Gundam Wing fanfiction. My standard disclaimers apply.

Flames

by Lady Aria (bukiminatenshi@mailcity.com)

"Ninmu ryoukai."

Heero Yuy closed his laptop and gazed intensely out the window. He and the other pilots were currently entrenched in one of their safehouses in Europe. From the room, he could hear Duo and Wufei arguing over the former’s taste in music. He could almost see Quatre trying to pacify them both while Trowa shook his head in mild dismay. Loud thumping noises coming from the direction of the stairs told him that Duo had given up on the battle and was trudging up the stairs to sulk.

"Man, I hate it when Wufei gets on my case!" The long-haired pilot said as he plopped down on his bed. "I hate it! I hate it! I hate it!" He noted the look on Heero’s face and rolled over on his stomach. "I bet you got yourself a new mission, huh? And," he added as he swung his legs to and fro in the air, "there’s something about it that you don’t like."

"It’s a mission, Duo," Heero said as he got up to pack his stuff. "We were trained to follow through all of our missions whatever the cost. You should have gotten used to that idea by now."

Duo raised his eyebrows at the statement. He knew that something was bugging Heero because he practically had to pull teeth just to get the Japanese pilot to talk every once in a while. He watched him move mechanically from closets to bags in a well-practiced manner waiting for the best opportunity to barrage him with questions.

Heero was closing the last of his bags when Duo sprang up from his messy perch and landed on the other’s immaculately made bed. He made himself comfortable in an Indian sitting position and fixed the Japanese pilot with his most serious gaze.

"What do you want this time?" Heero asked with a dangerous note in his voice.

"I know there’s something bothering you and I am not going to stop badgering you until you tell me what it is." Duo braced himself for a quick blow to the head and nearly fell off the bed when Heero gave him a half-smile, though it looked more like a twitch at one corner of his lips.

"There’s nothing wrong with the mission, Duo," Heero said as he hoisted a bag to test its weight. "It’s just a simple assassination assignment. Apparently, one of the higher-ups of the Romefeller Foundation will be attending a ball in Madrid. All I have to do is go in and kill him."

"But?"

"The mission also says that I have to get out alive."

Duo blinked at Heero as though he’d grown another head in the past minute. He wanted to laugh out loud or to try shaking some sense into his suicidal partner but he knew that it wouldn’t be worth the effort. "That’s what’s been bothering you?" he asked incredulously instead. "I think it’s high time that those up in the colonies started fearing for our safety!"

Heero dropped the bag he was holding on the bed and shot Duo a dangerous look and watched with mild satisfaction as he scuttled away from his reach. "That’s not the point," he said quietly. "If there’s someone who needs to be given a mission with this condition, it should be Quatre or you."

"Maybe Dr. J’s trying to curb your suicidal tendencies?" Duo asked meekly.

"Forget it," Heero said as he grabbed his bags and made his way to the door. "I’ll see you soon."

"Don’t forget to come back in one piece!" Duo called from the window as he saw Heero go out the door.

<Baka,> Heero thought as he turned his back on the overly jolly and enthusiastic boy.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Heero watched the guests filtering into the hall with the eyes of a hawk. Upon arriving at Madrid, he’d gotten in touch with one of Dr. J’s contacts and obtained the necessary papers that would guarantee him entrance to the affair. He’d been one of the first to arrive and he’d made sure that his earpiece was in place in case the colonies wanted to make last minute changes.

He stopped his musings long enough to note the entrance of a young girl and, apparently, her father. He recognized the man as Señor Fernando Enriquez, the ambassador of Spain, from numerous tandem espionage missions with Duo. This, though, was the first time he’d seen his daughter. She looked very much like her father. Her eyes were large, almost black and her lips were full. Her slender neck and heart-shaped face were framed by waves of ebony black hair that rippled half-way down her back. A sleek dress of black silk hugged her body in a way no other type of cloth could.

He saw her blush at bit and avert her eyes when she happened to glance at him. He would’ve spared the time to approach her but at that exact moment, his target entered the hall. The man was huge. Almost as tall as the six foot five Señor Enriquez, he was dressed to kill in a black tuxedo but looked more like a stuffed penguin in Heero’s opinion.

The target took the girl’s hand and kissed it. Heero noted the flash of anger in the girl’s eyes as the man looked at her a bit too long with a smile that was anything but friendly.

The party was in full swing and the perfect opportunity presented itself to him when his target began to wobble from having too much to drink. Heero followed him out into the garden hoping to catch him alone long enough to complete his mission and get out of the palace.

Heero found him a safe distance from the hall, trying to coax some conversation from a life-size statue in the garden. He was about to pull the trigger when a slight buzzing sound from his earpiece made him pause. The tiny voice over the one-way link made him frown.

"Abort mission. Get out of there and proceed to the Eastern safehouse. Instructions to follow. Repeat. Abort mission...."

He shot one last glance at the man and slid his gun back into the holster sewn into his jacket. He was making his way back to the hall when he heard a soft rustling coming from the brush. Turning, he saw the ambassador’s daughter look at him in fear and shock. The realization that she must have seen him made him go after her. Soon, they were at one of the more secluded sections of the garden with him covering the girl’s mouth, effectively keeping her from screaming.

"What were you doing out here?" he hissed into her ear.

"Who are you?" she asked him, trembling in his grasp.

