by Lady Aishiteru
*****
He was known as "The Perfect Soldier." He had been called that ever since he could remember. Was he ever anything but a fighter? Was there ever a time when his life didn't revolve around fighting battles and preparing for the next war? He didn't even remember who he was before he had become Heero Yuy.
He remebered during the war, when he had told Trowa that one could only live a good life by following their emotions. He smiled to himself sardonically; never had anyone given a piece of more hypocritical advice. Ever since he had been Heero Yuy, he had trained himself to bury all feelings, to the point where they no longer existed, to address friend and foe alike in a dead monotone, to live the life of an assasin and forget about the consequences.
He had lived his whole life without a soul. The Perfect Soldier did not need a soul. He existed as a machine, an engine of righteous vengeance for the colonies.
That was, until that fateful day on the beach, when he had fallen from the sky. He wasn't supposed to be seen by anyone, especially her. From the moment he met Relena Dorlian, Heero knew that his life was going to change. Sure, he tried to fight it.
But he gradually sensed his long-lost emotions returning. He was supposed to kill her. She was a threat to his mission. She knew entirely too much. He would be better off if she was dead....right? Then why did he have this feeling...yes, feeling...that he needed to protect her? 'It's because she is important to the world, to ensure lasting peace,' said his brain.
'Riiiiight. You keep on telling yourself that, Yuy," said his conscience, resonating in the beating of his heart, that his need to protect Relena ran much deeper than that.
These thoughts ran through his mind as he tied his bow, putting the last touches on his formal attire, which consisted of a tie, a tuxedo and a cummerbund. He had a party to go to, for someone he hadn't seen in years.
*****
Relena Dorlian-Peacecraft looked steadfastly into the mirror, her expression stoic as Dorothy hovered around her, fixing her hair, fussing with her makeup, holding up a one-sided conversation with the Vice Foreign Minister.
"So Quatre said that we could go to Paris on our honeymoon, and I said, 'No way! Venice is definetly the way to go, right?' I told him how romantic it would be just being with him, rowing along in a gondola, alone under the stars..." she trailed off, sighing happily.
It wasn't that she was bitter, thought Relena, her lips set in a grim line. She was happy for their friends. Their lives as soldiers long since over, they were free to live out the rest of their lives and find happiness with the ones they loved. Quatre had proposed to Dorothy a month ago, and their wedding date had been set sometime next summer. Trowa had been married to Midii for three years, and they were eagerly awaiting the birth of their second child. Wufei had surprised everyone by marrying Sally, and they shared a home in rural China, but the wedding of Lucrezia Noin and Milliardo Peacecraft didn't shock anyone. Duo and Hilde had eloped last year, on a totally spur of the moment thing, and ran off to Vegas. She was the only one who wasn't with the one she loved.
Heero Yuy. She hadn't seen him since the pilots had prevented Mariemaia's rise to power, which was three years ago. But she had never stopped thinking about him, had never stopped loving him. He had been with her every night in her dreams, and was never far from her waking thoughts. Sometimes she would wake up at night and she could almost feel his strong arms around her.
She wondered what had become of him. Was he still handsome? Did he still wear those godawful spandex pants? Was his hair still a stranger to combs and brushes everywhere? She smiled at the thought of his bangs that hung over his prussian blue eyes, and longed for him to be there, so she could brush then out of his field of vision.
"So, anyways, Quatre said, 'But don't you want to see the Eiffel Tower?' I said, 'No way!' Then he said that French is the language of love. I said, 'How do you know that? What have they done so that their culture is so romantic?'"
Relena smiled, resolving to pay more attention to her talkative friend. "What did he say to that?" she asked.
"He didn't say anything."
"Nothing?"
"He kissed me. I had forgotten that he was such a good kisser. Then he said, 'Look at what the French have done for the kiss!'"
"Yeah, he's got a point there," said Relena, wondering what it would be like if Heero kissed her...'Stop it, Relena! Stop acting like a lovesick little girl!' she mentally chided herself.
Not noticing the slight break in conversation, Dorothy continued her story. "So I went online and purchased two tickets to Paris, and he went online and purchased two tickets to Venice. We had a good laugh about that, and now we're going to both."
Dorothy applied the finishing touches to Relena's hair, then she stepped back and smiled. "I declare you officially ready for the ball. Go get 'em, Miss Relena."
Relena sighed. "I wish you'd stop calling me that. I'm not Queen of the World anymore. Just call me Relena." she said, rising to her feet.
"Yes, Miss Relena."
Relena shook her head, walking to her pride and joy, her pink limo, and Dorothy happily talked her ear off as Pargan drove the two women to the ball.
*****
"...and the TV has 250 channels...not that we'll be watching much of it....heh heh heh....And Rashid promised me that the view is spectacular. There's a hot tub with 5 jets, and a bar stocked full of Merlot, champagne, and red wine...all from 2000! From what I've heard, I'm told it was a very good year. (AN: Remember that GW is set WAY in the future, at least 200+ years from now.) And the BED! The pillows are goose down and it has satin sheets, and a velvet comforter, and Dorothy promised to wax her....
Before Quatre could shock Heero by acting *MASCULINE* and telling him in detail what he and Dorothy would be doing in that hotel room on their wedding night, and what exactly she would get waxed, (AN: I hope it's her eyebrows. Don't hurt Quatre-sama, Dorothy!) he was thankfully interrupted by Relena's graceful entry into the ballroom.
