Behind Darkness' Mask 5/?

[Gundam Girl]

GG: In the last chapter, someone from FFN reviewed saying that I should make Trowa hook up with Relena and let Heero go wander off somewhere.

No. Way.

Let thee hear! This is a 1xR fic! If you hate that pairing, I suggest you leave. Trowa will not be getting anything romantic off Relena anytime soon in this fic. . .or not in any of my current fics, either. Don?t get me wrong. I love Trowa. I just don?t love him with Lena. Maybe sometime I?ll tuck a 3xR under my belt eventually, but if there is a reference to the pairing, it?s just for jokes.

Disclaimer: Of course I own them. They?re all mine. . . .Not

*~Borrowed Love~* Chapter Five

?If you think I?m going to do that, your head had a bigger effect on it than just amnesia.?

Having expected the blow, Trowa only leaned back on the stool. Calmly, he sipped his beer. ?That?s your call. But if you want her. . .? He shrugged. ?Your options only go so far. You can?t go shoving a bouquet in her face and expect her to just waltz into your arms. Weirdo.?

Heero scratched the back of his neck. He was going to have a hell of a migraine. ?There?s gotta be a better way to do this. I?m not exactly Rossano Brazzi.?

Trowa smiled lightly as Catherine poked her head out from the bedroom.

?Hell not!? she shouted. ?South Pacific is awesome!?

The commentary finished, Barton turned back to his semi-friend. ?I?ll be there through the earpiece. There won?t be any problems. This could be your most important mission ever, Heero.?

A strange glaze came to Heero?s eyes, and Trowa wondered at it. Was that the expression of the battle-hardened soldier he had fought a war with? Or was that the yearning of a man with a need for both flesh and feeling? ?Mission accepted,? he said.

***

?And thus, with the triumph of the embargo carriers? latest design. . .?

Relena?s head nodded, but she was only half-aware of it. If Senator Wilkinson said one more word, she knew she?d be hearing lullabies.

?Thank you, Senator,? came the life-saving voice of the one of the two men above her rank, Minister Dapriev. ?I think that topic has been covered thoroughly. Is there anything else needed to be discussed??

?Whatever it is, it will have to be continued tomorrow,? said the other man above her, President Jamison. ?I think the Vice Foreign Minister?s asleep in her seat. Well, we aren?t the most lively of old men, are we??

Relena grinned. ?Forgive me, gentlemen. I?ll have to trust three hours of sleep is a decent excuse??

?Certainly. And until tomorrow, this meeting is dismissed.?

Thank God for small favors, Relena thought as she stood and bowed gracefully before swiftly departing the room and its wizened old occupants.
***

?Asleep? was an understatement, Relena thought as she slid into bed at home. She was very nearly ready to be put in a coffin and dropped six feet below the earth.

Had she kept the doors to her balcony open and the curtains drawn, she may have seen the black-encased man leap down from the stone wall surrounding her palace.

?Take a left turn. The first turret facing west is to the left of her bedroom,? came the voice from Heero?s earpiece. ?But be cautious. That balcony?s a lot higher than it looks.?

Heero paused. ?How do you know??

At first no sound came. ?Preventer precautions,? Trowa assured him hesitantly.

?Right. . .? was the doubtful reply.

He heard Trowa sigh in exasperation. ?Okay, you?re right below her bedroom. I wouldn?t use the rope; it could wake her up. Just climb the wall.?

Heero hesitated. It had been a long time since he?d used two-inch holes to scale a four hundred-foot wall. . .

?Hey, you?re the Romeo,? said Trowa.

?I understand.? Bracing himself with his index fingers hooked in the stone castle wall, he used his left leg to push of group the ground and slowly slink up.

?Don?t touch the roses,? his accomplice advised. ?Zechs put lasers in the buds.?

?Bastard,? he cursed. He had to climb the wall, his major obstacle was endangering his ass, and worst of all, Sarah?s damned cape was in his way!

He burst into an energetic slither, and grabbed the parapet rail. Triumph, he thought.

?Nice job.?

?Shut up, Barton.? Screw compliments. He wasn?t pleased that the task left him panting.

?Is she in there?? asked Trowa.

Heero rolled, then stood. Her bedroom was pitch black. It was only enhanced sight that let him see anything.

The door was shut, the bathroom dark, the bed ? God, that bed. He was certain it could allow Relena and eight close friends to sleep comfortably ? was empty and perfectly made.

?Gone,? Heero affirmed.

?Then go. Quickly.?

Her doors were unlocked. He wasn?t too upset since she wasn?t in, but any robber could?

?Don?t wander, Yuy. There?s some activity on that floor.? Barton was silent for a moment. ?Hide, Yuy! She isn?t alone.?

Heero considered possible places of cover. There was, of course, an option to jump off the balcony, but he was NOT climbing that wall again. There was the bed, but he?d never get out unnoticed; the bathroom, but the chances of someone entering were too great. He finally opted for the curtains, and Heero pulled one in front of him just as the door swung open and the lights flicked on.

?It is incomprehensible.?

