Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Dear Diary: Relena's Story ❯ Chapter 03 ( Chapter 3 )

By: stefani teee a.k.a. Koneko

© Tale Spinners inc.

Koneko-chan says!

Me: *twirls prettily around and around*

Chibi-Relena: Why are you twirling?

Me: I don't really know.

Heero-chan: *monotonously* Exams are coming up.

Me: *stops twirling* *glares at him* I was trying to forget that teensy little detail, thank you very much.

Heero-chan: You're welcome.

Nanashi: *glares at Heero-chan* *looks at Steph* I suggest you start the last chapter before you break a two-by-four over someone's head.

Me: Grr… anyway, people are a little OOC character in this chapter. I know I understand, but times change, people change.

~*~*~*~

He was standing there near her car when she walked out of the double doors, in the act of pulling her hair out of the tight ponytail she'd managed to put up all her multitude of hair into. She caught sight of him, and she smiled, waving. He waved back stiffly, nervously. He was suddenly having second thoughts about his seemingly flawless plan. What if things didn't go that way he planned? What if she really didn't want to go with him and-? But as she approached, her smile seemed to make all those fears dim slightly, enough so that he could mentally compose his next sentence instead of looking like a blathering idiot.

"You've gotten more punctual than before…"

STUPID! But at least it was better than anything else he might have said otherwise.

"Learned from the best now, didn't I?" she returned, smiling, pulling off her kid gloves. "So, where we off to?"

"I thought you… I mean… well, would you like to go to the carnival with me?"

Her face first registered surprise, which dismayed him, then she smiled brightly, which made him come very close to ecstatic. God this girl was going to drive him insane… he should be better than this… he'd been better at everything else than everyone else… why not this?

The truth was he was not suave, nor polished, and did not always know just the right line to say at the right time. But that was one of the reasons Relena liked him so much, especially now. In the past, she'd been attracted because the fact that he was dangerous… so perfectly wrong had been exciting, and now, when the both of them had matured, it was because he was so unlike all the smooth-talking politicians she dealt with daily.

So, when he suddenly found himself looking, for what seemed like the first time, nervous and definitely not self-assured, she hooked an around his and laid her head against his arm, just below his shoulder, which just goes to show how tall a boy can grow compared to a girl. "I'd love to… if you'll give me a chance to change out of this into something nicer…" she gestured to the horridly itchy business suit she was wearing.

"You always look nice," he blurted out before shutting his lips tightly, to stop any words that had bypassed the filter between his brain and his mouth. This was not supposed to happen… why was it always around her that he could become so unsure of himself?

She raised an eyebrow at him, before saying, "Thanks… but I am still going to change." She hopped into her car, which now had tinted windows to keep her from the publicity's sight. Lucky for her as she quickly shimmied out of her suit, which had a comfort level equal to that of a straightjacket. She found herself praising her lucky stars as she soon dug up something suitably casual, and in a few moments, was out of the car, changed, hair neatly put into a ponytail, and white visor on her head. She posed hilariously, "Well? Don't I look ready for a trip out into the wilderness?" she joked, as he took in her tan shorts and sleeveless black shirt.

"Almost. You'd just need a canteen and a large backpack…" he trailed as he realized she'd just pulled out a small backpack and a water bottle. She glanced down at them, then back up at his bemused face, and burst out laughing. "Well… never hurts to be ready I guess!' grinning still, she grabbed his arm and began marching. "Lead the way, Cap'n!"

"That doesn't work under these circumstances at all," he objected, never having developed much of a sense of humor throughout his adolescence.

"It will for me!" she replied, as he led the way to his car.

Her eyes grew large as she looked down at it. Slipping her hands off his arm, she approached it like it was a foreign contraption. "It's… beautiful…" she breathed. Heero blinked. "It's a car." He informed her, "My car."

"I can see that… but it's a gorgeous car."

He looked down at his car. There really wasn't anything very special about it… except for the color. Then everything fell into place. Relena Dorlian loved blue. Pink was a color any girl liked, but she loved dark blue. And his car was a very nice shade of dark blue. He'd forgotten.

He unlocked the car and automatically held the door open for Relena to the passenger seat, which made her giggle just the slightest bit. As she slipped into the cool leather interior, she smiled up at him. "All that time with Quatre paid off didn't it?"

"I actually think you might be right," he replied, "He really does rub off on people."

"I'll say… but it's the middle of February… won't the carnival be closed?"

He smiled at her, "Maybe on Earth… but not on the colonies…" revving the motor, they were off with the radio blaring, Relena singing along, and the two of them acting just like any other pair of teenagers.

Two shadowed figures watched them, grinning maniacally, and the instant the car was gone from sight, they shared a high-five and raced for their own vehicle.

