First Kiss

The following is my first attempt at fan fiction. The characters of Gundam Wing do not belong to me. They are the property of Sunrise and other companies. This story is written without their permission, for fan purposes only. This story is mine. Please do not reproduce without permission. Copyright (c) 1999

Comments? Email: shwong@ucdavis.edu

This story takes place the night before Lady Une tries to kill Relena by sending Mobile Suits to attack her school (or the night before Relena asks Heero to dance) and after Relena has returned from the colonies where her adopted father was murdered.

by Shawny Wong

After Colony 195:

She had to die.

There was no other way. Was there?

There couldn't be.

The mission came first.

He vaguely noticed that his hands were shaking. His clenched fists a vain attempt to stop the trembling. How odd. He recalled the only other time his hands were unsteady. That mission had been a search for a rumored secret base hidden deep on the darkside of the moon. He had almost not made it back to his Gundam in time. Then as now his hands shook uncontrollably. But this time he was surrounded by warm spring air, not the deadly void of space.

The mission came first.

Why did he doubt the mission?

He almost screamed in frustration. But his training prevented that and he was the perfect soldier.

Was it HER?

Was SHE the cause of his confusion?

The most beautiful girl he had ever met. He could see her in his mind's eye: golden blonde hair and deep blue eyes that shone with a brilliance that could only be matched by the stars. For the thousandth time that evening he shook his head to dispel the image.

She was irrelevant.

<Then why do you persist in thinking of her?> The voice in his head was taunting his weakness, again.

She had seen his face.

She could expose him.

She jeopardized the mission.

She had to die.

He could shoot her. It would be so easy. Yes. That's what he would do. He smiled. The smile never reached his eyes.

~*~*~*~

Her eyes widened in shock as her life's blood spilled from the open wound on her chest and the color drained from her face. The warm stickiness of her blood splashed onto his hands and face. He never noticed the smoking gun fall from nerveless fingers.

She was falling.

In a blind panic, he lunged forward to catch her.

He held her close to his chest, the warmth of her blood seeping through his thin tank top. He held her even more tightly to him, as if he could keep her from leaving him if only he held on tightly enough. A detached part of his mind noticed that he was shaking again.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I HAD to do it!" He was babbling. But he didn't care. "Please! I'm sorry. But that's the mission. It was the mission. I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."

"I know. It's okay, Heero" she whispered.

He looked into her eyes. A cold fist wrapped itself around his heart. And squeezed. Hard.

"I understand. It's not your fault... Just... just promise me... promise me... you'll win this... war for me. Complete your mission."

Anything he had to say stuck in his throat.

"I hope you... find peace... My perfect soldier." Her hand reached up to brush his cheek. "I... forgive... you... Aishiteru..."

His eyes widened at her last whisper. Her hand fell and she closed her eyes for the last time. And the perfect soldier screamed.

"RELENA!"

~*~*~*~

He bolted upright her name still lingering on his lips.

Only a dream.

Cold sweat trickled down his face as he examined the happily blinking lights on his console.

Only a nightmare.

He must have dozed off while running diagnostics on his Gundam. He opened the hatch of his cockpit and stood. The night breeze cleared the last vestiges of sleep from his mind.

His earlier resolution was still strong. He would kill her tonight. He had waited long enough.

The dream was also irrelevant.

He jumped the 6 meters from his cockpit to the forest floor and landed quietly on fallen pine needles. With quick sure steps he headed back to the campus of St. Thomas's Boarding School.

~*~*~*~

Relena sat at her vanity and sighed. A dream had woken her. She was certain the dream was only a foreshadowing of things to come. After all, her days were numbered. She knew this and accepted it. Strangely, she was even ... content ... and happy?

Relena pondered this strange turn of events. It wasn't the smartest thing she had ever done: falling in love with her would-be-killer. She didn't doubt she loved him. Ever since she had met him, she had been happier than she had ever been. When she was with him, however briefly, she felt complete. As if she had been missing something vital all her young life that he with his very presence was able to provide.

