Ice Hot 8/? (Cut, No Lemon)

[Gundam Girl]

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Disclaimer: I don't own GW. Blah.

Note: This is the edited version of this chapter. If you want the full version with the lemon, that is available as well.

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~ Ice Hot ~ Chapter Eight

?Broken Time Limit?

By Gundam Girl

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They were silent the rest of the way to the Sank Kingdom. Anything that either might have said would only be scathing, and Heero was certain that there would be enough cuts inflicted tonight that it could hold off until they reached the palace at about one in the morning.

They went up to her quarters for the discussion, Relena closing and opening her hands as they went. It had become her nervous habit, Heero noted. Hopefully, she would stick with her own pacifistic policies.

It hadn?t been odd entering the palace; the lobby and the staircase they been in and on had never held any certain significance to him. But entering her private suite?he started to remember things he had once tried so hard to forget.

Her bedroom, for instance, was right at the back of the sitting room they were in. Off to the right, the door that led into it was closed, and Heero was grateful. He wasn?t sure what he?d do with her, him, and a bed alone together.

Relena turned on a lamp so he could see her glaring at him. ?Do you care to sit?? she asked venomously, although she remained standing.

He stuck his thumbs in the pockets of his tuxedo pants. ?No, thank you.? The last thing he needed was to give her even the advantage of being on her feet.

She half-shrugged, not really looking to give a damn. ?Suit yourself.?

A silent thirty seconds passed, and Relena stared hard at him. ?Well?? she demanded. ?You were so intent on speaking to me, so talk. I have very little to say to you.?

She was trying to treat the subject he was about to breach as though it was a piece of dust she could just brush off at any time. And she was right, he had intended to speak to her.

But now that he was here, he really had no idea what in hell he had wanted to say. So he examined her again as she undid the clasp on her cloak and hung it on a rack near the door. She truly was exquisite in that gown, very dainty, very delicate-looking.

Yet, almost un-Relena like. At least not the Relena he had cared so strongly for.

?It all began in this room,? he heard himself comment mildly. ?I remember coming in here first to check for security leaks, and you got impatient with waiting outside the door.? He gestured to the slab of wood she stood in front of, taking a quarter of a second to note the slender column of her revealed neck, accentuated by the slim choker Wufei?s camera was in. ?I was so annoyed when you came in without my clearance.?

Relena seemed unaffected. ?You seem a lot more loose now than you did back then.?

?You?d be surprised what a 0.2 amount of alcohol in your system can do for you,? he said with a smirk. ?Have you ever been drunk, Relena??

Her chin rose defiantly. ?That?s my business.?

?Fine.? He leaned against the wall opposite from her, giving her the space she wanted ? for now. ?I was drunk for probably three months after that, and when I wasn?t, I had too much of a headache to get out of bed.?

Her first instinct was to worry, but then Relena remembered that concern wasn?t her privilege anymore, not concern for him. ?If you?re going to say something, Yuy, get it out.?

?I can?t. Make some assurances.? He narrowed his brows at her. ?I don?t want any politicians bombarding you now that they expect you home.?

?Jesus Christ, Yuy, it?s one-thirty in the morning??

?Call someone. It just might be five before I leave.?

Relena held in a sigh, then reached for her phone. Tapping in a quick memorized number, she muttered into the phone. ?Peter? Yes,? she said to the man who had held on as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the past six years. The people had always liked him, and Relena trusted him. ?The party was fine. Listen, inform anyone who should know, including Jestina, that I?ll be in Brussels, at the presidential building there? I am not giving that information, Peter, but I?ll be there. Yes, that?s it. Goodnight.?

She hung up the phone with a snap, and met his eyes with a sharpened gaze. ?Well.?

?For starters,? he jumped, finding the first string being tugged, ?your attitude.?

?My attitude.?

?Right,? he went on. ?In the past six years, you went from the kindest person I knew to the iciest. You cared so much about everyone and everything; the people, the environment. You had heart, Relena, something a person didn?t see a lot of in politicians.? He moved from the wall and took a step ? only one step ? toward her. ?I admired you for that. I wanted to serve you for that. In a way, I was no more than just one of your followers.? He tore his hands from his pockets. ?I wish that spirit was still alive in you.?

His words unsettled her in a very angering way. How dare he try to tell her about spirit! ?That?s the thing, Yuy,? she spat. ?When I had spirit, it got torn apart. Or stolen. Maybe you stole it. Or maybe,? she suggested, devastatingly lowly, ?you tore it apart.?

Heero tensed; he?d known this would come. ?That night, Relena. Remember. You invited me in your bed, not for what happened, perhaps. But you did invite me in.?

?And you came.? Relena realized the sentence was the perfect opening for what she truly needed to torture him with. ?I didn?t, Yuy. Or don?t you remember??

