Not So Pleasure In Meeting You
The days glided smoothly into the colder month of November. Brown leaves soon fell, only to be swept up by the wind and pushed along the sidewalk. Weather wasn't the only thing that was changing in the Winner home. Hotaru had grown a bit more over the two weeks. The latest test of Sally's showed that Hotaru was now the picture of a healthy eight-year-old girl. What made Hotaru different was that eight-year-old girls normally didn't know how to fight, or in case of Hotaru knowing what any normal soldier would. In a normal society Hotaru would be considered a child prodigy. To the pride of everyone foremost Heero, Hotaru passed all of their tests. Yet, the greatest test perhaps wasn't one created by her father or Uncles, but the ones that came with real life.
"I'm not so sure about this…" Relena mused both her and Heero traded worried looks.
Noin reassured them, "It's only a somewhat formal get together with certain people Relena. Heero will be there to play bodyguard as always and with the other pilots will be there in case there is a chance of someone coming in and ruining it, which is very unlikely. What are we forgetting?"
"Hotaru," Heero stated, "With everyone busy making sure Relena is alright there won't be anyone to watch her."
"Maybe send her to one of the Pre-Brats," Noin suggested.
"It's more than that," Heero frowned.
He always had trouble explaining things like this to other people, but he knew Hotaru. Just because she was eight in body people tended to dismiss her as a child. Heero knew better, from day one he treated her like a young adult and he still would. She was not some child unaware of what was happening.
"Hotaru will notice how uptight things will get," Heero explained, "I'm surprised we've managed to keep our missions from her for this long, but with Winner's home being turned into a small fortress for this event she'll know something is up and sending her away to her friends will just make it worse."
In fact Hotaru was already asking questions about all the people coming in and out of the house. Sometimes she could be there while Relena planned things and she often asked what was going on. As soon as the boys started to arm themselves she would know.
Noin pointed out, "But you can't have her stay here. As Relena mentioned there will be no one to watch her."
"Hotaru is mature enough to understand how to behave," Heero replied, "We can trust her with small things that way she won't worry as much about the security precautions will be taking. The more she's involved less she'll worry."
Relena rolled her head to the side to look at Heero, "Heero, have you been reading Child Psychology books?"
"… Yes," Heero admitted, "I didn't know what else to do when I first got her."
"If you think she'll keep out of trouble," Noin responded, "I don't think there will be a problem."
Heero sighed, "As long as the Pre-Brats are kept away from the event we'll be fine."
"Knock on wood Heero," Duo chuckled, "Those kids just might show up."
In the days that passed the Gundam pilots prepared themselves and Hotaru as best as they could. Though they didn't include her in all their meetings, they did each have a talk with her about what was to happen. The Pre-Brats were disappointed for not being able to come to the gathering, as even though Zack suggested for them to sneak in, Jase didn't want to get on Heero's blacklist. No one wanted to get on Heero's blacklist. The day of the gathering everyone was doing last minute preparation, even Hotaru, even though she wasn't too pleased about it.
"Hold out your arms," the dressmaker was doing a last minute fitting before the party.
Hotaru squirmed and whined, "Daddy! Do I have to wear this?"
Heero, who had entrusted Trowa and Duo to watch Relena prepare while he watched his daughter looked up from the security detail he was reading for the 20th time. He smirked at Hotaru's expense. The girl was decked out in a frilly dark pink dress, it was a compromise since Hotaru refused and nearly threw a fit over the light pink dress the dressmaker wanted to put her in.
"Yes you have to," Heero replied, "Everyone else is dressing up."
"But Mommy is wearing blue," Hotaru complained, "And you and all the Uncles get to wear the same thing. Why do you get to wear the same thing?"
"Because guys wear the same thing," Heero replied absently, "Besides people expect cute little girls to wear pink."
Hotaru pouted at Heero making her look even cuter than she already was. Despite the fact she was giving him a copycat version of his deathglare. Heero looked over the security detail and smirked at her. That was his little girl.
"Look at it this way," Heero explained, "If there really is someone out there to hurt Relena, no one will think of a little girl in pink will notice him."
