Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ On The Inside ❯ Part 6 ( Chapter 6 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: scandalousbehavior 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 09.01.2001 | Pages: 4 | Words: 4.2K | Visits: 341 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 09.01.2001 | Pages: 4 | Words: 4.2K | Visits: 341 | Status: Completed
AN: I am really glad that you guys like this story. It helps to keep me writing it so soon after the next part.
See other parts for disclaimer and warnings.
On The Inside,
Part 6
Written by: Scandalous Behavior
~ ~ ~ ~
Quatre wondered around campus after Treize's talk with him. He knew that if he did back off on Ariel, Treize would see it as an open opportunity to get Ariel, and even knowing how everyone in the group might agree with Treize there was no way he was letting this turn into another Marian situation.
Marian was someone he tried not to think about. She was a part of his past, and what had happened so not something he liked to dwell on. Treize knew this and that's why he brought it up. In any light, it was the two of them who had ended her life as sure as they had hung her from her ceiling that night. The only thing he wondered was why she had thought that was the only way out. He hadn't loved her, knew her since they were toddlers to feel more than brotherly affection for her but he would never had turned his back on her. Treize had seen to it that she felt guilt about it until she committed suicide. Her parents to this day refused to talk about her due to the scandal. That was something that brought the selfishness out in people, if you made a scandal and it connected to them. It was stupid and Quatre had told her parents that one night when he was drunk.
Treize had gone off the deep end when she died, as did Quatre for a while. He became so closed off, sleeping with someone just to do it and rarely remember it in the morning. He drank so much that only Trowa could drag him out of it and that's when their relationship had deepened for a time. Trowa was his closest friend, his confident and some one he trusted above all else. He knew he needed to talk to him first thing about this before Treize made his move.
He made his way to his room, dropping off his stuff and then knocked on Trowa's door. When he didn't answer, Quatre turned the knob and stood frozen on the spot. He could make out two figures on Trowa's bed. Trowa, who had nothing on his chest and a sheet pulled up to his stomach and resting next to him, with Trowa's arm around her waist was Ariel. Her hair down and tousled, wearing one of Trowa's shirts. He didn't know who he was angrier at while he stood there. Then a forbidden thought came into his head.
Maybe this was a good thing, he thought, since it was obvious that Treize would stop at nothing to get Ariel if she belonged to him. But if Ariel was with someone else it would protect her from Treize. As much as those thoughts hurt him like a knife twisting into his gut, he didn't say a word slowly backing up and reclosing the door. The image of the two of them burning into his retinas of his eyes. Wondering how he was going to get through this, when the girl he loved was with his best friend.
~
Ariel woke up realizing how tired she had been when she glanced at Trowa's clock and it was already seven. She had to get to her own room and bed before she fell asleep again. She gently shook Trowa's arm so his green eyes opened to regard her.
"I'm going to go to my room before I use you as a heater again and fall asleep." She told him.
He grinned and nodded.
"Go ahead. I'll make sure to talk to Quat tomorrow about this, okay?"
"Thanks for everything."
She stood gathering her clothes to go to the bathroom to change as his words stopped her.
"Go ahead and just wear the shirt, you're too tired to change and then rechange when you get to your room. Just put your shorts on and you should be fine."
"But what if the fashion police stop me and I get caught in a color other than black? Think of the scandal, what will people say?" she said teasing.
"That being around Quat is reforming your wardrobe."
She laughed and pulled her shorts over her hips and underwear that she was wearing. She smoothed out the material as much as she could from the wrinkles it had gotten while she slept and leaned over the bed to kiss his cheek.
"You're a great friend, you know that?"
"So are you, Ariel. Now go to your room." He ordered gently.
"See you tomorrow," she said, and then yawned.
She closed his bedroom door and walked back to her room, not noticing that Quatre was standing in his own doorway watching her leave with his eyes full of sadness.
~
Hilde was banging on her door on Monday morning, opening it without being asked in as Relena followed the dark haired girl. Ariel was finishing dressing in her school uniform and both girls looked at her.
"So where were you or did you forget we had plans yesterday?" Hilde asked.
"Sorry. Trowa and I got caught up in our conversation before I fell asleep in one of his shirts until seven. Then he told me to go to my room and straight to bed."
"Well, you look a hundred percent better. What was that whole thing about?"
"Just a bunch of past things I learned about. Hey, Lena, do you mind if I meet you for lunch on the quad today? I have to finish my art project today so it will be graded in time for vacation this week."
"Go ahead."
Ariel grabbed her book bag and headed to class along with her two friends.
