by Neon Fantasy
Disclaimer: Wishing upon a star, I hope some day I could own the GW show and its charcaters
lol. That will only ever happen in my dreams so since you don't get the pleasures of being there with me, I can't pretend they are mine so I can't say I own them 
Oh well, that doesn't mean I can't borrow them right? 
Chapter 11 (Part 2)
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" --- " - Speaking
' --- ' - Thinking
Gazing about at the latest fashions around the walls of what appeared to be their fifth clothes store, Midii turned to Sylvia and noticed her to still be deciding over what outfit to get again. What Midii could not understand is that she had picked out about six or seven different outfits so far, all for Mariemaia's birthday too. She didn't think that Sylvia would be so determined to go through all this trouble either, she didn't even like Mariemaia so why? Looking over to Meiran, she noticed her to be leaning against the doorframe entrance of the store, with her arms folded over her chest with her shopping bags hanging of her right hand. Both Midii and Meiran had picked out what they were going to wear a few hours ago and here they are, waiting on Sylvia to pick out the next outfit, never being satisfied with anything.
Turning to another clothes rack, Sylvia smiled and quickly made her way towards it. Skimming through the tops for her particular size she picked out some really cute boob-tube tops that went down in a 'V' shape down the bottom, which had pictures of a butterfly over the front of them, decorated in silver glitter. Holding it up to her chest, she took note of the top revealing a lot of her stomach and couldn't help but smile at that. Turning it over, her smile grew even wider when she noticed that the back of the top was cut half way down in an upside down 'V' shape, causing the loose flaps of the top to be tied together by lace.
Picking out a baby pink and blue coloured top, Sylvia walked towards Meiran and Midii and held both tops up for them to see, asking, "What do you think suits me best you reckon?"
Comparing the two tops with Sylvia's form, Midii answered, "Um, I think the pink one would look better on you."
What caught her off guard though was when Sylvia suddenly shot her a dirty look saying, "Oh, so are you saying I don't look good in blue?"
Midii's eyes widened at that remark and shook her head vigorously saying, "What? No no no, I didn't mean it like that. I mean, you look great in anything you wear Sylvia so, it's hard to pick something over the other when it comes to you." Sylvia still had that dangerous glint in her eyes, causing Midii to shift a little in nervousness. She wanted an opinion didn't she? What did she say wrong? Every time she opens her mouth she always seems to be getting herself into trouble.
"What do you think Meiran?" Sylvia asked as she turned her attention to the Chinese girl, "Pink or blue?"
Glancing over the two articles of clothing, Meiran turned her gaze to Sylvia and replied, "Honestly, I think you have too many pink and blue tops already. Try getting something different for a change like red or black."
'Hmph, well that was rude,' Midii thought to herself. What surprised her though was when Sylvia smiled and went back to the clothes rack again, following what Meiran had said to her. How did that work? Midii could have sworn that her remark was a lot more polite than Meirans, and she didn't get in trouble at all! Sighing to her self, Midii wondered why she even bothered; no matter what she did it was never right.
While Sylvia was looking for something red or black, she couldn't help but smile at how good Meiran could be at times like this, she always had a better use than what Midii ever did. For example, she liked how Meiran seemed to have such a good fashion sense about things like this, unlike Midii who always said that she looked good in everything she wore. Yes, Sylvia KNEW she looked good in what ever she wore but she wasn't about to grab every colour of the same top here just to prove that point. It was true that she had many soft coloured tops in her wardrobes at home already so maybe going for a stronger colour like red or black might be best to get this time.
Looking between the red and black boob-tube tops, she was now indecisive about what colour she should get between these two now. She wanted to pick something which would make her stand out at Mariemaia's party. Being as attractive as she was, Sylvia wanted so badly to make a scene when she entered the house. She was not about to have Mariemaia, Hilde or even that useless Relena show her up on that night, she wanted to make them jealous, she wanted them to look and hate her for her beauty.
As much as she was also going because of her popularity and status reasons, her main mission over all for even thinking of going was to make the guys swoon for her. She loved seeing their longing gazes as she would walk pass them, but it was too unfortunate for them that she only had her eyes set on one man and one alone. She pitied the fools who would obsess over her when they don't even deserve her even looking at them, she never gave a care but they would always have their uses, which is why she wouldn't turn and tell them to get a life. Hopefully her outfit will award her with the attention she is hoping to seek, if anything, she only wanted one specific person to notice her.
Smiling to herself, she looked between Midii and Meiran and raised the tops up to them asking innocently, "What colour do you think Quatre would like best?"
Meiran just raised an eyebrow at her, while Midii looked at her blankly. Noticing the shocked faces on her friends, Sylvia just shrugged and said, "What? It's not like I?m asking advice on lingerie or anything... Although, I haven't actually considered that yet."
"Oh please don't give yourself any ideas." Meiran said smirking at her, "Anyway, Quatre doesn't seem like the type to judge people on their fashion sense and colour. Quite frankly, that outfit alone would make him turn and stare, no matter what colour it was."
"Good point," Sylvia said as she looked between the tops once more.
"I assume you are going to make your move at the party huh?"
"I think that would be the perfect place to open myself up to him. Not only will everyone bare witness to me gaining myself the most perfect guy in our whole school, I will also be able to take note of all the crushed, hurt faces of Quatre's fan club." Narrowing her gaze on the clothes in her hand, she tightened her grip on the tops and smirked when she finished, "Not to mention, Relena's heart. Her reaction will be priceless."
Meiran flinched at the mention of Relena's name, "Geez, you just had to bring that name up didn't you. I can?t stand the sight of her, the bloody weak, heartless bitch..." Pausing for a moment she looked to Midii and stated, "Don't you find it quite disturbing that Relena is trying to take Wufei back for herself again?"
Midii didn?t answer; instead she turned her gaze away from theirs and bit her lower lip, causing Meiran and Sylvia to stare at her in question. Narrowing her eyes on Midii, Meiran noticed there being a sign of weakness in her eyes just now. Her anger was flaring as she took notice of this. Pushing herself off the doorframe, Meiran stomped towards Midii and without hesitation she slapped her hard across the face, causing Midii to instantly look up at the Chinese girl in shock, not to mention pain.
"Don't be so damn weak Midii! If I am not mistaken YOU are the one with Wufei, not her. If anything SHE is the one that?s supposed to be hurting, not you." Grabbing her by the shirt she glared straight into Midii's blue eyes and said, "Don't feel any sympathy towards her all because she has nothing or no one to turn to. She did this to herself and she made the mistake of treating my cousin in such a disrespectful way, she does NOT deserve another chance. Don't you dare even consider giving up and allowing Relena to reenter his life. YOU treat him right, you love him with all your heart because you are his girlfriend, as all girlfriends should. HE is just being too stubborn to look and see what he has right in front of him."
