A soft rap on the door had brought vigilance into my mind. I quickly grabbed the gun that I hid inside his desk drawer, all ready to shoot any intruders, slowly ascending my arm and pointed the gun to the door. My eyes were fixed solely at the carved wooden plane before me as I wondered who was the person dared to disturb my peace.

    "Who's there?!" I roared, causing whomever stood behind the door to jump in alarm.

    "It's me, Relena." answered a meek voice of a girl.

    I let out a sigh of relief subconsciously, but I never actually took my gun down, even when I clearly heard that the door cracked open. I knew that it was Relena behind the door, but still I felt like giving her a lesson or two about coming without any warning. Well, she could have something different in her mind about that matter, but I didn't care. She was still disturbing me. I smile in satisfaction as I heard Relena gasp in shock, obviously afraid of the gun. I waited for Relena's further reaction, but I haven't got any. The girl only stood at her spot stiffly, didn't dare to squeak a word, her face paled with fear. Bored, I lowered my arm and tossed the gun aside, to my bed, then walking to my usual spot behind my laptop, starting to type up my unfinished mission report. I couldn't help but curving up my lips as I caught Relena breathing out in relief as she sank down on to of my bed from the corner of my eyes.

    "Gosh, Heero!" she ranted, as usual, "You almost killed me! Don't you realise that you reduce my age every time you frightened me like that? I'll have a heart attack in the next two years," I knew that she was pacing behind me from the sounds of her feet against the soft carpet, "You should try quitting to be a 'perfect soldier' once awhile, I'd say."

    I noted most of her comments, as usual, but I refused to talk back to her. Let her be exhausted by her own deeds. Instead, I tried to focus my mind to what I had been working for the last two hours before the 'intruder' had ruined my concentration. To tell the truth, I thought she deserved my little surprise.

    I knew that she sank down into my bed once again from the sound of the springs squeaking, but still, I ignored her. She sighed in irritation over my ignorance, but she did nothing in turn. She had learnt my way well in the past three years. Forcing me to talk when I didn't want to was like forcing a stone to sing.

    After fifteen minutes of awkward silence, I finally decided to talk to her. Turning my chair around so that I could see her face, I asked her, "What do you want?"

    "Nothing," she chirped, shrugging, "Just pay you a visit." But then she pulled out something out of her coat's jacket and handed it to me. "And this," she added softly; her eyes stayed on mine with expectation.

    It was a wrapped thin box. A CD-ROM, I guessed. It supposed to be one, at least, judging from the size of the box. Casually I unwrapped the thing, then had a good look at it. I was right. It was a CD. However, it wasn't a CD-ROM. It was a music CD, to be precise. It was a…

    "Dvorak, The New World Symphony!" Relena exclaimed enthusiastically, her eyes shining with anticipation, "I thought you'd like it!"

    To be honest, I was surprised, but I didn't give away any hints on my face. I merely set it aside and focus my attention back to report writing. I didn't know why Relena gave me the CD, and I was curious, but I didn't bother asking her. My work was more important.

    "Not interested," I replied dryly, my fingers dancing on the keyboard, typing up the report that was due very soon.

    "Oh…" I heard Relena say, a twinge of disappointment sounded in her voice. There was a length of awkward silence before she said, "Fine then. I'll just play it on your CD player, so at least you listen to it once."

    I saw her hand reached for the CD case, but I grabbed it quickly before it touched the CD. Relena whipped her had around in surprise; her eyes bore into mine askance. I was going to tell her not to bother me, but instead my hand reached out for the CD and popped it into my CD player. Relena's eyes still rounded in confusion, but she looked more curious to my recent antic at that moment. I didn't know the reason behind my strange decision as well. Confusions must have contaminated my mind as well as poisoning it. My logic screamed that the music would bring an even worse effect to my mind, but for some unknown reasons, my brain had shut down every connection with my nerves and ceased working properly.

    The music started to fill in the room with its melody, and I decidedly thought that I liked it. It had a certain haunting quality and the melody flowed gently like a river. There was a feeling of hope emanated from the symphony itself, making me think of some things that I didn't suppose to think. It was classical, and yet it was so modern. It was my first time listening to classical music, but Relena was right. I liked the music. It had brought something out of the deepest place of my mind, and made me just Heero, not the perfect soldier I was.

    Somehow, amidst the music and the confusion, I managed to draw Relena nearer and tilted her chin up with my knuckles. Relena looked back into my eyes without fear; her liquid brown eyes were half closed with scrutiny at my eyes.

    "Nice music," I remarked flatly, "But why?"

    "It was for the peace of your mind," Relena retorted back calmly with a passive expression, "You're a soldier, Heero, and you've gone to many missions, seeing many people died. I thought this music could give you some sense of peace, of feelings."

