Kismet or Chaos, Chapter 3 (PG, for now... muahaha!)

[Aeris_Eithne]

Chapter III

Love Is a Battlefield

Relena awoke the next morning shivering, and she snuggled deeper into her blankets to combat the cool breeze coming from her window. It was early, and Relena?s body was still adjusting to the new time zone. She hadn?t slept well last night, since she was up worrying about Heero, and was reluctant to get up. The thought of a hot shower, however, lured Relena out of bed as she imagined the warm water cascading over her. She carefully swung her legs over the bed and reached for her crutches, then hobbled her way to the bathroom.

Once in the shower, the events of last night came back to her. Relena didn?t know what to do. She liked Blair, but had nothing more than a friendly interest in him. He, however, had misinterpreted her affections. Once she set him straight, she should be able to deal with Heero. Relena and possibly everyone who knew her well knew that she loved Heero; except, of course, for Heero himself. Relena knew that she should tell him, so they could finally clarify their relationship, but she wasn?t going to say anything until Heero told her how he felt. She knew this was a long shot, but she wanted to wait for it. Relena had been the instigator of everything else in their relationship, and she wanted to make sure Heero really loved her before she said it to him; otherwise, she would worry that he was merely echoing her words. Relena was secretly paranoid that after all this time, Heero had only stayed with her because he knew she loved him and didn?t want her to be alone in her feelings. She knew that seemed stupid, but she couldn?t help but be insecure with a guy who never told her anything.

In a way, maybe this whole thing with Blair wasn?t so bad. She could always use it to make Heero jealous, and it would either make him fight for her or drive him away. Relena hoped that, after years of knowing one another, Heero would do the former. Surely he wouldn?t let a four, almost five, year relationship slip through the cracks? Then again, maybe Heero didn?t think they even had a relationship. Relena sighed as she shampooed her long hair. She knew it was nigh-on impossible to get the Perfect Soldier to confess his deepest feelings to her, but she was going to try. Relena finished rinsing her tresses. Whatever it takes, Heero. Relena turned off the shower and reached for her terrycloth bathrobe. She stepped out of the shower and studied her reflection in the mirror. She looked like a strong and determined person. If she could negotiate treaties with men three times her age, surely she could win over the man she loved. She gave the mirror her warmest smile. Whatever it takes...

Heero was in agony. Okay, maybe that was a little extreme, but it was the closest to absolutely miserable he?d been in a long time. He?d spent the whole day taking Cecilia around the city, and she was even more insufferably annoying than she had been at the restaurant last night. She bought a Japanese dictionary and carried it with her everywhere, walking up to random people and introducing herself. The people were usually very friendly to her, but it embarrassed Heero nonetheless. Now Cecilia punctuated all of her sentences with hai (yes), iie (no), and mochiron (of course). Plus, she ended every conversation with Nihon-ho hito-wa miryoku teki desu (Japanese people are cool). It was more than Heero could take.

Of course, he had to admit that Tokyo was very beautiful, but he would be able to enjoy it much more if he could be with Relena instead. Of course, she probably prefers Blair?s company, Heero thought miserably. He was now lying on the couch in the Donovan?s sitting room, listening to Cecilia giddily try to teach one of the other bodyguards some Japanese phrases. To Heero?s chagrin, the guy was actually trying to learn them. Blair was out, as usual, seeming to want nothing to do with Heero or Cecilia. In that way, Heero understood where he was coming from?Cecilia could be torture to be around. However, Heero didn?t hate him any less for kissing Relena.

Worse than that, Heero was brooding over whether or not Relena reciprocated the obvious feelings Blair had for her. All she had said was that the kiss ?meant nothing.? Had it really? Was Relena being honest with Heero? He had to find out. First, he had to find her; then he could properly interrogate her. However, he didn?t know when she would be out of her meetings. Heero had been out with Cecilia all day, and it was nearly dinner time now. He could only hope that Relena didn?t already have plans. He stood up and headed for the door. He would go ask her himself. She should, he reasoned, be done with her meetings by now.

?Where are you going, Heero?? Cecilia?s voice piped up. ?Can I go, too?? Heero turned to face her.

?No. I?ll be back later. You?ll be safe here with...? He motioned to the other bodyguard, whose name escaped him.

?Fernando,? the burly man replied in a thick Spanish accent, puffing out his chest.

?Right,? Heero said in his monotone.

?Okay, bye!? Cecilia chirped. ?I?ll see you at dinner! You can sit by me!? The girl giggled vapidly.