Midii stared at her blankly for a moment and slowly nodded, causing Meiran to nod back and slowly released her hold on the blonde girl's top, "Don't forget that, show him what he will lose if he were to give himself up to false hope on a girl who wouldn't even know the meaning of love even if it were stamped on her head."
Sylvia felt about ready to laugh, she loved the way Meiran always got so worked up so easily like that, she was so much like Wufei that it almost worried her since Meiran was probably the female version of him. Well it seemed logical to think so since her family and his were very close, after all, Meiran's mother lived with Wufei's family. Both of them were always together, which was also another reason why they couldn't stand each other as well. They were both so independent and prided themselves so much on their own capabilities that just the sight of one another flooded their hearts with nothing but rivalry, to prove who was the more respected child carrying on the wishes of their family traditions and honour.
"Well, I am just going to go try these on ok?" Sylvia said, smiling at the two as she headed towards the change rooms. Watching Sylvia disappear from their sight, Meiran looked to Midii once more before deciding to walk around the store just to pass the time, who knows, she may find something else she may want to buy. Midii on the other hand felt about ready to collapse to the ground, she felt so shaken up at the moment that she was almost afraid that Meiran was going to kill her or something. It was behaviour like that which made Midii feel so helpless that she could never speak her mind.
Meiran's statement just now, 'YOU treat him right, you love him with all your heart because you are his girlfriend, as all girlfriends should,' that statement would be correct logically, however it didn't apply to her since she wasn't exactly considered Wufei's girlfriend. Yes, she was always by his side, yes she spent all the time she could with him and yes, she would get in bed with him when ever he needed it, but none of that considered her being in a relationship with him. She wished she was, and would say she was, but it was all a lie. As much as she would express her love for him, not once has he ever returned that love. Midii had always thought that he was never the type to express his emotions very well and because of it, she thought he proved it to her when ever they had sex.
Closing her eyes tightly, not wanting to let the tears flow, she couldn't deny that she was jealous of Relena. What did she possess which Midii didn't? Midii even bared witness to Relena never showing any sign of affection for Wufei, even when he would try being forward with her, she just went along with it like she was a puppet, being controlled and led by the puppet master who did with her as they pleased, that was Wufei's and Relena's relationship in Midii's eyes. She never saw anything more to it, although there had to be something more between them to make Wufei feel so drawn to her like he is. Relena never loved him! Why does he continue to hang on to something which will never be! Then again... can she talk?
She loves Wufei and would suffer without him, it gave her the upper hand since she was the only one with a boyfriend from Sylvia and Meiran, plus it gave her more of a purpose to be in with the popular crowd at school. All she could do was go along with Meiran's advice and just do what she normally did when ever she was with Wufei, get him in bed and demonstrate just how much she loves him and what he will lose if he dumped her. 'It's all I can do. Please Wufei, if I can't satisfy you then tell me what it is that you want. I want to prove to you that I can love and respect you till the end of my days. I can be a good girlfriend if you let me be. I am not afraid to show you how I feel; I want someone to appreciate me... so... please...' Midii begged in her mind, 'What is it that you want!?'
******Flashback******
Making her way out of Meiran's bedroom, rubbing her eyes free of any more tears which wished to fall from her face, Midii watched from down the hallway as Meiran looked to be making her way out of Wufei's room, but what Midii couldn't understand was why she looked to be so... happy? She was angry and frustrated over the fact that Relena was here and didn't even want to go near her, so why was she happy just coming out of Wufei's room like this when Relena was actually in there? Watching Meiran grin to herself as she watched her make her way to the kitchen, Midii's curiosity took over and decided to make her way towards Wufei's room.
The door was closed but she could hear voices in there, one which belonged to Wufei but the other voice didn't sound like Relena's. Leaning her ear against the door, Midii listened in closely and was surprised to hear that Trowa was in there, 'What is he doing here?' Well, at least that explained why Meiran was so happy, although there was no reason for Trowa to be here like this, from her knowledge, she had never seen Trowa visit before, so why now? Pressing her ear into the door further, Midii wanted to try and pick out what was actually going on in there.
Voices were rising now, she could practically hear Wufei screaming curses at Trowa, although Trowa's voice was still at normal tone so she couldn't pick out what he was saying very well but, she had heard nothing from Relena yet. Suddenly, Midii's eyes widened when the realisation came to her of why Trowa would be here, it had to be about Relena, which was another reason why Wufei was screaming insults towards the guy. Wufei was always tense around Trowa; that was one thing Midii had taken notice of greatly, he always showed so much hatred towards him.
Reasons why? Well, from what she could figure out, Wufei had a way with getting what he wanted, with his fighting capabilities, he always had the upper hand over people, however that wasn't the case with Trowa. Trowa was never put off by the threats or curses Wufei would throw out at him since he possessed the knowledge of using his weaknesses against him, or would have a way of bringing up unhealed wounds from the past. 'Relena...'
At that moment, Midii almost fell forward from the door suddenly opening. Looking up at the person who had opened the door, Midii remained silent as she backed away from the door to give the person room. Trowa just stared at her blankly as he dropped a school bag down by his feet as he leaned against the wall beside the doorframe and crossed his arms, causing Midii to just stare at him in question. Taking a glimpse in Wufei's room though, she went into shock when she saw Relena standing in front of Wufei; he looked so shaken up, yet so... hurt?
If that wasn't enough, she suddenly noticed Wufei bring his hand behind Relena's neck and looked to be lowering his head towards hers. Midii was so tempted to stomp in there and give Relena a piece of her mind but, she couldn't will her body to do as she commanded, was she... hesitating?
"Why do you continue hurting yourself like this?" Trowa suddenly said, causing Midii to jump in surprise, she had forgotten he was standing there.
"I'm fine... I don't know what you?re talking about," Midii replied coldly as she narrowed her eyes on him.
Trowa stared back at her for a moment and turned his head off to the side as he said, "Don't continue to hold false hopes on something that will never come to be, you are only hurting yourself more by pretending like this."
Staring at him for a moment, Midii could feel Trowa's words affecting her as though she had just been slapped across the face. She was not about to give into this feeling of regret though, glaring at him she replied, "Hmph, you would have no idea! At least I have someone by my side! I'm at least being loved, and what about you huh? What do you get at the end of the day!?"
