Disclaimers: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of its
characters.
A Match Made
~*~
"A lady like you shouldn't be walking alone at night."
Relena had taken a step back and stumbled into a tree. "Why are you here? I nearly didn't recognize you in this
darkness."
"I came to see how things were going for you." His voice was calm and deep. He looked towards her and noticed that her
faint pink dress looked more like a pale white in the darkness.
"I'm doing fine, but father keeps wondering about you. He seems to regret the day that mother drove
you out of the house just because of your refusal to her plans. How is Lucrezia doing?"
"She's doing fine. I can see that
nothing has changed since the day I left.
It seems like mother is up to her usual routine."
"You can say that again...how long have you been here?"
"Lucrezia and I just arrived here three days ago. We're just passed the old Coopers'
place. I believe there is a new family
living there currently, since the pastures around the farm were cleared."
The two then followed a run-downed footpath leading to the lake.
"I see you still come down here."
"It's our secret place...well sort of... minus the fact that mother knows
about this too. Remember the summers
that we used to go swimming here?"
"I remember."
He threw a small pebble that skidded across the surface, making splash
sounds at each point of intersection.
"You were always good at that."
"What can I say?"
"Why did you come? Usually when we
meet out here, you usually have something to say other than how the family has
been doing." She looked towards
her brother and caught him with a guilty face on him. "What is it, cat got your tongue?"
He didn't know how to cover his act of eavesdropping, but he decided to begin
with a chilling statement, "You fell off from your horse, earlier this
morning."
Relena had a perplex look on her face, "How did you know about that? Only two other people would know."
"Well, I guess then it's a small world after all. There was a young man that came to your aid.
I believe his name is Heero Yuy." He looked towards his sister and noticed
that she was still following him.
"What is your point then? Are you
saying that I should stay away from him?"
Milliardo picked up another smooth pebble and made it skid off the surface of
the lake again. "That's my point
exactly."
"Why?"
"It just seems that he is not the type for you."
"Not the type for me? You're just
becoming like mother."
"I'm just being a protective brother...it's my duty."
"Well if it's your duty then, can you then please respect my own
decisions. He saved my life today. Isn't that a sign of being a
gentleman?"
Relena did prove a point to Milliardo.
She had stopped him in his tracks, "Just be careful when you're
around him. I must leave now."
"Say 'hello' to Lucrezia for me."
"Alright then. Good night,
Relena."
"Good night, Milliardo." She
watched her brother walk up a trail leading away from the lake. Before long, his silvery hair disappeared
into the dense underbrush. With that, Relena stood by the lake and admired the
view. In the background, she heard the
crickets chirped and that wolves were howling somewhere off in the
distance. Right then, she felt
someone's hands on her shoulders.
~*~
Back in the dance hall, Duo caught the eye with one of the ladies wearing a
lilac colored chiffon dress. He bowed
to her and she curtsied in return.
"Would a lady like you care for a dance?" he asked.
"I never thought you would ask.
Thank you." She held out
her right-gloved hand and Duo accepted it.
The two then went out on the dance floor and waltzed to a slow violin
piece.
"So, are you an acquaintance with the Peacecrafts?" Sparks of curiosity in her eyes.
He didn't know how to respond to her abrupt question, "Well, not quite
exactly."
"So how did you get here, then?"
"Alright you caught me, I'm guilty.
My friend and I decided to dress for this dance."
"So you weren't invited then?"
"Not quite."
She smiled to herself, trying to keep the laughter from exploding within
her. "I guess that'll be our
little secret then." The two
continued with their slow waltz as with the rest of the couples. After the music stopped for a brief moment,
the two left the dance floor and headed to an unoccupied table.
The mystery lady decided to start a conversation with Duo, "I've never
seen you around here before? Are you
just visiting for the summer?"
"I actually live in the Maxwell residence...I'm Duo Maxwell."
"Really?" Her eyes lighting
up with more curiosity.
"And you are?"
"I'm Hil..." a grandfather
clock rang its chimes, in which Duo couldn't fully hear her name.
"I have to go now, I can't be late or my mother will scold me for not
being punctual."
"So soon?" Duo tried to make
her stay a little longer.
"Yes, if you would please excuse me now."
Duo bowed in response and escorted her outside. Out under the night sky, a carriage was already waiting for her
to return home. She untied the white
ribbon that graced her coiffure and handed it to him. "Here, you can keep this as a memento." She lightly gave him a kiss on his cheek,
leaving a faint pink imprint.
"Good night, now." He
watched her enter her carriage and saw it drive off into the night with
lanterns hanging on each sides of the carriage.
He felt like he was in a trance and then it finally dawned on him as he
contemplated to himself that he forgot one tidbit of information...he forgot to
ask her for her name again. "Why
did that clock have to chime in the most inappropriate time?" He slumped his head down in disappointment
and headed back to his home, since he didn't see Heero in the dance hall for
quite a while.
~*~
"It looks like the night is still active." A voice whispered into her left ear.
