Author's Notes: Woohoo! Over 6,000 words, which is about 13 pages on Word! I hope you guys really enjoy this chapter and please leave a long review of what you think and so forth. I really love reading long reviews, which is infinitely better than single word reviews like "update".

Whispers of a Distant Star Chapter 3: Walls of Indifference

~I'm always the one getting saved, aren't I? - Relena

________________________________________________________________________

I stared out of my window, still keeping to my daily ritual despite all the craziness that had interrupted my life lately. But this time, I couldn't think of anything. All I did was sit on the loveseat and stare at the cold machine standing right outside my window, blocking my view of the rising sun. The strong light of daybreak only illuminated the machine so that it stood in a sort of hazy halo. I was almost tempted to say beautiful until I remembered what the machines were for in the first place, death and battle.

I didn't have to be awake so early, but sleep had evaded me again, just as it had these past few days. And I avoided looking into a mirror for fear of seeing humungous dark bags under my eyes. I probably looked like a zombie. I stifled a giggle and continued to watch the sun climb higher and chase the darkness away. I looked down at my ring finger and suddenly wished the sun could chase away the troubles in my life as well. All the ruckus that had happened so far is only the beginning and I predicted that there would be more obstacles in the future. The real question is, would I be strong enough to go through it all? I was aware that it all rested on me because the whole world was holding its breath for peace. My fingers grazed the window and I let out the sigh that had been tightening my chest for hours. It came out quiet and long, yet it carried the weight of my uncertainty. I turned around to look at my husband who was still sleeping on a cot erected far from my bed. Even in the same room, he couldn't stand being near me. What did I ever do to be treated so coldly?

"Oh Heero." I breathed out.

~*~*~*~*~*

My brother wasn't kidding when he said I would be surrounded by soldiers and bodyguards every time I went out. Duo and Quatre was always at my side, Trowa at the front, and Heero at the rear. There were times during the day when I felt his heavy stare at my back and I fought down the uncomfortable shivers each time. Sometimes, I felt like the marriage had another meaning other than creating a tie between the colonies and earth. But I, being the coward that I was, couldn't bear to think of a reason that would demean the purpose of my marriage. I just want to keep sustaining myself with the thought that the marriage was for peace, for the good of the people. Yet, that tiny voice inside kept questioning the motives of the union, and the voice always grew louder whenever Heero was around.

~

I looked around the room to see if I had missed anything and clicked the suitcase shut with finality. I wouldn't be seeing my home for several months, since I was partaking a world trip to visit many leaders. Whether I would be fully welcomed or not, I had to try and win more people over to the side of pacifism. Heero, with his scarce belongings already packed, was standing by the door and waiting for me to finish. I threw a longing look at my favorite window and lifted the suitcase off the bed. Of course, me being a packrat, it landed on the floor with a loud thud from its heaviness. I took the handle with both hands and slowly made my way to the door. Heero reached over to hold my suitcase but I moved it out of his reach.

"No thanks, I usually handle my suitcases myself." I said as politely as I could.

"You don't have to act strong." He said in his flat tone and I fought down an unladylike growl.

"I've lived my life before I met you, and I'm sure I can still continue doing so whether or not you are here." I said, rather disgruntled. "Now, if you could open the door for me please."

He silently pushed the door away and waited for me to stumble along with my immense suitcase. I was thoughtfully looking down at the long flight of stairs when Heero's profile entered my vision. He was looking down the flight of stairs as well and I held my head high as I grabbed the handle again. I could have sworn he gave an exasperated sigh when he snatched the suitcase from my hands in a blurry move. He began to walk down the stairs with ease that instantly made me annoyed.

"Hey," I called out as I followed him down. "I said I handle my own luggage, I don't need you doing it for me." I said as he set the suitcase at the foot of the stairs. He said nothing and walked out of the front door. I did one of the most childish gestures I had ever done, I stuck my tongue out at him. There was a chuckle and I whirled around to see Duo hold a mug of coffee.

"I saw that." He said accusingly. "One word babe, blackmail."

I flipped my hair over my shoulder, a move I had seen many of my old classmates do. With a nonchalant hmph, I picked up my suitcase and once again slowly made my way to the limo.