"Unlike you, I did have a chance to be happy," Trowa stated, causing Midii to stare blankly at him. "Just like you, the person who I cared about held onto something which was never meant to be... and even now, they refuse to let go... I may not have someone to turn to like you, but if I were to have someone like that, I would want to hope that they see ?me? in their eyes and not someone... else."
Midii couldn't help but turn away at that moment; she could see now why Wufei hated this guy so much, what right did he have to say such things? It wasn't his business to pry into the private lives of others, both Wufei and her were perfectly fine and content with each other. Sure they had their disagreements and arguments but they always made up in the end. They were fine... they were fine... why weren't these words sinking in?
Relena suddenly exited the room at that moment, causing Midii to snap out of her thoughts as she turned to look at her. Relena bit her lower lip as she put her hand over her mouth and allowed a few stray tears to run down her face. Glancing over at Midii she bowed her head and murmured, "... I'm sorry..." She then began making her way towards the front door, not once looking back as she left. Turning to look at Trowa, Midii noticed something flicker across his eyes just now... was it longing? As quickly as it appeared it suddenly vanished as he went to pick up the school bag by his feet and swung it over his shoulder, Midii assumed it to be Relena's bag since she didn't seem to have it with her when she left the house.
"False love," Trowa suddenly said, causing Midii to jump once again. He didn't look at her when he said this, instead he began making his way to the front door as well, closing it behind him as he exited. What was going on? Midii didn't understand anything of what just happened. Trowa came to take Relena away? If so, then why? Not that Midii was complaining, she wanted her to leave but... what was Trowa's purpose for taking her away? This person who Trowa was referring to just now, the one who held onto 'false hopes', the one who he states could have made him happy... was that Relena? The look in his eyes as he watched Relena leave the house... was he hurting as well? No, she had her own worries to deal with, nothing matter to her but the person behind that door.
"Wufei..." Midii whispered to herself as she slowly made her way into the room. She felt so cold and lost right now, she needed him in her arms, and she needed the evidence to see if Wufei cared. Trowa was wrong, she loved him and he felt the same way... right? Looking up at him, Wufei had his back to her as he appeared to be deep in thought, although he looked very tense.
"Wufei...?" Midii whispered as she rested her hands on his shoulders, causing him to suddenly tense more by her touch. Wufei did not reply, instead he nudged her hands off him as he crawled into his bed and laid with his back on it's surface, allowing him to stare up at the ceiling. Midii couldn't deny that she was hurt by the way he was treating her but didn't say anything as she went to close his door. Turning to him once more she slowly walked over to the other side of his king sized and crawled onto it, lying on her side so she could see Wufei's face.
Laying her head on his pillow, just beside his face, Midii raised her hand up and caressed Wufei's chest, causing him to tense up again. Turning to look at her, Wufei was about to open his mouth to speak but before he could, he was suddenly silenced when Midii locked her lips with his in a deep, longing kiss. Wufei was about to brush her off him until he suddenly saw something which he wasn't expecting to see. Pulling back from her slightly, Wufei's gaze softened when he took note of the girl beside him having long honey blonde hair and her eyes were a shimmering aquamarine colour.
Looking over her briefly he relaxed a little and smiled slightly as he reached out and touched her honey blonde hair and softly went to touch her cheek. She smiled back as well as she laid her head down in the crook of his neck and snuggled up to him closer, wrapping her arms around his form. Wufei looked down at her briefly before she suddenly brushed her lips against his softly. The kiss then began to turn more passionate as she raised her hands up around his neck to further deepen the kiss. She then brought him on top of her and began rubbing her hands over his well defined back, causing Wufei to groan softly. Wufei closed his eyes to savour the moment as he then felt his jacket being unbuttoned. Bowing his head and looking down at what he pictured as his heart and Trowa's, Wufei condemned himself for being so weak, especially using another to fulfill his own needs, 'Midii, forgive me...'
******End of Flashback******
Bringing his car to a stop as the traffic lights changed red, Quatre sat and watched as other cars from across the road made their way across the intersection. The lights from the other vehicles, street lights and house lights made it almost seem as though it was day time even though the sun was almost out of sight now. Looking down at the clock is his car briefly; the time read six fifty four.
Noticing the lights were still red, Quatre began drumming his fingers on the stirring wheel as he waited for it to change. Shifting around in his seat for a moment, Quatre felt about ready to be sick, the butterflies in his stomach weren't settling and this was making him all the more anxious and nervous. He had been invited to Relena's place for dinner and as much as he didn't want to be an inconvenience to them, Mrs. Darlian had insisted he come over. He would have been more than delighted to come but when the matters of him coming were only part of his so called 'payment' for tutoring Relena, he wanted to do what he could to decline the offer.
Noticing the lights finally change to green, Quatre put his foot down on the accelerator and began making his destination towards Relena?s house once more. Quatre understood that Mrs. Darlian only wanted to show her gratitude, for him taking the time to help her daughter out with her studies but it was just the way she went about it which disturbed him in some way...
******Flashback******
"Ah, finally done!! Hahaha, that was fun!" Mariemaia said as she looked down at the two over flowing trolleys full of foods for the party, at least with all of this out of the way, there won't be as many stressful events showing up when it will be party time. Smiling at Duo and Quatre for pushing the incredibly heavy trolleys around and Mueller and Alex for fetching all the things she needed to get, the party supply shopping didn't end up taking as long as what she first assumed it would so she knew that she had to repay them in some way. Of course she didn't leave them doing all the work, Hilde, Relena and herself occasionally went to fetch groceries which was listed on her never ending shopping list but Mariemaia practically left it all to the guys to do everything for her, not that it was intentional to begin with but she makes all the use of her resources when ever she gets the chance to.
After Mariemaia paid for the shopping, Duo pushed his trolley out of the isle first before Quatre's and let out a tired yawn, "Ah, thank god this is over... I never realised shopping could be so boring..."
"All because you weren't shopping for your own needs this time huh?" Hilde joked as she nudged him in the arm.
Duo just snorted as he rested his chin on the handle bar of the trolley, that was until his eyes suddenly caught sight of something which he wasn't expecting to see. Quatre pushed his trolley up besides Duo's and noticed him looking a little uneasy as he straightened up, acting a little tense at the same time. Quatre was about to enquire about this until he suddenly heard his name being called out.
"Quatre! Oh Quatre how long has it been!?" A female voice called to him. Quatre turned his head to the direction of the voice and smiled weakly at the older woman approaching him.
"Hello Mrs. Darlian, indeed it has been a while since we have last met up like this..." Quatre replied.