"Who are you?" She felt the
hands lift from her shoulders and she then turned around to meet the unknown
stranger that stood beside her. She
noticed that his stare was familiar.
"Why did you have to scare my horse earlier this
morning?" She continued to watch
him, but she didn't hear a response to her question.
"I didn't know you were there," in his monotone voice.
She acknowledged his answer. A faint
breeze ran against her light pink dress, as the two continued to stand there in
the darkness. "I haven't seen you around here before." She was trying to strike up a conversation
in hopes of gaining some history of him.
"I'm just visiting."
"From where?"
"New York."
"Do you have any family living there?"
"Yes...must you keep asking incessant questions?"
"I'm sorry then, I'm just trying to be polite. Very well then, I'm returning back to my mother's
dance." She felt a tug on her left
arm. "What do you want now?"
"Nothing." He then abruptly
left her and walked off into the darkness again.
Relena stood by the lake, wondering why Heero decided to scare her by the
lake. But something nagged continually
within her heart, each time she was near him. After she collected her wits
again, she walked back to her family's mansion and sneaked in through the back
patio door.
In the background, Heero heard the back patio door shut, figuring that Relena
went back to her mother's dance. With
that, he continued to head back towards Duo's, where he could at least find
some solace in his drinking habits.
~*~
Back in the dance hall, somewhere off to the corner of the room, Katrina and
her husband were sitting at a table, admiring the joy of their company on the
fine summer night. But, Relena's
mutinous act wasn't too far from her mind.
"Oh stop fretting over our daughter, Katrina. She has made her decision and that's
final. As long our daughter is happy
and healthy, that's all I can ask for."
"Alright then, I give up then."
She then saw her daughter emerge from the doors of the dance hall and
made her way towards them. "Where
have you been? You practically missed
the entire dance for tonight."
"I was out talking to one of our newest neighbors." She took a seat next to her father.
"Really?"
"His name is Heero Yuy and he says he comes from New York, but otherwise
he keeps mostly to himself."
Her father noticed that the tension was mounting at the table and he decided to
stop it before anything else happened,
"Would care for a dance, Katrina?" He held out his
white-gloved hand in hopes of persuading his wife to grab hold of.
"Well, certainly." She took
his hand and the two began to dance, as Relena watched from the table. She scanned the dance floor to find anyone
else that she could recognize, but she couldn't, not even Quatre. In hopes of passing the time away, she
gingerly picked at the fine lace that decorated the table.
"It's looks like you can use some company, miss." Relena looked up from the tablecloth and she
saw a man with brown hair bowing to her.
And when he looked up, she was met with a pair of hazel eyes. "My name is William Bennett."
"Please to meet you, Mr. Bennett."
"And you are?"
"Relena Peacecraft."
He gently kissed her right hand.
"May I have this dance?"
She got up from her seat and glided into the arms of William, who stood only
two inches tall from her own height.
With that, the two began a conversation with William discussing about
his family history. "My family
moved here not too long ago. I think
we're just a couple of miles down the road from here. We're living in the old Coopers' place."
"I guess that does makes us new neighbors then." She smiled up into his face. She then thought to herself, "This must
be the family that Milliardo was mentioning about." She then continued her conversation with
William, "My family uses this mansion as a summer home. You can probably see that my mother hosted
this entire dance. She practically has
one every weekend, which culminates in August before we go back to Newberry for
the fall."
The two continued to dance before her parents spotted them, "Who is this
young gentleman, Relena?" Her
mother eyeing him suspiciously with a warm smile.
Before Relena could introduce him, William decided to introduce himself,
"My name is William Bennett, madam.
My family and I just moved into the old Coopers' place."
"Oh, yes, the Coopers. They were
fine friends of ours. They came to my
dances every summer. I guess their
invitation ended up in their mail still, but I'm glad you came still. So where do attend school?"
"Harvard." His voice was calm
and collected.
"Very interesting. And what is
your family's occupation?"
"Mother." Relena gave her a
look to stop the interrogation of William.
"I don't mind, Relena. We're in
the textile industry."
"It is a profitable field, indeed.
Well, you have my blessings to see my daughter any time during the
day."
"Mother!"
"What Relena, you do need to find a suitor." With that statement, Relena blushed lightly.
"Well, I'm glad to meet you, William.
You seem to be a fine lad."
"Thanks, Mr. Peacecraft."
"Come now, Katrina, we must leave these two alone now."
She watched her parents leave the dance floor and they sat at their usual
table. "I'm sorry about that, I
didn't think my mother would interrogate you right here."
"Not at all." A small grin
shown on his face.
~*~
Duo made it to his front steps of his home and noticed that a glow was coming
from his living room. He opened the
front door and entered the foyer, and before him, he saw Heero sitting in front
of an empty fireplace. He noticed that
a wine glass was placed on a small marble table.
"I see that you left the dance.
You didn't like any of the ladies?" hoping to strike up a
conversation with his silent friend.
"Quit it."
