Hiding Scars

Chapter 13

A/N: Mature content ahead!

"I'm surprised we haven't heard from Relena yet today," Duo said, leaning back in the chair in the dining room. "You said she was going to call you, right?" he asked Heero. Heero nodded in response, trying not to pick up his phone and check again, to make sure she hadn't tried to contact him.

"She's probably busy," Quatre said. "Can't expect her to be with us every waking moment." The others shrugged. They sat in silence for a few minutes, but a dog's bark caught their attention. A moment later, the doorbell was ringing. Heero was the first to his feet, nearly tripping over a chair in his haste to get to the door. He wrenched it open. He was happy to see Relena and Cherry on the other side of the door. Relena was smiling.

"Sorry I didn't call. I got caught up doing some work," she said. Heero dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

"It's alright," he said, moving aside to allow her into the house. Relena looked around.

"This is a nice house. Too bad someone already has it, otherwise I'd add it to my stock," she commented. She was greeted by the rest. Heero stepped back to admire her once more. She'd chosen a pair of loose shorts, a slightly oversized tank top, and her hair was in its long braid. She wore sandals on her feet as well, and a bag slung across her chest, which rested at her hip. After saying hello to her friends, she clapped her hands together.

"So, I hope you haven't eaten in a while," she said. "Tonight is the Seafood Cook off! It's at the beach. I thought it would be fun to go to. Last year, it was a huge hit, and this year, they have even more cooks from all over the country, and some from other countries, here to show off their seafood cooking skills. There's tasting, drinks of course," she winked at Duo, "and everyone gets to vote on their favorites and there's a prize and all that. Are you all interested?"

All answered to the affirmative, so after a few minutes, they were ready to leave the house. Duo took charge of walking Cherry. Heero fell into step beside Relena.

"How was breakfast this morning?" he asked her.

"It was fine. I just told them more about what happened, and we talked about a lot of different things. Milly was my first friend here, so I wanted to make sure I smoothed everything over after basically lying to her for the last four years," Relena said.

"Makes sense." Heero could tell that Relena was in a really good mood, and she seemed excitable. His hands itched to touch her, so he reached over and rested a hand on her hip, pulling her closer to him as they walked. Relena did not resist.

As they walked, Heero made up his mind to tell her that he called her brother. "I called Zechs this morning," Heero confessed.

"You did?" Relena looked surprised. "You don't like each other."

"I know, but I wanted to tell him that we had found you. He and Noin are still up in space," he said. "He told me to tell you that if you wanted to call him sometime, he and Noin would like that."

"I should. He could have kept my secret if I had told him why I was disappearing before, but let's be honest. He disappeared from me without so much as a word, so he kind of deserves it, right?" Relena said, laughing.

"Right," Heero replied. He was still amazed at how easily they seemed to have picked up where they left off. It was almost like they'd been together for the last couple of years. Heero opened his mouth to say something, but closed it. He realized he was about to try and tell her that he loved her. Now is not the time, he told himself. Besides, the thought of saying it, and the possibility of rejection made him too afraid to say anything.

The group of friends finally reached the beach, and it was already crowded with food stands and people. They chose a stand and got in line to get a taste of the food. As Relena stood next to Heero, she felt a chill go up her spine. She cringed slightly, and Heero looked down at her.

"Relena?" he asked. Relena looked up.

"Sorry, I had a chill or something," she said. But it wasn't just a chill. A bad feeling began to scratch at her. She looked around, feeling like there were eyes staring into the back of her head. But she didn't see anything. She did not meet anyone's eyes. Cherry padded to her side. The dog could sense something, too, or was reacting to her owner's discomfort. Cherry was staring across the beach. Relena reached down and put her hand on Cherry's head.

"It's okay Cherry," she said, but the dog began to growl. Heero noticed as well.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Something isn't right," Relena said. She turned again and scanned the beach with her eyes, trying to pick out anything unusual. Cherry continued to growl a low rumbling sound from deep in her throat. For a moment, everything seemed to slow down, the sounds around her muffled, and she saw a man in the crowd, staring at her, a look of disturbing happiness on his face. Cherry's growling got louder. Relena stared in surprise at the face, though it was one she did not recognize. She never did see her attacker's face. Before Relena could say anything, darkness enveloped her vision.

Heero sensed something was wrong and turned to Relena just as her knees gave way beneath her. He reached out quickly and caught her before she slipped to the ground. Quatre, Duo and Hilde all turned around at the movement.