Mrs. Darlian smiled brightly at him but just as she had approached him she lifted her arms and embraced him in a friendly hug, definitely catching Quatre off guard with her sudden actions. Hilde and everyone else just stared blankly at what was before them whereas Duo's eyebrow twitched as he watched Mrs. Darlian?s over friendly gestures with Quatre. Turning to look at Relena who was standing beside him, Duo noticed that she just looked the same as always, neutral and calm; however he knew that her mind was probably spinning with many different thoughts about this sudden scene played before her. Duo just smiled weakly at her as he rested his hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump slightly as she looked at him.
Mrs. Darlian backed away from Quatre at that moment and caught sight of Duo's hand on Relena, causing her anger to boil at the sight of it. However, she had more important things to get down to, she was not about to waste her time on such insects, there were better things to attend to at the moment. Continuing to smile at Quatre, Mrs. Darlian asked, "So, how were your grades this term?"
Quatre raised an eyebrow at her at that moment, wondering why the question of school results suddenly came to her mind like that. Should he tell her though? He couldn't help but wonder if maybe Mrs. Darlian was going to use this as a way of putting Relena down with her results or anyone else?s for that matter. Duo and the others had no idea what he received for grades since he refused to tell them but now, he wasn't sure if whether or not to tell the truth.
"I... I received-" Pausing for a moment there, he tried mouthing out B's but instead his truthfulness took over once again and made him announce A's instead. This was just like the time Mrs. Darlian wanted to know why he was at their home when both Relena and him self went over there to make an attempt at her tutoring sessions. Why couldn't he lie? He cursed himself for it the first time, and caused a lot of trouble because of it and here he was doing it again. It wasn?t a matter of that he 'wanted' to lie, he just wanted to make the exception with Mrs. Darlian since he never understood what went on in that twisted mind of hers.
"Oh just what I would expect of you Quatre! I am sure your family will be proud when they find out!" Mrs. Darlian said. Quatre just gave a weak smile at that remark, for one thing Dorothy wouldn't probably think of it being so great, and his father will probably pick out a negative side to it as well. Their report cards held the percentage of their grades and their results in their mid year exams so, knowing his father, he will probably be criticized for not receiving one hundred percent for every subject, even though he reached the mid nineties.
"Let me see your report card Relena," Mrs. Darlian asked as she held out her hand to her. Quatre kept silent as he looked at Relena sadly, he knew this was going to happen, he knew it, now he is about to witness Relena being insulted for not doing as good as him. Duo just narrowed his eyes on the older woman but bit down on his tongue in order to prevent himself from saying something he knew he shouldn't. He wouldn't regret what he wanted to say, but he knew that he wouldn't hear the end of it from her if he did speak his mind. Relena slowly nodded as she brought her bag over to her side, zipping the front pocket open and pulled out the card for her mother to see.
Taking a deep breath as she handed it to her mother slowly, Mrs. Darlian quickly swiped it away from her for being so slow about it. She glanced over Relena's results for a moment and smirked at them. Relena did not like that smile, she knew there was probably a twisted thought in her mother's head about them right now, and she knew it wasn?t going to be anything good. She knew better than to think that her mother 'could' have been happy for her in having a vast improvement from her F's to A's so dramatically but, did her music results put her down in some way?
Mrs. Darlian glanced over at Quatre and said, "Congratulations Quatre! I am impressed that you can give someone marks such as these and still excel in your own." Relena just looked at the ground in disappointment while Quatre suddenly felt anger flaring within his body.
"Mrs. Darlian," Quatre started, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible, "Miss Relena got those results on her own. Yes I may have helped her out a little but it was really her intelligence that got her those marks in the end. To me, she has made such a big jump in her results from last term compared to this term and I think she deserves the praise for it."
"This is only one set of results Quatre, she is only half way through the year and quite frankly, she can do better than this," Mrs. Darlian said as she tapped the report card on Relena's head, "And if it weren't for you at all, she would still be struggling so really, I praise you for being such a patient and dedicated tutor Quatre." Quatre just stared at her blankly, what was it with this woman that she could never praise Relena for anything as good as this? It was no wonder that Relena had no confidence in her self, she put herself down automatically without even trying because it was things like this which made her that way.
Quatre was in the same boat as Relena, he knew how hopeless it seemed when no matter how hard you try at something; it turns out being for nothing in the end. It was people like Mrs. Darlian that made things almost seem impossible for people like her but, why was it that ?he? continued to do his best all the time? It never mattered to him so, why does he continue doing it?
Mariemaia glared holes behind Mrs. Darlian's head and was about ready to mouth off at her when Mueller pressed his hand over her mouth, causing her to go in a rage as she tried freeing herself. Duo was so tempted to just spit in this woman's face, she really needed to be put in her place, some mother she was, if he could call her that anyway.
"So Relena, can I assume you thanked Quatre for the help he has given you this term?" Mrs. Darlian started as she stared down at Relena. Her silence said it all. Mrs. Darlian glared at Relena for her lack of manners and said, "Hmph, I figured as much, thanking someone would almost seem like a friendly gesture wouldn?t it? It would almost seem more like an insult coming from your mouth anyway since you never use it." Relena's eyes turned teary at that moment, biting down her lip she was determined not to let these tears fall, she would never let it down if her mother saw her suffer from the words she just spoke of her.
Turning to Quatre, Mrs. Darlian smiled and said, "Well, on Relena's behalf, I would like to thank you very much for the time you have taken in helping her and as a way to repay you. Would you be so kind as to join us for dinner tonight?" Quatre was in a mess of emotions at the moment, this was too much for him to take. Not only had Mrs. Darlian put Relena down in her grades, her upbringing, and her mannerism but it was him who had been used to hurt Relena so badly, now he was expected to come over for dinner?
"Mrs. Darlian, I don't think I can..." Quatre sadly replied, causing Mrs. Darlian to raise an eyebrow at his remark.
"May I ask why?"
"I wasn't expecting any ?payment? in helping Miss Relena with her studies, and with your reaction to her grades, I feel as though they weren't enough to satisfy you." Now this was a remark which Mrs. Darlian was not expecting. Turning his vision up to meet hers Quatre continued, "How can I accept your proposal for dinner when I already feel guilty about not setting the standards of helping your daughter get reasonable grades?"
