Leave Me Breathless     by Hikari-chan

Disclaimer: Whatever. If you believe Sailormoon or Gundam Wing is mine, you have serious problems. Enough said.

AN: I´m surprised at the number of reviews. O.o I honestly am. I didn´t think so many of you would enjoy this story. It was just a fun thing for me to write, throwing the characters into a very different situation. I´m very glad you´re enjoying it though and I thank you guys for your continued support.

Sailor Grape: She has no idea at all. =D And I don´t mean just the party.

Sunshine Fia: You´re right, on both accounts. But I´m not going to tell you. =P You´ll just have to find out on your own. ^_~

Heart Soul: *coughs* Relena´s part is about to change. Quatre only knows about Heero from the media. Otherwise, Minako would have wormed her way into a meeting with him. =D

mistress 13: Uh. . .I´ll try my best for as often as possible. ^^;;; And yes, I do know I´ve neglected to finish SW.

Ice Blue Eyes: I´m trying my best not to bash Relena, at least, not to the extent I usually do, but it´s really hard for me, because I really hate her. -.-;;; I´ll try to update CF too, but time isn´t so nice. If I´m updated on one fic, I´m really behind on another one.

Chibi Shamps: *hugs* I haven´t talked to you in forever. ^^ Yes, I can´t quite believe me either. I shouldn´t have started another one, but when inspiration and impulse hit, life´s too short to debate about them. SW is coming. I´m slowly cranking out the chapters. It´s coming to an end. Thank god. -.-;;; I need to finish it once and for all. The sequel´s not established until I post the first chapter. >.< I just can´t manage that many.

Warnings: AU, OOC-ness galore, and possible Relena-bashing.

An early Merry Christmas to you guys! Enjoy!

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Chapter 3 – First Impressions

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The blond haired woman stared at herself in the mirror before letting out a sigh and rolling her eyes. Further conversation at the kitchen table had stopped due to Minako suddenly remembering the party they were all supposed to attend. The model had ushered Rei to her room and Usagi to theirs, yelling and shouting about getting dressed before jumping into the shower herself. Now, all Usagi can hear in the previously amicable apartment was the sound of running water.

She shook her head in disbelief at her sister´s behavior and opened her suitcase. Checking the clock, she realized that it was only quarter past five, meaning there was more than enough time to dress for this party that Minako claimed was beginning at seven. Shrugging, Usagi opened the closet door to find a place for her clothes, only to be almost crushed under the mountain of shirts, pants, and dresses piled in her sister´s closet. Rolling her eyes again and deciding she was in no mood to rearrange Minako´s closet, Usagi merely set her suitcase on the floor, removing her necessities and putting them on her dresser. Tomorrow, she would start looking for an apartment of her own. It wasn´t that she didn´t like her sister and Rei, but honestly, living in the same room as Minako would drive her insane.

The room was big, yes, but there was clothing everywhere, not to mention boxes of chocolates, perfume, and so much make-up that this may as well be a store. Picking up her laptop, modem and some wires, the blonde walked back into the kitchen, where she was sure she had seen a phone. She set up the system in a matter of minutes, and quickly went online to check her email. As she went through the fifty from all her friends in university, all wishing her well and making her promise to keep in touch, she never noticed the soft footsteps of Rei, who had come out of the shower herself and heard a commotion in the kitchen.

"Did you set that up yourself?" Rei asked, drying her hair, which was wrapped in a white towel.

Usagi jumped, turning in her chair to face Rei. "You surprised me!" she told the other woman. "Yes, I did it myself. Am I not supposed to?"

Rei laughed, seating herself beside Usagi. "Go ahead," she replied. "I have no problems with it, seeing that I have Internet connection in my room too. You just have to realize that I live with Minako. I´m not used to someone else setting up local networks in the place."

Usagi grinned. "Still technologically challenged, is she?" she asked.

"You can say that," Rei answered. "The fact that she can´t type should be enough of a clue for you."

"We´re all good at something," Usagi reasoned, turning back to finish her email. "I don´t know the difference between foundation and powder, or what colour ‘Mist of Avalon´ is supposed to be."

"Minor setbacks, Usagi," Rei responded, getting out of the chair. "You´ll know all there is to know about the modeling world once you´ve lived around Minako at her current stage."

Usagi said nothing, deciding that she didn´t want the other woman to think she was ungrateful for their generosity by running off as soon as she had the chance. As Rei left the kitchen, she added over her shoulder, "You can use my shower if you want. Minako´s going to be another, say, thirty minutes."

