Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ What Matters Most ❯ So Close, and Yet so Far ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

What Matters Most
By: Lady Sapphire

Author's Note: I'm really sorry this part took so long. I didn't mean to take such a long time with this, but I had other things (mostly homework) to do before I could sit down and write. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter and continue to wait for the next one, whenever I write it! Thanks to everyone who has been so patient with me and waited for this next installment. Now let's get on with the chapter!

Chapter 5: So Close, and Yet so Far

Three weeks passed since that terrifying experience. Heero had forced Mark into telling their parents that he did not want Relena to serve him anymore so, now Relena stays by Heero. Relena avoided Mark from that day forth and Heero constantly watches over her, or if not possible, he finds an appropriate substitute. Relena is now happier with her new life with Heero, and he treats her kindly and fairly, but there were still times when he gave he cold stares that sent chills down her spine. But other times, when their eyes met she could feel a tingling sensation. She couldn't describe her feelings for Heero, nor could she understand them; but one thing was for certain, she liked being around him because he made her felt safe and warm.
It might seem that Relena had gotten over the incident with Mark, for she had a cheerful smile on her face, but in reality, she hadn't. How could she forget? The scenes from that night still played over and over in her head like a never-ending film. Sometimes, one could notice the intense sadness and emptiness in her soft blue eyes, although she would never tell anyone that she felt this way. She wouldn't want to cause trouble.

"Marco!"
"Polo!"
On a bright and sunny morning, Relena decided to spend time with her little friend, Rosabelle. The two of them were in the courtyard, playing the game "Marco Polo", the game where the person being "it" must find the others, while wearing a blindfold and only using the sound of their voices as a guide. Relena was "it".
"Marco!" she called out.
"Polo!" came Rosabelle's reply. Her voice seemed to come from behind.
Relena turned, "Marco!"
"Polo!" Her voice was straight ahead.
She walked forward, waving her arms out in front to see if there was anything locking her way. "Marco!"
"Polo!"
Relena was heading in the right direction. She could tell her voice was getting louder and she could hear faint giggles. She took a step forward and bumped into something…or was it someone?
"Ha! I gotcha Rosabelle!" said Relena triumphantly. Believing it was Rosabelle; she yanked off the blindfold to see that her captive was actually…Heero!
Relena took a step back and blushed deeply. She mumbled an apology and stared at the ground, too embarrassed to look at him straight in the eye.
Heero, whose face was also reddening, hid his embarrassment with anger. "What are you doing?" he demanded hoarsely.
"I…I…" she stammered, too frightened to answer.
Rosabelle, sensing that there was trouble, leapt out from her hiding place to defend her friend. "Don't yell at Relena! It's not her fault. I dragged her outside to play with me," she protested.
Heero frowned, "Don't you have homework to do, Rosabelle?"
She stuck out her tongue at her brother, "No, I'm done," she retorted.
"Well, it doesn't hurt to study. Mom says that if you don't get at least a ninety on your next test, you'll be grounded for a week," he reminded her, trying to hold back a smile.
"Who asked you?" she snapped, crossing her arms and turning to face another direction.
"Come on, Heero, give the kid a break!" said Duo, flatly, coming out the doors. Behind him, were three other young men, all about the same age as Heero and Duo. One of them was tall and had long, spiky brown bangs, obscuring one of his forest green eyes. Another was shorter and had beautiful platinum blond hair and soft light blue eyes. He looked pleasant and kind. The third had a superior kind of expression on his face and had shoulder-length, jet-black hair, pulled back into a ponytail and intense black eyes.
"Uncle Duo!!!" screamed Rosabelle, excitedly running up to him.
"Sir Duo," Relena greeted, curtseying.
Duo nodded her a greeting and picked Rosabelle up, smiling he said, "Hey Rosabelle! Haven't seen you in a while. How've you been? Heero giving you a hard time again?"
"Yes! He always picks on me!" she pouted, making a face at her brother.
"She has to study, you know. That's how one succeeds on a test," Heero stated, dignified.
"Well, not 24 hours a day! Look, I hardly ever studied for any of my tests and look how great I turned out," Duo pointed out. Heero took one look at him and ordered, "Rosabelle, get to your room and study NOW!!!"
