Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Mission Accepted ❯ Mission Accepted 6 ( Chapter 6 )

Tsuyoku: Orville Redenbacher scares me.

Mission Accepted: Chapter Six

It was about two in the afternoon when Relena suddenly opened the door to Wufei's room, never minding that he was half naked, and bounced herself right onto his bed. "May I help you?, He asked, lifting an eyebrow. In time, he'd gotten a bit used to Relena's child-like actions when around him. Sure, there was the facade that she put on when she faced the more powerful people in the federation, but in person, and alone with the most intimate of friends, there was just a personality there which had never seen daylight. And in a sense, he was glad that he could finally experience what it was like to have a true friend.

"Wufei, I don't care what you are doing or what you say, I'm going out today for the whole day and you are coming with me." Before she could finish, Wufei gave her this 'duh' look, which she kindly noted as one of his more amusing looks. "Silly, you're not going as my Preventer; you're going as my friend, my companion, my date for a day of fun that you'll never forget."

He left one of his eyebrows lifted as he finally put his shirt completely on. It seemed that once Relena forgot how to knock in his case, she had gotten used to walking in on him dressing and on occasion took time to take him in before announcing herself, not that Wufei noticed this or anything. She'd become quite accustom to the curves of his chest and muscles, which still aroused a few things in her mind that she'd never thought about since her long lost days with Heero.

"And where do you suppose you we are going for this so called day of fun?" Wufei asked, sitting on the bed next to her to tie his shoes.

"That's the point, there's no real plan, there's just you, me, and our feet. They can take us wherever we want. If we see a cafe we like, we'll go. If there's some store or nice park, we'll travel there. The sky's the limit and even then, there are rockets ready to boost all those imaginative people off to someplace happier.

Wufei gave her another look, this time one saying that they weren't leaving the planet anytime soon. "Fine." was his only response.

She laughed, but stopped him the moment he dared attempt to put on his Preventer's jacket. "No, today, we are civilians, not Preventers."

"Civilians, but armed civilians."

"Fine." was her only response. She may be a pacifist, but no one could argue with Wufei on the subject of carrying a concealed weapon. She'd found that out the hard way.

As soon as they exited the hotel, Wufei took in the London surroundings. The sun was shinning very brightly; brighter than anywhere else on their journeys so far. All except for Japan, the land of the forever rising sun. He looked over at Relena, who was admiring the lack of traffic as they'd managed to find a hotel that was just on the outskirts of the very urban city and more into a quieter change. Relena was always more interesting when she was out of the business suits. He began to wonder if maybe they were the mask that she wore instead of a another actual face. In her yellow dress, she did look marvelous. Enough to be a civilian without a care in the world, just out on a walk with a man that was not a Preventer or a man that killed other people like himself. She was going out with a man that was, for the day at least, just a guy. Just a civilian.

Make that an armed civilian.

She tugged on his arm. Soon, they walked and walked; sometimes they spoke, others it was just a comfortable silence that they'd found in each other's company. She would look into the sky as they more approached the city, and he would unwillingly look in her direction. Relena seemed to be more and more interesting to him day by day. Maybe it wasn't the fact that she pulled him out of a grave that he was doomed to for all eternity, maybe it wasn't all about that. But there was something that he had with Relena, something he had about Relena that no other man, no other person had ever had or seen, or even touched. And he was proud of that.

But then again, maybe he was obsessed.

It didn't matter anymore. Soon enough, they were both hungry and walked into the first small, quiet store that they found and sat, for once unrecognized, and ate their lunch with some quiet conversation.

"Do you want to go to a park or something?" her question had broken the silence as they slipped from the dark restaurant and into the still shining sun. Wufei sounded that it wouldn't matter to him. He knew that he, as well as Relena, wanted to actually enjoy the freedom and the surroundings for the small chance. What place could be better?