"None of your business," he said as he grasped her wrist tightly. "You’re coming with me. If you make one false move, I’ll kill you."

She looked at him with hate-filled eyes and started to walk in front of him. They managed to reach the front door when the doorman stopped them. Heero squeezed her wrist so tightly, she winced.

"Señorita Enriquez, where, might I ask are you off to?"

"I-I," she stammered until she felt Heero squeeze her wrist again. "I just feel a bit dizzy, Carlos. This gentleman offered to drive me home."

"Ah, I see," Carlos said while giving Heero a sly look. "Just make sure that you just drive her home and nothing else. Señor Enriquez is known to have a rather violent temper."

Heero gave him a curt nod and he guided the girl over to a car. Upon making sure that she was secure in her seat, he delivered a blow to the back of her neck, rendering her unconscious. He debated whether to leave her there or to take her with him but, remembering the looks that his former target had been giving her, he immediately scratched the idea from his mind. That decision made, he started the car and made his way towards the rendezvous point.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The clicking of a keyboard greeted the girl as she finally regained consciousness. She stiffened when she realized that she was lying on a bed with her captor sitting only about five feet away. It was late afternoon and the sun was making its downward arc above the canopy of trees. Almost immediately, a voice shattered the silence that was starting to make her edgy.

"What’s your name?" he said, not bothering to look at her while he continued to tap away at the keys. "Since you will be staying with me for a while, I might as well know what to call you instead of calling you ‘girl’ all the time."

"Ysabel," she whispered. "My name is Ysabel Enriquez." She looked up to see him twist his seat to face her -- his face still showing no emotion. "What are you going to do to me? Why have you brought me here?"

"You," Heero said as he got up from his seat, "will be my hostage. Let’s just make some things clear. Number one, no harm will come to you so long as you cooperate with what I have in mind. Number two, you will not be able to leave this house without my supervision. In case I am gone, this house will be locked. In the event that I do not return within five days, the locks will open on their own, but under no other circumstances will they open. Number three, there is no use for you to call out for help. We are far from Madrid and the nearest town is miles away. I have managed to stock this place with everything you and I could possibly need and there will be no reason for you or I to go into town. Do I make myself clear?"

Ysabel looked up at him and swallowed the lump in her throat. She saw the deadness in his otherwise perfect cobalt-blue eyes and nodded. Even if his apparent age did make her doubt his abilities at first, those eyes that looked back at her said it all -- he would make good upon his promise to kill her the minute she was out of line. A rough hand lifted her chin and she nodded her head slightly to show him that she understood his terms.

"So what now?" she asked as she sat up on the bed.

"If you want to take a bath, there are some fresh clothes you can wear inside the closet," he said as he packed up the laptop and moved towards the door. "You will be occupying this room since this place only has one bedroom." He then turned his back and closed the door.

Ysabel continued to look at the closed door for a while before trying to get up. She collapsed, shivering, upon the floor as her situation fully sunk in. She might never see her family again. She could die upon the whim of her captor. Her body might not even be found. A morbid sort of humor crept into her mind at these realizations. Yes, she might die here, but in a way, she was free. Free from the confines of being an ambassador’s daughter, free from countless official functions, free from the media who hounded her from dusk ‘til dawn.

She pulled herself to her feet as she looked through the closet for something to wear. She smiled when she saw a cream oversized sweater inside and hugged it close. It smelled of musk, much like a man’s scent and she immediately turned to look at the door. She continued to sift through the articles of clothing and found them all to be both comfortable and exactly her size. With the exception of the sweater, they all seemed to be quite new.

<Some captor,> she thought as she took the sweater and a pair of shorts from the closet. <At this rate, he’s going to spoil me a lot worse than my father!>

Heero had just finished setting the dishes down on the small dining table when she walked out of the bedroom. His eyebrows quirked when he saw that she was wearing the sweater that Quatre had given him while he’d been on a mission in Rome. It was just like the blonde Arabian to be able to manage to do some shopping while on a mission. He gestured for her to take a seat and watched curiously as she gave him a warm smile in return.

<Must be a happiness junkie like Duo,> he thought.

They ate mostly in silence as the sun’s light faded from view. Heero caught Ysabel sneaking glances at him several times during the meal and gave her a cold stare at every turn. He watched in mild amusement as she stood up and started gathering up the dishes. From his experiences with Relena, he had been expecting her to let him clean up. From the first time he laid eyes on her, he knew that there was definitely something more to this girl than just a striking face. It seemed that it was just a matter of time before he finds out what other oddities this girl possessed.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Ysabel had been lying awake in bed for two hours before she finally decided to push through with her plan to escape. She knew that trying to escape should be the last thing on her mind after the threats she’d gotten from Heero, but she knew that had to at least try. She found the pair of sandals that she’d worn at the party and tossed them into the small knapsack that she’d managed to dig out of the closet. After making sure that she had everything she needed, she tried the door.

It was unlocked.

Breathing a small sigh of relief, she looked into the small living room. Everything was quiet and in order. She didn’t see her captor anywhere and she spied the closed door leading to the office.

<He must have decided to sleep in there,> she thought as she closed the bedroom door behind her. <I can’t believe he didn’t assume that I’d try to escape the first chance I got!>

Her bare feet made no sound upon the polished stone floor. When she got to the door, she found out that it was locked from the inside. Smiling to herself, she undid all the locks as quietly as she could. Hearing the last set of tumblers falling into place, she wanted to scream in triumph knowing that freedom was only a few seconds away.

