Title: Heero's Secret

Pairings: 2+1, 3+4, 5 all alone :( Poor Wufei.

Warnings: A VERY OOC Heero...He's a she in this ficcy. The guys don't know except for you, the reader. Dramatic Irony Ooooo gotta love it! Some possible mention of shounen ai, nothing serious though. Maybe a little sappiness too...

Dedication: This is for my good friend Emerald. She gave me the title for the story when I was at a loss for titles. I suck at them and she likes sap, so thank you Emerald and Enjoy!

Onto the story...


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Duo, quit tapping your desk. It's driving me up the walls! I'm trying to type out our mission stats, here!" Heero practically growled out.

Duo grinned. Finally! A reaction, he thought with glee as he watched Heero type on his laptop. "Hee-chan, I'm bored. The mission log can wait for now. It's not due until 07:00 hours from now! My boredom can't wait and you tapping on your stupid computer is driving ME crazy!" the braided teenager complained before continuing his rant. "I wanna do something fun! Come ON!" Duo stood and dropped an arm around his roommate and friend-also secret crush. "Hee-chan, let's go see a movie!"

"No, I'm busy." The said boy continued to type on his computer, ignoring Duo.

Duo pouted. "Aw come on Hee-chan! Are you married to that computer or Dr. J? Is that why you don't want to have fun with me, your bestest friend in the whole wide world?"

Heero flinched. She did not like that old man at all but her missions were her life. "Fine, I'll go." She shut the laptop with the inscription H.D.Y in the corner and stood up knocking Duo's arm away from her before stating, "lead the way."

Duo gave Heero a Cheshire cat grin and hugged Heero. "Thanks man! How does the new flick, 'Revenge of the Mutant Snotballs III,' sound?"

"Fine..." Duo smiles as he led Heero to their borrowed car.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Heero sighed as she gently placed Duo on his bed, since Duo had fallen asleep back on the car-ride home. Duo mumbled something in his sleep and snuggled deeper into the covers as Heero pulled them up. She watched Duo for a few moments before retreating and going to bed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Heero gently smiled as she lathered shampoo in her hair and felt the pressure of the hot water on her back. That feels nice, she thought distantly. She never heard the bathroom door open.

"Hey, Heero?" Duo's voice said interrupting Heero's shower from beyond the curtain. "Mind if I join you in the shower? I'm going to be late for class if I don't." Duo stated as Heero heard clothes being taken off.

Heero panicked as she looked down at her female form as Duo started to open the curtain to be let in. Duo did not know that his so-called 'male' partner was in fact a she. No one knew save Trowa and Sally Po. Heero cowered in the corner of the shower but a loud knock on their dorm door prevented Duo as a curse escaped his lips. Duo quickly pulled his clothes back on and hurried to answer the door.

Heero sighed in relief as she heard Duo close the door behind him. One thought crossed her mind-she had locked the door to make sure Duo couldn't enter, which meant he picked the lock. Bastard. Heero felt lucky Duo hadn't the chance to step in the shower or else he'd have learned his roommate and partner was a she in disguise. She couldn't afford to let anyone else in on this secret. It was bad enough Trowa and had found out when she self-destructed and he took her in. Heero smiled at the reaction she got from Trowa when she had awoken. He was completely shocked that the Perfect Soldier, whom he had admired, was in fact female. Trowa had promised not to tell anyone about her little secret but advised anyway "they will have to find out someday." Heero had full intentions of telling them, but not right now. She quickly got out of the shower and got dressed and ready for school in the school uniform she had been given-a male's of course. She stepped out of the room's adjoining bathroom to see who was at the door. She saw Duo talking to Trowa who in turn nodded to her politely.

Duo turned and grinned at Heero. "Trowa's here to pick me up for our first class. Guess I have to go with my hair unwashed and brushed." The boy quickly put his hair in a loose ponytail and then grabbed his books from his desk, leaving with Trowa, his uniform chemise un-tucked and his tie crooked.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lunch.

Heero stood in line for her food when a hand clasped her shoulder and a deep husky voice was heard in her left ear. "Hello Heero..."

"...Duo..."

Duo spun Heero to face him, giving Heero a gentle smile. "How are ya Hee-chan?" Duo teased.

Heero glared at Duo and filled a tray of food before leaving to sit down at a table, leaving Duo alone in line. Silently he wondered how the hell Duo was able to sneak up with out her noticing. She spooned a mouthful of green Jell-O in her mouth, must be because I'm over working myself.