"Or her," Hotaru added.
"Or her," Heero corrected himself, "So you just go to the party and act like a cute little girl."
"While looking for anyone who would hurt Mommy," Hotaru chimed in all proud about her part in helping her daddy.
Heero nodded, "And what do you do if you see someone suspicious?"
"Report to you, or one of my Uncles, or Auntie Noin, or Sally," Hotaru answered most seriously letting the dressmaker put on the finishing touches.
"That's my girl," Heero smirked.
And they told him that Hotaru wouldn't get it. Most people would have argued about letting a little girl in on all the security, but since it was Heero heading the thing no one argued. Besides the worse thing was that she informed them of some harmless people acting strangely, and at best she wouldn't notice anything. At the relief of the dressmaker Hotaru was finished, and the little girl hopped down from the stool she was standing on and walked over to Heero hugging him happily. She held out a pink bow hairclip to him.
"All little girls need pink bows," she said and turned around so he could put it in her hair.
Heero nodded as he pulled her hair back into a half ponytail and put the clip in. He was amazed how far Hotaru had come in only a few months. Setting the bow in, he smiled at her. One of those rare Heero smiles that few got to see.
"Go on now," Heero whispered to her, "Check on Relena for me okay?"
"Okay," Hotaru gave him a bright smile before running out the door.
Preventers, caters and servers alike moved out of the way as the pink blur rushed through hallway like a hurricane. Caters and servers shook their heads and smiled as she ran past them, and the other Preventers couldn't help but smirk. There were bets going around on how long it would take for Hotaru to up and ask if she could become a Preventer. Hotaru had nearly jumped off the walls with glee when her Daddy asked her to help protect her Mommy. To her, it would be the closest thing to being a real Preventer herself, at least until she was all grown up like her Uncles and Daddy. In the direction that Hotaru was barreling towards, Duo and Trowa stood guard outside Relena's door.
"Hey Trowa," Duo nudged the silent pilot with his elbow, "Yuy Jr. heading this way."
As if on cue Hotaru appeared in a whirlwind of pink, and lace stopping exactly in front of the two former pilots. She looked up at them, smiling at them sweetly as she smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles from her dress.
"Hotaru Yuy here!" she saluted.
Duo stared down at her, "You have been hanging around the Pre-Brats for way too long."
"That's a good thing right?" Hotaru grinned back.
Trowa smirked at her as he opened the door for Hotaru. He would never admit it; there was something utterly adorable about Hotaru trying to help with security. Most people would argue that having a little girl would cause trouble, but Hotaru was very well behaved for a small child, so it wasn't going to be a problem. At least that's what they all thought….
It was three hours into the celebrations and Heero had a feeling Hotaru was going to get into trouble very soon. It wasn't that she was getting bored of the proceedings, or that she was getting antsy. No, it was the fact that it had become well known that Relena was helping to look after Hotaru. The fact was that reporters were allowed to the event. The fact, that some were annoying and getting on everyone's nerves. The fact, that to top off Hotaru's degrading nerves, Dorothy Catalonia insisted on meeting this 'dear sweet child'.
Now it all honesty Dorothy wasn't a bad person, really. She helped Relena promote her idea of peace. Dorothy also had something to do with the civilian standoff against Mairemaia's army. Dorothy also, during one crisis tried to play matchmaker, so she was quite human. The problem that Heero had with Dorothy could be traced back to their meeting. When Dorothy actually had seen war as a thing of beauty. Some might have thought that Relena's brief period of following him (which actually she had only done once or twice) was creepy. Dorothy's obsession over the pilots in his and Quatre's initial visit to the Sank Kingdom was down right freaky. All because they were able to fight, and because they fought in a war did Dorothy want to see them. His other problem with her came from the fact she also had stabbed Quatre in the shoulder. Now he couldn't speak for Quatre, but for him and the other pilots they hadn't quite forgiven her for that one. On another completely random note in Heero's mind, he was also pretty sure that kids Hotaru's age would find Dorothy's eyebrows a tad on the scary side. All in all, Heero was sure that Hotaru's meeting with Dorothy would go horribly wrong. Though he wasn't quite sure how…
Hotaru looked up at the lady with scary eyebrows, she was sure the lady wasn't at all a bad lady, but she was scary, and smiling did not help at all. Still, she had to say hello to the lady, because her daddy told her to say hello to the lady. Even though her daddy had this sour look on his face.
