Midnight Proposal (99 Ways Challenge)

[Kiyoko]

I wrote this for the ?99 ways to propose to Relena? Challenge based on how my father proposed to my mother. Obviously I changed a lot to fit Heero and Relena.I hope everyone enjoys this. Happy reading.



Midnight Proposal
By Kiyoko




My name is Relena Darlian and as a little girl growing up in a lower-middle class family I always fantasized about a knight in shinning armor to whisk me away from my near poverty. My family never had a lot of money. My mother?s skillful hands created all my clothing until I reached puberty. Like most girls my age I struggled to fit in to the social norm, but with my family?s lack of funds my clothing was a poor imitation to what the popular kids considered ?in?. From the tender age of seven I began to plan every angle of my wedding down to the color of the invitations.


My obsession ruled my life as an outlet to the treacherous family I lived in, well that and ballet. My father served in the Vietnam War and as ex-military, he demanded the highest degree of respect from his children. Vanity and selfishness reigned over my mother?s life. Sure she loved her children, but not as much as she loved herself and the attention she drew in by her beauty. I dreamt for so long to leave my dreary life behind in Web City, Missouri. I dreaded the overbearingly hot and humid summers and the snowy and unmanageable winters.


Since the young of age of four I trained in ballet for the next twelve years of my life until I caved under the pressure of my mentally abusive teacher. Regretfully I was well on my way to becoming a prima ballerina, Ranked at the top of my class I could have easily entered the St. Louis in a couple years.


I graduated high school a year and a half early and my father immediately sent me off to the University of Missouri. Finally free of my father?s iron grip and my mother?s constant nagging I went crazy. I skipped most of my classes and indulged in poker with my fellow ditchers. After a year and a half of self destructiveness my family could no longer fund my education. Thrown head first into the real world, I had to find a job


I applied for a position at some local business as an accountant. Needless to say I scored the job. Everybody at the company seemed to know each other very well and the atmosphere was better than I could have asked for. I became very good friends with the co-owner, Tsuneo. He had a girl waiting for him back in Japan which I thought was too bad because his exotic Asian features were very pleasing.


A short six months passed in a heart beat when rumors began to spread like wildfire in the office. Passing a group of girls on a coffee break, I overheard something about a Heero Yuy, but that was all. Later that week I packed up my belongings to get ready to go home for the weekend when Tsuneo stopped by my cubicle.


?Hey Relena, heading home already?? he asked casually.


?Yes,? I replied, ?I ended early today.? I finished packing a load of papers into my briefcase and snapped it shut.


?I wanted to let you know that come Monday we?ll be adding another member to out team,? he explained while leaning against my cubicle wall.


?Is it this Heero Yuy everyone keeps talking about?? I asked calmly.


?Oh so you heard. Well he?s not exactly new, he had to visit his family in Japan, but he?s returning soon, ?Tsuneo reached a hand behind his head to scratch the black stands while looking somewhat sheepish, ?I actually think you two will get along great.? I raised a delicate eyebrow at him questioningly.


?You think so?? I asked skeptically not missing the short grin on his face.


?Of course, have a good weekend Relena.? Tsuneo winked at me before striding away to another section of the office. Boy was I in for a surprise come Monday morning.


I walked into work the next week with my head held high and my honey-blonde hair streaming lightly behind me. All last week I suffered through repetitive conversations about Heero Yuy and how great he was. Throughout the week it was Heero this and Heero that! I couldn?t wait to meet this guy everyone though was so wonderful. Jealously hit me like a ton of bricks. Everyone knew him on a personal level and I was the only new person acquired to the company since his absence. I wanted to prove I was better than him.


The moment I saw him I knew how wrong I was! He was gorgeous. His messy chocolate locks splayed everywhere and his bangs hung dreamily in his face. His tan features mixed together in exotic beauty and I felt my heart skip a beat. He carried himself perfectly. I finally noticed I had been staring for a few minutes and quickly bolted to my desk. A few minutes later I heard the scuffling of feet heading in my direction. Trying to look busy, I shuffled around a few papers when I heard a throat clearing behind me.


?Uh, Morning Relena,? The voice was distinctly Tsuneo?s. I could never misplace the heavy Japanese accent. I turned around in my chair and immediately a pair of deep blue eyes caught mine. I never encountered such blue before which I though was odd because Japanese NEVER and I mean NEVER, have blue eyes. I nearly drowned in those eyes.


?Relena, I?d like to introduce you to my friend and associate Heero Yuy. We used to play ice hockey in our younger days,? Tsuneo said and patted his friend on the back. In return Heero smiled slightly and stuck out his hand.


?It?s a pleasure to meet you Miss. Darlian. I?ve heard good things about you.? I almost forgot I could speak. His deep voice held little emotion, but it enchanted me. I barely managed to stick my own sweaty palm out and grasp his hand.


?As have I Mr. Yuy, but please call me Relena.? Looking back now, I don?t know how I squeezed out those few words. Everything about Heero Yuy sent shivers down my spine.


That?s when it all started. We quickly became friends and I eventually fell in love with him. He was over ten years older than me but I didn?t care. When you?re twenty and in love, nothing can stand in the way. He came from a very prestigious family in Japan who lived in the capitol city of Tokyo. His family began in the lower class, but quickly achieved greatness when his father Hideki invented the rice polisher which allowed rice to be produced quickly. Needless to say my parents didn?t approve of our relationship, but I ignored their pleas to dump him.


