Notes: This chapter contains yuri hints and a heavy 1+R moment. (No, Heero hasn’t
decided to go het on us…again.) However, I will try to focus on the others in
this way. As ‘Tales’ winds down, I think it’s only fair that we get to know
what the gang’s all about. Enjoy!^^
Fujisaki High School
Student Council Room
Monday, 8.32am:
The ‘gang’ has been in my office for a while, listening as we regale them with
stories from our escapades over the weekend. I decide to let Duo do most of the
talking. He’s in his element after all. This is his stage and we’re all merely
players moving to the rhythm of his tune. My only job is to embellish a
particular event by nodding or agreeing to whatever he’s saying. He starts off
with the visit to Zechs for obvious reasons - no use getting into the
depressing topic of his father’s funeral right off the bat. This, of course,
brings great amusement and questions from our friends as they want to know what
Zechs and his dorm room look like and how many girlfriends he has and so on and
so forth. When that topic is exhausted, Duo finally talks about the ‘meeting’
with the family. Naturally, the others become solemn and contemplative or in
the case of Relena, quite upset at how unfair they had treated Duo. Appeasing
her gentler side with a hug of gratitude, Duo brings out the pictures of his
father and with great pride in his voice; he explains each one like a curator
showing off priceless works of art at a museum. As expected, the others ‘ooh’
and ‘aah’ over the images, saying how alike Daniel and Duo are or how cool
Daniel was or in the case of the girls, how ‘hot’ he was. The guys, however,
are more interested in what Duo has now acquired. Feeling slightly embarrassed
at admitting his new status in the upper echelon of society, he reluctantly
rattles off his new property and future job as CEO of the Merck Corporation.
Not surprisingly, this news is met with cries of delight, hugs and hearty pats
on the back as well as a toast led by Quatre in honor of Duo’s good fortune.
“Of course you do know this will make us rivals Duo,” Quatre says with a smirk.
“Bring it on, blondie,” Duo replies with a good-natured laugh. “But oh, the
best part of everything is this!” He holds up his hands to get their attention
and I lift my gaze from the paper (a list of all the businesses coming for
Career Day) before me, wondering just what else Duo could have to say. He looks
at me, winks and then clears his throat.
Oh no, he’s not.
“Heero and I are going on a trip around the world when high school’s over!”
A shocked silence meets his announcement and I can feel my cheeks reddening
with embarrassment as they all turn to look at me. I would laugh at how comical
they look with their slackening jaws but there’s no way for me to back out of
this now.
It’s Hilde who finally breaks the silence. “Really?! That is just so…romantic!”
“That’s great news Heero,” Trowa says. “But…what are your parents going to say
about it? You told us that your dad wanted you to begin classes at Kensington
as quickly as possible.”
“His dad can’t keep ruling his life forever you know,” Relena says with a firm
nod. “If he wants to travel the world with Duo after school, then more power to
him.”
“Yes, but we all know how anal parents can be when it comes to a thing like
this,” Wufei chimes in while rolling his eyes. “Look at my parents! I
don’t dare think of traveling anywhere once I’m done with Fujisaki. My dad’s
already setting me up with clients…”
“What does your dad do again?” Quatre asks.
“Business consulting.”
“Ah…”
“Ah what?” Wufei cuts in with a light frown on his visage. “You don’t think
business consultants are good enough?”
“Hey, I never said that…!”
“So what was with the condescending tone?”
Quatre blinks in confusion and I can feel a headache coming. “I wasn’t being
condescending, Wufei! Geez, relax already.”
“Uum, hello?? People? Attention should be focused on me and my supposed good
news?!” Duo interrupts with a sharp clap of his hands.
“Your news is all well and good Duo, but the fact remains that Heero’s parents
aren’t going to make it easy for him,” Trowa says and not for the first time, I
wonder what I would have ever done without Trowa Barton’s direct approach to
situations. Sometimes, I swear the boy lacks tact.
“Yeah, we’ve seen Heero’s parents and they’re a bit…” Wufei trails off.
“Staunch traditionalists,” Dorothy finishes quietly. “You haven’t met them yet,
Duo?”
Duo looks flummoxed and I wince inwardly. Come to think of it, we’ve never
really talked about my parents much, have we? It’s just something that hasn’t
come up in light of all the recent events.
