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Shi-chan: One Valentine's Day fic, coming right up...

Valentine Crown
~By Shimegami-chan
Music: "Riding On A Bicycle," from Card Captor Sakura.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Heero asked worriedly.

Yeah. Right. "Sure thing, Heero!" I said cheerily. "You two have fun!"

He still looked a little relectant. Hell yeah, he'd *better* be reluctant! Hmmph. "Somehow I doubt that," he said dryly. "Won't you please come with us?"

"Sure, and watch Relena hang all over you? I'm thinking no. Go to the stupid party, and I'll hang here and watch some TV. I'm not really invited anyway."

"Duo," he said sternly, "You are most definitely invited, and I would sooner go with you than her! You love parties anyway. I hate them."

"Relena invited me because she thought it would get you to come. Which it did. And unless you go and be Relena's damned date or whatever it is, they'll know that we're together."

"I don't care if they know I'm gay."

"But you'd rather they not know."

"I don't care."

/But I do./ "Heero, just go. Have a good time, bring me back some chocolate! Just *go!*" I zipped up his jacket and forced him out the door. "Tell Ojousan I'm sorry I couldn't make it, and have fun!"

"Fun. Hn." Heero grimaced and shot me The Look as he fished the car keys out of his pocket. "I'll...try."

I pasted a smile on my face and shut the door behind him, my heart swimming around somewhere in my shoes. "I really wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary today anyway."

It was a kind of hard thought to hold onto, though. I couldn't begin to guess what Relena would be forcing on my lover tonight, while I was sitting home alone-on Valentine's Day.

"It's really not that big a deal," I told myself, flipping through the channels. I mean, Heero wasn't American, he probably didn't even know what the holiday meant to me. Did they even have Valentine's Day on his home colony? It seemed pretty doubtful, so I knew better than to expect any special treatment from him. I had been tempted by the wonderful things I saw everywhere-decorations and balloons and chocolate and stuffed toys-and had come awfully close to buying a lot of them. I picked up a stuffed bear and bought it at one point, to have something for Heero just in case he surprised me on February 2. Of course, the day had come and was almost gone-and I had just forced Heero out to escort my rival to a party.

I knew Heero loved me, he'd never betray me-so letting him go to the party was fairly safe. I didn't feel like celebrating, I most *certainly* didn't feel like celebrating on this holiday with Relena hanging all over my boyfriend. Heero was a nice guy sometimes, like that. I liked to think it was my influence that caused that, that he would escort Relena places sometimes as a friend. In the old days I'd have never expected that from the Perfect Soldier. It was okay, by me; as long as I got a kiss and a summary as soon as he got home. Poor Ojousan continued on her merry ignorant way, flirting with Heero when she saw him and never quite figuring out that he and I were a couple all along. She knew he wasn't interested-Heero never held back the truth. If she went too far he'd tell her, if she ticked him off she'd know. She kept persisting-I guess I'll never understand why.

I sort of understood Ojousan's feelings-I mean, I was in love with Heero too, y'know? But this...letting her have him on Valentine's Day of all days...

With a sigh I went to our room to change-it couldn't hurt to go to the party for a *little* while, at least...

I arrived at Relena's posh mansion with only a little more resolve than I'd mustered up earlier. What would Heero say? I was slightly afraid that he'd see me and stay with Relena for courtesy's sake, and even more afraid that he'd leave her alone to be with me. I was halfway regretting my decision to come before I'd gotten to the door.

As luck would have it, however, when I hung up my coat the first face I saw was Heero's. Relena was nowhere in sight.

"Duo?" he wondered, coming over to stand beside me. "I thought you weren't coming."

"I thought I wasn't either," I admitted. "I just...didn't want to be home alone."

He nodded in understanding and jerked a thumb towards the stage on the other side of the ballroom. "Relena's back there somewhere, setting stuff up. They have some kind of contest going on."

"A contest?" I wondered.

"Yeah," he replied, "Some couple thing. Relena explained it, but..."

I smiled and took a good look around the room. It was all decked out in pink and red and white, with angel cutouts and confetti everywhere. Streamers and balloons fell from the high ceiling. "Wow," I whistled. "Ojousan really went all out for this. She's got some definite Valentine's spirit."

"Valentine's?" Heero asked curiously.

"Valentine's Day, Heero-it's celebrated every year as kind of a day for couples. Romantic stuff."

