GS Note: Pwh, I'm tired. August was supposed to be my relaxing month before school but it's turning into a very busy time. Between extra shifts at the barn, horse shows, working at shows, painting my room, and trying to sleep on my lumpy couch (ow) I'm bushed. And I'm not too happy about having to get up at 5:30 again next month. Maybe I'll break down and go to the local high school instead of the Catholic one…

Oh, oh! And I got the bandages of my hands! I sliced my finger with a knife when I was cooking and then my kitten opened up my palm. It was a major ouch for a while and it was hard to type. But, it's all better! Only scars remain!

My siblings are returning from boot camp soon so I might be bugged more to get off the computer even though it's MINE! It's moving to my room soon (a couple of weeks) and that'll improve my speed a ton.

NEKO NOTE! I'll be working on chapter 7 next so you'll probably see it in a few days!

Chapter 2

Naming Gods

//Day after day after day

Night after night after night

Dream after dream after dream

Endless cycles of life. //

Heero ducked to avoid recognition before he realised how stupid that was with the car windows tinted. He saw Dorothy talking to another person just out of sight. It had been weeks since he first bumped into the girl and so far they had spent their lunchs debating math homework. It was a comfortable friendship, not one Heero planned on ruining with the impromptu announcement of his wealthy up-bring. The Yuy name was international but fortunately it was meaningless to the laymen locally. Heero did everything to keep it that way at school.

He ignored the open door and slid out the opposite way. To the bewilderment of his driver, Heero ducked so his head wasn't seen as he sneaked around the other side of the car and around the nearest bus. Without looking where he was going, he rushed to mingle with the crowd exiting the school transport.

For some reason, the gods watching over Heero seemed to think the standard greeting involved pain.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Are you all right?"

"Yes, I think—"

Heero's jaw suddenly stopped in midsentence. Standing over him, hand outstretched to help him up was—

His angel.

The braided boy hesitated and looked at him confused. Heero never noticed, his brain shut down as his jaw flapped open. A numb sensation washed over his knees and his stomach was filled with fluttering butterflies. He felt like he was going to explode or throw up.

His ears finally registered that lovely voice attempting to speak with him. He struggled out of his stupor to hear the words.

"Jeez, I asked if you were ok? Hello?"

"I-I-I'm fine," Heero stuttered and took the offered hand. The boy's grasp was warm. A smile graced the delicate features of his crush.

"Good! I don't think I want to see the interior of the VP's office quite yet," the boy started to move off. The pale hand that had helped him to his feet waved him good bye. Heero felt his knees go weak again as he just stood there watching the boy walking away.

Some time later, Heero realised that he was alone outside of the school. The buses were gone and the school was quiet. First period had started.

"Shit."

Heero managed to avoid trouble in first period by claiming that he had gotten lost again. It was understandable, most kids ended up being lost in grade nine for the first month, even longer. All he got was a stern warning and advice to look at the map. Heero kept his comments on the accuracy of the map to himself.

Math wasn't too hard to find anymore, now that he knew where to look. He had to hurry though, his first period Science class was no where near the gyms and if he wanted to avoid another dodge ball in the face he had to get there when the gym was empty.

He was so distracted and out of breath from his run he completely missed the smirking gleam in Dorothy's eye as he slid into his seat beside her. He hurried to get out his books, Miss Noin insisted class started when the bell rang and she wouldn't waste precocious seconds for them to get out their things. She wasn't in the class as the second bell sounded.

Heero glanced over and caught Dorothy's smirk.

"What?" he asked, not loud but not at a whisper either. Dorothy just kept looking. "What?" he asked again, a bit more annoyed. She crossed her eyes. Hero just sighed and ignored her and she sniggered. The talk in the room lowered when Miss Noin walked in but it didn't completely stop. It did however halt when she slammed her huge lesson planner on her desk, making pens and papers fly everywhere.

Heero jumped as the teacher smiled politely at them. It was time to work.

Dorothy was packing up and Heero was waiting for her as integers flew around in his head. 2x plus 5x² plus 5y plus 3x² equals 0 is shortened to 2x plus 5y plus 8x² equals to 0 and to solve it—

He was just relieved when Dorothy was ready to go and he could leave the headache behind. She was still sneaking him sideways glances, a chuckle often coming from her for no reason. When they reached the café, got their food and were sitting down, Heero finally lost his patience.

"What is so funny?" he gritted his teeth as she glanced at him and giggled. She grinned broadly.

"I think you have a crush, Heero Yuy."

To his surprise, he felt his cheeks start to burn. He snorted and turned his full attention on his food. "I do not."

"I think so," was the wicked reply. "I caught the way you were looking. It's kind of sweet actually."

Heero poked at his lunch as he processed what she had said. So…Dorothy was all right with him being…

"Relena's perfect for you!"

Wait—

Back up.

"Who?" Heero asked, his brain suddenly feeling like it as moving in slow motion.

"Relena Peacecraft, that girl you were staring at in math class? I think she likes you too, you should ask her out," Dorothy speared the hot dog sitting on the bun, looked it over then put it back. She grinned at Heero's shocked face. "So, what do ya say about working on that math homework? You're better then me at those y=mx+b things."

English was as boring as ever. The teacher, Mr. Milof, was a Russian professor with an accent so heavy it was impossible to decipher what he was talking about. From what Heero could tell, he thought they were working on grammar but along with the atrocious speaking skills, Mr. Milof also had illegible writing. It was also possible that they were on poetry but according to the course outline, it was the more remote option.