"Why if it isn't little Hotaru," Dorothy cooed, "I've heard so much about you."
Hotaru put on a smile, "It's a pleasure meeting you too."
"She's so adorable Miss. Relena," Dorothy smiled at Relena who was standing behind Hotaru.
There was something sickeningly sweet about that voice, so much so that Hotaru was trying to resist the urge to kick Dorothy.
"Thank you Miss. Catalonia," Relena smiled back, "Hotaru what do you say?"
"Are those eyebrows real?" Hotaru asked before she could think.
Duo choked back the laughter threatening to bubble forth as he overheard the conversation. Hotaru stared innocently back up at Dorothy in morbid curiosity. The little girl could swear that the lady was twitching.
"Hotaru…" Heero stepped in as the role of her father.
"I'm sorry," Hotaru replied automatically, "but it was an innocent question real-"
Heero opened his mouth to reply to that comment, but a scream beat him to it. Heads turned as some sort of slimy shadowy creature came barging through the hedge bushes. It half walked on two legs, but at other times would get down at all fours. Red eyes blinked as delegates and other civilians scrambled out of the way. More animal-like than anything else it sniffed the ground as if searching for something unknown. At the same time Hotaru gripped her chest, there was something familiar about it, something that made her skin crawl. Something was not right, that thing was not right. It needed to be destroyed…
"What is that thing?" Duo asked in pure disgusted watching the thing grunt, its fangs jutting out from its bottom lip.
"Shoot first, figure it out later," Heero ordered.
Relena, calm as she always had been ushered Hotaru out of harms way, even as the guards were ushering Relena herself out of harms way. Hotaru hurried to keep up, not wanting to keep her mother out in the open for longer than needed. Yet, something caused her to stop, to look, to see its blood red eyes. Her skin crawled and she could hear a rumble of a voice in her mind.
I will make you screamShe did not see it coming; underneath all the feelings of darkness she did not see the creature heading straight towards her. The shouts of her father and uncles did not reach the little girl's ears. It was not until the creature was upon her did Hotaru realize she was endangered.
Relena however did see the attack coming, and in that moment, her own safety no longer became an issue. To those that were forced to become mere spectators it was like a nightmare come to life. They could only watch as Relena grabbed Hotaru by the shoulders, pushing the little girl out of the line of attack. Dark shadow claws no longer had Hotaru under it, but instead Relena who attempted to twist her body to get out of the way. One of the creature's claws dug into the Peace Minister's shoulder, before passing over her. Sharp pain forced Relena to her knees, grabbing her shoulder out of reflex.
"Mommy!" Hotaru lunged at Relena, only to be held back by Trowa.
Trowa kept his arm around Hotaru, while keeping a cautious eye on the creature which snarled and gripped wondering what happened to its prey. Heero pushed Duo towards Relena ordering him to try and stop and bleeding as he pulled out his gun. Two gunshots filled the air, one bullet hitting the shoulder and harmlessly bouncing off. The second however buried itself deep into the spine of the shadow creature. It howled in a pained rage, while everyone else looked on helplessly. Trowa felt Hotaru's weight being put on his arms; for a moment he was afraid that the little girl might have passed out. Instead he saw her stare ahead at the creature with this blank look in her deep purple eyes. It was as if she was in a deep trace, and for all it seemed to her, she might as well have been. For Hotaru could not hear the yells of the other Preventers, nor the screams of the beast, nor the next three shots fired by her father, which bounced off the backside without a scratch. All she could hear was a little voice inside her mind, whispering the words a part of her longed to say to make the evil thing go away. Had anyone had been watching her face during this fight, they would have sworn to have seen a faint outline of what seemed to be a curvy 'h', or perhaps a symbolic scythe upon her forehead.