?Yeah, sure,? Heero muttered; then he hurried out of the room and down the hall to Relena?s. It was a relief to finally get away from his charge for a while. He reached Relena?s suite and rapped loudly on the door, but no one answered. He guessed Relena was still in conference, so he decided to wait outside until she came. This is pathetic, Heero thought as he leaned his back against her door. But I?ll do just about anything to keep her from Blair. He narrowed his eyes. Whatever it takes...

Twenty minutes later, Heero was still wondering what was keeping Relena when he saw Blair coming down the hall? headed in Heero?s direction. Blair was dressed in a gray tailored suit and carried a bouquet of red roses. Heero felt anger rising inside him and tried his best to suppress it.

?Hey, Heero!? Blair called out. ?What are you doing here??

Heero felt foolish, not wanting to answer, ?Waiting for Relena.? Instead, he grunted, ?I should ask you the same thing.?

Blair grinned. ?I?m here to take Relena out.? Heero rolled his eyes inwardly. I never would have guessed, he thought sarcastically. Blair looked around, as if he expected Relena to pop out of her room any second.

?Um? Is she still in meetings?? He asked, finally. Heero nodded. ?Oh.? Blair scratched the back of his head. ?I guess I?ll just wait with you then.?

?No!? Heero found himself spouting.

A puzzled look crossed Blair?s face, and he stiffened his back indignantly. ?Why not??

?I, uh?need to talk to her about something. Alone.?

?Oh, okay.? Blair relaxed his shoulders. ?Well, could you tell her I came by if she gets back soon? Tell her I?ll be by in a half-hour or so.?

Heero shrugged. ?All right.?

?Thanks, man. I?ll see you around.? Blair flashed him a toothy smile and strode down the hall toward the Donovan?s suite.

As soon as he disappeared, Heero punched a fist into the wall. Now Relena was going on a date with Blair? When did all this happen? Unless he was planning to surprise her, it appeared that Blair had made dinner plans with her. Heero was annoyed that Relena would make plans with Blair instead of him. Hadn?t she said that she wanted to spend as much time with Heero on this trip as possible? Maybe he was imagining things. Heero, whose back was pressed firmly against the wall, slid down to the floor and sat with a hard thud. Placing his head between his knees, he failed to notice the figure above him.

?Has someone been waiting for me?? Heero snapped up his head at the sound of Relena?s voice. She smiled down at him. She looked beautiful as always, dressed in a white blouse with navy dress pants and a matching blazer. Today she wasn?t balancing carefully on her crutches, however; she sat in a wheelchair. Heero bolted up.

?Where did you get that?? He asked, more gruffly than he intended.

?The hotel manager gave it to me for the week as an alternative, and it?s much easier to get around this way.? Relena broke into a smile. ?I could race you.? Heero?s eyes widened and Relena couldn?t help but laugh at his serious expression. ?Relax a little, Heero. You look extremely stressed.? She stopped giggling and peered at him more closely, trying to perceive what was wrong with him. ?Are you okay? It?s Cecilia, isn?t it? That girl can be a real handful, huh?? Heero just shook his head. ?Well, what?s wrong then??

Heero sighed inwardly. How am I supposed to answer that without sounding like a pathetic sap? Relena, I?m jealous of you and Blair. Please go out with me instead. Please. No, that?s too desperate. She?d never understand?she doesn?t even know how much I actually care about her, which is probably why she?s dating Blair in the first place. But maybe if I actually try to do something about it? No! It?ll never work.

Heero resigned himself to his fate. She was the princess, he was the soldier. Maybe not anymore, technically, but they still had a world of differences between them. Heero didn?t think he could ever tell Relena how he felt, no matter how many times he tried. I am pathetic!

?Heero? Hello?? Relena waved her hand in front of his face. ?Please, answer the question; I want to know what?s bothering you.?

Heero exhaled. Here goes. ?I came to see if you were busy tonight.? That was the truth.

Relena smiled at him. ?No, I?m not, not that I know of?oh, shoot!? She glanced at her silver wristwatch. ?I forgot all about??

?Blair?? Heero finished for her.

Relena flushed. ?Er, yes.? She lowered her gaze from his dark blue eyes, which looked almost black at the moment. He was angry.

Heero stuffed his hands in his pockets. ?I?thought you weren?t interested in him.?

?I?m not,? Relena admitted.

?Then why go out with him??

?He asked me last night if I?d have dinner with him, and I figured why not? It?s between friends.? Heero looked at her skeptically. ?That was before he kissed me,? Relena pointed out. ?Before that, I had no idea he was interested in me romantically. I plan to set him straight tonight.?

?And how do you plan to do that??

