Disclaimer: I just borrowed the characters from Gundam Wing. I dont own anything here except maybe the plot.

A. N. Both "Where my heart lies" stories are standalone pieces. You dont have to read the other to understand this one. But if you want to grasp the whole picture and you're curious enough to know what's going on inside Heero and Relena's heads, then go ahead and read both. If you ask me, I'll like it better if you read both :). For comments, suggestions, flames or reviews, you can email me at raizenheero@aol.com

Relena looked up the sky and saw the myriad of stars shining brightly at her. Where is he? she wondered for the umpteenth time. She shriveled in the cold night air and adjusted the matching shawl of her midnight blue gown. It's a chilly night to be out here in the garden, not to mention dangerous too. Being a Princess of the Sanc Kingdom and the ESUN's Vice Foreign Minister attract more assassins than covering yourself with honey just to be attacked by a swarm of bees. But despite of these reasons, she didn't go back inside the Palace.

She walked further until she cannot hear the voices and the music coming from inside the Palace. She's supposed to be inside, laughing, mingling, dancing and celebrating with everyone. It's her 21st birthday after all. But she's tired of laughing, mingling, dancing and celebrating. She's done nothing but these things since she was 16, aside from the tons of paperwork, speeches, consultations, conferences and visits to places here on Earth and on the Colonies that consumed her life for the past 5 years. She needed a break. She needed to be alone with her thoughts. She needed some fresh air. So she slipped away from her brother, her sister-in-law, her friends --- Duo, Hilde, Trowa, Catherine, Quatre, Dorothy, Wufei, Sally and Lady Une, her bodyguards and her guests to take a much needed walk in the garden.

When did my life started to head on this direction? she silently asked herself. Oh yeah. When I first met HIM.

HIM. The boy who seemed to have fallen from the sky. She found him on the beach one day, lying face down, unconscious. Her life has never been the same since then.

She once led an ordinary, routine life. Affluent, but definitely boring. But when she met him, she was immediately swept up in a dizzying world of war, politics and revolution. And in the center of it all are two teenagers - HIM and HER. At the end, he had won peace for her then disappeared.

She hadn't seen him until a year later when a new threat to peace arises. He'd won peace for her again but this time he had fallen into her arms, vowing not to kill anymore. It is the truly the end of war. And the beginning of peace. Then he disappeared again.

He has that annoying habit of disappearing. She had wanted him to stay. But she cant and wont force him to. She understands that he still has some things to come into terms with. He'll be back when he's ready. If it is time.

What if he will never be ready? What if the right time wont come? What if it really wasn't meant to be? She never really was sure how he felt for her. She knows he cares, but how much? As much as she cares for him?

Many people thought (and still think) that what she felt for him was just a silly schoolgirl crush. That she was only looking for an escape from her pristine life and this mysterious, out-of-the-ordinary, handsome boy provided her with that adventure. But she knows the truth, and the truth is very far from these speculations. She loves him. Period. She doesn't need eloquent words to describe how she feels nor reasons to justify it and make everyone believe her. She simply loves him. He's the purest being she has ever met, the strongest, the bravest, the most noble. He has the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen, a not so ordinary shade of blue --- Prussian, with an intensity that can't be matched nor would ever diminish. Those eyes, which always make anyone who looks at them shiver with fear, always make her warm and safe. He can do the impossible, achieve the improbable. He's the kind of person who always gives her and everyone hope.

Why isn't he here? He doesn't come when invited to reunions, Christmas Parties, or other gatherings but he always come to my birthday. He always come.

For the past 5 years, she never bothered Duo or anyone for information about him. She doesn't want to appear as a lovesick puppy or a stalker many thought of her before. She never called him nor visited him. And it's the same with him. The only exception is when she asks Duo to give him her birthday invitation and he comes to the party. She knows that the Gundam pilots keep tabs on each other and the little information she had about him she heard from them. They confirmed that he's well and doing good on his own, studying, having a part-time job and he still doesn't have any girlfriend/s. Good for him, Relena grinned to herself. But seriously, all that matters to her is that he's well and that he's happy. At the party, they exchange polite hello's, he gives her a present, have a little chit-chat (which is very little considering who Relena is having chit-chat with), dance for a while, then say goodbye. Another year will pass before they see each other again.