Wufei ended up doing some more yoga, or was it karate?, while Relena sat on a bench in front of the playground reading a book that had snuck its way into her small bag. The book wasn't as interesting to Relena as the man to the left of her was, at least, that's what she got out of the experience. But after a glance or two at the book, and a glance or two at Wufei, Relena stared for minutes on end at the children that decorated the swing sets and equipment. She kept thinking to herself, 'Will I ever be the mom pushing that little girl on the swing. Will I ever finally get the guts to get out and meet the right man? I don't know how I could. In all my years, I don't think I ever thought about the leniency that this job would allow me socially. I sometimes have to schedule times to sleep and to eat on a normal basis, there is no way I could ever really meet someone under these conditions and have a real family of my own.', she sighed. 'Then again, my father did it. He met my mother on the job, and even though he isn't my real father, there was always plenty of time for me in his everyday life.'

She sighed again and laid her book in her lap just staring into nothing for the time being. This was life... Was this what other people got to experience? Sure, they had to work, but there was also free time for their lives and families. She looked again at the mother and daughter at the swings, now laughing about something everyday, something normal. It wasn't fair.

She sighed.

"If you sigh one more time," Wufei sat next to her on the bench. "we're going home. I can't concentrate when I keep hearing distracting noises. You bored or something?" She shook her head in response.

"Not really. Actually I'm having fun. Just thinking..."

"Oh boy, call the newspapers." There was that look from her again. He knew that look well. "I'm kidding. Thinking is good for the soul. Unless you are thinking about work or something like that; in that case, it's not okay. Were you thinking about some work you have to do or how much you miss being at the office?"

She smiled, still looking towards the playground. "Quite the opposite actually. I was just thinking that it's not fair for us to have the lives that we do, and yet we still go about our daily lives taking what's coming to us." There was a pause. "I want this."

"Want what?"

She moved her hands signaling the surroundings around her. "All this. I want the normality of the whole situation. It's just so..." she really couldn't find the right word.

"Normal?" He chuckled. "That's no way to live life. You have a stressful job, sure, but at least it's not normal. It's ‘sometimes in a blue moon’ kind of exciting. At least mine used to be. Sometimes I have to admit that I think the way that you are thinking now. But then I remind myself that I'd rather be doing something semi-out-of-the-ordinary instead of having something like this. I'm not that type of guy, Relena. And in a way, I don't really think that you are that type of woman."

Relena rose from her seat, taking her bag and her book with her. Wufei rose and strode to catch up with her. After they did finally come to an even walk, they'd made it to the hotel again and were walking up the stairs. Wufei found it odd that Relena was so quiet after having wanted to talk so much before. "Relena talk or something. It's not the same without your chatter filling my ears." Wufei meant it as a joke. But he didn't hear the giggle that usually followed these rare occasions.

Relena sniffed.

Wufei looked up and towards her face. It was streaming with tears. He hadn't even noticed that she was crying and now it seems that he may have made it worse. Wufei was far from a sentimental guy. In fact, there were few occasions that he hadn't met a girl that he'd eventually made cry. And in Relena's case, he'd brought her to tears a few times on their trip when certain arguments arose. But now, there seemed to be no reason for her to be crying. He hadn't said anything to make this happen. Heck, Wufei hadn't said much since he caught up to her leaving the park.

"Now what is the matter?!" Wufei grabbed her arm when she tried to keep walking up the stairs. For a moment he felt indifferent to the world, grabbing her arm and backing her into the wall of the stairwell. "Tell me." He calmed down for a second.

"How can you be so casual about life? We were both affected by the war. I became the Vice Foreign Minister; you became a Preventer. Both thrust into lives with so much responsibility at such a young age! Wufei, don't you ever wonder what it would be like if you hadn't been a Gundam pilot? Don't you ever wonder what would have become of you, Wufei, if the war had not actually taken place?"

"Meiran." was his only response. He let go of her arm and stood there for a second. Relena regretted the sudden loss of warmth on her arm where his hand had been.

"Meiran?”

He trudged up the stairs and finally reached their room where Relena caught up to him as he searched for the key. If she had taken a bit to think, Relena might've perceived that he didn't want to talk about the subject, but she was very curious. It had always occurred to her that she didn’t know a lot about Wufei. “Just leave me alone about it.” He said as he stepped into his own bedroom, just next to her own.

