Pure Intentions: Ch. 3

[Aeris_Eithne]

Chapter Three:
The Dragon Slayer


?Idiot,? Heero growled into his portable vid-phone.

?Whoa, whoa!? Duo exclaimed from his end. His avatar blinked at Heero. Duo was fond of using animated images on his vid-phone instead of his own face; today, it was a black bat wielding a glowing green scythe. ?What?d I do??

?You told me to come here. You told me Relena would be on L2, visiting the Preventer?s ship, and that she would want to see me. You told me,? he seethed, ?bullshit.?

?What?? The cartoon bat disappeared, replaced by Duo?s own face, which was white with shock. ?That was not bullshit! That was very reliable information!?

?Like hell it was,? Heero retorted. ?I thought you talked to her yourself.?

?I did! Everything was fine! What could have possibly gone wrong??

Heero scowled. ?What went wrong is that you screwed up. You let me think she was interested in me, and I made a fool out of myself. ?

Duo scratched his head. ?I don?t get what you?re saying; she does like you, man! I?ve talked to her about it, and she says she cares about you!?

?Then why the hell was she making out with Wufei??

?Chang?? Duo?s eyes looked wide enough to bulge out of his head. ?Are you serious??

?What does it look like?? Heero mumbled. He raked a hand through his hair.

?You look miserable to me. I?m pretty miffed myself? Wufei? Man! Who would?ve thought?? Duo shook his head. ?He?s probably the last guy I?d ever peg to go after Relena.?

?Thank you for stating the obvious,? Heero snapped.

?My pleasure,? Duo quipped. ?Now what are you going to do about it??

Heero shrugged. ?There?s nothing I can do.?

?Well, you?re not gonna just sit back and watch as Wufei romances your girl, are you?? Duo wagged a finger at Heero. ?If you do, that?s just plain stupid.?

?She?s not my girl.?

?Of course she is! She has been from day one!? Heero merely raised an eyebrow as Duo rushed on. ?When we first met, I saw the way you looked at her, all googily-eyed, when she ripped up her dress to wrap the gunshot wounds I gave you. Remember that??

Heero rolled his eyes. ?Yes??

?And that time she followed you all the way to the school we were hiding in; she showed up outta nowhere, and you looked pretty happy about it.?

?Huh? I did?? Heero?s eyes widened momentarily, then narrowed back into place. ?No I didn?t.?

?Whatever, pal?you weren?t fooling me! Then there was that time right before the last battle, when we were on Peacemillion and I told you Relena was on the Libra, and you were all, ?she is??, in that cute little gruff tone you use when you try to hide what a nice guy you really are, when we all know??

?Point taken, Duo,? Heero cut him off.

?And then you rushed off to rescue her, and you guys were making out for hours in some remote part of the ship, and one thing led to another, and??

?Duo!? Heero was gripping the vid-phone so hard, he thought it might snap in two.

?Okay, okay! Sheesh! You don?t have to go getting all mad when you know very well that I?m right.?

?Partially,? Heero allowed, relaxing his grip on the phone. ?But we did not make out on Libra. End of story.?

?Okay, maybe not full-on making out, but there was at least some kissing, right??

?Duo?? Heero warned.

His braided friend sighed. ?Fine. We?d better get back to this whole Wufei thing anyway. Was Relena really making out with him, or were you just exaggerating??

?I went to the kitchen, where I heard Relena was, to give her those stupid flowers you insisted I bring? And I walked in right when Wufei kissed her.?

?And???

Heero frowned. ?And what??

?Did she kiss him back, or not??

Heero?s eyebrows knit together as he thought back. ?Yeah?? He answered slowly. ?Kind of.?

?Kind of? You can?t kind of kiss someone; you either do, or you don?t.?

Anger boiled inside Heero. ?You can kind of kiss someone, and she kind of kissed him. Okay??

?Yeah, right.? Duo waved a hand dismissively. ?I don?t buy it.?

?Dammit, Duo?? Heero balled one of his fists.

?Give me an example of kind of kissing, then, so I know what the heck you?re talking about.?

All Heero could think about was the almost-kiss he and Relena had shared months ago. Their lives had been in danger, and he had been nervous as hell. He?d tried to hide that as she moved past him, but his emotions had gotten the best of him. He grabbed her hands with one of his and pulled her against him. She?d looked up at him, blue eyes full of unanswered questions, and he was rendered helpless. He wanted to kiss her. He?d thought about it nonstop since they sat side by side in the shuttle he?d piloted earlier, and she?d rested her head on his shoulder. As she fell asleep beside him, she looked like an angel. It struck Heero that he didn?t want to get off that shuttle, didn?t want to ever leave his seat.