~
Dorothy was pleased with what she had done, causing Ariel to question both Quatre and Trowa. It was better than she thought. She could have been more direct with it but adding Midii into it was more convincing making the girl really look like a fool. As they sat on the quad. It was littered with people, not really over crowded due to a lot of people studying for the tests that came before Thanksgiving vacation.
She was sitting with Midii, Cathy, and Sally. For some reason Noin had been avoiding them and staying away from any of the Inners. Dorothy saw Hilde and Relena sitting on one of the four-chaired tables, as Ariel came across the quad. She didn't have a frown or even a hint of sadness around her and that made Dorothy narrow her eyes.
"I thought you said she was going to be all melancholy." Cathy said unimpressed.
"She should be, damn it, what happened?"
"Could that be it?" Sally asked, pointing to Ariel playfully pushing Trowa, who had come to that group along with Duo and Heero.
"Damn Trowa, he would be the one to ruin all my plans that fucking meddler."
Dorothy stood up on the blanket the four were sitting on and walked over to them only to stop in mid-stride as she saw Quatre, who looked like he was about to end the third world war. A pleased grin came across her face as she headed back to the blanket.
"So? What are you going to do?"
"Let's just say I think my plan is working perfectly."
~
Ariel had just ducked under Trowa's arm as he went to tackle the book from her so she would join them in eating lunch, not studying. She ran directly into Quatre, as her face was turned to look behind her and Trowa stopped five feet behind her.
"Quat! Where have you been?" she asked, breathless from running.
"Around, obviously but not around too much I see to keep you from sleeping around." His voice was deep calm and cold.
"What? Quat, what are you talking about?"
"Don't try to back your way out of this one, Ariel, since I saw you."
"Saw me?"
"You really must be completely stupid if you think I am going to fall for that innocent act like you don't know perfectly well what I am talking about."
As Quatre spoke his voice carried to their friends and to where Dorothy and those girls sat but not beyond that since it was a little loud for anyone else to hear.
"Quat, I don't know what you're getting at…."
"That's right, Trowa, you don't. Must be nice to live in a land of denial, never thought I'd see my best friend sleeping with my stepsister behind my back." Quatre announced.
"What makes you think me and Ariel are sleeping together?"
"Seeing it with my own eyes. Entering your room to find you with no clothes on and her in one of your shirts."
Ariel backed up from him.
"So you are basing all of your accusations on what you think you saw?"
"I didn't think I saw anything, I saw it. It's nice to know that I realized what was going on before I looked like a complete idiot."
Duo, Hilde, Relena, and Heero watched the display of accusations being played out. Hilde looked at Duo, touching his arm.
"Isn't that the other night when she got told about him and Trowa?" she whispered.
"I don't think he knows that."
Quatre looked over Trowa and Ariel like they were beneath him and behind him on the blanket was Dorothy listening and smugly adoring every minute of the scene.
"So you think I slept with Trowa?"
"Do I have to keep repeating myself? Then again how can I forget how people of your class are?"
Ariel's attitude changed in an instant at that comment. Going from concerned to equally mad. Trowa had a hand on her shoulder, supporting her.
"People of my class? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Wait, don't answer that. I wouldn't want you to lower yourself to answering a question my a mere peasant compared to the great Quatre Winner," she started and then with a fake smile, "well, if is over then it's over. So I don't see how my sleeping with Trowa is any of your business anymore, Winner. I mean, since you found him so sexy before I don't see what your big surprise is about it."
Quatre had to hide his reaction to that. He didn't know she knew about him and Trowa.
"That's right, I know. Seems a little odd that you didn't tell me before but that's to be expected from self-centered money-grubbing asshole like yourself, right? How stupid of me to think that you were different that any of the other guys I've known. All you care about is getting your rocks off. How typical."
"Well, he only did it because of the game. Don't take it personal, Ariel." Came Dorothy's sugar sweet reply as her stood now behind Quat, an hand on his shoulder and her head resting on it.
"Game….." Ariel said.
"That's right, sweetheart. You were just part of a game, where you are the little fish and us the big bad sharks. You didn't think you became popular for real, did you?" Dorothy paused looking at Ariel directly, "Oh, you did. How sweet."
Relena and Hilde couldn't believe what they had just heard.
"You and those two cunt friends of yours have been in this game from day one. Being used like little toys. You could have been one of us, Ariel, been an elite Inner. Controlling everything but you had to go and get involved with Quatre here when he is off limits since you are Treize's property. I bet you didn't know that either, did you? He's been so well using that airhead Dean's daughter biding his time till he slept with you. How ironic is that? Oh, and Zechs isn't the hard ass you all think he is. He arranged the whole Duo and Hilde attraction thing," Dorothy looked over at Heero, "which has been going on before and after you thought you stopped it, Heero. So, Ariel, consider yourself lucky that you found out now, cause just imagine what scandal you could have created had you kept this up."