“No. I will not leave you alone. You made me tell you what was wrong with me,” she walked in the room and stared at his face sternly, “Now’s the time to return the favor. What happened with Meiran was not your fault, Wufei. It did force you into the war, but you are certainly not to blame for any of it! From what you’ve told me, I assume that she went out of her own free will. If I, or you for that matter, was to do something with all my heart, you know that no one could talk us out of it. We are kindred spirits; both of us are left with our work to keep us busy at nights. And during the day it seems that there’s just something missing. I know that you feel it too, Wufei.”

Dear Diary,

We had an interesting day. For the most part it was fun, but there were times that I doubted who I was or really what I was doing. You know, in the midst of this vision, this mission for peace, I have lost myself. And if I totally lose myself, or my faith even, then there may not be a chance for the other people to see it in themselves as well. I have made a new resolution. I will no longer allow work to prohibit the boundaries of my life. I want to do things that other politicians don’t do. I want to be able to live my own life while trying to abide by another. And I know you think it silly of me, but you should know as well as anyone, dear diary, that I am not the same person on the outside as in. I have shown Wufei that too. Wufei: just thinking about how much he’s changed over this month, that we’ve started to interact, it’s so much different from when we first met during the war. It’s surprising.

The time machine was a wake up call for me. A wake up call that there are other people that could use some friends, as well as myself for that matter. Then this whole conference ordeal, I can’t say it’s much fun, but the faces I see, the different people that come just to hear me speak; it’s very altering to any conscience.

For the rest of the night, I plan to spend it reading a book. Here, the beds in this small hotel on the edge of London are very comfy and seem homely. So, for now, I remain faithfully yours.

Relena.

It was funny how she felt as though she were writing a letter to someone very close when she wrote in her journal. Relena wanted to keep tract of the important things that went on in her life, especially of these that were about her job.

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Relena had never really been afraid of anything in her life. Yes, there were times, mainly when Heero was around, that she feared for her life, but considering things that scare people, like worms and bugs, she was indifferent to most of them. Thunderstorms were her weakness. Now you might think it very cliché and childlike that she was weary of them, but it was a weakness that she’d never grown out of. When she was younger, her mother would make her some hot chocolate and then they would crawl into her mother and father’s big bed while they read together or just went to sleep. For some reason, having her family there, she was content that nothing could get to her.

Most people have that feeling in their lives. There are people that comfort you, people that seem eminent of some repose to their personality that gives you the feeling of wanting to be around them. And as Relena was writhing in her bed, not confident that she was getting to sleep with the lightning outside her window, there was only one person that she could think of at the moment that could ride out the storm with no problem.

Wufei.

Grabbing her pillow, she let her feet hit the hardwood floor, still warm despite the chilly night. The walls were dark due to the shadows, but because she had been lying awake for maybe an hour, Relena’s eyes were well adjusted. She opened his door, much like she would on any given day without knocking. She could barely make out his form, but she knew he wasn’t sleeping. The door had made a slight creak when it opened and, being a Gundam pilot, he was well accustomed to sleeping very lightly.

“Yes Relena?” He turned over to face the doorway where she stood. Relena could tell he was sleepy for the look on his face. She was almost sorry for waking him up. Almost.

“…” she didn’t say anything as she crossed around the other side of the bed and lifted the covers to slide in. Her back was to him, for good reason of course, for he had no shirt on while he slept and even though it was dark, she was sure that he’d be able to see the blush spreading over her.

“You’re scared of the storm aren’t you?” he managed. There was a smile in that question, she could hear it on his words.

“No,” she mumbled into her pillow.

“You are.” The bed shifted and Relena could tell that he was facing her. She had never been more thankful that the beds in the hotel were big. She never really thought about it, but Relena wouldn’t say that she… liked Wufei. Maybe she did blush when she saw him with no shirt, or when she stopped to admire the said shirtless being. But that was it. There was no possible way that there could, or would, ever be anything going on between them.

For a second, Relena was beginning to regret coming into the room, and getting into his bed without a word, but then at the flash of lightning she saw out his window, she sunk into the bed a bit more, perhaps scooted unconsciously towards the middle and tried to go to sleep, all the while reminding herself that she had come into his room without any sexual or attractive feelings towards Wufei.

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Tsuyoku: Well, enjoy and return soon! I should have another chapter up in no time (aka about a few weeks or a month... ^ ^).