Duo stood in line and watched Heero walk off to take a seat with a quicker stride than usual. Wonder what he's so afraid of? He though as he joined Heero at the table where he sat alone. "We have to meet the other guys in Trowa and Quatre's room for a meeting after school," Duo said in a low whisper. "We have a new mission."

Heero nodded and finished the Jell-O she'd been eating. When finished, she promptly stood up and left Duo to finish his lunch without saying a good-bye. She never heard Duo empty his tray and follow her at an unsuspecting close pace. She only noticed Duo's presence when he clamped a hand on her shoulder and spun her around to face him, leaving her heart seem like it was caught in her throat. Heero dimly noted that they were alone in an empty hallway that seldom students ever went to. Crap. She arched a brow quizzically instead of asking, 'why are you here,' or 'why did you follow me?' Duo seemed to be, for once at a loss for words since he seemed to be fumbling with his words.

"Heero I...I, have something important to tell you but..."

Heero replied in the usual monotone the voice changer she wore that allowed her to sound male. "What is it?"

Duo seemed to be getting closer to her by the second. His arm that was holding her shoulder was now around her, gently holding her and his face mere inches from her own and then, the fire alarm went off. Duo grabbed Heero's arm and led them towards the nearest exit. He wore the expression of one who was about to say something but lost all hopes in ever saying it.

Heero learned that the fire alarm had been pulled because someone had set fire to a garbage can in the boy's washroom. Classes had been cancelled that afternoon so the police could investigate the scene (1). Duo still held Heero's hand as she was dragged towards Trowa and Quatre's dorm room for the mission report. Heero let go of Duo's hand to knock on the door. Before the door opened, Duo took Heero's hand again causing her to turn and glared at Duo who meekly let go of her hand. Quatre answered the door wearing that cute little smile of his. "Hello guys, glad you could make it." He shut the door behind them and then got serious and down to business as Duo and Heero took their shoes of and sat. Wufei was already there, seated, and accounted for, ready for the news as he and Trowa conversed.

"We have a new mission, as you all know," Trowa said as he broke off his conversation with Wufei. "We're all going to North America, destroying and infiltrating several bases there. Duo and I are to pair up and gather information and then destroy the Orleans base in New Hampshire. Wufei and Quatre are to infiltrate Mount Saint-Euclid in Quebec, and Heero is to go alone and destroy the Saint-George base in Oregon. We are to meet at Saint-Bernadette Boarding School in Southern California, precisely 20 Kilometers from the Nevada border. We are all to meet there when we're done our missions and some of us will be destroying the Saint-Johns base there. We each have our own mission reports and alias names with information about our undercover identities." Four heads nodded in understandment after Trowa briefed them with their mission, Quatre started to hand out their information in the brown envelopes for each pilot.

"Dr. J. and the other scientists sent this to us today," Quatre stated as they all looked over their mission requirements.

Heero looked over the mission report she received and said a barely audible but forced, "Mission accepted."

Wufei glared at Trowa. "You forgot to mention the school we were to meet at was a music school. That means we all are going to be in a music class and I know am not very good at music!"

Both Quatre and Trowa chuckled before Trowa replied to the confused and slightly angered Wufei. "It is, but when you think about it, who would suspect terrorists attending a music school? It's unlikely considering the fact it's not an Oz facility. Oh, and Wufei? You better practice on that guitar of yours, you're going to need it."

Wufei nodded, a slight blush creeping over his cheeks. "I didn't know you played the guitar, Wufei." Duo said teasingly.

"You never asked..." Wufei retorted.

Duo chuckled at Wufei's annoyance and promptly sauntered over towards Heero. "What are your mission stats Hee-chan?"

Hiding the envelope and papers behind her back, she responded defensively, "None of your business and leave me alone baka!" Heero tired to say in her usual stoic manner as she tried to dodge Duo who was trying to get at the documents.

"Leave him alone, Duo!" Quatre said sternly, placing a hand on his hip, his eyebrows furrowing. Duo pouted but stopped taunting Heero and grinned whispering something only Heero could hear. "I'll get you later," Duo said with a wink.

Heero stiffened and narrowed her eyes at Duo. She turned around and left the four to discuss their missions. "I'm going to pack right away. I'm leaving in two hours."

Quatre smiled encouragingly. "Good luck Heero!"


