AC 197 September 8th.
Heero sat up bolt. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
Rei stared at her son in confusion. "Err… are you deaf of something? I thought I said it clearly. Your name is Hiroya Peacecraft."
"Did you mean Peacecraft as in Sank Kingdom royal family Peacecraft?"
"Is there any other Peacecraft you have in mind?"
Heero glared at her, which was ignored easily by her despite he giving her his best Heero Yuy Glare o' Doom ™. "You're not actually telling me that somehow I'm connected to Relena and Ze… err… Milliard Peacecraft, are you?"
Rei exclaimed in delight. "You knew them already? How nice! They are actually your cousins, you know."
"…You screwed up with the King's brother."
"You may say so," the woman said, ignoring his son's snide remark. "I did not actually marry him, but hey! You are his son, after all, and I am sure happy to have you."
"Why didn't you marry him?"
Rei sat up and rest her back to the headboard. "Well…, it was not that easy, you know. I was a fugitive and he was for God's sake the brother of a king. Bad guys and good guys do not work out together easily, right?"
"How did you meet him?"
She sighed. "I was 14 years old back then. He was too, under Dr. Jekyll's training. Of course, as a senior to his junior, he was kind and gentle…." She stared through the wall dreamily. "I have been head over hills on him ever since the first time we met, and later I found out he has too, though we hid it perfectly that we had not even acknowledged each other's feelings until the day the doctors decided to leave OZ."
Heero frowned. "But I was born 5 years after it."
The woman giggled. "So? Being separated does not mean not seeing each other at all. He visited me sometimes. Without the doctors' acknowledgement, of course," she winked impishly.
Heero stared at his mother incredulously. "Mother… may I comment?"
"Sure!"
"You… are crazy."
Rei stared wide-eyed at her son. Suddenly she burst out laughing.
Irritated, the boy demanded, "What?"
"Oh, Heero, Heero, Heero…," she reached out and pinched his cheek. "You are too cute for your own good."
Heero cringed. Silently he wondered how Relena would act upon hearing this.
"KYAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Heero glared at the so-called Minister of Foreign Affairs before him. Relena was laughing so hard, she forgot all her manners. "Relena," he said sourly, "I don't need you to laugh at me like that. Besides, you're acting out of character."
"Gomen nasai, Heero… but… but… this is too funny," she managed between the laughter. "After all this time and we happens to be a family! I wonder what would have happened if you have actually killed me years ago."
Heero snorted.
Finally the laughter subsided. She coughed politely, trying to regain her composure. "So, what can I do for you, Cousin?" She emphasized the word 'cousin' deliberately.
"Now don't you start with me," he threatened her.
"Nan deshita ka?" She tilted her head innocently.
"Iya, nani mo …," Heero rubbed his temples. "I need your help."
"That is?"
"I'd like to know if you have… any information on my father."
Relena leaned back to her chair. Her face turned serious. "Hm… my father's younger brother, am I correct? Well, his name was William, William Peacecraft. He's supposed to be 40 by now. He was a good man, so to speak. Of all the Peacecraft, he was said to be the strictest believer in the spirit of Absolute Pacifism."
Heero frowned. "So how the Hell did he get involved into Tallgeese project?"
"Confused?"
"Un."
"So am I."
"Hn."
The girl chuckled.
"So where is he now?"
Relena suddenly found her fingers interesting. "That you may not want to hear…."
Heero stared at her. From what he read from her face, he could already guess. "He's dead already."
"Yes." Came the timid reply.
"When?"
"He was killed when the Alliance attacked the palace."
"Sou ka…." Heero fell into silence.
Relena fidgeted. She had never saw this side of the boy and it surprised her. Besides, it was never a great pleasure to be the one to deliver such a bad news.
Heero sensed her discomfort. "Don't worry," he said. "I understand. I didn't hope too much to see him anyway."
Trying to be a nice girl, Relena offered, "You might want to have his picture…."
"Do you have any?"
"Wait a second. I think I have it though I never actually see it." Relena pressed a button on her intercom. "Marie," she said to her secretary, "Would you mind to you find me the file of William Peacecraft? Thank you."
Ten minutes later, the secretary entered the office room to deliver the file and secretly gave a lingering look at Heero before she exited. That didn't escape Relena's attention. "Obviously you always have a way of attracting girls. Right, Cousin?"
"Urusai."
The girl giggled. "Now let me see…," she opened the folder.
She paused.
Impatiently, Heero demanded. "Well?"
"Err, Heero? Remember when you told me you had a missing twin brother?"
"Yes?"
"I think I know who he is," she said as she flipped the folder, revealing a picture of a young man with chestnut brown hair and intense blue eyes. And his face….
Heero stared in shock before his eyes rolled up and he fell, sprawled unconscious on the floor.
"Heero!!"
~tbc~
Hime D.