"Thank you," Ariel said in a low voice.
"For what?"
"For saving me from turning into a another one of you."
Dorothy moved to claw at Ariel when a hand grabbed a hold of Dorothy's wrist and jerked her from attacking Ariel. Noin looked into Dorothy's frightened violet eyes.
"Consider yourself an outcast, Dorothy and if you even come near any of us again, that includes Relena, Ariel, or Hilde, let's just say I wouldn't want to be in your shoes. Cause when Treize finds out what you did, you are going to wish you had kept that gapping whole in your mouth shut."
Zechs stood right behind Noin, supporting her as Dorothy jerked back her wrist rubbing it and looked at Quatre.
"Quatre?"
"Don't. You made your bed, Dorothy, have fun sleeping in it alone."
Ariel looked at Dorothy, who glared back at the gray-eyed girl.
"This is all your fault. You destroyed everything."
"No, Dorothy, you did."
~
Ariel had stood on the spot for only a minute after Dorothy had run to the school. Trowa moved her back protectively into his arms from the pain in Quatre's eyes mixed with regret and anger.
"How could you think that?" was all she whispered at him before shutting her eyes from letting him see the tears welling up in them.
She turned in Trowa's arms and told him she wanted to leave. Trowa saw how much it was taking her not to break down right then and there, and led her back to the school.
"If you ever come near her again, I swear you'll regret it." Trowa told his best friend, walking back to the school.
Relena was reeling at the words she had heard, at being used like that without feeling, which she knew now that Treize had felt nothing for her. Hilde was in much the same condition, moving away from Duo and her eyes searching for answers from Noin and Zechs. Heero was ignoring Duo, who stood defeated.
~
It seemed like forever that the group began to speak to each other again. The rest of the week was absorbed into studying and getting their semi-finals done before vacation started Friday afternoon. Ariel spent her time in her room, locking the door for complete solitude. She didn't want to understand what was going on. All she wanted to do was shut it out. She couldn't bring herself to even talk to Relena and Hilde, feeling somehow all of this mess was her fault.
She was in the middle of her Trig class, on Friday when she was tapped on the shoulder. She looked to see her teacher hand her a note from the office. She grabbed her bag, dropping her finished test on the desk. She left and walked to the Dean's office and entered it to see Felicia standing in it.
"Come in, Miss Huntington," the Dean started, his face looking to Ariel and then to her mother.
"What's going on?"
"Ariel, honey," Felicia started, "Raberba and I are getting a divorce."
Ariel couldn't be more shocked if she had told her daughter she was pregnant.
"You're divorcing Raberba?"
"Actually he's divorcing me," Felicia said with a blush looking sweetly at the Dean, "so I am afraid that you are going to have to stop going here and go to live with your Father."
"You were barely married two months, Mother. What did you do this time?"
"Ariel! I will not have that kind of disrespect show to me, young lady."
"You have to earn respect, Mother. It's not just given to you. So what did you do? Sleep with another guy like last time? Or maybe max out his credit cards? What? I am sick of being handled like baggage to you, that you can just send me on my marry way when it suits you. I want answers and I want them now."
The Dean coughed, looking very uncomfortable.
"I apologize for my daughter's behavior," Felicia said, standing and grabbing Ariel's upper arm hard, "If you will excuse us. I will have one of the servants get Ariel's things from her room."
"Of course."
Ariel jerked her arm away as soon as they were outside the Dean's office heading to the main entrance.
"You little brat, I don't know why I put up with you and especially after what Dorothy told me today you and Quatre," Felicia looked coldly at her only child, "you little tramp. Couldn't wait till you were at least married to sleep around? And with your stepbrother of all people? You are a walking scandal and I will not have it anymore."
"Rather I act like you and fuck every guy who has a bigger bank account than the last? Marrying them for their money? You make me sick, Mother, and believe me when I say it suits me just fine not to have to live with you anymore. I much rather live with Dad, who is a normal human being."
Felicia gasped and pulled back her hand, slapping Ariel across the face full on. It caused Ariel's head to move and when she looked back, through her hair that had fallen into her face her mouth was cut from the ring on Felicia's hand and her cheek was already bruising from the force of the impact.
"Does that make you happy? That you caused me to hit you?"
"No one held a gun to your head, Mother. Please be adult enough to take responsibility for your actions." Ariel said through her teeth.
"Yes, it is a very good idea that you go back to your Father. Maybe he will be able to make a lady out of you."
The main door opened and Raberba stood there looking from Ariel's face to Felicia.
"I suggest Madame, that you let go of that child this instant before someone feels the need to press charges." Raberba told his soon to be ex-wife.
