoulder, "Girls, I'd like to introduce you to Hotaru."
"It's nice to meet you, Hotaru." Hilde smiled. "I'm Hilde." She then turned back to Relena. "Have you seen Duo? I need to talk to him."
"I think you might want to ask Hotaru here that." Relena smiled. "She's the one that's married to him." Hotaru blushed and felt four sets of eyes turn to stare at her.
"Oh my." Cathleen said softly. She opened her arms and surrounded Hotaru in a huge hug. "I'm so happy for you." Instinctively Hotaru took a liking to this girl. She was like Lita in a sense. Open and caring.
Sally grinned and hugged her after Cathleen had pulled away. 'Raye...' Hotaru thought. It was strange how these girls reminded her of her friends. Maybe not it total sense but in small things.
Dorthy just hid a smile behind her hand and shook her head. 'Mina. Just a bit though.' She has that look about her and an inner beauty, but Dorthy was more. defiant and wicked.
Relena smiled as her friends accepted Hotaru like she thought they would, and thanked the heavens for the girl's arrival. Things hadn't been going so well with the revolts from some representatives and having a new face, a new friend was just what everyone needed.
And she was terribly happy for Duo. They made the cutest couple. "Hilde?" Cathleen asked. The girl hadn't said anything to welcome Hotaru. Just stood there.
"I'll be in the gardens." She whispered and ran out of the room leaving her four baffled friends and Hotaru to stare at the place she'd been.
Sally turned and touched Hotaru's shoulder. "Don't mind her. It'll just take some adjusting. Duo's like a big brother to her, maybe more in her mind. Once she gets used to the idea." Hotaru nodded feeling her spirit drop.
The four girls started to converse about silly girlish things, leaving Hotaru to stand in the middle of the ballroom. She felt a pang of loneliness, and wished Duo was there. As if hearing her silent plea, Duo appeared by her side with a grin.
"Hey babe." He chuckled. "Having fun?" He motioned to the girls with his eyes.
"A little, but glad to see you."
"I always like hearing that." His arms wrapped around her waist and he pulled her against him. "So Mrs. Maxwell.." He raised a brow, "Wanna dance?"
"I'd love to." Duo swept her out into the throng of couples that dominated the middle of room. They swung around in a traditional dance that was meant for lovers. "Duo?"
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"This." She motioned around the room. "For sharing your world with me. You could have thrown me out or left me to die in the snow. You saved me. Gave me shelter. A life. You let me be a part of your life as much as your world."
"I like having you in my life." Hotaru blushed as Duo's violet eyes met hers. "It's nice sharing my home and.. Bed with you." Hotaru's eyes widened. "I was joking." He laughed.
"I knew." Hotaru defended herself.
"Sure." He chuckled. "But it's nice to have someone to talk to. To even pretend that they'll be there for the rest of your life." His eyes saddened. "I lost my family when I was young, so I like to think I have a new one."
"Oh Duo." She leaned up and kissed his lips. "You're so sweet." Duo felt his cheeks heat, it wasn't like him to get embarrassed but it seemed that Hotaru brought the 'best' out in him.
"Let's say tomorrow we work on trying to free your friend."
"Really?" Her eyes softened. "Thank you."
"Don't you worry, Shini." She rested her head on his shoulder. "Heero will search on his computer, Trowa will examine that crystal, Wufei will rant while he really thinks about it, Quatra will pay ten thousand bucks to figure it out, and I'll keep you company."
She smiled. "Duo, is it bad?"
"What?"
"Falling in love?" He berried his head in her hair.
"I'll tell you as soon as I figure that out."
Hotaru listened as Relena drawled on about the up coming tea party that she must attend. And they'd have to make plans for a party to celebrate her and Duo's 'wedding'. Hotaru prayed to Serenity for help from the talkative bundle of energy. Sure, Relena was kind and pleasant. But she was a bit too.. Sweet.
However, Hotaru couldn't help but like the girl. She reminded her a bit of Serena. And that made her feel a better about things. Out of the corner of her eye, Hotaru spotted four women approaching them.
