Ch. 12

"No." Heero narrowed his eyes, turning his glare from the tall redhead to her.

"Nani?"

"What part of no, didn’t you understand? It’s not reasonable. I won’t abide by it." She explained patiently.

"How’s that unreasonable? You don’t have to dance." He reasoned back his voice still in the irritating monotone.

You want to know what’s unreasonable? Your voice is what’s unreasonable. Does it hurt the vocal cords to keep it like all the time? Relena continued to look him in eye, pushing the thoughts out of her head. "Yes, I do have to dance. It’s consider rude and vulgar if I don’t have at least one dance with every male present." She sighed lifting up one hand to flick an uncooperative tendril out of her eyes. Keep it up and I’ll get the scissors, She mentally threatened the hair.

"You don’t have to dance the waltzes."

"Heero, almost every third dance is a waltz."

"Leaving the other two open." She glanced up at him, wondering if he was really being serious. The Prussian eyes showed no traces of mirth and there was no sign on his face that it was all a big joke. Switching tactics, she quickly replied, "I need that third dance. Besides, I can’t dance every waltz with you."

"Why not?"

"What about your foot? You shouldn’t be on it constantly. If you dance every waltz, it would never get a break." She replied trying to reason with single-minded Perfect Solider.

"Then don’t dance the waltzes at all. Either dance the waltzes with me or not."

"Why the waltz?"

"Do you get this close on the others?" He asked skimming his fingertips over her clothed back.

"We’re not even supposed to be this close." She replied moving backwards. He moved forward as she did so, keeping the same distance between them. She tried again moving swifter and turning as she did so. He copied her movements exactly, showing her he was still as agile if not more than she was. Relena smiled up at him before moving forward surprising him, but he was prepared when she scouted back. He followed her leaving her even less room in-between them.

"Don’t you like being this close?" He asked tilting his head down. Goosebumps rose on her arms as his breath warmed the skin on her neck. She smiled genuinely up at him as she replied. "Of course. But you’re still being unreasonable." He sighed moving his head to the right.

"You’re being unreasonable. I’m trying to have a completely unreasonable and pointless conversation, but you keep inserting your facts." His breath surrounded her lips as he rubbed his nose against her. At that exact second she glanced up raising the lower half of her face. He immediately took control enjoying the taste of her lips against his. His tongue darted out removing all traces off her lipstick with a dexterity that shocked Relena into silence. He pulled back slightly actually smiling down at her.

"Why can’t you just let me have the waltz?" He murmured before lowering his lips again. She was lost in his firm lips, the warmness that was him and the utter bliss that came from knowing the Perfect Solider had a heart that he had willingly wrapped around her. Capturing her as he held her close and at the same time protecting her with the layers that came along with possessiveness. "A possessiveness that stole my waltzes." He grinned down at her when he pulled away, leaving her to blink away the wonderful mist that clouded her from the rest of the world.

"I’m not a thief. You gave them." He said still guiding her in the waltz as he ignored the obvious scrutiny of the crowd gathering around the dance floor.

"What?" He traced the contour of her cheek with his fingers.

"You waltzes. They are mine. Just like you are." She frowned at him in disapproval.

"Men. You’re all the same, like a bunch of two-year-olds. Mine, mine, mine. And I never said I was yours."

"But you are."

"I never said it."

"But you know it."

"I never said I knew it."

"But you still know it, whether or not you said it."

"But you can’t know for sure that I know it."

"Yes, I can."

"No, you can’t. It’s impossible."

"I just do."

"You can’t just do."

"Relena, you know it. I know it. Why are we fighting?"

"Who said we were fighting? Did I say we were fighting?"

"No."

"But, aren’t we fighting now?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"No."

"Then how can you say we’re not?"

"Relena?"

"Yes."

"Shut up." Heero commanded before leading her off the floor, planning on making it impossible for her not to shut up. But before he could she had one last question.

"Does that count as unreasonable and pointless conversation?" She asked. He turned gazing down at her.

"You want real unreasonable and pointless conversation?" He asked a mischievous gleam in his eyes. She nodded. He leaned over as his hand grasped her chin engaging in an entirely different form of communication.


Catherine squinted her eyes trying to adjust to the bright ray of light that filtered through the heavy blinds.

"Trowa?" She asked disorientated by the unfamiliar surroundings. Silence greeted her as she sleepily blinked her eyes. She turned toward the window the moment her eyes adjusted tracing the ridges of the blinds with her fingers.

"How long have I been asleep?" She asked still studying the green plastic.

"Six and a half hours." He answered his voice wrapping around her mind and starting to disintegrate the thoughts and plans she had only days ago.

"This is some vacation, isn’t it?" She asked sarcastically. She tore her eyes from the window to find he had settled on the couch where she had curled her legs up under her as she rested her head on the soft cushioning looking over the couch at the window. She slowly reached out stilling her fingers before they touched his bangs. "Of the many things I don’t understand about you. This," she moved her fingertips that one centimeter forward her skin actually touching the brown hair. "And why you came back to the circus after the Mariemaya incident." She murmured her gray eyes with a tint of lavender meeting his.

He reached out wrapping his hand around her fingers as he lowered them to the couch, releasing them when they touched the blue fabric.

"I came back because the circus was my home."

"Was?" His hand cupped her chin one finger stroking the smooth skin of her cheek.

"My home is sitting on a couch after telling me I don’t care. How can you say that?" His dark green eye was filled with sorrow and regret. "How can you think I don’t care?" She pulled away flattening herself against the armrest.