Usagi laughed and thanked her, then deciding a shower did sound good, she turned off the laptop and went to Minako´s room, grabbing a towel and her favourite shampoo from her suitcase.

~*~*~*~*~

Heero surveyed the possibilities of the new business deal he was working on. It was going to be a worthwhile contract, able to make the company quite a bit of money. The negotiator would be in to discuss the conditions and collateral in a couple of days. He sighed suddenly, getting out of his comfortable chair and packing up his briefcase. Changing the lighting system of Tokyo Tower would definitely be a profitable deal, but how he was going to do this was another story altogether. The most efficient way that his research crew had come up with was an improvement over the current lighting system, but it was nothing fantastic. He wanted to come up with something amazing, worth the investor´s while.

Checking the clock, Heero noticed in mild amusement that there was another five minutes until he was supposed to have picked Relena up. However, he hadn´t gotten ready himself. Making sure to turn his phone off so that Relena can´t call to bother him, he left the office and went to his apartment, which was conveniently, a mere three floors above his office.

A lot of people would call him a workaholic, but he really liked the site of his home, fondly nicknamed the "Bachelor Pad" by his two close friends, Trowa and Wufei. It was decorated in a subtle shade of gray, with intricate moldings across the top of the walls and expensive paintings and sculptures everywhere. The entire place was carpeted, with elegant glass tables, leather couches, and enough places to plug in a phone line for a whole computer lab to be set up.

Putting his briefcase down on the kitchen table, he grabbed himself a cup of black coffee before heading off to shower and change for the little gathering. He had just finished putting on his sophisticated black jacket when his house phone rang. Heero rolled his eyes. He would bet his whole business that it was Relena.

"This is Yuy," he answered the phone.

"Heero! You were supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago! I can´t be late for this party! I promised Dorothy! But because of you, she´s going to be mad that I´m not there when I said I was going to be!" the woman on the other end ranted on.

"You could have gone without me," he interrupted pointedly. And save me a lot of trouble, he added mentally.

"What?!" came the incredulous reply. "I can´t possibly show up without a date, and you know that the only man worthy of being seen in public with me is you!"

Heero could have asked why that was, why she didn´t just leave him alone, why she was so persistent, why she was so annoying and clingy, and a lot more other questions, but he decided that the best course of action now was to go and pick her up. No matter how angry he got or how annoying he thought she was, he would have to accompany her anyway, so why not just get it over with?

"I´ll be there in ten minutes. Wait for me at the gate," he commanded, and without even waiting for her to acknowledge that she had heard, he hung up the phone, grabbed the keys to his Porsche, and left the apartment. On his way down to the garage, he turned on his cell phone, noting to his irritation that he had missed twelve calls, all from Relena.

~*~*~*~*~

"I feel like a doll," Usagi announced as she walked into the living room, where an already dressed Rei was waiting for the two blondes.

Rei looked up from the magazine she was flipping through and grinned at her new housemate. Minako obviously wanted her sister to be a big hit with all of her friends. She had gone all out on Usagi´s hair, winding and coiling about half of it atop her head in a pile of waves and braids while the other half was curled and flowed freely down to the small of her back. There was minimum eyeliner and blush on her face, probably due to Usagi´s insistence, since Rei knew how crazy Minako could get with make-up.

As for the model herself, she wore an elegant lavender chiffon dress, simple in design, but paired with the sophisticated French twist that held up Minako´s hair, the ensemble was made her look sexy and desirable.

"You look beautiful, Usagi," Rei praised, standing up and straightening her red gown, which had a halter neckline and shimmered with every move she made. "You´ll be the star of the party tonight."

"No thanks, I´m not big for hanging in the sky all night," Usagi replied dryly. Pulling on the long black jacket she brought from home, she added to the two grinning women, "Are you sure we´re not overdressed? I feel like we´re going to a ball."

"Then let me reassure you from personal experience," Rei laughed as the three headed down to Minako´s car. "The first time Minako told me to go with her to a ‘little gathering´, I wore jeans and a blouse."

"Sounds reasonable to me," Usagi answered.

Her sister grinned at her. "She had to borrow my car, drive home, and change."

Usagi glanced between the two laughing women in the front seat and sighed. This was not what she had expected at all when she decided to look for a job in Tokyo. She stared out the window as the car sped past little shops and streets full of people. Rei and Minako continued to chat in the front, and Usagi automatically tuned them out once she realized they were discussing old times and men.

