Pairing: 3xR
Spoilers: None
Rating: R due to coarse language and sexual references
Mercenary Relena Chapter Six
by Wicked Child
The two met at the appointed time by the oak tree where she realized she lost their bet. She found him already waiting for her with a couple of lanterns and a few blankets.
?We?re not sleeping out here again are we? My body hasn?t fully healed from last time.?
Trowa looked at the young woman taking in her state of dress. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she wore a heather gray sweat suit.
?You?re so used to wearing a suit; you do it even when you work out.?
Relena looked down at her attire. ?I thought that this would be suitable for my training. Do you not like it??
Trowa raised his eyebrow. ?You can?t even get away from saying the word ?suit? can you? But yes it is proper attire for tonight?s lesson.?
?So why the blankets?? She looked pointedly at the blankets settled against the oak.
?For when we take a break.? Trowa shrugged. He didn?t want to tell her that it was for when she passed out and he had to carry her back to her car. It was a rather cool night and he didn?t want her catching cold. ?So what did whathisface say about the bouquet??
?He wanted to know who Triton was. I told him that Triton was an old tutor of mine from my high school days and that he still had some lessons for me. Is that okay with you??
Trowa smiled. ?That?s perfect.? He handed her a paper. ?This is my new apartment and phone number.?
?You don?t waste time.?
?Time should never be wasted.?
The two locked eyes for a moment. She studied his face while he searched her eyes. Her eyes were so expressive he had a hard time concentrating on his own thoughts while he tried to decipher what she was telling him through her eyes. His face was so impassive it was difficult for her to read him but she knew that the non-expression was telling her more than she wanted to know. She liked studying him. He liked reading her.
?Are we ready to begin??
Relena nodded once not really thinking.
It wasn?t until the next morning when she woke up in her own bed, not knowing how she got there, that she cursed that nod of assent and she cursed the clown for agreeing to her little desire to be like him.
Before work, Relena decided to call her teacher. She wanted to wake him up from his undoubtedly peaceful slumber and make him feel the way she knew she looked: like hell.
?Good morning Pinky.?
She wanted to scream. He looked well rested, at peace, and definitely awake. ?Clown,? was her response.
?Did we not sleep well?? he asked. He eyes moved to another point in his apartment.
?I slept.?
He brought his eyes back to the screen. ?You did well last night but I think I may have pushed you a bit too much.? His eyes moved away from the screen again.
Relena?s body ached that was a certain fact but it felt good at the same time. He had begun teaching her defense techniques. She learned how to fend off certain types of attackers, mostly muggers and the like but not anyone truly dangerous. She watched Trowa?s profile while he stared off at some point out of the vid-phone?s camera angle. He truly was a handsome man who had a depth to him that she couldn?t even fathom. For a moment she doubted that he even knew how much depth he held within himself.
She smiled slightly. He was handsome, funny (a major plus), witty and intelligent, brave, and a new found friend. A new found friend with eyebrow piercings and a hard body that felt wonderful when pressed underneath it. Her mind traveled to a moment the night before when the two had been entrenched in the lesson and she failed to fend him off. He had fallen atop her, their faces close together, noses almost touching, breathing heaving. He had pinned her arms above her head with both of his hands, although one would have been sufficient. She remembered how she had wanted so bad to wrap herself around him and give in to the urges that had suddenly sprung up from only God knows where.
He was still staring off to the side.
?What are you looking at?? she inquired.
Trowa returned her gaze. His eyes truly were emerald orbs. Before she could stop herself she said, ?You have such beautiful eyes, remarkable really. Almost exactly like emeralds, so precious.?
Trowa didn?t respond. She seemed entranced by his eyes and he wasn?t going to take that away from her. He like being admired by her, it made him feel more like a man if that made sense. Instead of responding to her comments on his eyes he said, ?I?m sorry Relena, I didn?t hear you. What was it you asked me??
Relena snapped out of her reverie and blushed slightly, almost imperceptibly but Trowa noticed. ?I was just wondering what it was that?s more interesting than out conversation.?
?Not more interesting, just more comical.?
It was Relena?s turn to raise an eyebrow. ?How is that possible??
?I?m watching cartoons.?
?Cartoons?? Relena was silent for a moment. She never had the chance to watch cartoons since she was little. ?What cartoon??
This time Trowa blushed slightly. He had a secret and he wasn?t sure it was good to let his student know what that secret was. ?You really want to know?? At Relena?s nod he continued. ?You can?t laugh at me or use this for blackmail or mention it to anyone so long as you live. If you do, I will live up to my past and then Relena will no longer exist barring the memories of the people.?