His eyes went dark, his body taut. ?Listen to me,? he hissed scathingly. ?Not a day. Not a day goes by when I don?t think about that night ? constantly. It?s been six years, Relena. That?s 3,153,600 minutes of regret. Now imagine that, Relena.?

She could. Horribly?she could.

?I knew what I was doing at the time. That just made it all the more terrible. That night? God.? Relena realized for the first time that his hands were shaking. ?That night must have been hell for you, Relena.?

?Hell. Define hell, Heero. I hardly believe you can.? She swallowed. Her mouth was dry, but things needed to be said. ?I wasn?t na?ve that night, Heero. I knew it would?hurt. And it did, there was pain. But what happened after the next morning??

He eyed her warily. ?Nothing happened.? And then she started.

?Exactly!? she half-growled. ?Nothing. Not a damn thing. You were gone, you bastard, you were gone after a night with me! No message, no note, no word to anyone. You fucked and left.?

That did chill him him. Watching her, with coldness pent up over six years freezing in her eyes, Heero felt as though she had iced him until he was numb. ?I was gone,? he said softly, ?because?? He hesitated.

?If you say that it was wrong, Yuy,? she seethed threateningly.

?No!? he immediately protested. ?Relena, no. I left because it was right.?

Relena went still, her anger transforming into confusion.

?It felt right that night, when I was with you. Shit,? he cursed, hating it and himself. ?But there were flaws in something that shouldn?t have had flaws. I wasn?t na?ve, either. I knew there?d be pain for you if you were a virgin, and I knew you were. But I was careless, wrapped up. Honestly, Relena?? He sighed, despising what he knew he would have to lay bare before him. ?I cared so much about hurting you that I did instead of didn?t. And I didn?t realize it, because the whole time I thought you were??

When his words died, Relena squared her shoulders. ?Well, I wasn?t.?

Heero Yuy feared nothing but the emotions people directed at him. He was partially horrified by the look of resentment Darlian gave him, and he only knew one thing to say.

?I?m sorry, Relena.?

She couldn?t feel. Not her fingernails biting into her palms, not the slight sweat at her temples, and not her melting heart. Over the days since she?d seen him again, she?d expected thousands of words, hundreds of things he could say to her?

But not ?I?m sorry?.

?What I did,? he said softly, ?was unforgivable. And I don?t expect you to ever let that night go. But, Relena?? His voice took on a very husky tone. ?Can you imagine what it?s been like for me, too??

Yes, she could. But she didn?t want to think he?d been in pain. She didn?t want to think he?d been hurting as much as she had.

He took two more steps toward her. ?That night?I had you. More than in just my head, you were in my arms. I was holding you. You were holding me. If you don?t believe me, fine, but I?d wanted you for so long, Relena. And then I?? He jerked, as though the memory of it singed him. ?I rushed it. I ruined it for you. And, in a way, for myself. You weren?t getting any of the pleasure I felt.?

?I hardly believe you feel this way,? she told him, but her voice was a whisper, and her eyes were wide. ?You didn?t care. That night, it was all so painful.? More than physically, she wanted to tell him, but held back. ?And then you were gone for the next six years, only to walk in as a fellow politician little more than a week ago. How can I?? She shook her head and swallowed, suddenly afraid that she would begin to cry tears she hadn?t let fall in so, so long. ?How can I believe anything that you say??

The former Gundam pilot took one more step toward her, and it brought him achingly close to her. He whispered to her, ?Would you believe something that I do??

Relena blinked rapidly for a moment. ?I??

His hand fell onto her shoulder, lightly, and trailed up the side of her neck to the back of her head. His fingers threaded into golden hair that he?d been dreaming about touching for years. Her lips came apart as though she might protest, and he waited a beat in case she did. But she said nothing. ?Relena...? As the first of her tears spilled over, he lowered his open mouth to hers.

Relena felt as though she?d been wrapped in some kind of hand-made blanket from heaven as his arms came around her, pulling her to him. She didn?t resist, and returned the kiss with equal passion as he slowly unhooked the choker at her neck and dropped it.

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Wufei watched as his camera went black when the choker hit the floor. Although he still had sound, there was really no point in continuing his guard without visuals. Besides, Yuy was with her.

With a simple flick of his wrist, he shut down the camera. ?Holy shit,? he muttered.

---

?Relena?? he said.

Relena?s eyes opened to look at him curiously. ?It?s supposed to be that way?? she asked softly, with an almost timid air.

Heero nodded seriously. ?Yeah.? He leaned forward to briefly catch her lips with his. ?It?s supposed to be that way.?

She smiled again. ?I?d dreamed for so long?but I couldn?t know.?

?I?m sorry.?