"I've heard of it," he said slowly. "Is that what the party is for?"

"Yeah, it's today." I tried not to let my grin slip from my face, as disappointed as I was. "No biggie, though, it's not as celebrated a holiday as, like, Christmas or Easter."

"Oh." Heero nodded again. "I see."

A moment later Relena appeared at my elbow. "Duo!" she cried. "Glad you could make it! We're just about to crown the Valentine's Day King and Queen." I quirked my eyebrows and she hurriedly explained, "Kind of like an awards ceremony-the people who are deemed the 'Best Couple,' get the spotlight at the next slow dance."

"Oh." I blinked once, and then turned my attention to the stage where one of Relena's friends was standing. "How do they pick?"

"It's random," she said with a not-completely-truthful-looking smile. "Jory up there will be drawing the names out of a hat; one girl, one boy."

The girl up on the stage-Jory-coughed into the microphone. "Can I have everyone's attention please? The drawing for the King and Queen is about to take place! Now," she reached for the hat, "We all know how special a day Valentine's Day really is, and to help more people be happy on this special day we've gathered all the names of the single people at the party and split them up, boy-girl. I'm going to draw one name from each hat and we'll have our King and Queen, and the first dance goes to them. All right, everyone!" She grabbed a slip of paper and unfolded it. "Our Valentine's Day Queen is...Relena Darlian!"

Relena gasped and smiled, waving to everyone as the crowd slid back to admit her to the center of the dance floor. I couldn't say that I entirely liked that gleam in her eye, however-and then it hit me. Heero.

The words were already coming out of Jory's mouth. "And our King will be Heero Yuy! Congratulations, and enjoy the dance!"

Heero's mouth dropped open. "Me?" I nodded sadly. He was more perceptive than I thought, it seemed. "Is it okay if I dance with her, Duo?"

"Sure, you've been dancing with her all night." I tried to look nonchalent. "Go ahead."

"But that girl was saying how special...Duo, you said this wasn't an important holiday."

"I'm not!" I insisted, pushing him to Relena's side and stepping back to where he couldn't hear. "Not to most people, at least."

The music started and the crowd pulled back even more to give the two more room. It was some slow song that I didn't recognize:

"Though hurt, I shall not forget your face
I search for the tomorrow when I will meet you

Farewell, A bird setting off to the eastern skies
The world's always around you

Even in the morning I run out of tears
Once again something begins

If it's something that I can't reach despite chasing it
Risking life I'll grasp it in my hands

Flying away, I want to fly the way I am
Flying away, If it's for your sake I shall cruise the skies flying..."

It was a pretty song, I admitted, and I found hot tears coming to my eyes when I listened to the lyrics. I could try not to look at Heero and Relena dancing. I could try.

A collective gasp went up when Heero suddenly stopped and stared me right in the face before breaking his hold on Relena. "Duo, are you okay?"

I blinked away unshed tears. "Yeah, I'm fine...what are you doing, you're interrupting the dance!"

"Duo." He looked at me sternly. "You're upset."

"It's just that...the music...and it's Valentine's Day..."

~~~~"Farewell, A bird setting off to the eastern skies
The world ought to have been waiting for you,"~~~~

Heero placed his hands on my shoulders and then moved them to my waist. The crowd had gone perfectly silent.

"Duo," Heero whispered, "Why didn't you tell me Valentine's Day was so important to you?"

Eyes downcast, I studied the buttons on his shirt. "I didn't want to trouble you with all the mushy stuff, Hee-chan. It just didn't seem like a big deal."

He held me close, my heart beating wildly, and a rush of releif and apprehension rolled through me all at once. He understood; it was all right. It was all right. "I'm sorry..." I said uneasily.

Heero tipped my chin up to meet his ice-blue gaze, softened by the lighting and the emotion in his eyes. "It's okay, Duo. I'd much rather be with you today anyways."

Warmth shot through my shivering body and I leaned into his embrace, swaying with the music. Neither of us spoke a word; the stunned crowd pulled back more to give the new Valentine's Day couple more room. Relena was caught somewhere between disappointment and a knowing smile. The song played on...

"Flying away, I want to fly embraced by the wind
Flying away, If it's for you I can be free flying...
flying..."

I melted into Heero's arms, unable to wipe the smile from my face.

Valentine's Day hadn't been such a letdown after all.

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Shi-chan: It wasn't wonderfully written, but I had to do *something*...