“I don’t see what meeting them has to do with anything…for now,” he amends
quickly. “Like Relena said, they can’t keep ruling his life forever. He’s got to
make his own decisions and if he wants to come with me, then they can’t stop
him.”
The others look at me and I manage a smile towards them. Yes, they’ve met my
parents once before and I guess that experience has left quite an impression on
them. I mean, why wouldn’t it? My mother’s attention to detail can be quite
unnerving sometimes and even though my father’s a lot less rigid, he still
holds our family traditions and values to the utmost standard. Naturally, I’m
expected to abide to them which maybe why I haven’t gotten the nerve to tell
them about my relationship with Duo yet.
“Duo’s right,” I find myself saying. “I’m going with him so there’s no need to
worry too much about me. I can take care of myself. We’ll be fine.”
“Well I for one wish you both the best,” Relena says, leaning close to kiss us
on our foreheads. “If you’re not worried, then I won’t be.”
As if on cue, the bell for the first classes suddenly rings and we’re harshly
reminded of just where we are. Quick goodbyes and promises to meet for lunch
are exchanged, backpacks packed, books picked up and chatter turns to subjects
of the day while my head’s currently swimming with the after-school activities.
Classes will end at midday for the second and third year students so they can
have the time to wander through the many stands on the school grounds which
have been set up for the various businesses attending. I have scheduled a quick
meeting with the class presidents, hall monitors and other officials. Their
jobs will include making sure that no student leaves the school grounds without
permission or cause a ruckus.
“You look stressed out already,” Duo says, causing me to lift my head quickly.
I was in the process of putting Biology notes in my bag and a quick glance
around the room tells me that we’re the only ones left. Good grief, I was so
lost in my world I hadn’t even noticed.
“Monday,” I reply with a light shrug and zip the bag closed before sighing
softly. “Look Duo, I’m sorry about…”
“Sorry about what?” He places a hand on my wrist to pull me closer to him. Our
foreheads meet, my lashes lowering as my gaze seems transfixed on his lips. Our
bodies, although hindered by layers of clothing, seem to mold together and as
he whispers my name against my lips, I know I just might end up going late to
Lady Une’s class. But I’ve got to try to explain things to him…try to see if
he’s upset over not meeting my parents yet. But there’s the bitter memory of
what had happened over the summer and talking about them now would only bring
up my grave mistake with Misa.
“Duo…” I begin in a voice thick with reluctant need. Ah, damn it. He’s making
it hard to concentrate with his lips against my ear like that. “Duo…I…”
“We’ll worry about your parents later, Heero,” he whispers, nibbling my earlobe
gently, something that absolutely, positively drives me insane. “However,
there’s something else that’s been bothering me lately.”
“Wha…what…?” Mind screaming ‘late for class!’, body definitely screaming ‘must
get Duo naked now!’
“Do you think Relena’s…well…a dyke?”
Duo couldn’t have struck me any harder if he tried. Any thoughts of screwing
him senseless flies out the window as I pull away to gape at him in disbelief.
He looks back at me with an innocent expression on his features.
“What? Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed it either!”
When I finally find my voice, it’s to whisper harshly (as if assuming she’s in
the room somewhere listening to us), “What are you talking about?! Noticed
what?!”
“She never mentions her boyfriend for one thing,” Duo says, now ticking off his
fingers as if going through a mental checklist. “You’ve definitely seen the way
she looks at Hilde and even Dorothy sometimes. I swear there’s something going
on between those girls!”
“You’re crazy,” I finally say with a shake of my head after staring at him for
a few more seconds. “There’s no way in hell that Relena’s…that she’s…”
“A dyke?” Duo volunteers with a grin.
“At least call it the proper name!” I have no idea why this is rather
disturbing to me but I am shaken about the whole thing. But…why? Why should it
be earth shattering to assume that Relena might be interested in girls? I mean
look at me! Who would have thought that an uptight, semi-antisocial guy like me
would end up with Duo?
“Lesbian, dyke, makes no difference,” Duo says with a shrug. “But seriously, we
should ask her.”