Six months later his mother called him home again. My heart plunged into a bucket of ice water. Two out of his three brothers suffered from an arranged marriage. Fearful of what his mother had in store for him, I pushed my feelings aside. A week later he called me to let me know he was sending me a ticket to Japan. I had no money; I put all my hopes and faith into this one man. The entire flight over a strong sense of dread seeped into my system. I figured this was a kiss off trip. You know, a ?thanks for a good time, but now I have to get married? present.


I arrived at Narita International a long nine hours later at six in the morning and looking like shit. As I walked out of the terminal nervously pushing my trolley in front of me, I couldn?t help but pray Heero would be there.


?Relena!? I heard him shout from the other side of the barrier. I smiled widely and pushed my cart past the divider. Heero gathered me up in a big hug and kissed me affectionately on the lips.


?I missed you so much. C?mon, we have a lot to do.? That day Heero took me shopping for new clothing at designer boutiques, to the Tokyo Hilton to get my hair, nails, and make-up done, then to afternoon tea to meet his older brother Tatsuo. From that day on I referred to Tatsuo as Onee-san or brother. I could never ask for a better brother in-law than him. In years to come I would lean on him countless times. That night I was so nervous. Heero took me back to his home to meet his parents.


When we arrived I was astonished. We pulled up to an old style building with blue roof shingles and wooden decks running around the edge of the house. To me it looked like a palace. We stepped into the house a few minutes later where Heero instructed me to remove my shoes in the entrance way. A moment later a short and slim Japanese woman wearing an intricate, silk Kimono entered the hallway followed by three other women.


?Hello,? Heero translated for her. She then bent down on her knees and bowed deeply. Heero motioned for me to step up into the house and mimic her movements. A lot older than I had imagined, Heero was her youngest son out of the four that survived. A twenty year gap rested between him and his oldest brother Toshihiko. In short his family was wonderful. I though about my family back home and cringed at the difference.


Early that evening we headed back to the Tokyo Hilton where I was staying to change into a new dress he bought for me and insisted I wear it that night. After we freshened up we headed to the Tokyo Bukkan where E.L.O. performed that night. Early in out relationship Heero and I discovered each other?s passion for music. We both loved Electric Light Orchestra and when we arrived at the amphitheatre they blew me away. I thought the night couldn?t get any better.


After the concert Heero took me up to a classy revolving restaurant on top of a famous hotel in downtown Tokyo. The breathtaking view will forever be ingrained in my memory. The waitress seated us next to the window at a round table with a single red rose in a delicate vase situated in the middle. I felt like crying, everything turned out so perfectly that day.


Heero?s blue eyes were on me and I could feel the pull of his stare. I looked up and smiled at him tenderly. His hand slid across the table to cup my tiny hand in his.


?How do you like it here?? He asked quietly staring intensely into my eyes. I blushed and turned away to gaze at the night lit cityscape.


?It?s been wonderful. I?ve had a great day.? I turned back and was shocked at the emotion in his eyes.


?I?m glad Relena, I tried to make it special,? he said shyly. I felt him pull his hand away from mine and into his jacket pocket. My heat pounded so loud, I thought he could hear it. He retrieved a letter and handed it to me.


?Read it.? Carefully I pulled out the folded letter inside and began to scan its contents.


Dear Mr. and Mrs. Darlian,

I?m going to get straight to the point. I love you daughter.
I?ve never felt about anyone, the way I feel about her.
Relena?s kindness and light warms my heart.
She is smart, clever and strong willed. She means the world to me,
that?s why I?m writing this letter.
I Heero Yuy beg your permission to ask for your daughter?s,
hand in marriage. She would make me the happiest man on earth.
Please do not deny this request. I love her more than life.

Sincerely,

Heero Yuy.


I looked up at the man who stole my heart as fat tears rolled down my cheek.


?Oh Heero,? I sobbed looking brightly into his eyes. He reached into his coat pocket a second time and produced a little black box.


?Will you marry me?? he asked shyly opening the little box. Resting inside between the velvet folds sat a delicate gold ring with a decent sized emerald. I was shocked beyond belief. No only was the emerald my birth stone, but later on I would learn his mother purchased this ring in Missouri.


?Of course I will!? I squealed delightfully and Heero leaned over the table to capture my lips in a sweet kiss. I poured my entire being into that one kiss. My childhood dreams had come true. My knight in shinning armor arrived and presented me with the most romantic proposal.


The only thing left was the perfect wedding?




Fin

[melrose_stormhaven]

Aww...that's soooo sweet...

[bookworm]

That was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sweet. Like Cinderella, or a girl's dream coming true. Lucky Relena.

[Tomorrow]

You know, this story is kind of significant for me since I actually live in Missouri.

It was very sweet, and I loved the part when you talked about the Japanese NEVER having blue eyes. It was a very comedic emphasis, and I had to smirk when I read it.

Your story packed a great punch for having to be so short, and I thought it was absolutely wonderful--very "down-to-earth" and believable. But poor Relena! Thank goodness her knight did find her.

Great job!!!!!

[Morrighan]

Awwww..... This is so sweet!!! Relena's one lucky girl, all right!

Great job!! ^________________________^

[AngelOfDeath]

Aw.

And to think it started out based in fact, to some extent. It almost convinces me that romance is still alive and kicking.