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

By the time Duo reached the dorm room he shared with Heero, Heero's side of the room had been neatly cleaned and cleared. Duo sighed exasperatedly. I guess I'll have to tell him next time. I was so close too dammit! He slammed a clenched fist on a dresser in frustration. Grabbing his suitcase, he started to pack things so he could leave with Trowa the next morning. Trowa is going to be loads of fun, Duo thought sarcastically. He's more stoic and distant than Heero! Duo shook his head, frustrated at his inevitable fate of boredom for the next little while.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Saint-Bernadette School Of Music, California.

Heero sighed as she looked down at the uniform she had been given. It was a girl's uniform. When she received her package of information for her undercover alias, Dr. J. recommended for her to go as her usual self-a female, under the name Asuka Mitoyoshi. She was supposed to be an exchange student from Japan. She sighed dejectedly as the principal explained the rules of the school along with the expectations. She was thankful J taught her music, particularly singing, piano, and some basic dance movements as part of her training to somewhat fit in. Her mind wandered to how he specifically told her to act as a normal student. That was going to be fun and easier said then done. She hadn't acted female in years. At least I don't have to wear that god-awful wrap to flatten my chest and stuff my underwear with socks to show I've got something, she thought amusedly. She looked over the class schedule the principal had just handed to her. She had English literature first, biology second, music theory and history third, and vocal fourth. The principal, Mr. Oxford, after explaining everything to her, proceeded to lead her to her first class, gently knocking on the door. A middle-aged woman opened the door for them, smiling warmly at them in greeting. "Hello Mr. Oxford, I see you've brought our new exchange student. Please, come in," she motioned Heero in to stand in front of the class.

"Please present yourself to the class. I'm Mrs. Brown," she added with a smile.

Heero stood stiffly in front of the class, all eyes on her. "My name is Asuka Mitoyoshi," she said earnestly giving a slight bow before continuing in the usual Japanese tradition. "It's a pleasure to meet you all," she finished politely adding a small delicate smile directed to the class. She hated the way some of the boys were eying her. She felt like a display. As she looked at the class with scrutiny when her eyes fell upon Duo who in turn had been staring at her. Oh shit...lovely, I hope he doesn't notice it's me or I'll be playing twenty questions for sure!

The teacher interrupted the panicked fleet of thoughts Heero was having. "Please sit next to Mr. Maxwell Laurier." She said indicated to Duo who stood up and pulled out a seat for her to sit, grinning as she reluctantly walked up to the assigned seat, the entire class watching her as she plunked herself in the seat. This is going to be a long class, she sighed and began to listen to Mrs. Brown talk about some book titled 'To Kill a Mocking Bird.'


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Lunch had finally come, Heero found that the same group of girls that followed him out of his English Lit class to get acquainted with her, crowded around her once again, chatting merrily away and asking questions as they entered the lunch room.

"So do you have a boyfriend," a girl named Holly asked, catching her off guard.

"Um, no...I don't."

Holly giggled in that girlish sort of way. "Well it would help if you did smile once in a while. You do have a pretty smile when you actually do!"

Heero sighed. Civilians worry about the strangest things! She had been so preoccupied with her thoughts and was started when she ran into someone. "I'm sorry," she stammered as she looked up at the person that she had run into looking into the two merry violet eyes of Duo Maxwell, presently Maxwell Laurier.

Duo chuckled as she smiled flirtatiously at her. "Oh don't worry about it. Asuka, right? We were in English Lit. together. I'm Max," Duo said smiling brightly. According to the girls at break 'Max' flirted with every walking female within the school's premises. Great. I'm a target.

"So how's about meet me at 'The Coffee Shoppe' for some coffee after school?" Duo inquired.

Heero narrowed her eyes at 'Max.' "How's about...no?" She stood taller and turned stiffly, leaving an astounded and gaping Duo as she marched away.

Following Heero, Holly astounded spoke to Heero. "I can't believe you turned down Max Laurier! He's one of the hottest guys in the entire school. This is definitely a new record for St. Bernadette! You sure are one brave gal, every girl is pining for him and you turn him down!"

He smirked. "He's not my type. He irks me." The rest of lunch passed by rather quickly with the girls talking about what lip balm was the best for this season. Heero dully noticed how stupid this entire conversation was. (2)

Her next class, music theory and history, was boring to no end. The teacher was more monotone than her male-self. Duo was so far in two of her classes. He was still trying very hard to coax her into going out for coffee with him. He even passed notes in class, her latest answer was to 'go away, get bent and leave me alone.' She hated to be so cruel to him but she did not want to jeopardize her mission. She quickly left the class when the bell rang, hurrying to her locker. She noted that the other Gundam pilots were in her theory class. Trowa had nodded to her, since he was the only one who knew who she truly was. He had recognized her in her female form but remained silent about it, much to her relief.