"Hey! I resent that!" Duo cried out, just realizing it was an insult to him. But, by now, three snickers could be heard from behind and a smug smirk was plastered on Heero's face.
Rosabelle jumped down from Duo's arms and ran to greet the three young men,
"Uncle Trowa, Uncle Quatre, Uncle Wufei!!! You're all here! Yay!"
The three managed out a greeting, despite their sniggering.
Duo, brushing off the insult, went over to Relena and dragged her to meet his three friends. "Relena, I'd like you to meet Trowa Barton," he pointed to the tall guy with the bangs, "Quatre Winner," he indicated the guy with blond hair, "and Chang Wufei," he pointed to the last guy with black hair. "Guys, this is Relena Peacecraft, a new member of this house," introduced Duo.
"Pleasure to meet you," acknowledged Trowa.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance," said Quatre, kindly.
"I do not make acquaintances with women!" grumbled Wufei, rudely.
"Um, don't mind Wufei, this is considered "normal" in his terms," whispered Duo to Relena.
She smiled and nodded. Lowering in a curtsey she said politely, "It's nice meeting you all."
"Quatre's father does business with Heero's father, and we all know each other from school. That's how we all became friends," explained Duo.
"I see. It's great that you're all friends. Friends are one of the best things a person can have, so if you find good ones, then you should keep them forever," she replied.
Heero interrupted the conversation. "Duo, we need to get going."
"Then let's go! Bye Relena, bye Rosabelle! See ya later!" exclaimed Duo. Waving he turned and headed out, the other three did the same.
Heero stayed to give Relena instructions, "We're going out for a meeting. You stay inside the mansion grounds and make yourself useful. Do what you will. We'll be back at 5." He left after his friends.
"See what I mean? He's so mean sometimes," muttered Rosabelle.
"Yeah…" she murmured softly, almost trance-like. Her mind drifted back to the scene where she accidentally caught him instead of Rosabelle.
"Anyway, Relena, it's my turn to be "Marco" now. Relena? Relena!" called Rosabelle, shaking her slightly.
Relena snapped out of it, "Oh! Huh?"
"I said, I'm going to be Marco now and you can be Polo, okay?"
"Alright," she replied, tying the blindfold over Rosabelle's eyes.
'Why do I keep doing that? Why do I keep hiding my feelings with anger?' Heero asked himself. The five of them were walking down to the meeting place. Duo was chatting away as usual and the others were, except Heero, were politely listening and making comments here and there. Heero was thinking to himself.
'She probably thinks I hate her. How can I tell her how I truly feel, if I keep sending her the wrong message? Why can't I just come right out and say it? Why won't the words come out of my mouth as easily as it does in my mind?' He glanced at Duo, babbling on about something or other. 'Sometimes, I envy Duo. He has the ability to say just what's on his mind. He has no secrets. Heck, that fool can't even keep any!' He smiled at that, then took a deep breath to clear his mind, 'I guess I'll just have to wait for another opportunity to tell her, but I know I will succeed. This is a mission I cannot fail.'
Heero's thoughts were then interrupted by the sound of Duo's voice, "Heero? Heero! Are you with us? Earth to Heero! Come in!" called Duo.
"What do you want, Maxwell?" Heero snapped coldly at his braided friend.
"Whoa, Heero, where were you? Were you like on another planet or something? 'Cause you were totally out of it," teased Duo.
Heero scowled at him and focused on the ground.
"Say, Heero," began Quatre, before Duo could start up again, "Were you thinking about that girl we met today? What's her name again? Oh, yes, Relena," he asked curiously.
Heero remained neutral on the outside, but he was starting to get edgy. How could he have known? "No, what makes you say that, Quatre?" said Heero; making sure his voice didn't sound too nervous.
"Oh, no reason. I just thought you two might have some sort of relationship going on because it just appeared to me, that there was a sort of connection between you and her. The way the two of you looked at each other… it's almost like you guys share a strong bond. Are you sure you're not just trying to cover up your feelings? You know you don't have to hide anything from us, we're your friends and we can help. "
"Heero was about to answer "No" again, when Duo abruptly out, "Yes! Yes, he does! Ever since the first day!"