"Because I don’t see it, Trowa. You can say until you’re blue in the face that you care but I won’t believe. I can’t. I’ve had the cold shoulder too long to fool myself into thinking that." She uncurled her legs over the armrest and stood. "That’s why I left and why I’ll continue to." He stood as well, with an effortless grace before towering over the knife thrower.

"Then you’ll know why I’ll keep following."

"Trowa…" Whatever she had been about to say was cut short by the finger that pressed against her parted lips.

"I’m no longer a boy, Cathy. I have a heart and I know what’s it saying. I won’t stop you from going, but I’m not letting you leave alone."



Noin interrupted her. "Don’t ever feel unworthy. It’s Wufei that’s the problem not you. If he can’t open his eyes and shut his mouth about his justice rants and see the beautiful hurting woman in front of his eyes he doesn’t deserve your sympathy."

"His ‘rants’ can be annoying but after what I’ve learned about his late wife I can’t blame him. He may not have loved her but he cared about and admired her." Sally lifted her eyes staring Noin right in the eye.

"She affected him so much. I wouldn’t change his affection for finding justice if I could. She changed him so much, Noin. I know I could never live up to her legacy no matter what I do. I’m just a half-breed," Noin started to protest but Sally continued on ignoring her attempt to talk. "But I’m a strong half-breed that knows her limitations. I won’t give up or change and I don’t expect Wufei to. I may think of him as a justice-freak armed with a katana but it’s due to Meiran. She had such an impact on his life. I don’t expect him to let go of her but until he does…" She trailed off lowering her eyes before murmuring. "He won’t give her up. I can’t be her. So, we remain as we are. Partners."

"Sally Po! You can’t be serious!" Noin interrupted quickly rising to her feet.

"But I am, Noin. I am…"

Dorothy glanced at the clock again, pausing mid-pace. 7:55. He’ll be here any minute. She chewed the bottom of her lip worriedly as she ran another critical eye over the room. It’ll have to do. I wish I had more time to clean up. What if he doesn’t like it? What if he leaves and takes his deposit too? Just then the doorbell rang and she caught a glimpse of the clock as she started toward the door. 7:56.

She twisted her hands just standing in front of the doorway. Taking a deep breath she stood on tiptoe her eye pressed against the peephole. He was facing the street hiding his face from her searching eye. Short blonde hair above a loose blue T-shirt. She sucked in a breath as her thoughts ran rampant.

It’s him! He’s here! Run! You can still make it out the back door!

You don’t know he’s the renter. He could just be visiting. It’s not eight o’clock yet. Just open the door.

Are you nuts!? He’ll get in. You can’t let him in. He’ll get hurt again. Don’t succumb! Don’t open the door! It’s solid wood! He can’t get through that.

You’re telling me not to succumb? Running, that’s succumbing. Hiding, that’s succumbing. Opening the door and confronting the man is not succumbing. That’s being brave. That’s being Dorothy Catalina.

She took another deep breath before reaching for the lock. And stopping just centimeters away from it.

Just open the dumb door already!

Fine!

She fumbled with the lock and wrenched open the door to reveal the blonde she had known along was outside.

"Welcome, Mr. Winner."



Zechs groaned as he eyed the blinking light on the corner of the screen, wearily. He lifted a tired hand clicking on the right button and scrolling through the messages.

"[email protected] ? (1) Who uses email anymore? I didn’t even know that was still operational and who has a username like that?" Curiosity got the better of him though, and he selected the message. The subject caught his eyes, revealing the sender of the message.

As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, Noin has left. Though from your previous lack of interest I’m sure none of this is anything you would care about. But I felt it was my duty to inform you of your onna’s actions. If you want more details feel free to call me. You have the number.

Millardo Peacecraft wasted no time in numbly reaching out and pressing the proper buttons automatically. When the connection was made he settled in front of the screen his mind already starting to thaw from the cold numbness that settled over it.

"Talk."

"You can’t leave me like this forever!" She snapped at the comfortable form lounging on the floor of the bathroom.

"You’re right. I was thinking maybe a week or two…" He trailed off grinning at her beneath his bangs. She scowled, shifting her weight once again, relieving her feet temporarily of the constant pressure exerted on it, as she lifted her hands wishing once again that she was taller.

"I’ll be dead by then." She closed her eyes, picturing his raised eyebrows as he leaned forward. The telltale rustle of fabric following her words proved he was curious. "Sleep-deviation, baka. Humans can’t sleep standing up."

"Fine, just a few days then." Her eyes flew open as she heard the door close. She scanned the small room as she put weight on the bar, testing it’s strength.

Duo leaned against the door listening to the sounds of struggle inside. First, she’ll test the bar… A loud clanging sounded followed a loud scrapping noise, from the handcuffs he guessed.

"VERDAMNT!!!" The German yelled inside, reverting back to her native tongue in her frustration. There was a loud thud as something hit the door exploding on impact. The strong aroma of strawberries drifted to him from between the door and the floor. He bent down as a thick red liquid oozed out. Sniffing it again confirmed his suspicion. Hilde’s shampoo. She must be really mad at me now. That’s her favorite brand. Expensive, too.

He winced as more thuds came from the bathroom. "I should probably give her sometime, alone. Breakfast might help her temper… Not that I blame her though. She’s going to be mad as a hornet when she gets out." He grinned. "All proceeding to plan."