)I hope you enjoy this installment. Chapter seven shouldn't take me nearly as long. *knock on wood*
Chapter Six:
Into the Dark
As she prepared to spend the evening with Wufei, Relena tried to forget about her confrontation with Heero. As long as she wasn?t thinking about it, she could concentrate on being an amicable companion. She wouldn?t want Wufei to suspect that something was bothering her, and she would do everything possible to keep him from finding out the truth about her and Heero.
Wufei was silent as he and Relena boarded the private shuttle they?d be taking to the colony. He sensed something was bothering his date; he could read the tension etched in her features.
?Relena.? His voice stopped her short as she prepared to take a seat. ?We don?t? have to do this, if you feel uncomfortable.?
Relena felt her cheeks color. Have I been so transparent? She shook her head, dispelling the negative thoughts that had plagued her all afternoon. ?No, Wufei, I want to go with you. I?ve honestly been looking forward to this.?
He smirked, playfully kneeling before her. ?Honestly?? His warm obsidian eyes were drawing her in, helping her forget Heero?s steely Prussian blues.
?Honestly,? she whispered. She reached for his hand and squeezed it tight.
Wufei jolted in surprise, but he attempted to keep his cool. ?So you promise this isn?t one of those manipulative games women play??
Relena snatched her hand back, frowning. ?And what is that supposed to mean??
Wufei chuckled. ?I know women, Relena. I work with a lot of them. And I?ve seen the way they like to twist men around their fingers.?
Her pout deepened. ?You should know me better than that. I depend on sincerity.?
?How ironic,? Wufei mused, ?a politician who prides herself on being honest.? He was prepared for the daggers Relena?s eyes sent him, and dodged them like a pro. ?I?m used to that scowl, too; I invoke Sally?s wrath on a daily basis.?
Relena sighed dramatically. ?Do you get a kick out of being so confrontational??
He shrugged as he took his seat in the cockpit. ?I?ve found that people come to expect it of me. But now that the war?s over ? been over ? I don?t see a need for any real confrontation.?
?That?s certainly refreshing,? Relena said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. The silky blonde tresses captured Wufei?s attention, and he gazed at her in fascination. ?I tend to spend a lot of time with peacemakers, you know; confrontation doesn?t really work for me.? She shot him a meaningful look.
?Well, then?? Wufei edged closer to her. ?I suppose you?ll have to help me tame my bad behavior.?
Relena released a peal of laughter. ?Is that your attempt at flirting, Wufei??
He smiled genuinely, reaching out to smooth back her hair. ?Maybe. Is it working??
?That depends,? she murmured, leaning closer, ?on what you?re hoping to accomplish.?
?I?m hoping to get in good with the Vice Foreign Minister,? he said, his lips dangerously close to hers. ?I hear it helps to have friends in high places.?
She laughed again, delighted. ?Why, Mr. Chang, what a pathetic personal plug!?
?And what an admirable application of alliteration,? he shot back teasingly.
?Actually,? she interjected, ?it was consonance.?
?Ah; it?s refreshing that you know the difference,? he teased.
?Since clearly you don?t,? she shot back. They both laughed again, and Relena could hardly believe that Wufei Chang, of all people, was turning out to be so companionable.
She settled comfortably into her seat as Wufei took control of the cockpit, expertly guiding their shuttle toward the colony. His skill reminded her of another certain ex-Gundam pilot she knew; the thought made her stiffen.
?Something wrong?? Wufei asked. He was so perceptive, it was beginning to put her on-edge. If only Heero noticed every mood of hers; they might have an easier time communicating. Relena mentally swatted herself for thinking that.
Wufei was eyeing her strangely.
?Oh, no, everything?s fine,? she recovered. She cleared her throat and began twisting her hair. ?So, what?s the name of the restaurant we?re going to??
He smirked. ?Fire and Ice.?
?Hmm,? Relena mused. ?Interesting title.?
Wufei tipped his head in her direction, still smirking. ?I thought it was appropriate.?
Relena had to smile at that. ?So? which one of us is fire, and which is ice??
Her date?s eyes sparked. ?Relena, you can be whichever one you want.?
?Is that your way of avoiding the question?? she teased.
?No,? he replied smoothly. ?But maybe I?m waiting to find out the answer.?
She eyed him with a slight frown. ?Regardless, you?re saying we?re opposites. Do you really think that?s true??
?I don?t? think we?re complete opposites,? Wufei answered slowly. ?But I think there?s a lot we can learn from one another.?
Relena nodded, considering this. Fire and ice? does that really describe our relationship? Her pulse quickened. And Heero?what would he be? Remembering the passionate kisses he?d bestowed upon her earlier, she knew the answer instantly. Her face burned. She tried to think of Wufei?s kisses instead. He had been slow, cautious, respectful? cold. She shivered.
Wufei glanced at her, concerned, but said nothing. Instead, he took one hand off the controls and reached for hers. She took it, and he meshed their fingers together. His palm felt cool against hers.
Against her will, she was thinking of Heero?s skin, of the warmth, the heat, the fire between them. Now, she was freezing.
Is this some sickness? She panicked. Why can?t I stop thinking about him? She forced herself to focus on Wufei, on the evening ahead of them. She had to do her best on this date, to give him a chance? he at least deserved a chance.
It would be hard, but she could, and would, forget about Heero Yuy.
Meanwhile, Heero and Duo meandered their way around the colony, trying to blend in with the nighttime crowd.
?Grouchy, grouchy, grouch,? Duo muttered for what Heero swore was the hundredth time. He finally whirled around to face his braided companion, speaking through clenched teeth.
?If you have a problem with me, Duo, we can resolve it later; right now, we?ve got some more training to do.? Heero spun back around, quickening his pace.
