Symbol of Honor
Chapter: 6
By Lady Saffir

DISCLAIMER: me no own...

The thought of the day: "Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery. I quit such odious subjects as soon as I can. " Jane Austen
Rating: G

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Relena giggled in suspense, anxiously awaiting the moment that her blindfold could be taken off. It was the day of her bridal shower, and the girls had decided to make it a 'surprise'. Hence the blindfold and the multiple twists and turns that Duo and Trowa were leading her and Heero through.


Speaking of which, Relena tried hard not to laugh aloud at Heero's muted growls. The entire surprise party had not gone over well with him; for some reason he just didn't trust Duo not to steer him into a wall for the sheer fun of it.


Finally coming to a stop, Relena impatiently waited for Trowa to remove her blindfold. Reaching for Heero's hand, she found it unerringly, she gave a slight squeeze to show her appreciation for going along with this little scheme. He returned the gesture, linking their fingers together more solidly.


As their blindfolds were ripped away, the couple could only stare in amazement at the room before them. Pale white roses adorned the tabletops, intertwined with a shimmery silk that could be found in abundance. Blue carnations were strewn about, some floating in large crystal bowls that also contained floating candles. Right then and there Relena decided to let her friends do the decorating for the wedding.


Rushing forward to hug Relena, Hilde excitedly began to chatter away, Catherine and Dorothy chiming in with their comments. Relena was the last of them to be married, and each woman was more than willing to impart the wisdom that they had gained during their marriages.


"Now, Relena, remember that you have to LET Heero think that he's making all the decisions - it lets him save face in front of the guys," Hilde stated, shooting a teasing glance in Duo's sputtering direction.


"That was extremely good advice, but you also need to remember that you don't have to live in bachelor-like squalor. Make'em pick up," Catherine added.


Heero snorted. Relena was messier than he was.


"Enough, girls. Let's eat, then afterwards we can pull Relena away while the guys go do their 'thing'." Noin stepped in, seating Relena and Heero at a table.


Plates full, everyone began to talk amongst themselves, each reminiscing about their own weddings. Some, like Milliardo's and Noin's, had been beautiful affairs, while Sally and Wufei's and been traditional, and still yet the humorous wedding that Duo and Hilde had gone through. Silently, Relena questioned what hers would be like, then snorted to herself. The private wedding would be quiet and traditional, and the public wedding would be elaborately huge and disgusting.



Finally, it was time for the presents, and to be honest, Relena was kind of afraid of what they would be receiving. Duo had that look on his face that all but screamed he was up to something. One by one the presents were opened, each unique gift touching the couple's heart.


From Quatra and Dorothy, a elaborately engraved set of fencing foils, with the teasingly extracted promise that Relena wouldn't stab Heero if he ever ticked her off. It made Relena wonder if Quatra had made Dorothy promise the same thing.


From Trowa and Iria came the gift of riding horses, depicted in a drawing that Alexis had done. While Heero was delighted with the gift, Relena wasn't so sure. She had never quite mastered the art of horsemanship the way Heero had.


Sally and Wufei presented them with traditional Japanese kimonos that were used for festival days. Eyeing the material warily, Relena couldn't help but laugh at Sally's added comment.


"Even if you don't use it a lot, they work great as a bathrobe...that's what I use the traditional outfit Wufei gave me for. Just leave out the uncomfortable parts," she advised, ignoring Wufei's protests.


Laughing, Relena agreed, then turned to face a grinning Duo Maxwell.


Seeming to ignore Heero's warning look, Duo placed a large box on Relena's lap before retreating out of Heero's reach. Opening the box, Relena stared, uncomprehending, before a blush began to creep over her face.


Leaning over to see what had caused the reaction, Heero had to continuously repeat, 'I will NOT kill Duo Maxwell, I will NOT kill Duo Maxwell,' to himself.


For there, lying nestled in the folds of delicate tissue paper, were several bottles of oils, lotions, and edible body paint, along with skimpy pieces of clothing - along with a pair of fuzzy pink handcuffs.


Howling with laughter at the priceless expression on the couple's faces, Duo hurriedly took a picture, skipping out of harm's way as Heero dove for him. The game of tag continued about the room until Heero managed to tackle Duo, sending both of them sprawling across the floor.


By this time, everyone was curious as to what was in the box, with Hilde pushing to the front. She had a sinking feeling that whatever it was, it wasn't the pair of lamps that they had spent a month making.


Looking inside, Hilde paled, vehemently denying any knowledge of what Duo had planned. She couldn't believe that he would do something like this...although a small voice in the back of her mind was laughing along with Duo, who at the moment was busy fending off a slightly angry Heero.


Milliardo managed to snag the box, quickly wishing he hadn't. He knew, mentally, that Relena and Heero had been sleeping together for quite some time. And he knew that they would continue to do so after they were married. But the mental image that popped into his mind had him wishing for a quick bout of amnesia.


Laughing as both Milliardo and Heero chased Duo about the room, Relena couldn't help but notice Hilde's expression. Slinging a friendly arm about the other woman, they both turned to watch their respective loves battle it out.


"That isn't what we got you. I swear," Hilde said quietly, chuckling as Duo tripped Heero into food table.


Sputtering, Heero stood, red punch dripping from his nose, the sugary icing from the cake mixing in with the liquid to form a dripping blob of pink sugary mess.