    "Well, you know the answer already." I told her dryly, tightening my other hand on her little waist, "I am still what I am."

    Smiling in secret, Relena remove my hand from her waist and tiptoed to place a light kiss on my mouth carefully as if not to alarm me. A spark of electricity ran down my spine as I savoured the pleasure offered by the tender lips of hers. Closing my eyes slowly, I deepened our kiss, but I sensed her pulling away. Refusing to let her go yet, I locked her arms in my grips, holding her firmly so she wouldn't move against me. Vaguely I heard a soft moan of moan of protest, but I didn't care. She started it, so she must stay until it finished.

    She was telling me that I wasn't capable of radiating any sorts of feelings by giving me that CD, and I had every intention in this world to deny it. People usually thought that I was a killing machine, for even my comrade thought so. I was perfect for impossible missions, the ones that took skills and intelligence to handle, they said. The fact that I seldom display weak feelings reinforced my qualification even better. Even Relena, to whom I opened myself more than I intended to, had accused me of being incapable of having 'romantic' feelings unintentionally. She might not be conscious about it, but I saw it in her eyes.

    The truth was, I was capable of generating emotions. Besides, I was actually a very sensitive person. One or two bad things that happened around actually had a greater impact on me than on other people. Even Quatre was not as sensitive as I was. He was a gentle one, but he could handle himself pretty well when he faced some bad circumstances in hi missions. And me? I had to harden myself if I wanted to survive. I couldn't, no, I mustn't let feelings rule my actions, for a single mistake could mean my life. I just couldn't let my decisions to be emotion oriented. If not, craziness would overwhelm me one day and ruined my good logic. Thus, I forbade myself to show feelings around. It was for the sake of my own well being, so that I could continue living this life as if nothing happened, even when something was definitely not right.

    However, things changed when I met Relena. Her daredevil stunts amazed me, and her capability to express herself and still in full control of her behaviour surprised me even more so. How could a single little girl be so strong? Well, she was every bit of an eccentric as well, unlike her formal appearance, but I had to admit that she was an interesting and brave girl. I mean, how many girls would chase their future murderer and asked to be killed instead of pleading for her own life?

    From day to day, she pestered me around. I had hated her very presence in the beginning, but learn to tolerate her ways as the time went by. I even let my feelings flowed through once awhile when things were concerned about her. And before I realised it, days changed into months and months into years. It had been three years since the fateful encounter between Relena and I. There wasn't a single day when she stopped pestering me, but I learn to welcome the intrusions.

    I smirked in satisfaction as I pulled away slowly from her, putting some distances between us so that I could observe her face. Her lips were red and swollen from the kiss; her chest was heaving up and down from the excitement. Her eyes were telling me that she wanted for more, but as I had expected, she refrained from asking. As usual, although she was much better than I at expressing her feelings was, common sense still ruled her thinking.

    She stepped back, detaching herself from me, and sat down on the mattress very carefully; her fingers touched her lips lightly. I didn't know what was going on in her mind for sure, but I guessed it was only a woman's sentimentality. Nothing else.

    I glanced at the CD player. The music had stopped a few minutes ago, leaving both of us in silence. I was just about to play it once again when I heard some rustling sounds behind. Relena was busy gathering her coat and got up to her feet, obviously was more than ready to leave this small apartment room. I only smirked in disgust over her discomfort and said, "Leaving already?"

    Pausing in mid-gesture, she nodded and said in return, "Have some work to do at home, no, at the office. Some diplomacy matters."

    "Have your leave, then." I told her as I strode across the room and opened the door for her. She grasped her coat and ran to the doorway, but pause her steps in front of me, looking at me expectantly. Then, the strangest thing happened. I didn't expect myself to breathe out the word to her. Never.

    "Thank you."

    She smiled tenderly at me, tucking her hair behind her ears, then nodded in response. She tiptoed, then placed a gentle kiss on my cheek before she descended the stairs before her and disappeared from my sight. I closed the door and made my way slowly to the window, holding the curtain up as I peeked through the glass. There I saw her running to the carpark where a red jaguar waited for her. Then, as if she sensed my eyes on her, she turned around and looked up at me, waving her hands, smiling, before she ducked her head inside her car.

    I left the window as the car rode away, pondering over the event that happened just then. Was it the music that made me lose control like that? Was it only a way to prove to Relena that I was quite capable of expressing myself, or was it her who made my mind clouded?

    I shrugged and gave up trying to find the answers to those questions as my hand reached for the CD player instinctively and pressed the play button. As the music filled my ear, I felt myself relaxing once again and found my mind engrossed over the task in hand. I had to finish this report this afternoon and handed it in twenty-four hours. Smiling to myself, I said in a low voice, "Mission acknowledged."

~Owari, minna-sama!!!!!