~*~*~*~

They entered the hustle and bustle of the carnival, the crowd significantly less than normal days, it being Valentine's Day. Relena was literally close to bouncing up and down, and her enthusiasm was infectious. He grinned back at her. "What do you want to do first?"

"Eat!"

He blinked, "You come to a carnival to eat?"

She raised an eyebrow, "I'm going to give you the same lecture I give to all my girlfriends who watch what they eat. Eating it never wrong unless you don't work it off. I recommend kickboxing. Besides it's…" she hastily checked her watch, "7:15, and I haven't had anything since noon. Have you?"

"Come to think of it… no. I had thought of taking you out for dinner at some fancy place… but you're used to that I should think, and I wanted something different for you…"

"And you thought exactly right… I'd rather this than a week of fancy dinners… which, I might add, I have had for the past month! A girl can get mighty sick of caviar after two weeks in a row."

"Then let's go."

They entered what amounted to a food court near the entrance to the carnival-or perhaps it should be called a theme park… it was a tad big to be a carnival-and found to their surprise that it was quite full… So full in fact that they had to search for around fifteen minutes to find a table. When finally they snagged it, Heero sat down and said, "You can go and choose what you want to eat and I'll save the table… all right with you?" He tossed her his wallet, which she caught reflexively after only one fumble.

"Perfectly fine… want anything in particular?"

He shrugged. "Nope."

As she walked strolled towards the counters, she looked back once to see Heero sitting perfectly relaxed on the stiff metal chairs, but his eyes ever wandering the crowd, ever alert. He caught her eye, and he smiled at her from across the crowd, which made him infinitely more irresistible. She could see the girls trying to catch more than a few glimpses of him past their boyfriends' shoulders. She wasn't jealous exactly… after all, who wouldn't want to go on looking at him? He was gorgeous. Finally she reached the counter.

"Your order?" asked a very bored brunette, who was drumming her fingers on the polished countertop.

The list Relena rattled off made even the people behind her in line stare at the petite girl. One would think she would ask for a salad and spring water. But Relena was not the type of girl to starve herself. That way led to disgusting nails and hair as well as disturbingly hued skin. Quickly she reached for her own wallet instead of Heero's. Why not? He shouldn't be able to see from where he was sitting… and she actually wanted to be able to purchase something without the use of a credit card.

She should have remembered it was Heero Yuy she was talking about. He noticed more than the average person did. She also found herself in a dilemma when she was faced with three large trays. The brunette behind the counter had a smug smile on her face, and Relena would bet her wallet that she was laughing at her. Well!

"Would you… um… like some help with those?" someone asked from behind her, and she turned, staring at the tall blond boy standing behind her.

"Do I… know you?" she asked finally, clueless as to who he was.

"No, I don't think so. I'm Mark… I've seen you on TV."

Relena groaned internally when ears pricked up in the crowds everywhere. "Um, yeah… I have been on a couple of times…"

Drop it, drop it, drop it! She screamed mentally at him, but apparently her ESP wasn't working very well because he laughed out loud. "Are you kidding? A few times? You're Relena Dorlian!"

Where ears had pricked up before, heads turned now. And she found herself shaking her head, and picking up the trays. "Sorry I've got to get this over to my table… and I can handle the trays. I have been a waitress before."

Then she quickly piled two of the trays on one arm, picked up the other in her opposite hand, and then continued on back to her table ignoring the curious looks from the multitudes of people. She set down the trays on the table, then collapsed into the chair, trying her hardest to ignore the looks that had evolved into whispers. He looked up at her questioningly and she smiled weakly, "Sorry…"

He shrugged, then glanced down at the food on the trays, then at the wallet she'd handed back to him, but made no comment. "I'm amazed… I didn't think you could…" he trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"…eat like a horse?" she finished for him, laughing. "You'd be surprised. Now take." She herself grabbed the poutine and dug in quite happily with a fork. Heero eyed it, startled. "What… is it?" he asked suspiciously, staring at it. She stopped with the fork halfway to her mouth and she looked down. "It's just French fries with cheese and gravy. I rather like it… despite the fact that I would rather not read the ingredients list." She smiled, holding out her fork. "Want some?"

"After your wonderful description I'm not sure I want to," he returned with a smile, but he leaned forward and took a bite. Chewing thoughtfully, he leaned back, "Doesn't taste that special…"

She gestured to the rest of the food piled on the trays, "Well there's plenty else… pick and choose."

He settled for the chicken burger and the Coke, while she took the Sprite. The topic of conversation soon led to their mutual friends, one of them included Wufei and Sally's 'marriage'.

"I've only heard they were legally married, but nothing more than that."

