Author's Note
It may seem cliché to thank your readers and reviewers but the alternative just seems downright rude. Especially considering the overwhelmingly positive response I've gotten so far, I just don't think it would be right to continue forward without at least a simple thank you. So thank you to all who have followed and favourited, those who have left constructive and in-depth reviews. This fandom I've noticed, perhaps due to the age of the original work, perhaps due to the sheer volume of fan work that has been created over the years, has considerably higher standards for both characterization and writing skill. I hope to live up to these expectations.
One Question Per
"Seatbelt," he reminded her.
Even still, it took her a moment to respond. But she did as she was told and buckled up, despite his blatant attempt at deferring the most obvious of questions. What were those questions again? She couldn't exactly remember. There had been so many for so long, catalogued, rehearsed, rewritten, all within the pages of her memory for the day of his return. And now that the day was here, she couldn't remember a single one. All she could do was stare at those Prussian blue eyes in the rear-view mirror. They stared right back at her.
It didn't take long for them to reach the university campus. Before she knew it, they had passed the vast fields of perfectly manicured green, through the colonnade of bronze statues, the effigies of great men of political import and higher learning, including a few of the Peacecraft kings of old. Heero, wisely swung the car around back, avoiding the mob of photographers and reporters that had gathered in the courtyard in front of the Great Hall. He already knew the school inside and out. Why was she not surprised?
They pulled into a small secluded parking lot at the back of the Great Hall. There was no one there. Perhaps, she would finally have a moment alone with him after all this time. He got out of the car and came around to open the door for Relena. He held out his hand for her. She took it gladly and let his natural strength guide her out of the car and to her feet.
She had imagined him so many times in her mind and in her dreams. Wild and mysterious, with those intense eyes, and an expression so impenetrable she wondered if she would ever get to know what he was thinking. She missed him. Ever since she found out that he took off from the hospital after the Battle of Brussels, she worried and thought about him everyday. Some days it was just a few idle minutes during a particularly tedious meeting, wondering where he was and what he was doing. On others she would spend hours upon hours scouring the internet for any trace of him.
And now he was here, standing right in front of her. Flesh and blood.
He had changed. Not in a bad way. But he was different than she remembered. Taller, more muscular, with a more defined jaw, and wider shoulders. He had become a man. But it wasn't just his physical transformation that caught her attention. It was in his face. It was in his eyes. There was sorrow there. A deep and immutable sorrow. He wore it plainly, like a scar.
"What… what are you doing here?" Relena managed to say after spending what seemed like an eternity just staring at him.
"Noin told me Pagan was busy and asked me to pick you up," Heero answered plainly. Completely, and probably, deliberately missing the point of her question.
"No, I mean here, in Vustgaarde," Relena reiterated.
"I…" He stuttered. "I will be attending Vustgaarde as well. They accepted my application."
"Congratulations." Relena smiled as tears began to well in her eyes.
"Thank you," Heero replied politely.
"You were always smart," Relena said. "I have to confess, I was afraid I'd never see you again."
"I hope I'm not intruding."
"No, not at all." She was just elated that he was here. "Quite the opposite, in fact."
She had no idea why she was being so cordial, so polite, so distant. Perhaps it was because he was being unusually kind to her. It seemed out of character for him but then again, she hadn't seen or spoken to him in over a year. A lot could change in a year.
They stood there just staring at each other for a moment. Enjoying the stillness, enjoying the peace that they had fought so hard to create. They never thought this moment would come, there was always something in the way, something more pressing, some danger that overshadowed whatever was between them that neither of them could quite figure out.
Their moment of silent contemplation was interrupted by the sound of flashes and shutters. They couldn't avoid them for long. It was only a matter of time. They came pouring into the parking lot through the side of the building. Heero stood stoically, unfazed by the swarm that had surrounded them.
He merely held out his hand and said, "Come on, I should really get you inside. The press conference is about to start."
"Wait," Relena said as she felt him drag her up the steps towards the back entrance of the Great Hall.
"Later, I promise."
This was a different kind of speech. She knew that. Her assistant and her publicist had made that point perfectly clear. Relena wasn't unacquainted with the press. She just wasn't used to addressing them directly. That was the president's job. She primarily made speeches directly to the people or to other politicians. She had become quite well-versed in the art of public oratory. She was known for her precision of language, for her compassionate yet strong delivery, and her timely ability to throw in a joke or two.
Taking the advice of her stylist, she dressed down for the occasion. Not that she wasn't radiant, there was always an aura of perfection about her, but gone were the signature pink pantsuit and her ponytail. She wore a pastel blue V-neck blouse, a pair of black jeans, a pair of 4-inch beige heels, and a side braid. She did look noticeably more youthful.
"Hello all. First off, I'd like to thank President Dahlinger for her most flattering introduction. I only hope that I will be able to live up to such high praise," Relena said eloquently and without hesitation to the crowd of reporters before her. "It is true that I am not the first Peacecraft to attend this most prestigious institution and it seems a tall order to walk in their footsteps. As my high school teachers will tell you, I was not the most keen student of history. But life and war have proven to me that my previous indolence was foolish. President Dahlinger, you said that I honour this university with my presence. I say, you honour me for accepting me into these hallowed halls. Thank you very much."
