I'm not going to spoil anything about this chappy but I will say I did use Nichi-chan's idea about a certain something so THANKS FOR THE IDEA! It was brilliant, hope you like this chapter of which I will dedicate to you! (Lots of romance in here too. I wouldn't call it lime because don't think it is but uh, whatever it's not hard-core so no worries!)
(Vash the Stampede 66– your haircut desire will not be forgotten in this fic 'wink wink')
(Lily - I'm sorry if Duo's statement offended you, I had no intentions of doing so. Please accept my apology and know I shall avoid such phrases for the remaineder of the fic. Now...to punish Duo...
Duo: HEY! Don't lookat me! You wrote the script! 'quivering in fear'
CrimsonDragon010: Now now don't worry, the less you move the less it will hurt 'smiling evilly'
Duo: EEEP!!)
I do not own Gundam Wing.
(Ivory Night- goozem yerest desnal yerp aseegah geh gartas , vay vay eench beedee khentaiee)'WINK WINK'
vvvvvvv
Relena rummaged through her closet in search of her sky blue bikini. Her favorite sky blue bikini. Today Zechs, Noin, and Anna would be joining Charlie for a day out, so the rest of the gang had the day to themselves to party at the mansion. Well not literally party, but just hang around and have a good time. This, of course, meant there would be a lot of swimming at the massive pool, fully equipped with a waterfall, jumbo slide, and diving board.
'I think I'll have to skip the diving part'
She brought her hand down to massage her sore ankle. It wasn't too bad anymore, the pills had decreased the pain, but she still didn't want to push herself. She couldn't wait to lie out in the sun, relax, and, of course, show off her slim but well proportioned body. Hopefully Heero would be down there to notice, or else her little bikini scavenge hunt would be a complete waist.
"Yes! There you are!"
She held up the beautiful pieces of cloth, smiling triumphantly. Turning towards her bed, she tossed it on the sheet by the other clothes she had picked out for the day. She had remembered Duo saying something about an arcade, so she picked out some suitable clothes to wear around the rest of the house.
Wearing the blouse and skirt over her bikini, Relena tied her hair up in a messy ponytail and headed out the door.
Everyone met downstairs for breakfast, even Heero who was now feeling much better. That is until Duo pounced up behind him, flinging his arm around the young pilot's shoulder. He winced slightly when he felt the sting behind his head pop up again.
"Heya buddy boy! You ready for a wild day of partying?"
"Duo, get off me before I make your regret even coming here."
"Well, your back to your old self. Haha! I don't know, you don't happen to have any pistols or pillows nearby do you?"
Heero was so tempted to wipe that sheepish smile off his braided friend's face. So tempted that he was beginning to consider pulling out his mini pistol from the sole of his shoe.
"Duo! Stop bothering him, he's been through enough. How are you feeling Heero?"
They both turned to Hilde who was pulling her chair out to sit down.
"Better."
She smiled sweetly, pulling Duo by the arm and off of Heero's neck.
After breakfast, Charlie arrived. Noin and Anna walked towards his car after saying their goodbyes to their friends standing by the door. Zech's followed behind, stopping shortly by Heero.
"We'll talk when I get back."
It was practically inaudible to everyone else, but Heero heard clearly, nodding his head in response. Quatre closed the doors at their departure and turned towards his friends.
"Alright, so what shall we do first?"
"POOL!" The girls shrieked all at once, making the poor blonde jump in his place. The anxious females all ran outside, giggling and conversing speedily.
"Onnas, they never stop talking, always rambling about the stupidest things." Wufei grumbled as he dug his hands into the pockets of his swimming trunks, which Sally had forced him to wear. How did she do it? We may never know...
Heero smirked at his comrade's complaint, mentally agreeing with his observation of the girls' behavior.
"Hey who cares?! You see those swimsuits? That's what its all about. Heh heh."
Duo's comment earned him a smack upside the head from Heero.
"Hey! Calm down its not like I'll be staring at Relena the whole time. Though her nice blue bikini sure is a heart stopper."
Heero glared at him, but luckily for Duo the Wing pilot's attention changed swiftly to the outside swimming area they had just entered.
It was massive; the pool was about twice the size of the regular ones, fully equipped with a diving board, slide, and a gorgeous waterfall. Around it were the lawn chairs, a small open hut for drinks and tables shaded by large umbrellas. The surrounding was lavished with plants and trees, with a view of the ocean in the far back.
The five pilots sat at one of the tables, waiting for the girls to actually go in before they did. Lucky for them the ladies decided to lie around for a tan first, before taking a swim.
"Well, they won't be bothering us for a while."
Wufei leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to enjoy the sea breeze.
"Yeah, but look at the great view we get."
Duo snickered as he watched Hilde peel of her clothes, revealing her lavender two-piece bathing suit beneath. If Heero wasn't so busy watching the golden haired goddess, he would have probably hurt Duo again for the perverse comment. His eyes were frozen on Relena's body, as she lowered her skirt and removed her blouse, revealing a very sexy blue bikini underneath. The word beautiful kept repeating in his head, switching over to hot and down right gorgeous now and then. He couldn't get his eyes off of her attractive figure. She wasn't too thin or overweight. She was just perfect.
The girls were now sitting down, chatting and applying lotion. The guys' favorite part. None of them spoke, they only watched, heart's beating faster with every movement. Suddenly something snapped in Heero's head, and he broke the silence, but not his gaze on the blonde former queen.
"Duo?"
"Mmm yeah what's up?"
Duo's gaze, like Heero's, remained glued on his girlfriend.
"How did you know Relena was wearing a blue swimsuit before she even changed?"
Heero turned towards his friend now, annoyance and suspicion circling in his eyes. Duo stuttered for a moment, realizing his sudden flaw in speech.