“Why don’t you do it?” I retort, shrugging on my backpack. “You came up with
the idea…”
“That you’ve been thinking about,” he finishes with a wicked grin, falling in
step with me as we make our way out of the room.
“Christ and I was just about to make mad passionate love to you on the desk…”
“Oooh, we can always go back!”
He leans close for a kiss and I place a hand against his face to stop him.
“Don’t even dream about it, pervert. You brought up this topic about Relena and
it’s ruined everything. In fact, I don’t think I want to talk about it
anymore.”
Lunchtime:
“I still say you should speak to her about it,” Duo says while sucking hard on
his lollipop – a normally erotic sight to witness if it wasn’t for the nervous
sensation in the pit of my stomach. I can’t even eat lunch.
“Talk to who about what?” Wufei asks as he approaches us. We’ve decided to eat
outside today, since it’s a beautiful afternoon and we can watch the activities
on the grounds from our vantage point. Career Day is in full swing and although
most of the students could do without the yearly ritual, it’s a good excuse to
hang out with friends and enjoy an early day off from classes. Many local
businesses as well as a few well-known Fortune 500 companies (we had worked our
butts off to get them to attend this year) approach students with flyers,
brochures or demo videos hawking themselves in the hopes that they would boast
of securing the highest number of recruits. I really should still be down there
overseeing the event but I gave the task to Kenzo, who seemed more than happy
to take my place. I wonder what he hopes to become when he leaves school.
Hopefully, Brown-Noser wouldn’t be on top of his list.
Ah, but don’t think only businesses attend, college recruiters are in full
swing as well and the competition is fierce. Whereas they preach the need for
students to focus on the joys of two or four more years of education, the
businesses are eager to suck up the young ones while they can. It’s almost
funny to watch them ‘battle’ it out or better yet, to watch a student torn
between visiting either stall. Last year, a fight had broken out between
members of a local community college and a business owner that specialized in
motor spare parts. It was great to watch, now that I look back on it, but Zechs
and his team of patrollers had put a stop to the fight before it could get any
worse. This year, I hope that no one tries anything that bad but so far, it
looks like things are going quite smoothly.
“It’s Relena,” Duo replies, raising a hand to salute Wufei, who sits on the
bench opposite Duo and I.
“What about Relena?” he asks, as he opens his tray of steamed rice, sesame
chicken and salad. He picks up his chopsticks and eyes us warily. “What did she
do this time?”
“Nothing,” Duo says and grins. “I was telling Heero that he should ask her if
she’s a dyke.”
Wufei snickers (I had expected him to look aghast or to scream with indignation
but apparently not) and begins to pick his food. “So you noticed too, eh?”
“See?! See, Heero?!” Duo cries out in victory. “I told you she was boinking one
of the girls!”
Oh God, now I really can’t eat anything. I push my tray of untouched curried
rice, groaning in disbelief. “I can’t believe you guys are actually thinking
she might be…” I shake my head. “Sorry, I just don’t see it happening. Relena’s
easily grossed out by things like that!”
“How do you know that?” Duo asks with a raised brow. “Maybe she likes to keep
it on the hush hush.”
“What are you guys talking about?” Quatre asks as walks towards us with Trowa
in tow. Looks like Trowa paid a visit to some stands because he has several
brochures and pamphlets tucked under an arm.
“We suspect that Relena’s into girls,” Wufei announces as the two sit beside
him. I’m glad to see that neither he nor Quatre look like they’re going to get
into another argument.
“Ah, that,” Quatre says matter-of-factly, as he pulls out a tray of food to
give to Trowa before reaching for his. “I did wonder about that too.”
Duo’s positively grinning like a Cheshire cat now.
“Did she ever break up with…what’s his name?” Trowa asks.
“Tony Patterson from 3-C,” Wufei offers with a quick nod. “The guy was a joke.”
“Maybe he wasn’t doing anything for her, if you know what I mean,” Duo says and
we all burst out laughing. I didn’t mean to, honestly, but there was just
something so…
“Hey, boys! What’s so funny?”
Just as suddenly as we had laughed, we sober up quickly and lift a hand to wave
at her.
“Hey, Relena!” We sound like a bunch of chorus boys, trying our best to act as
innocently as possible.