"I still don't know why you insist on doing that every year." Duo said, shaking his head as he accompanied me outside. It had already grown dark and the sky was slashed with strokes of dark crimson and heavy purple. I paused for a second to gaze out at the sky, wondering when would be the next time I'd have the luxury of staring up at the comforting heavens.

"Because, everybody does everything for me, and I want to do something by myself." I said as I heaved the suitcase in the back. Once my task was done I happily smiled at another victorious mission of getting my suitcase into the car.

~

My tour around the world was relatively successful and I was rarely greeted with opposition towards my ideals. Now there was only one country left to visit, Italy, which was saved as the last stop. I had asked Heero what he had written to the Duke and he only responded with his usual hn, which I decided to interpret as a yes. Duke Dermail's men met us at the airport and we were transported to his spacious mansion in the countryside in stretch limos. My worries of the Duke increased when we arrived at his home. His house was wonderful, four stories high and painted in soothing peaches and whites, but what disturbed me was the amount of soldiers he kept around his residence. There were mobile suits, soldiers with long rifles marching around, and even two tanks situated near the gleaming gold gates that automatically opened when the limos came close.

"Soldiers." I muttered under my breath. "Why does he need them for a simple diplomatic party?"

"Duke Dermail fears loosing his power more than anything else. Though I think the security's been upped because of you." Trowa commented.

"Me? And what am I going to do to him? Talk him to death?" I grumbled as the door opened. I immediately placed a smile on my face at the sight of a tall elderly man who had a powerful stature. His own smile was sincere enough but I also noticed that it didn't reach his eyes. "Duke Dermail, I would like to thank you for inviting us to your splendid home."

"Miss Relena, it's good to see you alive and safe. The whole western country has been talking about you for weeks and all the other nobility in Italy has been very anxious to meet you." He waved a hand to his house. "I hope your stay here will be enjoyable."

He gently placed a hand on my back as he led me in, casually talking of the various foreign princes, noblemen, and others that were a part of the wealthy circle in Italy. I felt, rather than saw, my bodyguards arrange themselves around me, close enough that they could protect me in a sudden attack, but far enough that the Duke and I could comfortably chat. He had one of the most charming manners I've ever met, but it still couldn't erase away the harsh picture of a looming battle outside the house. It was later at night, when I was brushing my hair in front of the mirror, that Heero relayed my fears into words.

"Watch yourself around the Duke." He said while he was looking at me through the mirror. I placed the brush on the dressing table and turned around.

"Why?" I asked curiously as I walked with leisure to the immense bed. Tonight would be the first night we would sleep in a bed together. The Duke knew Heero and I were married and to ask for a cot would clearly state that our marriage was a failure, something I did not wanted out for the public to know. "I know I should be cautious around him, but why do you think so?"

"Just do it." He said as he slipped his shirt over his head. I quickly turned around and masked my move with the motive of turning off the bright lamp on the desk near me. When I turned around, he was already in the bed, his back turned against me and the covers pulled almost completely over him. My gaze lingered on his form for a second before I snuggled into the bed as well. We were separated by a short amount of space, but inside, it felt so much farther. There would always be some kind of barrier, and even if we were this close, leagues seemed to invisibly divide us. I clenched my eyes shut and tried to swat away any more thoughts on Heero, concentrating purely on what I should say and do for tomorrow's meeting with Italy's political heads. It must have worked because the only thing I remembered was Heero slightly shifting his position.

Early morning greeted me and I blinked for a second before realizing where I was. I had been having one of the best dreams I've had; I was safe and warm, but the most vivid detail of all was the security of the arms that had held me. Everything else was hazy and irrelevant in the dream, all except those arms. The Victorian style bedroom came into focus as I sat up. Heero had already woken up and was gone, probably eager to get away from his wife as soon as possible. With a quick stretch and a rub of the eyes, I was off to the bathroom for a shower and a change of clothes. I had carefully chosen my outfit for this meeting, knowing that the politicians of Italy were hard to sway, but their support would mean that pacifism would truly become a reality. After donning the outfit Milliardo recommended, I gave a one sided smile at the image in the mirror. I looked like a royal prince from the past, and with my hair tied back, I looked more boy than woman. Still, I trusted my brother and I walked downstairs to the dining room in confidence.