Duo had to smirk at this, if Mrs. Darlian wasn't careful about what she said or did next, Quatre could possibly have her drilled right here and now. Not replying to Relena's marks also reflects upon Quatre and to make things better, if she tried apologising to him, this would automatically mean a positive reaction to Relena's grades. Since Mrs. Darlian doesn't seem to like praising Relena for anything but has such a soft spot for Quatre, her trying to make up for hurting Quatre's feelings would mean that she actually liked Relena's grades and therefore would mean a positive reaction on Relena for once. How can she keep in Quatre's good books without having to show "love" towards Relena at the same time? Duo was eager for her reaction now; he almost felt the urge to cheer Quatre on at this moment.
"As you said Quatre," Mrs. Darlian started, "These results are what Relena got on her own, you merely helped her, but it was her who got these grades in the end. I am merely asking you over for dinner for 'helping' her, not celebrating what she received as a final result." Duo's eyebrow twitched at that, instead of Mrs. Darlian getting drilled for her comments earlier on, it seems the tables had been turned on Quatre, much to his dismay. Quatre went completely blank, he wasn't expecting his comments to back fire on him like this, maybe this could be considered payback for the comment he gave her earlier on when he had first met her at the airport.
Staring at her for a moment, he could see the amusement in her eyes as she knew of Quatre?s little game and so, for his benefit, he might have to give up at this point while he was still ahead. "... Very well, I accept your invitation," Quatre finally replied, causing Mrs. Darlian to smile brightly at him.
"Very good, I knew you would come around. Please be sure to arrive at our house at around six o'clock." Glancing over her shoulder at Relena she said, "Come now, we must go home and prepare ourselves for the dinner we plan on having tonight. Maybe this can atone for your ignorance Relena." With that said, Mrs. Darlian held her chin up high as she began making her way towards the exit, leaving Duo, Mariemaia, Hilde, Mueller and Alex completely furious over her stuck up attitude.
"What a bitch! I swear if I had a mother like that, I would seriously smack her out for being so full of herself!" Mariemaia blurted out.
"Hey now, control yourself ok? She is still Relena's mother after all so don't be so rude," Hilde said, causing Duo to snort at that comment.
"Mother!? Yeah right, I would seriously consider killing myself if I had to put up with shit like that from her mouth!" Duo blurted out, causing him to suddenly slap his hand over his mouth in shock. Relena stared at him wide eyed for a moment there, causing Duo to look at her in apology. Quatre raised an eyebrow at this in curiosity and wondered, 'What did he mean by that exactly?'
Turning her vision away from Duo, Relena remained silent as she took quick glances over the group, just to see if they noticed anything. Noticing nothing she sighed in relief and turned to focus on Mariemaia, "Um, thank you so much for letting me go shopping with you today, I had a really good time... Thank you for inviting me."
Mariemaia looked up at her and smiled slightly saying, "Well, quite personally, I could think of far better things I would rather do than shop for groceries hahaha but I must thank you for helping me out. I am glad you could come and, well, we will catch up with you later ok?" Relena smiled slightly at that and turned to head out the exit. Quatre watched her go for a brief moment but it wasn't until she was almost out the sliding doors that Quatre decided to go after her.
"Miss Relena, wait!" Quatre called out as he ran through the doors after her, catching Relena right in front of the doors, "I'm sorry, it's my fault, I didn't mean to hurt you like that..."
Turning to look at him, Relena said, "You didn't do anything wrong."
"I am the reason she keeps hurting your feelings like that! Don't try to convince me otherwise, I can see what she is trying to do."
"Maybe she's right, maybe I should try being more like you..."
Quatre narrowed his eyes on her for a moment as he went to approached her, taking hold of her hands in the process, causing Relena to look up at him in confusion.
"Don't you ever wish to be someone your not! I am nothing compared to you, you are special in your own way, we all are. Don't let what she says get to you, there is so much about you which I know so many others envy you for." Softening his gaze on her at that moment, Quatre then brought her hands up to his lips and kissed them gently, causing Relena to stare up at him in shock, not to mention make her to blush.
"Please don't change who you are. You are a wonderful person and you just don't realise it. There are so many good things within you which I can see you are too afraid to show to others, but I must say that you shouldn?t be afraid of who you are. If not for yourself then can I be blunt as to say, that I want to see you for who you are. There is so much about you that, I want to know that it?s..." Trailing off o what he was about to say, Quatre turned his blue/green eyes towards her aquamarine ones and instantly felt drawn to her at this moment and without even realising it, he started leaning his head closer to hers as well.
Relena stared at him in shock by the words he had just said, her heart was beating like crazy at the moment and she was losing strength in her legs to even stand up right. Her eye lids were becoming heavy as she felt Quatre's breath on her lips, his head was coming closer and closer towards hers and Relena had no power to fight against the flowing of emotions which were swelling through her body. What she felt she could not tell, but there was a warm, tingly feeling that was spreading around her body from this and she didn?t want to turn away from it. Before the gap between Quatre and Relena could be closed totally by their lips being sealing together, a group of young children ranging from around six years of age suddenly ran between them, causing Relena and Quatre to almost be pushed over in the process.
Their mother suddenly approached them at that moment and bowed in apology saying, "Sorry about that, hehehe they can be a hand full sometimes." Looking between the two teenagers, the woman took note of their beetroot coloured faces and couldn't help but feel sorry for interrupting them like that. Without a moment delay, the woman quickly apologised again and went to follow after her hysterical children, leaving Relena and Quatre alone once more. Turning to Relena again, Quatre stared at her blankly for a moment as she looked to be staring out over the car park. He had no idea what came over him just now, if he didn't know any better, was he was just about to...
"I better go, my mother is waiting," Relena suddenly said as she slowly looked towards Quatre, almost hesitantly, "See you later ok?" Before Quatre could say anything, Relena was already running towards the car park, not once looking back as she headed towards her mother's car. Quatre watched her go for a moment and turned to enter the mall again in disappointment. He still questioned himself on what just took place a few moments ago, or what 'could' have happened and he wondered what suddenly came over him like that. Quatre had never had any problems bottling up his feelings before and it was beginning to make him worry if this scene just now could possibly play itself again. What he really needed to question was if he really 'would' stop himself next time, he wasn't going to if those kids didn't suddenly appear so, in a way, this was not very good on his part.
"You know, maybe you could take note for yourself not to stand right in front of the sliding doors next time," Duo suddenly said, grinning madly at him as Quatre suddenly jumped in surprise. Quatre had totally forgotten about Duo and everyone else and, judging by all the smirks on their faces he couldn't help but blush knowing that they just witnessed that scene between himself and Relena just now.