Heero froze and so did everyone else. He turned to face his friend but he had a threatening look on his face. All four of them waited in fear to see what he might do.
"Oopsies. Sorry Heero, I didn't mean to say it out loud! Please don't kill me!" pleaded Duo.
Heero pulled out a gun, flicked off the safety and pointed it at Duo.
Duo gulped started running for his life, "Guys, HELP!!!!" he yelled at his friends.
"Oh no, you don't! Give me that gun," demanded Quatre, yanking the gun away from Heero and relocking the safety.
"Give it here, Quatre. That baka needs to learn how to keep his mouth shut," said Heero, holding out his hand for his confiscated gun.
Quatre refused, "Now Heero, there's no need for fighting. You know Duo's habits and that sooner or later he would have spilled anyway. We're all still friends, aren't we? Friends don't kill friends, Heero. And Duo! God, you've got to learn to keep your mouth shut! Blabbing out secrets and gossip is no way to earn friendship! I hope you've learned something from this," he scolded at them. No wonder Quatre was the peacemaker of the group. If it weren't for him, they probably would have destroyed each other a long time ago.
Dup nodded and Heero grunted. They began heading towards their destination again with Heero leading the way. Heero made himself a mental note, 'I'll get you another time, Maxwell.'
Duo mouthed a silent "thank you" to Quatre.
"No problem," he mouthed back, "Just shut up for now."
Duo decided it would be wise to take that piece of advice.
Relena strolled through the luscious flower garden, watering and taking great care of the flowers, while humming softly to herself. Of all the parts in the mansion, she loved the garden the most. She loved the wonderful fragrance of the delicate plants, the song of the birds' lovely voices, and the sight of furry little animals climbing up and down the trees collecting food. But most of all, she loved flowers for they brought back the most fondest memories of her childhood. She stopped by a batch of roses and knelt down to have a closer look. She touched the stem, being careful of the thorns and bent down to smell its sweet scent. Her eyes closed as a memory rolled through her head…a memory of her past…
A little girl, a younger version of Relena, sat on the streets, dirty and cold, trying to sell her hand picked flowers in the meadow. She was homeless and had no money. She was alone. She had nobody. No family, no friends. Just half a locket with a picture of someone she didn't even recognize, but she knew that if she could find that person, he might have some answers for her. But for now, she was content on selling flowers. Those who pitied her actually bought some flowers. Others ignored her, and others yelled at her to get lost. She wasn't discouraged; she had to find the boy in the locket. He was her only hope for a family; however, she couldn't find a single face that came even close.
One day, she decided to sneak into the park's flower garden display to admire their beauty. She knew it was stupid, but she just had to see those flowers. The guard caught her and was going to throw her out, but she ran. She ran as fast as she could, not caring about where she was going and accidentally bumped into something, or rather someone and they both fell backward. It was a boy, a few years older than herself, who looked awfully familiar. He too was dressed in rags and was dirty to the bone.
For a few moments, they just sat there, bemused; trying to figure out where one had seen the other before. Just then, they heard footsteps. Sensing there was danger, he quickly pulled the girl behind a tree to hide. The guard passed and Relena let out a huge gasp. Her locket was missing! She started to cry in panic, but the boy told her to stay calm and offered to help her search for it. He found it near a rose bush near the area where they had bumped into each other. He picked it up, examined and just simply froze. Relena gratefully asked him to return it, but he wouldn't. He just stood there like a statue. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Relena begged and pleaded and tried to grab it from him, but he wouldn't let go. Finally when she had lost her patience and was about to hit him, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the other half of the locket! He combined the two halves and it was a perfect match! Relena stared at the locket, dumbfounded, but the boy held her in an embrace. He told her that he was her brother, Milliardo, and that he has been searching for the owner of the other half of the locket for a very long time, for the girl in the locket was his long lost sister. Relena's eyes were flooded with tears of joy, as she finally knew the truth. She did have family, a brother, who cared and loved her very much, but unfortunately this happiness would only last eight years.

"Beautiful roses, don't you think?" came a voice from behind.
Startled, Relena opened her eyes and saw the Mistress glancing down at her. She then turned to the Mistress and stuttered out an embarrassed response, "Y-yes ma'am, they're l-lovely."
