Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing (although I wish I did); they belong to their respective owners (Sotsu, Sunrise, Bandai and any other companies that I forgot to mention).
Warnings: This is a 2+R fic.
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My Ojousan
Chapter 2: The Joys of Life

By: veGie-kun


"Relena..."

Standing in front of the young man was one very pretty, if not beautiful, girl. Relena wore a lovely sky blue dress that came to just above the knee. Its short sleeves hung slightly off her shoulders while a string bow topped off the bodice. Her hair was unbound, flowing freely down her back while a little pouch-like bag hung on her wrist. All this added together gave her the image of a sweet and innocent girl instead of the stern diplomat she normally appeared to be.

"Um... how do I look? I hope this is okay," she asked shyly, obviously out of practice with wearing such things. Relena looked at Duo's face, trying to find something that would give her an idea of how she looked to the public. "I didn't have many casual clothes with me since I didn't think I'd be going to a circus."

"Um... y-you look fine..." was all he managed to get out. //Wow, never thought 'Jousan could look like that. If Heero ever saw her like this, he'd keel over or something. Ha ha ha... I'd really like to see the expression on his face then.// "Hmmm, you're missing something though... Oh! I know!" He grabbed Relena's arm and dragged her into the hotel store. Relena wasn't sure what he was doing, but figured she probably wouldn't understand his reasoning so she didn't ask. Duo took his time to search the store carefully as if he had a specific item in mind.

"Aha!" Letting go of Relena's hand he ran to the back of the store, picked something up, then ran to the cashier. Relena was staring at some glass figurines when she felt something press down on her head. Looking up, she saw the brim of a straw sun hat.

"What's this for?" she asked, turning to eye the tall boy.

Duo grinned and pressed his hand a little more firmly on her head. "I thought this would go well with your dress."

"Duo, you shouldn't have," she replied making a face.

"Just think of it as the present I forgot to give you on your last birthday, okay? Besides, you'll need more of a disguise than that if you don't want to be noticed." He winked then continued to drag her out of the hotel. Once outside they decided to walk all the way to the circus that was less than a mile away.

*****

For some odd reason Relena was quiet during the walk. Duo didn't know what was wrong so he just threw in a couple of jokes now and then, but she just remained quiet and polite. Seeing no other way to handle the situation he thought he'd just come out and ask. "'Jousan, why so quiet?"

"Just thinking..." she answered still looking straight ahead. "About how this is the first time that I'm doing something that wasn't scheduled for me."

"Huh?"

"Everything I do; it's all part of some schedule that I have to follow everyday: a routine I can never beak free of. It just gets really tiring after awhile," she said in a bittersweet tone.

"But you have people there to help you, right?"

"Not really. No matter who's around me I'm the one who still goes into everything by myself. Sometimes I just feel so... so..."

"Alone," Duo finished and saw her head nod in agreement. //Oh, 'Jousan, you're just like me. You always put on the tough mask of a diplomat whenever you're in public, but you're just as vulnerable as everyone else. My mask only comes off when I'm about to sleep... Sometimes I feel that you're the only one who can see through it.//

"Duo, what do you do when you're sad?"

"W-What?" The question was so unexpected that the braided boy almost tripped over his own feet. "What do I do when I'm sad?"

"Uh huh," she turned her head so that she was looking up at him now. Her eyes were full of need; need for an answer, a solution... something. "It's just that I don't think I've ever found or will ever find a way to escape it. I don't think that I'll ever be happy."

"Don't ever say that, 'Jousan. You're still young, and you have your whole life ahead of you-"

"Yeah, unless it's abruptly ended by some assassin," Relena added bitterly.

"Oi! When did you become a pessimist? You'll find happiness; I know you will. Trust me." Duo grinned and was happy inside when he saw Relena smile a genuine smile back at him. //You deserve to be happy; Relena... and I'll see to it that you are. I swear it in the name of Shinigami.//

From then on they were talking more openly. Duo did most of it though, but Relena fought for a chance to talk as well. In about twenty minutes they found themselves waiting in line to buy tickets for the circus. The line was fairly long, and the wait caused Duo to babble uncontrollably. In less than five minutes he had accounted all the events of the Eve Wars to those in line with them. Relena did her best to make it seem as if she had no idea who he was whatsoever. When they were finally up Relena firmly grasped his hand and dragged him to the booth. Sighs of relief followed them.

"Two please," Duo said to the gruff man behind the booth. He eyed Duo for a second before handing him the tickets and receiving the payment.