With a start, Relena realized she was no longer alone. She whirled. Somehow, it did not occur to her to wonder how he could be at her window, four floors up.

"Heero!"

"Omae wa kurosu." He responded in a voice devoid of all emotion.

Only then did she notice that his right hand carried a revolver pointed straight at her.

"I see." She took a deep breath. The details of the dream came back to her in a rush.

~*~*~*~

He had killed her.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I HAD to do it!" He was babbling. But he didn't care. "Please! I'm sorry. But that's the mission. It was the mission. I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."

And yet, she tried her best to reassure him, for he had been in pain.

"I know. It's okay, Heero" she whispered. "I understand. It's not your fault... Just... just promise me... promise me... you'll win this... war for me. Complete your mission."

Despite the pain in her chest, she tried to speak.

"I hope you... find peace... My perfect soldier." Her hand reached up to brush his cheek. "I... forgive... you... Ashiteru..."

~*~*~*~

"Will you grant me one last request? Please?" Relena took one step forward.

"I promise I won't run away or try to stop you." She took another step.

Heero tensed.

<It's a trick! Shoot her already!>

But the vivid images of his dream, of Releena dying in his arms, returned full force and held him rooted to the floor.

She was before him now. He could smell the light scent of roses in her hair and feel the silken strands slide against his arm. He narrowed his eyes. What was she doing?

Her lips brushed his, in an innocent kiss.

He froze in complete shock and forgot to breathe.

An eternity later, he saw her sweet upturned face move away. The loss of her warmth was earth shattering.

"My first kiss," she murmured, a light blush staining her cheeks.

He jerked involuntarily as she reached for his gun.

"I promised I wouldn't run away or stop you. Didn't I?"

She guided the revolver up to her breast and let both hands rest loosely over it.

"I'm ready," she took another deep breath and closed her eyes. "Go ahead."

All he had to do was pull the trigger. But his hand was shaking too badly. He tried again and nearly dropped the gun. That had NEVER happened before. What was the matter with him?

"Heero, are you alright?"

He flinched and backed away from the concern he saw in her eyes. The urge to laugh hysterically had never been so strong either. If his training hadn't been so thorough, he would have given into it. He was trying his best to kill her and SHE was worried about HIM.

No one had ever worried about him before.

He violently flung her away from him, ignoring her startled cry as she fell roughly.

"Damn you, Releea Darlian!"

And then he was gone.

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Disclaimers:

The following is my poor attempt at fan fiction. The characters of Gundam Wing do not belong to me. They are the property of Sunrise and other companies. This story is written without their permission, for fan purposes only. This story is mine. Please do not reproduce without permission. Copyright (c) 1999

Author's Notes:

FIRST DATE takes place approximately 7 months after Endless Waltz (which would make Releena and the pilots somewhere between 16 and 17 years old). Releena has taken up the task of keeping world peace and restoring the Sank Kingdom. Zechs and Noin are back. Duo and Heero have joined the Preventors.

That's all for now. Enjoy!

Comments? Email: shwong@ucdavis.edu

FIRST DATE: A GUNDAM WING FAN FIC

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"Damn it, Heero! Why don't you just ASK her!"

Heero resolutely ignored his partner.

"I give up," Duo grumbled in exasperation. "She LIKES you. If you'd just ask her, I'm sure she'd help."

Heero moved his attention away from his hacking for a moment to glare at Duo, again. "Then YOU ask her," he said emotionlessly.

"I'm not the one that wants to conduct this investigation so badly."

More clicking sounds could be heard from Heero's keyboard.

"You know, it'd be a lot faster just to ASK for the access codes to the Zuess mainframe. You're a good hacker, but even you'll find it difficult to access the files you're looking for. At this rate, it'll be a week before you break in. Even then you'd still have to sneak in to the Central to install another router. Frankly, it's gotta be more trouble than it's worth."

An almost inaudible sound stopped Duo's ranting abruptly. "What did you say?"

"Fine."

