Heiress to the Stars

Episode 5: Dark Secrets Revealed

Hours later...

Melanie stood on her balcony staring out over the yard of the Peacecraft mansion. Her tear trails glistened from the faint light of the crescent moon. Relena was out on her night op mission. That left Melanie with a lot of time to think. Her head was filled with amethyst eyes and a childish smirk. Due to her mission she couldn't be near the pilot. The repercussions would lead to his death as well. Pain wrapped her heart. She had grown quiet fond of this small group in the small amount of time she was here, and even Wufei was on her friends list, which seemed highly improbable considering his views of women fighters. For some reason she envied the small group. They may not all see eye to eye, but they were there for each other. The bushes below her balcony began to rustle and the muffled oomph caught her attention.

"You know Duo your stealth methods suck," she said with mirth in her voice.

He hauled himself up on her balcony; with a rose in his teeth. The braided pilot held the flower out to her. Shock registered on her face. Shaking her head she backed up from the blood red flower.

"What's wrong? Do you not like it?" he asked softly.

"It's not that... It's just..." she began hesisatantly.

"What is it?"

"There is a legend about the giving of a flower such as a blood red rose."

"And it is?"

"It began like this..."

Legend

A young maiden sat upon her balcony staring up into the stars. Her life was one of loneliness. She was a princess and didn't have any real friends. Her father was determined to marry her off to some snot nosed lord or something equally as terrible. She wished for a friend silently on a shooting star. Sighing heavily she leaned against the railing of her balcony. Finally standing up she looked up towards the stars once more until; a celestial light glittered from behind her. Whipping around she saw a man with shimmering white wings and blonde hair standing there. He held out a blood red rose to her.

"Who... who are you?"

"I my lady am you're guardian angel."

"Why are you here?"

"I have found myself falling for you, but I cannot be with you."

"Why?" she asked pleadingly.

"Because I must return to heaven to await your return. Until then keep this rose as a promise that you'll be mine when we meet again."

She accepted the offer. He vanished. The rose never wilted as she waited for her day to return to her promised love. Upon the day of her death she was greeted by her smiling angel.

End legend

Duo looked at the flower than up again at Melanie.

"So a rose is a promise of love?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, to my family anyway."

"Then why can't you accept this?"

"Because of my Family Duo or I would."

"What do you mean?"

"My dark family secrets keep me from accepting the promise rose."

"What?"

"I have secrets Duo."

"Everyone does."

"Not like mine."

"Let me guess you're an assassin sent to kill the Peacecrafts."

She looked at him as if he had just slapped her.

"Was I that obvious?"

"To every pilot young and old but Relena."

"Then why?"

"What fall for you? It couldn't be helped."

He carefully removed the thorns the flower and placed it behind her left ear. Her eyes glistened with tears.

"They'll kill us all," she whispered.

"Who?"

"My family. They'll kill me for betraying my blood family. Failure means death. Even if we manage to survive that they'll kill any child that may come of this."

"That's a bit extreme."

She only shrugged.

"We're an assassin family what can I say?"

"Have you ever had a normal life outside you're family?"

"No, all we did was training and school stuff."

"So you've never been on a date?"

"No."

"Ever been kissed?"

"No."

"Good."

"Why good?"

He pulled her forward capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. When breathing became a problem, they broke apart gasping for breath.

"It makes our first all the sweeter," he said seductively.

"Duo..."

He placed his finger on her lips.

"Shh... I want you to come to dinner with me tomorrow night, just me and you."

She carefully nodded trying not to speak. Her throat was clogged and so she didn't trust her voice. A weak smile crossed her features as she stared into his amethyst eyes.

A soft knock on her door startled the two promised lovers. They broke their embrace and she looked at the door fearfully.

"Quick hide," she hissed softly into his ear.

He just nodded and jumped of the balcony to the short distance to the ground, and barely missing the rose bushes as he pressed himself under her balcony. Looking up he saw a bugging device. Reaching up he began to see what he could do about removing it with his pocket knife.

"Come in," she called.

A small figure clad in black came in. A snort escaped her. "What do you want brother?" she growled.

"Easy sister. I'm here for my status report."

"Get lost."

"You have company or something?"

"No."

She knew how to keep cool. The last thing she needed was for her brother to find Duo. Her brother approached her swiftly and grabbed her hair noticing the blood red rose in her hair. He took the flower from her hair none to gently, and held it to her face.

"Who gave this to you?"

"No one," she growled darkly.

With cruel intent he crushed the rose in his fingers and let the crushed flower float to the ground.

"You lie..." he snarled as he slapped her.

Melanie stared him strait in the eyes not wanting him to see that hurt and praying that Duo didn't move.

Duo started hearing flesh hit flesh. He had a feeling he shouldn't move even though he was itching to fight now. He had never thought anyone could stir that fighting spirit in him outside of battle.

"Remember sister I'm watching you. And that baka of a pilot better watch his step if he wants to live to make you happy."

With a loud thump her brother was gone. Duo scrambled back up on the balcony to make sure she was all right. Her back was towards him. The rose lay crushed on the white marble. Her shoulders were shaking, and he knew she was crying. She turned to face him.

"Melanie?"

"Please..."

"Please what?"

"Take it back."

"I can't..."

"Take it back or claim me."

"I don't..."

He saw the defeated look in her eyes and he knew what she meant.

"I want you to be my wife before we do that."

She turned away.

"That's very honorable Duo. But honor doesn't keep you alive against an assassin family."

"From the way you're talking they sound like they're the mafia."

"In a way we are. Not as well known as the Italian Mafia but close enough."

"I'll protect you always."

He wrapped his arms around her, and they stared up at the moon and the stars. A familiar rumbling in the distance disturbed the silent promised lovers.

"I better go. Relena's back."

"All right, good night Melanie," he whispered soothingly into her ear.

"Good night Duo."

"Don't forget about dinner."

"I won't. Besides I wouldn't miss it for the world."

She carefully eased out of his grasp and headed towards the hanger.