Two new people greeted me inside the breakfast room. The Duke's granddaughter, Dorothy Catalonia, and his young son, Dante Dermail. Dorothy was similar to her grandfather, charming manners and all. Yet, one couldn't mistake the warlike glint her eyes flashed every once in a while. Dante was surprisingly young for being Dermail's son and appeared to be in his early twenties. His manners weren't quite as charismatic as the duke and his granddaughter but he gave off an aura that was as powerful as his father's. Dorothy had energetically greeted me first by nearly pouncing on me when I first entered, Dante waited until his nephew had finished her enthusiastic greetings.

"Dante." I said, remembering the name from somewhere. "The poet, right?"

He gave me a perfect smile. "You are well read, but I for one would abstain from going to hell."

I chortled at his comment as he helped me into my chair.

"Grandfather said to forgive him for not being here but that he would be on time for the meeting at ten." Dorothy said. "He had urgent business that suddenly turned up. Uncle Dante was suppose to entertain you until the big meeting but something came up for him too, so I'll be showing you around today."

"Don't call me uncle, that makes me feel old." He joked as he affectionately pinched Dorothy's cheek.

"22 is old enough." Dorothy said before she turned to me. "Miss Relena, I would love to hear about your plans for the future of earth, would you like me to show you around the house while we talk?"

"I hope you don't mind four pairs of ears tagging along." I said as we stood to leave.

"No problem at all, I can see you and your bodyguards are close friends. And I'm sure that we can all have an interesting debate on how to spread peace to the colonies and earth." Dorothy replied as she led us all down a marble hallway. Works of art hung everywhere, a verification to the duke's impeccable taste of the arts.

"So do you think pacifism will exist in this world?" Dorothy asked as we passed through a pair of doors and out into the warm morning sun.

"The people having been wanting it for a long time, it's just that not many have taken steps to do it. I hope that by reaching out to the world leaders, they will be able to destroy all weaponry and banish war from the world." I answered.

"Oh! But Miss Relena, it will be impossible to stamp out battle. It is human nature to cause conflicts with each other, our survival instinct demands wars to be had." Dorothy exclaimed as we walked down a paved pathway around the rose garden. I paused to sniff a blooming red rose before continuing to walk. The garden was truly a piece of work, there were so many different colors and types of roses, the fragrance of the flowers combined was like a slice of heaven as I breathed deeply of the floral scent.

"True, but it is also human nature to desire peace and happiness, and it is that instinct that has dominant rule in the heart. As people, we cannot stand the despair and hopelessness from war, and that is what I'm trying to prevent. Wars bring death, sadness, and so many other things. By bringing total pacifism, we can avoid those altogether. And through unification we can become a stronger nation together." Dorothy clapped her hands at my words and almost jumped up and down.

"Beautiful, simply beautiful! You are justly called the leader of peace, Miss Relena! I can't wait to see how the future changes because of you!" She stopped asking questions about that and switched the subject to more mundane things. The only time we reached a barrier was when she asked of my marriage.

"I heard that you were recently married Miss Relena. Who is the lucky man? Many people have been wondering who it is, including myself."

I paused, trying to think of the right words to say with Heero right behind me. I decided to favor the bold truth by turning around to face him. "My husband....Heero Yuy." I introduced him and he gave a small bow. Dorothy raised an eyebrow and looked down at the gold band on his finger, then instantly beamed at us.

"What a romantic story! Your husband is your bodyguard? When did you fall in love?" She asked excitedly.

I paused, once again unsure of what to say. But I didn't need to as Heero grabbed my hand and intertwined his fingers into mine. "We met a few years ago and got engaged just last year." He lied flawlessly without blinking. "I wanted to protect her so I signed up for the job."

"How romantic, I wish that my future husband will be just the same!" She said.