The Mistress was sitting in the patio, having her afternoon tea, and admiring her flowers, when she noticed Relena, humming to herself and watering the flowers with care and adoration. She had also saw her go into a deep trance when she smelled the roses. That's when she realized that there had to be a story behind Relena and the flowers or why else would she take such good care of the flowers each day?
"Thanks to you. Come, won't you join me for a cup of tea?" offered the Mistress kindly, as she poured tea into an empty cup.
Relena uncertainly, went forward and took a seat across from the Mistress. She didn't dare touch the teacup.
"I've been busy so I guess I've been neglecting this garden, but now I'm very glad and relieved that it's in very capable hands. These flowers are my life. I don't know what I'd do without them," the Mistress paused to take a sip out of her teacup. "Drink up, dear, or your tea will get cold," she prompted.
Relena flushed and slowly wrapped her slender fingers around the cup and brought it up to her lips.
The Mistress continued, "Relena, I noticed while you were tending the roses, a sort of longing and sad expression came over you. Child, if there's anything that's bothering you, you can tell me and I can help you. You can trust me. Are you unhappy with anything around here?" she asked gently.
Relena smiled, "Thank you for your kindness, but I'm afraid no one can help me, not even you, Mistress," she said, her voice filling with sadness. She absently started to fidget with a tiny, heart-shaped locket that hung around her neck.
"Come now, it can't hurt to tell me about your worries," comforted the Mistress. She then noticed the locket. "What's that you have there? A locket? From your past maybe? Come, why don't you tell me about your past. It might help you feel better," she said soothingly.
The Mistress seemed to understand and sympathize with Relena. She really wanted to help this poor girl out. Ever since she first arrived, the Mistress had noticed something sad about her, but she could never pinpoint the source of her problems, for she never talked about them. And lately, she had noticed that even more sadness hung over her like a shadow. She felt sorry for her and wanted to help. She also wanted to learn more about her history; her family, her past, and how she wound up as a servant.
Relena was unsure of what to do. She had never revealed her past to anyone before, except Hilde. But, she felt as if she could confide in the Mistress. The Mistress was more to her than just her employer; she was like a mother figure.
Finally after a moment, she decided to let it out. "It's just that…just that…" she started, but paused to think of a good place to start, "…it's just that I miss Milliardo so much," she whispered, barely audible.
"Milliardo?"
"My brother, the only family I ever had and I ever knew. But he's gone now. I miss him so much," she explained sadly.
"But what about your parents? Relatives? Friends?" questioned the Mistress.
Relena shook her head. "I never knew my parents. Hilde was the only friend I had." She took a deep breath and launched into her story. "Ever since I can remember, I was lost alone, without anyone or anything in the world. I didn't have a family or a home, and quite often, I had no food. The only clue I had for my existence was this locket."
She unclasped it and removed it off her neck to show the Mistress, who examined it carefully. When opened, the inside of the two panels held pictures; one of a young boy with the same beautiful blue eyes as Relena and platinum blond hair, and the other of a younger girl, who looked like a younger version of Relena.
"That's myself and Milliardo as children. I've always had this locket, but the strange thing was, I only had half of the locket, the half with Milliardo's picture," she explained. She then went on to explain her past, how she used to survive on selling handpicked flowers and how she found her brother at a flower garden. All the while the Mistress listened intently to her story.
"From that day forward, we stuck by each other through good times and bad," said Relena, "but when he died, it was the worst."
"I'm sorry to hear that. When did he die? How?" asked the Mistress.
"He died five months ago from a disease. We would have gone to the doctor, but we didn't have enough money, no matter how hard I worked. His last words to me before he passed away were for me to find true happiness and to get a real job so that I could live better. And so, here I am," she finished.
"Are you finding true happiness here?" questioned the Mistress.
Relena paused to choose her words wisely. 'Does she know what happened?' she wondered nervously. "Indeed, I am truly happy serving the Masters and Mistresses of the Yuy family. I am provided food, shelter, clothes, and an occupation. Why wouldn't I be happy?" she inquired, simply.
The Mistress looked at her doubtfully, but decided to let it pass. "Good, I'm glad to hear that. You know, Relena, if anyone mistreats you in anyway, be sure to tell me about it and I'll make sure that justice is served."
