Disclaimer-I still do not own Gundam Wing.
Everyone: Guys, you have to remember that I'm using several sources. If my sources say "Sieg Hiel" is a Nazi term, that's what I'm going to use. However, I recognize that not every source is valid. That's why I really appreciate the corrections you give me. They help me make sure I'm accurate and keep me from offending anybody. But it would be nice if the people giving me corrections would also write something about why they like the story, if they like the character portrayal, experiences similar to the characters', etc. It would just be nice if people gave constructive criticism and nice comments all in one. That being said, I'd like to thank you all for not one flame. I expected a flame for tackling such controversial subjects, but not one yet::::Knock on wood:
Katy: Thank you for the correction; I'll change that when I get the chance. Also, I didn't see any other anonymous reviewer saying the same thing, or if I did, I forgot it.
Shao Jiang: My translations are correct, but everything else is wrong!
Lynn: Thank you for your faithful reviewing.
Pushpitake: Yes, they did hate Catholics, because they were political rivals. The Ultimate!Nazi, according to Hitler and his henchmen, had to have: blond hair, blue eyes, a Protestant family for at least 7 or 8 generations, and a full-blooded German lineage. None of which Hitler had, as far as I know…
Author's Notes-Iria is Quatre's only sister in the vicinity. All of his other sisters live out-of-state, and most of them have their own families (The oldest ones are in their forties, the youngest ones are in college). You'll eventually see all of them, at least in passing. I won't tell you where, though, that would mean one huge spoiler. :Hears whines and complains…hopefully: "Baruch HaShem" is a Hebrew exclamation meaning "Blessed be the Name". The Unitarian denomination is technically a Christian denomination, but it accepts all faiths. Margaret Mitchell wrote "Gone With The Wind".
December 7th, 2004, Part 5
5: 38 PM—F-WING
"Our last game," Relena murmured, leaning against a set of lockers, watching Heero pull on his gloves. "I can't believe it. There's just a few parades and the Band Trip left, and then we'll graduate and it'll all be done."
"Have you decided where you're going for college?" Heero asked, dropping his hands as his gloves were now on securely.
"I'm still deciding. I'm leaning towards Albertson, but I could only get a Bachelor's there…still going to West Point, Heero?"
"Yeah." He thought back to the letter Odin had written him, advising him to avoid the military. But he had always been strong-willed and obstinate, amazingly, not to Odin's chagrin. If it was something Heero wanted to do, Odin certainly would not stop him.
Relena sighed.
"What?"
"I don't like it," Relena said flatly. "You know that I'm a Dove. I don't see how anything good can come from a war."
"I'd say something good came of World War II, a dictator was put out of power."
"That war happened because of a World War I. And anyway, I worry too much about you." She flashed a smile at him. "All the casualties is another thing. You kill one person, their family takes revenge, and then the family of the avenged gets revenge and bam! Before you know it, there's another war, and more casualties. And…this is beginning to sound like one of my and Dorothy's debates. Long and short of it is, you can fight for your country in politics just as easily as in the military."
"I agree with the theory but the reality is different. You fight to put evil people out of power, by killing them if necessary. That's what I plan on doing."
"I know," she said. "But I'll still worry about you. We just have barely a year left together and then we're all off. I'm nervous about you joining the military. Dorothy too, for that matter, but least she's looking into other things, so I can worry more about you."
Heero made a small noise in his throat. His mind drifted back to the letter, to Odin's simple sentence, "your girlfriend, Relena". He had probably written it with his arid sense of humor, not realizing that this was something that Heero had been struggling with since Freshman year.
"Relena?"
"Hmm?" She looked over at him from where she had been searching out the hallway, contemplating the approximate amount of minutes she had before she had to call everyone to line up.
"Would you…like to…"
""Like to" what?" she asked, cocking her eyebrows curiously.
"Go out sometime?" he finished hurriedly, wishing that his tongue had not moved so fast.
Relena blinked. "Are you asking me out, Heero?"