"Duo, how much do I owe you for the ticket?"

Duo looked down at her face and couldn't help but grin at her. "Don't worry. It's on me. Anything to get you to relax." The blonde girl could only stare up with confusion in her eyes before appreciation took over.

*****

"Duo! Where are you?!" Relena shouted through the crowd of people as she pushed onward. //How did I lose him? Let's see, we passed by the food stand before we - THE FOOD STAND!!!!// She ran as fast as she could and mentally kicked herself for losing a friend like that. Keeping a hand on her hat as she ran, and apologizing to the people she jostled, she soon reached the food stand, and, sure enough, Duo was there, ordering something. Sighing to herself, she slowly walked towards and stood next to him.

"There you are, 'Jousan. Geez, don't walk off like that." He turned around before he saw the look on her face that said "Me? Walk off? You stopped and didn't bother to tell me!". "So, want anything to eat?" he asked in a chipper voice.

"Something cold," Relena sighed in exhaustion as the heat from running and their surrounding caught up to her.

"Uh... okay." Although slightly bewildered by that strange request, Duo still went on to order more food. One would have never thought he had just had lunch only an hour and a half ago by looking at his tray. //Hmmm... Let's see.... I have my chilidogs, hamburgers, corndogs, chili fries, caramel apple, and cotton candy... and a popsicle for Relena. I think that'll tide me over till dinner time comes around.// After picking up his tray, he walked over to the bench where Relena waited and sat next to her. The carefree pilot gave her the popsicle while he went to work devouring his 'snack'.

"....." Relena's eyes were wide, and her mouth opened slightly as she stared in amazement at how fast the violet-eyed boy ate. If there was a world record on how fast one could eat, then Duo definitely broke them all. The young diplomat blushed a little after realizing that she had been staring at him. Not wanting to be rude she quickly turned her head around and started on her popsicle. Relena closed her eyes when she took her first lick, savoring that one simple pleasure. It tasted like strawberries and she smiled inwardly as she enjoyed the sweet red treat. //When was the last time you had something like this, Relena?... A long time.//

"....." It was Duo's turn to stare after he had finished eating. It was an accident really, but when he turned to face Relena he was totally shocked by what he saw. Sitting on the bench right next to him was a girl with a Popsicle in her mouth! His body stiffened up when mental images started to collide in his mind as he continued to watch her lick the icy treat from the base to the tip. His eyes never left her as she repeated the same motions over and over again. Without knowing it, his face soon became hot as the girl stuck a portion of the thing into her mouth, making sucking noises. //Oh man, I did NOT know this was going to happen. Okay, I have to get a hold of myself. Do NOT think THOSE thoughts! I'm trying. I'm REALLY trying! DAMNIT! WHY DID I HAVE TO WEAR SUCH TIGHT PANTS TODAY!!! Oh God, Heero would kill me if he knew what I was thinking.//

"Duo? You feeling alright?"

"Huh?" Duo was snapped back to reality, and all those images in his head quickly disappeared. However, they came back when he saw her face. Her lips were now a bit swollen and red, which didn't help him much, and he started to feel flustered again. Of course, Relena was oblivious as to what was happening and laid the back of her right hand on his forehead to check his temperature.

"You feel a bit warm. Maybe we should get out the heat." She took hold of his hand and started leading him through the crowd in hopes of finding a shady area to rest.

"It's okay, Relena. Really, it is. I... uh... just had some things on my mind, that's all," he quickly responded to try and cover up anything that would give away his thoughts.

"You sure?" she asked really concerned, feeling that it was partly her fault since he was doing all of this to make her feel better.

"Of course, I am! C'mon, we'd better get to the main tent. The show's about to begin," he smiled cheerfully and started to drag her to the larger tent in the back of the grassy clearing. The sudden jerk on her arm caused her to let go of the popsicle. Duo noticed this and thanked God for letting that happen because he knew he wouldn't be able to control himself if she were to do it again. //What's gotten into me? Why am I thinking all of these things? I mean, 'Jousan is pretty... okay, beautiful... but I've never thought of her this way before.... Okay, maybe I did once or twice in the past, but c'mon, DUO, she's only got eyes for suicide boy. DAMN YOU, YUY!!! If I were you I would have taken that opportunity to be with her!! *sigh* Destined to be alone, that's my fate.//

"Duo! Slow down, please!" Relena yelled, angry and pleading at the same time as he continued to drag her through the crowd.

