Summary: Two strangers, a girl with a painful secret and a boy with a silent past, find themselves drawn together by the majestic power of the ice.

Princess of the Aisu

Chapter 2

by Goldberry

"Heero, watch it! You're messing up my footwork."

Heero slid to a smooth stop, a small shower of snow gushing from his
blades as he reined in his temper. When he was under control, he
turned dark eyes to Sylvia who stood a few feet away, glaring at
him. They had been practicing their routine for an hour but Sylvia's
attention had been wavering and it had taken a supreme effort on
Heero's part just to keep them in rhythm.

And now, Sylvia was blaming him.

He raked a hand through his hair impatiently and wondered what he
was doing. He and Sylvia had never been able to work together, they
just didn't…fit. She was too absorbed in herself to dance the ice
properly, and he could not do it without a good partner.

Breathing a quiet sigh, he turned his eyes away from her and glanced
around the ring. Other couples practiced on the ice, dancing in
isolated worlds of their own making. There were even a few lone
figure skaters that moved in complicated patterns and awed watching
students with spectacular jumps. He looked closer at the audience
and found Duo waving to him enthusiastically from the stands. He
didn't much like skating, but he liked to watch the way Heero and
Sylvia got on each other's nerves. It made for good gossip around
the lunch table.

A flash of gold out of the corner of his eye drew his attention and
he saw Relena Darlian standing hesitantly in the rink entrance,
watching the skaters with what he could almost identify as longing.
She held her books close to her chest, wisps of sun-colored hair
drifting around her eyes with the air off the ice, everything about
her giving off an air of vulnerability. He wondered at that, for she
did not look like the type to want to be protected. What was she
doing here?

"Is that the new girl? Relena Darlian?"

He didn't answer and Sylvia huffed. "I hear she turned down every
guy who asked her out yesterday. Maybe she is as stupid as she
looks…"

Unaccountably, Heero felt himself getting angry again. "Or maybe she
has enough self-confidence not to say `yes'." With that, he moved
away, letting the ice take him to the edge of rink, Sylvia's angry
retort following him. He ignored her, as unusual, and capped his
blades, passing Relena as he made his way to the locker rooms. She
was still there, her head tilted, watching the ice when he left for
class.

* * * *

Relena shook her head at her self. What had she been thinking? And
if her parents found out they would be worried all over again. But,
it was not as if she had done anything dangerous, she had only gone
to watch the skaters. It was so like dancing…and yet, it was
different. The ice…it was so beautiful. She felt a rush of
excitement again, just thinking about it. Her eyes sparkled and she
felt like laughing. She missed physical activity, and the lack was
starting to drive her crazy. She could not sleep at nights now, her
restless body unable to lie still for more than a few minutes.
Maybe, if she could just convince her parents--

Abruptly, she slammed into someone and reeled back, startled. "I'm
sorry," she managed, before her eyes locked with a pair of midnight
blue eyes and all thought left her. The boy she had run into was in
one word: gorgeous. He had unruly dark hair and eyes that looked at
her coldly, yet seemed to see all her secrets. Instinctively, she
curled in on herself, bringing up her walls against his piercing
stare.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, giving him an apologetic smile. "I wasn't
watching where I was going."

He nodded once and went past her silently, never looking back. She
watched him leave, feeling at odds. His gaze had unnerved her and
she took a deep breath to steady herself.

Immediately, there was a tightening in her chest and she gasped,
raising one hand to grip the fabric of her shirt over her heart. She
took deep, calming breaths and after a few moments, the pain
receded, leaving her slightly lightheaded.

What a fool she was! She shouldn't have gotten so excited over the
notion of dancing again, if only on the ice. Her parents were right.

Breathing in deeply again, she walked slowly to class, banishing any
thoughts of the ice out of her mind.

* * * *

Ice.

Silence.

A breathy mist of air.

The soft rasp of laces being tightened.

Steel against snow crystals,

and then…

movement.

The passing wind in his hair.

