Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Counting the Seconds ❯ Chapter Five ( Chapter 5 )

From the Desk of Scilja

How do you all like how this is going so far? <laughs> I'm just starting slow and working up to the top progressively. Not to mention racking up my brains for every single creative idea I can find. If next few weeks are going to be long-drawn-out, that's possibly because I'll be pre-occupied with what the month of May brings. I wanna get swimming over and done with so I can earn some of my own dough. Nonetheless, I will continue posting. The maximum time limit for my updates is 3 weeks, no more. So don't worry!

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DISCLAIMER: As much as it kills my heart into pieces to say this…<sob>…Gundam Wing belongs to…<sniff>...IT'S RESPECTIVE OWNERS! …<fusses>…*ahem* I'm ok…

Counting the Seconds

By Scilja

Chapter 5

"Oh my," Hilde said, captivated upon entering the presidential suite they were graciously given. Relena's actions were numb through her mind as she moved aside the brunette, awe-struck once again. After seconds of unmoving, the two friends suddenly turned to each other with twinkling eyes and broad grins, they burst forth into different directions of the suite in wild exhilaration. All that filled the air were glees of delight and excited voices being exchanged.

"Woah, check this four poster bedroom out! Hmm, soft bed…Is that a walk-in closet?!" Relena exclaimed, exploring their chambers.

In the living room, Hilde fiddled with the buttons of digital leisure, "Even the entertainment system is mind-blowing. We're gonna party day and night!"

"A mini-kitchen! They have a mini-kitchen prepared with pre-cooked food!"

"The bathroom doesn't look like a bathroom, it looks like heaven's bathroom!"

Relena spotted a wide bay window and swooned, "What a beautiful balcony, such a nice view of the island, and…Huh? What's this? Hilde! Hilde! Come take a look over here," she exclaimed. Hilde emerged from the restroom, clutching a fluffy towel in her hands.

"What's up?"

A slender finger pointed towards a cream colored door near the living room. Hilde finally understood the reason for her friend's bemused expression for the door had no way of allowing entrance to whatever it may lead to. There was no knob, no outlet that indicated it was a sliding door, and even pushing against it did not make the door budge at all.

"Is this an architectural design gone wrong?" the VP scanned for anything what-so-ever that would solve the puzzle.

Seemingly that they were getting nowhere, until something intrigued Hilde, "Why is there a black patch here?" Relena peered over the shoulder of the bent figure to take a look. A shady square with a small green circle stood out from its spot on the bordering fortifications, and unconsciously, the dark-haired lady pressed her palm flat on it. All of a sudden, a buzzing noise startled them both. They searched for the sound, only to find the mysterious door sliding opening to reveal none other than…

"A Jacuzzi?!"

Glamorous fountains were strewn around the Jacuzzi, which rested itself in the core of the room. It was surrounded by a multi-colored stone wall, but the top fraction of the partitions switched to a glass dome decked with wide sterling silver grids. The dome allowed a clear view of the endless blue sky and the floating clouds passing by.

A low whistle resounded from Hilde's lips. "It just gets sweeter and sweeter by the minute," she stated below her breath.

Knocks on the door requested Relena to tear herself away from the clandestine. 'Huh, must be our suitcases.'

When she opened the door, sure enough was a bellhop who bowed and presented a line of their belongings. Nodding thankfully, she allowed the attendant to bring in the bags as she called out to Hilde to retrieve her articles. Relena handed a gracious tip to the bellhop, realizing how much of an exertion his task was. 'Poor guy, having to carry all this just to ease our lazy butts.'

About to shut the door, she was stopped short by the young attendant. After having asked of her name and confirming it, the young man handed her a folded, white card. He then bid her farewell and left her to ponder what could possibly be in the letter.

The paper was of fine quality, with initials ZW on the front. She felt Hilde stroll up behind her and glance down while curiosity took over and she opened the card. Relena read out loud the contents of the note, "You are cordially invited to attend the Golden Rock Ball held at the Z-Scape Reception Hall."

With that said Hilde plopped her head down on Relena's shoulder in fatigue and griped, "Great. We just got here and already we have a big gig up. Oh, how marvelous the business life is." She straightened up, attempting to hide a yawn. "When is it?"