"Don't worry. We're almost there! C'mon, Relena, a little jog never hurt anybody before. Besides, if we don't hurry all the good seats will be taken," he yelled to her over his shoulder. "Do you want to sit in the back row and squint your eyes just so that you can make out the clowns?"

"I... guess not," the girl let out through quick breaths and gasps.

They were soon at the tent's entrance and Duo stopped to let Relena catch her breath while he apologized for the run. She thought about giving him the Heero Yuy death glare but decided against it since he was going out of his way to be nice to her. Instead she just looked at him with tired eyes and gave a quick yank on his braid. "Now we're even," she said, smiling at his playfully hurt expression before taking his arm and leading him inside.

"Uh, where should we sit?" the girl asked, glancing at the rows of empty and occupied seats.

"Hmmm... let's see.... Ooo, over there!" the American squealed in delight as he dragged the Vice Foreign Minister across the floor to the bleacher-like seats. Climbing up a few rows, they found themselves situated in front of the center ring, a few seats from the ground. "See, I told ya that we'd get good seats if we ran." He couldn't help but grin at her teasingly.

"Fine. I'll admit that these are great se-"

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN AND CHILDREN OF ALL AGES, WELCOME TO The CIRCUS!" the manager's voice boomed through the tent, cutting Relena off. "TONIGHT, YOU'LL SEE SOME OF THE MOST SPECTACULAR SIGHTS IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE! ANTICS THAT WILL HAVE YOU ROLLING OUT OF YOUR SEATS WITH LAUGHTER! STUNTS THAT WILL MAKE YOU HOLD YOUR BREATH! AND WONDERS BEYOND YOUR WILDEST IMAGINATIONS! NOW, ON WITH THE SHOW!!"

As he finished, the curtains at the back parted, and clowns started to tumble forth doing flips, summersaults, and juggling strange objects. The crowd laughed and cheered as the hilarious group acted out a comedic scene that involved creamed pies and water balloons. It continued on as more clowns joined the fray and soon it became a whirlwind of humorous activities. The next act that followed was a couple of girls riding on snow white horses adorned with elaborate saddles and reigns. The audience, awed at the girls' perfectly synchronized routines, kept silent and still.

"Wow, Duo, that was amazing," Relena commented as she continued to watch the performance.

"If you think that was amazing, wait 'til you see Trowa and Catherine. They told me that they came up with a new act," Duo grinned mischievously. Having said that, he leaned back a little, enjoying the other acts as they performed in front of the crowd.

*****

"NOW, WE COME TO THE GRAND FINALE OF THE SHOW! PRESENTING THE TWO STARS OF OUR CIRCUS, CATHERINE BLOOM AND TROWA BARTON!!" With that announcement the crowd broke out cheering at the top of their lungs. Their excitement didn't die down in the least bit when the two stars came out from behind the curtain. Trowa was dressed in his usual clown costume with the half mask while Catherine had on her purple and pink outfit, carrying her familiar knives. They stood there for a while to wait for the audience to settle before going on with their act.

Once that happened Catherine made her way to the center of the ring, standing perfectly still as a lion came running out from behind the cloth wall. The audience gasped. It ran for Trowa and when it neared the tall boy did his patented 360-degree flip and landed on the beast. The crowd cheered, but Trowa continued on by taking out a small board with a star painted on it that was attached to the back of his costume. He stood up on the lion's back, holding the board high above his head as they circled around the girl.

Suddenly, the sound of knives hitting wood could be heard as Catherine skillfully threw each blade into the painted star. For once, the audience was hushed, amazed by the girl's talent and beauty. Trowa then reached into the deep pockets of his oversized pants and pulled out a few apples. He juggled them for a while, still riding on top of the lion, before tossing them high into the air. They were soon brought back down to Earth as a knife found their way through each of them.

"T-that was... amazing..." Relena stuttered, still not believing what see had just seen. To her, the ability to do things like that just wasn't possible, something that almost seemed as impossible as magic.

"No kiddin'," Duo agreed. "Every time they come to L2 I always get blown away by their performance.... Hey, after the crowd leaves why don't we go talk to them?"

"Is that alright?" she asked not really knowing if that kind of thing was allowed.

"Don't worry about it. I'm friends with the both of them, ya know," smiling again he gently grabbed her wrist and led her down the rows of seats. She was trying to be as careful as she could, not wanting to step on something or someone accidentally.