"And just where do you think you’re going?"

Before she could blink, she felt a hand grabbing the back of her collar and yanked her backwards until her back was against the wall. <Where the hell did he come from?> she thought as she fought against the vise-like grip on her neck. She wanted to kick herself when she saw the sleeping bag at a shadowy corner of the living room which meant that he’d taken his sweet time in watching her make her futile escape before bursting her naive little bubble.

"I told you that it would be no use trying to escape," he whispered dangerously into her ear. He narrowed his eyes when her fearful gaze started to return his cold stare in kind. He saw the fury in them, the spirit. It would take a while to break her. He raised his left hand and brought it down to slap her, stopping it a mere centimeter away from her face.

Ysabel didn’t even blink.

He let her go and she collapsed on the floor gasping and rubbing her neck. She didn’t see the half-smile on his face as he looked at her. He knew that she must have been pretty shaken up by what he just did when he saw her making no move to get up from the floor. His next move pretty much surprised even himself.

"Let’s get you back to bed," he said as he picked her up in his arms, much like the way people would carry a baby. He struggled to ignore the shock in her dark eyes as he set her down on the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. "I don’t want you to keep forcing me to hurt you," he said softly as he stroked her hair. "Go get some rest."

Ysabel watched him as he got up and left her alone once more in her room. If anything, she was more confused than ever about her mysterious captor.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

A sort of routine had been established at the unusual household.

Ysabel and Heero’d have breakfast before he holed up in the office doing who-knew-what. Ysabel would then be left bored out her mind in the house. She remembered the mildly shocked expression on the boy’s face when he saw her cleaning up in the kitchen and, apparently, doing the laundry. She’d gotten used to his silence and had also made no further move to escape.

It was during one early morning that Ysabel felt that something was different in the house. She went out of the room and saw that everything was in order. She looked into the office and found it locked, as always, and looked everywhere else, wondering what was wrong with the entire picture. It came to her mind as she sat at the breakfast table and saw that there was only a place set for one.

*HE* was gone.

The shock hit her so fast that she nearly fell out of her seat. It was then that she saw the letter lying near her fork. It read:

Ms. Enriquez, I will be gone for a few days to finish what I have come here to do. I should be gone for only three days at most. During this time, you will remain locked within the house. As promised, if I do not return within five days from my departure, the locks on the doors will be automatically disengaged and you will be free to leave. Until then, take care of yourself.

<Take care of yourself,> she repeated in her mind. It wasn’t something she expected to read in the note. <Looks like I’ll need to look for a way to keep myself occupied for three days.>

After breakfast, she started wandering about the house looking for something to do. Spying what looked like a door behind a shelf in the kitchen, she pried the shelf until it revealed the entire outline. Grinning, she turned the knob and was surprised to find that it was a stairway leading up to what looked like an attic. She paused long enough to grab a couple of rags and went up the stairs. The view was a bit of a disappointment to her since only a few boxes were stored there. She dragged them out of the attic and opened them. Inside, she found a lot of pictures, all yellowing with age. She saw what looked like a four generation picture and smiled at the happy faces. Her captor’s face came into her mind and she realized that she had never once seen him smile. She wiped the contents of all the boxes clean before replacing them and took an assortment of cleaning implements to clean out the attic in the process.

Heero’s estimated three days passed quickly with Ysabel busy cleaning about the house and reading the old love letters and books from the stuff she excavated from the small attic. By the fourth day, she was starting to get worried. She didn’t doubt his abilities to complete whatever mission he was given, but the fact that he wasn’t back yet made her nervous and the innocently simple lock on the door beckoned to her like a flame to a moth.

<Maybe he was just bluffing,> she thought as she looked up from one of the books. <Maybe he left the door open after all.>

Curiosity getting the best of her, she immediately went about looking for anything that she could use to force the lock open. Twenty minutes later, she had undone all the locks from the inside and had started working on picking the lock open with a wire that she’d found in a tool box. As she was probing the inside of the tumblers, she felt the wire come in contact with something. Shining her penlight in the lock, she was surprised to see another wire inside the lock. A sinking feeling came to her as she slowly withdrew the wire she’d been using. Heero’d apparently anticipated her move and had rigged the lock with a fail-safe, or worse, a bomb.

<Damn him,> she though as she sat on the floor giving the lock a smoldering glare. <Damn it all!>

That night, she was still broiling when she heard the door creak open. She sprang up from her bed and was ready to deliver a well-rehearsed diatribe at her captor when the sight stopped her dead in her tracks.

On the floor was her captor and the door leading outside had been left open.

Ysabel’s heart leapt up into her throat as she looked at the open portal. She glanced suspiciously at the sprawled figure wondering if this was another one of his tricks, but decided to chance it. She stepped over him and towards the door.

Nothing happened.

She was about to make a run for it when she noticed a small smudge near her feet. She crouched down and rubbed her hand onto the drying liquid. It was blood. Her heart felt like it stopped when she realized that it was Heero’s blood. She turned him over and realized that he was really unconscious and that he was bleeding from several deep gashes on his arm and legs. All her senses told her to get out of there as fast as she could and just report this to the authorities but her conscience told her to take care of him right then and there.