“Hey,” she greets and stands before us, looking especially pretty today. Wait a
second. Hadn’t she always been this way? Didn’t I see her this morning? Why
should she look any different in the space of a few hours? But there’s no doubt
about it. She looks flushed and excited, her blue eyes bright and simply
beautiful. In fact, it looked like she was in love. But with whom?!
Hilde? Dorothy? Some other girl?
“So? What’s the joke all about?”
Quatre coughs and focuses on his food. Wufei does the same while Trowa and Duo
exchange a look before Trowa replies casually. “Just another lame joke Duo told
us.”
“Must have been pretty good to be that funny,” she says and tosses her hair
gently. Come to think of it…
“Are you growing your hair out again, Relena?” I ask and for a moment she
starts as if goosed but then she gives me a warm smile.
“You noticed, huh? Yeah, I kinda got tired of the short hair thing, so I’m
working on growing it out again. Hopefully, I’ll have it back to its original
length in time for graduation.”
“You look beautiful.”
The boys give me sharp looks, none more piercing than Duo’s, but I’m determined
to get to the bottom of this.
She blushes and gives me a curtsey. “Why, thank you, Mr. Yuy. I’m glad I could
appeal to your aesthetic side today.” She laughs and nods towards the stalls.
“The girls and I are interviewing some of the business owners for Freedom Bell,
so we can’t join you after all. I just came to tell you that…”
“How’s Tony Patterson?” I ask and this time, she gives me a surprised look as
if hearing the name for the first time.
“Tony? What about him? I guess he’s fine…”
“I thought you two were dating.” Now, I can really feel all their eyes on me
and I swear the temperature has risen by a few degrees.
She looks uncomfortable and then laughs softly. “We were dating but we broke
up.”
Duo gives a small cough and shifts beside me but I pretend not to notice.
“When? How come you never told us?”
“Since when did my personal affairs matter to any of you?” she asks with her
arms now folded before her chest. Her eyes are narrowed and now seem wary.
“What’s going on here? Why all these questions all of a sudden?”
“But why did you two break up?”
She gives an exasperated sigh. “All right, Officer Yuy. We broke up because he
was cheating on me. The bastard thought I wouldn’t find out he was sleeping
with Veronica Radcliff from 3-B behind my back. But I found out and well…the
rest as they say is history. Any other questions, my Lord?”
“So it was his fault that the relationship ended…not yours?”
Duo nudges me in the ribs and I suck in a harsh breath to mask the pain. I kick
his shin beneath the table in retaliation and his wince of agony is more than enough
for me.
“Heero…” Relena begins slowly. “What’s this all about? Is there something you
want to tell me?”
“I think I should just go back to the stands,” Quatre says as he begins to rise
to his feet. “We might have missed some on the way here, Trowa.”
“And I’ve got some assignments I have to get done like yesterday,” Wufei adds
as he begins to pack up his tray quickly.
But a loud slam on the table from Relena’s fist has them sitting down again
obediently. “No one’s leaving until you tell me what’s going on! Heero!” She
turns to look at me, her features now tight with impatience and annoyance.
“What. Is. Going. On?”
“Well…” I take a deep breath and say it in a rush. “We all seem to think that
you might be interested in girls now. Not that there’s anything wrong with it.
We just thought you would share such a thing with us…”
Dear gods, but that sounded lame. Why would she want to share such a thing with
us to begin with? It was none of our business anyway. I hold my breath,
watching as she straightens up with a painfully blank expression on her visage.
What is she thinking now? Is she upset? Sad? Mad as hell?
“So that’s what all of you think?” she finally asks in cool tone that has me
wincing inwardly. She’s definitely upset.
“Relena…” I begin.
“Is that what you all think?!” she bellows and a few students passing by turn
to stare at us in bemusement. As for us, we can only look down in shame unable
to meet those piercing blue eyes that would no doubt be filled with pain.
“I can’t believe you guys,” she’s saying as I find nature’s pattern on the
wooden table suddenly fascinating. “And I thought you were my friends.”
“Hey, Relena,” Duo says meekly. “We didn’t mean to…”
“Go fuck yourself…all of you!” she cries and before any of us can stop her, she
takes off running down the slope and towards the hustle and bustle of the crowd
below us. Without thinking twice about it, I all but leap out of my seat and go
after her, having to shove my way through students and a few staff people in an
effort not to lose sight of her.
