Like Melting Ice

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There was something about that girl that kept her on Heero's mind. He spent the drive home, the entire evening, and most of the night thinking of her. He could not put his finger on what it was. She was very attractive, but she was not the first good-looking girl he'd encountered. Why was this one different? As much as he did not want to admit, it was not her long legs, or her perfectly proportional curves that was keeping him awake.

For the first time in a long time, Heero dreamed:

The sun beamed brightly, but its rays were welcomed. A younger Heero admired the intensity of the blue sky, before he took off. He ran—and it felt amazing. The blood coursed through his vein at lightening speeds, and his heart pounded vigorously. The wind whipped his unkempt, brown hair about his face. Heero could almost feel the endorphins releasing into his bloodstream. Even in the midst of a mission, he could not ignore the elation. He somersaulted sloppily, and landed flat on his back. A small smile played upon his lips and he burst into a fit of light-hearted and cheerful laughter. A girl following her golden puppy neared him. She was a little younger than him, and wore a bright, kind smile.

"Are you lost?" She asked him. Heero stopped laughing, but still smiled slightly. Her question, seemingly random, caught him off guard. He mulled over what she inquired. Growing slightly impatient, the girl spoke more insistently a second time.

"Are you lost?"

"I've been lost since the day I was born," He replied. There was no dejection in his voice; his tone was matter-of-fact. The girl's smile faded, becoming a ghost of the grin that had once lit up her entire face.

"Isn't it sad? I'm lost too," She whispered. Their connection lasted a moment before the antsy puppy took off in another direction. The girl was all but dragged after the pup. Heero remained on the grass, lost in his thoughts. A few moments later, he raised the detonation remote---and unceremoniously pressed the button. The intended target went up in flames immediately.

"Mission accomplished," Heero stated. He began to walk away from the scene. But a sound caused him to turn towards it. It was the sound of something going wrong. The explosion propelled a mobile suit backwards, and it began falling towards an apartment complex. The lost little girl and her puppy lived in that complex. Instinctively, he ran towards the blast. He wanted to save her; he wanted to saver her dog. It sounded good in his heart, but in actuality—there was nothing he could do. He was human—he could not catch the stray mobile suit. The building collapsed, kicking up large clouds of dust and debris. Heero tried to search for the girl, but he never found her, only the remains of her little golden puppy. Dejected, he scooped up the poor animal and ventured to find a proper burial place.

Heero woke up, sitting up slowly in his bed. He glanced at the clock beside his bed. The red digits informed him it was 3:00AM. He sighed, and raked his hands through his hair. It fell back in his face undisturbed.

The dream, he mused inwardly, was different. The girl wasn't lost before. What does it mean?

The morning came entirely too quickly for Nikita. She inwardly berated herself for telling Heero Yuy that she would attend to Gundam at 8:00AM. She sighed, and mentally prepared for the task before her. Her thoughts returned to the day before. The pilot had saved her life; he had killed for her. If it were not for him, he would have suffered the same fate as her brother. Despondently, she fought the tears and the memories. She grabbed her hat, shades and keys and hurried out of her apartment. Heero did not live very far from her apartment. He had given her very detailed instructions, and she arrived there in less than half an hour.

Put on a smile girl, it's the one lie you can get away with. She thought sardonically as she rang the doorbell. Expecting Heero to answer the door, she was visibly surprised when a minute or so later there was an unfamiliar figure standing before her. He was several inches taller than her, and had incredibly beautiful hair. It was chestnut brown and fell to his waist in a thick, neatly styled braid. He had large eyes, and she could not tell if they were blue or purple. Unlike Heero's eyes, they were very kind and warm. He flashed her a charming smile.

"Hey, babe, how can I help you?" He asked. Nikita smiled in return.

"Hello, I'm Nikita. I believe I'm supposed to be doing repairs for Heero Yuy," She replied smoothly extending her hand. Duo took the hand, and brought it to his lips. He kissed it gently.

"I am Duo Maxwell, Heero's more amiable and fun to be around friend," He said with a sly grin. Nikita giggled and blushed.

"Duo." There was a frightening cold fury underneath the words. Duo did not need to turn around to feel the intensity of Heero's glare.

"Well it was nice knowin' ya, babe, Now that Heero's officially going to kill me, I'd better go!" Duo said quickly. He dropped her hand and dashed away, his long braid bouncing after him. Nikita still wore a slight smile from the encounter. Heero glanced down at what she'd decided to wear, and he immediately cursed himself. Her red tank top clung mercilessly to her generous bosom, and exposed a two-inch band of taut, creamy midriff. A pair of black shorts managed to hang low on her hips, and still be painfully short---revealing her toned, shapely legs. Short, black work boots came just above her ankles.

"Come inside," Heero managed to say, ushering into the house. He fought the urge to continue to inspect her physique when she walked passed him. He tried to ignore her pleasant scent. Completely oblivious to his silent admiration, Nikita decided to get down to business.

"Take me to the hanger. The sooner I start, the sooner you can have me out of your hair."

"Hn," Heero hummed, acknowledging her request. He led her to through the various levels of security that took them to the hanger. Nikita inwardly grimaced when she saw the state of disrepair the Gundam was in. Sweet tap-dancing Jesus, she cursed, did he try and stop a meteor? Sighing, Nikita retrieved her tools and truck full of parts. She began the arduous task, completely unaware she was being watched.

Heero stood in a corner of the hanger, hiding himself amongst the shadows of the Gundams. He watched her work for hours, admiring her body as perspiration cascaded down her smooth skin. He could admit his sexual attraction—that was completely physical. But he felt something--- a sense déjà vu, or something like it. He felt like he knew her—or at least—wouldn't mind knowing her. As she worked sometimes she would sing, and her voice—was angelic. Her range was incredible, even at the low volume she sang at. She sang a low, mournful tune. It was as gentle as a lullaby, but it had the opposite effect on Heero. He was very awake, and very aware that her voice was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard.

The girl in the dream, He thought, looked like her last night.

A few more hours passed, and Heero felt his stomach rumble. As much as he could feed on her sex appeal, he needed real food. The skylights indicated that darkness was approaching, and that the other guys had probably cooked or ordered pizza already. He slipped into to kitchen to check. As he thought, there were four boxes of pizza stacked neatly on the kitchen counter. He went back into the hanger to get Nikita.

Nikita was balancing precariously on the toe of her boot as she reached for the last wire on the arm of the Gundam. She cursed herself for not bringing the cables and harness inside—she hadn't expected the damage to be so extensive. She was so close to the wire. Just a few more inches… She thoughtHer feet were dangerously close to the corner of the scaffolding. She was about 20 feet up in the air---the fall would not have a happy ending.

"Nikita!" The deep, baritone voice shattered her concentration. She teetered, yelping as she began to lose her footing. There was no surface beneath her feet. Heero looked up, eyes wide. He ran to the scaffolding, and effortlessly snatched her out of the air. She looked up at him, mortified—but exceedingly grateful. Her face flushed a deep red. He couldn't suppress the small smile tugging at his lips.

"I'm sorry I scared you, but you should be more careful," He said. Her face became an even deeper red. Heero stifled a chuckle.

"It's okay. Thanks, I will," She whispered, still looking very embarrassed.

"Heero?" She questioned gently.

"Hn?"

"Could you put me down now?"

A barely noticeable tinge of pink colored his cheeks. He set her down, and led her to the kitchen for dinner

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Oh Heero is too cute for words. I love this version so much better---less Mary Sue.

Review! Sylver.