"You are no legal right over Ariel." She told him.
Out of the limo below came a man in dark sunglasses, in a tailor black suit and dark blond hair.
"No, but I do." Came Raydon Huntington's voice.
~
Two girls passed Quatre in the hall as he went to his next class.
"Did you hear about Ariel Huntington?"
"That singer? No, what about her?"
"Seems her mother came to get her, she's being divorced by Mr. Winner and she openly slapped Ariel right in the hall. A couple of teachers saw her, and then when the main door opened her dad and Mr. Winner were there to take her away. Ariel looked like she was in a lot of pain."
"How sad. So she and Quatre aren't stepsiblings anymore?"
"Soon they won't be. And she was so cool, my older sister says when she sang in the club the entire club listened like they were in trance or something."
"I heard that she was going to be one of the Inners."
Quatre stood on the spot, watching people pass him. His vision suddenly seemed to be obscured by someone and he saw Trowa.
"Ariel is going to be living with her dad. She's leaving tomorrow."
"So? What do you want me to do about it?"
Trowa's teeth clenched.
"Tell her, you moron. You are in love with her and she's in love with you."
"No. She doesn't belong with me."
"I know why you pulled that little act in the quad. Treize threw a fit when Dorothy told the girls. The Dean walked in on Treize and Dorothy talking about what was going on and expelled them both. Heero and Duo aren't a couple anymore, Duo is with Hilde and Heero is spending a lot of time with Relena. Everything is fixed. You know I didn't sleep with Ariel, she's like my kid sister."
"Even if I went to her, she hates me."
"She doesn't hate you, Quat. She's just really confused. You did it, so go fix it."
Quatre just nodded and left the school. He drove his jaguar as fast as he could, barely turning off the engine before he was out of it and running into the house. He found Ariel in the library with his father and the man that had to be her own father.
"Quatre?" Ariel asked.
"God, Ariel can you forgive me? I was so jealous and I wanted to protect you from Treize and it got out of hand. I am so sorry I put you through that, I love you Ariel."
She was standing as he stood right in front of her telling her all this barely letting her have time to respond to any of it when her father cleared his throat.
"I take it this is your son, Raberba?"
"That's him."
"Seems like a nice enough kid. Now what is this about a situation you put Ariel through?" Raydon asked Quatre.
"It's along story, Dad. Is it okay if we leave the room for a little bit? We have some things we need to discuss."
Both the men looked at one another and then at the two kids nodding.
Ariel took Quatre by the hand and led him out of the room and outside on the manicured grass, moving them out of the library's window sight before stopping them.
"Okay, here," she said coming to stand, "you know that was quite some show you pulled in there."
"It wasn't a show, Ariel."
"You do realize that you are skipping school and will probably be in serious trouble when you go back?"
"And that matters? Geez, Ariel I just poured my heart out to you in front of both our dad's and you are telling me about what trouble I am in cause I'm skipping school?"
"Just making sure you were listening," she leaned forward putting her arms around his neck, "because Quatre Raberba Winner, if you ever make me feel as lost as I did when you told me all of those things in the quad again I will personally see to it that your body will never be found," she gently kissed his lips before backing out of his arms, "did you realize how heartbroken you left me when you told me those things? Then to have Dorothy tell me it was just a game you were playing? To know how used I felt? As if my wanting you all the time wasn't bad enough, then you being my stepbrother wasn't giving me a complex already I hear that you were going some game with me. I wanted to die."
Quatre winced at her choice of words.
"I swear I will never do that to you ever again. I saw you in bed with Trowa and lost it. I thought I was protecting you by thinking it was alright because if you were with Trowa you'd be safe from Treize. But really I was protecting myself and hurting you," he paused as she watched emotions play over his features, "Treize and I had both cared for a girl our sophmore year. She was a family friend and our parents kind of arranged for us to be married when we graduated. You see, she was in love with me and Treize was in love with her. I loved her but more like the love of a good friend than someone you wanted to spend the rest of your life with. Treize used her and she used him, to make me jealous until she ended up getting pregnant. She didn't tell anyone and Treize was not exactly thrilled about being a father at sixteen. She hung herself in her room one night leaving a note apologizing for what she did. I never felt so guilty in all my life. All she wanted was for me to love her and I couldn't. Not the way she wanted. I was in a very bad place in my life for a while until Trowa helped me out and of it and our relationship deepened for a short period. I never wanted to cause someone or myself that kind of pain again and then I met you," he smiled at her, "and all my great planning went out the window. I love you so much, Ariel, I would never want to hurt you."
"I know you wouldn't. I understand, really Quatre. I love you, too."