"Heh...heh...uh well I heard Hilde talking with her the other night. You know deciding what to wear?"
Duo hoped Heero would believe him, because it was the truth. Well, part of it anyway. He didn't mention how the girls were actually plotting the purpose of the particular bikini, and how it was aimed to get Heero's attention.
"Duo's right. Middie was talking with Catherine on the phone yesterday as well. I could name you almost everything in their closet if you asked me."
They chuckled at Trowa's sarcasm, because it was most probably true.
"Speaking of yessterday, how are you feeling Heero?"
Quatre questioned with genuine concern.
"Better than before." He sighed leaning back into his chair. Duo returned his attention to his friends, straining to keep his eyes off his lotioned and glistening girlfriend
"What happened back there anyway? You two seemed just fine and then you went totally out of control."
"It was more of sabotage then loss of control."
They all looked at him quizzically, waiting for him to continue.
"After turning for the shore, the board turned the other way. I noticed there were hands holding us from the bottom."
"You mean someone was directing you towards the rocks?"
Quatre was slightly shocked and felt upset that someone would actually do something so dangerous to mere surfers. Heero folded his arms casually and nodded.
"I doubt it was the work of an assassin or terrorist. This location was checked top to bottom and the vacation info was held confidential. But I have a feeling I know who was in charge of it."
They all listened carefully as Heero lowered his voice, still maintaining his usual monotone.
"I ran a background check on the guy I ran into at the club. The one who threatened to get me back for the fight. Mason Alkern, he's a local lawyer whose been having trouble with authorities lately. According to his file, he's been through a divorce and several arrests for drunk driving and gang activities."
Duo snorted. "Great. You mean some loser bad boy is trying to kill you for kicking his ass? What a jerk."
"That's not the problem."
Heero's shoulder's tensed. He was obviously unhappy with what was on his mind.
"I think he has his eye on Relena. Not because of her role, I doubt he knows about it, but he sees her as...just another girl to get."
Duo smiled at the irritation in Heero's voice when speaking the last few words. He was beginning to understand just what might have happened at the club a few nights ago.
"So this guy had his eye on Relena and that's why you knocked the daylights out of him?" The braided pilot's smile widened when Heero shot him a trademark glare.
"Not exactly."
"Than what exactly happened?" Wufei was surprisingly interested in what could have made Heero react that way, and now that he knew Relena was involved he became even more intrigued.
"It doesn't matter. The point is, he's not a major threat but he's someone to look out for. I have a feeling he had his gang involved with what happened yesterday so if you do happen to see him, know what you're dealing with. I'll give you the full data analysis on him later."
They knew better than to question him further, but they were glad to know the truth behind the events. If this guy was out to harm their colleagues, then they'd be ready for him no questions asked. Having discussed the major issue at hand, the pilots turned to where the girls were now sitting together and conversing. Quatre got up to get them drinks, but they all followed behind to fetch their own.
"Ok Relena! Spill!"
"What? Hilde what are you talking about?"
"Oh you know what I'm talking about! You were in Heero's room this morning. Did you stay there? Huh? What happened c'mon c'mon tell us!"
"Yes yes do tell!" Dorothy backed up Hilde, inching closer to Relena. Sally got up and sat beside Relena, putting her arm around the young girl's shoulder.
"Yes tell us, how did it feel to sleep in the same bed with the most powerful Gundam pilot?"
The smile on Sally's face widened at the sight of the completely shocked ones of the girls around her.
"Sally!!" Relena shrieked and Hilde pounced her immediately.
"You SLEPT with him? You little tramp!" She laughed as she tickled Relena, forcing her to spill the beans.
"OK! Ok! Akkh! Hahaha! Stop! I'll talk I'll talk!"
Hilde eased off of her, letting her sit up and straighten herself up.
"Ok, first of all! I did not sleep with him in THAT WAY! He was just flustered and worried over a nightmare so I stayed with him to calm him down. You know how people get when they have concussions, it's hard to sooth them so I stayed with him to keep his mind at rest." Relena could have sworn she saw disappointment in their faces.
"So nothing juicy?"
"No Hilde, nothing juicy."
"Well how did you manage to calm him down?" Relena turned towards Middie, who smiled innocently, though her question was hinting at not so innocent things.
"Well, I was just by him-"
"Holding him in you arms." Relena glared at Sally, daring her to add on one more time.
"And I was just talking to him reassuringly and-"
"Caressing him with your fingers and lips an-"
"SALLY!" Relena shrieked hysterically, swinging at the girl with her towel. They all joined in the frenzy, laughing and teasing their blonde friend.
Their little towel fight caught the guys' attention.
"WHOA!Rrrrrouur!Cat fight!" Duo lunged towards them and grabbed the swinging Hilde by the waist.
"Duo?! Wha-AIIIIII!"
He plunged into the pool with Hilde nestled in his arms.
"DUO MAXWELL HOW DA-"
He cut her off with his lips pressing on hers. She brought her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, forgetting about all the ranting she had in store for him.
"Oi, here we go again." Wufei rolled his eyes at the two, failing to notice the approaching figure behind him.
"HIYA!"
Sally jumped on him from the back, throwing her arms around his neck and wrapping her legs around his waist. To say Wufei was stunned would be an understatement. He yelled out furiously and wobbled closer to the pool, all the while trying to get her off. Sally's two accomplices came up behind him and shoved him into the pool, sending man and attacker into the crystal clear waters.
Dorothy and Middie stood there laughing as the Chinese man started his usual ranting about his blonde partner as well as the two intertwined figures behind him.
