Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Gift ❯ The Gift ( Chapter 1 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: Rena Valentine 
Tradgedy strikes Relena Peacecraft, and she finds solace in an unlikely person.
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.01.2001 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.5K | Visits: 690 | Status: Completed
Tradgedy strikes Relena Peacecraft, and she finds solace in an unlikely person.
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.01.2001 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.5K | Visits: 690 | Status: Completed
THE GIFT
She couldn't believe it.
Things like this didn't happen. . . couldn't happen to her. She was Relena Peacecraft. How could anything remotely like this happen?
But it did. That was all that mattered. She'd gone in for a routine checkup, and they found something. More seriously: a lump. It seemed small, but she knew that its size didn't matter. She knew she was in trouble. She was terrified.
Relena sat on the porch of her mansion, despite the cool November breeze. She had never felt as lonely as she did that day. Relena didn't have anyone to talk to. The only person she would actually confide in was gone. Noin was on her honeymoon with Milliardo, and Relena wouldn't want to bother them anyway.
She'd just gotten a phone call from her doctor. The results of the biopsy had come in and it wasn't good. The tumor was malignant. Relena Peacecraft, the queen of the Cinq kingdom had cancer.
She didn't want to cry, but it was so hard to control herself. She was alone. . . so alone. She had to talk to someone, but who? She wiped the tears from her eyes and went back into her house.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Duo whistled softly as he made a sandwich in his home at the L2 colony. Hilde had gone out on a date, further proof that their friendship would stay a friendship. He was alone that night. Duo plopped on the couch with the sandwich and turned on the TV. Then the video phone rang.
He turned on the vidphone and swallowed the huge mouthful of salami and bread, "Hello?"
It was Relena. This alone startled him. She had never really gotten along with Duo. After all, she'd been chasing Heero for as long as he knew her. He was sure that she had a few problems with him as well, but Duo had always thought of her as a little annoying.
Then he noticed that she had been crying. Something was wrong, and he wanted to know about it, regardless of his opinion of her. He was about to ask her when she cut him off.
"Hi Duo. . . Is Hilde there?"
Duo had a feeling that she'd want to speak to Hilde. They had become friends after the war. Besides, why would Relena be calling for him anyway. It defied any scientific law or principle ever formulated. He shrugged this off. "I'm sorry. . . She's out on a date."
Relena looked down in dejection. "Oh. . . I wanted to talk to her about something."
Duo smiled, cheerfully. "What's wrong Relena. . . You seem kinda down."
She tried to smile back, "Nothing's wrong. . . I just wanted to talk to Hilde."
"Well. . . if you need to talk, don't hesitate to call. It's never too late for us to be friends.
"Thanks Duo. . . that means more to me than you'll ever know."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maybe it was impulse. Maybe he was worried. Maybe he was just as lonely as she was. Whatever the reason, Duo Maxwell found himself boarding a transport to the Cinq kingdom a week after her call. She seemed as if she needed someone, even if that someone was him.
When he got to her mansion, the guards escorted informed him of her condition. Relena wasn't feeling well and was resting in her bedroom. They allowed him to visit her and left the two alone.
Duo walked in and sat next to her. She looked paler than he'd ever seen anyone. He stared at her longer, 'why didn't I ever notice how beautiful she was?' he thought as he pulled a quilt over Relena's sleeping body. He began to leave when he heard her voice.
"Duo? Why're you here?"
He turned around a smiled sheepishly, "I was just a little worried about you. I wanted to see if you were okay."
"Oh." Relena looked down at her quilt.
"So. . . are you okay?" He wasn't smiling any more. He was dead serious.
Relena didn't want to cry, especially in front of Duo. She knew she needed to tell someone. "Please, sit down." She waited until he sat next to her bed and then began to tell him what had happened. "It all happened a little over a week ago. I went to the hospital for a checkup, but they found something. . ." she paused for a moment.
"If you don't want to tell anymore, that's okay. . . I don't want you to start crying or something. . ."
"No. . . I need to tell someone. They found a lump. . . I have breast cancer." She looked up at Duo and saw the pure shock in his violet blue eyes. She couldn't even guess what he was thinking.
"Oh God, Relena. . . I'm sorry. . . I shouldn't have asked."
"No, I had to tell someone. . . They started the chemotherapy yesterday and I've felt like crap since. They may have to use radiation."
Duo didn't know what to think. "So. . . are you going to. . ." He couldn't bring himself to say the words.
"Die? No, they say that they caught it in time. Luckily they don't even have to cut it off. . . It'll just be a while until I'm one hundred percent cured."
"Thank God. . ." Relief swept over Duo. He didn't know what he would do if she was going to die. He didn't know why this was affecting him the way it was. This was Relena. . . She was annoying and whiny. . . Why did he care so much? Then he did something he never thought he would do. He offered to stay with her while she got better. He offered to take care of her.