It?s not a dream, is it? Relena had spoken softly. That you?re here by my side?

Knowing that she, of all people, actually wanted him near her touched him more deeply than he could admit. As they stood facing one another later, knowing the colony they were on was about to explode, all Heero could focus on were Relena?s eyes? eyes that had haunted him for the past year; eyes he could spend forever looking into. They conveyed her anxiety, as well as her shock that he was actually touching her. He lowered his lips to hers, and the only words he could muster were, ?Relena?I??

Their lips were about to connect when Quatre called out to them, breaking the spell. Heero dropped Relena?s hands, and she hurried off, calling something about hoping to see him again soon. Heero could only nod curtly in response and run to his own shuttle.

And that was it. He didn?t see her again until the infamous Mariemaia incident, when he used Wing Zero?s buster rifle to blast into the shelter Relena was being held captive in. When he finally saw her again, it was only briefly, as he collapsed into her arms. He could barely remember what followed; he recalled opening his eyes briefly to see Relena hovering over him, appearing angelic once more. He realized with a start that his head was resting on her ample chest, and he saw her blush as he nuzzled against her. He couldn?t help himself; she was warm, beautiful, and holding him tightly. He decided then and there, before falling into an exhausted sleep, that he would never stray far from her side.

The following morning, Christmas day, he awoke in a hospital to find Relena asleep in a chair next to his bed. The sound of him stirring woke her, and she was so happy to see him that she?d launched herself into his arms. Heero at last allowed himself to embrace her the way he?d been wanting to for so long, but he couldn?t work up the nerve to kiss her. Relena ended up staying with him for hours, chatting incessantly and sharing an awful hospital meal. Finally, as the day neared its end, they kissed? kind of.

Maybe it was his exhaustion from the battle, or maybe Relena was the cause of his undoing; either way, Heero could not get his act together. He clumsily brushed his lips against hers, bumping their noses and foreheads together awkwardly. In all his life, he had never felt more sloppy or embarrassed. He?d been told he was thorough in everything he did, and he?d been calculating their first kiss for months; how could it have gone so wrong? Relena had pulled away laughing; laughing at him, the perfect-soldier-turned-bumbling-fool. She looked sweet and sincere, reassuring him with a kiss on his cheek, but the damage was done; Heero felt like he?d failed the most important mission of his life.

Presently, Heero felt the insecurities he?d kept bottled rise to the surface. How could he tell Duo that Wufei had succeeded where he had failed? That Heero had kind of kissed Relena before, but that Wufei had just actually kissed her? It drove him nuts that his rival had gotten further with her, in spite of Heero?s history with Relena. He wondered if she had taken that into account while she wrapped her arms around that other ex-soldier.

?Heero? Yoo-hoo! Hello?? Duo rolled his eyes impatiently. ?Snap out of it, man.?

Heero shook himself. ?Sorry,? he muttered.

?I lost you there for a second,? Duo went on. ?You were daydreaming about making out with Relena again, weren?t you??

?No!? Heero said sharply.

?I guess that means you don?t have an example of kind of kissing to share with me, eh?? Duo chuckled, and Heero scowled at him.

?Cut that out. You?re not helping the situation.?

?Sorry! So, you?ve got to take a step back now and evaluate things. Are you willing to fight Wufei for Relena??

?Fight?? Heero?s brows knit together. ?I??

?Of course you are! You need to let him?and Relena?know where you stand. But whatever you do, don?t go getting all moody, acting like, well? you.?

?Huh? Duo??

?Now, I know you don?t like the sound of that, but trust me; you?ve got to lower your defenses a bit? or offenses, in your case.? Duo rubbed his chin as he thought out loud. ?Don?t be offensive, got it??

?Yeah, but I??

?We don?t know what?s really going on between her and Wufei; all we know is that, somehow, he turned all sweet and sappy and got her romantic little hopes up, and now she?s putty in his hands.?

Heero snarled at this. Duo prattled on, unabashed.

?Wu-man?s bringing his A-game, and you?ve gotta step up to the plate... Otherwise, you might lose her.?

Heero?s head started to pound. He was growing weary of this discussion. ?Duo, I?m not going to act like a sap just to get her interested. And anyway, it looks like she?s already made up her mind.?

Duo shook his head fervently. ?You don?t know that! Maybe she was just being polite when he kissed her because she didn?t want to hurt his feelings. Doesn?t that sound like something Relena would do??