The pressing weight of quiet calm.

Ice song.

He was alone on the ice, as he had always been, even with Sylvia by
his side. He had grown accustomed to it, even welcomed it, for he
had never known anything else, and how could you miss something you
had never had? On the ice, he had no obligations, he could be free
there, and if he had bothered to analyze if further, he would have
realized it was the place where he felt his soul, his heart. When he
skated, it was the expression of everything he always keep inside.
An expression of himself.

He was the dance.

Abruptly he stopped, his blades digging into the ice. She was there.
Watching him. He lifted his head and met the hesitant tones of her
sky-blue gaze. She gave an awkward little gesture, as if not sure of
what to say and, to his surprise, he found himself skating over to
her. The wind of his movement touching strands of her gold hair.

"I'm sorry," she said immediately, "I didn't mean to disturb you."

"You didn't," he replied, flatly, observing her. She blushed under
his direct gaze. "What are you doing here? If you want to join the
skating club, they only hold practices in the morning."

"I…I'm not…" She suddenly shook her head, her voice soft. "I don't
know what I'm doing here." She turned to leave and he reached out
and closed his hand around her wrist, stopping her. She looked back
at him, startled.

"Can you skate?" he asked, his face expressionless. She blinked.

"I don't know. I used to dance, but…" Her voice faltered and he
noted the undertone to her words.

"What kind of dance?"

A pause. "Ballet."

He released her wrist, a detached part of his mind wondering at the
silkiness of her skin. "Locker #48."

"What?"

"You came here to skate, didn't you?"

* * * *

She laced up her skates tightly, slightly off balance by the sudden
turn of events. She had only come to the rink to be alone and to
think about everything, she hadn't expected anyone to actually be
there so late at night. Even less, for it to be Heero Yuy.

He sat behind her in history class and she had barely heard his say
to words to his friend, Duo Maxwell, let alone anyone else. That he
had spoken to her and invited her to skate with him was beyond
thinking about. Her new friend, Hilde, had told her that he was a
loner and antisocial at the best of times. Still, something in his
eyes told her that there was more to him than what he let people
see. Something…deep. It frightened her, the intensity if his gaze
and movements, but it excited her, too. He was totally unlike any
boy she had ever met.

And she was about to skate with him.

Taking a deep breath, she made her way to the ice's edge, looking to
Heero as he watched her. There was no encouragement in his eyes,
only a passive stare that erased all her worries in its neutrality.
Slowly, she stepped out onto the ice.

It was different than she had thought it would be. Smooth and
dangerous all at once, and yet, she was not afraid. Her years of
dancing gave her perfect balance and she moved forward, making her
way to where Heero stood waiting for her in the center of the rink.
When she got there, she found out the hard way that she had no idea
how to stop.

Heero caught her before she collided with him and steadied her with
an arm around her waist. She blushed again as amusement flickered in
his eyes.

"Don't use the front of your skates to stop. Use the edge." He moved
away and demonstrated, looking up to make sure she understood.
Nodding, she came to him again and stopped a foot away, smiling at
her accomplishment.

Without a word, he lifted his hand, the perfect symbol of
invitation, and she took it gladly. They moved slowly at first,
Heero always near her in case she began to waver, but after awhile,
she began to grow more confidant, and Heero sped up their pace. They
moved together across the ice, Heero never releasing her hand, in
great loops and figure eights as she grew accustomed to the ice and
the feel of it beneath her skates. As their patterns grew more
complicated, she found herself becoming more and more exhilarated.
She had missed doing any exercise of any kind and she found her body
adapted to the new movements easily, falling back into the practices
she had developed in England.

It was wonderful.

She was almost sad when Heero slowed and brought them around to the
rink entrance, both of them breathing heavily from their work out.
He said nothing to her, but his dark looks were enhanced by the half-
smile he gave, his eyes locking with hers, before he turned and made
his way to the locker room, leaving her alone with her thoughts…

…and wishes.