Well.another chapter and another disclaimer. I don't know any of the
characters that follow. The plot is mine, Wufei's turkey dance is mine, and
Relena's future death sort of belongs to me.not like she hasn't been killed
before, but maybe not quite in the fashion in which it will happen. (This
should make those of you who want to see Relena die quite happy.for so it
has been said and so it shall be done!)
Really no notes this time. But if you're just dying to see the inners, they will be making their appearance. I'm not sure what chapter it will be, but they'll have to show up because (not to spoil anything) Lita will be returning to Juuban. Shocked? Dismayed? Well, it will all work out, I promise. Author's honor.
*~Word for the Day!~* At the end of this chapter, Heero uses the word maihime. It translates as dancing girl.that might make more sense after having read the chapter. Now you know. ^_^
Enjoy!
A whole hour had passed since they first arrived at the party.60 minutes went by and nobody was really doing anything to speak of. They were mostly just sitting around a table watching everybody else. Well, except Wufei that is. He, finding that watching other people dance was a weak form of entertainment, was going around to everybody he saw and telling them quite proudly that he'd gotten a turkey. Though he'd never show it outwardly, he was more then amused at seeing the odd looks people got on their faces when he told them that.
Suddenly, it seemed as if everybody just magically came to life.excluding the already animated Wufei and his turkey tales. Quatre and Trowa left to warm up.they would be playing a duet together for the dance. Duo went to go find himself a girl to dance with. That left just Heero and Lita sitting across each from each other at the table.
"Boy.it was nice of everybody to just leave all at once," she commented.
"I guess."
An uncomfortable silence followed. Neither one knew what to do or say. Heero wasn't in the best of moods to begin with, but it was only made worse by the fact that he couldn't seem to form any coherent thoughts. No matter what he tried to think of, it didn't seem to stay very long in its original form.
For her part, Lita had started to get.well, lovesick. Watching all the couples dancing across the floor had stirred up old memories of a time when she had been a part of that world. She could feel herself overcome by that intense longing she always seemed to get in situations like this. All of a sudden, she realized that Heero was staring at her. Blushing, she stumbled up out of her chair, made her excuses and hastily disappeared into the crowd.
She made her way to a set of French doors that opened out onto a modest sized landing from which two stair cases originated, one on each side, rising up from a garden below to the landing. God.I hope it didn't show she thought to herself, leaning on the landing's railing. But wait.why does it matter if it showed or not? He probably wouldn't understand anyway. Then why am I getting so worked up about this? She was startled out of her jumbled thoughts by a familiar voice.
"You want to dance don't you." The strains of Quatre and Trowa's duet floated out into the night.
"What makes you think that?" she asked, her back still to him.
"I know what I saw. Quatre wanted you to enjoy yourself if you could and if you want to dance then it's my duty to see that it's done.as nobody else is around to do it."
She sighed. "Thanks for the gesture, but a dance is supposed to be enjoyable. You won't have any fun if you feel forced into it and I won't have any either because it's my fault you feel you have to do it anyway." She turned around to face him.
Heero shrugged. "Suit yourself." He stood for a moment, then abruptly withdrew a hand from his pocket, holding out two of the small boxes that had been inside. "Here. It's from all of us.Quatre's idea.." He shoved the boxes into her hand and promptly withdrew to a part of the landing not illuminated by the summer's eve moon.
Curious, she opened the lid of the first to find a pair of earrings identical to the ruined pair. She then opened the lid of the second and inside that box rested a necklace with a matching rose on it. "How.where.." She was totally speechless.
"Told you it was Quatre's idea. Slipped into your room and took your good earring, then took it to a jeweler and had a pair made identical. I know it can't replace the sentiment in the one's you lost, but.anyway, your missing earring is what the necklace is made from. He figured that if you couldn't wear the original as an earring anymore, at least this way you could wear it."
She snapped the lids on the boxes shut. "Heero, nobody's ever given me anything like this before. You guys went to a lot of trouble to do t his for me, and well.I just don't think I can say thank you enough," Lita said with a smile. She re-opened the lids, taking a little closer look at them. Then she carefully snapped the lids shut, clasping them to her. Turning to go in, she was surprised to see that Heero had moved from his place in the shadows and stood in the dim light. "What are you still doing here?"
"Why does it matter?"
"Well, I don't suppose it really does.but you didn't seem like you really wanted to be out here at all."
Heero shrugged. "Maybe I don't want to be here. But right now this is where I need to be." He took a step towards her.