Relena rose from her seat and dipped in a curtsey. "I thank you, Mistress, for your kindness. For understanding and wanting to help."
The Mistress smiled and nodded her approval. Relena sat back down and tried to think of what to say next.
Just then a servant came by with a message for the Mistress. "Mistress, the Master wants to see you," she informed.
The Mistress sighed and replied, "Tell him I'll be there in a minute."
The servant curtsied and left to deliver the message.
"Relena, I must go now and see what is the matter. You may come along if you wish."
Relena nodded and followed the Mistress, since she had no more chores to do and she was also curious. The Mistress led her to the master bedroom, where the Master awaited with a chequered board of black and white squares, with little black figures standing on one end of the board and identical white figures on the other. Relena had never seen anything quite like it in her life. And the master bedroom! It was the largest bedroom in the entire mansion! Relena stood there in awe, gaping at everything. The room was elegantly ornamented and everything inside the room looked as fragile as glass and as delicate as a flower petal. She didn't dare touch anything.
"What is it, dear?" enquired the Mistress with a slight tone of impatience.
"Darling, I was wondering if you would mind playing a game of chess with me?" he asked.
"Is that all? You called me here just to play chess?" she demanded, annoyed. Then she sighed and gave up, "Very well, but you do realize that I'm not the best opponent for playing chess." She sat herself down at the opposite side of the board and moved a white pawn two spaces forward.

"Rel, what happened?!?!" exploded Hilde, as she opened her room to let Relena in. Hilde had invited her over for a short girl-to-girl chat that afternoon.
"What do you mean?" Relena asked, bemused, she closed the door behind her.
"Don't play dumb with me, girl, the news has been buzzing around the mansion like bees that just found a new batch of flowers," said Hilde flatly.
Relena gave her a blank look.
The raven-haired woman gave up with a sigh. "That you played chess against the Master and won?"
Relena widened her aquamarine eyes and blushed, "Where did you hear that? And what's wrong with that? What's the big deal?" she demanded. That was something that had been bugging her. She had received multiple looks of pure admiration and surprise from other servants as she passed by them, after her chess matches with the Master.
"Duh! Didn't you know? The Master is a champion chess player. No one has ever beaten him. That's one of the things he's well-known for." Hilde flopped carelessly over her bed. "Why didn't you tell me you knew how to play chess?"
"I didn't."
"Come on, don't be so modest! Tell me, who taught you? Maybe I can get some lessons too. Was it Master Heero?"
"Honestly Hilde," sighed Relena exasperatedly, "do you actually think that I had time in my childhood to play games?"
"Oh, yeah…oops, sorry, forgot about that," she said sheepishly. "Then how did you learn so fast? I've heard the Master say that it takes years to perfect one's chess skills. You couldn't have possibly learned it just by watching the game…" she murmured to herself.
"Hey! That's exactly what I did! How'd you know?" she exclaimed.
Hilde just stared at her open-mouthed. "How-"
Relena answered her question before she asked it. "I observed the Master and Mistress play this game and I taught myself all the moves. In one of their matches, the Master had the Mistress's king checked, but I saw a way out and told the Mistress. She ended up winning that match. And so he insisted that I play with him for the rest of my time there. That's it. I still don't see what the big deal is. The game isn't that hard to learn is it?" she asked, aggravated by the reaction everyone was giving her.
"Well…no, but to learn and master it all in one day! Now, that's amazing!" Hilde said wistfully.
Relena just shrugged and sat down on the floor close to Hilde's bed. "Oh, just forget it! Let's change the subject. What exactly did you want to talk about? You weren't planning to talk about chess all day, were you?" she said, giving her a pleading expression.
Hilde laughed, "Oh no! Not unless you wanted to, we could…"
"No, that's okay, I don't," she replied firmly.
"Well, in that case, how's everything going for you?" asked Hilde, changing the subject faster than you can say "checkmate."
Relena shrugged, "Not bad. You?"
"Okay. So have you adjusted to everything here? Do you like it here?"
"Yeah, I love it here. It's so beautiful," she answered, distantly.
Hilde grinned, a sly grin. "So do you like anyone in particular yet?"