She never had known what relationship they had. It's not surprising really, considering who they are and what they went through, besides the fact that he's not your typical, average guy. Is it plainly platonic? Or are there undercurrents of romance? Sometimes these undercurrents are clearly tangible, by the way he looks at her, touches her face or smiles at her. The way he holds her when they're dancing, the way his eyes lock onto hers, channeling something to her, a promise of some sorts.

Relena sighed. She's 21 now. She'll be pestered more about her lovelife or lack thereof. Many people are curious why the Princess doesn't have a boyfriend yet, nor at least date from time to time. She's young, beautiful and smart --- a very potent combination. Add to the mix is her position as the most influential woman in the ESUN, that she's a princess, very rich, but kind-hearted and down to earth. A woman like her wouldn't find it difficult to have a date, a boyfriend or a husband. Actually, she has thousands of suitors, none of which has been lucky enough to have Relena glance even once at his direction. These curious people dont understand her behavior, even misinterpreting her actions as just being picky. But to those few who knew her well, who has been with her since the war, know the simple reason why she's like this. Her heart already belongs to someone else.

It's not that she's waiting for him, or will wait for him her entire life. She's not a martyr. It's not like she doesn't want to date, she does. She just doesn't have the time. And if she does find the time, she wants her date to be someone she likes, whose company she'll enjoy genuinely. And she hasn't found one that suits these simple criteria from her present selection of suitors. It's not that she's comparing each of them to him, that she's still living in the past and not moving on. She is moving on, and she's trying to find love. But she already found it and hard as she tried, she cannot shake it off. It doesn't matter if he doesn't love her back or if he wouldn't come back to her. She loves him and that's that. She cannot marry someone she doesn't love. And she's not quite sure if she could love someone else as much as she loves him. But she's certain that even if she finds someone else, a part of her will always belong to him.

She then saw a shooting star. She closed her eyes and wished. "If Heero and I were not meant to be, I wish that both of us find happiness with our own true loves. Don't let either of us be alone for the rest of our lives," she whispered.

She continued walking, humming to herself. She stopped when she reached a pond and stared at the moon's reflection on the water. Silence. Suddenly, she cannot bear the longing and the silence any longer.

"Heero, where are you?" she said, somewhat desperate. "Tonight is the only time I can see you. You always come to my birthday. Why aren't you here?"

"I'm here, Relena," a deep voice said from behind her.

Startled, Relena whirled around. She saw a tall man clad in a tuxedo, with brown, unruly hair that was tamed a little bit by mousse and Prussian blue eyes glinting in the dark. "Heero. You came."

Heero locked gazes at her. "Of course. As you said, I always come to your birthday. I wouldn't miss it for the whole world."

"Why were you late? No, you don't need to answer that. It's ok. You're here now. That's all that matters."

He gave her a small smile. "Small complications." Then his face became stern. "Why are you out here, Relena? Don't you know that it's dangerous to be here alone, especially at night?"

Relena ignored his tone of voice. She's still too happy to see him. She just shrugged and answered, "I needed some fresh air."

"Won't they miss you inside? It's your party after all."

"I don't think so. Everyone's enjoying themselves. Most of them are drunk. And I've been only out here for 10 minutes so Milliardo and the others wont panic. Yet."

Heero didn't answer. He continued staring at her. She blushed. She then turned her gaze away and looked again at the moon's reflection on the water. She's starting to feel the cold more. She adjusted her shawl and hugged herself for warmth.

"Cold?"

"A little," she lied. She doesn't want him to have that excuse to go back inside. She's still enjoying the scenery. And of course, she wanted more time to be alone with him.

Relena was surprised when she felt strong arms wrapped around her. She smiled. She snuggled closer and leaned her head back to his chest. She felt warm all over. They stayed like this for a moment. Then, Relena got the courage to ask a few questions.

"Heero, How are you?"

"Well."

"So, what's new about you then?"

"I just graduated from college."

"Really? Congratulations."

"Thanks."

"Do you already have work?"

