Yesterdays: Chapter 4
AN: Omg, I am soo sorry you guys for the late update! I know I've disappeared off the charts, but I've been extremely busy. My summer can't even be considered a summer vacation since I was swamped with everything. And I'm afraid the load hasn't lightened up . . . I have to worry about testing, school, college apps, and the list goes on and on.
I do realize that this chapter isn't full of action and what not, but it is crucial to the plot. I'm really really sorry if I disappoint any of you, and I'm terribly sorry for the long wait. Hopefully when all the testing and college apps process is over, I'll have much more time to dedicate to writing. Once again, I'm so sorry for the wait! Btw, if any of you would like to know the status of SWIB, please check out my profile. A lengthy explanation can be found there.
Dedications:
Chibi-chan no Hentai: I honestly hope you come out with a new SM fic. Are you?? Please say you are?
Princess Ren: I'm so sorry for the long delay. You've been so wonderful in your support and your comments/suggestions. Sorry I didn't run this by you before I posted it. It's just that I wanted it out as soon as I was done, especially since I haven't updated in ages. Thanks for being so supportive, and hopefully this chapter doesn't disappoint!
Mars Child1: Thanks for your review and comments! And well, I suppose Rei's 'husband' COULD be lucky, but then again, he'd have to put up with quite a bit.
DragonStar: Yes, you did get the edited version out soon enough. Sorry I didn't run this by you first, but I wanted to get this story posted ASAP. Thanks so much for your support, comments, and suggestions!
lalala: Thanks for the review! Your support means a lot!
Joanna2: I'm so glad you like the story. Hopefully this chapter lives up to your standards. Thanks for all the comments!
thescientist: I'm glad you liked my ending. I was hoping people would like it. Please post more of your WK/SM soon so that it might inspire moi! ^_^
Bloody Love: I agree that Wufei and Rei would just bicker all the time, especially since they just met and haven't had time to develop any chemistry. I just couldn't throw them together as newlyweds so soon. Thanks for the review!
lost little angel: Thanks so much for your review and comments! Good luck with you!
becca chan: I agree, Rei is the greatest! Thanks for your review and comments!
The Voice of Reason: I'm so glad you like my stories! I do agree with you that Duo would be a great candidate, and I originally wrote the beginning of this chapter with him playing this part. But for plot reasons, and for other reasons that will appear down the line, I decided not to use Duo for this particular reason. Sorry if that disappointed you, but there will be more D/R interaction in the future. Slowly, but surely.
Firenze: Hopefully this chapter was somewhat interesting! I do realize it's a lot more plot focused than it is action based.
DTN: Glad you liked the ending! Hope you like this chapter as well! Thanks for the review and comments!
Dark Mars: Thanks so much for your support! I've actually rewritten the prologue of SWIB, but I'm going to hold off updating until I can get further into the revision. Thanks for your reviews!
Notorious Lizzie-chan: Hmmm, R/D wasn't as popular when I first started this fic, I don't think. But I totally agree with you, I would like to try something unique like a R/Q, but I don't know if that would work with this plot line. We'll just have to play it by ear, but I'll definitely keep your suggestions in mind. And don't worry, you didn't offend me about the Heero comment; once again I agree with you. This will most likely be my last fic with Heero paired up with Rei.
Standard Disclaimers Apply.
Yesterdays: Chapter 4
A Walk Down Memory Lane
Rei heaved another sigh as she continued to stare out at the scenery that continued to pass her by, unknowingly eliciting a questioning glance from her male companion. The drive up to the hotel was a long one, full of awkwardness and silence. If it hadn't been for the music playing in the background, Rei would have gone insane from the silence.
The ride did, however, allow Rei to reflect on her partner and on their current mission. Much to Rei's surprise, Setsuna had paired her up with Heero. Heero, of all people! The only other pairing that could have shocked her more was if she had been paired with Wufei.
She had simply automatically assumed she would be paired with the likes of Duo or Quatre, especially since their personalities were more suited to the whole husband role. Instead, here she was, once again with Heero. She did suppose she could understand Setsuna's motives for pairing her with the brunette. They were, after all, waltzing into a lion's den, as Setsuna had said; and it did reassure her somewhat to have the best of the best as her partner in such hostile waters.