"Oh it was a long story… I don't think you were around at the time to tell I don't think… they were really hush-hush about then… Wait, I remember… there was that little situation at Mars that you were assigned to… back when you were still involved with Preventers I mean. I guess the news must've died down after that…" she shook her head. "I'm babbling… I don't usually babble." She looked confused, and he was flattered to think that his being with her could affect her. Well it certainly seemed fair after all. It was hard even for him to believe he could be nervous when around a girl. "But anyway there was a huge scandal with their families back in China, something to do with Sally's marriage. And when Wufei tried to step in…" she smiled, "Well, he found himself quite married to her himself!" her eyes were glittering brightly. He was quite pleased to note that the solemnity, with which she usually held herself in check for, was quite gone, and she was just being the fun-loving girl she should have been. Would have been.

"Okay… so the games are over there… Kiddy Land in the opposite direction… and all the wonderfully fun 'grownup' rides…" murmured Relena as she looked down at the colorful map (there was a map! That clinched it, the place was a theme park, not a carnival) in the brochure. Heero was the one who steered her through the crowds with one of her arms wrapped around his loosely, and managed to avoid having her bump into everyone that got into her way. Suddenly he stopped, because the arm around his had slipped away and he looked around wildly for the owner of that arm. She was a politician… was there an attacker?

"Heero!"

He whirled to see her waving at him, waving and giggling. As he found his way through the crowds she pointed, "Let's do that!" He looked up warily, following her finger, and when he finally saw it, his jaw dropped. "You… want to do that?" he asked in disbelief. She grinned, "Yes in fact, I do. With you."

"With…" he stopped, dumbstruck. Then, "No."

"Please…?" she wheedled, tugging at his arm, "Humor me just a little?"

The silence stretched, and the scattered pieces of conversation drifted past them from the crowd. "Don't you want to make the girl happy?"

"It's obvious that you should of course… for you… better off…" bits and pieces of half-heard conversation. Finally he sighed, and smiled down at her. "Whatever you want, princess." The endearment slipped out before he could stop it, but he did nothing to take it back. She brightened, and, slipping her hand into his approached the time era booth.

They never noticed the muffled squeal of success from behind them, nor the clicking of a camera.

It was one with multiple settings, as if to offset the glittery Tunnel of Love just across from it. Currently there were a man and a woman having their pictures taken together, in a western setting. The man was dressed up like a bandit, a bright red bandanna hiding half his mouth, and a large cowboy hat covered his head, while the woman was dressed up as the bartender, leaning over the polished countertop wore a blue and white dress, complete with laced corset. They were both laughing, and trying not to, while the photographer snapped the pictures, and attempted to coax them into keeping still.

"I never thought your tastes ran up into the exotic…"

"They don't. But I want to do it anyway. You still up for it?"

"If you are."

"Great!"

It was minutes later after that she was being dragged into a dressing room by a giggling blonde who immediately began to fuss over what she should wear. The assortment of costumes in front of her dazzled her eyes, and Patty (as the girl's name turned out to be) pulled costumes off the rack, held them up to Relena then put them back shaking her head. Finally she grinned and held up a red flapper dress covered with glittering red sequins. Slipping into it, she realized it cut off very high on her legs, trimmed with a lacy black fringe, with slender black straps holding the dress on her shoulders. Patty quickly added the accessories: a black lace garter wrapped around her bare thigh, more crushed black velvet ties wrapped around her bare neck, strappy red high heels, and for a hilariously grandiose twist, a black feather boa. Relena tried to protest, but it didn't work out too well. Heero apparently, once set on doing something, did it the whole way through, and managed to coax her out into their setting. Decked out in tight faded jeans, a black bomber jacket, and a tight white T-shirt, he managed to pull off the James Dean look. The setting they both chose randomly was one of with a black Harley Davidson in front of a backdrop of some nighttime city.

"All right… I'd like you to sit on the motorcycle, but not completely… just kind of lean…" the photographer instructed Heero, as Patty helped nudge him into place, "And you," he continued, gesturing to Relena, "jump into his arms for me, willya?" She blinked, staring at him for a moment. "I… what…?"

Heero grinned at her, "You heard the man, get over here."

Startled, she obeyed and squealed as he lifted her up in his arms, and the photo shoot began…

It was only after that she began couldn't be able to stop laughing as she smoothed down the front of the dress. "You know? I actually want to keep this dress now." Patty grinned, "That's what most people say too. I recommend a good dressmaker, Rob wouldn't part with any of these for any money."

Heero had flung himself wholeheartedly into the photo shoot, and even she had been amazed. Between the two of them, the shots they'd come out with had made them both laugh, and blush to the roots when they saw them developed. Some people in the crowd had even begun catcalling them as they passed. Relena had almost been sure she'd seen a boy with a long braid mixed up in the crowd, but he'd disappeared just as quickly as she'd seen him. Oh well, it was probably just another girl…

"I think she saw you!" hissed Hilde, from their position flat on the ground in the crowd so as to avoid the couple's eyes. "We've got to hide!" Duo hissed back. Unfortunately their attempts at hiding brought them many other strange looks from the people around them, and they found the people walking in a large circle around them, instead of milling about. They hastily crept back to their 'Headquarters', the hotdog stand, where the hotdog vendor was eyeing them queerly.