Time passed quickly as Usagi lost herself in thoughts of home. She smiled faintly. Mamoru and Hotaru had both promised to visit once she was settled and had a successful career. Actually, they made her promise to invite them to visit her. Her train of thought was interrupted by the voice of Minako calling her name.

"Yea?" she asked, looking up, her eyes widening at the house, no, mansion, in front of her. The place was built entirely of white stones, with two tall pillars on each side of the massive front doors. Looking behind her, Usagi saw that the front lawn stretched out for at least a hundred meters, and both sides of the long driveway were filled with flowers of every kind.

"Isn´t it beautiful?" Minako said as the three women got out of the car. She handed the valet the key to the BMW and gestured for Rei and Usagi to follow her to the entrance, which was already crowded with arrivals.

"Yes," Usagi agreed, "but isn´t it a bit extravagant of a place to live in?"

"Nothing´s too good for the Stones," Minako replied, taking out an elegant invitation from her purse. "Mr. Stone is the founder of multiple diamond mines in Iceland and Africa. Besides, I think they have servants taking care of the place."

"No, I´m sure Mr. Stone enjoys mowing his front meadow in his free time," Usagi answered with a sideways glance at her sister.

Minako ignored the sarcastic reply and handed the butler her invitation, gesturing that Usagi and Rei were with her. The butler, who was only an inch taller than Minako herself, nodded and ushered them inside, then took the time to point out the mistress of the house to the three guests before going back to his post at the front doors.

Minako led them down the grand marble staircase that led them to the ballroom, which Usagi noticed with a bit of exasperation, was as stunning and over-elaborate as the front lawn. The entire floor was done with beige marble tiles; the ceiling was high and painted with pictures of Greek gods and goddesses; five huge crystal chandeliers hung in different parts of the room. At the front was a live orchestra, currently playing a medium paced song for the people who wanted to dance. Minako finally stopped in front of a tall couple. The woman was blond and wore a strapless gold dress decorated with sequins while the man had on a classic black and white tuxedo.

"Dorothy!" Minako greeted enthusiastically, hugging the woman, who chuckled and hugged back. "Good evening, Mr. Stone."

The silver hair man smiled and bowed formally to his wife´s friends. "Good evening to you as well, Miss Aino, Miss Hino, and. . . ." He trailed off, leaving Minako to fill in the name of the petite woman whose name he didn´t know.

"Usagi Aino, my sister," Minako introduced, pulling Usagi forward, who smiled politely. "Usa, meet the woman who discovered me, Dorothy Stone, and her husband, Mr. Diamond Stone."

Usagi raised an eyebrow at the name. "You´re certainly one of a kind in a city of pebbles, Mr. Stone," she commented.

Dorothy laughed, catching Usagi´s reference to the phrase "diamond in a sea of pebbles."

"You´re one of a kind as well, Miss Aino," Diamond replied, his gray eyes twinkling in amusement. "I must say that you´re the second person to comment on the strangeness of my name, though I´m sure more than two of you have thought so. Given, you´re more polite than the first one who did." He paused, looking meaningfully at Dorothy.

"I merely said what was on my mind," Dorothy defended.

"I didn´t say I minded," Diamond replied good-naturedly. "So, tell me, Miss Aino, what do you think of the ballroom? We had it renovated about a month ago. I would like the opinion of someone who´s honest with her thoughts."

Usagi smiled wryly and gestured to herself. "Let´s just say I feel like a pauper," she answered.

Dorothy shook her head. "No, not at all. You look beautiful!" she praised.

"And you thought you would be overdressed?" Minako added, making Rei smile as well.

"My definition of a ‘little gathering´ is a meeting with two friends in the booth of a pizza parlor," Usagi supplied. "If you ever tell me we´re going to a ball, I´m going to have to borrow some of Mr. and Mrs. Stone´s ballroom accessories."

Diamond chuckled at Usagi´s remark. "I haven´t met a young woman like you in a long time, Miss Aino," he said, earning a nod of agreement from his wife. At Usagi´s confused frown, he added, "Many of the women in our circle are more. . .artificial. They are usually very demure or very outrageous. No one speaks their mind the way you do anymore."

"Yes," Dorothy continued, then an almost evil smile grew on her face, "which is why you need to meet the other girl I discovered."

Minako fought hard against the urge to scream and shout, and Diamond, Dorothy, and Rei, seeing Minako´s scrunched up face which was obviously trying to hide her disgust, started to laugh.

