Chapter Eight: The Secret is the Present

 

            * “Mom! Mom! Dad! Wake up, it’s Christmas!” Rini knocked on the door. Serena and Hiiro sat up groggily. Both were entangled within each other and the covers of the bed, so it was hard for them to do much else.

            “Good morning Rini! Go see what Santa brought you! Hiiro and I will be down in a minute!” Serena told her daughter through the door. She lay back down on the bed and closed her eyes.

            “Back to bed so soon?” Hiiro mocked her.

            “Shut up. Someone kept me fairly busy last night.” She lightly punched his shoulder.

            “Not my fault the tree fell over while I was putting that thing under it.” Hiiro denied.

            “Sure it wasn’t. Hiiro. You bumped the tree, making it fall on me. Then, on top of it all, you made me do all the hard work and fix the tree. That kept me up all night! You fell asleep on me.” She accused. Hiiro smiled sheepishly.

            “Did I do that? I’m so sorry.” He quipped laughing.

            “Sure you are. How do we get out of the sheets?” She sounded frustrated, he could tell.

            “Stay still, I’ll get them. Maybe it’s that nightgown you wear. Ever thought of that?”

            “Well, it’s not coming off, so you can forget that idea.” She scolded him coldly. He leaned over and kissed her deeply.

            “I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry. Here, you’re free now. Allow a poor old soldier to escort the fine lady down the stairs?” He offered her his arm.

            “Well, alright.” She admonished, bad mood banished by the kiss.

            “Good morning, Merry Christmas!” Taliesin cried as Hiiro and Serena strolled down the stairs hand in hand.

            “Merry Christmas Taliesin!” Serena chirped brightly. “And merry Christmas Rini dear!” She cried, letting go of Hiiro to hug her daughter.

            “Merry Christmas Mom!” Rini hugged her mother back ferociously. She moved to Hiiro. “Merry Christmas Dad!” After all the hugs and greetings were exchanged, presents were unwrapped and laughs and stories were bartered.

            “Well Hiiro, this is it.” Taliesin spoke up softly.

            “It?” Serena asked.

            “It. The last day I spend here with you and your makeshift family.” Suddenly Serena was very glad Rini had gone to take a shower.

            “Taliesin. You were my mission. Doctor J never told me why. What was the purpose of you living with me and my family. Especially if you knew it was a fake family?” Hiiro asked quietly.

            “My dear boy. My brother J and I decided together to give you a final, closing mission. This was it.”

            “You’re brothers with the doctor that trained Hiiro and blackmailed me into this job?” Serena asked him.

            “Yes, that’s right. While J took Hiiro Yui’s humanity from him to create a Perfect Soldier, I was sent to return his humanity to create a normal person. Living with a family and experiencing real life was part of it. That was your mission Serena, though you did not know it.” Serna and Hiiro sat quietly. Neither spoke, so Taliesin continued. “I’m sorry I had to deceive you both and Rini, however I believed it was the only way. But when I saw the reaction Serena got out of Hiiro, I decided to forgo my original plans and let you two take your course. Hiiro, I believe Serena has given you much more humanity than I could ever drill into your head.” He finished and the three adults sat in silence.

            “My mission was to be your mission?” Hiiro asked.

            “In a way. Then your mission became to be Serena’s mission.”

            “Have I failed?” He was confused.

            “Ask Serena.” Taliesin ordered. Hiiro turned to Serena.

            “Serena. Have I failed? Have I become human? Or have I failed?” Serena reached out and cusped his face within her two small hands.

            “You passed with flying colors Hiiro Yui, flying colors. Or you might just say you passed because of the mistletoe.” He smiled, as did she.

            “Mistletoe?” Taliesin asked the two in confusion.

            “That’s right. If anyone ever asks you how to give a Gundam pilot their humanity back, you tell them mistletoe is the cure.” Serena explained. Then she and Hiiro cracked up.

            “Mom? What’s so funny?” Rini asked as she walked down the steps.

            “Rini.” The girl shifted her glance from her mother to the man who had been playing her father. He was a great man, she had learned, once he had lightened up.

            “Yes Dad?” The word rolled off her tongue, she didn’t even have to think about it anymore. Dad.

            “Rini, would you like to stay here with me for a while longer? You and you mother?”

            “Yeah! If Mom says yes.” Rini beamed. Hiiro shifted his gaze to Serena.

            “Serena. I know when we first met I wasn’t the nicest person.”

            “That’s the understatement of the year.” Serena muttered. Hiiro only smiled. He wouldn’t have her any other way.

            “But Serena. I think I’ve changed. And I promise that I’ll continue to change, as long as you’re near me. Please. Will you, you and Rini, stay here, with me?”

            “As?” She asked.

            “As?” He mimicked.

            “As what? As your friends? Relatives? As what?” He took a second to think. Then he knew.

            “As my fiancé. Will be stay?” Serena gasped. Whatever she had been expecting, it hadn’t been that.

            “Oh my. I had no idea they had become that close!” Taliesin muttered to himself in the background. Rini, too, was gasping in surprise. But she secretly hoped her mother would say yes. Serena stood in front of Hiiro, her hands in his, his pleading eyes trained on her. This rude, egotistical, gentle and sweet rebel pilot had affected her in more way than one. In a heartbeat she knew the answer.