"Why?" She could feel a slight increase in the beat of her heart. She was nervous, but yet she didn't step away from him.
"Because I need to know something about myself. And about you." As nervous as he had been earlier, as tense as he had been knowing what was in that third box, there was no trace of either now. He was dead serious as he took another couple of slow steps in her direction. He stopped when he was right in front of her.
"What.what could you possibly not know about yourself that you have to be here to find out?"
"I won't know until I've done it."
"Done what?"
There was no answer. And there wouldn't be one either because no sooner had the question left her lips then they were brushed with the magic that comes only with a first kiss.
As the last strains of Quatre's violin drifted outside, the kiss came to an end as the pair slowly separated from each other.
Lita's face now had a definite rose tinge to it. "Did.did you find out what you n..needed?" she stammered.
Heero's fingers tightened one the lone box left in his pocket. "Without a doubt." That said, he abruptly turned and pushed back through the doors, getting lost amongst the groups of people scattered throughout.
Lita, still dazed from what had just happened, sort of floated back into the party as well.only to have Relena waiting for her.
"I just saw Heero come in from that way.and now here you are coming in from that some way. What have you been up too?"
"Huh?" Lita blinked, coming back to her senses. "What I was doing outside is none of your business really."
"Oh I think it is," Relena replied, grabbing the boxes out of her hand. "Let me just see what this is."
"Don't you dare," Lita said angrily, yanking the boxes back. "Those were a present from a friend and I won't let you ruin this."
"Friend hmm? More likely you stole didn't you? Just like you've been trying to steal my Heero you bitch!" With that, Relena reached out and slapped Lita across the cheek, leaving a red hand print behind.
Seething, Lita was all set to take care of business right then and there.that is until something stopped her. A something known as Heero Yuy.
"I thought I told you not to interfere," he said bluntly.
"I didn't interfere," Relena said defensively. "I was merely putting her in her place. She's a thief Heero and it's about time you realized that."
"She already has a place with us. And everything she has she's gotten honestly. But that's not really important now is it? I warned you what would happen if you pulled something like this. As of right now, our mission here is over."
"HEERO! You can't do that!!"
"I can do whatever the hell I damn well want too. And I want to end this mission and so I'm doing it. Any questions?"
"The other's won't let you back out like this."
"Oh won't we Relena?" Duo said, taking his place next to Heero. "You see, Lita's our friend and well.you've made things difficult for her so now we're going to make things difficult for you."
"I'm sorry Miss Relena, but you aren't quite the person we thought you were," Quatre added, Trowa nodding in silent agreement as the two joined Duo and Heero.
"Stupid onna. Now we will see how strong you are when you have to stand on your own. I bet you don't last a week," Wufei spat, taking his place in line.
"All of you are against me?"
"All of us," the five said in unison.
"Well," she said haughtily. "I guess there isn't anything left to say."
"Oh but there is," Lita said, pushing through the pilots. "For a pacifist, you don't hesitate to put up a fight.hypocrite. The only thing you're worth being a role model for is Liars Anonymous. I pray that nobody is afflicted with the poison you spread. The world doesn't need another princess in your image. But maybe we got lucky.I mean, your face probably cracked the mold you were made from." A slight smirk on her face, Lita turned and made her way to the exit and out to the car followed by the troupe of pilots.
Later that night, or more exactly very early Sunday morning, everybody had gone their separate ways for the night and gone to bed. Well, almost everyone. Two people were still wide awake. One of them was Heero.
Heero sat at his desk, laptop turned on, staring blankly at the screen. He'd just sent the e-mail to the scientists telling them they had decided to end the mission to protect Relena. Now that he didn't have anything to keep him busy, he didn't know what to do. He was saved from his descent into insanity by a knock at the door. He got up, tugging on the already loosened tie around his neck. Heero opened the door, to see Lita, still in her dress and missing her shoes, standing there. "What do you want?"
"We need to talk Heero."
"What is there to talk about?"
"You know.what happened tonight?"
He didn't answer, merely stepped aside and let her in, shutting the door behind her.
She was the first one to speak. "I want to know.I want to know what happened tonight, between the two of us."
Heero raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it obvious?"
"I didn't mean physically." she said. "I do know what that was."
"What else is there to know?"
"Everything!" Lita waved her hands around. "I'm so confused.I don't understand. Those earrings, the necklace.I went to go thank Quatre when we got home. He didn't know anything about it and neither did anyone else and I know they aren't just saying that to tease either. You did that all on your own.why?"