A polite applause erupted from the crowd in front of her as Relena stepped off of the podium, making way for her publicist to wrangle the media.
"Miss Relena will now take a few questions," Augusta, the blonde woman who took Relena's place, spoke. "May I remind you that she will not be fielding questions about her private history, her personal life, the ongoing negotiations between L1 and L2, or any other questions of a political nature. But hey, other than that, go nuts!"
She managed to get a few chuckles out of the crowd of reporters before she handed off the microphone to Relena.
"Hello Miss Relena, it's an honour to have you at our school," the first reporter began. "It seems that we know so much about Vice-Foreign Minister Darlian and her political positions and her influence over global relations but know very little about the woman herself. I'm sure that is by design but seeing as you are entering university, I was just wondering what are your interests in terms of academics and what classes will you be taking?"
"First off, I'd like to thank the press for letting the girl get the first question in, I know how vicious you guys can be," Relena said teasingly. She managed to generate some laughs herself. "I think it is a fair question. I think it comes as no surprise to anyone that I'll be taking several political science and international relations courses. But seeing as how I have been out of school for the past two years, I'll be taking some introductory calculus, physics, chemistry, and biology courses to get me up to speed. My second semester, assuming get through the first, I think I'll spend some time explore the arts. There are so many courses in the catalogue and I haven't fully made up my mind yet but there are some art history courses that I'm interested in."
Augusta jumped down from the podium and quickly snatched the microphone from Relena.
"Keep in mind everyone, that while Miss Relena is being wonderfully candid about her interests and her course load, know that, precisely which classes she's enrolled in will be kept private, I mean come on guys, give the poor girl a little bit of space," Augusta said before tossing the microphone back to Relena.
Relena rolled her eyes at her publicist before moving on to picking out another reporter from the crowd.
"Yes?"
"Hello, Vice-Foreign— sorry, force of habit, Miss Relena, Halick Perry from The International," the man said.
"I know who you are, Halick. You're always in the back of every speech I give," Relena said in a deflated yet familiar tone, which managed to catch the man off guard.
"Didn't think you would remember me," Halick responded with genuine surprise.
"I remember you, go on, ask your incredibly invasive yet perfectly articulated question…" Relena said maintaining her previous affectation.
She managed to generate a few more chuckles from the crowd. It was fun for her. Normally, she always had to be so formal in front of the cameras. She was never pandering, but she was always dignified to a fault. Perhaps it was simply because it had been so long, or perhaps it was because she genuinely did want to take this chance to show a little more of her personality, the side of her she necessarily had to keep hidden during her day job.
"Ahem." Halick took a moment to clear his throat. "Beyond your heroic and pivotal role in ending the Eve Wars, you have a reputation of being one of the hardest working statesmen of our time. With almost a Herculean resolve, to quote Senator Horatio Silva of L2 V-125, it seems as though you are never not working. How will adding full-time schooling affect your workload? And more importantly, and the question I think is on everyone's mind, will you be taking time off from your position as the Vice-Foreign Minister of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation and liaison between earth and the colonies while you are in school?"
"First of all, I'll have to thank Senator Silva for the kind words, I hadn't heard that before. He's still not getting my endorsement for his economic proposals for L2, you can tell him that next time you see him," Relena said. "As for my work, I have no plans to scale back my role or my involvement with the world government. I take my work with the utmost seriousness and my enrollment in Vustgaarde is not meant as a method of escape from public life. Quite the opposite, I'm hoping that an education here will only further my abilities to serve, protect, and sustain the peace that we have given so much to create."
That was a little too political.
She couldn't help it. It was part of her training to bust out the rhetoric when it came to matters of state, even when the question was more personal in nature. But the answer seemed to satisfy. They quickly moved onto other question from other reporters.
The press conference was a resounding success, if such a thing could be considered successful. Ultimately, Relena understood that it was a necessary charade for all involved. The university got to bolster its reputation, the media outlets, both tabloids and serious journalistic endeavours alike got some of what they came for, and she even got a chance to play to the crowd. It was nice being liked rather than just purely respected once in a while.
Relena was greeted by Noin, Augusta, and Cindy, Relena's assistant after the press conference had officially come to a close.
"Girl, you owned that crowd," Augusta said as she tossed Relena a bottle of water.
"Oh my god, you were so awesome!" Cindy squealed.
"Thank you," Relena said meekly as she took a sip of water. "I know you're disappointed about not letting you place a ring of armed thugs around me while I'm here, Noin. But I hope you understand."
"Hey, I'll get over it," Noin said as she threw up her hands in surrender.
"Thanks for sending Heero to pick me up."
"He was happy to do it."
"Did you know?"
"Know what?"
"That he was enrolling here as well."
"Yes."
"And you didn't think to tell me?" Relena asked getting almost angry.