"Oh well, better luck next time eh Quatre?" Mariemaia said as she winked at him, "Don't worry, you'll be getting more opportunities later, I will guarantee it." Why didn't Quatre feel very comfortable about hearing such a thing from her like that? For one, he was hoping not to let that scene play itself again, secondly he didn't want to take advantage on Relena like this since she still seemed emotionally hurt about some issues and it wouldn't be right if he took advantage on that, and finally, the last thing he really didn't need was Mariemaia suddenly playing match maker.
"Please disregard what you just saw, I doubt if it will happen again," Quatre said as he walked back up to the trolley he was pushing previously, and did his best to keep a straight face as he waited for everyone to start walking again. Duo just continued grinning but kept to himself as he started pushing his trolley once more, allowing everyone to follow after him. Unknown to Quatre though, Mariemaia was not convinced by his words just now and if anything, she wanted to help him whether he liked it or not. It would be for the best in the end, she knew it.
******End of Flashback******
Quatre couldn't help but blush in embarrassment over the turn of events between himself and Relena today, not only had he seen up her skirt previously at school, he was so close from turning their friendship into something a lot more as well. Shaking his head out of his thoughts, Quatre could not allow himself to fall for this emotion which was lurking around inside of him. It was best if he kept this bottled up and hoped to just pass that scene off between Relena and himself as just a one of those things which will never happen again. Relena needed a friend at the moment and she needed the comfort which came with one, how could she open herself up to him if she were to find out... "No, for Relena's benefit, I have to be nothing but a friend. We are just friends and nothing more."
Stopping out the front of her house, Quatre turned off the lights and the ignition and suddenly felt a hesitation to open the door, "Just friends, she is just a friend." Finally getting the door open, he closed it behind him and turned the alarm system on as he headed for Relena's front door. His heart was thumping against his chest like a drum and he was beginning to get really, really nervous about this. As much as he tried talking himself out of what he felt, those feelings still continued to taunt him and he cursed himself for allowing it to happen. Although he had to question his sanity level for even wondering why he was talking to himself about it in the first place.
Stepping up to the front door of the house, Quatre looked over himself for a moment and suddenly wondered if he dressed properly for the occasion. He was wearing a grey button up shirt with a blue jacket and blue jeans. He wasn't exactly dressing up for this but knowing what Mrs. Darlian was like, he was expecting to see the place set up like some posh restaurant so it was beginning to make him question his choice of attire. ?Ok, I think I?m getting paranoid about this now.? Shrugging it off, Quatre began to wonder why he was even caring so much about it, if it was set up very formally, he could get away with the attire because of his shirt, if not then it wouldn't matter at all so why was he worrying so much? ?Hmph, you know the reason Quatre.?
Once again he hesitated for a moment when he raised his finger to the door bell, his throat suddenly went dry and he could feel his temperature rising at the same time, "Get a hold of your self already! You?re not even inside yet and you?re already running scared." Finally forcing himself to press on the door bell, Quatre mentally kicked himself once again for talking to himself like that. This was Relena anyway, if anything, she wouldn't have seen that scene between them as anything serious anyway. Knowing her, it was already out of mind, and Quatre envied her for having the ability to do that.
The front door opened at that moment and Quatre was welcomed with the sights of Relena holding the door open for him. Relena smiled at him and said, "Good evening Quatre, please come in." Quatre stared at her blankly for a moment there as he analysed what she was wearing. She wore silver pants which flared past her knees and wore a thin black top on which went tight around her upper body, the sleeves went tight around her arms at first but flared out as it reached her hands and the neck line traveled down in a 'V' shape as it rested just above cleavage. Quatre was thankful knowing that she wasn't exactly dressed up for the occasion but he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked at the same time.
Relena stared at him in question for a moment and wondered when he was going to come in, it was already hard enough for her to keep a straight face as she opened the door for him but he was making things harder by just standing around like this. She hadn?t been able to get out of her head what she felt for Quatre at the mall and much to her paranoia about it, she had been keeping tabs on the time every minute and couldn?t help but watch the window every once and a while to see if he was coming. She didn?t know why she was acting like this and she shouldn?t keep thinking back on this either since it was all probably in her head. Being as logical and smart as Quatre is, he would have enough sense to not be interested in a girl like her anyway. She had never been good in relationships so for their benefit, she better forget what happened today for the better.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Quatre smiled sheepishly at her and finally entered the house. He could already smell the process of dinner being cooked and his mouth watered at how delicious it smelt but it wasn't until he stood by Relena that he started taking in a whole new fragrance, perfume was it? Looking over at Relena, she closed the door behind him and said, "We are still cooking so, you don't mind waiting a little longer do you?"
"No, of course not," Quatre said smiling at her. Nodding at him, Relena went to guide him over to the lounge room but was stopped when Quatre suddenly spoke again, "Um, by the way. I like the new fragrance you are wearing." Relena froze at the mention of that, she had always used a specific fruit smelling essences at school but she wasn't expecting Quatre to notice the new perfume she was trying out. Relena blushed as she had her back to him and whispered a thank you to him as she continued down the hall, causing Quatre to smile and follow after her.
"Please make yourself comfortable here," Relena gestured as she waved her hand towards the couches, "Would you like something to drink?"
"Yes, thank you," Quatre said as he seated himself.
"I would like one as well thank you Relena," Mr. Darlian said as he entered the room with a pipe in hand. Relena nodded and headed for the kitchen to get their drinks, leaving Quatre and Mr. Darlian on their own in the room. Mr. Darlian smiled as he saw Quatre and said, "My, it has been a while since we have last talked."
Watching Mr. Darlian sit on a couch across the room, Quatre smiled and said, "Yes indeed, what have you been doing with yourself these past few months sir?"
Mr. Darlian chuckled a little at Quatre's formal talk and said, "Please Quatre, no need to call me 'sir'. I have been pretty busy with work for a while now. When I came back home with you by plane those months ago, it wasn't long before I was sent off on another trip again. I have been traveling for a while now, but luckily it has settled down a little at the company I work at so I can finally relax for a while at least."
Quatre watched as Mr. Darlian lighted his pipe and watched as he began smoking it. Quatre himself never appreciated the smell of tobacco but it wasn?t exactly his place to say such a thing. Nodding in response to Mr. Darlian?s statement, Quatre replied, "Oh I see, I didn't realise lawyers had to travel so much.?
Mr. Darlian exhaled some tobacco from his mouth and looked at Quatre in question with what he said, "Lawyer? No, I'm no lawyer Quatre, I?m a financial adviser.?
Quatre looked at Mr. Darlian blankly for a moment there. Was it just him or didn't Duo once say to him that Relena's father was a lawyer? Pondering over it for a moment, Quatre asked, "And Mrs. Darlian?"