"Does it matter why?"
"Well, I would like to know. I mean.no offense to you.but you just don't seem like the type to go around handing out presents. Especially to girls."
"So I did something different." Heero shrugged. "I've done a lot of things that are not typical of me in the last several weeks."
"But why? Why couldn't you just tell me it was you?"
"And have you laugh in my face? No."
"I wouldn't have laughed at you. Have I ever laughed at you? Well, ok.maybe that one time when you were learning how to make bread.but that's an exception. That wasn't a serious conversation."
"You told Relena they were from a friend."
Lita frowned, wondering about the sudden topic change. "Yeah, so.you are my friend aren't you?"
"Is that all?"
She blushed. "Well.I.." She stammered, not quite sure what to say.
"You don't know how hard I tried to hate you.how many times I kicked myself after talking to you. You always seemed to be able to get me to say things that I would never tell to anybody ask.without trying. It irritated me.but what irritated me more was the confusion of having this unexplained feeling. I tried to picture my life free of your presence to see if that alleviated the chaos.and it did. But with the absence of that feeling, there was only the emptiness I had before.and somehow that emptiness just doesn't seem like enough anymore. "I can't even honestly go by the title 'Perfect Soldier' now.because for the first this week I realized that I don't really know everything. I told you that you didn't understand.but neither did I. Once I had those earrings in my possession.all they did was remind me of you. That's why I had to find out just what it was that haunted me. Now I know.but what I need to know now is whether you feel the same?"
Lita stood dumbfounded. She hadn't quite expected this.just a simple explanation. Instead, she'd listened to as near an "I love you" as Heero could get. Even more surprising to her, was the realization that she did indeed share his feelings. "You know," she said softly, "we never did get that dance."
"No we didn't." He held out his hand to her. "But we can get it now."
She accepted the offered hand, and though there was no music, they danced. Just the two of them alone in a world that was closed off to everyone else. But all too soon, the moment was interrupted by a tiny yawn. Embarrassed, Lita looked apologetic.
"Tired?" Heero asked.
She nodded.
"Then you should get some sleep."
"Yeah.guess I'll just see myself down to my room." She disentangled herself from his arms and headed for the door. As she put her hand on the knob, he put his hand on top of hers. "I finally found something that means the world to me and I don't intend to find out what happens if I lose it."
Blushing at this recently discovered side of Heero, she quickly opened the door and slipped out into the hall. "Good night Heero."
"Good night maihime."
Really no notes this time. But if you're just dying to see the inners, they will be making their appearance. I'm not sure what chapter it will be, but they'll have to show up because (not to spoil anything) Lita will be returning to Juuban. Shocked? Dismayed? Well, it will all work out, I promise. Author's honor.
*~Word for the Day!~* At the end of this chapter, Heero uses the word maihime. It translates as dancing girl.that might make more sense after having read the chapter. Now you know. ^_^
Enjoy!
A whole hour had passed since they first arrived at the party.60 minutes went by and nobody was really doing anything to speak of. They were mostly just sitting around a table watching everybody else. Well, except Wufei that is. He, finding that watching other people dance was a weak form of entertainment, was going around to everybody he saw and telling them quite proudly that he'd gotten a turkey. Though he'd never show it outwardly, he was more then amused at seeing the odd looks people got on their faces when he told them that.
Suddenly, it seemed as if everybody just magically came to life.excluding the already animated Wufei and his turkey tales. Quatre and Trowa left to warm up.they would be playing a duet together for the dance. Duo went to go find himself a girl to dance with. That left just Heero and Lita sitting across each from each other at the table.
"Boy.it was nice of everybody to just leave all at once," she commented.
"I guess."
An uncomfortable silence followed. Neither one knew what to do or say. Heero wasn't in the best of moods to begin with, but it was only made worse by the fact that he couldn't seem to form any coherent thoughts. No matter what he tried to think of, it didn't seem to stay very long in its original form.
For her part, Lita had started to get.well, lovesick. Watching all the couples dancing across the floor had stirred up old memories of a time when she had been a part of that world. She could feel herself overcome by that intense longing she always seemed to get in situations like this. All of a sudden, she realized that Heero was staring at her. Blushing, she stumbled up out of her chair, made her excuses and hastily disappeared into the crowd.
She made her way to a set of French doors that opened out onto a modest sized landing from which two stair cases originated, one on each side, rising up from a garden below to the landing. God.I hope it didn't show she thought to herself, leaning on the landing's railing. But wait.why does it matter if it showed or not? He probably wouldn't understand anyway. Then why am I getting so worked up about this? She was startled out of her jumbled thoughts by a familiar voice.