When Heero arrived to vocal class, she had been a few minutes late and the class was already warming up with some vocal warm-ups. She would have been on time if some boy hadn't pulled her aside to ask her to some stupid dance, which she of course refused. She was late and all eyes silently watched her as the introduced herself to the vocal teacher, Mrs. MacDougall. The teacher nodded and told her where to sit. She was relieved Holly was in her class and was seated next to her. Holly gave her a quick over view of what exactly they were doing. Duo, Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei were in this class as well. I am cursed she thought, but knew she was bound to run into them more than once, slightly embarrassed if they ever found out she was female.

The teacher stood from her piano to address her class. "As you all know, we've been working on our solos. I want you to practice while I explain a few things to Ms. Mitoyoshi." Some nods and groans were heard as Mrs. MacDougall called her over.

"Welcome to our vocal class, Miss Mitoyoshi. We're working on solos incase you were wondering," the teacher said with a smile before continuing. "Since you're new to the class I can help you pick a solo if you like."

"I already have one chosen, it's just a matter of you having the sheet music for it. It's Giulio Caccini's 'Ave Maria'."

The teacher smiled brilliantly and clasped her hands excitedly. "Of course we have the music! Not many people chose that version, everyone usually pick's Beethoven's Ave Maria. Andrew, can you go find Giulio Caccini's 'Ave Maria' in the file cabinet, please." The teacher called out to one of the students. A redheaded boy stood to search for the music, returning a few minutes later with the music in hand. The teacher gave the boy a thumb's up and said a "thank you," before focusing her attention back on Heero. "Shall we give it a try and give you a run-through? You sing and I'll give you some comments and criticism so you'll know what to work on ok?" Heero nodded and stood so she could read the music. She began with her mezzo soprano voice, flowing gracefully in a legato format through the piece. When she finished, she noticed how the entire class was silent and watched her as she sang. The teacher turned and smiled at her.

"Very good Asuka! Try working on lifting the corners of your mouth a little and raising that soft palate for the higher notes ok? It will help get the sound out clearer." Heero nodded before she went to sit back down with a grinning Holly. "Wow! You were awesome! I have never heard anyone sound so beautiful! You are like a song bird."

Heero chuckled. "Stop complimenting me, I sounded like crap."

Quatre, who had been sitting near them wearing the school uniform of a girl butted into the conversation. "Asuka? You sounded like an angel. You were very passionate. I am going to love seeing the reaction of the audience on performance night!" he said before turning back to his work.

Quatre didn't even recognize me and he's the musically inclined one, said I sounded good. Scary. Holly nudged her with an elbow. "That's Katrina, she's an item with Thomas over there," she said as she pointed to Trowa who raised a brow at her.

"How...cute" Heero said the foreign and uncomfortable words.

Holly giggled. "I know. That Ling-Wo guy other there is really cute too (3). His glasses make him adorably cute. Max is hot, they're both new too." Heero nodded, silently laughing that Chang hadn't been as inconspicuous to the ladies as he tried to be. Wufei, or 'Ling-Wo' had been busy reading a book the entire time, not noticing the looks Holly had been giving him.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After Heero's classes ended, she began to make her way back to her dorm room to study and relax a little when she noticed Trowa walking towards her.

"Hee...Asuka, may I have a word wit you in private?" Heero/Asuka nodded as Trowa pulled her to one of the benches. Sitting down, she looked over to Trowa who seemed to be thinking over his words. "What is it Thomas?" Heero said using Trowa's alias name.

Trowa cleared his throat. "Well, Asuka," emphasizing her fake name. "I think you should try to remain as unnoticeable as possible. Quatre has suspicions about you. Duo is in lust with you as well as in love with Heero and well, Wufei hasn't said much except that he doesn't trust you and told us to be cautious when around Asuka."

Heero raised a quizzical brow. "How can they have suspicions about me when my present behaviour is completely different from Heero and is the behaviour of a normal teenaged girl? We are two separate people and I am following my mission orders to a T." Heero argued.

Trowa's lips curved up in a small smile. "Duo's bisexual, he's out for lust right now since he can't have Heero-when he is in fact unaware that you are female and the same person he's lusting after. It's ironic how the person he lusts after is the same that he loves," Trowa added with a smirk. "I just thought I'd warn you, you stick out too much. People talk about you a lot in the halls and you just arrived here."