?Simple. I?ll tell him I don?t reciprocate his feelings. He?ll understand; we?ve known each other for a long time now.?

Heero drew a sharp breath, immediately hoping Relena didn?t notice. ?How long??

?About two years. His father usually attends the same conferences as me. Well, of course he does, since we?re both pacifist delegates and all.? Relena paused and looked at Heero closely. ?Is that what you?re upset about? My relationship with Blair??

So now it?s a relationship? Heero dropped his gaze to the floor. ?I don?t know.?

Relena sighed. ?Well, you should know after all this time, Heero.? Heero tore his gaze away from the floor to look at her. He became shocked by the words she was speaking. ?You and I have known each other for almost five years now,? she said. ?We?ve been through a lot together, and even though we don?t see each other all that often, I still care for you a great deal. I think you know that. We both live alone with our separate lives and jobs keeping us busy, but you always show up when I need you. And I appreciate that. But I can?t keep going on like this. One of us has to decide what we want, and where we plan on going from here. And if you?re not going to step up to this, then I guess I have to. I can?t wait any longer.?

Relena kept her eyes firmly locked on Heero?s until he finally broke their gaze. He felt the air growing thin and swayed a little on his feet, suddenly dizzy. Had she meant what she said? She doesn?t want to see me anymore? Heero reached out his hand for the wall and leaned against it to steady himself.

?Well, if that?s what you want, I have no choice,? he murmured. ?Goodbye, Relena.? Regaining his composure, he spun on his heel and left her in front of her door, thoroughly perplexed.

?Heero? Where are you going?? He didn?t answer her and rounded the corner quickly. Relena blinked in shock. What just happened?

She took a deep breath and tried to recall what she had just said to him. She certainly didn?t think she?d said anything to produce that kind of reaction. Relena was only trying to hint to Heero that he needed to tell her how he felt about her, since she?d waited so long to hear it. She wanted to say that to him without spelling it out, figuring he would get the message. Apparently, her words had backfired on her. Heero must have taken it that she didn?t want to wait for him anymore and, therefore, wanted to date Blair instead. The last thing Relena wanted was to drive Heero away; she?d have to talk this over with him, this time more clearly? Unless, of course, she had misinterpreted Heero?s reaction entirely. Maybe he knew exactly what she was trying to tell him, and he was so repulsed by it that he didn?t want anything more to do with her? Maybe he had never wanted to be more than friends with her in the first place.

?This is so confusing!? Relena cried out loud, dispelling the rapid stream of thoughts racing through her head. ?Heero, you?re making me crazy! Tell me you love me already! If you don?t, then leave me alone!? Relena covered her face with her hands. She took a few more deep breaths to calm down, then unlocked her suite door and wheeled herself inside. She had to get ready for her dinner with Blair. Maybe after she talked with him, she could work everything out with Heero. She was a diplomat, after all; negotiation was what she lived for. Surely if she could settle disputes on total pacifism versus the right to bear arms, she could solve the daily problems in her own life? Right?

[HiFreak]

Oh Poor Heero always misunderstanding things.
By the way have I mentioned how much I hate Blair
Cecilia actually sounds kind of interesting, anoying, but interesting; love the whole "Japanese people are cool" thing. Can't wait for the next chapter.

[takisha16]

OHHHH I hate misunderstandings!!! :x
I really hope Heero gets a clue about Relena's feelings!!
Can he be more hardheaded than that that he misunderstood what she had said?
I realllly hate Blair!
Update soon!

[amulak]

I have to agree- Blair is really aggravating and annoying.
Poor Heero and his conflicted feelings of wanting to dispose of the irritating Blair, and his feelings to let Relena go if that's what she wants
Get a clue Heero
Great chapter - hope to see more soon

[Aeris_Eithne]

Yay- no one likes Blair! That's the idea. ^_^ I've got some interesting things in store for this character. Expect some romantic comedy, prat-falling antics in the upcoming chapter; then you won't believe the twist the story takes after that. Thanks for all the great reviews so far! Your insightful comments mean more to me than all of the ones people have given this on fanfiction.net, because I know how each of you love and understand this pairing. So again, thanks for the awesome feedback!

[The Angry Angel]

*sighs* buckles down for a saga of epic proportions

*have to meditate to calm churning in gut from all the epicness of it*
^^ Don't worry! It's great! Do your thing, you do it so well!

[star fighter]

Well, I have to say that I hate Blair too. On the other hand, I'm loving this story. Keep up the great work

[Aeris_Eithne]

Don't worry, Angry Angel... It won't be a saga by any means. We're talking one action-packed chapter... the rest will be lovey-dovey fluffiness, you have my word! ^_^