Within Relena's Shame: Chapter 10
by Wicked Child
It was shocking to say the least. One would never have expected to see such a thing, on both ends. Milliardo looked calmly at the couple, his sister shocked into silence by his presence. Chang glared at the blond man, though whether it was due to Milliardo interrupting their make out session or just due to the fact that he was in fact back on earth. It didn?t matter so much in reality as there were much more important things to deal with.
?So I ask again, what were you doing with my sister?? He noticed Chang?s gun did not lower but remained fixed on him. Perhaps the interruption of a make out session for Chang was something to be upset about; no doubt the honorable Chinese man rarely got the opportunity to be with a woman.
?That is none of your business Merquise. What the hell are you doing here?? Wufei was furious. It wasn?t so much that Zechs Merquise was back on earth or even that he had come to see his sister. He was pissed that his men had neglected to inform him of the older brother?s presence, which meant one of two things. Either the men recognized Zechs for who he was and allowed him onto the property or Zechs had snuck his longhaired ass onto the property. Wufei was betting on the latter since Pagan, nor Trowa had mentioned anything to him.
Milliardo cocked an eyebrow. ?My reasons are rather obvious however I feel no obligation to inform you of those reasons. I will save that explanation for my sister when we are left alone.? He paused; looking over at his sister who he noticed was getting paler by the minute. ?You have yet to answer my question Chang Wufei.?
?And it will remain unanswered as that is truly none of your business. Relena needs to sleep so it?d be wise if you left.? Wufei holstered his gun and looked at the woman beside him. His face turned from one of anger to one of concern. ?Relena.?
The woman looked at him, startled. ?Wufei, I need to talk with Milliardo alone. I shall see you in the morning.? Any thoughts she had had prior to walking into her room were banished. Fear gripped her as the man to whom she was related by blood stood and walked forward.
?Are you certain? I can wait outside the door if need be.? Wufei did not want to let this woman out of his sight, not just for selfish reasons which seemed to be mounting as of late but because she seemed to be in fear of her own brother.
?That won?t be necessary. It has been a long day, please get yourself some rest.? Relena then turned her gaze back Milliardo.
Wufei looked at her, hurt but refusing to show that emotion. ?Of course Ms. Dorlian.? His tone was crisp and almost biting. He simultaneously felt pleasure and grief when she flinched. ?Good night.? He turned on his heel and walked out, shutting the door none too kindly.
Milliardo had watched the exchange and marveled at his sister. Men fawned over her and yet she never paid too much heed to their advances, having of course fixed her heart on one man. Though now it seemed that one man had competition. I wonder how he feels about this?
?What are you doing here Milliardo? Why have you come?? She moved away, heading toward her dressing table where she began to remove her jewelry and take her hair down. She unceremoniously kicked off her heels and pushed them to the side.
?My one and only blood relation goes missing for a month, under the pretense that she?s exhausted from work and was ordered to take a month long vacation. When she returns she doesn?t look anywhere near to being rested, instead she seems more haunted. Then one finds out that all the former Gundam pilots are put on a twenty-four hour watch in which she is never left alone save for the use of the lavatory. This is apparently due to an assassination threat, one in which no one else has seemed to have hear of.? He looked over to where she stood rooted in front of the dressing table. ?I think I have every right to be concerned. And I have every right to know what the hell is going on.?
?You have every right to be concerned? You have every right to know what?s going on?? Relena whirled around anger etched into her delicate face. ?You have no right to anything that concerns me Milliardo. Not once have you tried to be a true brother to me. Not once have you shown true concern for me over the years. I have been used by you several times and one hug does not excuse any of it!?
Tears began streaming down her face as she took several steps forward. ?You have nothing to do with my life. Our only connection is your wife who I feel is too good for you in all honesty. You sneak in here, act as though I am your property and treat Wufei like trash when in truth he is the only one here right now that has any right to me.?
Milliardo?s eyes hardened. What she said was true, for the most part, but he didn?t come down to earth to be lectured. ?Are you finished??
?I haven?t even begun!? Relena hiccupped through her tears and anger. In truth part of her was ecstatic that he had shown himself. It meant that he cared for her, something she wondered about daily. The other part feared his presence because he would seek the truth and he would find it regardless of the obstacles. Despite their lack of sibling closeness, Relena knew she could not lie to him.
?I did not come down here to be lectured Relena. I want to know what happened last month. Why did you disappear? What has made you different? Where is the little sister I did, despite what you may feel, protect??
He watched her as she walked slowly toward her bed, where she sat gingerly on the edge. She had every right to her anger toward him. He never had truly shown his love for her but he did love her and cared for her deeply. And he did not want to see her hurting in such a manner.
?How?s Lucrezia?? she asked softly. The bed sank a little lower as Milliardo sat next to her.
?She?s well. The baby is due next month.?
?Otherwise she?d be here right??