"I have no particular interest with Maxwell and have no intentions of satisfying his teenaged lust. I cannot prevent what the others say about me. I am doing what I am supposed to. I can't change what J ordered me to do but I can lighten it a bit. I am here until I receive further notice," she spat at the still smirking Trowa, ignoring the fact her problem had just gotten worse.

"Just be warned, since we have no mission orders so far. Maxwell clearly stated to us that he was pining for Asuka and I know what he wants, he gets. It's just a matter of how and when he will find out about you. Quatre has already sensed your presence with that space heart of his and has clearly told the others he has." Trowa said as looked at Heero, his visible green eye watching her with caution.

"You know they can't find out about me." Heero looked passed Trowa and nodded. "Quatre's coming. I had better go, I have stuff to do!" Heero said as she stood up quickly and headed off.

"Just be careful," Trowa called out as Quatre reached him.

"What was that all about," Quatre inquired in a falsetto. "Do you know her?"

Trowa smiled genuinely at Quatre. "You could say that, but it's nothing to worry about my dear Katrina. Asuka is just an old friend of mine."

"Oh really?" Quatre teased.

"Yes really." Trowa said before he kissed Quatre briefly before looking down at him. "How about we go grab a bite to eat?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." Quatre smiled as he encircled his arms around Trowa's waist as the headed towards the school's cafeteria.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A light knock on Heero's dorm door interrupted her from her homework. She let out a sigh as she headed towards the door to let the person in. Opening the door, she scowled as she saw a grinning Duo propped against the door's archway. Great, I can't get rid of him even WHEN undercover.

"Yes?" she asked impatiently, still scowling.

Duo only grinned wider and grabbed a hold of her arm. "Come on Asuka. We're going on that date I promised you."

More like threatened me, she added before answering coolly. "No. We're not Max. I thought I made myself perfectly clear on that at lunch." She shoved Duo away from her, startling him, causing him to let go of her and fall on his ass in the hall way. She turned and closed the door in front of Duo, hissing out a held breath. Duo knocked furiously on the door, not giving up.

"Go away. I thought you'd clue in that I am not interested," she yelled through the door. She heard a soft, "oh come on! Please?" before the pounding stopped. She smiled triumphantly allowing a flash of white teeth to be bared as she sat back down on her bed to finish her schoolwork. Unknowingly, Duo had not given up just yet. The door swung open and Duo walked in as Heero wore the look of a gaping fish mixed in with anger and confusion. "Hey honey, come on. Let's go." Duo said as he took a brief intake of the plain looking room. He noticed a familiar looking laptop on a desk that had H.D.Y inscribed in the corner.

"Hey! Where did you get this?" Duo said as he pointed to the laptop.

"Oh, my father bought it from a used computer hardware store in town, top of the line if I must comment on it. And what the Hell are you doing breaking into my room! You picked my lock! I could report you to the dean!" Heero said frantically, anger rising.

Duo look dumbfounded for a moment knowing the Heero he knew would not sell his laptop or get rid of it for that matter. It was his life and those were Heero's initials in the corner. He grinned and winked to cover his confusion. "Trade secret how I came in here. Now please come! I promise I don't bite much. Please Asuka? Please!" Duo said nearly whining as he gave her a kicked puppy expression.

Heero growled at Duo. "First you pound at my door interrupting my studies and then break in. What do you think my answer is going to be?" she said, her cheeks flushed with anger.

"I take it as a yes? It's just one date. If you don't like me afterwards I won't bug you. Please?" Duo put on his classic pout and Heero finally gave in. "Fine, but only once. I really don't have time for this. I have work I should be doing."

Duo snorted almost annoyed. "You remind me of someone I know. He's kind of uptight like you but he's a nice guy," Duo told her with an almost wistful tone. Duo then grabbed a hold of Heero's hand and dragged her off.

"Where to Max?" She said in a bemused tone.

Duo smiled as he held her hand. "The Coffee Shoppe, of course!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After when Duo had safely returned Heero back to her room and babbled about the possibilities of going out on another date, Heero had the chance to relax. She smiled politely to Duo and said "maybe," before she closed the door and headed towards her laptop. A message from J was blinking in the corner where her email was. She hurriedly clicked on it to read the message.