"Where to next, princess?"

Relena looked up at Heero, and his small smile. He had stopped trying to curb the endearment, because it so stubbornly continued to come up, it another side effect of being around the shooting of the movie so often. Relena's character's pet name had been 'Princess'. She looked back down to study the small map thoughtfully, a smile curling itself on her lips. "How about… oh, how about the games?"

"You do realize most of them are rigged don't you?"

"Yup. But that's the fun part. Winning and watching them squirm."

Heero noticed a large purple teddy bear hanging from one of the booths, and smiled remembering a random doujinshi of a chibi-Relena and a teddy. But the large plush dolls hanging over another booth distracted Relena, and she pointed, pulling him towards them. "Could you get one of those for me?" she asked, eyes wide and sparkling with laughter.

He couldn't help it. He grinned. Her mood was infectious. "Whatever you want." They approached the booth, and when Relena pulled out her wallet, he stayed her hand. "After all," he added, "You did pay for lunch now, didn't you?"

"How did you-? Argh, why do I even bother to ask?" she rolled her eyes, but drew him into a hug.

From somewhere in the background, this was all going on film, and a young braided American was at the bottom of it all. He silently cheered Relena on as he zoomed in on Heero's startled features.

"So what do I have to do to get one of the big ones?" he asked. The girl behind the booth looked bored, "This is a shooting range, Jr. That means you shoot 'em all and you win one of the big ones. You in?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, but nodded shortly. "I'm in." he slapped down his money, and she handed him the rifle.

This was when Relena realized it was in the bag. He was Heero Yuy. He was a former Gundam pilot. He could do anything.

It took several minutes for the girl to realize he had done it, and took it upon herself to investigate this youth whom she rationalized, wasn't much younger than herself, and then promptly began to show off her abundant cleavage, and compliment his skills.

Relena, impatient with the girl's obvious flirting, butted in and pointed. "I want that one!" she told her firmly, and the girl glared at her, but reached for the prize, and handed it to her. Heero was quite pleased to notice it was a large Wing Zero Custom plush doll, about two feet tall, and not any other. Nice to know girls appreciated the wings. And Relena at least was nice enough to wait until they were lost in the crowd before she burst out laughing at the girl's antics. "Oh my, darlin', what a strong arm ya got there… d'ya work out much?" she drawled in a hilarious imitation of the girl's southern accent. Daringly, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "I don't know… you willing to find out?"

They ploughed their way through the games, through the arcade, stopping several times to challenge each other to random Street Fighter matches, and car racing, as well as the odd DDR game. Heero excelled at all of these, except for the last, in which Relena beat him soundly.

"Relena… why are we in Kiddy Land?"

"Because I have a fleeting suspicion that I saw Hilde hanging around The Flyer. And where she is, Duo usually isn't far behind."

He groaned, "I just knew he would get wind of this. He'll never let me live it down."

"That you went out to the carnival with me?" she asked, her voice betraying nothing, but her eyes a flash of hurt.

"No, that I brought you to the carnival on Valentine's Day and didn't make a move on you."

"Then why don't you?" she asked him teasingly, but with a sweet expression on her face. He looked down at her startled. "I… uh…" She waved it off. "I was just joking. And besides, the night is young is it not? You still have plenty of time." She continued moving.

"This isn't getting me out going to Kiddy Land is it?"

"Nope."

As they entered the realm of the shrieking children, Heero wondered if his ears would ever be the same again. But Relena, unperturbed went straight for the train ride, where she began to jump up and down to see past the shoulders of the parents with their kids. The line wasn't long, as most families don't have a family outing on Valentine's Day. She found herself having the time of her life when she was faced with several large brass bells, which she proceeded to ding with the small wooden mallet, and laugh at the adorable chibi-dinosaur sculptures they passed by. Heero spent most of his time watching her antics, and found himself actually relaxing and having a good time with her. A boy who'd been born and bred as a soldier rarely found himself relaxing, and rarely found the company of a female entertaining, unless it was sex. Heero found he very much liked being around Relena, with or without the appeal of sex.

When finally the ride finished, and they were back outside from the dark cavern, blinking in the sudden bright sunlight. They soon found themselves on the teacup ride next, in which Relena proceeded to twirl their teacup so much, she slid halfway into Heero's lap. It wasn't until she'd nudged him that he shook his head clear of thoughts and began to help her twirl the teacup, in which case, the children in the other teacups stopped trying to twirl their teacups and started to stare at them. It wasn't every day you had people strong enough to twirl the teacup that fast. As they got out, Relena was laughing her head off, but also swaying dizzily while all the children rushed to their parents, telling them about the "gwoanups" who could spin the teacup faster than a "woawercoastwer".