"Just as long as you understand that now that you've said those words you can't take them back. I am never letting you out of my sight again."
"Promise?"
"I swear. I love you."
"I love you, too."
~
Stay tuned for the Epilogue!
See other parts for disclaimer and warnings.
On The Inside,
Part 6
Written by: Scandalous Behavior
~ ~ ~ ~
Quatre wondered around campus after Treize's talk with him. He knew that if he did back off on Ariel, Treize would see it as an open opportunity to get Ariel, and even knowing how everyone in the group might agree with Treize there was no way he was letting this turn into another Marian situation.
Marian was someone he tried not to think about. She was a part of his past, and what had happened so not something he liked to dwell on. Treize knew this and that's why he brought it up. In any light, it was the two of them who had ended her life as sure as they had hung her from her ceiling that night. The only thing he wondered was why she had thought that was the only way out. He hadn't loved her, knew her since they were toddlers to feel more than brotherly affection for her but he would never had turned his back on her. Treize had seen to it that she felt guilt about it until she committed suicide. Her parents to this day refused to talk about her due to the scandal. That was something that brought the selfishness out in people, if you made a scandal and it connected to them. It was stupid and Quatre had told her parents that one night when he was drunk.
Treize had gone off the deep end when she died, as did Quatre for a while. He became so closed off, sleeping with someone just to do it and rarely remember it in the morning. He drank so much that only Trowa could drag him out of it and that's when their relationship had deepened for a time. Trowa was his closest friend, his confident and some one he trusted above all else. He knew he needed to talk to him first thing about this before Treize made his move.
He made his way to his room, dropping off his stuff and then knocked on Trowa's door. When he didn't answer, Quatre turned the knob and stood frozen on the spot. He could make out two figures on Trowa's bed. Trowa, who had nothing on his chest and a sheet pulled up to his stomach and resting next to him, with Trowa's arm around her waist was Ariel. Her hair down and tousled, wearing one of Trowa's shirts. He didn't know who he was angrier at while he stood there. Then a forbidden thought came into his head.
Maybe this was a good thing, he thought, since it was obvious that Treize would stop at nothing to get Ariel if she belonged to him. But if Ariel was with someone else it would protect her from Treize. As much as those thoughts hurt him like a knife twisting into his gut, he didn't say a word slowly backing up and reclosing the door. The image of the two of them burning into his retinas of his eyes. Wondering how he was going to get through this, when the girl he loved was with his best friend.
~
Ariel woke up realizing how tired she had been when she glanced at Trowa's clock and it was already seven. She had to get to her own room and bed before she fell asleep again. She gently shook Trowa's arm so his green eyes opened to regard her.
"I'm going to go to my room before I use you as a heater again and fall asleep." She told him.
He grinned and nodded.
"Go ahead. I'll make sure to talk to Quat tomorrow about this, okay?"
"Thanks for everything."
She stood gathering her clothes to go to the bathroom to change as his words stopped her.
"Go ahead and just wear the shirt, you're too tired to change and then rechange when you get to your room. Just put your shorts on and you should be fine."
"But what if the fashion police stop me and I get caught in a color other than black? Think of the scandal, what will people say?" she said teasing.
"That being around Quat is reforming your wardrobe."
She laughed and pulled her shorts over her hips and underwear that she was wearing. She smoothed out the material as much as she could from the wrinkles it had gotten while she slept and leaned over the bed to kiss his cheek.
"You're a great friend, you know that?"
"So are you, Ariel. Now go to your room." He ordered gently.
"See you tomorrow," she said, and then yawned.
She closed his bedroom door and walked back to her room, not noticing that Quatre was standing in his own doorway watching her leave with his eyes full of sadness.
~
Hilde was banging on her door on Monday morning, opening it without being asked in as Relena followed the dark haired girl. Ariel was finishing dressing in her school uniform and both girls looked at her.
"So where were you or did you forget we had plans yesterday?" Hilde asked.
"Sorry. Trowa and I got caught up in our conversation before I fell asleep in one of his shirts until seven. Then he told me to go to my room and straight to bed."
"Well, you look a hundred percent better. What was that whole thing about?"
"Just a bunch of past things I learned about. Hey, Lena, do you mind if I meet you for lunch on the quad today? I have to finish my art project today so it will be graded in time for vacation this week."
"Go ahead."
Ariel grabbed her book bag and headed to class along with her two friends.
~
Dorothy was pleased with what she had done, causing Ariel to question both Quatre and Trowa. It was better than she thought. She could have been more direct with it but adding Midii into it was more convincing making the girl really look like a fool. As they sat on the quad. It was littered with people, not really over crowded due to a lot of people studying for the tests that came before Thanksgiving vacation.