Eyes twinkling in merriment, Duo skipped over to where Relena and Hilde stood, taking cover behind the bride-to-be.


"Come and get me, Heero," he taunted, winking at Heero to try and silently get his plan across. An understanding passed between the two men before Heero was once more lunging at Duo.


Smiling at Relena's protests, Heero continued forward, tackling the shrieking woman to the floor as he dove.


"Heero! What were you thinking?!"


Genuinely laughing, Heero allowed Relena to pummel her fists against his chest. Breathe coming in gasps, he managed to blurt out two words.


"Mission...accomplished."


Understanding dawned across Relena's features as she redoubled her efforts.


"HEERO YOY! YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS!"


Jumping up, Relena proceeded to chase Heero around the room as their friends laughed at the spectacle.




Some time later, after all of the involved parties had cleaned up, Milliardo walked to where Relena sat and knelt at her feet. The two siblings had grown very close over the past four years, to the point were words were not needed to truly understand each other.


Searching Relena's eyes for her true feelings, Milliardo Peacecraft sighed mentally at what he saw. Her eyes, so much like his own, were the truest way to gauge her emotions. A lump began to form in his throat at what he saw there.


Peace, hope, joy, happiness...and love. In the beginning, Milliardo had hoped that what Relena felt for Heero had only been a schoolgirl's crush on the silent, mysterious man that come into her world. As their time together had progressed, though, he had been able to see just how much the couple depended on the other for support.


Catching Heero's eye, Milliardo finally gave the couple his full blessing with a slight dip of the head, but Heero caught the meaning behind the gesture. Faint relief flashed through the younger man's eyes, making Milliardo smile.


'You've got that right, Yuy. Just remember that if you EVER hurt her, I'll be close by to make you regret your decision,' he thought. Pulling Relena to her feet, he began to speak.


"Do you know what the first words I said when father let me see you? I said, 'mine.' - and I meant it. More often then not I fell asleep beside your crib, and it was to me that you took your first steps towards. I even let you play with my hair - which you promptly tied in knots and took permanent markers to," he stopped at her slight giggle, allowing himself a brief hug before continuing.


"I remember when the kingdom was falling and Mr. Darlian came for you. As my nurse took me in one direction, and you went in the other, I promised myself that I would watch over you, and make sure that you were happy.


"Do you recall when you were twelve, and the Darlians had just moved? You were so lost, coming home from school. I took you home and watched you sleep that night. I had just found you again, and it hurt so much to think that you had forgotten me. But I could see in your eyes that something in you recognized me."


Relena's eyes began to tear as she remembered that horrible day. Yet again she had changed schools, and once more people were only nice to her because of who her father was. She remembered meeting the kind stranger, and she had thought him familiar.


"I...I thought that you were the son of one of father's acquaintances," she offered up, blinking back the tears that were forming. Never had they spoken of what had happened that fateful day in the Cinq Kingdom.


"I also did a little snooping. I found the trust funds that our father had left us, and began to invest them. I knew that the Darlian's were well set financially, but I couldn't risk the chance of something happening.


"And I also saw that little stunt that Heero pulled when you were turning fifteen," he added, shooting the other man a black look. "Really, how could you turn down an invitation from Relena?"


Heero shrugged, tossing an apologetic glance in Relena's direction.


"It was either turn down the invite, or kill her, and since I couldn't do the one I had to do the other."


Seeing Relena about to speak, Milliardo hurried on. He really didn't want to get into a discussion about the past.


"At any rate, after the war, and the battle with Dekim Barton, I did a little researching into our shared past. And I found a surprise for you," he teased, stealing a half-hug from his sister.


"It appears that the second child in line for the Peacecraft throne is traditionally given a very, very large wedding gift. One that I think you will appreciate greatly," he added.


"And what would that be?" Relena asked suspiciously. She didn't know if she liked the looks that her brother and Heero were exchanging.


"You're standing in it."


Realization dawned as Relena absorbed his words. A house of her own? She had been contemplating moving out of their shared mansion for quite some time now - it was time that Milliardo and Noin focused more on each other and building their own family, than whether or not she would feel left out.


"Oh, you're wonderful!" Relena cried, throwing her arms about Milliardo's neck.


"Well, I'm not the only one you should be thanking," Milliardo responded, hugging Relena to him tightly. "Heero helped me pick it out."


Relena pulled back, looking between her brother and Heero.


"You did?"


At his affirming nod, Relena launched herself across the dividing space, knocking Heero to the floor. Smothering him in kisses, she giggled at his protests before leaping to her feet in excitement.


"Come on! We have to check out the rest of the place!"


Watching as his baby sister zoomed up the stairs, Heero in tow, Milliardo fought back the tears that threatened to spill. His heart felt heavy, knowing that it would no longer be he that she would wake up in the middle of the night to simply talk as they walked through the gardens. Heero would get that honor now, and an unknown jealously for the other man sprang up, making him desperately wish that Relena wasn't getting married. He simply wasn't ready to let go of her yet.


"Come on, big brother. There's still some cake that hasn't been destroyed yet," Noin said gently, taking her husband's hand in her own.


Smiling in gratitude, Milliardo Peacecraft, one-time leader of troops, second in command of Preventer soldiers, and now relegated to being the second most important man in his sister's life, allowed himself to be led away to have some consolation cake.


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