Relena frowned, "Uh…what do you mean?"
"I mean, do you have a crush on anyone yet?" explained Hilde
Suddenly, they heard a loud banging noise from Hilde's closet. Relena, who was blushing madly, took this opportunity to change the subject. "What was that noise?" she whispered and rose from her spot to check it out, but Hilde quickly blocked her way.
Hilde looked nervous. "Oh, it's probably um…er… just the people who use the room beside mine," she replied anxiously. "Hey, would you mind keeping it down?" she yelled in the direction of the closet.
Relena looked at her suspiciously. 'She's up to something,' she thought to herself. "Hey, isn't your room at the end of the corridor? And isn't this the wall you don't have to share?"
"Uh…noooo…" she answered slowly, "You're wrong. Besides, who knows more about this room, you or I?" Hilde grinned. 'Whew, that was close! Damn, she's smart. If they don't keep it down, she'll figure it out!" she thought worriedly. Without another thought, she quickly got back to her mission. "So, Relena, you haven't answered my question yet. Do you like anyone?" She went back to lie on her bed.
Relena blushed again, "Well, of course, I like everyone here! They're so nice to me; I've never been treated like this before. I didn't even believe such people existed, until I came here. But, I can't say I have found someone special, not yet, anyway," she said shyly.
"Not yet? No one?" Hilde asked disappointedly.
"No! Do you expect theses things to bloom overnight?" asked Relena sarcastically, sitting herself back down at the base of the bed. Hugging her knees to her chest, she rested her head on her knees.
Hilde then smiled mischievously at her, "What is I tell you that there is someone who has taken a great interest in you? Would you return his love?"
Relena cocked her head sideways to give Hilde a funny look. 'She's definitely up to something,' she thought, "and I'd bet my next salary that this is her idea of playing matchmaker with me.' She decided to play along, just for the fun of it. "I guess it depends on how well I know the person, then I would know if his intentions were true. But, I believe in true love, that love should find you, not you should find it. True love is how much two people care for each other, not how much they care about how much money they have, or how the they look. It's what's on the inside that counts, and love, to me, is what matters most in a relationship," she said quietly. She then smiled as she discovered a way to turn the tables around. "You're a lucky girl, Hilde, to have someone like Duo. Even though you guys fight a lot, I can still tell that you love each other deeply and your love is true. Hold on to him, Hilde, you might never find another one like him."
Now it was Hilde's turn to blush," I know, I am lucky, aren't I?"
"Say, you two are getting married, right? When's the wedding?" asked Relena, purposely trying to embarrass her.
It worked. Hilde reddened even more. "I don't know, we really haven't talked about it much," she answered timidly.
Relena nodded to say that she understood, but didn't have any further comments on the subject.
A moment's silence passed before Hilde spoke again. "Let me ask you something, Relena. You said that you believed in true love. But, how would you know if it's true love? How could you tell?"
Relena thought this through and answered honestly, "I don't know. I guess, you would know right away, kind of like an instinct."
"So you believe in love at first sight?"
"Yes…no…oh, I don't know! Love is too complicated!" she grumbled, annoyed with herself.
"Love can be pretty confusing at times, but if you find the right person, then it's totally worth it," supplied Hilde.
"How do you think love at first sight would feel?" Relena questioned her friend curiously.
"Well… it's kind of hard to say. I think it's like when two people look at each other for the first time and they instantly become overwhelmed with a sudden new emotion, love, and then they always want to be near each other. It's a wonderful feeling, love is. It makes one feel safe and warm," said Hilde thoughtfully. "Have you ever experienced something similar before?"
Relena nearly hyperventilated. If Hilde's description on love at first sight is correct, then she had, unknowingly, experienced a similar feeling before, for Heero. She hadn't known what it was back then and now she wished she hadn't. 'But, I couldn't be in love with Master Heero, can I? He is my Master; a relationship like that could never be possible. No, it must be just a big mistake, 'cause there's no way that he would ever love me or I would love him, there's just no way! Maybe Hilde just doesn't know how love at first sight really feels. Maybe what I felt when I met him was something else, but it couldn't have been love I felt, could it?' she thought to herself. Her face wrinkled as her head reeled through every excuse she could come up with, but she wasn't certain of what it was she felt. "Well, I…uh…um…I…" she stammered, trying to think of what to say.