As much as she hated to admit it, she felt much more secure having Heero as her partner than she would any other member of Sanctuary. The only other person she would trust so unconditionally in a mission was Hotaru. Setsuna had made a wise choice. There was no telling who they would meet at the party . . .
Rei involuntarily shivered as the face of a certain blonde man flashed before her mind, sending chills down her spine. He was one person she hoped never to come across at the party. In fact, she wouldn't mind at all if he fell off the face of the earth.
"Cold?" Heero's voice snapped her back to reality before her mind could fall back into the past.
"A little," Rei lied, not wanting him to know the truth behind her shiver. The two men had a long history together, one that had started mainly because of her.
Heero frowned, but said nothing. Instead, he turned down the air conditioner, keeping his eyes fixed on the road.
'You were never any good at lying to me, Rei.'
* * * *
The hotel and the suite the newlyweds were located in certainly lived up to the hotel's five star reputation. From what Rei could tell with a quick glance, the suite was as big as her entire apartment put together. Sanctuary must have put in quite a bit of money for a three night stay in a place like this. Rei feigned a look of indifference on her face, not wanting the bellhops to know she was not accustomed to such luxury.
After Heero tipped the bellhops and the newlyweds were alone, the brunette silently gestured for them to sweep the room for bugs. Rei rolled her eyes and shot him a look that seemed to say 'One step ahead of you' as she unzipped a duffel bag, tossing him a rectangular sweeper.
For an arduous half an hour, the two agents covered every inch of the suite, tediously sweeping over every corner, every appliance, and every piece of furniture. As Rei finished her half of the suite, she stepped back out into the lounge, where Heero was just finishing up as well.
The two silently nodded to one another. The room was clean.
"Setsuna should have booked a smaller room," Rei grumbled irritably as she plopped down on the couch. Unfortunately, tedious tasks such as sweeping the room for any unwanted electronic devices came with the whole spy-assassin territory.
"But that wouldn't have helped our cover."
"I know, I know."
Rei glanced at the clock. They had about an hour before they were to make their debut at the dinner party. So what was she going to do for an hour? She turned to Heero, feeling a slight jolt as she came in contact with his sea green eyes. She had to admit, his usual, Prussian blue suited him much better. Before she could say anything, a soft knock sounded on the door, followed by the call,
"Room service."
Rei arched an eyebrow as Heero immediately whipped out a gun. Room service? They didn't call room service.
"Coming!" Rei called, while slowly making her way towards the door. Heero remained behind her, out of sight, but with his gun trained and ready in case of trouble.
Rei checked the peephole. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary, except for the fact that they had not ordered room service. Hell, they just got here! She opened the door and let the blonde man in, scrutinizing him as he pushed the tray in. There was something familiar . . .
As soon as the door closed, the bellhop turned to Rei with a huge smile.
"Is that you, Rei?" He let out a low whistle. "Man you look GOOD as a blonde."
Ah ha! She had thought there was something familiar about him. "Duo?! What are you doing here?"
Heero stepped out from his hiding spot, tucked his gun away, and regarded Duo with a slight frown. Duo, you better have a good reason for com-
As if reading the Perfect Soldier's mind, Duo quickly explained,
"Don't worry, I actually do have a reason for coming here. There's been a change of plans. Sanctuary has gotten word that Alliance big shot Diamond plans on attending the party. The only problem is, we don't know who he is, or what he looks like. Setsuna wants you two to expose his identity."
Having nothing else to say and not wanting to stay any longer than necessary, Duo tipped his hat to Rei, flashed her a quick wink along with a grin, before leaving the room as quickly as he had entered.
The two remaining agents stared at each other.
The stakes had just been raised.
* * * *
The sound of violins and a piano drifted down the hallway as the couple strolled towards the majestic doorway, where a short line had formed as the doorman checked the invitations. The slightest hint of a frown creased the blonde's features as she noticed that the doorman was holding the invitations to the light and checking for a water crest. Unlike Heero, who seemed unfazed by the fact that the invitation included more than printed names, Rei had virtually no faith in Sanctuary; hence, she was worried that an agent had slipped and that their invitation had no water crest.