"You're... you're actually AGREEING with me?!" Duo's eyes bugged out and his mouth opened and closed like a landed fish. Heero would have laughed at his expression, but he was afraid he'd give Duo a heart attack. 'Maybe it'll be worth it to see her again...' his heart whispered. He ruthlessly cut off that particular line of thought.

"Wow, there's hope for you yet," Duo managed to say, finally regaining some control over his vocal chords. "Or maybe you just want to go see her again, eh? Is that why you were so easy to convince? This is the perfect excuse."

Duo gave him a wink.

Heero repressed yet another urge to gag his loud-mouthed partner with his fist.

"That is not amusing. I have no interest in seeing Releena in any capacity whatsoever." But Heero had to wonder at his own motivations.

***

Releena sighed, frustrated. "I really hate paperwork," she muttered. Looking at her once neat desk cluttered with all types of forms and documents, she repressed the urge to bang her head against the desk. For the millionth time she wished her brother would take her place as leader, so that she could go back to being just a normal schoolgirl.

'But that's not being fair to him either,' she thought. He and Lucrieza had come back just months after the Marymaya incident. That was all that mattered. In fact, in the last few months, Releena had come to know her brother very well. She had also come to depend on his help and his strength.

'Big brother has done more for me than I ever expected,' she smiled at the thought. She knew that the famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view) Milardo Peacecraft, a.k.a. Zechs Marquise, was a big softie at heart. And he loved his sister.

'Well, at least SOMEONE genuinely loves me,' She thought of one dark-eyed, Gundam pilot and sighed again. Shaking her head to clear away the daydreams, she reached reluctantly for the next stack of proposals.

***

A beep from the intercom on her desk called her attention away from reviewing a bill that the Senate would debate that afternoon. Glaring at the offending object, Releena gave in to the inevitable.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Miss. But you have a visitor."

"Senator Burton? Marian, I thought I told you..."

"No, Miss. It's one of the Gundam Pilots."

Releena paused. This was different. Who would want to see her now of all times? And going through her secretary, too? Wu Fei made his dislike of Marian very clear. If he had wanted to see her, he would have barged in, barely knocking on the door. Duo often spoke to her through vidphone. Besides, they had just spoken that morning. Trowa was away on a mission. Quatre maybe? Or... her heart skipped a beat... could it be Heero?

"Very well send him in." She waited in anticipation.

***

"I take it this is not a social visit?" she inquired after a moment of awkward silence.

Heero looked at her strangely.

"I have a ... a favor to ask of you." He said slowly. Asking for help was not something he was used to.

Releena blinked, not sure if she heard correctly. "A favor?"

"Can I have access to the Zeuss Mainframe?"

"Why do you ... Never mind, you don't need to tell me," she looked at him thoughtfully. "Why are you asking me?"

"Because you have the authority to grant me access, legally."

"I know that. Why haven't you hacked into the system yourself? I know you, Heero."

"Zechs and Noin designed the security system for the mainframe. They're good." He admitted grudgingly.

Releena resisted the urge to giggle at his disgruntled expression.

"Will you give me access?"

Releena sighed with frustration. 'Geez. The only time he's ever come to see me is because he wants something from me.'

She had stopped pursuing Heero so actively in the last year, hoping against hope that he would come around on his own. But he hadn't even noticed and she had only succeeded in missing him even more. Waiting for Heero to come around was like waiting for hell to freeze over.

She stood and walked over to the window behind her desk. She could see a Ferris wheel spinning in the distance. Spots of color in the vast blue sky marked the balloons small children let drift away. Today was the second to last day of the Sank Kingdom's Spring Fair. She and her advisors were hoping to make this an annual affair, something everyone could celebrate in. After all the wars, the people deserved a little celebration. There was even a carnival!

She wished that she could go. But carnivals were no fun by yourself. And she didn't want to be the third wheel even if she did manage to convince her stubborn brother and Noin to go. Unless ... a mischievous thought came to her.

'Why not?' she thought gleefully.

She turned back to face Heero.

"You know, Heero," she began conversationally. "I COULD give you the access codes and free rein over the Sank Kingdom's main computer system, BUT what would I get out of it? Hmmm?"