Trowa and Quatre watched their prey carefully, easing closer very slowly. The poor girls didn't suspect a thing, so it came as a surprise to them to have arms encircling their waists and sending them into the pool.
And so the swimming began. Dorothy had her arms around Quatre's neck, snuggled close to his blushing feature. Duo and Hilde kept rushing up and down the huge slide, causing big splashes that met Wufei straight in the face every time. It became Sally's job to hold him back from ringing Duo's neck. Trowa seemed to be having fun with the diving board, managing to do numerous flips before reaching the water in an elegant dive. Middie clapped in excitement as he dove masterfully every time.
Relena turned to grab Cathy and jump in, when she noticed the red haired girl staring off towards the ocean.
"Hey Catherine what is it?"
"Huh? Oh nothing I just thought I saw someone." She smiled lightly and headed towards the pool. Relena grabbed her by the wrist and broke out into an evil smile.
"Is it the guy who saved you last time?" Catherine's blushing face answered her question.
"Come on! Let's call him over! You owe him one anyway."
"Oh no! I can't! Relena no don't call him here!"
"Hey Quatre! Is it ok if we invite those boys who saved Cathy? Anna won't mind right?"
Quatre turned his attention from his seductive girlfriend who was currently kissing his neck.
"Oh uh no of course not!"
'Poor guy, Dorothy is going to wear him out.' Relena giggled in her mind and turned for the beach.
"Relena where are you going?"
Cathy followed behind worriedly.
"Just inviting a few friends!"
Before Cathy could protest, Relena was already waving at them to come over. Sure enough it was the same dark haired boy from before, except he had another friend with him.
"Hey babe what's up?"
'Typical surfer greeting.' Relena thought. She smiled sweetly and motioned to her friend.
"Well since we owe you one for saving Catherine, we were wondering if you'd like to spend some time here with us. It'll be fun."
He looked towards the blushing red haired girl and smiled.
"Sure, thanks, sounds great."
He came towards Catherine and held his arm out to her. Taking it, she smiled and walked towards the pool area where everyone greeted the newcomers. Trowa's eyes glistened dangerously at the familiar face.
Strangely enough, Heero had the same look in his eyes, but not at the man holding Cathy by the waist, but at the man behind Relena whose eyes were roaming across her body.
"So, where you all from. Haven't seen you around here."
Relena turned around towards the sound of the voice. She almost gasped at the attractive looking brunette behind her. She hadn't noticed his looks as they were coming, but now she realized that he was pretty damn hot, not to mention very well built. She smiled and explained their whole vacation plan.
Taking a quick glance around her, she noticed Heero sitting in the shadow of the umbrella, glaring dangerously at the boy in front of her. She turned her attention to the cute surfer, an evilly brilliant idea fresh in her mind.
"Would you like something to drink? There's a bar right over there."
The two left to grab a drink, laughing and talking as they walked. A little bit of jealousy might do Heero some good, and besides, what girl doesn't enjoy messing around with charming boys?
The whole scene made Heero sick. There she was flirting with a complete stranger, and to make matters worse, he was trying to get her. Being a male, he could read other guy actions very well, and the ones coming from this guy weren't too pleasing.
He felt his head throb again. This little swimming party wasn't helping his headache, and with the new moron that joined in, he knew his head would explode by the time the whole thing was over.
So he was left with only one choice. He needed to get that guy to back off ASAP. But the grinning idiot didn't even take his eyes off of her. This was going to be very irritating.
"Hey you three! Come in the water is great!"
The brunette looked towards Duo in slight confusion, unaware that there was a third person about. He turned his head and caught sight of Heero. A sight that wasn't too reassuring. Heero gave him his most dangerous death glare, Prussian blue eyes shining darkly from under his chocolate bangs.
The boy became nervous, but instead of backing away from Relena, he held onto her arm tighter, putting on a scene of bravado as he brought her closer to him. She noticed his tenseness, and she smiled inwardly. Her plan was working perfectly.
"Come on Mark, let's go swim, they're waiting for us."
He smiled sheepishly as she tugged him towards the pool. Heero's eyes followed closely, watching them enter the water where his other friends were engaged in a game of pool volleyball.
'Thick headed idiot doesn't know a threat when he sees one.' Heero sighed inwardly and commenced walking towards the elevated platform on the other side of the swimming area. There were chairs and tables there as well a mini bar. Not to mention it had a good view of the pool premises where he could keep an eye out for Mark.
He hadn't bothered wearing a bathing suit, because he deduced it would be better not to swim in his condition. He wasn't much of a partier anyway. So he began walking towards the sitting area in his dark blue jeans and black button down shirt.
Sadly, he did not make it there. Because halfway across the pool he was tackled by a large wet Duo, who send them flying into the pool.
Everyone froze, turning their attention to the blur of colors where Heero and Duo had landed.
The Japanese pilot shot up gasping for air. He hadn't expected that in the least, nor had he managed to notice with all the pounding going on in his head. He turned around sharply when he heard Duo surface.
They looked at each other very quietly. Staring...everyone was silent...watching... Heero's eyes narrowed, causing Duo to break out into a smile.
"AHHHHHHHH!" The braided boy screamed and dove for the stairs, causing Heero to dash after him. Duo flew out of the water and ran towards the slide entrance, climbing the stairs swiftly. Heero stopped at the bottom, watching his prey climb up.
Reaching the top, Duo got on the slide and called out loud.
"Hah! Nice try but no one can catch Shinigami! GERANIMO!!!"
And down he flew through the twirling loops and down the wet ride. His eyes grew wide when he turned onto the ending slope.
"WHOA HEERO GET OUT OF THE WAY! SHIT!"
Heero stood there in the middle of the slide, feet placed perfectly in the middle. If Duo came in with a wrong position, he'd be having one painful hit somewhere where the sun don't shine.