Rei unconsciously began searching for a possible escape route should their invitation backfire. She even considered going back to their suite to first check to see, in the privacy of their room, whether their invitation was legit or not.
Too late now.
She and Heero were next in line. Leaving now would only serve to arouse suspicion. If Sanctuary had wanted to screw her over, there would not be a better opportunity than now, with an entire ballroom full of Alliance agents, hit men, and their close friends and acquaintances.
Heero focused his attention on the blonde bombshell next to him as he felt her arm tighten around his, perhaps the only indication that she was nervous. Unlike his partner, he actually had some confidence in Sanctuary's abilities. He could feel her loosen up as the doorman welcomed him and his wife to the party.
Although Rei felt relieved that their invitation appeared to be legit, her sour mood had not lightened up. Mainly, she was upset at Sanctuary for abruptly changing their mission.
Did they even give us the tiniest hint as to who Diamond could be? Nooo, they just had Duo rush in and tell us to find Diamond. Find Diamond! Oh yes, that's such a simple task. There were only over two hundred people in the damn room!
"Get your head in the game," Heero murmured softly to her, his voice so low that only she could hear.
"It is," Rei snapped back, a little more harshly than she had intended. She could see a glimmer of emotion flash across his eyes, one that she could not quite place her finger on.
"If you say so," he muttered before turning away to scan the area.
Rei bit her lower lip in frustration before doing the same. She froze as she spotted a handsome blonde man walking in their direction. Not wanting to meet him, even in her disguise, she turned back around and directed Heero in another direction. He gave her a questioning glance as she did so, but she simply ignored his gaze.
"This is impossible," Rei growled as she stared into the sea of faces. Anyone of them could be Diamond, for God's sake!
"Let's dance." Heero led her onto the dance floor, where the musicians were just striking up a waltz. He raised an eyebrow, as if asking if she could handle a waltz. Rei merely smirked, raised her chin, and met his gaze in a defiant stare, as if questioning if he could keep up with her.
Wufei watched the couple dancing with a slight, barely noticeable scowl on his face as he stood by the doorway at his post. He and the other Gundam pilots had insinuated themselves as part of the staff. He was under the guise of a security guard, while Trowa and Quatre were servers at the refreshment tables; and Duo was wandering about the hotel somewhere posed as a bellhop.
Instead of trying to determine exactly who Diamond was, the two Sanctuary agents were dancing. And not just dancing, they were waltzing! Heero waltzing?! Where in the world did the boy learn to waltz? If Duo had been here to witness the two of them, he would have had a field day. Luckily for Sanctuary, Duo was thankfully off roaming somewhere away from the ballroom.
Wufei let out a soft sigh as his gaze held a soft, hazel hue.
Quatre gave Wufei a small nod, one that was indiscernible unless if one were scrutinizing the "brunette." Aside from the standard black and white uniform Quatre had donned, he had also disguised himself in a brunette wig, and he had hidden his eyes under hazel contacts
Rei sipped at her wine sparingly, waiting for Heero to return from the washroom. Her anger was somewhat pacified by the waltz she and Heero had shared. She would never admit it, but it felt . . . safe to be held in his arms. But still, how the hell did Sanctuary expect her to find Diamond without even a hint as to his identity?! The very idea of it was preposterous!
"You look stunning tonight, Miss-"
Rei could recognize that voice as if it were her own. She forced a calm façade as she turned around to stare into gorgeous cerulean hue eyes.
"Mrs. Delaney." Rei managed a smile as she held up her hand so that he could see her ring. "And you are?"
Trent Calhoun.
"Trent Calhoun. Perhaps you would like to dance?"
Rei quickly shook her head, "I really shouldn't. My husband should be back any moment now, and he's the jealous type."
"And he has every reason to be. But come, I'm sure he can spare you for one dance."
Before Rei could protest again, he led her onto the dance floor and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her too close to him for comfort. At least one thing had not changed; he still smelled like cinnamon and spices. She could have sworn everyone in the room could hear her heart beating over the mindless chatter and the music. All she knew was that she needed to get as far away from him as possible before-
"I'm sorry, did you say something?"