HY,
Destroy Santa Monica base, co-ordinates and
clearer instructions are in Wing Zero's database.
Two other pilots will accompany you, since
it is a fairly difficult mission. Good Luck!
J.

Heero sighed, looks like it's going to be a long night. She quickly changed her clothes into the usual black spandex and cotton green tank top she usually wore, making sure she looked ok in her male guise. She pressed the voice changer behind her ear and climbed out of the window and down the drainpipe. She smirked once before she hit the ground and walked towards her hidden Gundam to fight the battle.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sweat trickled down Heero's brow as she fought against three Aries, when she heard a familiar yell pierce through the intercom. Crap, why did Duo have to send Duo on this mission!? She sighed as she destroyed the three Aries. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sandrock and Deathscythe battle, doing a good number on a fleet of Leo's as she momentarily watched the vid screen. Every now and then she'd hear Duo yell and swear saying how no one messes with Shinigami. Heero smirked at the irony in the words he spoke. Someone so cheerful representing death was definitely some sort of paradox.

When they had finally finished the battle, completely destroying the base, Heero remained still in Wing trying to catch her breath. A voice broke through her COM. "Hey, Heero! Where ya been buddy? We're supposed to meet at Saint-Bernadette's," Duo said with a hint of sadness.

"I had and still have things to do. Leave me alone," she replied coldly.

"But-"

"Let it go, Duo." Quatre's voice said faintly through the intercom. After that, Heero left quickly leaving a mildly annoyed and angry Duo and a worrisome Quatre. Heero quickly hid her Gundam and began to walk to her dorm room after quickly changing into some girl clothes and adjusted her voice changer, a slight pain on her arm coursed through her. She looked down at her left arm, which was bleeding: a minor injury in need of repair. She traced a finger lightly over her arm as blood coated her fingers. A slight rustling in the bushes caught her attention as she tensed up immediately ready to fight.

"What are you doing out here this late at night Asuka?" a familiar voice asked.

Heero spun around and glared at Duo. "None of your business. I'm allowed to go out for a walk you know," she retorted.

Duo regarded her with a careful eye. "True, but you're bleeding and it's way passed curfew. Normally a young lady such as you would not be out here walking alone," he said as he inspected her arm.

"I could say the same for you, you know?" She winced as Duo fingered her injury.

"Hmm, you could. Your arm seems nothing more than a bad cut and a few bruises here and there. How did you manage this?" he asked as he lightly touched her forearm.

"I fell down the stairs on my way out, over exhaustion ca do that to a person." Duo looked her over with suspicion, on aware of the floral shirt that covered her tank top and a pair of jeans over her shorts.

"Is that so? Well, I had better bring you back to your room incase you fall again."

"...Ok," Duo took Heero's hand and brought her back to her room as promised. He said a quick good night before leaving. Heero got dressed in her nightclothes, thinking how that was a close call.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next day, lunch.

"How was your mission Duo?" Trowa asked, sitting next to Quatre and putting an arm around him as Quatre leaned into him.

Duo swallowed his sandwich before answering. "Everything was fine but it got weird. Heero was there but left as quickly as he came. Why hasn't Heero shown up at school yet if he's near by?"

Trowa covered his smirk with a hand. "Maybe he's here already, we just haven't noticed him yet."

Quatre cocked his head sideways to look at Trowa. "I have sensed him close, nearby. It's just finding him isn't easy when he doesn't want to be found. It's as though he's hiding."
Duo nodded. "Indeed. Here's the strange part. When I was returning back to the dorm after Quatre, I noticed Asuka walking around. Her arm was badly hurt and she told me she went for a walk and fell down some stairs. Her arm didn't look like it was just scraped. It looked like something happened and she was all sweaty and tired, she didn't look like she just woke up. She seemed like she was up for hours. It was very weird. She was tense and looked startled when I called out to her."

"Very strange indeed," Trowa commented non-chalantly.

"Do you think she's working for Oz?" Quatre inquired.

"Well it is possible. Perhaps we should investigate and interrogate her just for safe measure. If she isn't she might make a great ally." Wufei suggested as he toyed with his food.

"Good idea. It couldn't hurt to do it. Here's the plan..." Duo said as he briefed them with an idea. If Quatre hadn't been so intent on listening to Duo, he'd have noticed Trowa was not in full agreement to the plan.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The skies looked gray as Heero/Asuka walked in the school's courtyard towards her dormitory. Class had ended moments before and she had decided to take the long way there. Had she not been so intent on watching some birds scurry and fly away, she'd have heard the approaching footsteps and been more alert. She never anticipated for a tranquilizer to strike her right shoulder. She felt dizzy for a few seconds and then darkness.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Light blinded Heero's eyes as she slowly tried to open them. Her mouth was dry and tasted funny and she had a mild headache. She groaned softly as silhouettes of people moved around her.