Standing up, she let out a shaky breath as she closed the door, hoping that she wouldn’t soon regret her decision.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Heero woke to the feel of a damp washcloth being applied on his forehead. He was even more surprised to find himself lying on Ysabel’s bed and being attended to by his ‘hostage.’ White bandages covered his wounds and he could smell something suspiciously like chicken soup coming from the kitchen.

"I expected you to be as far away from this place by the time I came to," he said in his usual monotone.

"You and me both," Ysabel said as she wiped the sweat from her brow. "It looks like I have even less sense than I thought I did."

"Why did you stay?"

"I don’t know, really," she said as she crouched down by his side, "I think that it’s a matter of honor."

"Honor?" Heero asked her quizzically.

"Yes, honor," she replied and added, "by the way, you never told me your name. Am I left to call you ‘sir’ or ‘señor’ all the time?"

"My name," he said uncertainly, "Heero. Heero Yuy."

Ysabel blinked at him at the mention of his name. "Heero Yuy? Isn’t that the name of the pacifist that had been murdered years ago?"

Heero nodded. "Yes. I was named after him. Although it is strange that someone like me would be named after someone who would have gladly given his life for peace."

"Not so strange," she commented as she got up. "I’m going to get you something to eat."

"I can get up on my ow---," Heero nearly fell out of bed as a wave of dizziness washed over him. Ysabel was beside him in an instant and he was soon back snug in the bed.

"You’re really stubborn," she said as she shook her head in disbelief. "You’ve lost a lot of blood and I don’t think that you should move from that bed at all. I can take care of you while you get better."

"You’re strange, you know that?" he said as he settled into the pillow.

Ysabel laughed. "So I’ve been told," she said over her shoulder. "I think I should really have my head examined after all of this is through."

So it went. Ysabel spent all of her waking hours taking care of Heero and helping him around the house to get some needed exercise. During the day, they spent a great deal of time outdoors to let Heero get some sunshine and fresh air and she read to him at night or told him stories about her life as an ambassador’s daughter. Through all of this, Heero let her do most of the talking, unsure what to say or how to respond. He never imagined himself in a situation where someone would actually care for him. For the meantime, he would just let this particular scenario play itself out.

After a week in Ysabel’s care, Heero was finally getting better. During that time, he found himself watching her more and more often whenever she came and went from the room and even when she slept on the floor beside the bed. Through it all, she never once complained and seemed set in giving him a speedy recovery. He found that he liked her smile and the way she would avert her eyes shyly whenever their gazes met. If anything, Relena had been too forward. Ysabel was like a ball of yarn and more of her personality was revealed as time passed.

On the day he was finally feeling good enough to walk places, he heard the faint sounds of a celebration being carried by the wind from the direction of the nearest town. Heero was a bit surprised to see her a bit happier than usual. He was even more surprised to hear her laugh as they ate breakfast.

"I want to tell you that I now know, more or less, where we are," she announced with a wide smile. "We must be either in Valencia or somewhere near it, am I correct?"

Heero looked at her with an expression of puzzled surprise. "How did...?"

"It was pretty simple, really," she said as she got more milk from the fridge. "The most obvious was the noises. It was either someone had gotten married and had thrown a big party or there was a fiesta. The second reason was because today is March 19. March 19 is the Falla de San Chusep, so I’m willing to bet that it would be a better reason for the sounds than a wedding. The third would be that its only celebrated in Valencia."

Heero surprised her by rewarding her with a rare smile. "Congratulations, señorita, you have proven to be a most exceptional detective." He finished his breakfast and helped her clear away the dishes. He waved her away when she tried to help wash them, saying, "get dressed. You and I will be going somewhere."

A small shiver ran up her spine when she saw the look in his eyes as she rushed to obey. It looked like things were back to the way they were when they first met.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"Where are you taking me?"

Heero tightened the blindfold he’d tied over her eyes and helped her into the jeep. She’d dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a light yellow sweater and had worn her sandals. He looked well-dressed in a pair of black pants and white shirt and she honestly wondered where they were going. As he fastened her seatbelt, she felt something suspiciously like her purse plopping down beside her feet. She felt the jeep start and soon they were moving through what felt like an endless unpaved road, if there really was a road in the first place.

Ysabel used the time to think about her situation. It didn’t seem like he meant to do her any harm, but she still couldn’t figure out where they were going. <It could be that he’s going to leave me someplace and let the police know where I am,> she thought. <After all, he’s all ready to go now. There’s no reason for him to hang around anymore.>

The jeep lurched to a stop after nearly a half-hour and she felt the blindfold being undone. She blinked at the warm sunlight and saw that it WAS her purse that had bumped into her leg. He helped her down and they started walking on a forest path in silence. Calls from the birds and animals were the only things that could be heard aside from the occasional snapping twig from under their feet.

Ysabel noted that the sounds of the fiesta were indeed very close and was stunned to see that Heero had brought her to a tiny frontier town that was celebrating the falla and in broad daylight to boot. She looked wide-eyed at him and he just tugged on her wrist as he sprinted the last few meters to the town with Ysabel in tow.