"I'm sure your future husband will love you very much." I said warmly and we continued on our walk, abandoning the subject of marriage. Strangely, Heero kept his hold on my hand till the end of the walk around the garden. It felt almost natural. Our hands fit so perfectly with each other, his hand wasn't so big that it completely overlapped mine but not so small that is was hard to hold, it was perfect. And instead of being cold like it was at the wedding, it was warm and I could feel the hard calluses on his palm. With the sun shining, polite conversation being thrown around, and the general cheery atmosphere, I was almost able to believe the lie Heero told; that we really were in love and were happily married. But reality came crashing down when he released my hand as soon as we went back inside the house, the movement was quick and intentional. I tried not to look down at my hand as Dorothy led us to the conference room. But the remnants of that warmth made me want to make a fist and preserve what was left.

I could already hear the men inside talking and I walked into the room alone, my bodyguards waiting outside. Duo winked, Quatre grinned, and even Trowa managed to give a small encouraging smile. Heero had turned away and was looking outside the tall window facing the conference room doors. I looked away from him as a servant closed the door. There were roughly twenty politicians in all, ranging in all sorts of ages and positions. They all stood from their seats when I came into the room and sat down when I did.

"Good morning gentlemen, I'm glad you were all able to make it to this important meeting." Duke Dermail said. "And I'm sure you are already aware of our guest of honor, Vice Foreign Minister Relena Peacecraft."

I gave a nod of my head and cleared my throat to begin my speech. "Gentlemen, Duke Dermail has gathered you all here today to hear my proposal for the new future of earth. I am advocating total pacifism throughout the entire world. Too many wars have ravaged the souls and hearts of the people of earth, and now is the time to begin a new age of peace and happiness. Which is why I am asking many countries to disarm their weapons and cease having them altogether. As hard as this may seem, as leading men yourselves, many people look up to you and your actions will speak a thousand words of what you want for your country. I ask not the people to disarm, but the leaders because it is they who hold the most power and influence. Pacifism has never worked in the past because countries did not unite in disarming their weapons and soldiers. By doing so now, we can eradicate the pain and suffering stemmed from wars."

"You are asking us to become bare weaklings in the face of many nations. Will you condemn us as weak countries who cannot defend themselves?" One of the men spoke up, a few others nodded their head in agreement.

"By asking all countries to unite, nobody will have weapons to attack anybody. And they will have no purpose to do so if the country is advocating peace." I answered and took a sip of the tea they had laid out.

"And what if not all the countries agree? What if some secede and decide to attack the defenseless countries that did disarm?" The man asked again.

I took a sigh. I could see this was going to last throughout most of the afternoon. I took another sip and readied myself in answering the barrage of questions they would all throw at me. They were no different from the other reluctant leaders I had talked to, but if I was lucky, many of them would change their decisions.

~*~*~*~*~*

I opened my mouth and a harsh, dry sound came out. After some forced coughing I was able to speak in a somewhat normal tone.

"What?" I asked to Quatre. "I'm sorry, I was thinking about something else."

"So how did the meeting go?" He asked again. After the meeting, we all had a lunch filled with proper conversation on world happenings and stances on different political views. I had just been able to escape the clutches of the politicians and had joined my bodyguards for a stroll around the beautiful rose garden as dusk filled the sky. At least none of those mobile suits were standing around.

"I managed to answer all their questions, but Duke Dermail was surprisingly the most supportive out of all of them." I said broodingly. "Which is strange, coming from a man who has practically his own army. But, maybe he's changed his mind now." I plucked a fully grown white rose and tucked it into my low ponytail.

"Yeah, maybe." Duo said as he threw a rock into a nearby pond.

"You don't sound too convinced." I said as I sat down on a small white bench.

"Let's just say the honorable Duke isn't too honorable in some respects." Quatre said cryptically.

"What do you mean?" I demanded, Heero had already said not to trust Dermail. If the others were saying that too, then there was definitely something wrong.

"Don't worry your busy head about it." Duo said with a playful grin. "Leave the protecting to the bodyguards."

"You make me feel like a little girl." I complained out loud.

"That's because you still are." He tweaked my nose and laughed as I indulged in a babyish pout.

~*~*~*~*~*

I could feel it. That horrible feeling of premonition. Something was going to happen tonight, and yet, nobody seems to feel it except me. Everybody is calm and relaxed but I can't shake off the feeling that something malevolent was coming close. I sat stiffly in the armchair and kept glancing over towards the doors and window, practically anticipating something evil to come in.