"Yes. That's why I was late. I had a job interview. "

"Congratulations again. You're really doing great for yourself, Heero."

"Thanks to you."

"How did I get anything to do with it?"

"Because of you, we're living in peace. Because of you, I had a chance to start over, to live a decent life. Because of you, I'm still alive."

"You know that I didn't do all that. Don't give me credit for everything. As a matter of fact, you're the one who saved the world, who won peace for us. Twice. The other Gundam pilots and soldiers had their contributions too. And I couldn't recall even one instant when I save your life. All I did for you was bandage your wounds, call an ambulance, get you in a hospital and catch you before your face hits the floor. You're the one who saved me many times."

Relena felt Heero whirl her around so that she's now facing him. He never removed his hands on her shoulders. He looked down at her tenderly. "What I mean is I survived everything and I am still existing today because of you. Because you believed in me."

"I believe in you, Heero. I always did and I always will."

"I know. I believe in you too."

She then saw Heero lean down to her. Her eyes widen suddenly but closed them shut as Heero's lips touched hers. It was a sweet, passionate kiss. This is their second kiss. The first one was in an abandoned colony when they were 16 [Blind Target]. Both were sweet, but they were kids then. It's more special now.

When they broke apart, she rested her head on his chest, her hands clasped around his neck. Heero wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, his chin resting on top of her head.

"I love you, Relena."

Relena's heart jumped at his words. She looked up at him and smiled. "And I love you, Heero."

She felt his fingers supporting her chin, his intense blue eyes boring into her sky blue ones. She can see humor, apprehension and love shining through his eyes. "So if I love you and you love me, " he started saying, huskily, "wouldn't it be just right if I ask you to be my wife?"

Relena gasped. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that he'll ask her to be his wife! Is this really happening? I'm not just dreaming, am I? Please don't be a dream. Please be real. Please be real. But if it's a dream, O Lord, please don't let me wake up.

The expression in his eyes assured her that this is all real and not just a dream her mind conjured up as a birthday gift. She can see it clearly, love is shining from its very core. She has never seen his eyes this intense and alive with emotions before. Her own eyes started to water.

"Yes," she managed to say as she tried to push back the tears. Then more strongly, "Yes, Heero. I'll be honored to be your wife. I wouldn't wish for anything else."

Heero smiled. A bright, loving smile. He leaned over and captured her lips again with his. He pulled away and took a velvet box out of his trouser pockets. He opened it. Relena cannot contain her tears anymore. Tears of joy fell unbidden on her face while Heero slipped the 5-carat diamond engagement ring on her finger, never breaking eye contact. He then kissed her eyes, her face, gently trying to brush her tears away.

"Are you ready to share the good news to everybody?" Heero asked as he wipe the last trace of tears on her face.

"Yeah. I've never been more ready in my whole life," she said, smiling sweetly at him.

Heero offered his arm and Relena took it.

"Well then, let's go back inside. I want to see the reaction on their faces. Especially Zechs' and Duo's. This will be a treat."

Relena giggled. She can't wait to see their faces either. She's sure everyone will be happy for them. But they'll be shocked first. Their friends know that there's an undeniable chemistry between the two and they're expecting Heero to confess his love for her or just plain ask her on a date one of these days, but marriage? It's all very sudden. And her brother? Let's just say that he'll make a scene. Not because he doesn't like Heero, he does (but he wouldn't admit it loudly). And she knows that if Milliardo has to make a choice who her husband's going to be, he would choose Heero because he's certain that he can take care of her. The reason he'll make a scene is because his little sister is getting married.

Before entering, Heero kissed her fiancé one last time. "For Goodluck," he said to her.

"I guessed as much. You're definitely going to need it with my brother."

Heero grimaced. "I know. I can handle him. What I can't handle is Duo's teasing. Im going to get it tonight and tomorrow and the next day and the day after that"

Relena chuckled. "I get it, I get it. He'll tease you for the rest of your life." She then raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to back out?"

"NO!" Heero answered indignantly. Then he smiled and grabbed her hand. "Never. Ready?"

Relena nodded and squeezed his hand. Finally, her heart is where it truly lies --- with Heero. She took a deep a breath then proceeded to face the first of their new lives together.