Duo stayed with her from that moment on. He stayed with her through everything. He was there when she was too sick to get out of bed. He was there to cheer her up when she was feeling down. He was there to hold her when she cried.
He was there in mid December when she began to loose her hair.
By that time, he knew he was in love with her. She was more than an annoying stalker pacifist with eyes only for Heero Yuy. She was kind, sweet, intelligent, and funny. She possessed traits that most people didn't seem to notice. He didn't care what she looked like. It was only hair, and hair eventually grew back.
Duo knew he had to get her something special for Christmas. Jewelry and clothes were out of the question, she had enough of both. He laid his head in his arms and stared at himself in the mirror, deep in thought. "Why does it have to be so hard to shop for royalty?" He asked himself as he continued to stare. Then he got an idea.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Relena looked at the Christmas tree and sighed. She loved the holiday season, but something was missing. It was nine on Christmas eve, and Duo was nowhere to be found. He'd said that he'd gone out shopping, but that was in the morning. What was taking him so long?
She loved him. She knew it for certain. She'd always thought that he was annoying and overly cheerful, but over time she got to know the real Duo Maxwell. He'd stuck by her through everything, and now that she was getting better, she wanted to thank him in some way. She'd gotten him the most expensive black leather jacket she could find, but she knew that nothing she could buy would be able to express her thanks.
Suddenly, someone put their hands over her eyes. "Guess who?" she heard from behind.
Relena laughed, "Duo. . . that is sooo overdone." She turned around, and hugged him. Then she noticed that something was missing.
She broke her embrace and looked at Duo's smiling face, trying to notice what was different. Then she realized that something was missing.
Duo's three foot long braid was gone. . . all of it.
"Duo. . . what happened to your hair. . . where'd it go?"
He smiled at her and absently rubbed the back of his head. "It'll grow back. I just won't cut it for a few years. . . I brought you your present." He thrust a beautifully wrapped gift into her hands. "Open it."
She smiled, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. Relena knew what it was in the box. She opened it as tears began to stream down her face. Inside the box sat a chestnut brown wig. She looked up at him, wiping the tears from her eyes, "Thank you, Duo."
He smiled and looked to his feet. "It was nothing Relena. I. . . I want to see you happy."
She hugged him, "I'll always be happy, as long as I'm with you."
Duo looked into her blue eyes and felt a tear of joy run down his face. He hugged her, holding her for a moment. Then, just as they began to release their hold on one another, he whispered in her ear, "I love you, Relena Peacecraft."
She looked into his indigo eyes, "I love you too, Duo Maxwell."
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She couldn't believe it.
Things like this didn't happen. . . couldn't happen to her. She was Relena Peacecraft. How could anything remotely like this happen?
But it did. That was all that mattered. She'd gone in for a routine checkup, and they found something. More seriously: a lump. It seemed small, but she knew that its size didn't matter. She knew she was in trouble. She was terrified.
Relena sat on the porch of her mansion, despite the cool November breeze. She had never felt as lonely as she did that day. Relena didn't have anyone to talk to. The only person she would actually confide in was gone. Noin was on her honeymoon with Milliardo, and Relena wouldn't want to bother them anyway.
She'd just gotten a phone call from her doctor. The results of the biopsy had come in and it wasn't good. The tumor was malignant. Relena Peacecraft, the queen of the Cinq kingdom had cancer.
She didn't want to cry, but it was so hard to control herself. She was alone. . . so alone. She had to talk to someone, but who? She wiped the tears from her eyes and went back into her house.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Duo whistled softly as he made a sandwich in his home at the L2 colony. Hilde had gone out on a date, further proof that their friendship would stay a friendship. He was alone that night. Duo plopped on the couch with the sandwich and turned on the TV. Then the video phone rang.
He turned on the vidphone and swallowed the huge mouthful of salami and bread, "Hello?"
It was Relena. This alone startled him. She had never really gotten along with Duo. After all, she'd been chasing Heero for as long as he knew her. He was sure that she had a few problems with him as well, but Duo had always thought of her as a little annoying.
Then he noticed that she had been crying. Something was wrong, and he wanted to know about it, regardless of his opinion of her. He was about to ask her when she cut him off.
"Hi Duo. . . Is Hilde there?"
Duo had a feeling that she'd want to speak to Hilde. They had become friends after the war. Besides, why would Relena be calling for him anyway. It defied any scientific law or principle ever formulated. He shrugged this off. "I'm sorry. . . She's out on a date."
Relena looked down in dejection. "Oh. . . I wanted to talk to her about something."
Duo smiled, cheerfully. "What's wrong Relena. . . You seem kinda down."
She tried to smile back, "Nothing's wrong. . . I just wanted to talk to Hilde."