She was sitting with Midii, Cathy, and Sally. For some reason Noin had been avoiding them and staying away from any of the Inners. Dorothy saw Hilde and Relena sitting on one of the four-chaired tables, as Ariel came across the quad. She didn't have a frown or even a hint of sadness around her and that made Dorothy narrow her eyes.
"I thought you said she was going to be all melancholy." Cathy said unimpressed.
"She should be, damn it, what happened?"
"Could that be it?" Sally asked, pointing to Ariel playfully pushing Trowa, who had come to that group along with Duo and Heero.
"Damn Trowa, he would be the one to ruin all my plans that fucking meddler."
Dorothy stood up on the blanket the four were sitting on and walked over to them only to stop in mid-stride as she saw Quatre, who looked like he was about to end the third world war. A pleased grin came across her face as she headed back to the blanket.
"So? What are you going to do?"
"Let's just say I think my plan is working perfectly."
~
Ariel had just ducked under Trowa's arm as he went to tackle the book from her so she would join them in eating lunch, not studying. She ran directly into Quatre, as her face was turned to look behind her and Trowa stopped five feet behind her.
"Quat! Where have you been?" she asked, breathless from running.
"Around, obviously but not around too much I see to keep you from sleeping around." His voice was deep calm and cold.
"What? Quat, what are you talking about?"
"Don't try to back your way out of this one, Ariel, since I saw you."
"Saw me?"
"You really must be completely stupid if you think I am going to fall for that innocent act like you don't know perfectly well what I am talking about."
As Quatre spoke his voice carried to their friends and to where Dorothy and those girls sat but not beyond that since it was a little loud for anyone else to hear.
"Quat, I don't know what you're getting at…."
"That's right, Trowa, you don't. Must be nice to live in a land of denial, never thought I'd see my best friend sleeping with my stepsister behind my back." Quatre announced.
"What makes you think me and Ariel are sleeping together?"
"Seeing it with my own eyes. Entering your room to find you with no clothes on and her in one of your shirts."
Ariel backed up from him.
"So you are basing all of your accusations on what you think you saw?"
"I didn't think I saw anything, I saw it. It's nice to know that I realized what was going on before I looked like a complete idiot."
Duo, Hilde, Relena, and Heero watched the display of accusations being played out. Hilde looked at Duo, touching his arm.
"Isn't that the other night when she got told about him and Trowa?" she whispered.
"I don't think he knows that."
Quatre looked over Trowa and Ariel like they were beneath him and behind him on the blanket was Dorothy listening and smugly adoring every minute of the scene.
"So you think I slept with Trowa?"
"Do I have to keep repeating myself? Then again how can I forget how people of your class are?"
Ariel's attitude changed in an instant at that comment. Going from concerned to equally mad. Trowa had a hand on her shoulder, supporting her.
"People of my class? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Wait, don't answer that. I wouldn't want you to lower yourself to answering a question my a mere peasant compared to the great Quatre Winner," she started and then with a fake smile, "well, if is over then it's over. So I don't see how my sleeping with Trowa is any of your business anymore, Winner. I mean, since you found him so sexy before I don't see what your big surprise is about it."
Quatre had to hide his reaction to that. He didn't know she knew about him and Trowa.
"That's right, I know. Seems a little odd that you didn't tell me before but that's to be expected from self-centered money-grubbing asshole like yourself, right? How stupid of me to think that you were different that any of the other guys I've known. All you care about is getting your rocks off. How typical."
"Well, he only did it because of the game. Don't take it personal, Ariel." Came Dorothy's sugar sweet reply as her stood now behind Quat, an hand on his shoulder and her head resting on it.
"Game….." Ariel said.
"That's right, sweetheart. You were just part of a game, where you are the little fish and us the big bad sharks. You didn't think you became popular for real, did you?" Dorothy paused looking at Ariel directly, "Oh, you did. How sweet."
Relena and Hilde couldn't believe what they had just heard.
"You and those two cunt friends of yours have been in this game from day one. Being used like little toys. You could have been one of us, Ariel, been an elite Inner. Controlling everything but you had to go and get involved with Quatre here when he is off limits since you are Treize's property. I bet you didn't know that either, did you? He's been so well using that airhead Dean's daughter biding his time till he slept with you. How ironic is that? Oh, and Zechs isn't the hard ass you all think he is. He arranged the whole Duo and Hilde attraction thing," Dorothy looked over at Heero, "which has been going on before and after you thought you stopped it, Heero. So, Ariel, consider yourself lucky that you found out now, cause just imagine what scandal you could have created had you kept this up."
"Thank you," Ariel said in a low voice.
"For what?"
"For saving me from turning into a another one of you."