"How did you go into my wine cellar after I nearly bolted it with two
different locks?"
"I have my ways. I'm going to my
room now." He rose from his seat
in the living room and made his way to his room, which was located at the end
of the hallway. The sounds of his black shoes clicked against the floorboards
and echoed throughout the hall. His
eyes kept focusing in front of him, as he saw the wooden panels reflect the
light from his candlestick that he was holding, since he was too lazy to light
all of the candles along the edges of the hall. Within minutes, he entered his room and took off his formal wear,
only to leave them wrinkled on one of the velvet chairs that were situated in
the corner of his room.
He stood in front of his mirror and stared into his own reflection, trying to
figure out his feelings and the memories from his past. His fists clenched in frustration on his
dresser, and before long, the sounds of the ceramic pitcher breaking filled his
room. He felt the water seep at his
feet and he watched the liquid as it slowly filled the cracks between the
floorboards. He carefully picked up the
ceramic fragments and tossed them into a small container on his dresser. With the mess cleared away, he went over to
his bed, but he felt something sticky on his fingertips. A single drop of red blood oozed from his
right index finger, "It figures."
He wiped the blood with a small handkerchief that he kept on his
nightstand that was situated on the left side of his bed. For the night, sleep slowly took over his
body and with that, he hoped that he could find some answers to his relentless
images from his past.
~*~
"Who is the nice gentleman that is dancing with Relena?" A woman with auburn hair asked Katrina.
"That is William Bennett. His
family just recently moved into the old Coopers' place."
"It looks like Relena has found her suitor after all." Her brown eyes kept searching for the young
couple.
"I guess your right, Martha."
The two women were cooling themselves with their silk fans.
"Does your husband approve of him?"
"Certainly."
"Well, look at the time, it's almost midnight. I must go now. It was a
pleasure talking to you on this fine evening." She gracefully rose from her seat and straightened out her green
dress.
"Alright, Martha, I'll let you know what happens with Relena and
William. We should gossip over a cup of
rose tea sometime soon."
"I would love that. Good night
then."
"Good night." She watched
Martha leave with her husband and she then sat back down into her seat. A smile graced her face, since she was glad
that Relena chose a suitor.
"Um...William...sorry to be rude, but I think we should take a break
now. My feet aren't used to all of this
dancing."
"Sorry about that." He led
Relena off the dance floor and out of the dance hall. The two headed out towards the front door, where they sat out on
a front patio bench that was lined against the white railings. "Is it possible that I could see you
again some time soon?"
Relena was taken with his politeness.
"Um...yes it's possible."
"Great then." He got up from
his seat and took her right hand and kissed it gently. "Good night, Relena."
"Good night, William." She
headed back into the door and watched the last of her mother's guests leave for
the night.
"I believe the night was a success after all."
"Hello mother."
"I'm glad that you finally found someone.
He seems to be a really nice lad like your father says."
"Where's father right now?"
trying to change the subject from her mother's curious interrogating
questions.
"Are you trying to change the subject?"
"Not really. I just want to know
where he is? That's all, honestly,
since he is my father."
"He already went up to sleep for the night. And now, what about William?"
Relena paused a second before she spoke, trying to taunt her mother's anxiety,
"He said that he'll be coming to see me again in the next few days."
"Well then, this is music to my ears."
"Good night, mother." With that,
she went up to her room and removed her pink chiffon dress along with her
corset, and in minutes, she felt the tight hold of the fabric loosen and that
she could breathe more easily. She then
slipped into a light linen nightgown.
After every clothing piece was put back in their respective places in
her closet, she untied the pink ribbon that adorned her hair and with that, her
hair uncurled down on her shoulders and back.
She seated herself by an open window and looked out into the
twilight. The full moon shone brightly
in the night sky. She pondered about the differences between Heero and William,
in which there were stark contrasts to be noticed. Of course William was more open than Heero, but there was still
something about Heero that Relena tried to fixate on...it was his cold stare
that still continued to mesmerize her for no apparent reason. In the back of her mind, her brother's
warning slipped in and out of her reasoning.
Since she couldn't fall asleep, she decided to finish Wuthering Heights. "Let's see what Heathcliff is up to now."
~*~
In the distance, he heard laughter coming from a corner of his room. "Who's there? What do you want from me?"
His eyes narrowed trying to find the mysterious stranger in the
darkness. He then heard his door open
and sensed that someone had left his room.
With that as a cue, he followed the sound of the laughter and caught a
vague image of somebody running away from him.
He continued to run in a darken hallway with the sounds of fleeing
footsteps pattering somewhere in front of him.
"See if you can catch me."
The voice continued to taunt to him.
He then yelled in frustration, "What do you want? I'm tired of playing these games!" He then saw the figure disappear into thin
air.
Heero awoke from his sleep, his eyes were wide and his forehead was lined with
sweat. He found himself on the floor
with his linen blanket entangled around his legs. His breathing was rapid and deep, as he tried to collect his
thoughts. "Who is she?" He stared into the darkness.
TBC