"I think she's waking up," a soft tenor, almost alto, voice stated as she felt a warm hand press gently against her cheek.

Another male voice asked if she was ok before the other assured him she was fine. The soft voice assured her she was safe as she slowly opened her eyes to take in her surroundings. She recognized at once that she was in one of the school's dorm rooms. In front of her stood Wufei, Duo, Trowa, and Quatre sat to her left checking to see if she was ok. Why the hell am I here?

Answering her question, Quatre's voice rose to speak to her. "They wanted to ask you a few questions. This won't take very long..."

"Hn"

"Where were you the night of-"?

Wufei glared as he covered Duo's mouth. "That's not how we do things here. Let Quatre do the interrogation at first." Duo nodded from behind Wufei's hand before he was let go, Quatre then proceeded to ask the questions once he was sure 'Asuka' was ok.

"Asuka Mitoyoshi, correct?" A slight nod allowed Quatre to continue. "Do you in any way or form work for Oz? All I need is a simple yes or no. I can tell if you lie or not."

She sighed knowing Quatre's space heart would allow him to tell if she lied or not. "NO I am not working for them. What has this got to do with anything? Why am I here?"

"To see if you're the enemy or not," Wufei said answering her question in a bored manner.

Duo walked over to where Heero was seated. "Is it all right if I ask you a few questions?" Quatre had given Duo a warning look but Heero nodded anyway unable to avoid the inevitable. Duo smiled, pleased.

"Where did you get your laptop, why are there secret codes encrypted in it, and do you know Heero Yuy?" Duo said, a few inches from her face as his blue-violet specked eyes bored into her blue ones. She blinked and looked over to Trowa who only shrugged.

"You hacked into my computer?" She said with a menacing tone.

"Yep, interesting how an ordinary student can have so many hidden things left and right, not to mention code encryptions all over the place. So, who are you? What are you hiding? You're just as good with computers as a friend of mine." Duo poked an accusing finger at Heero.

Heero smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know? You have my word I don't work for Oz. I'm just a hacker."

Duo laughed almost bitterly but stopped when Quatre placed a hand on his shoulder. "A hacker huh? You must be some hacker if even I can't get in. So who are you really?" Quatre's hand, which had never let go of Duo's shoulder, began to pull him back. "Duo can I talk with you for a moment please?" Duo spun around and nodded as he was dragged off to another room. Trowa and Quatre had exchanged knowing looks as Quatre walked passed him.

Heero watched Trowa and Wufei silently as she waited for the other two to return. She noticed the sun had begun to set which meant she had been unconscious for a couple of hours. She had a feeling disaster was brewing in the air. Trowa had warned her but why did J order to disguise herself as the female she didn't know or want to be? It didn't matter now. She'd either fess up or tell them who she was or not and suffer the consequences. While contemplating her ideas on what to do, Quatre and Duo had returned in the room. Duo silently walked up to where she had been watching them as he knelt in front of her and stared into her eyes. "Holy shit, Quatre. You're right.

Duo brought a hand and gently caressed Heero's cheek smiling softly, causing Heero to give him this look of confusion. Heero thought through the confusion how Duo went from Asuka's so called 'boyfriend' to enemy, to what now? Heero almost missed the words that escaped Duo's lips as they were said so softly and practically inaudible-"Heero."

"What is your problem Maxwell? Why the drastic change?" Wufei asked skeptically.

Duo turned around and smiled at Wufei, ignoring the look of shock on Heero's face. "Don't you see Wufei? Quatre always sensed Heero's presence here at the school but we never saw him. He appeared in battle but disappeared just as quickly as he appeared. Where did Heero go? And then Asuka showed up at our school, a Japanese exchange student. Just take a look at Asuka here," he trailed off as he turned back to Heero who had backed up as far as she could against the couch where she had been seated.

"So you're saying this girl is Heero?" Wufei said as he arched a brow, his arms folded against his chest.

"Exactly. Isn't that right, Heero?" Duo added with a grin.