"Well. . . if you need to talk, don't hesitate to call. It's never too late for us to be friends.
"Thanks Duo. . . that means more to me than you'll ever know."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maybe it was impulse. Maybe he was worried. Maybe he was just as lonely as she was. Whatever the reason, Duo Maxwell found himself boarding a transport to the Cinq kingdom a week after her call. She seemed as if she needed someone, even if that someone was him.
When he got to her mansion, the guards escorted informed him of her condition. Relena wasn't feeling well and was resting in her bedroom. They allowed him to visit her and left the two alone.
Duo walked in and sat next to her. She looked paler than he'd ever seen anyone. He stared at her longer, 'why didn't I ever notice how beautiful she was?' he thought as he pulled a quilt over Relena's sleeping body. He began to leave when he heard her voice.
"Duo? Why're you here?"
He turned around a smiled sheepishly, "I was just a little worried about you. I wanted to see if you were okay."
"Oh." Relena looked down at her quilt.
"So. . . are you okay?" He wasn't smiling any more. He was dead serious.
Relena didn't want to cry, especially in front of Duo. She knew she needed to tell someone. "Please, sit down." She waited until he sat next to her bed and then began to tell him what had happened. "It all happened a little over a week ago. I went to the hospital for a checkup, but they found something. . ." she paused for a moment.
"If you don't want to tell anymore, that's okay. . . I don't want you to start crying or something. . ."
"No. . . I need to tell someone. They found a lump. . . I have breast cancer." She looked up at Duo and saw the pure shock in his violet blue eyes. She couldn't even guess what he was thinking.
"Oh God, Relena. . . I'm sorry. . . I shouldn't have asked."
"No, I had to tell someone. . . They started the chemotherapy yesterday and I've felt like crap since. They may have to use radiation."
Duo didn't know what to think. "So. . . are you going to. . ." He couldn't bring himself to say the words.
"Die? No, they say that they caught it in time. Luckily they don't even have to cut it off. . . It'll just be a while until I'm one hundred percent cured."
"Thank God. . ." Relief swept over Duo. He didn't know what he would do if she was going to die. He didn't know why this was affecting him the way it was. This was Relena. . . She was annoying and whiny. . . Why did he care so much? Then he did something he never thought he would do. He offered to stay with her while she got better. He offered to take care of her.
Duo stayed with her from that moment on. He stayed with her through everything. He was there when she was too sick to get out of bed. He was there to cheer her up when she was feeling down. He was there to hold her when she cried.
He was there in mid December when she began to loose her hair.
By that time, he knew he was in love with her. She was more than an annoying stalker pacifist with eyes only for Heero Yuy. She was kind, sweet, intelligent, and funny. She possessed traits that most people didn't seem to notice. He didn't care what she looked like. It was only hair, and hair eventually grew back.
Duo knew he had to get her something special for Christmas. Jewelry and clothes were out of the question, she had enough of both. He laid his head in his arms and stared at himself in the mirror, deep in thought. "Why does it have to be so hard to shop for royalty?" He asked himself as he continued to stare. Then he got an idea.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Relena looked at the Christmas tree and sighed. She loved the holiday season, but something was missing. It was nine on Christmas eve, and Duo was nowhere to be found. He'd said that he'd gone out shopping, but that was in the morning. What was taking him so long?
She loved him. She knew it for certain. She'd always thought that he was annoying and overly cheerful, but over time she got to know the real Duo Maxwell. He'd stuck by her through everything, and now that she was getting better, she wanted to thank him in some way. She'd gotten him the most expensive black leather jacket she could find, but she knew that nothing she could buy would be able to express her thanks.
Suddenly, someone put their hands over her eyes. "Guess who?" she heard from behind.
Relena laughed, "Duo. . . that is sooo overdone." She turned around, and hugged him. Then she noticed that something was missing.
She broke her embrace and looked at Duo's smiling face, trying to notice what was different. Then she realized that something was missing.
Duo's three foot long braid was gone. . . all of it.
"Duo. . . what happened to your hair. . . where'd it go?"
He smiled at her and absently rubbed the back of his head. "It'll grow back. I just won't cut it for a few years. . . I brought you your present." He thrust a beautifully wrapped gift into her hands. "Open it."
She smiled, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. Relena knew what it was in the box. She opened it as tears began to stream down her face. Inside the box sat a chestnut brown wig. She looked up at him, wiping the tears from her eyes, "Thank you, Duo."
He smiled and looked to his feet. "It was nothing Relena. I. . . I want to see you happy."
She hugged him, "I'll always be happy, as long as I'm with you."
Duo looked into her blue eyes and felt a tear of joy run down his face. He hugged her, holding her for a moment. Then, just as they began to release their hold on one another, he whispered in her ear, "I love you, Relena Peacecraft."
She looked into his indigo eyes, "I love you too, Duo Maxwell."
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