"Oh Minako," Dorothy scolded lightly, "you shouldn´t ruin your face that way."

"Yea, sis," Usagi added with a smirk, "you wouldn´t want it to stay that way, even if it could be interesting for a couple of magazine covers."

Minako glared at her sister. "If you knew how much I hate the woman you´re going to meet. . . ." she trailed off, blowing her bangs out of her face lightly.

Dorothy smiled sympathetically. "I know she treats you rather badly because of your fame, but please, Minako, for my sake, could you tolerate her for tonight?" she pleaded. "I want this party to be successful. It will be my last one as a hostess prior to the baby´s birth."

Minako sighed. "Just for you, Dorothy," she replied. "Only because you´re the reason I´m where I am now."

Dorothy smiled her thanks, then shared a quick kiss with her husband. "I´ll introduce them to Relena. Would you take care of the other guests?" she asked.

Diamond nodded, watching his wife lead away the other three women.

~*~*~*~*~

Heero led Relena off the dance floor, absentmindedly listening to her chatter and nodding in all the right places. He knew she wanted it look as though they were a happy couple and get more attention from the media, whose cameras have already flashed in his face ten times this evening, and counting. It was all he could do not to blow Relena off and go back to his office and finish the plans for his business deal, but that wouldn´t be good for publicity. He could see the headlines of the newspaper now, "Tokyo´s Most Eligible Bachelor Ditches Famed Model At Stone Party." He smirked mentally.

"Heero! Are you listening to me?" Relena asked, shaking him out of his thoughts.

"Unfortunately, yes," Heero replied, taking a glass of champagne from the waiter who just walked by them.

"What´s that supposed to mean?!" Relena snapped, obviously annoyed at his lack of attentiveness.

"Smile, Relena, the cameraman twenty feet left of us is about to take a picture," Heero drawled, almost smirking when she complied by beaming at him mere seconds before the flash went off.

"I see the two of you have captured the media´s attention again," came the familiar voice of their hostess as she walked up, three women trailing behind her.

As Relena smiled and apologized to the woman for being late (because it was Heero´s fault and not hers), the man took the time to examine the women who he was sure he was about to be introduced to. The tall blonde was familiar to him, as he had seen her in many magazines that sat on the newsstands, not to mention that she appeared in most of the gatherings that Relena practically dragged him to. Minako Aino, his mind supplied him with the name of the popular model.

Her friend, his ex-secretary, was practically spitting fire at him from where she stood, and if it wasn´t for the formal gathering and the sake of politeness, he would probably have made a comment.

"Relena, Mr. Yuy," the hostess addressed them with a gracious smile, "I´m sure you already know Miss Minako Aino. This is her friend, Rei Hino."

"We´ve met," Heero interrupted the introduction, smirking at Rei, which only made the raven-haired beauty steam as she glared at him.

"Rei, do you want to head to the kitchen? Maybe they need a stove there," commented the petite blonde, whose name he still hadn´t gotten. He noticed that her dress hugged her womanly curves and the slits in the dress showed off her creamy legs. Her heart-shaped face made her look young and angelic, but it was her huge sapphire blue eyes that caught his attention. They sparkled and danced with amusement as she regarded her companion.

Dorothy and Minako grinned while Rei turned her glare at her companion, which made the girl wince. Heero´s smirk widened. "I´m sure ice water will do fine," he added.

"No, at this rate, it´ll end up on me and I never liked cold showers," the blonde replied with a shrug.

Much to Rei´s surprise, and Relena´s anger, Heero actually chuckled. He had never met someone quite like her, beauty and intellect together. It was refreshing, and suddenly, the party didn´t seem so bad anymore.

Dorothy smiled in delight. "Seeing as you´ve taken an interest in her, this is Usagi Aino, Minako´s sister. Usagi, meet Miss Relena Darlian Peacecraft and Mr. Heero Yuy."

"How old are you exactly, Miss Aino?" Relena asked immediately, scrutinizing Usagi with a critical eye. She did not like the way this pipsqueak of girl managed to engage her Heero in conversation. "Nineteen?"

"Not unless you yourself are four years younger as well," Usagi answered with a polite smile. "I´m twenty-three."

"A child," Heero stated suddenly, smirking at the look she was giving him.

"Yes, I´m sure that as compared to yourself, Mr. Yuy, I am but a mere child," Usagi replied in an even tone. "Speaking of which, I know that dinner is about to start. Would you like me to go get your cane for you?"

Heero raised an eyebrow. "No, I´d rather have a servant help me to my table," he responded.