This voice he recognized as Relena?s, but the voice that replied to her obviously negative statement he did not know.

?Relena, you are being foolish. You are twenty-five, young, beautiful. . . Why can?t you be ready for marriage??

?I was aware that people were to be ready for love first.?

?Nonsense. I?m here and well, aren?t I??

There was a pause, and Heero had no doubt it was from shock.

?Though to Horace Delacoup? Mother, I?m sorry. I can?t like him. Truth be told, he?s more YOUR type.?

Horace Delacoup? The French Ambassador? Heero wondered. ?Mother.? Marita Darlian must have been with her. He scowled at the green shade of the curtain. In his ear, he heard Trowa make a disgruntled noise.

?He?s stunning,? Marita sniffed.

Relena scoffed. ?Stunning, yes. And conceited and selfish and a real. . .? She caught herself. ?Mother, he?s quite frankly boring. So much that it distresses me.?

Marita?s mental fume was almost audible. ?And what man isn?t??

?Those who?ve lived, Mother.?

?And I suppose you know who have lived,? Mrs. Darlian muttered.

Heero peered around the corner, and he saw Relena throw up her hands. ?As a matter of fact, there is not a single Gundam pilot who has not faced death numerous times. They know what it is to live, and what it is to nearly not.?

He felt a bit of pride swell in him.

?Ruffians, those Gundam pilots. But of course you don?t feel your love on them.?

Relena?s eyes narrowed. Some wished it so. ?If you are so interested in my behalf, Mother, I will tell you that I met someone at Sarah Winner?s ball the other night.?

?Did you?? Marita humored frigidly. ?And what was the name of this. . .wanton ?someone???

?Wanton,? Relena sighed.

?Well, he?s obviously a sex fiend!? he adoptive mother insisted. ?Or he is out for political power.?

?Obviously,? Relena said sharply.

Heero almost risked making himself known by banging his head on the wall.

?And I don?t know his name,? the princess retorted.

?You. . .what??

?He was wearing a mask and he kept calling himself ?Prince.? But he was very gentle.?

Marita went pale. ?He was an assassin.?

Heero felt his eyes freeze on the older woman?s form.

?Of course he wasn?t!? the VFM exclaimed. ?Or else I should not be alive. No, Mother, he was someone very enthusiastic about the masque.?

Yes, Heero thought. He adored this costume.

Marita sighed and pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose. ?You make me weary, Relena.?

Relena shook her head. You make me sick, she responded mentally. ?Go home, Mother. Make some tea and go to bed.?

?I will. Sleep well, Relena, and think of Horace. Perhaps he is at least good in bed.?

Relena stood, shell-shocked, when he mother closed the door behind her. The woman was not serious, she told herself. ?The old fool!? she said to no one ? or no one she knew was there. ?Oh, the crazy witch. . .? Grabbing a negligee from a drawer, she disappeared into the bathroom.

?Get going.? Trowa returned. ?You have exactly two-point-eight minutes before the target returns.?

?Understood,? Heero affirmed, and moved swiftly. He turned off the light, pressed a button attached to his belt. ?Confirm.?

?Electricity in locale forty-nine is down.?

Heero went behind the curtain again and pulled them both together so he could stand in the middle. On cue, the bathroom door opened, and the sound of Relena?s feet padding to the doorway made sure Trowa was silent. The clicking of a light switch being flicked up and down put him on edge.

Rightly so. He tensed with an incredible, almost painful retraction of muscle when she flung the curtains aside and found him there.

Relena screamed. There was a swish of light blue satin before Heero dove, and rolled across the floor to keep a distance.

He turned to see Relena with a palm to her collar, throat flashing as she fought to control her breathing.

?Prince,? she said finally. ?You. . . You?re here.?

Heero would have given anything to be able to abort the mission. For one of the first times in his life, he wanted to surrender. And he would have, if not to his cowardly self than to her unintentional seduction. The sky blue hugging her hips and curving under her breasts made a white flag go up.

He tensed again. She had said ?Prince,? not ?Heero.? She did not know him. And though he supposed this was a positive asset to the mission, it was a negative one to his person.

?I wanted. . .? He struggled for air. ?I wanted to see you again.?

Heero watched as one of the thin straps nearly fell from Relena?s shoulder. ?And I wanted to see you again,? she admitted. ?I have not met someone like you.?

He could have said the same to her, but he doubted he could word it so nicely. He feared he would end up insulting her somehow, and opted for something else. ?I changed at the masque.?

?I?m much older now,? she confided and crossed the room until she was two feet from him. ?I?ve matured since we danced; I feel more, Prince.? She paused at the obviously false name. ?Please. . . Because I?ve told you this, will you not tell me your name? A name cannot hurt you.?

Yuy saw the pleading in her eyes, the joy, the intimidation, and the longing. She had wanted to see him, hadn?t she? But still. . .

?I can?t give you a name,? he replied. For a fleeting moment, he thought he heard Trowa chuckle in his ear. ?A name cannot harm, but I know that you could.?

?I wouldn?t!? she exclaimed.

