Disclaimer: As most people, I don't own Gundam Wing. As most people, I wish I did. As most people, I want you review for my fic! Please? *puppy eyes*

Author: Angle Eyes

Note: when people are thinking: ''

When the people's minds are thinking, the words are italic and are in the ''

Um, that's about it!

Hidden Truth

Relena stared at the box held in front of her and the man who was on his knees. She gasped, first looking at the ring then the man and then at the ring again.

"Relena Peacecraft, I have loved you since I first met you. I want to be by your side. I promise to love and cherish you till my dying day. So will you make me the happiest man on earth…will you, Relena Peacecraft, marry me?" the man asked, his eyes pleading her to say yes. Deep down he was glad that he had succeeded in proposing without stuttering. Step one of his mission was complete.

Relena wasn't saying anything, scaring the man. Slowly but surely, the teeth of rejection and disappointment were gnawing on him. The silence was hurting him with every passing second. He looked up at her, seeing a battle going through her eyes. He gulped nervously. The golden haired woman closed her eyes, blocking off her blue orbs with her eyelids. Reopening them with tears in her eyes, she smiled and whispered one word that would change more than just their lives.

"Yes I will, Chris" she whispered, her voice choked up. He let out a sigh of relief and gave a happy, victories and short whoop. Jumping up off the ground, he grabbed her around the waist and swung her, joining in with her merry laughter. After he had stopped twirling around, he placed her gently on the ground, slipped the engagement ring onto her finger before they shared a deep, passionate kiss.

~*~

Heero swallowed and closed his eyes. Maybe if I close my eyes and open them later, I'll find out that I'm asleep and this is just a nightmare, he thought. He did so, closing his eyes for ten seconds and reopening them to find his lover and Chris still kissing. Heero pressed his lips into a straight line, trying to hold back the bile that he could feel creeping up to his mouth.

Forcing it down, he turned and ran. He ran as fast as his legs could take him, wanting to escape the vision that had burned into his memory. But no matter how fast his legs run, even if he had wings so that he could fly far, far away, the memories would never leave his mind, would always haunt him and plague him to the point of insanity.

Even as he ran, the pain, the heartbreaking pain of the memories of them together was all that he could see. The memory of Chris and Relena walking in the park, the memory when they started talking in low whispers, the memory of Chris getting down on his knees and opening the box that held a diamond ring, a ring he would never be able to afford.

He wanted to get rid of all of these things. But he couldn't. A greater force was in control and he had no power to overcome it. The Perfect Soldier would never be able to stop destiny.

At the sudden realization, Heero stopped in his mad dash. His chest rose and fell, the pain was slowly consuming him. The truth, it always hurt. For the first time, the feeling of lose over something precious to him started to work it's small fingers into every part of Heero.

His knees grew weak till he couldn't hold himself up any longer and he fell down, his knees bruising against the hard dirt. His emotions where out of control. This is what he hated about being human. He couldn't control his emotions; they were too powerful; he hated not being in control.

Heero raised his hand above his head and slammed it down into the ground, making a small crater. Again and again he strike the earth, trying to release his anger. Despite the bruises he was receiving from the merciless blows, Heero continued in a blind, hateful rage that surpassed all pain and thought.

That was his girl! Chris had no right to touch or even look at her without Heero's permission. He had loved her for so long, longer than that bleach blond boy Chris. Now the scum was going to sleep with Relena, touch her whenever he felt like it, kiss her freely, love her, hold her, all of the things Heero wanted to do. But Heero would never be able to and the word 'never' really got to him.

With each angry stroke that he laid on the ground, he thought of ways in order to kill Chris. Slowly and painfully. That's what the blond politician needed. They always got what they wanted the money, the respect, and the pretty woman, everything that a soldier never received. Rich men could give woman everything they desired without a second thought. Just whip out that credit card and poof! it's there.

Heero thought of the ring that Chris had given her. He didn't have to look at jewelry to know that that ring cost more money than Heero would ever be able to make in a lifetime. And that was just a ring! Think of the cars, the house, and the clothes... Chris and Relena's children could probably have a small pool filled with hundred dollar bills instead of water!

Children… Chris would defiantly want children and with Relena being his wife, they would have offspring. Heero could just imaging Relena with a child, she was always so kind and loving that he imagined her as the best mother in the whole world. He imaged two maybe three children hanging around her. His thought grew happy until he thought of Chris laughing and playing with the children, maybe making Relena laugh as well. Jealousy was taking its place next to the anger inside of him.