Usagi smiled sweetly at him, a little too sweetly. "I´m sure Miss Peacecraft would be happy to comply with your request," she said, making Rei and Minako choke on their laughter.

Dorothy grinned. She quickly led the three women and a furious Relena, who was on an amused Heero´s arm, to the dinner tables. She had never seen the infamously stoic Heero Yuy the way he was just a few moments ago, and she couldn´t wait to see what else would happen tonight, for she knew that this was not the end of Heero and Usagi´s first encounter.

~*~*~*~*~

Usagi tried to stifle a yawn as she approached the refreshment table. It was almost midnight, and the exhaustion from her trip was taking its toll on her. In addition, between Minako, Rei, and Mrs. Stone, she had to have met at least a hundred people tonight, and she could barely keep their names straight. The majority of them were in Minako´s business, which of course, came as no surprise, seeing that Mrs. Stone was in the business herself. Others were Mr. Stone´s business friends and acquaintances, some of which would be very useful in getting a job. Yet, Usagi didn´t want to get a job because of the people she knew. She wanted to be recognized for what she did, not who she was.

"Isn´t it past your bedtime?" came a mocking voice behind her.

Usagi pasted on a smile, which was really making her face hurt, and turned to find Mr. and Mrs. Stone, along with Heero, Relena, and a few other friends of the Stones behind her.

"Are you sure you´re reading the time right without your glasses?" Usagi retorted easily.

"I´m sure I´m reading it fine, seeing as my watch is only mere inches from my face," Heero replied.

"Then I suppose you had a bit of problem setting your watch," Usagi stated.

Dorothy chuckled. "Whether or not it is your bedtime, as Mr. Yuy puts it," she interrupted their potential verbal fight with a wink, "you´re going to have to change your habits now that you´re in the city. Tokyo doesn´t sleep so early."

Usagi gave a weak smile. "I´ll just have to wake up later," she answered.

"If that´s the case," Heero began, "would you like to celebrate your newfound adulthood with a dance?" He held out his hand to her, ignoring the glare Relena was sending his way.

"I-" Usagi´s response was cut short when someone bumped into her from behind. She turned to see a sheepish looking man who looked at her apologetically. He wore a tuxedo much like her host´s, but the shirt inside the jacket was black instead of white.

"Sorry there, beautiful," he greeted her with a cheeky grin. "Your beauty has blinded me and I couldn´t see where I was going."

Usagi resisted the urge to laugh out loud at what she thought was a cheesy pick-up line. "Then, please stand still, sir, and I will be happy to call the hospital, seeing as it appears to be my fault," she replied with as straight a face as she could.

The man laughed, and for the first time, Usagi noticed that he had unusually long, chestnut coloured hair for a guy. His merry indigo eyes twinkled as he stuck out his hand. "Duo Maxwell," he said, grinning at the entire group.

"The actor?" Usagi asked, staring at the man she had only seen on the television screen at home.

"The one and only!" Duo replied, obviously proud of himself. "Seeing as you´ve blinded me, beautiful, how about a dance to make up for it?"

"I´d love to," Usagi accepted with a smile, taking his offered arm and walked out to the dance floor.

A slow song was playing, and Usagi tried her best to follow Duo´s lead, but she had never danced in such a formal setting before, and she couldn´t help but blush when Duo winced after she stepped on his toes. It seems though, the more she tried, the worse she got, until Duo grinned at her. "Are you sure you´re not doing that on purpose?"

Usagi had the decency to blush. "I´m trying not to do it on purpose," she replied with a smile.

Duo continued to make conversation with her, and she soon found out that he was twenty-seven, the same age as her sister, who he claimed to know. He was only a couple inches taller than her sister, but that still made him a lot taller than her.

The song ended, and Duo led her back to the group she was chatting with before he interrupted them.

"My dear, you seem to be awfully popular with the men here," Dorothy commented with a wink. "I´ve had a lot of questions about you from many of the guests."

"She´s interesting indeed," Diamond agreed. With a smile, he added jokingly, "She´s the first woman to turn down Heero Yuy."

"Oh!" Usagi exclaimed, suddenly remembering that Heero had asked her to dance first. "I´m so sorry! I completely forgot. I got caught up with meeting Mr. Maxwell."

Instead of being polite and saying that it was alright, as everyone expected, Heero merely shrugged indifferently, not even bothering to ask her for a dance again.

Relena smirked at Usagi. "Children just don´t know how to pick men," she stated.