"What's going on?" Quatre asked. "She's passed out!" he said after looking at Relena's face. Heero lifted her up into his arms.

"Is she alright?" Hilde asked. Heero stepped out of line, followed by the others, and found an empty spot in the sand where he could set her down. He lifted her head so it rested in his lap. Cherry laid down beside her with her face on Relena's stomach. Hilde kneeled beside her and pressed a hand to Relena's forehead.

"She's cold and clammy," Hilde reported.

"Something scared her," Heero said. "She was looking around in the crowd, and I heard her say 'no,' then she passed out." Duo's hand moved slowly to rest at the small of his back, where Heero knew that he kept his gun. Duo stepped a few feet away, towards where they had been standing, and scanned the area. Quatre arrived with a bottle of water. He poured a little on his hands and splashed Relena's face. She moaned and opened her eyes.

She was looking up at Heero, Hilde and Quatre's concerned faces. The movement around her was normal, and all the sounds of the festival were back to normal as well. "What happened?" she asked.

"You passed out," Hilde said, taking Relena's hand in her own. "What did you see?" Relena closed her eyes and used her other hand to wipe her face.

"I saw someone in the crowd, staring at me. Everything slowed down and I..." she didn't know what else to say. She sat up. The anxious fear she felt before was gone.

"Should we leave?" Duo asked, returning to the group. Relena shook her head.

"No, it's fine. It was probably just my imagination. Haven't been on my normal sleeping schedule and all that lately," she said. The looks her friends gave her indicated that they didn't believe her, but none of them questioned her. Duo held a hand out to Relena, and she took it. He hoisted her to her feet, and Heero stood up behind her, brushing sand off his clothes. Relena did the same.

"Let's just forget about this and have a good time," she said determinedly, and set off down the beach. Her friends had no choice but to follow her.

Though the evening started off rough, they ended up having a good time tasting food and voting for their favorites. Relena acted as if nothing happened, and her friends respected that. Heero continued to brood, worried that perhaps whatever sicko had attacked her had finally followed her to Virginia Beach, but he had no proof of anything.

Later on, the group found themselves drawn to a large bonfire on the beach. They took seats in the sand and watched the flames. Relena sat beside Quatre, and the two eventually began to talk in hushed whispers like they used to, with Quatre giving her an update about the state of things in the political world. Heero sat beside her, his hand holding hers, watching the dancing flames of the fire. Duo and Hilde had disappeared somewhere. Heero didn't want think about what they might be doing.

Cherry sat down beside Heero and licked his cheek. He turned to face the dog, rubbing the dog slobber off his face. Cherry was looking at him, the flames reflected back in her big brown eyes. She tilted her head slightly. Heero reached up and began to pet her. She continued to stare at him, head tilted. Heero was beginning to think that this was rather odd behavior for a dog. "We both have to watch out for our girl, don't we," he said to Cherry. Cherry barked, then settled down beside Heero, a paw on his leg.

After a while, Relena began to nod off, her head falling to rest on Heero's shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. Quatre smiled. A little while later, Duo and Hilde appeared behind them, having come back from whatever they had been doing. Both were a little flushed, and Heero hoped it was from running or walking briskly. As the night wore on, they finally decided to head home. Heero gently shook Relena's shoulder until she woke up, and they proceeded to walk home. Once again, Heero walked with Relena to her house while the others when their own way to the vacation home.

This time, Heero did not hesitate on the doorstep. He walked into the house behind her. Relena kicked off her shoes and stretched her arms over her head and yawned. She motioned for Heero to follow her up the stairs. Relena didn't turn her bedroom light on. The moonlight through the curtains was enough light for her. She turned to him and stepped into his arms.

"Heero..." she began, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I want to... you know... " she said, trailing off. She found it difficult to clearly state what she wanted. Heero seemed to understand however, as he tightened his hold on her and pressed his lips down on her own. It didn't take long for both to begin to feel hot, and their hands began to wildly explore each other, from the hair, to the neck, to the back, to the chest. Heero lifted Relena up in the air, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her to the bed and gently laid her down on her back. He climbed on the bed as well, his knees on either side of her hips. He stopped kissing her for a moment and stared into her eyes. He was a mixture of desire and fear. He reached up and pushed a stray lock of red hair away from her face.