"Are you alright?" Dante asked as he took the armchair near me. "You look tense."

"Eh, it's nothing, I think I'm just a little tired. I believe I'll retire for the night." I said good naturedly. "Good night Mr. Dermail."

He grabbed my hand and brushed his lips across my skin, creating a strange tingling feeling. "And a good night to you, Miss Relena."

I gave a watered down version of my courtly smile and quickly walked out. Heero was waiting outside the library and quietly walked beside me to my room. I didn't pay attention to his silent presence, focusing my thoughts on the sick feeling in my gut, which still hadn't disappeared. I was jumpy and nervous and my eyes were darting at dark corners as if something monster was going to jump out and say boo. I finally gave a sigh and turned to ask one of my least favorite people.

"Do you feel...well, like something might happen?" I asked warily as we walked down the well-lit carpeted hallway to our bedroom.

"Don't worry about it." He said monotonously. "You just concentrate on your mission."

I grabbed the sleeve of his white shirt and turned him to face me, surprising myself with my daring move. "I keep getting this feeling like something bad is going to happen tonight. I feel stupid enough for telling you, but can you at least take me seriously? I haven't felt like this in ages, but the last time I did, someone tried to assassinate my entire family."

"The Crimson incident." He said and I fearfully nodded my head. Just four years ago, when all my family had been together then, a group of terrorists had actually managed to sneak into the grounds and trapped us in the house. I could still remember the white faces of my parents as they tried to hide Milliardo and me inside a small closet, the sounds of bullets shattering the air. The army arrived in time but it was hours before they managed to eradicate the last of the terrorists. Nobody had ever gotten so close to killing a Peacecraft until then. It was from that point on that we started living in separate houses. It was for the protection of the Peacecraft rule, I was told, but it took me a long time to adjust living alone.

"Will you at least tell the others to be on their guard?" I pleaded. He lifted his arm and placed his index finger on my lips, immediately quieting me.

"Don't ever be afraid. You have nothing to fear but fear itself." He lightly ran his finger across my lips, letting it linger, then dropped his hand so he could open the door to our room. I touched my lips and walked into the room with him. There was a small click and I gave a gasp at the gun pointed straight at my face. Heero had his hands in the air, looking calmly at the soldiers in our room. An ambush? How did they get into the house so easily?

"Don't be afraid." Heero said and I gulped at his words, staring down the barrel of the gun to the man pointing at me. He was wearing civilian clothes to mask which organization he was from but he had the hard look all soldiers obtained after countless battles.

"Miss Relena, I apologize for our transgression but we won't allow you to destroy the Alliance with your ideals." He said politely.

"This won't solve anything." I said as he herded me out the door. There were more civilian clothed soldiers outside and they led me further down the hall and into another room. It was a bare study with only a large desk and a fireplace in it. I looked around the men but couldn't see Heero amongst them. My captor pressed one of the bricks making up the fireplace and it moved to show a small doorway. Where were all my bodyguards? Maybe now was the time to struggle. One of the soldiers must have caught the look in my eyes; he lifted his machine gun so that it was pointing directly at me. Damn, so much for escaping from a crowd of trained militant soldiers with guns. I was allowed one look at the study door, which didn't bang open to reveal my four furious bodyguards. Well, I guess I could cross escape and rescue off my list.

There was a circular flight of iron stairs leading down to an enormous hanger full of mobile suits and a carrier plane. There had to be over a score of mobile suits, ones that I had never seen before. They looked brand new and more advanced than the normal suits. The group of soldiers were leading me to the plane when there was a loud explosion from the stair case that we had come from. The force of the impact rocked the hanger and made me trip over my feet. A few of the men swore and ran toward the explosion. Unfortunately, the majority stayed with me and began to lead me up the walkway into the plane at a quick run. I tried to lag behind but to my disgust, a tall broad shouldered brute threw me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I tried kicking but I half expected to hear a metallic clunk every time my foot unsuccessfully smacked his chest.

"You-*kick* have no right *kick* to kidnap me *kick* during a diplomatic visit!" I protested. It must have worked because he stopped running up the walkway. "Good, now you can let me go." He stood frozen and I frowned at his inaction. What was distracting him? I twisted my head around to see one of the new mobile suits pointing its massive gun down at them.