Duo was only several feet away now and he was coming at a speedy pace. He closed his eyes and bundled up his body as much as he could, bracing himself for the world of pain he was about to enter.
But no hit came; instead he found himself exit the slide and fly up, limbs dangling everywhere. He looked about frantically unaware of what happened, and then he felt himself slam into the water face first.
"Ouch!"
They all winced at the collision, knowing it must have stung like hell.
Duo surfaced and started rubbing his cheeks. He turned to find Heero, and he saw him standing by the slide laughing his head off.
"THAT WASN'T FUNNY MAN! SHIT YOU SCARED THE DAYLIGHTS OUT OF ME? YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THAT WOULD HAVE HURT YOU SICKO?!"
Heero stopped laughing but broke out into an evil grin.
"Serves you right, after all the harassment you've dealt to my head in one day."
Duo stuck his tongue out, but started smiling . It was good to see Heero laugh, even if it meant having to go through an almost painful encounter.
The others were just as surprised to see Heero laugh, but they knew better than to comment about it. Relena watched as Heero peeled of his wet shirt, revealing his chest and well built muscles. His soaked jeans hung lower, showing off his flat stomach in a most appealing way. Though she had seen him half exposed more than once, the water droplets and now baggy jeans made him look so much more attractive. And so the staring began once more...
"Hey you mind stripping somewhere else pal, your stealing our girlfriends' attention!" Duo teased as he hugged Hilde closely.
The Japanese pilot looked back and cocked his eyebrow, catching Relena's gaze. She blushed and turned away quickly, making the soldier smirk. As charming as Mark was, there was no way he could add up to Heero. Nor could he have the same effect on Relena.
"Well now that you're wet you might as well join us."
Quatre called happily, and Heero merely shrugged his shoulders. He entered the cool water, enjoying the relaxing effect it had on his aching muscles. They ushered him over to join the game, where everyone had resumed their positions. Considering he had nothing better to do now that he was in there, he joined Quatre's team.
The game was nothing more or less than fun. Heero smirked as Duo and Wufei constantly argued with one another, one of their arguments almost leading to a staring contest (Duo's suggestion). The only thing he didn't fancy was how Mark was playing around with Relena, at one point carrying her on his shoulders for a spike. She didn't mind on bit, and he could have sworn she was doing it on purpose to get him riled up.
The only sign of his annoyance were the glares he'd send the brunette, all of which ended up frightening the surfer to a point where he slightly backed off of her.
They were about an hour and a half into the game, and Relena felt jolts of pain run through her leg. All the swimming and moving had worn down on her ankle, which was now aching along with other parts of her leg.
"Hey you guys I'm going to take a time out. My leg's feeling a little sore."
"You want me to come with you?" Mark questioned hopefully, wanting to get away from Heero. His question only got him another deathglare.
"No I'll be fine."
She was in no mood to have him around at the moment because the pain had begun to increase and she wanted to take care of it as fast as possible.
'I'm so stupid, I shouldn't have swam so much, ouch!'
Her friends looked at her worriedly, but she put on her politician's smile and reassured them that she was fine and that they should continue the game.
Heero had become an expert at identifying these fake actions of hers, and he also excused himself from the game to go and aid her.
The rest continued the game, minds at rest since Heero had follower her.
"Heero it's ok really I'm just going to grab some ice."
Heero ignored her comment as the two walked out of the pool. The lack of water support was making it harder to walk for the young blonde, and she could feel the pain elevating.
"Is the pain in your leg as well?"
"Mmm, sort of."
She gasped in surprise as he picked her up bridal style, and carried her off towards the first aid hut in the far back. He brought her inside and sat her down on an elevated patients table. (AN It's the ones you see when you go to the doctor. You know the laying down ones covered in that paper stuff that makes an annoying crnnhchnhhh noise when you sit on it?)
He stood in front of her, their heights almost equal from the high elevation of the table. She was facing him now, feet dangling off the side of the chair where he was standing.
"Is it this one?" He held her left ankle gently, but she still winced at the stinging pain. She nodded her head.
"I think I overworked it, but the pain also went higher into my leg."
He went to grab an icepack from the fridge near the mediation counter. It would be best to cool off the muscles first, and then apply bandages for support. He placed the cold bag on her ankle, holding it up and massaging it lightly.
"How about you Heero? Is your head still hurting." She broke the silence, catching his eyes in a gaze.
'Yeah, from all the touching going on between you and that dufus.'
"No, it's not bad."
He continued pressing lightly on her foot, sending chills through her body. She felt sudden disappointment when he stopped his treatment and removed the pack. Returning to the cabinets, he took out a cream and a long bandage cloth.
She watched him work as he smoothed out the lotion over her ankle, and she was trying hard not to blush from the soothing motions of his hands as they glided over her skin. Her eyes wandered over his exposed chest, watching the muscles flex as he moved his arms. Heero grabbed the cloth bandage and began wrapping it carefully around her foot.
"You were pretty lucky to get out with just a twisted ankle." His voice cut through her daydreaming, and she looked up at his face. His eyes remained on her leg in deep concentration.
"Yeah well you were lucky to get out in your condition after falling back in."
He raised his head to look at her sternly.
"You didn't jump in after me did you?"
She folded her arms stubbornly, turning away to look at the surfing poster on the wall.
"Well I certainly wasn't going to let you just drown."
A smirk etched across his features as he finished up wrapping her leg. He knew there was no arguing with her when she got all stubborn on him.
"Where else does it hurt?"
She turned to look at him and sighed.
"I don't know it's on and off. I can feel it if there is pressure on it but not right now."
