Author's Note (added Mon. April 20, 12:30 PM PST): So I just got a review accusing me of plagiarising this story. The review doesn't seem to be showing up for some reason, but I'd like to address it so I'm copying it here:

"Ive read an exact story and almost exact words under sasunaru (naruto fandom). I wouldve reported you really, but then i guess both of you did copy the same story from the manga, just editing names and some description. I still considered this plagiarism though. Copying others work with almost exact wordings. Tsk. I dont think you should be credited with anything at all."

Now, this story was inspired by Takarai Rihito's Seven Days. I say so clearly in the author's notes. The Prologue is entirely original, though. This doesn't happen in the manga. I couldn't find the sasunaru/naruto seven days that the reviewer mentioned so I can't tell if someone else came up with a similar backstory, but as far as I was aware, this was all me. Certain events have been taken from the manga (like the two main characters meeting over pizza, etc.), but again, as far as I could tell, almost all of Chapter 2 is entirely original, save for some key minor points (e.g., Heero not staying in touch with exes, etc.)

However, because it seems like people are concerned that my take on Seven Days is not original and can be construed as plagiarism, I have removed the remaining chapters and will no longer be working on this story.

My intention was to re-tell a favourite story of mine with my favourite pairing, but it turns out that I've offended at least one person instead. I apologize for that. I would just like to make it clear that I do not plagiarize the works of others, and from now on will be sticking to only completely original stories of entirely my own creation. If I have offended anyone else with this story, I apologize to you, too. I don't participate much on , and wasn't aware that writing stories inspired by other storylines and works would be frowned upon and negatively received by the larger community.

This was my first and only attempt at writing something based on an existing story. Knowing now that these types of works are not appreciated, I won't be trying it again. I hope readers will give my original works a try, when I get around to writing more and posting!

- WR

Disclaimer: I don't own any aspect of or characters from Gundam Wing.

Warnings: yaoi, AU

Pairings: 1x2x1,1+R, possibly some passing mention of 3+4

Author's Note: After a brief attempt at writing fanfiction and then taking a couple of years off, I have returned to the 1x2x1 community! I am much more dedicated to writing now than I was before, and actually have the first couple of chapters of this story completed already. They will be posted... now, I guess. Chapter 3 is in the works, and I'm hoping to publish at least one chapter a week. So please stay tuned, and I will do my very best not to abandon any readers mid-story. (As I may have done before in the past... *cough*.)

This particular story is based on the wonderful Takarai Rihito's yaoi manga, Seven Days. I've definitely taken many liberties with the storyline, adding and cutting things as desired, but the basic premise and a couple of events are from the manga.

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Prologue

Heero Yuy was just over a year old when he lost both his parents. Most people would consider this event to be an unspeakable tragedy, but, to Heero, his orphaning was hardly a defining moment in his life. Too young to have really known his parents, Heero felt no distress with having absolutely no memory of the two people who had brought him into the world. Instead, he felt content that they had had the foresight to designate a capable guardian, should anything ever happen to them. Moreover, the financial success of his parents ensured that Heero would enjoy a life of comfort that is experienced by only a select few.

Although many children run the risk of becoming ungrateful, spoiled, and generally unpleasant individuals when growing up in an environment of unbridled luxury, Heero had an odd disposition. He understood the importance of money and recognized that his lifestyle was far from normal, yet never fell into the trappings of entitlement and never took his situation for granted. He merely lived his life and accepted his inheritance for what it was: a great convenience.

Perhaps because he lacked a traditionally warm home with loving parents—but mostly because of his inherent personality—Heero grew up to be a quiet, aloof child. He was polite when spoken to and would play with other children when invited, but he never made an effort to initiate or actively engage in any social interactions. And while some adults would be troubled by this sort of behaviour, his guardian was a rather renowned physicist who could only be described as a shut-in. Committed entirely to his research, Doctor Jay respected Heero enough not to impose upon the boy any social double standards; the old man could not, in good conscience, expect Heero to be gregarious and affable when his own tendencies leaned toward dedicated introvertism.