"You want to dance don't you." The strains of Quatre and Trowa's duet floated out into the night.
"What makes you think that?" she asked, her back still to him.
"I know what I saw. Quatre wanted you to enjoy yourself if you could and if you want to dance then it's my duty to see that it's done.as nobody else is around to do it."
She sighed. "Thanks for the gesture, but a dance is supposed to be enjoyable. You won't have any fun if you feel forced into it and I won't have any either because it's my fault you feel you have to do it anyway." She turned around to face him.
Heero shrugged. "Suit yourself." He stood for a moment, then abruptly withdrew a hand from his pocket, holding out two of the small boxes that had been inside. "Here. It's from all of us.Quatre's idea.." He shoved the boxes into her hand and promptly withdrew to a part of the landing not illuminated by the summer's eve moon.
Curious, she opened the lid of the first to find a pair of earrings identical to the ruined pair. She then opened the lid of the second and inside that box rested a necklace with a matching rose on it. "How.where.." She was totally speechless.
"Told you it was Quatre's idea. Slipped into your room and took your good earring, then took it to a jeweler and had a pair made identical. I know it can't replace the sentiment in the one's you lost, but.anyway, your missing earring is what the necklace is made from. He figured that if you couldn't wear the original as an earring anymore, at least this way you could wear it."
She snapped the lids on the boxes shut. "Heero, nobody's ever given me anything like this before. You guys went to a lot of trouble to do t his for me, and well.I just don't think I can say thank you enough," Lita said with a smile. She re-opened the lids, taking a little closer look at them. Then she carefully snapped the lids shut, clasping them to her. Turning to go in, she was surprised to see that Heero had moved from his place in the shadows and stood in the dim light. "What are you still doing here?"
"Why does it matter?"
"Well, I don't suppose it really does.but you didn't seem like you really wanted to be out here at all."
Heero shrugged. "Maybe I don't want to be here. But right now this is where I need to be." He took a step towards her.
"Why?" She could feel a slight increase in the beat of her heart. She was nervous, but yet she didn't step away from him.
"Because I need to know something about myself. And about you." As nervous as he had been earlier, as tense as he had been knowing what was in that third box, there was no trace of either now. He was dead serious as he took another couple of slow steps in her direction. He stopped when he was right in front of her.
"What.what could you possibly not know about yourself that you have to be here to find out?"
"I won't know until I've done it."
"Done what?"
There was no answer. And there wouldn't be one either because no sooner had the question left her lips then they were brushed with the magic that comes only with a first kiss.
As the last strains of Quatre's violin drifted outside, the kiss came to an end as the pair slowly separated from each other.
Lita's face now had a definite rose tinge to it. "Did.did you find out what you n..needed?" she stammered.
Heero's fingers tightened one the lone box left in his pocket. "Without a doubt." That said, he abruptly turned and pushed back through the doors, getting lost amongst the groups of people scattered throughout.
Lita, still dazed from what had just happened, sort of floated back into the party as well.only to have Relena waiting for her.
"I just saw Heero come in from that way.and now here you are coming in from that some way. What have you been up too?"
"Huh?" Lita blinked, coming back to her senses. "What I was doing outside is none of your business really."
"Oh I think it is," Relena replied, grabbing the boxes out of her hand. "Let me just see what this is."
"Don't you dare," Lita said angrily, yanking the boxes back. "Those were a present from a friend and I won't let you ruin this."
"Friend hmm? More likely you stole didn't you? Just like you've been trying to steal my Heero you bitch!" With that, Relena reached out and slapped Lita across the cheek, leaving a red hand print behind.
Seething, Lita was all set to take care of business right then and there.that is until something stopped her. A something known as Heero Yuy.
"I thought I told you not to interfere," he said bluntly.
"I didn't interfere," Relena said defensively. "I was merely putting her in her place. She's a thief Heero and it's about time you realized that."
"She already has a place with us. And everything she has she's gotten honestly. But that's not really important now is it? I warned you what would happen if you pulled something like this. As of right now, our mission here is over."
"HEERO! You can't do that!!"
"I can do whatever the hell I damn well want too. And I want to end this mission and so I'm doing it. Any questions?"
"The other's won't let you back out like this."
"Oh won't we Relena?" Duo said, taking his place next to Heero. "You see, Lita's our friend and well.you've made things difficult for her so now we're going to make things difficult for you."