            “Yes. Yes, we will.” She smiled and laughed. “Yes!” It felt great to shout it out. Hiiro laughed and pulled her into a hug. Then he spun her around and hugged her again. In her ear he whispered to her.

            “I love you.” Starry eyed, she returned the favor.

            “I love you too.”

>>>)(<<<

            “I have a few friends I want to visit. Is that alright?” Hiiro was asking Serena. It was four days after Christmas, and The new year was coming in quickly.

            “No. You mean for the new year?” Serena asked him to clarify.

            “Yeah. They have enough time to get here. They’re all in one place right now.”

            “You’re talking about the other Gundam pilots, aren’t you.” Serena guessed and Hiiro blushed. “I knew it! Invite them, there’s plenty of room here.”

            “They’re loud and obnoxious and…”

            “And you aren’t? I want to meet them. Besides. I though you were going to ask 02 to be your best man. I’ll have to meet them all eventually.”

            “Then they’ll be here.” Hiiro hugged her in thanks.

>>>)(<<<

            “Hiiro old buddy old pal!” Duo practically knocked over an old lady trying to get to his friend and fellow pilot. The other pilots were following in tow. Hiiro had to feel sorry for them all, but he was too happy. He had missed his friends.

            “Hey Duo!” Hiiro called out. Duo stopped dead in his tracks. Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei all followed in suit.

            “Hiiro-man. You’re, you’re, smiling. And acknowledging us!” Duo nearly cried.

            “Yui? You feeling alright?” Wufei asked with genuine concern.

            “Fine Wufei, fine. And you all?” Hiiro asked.

            “We’re fine. Hiiro. You’ve… changed.” Quatre tried to think of a nice way to put the drastic change in his comrade’s disposition.

            “I know.” Hiiro smiled again. He knew he was scaring his friends, but he couldn’t help it. “Come on, this way.” Hiiro lead them out to the car, where Andrew was waiting.

            “Hello Mr. Yui.” Andrew tipped his hat and grinned.

            “Hello Andrew. Let me guess. Outside, gardening.”

            “What I was told sir.” Andrew laughed, Hiiro smirked.

            “Who would be gardening in this weather?” Trowa asked. Hiiro smirked and shook his head. When they finally arrived at the house, Hiiro was a little more relaxed. His friends were still confused, but were slowly getting used to the new, more… alive Hiiro Yui. Hiiro let himself in and heard loud footsteps.

            “Dad!” Rini through herself into his arms.

            “Rini.” Hiiro greeted her. “Swimming again?”

            “Yeah. We thought we’d recreate the whole… what’s the word? Atmosphere.”

            “Let me guess. My new dress shirt is ruined too, huh?” Hiiro asked her, shaking his head. Now he had to buy another dress shirt. Not that he minded as much anymore. Seeing Serena in those shorts again was more than enough compensation.

            “Hiiro? Your dress shirt? Why would that be ruined?” Quatre asked him.

            “And what’s up with the little girl calling you her dad?” Duo nudged him.

            “My name is Rini.” Rini said politely as she kicked Duo in the shin.

            “Rini.” Hiiro sounded as if he were going to scold her. Wufei was ready for Yui to let the miniature onna have it. “What did your mother tell you? If you’re going to rude, do it to get something for it.” Hiiro smirked. Wufei’s jaw hit the floor.

            “Yes Dad. Come on!” Rini grabbed Trowa’s hand and pulled at him to come with her. Just as they reached the outside doors, a figure walked inside, just as he had expected.

            “Ah. The infamous last four Gundam pilots. Good to finally meet you boys. Hiiro goes on about you for hours.” The figure had a nice, sweet and pleasing voice. When she stepped into the light the five pilots gawked. Even Hiiro. Same ripped up shorts, his nice dress shirt, but this tie she wore some makeup and had her hair down. Ignoring the stares she got, she waltzed up to Hiiro and put her had on her hip.

            “You were supposed to be home forty -five  minutes ago. Thank you for calling. If I was in the right mind I’d…”

            “You’d?” Hiiro interrupted.

            “Jerk.” Serena muttered.

            “Sorry Sere.” Hiiro apologized.

            “Better be Ro. Or…”

            “No, I am sorry. Really Sere.” She looked at him with her big blue eyes and nodded, accepting his apology.

            “Good.” He said, pulling her in close to him for a kiss. They heard a thud in the background and turned to see Duo was gone.

            “He’s on the floor Mom, Dad.” Rini informed them. Sure enough, pilot 02 was passed out on the floor. After a few seconds, Duo was back up, but the others were still in slight shock.

            “Guys.” Hiiro began. “This is the reason I wanted you to come. This is my fiancé, Serena Tsukino, and her daughter Rini.” Four new thuds echoed through the room.

            “Do you think we could use mistletoe to cure them?” Serena joked.

            “No.” Hiiro replied darkly. So darkly, in fact, that Serena looked h=up at him and lost her breath.

            “Why not?” She asked.

            “Because they would need someone to kiss- they can’t kiss each other. And the only other woman around is you  Those boys aren’t going anywhere near you.” Hiiro said possessively.

            “I like it when you’re like this.” Serena giggled.

            “I love you.” Hiiro told her seriously.

            “I love you too. So how do we wake them up?”*