Everybody's jaws dropped, including Heero's. 'She looks....spectacular...' thought Heero. Her hair hung loosely, curled at the ends like a princess from a fairy tale, complete with a glittering tiara, diamond earrings and a stunning necklace with a tear shaped diamond. She was wearing a powder blue dress with modest straps, and sparkling white pumps. Heero gasped along with everyone else in the room; the teenager that Heero knew had blossomed into a gorgeous woman, complete with curves in all the right places. Her steps were those of a woman, so fluid and graceful that she seemed to be walking on air.
"Good evening, ladies and gentleman," said Relena, starting her well rehearsed speech. "I'm happy that you could make it to the third anniversary of the war's ending. I hope that we are able to enjoy many more years of peace. Please, enjoy yourselves, and have a nice evening."
With that, she stepped off the podium and sat in a chair, intent on watching this wretched night pass her by. Sure, she loved dances when she was younger, the pulse of the music, the admirers coming up to her and asking her to dance, the multitude of praises. But, to her matured senses, all of her suitors seemed as phoney as plastic, the music was dull and lifeless, and their kind words seemed like empty flattery. One look into their eyes told her what they were really saying and what they wanted. Some wanted to bed her, others were interested in her position, and the rest wanted help with some ridiculous project she would never approve of. And many of them had two left feet, but she let them step on hers, smiled politely and bravely called it dancing.
'Oh no, here comes one of them now,' thought Relena, preparing a fake smile and rising to greet her suitor.
Heero watched Relena dance with man after man, all the time smiling, laughing and twirling around the room. To most onlookers, it looked like she was having a great time, but Heero wasn't fooled. He looked into her eyes and saw what her dancing partners failed to see in the aquamarine orbs. A sad, haunted expression that seemed to grow worse every minute. Finally, Relena bowed to her partner and excused herself.
Relena walked gracefully until she was outside, then she ran off into the only secluded place she could think of. She couldn't stand any more of it. She was sick and tired of pretending, or living a lie, even if it was for the benefit of the world. She sat down and let out her sorrows, crying lonely tears of anguish.
Heero had observed her exit and nodded to himself. 'Mission accepted,' he thought as he dashed out of the door and into the night.
*****
After what seemed like ages to his pounding heart, Heero found Relena sobbing in the palace gardens. Every sob was like a stab in the gut as he wondered, 'Did I make her feel this way?' He stealthily crept to where she was sitting, sat down behind her and drew her into his arms.
Her first impulse was to scream bloody murder, but then she caught the scent, that of sweat mingled with spices. 'His scent,' she thought. "Heero," she said, more of a statement than a question.
"Relena," he responded.
"I...I missed you," she said, fresh tears spilling from her eyes.
Without saying a word, Heero reached in front of her face and wiped away each tear.
Relena's eyes went wide, remembering the last time he had wiped away her tears and the promise he had made that day.
"Are you....here to kill me?" she asked.
"No," he said, simply, sitting there with her, just holding her under the moonlight. He rose to his feet, drawing Relena with him. "Care to dance?" he said, smiling.
For the first time in years, Relena enjoyed dancing, hearing a special melody that seemed to exist only for them. She buried her head in his chest and smiled.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"For what?" Relena asked, her voice somewhat muffled against Heero's chest.
"For threatening to kill you, for putting your life in danger," he said, his voice full of what sounded to Relena like...regret?
"I understand," said Relena. "I always have."
"N-nani?"
She smiled. "Remember how I said I was on your side? It was true, and it still is. Besides," she said, smiling wider, "As I recall, you saved my life twice."
"Three times," said Heero, smiling. "But you would have never been in danger if it weren't for me."
"But I was in danger, Heero. In danger of being bored to death. I was living someone else's life; the pampered daughter of a diplomat, Relena Dorlian. You showed me that there's a whole world of people out there, one that didn't revolve around me."
"Hn," said Heero.
They danced silently for awhile, then Heero stepped back a bit. He brushed away some stray tears that had fallen down Relena's face.
"Oh my gosh, your tuxedo! i've ruined it! I'm so sorry!" exclaimed Relena. But the tears still fell.
"Why are you crying?" asked Heero.
Relena shook her head, not saying anything. But Heero saw the look in her eyes, a mixture of doubt and love. And he knew that the time for words had passed. He cupped Relena's chin in his hands and closed his lips on her own.
She opened her eyes wide, surprised at the level of passion being poured into the kiss. She didn't know what she had expected from him, a cold fish, perhaps? She was the one to take it beyond chastity, inviting him to open his mouth. He gladly oblidged, causing shivers of pleasure to run down Relena's spine as she melted in his arms. "Mmmmm..." she said into his mouth.
They broke apart, a dreamy look on Relena's moonlit face.
"You know what?" said Heero.
"Mmmm?" she asked, still dazed.
"I wasn't sorry about that."
"Me either," she said. She linked arms with him and they walked back into the palace. She finally had him. Heero. And she knew from the look in his eyes that he was no longer an emotional vaccuum, as she saw love and desire radiating from the prussian orbs. The Perfect Soldier was dead, buried for good, leaving only Heero. Her Heero.