The rage light his blood on fire like a river covered in oil and then a match thrown into it. The pain swirled through him, coursing through his veins. The sudden anger burst through him, giving him new energy and he jumped to his feet, hitting and kicking anything near him, anything to get the truth away from him. That's what he was trying do, destroy the truth, beat it till it's not there anymore.

With his feet sore and his hands bloody and battered, he started to walk, praying that that had done the trick. Yet the menacing voice in his head would not leave him alone. Always criticizing, mocking him where ever he went and he gave into the voice because he knew it was true. He had to face it and he braced himself.

The truth hit him hard, crashing on him like a tidal wave, not one part of his heart or soul was spared. He gasped in pain, his emotions getting the best of him. He fell to his knees once again. The pain in his body could never match up to the pain in his heart and he howled with rage, letting all his pain out as well until his was out of breath. Hot tears of loss and regret where streaming down his face. If only he had acted sooner…

After he had run out of air, he slowly got to his feet and made a slow walk to his house. He needed time to think. He needed something: brandy, whisky, vodka, or maybe all three, anything to drown himself in. He looked one last time, looked past the trees and bushes and he saw Relena standing there. He whispered into the evening air, "Good bye Relena. You deserve someone better, something that I would never be able to give you. I…I hope you live happy with…him."

The heavens seemed to have opened their dark clouds and out of no where, water poured down on him. It was refreshing, the cold droplets soaking him to the bone. And with that he turned and started to walk, his deep feelings where still high but he had control over them now, or so he thought.

He was thankful for the rain. It streamed down his face, dragging his bangs down to cover his teary eyes. The water mixed with his hot salt-water tears. Rain was his shield. He titled his head upwards, looking at the dark clouds above him. He whispered a prayer, quick prayer, asking the angle's tears to wash away his pain.

~*~

Relena drew back from Chris when she heard the yell of something that sounded so unnatural. It gave her a shiver that ran up and down her spine. She wondered who or what could have made a sound like that, so full of hatred and pain. Relena shivered again as the yell echoed in her ears.

"Rel, are you all right?" Chris asked.

Relena smiled at her new fiancée. "I'm fine. I just got a little cold."

"Stupid me! Here, come on; let's get you back home. I should have brought a coat," he cursed. Relena laughed as he scolded himself and gave him a peck on the cheek. Suddenly water fell on top of them, hitting them with lightning force.

They both looked up, before breaking into a run towards the car. Their dash in the rain made Relena forget about the scream and she laughed as she watched Chris fumble with his car keys to open the door. Sitting inside, they smiled at each other and drove off still chuckling.

She looked at Chris. He was handsome. He was a young politic like Relena. They had met at one of her meetings about Mars and the colonies. They both thought the same when it came to the good of the earth, colonies and Mars. Chris had always been attracted to her and continually asked her out to dinner or for a drink and many times Relena turned him down. Then one day, she just said yes and their relationship blossomed.

Chris was a tall, very handsome boy who was only a year older than Relena. He had blonde hair and milky brown eyes and always had a smile for her. Chris always seemed to brighten her spirits when she was around him. They could joke and laugh together easily. After the first date of just a walk in the park, they found out that the two had a lot in common.

She couldn't tell you that she stopped thinking of the Gundam pilot right when Chris walked into her life, it was quite the opposite. She thought about the brown hair, blue eyed boy every other minuet. She thought of how he would feel if he knew she was dating. Relena knew it was foolish, but she sometimes spent hours imagining Heero sitting on her bed covered with flower petals, or storming in during one of her meetings, proclaiming his love for her, then whisking her away where they would live happily ever after.

A fairy tail ending that was impossible, yes. Making her feel young, immature, and foolish, yes. But keeping her from imagining it? No. It was insane of the things her mind would concoct. Insane but pleasurable. Her imagination got so out of control that she was imagined her walking down the aisle, and right when Chris and she were about to say her 'I do's,' Heero and the other gundam pilots stormed into the chapel, guns in their hands. Heero would run up to her, begging her to stop and reconsider. She would ask why, he would shake his head in disbelief, then swoop her up--wedding dress and all--and kiss her passionately breathless. They would run, run to an island where they could love each other all day and night.

Relena thought of this purely romantic and when she confessed her idea to Hilde, she had burst out laughing, making Relena feel even more stupid. But no matter what she thought, she wished something exciting would happen. Maybe Chris and Heero would duel against each other, the winner--who she wanted to be Heero--would take her for his bride. She sighed happily after every thought. Then she'd laugh and tell herself to get real.