He stood there for a moment before bringing his hands up higher on her leg. He squeezed her shin, and looked at her for a response.
"No that doesn't hurt."
She felt his hands glide further upward, leaving a heated trail on her skin. He pressed her knee area lightly, but she shook her head. He smiled inwardly at the nervous look in her eyes. He liked the feel of her smooth leg in his hands, but the reaction from her was even more pleasing. He decided to have a little revenge on her, after all her efforts to make him jealous.
He progressed; bringing his hands around her thigh, making her swallow nervously. His face was inches from hers, eye bearing into one another.
"Anything here?"
"N-No."
His right hand moved higher onto her hip, while his other hand moved to the same place on her other leg. He was positioned between her now. Her eyes widened at the close proximity of his face. She could feel his breath fanning her lips gently, and the sensation was unbearable.
He leaned in closer, brushing his lips against hers.
"You know you could have been seriously hurt if you came after me?"
His lips gently caressed hers as they moved to form each word; his tone was now low and husky. But he wasn't going to capture her lips just yet. He brought his head down to her neck, making her gasp as he placed passionate kisses down her neckline. She closed her eyes and arched her neck, giving him more skin.
His arms moved up and down her thigh, causing her legs to fasten themselves tightly around his waist. Relena snaked her arms around his shoulders, pressing on the back of his neck gently, urging him to continue. One of her arms wandered freely over his chest and down to his six pack. The sensation of her hands running over him heated his body with energy.
He trailed his lips up now, heating up the skin over her jaw. A small moan escaped her lips when she felt him press his full body against hers. She could feel herself burning up from his affection, mind clearing of all thoughts except the feeling of his lips nibbling at her skin.
His fingers tightened around her leg as his other hand came to the side of her neck. He was drowning in her scent, and he couldn't stop tasting her.
She loved what he was doing to her, and she called out his name in a low whisper, encouraging him to continue. She felt his lips on her cheek now, and she anticipated their arrival at her yearning mouth.
He froze just before engaging in a full kiss. Voices rang out from behind the door. She sighed disappointedly, body still wanting more of him. Heero cursed under his breath and he looked at her, both of them breathing heavily.
The door swung open, and Duo jumped in immediately. They moved away instantly, but he still caught a glance of their previous position.
"Well well well! Hope I wasn't interrupting anything." He smiled madly, making Relena blush. Heero glared at him with pure annoyance.
"What do you want Maxwell."
It sounded more like a threat than a question and Duo's smile expanded...if possible.
"I was just going to let you two know that we're all heading inside. You should have seen the game man, we creamed the others head on!"
"ONLY BECAUSE YOU CHEATED MAXWELL, THOSE 15 HITS WERE ALL OUT!"
Wufei yelled from an unidentified location outside.
"YEAH YEAH SURE WU-MAN! Anyway, come on in once you're uh...done with whatever you were doing." He laughed evilly and escaped before Heero could throw something at him.
"He's really going to get it good one of these days." Heero said in irritation. Relena looked at him and laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"Hahaha! Nothing, I just noticed he's always the one who catches us at the worst times."
"Hmm your right. I'll have to take care of that minor problem." He looked at her with a sly smirk on his face.
"Now don't you start with your little war again. This is a vacation remember? Not a battle."
"Don't worry about it." But in fact his tone did make her worry about what he was planning in that conniving little head of his. He turned to look at her a bit more softly, and she smiled lightly, cheeks reddening under his gaze.
They walked outside to join their friends who were busy grabbing their stuff to head inside. Relena was surprised to find Trowa talking to Ray, Catherine's savior, without so much as a mean look.
"I guess Trowa started getting along with his sister's new boyfriend."
"Hn." Heero had noticed, but he paid no particular attention to it. He did catch the dirty look Mark sent him, proving that he was obviously annoyed that Heero had gone with her instead of him.
They all moved inside to the big living room after drying off. Trowa sat on the couch to watch the game, while Middie and Dorothy joined the players. Quatre came and sat on the sofa adjacent to Trowa's.
The rest of the gang sat around in a circle and brought out cards to play Bullshit. (A.N. It's a card game and if you don't know about it, the rules are you have to put down all your cards to win. But you can only put down the same kind [like 3 queens] and you have to say which kind your putting down and how many. You can lie of course, but if someone thinks you lying they'll call 'bullshit' and if your bluffing you have to pick up all the cards in the middle pile. Anyway back to the story.)
Hilde was in charge of passing out the cards and once all was dealt the game began. The seating order was as follows: Hilde, Duo, Ray, Catherine, Middie, Mark, Relena, Dorothy, Sally, and Wufei. They sat in a circle so Wufei ended up right beside Hilde, only one person away from Duo.
"Yo Heero are you playing or what?" Duo called out to the Japanese pilot who had just entered the room after going upstairs to change his soaking clothes.
"No, you go ahead I'm just watching."
Duo just shrugged his shoulders and turned to begin the game. Relena was slightly disappointed to hear this, that is until she noticed him come over and take a seat on the chair right behind her. She remembered what had gone on before, and she still couldn't get over the way he was holding and kissing her. Did he really mean it or was he just playing around with her? Whatever it was, she was still hoping to find out more about what was going on in his head.
The onlookers watched as the game commenced. From their view, Heero, Trowa and Quatre could see exactly what everyone was up to and who was getting away with the lies. Quatre would wink twice at Trowa and Heero whenever he saw the person in his view lying. It was their means of entertainment to spare themselves from the boredom of not participating.
No one caught on to their little scheme, except for Duo who began to notice what exactly was going on. He smiled evilly, deciding to take full advantage of his new found secret.
"Two 8's"
Relena placed her cards down into the pile. Duo caught Heero glance at Trowa, signaling that she was lying.