Heero looked at her warily. So, she was like all the rest. Strangely, he was disappointed.

"What do you want? Need someone assassinated?"

That earned him a glare that rivaled his own.

"No," she snapped irritably. "I want you to do me a favor in return. A favor for a favor."

"A favor?"

"Yes. Besides if I'm not mistaken, you'd probably feel better if we exchanged favors. I know you don't like owing anyone."

Heero looked at her surprised. It was true of course. How had she come to know him so well?

"What do you want?"

"I want you to take me on a date," she said in a rush.

"A date!?"

For an instant, his ever-present, impassive mask slipped. A touch of panic appeared in his eyes but was immediately crushed.

"Yes, a date. A social situation in which two people go out and have fun," Releena explained patiently.

"I know what those are," he interrupted. At Releena's raised eyebrow, he added defensively, "Duo certainly goes out on enough of them."

"Great! Do we have a deal?"

***

"Oh, hello Noin," called Releena happily.

Noin blinked. She had come to deliver the schedule for the construction of the new city hall to Marian. She blinked again. Had Releena just DANCED out of her office? And why was she so ... happy?

"Marian, could you please cancel all my appointments for tomorrow?"

"Of course," stuttered Marian. "But WHY?"

'That's what I want to know,' Noin thought in shock. Releena was always so darned SERIOUS about her responsibilities.

"I'm going to play hooky tomorrow," she smiled mischievously at her friends. "You want to know why?"

Two heads nodded vigorously.

"I have a date!"

Noin's face softened at the glow in Releena. It was good to see her truly happy again.

***

"So how'd it go?" asked Duo curiously as he watched Heero finish running through the obstacle course. Perfectly. Again.

Heero ignored the question and reached for the towel on the seat next to Duo.

"Fine, don't tell me," grumbled Duo. He paused. "Come on, Heero. You can tell me. I'm your partner. You know I'll just find out anyway."

Heero, looked thoughtful. "No."

"That's it!? NO? Don't be cruel, Heero. If there's anything going on. I want to know."

Heero automatically tuned out Duo's ranting. In the dim light, a small smile went unnoticed. Withholding information from Duo was very amusing. Almost like shooting Mobile Dolls in a barrel.

***

The next day came around much too soon for Heero. As he stood in the foyer waiting for her, he wondered absently why he had agreed so easily to this "date" with Releena. It wasn't as if she had coerced him into it. He could have just... His last thought trailed away as Releena rounded the corner.

'Beautiful.' His composure rattled, he could only stare mutely as Releena spun around for his inspection.

"What do you think?"

She was wearing a pale blue sleeveless sundress with silver embroidery lining the skirt which came just above the knees. Her honey colored hair was tied back in a long ponytail by a matching blue scarf tied in a simple bow that brought out the color of her eyes.

"Come on! Let's go!" Releena pulled Heero out the door.

***

From behind a closed window, Zechs stood just out of sight of his little sister and her so called "date." He scowled a bit, as he watched Releena cheerfully take Heero's arm.

"I can't believe this!"

"Jealous, Zechs?" asked Noin, who had come to stand beside him.

"Yeah," he said a little sheepish. "I can't believe that the only pilot who's been able to give me any challenge at all is sixteen years old and in love with my sister!"

"True. He just doesn't know it yet."

They both smiled, although Zech's smile was much more sinister. 'Heero won't know what hit him.'

***

The entrance of the Spring Fair and carnival loomed before them. A large blue banner that read "WELCOME TO THE 1st ANNUAL SPRING FAIRE" in large gold letters swayed gently in the breeze.

"Come on, Heero! Don't be such a slow poke," Releena laughed as she skipped ahead.

Heero looked a little dubiously at his surroundings. There were so many people! Little children ran about underfoot eating cotton candy and playing tag. Teenagers crowded the midway, trying to win the many prizes displayed, or screamed while they rode on all the rides. Their shrieks of laughter (and in some cases shrieks of fear) nearly drowning out the other sounds of the fair: employees tempting people to play at games, the upbeat music that accompanied each ride, and the low, steady hum of conversation. Adults marveled at the display of hand crafts provided by the newly founded Society of Arts and Crafts. The scent of fresh popcorn and cotton candy permeated the air, making more than one mouth water. And everyone was smiling.