"Freeze! Drop all your weapons and release the Vice Foreign Minister!" Shouted a voice behind us. I looked ahead and gave a sigh of relief at the uniformed soldiers wearing Duke Dermail's insignia, right on time. But where were my bodyguards??? The man holding me gradually set me down and lifted his hands up in defeat. After that, it was all routine as every single man was put in handcuffs and led away. There was a compressed hiss and I whirled around to see someone drop out of the mobile suit.

"Heero?" I said as he casually walked towards me. "How did you escape?"

"It was simple." He replied.

"Then what took you so long to rescue me?" I asked, feeling relieved enough to relax. "And why does Duke Dermail have all these new-"He placed a finger on my lips again to silence me. All of a sudden, he grabbed me and pulled me into his arms, hugging me so tightly that every line of our bodies was pressed intimately together. His lips were in my ear and I suppressed an urge to giggle as his breath ticked me.

"Don't ask anything right now and pretend to be ignorant, they're watching us. Your questions will be answered only by me later on." His hand reached up to gently stroke my hair. Gods, when did he become such a good actor? I rested my head against his chest and nodded my head in agreement, despite the fact that I knew he was just putting on a show. He stopped his stroking and took my hand, leading me out of the hanger and back to the bare study above. More of Duke Dermail's soldiers were waiting along the way and the Duke himself, along with Dorothy and Dante, were in the room when we came up.

"Miss Relena! I'm so glad to see you safe! I can't believe those rebels had the nerve to kidnap you here! And in my home as well!" The duke cried out. I didn't answer and only gave a weak smile. "I apologize from the bottom of my heart at what has happened. Security will be tripled immediately."

"You have no need to apologize, Duke Dermail. You played no hand in the kidnapping, and luckily, your soldiers were able to save me before it could happen."

"Heero saved you." Dorothy said. She brought her hands together with a smile. "It's just like a romantic fairytale! A kidnapping! Rebels! Guns! And a rescue!"

Dante said nothing and only looked at me with a strange flash in his ocean blue eyes. He quelled his niece's enthusiasm by placing a hand on her arm, but he never took his eyes off of me. I wanted to squirm under his strong gaze but decided to switch my attention to the duke.

"The minister is worn out and shocked from her experience, may we be allowed to retire for the night?" Heero asked.

"Of course of course, I'll have soldiers posted outside by the bedroom window and its doors." The duke waved his hand at some of the soldiers standing around who saluted and followed Heero and I out.

"Heero?" I asked and he gave a warning squeeze of his hand. I stifled a sigh. It looks like my answers will have to come later.

~*~*~*~*~*

It's hard to say when I've last felt completely safe. Meaning, there was no niggling voice at the back of my head wondering if I was in safe company. No worries that some terrorist might explode the building I'm having a meeting in. No fear that someone might break into my room and kill me in my sleep. My life seemed to always hang by a thread so precarious that I had given up a long time ago the hope for a normal life. And here I am now, sitting at the edge of the bed and staring out of a window again. And again, my view is blocked by a mobile suit. I fingered the pearl button of my white jacket, and then slipped it off while simultaneously kicking off my shoes.

Heero, I suppose, is brooding away in his isolated corner. And somehow, I felt like the loneliest person in the world. Like nobody could reach through all the barriers that had been erected before me. I was a politician, a world leader, a diplomat, a princess, and so many other things, but the real point is, those positions all came before me, as in me the young woman who was still 17 years old. Before I knew it, a teardrop had fallen from my eye and I quickly wiped it away, disguising the act as the pretense of moving my loose hair out of my face. I gave a stubborn look at the window, now wasn't the time to look at the world through a veil of self-pity. I had played a hand in becoming the person I was today. Father never forced me to be an ambassador and I certainly hadn't been forced in becoming the vice foreign minister. With mother still mourning from father's death and Milliardo busy with other affairs, I didn't have anybody to look to. What if the path I was taking was the wrong one? Would it really lead to peace?

"Heero...what do you think peace really is?" I asked. "Is it really just an ideal that is out of reach?"