"Bullshit." Duo smiled at her menacingly. She returned his smile by sticking her tongue out and grabbing the pile angrily.
The game went on for a while, with Duo catching everyone's lies. So it was only natural for them to get suspicious. Wufei accused Duo of cheating several times, but he had no proof. Thus he sat in his spot, grumbling angrily about injustice and dishonor.
Heero saw Duo sneaking a glance at Trowa as the clown signaled to Quatre.
'That little bastard.'
A perfect idea came to him. It was time to give Duo a taste of his own medicine.
Relena's turn came by and she put down three 7's. Heero could see she was being truthful, but he signaled to Quatre anyway, hoping the braided fool would fall for it.
"Bullshit!"
"HAH! NOPE!" She turned the cards over revealing three perfect 7's.
Wufei laughed out loud at the Shinigami's gaping face.
"What?! No way! It had to be bull, I saw Heero signaling!"
All heads turned to the stoic pilot.
'Oh shit. No you idiot!'
"So you were helping him the whole time huh?" Relena glared dangerously.
"What? Ofcourse not! Why would I want to help that baka win."
Duo found Heero stuck in a corner so he did what any good friend would do...he buried him deeper into his mess.
"Don't be modest Heero. You were signaling to me the WHOLE time. You practically gave Relena away for every move."
Relena turned back at the speechless pilot.
"Is that so?"
He looked at her angry eyes fearing what doom she was about to lay upon him.
"He's lying."
"Oh am I? Then how is it I read everyone's falsies perfectly?"
"Because you were watching Trowa , Quatre and I when we were signaling to ourselves who was lying. We had no intentions of aiding any of you."
The room got quiet, and the players all looked at the three men responsible for Duo's winning streak.
"TRAITORS ALL OF THEM! GET THEM!" Hilde shrieked as the group dashed after the three innocent pilots. To no one's surprise, Trowa, Quatre, and Heero outran the angry mob and escaped into the mansion perimeters. The rest gave up searching and returned to their living room game, this time keeping a good eye on Duo.
"I think your plan completely backfired Heero." Quatre reasoned as he tried to catch his breath.
Heero stood leaning on the wall. That run had brought back the aching in his limbs, and now he regretted ever opening his mouth. His back and hip were pounding with pain, reminding him that needed to take his medication.
'Duo is really going to get it...'
Too tired to plan out revenge, he looked around the room they had just entered. It was a massive game room, complete with four pool tables, coffee tables, big comfy seats, and a large bar. In the corner was a door leading to a whole built in arcade.
"I'm grabbing a drink. Do any of you want something?"
Trowa walked to the bar to see what good drink he could shake up.
"I'll have an apple martini please."
The two pilots looked at Quatre.
"Non alcoholic ." He smiled wearily, making his way to the pool table.
"Ill have whatever your having." Heero said to Trowa as he got out some pool sticks.
Now that they were stranded here they might as well keep themselves entertained. And so the three outcasts engaged in a nice game of pool.
Back in the living room, the players had already gone through countless rounds, all ending in Dorothy's favor. Relena got up to stretch her limbs, mind still on Heero's unknown whereabouts. She owed him a good beating for being careless with his actions to a point where Duo could easily take advantage.
Duo suggested checking out the game room, which was connected to an arcade. They were all up for it, so they cleaned up their mess and headed out. They got there in about 15 minutes from all direction asking they had to do. Upon entering, they saw the three comrades they had been chasing, casually engaged in a game of pool.
"I have to admit, your hideout is pretty luxurious." Duo smirked at his friends, though he received not so happy looks.
Luckily, the others had no intention of getting the three back for their deed. Except for Relena...
She walked up behind Heero, easing up closer to his ear so that she could whisper to him.
"I still have to get you back for being so careless you know."
He turned around and returned her smile with an amused look.
"Up for a game of pool?"
"Your on." She smiled evilly as the two headed for an empty pool table.
Duo, Hilde, Catherine and Ray went straight for the arcade, while the rest remained at the tables.
vvvvvvv
Anna, Zechs, and his wife pulled up into the driveway in Charlie's stretch limo. Anna kissed her boyfriend goodbye, while Zechs and Noin shook hands with their age old comrade. The day had indeed proven to be wonderful. They had roamed around town, caught up on long missed experiences, and discussed their lives for the past few years.
Charlie could be a difficult person to deal with at times, and Zechs was impressed that Anna had managed to capture his heart so strongly. They were without a doubt in love. Zechs could tell form the way they acted, they reminded him of Noin and himself in their early stages of a relationship. But what Anna didn't know was that Charlie was indeed planning to marry her within the month. He had told Zechs so, even showed him the ring when the girls were off looking through one of the shoe stores.
Zechs was honestly happy for his colleague, and so they returned home in good moods.
"Welcome back my Lady Anna , shall I put out dinner? It is ready in the kitchen." The butler greeted them at the door, bowing as they entered.
"Didn't the others dine yet?"
"No my Lady, they are currently in the game room."
"Very well then, prepare dinner. I will call them over."
The three went to the game room, where they found their friends crowded around one table. They looked into the crowd carefully and saw Heero and Relena playing an all out match.
"Oh hi you three! How was your day?"
Quatre greeted the newcomers who now joined the crowd.
"It was wonderful. Dinner is ready by the way. Oh and uh who are your friends?"
She motioned towards the two men watching. One had his arm around Catherine's waist, while the other had his eyes glued on the game, or well a certain player in the game...
"Oh that's Ray and Mark. I hope you don't mind if we had them come over, they were the ones who rescued Catherine yesterday."
Anna giggled and hugged her little brother.
"Any friend of yours is a friend of mine."