?Undoubtedly. Most likely playing referee between us.?
Relena smiled sadly. ?I can just hear her now. ?Relena! He?s your brother! He did everything in his power to protect you! He loves you.??
Milliardo smiled too. ?And then she would turn to me. ?Oh Zechs, show her that you love her. You no longer wear the mask so stop hiding your feelings.??
?Are you excited? You?ll be a father soon.? Relena kept her gaze on her hands, folded in her lap.
?I?m more scared of becoming a father than I have been in battle. But yes I am excited. We?ll be moving to earth soon after the baby is born.?
?I thought you preferred living in the colonies.?
?I do. But that?s more out of fear of the earth than anything else. This place holds too many memories for me but I can?t run forever.? He looked down at his sister, taking one of her hands in his. ?I want my child to be near his aunt. I want to be near my sister.?
Relena said nothing, emotions washing over her too great to stop. A tear fell from her cheek, landing on the calloused hand the held hers. In some ways she wished it were Heero she was talking to.
?It would be so easy,? she said softly. ?To tell the truth. To stop hiding and face things head on instead of cowering behind a flimsy lie.?
?Then what is the truth??
Relena shut her eyes as sobs began wracking her body. She was barely conscious of Milliardo pulling her to his chest. His hand stroked her hair as the tears began to flow freely, dampening his sweatshirt.
?I may not have been there for you in the past Relena but I am here now. Let me help you. Let me be the big brother you want.? He did not receive a response, for soon after the onset of tears Relena passed out from the exhaustion.
In the morning she awoke to find Milliardo sitting in a chair near her bed, the sun streaming in through the French doors that had had their curtains tied back. He was reading a book, sipping orange juice, which was no doubt freshly squeezed. The sun glinted off his platinum blond hair, which remained long. It was then she noticed just how handsome her brother really was. No wonder Noin could never give up on him. Back when she had just become the Vice Foreign Minister she had overheard a group of secretaries comment that he had gained all the looks in the family. Then she had been furious and hurt, now she understood their comments and silently agreed.
She sat up in bed, realizing she was still dressed in the ball gown from the night before. ?Good morning Milliardo.?
?Good morning. How do you feel??
?I have a headache but that?s not unusual. I seem to always wake up with those anymore.?
?Pagan brought up your breakfast.? He stood and brought the tray of food over to the bed.
?Thank you.?
Milliardo looked down at his little sister. ?I have some arrangements to make. When I return I do hope to have a conversation with you.?
Relena said nothing but gave a slight nod. As Milliardo reached the door she did say, ?If you see Wufei could you please tell him to come here??
?He left this morning. Pagan wanted me to assure you that Master Chang will be back later tonight.? With that he walked through the door to make some important phone calls.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
?We have a problem.? Wufei paced up and down the office, agitated.
Heero didn?t looked up from his laptop at Preventer headquarters keeping his attention on what he was typing. ?We always have a problem. What does this one entail??
?Zechs Merquise.?
?What about him?? The clicking of the keys grated on Wufei?s nerves.
?He?s here. He?s at the house. He stayed in her bedroom all night. He?s asking questions.?
Heero stopped typing and looked over at his case partner. ?Why are you so afraid of him being here??
?I?m not afraid. Who said I was afraid?? Wufei glared at Heero before resuming his pacing.
?Look Wufei, we have nothing to hide. Relena is the one with the secret she doesn?t want anyone to know about. Well of course there is Une and Pagan.? Heero paused, leveling his gaze with Wufei?s. ?And of course you. But if Zechs has come down to see Relena we can?t stop him. If he asks questions we have to answer them to the best of our ability. They are brother and sister after all.?
?That?s not what I?m worried about,? Wufei muttered softly. He turned toward the door. ?I have some things I want to check out so I?ll see you later.?
Heero watched as Wufei walked out of the office only to be cornered by Sally Po who had been most curious to the Chinese man?s whereabouts for the past two months. What are you worried about Wufei? His videophone beeped and Heero decided to take the call. He wasn?t happy with the caller and was committed to terminating the call quickly.
?Zechs.?
?Hello Heero. How are you??
?I?m alive if that?s what you mean.?
Milliardo smiled. ?For that I am thankful. Were I to find you otherwise, Relena would be in a much worse state of mind.?
?I?m sure you?re giving me too much importance.? Besides she has Wufei to keep her company now.
?Perhaps. But it is rare for a woman who does not have feelings for a particular person to call his name in her sleep.?
?What do you want Zechs??
Ice blue eyes clashed with dark blue. ?The truth.?
?I don?t know what you?re talking about.? Heero folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. ?If your curious about the assassin, discuss that with Agent Chang as he?s in charge of that investigation.?
?I would, if only there was an assassin. Whenever it comes to my sister you know everything Heero. I?m asking you, as a concerned brother, to tell me what really is going on.?