It was only after, when they sat down on a vacant bench and had purchased two snow cones, that trouble hit them, in the form of two mean-looking thugs. The slouched in their large baggy pants, and the large bulge in the side pocket, previously well covered by a large jacket, was more indicative of a firearm, than a wallet, to Heero's keen eye. He looked coolly up at the two of them. Relena's matching stony gaze fazed them only the slightest bit, having never been used to seeing a girl who could pull off that distant, slightly bemused look.

"Hey you!" called the one. Immediately, the previously buzzing crowd silenced, and the mothers and fathers were quickly dragging their children out towards the exit. People were watching now, mostly the guys working the rides, and they had their hands on the security speed-dial on the phone if anything happened.

"Hey you!" called the same guy again. Heero raised an eyebrow at him, "What?" he asked in his oh-so-monotone voice.

"You and I have a deal to settle."

Heero looked him over, slowly, tauntingly, from the tips of his scuffed boots, to the top of his greasy spiked-up hair. "Who are you again?" he asked coolly, in a tone that implied he was not worth remembering.

"You don't know 'im."

"No, but then I don't doubt that I would forget him if I did."

"Why you-"

The other boy held him back shaking his head. "You want to rumble, give 'im the reason first." He cautioned, him, shrugging at both of them still sitting on the bench. "He's got a girl here." He added to the other boy, "Don't go dragging other people into it. 'Specially not the girl." He turned back to the two of them and mouthed, He doesn't like hurting girls, and an apologetic shrug. He wasn't as tough as he looked, or as mean.

"You're the gundam pilot aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"I've got a score to settle with you."

"For what?"

"You killed my little bro. In the war… he was only eighteen and you killed 'im."

Relena spoke for the first time, "All of Heero's old scores and vendettas have been declared null and void by the courts. He's been considered a minor, and all crimes he has committed have been explained and forgiven."

"Bullshit. He killed my brother."

"Hey, hey watch it, he's just a kid. Don't go messing up and tryin' to beat up a kid in public."

"So tell me," Relena asked in a friendly tone, which even Heero turned to look at with an amazed expression. "Your brother… how old was he again?"

"He was eighteen."

"Heero's eighteen. Now. Do the math, he was fifteen when he was in the war. He's a decorated war hero today because he was the best of the best in the war. Think it over, he's had an extra three years to be even better… your brother couldn't win against him then, is it worth it for you now if you try and take him on?"

"What kind of smooth-talking bitch are you?" snarled the guy, "Shut the fuck up and I'll show you what a little fuck your boyfriend is."

Heero growled and would have jumped up that moment, if he didn't feel Relena's steely grip on her arm, tugging him back. He sat back down glaring.

"Hey, hey…" protested the other guy, "she's not part of your stupid vendetta. Don't take it out on her."

"Ah, but you see I'm telling you the truth. Insulting me really isn't getting you anywhere. So your brother's dead. If you fight Heero and lose, which I must say you are bound to lose, means you'll be sentenced to a lifetime in prison for attempted murder. The fact that you carry a gun will only make it worse for you because it proves our statement. If you try it, I'll personally file it at the station, and believe me. You don't want to mess with me."

"You're going to let your girl do all the talking for ya?" sneered the guy, "Gonna hide behind her in a fight too?"

Surprisingly, his partner laughed out loud. "She doesn't need to. You're trying to back out of a fight now because of what she's sayin'." He shook his head, "I told you your grudge against him was stupid. I lost 'em all, and I don't hold any of 'em against 'im. It's a war, people die. I got over 'em." He shook his head, "Don't start blamin' 'im because your little bro's dead."

He stepped up to the two of them. "Sorry… 'bout that." he said with a small smile that lightened up his features. "Brett here ain't so tough, but he was pretty damned shaken up about his little bro. Kid looked up t'him you see."

Relena smiled then, her real smile, "Yeah, I see. I'm Relena Dorlian." She held out her hand.

His eyes went wide, but he didn't make an exclamation about recognizing her name. He did however look at her hand, then down at his for a second, before shaking hers, "Paulo. Paulo Rawlins."

It was her turn for her eyes to go wide. "Wait… Paulo Rawlins? Roy's Paulo Rawlins?!"

He blinked. "You know Roy?"

"I knew you looked familiar! You're his best friend."

"Yeah… yeah I am…" he was really smiling now, until he turned his eyes to both Heero and the other guy, Brett, who were both still watching each other suspiciously.

"Ahh… well… we made quite a scene stormin' in 'ere after ya'll. We were just visiting with a coupla girls…" he frowned, jerking a thumb in Brett's direction. "Then he caught sight of ya, and then…" he shrugged. "Sorry about that," he apologized again.

Relena nodded, "I'll see you around."

She got up, disposed of her half-eaten, half-melted snowcone, and dragged Heero with her.