"And some men don´t know how to pick dates," Usagi replied, making Duo snicker.

Throughout the evening, Relena had been nothing but insulting and snobbish towards her and her sister, so Usagi had long since given up trying to be nice. As long as she wasn´t outright rude to Relena, her hostess shouldn´t have any problems.

Relena glared at the petite blonde. "Just what is that supposed to mean?!" she snapped, finally letting go of Heero´s arm.

"I don´t see why you would be so offended, Miss Peacecraft," Usagi responded politely. "I never implied anything that related to yourself in what I said, unless, of course, you´re claiming to be the man who doesn´t know how to pick dates, or the bad date that a man would pick."

Relena fumed, steam practically coming out of her ears. Usagi, seeing this, turned to Heero and smiled sweetly. "I´m very sorry about neglecting your offer earlier, Mr. Yuy. Would you do me the honor of letting me make up for it?" Her tone was almost amused, letting herself play the role of the man in this setting.

Heero shrugged, then walked towards the dance floor with neither a word to her nor an offer of an arm. Usagi blinked, then glared at his back as she followed him. That was rude of him. As he stopped in the middle of the dance floor to wait for her, Usagi almost smirked. She walked towards him, up to him, then past him, but before she could get three feet away from where he stood, Heero reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

"You wouldn´t dare," he half growled, half laughed, pulling her into his arms as the waltz began.

"I wasn´t aware you wanted my company, Mr. Yuy," Usagi answered innocently.

"I wasn´t aware that you would rather do the asking, Miss Aino," Heero replied, twirling her around the dance floor. "If you had told me, then it would have saved my effort."

Usagi said nothing, trying her best to concentrate on the steps of the waltz. Heero, noticing her silence, raised an eyebrow. "Come child, you can´t tell me you have nothing to say," he prompted her, trying to illicit a reply.

"You´re right, but seeing that I´m a child and have never waltzed in my life, I thought I should concentrate on the steps and not leave you with bruised feet, o´ mighty one who´s had so much more practice," Usagi retorted with sarcasm dripping from her voice, making a face at him, which only made him smirk.

"Since I have had so much more practice, allow me to give you a free lesson," Heero responded. "I lead, you follow. You have nothing to worry about, so relax, look up at me, and smile."

Usagi did as she was told. The one thing she decided she had to give this man credit for was the way he dressed. Instead of the tuxedo most of the men at the party wore, Heero only had on a simple, black dinner jacket over a silver silk shirt and matching black pants.  He had neither tie nor bowtie, but that didn´t make him look any less proper in the surrounding, and for the first time that night, she noticed that he had the most gorgeous eyes she had ever seen. They were a beautiful shade of Prussian blue, highlighted with a slight glint as he looked down at her. Of course, it could just be the champagne playing tricks on her.

"Good girl," Heero stated, then added after a brief pause, "Now, if only you didn´t break your curfew, you´ll be up early enough tomorrow to get to school on time."

"Seeing as it´s already broken, I suppose I have no choice but to skip school," Usagi replied, smiling.

The waltz came to an end, and Usagi spotted Minako and Rei by the entrance to the ballroom, holding her coat and purse. Minako was staring at her dreamily while Rei rolled her eyes at her friend´s behavior, then signaled to Usagi to go to them.

"I believe your sister wants you to go to bed now," Heero mocked, seeing the silent exchange between the three women.

"I believe Miss Peacecraft wants you to go to bed as well," Usagi answered with a smirk. She had heard a bit of the stories flying around the whole evening, ranging from rumors to facts to everything in between.

"Your suggestion makes it sound as though you´re jealous, child," Heero teased her, successfully making Usagi blush under his gaze for the first time that evening.

"I made no such implication," Usagi responded, then seeing the irritated look on Rei´s face from across the room, she gave Heero a wry smile. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Yuy."

Heero took her hand, kissing the back of it lightly before letting her go. He watched as she joined up with her sister and his ex-secretary, and almost laughed when her sister practically attacked her, most certainly about the details of her conversation with him. He turned to walk back to where Diamond and Dorothy stood with an angry looking Relena.

"The pleasure, Miss Aino, was all mine," he murmured softly to himself.

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End of Chapter 3.

AN: Duo finally made his appearance. ^_~ And I´m sure you guys are shocked with at least one of the pairings I have here. *laughs* I hope that passed off as believable and enjoyable enough for your guys. Please review! I appreciate it! It can be your Christmas present to me. LOL! ^_~