?Not on purpose.?

?No, no!? Overcome with effort in trying to persuade him to think differently, she moved closer and grasped his shoulders. There was now definite cleavage to be seen. ?I would not say anything to upset you. But Prince is not true, no mother names her son that.?

His mother had not named him.

?Tell me, if you trust me. Tell it to me, if you feel anything at all the way I do.?

He did, and twice over, if she really loved him. ?But can you tell me how you feel, Relena??

Relena blinked furiously, and she seemed to back down. ?I. . .I do not know,? she said uncertainly, and looked away. ?I don?t know what I feel. Not yet.?

?It would not be fair,? he pointed out. ?When you can tell me what you think of me and how you feel because of it, I will tell you who I am.?

That mask, it was driving her insane. For whom did such strong feelings erupt, she wondered. The longer she did not see his face, the madder she would become. But he was not incorrect. Such an agreement would be the only way to satisfy each other.

?I agree,? she sighed, and met his brown eyes again. ?Will you stay?? she asked eagerly. ?You will not leave so quickly, will you??

?I would not dare touch you, my lady Peacecraft.? If he was going to play a chivalrous stranger, he would do his best to add romance to the illusion as well. He cursed in his head. A man and a woman did not always touch when they were together. Damn!

?Nor could you, not in this palace. Not right now.? She stepped back. ?You will leave.?

?I must.? Under protest, when she stood there in the moonlight, a vision of purity and serenity. Peace.

She looked at the carpet. ?You will have been a dream when I wake in the morning.?

?I will not sleep so easily tonight,? he said in turn. Feeling bold and liking it, not wanting to lose it, he stepped up and took her chin between his fingers. ?But know that this will mean I am reality.? Dipping his face down, he touched her lips with his, wanting, needing, and too concerned to take.

Relena?s lips were pliant beneath his, and they quickly opened with acceptance. When he drew away, a soft sigh escape the mouth he had just kissed. ?You are real to me,? murmured. ?I will wait to know my heart that I will know your identity.?

He waited for her heart as well. ?Until we meet again, Relena.? Indulging her romantic haze, he drew his cape over him and let it swish behind his back as he opened the balcony doors and made to climb back down the wall.

Relena dropped onto her bed.

?The Prince of Darkness,? she murmured to herself. She smiled.

She wished he were the prince of her heart.

***********************************************

GG: Well, um. . .sap. And a mission. And a bit of angst with Marita. I just made up the name as they never give it in the series, and, well, you never see Mrs. Darlian again after episode six. Anyhoo, please review, and I?d appreciate any comments of things you?d like to see come up. (Possible lemon you for, Rose.) Again, please review!

[blackrose]

I?d appreciate any comments of things you?d like to see come up. (Possible lemon you for, Rose.)

Oooh oooh! *raises hand*

GG: -____- I'm regretting this already.
Rose: Well, if we're just talking about things 'coming up', how about--
GG: ROSE!
Rose: *blink* What?
GG: I can't believe you'd suggest that. I mean, yeah, I expected you to say 'How about a lemon, GG', but not be so filthy minded as to put it like that!
Rose: Put what like what?
GG: Like...Heero's...Ahem, anatomy..."coming up". *glares*
Rose: *blink* I was going to suggest Horace or Marita getting their "come uppance". What are YOU talking about?
GG: O__o Ummmmmmm...
Rose: Oh yeah, who's the hentai NOW? Hmph.
GG: Ummmmm, you?
Rose: You're the one with your mind in the gutter.
GG: *looks ashamed*
Rose: Oh yeah, and can you put a lemon in there?
GG: YOU!!!!
Rose: *runs away*
GG: *chases* Rose, I'm going to get you!
Rose: Why don't you post ch 6 instead? *keeps running*

[Morganeth]

awww ^___^ soo cute!!! *laughs* Zechs put Lasers in the rose buds? ^_^ that's just too much!

More soon!!

[Gundam Girl]

Oooh oooh! *raises hand*

GG: -____- I'm regretting this already.
Rose: Well, if we're just talking about things 'coming up', how about--
GG: ROSE!
Rose: *blink* What?
GG: I can't believe you'd suggest that. I mean, yeah, I expected you to say 'How about a lemon, GG', but not be so filthy minded as to put it like that!
Rose: Put what like what?
GG: Like...Heero's...Ahem, anatomy..."coming up". *glares*
Rose: *blink* I was going to suggest Horace or Marita getting their "come uppance". What are YOU talking about?
GG: O__o Ummmmmmm...
Rose: Oh yeah, who's the hentai NOW? Hmph.
GG: Ummmmm, you?
Rose: You're the one with your mind in the gutter.
GG: *looks ashamed*
Rose: Oh yeah, and can you put a lemon in there?
GG: YOU!!!!
Rose: *runs away*
GG: *chases* Rose, I'm going to get you!
Rose: Why don't you post ch 6 instead? *keeps running*

You're insane, Rose. You are just insane. And fine, chapter six will be up like...now.

Morganeth! Thanks for liking, sweetie. Haven't talked to you for a while.