"Hilde! Sally! Cathleen! Dorthy!" Relena cried and hugged the four girls who smiled at her. Sally was the oldest, maybe four years older then herself. Hotaru thought. Dorthy looked a bit snobbish, but just on the outside. Cathleen looked like a thoughtful person, one who worried over people. And Hilde, she looked smart but very sensitive inside. She was the one Duo mentioned.
Relena giggled and clasped Hotaru's shoulder, "Girls, I'd like to introduce you to Hotaru."
"It's nice to meet you, Hotaru." Hilde smiled. "I'm Hilde." She then turned back to Relena. "Have you seen Duo? I need to talk to him."
"I think you might want to ask Hotaru here that." Relena smiled. "She's the one that's married to him." Hotaru blushed and felt four sets of eyes turn to stare at her.
"Oh my." Cathleen said softly. She opened her arms and surrounded Hotaru in a huge hug. "I'm so happy for you." Instinctively Hotaru took a liking to this girl. She was like Lita in a sense. Open and caring.
Sally grinned and hugged her after Cathleen had pulled away. 'Raye...' Hotaru thought. It was strange how these girls reminded her of her friends. Maybe not it total sense but in small things.
Dorthy just hid a smile behind her hand and shook her head. 'Mina. Just a bit though.' She has that look about her and an inner beauty, but Dorthy was more. defiant and wicked.
Relena smiled as her friends accepted Hotaru like she thought they would, and thanked the heavens for the girl's arrival. Things hadn't been going so well with the revolts from some representatives and having a new face, a new friend was just what everyone needed.
And she was terribly happy for Duo. They made the cutest couple. "Hilde?" Cathleen asked. The girl hadn't said anything to welcome Hotaru. Just stood there.
"I'll be in the gardens." She whispered and ran out of the room leaving her four baffled friends and Hotaru to stare at the place she'd been.
Sally turned and touched Hotaru's shoulder. "Don't mind her. It'll just take some adjusting. Duo's like a big brother to her, maybe more in her mind. Once she gets used to the idea." Hotaru nodded feeling her spirit drop.
The four girls started to converse about silly girlish things, leaving Hotaru to stand in the middle of the ballroom. She felt a pang of loneliness, and wished Duo was there. As if hearing her silent plea, Duo appeared by her side with a grin.
"Hey babe." He chuckled. "Having fun?" He motioned to the girls with his eyes.
"A little, but glad to see you."
"I always like hearing that." His arms wrapped around her waist and he pulled her against him. "So Mrs. Maxwell.." He raised a brow, "Wanna dance?"
"I'd love to." Duo swept her out into the throng of couples that dominated the middle of room. They swung around in a traditional dance that was meant for lovers. "Duo?"
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"This." She motioned around the room. "For sharing your world with me. You could have thrown me out or left me to die in the snow. You saved me. Gave me shelter. A life. You let me be a part of your life as much as your world."
"I like having you in my life." Hotaru blushed as Duo's violet eyes met hers. "It's nice sharing my home and.. Bed with you." Hotaru's eyes widened. "I was joking." He laughed.
"I knew." Hotaru defended herself.
"Sure." He chuckled. "But it's nice to have someone to talk to. To even pretend that they'll be there for the rest of your life." His eyes saddened. "I lost my family when I was young, so I like to think I have a new one."
"Oh Duo." She leaned up and kissed his lips. "You're so sweet." Duo felt his cheeks heat, it wasn't like him to get embarrassed but it seemed that Hotaru brought the 'best' out in him.
"Let's say tomorrow we work on trying to free your friend."
"Really?" Her eyes softened. "Thank you."
"Don't you worry, Shini." She rested her head on his shoulder. "Heero will search on his computer, Trowa will examine that crystal, Wufei will rant while he really thinks about it, Quatra will pay ten thousand bucks to figure it out, and I'll keep you company."
She smiled. "Duo, is it bad?"
"What?"
"Falling in love?" He berried his head in her hair.
"I'll tell you as soon as I figure that out."