Weariness seemed to affect Relena as well and she sighed, "Tomorrow night, at 7." The fair-haired lady unzipped a red bag and retrieved an article of clothing. She flicked the invitation to Hilde and sauntered over to the couches, plopping into one. "I'm out for today. I think I'll just sleep, eat, and sleep some more till then." Wanting to be free of the confined business attire, Relena removed her skirt and blouse, replacing it with a long-sleeved button down shirt that went below her hips and a pair of petite shorts.

Hilde smoothed a hand against her short, wavy mane as she gave assent to her friend's declaration and headed for their chambers, bringing along her possessions. "Sounds like a plan. I'll be off unpacking if you need me. Sweet dreams."

That was the last Relena heard before she felt her eyelids shut to regain some lost strength.

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"Rena! Not too high dear or you'll get hurt!" exclaimed a worried mother to her child.

The man who stood next to her bent down to reassure the woman sitting on the bench, "Let them have their fun, darling. No need to fret, it's a beautiful day." Indeed, it was a glorious afternoon. The sun shone down on the earth, bringing a lively sparkle to everything it touched. Flower petals and tree leaves swayed with the cool breeze.

Squeals of laughter sounded from the swing that went ever higher, "Don't worry mama! You should try it!" The young girl beamed at a boy with pale blonde hair behind her, "Higher, Milli, higher! I wanna fly like a bird!" The older boy laughed amusingly at the child and pushed, emitting more cheery merriment from the girl.

The family's bliss was addictive, that when a servant entered the picture to set down fresh lemonade, he had to smile. The couple intertwined their fingers together, enjoying their children's happiness.

A while later, the girl noticed she was not going higher, but seemed to be slowing down. The braids in her hair swished as she turned her head to watch at her back, wondering why her brother had stopped his actions. He was just standing there, staring off into the distance.

Her swing slowed to a full stop, concern flooding her features, "Milli? What's―" Sounds of various voices shouting caught the girl's attention, and she followed the direction of her older sibling's eyes. She realized that her father was no where in sight, and the keen cries came from her own mother.

It appeared she was being restrained by two other people, and she fought in a struggle to be released from their grasps. Panic-stricken at the scene, the girl immediately jumped off the swing and started running towards her mother, "Mama, MAMA!" From where she was, she was able to get a good look at the captors. She did not like the tall, thin woman whose slanted eyes looked merciless and her skin was as pale as the moon. The man to the left was not much of a picture either, being burly and dark and seemed to have a warning of danger as an impression.

"Rena!" a painful yell echoed out of her mother's mouth, "Don't take her! I beseech you, don't take my daughter!" She pleaded to the ones who strained her.

The female captor attempted to reach out to the small child, her eyes narrowed even more, "Come with us. You don't belong here, let us help you."

She was frightened. Who were these people? Where was her father? What are they planning to do with them? The broken tone of her mother resonated, "NO!" She jerked forward in her imprisoned position, letting tears spill freely down her cheeks, "Listen to me, Rena. Get away from here. You don't belong like this; you are destined to be different...to be free."

The pallid-skinned one beckoned the girl to her once again, "We are not the bad guys, okay? We just want you to live a better life."

Another sharp cry pierced through the air, and the girl swiveled around and looked on her brother. Her chest tightened and she stood vulnerably as she saw him being led away by two men. She tore her gaze away at the sound of her mother's emotional tone of voice as she put emphasis on the next few words, "Live, sweetheart. Live for me, for your father, your brother…for yourself. Grow up, fall in love, have children, and be happy."

The fair-haired child whimpered softly, "Why are you telling me this, Mama? What's happening?" Sensing company nearby, great fear shone in her blue eyes as she turned to see two more women, both wearing sunglasses, approach her and instantly grab her arms.

Then a loud, ear-piercing wail full of anguish and despair shattered the once quiet air, "RELENA!"

Relena jolted upright in the couch, panting heavily and her high-strung nerves quivering with distress. Sweat beaded across her forehead while her heart pounded wildly against her chest. 'God,' she swallowed, placing a hand over her heart trying to settle it down. Azure eyes stung with tears forcefully held back.

A moment later, she felt something under her constantly clenching and unclenching fingers. Casting her gaze downwards to her hands, she found a thin blanket scrunched up in her palms. Realization dawned that sometime earlier, Hilde had covered her while she slept. Relena leaned back slightly, comforted that her friend had taken the time to do so. Calming herself, she flipped the covers away from her to find Hilde and pronounce her awakening.