Hilde noticed her discomfort and perked up excitedly. If she admits to it, her mission would be a success after all. "Well?" she prompted.
"N-no, I haven't," she lied, hoping that she didn't sound too nervous. "But, I'll keep that in mind in the future, when I do. Boy, I'm thirsty from all that talking. Do you have anything to drink in here?" she asked, hoping to change the topic.
"Sure," she replied, not saying anything more about love. She got up and went to the table, which held a jug of water. She poured the clear liquid into two glasses, brought them back to her bed, and handed a glass to her friend. Then she took a long, slow drink, thinking of what to do next. She had one more option and she had no choice but to use it. She took a deep breath and asked something that caught Relena totally off guard, "What do you think of Master Heero?"
Relena, who was just taking a sip of water, choked. Her first instinct was to spray out the water, but instead she gulped it down, bursting into intervals of coughs. "*cough*…What did… *cough* you say?" she managed to ask, pounding her chest to soothe her cough.
"Sorry, Rel," said Hilde, worriedly, "Didn't mean to surprise you like that. What I meant was, how would you describe Master Heero, now that you know him better?"
There was another odd sound from the direction of Hilde's closet, but this time, Relena was too distracted to notice. How did she feel about Heero? She wasn't quite sure herself. Sometimes, she really liked him and liked being around him, but other times, she wanted to be as far away as humanly possible.
"He…" she began, carefully wording her statement, "He's nice, I guess."
"You're still mad at him, aren't you? For what he said to you when you met him?" she asked, afraid that she already knew the answer.
Relena nearly exploded in rage. "Oh yeah, I haven't forgotten that! Why wouldn't I be mad? How dare he say that servants and slaves are just objects, mere playthings for the rich? If you had heard him, you'd be angry too! And when I tried to stand up for myself, he hit me! Now tell me, why shouldn't I be still angry?"
Hilde nodded calmly, "I see. But is that all? You only feel anger, hatred and resentment towards him? What about the good things he has done for you, isn't there any? Don't they mean something to you?"
Relena's expression softened. She placed a hand over her cheek and remembered the warm fell of Heero's hand. "Yeah, they do. He did apologize for his actions and he helped me apply medicine. And he did save me from trouble numerous times. Plus he has done so much so that I would feel comfortable in here. So I guess, I feel grateful for knowing someone like Master Heero, and if I had the chance to repay him for what kindness he has shown me, then I would," she replied softly.
Hilde looked at her and gave her a mischievous grin, "Oh, I'm sure you will get an opportunity soon enough!"
"And what is that supposed to mean?" demanded Relena. All afternoon, she felt like she was missing part of the conversation, and now, she didn't like the way Hilde said that. It made her sound like she was hiding something from her…
"Nothing! Nothing at all," she said innocently. 'She mustn't find out yet. It's not my place to say,' she reminded herself and quickly changed the topic.
The two girls talked until late into the afternoon when Relena suddenly noticed the time. "Oh no, It's 4:30, and Master Heero will be back at 5! Hilde, I gotta go prepare his afternoon tea for when he returns. I'll see you at dinner! Bye!" waved Relena, hurrying out the door.
"See you soon, Relena!" shouted Hilde, before shutting her bedroom door and locking it. "You guys can come out now. The coast is clear," she called out to the open space.
There was a shuffling sound before the door of the closet opened. Heero and Duo exploded out, gasping for air.
"God! Why do you girls always have to talk for such a long time? A guy could suffocate in there," complained Duo.
"Well, it was your idea to eavesdrop! And who says we talk for a long time? That was only three and a half hours!" she replied, indignant. "And next time, would you mind keeping the noise down? I wouldn't be surprised if she suspects something's going on. Normal closets don't make a sound," she informed them.
"That was all Heero's fault! He kept hitting me on the head!" whined Duo, rubbing his sore head.
"You shouldn't have laughed! I had to shut you up so we wouldn't get caught," he said plainly.
"BUT DID YOU HAVE TO HIT ME SO HARD?!?!" Duo yelled resentfully at his friend.
