Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing and Co. They belong to Bandai and Sunrise. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I am not making a profit from it.
Afraid to Love
Written by: WingZero2118
Chapter Four
The rest of the morning went by fairly quickly for the five friends. After breakfast they all decided to go for a nice swim in the lake. This turned out to be quite fun for all, as they all needed some fresh air and exercise for a change.
?Come on Heero I?ll race you to the other side,? challenged Trowa. ?Unless that is you don?t think you can make it across.?
?Just say when and you?ll be watching my feet as I beat you without trying.?
?Oh aren?t we the over confident one,? Trowa joked.
They laughed at each other, then took off across the lake. Heero won easily as he had boasted.
?How do you do it?? Trowa asked. ?How do you keep in such great shape without working out??
?I do work out. Just not in the same conventional way that you do.?
?Well you?re going to have to show me this method sometime,? Trowa said.
?Ok. I guess I could do that for you,? Heero responded.
They rested a bit longer then swam back to the others on the far side of the lake.
?Have a nice race fellas?? asked Catherine.
?I really don?t think that was much of a race,? commented Quatre.
?Heero?s unbeatable if you ask me,? said Trowa. ?He barely even put an effort forth and still beat me easily.?
?What can I say, I?m a natural born swimmer,? Heero said with a small laugh.
?Well I don?t think he?s unbeatable.?
Everyone including Heero turned to see that it was Relena who had made this bold remark.
?So how about it Heero. Care to race me?? asked Relena with a gleam in her eye and a slight smirk on her face.
?You sure about this Relena?? Heero asked back. ?I mean I wouldn?t want to have to show you up in front of everyone here.?
?Is that so?? she retorted. ?Well why don?t you just see if you can keep up!? And with that, Relena took off across the lake.
Heero started to give chase and soon found himself lagging behind. He kicked it into high gear but was unable to gain on Relena, who was speeding along like there was no tomorrow. She made the opposite shore well ahead of Heero and waited as he finished up.
?I never knew you were such a strong swimmer,? Heero stammered.
?Well you never asked me now did you?? she snapped back. ?But you never were big on talking, unless it was about your next mission or how to destroy OZ and Romafeller.?
?Must you always bring up my past in these discussions? Can?t you just let me move on? Do you know how hard it is to try and get over what I?ve done, and how night after night I have nightmares just from thinking about my terrible past? It?s like a bad omen that follows me everywhere I go, and will keep on doing so until the day I die.? Heero slumped down on the beach and sat there with his eyes closed shut tightly, breathing heavily and rapidly.
?I had know idea that the past was such a sensitive subject with you Heero,? Relena said, moving over to where he sat, placing a hand on his shoulder to comfort him a bit. ?I?m so sorry Heero.?
?Don?t worry about it,? he said, brushing her hand off and standing up. ?Come on, let?s get going back now. The others will wonder what?s happened to us soon.?
?Ok Heero,? Relena whispered as Heero dove back into the lake and began to swim back across.
?Dammit! What was I thinking?! I had the perfect opportunity to tell her everything, and I blew it! After that she might not even talk to me anymore.?
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Heero spent the rest of the day avoiding everyone, especially Relena. Only at dinner was he seen again.
?Are you feeling ok Heero?? asked Quatre. ?We had wondered where you had gone off to.?
?I?m fine Quatre,? he replied. ?I just needed to be alone to do some thinking, that?s all.?
He glanced over at Relena as he said this and met her gaze with his. Quickly he turned away as if it pained him to show Relena he had feelings for her.
All through out the course of the meal, Heero found himself simply staring at Relena as if he had never seen her before in his life and was for the first time gazing upon her beauty. He shook himself clear of the image that was ensnaring his mind so he could continue eating.
But it happened again, and this time he didn?t catch himself in time and Relena saw him staring at her, smiled back and giggled slightly at the expression of pure content on Heero?s face. This jolted Heero back to reality and he blushed furiously after realizing what had just happened. This hardly went unnoticed by the rest of the group, all of whom had their own conclusions as to what was going on between Heero and Relena.
After dinner, Heero got up and excused himself from the group. ?If you?ll excuse me, I think I?ll turn in for the evening. Those two races really wore me out.?
?Of course Heero,? replied Quatre.
?See ya? in the morning Heero,? added Catherine.
As soon as Heero had left the room, Relena stood and excused herself as well. ?I think I?ll follow suit. Enjoy the rest of your evening.?
?Thank you Relena. Have a good night sleep,? Quatre said.
With both Heero and Relena out of the room, Quatre, Trowa, and Catherine were all free to discuss the situation at hand more freely.
?I can hardly believe what?s happening,? Trowa commented. ?I still can?t believe I actually witnessed Heero blushing. I have to hand it to you Quatre, your little plan seems to be working.?
?Thanks Trowa. But the outcome of my little plot has still yet to be seen. It?s pretty amazing to stop and think about what?s going on. One thing is for certain though, and that is that the Heero we came to know and respect as a pilot and fighter years ago is trying to come to grips with all of the emotions that have been building up inside of him. He never let them out before and now his emotions are finally surfacing, overwhelming him. That?s why he?s having the nightmares?
?I never thought about that,? replied Trowa. ?That explanation makes a lot more sense than the junk running through my head did,? he laughed as he said this.
?It also seems as if Relena hasn?t fully come to grips with her feelings for Heero either,? commented Catherine.
?I had noticed that as well Catherine,? Quatre interjected. ?The two of them seem awfully nervous around each other like they both have something to say to the other, but don?t know how to or where to start. I suggest that we leave them to their own ways for the time being, but if they aren?t moving in the right direction in a few days then we shall step in. Agreed??
?Agreed,? replied Catherine and Trowa in unison.
Little did they know that at that moment, both Heero and Relena were making plans of their own on how to best handle the impending situation.