That was not what he had expected. What had he been expecting, again? "Yeah. I am."
Somewhere inside Heero, a loud sigh of relief was sounded when Relena's face lit up in dark pink like icicle lights on a Christmas tree. Her smile widened, a sight he was always glad to see.
"I'd love to," she said, her face shooting off a pleased and embarrassed cherry-colored warmth. "When?"
Heero mentally went over his schedule for the days proceeding after this one. "Tomorrow or next Saturday, after the meeting?"
"I'm free both times," Relena said, almost excitedly. "How about tomorrow? What would you want to do?"
Heero shrugged. "We can go straight from the meeting to downtown and find something to do there. Nothing especially comes to mind."
"Me, neither," Relena agreed. "We could get something to eat and walk around for a while. Maybe catch a movie if one comes up. It's a date, then?"
"…Yeah. It's a date."
"Sorry to interrupt," a small Alto voice disrupted the nervous silence. Hilde appeared in their view, looking slightly bashful at the scene she had just witnessed. "Mr. Luvsmit wants to see you two."
"Oh, Hilde, I didn't think you'd come." Relena draped her arms around Hilde and squeezed her friend. "Are you holding up okay?"
"Yeah, I'm tough," Hilde said matter-of-factly. "But I can't march—they tore up my uniform."
"People suck," Heero deadpanned.
"Mr. Luvsmit is letting me conduct the last song if you guys don't mind—that's what he wants to talk to you about."
"That's fine with me," Relena said reassuringly. "Heero?"
"Yeah, I don't care," Heero said.
"Go tell him that," Hilde said.
"Mm." Heero used the locker to push himself upright and began to walk towards the set of wooden double doors with the panels peeling off that led to F-02. Relena stepped forward to follow, but Hilde's hand lightly grabbed her arm.
"He asked you out?" she questioned in a giddy whisper.
Relena turned to Hilde, a smile on her face that defied all laws of length restriction on mouths. "Yeah."
"Baruch HaShem!" Hilde ejaculated, excitedly flinging her arms around her friend and squeezing her. "Took you guys long enough."
Relena laughed and hugged her friend back. "Oh, but y'know, I feel bad to be so happy when…"
Hilde cut her off with a duck-like motion of her hand. "Please don't talk about that. This is our last game and I want to enjoy it, okay? I know you're already planning to use Service Club to fundraise—and here's your early "thanks", by the way—but can you just not talk about it now?"
Relena looked slightly taken aback, but nodded acquiescingly. She was still not used to her friends' needs for dropping a topic and hopefully never seeing it resurface again. Her foster family had encouraged her to be outspoken almost to the point of indiscretion from the age of eleven onward. She could not see the point in never talking, but also could not see the point in pushing her friends and making them angry at her.
"So anyway…where? When? I want details now!"
"Hilde, you're happy," a male voice said from behind them.
"Oh, God forbid," Hilde joked, turning around to see Duo fully uniformed. "Heero finally asked Relena out."
"No kidding." Duo turned to Relena and flashed her a smile. "Ah, now you too may know the joys the female has in making the male's life miserable…"
"Oh, shut up," Hilde said, punching Duo's arm. "You adore me."
"Ah, yes, you see Relena, therein lies the problem," Duo said, unable to be held back even by Hilde's admonishing expression. "You prey on the male's all-too-susceptible loving hearts and—"
"Relena?"
All three turned to look towards F-02. Heero held the door open, leaning out to look at them.
"Mr. Luvsmit wants to talk to you, too, and Hilde, to work out the change."
"Oh, okay," Relena said, stepping forward.
Heero sent a glare at Duo.
"What'd I do?" Duo queried defensively.
"Don't harass Relena because I asked her out," Heero said simply, darkly, before shutting the door again.
Duo shook his head. "His Spidey Sense was tingling…or should I say, his "'Lena Sense"?"
Relena blushed slightly again and pulled on Hilde's arm. "Come on, we have to hurry."