"My wife owns a cosmetics business in the mall, she goes there occasionally but she usually pays for someone to run the place for her while she can focus more on paper work, but she still runs the place from time to time."
So Relena's mother didn't manage hotels like Duo mentioned before either. Thinking about it for a moment, Quatre thought that he better clear this off with Duo since he obviously didn't have his facts straight. Duo did after all go through a very traumatising childhood so it would only be natural for him to make mistakes such as these anyway.
"So how have things been for you Quatre? Settled in alright have you?" Mr. Darlian asked, bringing his pipe back up to his mouth.
"Oh yes, it is great being back home again. Plus having the chance to come back to school and everything gives me the chance to act more my age I guess."
"Ah yes, you had been overseas for a couple of years to run one of your family's companies correct?"
"Yes, it was very hard work, I was happy to finally leave the place." Mr. Darlian smiled at Quatre for the strength the young man possessed, the whole ideal of him being able to live on his own in a country for a few years without any guidance at all as he did work which people twice his age struggled to maintain surprised Mr. Darlian considerably. He could picture the hard work Quatre must have been put though to keep the place up to standards and he was amazed that he could do it for so long without going under massive breakdowns. The pressure of running such a well known business like theirs would add to the pressure on Quatre's shoulders, not to mention having to run the place hours upon hours each day when he still had meetings and paper work to do, plus the criticism he would get for being so young would also add to the burden on Quatre's shoulders and Mr. Darlian couldn't help but feel sorry for him having to go through so much at his young age.
"You are very strong Quatre; I envy the knowledge the possess at such a young age. Compared to others who would study these certain occupations in university while getting added work experiences, you know just as much as an experienced person would who had been running a world wide business for almost half their life time and you haven't even finished high school yet." Pausing for a moment he continued, "As much as it will be beneficial for you in the long run, I can't help but feel sorry for you all at once. Can I be so blunt as to ask if you actually had much of a childhood?"
Quatre stared at him blankly for a moment there. At first he was assuming to hear the 'good' sides of him knowing so much about their family's business like he usually got told but it wasn't until his last comment that Quatre was caught off guard. Staring at him for a moment, Quatre slowly nodded and turned to look at the carpet for a moment when he said, "... I didn't exactly have much of a childhood, it's more like a blur to me since I practically did nothing but learn the ways of our company. I feel as though I have already lived my life already, since it has consisted of nothing but memories of our business." Turning to Mr. Darlian again, he gave him a weak smile and said, "Besides, it's to help give me the experience I would need when the company gets handed down to me to me some day so, our reputation is important to maintain you see."
Staring at him for a moment, Mr. Darlian slowly nodded but said, "Even so, I can see that you don?t exactly like this burden of running things after your father do you? Your not one to care much about money or public status Quatre, you are merely running your life the way your father sees fit aren't you?" Quatre remained silent, he really didn't want to continue with on this discussion any further, after all it didn't concern anyone else but himself. Mr. Darlian took notice of this an automatically wanted to apologise for being so forward when suddenly Relena entered the room. Handing her father a glass of red wine, Mr. Darlian said his thanks and watched as Relena went to give Quatre his drink.
Quatre looked at her for a moment and back down at the drink and thanked her as she handed it to him. As he took hold of the glass however, his hand had brushed against hers and this automatically made him tense, causing him to almost drop the wine glass on the floor. Relena jumped slightly when she thought he would drop it but was thankful when he didn't, her mother would murder her if it did happen. However it was her fault for wanting to give the glass to Quatre so quickly, she couldn't help but falter slightly when his hand touched hers, lucky for her that Quatre had good coordination.
"Sorry about that," Relena quickly said, blushing slightly in embarrassment as she backed away to the door. Quatre looked at her apologetically and wanted to apologise himself for being so clumsy but she was already gone, causing him to stare at the drink silently.
Mr. Darlian took note of all this and smirked as he placed his pipe down on the coffee table in front of him. As he took a sip of his wine he stared at the glass for a moment to savour the taste and commented, "Hmm, this is very good." Watching as Quatre took a sip of his own; he nodded his agreement but turned his head off to the walls as he looked about the paintings which hung around them. Shaking the contents of his drink around for a bit, Mr. Darlian kept his gaze on the glass and he said, "I hear that you have been helping Relena with her studies." This automatically earned him Quatre's attention as he watched his eyes suddenly focus on him.
"I have seen her report card; she has improved dramatically from her last one. I thank you for helping her, she needed someone like you to pull out her full potential," Mr. Darlian said smiling at him.
Quatre smiled at that as well, he was thankful to see that at least Mr. Darlian could see his daughter's strengths and weaknesses and knew of what she was capable of, "Yes, all she just needed was a bit more confidence in herself."
"Indeed, fortunately she has someone like you to guide her in the right direction, I myself am never around much which I know is not a good thing for her up bringing but I like to spend as much time as possible here as I can. I burden my wife for leaving so much here for her to do on her own." Looking at Quatre for a moment he leaned forward on his couch a little and asked, "What are your impressions of my wife? How do you see her in your eyes?"
This was yet another question that Quatre didn't want to answer, but feel he needed to since he knew he was being judged on this. What should he say though? Lie and say how kind and thoughtful she is or tell the truth and bag her for being so arrogant and self-centered? He hated being put in these positions and what annoyed him was that he had no way of slipping out of them either. Pondering over his answer as Mr. Darlian patiently waited for him, Quatre slowly replied, "I feel as though, she has good intentions and wants the best for her family but, I don't think she goes about it in the right way. She-"
"Goes about things in an aggressive way and therefore gives her the appearance of a selfish person," Mr. Darlian finished as he took another sip of his wine. Quatre stared at him for a moment as Mr. Darlian continued, "I am glad that you can see more to her than just her blunt, negative comments. I can see now why she takes such a liking in you, its because you understand her."
Quatre raised an eyebrow at this and almost wanted to say he didn't understand her at all, "You are thinking too highly of me Mr. Darlian."
"No, I know you can see the hidden meaning behind her words, you are just taking into too much consideration how others are reacting to it, especially Relena." Quatre choked on his wine at that moment and coughed a little to help clear his throat. This was only their second meeting and Quatre was getting worried about how much Mr. Darlian was analysing from him. Was Quatre really that open that people could freely read him like a book?
"My wife quit school by the time she was sixteen. She hated the life which she lived with her parents since her mother was always in her own little world with the drugs she always inserted into her system, while her father always sexually abused her. Leaving her home to live in her own little apartment she spent her time mostly working behind check outs at supermarkets in order to earn herself a living. Besides working she spent most of her time partying, taking drugs, drinking, and always found herself in the beds of men she never even knew."