“Relena! Wait!”
She runs into the main school building, which isn’t such a good thing since
we’d be running in the hallways and we’re more than likely to get caught by a
teacher. But to my surprise, she simply runs out of the other exit which leads
towards the gym area. Cursing beneath my breath at how fast she is, I pick up
the pace and finally catch up to her…at least her skirt.
The sound of ripping cloth fills the silence and for a second, both of us can
only gape at each other in surprise. Me, holding onto the khaki cloth while
she’s standing there with her white cotton panties visible for the whole world
to see. It’s a good thing we’re in a somewhat isolated area or things would
have gotten ugly really fast.
“Relena…I’m…so sorry. I didn’t mean to pull it…”
“Oh just shut up, Heero,” she whispers and falls to the ground in a slump,
slapping her hands over her face as her shoulders begin to shake gently. “God!
Could this day possibly get any worse?”
Her sobs become louder and feeling even more of a heel, I sigh and peel out of
my blazer slowly. “Here,” I whisper softly, covering her exposed lap as I sit
beside her on cool grass. I wrap my arms around her shoulders and pull her
close to me, wondering if she’d even respond to my touch. But she does all the
same, pressing her hot face against my shirt and sobbing even louder as if we
had done the worst thing in the world to her.
Hearing and seeing her like this now, it’s so easy to forget that she’s just an
ordinary teenage girl who must experience the same pain and hurt that we all
through. She’s always been the strong one out of all of us - the vocal one,
able to change things with her determination and resolve. If Duo hadn’t come
along…or if the stars had aligned just right, she and I would have been the
perfect couple – two rising stars of Fujisaki, destined to live together in a
beautiful home with a white picket fence, two kids and a dog.
“I’m sorry,” she’s saying softly, pulling back a little to eye my wet shirt. “I
messed it up for you.”
“I tore your skirt, so we’re even,” I reply with a small smile which she
returns, albeit tentatively. I reach out to brush away the tears from her
cheek, seeing again how truly beautiful she is. I just hope that someday she’ll
find the right man…or girl…to take care of her and make her happy.
“I should apologize to all of you,” she says, lowering her head and wringing
her hands together in a nervous gesture. “I didn’t mean to snap like that. It’s
just that…” She sniffles and rubs a hand across her eyes. “You guys…you might
be right.”
“Right? Right about what?”
She takes a deep breath and looks at me briefly. “I don’t know if I’m
really…into girls or not but…but…” She hitches in a sob. “…I have been with a
girl, Heero…and I…I didn’t hate it.”
I can only stare at her in silence, my heart hammering hard against my chest.
She looks at me again. “Are you disgusted with me, Heero? That pristine Relena
Peacecraft has been with another girl?”
“No…I mean…no…”
“I’m not saying I’m completely…you know…” she says quietly, lowering her lashes
to stare at her hands. “It’s not something I seek that desperately or anything.
I’m still attracted to boys…very much.” She smiles. “Even to you a little
bit…and Duo…even Wufei…and Trowa…and Quatre. All of you. You’re all attractive
young men and any girl or guy would be lucky to have you. Anyway…”
She takes another deep breath and begins to toy with the buttons on my blazer.
“I’m sure you’re wondering who the girl is. Rest assured it’s not Hilde or
Dorothy…”
I must have given a visible sigh of relief because she looks at me and then
shakes head slowly. “No, it’s not them. Dorothy’s actually got a thing for
Wufei believe it or not. Trust me, I don’t get it either.”
I do. I’ve noticed that for a while now but keep quiet all the same and allow
her to talk.
“Hilde…well…I actually thought she was into girls but it turns out that she’s
not. She’s just abstaining from sex because she’s vowed to remain a virgin
until her wedding day. Good for her if you ask me.”
“So…who were the girls that…you know…” I refuse to continue, knowing she’d
understand what I mean anyway.
“Do you know Akiko from 3-C? The one on the swim team?”