A precocious boy, Heero inevitably realized that the good doctor had every intention of letting him be, antisocial and all. In appreciation, Heero made an effort to keep Jay company as the physicist conducted his research, just in case the old man ever felt lonely. It certainly was no coincidence that as the years went by, even though Heero excelled in all his classes at school, science and math were of particular ease to him. If Heero had been any more social, many a parent would have considered him to be the ideal playmate: smart, impeccably good-mannered, and wonderfully mature for a child of his age.

And so Heero carried on with his life in this manner, until Relena Peacecraft moved in next door.

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Heero Yuy was eight years old when he saw what he thought was an angel, moving into the empty house next door. After all, angels were traditionally perfectly blond-haired and blue-eyed, with a sweet demeanour and an air of irresistible innocence and charm. But it was strange for angels to travel in cars and move into mansions, right?

It was with some surprise that Heero learned that Relena Peacecraft was not, in fact, an angel, but a girl who was his age and in need of a playmate, a friend who could show her around the neighbourhood and make her feel more at home. For the first time in his life, Heero wanted to place himself in the company of someone other than Doctor Jay. Relena was delighted to have made a friend so quickly after moving to a new neighbourhood (but really, there was never any doubt that others would not naturally gravitate towards her), and Heero was captivated by her kindness, exquisite grace, and kindred gravitas.

At school, Heero quickly realized that he was not the only one who saw in Relena a set of qualities to be revered, and was thankful that he had little inclination towards jealousy. Nor did Relena ever give him reason to be jealous: others clamoured for her attention, but she made it unequivocally clear that Heero was her best friend, and would remain so indefinitely. This did nothing to antagonize the other children towards Heero. It had the somewhat opposite effect of immediately raising his esteem in the eyes of everyone else. If he had so decisively won the coveted role of Relena's best friend, how could he be anything but deserving?

His companionship with Relena also had a secondary effect. The blonde girl was not the type to remain removed from school clubs and activities, and there was a naive expectation that Heero would join her in her endeavours. These expectations Heero met with a surprising natural ease. By the end of junior high, Heero was a fixture on the student council and also on a couple of athletic teams, the latter in response to an off-hand comment that Relena once made about how it was such a shame that Heero didn't try out for school sports, since he was a born athlete and could really help improve the school's poor athletic showing.

Life was going so well that Heero could never have anticipated that things would change when Relena's parents decided that their precious daughter should attend the city's most prestigious all-girls school. Heero and Relena would still be neighbours and best friends, and would still spend most of their free time at each other's houses, doing homework and discussing their dreams and aspirations. This is what Heero expected, and for the first year of high school, it was how things played out. Then came the announcement that Relena's school would no longer be single-sex, and that for the first time ever, would be the city's most prestigious co-ed school.

Suddenly, Heero began to worry about his relationship with Relena. They were at an age when they were definitely noticing members of the opposite sex. There had been an unspoken rule that they should never discuss any romantic development to their friendship, that such a conversation would somehow mar the idyllic perfection of their childhood together. It felt like they had always assumed they would end up together, but now Heero had the compulsion to make this assumption explicit and formalize their commitment to each other.

On one beautifully sunny Sunday afternoon, just after the co-ed announcement, Heero posed his question to Relena: would it be possible for them to start dating, and to develop their long relationship from friendship to something more? The laugh that Relena gave in response made Heero's heart sing. He had nothing to worry about; they were too young to pursue any serious romantic involvement; giving themselves more time to grow together would better ensure the longevity of any future romance they would delve into, together. All the worry rushed out of Heero, and he was once again calm, collected, and completely content with life. And to seal their implied promise to each other, Relena bestowed a single chaste kiss on Heero's lips. Heero had never given much thought to kisses before, but it had none of the earth-shattering fireworks that he might have expected as a healthy sixteen year old boy with a normal libido; it was comfortable and felt familiar and right, just like Relena and his relationship with her.

Within weeks of the new school year starting, however, Heero began to realize that things were anything but familiar and right.