It seemed impossible for her to go through one meeting or speech without her thinking of him, imagining him standing in the shadows, alert and ready to protect her. Every time during her speeches when she saw a curtain sway up in the high balconies, she would immediately focus on it, trying to see if he was there, watching he with those deep Prussian blue eyes. She had told Chris of her feelings for the gundam pilot and he understood. For that, she adored Chris even more.

But no one had seen the g-pilot since he had left Preventors two years earlier. He seemed to have disappeared like smoke, not leaving a clue. Even Wufie said he had tried and couldn't find him, for it was hard for the second best to find the best.

Constantly, when a date was over, Relena would hold the bear that Heero had given her and ask if she was doing the right thing. The bear never gave an answer. Even tonight as she held the small bear in her hands, she never heard an answer.

Marriage was a big step. With Chris being from the colonies and Relena belonging more to the earth, their marriage would probably be fruitful and make the peace bonds stronger. Yet would Relena really love Chris the way she had first loved Heero? Heero and Chris were totally different, like the night and day.

Heero was always so dark, dangerous and mysterious, intriguing her with his strength, courage and stubbornness. He had the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen, his eyes always moving her.

Chris, on the other hand, was kind, bright and open. He seemed to make the sun shine a little brighter but he didn't have the same characteristics like Heero. The pilot seemed to be more…special than Chris.

The battle between the better man was constantly going through Relena's mind. Although half of it had to do with the personalities and such things, she secretly wondered who would be better in bed, who would be both tender and wild, making it so worth it that she begged for more like a fish that needed water on dry land.

'I guess the choice is made for me now. I'll marry Chris, whether he's bad in bed or not.' Relena thought.

'There's such a thing called divorce.' Another voice told her.

'I won't do that just because he may be bad in bed. Besides, he proposed before Heero. I don't know where Heero is but Chris did ask first. First come first serve, right? What else was I supposed to say to a man who loves and adores me?'

'You could have said No,'

'But I love Chris,' she replied.

'Do you? You still love the Perfect Solider!' it accused.

'I will always love the Perfect Solider…as a friend.'

'Ha! I highly doubt that! You can be an old maid but you'll still day dream about him.'

'I'm marrying Chris and you can't stop me.'

'No, I can't. But I know someone who can.'

'What do you mean?'

No reply.

'What did you mean? Who are you talking about? Answer me!' she yelled to herself but nothing was said back. 'Fine, be that way. But no one can change my mind…except maybe…'

~*~

'You lost you're chance Heero. You had seven years; seven damn freaken years to tell her how you felt about her. But you just let them slip by without a second thought. You don't care. You don't deserve her. She doesn't deserve the punishment of lowering herself to be with you. She's gone Heero and she's never going to be yours.' The Perfect Solider chanted this over and over to Heero as he wrapped his wounded hands in bandages.

'You're right. She's gone. She never could have been mine. Her beauty, that golden hair, pink lips, and those crystal blue eyes…'

'Don't distract yourself by thinking of her!' the Perfect Soldier cut off Heero's thoughts. 'Listen to me. I'm the only thing you have left. No one else cares about you. She doesn't love you. If she did, then she wouldn't have gotten engaged.'

'But she said she wanted to worry for me, even when I told her not to…'

'Don't be a baka! She was just using you. She pitied you. She didn't give a damn if you were alive or dead. Don't say anything. You know I'm right. I'm always right. How did you make it through the war? You made it because of me! I saved you. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be alive today. Remember what it was like? The thrills…no worries…no pain? We can have that again, Heero. You won't have to feel this pain ever again.'

'But…'

'Think, no pain. No pain for you and no pain for other people. Just let me come back Heero, and everything will be just like it used to be.'

The temptation was too great. Heero mentally nodded to the Perfect Solider, making the soldier grin with satisfaction and triumph. Heero felt his senses sharpen and everything around him became clear. He could note everything around him. He could feel his eyes harden with its icy walls which were again forming around his heart and soul. Shaking his head to get himself back to reality, the Perfect Solider whispered to the thin air, 'I'm back.'

~*~

Duo sipped on his coffee, arguing with Quatre, which was the coolest hairstyle: Duo's braid or Trowa's half-sided hairstyle. Trowa stood off to the side, listening with his sharp ears. He rested against the wall, a foot against it to maintain his balance. Wufie leaned against the wall opposite from Trowa. He had he arms folded across his chest and eyes closed in meditation. Everything stopped when Heero entered the lobby, all the former gundam pilots noting that something was different with Heero.