What was it he was watching? Relena rolled her eyes, ?Stop being so dramatic. Just spill will you? I have to get ready for work soon.?
Trowa took a deep breath. No one, not even Catherine knew of his cartoon obsession. He was taking a chance in telling this woman. Relena waited rather impatiently, eyebrows rising ever so slightly with each passing second. Trowa let the breath he?d been holding out slowly.
?Powerpuff Girls.?
Relena blinked. Did she hear him right? Powerpuff Girls? She studied Trowa for a moment, the expressionless face back in place. His didn?t annoy her as much as Heero?s did. But he must surely be joking.
?You?re joking right??
?No.?
?Oh.? Relena was silent a moment. ?Who?s your favorite??
?Honestly? Bubbles.?
?Everyone likes her,? Relena complained.
?What can I say? I like blondes.? Trowa shrugged.
?Heero likes Buttercup.?
?It figures he would,? Trowa started then stopped. Heero likes Buttercup? Heero? Now that was news. ?Heero watches my girls??
Relena nodded. ?I think that?s why he and Dorothy are hitting it off right now. They both have a fascination with Buttercup. I personally like Bubbles too. Blossom is.??
?Too bossy,? Trowa finished for her.
?Exactly.? Relena smiled again.
?Do you know who Mojo Jojo reminds me of?? Trowa asked.
?Wufei??
?No. Quatre.?
?Quatre!? Relena exclaimed laughing. ?How so?? She tried to imagine Quatre saying 'I am Quatre, therefore Quatre am I. And I will destroy whatever it is I choose to destroy for I am Quatre Raberba Winner!'. Farfetched as it may have seemed, she could honestly see the Arabian acting that way.
?He always has these plots to overthrow the girls and be truly evil but always fails. I don?t know actually. Maybe it?s just that he kind of reminds me of Quatre when he wasn?t exactly Quatre.?
Relena nodded. She never did understand how Trowa forgave Quatre for nearly killing him. While Heero always threatened, he never actually went through with it. Quatre threatened Trowa and Heero and nearly succeeded in his demented mission. But she didn?t fault Quatre either. He was trying to avenge his father?s death in his own way. She had tried to avenge her father?s death her own way by shooting and missing then Colonel Une.
?You know who the mayor reminds me of?? she asked him.
?I?m all ears.?
?My brother. If it weren?t for Noin I don?t think my brother would know up from down.?
?That?s harsh but true. True and funny.? He began to chuckle at the thought of Zechs Merquise dressed up as the mayor of Townsville and not knowing anything. Soon the chuckle resembled a laugh, one that came deep from within. He hadn?t laughed so hard or so freely in all his life.
Relena joined him in his laughter. She knew that day was going to be a good day, thanks to Trowa.
When their laughter died down and the two could breathe easily Relena decided to ask Trowa a very important question. It would unfortunately change the mood of the converstation but she felt the need to ask. His answer would determine the course of her life over the next several months.
?Trowa, if I died, would you miss me??
The question sobered the man up from any lingering giggles he might suffer from. Relena was asking him a serious question with a dead serious expression written on her face and in her eyes. He thought a moment before answering.
?Yes I would.?
?Why??
Once again he paused to think. ?I don?t know exactly why to be honest. We have never been close and until recently haven?t spent much time together. But I know that if you were no longer here, I would be sad knowing I had lost a good friend or at least a potential good friend.? Trowa thought a moment more and said more to himself than to her, ?If you were dead, I would be empty. I?d always wonder what it was that you said to me with your eyes and why you said it only with your eyes. Yes I?d feel empty in the end. Empty of laughter but filled with too many ?what-ifs.?? In a whisper he said, ?Yes, I?d be very empty without you. No love.?
He last words were almost inaudible but Relena caught them. It took her breath away for a moment and she didn?t know why. She couldn?t think about it right then, as she had to get ready for work. But before she did she had one more question.
?I wouldn?t want you to be sad or empty. Would you be my date for my birthday party Trowa Barton??
Trowa looked up, awakened from his silence. Her eyes were pleading with him to say yes and and they were asking for something more. ?I will be your date if that?s what you wish.?
?I don?t wish anymore Trowa. I ask and I hope. Will you be my date??
?I would be honored.? Why would I feel empty without her? Why do I want love, her love?
AN: Not as humorous as I'd like but I like this chapter.
Ah, if only... 
Anyway, this story is awsome and I can't wait for the next chapter!