Even for a small town, they had gone all-out in their celebration. Huge carved figures lined the streets for the celebration and people were already moving about opening shops and catering to the small flock of tourists that had come to join the celebration. Ysabel hid a smile as she saw the look of awe that Heero was desperately trying to hide. It seemed that living the life of a soldier left precious little time for experiencing the joys of life. Since it was already almost lunch time when they got there, Ysabel dragged a reluctant Heero to a place that boasted having the best paella in Spain.

At first, he pushed the food around in his plate, totally unsure of what to do with it, while Ysabel snickered behind her napkin. In a flash of total insanity, she dragged her seat close to Heero’s and spooned some of the dish into his mouth. A light blush came to his face when a few natives smiled in their direction and gave the ‘oh, how sweet’ looks.

"What did you do that for?" he hissed to her ear and she set the spoon down.

"How else would I be able to get you to try this?" Ysabel hissed back as she sipped from the glass of iced tea she’d ordered. "You have got to lighten up! Unless, of course," she said with an expression of uncertainty, "you had a different reason for bringing me here."

Heero immediately regretted his words as the spunk left the girl. He reached over and clasped her hand in his. "There is no other reason. I...," he stopped as he looked into her eyes. "I... just wanted to show you how much I appreciate what you’ve done for me."

"How many times do I have to tell you that you don’t owe me anything?" she said as she smiled at him. "It was me who had to repay my debt."

"For what?" Heero blurted out, confused at her words.

"For letting me have a measure of freedom." Ysabel saw the confused expression on his face and immediately continued. "Since the day I was with you, I became free from all the duties to which I was bound. I had chores to do, I had someone to take care of, I was leading a ‘normal’ life, so to speak." She saw the confusion give way to a skeptic look. "You can’t imagine how annoying my life was," she said. "Endless functions, the press, the hassles.... You don’t know how frustrating it was to always just be seen and never heard. Having someone always making the decisions for you." Tears of bitterness rolled down her cheeks.

"Ysabel...," Heero whispered. He never imagined how much of a personal hell her life had been. He reached up to brush away the tears. "It’s okay," he reassured her. "For now, you’re still free. I just wanted you to enjoy yourself... I never meant to hurt you with your memories." He gently lifted her face to look at him. "Promise me that you won’t cry anymore."

She searched his eyes and saw the sincerity and warmth in the once-cold orbs and nodded. "I promise."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

It was already late afternoon and the town was getting ready for the big bonfire that would end the week-long celebration. Ysabel had coaxed him into letting her go dress-shopping and had led him to a prospective place just as the sun started its daily descent. He found it amusing when the sales people perked up after they saw that she had money to spend and waited on her hand and foot. He had wanted to laugh when he saw her roll her eyes and started looking at the dresses on a rack. He was leaning on the doorway, watching the people pass when he heard Ysabel calling his name. One look at her and he nearly tripped over the small footstool near his feet.

She had settled on a white spaghetti-strapped silk dress that hugged her well-tanned body with a skirt that swirled about half-way down the curve of her hips ending just above her knees. The neckline was a little deep and he saw that she was wearing a pendant he has never recalled seeing. The clothes she had been wearing earlier were neatly folded into the shop’s bag.

Ysabel didn’t bother asking Heero if he liked the dress. It was obvious from his expression that he did. And liked it VERY much.

"C’mon," she said, grabbing his hand. "Let’s get back to the party."

The town square was a literal mass of people milling about the site of the night’s final bonfire. A band was setting up at one end of the square and the several café’s had set up tables outdoors. The two had managed to get a seat close to the center of the activity and watched as the preparations got underway. The figures were brought before the crowd and the one that was cheered for the loudest had been set aside and the rest were tossed into the bonfire. Almost immediately, the band started playing and people began pairing up to dance in the square or just dance with a group.

Heero was content to watch Ysabel as she tapped her fingers on the table as they sipped their drinks. He had to admit that she looked beautiful in the firelight and he liked the way it further softened her features, making her seem more fairy than human.

The band started playing what sounded like swing music and she decided to just have some fun herself. She tugged the surprised Heero to the square and just danced to the music. Her laughter floated over the noise and the music as Heero tried to follow her lead. He shot her an ‘omae o korosu’ look as his good humor started to fizzle. Ysabel’s response to this was to pull teasingly away and she was more than a bit surprised to feel Heero’s hand on her wrist as he whirled her smoothly back into his arms.

"I would have appreciated it a lot more if you warned me before dragging me onto a dance floor," he said into her ear.

"I thought it would have been better if I surprised you," she replied as the music stopped and everybody clapped their hands. "You’re not the only one who has the right nor capability to surprise people."

The next song started out with a guitar solo that rose sensually up into the air. Ysabel was listening transfixed by the music until Heero took her by the hand and started moving to the unfamiliar music. She had never heard the song before, and the notes seemed to seep into every pore of her body and soon, she felt as though she moved not of her own volition. Instead, the music had taken possession of her body and all her soul could do was watch. All she could see was Heero’s face and all she could hear was the music -- the sounds of revelry fading into the background until it seemed that they were the only two people in the world. It felt as though the music had been made for this dance, for this one occasion. Nothing existed anymore.

Ysabel found herself wrapped a bit too closely in Heero’s arms as the last notes faded. Looking around, she blushed when she realized that everyone at the celebration had stepped to the sides to watch them dance and her face only blushed deeper as they crowd started clapping and cheering for them.