Heero looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes. If only he knew what was really going on. ?The truth is something I?m not supposed to know Zechs. Don?t ask me to betray her trust any more than I already have.?
Milliardo looked at Heero through the screen. He was tired, pain etched onto his face. He didn?t resemble the same man he had known, he seemed so much more human, not that he was ever anything else. More importantly, Milliardo was certain that Heero was in love with Relena.
?Thank you Heero.? Milliardo logged off and looked at the clock. He had left Relena an hour ago, sufficient time to eat and shower. He looked at a picture of Relena with her adoptive parents, the Dorlians. ?Tell me baby sister, what are you hiding? How did Heero betray you? And does this have anything to do with your kiss with Wufei??
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Relena stepped out of the shower, thoughtful. She had gone in to cleanse herself and now felt the need to be honest. Milliardo had left his pregnant wife out of concern for his estranged sister. He deserved the truth, not some lie like the ones fed to the public. To Heero.
Looking at herself in the mirror she said, ?Perhaps you need to come clean with everyone. Perhaps it?s time to not only tell Milliardo but the rest of those you love what happened. They can?t find the culprit because most of the ones involved are looking in the wrong places. And Wufei cannot do this alone.?
Wufei. How far would they have gone had Milliardo not been present? Would she have gone through with her urges? What if Heero found out? How would he react to that news as well? He would surely turn his back on her for that transgression.
?But what does it matter right? He doesn?t love you. He cares about you, greatly but nothing more than as a friend.? But despite that you?re going to keep loving him aren?t you?
Moments later Relena, dressed in only her bathrobe, emerged from her bathroom to find Milliardo sitting in the chair he had occupied earlier. He looked up as the scent of her perfumed soap reached him.
?Do you still have a headache? I brought in some aspirin if you needed any.?
A smile, a genuine one that Milliardo had not seen since childhood, graced the young woman?s lips. ?Thank you but no. The headache is gone.? She walked over to Wufei?s couch and sat down. ?It?s time to be honest Milliardo. I?m tired of hanging my head in shame. I?m tired of being ashamed.?
Milliardo stood from his chair and took the seat next to his sister. ?Of what could you possibly be ashamed??
?Two months ago I was raped.? Relena looked into the wide eyes of her brother. ?After a dinner date with Cathy, Trowa?s sister, I was attacked and taken into a van where I was raped. After I was set free I called Une and Wufei who have both been caring for me in their own ways since then. That is why Wufei has been staying here and why I am close to him.?
From somewhere in the room Milliardo thought he heard someone crying but to his knowledge Relena didn?t have tears in her eyes.
?He?s become my protector, one I never thought I?d have after that night. Only a few people know. Une, Wufei, Pagan, and my doctor. Not even Heero knows and I refuse to let him know.?
?Why? He?d be the most likely person to catch this bastard.? Milliardo clutched his sister to his chest, unaware that the person crying was he.
?Heero would never view me the same. I would be tainted in his eyes and his view of me is too precious to stain. I could also not allow Heero to know because he would be the one to find the rapist. What would happen after is what I fear. I do not want Heero to have to kill again. Not for me, not for anyone.?
?Heero isn?t the type to just kill for revenge. He only kills if his life is in danger and that has been rarely since the end of the wars.? Milliardo took his sister?s face in his hands, forcing her to look him in the eyes. ?He?s hurting right now. I never thought I would say anything in his defense, let alone help him get closer to my sister but good God Relena. He loves you. Your shunning of him is killing him. You must tell him.?
Tears slipped from the corner of her eyes, caressing her face. ?I can?t allow him to find out. He?s too precious to me. I can?t watch him become someone he isn?t.?
?What are you saying? He would be determined to find this man and bring him to justice.? What the hell was wrong with Heero finding out?
Relena gently pulled away. ?Tell me something big brother. Whenever something has happened to me, kidnapping, threats, attempted assassinations, whatever the case may be, where was Heero? He takes attacks toward me personally. I can only imagine it to my being the symbol of peace for him.?
?Bullshit Relena,? Milliardo interrupted. ?He and I may not be on the best of terms but we respect one another. You may have, at one time represented peace to him but that changed. You became his salvation. He didn?t kill me because he didn?t want you to be sad. He?s living his life for you. To be with you. Give the man some credit. He loves you. Let his love for you bring you out of your shame. If you don?t that is the only thing you have to be ashamed of.?
AN: Okay so I started to use Milliardo instead of Zechs (I dislike the latter of the two names) and I'll change any previous chapter where he's mentioned in a speaking part which amounts to once or twice in the last chapter. No big deal really which means I'll neglect to do it until two years from now.
Also I'm not thrilled with how I make him sound in this one but at the moment I'm unable to make him more Zechs-like I suppose. So I apologize to those who feel he is written OOC.*must not start falling for Milliardo*
(puppy face).