From Heero's request, no one had told Relena that Heero was really working at Preventers. No matter how much his friends had objected, he believed he would only bring trouble to her if he hung out with her. He still protected her during the speeches, making sure that no one told her of his presence. His name was never mentioned to Relena, almost as if he wasn't there at all. If he did save her, he made it look like another gundam pilot did it, not Heero.

Heero simply got a cup of coffee before leaving and walking down to Colonial Une's office.

"Something's wrong," Quatre said once Heero's footsteps weren't heard anymore.

"I wonder what?" Duo thought out loud.

"He's back."

"Who's back?" Wufie turned to Trowa.

"The Perfect Solider." Trowa's short answer caught everyone's attention.

~*~

"Permission to speak, ma'm." Heero said, in his monotone voice.

"Permission granted." Une nodded.

"I would like to request if I can transfer to harder fieldwork, Ma'm."

"Life's to slow for you at your stations, Huy?" Une asked, a playful smile on her lips, which soon died when she saw the expression on his face. This wasn't the Heero she knew. After thinking for a couple silent minuets, she said briskly, "Permission granted. Head to Preventor Sally for new assignments. Dismissed."

"Yes ma'am. Thank you ma'am" Heero saluted and left the room without another beat.

Une sighed and turned to her pager. Pressing the button, she said, "Preventor Sally? This is Une. Are you there?"

"Right here Une. Preventor Sally reporting. What's up?"

"Heero's coming down to you. I think that battle spirit is coming on to him. Give him something active, but not extremely dangerous. I'm a little worried."

"What about?"

"You'll understand when you see his eyes."

~*~

Everyone at Preventors HQ noticed the change in Heero. His glares would offend and frighten people half out of their minds when he looked at them. Only the gundam pilots, Une and Sally were able to look Heero straight in the eye but not for long.

Heero never took small breaks during the day. He was constantly at work or on missions. He barley slept or ate. He trained constantly, pushing himself over his limits. He had to be harder, faster, better, stronger; he had to live up to his nickname. That's what everyone thought of him: perfect. THE perfect soldier. He couldn't let them down.

Two months had rolled by with Heero working constantly. Even Zechs, who hid his great admiration for the gundam pilot, was worried for the younger man, although he never would admit it.

Sometimes Heero would stay at the office all night, taking an hour for rest and the other 23 for work. He went on the most dangerous missions that most of the time included a 50/50 chance of dying. He'd risk his own life for his team members. Wufie once commented after a mission that Huy seemed to want to die, the little bit of respect he had for his life had been demolished.

Heero would always return, sometimes with serious injuries. Still, that didn't keep him from working. Une and Sally tried numerous times to get him to at least sleep for 8 hours, but he always stubbornly refused. He was hurting himself and his close friends. He had closed himself off from people and life.

Duo was the most effected out of everyone. He and everyone else believed it had something to do with Relena, but no one uttered a word to her. In his state, Heero might kill her, not physically but mentally and spiritually.

Duo decided that he couldn't stand watching his friend fall into deeper darkness any longer. So, he strolled over to Heero's office to talk, or at least try and make a conversation. Heero was worse now than he was in the war, if that was possible and to Duo, it was.

"Hey buddy," Duo said as he lend against Heero's office wall. Heero kept typing on his lab top.

"So, did you hear about Relena and Chris? Their getting married." Duo waited. Now he grew worried when he didn't get any reaction whatsoever. No sudden change of breathing or pause in typing, everything was kept at the same pace. This was bad.

Giving an exasperated sigh, he stomped over to Heero's lab top and ripped it away from Heero. Wrong move. Immediately, Duo was staring down the barrel of a gun. Words were not needed to express what Heero wanted. Duo swallowed nervously.

"Give it back," Heero ordered, his voice hard and cold.

Heero cold voice almost matched his eyes, almost making Duo surrender the computer happily. No Duo! You can't give up now. It's now or never…right? Taking a deep breath, he said in a shaky voice, "No."

"Give it back, or I will shoot you."

"No. You won't shoot me Heero. Do it! I dare you," Duo yelled. What the heck did you just say?! Duo demanded of himself. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid! You're a dead man now buddy, Duo kicked himself mentally.

"Mission accepted."

Duo never knew someone could feel such fear when Heero pulled the trigger.

~*~

Ha ha ha! I've left you….. A cliffhanger! What do you think of this little fic so far?

I'm sorry. It was too long so I have to split this story up. OK, see that bluish-purple button that says go? It's right down there! Well, push it. When the box appears, review for my fic.

Let's put it this way: give me about let's say 5 reviews and I'll post the next chapter? Deal? OK. Review away! I think I can take small flames…I THINK.

Be nice, it's my first fic!! Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes. _ I'll work on that.