?Yeah,? Heero mused. ?It does.? Did she do that with me? He wondered.

?You can?t give up this early in the game,? Duo was saying.

?Could you stop with the sports analogies already??

?Only if you?re willing to play hardball.? Duo winked at him. He only smirked at the steely glare Heero was giving him. Finally, Heero caved.

?Fine,? he lamented. ?What should I do??

?If I were you, I?d sabotage every romantic thing Wufei tries to do for Relena so that he ends up looking like a jerk. Then, I?d swoop in to pick up the pieces. She?s yours, just like that.? Duo emphasized his point by snapping his fingers.

Heero shook his head. ?That?s disingenuous. I couldn?t do that to her. She?d see right through me, anyway.?

?Disin? what? Can you please use English when you talk to me??

?I?m not going to lie, Duo. Period.?

?All right, then; if you?re gonna be difficult, we?ll just have to think of something else.?

Heero squeezed his eyes shut in frustration. ?I?ve had enough of your ideas. I can handle myself.?

Duo laughed. ?Yeah, right! No offense, but you oughta leave this one to someone who knows a thing or two about love. I happen to be an expert.?

?Hardly,? Heero snorted.

?Like you have any room to talk? Take it from the one who?s actually getting laid here, buddy.? Duo grinned broadly.

Heero grimaced. ?I?ll pretend I didn?t just hear that.?

?See? That?s your problem?you have issues about sex? the main one being that you?re not getting any.?

?Duo,? Heero resumed his warning tone. ?We?re not discussing this.?

?But you and Rel??

?Drop it.? Heero heard footsteps from around the corner, heading his way. ?End of discussion.?

?But wait??

Heero didn?t wait; he snapped his vid-phone shut and slipped it into his back pocket. He had learned that the most effective way to terminate a conversation with Duo was to do so forcefully.

He decided to head back to the kitchen to clean up the mess he?d made with the flowers. The image of Wufei practically entangling himself with Relena crept back into Heero?s mind. He chased it away furiously; thinking about it sickened him.

As he rounded the corner, a smaller form plowed into him. He caught the tumbling female figure, a ball of blonde fury, and held her steadily. He knew instantly it was Relena, but said nothing. Instead he just stood there, holding onto her a beat longer than necessary before stepping back.

?Heero!? Relena gasped as she looked up at him. ?I?m sorry! I didn?t mean to run into you like that.?

?I?m fine,? he muttered. He started walking away from her.

?Heero, wait?? She grabbed his arm, then pulled back shyly. He stopped in his tracks and waited for her to speak. ?I just wanted you to know that? that I?m really glad to see you again.? She placed her hand back on his arm and squeezed gently. ?It?s been a while.?

Heero stifled a laugh. ?Yeah, five whole minutes. I saw you in the kitchen,? he snarled. To his satisfaction, Relena?s face paled.

?That was you?? She asked softly.

?Uh-huh.? Heero crossed his arms over his chest; for some reason, he felt defensive. To Relena, he looked like an injured child waiting for a band-aid and a kiss to make it better. She smiled.

?I?m sorry you had to see that, but it really wasn?t what it looked like??

?Hn. I don?t believe that by a mile,? he snapped.

?Wufei and I are just friends, really,? Relena rushed on. ?I mean, we?re still getting to know each other, and??

?What makes you think I care?? Heero interjected. ?You can do whatever you want; you don?t have to explain yourself to me.?

Relena looked shell-shocked. ?I-I?m sorry,? she stammered. ?I just thought??

?Forget it.? Heero pushed past her, his shoulder brushing against hers. ?I have some Preventer business to attend to. Perhaps you should find Wufei and get to know him some more.? He was throwing Relena?s words back in her face, and she winced at the sting it gave her.

?Heero?? He was down the hallway and out of sight before she could stop him.

In spite of his harsh words, seeing Relena had softened Heero. He decided to go clean up the mess he?d made in the kitchen earlier. Upon entering, he was stunned to see Wufei still sitting at the table, beer in hand, sulking.

Wufei?s head snapped up when he saw Heero enter the room. Their eyes locked, and Wufei felt a wave a shame wash over him. He dared not look his one-time adversary in the eye, but he couldn?t tear himself away.

Heero looked down at the floor, only to see that his mess had already been cleared. This left him no reason to stick around, but he couldn?t leave without confronting Wufei. He leaned against the doorjamb and crossed his arms.

?Aren?t you a little young to be drinking?? Heero motioned to the beer bottle.

Wufei cocked an eyebrow. ?We were a little young to be warriors, too, but that didn?t stop us.?