As soon as they were far enough away from each other, she smiled hesitantly at him. "Is that all right…? I really didn't want you to… you know…" she fidgeted. He'd never been happy with her when she'd interfered before.

He shook his head, and then smiled at her… you are amazing…" he told her quite simply, making her blink. "I am? I mean… uh… thanks…"

He began walking again, "Now I think I still owe you an hour or two worth of carnival-ing."

"Yes, yes you do." She smiled.

That was when they noticed that all the spectators that were still hanging around were cheering for her. And off in the distance, they were also applauding Paulo. She grinned and winked at them. Then continued on her way with Heero.

"So where to?" he asked her finally, when they'd cleared their way out of the crowd that had gathered in Kiddy Land, and a few moments of silence.

"Ferris wheel?" she asked, pointing.

"Sounds good to me."

They ran like kids towards the tall Ferris wheel where they immediately handed their tickets to the guy, and scrambled in, waiting for them to start the ride. Conversation started up again while they got the other people loaded onto the ride too. This time it involved Roy. For a guy, Heero handled the news about his homosexuality quite well. It didn't have much to do with Relena's diary entry, it had a whole lot more to do with just the way he was. He didn't really mind one way or the other. And he was perfectly fine with listening to Relena talk about him, amongst other people. They were as much of a part of her life as he was, and as cheesy and song-quoting as it sounded, he honestly did not want to miss a thing.

The grinding sound of machinery sounded, below the cheerful sounding music as they swung up higher and higher until they had a view of the entire park, and not only the park, but down the length of one side of the colony as well. It was wonderful. Nothing like on Earth of course, but if she had been on Earth, it would have been too cold, and too early for any carnival to be open, much less a theme park like this one.

"Something's strange is going on here," muttered Heero, breaking into Relena's stream of chatter. She stopped talking immediately and looked around. "What?" she asked quietly.

"There's no one else on this ride."

Relena had just enough time to blink before a shrill shriek of grinding machinery shattered the cheery music, and the ride wrenched to a stop leaving their basket swinging jerkily.

"What the hell…?" Heero was on his feet in an instant, down in a low crouch. Relena stayed down on the floor, too prudent to stand up and look around.

He went quickly to the side, looking down over the side quickly.

There was a shrill shrieking of a microphone, and then Duo's voice bellowed up at them. "Congratulations. You are now stuck. We will proceed to keep you up there for a total of 45 minutes in which we wish for you to make up for lost time."

Relena's head popped up and she looked down over the side. Heero found out for the second time that she truly did have an impressive set of lungs.

"DUO! WHEN I GET DOWN FROM HERE I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! PACIFISM BE DAMNED!"

"Have fun, Lena."

She sat down with her arms crossed looking grumpy. "'Have fun' indeed…" she muttered. "Like you would even try anything on me."

He blinked. "You actually wanted me to…" he blinked. "Who are you and what have to done with Relena?"

She shrugged, "I don't know… I love what you've done for me… I really do! In fact I think this is one of the best Valentine's Days of my life. But…" she turned red, then lifted up the necklace she had round her neck whose charm had been hidden beneath her shirt. It was his Christmas present to her. "Remember the story?" he nodded, still not comprehending.

"Remember what happened after he gave this to her?"

It was slowly beginning to dawn on him… and his mouth dropped open in amazement. "You mean…" he trailed off as she pulled out the small square-shaped package.

"Duo's Valentine's Day present to me." she replied to his unanswered question. "He dropped into the meeting just a little while before you called and gave it to me… made a few hilariously lascivious remarks about you and me that made Hilde hit him over the head with a handbag, and then left."

"You want to… I mean…"

She looked shy all of a sudden… "Well we are alone, and…" she turned red. "I don't know. Aren't we both supposed to be in the throes of passion, or under the influence of alcohol in order to do this right?" He raised an eyebrow. She shrugged defensively, "So I stole one of Hilde's Harlequin novels while she trapped me in her house."

"I don't know… this isn't exactly the place I would have chosen if we were to… you know…" he turned red. Relena smiled secretly to herself, even through her embarrassment. He'd blushed. It was an event. It must be marked in the annals of history.

"I must say… I'm not kinky enough to go anywhere completely wild and exotic, but just the idea of beds is boring…" she shrugged. "And besides… I've read the fanfiction… we're famous. The many, many NC-17 ones I've looked over have us doing the wildest of things that I don't think are even physically possible."

"People write fanfiction about a former gundam pilot and a world leader?"

"Apparently."

"So you want to have sex with me… in a Ferris wheel?"

He had to hand it to her, she was blunt and straightforward. "Heero, I want to have sex with regardless. I really don't care where."

He stared.