They walked out of the tent to the back to wait for their friends to come out. Duo leaned against an empty cage, and his head was turned to the back flap on the main tent. //Man, what's taking them so long? They usually come out as soon as they're finished. Geez, I hate waiting; it gets so boring. Maybe I should talk to Rel-//

"AAHHHH!!!" her scream quickly got his attention as he turned to face her.

"Relena! What's wrong? Are you okay?" Surprised and worried he turned to face her but what he saw wasn't a girl in danger like he previously thought. Instead, it was a girl completely taken by surprise when a clown accidentally threw a bucket of water in her direction. //Whoa, now there's a sight... Oh, Shinigami...// It took a while for Duo to fully comprehend what he was seeing in front of him, but when it finally registered he couldn't do anything but stare. The water had hit her dead center; her dress, now dripping with water, clung to her body like a second skin, hugging curves that Duo never knew existed underneath the diplomat's suit. Just then he realized how much Relena had grown up since the time of the Eve Wars. She was no longer the almost flat chest fifteen-year-old who fought for the Earth and colonies on the side of the Gundams. //... Kirei...//

"Achoo."

That one little sneeze snapped him from his reverie and he started to look for something to dry her off with before she caught a cold. When his face turned to the left and right in desperation he noticed that a lot of eyes were staring in their direction... male eyes. Suddenly realizing what they were looking at he gave them Heero's death glare and stood protectively near Relena. Not wanting the hormone-driven men to eye her that way, he took off his leather jacket and wrapped it around the girl's slender frame. Giving the guys one last glare he led her over to the tent's back entrance.

"Duo?" Catherine's voice popped up next to them, startling the two. A smile spread across her face. "It is you! Are you here to see me and Trowa, or are you here to talk us into giving you free food?" she teased, causing Duo to make an indignant expression on his face.

"Well," he replied, sounding a bit hurt. "As a matter of fact, I was coming to see you two, but I don't think I want to anymore."

"I'm sorry. Didn't mean to tease you like that... Hey, who's this pretty little thing you've got next to you? *gasp* Did you finally get a girlfriend?!" Her eyes lit up with delight and surprise.

"N-no, you've got it all wrong!" he began trying to calm the other woman down. "This is Relena! Relena Darlian! Vice Foreign Minister Darlian!"

"What?! Really?!" She couldn't get over her shock at the thought that she was standing in front of the famous Relena Darlian. She knew that Trowa was familiar with her since he was once a Gundam pilot, but she never thought that she'd actually meet her. As she glanced over at the girl she wondered if it was really her. She didn't seem like the mature woman others had described her to be. No. This girl looked like... well... a girl, a teenager that seemed like she didn't have a care in the world. "N-nice to meet you, Miss Darlian. My name is Catherine Bloom," she squeaked out as she extended a hand in her direction.

"Please call me Relena," the girl smiled and shook the offered hand. "It's nice to meet you as well."

"Hey, Catherine, maybe we should find another place to talk. Some place warm where Relena can dry off." Duo saw the confused look on her face and pointed to the wet dress that Relena was wearing. "A hit and run water attack."

"Sure, come this way." With that she led the two to the trailer she shared with her brother.

*****

"Did you enjoy yourself today, 'Jousan?" Duo asked as they walked along on the sidewalk. It was eight o'clock and they had decided to go back to Duo's shop so he could close up, having left it in the charge of his employees during his time off.

"Today... was one of the best days I've had in a long time," she quietly replied. "Never thought I'd be able to enjoy myself like that ever again. Although you were acting really strange a couple of times back there."

"I was?" He tried to sound surprised, not wanting to let her know the reasons for his strange behavior.

They reached the shop after walking down another block, and Duo opened the door and gestured her inside. He told the rest of his employees to take the night off, that he'd take over until closing time. They were more than willing to do so and left in a rush, possibly heading towards the circus. Relena seated herself in a nearby chair while Duo went to the back to get some sodas. After about a minute of waiting he came back out and sat on the desk next to the chair. He handed her one of the sodas and began to relax.

*CRASH*

Something came through the window of his shop and skidded across the floor. That something was blinking at an even pace before it quickly sped up. Both Duo and Relena's eyes widened in horror as recognition hit.

"IT'S A BOMB!"


-to be continued-
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Heh heh heh, cliffhanger... Sorry it took so long for this one to come out. I was really so busy working on Zero Soul that I almost forgot I had this one as well. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions you know where to send them.