?Don?t be. Not anymore,? Relena told him with a soft sigh. She snuggled against his side. ?You?ll stay, won?t you??

He smiled himself, brushing some golden hair from her face and circling his index finger around her bare shoulder. ?As long as you want me to.?

She caught his hand and kissed the fingers of it. Lightly, she murmured, ?Pagan makes terrific waffles.?

Heero laughed. ?Somehow I remember that.? He pulled her completely against him. ?It takes a lot longer than six years to forget food like that.? Reaching over her, he turned off the lamp, plunging the bedroom into total darkness.

He had expected that she?d want to sleep, but as a now-familiar hand snaked down his navel to the most sensitive of places, he realized she was anything but tired. Grinning in the silvery moonlight coming in through the window, he reached for her, kissing her throat, nibbling at the soft flesh there.

?You better have Pagan make Belgian waffles,? he suggested.

---

Heero never got waffles.

At six o? clock that morning, a mere three hours after they?d finally gone to sleep, Relena?s bedside phone rang.

Heero was the first to reluctantly move after the fifth ring, but Relena beat him to the receiver.

?He?o?? was the murmur, not aware that the caller?s eyebrow shot up; President Darlian was usually very alert if a call came in the middle of the night.

?Relena??

Relena blinked through the haze of sleep, leaning against Heero?s bare, warm chest for warmth. His hand came to her stomach, fingers circling her belly button. ?Peter? What is it? It?s?ugh.? Not willing to try to comprehend what the figures on her digital clock could possibly mean, she settled with, ?Horribly early.?

?Relena, you need to wake up! What the hell are you still at home for??

She binked again, this time remembering what she had told Peter. ?I?? she began, but there was no cover story to think up.

?The Brussels mansion was bombed!? Peter exclaimed through the phone, loud enough that she was completely awake now. ?It?s completely gone up in flames! I was panicked, Jestina?s been crying for the past hour, Secretary Markinson is on the verge of hysteria. What the hell is going on, Relena??

Relena?s mouth opened and closed once, then twice. ?Peter? Have there been any casualties??

A soft sigh came from the extension. ?No. There were several guards injured, but not too severely. Second-degree burns at the most. They?ll be okay.? There was a pause. ?Relena? I usually wouldn?t pry, but in this case, I feel I am entitled to. Why did you tell me you?d be in Brussels and you stayed home? I checked with Preventers, and Lady Une told me that no officers had been assigned to your security for travel. Then I called the airlines and found out you?d never booked a ticket. I?m going crazy here, and as the Minister??

?Peter,? Relena cut in lightly. ?I?m sorry. You have every right to be upset with me.? Her fist curled into the bedsheet. ?I?m upset with myself. But please?don?t ask questions.? Her head turned, and her eyes met Heero?s. His gaze was dark and questioning, certainly worried.

?I?m coming to Brussels,? she said, never taking her stare from his. ?Meet me there in four hours.?

When she hung up, she took a few precious moments to turn and bury her face in Heero?s chest. His arms came around her supportively.

It wasn?t until he felt water on his skin and he pushed her back to see the tears that slipped down her cheeks that he began to inquire.

?Relena?? he said softly. ?What?s wrong? What happened??

She shook her head for a moment. Her golden, mussed hair swung back and forth in disheartened sadness. ?I lied, Heero. And people were hurt. When I told Minister Martinez that I was in Brussels?someone attacked the mansion. By bomb.?

He gripped her shoulders, his hand sliding over her cheek. ?Relena??

?And what else,? she gasped, full out miserable now, ?is that I didn?t care, for just a moment. All I wanted to do was hang up and roll over and go back to you.? Her body trembled beneath his hands.

?Relena,? he said firmly. ?Relena, listen. If you had told them you were here, talking to me, the bombers would have only attacked this place. You?d be dead, and I?d be dead. Peygan would be dead, and I think?? Oh shit. ?Would Wufei be dead??

Her shoulders drooped. ?Yes, he would.?

?So, Wufei knows I?m here.? Well, he was probably the best choice. Had it been Duo or Trowa, Heero was fairly certain slugging would be involved. ?What do you want to do?? he asked her softly.

?Come to Brussels with me,? she asked softly. ?Please.? Her lips met the smooth hardness of his shoulder. ?I can?t? I can?t go by myself.? Now that her walls were weak, she was positive she?d never make it dry-eyed without him. ?Heero??

?Don?t even ask.? He kissed her forehead. ?Whenever you need me, and wherever, I swear I?ll be there.?

Her head fell. ?It?s my fault.?

?No.? His jaw tightened; there were still morons, after ten years who believed that fighting was what the world needed. And those morons had caused the woman in his arms pain that he had ascertained would not occur again. ?It?s not. Not your fault.?

And, he decided as he climbed out of the bed with her to get dressed, he would crush them.

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