"I figured it would be a nice surprise," Noin said feigning ignorance.
Relena closed her eyes and gently shook her head. She hated to admit it but… "It was nice."
Peacecraft Royal Palace, Sanc Kingdom
Three weeks later
Despite her best efforts, it was ultimately her alarm clock that woke her up. She desperately didn't want to be late for the first day of school but the contractors had been working late again and their power tools and crude jokes had kept her from falling asleep at a reasonable hour. Of course, these were all just her rationalizing and looking for something to blame for her current cranky mood. The truth was that she had been away from Earth for a week due to prolonged negotiations over territorial disputes between the Earth, L1, and L2 that ultimately went nowhere. Originally, her plan was to be back for the Wednesday before and spend the interim time before the first day moving into her new place in the city. But after a week's worth of room service and hotel sheets, she just needed to sleep in her own bed.
She jumped in the shower for a soothing and serene rinse before the inevitable anarchic rush that was the rest of her morning routine. She blow dried her hair while she brushed her teeth. She straightened her hair as she sat at her vanity returning emails and sending Cindy a list of things she needed her to do.
Matilda: ETA fifteen minutes, tell the doorman to open the gates for us! We brought breakfast! :)
Relena smiled as she read the message on her phone. Her mood improved considerably. She had met a few girls after the press conference. Two of them had come to see her speak, one of them was there for orientation, and yet another was the sister of an old friend.
Relena: Tell him you're a Winner and he'll let you in.
Relena rummaged through her closet to find something to wear. In her rush to sort out her course schedule, finding a place in the city, finishing up negotiations in space, and purchasing the right textbooks, somehow she had completely forgotten to plan her outfit for the first day. She supposed that this was something she would have to get used to. Usually, when she was working, Maxine, her stylist would dress her and when she was in St. Gabriel's, they had uniforms. She eventually decided upon a white blouse, a pair of beige shorts, sandals, and a pair of aviator sunglasses.
After getting dressed, she grabbed her backpack, which Pagan had loaded up with her laptop and her textbooks the night before, and headed out into the courtyard out front to await her friends. She saw a shiny blue convertible pull in just as she stepped outside. They waved to each other enthusiastically before the girls collectively jumped out of their car and rushed to give Relena hugs.
"This place is huge!" Freya, the redhead said.
"My brother is building it!" Matilda announced proudly.
"We know…" the girls collectively groaned.
"Can we see the inside?" Tanya, the girl Relena met during her orientation tour, asked.
"There's really nothing to see," Relena said.
"It's a royal palace, what do you mean there's nothing to see?" Tanya responded.
"It's messy, power tools and stacks of lumber all over the place, not to mention the sawdust," Relena insisted. "Come on, I don't want to be late for the first day."
The girls collectively frowned.
"I promise, when it is done, I'll have you all over for a big sleepover," Relena said, using her diplomatic voice.
Their faces lit up at once.
"She's a politician, she'll say anything to get us out of here," Matilda teased as she stuck her tongue out at Relena.
Relena merely rolled her eyes and replied, "come on, let's go."
She gently began pushing the girls towards the car. They reluctantly began walking all the while staring back at the magnificent Neoclassical inspired facade of quite possibly the most gorgeous house they had ever seen. And to think it was inhabited and owned by a girl more concerned with not being late on the first day of school than own stupendous wealth.
Downtown Vustgaarde, Sanc Kingdom
He hadn't had time to move in his furniture from Buenos Aires. But Noin was right about him. He didn't need it. He didn't need the art, or the books, or the music, or his fancy furniture. It was all an act. All he needed was a secure room with at least three viable escape routes. His new apartment fit his needs. There was a front door, a fire escape in the back, and a balcony. He had a dining room table and a crate full of weapons he had shipped to Vustgaarde from a storage container he kept in South Africa. And that was it. He had a job to do. Anything else would just be a distraction.
After polishing it to a mirror sheen, Heero sheathed the blade and placed it on the dining table with the rest of his gear, which included a pair of infrared and nightvision capable binoculars, a semi-automatic pistol, with two magazines, and his phone. He then picked up the gun and racked the slide a couple of times to make sure it was functioning properly. Just then he received a video call on his computer. It was Noin.
"How are you settling in?" she asked.
"Fine."
It took her a second to realize what he was doing and what was splayed out on his dining room table.
"Jesus, Heero, need I remind you that you are going to school, not war?" Noin commented.
"Look after Relena, not me," Heero said as he loaded the gun with one of the clips and tucked it into his holster.
"She's with friends."
"Have they been vetted? You got files on them?" Heero asked as he finally turned to face Noin.
"They're teenage girls, they're clean, one of them is Quatre's sister," Noin said dismissively. "Stop obsessing."
"Isn't that why you brought me on in the first place?" Heero said as he put on his jacket.
He patted himself down one last time to make sure he had everything he needed before heading for the door.
"Heero!"
"What?" Heero said as he turned to look at Noin again.
"Your backpack, don't forget it."