I gasp in surprise. “Koda Akiko?! The All-Star swimmer? She…she…you…”
Relena smiles softly, placing a finger against my lips to silence me. “Yes,
she. It was the day I had broken up with that jerk Tony. I was so mad about
what had happened and went to the restroom to have a good cry. That was when
she came in and…well…tried to comfort me.”
She blushes as I shake my head in disbelief. “She made out with you in the
restroom?!”
“No, silly!” She punches my arm playfully. “She just kissed me. I swear I was
grossed out by her daring and then she said she had always wanted to do that
for a long time and that she really, really liked me and…well…I was so mad with
Tony and just wanted to forget about him that I allowed her to do it again and
I…well…sort of liked it.”
She stops. “I’m grossing you out, aren’t I?”
“No.” And to be honest, I’m not really as disgusted as I thought I would be. In
fact, it’s all quite…fascinating. I guess this is why girls seem to have a
thing for getting us boys together. The concept of two women being a couple is
strangely…
“Why are you blushing?”
“I’m not blushing,” I reply quickly. “Continue with the story.”
She eyes me warily before speaking again. “Nothing dramatic happened after
that. I just went home feeling confused and ashamed at what I had allowed. I
couldn’t look you guys in the face for a while. I was afraid that you would all
notice and push me away or something. But Akiko wasn’t making it any easier for
me, Heero. It was as if she was deliberately making sure I would notice her.
She would come into our class for no good reason…or hang out at the Press
Room…it was just too much. But one day after school, I ended up staying late
because of some mistake Steve had done with the publication and there she
was…waiting for me. It’s as if she knew I needed someone to keep me company and
I was so alone and one thing led to another and…”
She slaps her hands over her face again and takes several deep breaths. “It
doesn’t mean I’m completely gay, Heero.” She lowers them to pin intense blue
eyes on me. “We both know it’s never going to be serious but she says that
she…she loves me and I don’t know what to do or say to that. I’m so damn
confused.”
“Welcome to a slice of my world,” I say quietly, pulling her back into my arms
to hold her close to me. “Do you remember how messed up I was when Duo came?”
She chuckles, her breath warm against my chest. “Do I ever? You were in so much
denial it wasn’t even funny.”
Blushing faintly, I nod in response. “Yes, I was in denial. I was too damn
afraid to give in to the new things and emotions I was experiencing, Relena. I
mean…one minute, he was driving me up the wall with his antics, the next
minute, he would do the most incredibly, amazing thing that would leave me
shaking my head in wonder and…”
“…love?” she finishes softly.
“Yes and love.”
“So when did you know you had fallen completely, head over heels for him?”
When indeed? From the moment I saw him? From the moment he stole my first kiss
in the hallway? From the moment I took him to my rooftop to share the sunrise
with him? When was it?
“Always…” I finally whisper into her thick locks, smiling softly as the
memories come rushing back to me. “I guess I’ve always been in love with him
but denied it to myself. And maybe that’s what you’re now going through,
Relena.”
She shakes her head softly. “I don’t know, Heero. I like Akiko, sure but love…I
don’t think I’d go that far.”
She sits up again and this time cups my cheeks gently, staring deeply into my
eyes as she speaks. “But I understand what you mean and I’ll continue to search
for an answer deep within my heart. I still have a dream that involves a man in
my life and maybe someday I’ll find him.”
She wraps her arms around my neck and hugs me tightly. Again, I can feel her
hot tears against my skin. “You are my best friend, Heero and I love you more
than you’d ever know. Thank you for being here for me…all of you. I dread the
day we’ll have to say goodbye but for now, let’s cherish the moments we have
together, okay?”
I don’t trust myself to speak, my throat so tight that I can only settle for a
small nod instead. We remain in that embrace for a long time, knowing that this
moment between us might never happen again. And for a brief instant, I am taken
back to a time when we were children playing in her large garden at the estate
and how I had held her when she fell and sprained her ankle. Even then she
hadn’t wanted to cry, her toughness and resiliency already manifesting at such
a tender age. There is no doubt about it now, I will miss Relena Peacecraft
terribly, when all is said and done.
“I love you, Relena,” I finally whisper into her hair, hoping and praying she
can feel the sincerity in my words. “We will always love you.”
And with a smile of gratitude in her voice, she replies softly, “I know, Heero.
I know.”
~End Period Twenty-Seven~