"My lady, am I such a bore that I cannot hold your attention for more than a few seconds?" The man teased, sporting an injured look on his face.
Rei had the grace to blush. "No, of course not! It's just that I'm worried what my husband will think when he sees me dancing with another man."
Quick thinking, girl, Rei congratulated herself on her quick recovery. This time, despite her churning stomach and racing heart, she forced herself to pay attention to the man wreaking havoc on her, secretly hoping Heero would return soon to rescue her from the blonde devil.
* * * *
As Heero returned from the washroom, Rei was no where to be found. He scanned the area around the refreshment table, where he had left her, but there was no sight of the blonde beauty. He discreetly turned his attention towards the dark haired security man by the doorway. Their eyes met and the guard's crystal blue eyes slowly shifted towards the dance floor before darting away.
Heero automatically turned towards the dance floor, where he felt his blood boil at the sight of the two blondes dancing together. They weren't hard to miss, especially since he was holding her outrageously close. How dare he! Heero could have sworn he could feel his vein pulsating in the side of his head as he scrutinized the two blondes.
Heero clenched his jaw, automatically gritting his teeth before purposefully striding towards the middle of the dance floor, where the two of them were currently dancing.
* * * *
"Excuse me, but you're dancing with my wife." Rei nearly sighed in relief as she heard her partner's familiar voice. She immediately broke away from the Hound, and ducked her head in apparent shame.
"Please, don't blame your wife. I persuaded her to dance with me. It is entirely my fault." Trent flashed Heero a wide, insinuating smile before turning back to Rei. "Perhaps we shall meet again." He sneaked in a quick wink before walking off to find another dance partner.
As soon as he left, Rei turned her attention to her husband, who had an unreadable expression on his face. She knew she owed him an explanation, but she also knew this was not the time nor the place.
"Come on, let's head back to the room," Rei suggested softly, looping her arm through his. She felt him stiffen ever so slightly, and her heart tweaked at his action. "We'll talk there."
Heero barely registered her words, as his mind was caught in a flashback. His feet simply moved in the direction she was guiding him in while his mind replayed memories that had haunted him for so long.
[Flashback]
Heero watched as the blonde hooked his arm around the girl's waist and twirled her in a circle, eliciting a twinkle of laughter from her. It had been two weeks since he had stolen her from him, two weeks since she had last spent time with him. The close friendship they had shared had been temporarily severed by the obnoxious blonde, who he suspected had ulterior motives to dating his friend, but would Heero be the one to break her heart? Most definitely not.
He scowled as the blonde captured her lips in a sensual kiss, watching as he entangled his hands in her luscious raven hair. Heero turned away as waves of nausea threatened to overwhelm him. Had he turned away a few seconds slower, he would have seen the mischievous, satisfied glint in a pair of cerulean blue eyes.
[Flashback]
It was the night before their final exam, the one that determined their standings and the winner of the competition. Currently it was a two way tie, with Rei rounding up the third spot. The two of them were supposed to meet for a quick training session, just to prep for their final one tomorrow, except she had stood him up. And it didn't take a genius to figure out why.
Heero was determined not to let him ruin all their hard work and training. The two of them could only be in two places, and since they were not in Rei's room, there was only one place left. It took him ten minutes of brisk walking to reach his destination. Without even bothering to knock, he kicked open the door. His eyes narrowed as he saw two bodies entangled under some sheets. Two heads shot up, one full of shock and embarrassment, and the other full of arrogance and satisfaction.
That was the last straw. Something in Heero snapped as he rushed towards the blonde, tackling him out of the bed. Rage clouded his judgment as the two of them continued to brawl, ignoring the girl's screams for the two of them to stop.
"Heero! Trent! Please, stop!"
= = = = = = = =
This chapter did shed some more light on the plot, so hopefully that made up for the lack of action. As always, let me know what you think through a review or an email. Your opinions, comments, and suggestions are always appreciated and taken into consideration. Hopefully there will be no flames or disappointed readers. Do I even have any fans/readers left?