She stared back, turning red again. She was usually not so blunt, but she had dealt with Heero before… and there was no way anything would ever go right between the two of them if she wasn't the one who could make the witty remarks, and the sexual innuendo. She could manage it, years of working as a politician, an actress, and just being Relena, had changed her in ways that would make her fifteen-year-old self blush. There was that age-old saying after all… times change, people change…

…but true love never wavers.

Was she in love with Heero? Most definitely, she'd never found it possible to stop loving him. But did he still love her? That was the grand prize question now, wasn't it? He was still quite antisocial and serious, even after three years…

He wanted her. He wanted this great, glorious girl, whose inner strength had just been proven to him time and time again. His respect for her ran deep enough that he suspected it had surpassed what he knew as respect, and had become love. He hadn't much experience with love, but all the signs, the fluttery, almost giddy feelings at the mention of her name, the way he noticed things about her that no one else seemed to… and now she said she wanted him… like he'd wanted her for so many years… They'd been too young then, both of them had known that, and there had always been the uncertainty, that she was only looking for some excitement in her dull, highborn life, and she was just a figurehead, a symbol of what he was fighting for to him. But that was in the past, and all the insecurities had disappeared when he'd read her diary.

She was the most wonderful girl in the world… and all that she'd been saying, the bluntness, the innuendo… she knew him too, knew him too well in fact. She was a wonder… and she wanted him.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he leaned forward, inexorably drawn closer and closer to that petal-soft lips, that rosebud of a mouth he'd only ever kissed once… she'd been worried about him. She'd cared about him… and he cared about her… more than he ever thought he could admit…

The moment their lips met, their kiss was no longer the chaste kiss he'd expected it to be, but a hot meeting of open mouths. Her back pressing against the red plastic backing of her seat, his body halfway on top of her, his lips pressing down on hers, sucking hungrily as if she were some exotic sweet, first on her upper lip, then on her lower. Her arms came up around his sides, grasping at his back, pressing him down more firmly against her, opening her mouth as he worked his tongue in. His hands, slightly callused over time, slid up her arms to grasp them firmly, just below her shoulders, and pushing her more forcefully back against the plastic seat. She slid her tongue over his, rubbing it against his, making a growl work its way up from deep in his throat. She liked that, her fingers feeling the thrumming of his vocal chords with her long, sensitive fingers. They broke the kiss only when they were both gasping for air, and she continued to work her extraordinary talented mouth along his jaw, making him shiver deliciously when she starting sucking his earlobe, bringing him into a state of pleasant dazedness. "You like?" she whispered in a low, teasing voice, pausing in her ministrations, ready to draw back should he make the slightest complaint. He was quick to reassure her, catching her mouth with his, and then allowing it to travel down to her throat.

"Mmm… oh yes…" she purred without thinking, feeling the lovely husky thrumming of her own voice as her hands traveled lower until she reached the bottom of his shirt. She slipped both her hands beneath, making him gasp against her throat where he was laying multiple butterfly kisses, and let her hands travel, feeling the hardened muscles, and the old scars.

Duo's voice startled them. "Actually, our deal with the wonderful operator of this ride has run rather short. So, you actually have just… well, no time left actually. So put your clothes back on, you're coming back down."

The two of them jerked apart, and their faces quickly turned a shade of bright red, and leapt to opposite benches, avoiding each other's eyes. The ride began moving again, and Relena mumbled, "Well… that was…" Wonderful… perfect… unbelievable… "…nice…" she looked up hesitantly at him and, surprise surprise, found him smiling. Grinning even. She blinked. Then blinked again. He was still smiling. Then he began to laugh. Hard.

That was when a smile began to creep onto her face as well. Then, inexplicably, a laugh bubbled up in her throat, and she cracked up right along with him. Maybe because she had never, not even in her dreams, thought she would wake up this morning and be asked out by the infamous Heero Yuy, then find herself kissing him, in a carnival ride no less! "I think… maybe… your gold teddy just might… make an appearance… tonight…" he managed between laughs. It came out sounding rather strangled.

"Might… as well… do it… right…" she replied, gasping, and noting there were tears forming in her eyes from laughing so hard. They barely noticed when the ride came to a complete stop, and the carnival employee hastily unlocked the door to the ride.

Duo and Hilde were standing there, watching as the employee lifted the door, ready to bolt if either Relena or Heero decided that they would attempt to commit homicide and come after them. Neither of them had a death wish, thank you very much.

They were sadly disappointed however, if they had expected to find something suitably embarrassing worth gossiping about, or, in Duo's case, filming. It was a strange picture to see, the former Gundam pilot and the politician laughing till tears came to their eyes, but their was nothing suitably sexual about the two of them to invoke even the slightest of rumors. Disappointing, to say the least after all their planning.