"I'm sorry Miss Relena, but you aren't quite the person we thought you were," Quatre added, Trowa nodding in silent agreement as the two joined Duo and Heero.
"Stupid onna. Now we will see how strong you are when you have to stand on your own. I bet you don't last a week," Wufei spat, taking his place in line.
"All of you are against me?"
"All of us," the five said in unison.
"Well," she said haughtily. "I guess there isn't anything left to say."
"Oh but there is," Lita said, pushing through the pilots. "For a pacifist, you don't hesitate to put up a fight.hypocrite. The only thing you're worth being a role model for is Liars Anonymous. I pray that nobody is afflicted with the poison you spread. The world doesn't need another princess in your image. But maybe we got lucky.I mean, your face probably cracked the mold you were made from." A slight smirk on her face, Lita turned and made her way to the exit and out to the car followed by the troupe of pilots.
Later that night, or more exactly very early Sunday morning, everybody had gone their separate ways for the night and gone to bed. Well, almost everyone. Two people were still wide awake. One of them was Heero.
Heero sat at his desk, laptop turned on, staring blankly at the screen. He'd just sent the e-mail to the scientists telling them they had decided to end the mission to protect Relena. Now that he didn't have anything to keep him busy, he didn't know what to do. He was saved from his descent into insanity by a knock at the door. He got up, tugging on the already loosened tie around his neck. Heero opened the door, to see Lita, still in her dress and missing her shoes, standing there. "What do you want?"
"We need to talk Heero."
"What is there to talk about?"
"You know.what happened tonight?"
He didn't answer, merely stepped aside and let her in, shutting the door behind her.
She was the first one to speak. "I want to know.I want to know what happened tonight, between the two of us."
Heero raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it obvious?"
"I didn't mean physically." she said. "I do know what that was."
"What else is there to know?"
"Everything!" Lita waved her hands around. "I'm so confused.I don't understand. Those earrings, the necklace.I went to go thank Quatre when we got home. He didn't know anything about it and neither did anyone else and I know they aren't just saying that to tease either. You did that all on your own.why?"
"Does it matter why?"
"Well, I would like to know. I mean.no offense to you.but you just don't seem like the type to go around handing out presents. Especially to girls."
"So I did something different." Heero shrugged. "I've done a lot of things that are not typical of me in the last several weeks."
"But why? Why couldn't you just tell me it was you?"
"And have you laugh in my face? No."
"I wouldn't have laughed at you. Have I ever laughed at you? Well, ok.maybe that one time when you were learning how to make bread.but that's an exception. That wasn't a serious conversation."
"You told Relena they were from a friend."
Lita frowned, wondering about the sudden topic change. "Yeah, so.you are my friend aren't you?"
"Is that all?"
She blushed. "Well.I.." She stammered, not quite sure what to say.
"You don't know how hard I tried to hate you.how many times I kicked myself after talking to you. You always seemed to be able to get me to say things that I would never tell to anybody ask.without trying. It irritated me.but what irritated me more was the confusion of having this unexplained feeling. I tried to picture my life free of your presence to see if that alleviated the chaos.and it did. But with the absence of that feeling, there was only the emptiness I had before.and somehow that emptiness just doesn't seem like enough anymore. "I can't even honestly go by the title 'Perfect Soldier' now.because for the first this week I realized that I don't really know everything. I told you that you didn't understand.but neither did I. Once I had those earrings in my possession.all they did was remind me of you. That's why I had to find out just what it was that haunted me. Now I know.but what I need to know now is whether you feel the same?"
Lita stood dumbfounded. She hadn't quite expected this.just a simple explanation. Instead, she'd listened to as near an "I love you" as Heero could get. Even more surprising to her, was the realization that she did indeed share his feelings. "You know," she said softly, "we never did get that dance."
"No we didn't." He held out his hand to her. "But we can get it now."
She accepted the offered hand, and though there was no music, they danced. Just the two of them alone in a world that was closed off to everyone else. But all too soon, the moment was interrupted by a tiny yawn. Embarrassed, Lita looked apologetic.
"Tired?" Heero asked.
She nodded.
"Then you should get some sleep."
"Yeah.guess I'll just see myself down to my room." She disentangled herself from his arms and headed for the door. As she put her hand on the knob, he put his hand on top of hers. "I finally found something that means the world to me and I don't intend to find out what happens if I lose it."
Blushing at this recently discovered side of Heero, she quickly opened the door and slipped out into the hall. "Good night Heero."
"Good night maihime."