Heero’s arms tightened around her and she felt him stiffen a bit. She felt as though she would die when a single man’s shout was heard over the noise.

"Kiss her, Señor! Kiss her!"

The crowd had taken up the cheer and soon, teasing started to come from the crowd. Ysabel averted her eyes so as not to see Heero’s expression nor to let him see the flush on her face. She felt his hand lift her face gently to look up at him and she saw the unreadable expression in his eyes.

"Heero, you don’t have to...." She started.

"Urusai," he breathed and kissed her.

The crowd cheered even louder as the kiss progressed and laughter rang through the night at the sight of Ysabel’s flushed face. The band leader walked up to them and shook Heero’s hand.

"In all my life, I have never seen anyone dance that way to flamenco music. I am honored to have witnessed your performance, señor."

Heero gave the man a nod and guided Ysabel from the square back to their table to pick up their things. As far as he was concerned, they have had enough celebrating.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Heero hadn’t bothered putting the blindfold back on Ysabel as they made their way back to the house. As much as Ysabel had appreciated it, she was a bit bothered by his silence. To her, it seemed as though he changed attitudes so many times that day, she was at a total loss.

When they got back, she had made a beeline for the bathroom, deciding to do her thinking under a stream of nice warm water. As she washed away the dirt that had somehow gotten onto her, she heard Heero moving about in the bedroom outside. She leaned on the wall and just let the water flow down over her.

<What’s going through his head?> she thought. <What could he be thinking especially after today?>

She was dressed in the white satin nightshirt she’d brought back from their little escapade and saw Heero sitting at the table looking out the window with a small pile of clothes on the room’s other chair. Ysabel flushed in embarrassment as she realized how long she’d been in the bathroom. Heero shook his head as he took his turn for a bath. She had spent a good five minutes looking at the bathroom door before she realized what she was doing and started unfolding the sleeping bag so she could get her sleep.

She was turning down the room’s bed when she heard small explosions coming from outside. She padded over to the window and pushed the curtains aside. She was treated to the sight of fireworks lighting up the sky. Cupping her face in her hands she sighed as she watched the display and she yelped a bit when she felt herself trapped between two arms.

"You looked like you were enjoying yourself," Heero said as he sat on the floor beside her.

"Simple joys," she whispered as she got up. "Well, I guess its time for bed." When she turned she found herself face to face with Heero and he had a strange look in his eyes... something almost like hesitation.

"Would you have preferred if I hadn’t kissed you?" he whispered softly.

Ysabel was stunned at the question. She’d dismissed the incident as something inescapable, but Heero obviously hadn’t forgotten about it. "I-I..., well," she stammered, "I-I don’t know, really."

Heero pulled her into his arms and just held her. She smelled of shampoo and soap from her bath. Clean. And the white nightshirt slid over her like a loose skin. He rubbed his face into her hair and sighed. He’d never felt this way about anyone before and as much as it excited him, it scared him almost doubly. He was supposed to be the perfect soldier. Emotions were supposed to mean nothing to him, but this girl had found a chink in his supposed impregnable armor and had unknowingly weakened him from within.

He felt her lift her head to face him and he was once again subjected to the heat of her gaze. Every look she gave him felt like searing flame, so he’d hidden inside his mask and had shut her out -- only now, it was no longer possible. He felt as though something unspoken passed between them as he lowered his face to hers and kissed her for the second time. This time, there was no audience to please, no cheering crowds, no one but them. If the first one was for show, this one was for real.

She felt his lips touch hers lightly, as though unsure of how she would react. When she didn’t pull away, she felt his arms tighten around her as he kissed her tenderly and she slowly opened her lips to accept them. Ysabel feared that her heart would burst and tears started to flow down her cheeks as soon as she came to realize that, in the long run, she and Heero could not possibly share anything more that this. She broke the kiss and clung desperately to Heero, crying. She felt him tighten his arms around her and she heard him whispering softly into her ear.

"It’s going to be okay...."

"No, it’s not," she whispered back, harshly. "What’s going to happen now? I think I’m falling in love with you, Heero, but I am desperately trying to tell myself not to." She lifted her eyes to meet his, pleading. "I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t...."

"Ysabel," he whispered, stroking her hair. It hurt him so much to see her cry. He lifted her face to his and kissed her again. "We still have some time left to us," he whispered to her.

Ysabel looked at him and kissed him. Heero picked her up and laid her on the bed, pausing only to pull the curtains shut. As he moved his lips to caress her bare flesh, he wondered if they were about to do something they would regret for the rest of their lives.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Ysabel pulled the blankets closer to herself as she felt the cold early morning wind enter the room. She saw pale reds and pinks of sunrise and smiled, remembering what had happened the night before. She never imagined how intensely she felt for Heero until they had made love. But then again, he was the first one she ever loved.

She wanted to greet her lover good morning but found that he was no longer in bed. Chuckling a little, she wrapped the sheets around her and padded over to the living room.

He wasn’t there either.

He wasn’t even in the house.

Ysabel returned to the bedroom in shock and she found the letter Heero had left behind.