Dorothy moved to claw at Ariel when a hand grabbed a hold of Dorothy's wrist and jerked her from attacking Ariel. Noin looked into Dorothy's frightened violet eyes.
"Consider yourself an outcast, Dorothy and if you even come near any of us again, that includes Relena, Ariel, or Hilde, let's just say I wouldn't want to be in your shoes. Cause when Treize finds out what you did, you are going to wish you had kept that gapping whole in your mouth shut."
Zechs stood right behind Noin, supporting her as Dorothy jerked back her wrist rubbing it and looked at Quatre.
"Quatre?"
"Don't. You made your bed, Dorothy, have fun sleeping in it alone."
Ariel looked at Dorothy, who glared back at the gray-eyed girl.
"This is all your fault. You destroyed everything."
"No, Dorothy, you did."
~
Ariel had stood on the spot for only a minute after Dorothy had run to the school. Trowa moved her back protectively into his arms from the pain in Quatre's eyes mixed with regret and anger.
"How could you think that?" was all she whispered at him before shutting her eyes from letting him see the tears welling up in them.
She turned in Trowa's arms and told him she wanted to leave. Trowa saw how much it was taking her not to break down right then and there, and led her back to the school.
"If you ever come near her again, I swear you'll regret it." Trowa told his best friend, walking back to the school.
Relena was reeling at the words she had heard, at being used like that without feeling, which she knew now that Treize had felt nothing for her. Hilde was in much the same condition, moving away from Duo and her eyes searching for answers from Noin and Zechs. Heero was ignoring Duo, who stood defeated.
~
It seemed like forever that the group began to speak to each other again. The rest of the week was absorbed into studying and getting their semi-finals done before vacation started Friday afternoon. Ariel spent her time in her room, locking the door for complete solitude. She didn't want to understand what was going on. All she wanted to do was shut it out. She couldn't bring herself to even talk to Relena and Hilde, feeling somehow all of this mess was her fault.
She was in the middle of her Trig class, on Friday when she was tapped on the shoulder. She looked to see her teacher hand her a note from the office. She grabbed her bag, dropping her finished test on the desk. She left and walked to the Dean's office and entered it to see Felicia standing in it.
"Come in, Miss Huntington," the Dean started, his face looking to Ariel and then to her mother.
"What's going on?"
"Ariel, honey," Felicia started, "Raberba and I are getting a divorce."
Ariel couldn't be more shocked if she had told her daughter she was pregnant.
"You're divorcing Raberba?"
"Actually he's divorcing me," Felicia said with a blush looking sweetly at the Dean, "so I am afraid that you are going to have to stop going here and go to live with your Father."
"You were barely married two months, Mother. What did you do this time?"
"Ariel! I will not have that kind of disrespect show to me, young lady."
"You have to earn respect, Mother. It's not just given to you. So what did you do? Sleep with another guy like last time? Or maybe max out his credit cards? What? I am sick of being handled like baggage to you, that you can just send me on my marry way when it suits you. I want answers and I want them now."
The Dean coughed, looking very uncomfortable.
"I apologize for my daughter's behavior," Felicia said, standing and grabbing Ariel's upper arm hard, "If you will excuse us. I will have one of the servants get Ariel's things from her room."
"Of course."
Ariel jerked her arm away as soon as they were outside the Dean's office heading to the main entrance.
"You little brat, I don't know why I put up with you and especially after what Dorothy told me today you and Quatre," Felicia looked coldly at her only child, "you little tramp. Couldn't wait till you were at least married to sleep around? And with your stepbrother of all people? You are a walking scandal and I will not have it anymore."
"Rather I act like you and fuck every guy who has a bigger bank account than the last? Marrying them for their money? You make me sick, Mother, and believe me when I say it suits me just fine not to have to live with you anymore. I much rather live with Dad, who is a normal human being."
Felicia gasped and pulled back her hand, slapping Ariel across the face full on. It caused Ariel's head to move and when she looked back, through her hair that had fallen into her face her mouth was cut from the ring on Felicia's hand and her cheek was already bruising from the force of the impact.
"Does that make you happy? That you caused me to hit you?"
"No one held a gun to your head, Mother. Please be adult enough to take responsibility for your actions." Ariel said through her teeth.
"Yes, it is a very good idea that you go back to your Father. Maybe he will be able to make a lady out of you."
The main door opened and Raberba stood there looking from Ariel's face to Felicia.
"I suggest Madame, that you let go of that child this instant before someone feels the need to press charges." Raberba told his soon to be ex-wife.
"You are no legal right over Ariel." She told him.
Out of the limo below came a man in dark sunglasses, in a tailor black suit and dark blond hair.