"See you in the stands, babe," Duo said, pulling Hilde towards him and kissing her good-bye. "You watch out for yourself out there, okay?"
"I'll be fine; if you screw up on the field because you're worrying about me I'll hurt you. Severely." She kissed him again and stepped back. "Come on, Relena."
"It must be so nice," Relena said, as the pair of them stepped away from Duo, who also turned to find his spot in line. "To have what you and Duo have."
"It is," Hilde said, her expression reflective. "I really can't imagine being without Duo now, after everything we've done together."
"Hilde, do you think he'll ask you to marry him?" Relena asked, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper in respect of Hilde's liking of privacy.
"I think he might," Hilde replied, almost without thinking. A seed of an idea, that she and Duo might have something just slightly beyond a high school fling, had long since sprouted into a rose bush of knowing that this was the closest thing to destiny that their Free Will-believing minds would allow.
Relena reached out and pushed open the doors to F-02.
"Well, when he does," she remarked lightly, "you just make sure to make me your maid-of-honor, mm-kay?"
Hilde laughed. "Of course."
5: 47 PM—FOOTBALL FIELD BLEACHERS
"Think they'll be surprised to see us here?" a Bass voice asked humorously, settling down on the bench and gazing out at the field.
"Pleasantly, I hope," a female Alto responded on the same vein.
"They adore you, Noin, so I think that'll be the case."
Lucretzia Noin smiled at her fiancé. "You know, Zechs, you're going to have to stop calling me by my maiden name soon."
"That'll be a hard habit to break," Alexander Darlian said jokingly, sitting down next to them. Relena had left before he had gotten home; he and his wife Victoria had sojourned to the high school directly after they returned to the house, still blissfully unaware of the shattered glass that littered the windowsill and the floor directly under it in Relena's room.
"Where is it going to be held, again?" Alexander questioned.
"At the Friend's Meeting House in Dupont Circle," Noin informed them.
"And who from the school are you inviting?" Victoria queried.
"All nine of them," Noin filled in. "We can afford it; aside from them we have less than fifteen people coming."
"Speaking of them," Alexander interrupted, "isn't that Hilde?"
"What? Where?" Noin raised herself slightly off her seat and scanned the crowds. Hilde was slowly making her way up the bleacher steps, chewing her thumbnail. "Hilde! Hilde, over here!"
Hilde looked up. "Noin!" Her face broke out in a smile upon catching a glimpse of her cousin's face. She picked up the pace and managed to stumble to their row, getting past the other spectators with muttered "Excuse me" and "I'm sorry". "What are you doing here?"
"Zechs and I just got back this morning; we decided to come and see you. What are you doing up here? Shouldn't you be getting ready?"
Hilde's face fell. "Guess you haven't seen Mom and Dad yet."
"No, I haven't seen Uncle Aaron or Aunt Davida," Noin said, puzzled and now feeling a ball of worry accumulating in her stomach. "What's the matter? What happened?"
"Someone trashed our house."
"Someone what!" Noin stood up, earning herself many catcalls from the audience behind her. Hilde pushed her back into her seat. "What happened!"
"Someone broke in before I got home and trashed the house. They tore up my uniform—I can't march. And they attacked Annie." A tight bulge formed in Hilde's esophagus that she couldn't swallow away. "She's at the vet's right now."
"Oh my God, Hilde." Noin pulled her cousin into a strong hug. "Where are Uncle Aaron and Aunt Davida?"
"Somewhere in the stands," Hilde said, shrugging tightly. "I'm sitting where the band normally does. Mr. Luvsmit worked it out that I can conduct the last song on the field, and the Anthem, too."
"I'm so proud of you," Noin said, pulling her into an even stronger hug. "You show people what you're made of."
"I will," Hilde said, biting her lip to keep from crying again as Zechs, Alexander, and Victoria muttered their condolences. She pulled back and squatted to keep the jeering from the other viewers to a non-entity. "So, why'd you come here?"
"Aside from the fact that we wanted to see your last game, its because we needed to round you up and invite you to the wedding."