<*Ysabel,*> it read, <*please understand that I have to leave. The war is far from over and a new mission for me came in while you slept. I’m sorry to leave you like this, but I am afraid that if I don’t, I may never. As a soldier, you must understand that my mission always comes first. I have dropped an anonymous tip to the authorities regarding your whereabouts. They should be there in a few hours. Please, please, forgive me.*>

<‘Forgive me’,> Ysabel thought as she crumpled the letter in her hand. <Yes, the mission will always come first,> she said to herself as she readied herself for the arrival of her rescue party. She took a small candle from the kitchen and burned the letter from Heero. <What’s the matter with me?> she asked herself as the fire consumed the paper. <I knew that this would come sooner or later. But, why....> She slumped to the floor as she heard sirens coming closer to the house. <Why does it still hurt so much?>

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Ambassador Fernando Enriquez stormed into the hospital room where his daughter was being kept and nearly punched the doctor when he kept him away from her. He ushered the enraged man from the room and told him to calm down.

"Calm down?!" he hissed at the man. "My wife would be turning in her grave if she knew what Ysabel had been through! Why won’t you even let me see my daughter?!"

"Please, ambassador," the doctor said, raising his hands in an effort to calm the man. "Your daughter is under sedatives and she needs her rest, especially after all the medical examinations and the questions the police have asked her."

The look on his face softened and he apologized to the doctor who just waved it away. He looked at the closed door and sighed. "So how is she?"

The doctor smiled at the reasonable question. "Well, for someone who’s been taken hostage, she is in pretty good health, which would say that she was never treated badly during her captivity. She does, however, refuse to say anything about her captors -- what they looked like, what they sounded like -- we could not get anything out of her in that regard." The doctor shook his head uneasily. "After the interview, the psychologist said that she has a classic case of Stockholm Syndrome."

The ambassador closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. He’d seen people with Stockholm Syndrome before, and although they usually lead normal lives afterwards, it never really went away. It was just too hard to accept that his daughter could have....

"Don’t worry so much, señor," the doctor said. "Ysabel is a strong young lady. She’ll be over the symptoms in no time. If you like, you could stay with her until she wakes up."

Señor Enriquez nodded and quietly entered the room. He saw his daughter sleeping peacefully on the hospital bed amidst a garden of flowers that had been sent by both family and friends. He reached out to touch her face and his breath caught as she stirred. He engulfed her in a hug as soon as she opened her eyes and his shoulders shook as tears of joy silently flowed down his cheeks.

"Papa...," Ysabel whispered hoarsely. "Papa, is it really you?"

"Si, niña, si," he whispered. "It’s okay now, you’re with me. You can forget everything that’s happened. You’re safe now...."

"Si, papa," she whispered back and an image of Heero flashed before her eyes. <But I’m not so sure if I can,> she thought as she hugged her father back.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"Finally!"

Ysabel smiled as she shut the last folder and placed it on the three-foot-high stack on her desk and stretched. Peace had finally come and her work as a Preventer has been limited to stacks of paperwork of late. She spied Wufei and Sally talking and laughing at the other end of the office.

<What I wouldn’t give to be like those two,> she told herself as a wistful smile came to her face. All of a sudden, a soft breath caressed her ear and she nearly fell off her chair in surprise as her skin crawled. She looked up to see Duo Maxwell hovering over her head, a grin once again on his boyish face.

"You know as well as anyone else that constantly looking at Wufei and Sally will not get you into a relationship any faster," he said as he sat on her desk.

"Do you believe that there is someone for everyone in this world, Duo?" she asked as she stared once again at the couple.

"Yeah, but I don’t think you’ll know unless you look for them," he said and smiled. "So, when do you plan on finally letting me take you out?"

Ysabel raised an eyebrow at Duo and just laughed. She’d known Duo for three years and they’d been both only eighteen then. As much as she and all of the other people in the office liked Duo, she just couldn’t imagine him entering into any form of serious relationship. He just didn’t seem to be the type.

"Oh, come on, Ysa!" Duo pleaded when he saw the look she was giving him. "I’ve been trying to get you to go out with me for almost three years!"

"And the answer still stands. No," Ysabel said but soon found that she’d once again wasted her breath as Duo’s attention was distracted by Paige, a fellow Preventer, who happened to walk by. "And I think you have just proven to yourself why," she added with as smile as Duo turned a bright shade of red. "Let’s face it, Duo, you are attracted to women like a bear is to honey. You’d never settle down with just one."

"I resent that, Ysa," he said with a frown. "Someday, you’ll see."

"I hope I’m still alive to see that day," she joked as a messenger arrived and asked her to sign a form. He dropped off an oblong package and Ysabel watched as another one like it was also delivered to Lady Une’s office.

"What the heck is that?" Duo said as he eyed the pink box.

"Beats me," Ysabel replied as she looked it over. "I don’t remember ordering anything."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Open it up!"

Ysabel rolled her eyes at Duo and opened it. Her eyes widened when she saw the light-pink satin gown within. It looked to be exactly her size and it was the off-shoulder type with elegant white lace covering the bodice. She spied a note lying at the bottom of the box and quickly opened it up. It read:

Ysabel, How are you? Does the dress fit? Oh, I hope it does! I am so very, very happy! I am getting married on Sunday and I want you to be my maid of honor. It was sort of whirlwind thing, but I’m so glad that things were ready on schedule. It’s going to be at the cathedral at Cinq at eight in the morning. I hope you can make it! Always, Relena Peacecraft.