They all watched the heated competition. Heero was up by one game setting the score to 2:1. The current game was up in Relena's favor. They were to be playing best of 5.
Relena smiled triumphantly as she hit the final eight ball in, bringing the score to 2:2.
"Whoa, ok it's the tiebreaker you two." Hilde announced.
Heero glanced at Relena who looked back with equal competitiveness.
The final match commenced and the two started off with equal luck. After a good 10 minutes, the eight ball was left, and it was Relena's turn. If she made it in with this one hit, she would win the game. But it was a little trickier than that. The eight ball was in a far off side from the white ball, so she had to plan her hit carefully.
Taking aim, she hit the ball with medium strength, hitting the eight ball on its right side. The ball moved towards it intended goal, near the gutter hole. It slowed as it came closer, and everyone held their breath as they watched it inch closer to the whole.
CLUNK!
It made it in, winning Relena the round and the match. The crowd cheered, impressed with the great game. Relena and Heero shook hands, but no one noticed the look they gave one another as they stood before each other.
"Good game."
"Likewise." She smiled brightly. He was a tough opponent, and she could have sworn she had won him with mere luck.
Leaving the room, they all went down for dinner.
Shortly after the meal was served, Ray and Mark decided to get going. It was already rather late, so Ray bid his farewell after giving Cathy a kiss on the cheek. She had the whole day to get to know him, and she was pleased with the outcome. Aside from his surfing hobby he was a medical student, hoping to get his Master's degree very soon. She was quick to notice his kind, playful side. Though somewhat quiet, he had a great sincerity to him, something Trowa noticed as well. How else would he have accepted the man to come closer to his sister? Catherine sighed, he truly was wonderful, and she knew it would be hell to leave this place without him.
Mark bid his farewell and thank you. He had totally adored Relena, but after all the looks Heero had sent his way, he had back off. He was in no mood for getting his ass kicked by someone who looked like he could snap his head off in one hit.
And so the two left, leaving the gang to themselves.
"SO, what are we doing tomorrow?" Duo asked Anna curiously and yawned.
"Well, I had called up the mountain agency a few days ago and reserved a hiking tour, but with Heero's and Relena's condition I think it would be better to do something less tiresome."
"Oh no no! You all go ahead, don't cancel it because of us!"
Relena reasoned with her. She didn't want to keep them from having fun.
"She's right. You all go ahead, we'll find something to do."
Relena was glad to have Heero backing her up. Anna looked at them hesitantly, not wanting to leave them out. But there was nothing she could do, because they persisted on having them go on the hike.
So it was settled. They would all go up to the mountain together. The gang would take the hiking tour while Heero and Relena would take the easier path, that was basically like a normal walking trail. Having set the time to meet up, they all headed towards their rooms to rest. But the fun was just about to begin...
vvvvvvv
"Noin dear, I'm going to go see Yuy now alright? I'll be back later."
Zechs called to his wife as he pulled on a clean shirt.
"Ok, sweetheart."
He gave her a sweet kiss on the lips, holding her waist firmly.
"I won't come back too late I promise. Will you be up for an hour at least?"
"For you, of course." She smiled as she kissed her lightly on the shoulder. He let go hesitantly and turned to leave to Heero's room.
Noin made sure he was out of the hallway before she ran to grab the phone and dialed a number.
"Hello?"
"Hey Relena it's Noin. Zechs just left so I'll be there is a few ok?"
"Alright Noin, the others are here already. Hurry up!"
"I'll be right there. Bye!"
Grabbing her robe, she ran down the halls carefully in her nightgown and flip-flops. She passed Heero's door, careful as to not make too much noise. She finally reached Relena's door and knocked lightly. Relena opened the door in quick time, allowing her sister-in-law to come in.
Noin came into the living room where the other girls were busy sitting, chatting, fixing their nails, and snacking out on chocolates and ever- desirable junk food.
"Now this is what I call a vacation!" The older woman exclaimed excitedly.
"Yeah, a vacation from healthy diet!" Hilde added with a mouth full of cheese puffs.
They were all gathered around the TV, watching the latest chick flick.
"OH! Hurry you guys! Sit down it's the best part! Bernard and Julie are ice skating in the snow look look!"
They all looked at the screen with googly eyes, 'aw'ing here and there.
"Ok ladies! The chocolate fondue is ready!"
Relena came from the mini kitchen with a huge bowl of melted chocolate and two plates of fruits. They all sat around and lunged for the desert, devouring it in their eating frenzy.
"MMMM this is soooo good!" Hilde licked her fingers, taking in every drop of chocolate that had dared to escape her mouth.
"But not as good as Duo right?" Cathy teased her, as she dipped a strawberry in the pot.
"Well yeah I guess, but it depends on exactly what part of him your tasting."
"HILDE!" They all scolded her but broke out laughing.
"Speaking of which, what does he taste like? Quatre usually taste's like chamomile and expensive cologne."
"Haha! Your one to notice Dorothy! Well, I'd say Duo tastes like..."
vvvvvvvv
"BEER! Awesome, I'd never know we had this stuff in the fridge."
Heero looked back at Duo who was rummaging through his fridge.
"Well once your done you mind coming here so we can discuss the issue at hand?"
"Mmm yaaah shuuw." He came back with a bagel in his mouth, and a can of beer in his grasp.
Wufei, Trowa, Zechs and Quatre were sitting beside Heero in the living room area, looking through the documents he had lain out.
"So this is who you met? Hmm."
Duo observed the prison photos of the culprit.
"He doesn't look so tough to me. Kinda rough, but nothing macho."
He threw the paper back on the table, and looked through an arrest warrant.
"He use to be a scuba diving instructor...interesting." Wufei muttered as he read the background info on the man.