"You set a date?" Hilde's expressive face lightened considerably at the prospect of her cousin's wedding, a dream that they had planned together since their childhoods.
"Yes, finally. It's December 26th," Noin said rapturously, trying to drown out her worry over the events of earlier with the vision of her upcoming wedding. "It's at the Quaker Meeting House in Dupont Circle at noon."
"That's Duo's church!" Hilde said happily. "Talk about irony. Well, I can tell you that Mom, Dad, and me will definitely be there," Hilde affirmed.
"We've arranged for Zech's Unitarian minister to officiate, just so there're no problems," Noin said, smiling reassuringly and bitterly at the same time. There had been some turmoil within her father's family when he announced his intention to marry a Christian woman and convert. Seen as a traitor to his family in the face of the resentment that burned like a bitter candle flame in the souls of the parents who had just barely survived the Holocaust, Hilde's mother had been his only familial ally in his aims to be married peacefully.
"Oh, don't worry about that," Hilde said eagerly. "They don't care about me dating Duo, they won't care where you get married."
"I knew I could count on you for that," Noin said warmly. She glanced at the field. "They'll marching out soon, you'd better get going."
"Yeah, I have to look for Mr. Luvsmit's signal."
Noin and Hilde pecked each other in the cheek simultaneously, and then Hilde waved at the small group and made her way from the row.
6: 25 PM—TRACK
Nataku watched the other team's band silently, sweating under her heavy uniform even in the cold December wind. She had barely the patience to wait for them to get through, what seemed to her, their agonizingly slow four songs. Joining band had been her pet idea and she still loved it to this moment, but the discipline that went with it always seemed to be slipping out of her tolerance limitations. She wanted to get out there and play, dang it!
Her eyes took to drifting in the direction of other band members, and this time was no exception. The first person she noticed was Relena all the way in the front, with a pleased aura around her. Word traveled fast in the band; without directly asking Nataku knew that Heero had finally asked Relena out. All she could think was "It's about time".
Her eyes next wandered over to Duo, whose nervousness was quite obvious in his face as he searched the bleachers for Hilde's small, skinny form. Nataku was amazed that Hilde had convinced him of her capability to go. She knew—they all did—that Duo's blithe personality was a façade. His parents had abandoned him at age five and his best friend had died at age six. It was amazing that he hadn't been scarred into anti-sociality. In fact, he seemed to be rushing headlong in the opposite direction—a worrywart that could put an impoverished single mother with a sickly child to shame.
The next and last object of her gaze was none other than Wufei. Very few times did she stop and consider the exact relationship she had with him, but now, with what seemed like an infinite amount of free time, was as good a time as any to contemplate it.
Nataku had known Wufei from babyhood—their parents had traveled together back and forth to China for years even before her and Wufei's births. It had been a very typical boy-girl mutual hate relationship—the male supremacist and the spunky female tomboy. It would make creators of teen movies weep with joy to see their very often fights.
What frustrated Nataku so much was that their differences didn't amount the same as their similarities. Barring the obvious aspects of themselves—their shared Chinese Mahayana Buddhist heritage—there were several small facets of their personalities that screamed compatibility. Their shared dream of joining the police force, their both reactionary and progressive attitudes, their swift tempers, their contempt for sappy romance, their love of martial arts, everything that would paint the words "MEANT TO BE" in blaring neon rainbow colors. Half the time she didn't know what she was so frustrated at; did she hate the fact that they were so alike ergo so destined, or did she hate the fact that they were enemies despite their similarities?
Her eyes narrowed as she watched him stare intently out at the other band, studying their every move, looking for ways to give a performance better than theirs. That was one thing she knew she hated about him; his superiority complex. No one had ever humbled him—both their parents had died in the line of duty when they were four years old, and Wufei's uncle whom he called Master O had not taken any steps to tone down his ego.