Light footsteps padded across the thick carpet, "Hilde?" Relena called, her voice echoing across the room. She tried again, this time feeling a tingle behind her neck that the house was a bit too quiet for comfort. Her breathing quickened once again and her pace became more swift and alert as she searched the quarters for the missing brunette.

She poked her head through every door and checked more than twice in each room; during her search, she hoped to spot a memo or any message of Hilde's whereabouts. The tone in her voice trembled, "Hilde? I give up, this is a very nice joke you played. One of the best, I would say." Again, she got no response, her hands shook nervously and her voice wavered, "Hilde! Where are you?"

Becoming more troubled minute by minute, Relena turned to desperate matters and took heed to contacting the associates of ZW. She frantically dashed out of the apartment in haste to find Hilde, snatching the key card with her along the way. She skipped the elevator, knowing that the wait was time-consuming and she wouldn't dare let a second pass in fear Hilde was in trouble. Relena pushed through the metal door leading to the emergency stairs, moving speedily to the upper floor. Seeing another door which she assumed to be leading to her destination, she slipped the card through the detector and the door was opened to her.

Despite being out of breath, she wasted no time going up to the entrance of the house. She repeatedly banged her fists against the frame to get the attention of the occupants inside and yelled, "Heero! Duo! Open up! It's an emergency! Please open the door!"

The door abruptly whooshed open causing Relena to stumble into the residence and stopping just a few centimeters away from the one who had let her enter. She leaned forward slightly, drained by the non-stop running, her balled fists raised to her torso in an expressive manner, "God, Heero. I―I can't seem to find Hilde. Do you know where she could be?" At that point, she didn't care if she sounded like a desperate fool, nor did she mind how the ZW CEO would judge her now. Her mind was more pre-occupied with a certain person, and she'd be damned if she couldn't find her.

Heero glanced down on the golden-haired lady. Her hair was mussed and in disarray, but it didn't give off a messy look but a very alluring one at that. Her breasts fell and rose with each measure of breath she took. His hands itched by his sides for desperately wanting to reach out and wrap them around her. He let his eyes drop lower on her attire before snapping them back up. Once again, the buttons of her blouse revealed a sneak peek of her smooth chest. The shorts gave him a full glimpse of endlessly long legs, and it took a lot of effort to stop the desirable exploring.

Heero swallowed mutely, the visual image still freshly implanted in his mind, "She's―"

"Relena?"

The blonde tilted her head to Heero's side to the sound of a feminine voice from across the room and was met with an ever familiar face. There was Hilde with a bemused expression adorning her features and who looked worriedly at Relena's current state right next to Duo.

"Hilde!" Relena immediately whizzed past Heero and rushed up to the brunette. The Executive Coordinator gasped from the impact of the embrace she was given. Hilde felt a shudder from her friend's tensed shoulders and relaxed her stance to calm the uneasy lady and held her in return.

Relena held her more tightly and exhaled in relief, "Thank god! Thank god you're alright, Hil. I thought something terrible happened to you."

Heero and Duo watched wordlessly as Relena moved back just enough to get a look at Hilde's face. They saw Hilde's features turn into a small frown, "Oh, Relena, look how much I troubled you." Her lips then formed a minute smile as she soothed her colleague and childhood friend, "I didn't mean to scare you. I was going to leave a note right before I left, but I thought that since I would be gone for only a short while, I didn't find the need to."

Blue eyes displayed understanding unto apologetic indigo ones and Relena nodded with forgiveness before she engulfed into a hug again. "I am just so glad you're fine and dandy," she gave a lovely smile, "That's all that matters."

Remembering where she was and who were in the room as well, Relena turned around to come face to face with Heero. She felt a bit humiliated for her previous actions, especially with who is known as the world's most respected man. 'I don't blame him. The sight of a frenzied, hysterical maiden that practically barged in here must have scared the living daylights out of him.'

He had his hands in his pockets and his hair looked messily ruffled, as if he had just awoken from a nap. She smiled to him demurely for the inconvenience she may have caused, "I'm sorry for disturbing you, Heero. You have my sincerest apologies for disrupting your time."

"It is understandable, Ms. Relena. Do not feel embarassed for simply showing that you care about someone."

She became amazed by his choice of words and her insides turned to gush. Perhaps there was much more to him after all this time and a great sense of faith bubbled up inside of her. After gratefully thanking the associates of ZW, she bid them a goodnight and returned to their quarters, finally content that all was fine.

TBC…