"It's alright Relena," he said, leaning close to her ear. "I'll be gentle." Relena's hands snaked back up around his neck and pulled him into another kiss. Heero's hands felt for the hem of her shirt, and began to push it up over her, his hands sliding against her stomach, then over her breasts. She released her hold on him to allow him to pull the shirt up over her head. He tossed it to the side. Heero backed up a little ways, his eyes trailing over her chest. He tugged down her skirt and panties, revealing her surprisingly shaved pubic region. Desire consumed him, more than he ever imagined it could. She was so beautiful. Relena was still staring up at him. Carefully, Heero reached behind her and unclasped her bra, tossing that to the side as well. Now, his princess was completely naked underneath him. His hands drifted to her breasts, where they stopped and gently massaged, his fingers plucking playfully at her nipples. She gasped at the touch. Relena reached up and unbuttoned his shirt and slid it over his shoulders and down his arms. Heero let it drop to the side of the bed and onto the floor. Relena's hands hesitated near the buckle of his belt. Heero gave her a reassuring kiss, so she released the belt and unbuttoned and unzipped the closures on his shorts. Heero lifted up and kicked the shorts off. From under his boxers, his manhood stood out. Relena touched it over his boxers, and Heero closed his eyes and let out a breath. He badly wanted her to continue.

Relena reached up and pushed down the waistband of his boxers so that they would slide down. Heero helped her, then he kicked them off. Now, both lying naked in her bed, they seemed to be at a loss. Relena was still feeling anxious and nervous. Her only experience with sex had been pain and humiliation. Even though she was completely comfortable with Heero, she was nervous and afraid to go one.

"Do you want to stop?" he asked her, seeing the unsure look on her face. She shook her head.

"No, I want to keep going. I just..." She felt silly, being unable to say what she wanted to say. She had fantasized about this moment for a long time, and now that it was here, she didn't know what to do.

"Let me lead you," he said. "If I do anything you don't like, just say so, and I'll stop, okay?" Relena nodded in agreement. Heero lowered down and began to kiss and suck at her breasts. One hand trailed down her stomach to the place between her legs. Carefully, he placed a finger there and began to rub, until his finger slipped up inside. Relena gasped, but her face did not show pain. Heero began to pleasure her with his finger, and when she seemed like she was enjoying it, he slipped in another finger. She gasped sharply at three, so he went back to two. He continued to rub her on the inside until her breath quickened and her back arched. She was grabbing onto the blankets on her bed, the fabric crushed beneath her fingers. She let out a loud gasp, mingled with Heero's name. Heero stopped and withdrew his hand. Relena had a light sheen of sweat on her forehead. She looked up at him with her blue eyes, already lidded in pleasure.

"That was... not what I expected," she confessed. Heero smiled and kissed her.

"Do you want to go further?" he asked her. She nodded, and his hand felt between her legs again. He lowered his hips down and carefully guided himself to her. "This might hurt for a moment," he said. She nodded and seemed to brace herself. He pushed gently, sliding in easily. She bit her lip in pain, but she didn't cry out. Once Heero had gone in enough to press his hips against hers, he began the slow, steady movement of thrusting in and out of her. Relena seemed unsure at first, but soon, her arms were on his back, grabbing. Heero sucked at her breasts again, and her fingers tangled themselves in his hair. He pressed his forehead against her own and looked into her eyes. She was smiling. He smiled, too.

After they both reached their climax, Heero lifted himself off of her and retreated into the bathroom. He came back a moment later and pulled his boxers. Relena was still lying on the bed, relishing in the pleasure she didn't know she could feel. Heero laid down beside her.

"Thank you," she said. Heero laughed.

"Why are you thanking me?" he asked her.

"For relieving my fear of sex," she answered. Heero smiled and kissed her. She rolled over onto her stomach and cradled her head in her arms. Heero could see where the tattoo ended. It touched near the top of her butt, then twisted over to her hip, where it finally came to an end. He adjusted his position so he could inspect the tattoo once more. He traced vines and flowers along her back. She squirmed and giggled, claiming that he was tickling her.

"Do you think that you'll add more to it?" he asked her. Relena shrugged.

"Not sure. I kind of like it the way it is," she said. Heero laid down beside her and pulled her against his chest until they were spooning. Heero stroked Relena's hair until her breathing deepened, and he knew she was asleep. Only then did he allow his eyes to close as well.