"Shhh…she might still be nearby!" she hissed, placing a finger on her lips. "Did you get the information you needed, Master Heero?"
There was a moment of silence before Heero replied, "Not quite, but at least I have enough to come to a decision."
"What's that?" prompted Duo and Hilde together.
"I'm going to tell her. She deserves to know that much at least."
Hilde cheered and squealed with laughter. "I can't believe it! You really do love her, do you?" she asked, delighted for her best friend.
Heero refused to answer her question, but the look in his eyes told them that he did. He truly did.
"See Heero? I told you this would work! And if it weren't for me spilling the beans on the guys, then this would never have happened," beamed Duo proudly.
"If it weren't for you, I would probably have solved this problem a long time ago," Heero growled back through gritted teeth. Duo gulped.
Hilde laughed. Some things will never change between those two.
This all started when Quatre suggested using the meeting to help Heero get together with Relena. Duo, of course, agreed, and so did Trowa since didn't really feel like talking about military tactics and stuff today. Wufei refused to talk about weak things like love, and since this issue would cause complete embarrassment, Heero refused along with him. Majority won, 3 vs. 2, and the topic for the day's meeting was Heero's social life.
It was Duo who came up with the idea of eavesdropping. At first, Heero forbade the idea. He absolutely did not want to be part of something so disgraceful. But, in the end, he was persuaded by his friends to at least give it a try. Together they worked out the details of this scheme (even Wufei was got involved!). Then it was time to put the plan into action. They left the meeting at noon so that they could get back and explain things to Hilde.
Hilde was more than happy to help, but she didn't like the idea of eavesdropping. Eventually, Duo convinced her to do them this favour. And she did.
"Thanks Hilde, babe! You're the greatest!" grinned Duo, giving her kiss on the cheek.
"Yes, thank you for your services, Hilde, you were most helpful," thanked Heero.
Hilde looked shocked. Gratitude from Master Heero was a rare thing. "No problem, guys. Now, Master Heero, please get back to your room. I believe Relena is waiting for you there," she said with a wink.
Heero scowled. His big secret was no longer a secret. Even though he had sworn Hilde to secrecy, it would be out in a couple of weeks because he knew how deadly a combination of girls and gossip can be. Without another word he left.
"See you later, Hilde!" saluted Duo and he left as well.
"Bye, Duo," Hilde replied, "and good luck, Relena."
"Good afternoon, Master Heero," greeted Relena, curtseying. "I have your afternoon tea ready. I know it's not noon any more, but I thought you might still like some tea so I prepared some for you on the table." Heero just walked in briskly without saying a word. He nodded at Relena and sat himself at the table to slowly drink the tea. "Join me," he said all of a sudden. It was more like a command rather than a request.
"Oh no, I can't. It's not polite to sit at the same table as the Master, and besides, I've already had tea and-" replied Relena, but was cut off abruptly.
"I said, Join. Me." he commanded once more, this time more hoarsely.
Relena obeyed, frightened by his tone.
Heero kicked himself mentally. He'd done it again. "Listen Relena, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. It's just that I have something to tell you, but I don't know where to start," he explained, softening his tone.
"It's okay, you can tell me," she told him curiously. She was surprised by his sudden change in expression.
Heero took a deep breath. 'Well, here goes nothing,' he thought. "I just wanted to say that…" before he could say anymore, the bell rang throughout the house. It was the first dinner bell, the bell that summons all the servants who were on kitchen duty that month.
"It's dinner time already?" she asked, checking the time. "I'm sorry Master Heero, but I need to go. Tell me later, alright?" she said and left for her duties.
Heero growled and slammed a fist on the table, angry at his own stupidity. He cursed the air, "Why now? Why me? Why do things like this always happen to me? Why am I always so close and yet so far?"

AN: Done Chapter 5 finally!!!! I hope it's satisfactory. I kinda rushed this part so that I could get it off my chest and on to the net. I even cut some minor parts off! (Nothing too big though…) School is very hectic now and exams are in two weeks so I have absolutely no idea when I'll finally feel like writing, but I wouldn't be surprised if it takes as long as this one did!
Disclaimer: I make no claims to Gundam Wing or it's characters, nor am I making any profit. This fanfic was written merely for the sole purpose of entertainment.