Except him. For some reason, he felt more nervous than fighting an platoon of Mobile Suits unarmed. Uneasily, he tried to draw back. He didn't belong here, where there was so much LIFE. He'd only end up disappointing Releena.

"..."

"You want to go on all the rides don't you?" Releena pouted prettily. "There's so much to do today! If we don't hurry we won't get to do ANYTHING!"

She took his hand and proceeded to drag an unwilling Heero in behind her.

'You and I are going to have FUN, if it kills me!' she silently vowed.

***

Five roller coaster rides later...

Heero found himself beginning to relax, Releena's hand in his. It felt ... natural. Of course the g-forces, velocity, and acceleration on the roller coasters was but a fraction of what he experienced while piloting a Gundam. He didn't understand why his fellow passengers insisted on screaming (and very LOUDLY, too). He barely grunted as they took the loops. But Releena seemed to enjoy it. She ended up clinging to him after every ride. He found that he didn't mind ... that is, it wasn't an unpleasant sensation.

***

Two water rides later...

Heero was almost completely soaked. Luckily, it was a warm day and his clothes would dry soon. He hadn't thought too much of the ride just by looking at it. Small canoes shaped like logs wound up along tracks to the top of a precipice and plunged down into a shallow body of water. Which of course ended up splashing all the passengers liberally with water. Hence, his current condition.

He wasn't quite as wet as Releena, though. If he had thought she was beautiful before, she was stunning now. Currently, she was trying to wring the water out of her dress without success. Her dress clung to her curves seductively, especially ... He looked away, uncomfortably warm, only to notice more that half the male population doing the same thing he had just been doing, OGLING Releena.

He grabbed her hand possessively, and gave his patented death glare to all of them. To his satisfaction, they all quickly looked away.

"What's the matter, Heero?" asked Releena. 'He looks ready to kill!' She was puzzled but nonetheless pleased to be holding his hand again.

"Nothing," his glare disappeared. "Let's go get something to eat."

***

Two hotdogs and twenty-three games at the midway later...

Releena was happily carrying a large bag of assorted plush goodies and prizes. (A carnival attendant at the last stand had very kindly provided the bag, just for that purpose.) And Heero was actually smiling.

Well, it wasn't exactly a smile. The corners of his mouth had only turned up an almost imperceptible amount. 'But for Heero, it definitely counts as a smile,' Releena thought resolutely.

He'd won all the prizes, of course.

A little while later...

Releena looked wistfully at the Lover's Tunnel as they walked by. It was just a cheesy boat ride for two, through a tunnel decorated with flowers. It was also the only ride they hadn't gone on. She giggled and decided to put Heero out of his misery. He had been a wonderful date so far. But she didn't want to push her luck.

'There's always next year,' she thought, brightening up.

As the day progressed, Heero began truly enjoy himself for the first time in years. Was this why he hadn't objected more to taking Releena on a date?

He carefully looked back on the last several months.

'I'm at ease whenever I'm with her. And I'm restless, when I'm not,' he finally realized in wonder. He resolved to file away the revelation for future study later.

For now, he was content to watch the girl on the bench beside him sip the last of her lemonade, the pile of prizes at her feet.

He stood up slowly and held out his hand.

"Shall we go?"

Releena looked from his hand to his face and smiled.

"Hey, mister! Come win another prize for your sweetheart!" called man from a nearby booth as they walked by.

Releena blushed at his comment, a little pleased at the endearment, and a little sad she wasn't really Heero's "sweetheart."

"Oh, but I'm not...," she started to correct him.

"Mission acknowledged."

Releena's eyes went wide. "Heero?"

The game was a simple one. The objective was to knock down all three milk bottles from the stand, using just the three softballs provided. Heero lifted one of the balls and tested it's weight.