Zechs was typing away on his laptop, and he grunted as he located an updated web page on Mason Alkern.
"It seems he can't stay out of trouble. According to this file, he was sentenced to two years in prison for armed robbery and blackmail just two days ago. But he escaped authorities, and they're on the lookout for him."
Zech's turned the laptop around for the others to see.
"He's been displayed on the news several times, but there hasn't been any luck in finding him."
Heero went over the report carefully, noticing the 'last seen' post on the bottom of the page.
"Last spotted at Boomerang Diner on WestGlen Ave. That's only ten minutes away from this location."
Trowa listened carefully as Heero read the data.
"Hm. So he shouldn't be too far from here. Strange, you'd think he want to get as far away as possible."
The clown took a sip of his tea, and looked towards Wufei who had just finished reading the background document.
"Well it seems he's had experience in scuba diving and fishing, so I wouldn't be surprised if he was behind the attack at the beach."
Heero grunted and leaned back into his seat. This guy was turning out to be more than he had hoped for. And though he was still nothing compared to previous threats faced by Preventors, his lack of sanity was beginning to make things harder on the pilots.
vvvvvvv
"Ok Relena, so now you tell us. What does Heero taste like, and is he a good kisser?" Hilde questioned the young blonde for the fifth time that night, and Relena just flung her arms up in exasperation.
"Oh Hilde! I told you I wouldn't know! The guy was all over me I didn't' even get a chanc-"
Her eyes suddenly widened at realization of what she had just blurted out. She clasped her hands on her mouth, looking at the frozen faces of the girls around her.
vvvvvvvv
"Do you hear screaming?" Duo furrowed his eyebrows carefully, trying to listen to the weird noises of shrieking women he could have sworn he just heard.
"You mean those high squealy noises?" Trowa asked taking another sip of tea. "Yeah, must have been the girls."
"WHAT!? They're having a party and were not invited?"
"Well Duo, if you're into manicures and chick flicks I'm sure they'll be happy to let you in."
Trowa responded, making Duo pout in disappointment.
"Yeah right, they'd kick him out before the movie even ended, he'd probably finish all the food." Duo glared at Wufei, who only shrugged his shoulders in response. "Hey it's the truth."
"Maybe we should check up on them just incase."
Duo rolled his eyes at Quatre's usual concern.
"I'm sure they're alright Q-man. Probably screaming over something like..."
vvvvvvvv
"RELENA GETTING LAID BY HEERO YUY?" Dorothy screamed in a fit of giggles.
"SHHHHH! Not so loud! AND NO! I did not get laid, I said I was LAYING on the table and he was just holding me and –"
"Kissing you?" Noin completed her sentence with a big smile.
"Yes." Poor Relena was blushing like mad.
"Wow, I never knew he had it in him."
"You and me both Middie. But wow, it felt so good. God I felt so..."
vvvvvvv
"HOT! HOT! OOOOO! HOT! HOT!"
Heero shot an irritated glare at the shrieking Deathscythe pilot behind him who was trying to taste his well-prepared bowl of Spaghetti-O's.
"You know, I'm starting to think it would be better if you HAD gone there. You would have fit in well with all the screaming."
"Well excuse me for being hungry enough to fix my own food!"
"We just ate dinner."
"So? We left before desert. Now that's unjust."
Heero gave up on arguing with Duo further and put down the file he was looking over.
"There isn't much more on this guy. So we'll just have to keep an eye out for him while we're here." Heero concluded after reading countless papers. His head was beginning to throb again...
"Hm..." Quatre sighed and placed his empty teacup on the table. "I'm still wondering how he found our location at the beach. You know that means he'll know where we're staying at right?"
"Yeah, but there isn't much he can do. This place has a tight security system. We even had it upgraded before coming here." Heero had his arms folded now, voice in its usual monotone.
Zechs placed his laptop in its suitcase and got up from his seat.
"Well, seeing that we've got as firm an understanding on the situation as possible, I think we'll call it a night. I will see you all in the morning."
They all nodded and got up to leave as well.
"Hey Heero," The Japanese pilot turned to look at his braided friend. "You mind if I take the Spaghetti-O's with me?"
Heero just glared and shoved him towards the door.
vvvvvvv
"Alright girls. Thanks for coming, it was awesome."
Relena hugged all her friends who were now bulging with tummy's full of food.
"We'll see you in the morning Lena."
They called out after her as they exited the door.
Both groups exited their designated rooms at the same time. The men looked tired and ready to collapse into their beds, while the girl's looked riled up with energy and content with full tummies.
Duo nudged Heero with his elbow.
"See! I knew we should have gone there. Look at how energetic they are, I bet they were having a blast...mm...I smell chocolate."
Heero rolled his eyes and stood by his room door as he watched the girls rush over to their men excitedly. The hall cleared out as everyone left for his or her room.
He turned to see Relena watching them leave as well, and he caught her eyes in a glance.
She smiled and waved.
"Goodnight Heero."
He nodded and brought his hand up in a short wave in return and watched her go back in her room and close the door. He stood there, eyes frozen on the stop she had just abandoned, remembering their little moment in the first aid hut. It all started with him wanting to get her back for trying to make him jealous over Mark, but it elevated into something much more. All his pent up emotions and feelings for the girl shook loose and came pouring out as he tasted and felt her skin. It started out as a teasing brush of flesh, but led to a heated passionate session that ended so abruptly from Maxwell's interruption.
He shook loose from his reverie and retreated into his room. Tomorrow he would be alone with her once more, and as much as he was looking forward to being with her, he couldn't help shake away the nagging feeling that something was going to go wrong....
vvvvvvv
More problems? More action? More romance? Find out in the next chapter. Don't forget to leave reviews!