She had once confronted him about that, and his answer had been an amused yet indignant, "Pot? Kettle?", which had sent her into a temperamental rage that landed both of them in the dojo infirmary with her grandfather shaking his head and muttering darkly about the prospects of their future. Looking back now, she wondered if Wufei might have done the same had she said something like that to him, and came to the conclusion that he probably would have.
Yet another aggravation to tag onto her list, as Nataku thought humorlessly, as Romefeller's band pulled back to attention and began forming the lines that would lead them off the field.
From up front, a whistle blew one long blast and one short, calling the band to attention. "Band, left face!" called them to face the track and not the football field, and Nataku lost sight of Wufei. She managed to push the thought of him back further into her mind until it disappeared completely, and concentrated on marching in time after the second set of four quick blasts from the whistle.
6: 28 PM—BAND STAND
The ladder shook under Hilde's feet as she climbed up the unsteady rungs. Like so many other things at this school, it was outdated and looked ready to collapse. The students often jokingly referred to the school as the "Lost Colony", playing on the name of the school. But there was fierce pride in poverty, as Margaret Mitchell would say. As a whole, the students were charitable and good-natured, and the teachers were beloved. It made Hilde's stomach twist to realize that her adored school probably taught or employed the ones who had desecrated her house and mutilated her dog. She had her suspects, Ms. Aldridge and Trant being among them.
She scanned the five rows of perfectly aligned students, acknowledging that her spot was the only one void of a band member. Her spot in the very back looked empty and forlorn without her and her silver flute to fill it. Blood pumped in her ears and she could feel her cheeks redden as they replaced tears.
She opened her mouth to shout but her breath caught in her throat. One-hundred and seventy-four students looked at her expectantly. She made her spine rigid, feeling Noin's anticipating eyes on the back of her head. They had left Germany to escape prejudice in their own town, but it looked like it was everywhere. At least here, right now, she had a chance to rise above it.
"Band, horns up!" she bellowed, and instantly every instrument on the field was pulled into attention. She raised her hands and swayed them in a pendulum motion, and the drum-roll started. "One, two!"
She was almost blown off the band stand with the force of the brass instruments playing at her all at once. The tune of the National Anthem, right here and now, seemed to be the most inspiring piece of music she had ever heard. She had risen above. For a few precious moments she was finally in control. The feeling was intoxicating, like a high though not quite so deadly, as her hands moved soundlessly yet powerfully through the air.
It ended all too soon, it seemed to her, as the last strains of music resounded throughout the field. Hilde let out an invisible sigh, took hold of the whistle around her neck, and raised it to her mouth. Four short blasts was all it took to get the two outermost lines of Flag Squad and Dance Line to hurry down and form the lines that would welcome the incoming football team, followed quickly by the Saxophones and Clarinets. Hilde turned around to descend the staircase and saw Sister Helen in the stands, smiling at her. She smiled back.
6: 47 PM—BLEACHERS
"Go, go, go, go, go, go, go…argh!" Nataku swore loudly and slammed her foot down on the metal flooring underneath her as a home football player was taken down two yards from the goal. "So close!"
"Just two more yards," Quatre said reassuringly, his fingers crossed as he nervously tapped his leg up and down on the bleacher in front of him, leaning forward and out onto the stairs as he struggled to see past the Clarinet player in front of him. "Just two more yards…"
"Hey, faggot, move."
Quatre blinked, taken aback, as someone he didn't recognize pushed roughly past him. Trowa's glance hardened from behind Quatre as he made to rise and step forward. Quatre anticipated his movement and turned around quickly.
"Trowa, sit down. Just sit down."
"It's a reflex for them now. You don't even know that kid." Trowa almost spat. "It's ridiculous that you've put up with it for, what, two years now?"
"Just, please, let it go," Quatre pressed.
"No, I'm not going to," Trowa said, an almost sinister silent anger in his face.
"It's completely unfair," Nataku added.
"You won't put up with it just so your parents don't send you away," Trowa continued. "I won't let you."