"These are very light-weight," he frowned.

"That's the challenge," shrugged the man with a wink.

"Acknowledged," Heero gave a slight smirk proceeded to win. AGAIN.

The man's jaw dropped at the speed and power behind, Heero's tosses. He whistled.

"Go ahead and pick a prize."

'I have so many prizes already!' Releena was about to protest, when she suddenly spotted a small teddy bear with a red bow hidden behind a lion. It was virtually identical to the one she had received from Heero almost two years before.

"I want that one."

***

"Hey, where's Heero?" asked Duo. "I haven't seen him all day."

"Didn't you know?" asked Noin, innocently.

"Know what?"

Duo looked around suspiciously. Noin was looking far too innocent for comfort. He just KNEW something was up. Had Heero been sent on a mission without him?

"I believe Heero had a date."

Complete utter silence consumed the Preventor's control room.

One minute later...

"Duo, it's not healthy to just stop breathing like that."

"I think you should listen to Zechs, Duo."

Two seconds later...

"AARRGHHHHHHHHHHH! How dare that bastard not tell me he was going on a date! I'm his PARTNER!"

"Don't be such a baby, Duo!" said Hilde who had walked in just in time to catch Duo's last scream. "You're just upset because you lost the bet."

"But, Hilde..."

"That ought to teach you not to bet on Heero's personal life," she said with satisfaction. She handed Noin the latest satellite surveillance photos.

"I thought for sure Soldier-Boy wouldn't ever loosen up enough to get a life, let alone a date!" wailed Duo.

"Duo, if Heero ever finds out you started a pool on when he'd go out on a date, YOU won't have a life."

Duo gulped.

***

The stars were shining overhead as they sat on the beach. After the carnival, they ate dinner at a small concession stand and took a stroll on the beach. Then they talked as they watched the tide come in.

'Or rather, I talked and he listened,' Releena smiled ruefully. 'I wonder why it's so easy for me to bare my heart to him.'

"This day has been perfect. Thank you, Heero, for making my first date, special," she said with uncharacteristic shyness.

'It's my first date, too,' he wanted to say. But being Heero, he didn't.

In the distance, they could hear the clock of a nearby church.

"And the clock strikes 12," quoted Releena. She stood and brushed the sand off her dress. "You're free to go now Heero. Stop by the main office tomorrow to pick up your new access badge. It should be ready for you by then."

Heero hesitated, not sure what to say.

"Thank you, Releena."

***

Two days later...

"Hey, Heero. You don't have to do that today," said Quatre, as he stopped Heero from reaching for the tool box.

Heero frowned. Wing Zero was due for maintenance and a tune up.

"Why not?"

"Duo has very kindly volunteered to service all our Gundams today," said Trowa with an egnimatic smile.

"He's even going to wash AND wax all FIVE of them for us. Aren't you, Duo?" Wufei smirked.

Duo stared hard at the 100 pound barrel of mobile suit wax labeled:

CURIOUS GEORGE'S MOBILE SUIT WAX

Guaranteed to prevent scratches due to stray bullets and shrapnel!

(Even the Gundam Pilots use it!)

For Best Results: Apply more than one coat.

Then he looked up at the FIVE 17 meter tall Gundams towering above him. 'When did Deathscythe get so LARGE and INTIMIDATING?' he wondered frantically.

"Oh, and Duo?"

Duo looked up hopefully.

"In case you run out of wax, there are four more barrels under the tarp behind my Nataku."

"You'll remember to be gentle when you buff Sandrock, won't you?"

Duo burst into tears.

Passerby winced and intelligently avoided the Gundam's main hangar on that fateful day. It was even said that the wail of a banshee could be heard from a fair distance away.

"WHY ME!"

THE END

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MILD SPOILER ALERT!

More Author's notes:

I know that the Gundams were destroyed at the end of Endless Waltz. But for the purposes of this fan fic, lets just say that they weren't.

I couldn't resist making Duo wax all five Gundams.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my fic.

Regards,

Shawny Wong

shwong@ucdavis.edu