"No, but I do." Came Raydon Huntington's voice.
~
Two girls passed Quatre in the hall as he went to his next class.
"Did you hear about Ariel Huntington?"
"That singer? No, what about her?"
"Seems her mother came to get her, she's being divorced by Mr. Winner and she openly slapped Ariel right in the hall. A couple of teachers saw her, and then when the main door opened her dad and Mr. Winner were there to take her away. Ariel looked like she was in a lot of pain."
"How sad. So she and Quatre aren't stepsiblings anymore?"
"Soon they won't be. And she was so cool, my older sister says when she sang in the club the entire club listened like they were in trance or something."
"I heard that she was going to be one of the Inners."
Quatre stood on the spot, watching people pass him. His vision suddenly seemed to be obscured by someone and he saw Trowa.
"Ariel is going to be living with her dad. She's leaving tomorrow."
"So? What do you want me to do about it?"
Trowa's teeth clenched.
"Tell her, you moron. You are in love with her and she's in love with you."
"No. She doesn't belong with me."
"I know why you pulled that little act in the quad. Treize threw a fit when Dorothy told the girls. The Dean walked in on Treize and Dorothy talking about what was going on and expelled them both. Heero and Duo aren't a couple anymore, Duo is with Hilde and Heero is spending a lot of time with Relena. Everything is fixed. You know I didn't sleep with Ariel, she's like my kid sister."
"Even if I went to her, she hates me."
"She doesn't hate you, Quat. She's just really confused. You did it, so go fix it."
Quatre just nodded and left the school. He drove his jaguar as fast as he could, barely turning off the engine before he was out of it and running into the house. He found Ariel in the library with his father and the man that had to be her own father.
"Quatre?" Ariel asked.
"God, Ariel can you forgive me? I was so jealous and I wanted to protect you from Treize and it got out of hand. I am so sorry I put you through that, I love you Ariel."
She was standing as he stood right in front of her telling her all this barely letting her have time to respond to any of it when her father cleared his throat.
"I take it this is your son, Raberba?"
"That's him."
"Seems like a nice enough kid. Now what is this about a situation you put Ariel through?" Raydon asked Quatre.
"It's along story, Dad. Is it okay if we leave the room for a little bit? We have some things we need to discuss."
Both the men looked at one another and then at the two kids nodding.
Ariel took Quatre by the hand and led him out of the room and outside on the manicured grass, moving them out of the library's window sight before stopping them.
"Okay, here," she said coming to stand, "you know that was quite some show you pulled in there."
"It wasn't a show, Ariel."
"You do realize that you are skipping school and will probably be in serious trouble when you go back?"
"And that matters? Geez, Ariel I just poured my heart out to you in front of both our dad's and you are telling me about what trouble I am in cause I'm skipping school?"
"Just making sure you were listening," she leaned forward putting her arms around his neck, "because Quatre Raberba Winner, if you ever make me feel as lost as I did when you told me all of those things in the quad again I will personally see to it that your body will never be found," she gently kissed his lips before backing out of his arms, "did you realize how heartbroken you left me when you told me those things? Then to have Dorothy tell me it was just a game you were playing? To know how used I felt? As if my wanting you all the time wasn't bad enough, then you being my stepbrother wasn't giving me a complex already I hear that you were going some game with me. I wanted to die."
Quatre winced at her choice of words.
"I swear I will never do that to you ever again. I saw you in bed with Trowa and lost it. I thought I was protecting you by thinking it was alright because if you were with Trowa you'd be safe from Treize. But really I was protecting myself and hurting you," he paused as she watched emotions play over his features, "Treize and I had both cared for a girl our sophmore year. She was a family friend and our parents kind of arranged for us to be married when we graduated. You see, she was in love with me and Treize was in love with her. I loved her but more like the love of a good friend than someone you wanted to spend the rest of your life with. Treize used her and she used him, to make me jealous until she ended up getting pregnant. She didn't tell anyone and Treize was not exactly thrilled about being a father at sixteen. She hung herself in her room one night leaving a note apologizing for what she did. I never felt so guilty in all my life. All she wanted was for me to love her and I couldn't. Not the way she wanted. I was in a very bad place in my life for a while until Trowa helped me out and of it and our relationship deepened for a short period. I never wanted to cause someone or myself that kind of pain again and then I met you," he smiled at her, "and all my great planning went out the window. I love you so much, Ariel, I would never want to hurt you."
"I know you wouldn't. I understand, really Quatre. I love you, too."
"Just as long as you understand that now that you've said those words you can't take them back. I am never letting you out of my sight again."
"Promise?"
"I swear. I love you."
"I love you, too."
~
Stay tuned for the Epilogue!