"Trowa, I really appreciate it, I really do," Quatre said hurriedly. "But I don't want you to hurt anybody for me, it's really not worth it…"
"There you go putting yourself down again. For God's sake, Quatre, it's not your fault you're gay!"
The words left Trowa's mouth just a great cheer erupted from the crowd; their football player had just scored a touchdown and now the cheerleaders were assembling to yell for the extra point. A surprised look passed over Quatre's face, before the corners of his eyes crinkled and laugh burst from his mouth.
"There you go, there's your "amen"," Trowa tacked on quietly, the corner of his mouth tilted in a small smile. "Even they agree with me."
"Oh, wow, that was too funny," Quatre said, still laughing. "Just like that, everyone cheered…"
Trowa rubbed his face and glanced at Quatre with a manner just slightly teasingly frustrated. "I'm serious, Quatre. I'm not going to let you put up with it any more. You don't deserve to be treated like you are."
Quatre gave Trowa a tiny smile. "Thanks. I don't know how much you'll be able to do but…thank you."
Trowa shrugged. "What else would I do?"
Quatre's smile broadened, and then he bit the inside of his lip and frowned as he turned back to the front. It had been hard to lie to Middie about his feelings for Trowa more than an hour ago. In fact, as Quatre noted, the reason he knew he was gay was because of those feelings. He hadn't mentioned that fact when he had come out two years ago. Everyone thought he was simply attracted to boys, but the truth was that what he felt for Trowa was deeper, more special, even more spiritual, than mere physical attraction.
Another cheer, even louder than the first, exploded from the crowd, causing Quatre to turn around. They had gotten the extra point.
Trowa leaned forward, resting his hands on Quatre's shoulders, to see the track better. Quatre nearly jumped out of his skin at Trowa's hands on his shoulders, but a beautiful comforting feeling settled on him a moment after. Consciously yet sub-consciously his own gloved hand raised to his shoulder to rest on Trowa's.
But Trowa removed his hands and stood up without Quatre's ever making it. "Mr. Luvsmit stood up. Get your flute ready."
"Huh? Oh…yeah…" Quatre stood up and lifted his flute to his mouth.
10: 16 PM—TRACK
A feeling of euphoria had settled in the home stands; girls hugged their friends and jumped in jubilant circles, even men lost their inhibitions and hugged as they hooted in exaltation. Several squad members began singing loudly and euphorically off-key.
"In a stunning display of strength, endurance, and prowess, the After Colony High School Gundams have triumphed over Romefeller's Forces and won the championship!"
Duo picked Hilde up and balanced her on his hip as they pumped their respective free arms in the air, screaming wildly before sharing a deep kiss.
"I'm proud of ya, Hilde-darlin'," Duo whispered in her ear warmly.
"I could see you on the stand, you were practically glaring at me," Hilde responded good-humoredly. "Did you think I was gonna get shot or something?"
"You were in the perfect position to be a target," Duo argued, jokingly yet seriously.
"You big dork." Hilde kissed him again. "Come on, put me down, you have to go line up."
"Argh, you can really spoil a moment," Duo teased, hoisting her in the air and setting her down on the seat behind them.
"Oh, Duo, tell everyone to wait in the vestibule outside F-Wing, okay? There's a surprise for you guys."
"No problem," Duo said. "Meet you there." He turned to leave.
"Ah-ah-ah!" Hilde yanked his braid and turned him around. "After two-plus years, you'd think you'd learn to kiss me good-bye."
"No use trying to slide one past you you, is there?" Duo grinned.
"Nope." She leaned forward and planted a kiss on his lips. "Now, get going."
"Yes, ma'am," Duo said dutifully, turning again and making his way down the bleachers with the mass of band members.
"You have a needy girlfriend," Wufei commented after fighting his way through he crowd to get next to Duo.
"She has a needy boyfriend," Duo responded, smiling. "Hey, at least we don't stop in the middle of the hallway to make out two seconds before the bell rings. We should do that just to tic you off, Wufei."
"He'd just plow right through you," Nataku said from behind them. "And then start lecturing you on public decency."