"Aim for the spine, it's the only place where the bullets don't bounce off its hide," Heero ordered.
Duo cursed as he moved to get a better shot, "What in the hell is that thing? It looked like it came out of a videogame."
"Or a bad horror movie," Wufei added.
Three more shots, a screaming howl before the tell-a-tale thud of a body falling to the ground sounded throughout the deadly silent garden.
"Mommy!"
Trowa couldn't hold Hotaru back, caught off guard by the little girl coming back to life from her blank state so quickly. She rushed over to Duo and Relena, with tears in her eyes, more terrified for her mother than she was for her own close call. Shaky little hands made their way up to where Duo was holding a piece of cloth to the wound. Removing the cloth revealed a wound, slashed deep into the shoulder.
"I'm sorry…" Hotaru whimpered, "I'm so sorry Mommy."
"Shhh…" Relena used her good arm to hug Hotaru close, "As long as you're alright, that's all that matters."
"B-but it hurts…. It must hurt…" Hotaru lightly touch the wound, burying her face into Relena's chest.
Hotaru wanted to make it better; it was her fault for not getting out of the way in time. There had to be a way for her to make Mommy's wound better! Duo looked up at Heero and the others who had already made their way over, after making sure the thing was dead. Mysteriously enough, the body disappeared; leaving only the mess as proof it even existed at all. No one really wanted to separate the two, not after such a traumatic experience.
"Hotaru…" Heero reached out until Duo stopped him.
"Heero man… do you see what I see?"
Heero's eyes followed to where Duo was looking. Where Hotaru's fingers were touching the wound Hotaru's hand glowed a light purple. He blinked once, wondering if he was dreaming, he blinked twice, wondering if he was imagining things, he blinked three times and still could not believe it. Relena's wound was closing, as if by magic, but one thing was clear. Hotaru was the one healing Relena, even if it did defiled all laws of nature. Relena too saw it, and only when the wound was healed did she look at the little girl in her arms.
"Mommy all better?" Hotaru asked innocently, before slumping into Relena's arms.
"Hotaru? Hotaru, talk to me," Relena shook her, but Hotaru wouldn't wake.
Heero was at Relena's side in a second, "Hotaru, say something."
He checked her pulse, fear gripping him at the thought that maybe whatever she did harmed her. It was only when he could feel the steady beat of her heart under his fingers did relief washed over him.
"She's fine, just passed out," Heero said after a while.
Gently picking Hotaru up, Heero carried her back into the house. It was something out of a dream, a procession with Heero in the front and Relena, the other pilots, Noin and Milliardo flanking him. What had happened that day was anyone's guess, but one thing was for certain. The mystery that named itself Hotaru Yuy just became deeper than ever before.
Author Notes:
Uhm…. First of all I'd like to say I'm sorry for waiting what is probably now 19 or 20 months… seeing as the last person who e-mailed me about it said it was 18 months since I last updated.
To whomever threatened me back… two years ago when I was in high school about whacking me upside the head with a frying pan if I didn't post within a year. First thank you for understanding that I had work to be done, and feel free to give me that whack seeing as I'm way over a year late.
As for what happened… well, I'm not dead, I wasn't sick, but yes… school. You see, when I'm not doing this, I'm doing school work, and I get distracted easily. That and essays have taken up most of my brain cells. I'd like to thank everyone who has been very, very patience with me. For those that reminded me this existed. Will it be for certain now, I'm not sure. There will be a short intrude written and posted after Thanksgiving… err… Canadian Thanksgiving, so that is this coming Tuesday. Another chapter possibly the week after, after that it is all up in the air. Seeing as mid-terms are coming up and so is essay month from hell. Note, I am the moron who decided to major in English and minor in History, two very major writing courses. Not that I mind writing… just not essays…
Anyhow… so it looks like it is getting serious, somewhat… I rarely write serious bits of work, most of my work has been humour and pretty plotless, but we'll see where this goes.
Shadow