"No way!" Duo exclaimed as he grabbed the letter from Ysabel. "The Queen of the World is getting hitched?!"

Lady Une chose that exact moment to burst into the office and shouted, "Relena Peacecraft is getting married!!!"

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Lucrezia Noin helped adjust Ysabel’s dress as she got ready to walk down the aisle. Relena was with her brother in another room trying to get over pre-wedding jitters. Ysabel looked at Noin and sighed.

She and Milliard Peacecraft had tied the knot a few months after the war and now had two children of their own. Rumor has it that Sally and Wufei will be getting married before the year is up. Trowa and Catherine are rumored to both be engaged to people from their circus and are supposed to have a double wedding as soon as their next tour was done.

Her musings were interrupted when Duo dashed into the room and headed straight for Ysabel.

"Thank goodness I found you!" He said in a rush. "I can’t get this stupid tie to come on straight!"

Ysabel giggled as she pulled him closer by the ends of the bowtie. "You are hopeless, Maxwell!" She teased him as she straightened out the knot. "I must say, you look good in a tuxedo." She cast him a seductive look before she continued. "I might even consider taking you up on that date."

"Really?" he said hopefully, but soon noted the twinkle in her eyes. "Nah, I knew you must have been kidding. Besides, I wouldn’t be wearing this if I wasn’t the best man."

"What?!" Ysabel gasped as she looked him in shock. It was then that a though came to her head. "Come to think of it, I don’t even know who Relena’s marrying!"

"You’re joking," Duo said and an usher popped his head in to announce that the wedding was about to begin. Duo scampered away before he could answer any questions and Ysabel was guided towards the entrance of the cathedral.

The flower girls entered first as the music echoed throughout the cathedral. Then it was the bridesmaids’ turn. All the while, Ysabel tried to see the groom but he was just too far away. She wouldn’t have even been able to recognize Duo from that distance if not for the lengthy braid of hair.

Finally, it was her turn.

She focused her mind more on not tripping than anything else. She would see the groom soon enough. When she got to the fifth pew from the front, she looked up and nearly fainted. She also saw the shock in the groom’s eyes as she continued to force her feet to move towards the altar. After what felt like an eternity, she was past him and the organist played the bridal march.

"Hey, Heero," Duo whispered as he elbowed him in the ribs. "You look like you’ve just seen a ghost."

<I many as well have,> he thought as he shot an annoyed look Duo’s way. He couldn’t believe that Relena and Ysabel Enriquez knew each other and that she also happened to be the maid of honor at his and Relena’s wedding.

Relena’s smile was beyond radiant when she reached Heero’s side and they turned to face the priest. Heero heard the sermon well enough, but he couldn’t keep his mind from the girl he’d loved so much so long ago, who was just sitting a few feet away from him.

"Please rise and take each other’s hand," the priest instructed. "You may now say your vows."

"I, Relena Peacecraft," Relena began as she looked deep into Heero’s eyes dreamily. "Take thee Heero Yuy, to be my lawfully wedded husband to have and to hold, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death may tear us apart."

Heero closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, taking in the weight of what he is about to do. He looked back at Duo who gave him an uncertain look and at the expectant crowd.

"I, Heero Yuy," he began, looking at Relena who was starting to show some mild panic, "would take thee, Ysabel Enriquez, to be my wife." The crowd was stunned and Heero could see the equally stunned expression on Ysabel’s face as he continued while walking towards her, every step feeling more and more right as he drew nearer. He knelt on one knee as he continued. "Would you share the rest of your life with me, and would you still love me as much as you did?"

"Heero...," Ysabel whispered as she looked down at him. Relena looked like she was about to faint with humiliation.

"I love you, Ysabel," Heero confessed. "I was not able to tell you then, but I did love you and I still do."

"I love you, too," she replied.

Heero gestured for Duo to hand over the rings and slipped one onto her finger while she slipped the other one on his. They kissed before the still-shocked crowd and Duo clapped his hands, a wide smile on his face. The couple looked at the priest expectantly and the old man cleared his throat uncertainly.

"I-I now pronounce you man and wife, I guess," he said uncertainly.

"Good enough," Heero said as he picked up the radiant ‘bride’ in his arms. "Now let’s get started with our new life together."

Duo shook his head in disbelief. <No wonder Ysabel was asking if there really is someone for everybody,> he thought as Relena got over her shock. "Well," he said out loud, his voice carrying over the entire assembly. "It’s about time something in his life went right!" Relena glared at him and he paled upon seeing the fury in her eyes. "Whoops, time to go, bye!!" With that, Duo made a mad dash for the same exit that Heero and Ysabel had taken.

"He left me at the altar," Relena whispered to herself in disbelief. "I can’t believe that he left me at the altar...."

"Well, this should teach you a lesson, Relena," Quatre said as he got up. "Never force a man who once promised to kill you to marry you. You should go look for someone else. I’m sure that there are many other men out there."

Relena looked at Quatre and her eyes glowed hopefully. "Why, Mr. Winner, are you saying that you want to marry me?"

Quatre gulped audibly and looked at his watch. "Oh, uh, look at the time! I just remembered that I have a meeting with some people back at L4! I really must go now. Bye!"

With that, he was soon running out the door, leaving a forlorn Relena and several hundred guests shaking their heads in amused disbelief.

********** The End **********

original © November 1999 by Lady Aria