"Like you wouldn't do the same," Wufei retorted.
"No, I wouldn't," she snapped.
"Then what would you do?"
Nataku opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. The complete honesty that had been hardwired into her practically since birth had conflicted with her self-righteous nature before, and it always wound up embarrassing her with Wufei's smug smirk.
"All right, you guys, stop flirting," Duo said quickly, sensing the imminent humiliation on Nataku's part.
"You're one to talk," Nataku and Wufei flung at him simultaneously.
"I rest my case," Duo muttered to himself as he turned around and began slowly working his way down the metal bleacher seats.
"Ooph!"
"Oh, God, Relena, I'm…sorry…" Duo trailed off. He had accidentally knocked Relena off the bleachers in front of him, straight into the arms of Heero, who was sending him a death glare.
"'S'all right, Duo," Relena said forgivingly. She waited a moment before removing herself from Heero's grasp and straightening up. "Thanks, Heero."
Heero shrugged. "Come on, we have to go."
"He likes you," Duo whispered, leaning forward so he whispered into Relena's ear.
"You really think so?" Relena whispered back, watching Heero descend the bleachers.
"Yeah. Y'know, Heero's been on his own a lot. His mom's dead and his stepdad's overseas…I'm just hoping you can make him a bit happier by going out with him. Make him smile a bit, y'know? Instead of glaring at everyone all the time."
"I know…he scares me sometimes, too. I hate seeing him when he's like that."
"Well, you can change that," Duo said decisively.
"Oh, I hope so," Relena wished quietly, and then stepped down onto another step as the crowd methodically worked its way down.
10: 32 PM—F-WING
Hilde started up from where she had been leaning against the wall as Heero pushed open the door. He glanced around the vestibule and caught sight of Zechs and Noin.
"Heero! It's been too long." Noin stepped forward, her arms open. Heero allowed himself to be hugged for a few moments.
"Are you two hitched yet?" he deadpanned once he had stepped back.
"No," Noin said, laughing. "In fact, that's what we're here to tell you guys about."
"Tell us about what?" a new voice asked, as Quatre entered. "Noin?"
"Wait until everyone else is here," Noin replied, hugging Quatre, who returned the gesture. He had liked Noin ever since Relena had introduced them two years ago. Oddly enough, Relena had met Noin before she had found Zechs—they had run into each other when Relena had been taking a shortcut home, and from there had become good friends. It was only when Noin introduced her to Zechs was there any spark in memory of the fact that they were separated siblings of murdered Italian politicians. Of course, only Zechs and Noin had known the details, the only thing Relena had known for the first month of knowing the couple was that Zechs was strangely, vaguely familiar.
"Oh my God, Noin! Milliardo!"
Zechs flinched a bit at his birth name—he was still unused to being called that. Noin never called him by his Christian name. Only Relena and Dorothy used that appellation. Nevertheless, he lifted his arms welcomingly as she ran into them, hugging her brother tightly around the waist. He smiled as she pulled away to hug Noin.
"Hello, Milliardo," a cool voice said, as Dorothy drifted in from the doorway.
"Hi, Dorothy," Zechs responded on the same vein. Dorothy and Zechs had known each other through Dorothy's cousin, Treize, Zechs's oldest friend.
"Noin, Zechs," Duo acknowledged as he came through the door.
"Hi, Duo," Noin said warmly. "Have you been treating my cousin nice?"
"But of course," Duo said, wrapping an arm around Hilde's shoulder.
The door swung open and shut again as Trowa entered the vestibule, Wufei behind him, and Nataku lagging behind him.
"What the big news Hilde said you had?" Wufei asked, glancing at Zechs and Noin.
"Well, here it is," Noin said. "We've set a date for the wedding."
Relena gave off a little shriek of happiness. "Really? When?"
"The twenty-sixth of this month," Noin said.
"The twenty-sixth? That's really short notice," Dorothy commented.
"Zechs and I are home specifically for this purpose, we're going back in mid-January."