?Hn.? Heero nodded sagely. ?Good point.? He crossed the room to where the Chinese Preventer was sitting. ?Wufei,? he said, lowering himself into a chair. ?We?re friends? right??

Wufei laughed dryly. ?I don?t know. Apparently, you doubt that.?

?If I doubt,? Heero replied, ?it?s because you?ve given me reason to.?

Wufei jerked his head up. ?Listen, Heero, if this is about our battle??

?Why would it be?? Heero was looking at Wufei expectantly, who only gave him a blank expression in response.

?But aren?t you angry at what I did??

Heero closed his eyes. ?What would be the point? You did what you thought was right at the time. You were following your emotions. I can?t blame you for that.?

Wufei?s eyes widened momentarily; then he relaxed, leaning back in his chair. ?Hmm. I guess you?re right. Well, you?ve just lifted a burden off me.?

Heero?s eyes opened, and he smirked at Wufei. He almost looked like he would laugh. ?Really,? he muttered. It was a statement, not a question. ?I would think someone with as much pride as you wouldn?t care what anyone thought? least of all what I thought.? Heero rose to leave.

?That pride you?re talking about?? Wufei began, halting Heero?s steps. ?I?ve been trying to empty myself of it for some time now.?

?Hn. Good for you.? Heero turned his back to him, indicating their conversation was over, but Wufei continued.

?Heero, were you the one you dropped the flowers earlier??

Heero?s face fell, so he didn?t turn around. ?Yeah,? he responded flatly.

?So you saw me with Relena??

?Uh-huh.?

Wufei squared his shoulders. ?Relena thought it was you. She took the liberty of cleaning up after you, by the way.? He took a few steps toward where Heero stood. ?I have to know? Is it really that big of a shock, Relena Darlian with someone like me? Do you think everyone will react that way when they find out??

Wufei doesn?t know? about me and Relena, Heero realized. He felt a sudden pang in his chest. If he didn?t hold the Gundam battle against Wufei, how could he hold the kiss against him? He could, however, be angry at Relena; after all, Heero had all but declared his feelings for her months ago. What could she be thinking?

After an awkward silence, Heero answered Wufei?s query. ?I don?t know what anyone else will say, but I don?t think they?ll be expecting it? I wasn?t.?

?So that?s why you ran out like that,? Wufei surmised.

Heero squeezed his eyes shut. The image of Relena slipping her arms around Wufei?s neck came back to haunt him. ?I? didn?t want to interrupt.?

Wufei chuckled. ?Next time I?ll tie on a sock on the door.? He brushed past Heero and gave him a small smile. ?Guess I?ll see you around the ship.? With that, he exited the kitchen.

Heero?s eyes narrowed to angry slits. There isn?t going to be a next time, he thought heatedly. I?ll see to it. He reached for his vid-phone and dialed Duo?s number.

?Duo,? he said when the bat avatar appeared on his screen. ?We?ve got work to do??

[0mikr0n]

Heero's being a little mean right here... to be honest, it was completely wrong to say those things to Relena. What surprised me is that he told her that he didn't care, meaning she could decide for herself.

To his satisfaction, Relena?s face paled.

Wow... that's just cold.


Anyway, Duo's behavior is nothing short of hilarious. To be perfectly honest, I laughed during some parts of the phone call... he's crazy!

Good read! I'm loving this fic so far!

[Aeris_Eithne]

Thank you for being this story's biggest fan, 0mikr0n! Your reviews make me smile. And yes, Heero's being a tard right now, but that's the idea. :-? It's hard to write him like that, because I love him so much. But no one's perfect, so even Heero acts pricky sometimes.

Well, thanks for all of your great comments. I'm a little fuzzy about the next installment. I wouldn't call it writer's block, just... a writer's pause. Would you happen to have any ideas for where this should go? I'm not completely clueless, but I would love any advice/suggestions you have. ^_^ Thanks bunches!

[Kari]

I vote that Heero wins this story.

[takisha16]

OHHHH, HE IS SUCH A TARD REALLY! :x
I hate it that he is mean to her!
He should try to win back Relena, he had not lost her to Wufei, but that coldness
did trigger a negative reaction!
Wufei has to seriously back off!
Heero and Duo teaming up does not sound promising!
For some reason a fear Duo will jumble things up!
Nice update!

[0mikr0n]

Duo's just a turd, his main goal is to joke around while everyone else is trying to be serious. I think, personally, that all he wants to do is make everyone see the bright side of things, to make everyone happy. True, this kind of behavior does sometimes lead to disaster, but at least he's trying to help.