However, Duo, having sharper eyes than Hilde, noticed the slightly crumpled, still-unopened square package in Relena's hand, from where she'd hastily picked up off the floor of the carnival ride, and grinned widely. Then, grabbing his girlfriend's arm and hauling her away before either of them had a chance to be recognized, dashed off to their 'Headquarters'. By this time, the hot dog vendor was muttering, "Damned kids these days…"

It took a lot of explaining to the carnival manager that they had had absolutely nothing to do with the ride being halted, and in fact they had been the innocent victims of a prank. It helped of course, that Relena was a well-known politician, and Heero had his reputation around L1.

They left that ride, Relena taking her place at Heero's arm, which, surprisingly, already seemed comfortable. He looked down at her, smiled, and then asked, "Anywhere else you want to go?"

She grinned cheekily back at him, "I can only think of one place… wanna dance?" she asked half-coyly, half-grinning.

Heero's mouth slowly curled itself into some semblance of a smile, "Yeah… yeah I would," he told her softly, catching her lips with his in one feather-light kiss before leading her out of the park, towards his car. There was still no sign of either Duo or Hilde around, not even in the rearview mirror when they were on the road again.

Still at 'Headquarters', Duo and Hilde were busy discussing the events that had transpired. "Kinky make out scene. Had to be." Hilde told him certainly.

"That would make the two of them start laughing like there's no tomorrow?"

She shrugged, "They're strange people. I wouldn't know."

"Never knew Yuy had it in him…" he looked downcast. "And we missed it!" he looked down mournfully at his video camera.

"Well… you know, we always have the security tape… it's not that good, but…" she grinned, "I made sure one was installed in the ride just the other day…"

Duo stared at her openmouthed. He then proceeded to go down on his knees and began to worship her. "Hilde, you are amazing… I am not worthy of your love… I worship thee goddess…"

Hilde laughed outright, grabbed him by his hair and hauled him up. "Now, now, a few nicely furnished temples would have been good enough…" she teased.

"Anything, princess…" he picked her up in one quick swoop, and she kissed him while she was still in his arms. They quite nearly forgot about both Heero and Relena.

They'd also forgotten that Heero never did things by half. The security camera, when they went to check it, was dismantled, though when Heero had had the time, was impossible to tell.

As for what happened to our beloved Heero and Relena? Well… let it just be said that Relena's lovely golden teddy made its appearance all right… to a very appreciative audience, however brief that appearance may be. They had gone to Relena's hotel room to find out that everything had been set up for them, which made the both of the blush when they thought about it. Candles were already lit and flickering (lit not too long ago it appeared), and rose petals littered the bedroom floor, as well as the bed itself.

It was gorgeous, and Heero made a mental note to thank the matchmaking couple.

Discreetly, the diary was replaced, right where he suspected she would hide it in her suitcase, and she was never the wiser. Heero was no fool… if she found out he had gotten his hands on it through Duo and Hilde, all three of them would have been in danger… the princess certainly did have a mean right hook on her once she got past her pacifist principles…

February 14 AC 197

Dear Diary,

It's late at night, I'm on L1, and I'm sitting up in bed in my hotel room. And the most amazing part of this, Diary? Heero Yuy, yes the man who has been my guardian angel for the past few years of my life is right here with me, still sleeping beside me. I've learned a lot about him, Diary… and I have more than a sneaking suspicion that he knows a lot more about my secrets than he lets on. For instance, it just might be coincidence, but Whitefield, (you remember Whitefield don't you Diary? He's the man who tried to attack me in my own house…) went officially missing for about an hour, and then reappeared from nowhere, babbling about never touching Relena again. Strange? Yes. I suspect something, Diary.

But that doesn't change anything that's happened tonight. I was with Heero, and that was all that mattered to me. He took me to the carnival, and I loved it. It was the sweetest thing he could do for me, because it would be something I wanted to do, not any other girl. He didn't come piled down with several bouquets of red roses and drag me off to dinner and dancing. He did something new, and I love him for that. I love him, I love him, I love him… and he told me he's staying, Diary. He's staying with me.

I've always known he'll be there for me when I need him, just like he's always known I'll be there for him when he needs me. But I never, never thought he would actually brave the spotlight to be with me… especially because that is what my life is… permanently in the spotlight. He's willing to do that for me, Diary. And I'm perfectly willing to be content with what he has to give, and nothing more than that. He's not 'Perfect' like everyone else says, and which he just might almost believe himself, but he's Heero. And that's enough for me.

Relena

~*~*~*~

The End

~*~*~*~

*blink blink* *looks defensive* What?! Did you honestly think I'd let them have their wonderful random sex scene in a Ferris wheel? Granted, the way they got out of the Ferris wheel was a tad silly, but in its own little way, its funny. To them of course. I mean, Relena is obviously not the type of girl to throw herself at Heero in that way, nor is he the type to suddenly lunge at her and do her in a kid's ride. I think they're both romantics at heart, and are both quite deep… I should think they would have wanted things done right. Review me anyway, won't you?

And don't miss the next part of the Dear Diary saga, coming soon!