"That soon?" Relena said, her face crestfallen.
"Yeah," Noin said sadly. "After this we won't be coming back until June next year."
Relena balled her fingers and cupped her fist with her other hand. Heero glanced at her, and for a fleeting instant, thought of a small child doing the exact same thing when his mother announced to the family that she was leaving in two days to work in Kyoto.
"We just got home early today, so we came right down here to meet you," Noin continued. "We're inviting you all to the wedding. It's at noon, in the Quaker church in Dupont Circle."
"My church?" Duo said. "I heard Father talking about a wedding coming up; I didn't know it was yours!"
"Yes, we wrote to Father Maxwell just before we left for home. Oh, and Relena, we want you to be my Maid-of-Honor."
Relena looked up and blinked. "You…what?"
"Yes. I'm getting my gown not this Sunday, but next Sunday, and we should get you fitted for your gown then, too. That is, if you want to."
"Are you kidding? I'd love to be your Maid-of-Honor!" Relena threw her arms around Noin, and then turned to hug her brother and kissed him on the cheek. "Next Sunday?"
"Yes, I'll pick you up."
"You're not staying with us?" Relena said, looking disappointed.
"Zechs and I are staying at a hotel until the wedding, and after that we're honeymooning in Florida. Why?"
"I just thought that it'd be nice if you guys stayed with us," Relena said, sighing.
"Sorry, darlin'," Noin said, smiling sadly.
Hilde coughed loudly. "And where am I during all of this?"
"Oh, did I forget to mention? You're my other Maid-of-Honor. Technically, there's only one, but it's my wedding, so…"
""Forget to mention"? You suck, Noin."
Noin grinned impishly and hugged her cousin. "I'll get you on Sunday, too. How does two sound?"
"Wonderful," Relena said, simultaneous with Hilde's "Awesome."
"And I'll call you guys tomorrow," Noin promised.
"Oh, I can't do that," Relena said. "Hilde and I have Community Service Club from one to three, and then I'll be out with Heero for the rest of the day."
Zechs seemingly perked up at the mention of Heero's name. "As in a date?"
"…Yeah…" Relena said, eyeing her brother warily. Relena secretly thought that Zechs had made the "overprotective brother" cliché just that, a cliché.
Zechs eyeballed Heero, and Heero returned the stare, though wilting just the tiniest bit. Odin had written him about soldiers who had rage problems. Heero was quite sure he could hold his own against Zechs, but he couldn't imagine Relena being too chuffed with her brother and himself beating each other up over her.
"Where are you going?" Zechs inquired.
"Downtown," Heero and Relena answered in unison.
"Ze-echs," Noin said, yanking his hand. "Leave them alone."
Zechs raised his eyebrow at Noin, and then looked at Heero again. He stared at him for a few minutes, the gesture being returned, and then he looked at Relena.
"You be careful downtown, Relena," he said warningly. "There are lots of sick people out now. And with Dermail as powerful as he is…" Zechs trailed off, frowning. "I'll drive by sometime in the afternoon."
"Oh, yes, and I'll drop by your house too, Hilde," Noin said.
"Come by at one-thirty," Hilde said, glancing at Relena playfully. "I already know that Service Club will be there."
"I'll do that," Noin said. She clapped her hands conclusively. "Now, I can tell you all want to go, and the jet lag is starting to catch up with us, so Zechs and I will leave now, and you guys can go celebrate your victory. The band was wonderful, by the way. We were so proud of you guys."
"Thank you," Relena and Quatre said together.
Noin pulled Relena and Hilde into a collective hug and kissed the tops of their heads, and then smiled at the rest of the group. "I will see you guys later."
"'Bye, Zechs," Relena said, hugging her brother again.
Zechs tilted his head down to face her. "You be careful, Relena. I am beyond serious."
"I'll be careful," Relena promised in a whisper, and then stepped back so Noin could take Zechs's hand.
"'Bye, guys," Noin said, flashing a smile at the entire group. "We'll see you later."