Quatre stared at him for a moment and wondered if Mr. Darlian had been drinking previously since he was beginning to say things which he knew he shouldn?t know. Opening his mouth to stop him, Mr. Darlian continued, "I met her when she was trying to shop lift from this store one day, I convinced her not to do such a thing since this wasn't the way to live. I felt sorry for her and so I wanted to do what I could to help her.
I guess it seemed odd of me helping someone I didn't even know but that was how naive I was back then in my younger years. I got her some counseling since she needed it to help her with her drinking and drug problems and I got her into a course on learning how to run your own businesses. It was the only thing she had knowledge on at the time so I figured that this was the best direction to bring her towards in order to make a proper living.
She did indeed finish the course and with the work experience she had also received she got the chance to run as co-manager for a cosmetics shop. The woman who previously owned it wanted to sell it one day and so, my wife decided to take it from her hands and paid half the price of the place while I paid the other. She still owns the same shop as well."
Looking towards Quatre he gave him a warm smile and said, "We started taking a liking in each other while she was doing her business course. I was fascinated with how she had lived such a traumatic life and I admired her strength to keep living. I myself had lived my life being completely sheltered so I never knew much of the things she spoke of since I had no experience with wild parties or drug usages or anything. It wasn't long before we feel in love and well, you can figure out the rest."
Quatre was shocked, never had he considered Mrs. Darlian's life being so, depressing. It reminded him of Duo's past and just the thought of it sent shivers down his spine. This didn't make since though, he assumed that Mrs. Darlian had lived such a high classed life with being raised to be as lady like as possible with the advantage of earning herself the highest education status she could with the back up of her family giving her the money to do what her inspirations lead her to be. He assumed that because of her upbringing, she had a negativity towards lower classes like Duo since she didn't have to slave away in life like him but, if that wasn't the case, why was she so negative towards people like him when she was actually one of them herself?
"Mr. Darlian, does Miss. Relena know about this?"
"No, and I advice you not to speak a word about it as well, not just to Relena but everyone, this was information for your ears only."
Here was another thing he didn?t understand. What right did Mrs. Darlian have to judge Relena on her grades at school when Mrs. Darlian had quit half way though? Yes it might have been a difficult time for her when she lived with her parents but why didn?t she ever come back to start again? He could understand why Mr. Darlian didn?t want Relena to know about this since this would leave Mrs. Darlian powerless in trying to raise her properly. Still, she didn?t have to be on her back so much about it; Relena had gone further with her education than Mrs. Darlian had after all.
"...Why did you tell me this?" Quatre asked in curiosity.
"So you could understand why my wife?s the way she is. She prefers to not think back at this aspect of her past but, it is always taunting her no matter where she goes and she is powerless to try and forget it. I know for a fact that she admires you because of the way you were brought up since she wished she could have been just as lucky as you were." Relena suddenly entered the room at that moment, causing Mr. Darlian to be silenced as he took note of her presence.
"Sorry to interrupt but dinner is ready now," Relena said as she watched her father stand from his couch.
"Thank you Relena, we will be right there," Mr. Darlian said as he watched her leave again. Looking over at Quatre, he could still see the state of shock written over his features and added, "You never would have suspected it would you?" All Quatre could do was shake his head in response, he needed time to get this all around his memory bank since it almost seemed like a lie. Never would he have expected Mrs. Darlian's life to be like that but he still couldn't grasp the concept of why she was most negative to those who were just like her, if anything she should be closer to them and more understanding right?
Mr. Darlian chuckled a little at Quatre's blank face and said, "Please don't worry yourself over such matters Quatre, my wife wouldn't appreciate you taking pity on her past life like that." It was at that moment that Mr. Darlian suddenly started coughing, causing him to suddenly drop his wine glass to the floor, allowing it's contents to form a patch of red onto the pale carpet. It wasn't just little stifles in the throat either, he was practically gasping for air as he covered his mouth, trying to gain control of himself again. He choked and wheezed as he tried calming himself down, losing strength in his legs as he kneeled down on the ground for support.
Quatre's eyes widened and he went into a state of shock as he watched Mr. Darlian coughing like this. Quickly rushing over to him, Quatre helped him onto the couch and noticed him to still be in a cough fit. Watching in fear as Mr. Darlian?s face was now turning red; Quatre rushed out the room and saw Relena setting out the table in the dinning room.
"Miss Relena! Please get a glass of water immediately!" Relena just raised an eyebrow at him but the pledging in his eyes as he begged for her to get water suddenly began to scare her, quickly nodding to him she rushed for the kitchen, leaving Quatre to rush back into the lounge room again. Kneeling beside Mr. Darlian as he patted his back, he felt so useless at the moment since he didn?t know what to do for him. What caught him off guard though was when his heart suddenly began to ache as he watched Mr. Darlian struggle for air, if he didn't try breathing soon... Relena quickly came in at that moment and kneeled in front of her father, holding out the water for him to take. Mr. Darlian took the glass of water and began taking sips of it, some of it gurgled and spat back out of his mouth but most of it as going down, and luckily it was calming him down as well.
"Father, are you alright?" Relena asked and she rested her hands on his shoulders, trying to hold him up for support. Quatre clenched his shirt at that moment as he tried compressing the pain he was feeling at the moment. As soon as Mr. Darlian finally stopped coughing, causing him to finally get air into his lungs with his face slowly turning back to its original colour, Quatre felt the aching in his heart suddenly stop, much to his surprise. Relena helped Mr. Darlian onto his feet again with Quatre standing by his side.
"Oh, sorry about that, I must have choked on some of that wine," Mr. Darlian said as he took Relena's hands off him, "Thank you Relena but I am fine now, and thank you for your help as well Quatre. Well, we better go eat now shouldn?t we?" Quatre just stared at him as he watched Mr. Darlian slowly walk out the room, Relena watched him leave as well and turned to notice the wine which had spilt on the floor, causing her to sigh knowing that this was more work for her since she would have to scrub it out. As Relena bent down to get the wine glass, Quatre still pondered over the incident which just took place just now. This was exactly like on the plane trip home, except at that time, Mr. Darlian?s coughs weren?t as serious as they were just now. At first he assumed it to be a cold, but now he wasn't so sure, his heart told him so.
Looking over at the pipe Mr. Darlian had previously been smoking, Quatre asked, "Miss Relena, is your father suffering from anything in particular?"
Relena got up from the ground at that momen
, I will work on Chapter 12 as soon as I can 
