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"So She Dances"Written By: Zazu Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, nor do I
own the characters. I have borrowed them here for some fun and creativity,
and this is not for profit. I do, however, own the plot mentioned
here, and any instances that you may find similar to real life events
are purely a coincidence. All of the characters depicted in this story
are adults. Rating: G Warnings: None Pairings: 5+R Summary: Wufei takes a chance in losing the sight
of Relena dancing from afar, only to get a closer view. " So She Dances"
Tonight, he was a personal escort. He remembered the few times in the last twelve months
alone when he'd dressed up for such an occasion, in the exact suit
he was wearing tonight, sans the earpiece, mic and a small selection
of weapons. He'd paced around, speaking only through his mic, and
his eyes scanned the large room continuously, ever cautious of an
unexpected threat. He watched the dancers closely as well; it was
the ideal place to get close enough to someone to harm them. His job
and duty had been to Relena Peacecraft, and she was constantly his
focus. He reflected on the last formal ball that took place
four months ago, and he could remember the minute details as if the
night had taken place no more than a week ago. ***** Wufei watched the way Relena danced, tucking a stray
lock of hair behind her ear as she smiled diplomatically and set her
hand on the man's shoulder. He was an embassador from L1, easily twice
her age if not more, and Wufei knew that this man often danced with
Relena. Their dance ended quickly and she declined a second dance
and stepped away from the dance floor. Their eyes made contact and
he gave her a slight nod to acknowledge her. She nodded in return
and moved towards one of the balconies; he immediately followed. The
music continued to play, a swaying waltz that Wufei had heard many
times but for some reason, couldn't put a name to. The large balcony
was empty save for two of Wufei's team on either side of the door,
in the shadows. One of them murmured a request and Wufei acknowledged
his request for a quick bathroom break; the shadow slipped away. A slight breeze came by and Relena lifted her hand as
if to catch it. Loose strands of her hair caught with it and she smoothed
them from her face. Listening carefully, Wufei realized that Relena
was humming lightly to the waltz that could be heard and she swayed
a little as she looked out across the estate grounds. Wufei moved in a little bit closer, telling himself
that he was doing so because there could be a threat by the balcony,
even though his men were positioned downstairs. Even though the balcony
was fairly high up. Relena turned as if hearing him, and she quickly
turned away again. But she didn't move fast enough for Wufei to miss
the tears in her eyes and the tear track down her right cheek. He didn't move, choosing to give her the time to compose
herself. The moon came out from behind a cloud and Wufei observed
the way her hair lit up. Relena was wiping at her face, so he reached
for a hankerchief and offered it to her. "Are you all right?" Relena accepted the hankerchief and nodded. "I
danced my first waltz to this piece with my father. And every time
it came on at a function, my father would ask me to dance," she
said softly, glancing at Wufei. "Mr. Darlian, I mean, not..."
she trailed off as if realizing that the statement was of the obvious.
Wufei nodded, understanding that Relena was missing her foster father. "I'm sorry for your loss," he said. Those
words were probably meaningless to her, but they were polite nevertheless. Relena handed the hankerchief back. "Tonight just
happened to be his birthday too...and the last time we waltzed to
this piece had been his birthday..." Wufei nodded again, slightly awkward. It was on his
tongue to ask her to dance, but suddenly, it seemed to be the wrong
thing to do. Instead, he spoke, "Then this waltz should be a
pleasant reminder of something special shared between your father
and yourself. I doubt he'd want you to feel...melancholy or nostalgic
when you hear it." Relena took a breath. "You're right," she
nodded. "Besides, this is not the place to look the way I just
did, not as the Foreign Vice Minister." She took another breath
and let it out. "I'll head back inside now." Wufei nodded and watched as she looked up at the moon
once more before turning back towards the ballroom. "Relena?" Her name slipped out before he could stop it. She paused, so he continued. "You are not weak for remembering, nor for feeling," he said. "It...took me a long time to realize that when
I came to terms with the loss of my colony and my family." Relena turned a little but didn't meet his eyes. "Thank you, Wufei." ***** Since that night, Relena had taken the initiative to
seek him out. She'd been the first person that Wufei felt comfortable
speaking with about his own past, about his present, and about his
future. Two months ago he'd asked her out to dinner, and formally
asked her to be his girlfriend. She'd only smiled and asked teasingly
what they'd been doing the past few weeks if not dating. He'd shaken
his head at her and taken her hand into his own. Relena came out of the bathroom then and smiled at him.
He offered her his arm and she was about to accept it when the ambassador
of L1 came and asked for a dance. With a small apologetic smile, Relena
excused herself. Wufei remained where he was, eyes darting around
as he tried to find any concealed threats. Then, he forced himself
to relax. His team would keep the place safe; he was attending the
ball as Relena's personal escort! Still, he felt as if there was no
difference in his role at the ball; he'd yet to ask Relena for a dance
and had only watched her from the wall. She swayed gracefully among the other dancers, guided
by the ambassador and smiling at him as he spoke. Then, her eyes met
Wufei's and the smile became a touch more genuine before her attention
returned to her partner. A few minutes later, she returned to his
side and he offered her a glass of punch he'd retrieved from a passing
server. "Are you bored?" she asked. Wufei shook his head, and heard the sounds of a familiar
waltz coming from the live orchestra. "I'll never tire of watching
you dance, Relena," he said softly before he stepped back. He
bowed a little and extended his hand. "But I think its time for
me to stop watching." Relena could hear the waltz as well and she looked surprised.
Wufei forged on. "May I have this dance?" For a moment, Relena didn't move. A server swept by
and she set her glass down before placing her hand onto his. "I'd
be delighted." Instead of the dance floor, Wufei led her out to the
balcony. As he took her into his arms, he felt he needed to clarify
something. "I don't mean to take your father's role by asking
you to dance to this-" Relena set her finger to his lips. "I know,"
she whispered. "But I'm just as happy to dance with you. To this
song, or to any song." The other dancers twirled on inside the ballroom. Wufei
smiled gently as he guided her into the waltz. The moon came out from
behind a cloud and bathed them in its light, as if offering their
own private spotlight. "You look so beautiful when you dance," he
whispered. "I never meant to wait so long to tell you." Relena squeezed his hand. "It doesn't matter that
you didn't say it," she answered. "I always saw you watching.
But now that you've asked me to dance with you..." she pulled
them to a stop and moved a little closer. "I'm suddenly glad
you didn't wait any longer." Their lips touched briefly before Wufei spoke. "I
thought I would be giving up the view," he said. "But now,
I realize that I just get a closer look." Then, he dipped her down, startling her. "Promise
me you'll only waltz to this piece with me." His onyx eyes searched
her blue ones seriously. Relena gazed back at him. "I promise," she
whispered, then smiled. Their lips brushed together once more before Wufei pulled
her up and they finished off the dance, and the next, and the next,
alone on the balcony, under the moon and the stars. - END - A waltz when she walks in the room
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