"Peace..." He paused, as if he was mulling over the meaning.

"Are you someone who thinks peace is nothing but a result of war?" I asked, still looking at the window. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ask you such a personal question. If you don't mind, I'm going to take a bath."

I stood up and walked into the spacious bathroom. It actually had inner rooms within the bathroom itself. There was a small closet full of silk bathrobes, a room with the toilet, a room for the shower, the main room with large mirrors and sinks, and a room for just the bath alone. A master designer had shaped the room in a hexagon with the huge underground bathtub in the middle. A shelf off to the side offered a variety of bath bubbles and I picked one that smelled of roses. After hanging my clothes up, I stepped into the full tub with a sigh. I scooped a handful of bubbles and blew at it, causing the white bubbles to float up to the ceiling. Leaning my head back, I drifted into a semi conscious state where I was only half aware that I had been recently kidnapped today. As the rose fragrance filled the air, my breathing grew heavier until I was on the brink of sleep. Then I heard the soft sound of bare feet against marble. I jerked my head up to see Heero staring down at me.

"Heero?! What are you doing in here?!" I exclaimed.

"Protecting you." He said.

"There's only one way in and out of this room." I pointed out as I went deeper under the bubbles until only my head poked out. "They would have to get through the bedroom first in order to get in here."

He pointed up at the small ventilation shaft off at the corner.

"Oh." I thought hard for a second and begged one last time. "Can't you wait just outside the bathroom then?"

He gave me one of his looks.

"Fine fine, but don't turn around."

He surprised me for the umpteenth time today when he stepped into the bath with his clothes on, the water making his shirt and pants cling tightly to his skin. I gave a loud yelp and moved away from him.

"What are you doing?!" I exclaimed, extremely embarrassed as I covered my chest with my arms, forgetting that the mountains of bubbles hid me.

"I'm not going to do anything that you're thinking of." He said as he moved closer. He sat beside me and pulled me between his legs.

"Wha-"

"Ssh." He said in my ear as he laid his hands on my shoulders and...began to massage me? His fingers gently worked in rhythmic circles on my tense shoulders and before I knew it, I was soon melting in relaxation. I was too mellow to object and started to lean against him as he began to move to my neck.

"Do you think...that...you could ever....love me?" I asked drowsily, hardly aware of what I was saying.

"Could you ever love me?" He asked back.

"No fair....I....asked first." I replied, my eyelids drooping from sleepiness. "....Maybe I could.....if you would ever.....let me get..... past....your walls of indifference."

"Then the answer to your question-"

I couldn't hold the weariness back any longer and I was asleep before my eyes could fully close.

________________________________________________________________________

Author's Notes: Yes! I know I'm being cruel to leave you hanging like that. But for a writer like me, it was the perfect moment to end the chapter! But hey, I made up for it by making this chapter super long! Don't forget to review!!!!! (I like long reviews) p.s. The next chapter might be a little late in coming, I spent a lot of time just getting the first four out, plus, add in homework, and the update will be late, just to warn you guys. Don't be disgruntled! Have patience with me!

Sonicboom: definitely, I'm not going to have them pissed off and angry at each other for that long. I'm saying that there will be obstacles and such that will impede their relationship. Whew, who in the world can stay mad at each other for months and months?

Wing: the answer to why heero became her husband will come later. I'm not going to go really heavy on other guys/girls barging into their relationship, I like to keep the focus on the main couple most of the time.

Is-u: wow, was I? I was just kinda emphasizing on his character from the series. He grew up pretty cynical because of joining OZ and killing lots of people. And he isn't a coward for declining the position of minister, uh, well, at least I think that's what ur talking about. ^^ in the anime, he confesses that his hands are too bloody to take the throne. But more on why its bloody will come later in the story. And the marrying noin, well, I like to focus on the main couple, so I decided why not just have them already married.

Rekka's Angel: Thanks! I think I'm making Relena's character a bit non adultish, but I'm just going to put that on the fact that she hasn't experienced the real difficult stuff yet. She'll mature later on as the story moves

Melodi Moon: I'm so glad readers are leaving me nice substantial reviews, I rarely get so many. It's usually brief demands for an update. I hope you liked this chappy!