"How in Nataku's name can Heero be a woman and a man. This does not compute Maxwell. Yuy is obviously male, Asuka here is very much a female." Heero sat straight up and cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Well if you really want to know I will tell you, not by choice of course but you already know my little secret. Thank you Trowa by the way for not telling. You were right though, the would have eventually have found out." Trowa nodded as Duo looked at Heero strangely.

"You mean Trowa knew that-" Heero cut him off.

"Trowa knew I was a girl long before you did. Yes I'm female and not male. How I looked and sounded male, I will explain in a moment. Trowa found out I was a girl by fluke a few months ago when I attempted to self-destruct. He after all had been looking after me and apparently was quite surprised when he had to patch me up." Trowa laughed at the memory. It wasn't just surprise, it was more like shock.

Heero cleared her throat before continuing. "I had a brother, he was originally supposed to be the pilot I guess you could say but he was blinded when he really got sick staying on L2 from the plague while we were being trained. J decided I was to replace him. I was only supposed to be an assassin but replaced my brother who eventually died from the plague once it spread after blinding him. J said I would be better off male and decided to make me look male for my own protection once my trainer Odin Lowe died. I was always sort of a tomboy to begin with. When I hit puberty, Dr. J decided to use a voice changer to deepen my voice like so." She reached behind her ear and activated the voice changer before continuing. When I became an official Gundam pilot after years of training, J suggested I stay male so I would be more accepted and not thought as weak," she shifted uncomfortably and looked at Wufei. Wufei in turn nodded in understandment but his eyes showed acceptance. All the others had been carefully and intently listening to every word she said.

"The first one to find out before Trowa was Sally Po right before Duo rescued me from the institution after he shot me. She promised to keep it a secret for my safety. She did it but it was inevitable when Trowa helped me recover after my self-destruction attempt. He too promised to keep it a secret but warned that you'd all find out sooner or later. He was right. I didn't want to be seen as an inferior to you all. Now you know why."

Duo smiled and glomped onto Heero. "I would never have thought differently of ya, Hee-chan."

Quatre nodded. "Duo's right, but others might not have seen the same way. J did this for your protection since women more often then not get raped or abused more then men. I understand where Heero's coming from and I apologize for our accusations." Quatre told her with genuine sincerity. He smiled slightly as he grabbed for Trowa's arm and turned to leave. Wufei mumbled an apology as Trowa just nodded and smiled briefly before they left. Duo, who had not left, still held onto Heero and patiently waited for the others to leave.

"I'm sorry Hee-chan. I didn't know!" Heero's lips curved up into a light smile. "It's ok Duo. I didn't expect you to know. I didn't want anyone to know for that matter, but I guess it just was never meant to be."

Duo sniffled and loosened his grip on Heero, facing her. He grinned. "So are you still up for another date at the Coffee Shoppe?" he asked hopefully, his eyes averting hers.

Heero laughed as she rolled her eyes. "Why not? I don't see the harm in it." Duo's eyes light up at her acceptance.

"Really?!" Heero nodded and the Duo promptly kissed her cheek.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to ask you on a date."

"But I was a guy then," she asked mildly confused.

Duo swung an arm around Heero's waist. "Heero, Heero, Heero. That wouldn't have mattered to me. I'm bi. I thought you knew that, all the others did."

"Oh, Trowa briefly mentioned that a while back." Duo took the chance to kiss Heero and pulled away after a few moments. "You look cute when you're confused. Let's go on that date before I get too distracted and caught up in the moment." Heero smiled and Duo took her hand in his. They left for the Coffee Shoppe, passing Wufei, Trowa, and Quatre along the way. Quatre gave Duo a thumb's up while grinning, Trowa smiled in approval, and Wufei nodded. The same thought had all crossed their heads: 'it's about time!'

Duo smiled at Heero and for the first time in a long while, they were both truly happy.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The End.

Author's notes:

1. Lame excuse but it actually happened at my school.
2. The girls in my dance class actually do that. It can be highly irritating at times.
3. Think The Simpson's. Lisa's grammar correction robot, Ling-Wo. Just a little Simpson's humour. ^_^;;

I know the fic sort of sucked. It wasn't what I expected but I am content with it. It's the outcome of being in French class and bored out of one's mind. Fortunately I don't have that class, I use Environmental Sciences to write since I know 80% of what's going on. Besides I always look like I'm working. For those reading Pax Romana and wanting more chapters, I'm working on it! I'm working on it! I wanted to finish this first; I've also go another good ficcy on the burner for you 2+1, 2x1 lovers. ^_^v

Ja ne!