Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Sitting in a Tree ❯ K-I-S ( Chapter 3 )

Sitting in a Tree K-I-S-

It was a beautiful day for a goodbye.   The false April sun, monotonously brilliant year-round on the colony, shone with a special light for the day's expectations.   She walked with her purposeful stride, black hair curling slightly over strong, yet slight shoulders.   Up marbled stairs, and through carpeted lobby, the gathering and gossiping of proud family members muted the clicking of her heels.   Who was she to this man?   Friend?   Potential lover?   Annoying stalker?  Girlfriend?

After today it would not matter.

She easily found her seat, one dedicated to the family of this year's valedictorian.   She felt like a fraud.   All around her kin to graduates were taking their seats, filling up the auditorium, and yet she was the only one to represent the smartest, most brilliant man she knew.

Peter Kent was graduating from university.

The ceremony was quickly underway, winding and weaving through the proceedings with a verbosity that would even put some of her speeches to shame.   A representative of the Noventa family spoke of how proud they were of this year's graduates and how long their family had personally spoke at every graduation since founding the school.   They also said a little piece on peace, blatantly plagiarizing from one of Relena Peacecraft's dissertations.

"… I believe that in order to achieve a unified peace, cautions must be made in concerns to education.   For eons, we humans have been striving to better ourselves, now is the time to reach within our intelligence and…"

Bastards.   Direct quote.   She should know, she wrote it herself.

"… Now without further ado, I give you our valedictorian, Peter Kent."

All air collapsed from Relena's lungs.   The name might be different, but the man stalking across the stage in the foolish gown and cap was wholly Heero.   University had changed him greatly in such a short time.   In a typical Heero fashion he had adapted his life to blend in, letting her squeeze into a small gap created with the change.

He faced the crowd and smirked, looking oh, so, handsome and confident as he prepared to speak.   Relena never knew what to expect him to say when he was pressed to public speak.

"First, I'd like to thank Relena Peacecraft for writing that rousing speech we just listened to."

Relena felt her mouth drop open.   She definitely would never have guessed he'd say something like that.   When had he gotten so cocky?   Oh right, once again she was forgetting that this is HEERO.   The Noventa representative turned red, boiling with fury at the audacity that was their best and brightest.   A few of the grads twittered, but most didn't understand, or weren't amused.   Heero's eyes easily met hers despite the harsh lights shining in his eyes, or the disguise she was wearing.

"Second, I'd like to thank her for my presence here today.   If it wasn't for her, many of us would be stuck in the endless waltz of war."   He paused with a smirk, not finishing the quote she knew so well.   His eyes were still locked with hers, digging deep into her soul and wrenching her heart into a lurching beat.

She rose from her seat and left, not able to take his steady gaze when this visit was a farewell.   The carpet hid her departure from the ears of those in rapt attention to the proceedings (or those already asleep), but it couldn't hide her from his watchful eyes.

She turned at the door for one last glance.   Heero broke off midspeech and watched her for a moment before abruptly vaulting off the stage.   Someone nearby muttered 'wow, he cleared the orchestra pit and everything' as she turned and fled.    This time the lobby was dead quite as she rushed through it, mentally wincing at ever click of her highheels.   There was no point trying to evade him by attempting to duck into a corridor.   She could never move rapidly enough to elude Heero.   She didn't even think something traveling at the speed of sound could outrun him.

Heero hadn't let himself go soft when he turned civilian.   She was pretty sure he still participated in secret missions in the deep shadows of night and on holidays.   A zebra doesn't change his spots.  Or, uh... something like that.   Now that he was finished with the required education in order to make Colonel in the Preventors, she was afraid he'd revert completely back to the boy she had met on the beach.

He was first and foremost a soldier.

She burst through the doors sharply, knowing not to be lulled into a sense of security because he hadn't caught her yet.   If anything, she was more on alert, wondering what was taking him so long.

The asphalt was hard beneath her feet, jarring her toes with every step she took.   Confused, she turned the corner to her car still unhampered.   He was lounging against her car.   Knowing better than to question the great and mighty Heero, she slowed down in an attempt to catch her breath.

He looked amused beneath that perpetual frown.   She slid close enough to see the flecks of silver in piercing eyes.

"You shouldn't have cut your speech short."   Her mind screamed for her to leave.   Or kiss him.  Ok, it was leaning closer to snogging.

"I wanted to thank you for coming."   He shrugged, as if it was obvious, as if he said things like that everyday.

"You're welcome Peter.   I'll miss you."   She stretched up and kissed his cheek.   Saddened, letting her lips brush and linger against his skin for a moment.  "Goodbye."

She got in her car and started the engine, nerves quaking to the extent that her keys wouldn't cooperate.   He didn't impede her and some little fraction of her intellect called her a traitor for wanting him to.   She looked at him through the window and mouthed 'welcome back Heero,' leaving before the tears began streaming down her broken face.

She never glanced back to see if he understood.

 He was Heero, after all.

©RelenaFanel