Duo shot a sympathetic glance over his shoulder. The four Preventers-in-training were plodding behind them. Heero had been in a sour mood all afternoon, and the recruits were suffering for it. With Sally?s approval, Heero had taken Heath, Landon, Kevin and Keiko to the nearby colony to practice some ?night patrol.? Duo knew it was merely an excuse for Heero to take out his frustration on them while wandering aimlessly in the dark.
They descended further and further into the seedier parts of the city. As they passed a noisy bar, a rowdy group of young men whistled at Keiko. She waved back, smiling appreciatively. Kevin nudged her.
?Don?t pay them any attention,? he muttered. ?You?ll only get yourself into trouble.?
?Aw, they?re not doing anything wrong.? She pouted, batting her eyelashes innocently. ?They?re just pointing out beauty when they see it? what?s wrong with that??
Kevin rolled his eyes. ?You should just be more careful, especially when we?re on patrol.?
Keiko continued to pout but said nothing more on the subject. She and the rest of her recruits continued trudging behind their superiors.
Heero continued ignoring them. In his head, he was waging battle with Wufei. He thought back to their last major confrontation, but the one he knew was coming now was different. The last one had nothing to do with Relena. Or? Heero mused. Maybe it did.
?You and I are the same! We are only able to acknowledge our existence on the battlefield!? Wufei had shouted that at Heero as he challenged him in his Gundam.
Heero frowned as he picked up his pace. Are he and I really the same? The rest of their mobile suit battle played out in his mind.
?How many times, Wufei? How many times must I keep killing that little girl and her dog??
Heero felt a jolt go through his body. He wasn?t a killer, or even a fighter, anymore. He had killed that instinct when he let go of his resolve to fight, allowing the Wing Zero to plummet into the ocean. He had resurrected it in time to stop Mariemaia and save Relena, but then, when he saw that Relena had made it through, he knew he was done. The soldier?s mentality that was fighting for his attention now wasn?t his anymore.
In his mind, he was fighting Wufei for Relena, but he knew now he?d never go through with that scenario. Relena wouldn?t approve, he decided. At the same time, he still considered her his, and was determined to find a way to show that to her without losing his temper? or defeating Wufei.
?The art of war,? Heero murmured, ?is to subdue the enemy without fighting.? A smile tugged at his lips. He could win this war, and he could do it lying down.
Relena?s voice interrupted the soldier?s voice in his head. ?You?ve had all this time to make me yours,? she reminded him. ?Did you think I?d wait around forever, Heero??
He growled and began to walk faster, trying to make the voice stop following him.
?Heero,? she called back to him. ?What are you hiding from, Heero??
?Damn it,? he cursed. He couldn?t find a way to please Relena, not now; he didn?t know what she wanted anymore. His chest twisted with unexpected pain. He didn?t know Relena anymore.
His steps led him down a dark alley; he had no idea where he was going. At length, he became aware of the fact that the recruits were no longer following him. Good, he thought. Maybe Duo took them back to the shuttle. That suited him? he was better off alone.
He was lost in his swirling thoughts when he heard a male voice calling his name. At first, he thought he was going crazy, having heard Relena calling him in his mind? was that Wufei challenging him? He spun around to see if the voice was real.
Kevin was running toward him, panic-stricken. Heero stopped dead, adrenaline surging through him. Something had happened, something bad. Was it? my fault?
?Heero!? Kevin called again, sounding breathless. He halted a few feet in front of his superior, panting. ?It?s Keiko? she somehow got separated from us. We?ve all been looking for her.?
Heero frowned. This wasn?t all that serious. He shouldn?t have to deal with the new recruits? insufficiencies. ?Wasn?t she walking near you the whole time?? he asked Kevin. The boy nodded. ?Then you should have kept better track of her.?
Kevin?s face fell. ?I know? it?s because I was trying to keep up with you. I thought she was doing the same. I?m sorry.?
Heero felt bad, but tried to conceal it. ?Well, we?d better start looking.? He turned from Kevin and walked briskly, and the boy fell into step behind him. Instinct led Heero further down the alley. In his head, he had heard a woman?s voice he?d assumed was Relena, but what if that voice was real, just like Kevin?s was? It could have been Keiko crying for help. Heero hated the fact that his infatuation with Relena was ruining his concentration? just like old times. I?ve got to get a grip, he scolded himself. I need to get her out of my head.
He heard Kevin gasp suddenly. ?Heero? over there!? he hissed.
Heero swung his head to the direction Kevin was pointing in. Keiko was backing up slowly into the alley, being pursued by a leering man in dark, dirty clothing.
?Just leave me alone!? she screeched.
The man grinned, revealing yellow, uneven teeth. He reached for Keiko?s jacket. ?Aw, come on, gorgeous, what are you hiding from?? he cooed.
Heero? what are you hiding from?
Heero?s eyes flashed. In the man?s jacket pocket, he could make out the outline of a gun. He ran forward.
?Keiko!? He screamed. ?Run!?
The girl spun around. ?Heero?? she called in disbelief. She spotted her fellow Preventer-in-training over her shoulder. ?Kevin!? She began to run toward him.
Keiko?s stalker did not take the abandonment well. ?Why you little?? He reached for his gun and aimed it at the girl?s retreating back.
He fired.
Keiko chanced a look over her shoulder, her eyes widening in surprise. Kevin moved to shield her, but Heero was faster than him. Suddenly, he was diving in front of both of his trainees.
And suddenly, his vision went black as he caught the bullet with his chest.
AE
Sorry. Heero just lives for danger.
Er.... >.> So I kind of forgot about this ficcy there for a while. 
:roll: But that's okay~ It's your fic. *bows* You go. ^^