His hands full of look books and papers, Heero struggled to get them in his bag that was hanging off his elbow. He did this as he hurried through the crowded halls to his next class, Geography. He cursed as he was jostled and lost his grip on a textbook. He crouched to get it, half the loose notes slipping from his grasp. He cursed again as he sensed someone crouch beside him to help him pick up his things.

Between the two of them, they managed to pick up all of Heero's things without them getting stepped on too much. Heero looked up to his helper.

"Thank you," he said, a bit nervously as they straightened up. The Chinese boy nodded.

"Buxie," the boy ducked his head in a small bow then disappeared in the crowd before Heero could speak again. He lifted a hand to call the boy back, then decided against it. Sometimes random acts of kindness were better left just that, random.

Geography was normal, his teacher was a pretty laid-back guy so work wasn't difficult. The, it was time for the last class of the day. Dreaded above all else, or at least for Heero, Art.

It wasn't that Heero was horrible at art, he was told he could have potential if he applied himself more, it was the people in the class. He went gratefully ignored as he entered and took his seat at the specially sized, large desks. He ducked his head and started to fish around for the sketchbook they had been obligated to buy. He slumped down, making a smaller target as his torment began.

It started out little, rolled up pieces of paper from homework being bounced off his head. It rarely got stuck in his hair, instead tending to roll away. The teacher entered the class and ordered the kids to continue working on the first assignment she had given them, and ink and pen line experiment. It involved dividing a circled piece of Bristol board into separate little sections and creating dozens of little patterns with lines using a bottle of ink and a calligraphy pen. Heero's would be coming along nicely if tiny paper balls were all that got thrown at him.

A sticky, wet ball squished onto his neck and stuck there. Heero reached back grimacing and pulled the spitball off. He tossed it on the floor.

"Why people are so obsessed with throwing bodily fluids at me, I don't know," he sneered under his breath, glaring darkly at his paper. He dipped his pen in the bottle of ink. He lowered to just doodle in one of the spaces when he felt a larger object hit his head. He glanced at the floor and saw a pen laying innocently behind his chair. He growled but continued his work, doing his best to disregard the sharp pains on his head as the boys behind him kept on practicing their targeting skills.

He was the first out of the class when the bell rang, his stuff barely put away in time. He didn't care about the extra work his teacher might face cleaning his things, she never tried to help him out so why should he?

Heero was so tired and angry by the time he sorted out his books from the piles of junk in his locker left by his buddy, he was mumbling under his breath as he pushed people out of his way to get to the car.

"Stupid, shitty piece of— Tomorrow I'm gonna get— See how much they like it— damn kid can't keep the stupid locker clean—"

Heero ignored the new driver as he opened his door and slid in. He slumped in his seat after tossing his bag violently on the floor. He crossed his arms and grumbled as he heard the driver get in and start the car. He glared at the kids laughing and joking on their way to the buses. He saw a few glance at the car and start to whisper to their friends. He sighed irritated and looked at the seat in front on him. He just wanted to get home.

Fortunately, his house was in visible distance from the school. He didn't bother to wait for the door to open for him when he spilled out, his bag totted behind him as he hurried up the long steps to his house. The lawn was perfectly kept with flowers perfectly grown and set out to artistically please a person's eye. Heero suddenly felt an immense hatred for it and scowled.

The door made an uncharacteristic smash against the wall behind it. It was accompanied by the resounding slam as it was shoved back into the frame. Stomping and cursing made its way through the otherwise soundless house. Despite the huge size, the mansion had only two major tenants. Once a week a professional cleaning staff came and sanitized rooms that hadn't seen a person since the last cleansing.

Heero was one of the occupants. He usually staying in his own wing of the house, preferring solitude though it was easily obtained. The second person usually stayed in the kitchen and casual living rooms, relaxing as she cared for the fourteen-year-old. Marie heard the angry footsteps and slams as the teenager entered the house. The empty halls echoed. She frowned and set the timer on the stove before going to see what was wrong.

Heero was in his room, his bag strewn over the otherwise clean floor. His shoes were still on, littering some dirt on his clean comforter as he leaned on the fluffy pillows, clicking the channel on the huge television. The room was decorated with dark blues and greens, creating a comfy and homely look. It made the big room seem cozy, if possible. Heero stood out among the models of cars and planes and other things his parents thought a boy should have. None of the things in the room ever looked used.

She knocked, her view only giving her Heero's feet. She received a grunt she assumed meant 'come in'. She pushed the door completely open. Hero stared at the television, a scowl causing his forehead to wrinkle. He was clicking the channels so fast it was hard to tell what they were about. Marie decided to open the conversation.

"How can you tell what's on? Aren't you clicking too fast?"

"I can tell," was the short answer. He paused and clicked back five channels. "See? News."

Marie sighed and settled in a chair around the edge of the room. Heero kept his eyes glued on the screen while Marie waited patently for him to respond.

When Marie was hired, she knew very little English beyond 'hello' and 'thank you'. Heero had only been six when he began to tutor her from her native language of Italian. He had always been truly remarkable, never had she come into his room to settle a nightmare or scold him for misbehaviour. He was always well-spoken and polite with excellent grades during his home schooling. Marie thought it was unnatural. She had approached his father last year and managed to convince him to let Heero go to the local high school. Even though the Yuy's weren't Catholic, Mr. Yuy had settled on the Catholic one across the street as it had a reputation for their business classes. Now, only about a week or two into the first semester, Marie could all ready see a developing personality coming from Heero.

He was getting grumpy, something he had never been before. He was more agitated and tired then usual. Yesterday he had snapped at her when she moved his bag without him knowing. This morning he had only eaten part of his breakfast before rushing out the door without his regular thank you. To some it would seem like a negative development but Marie was just glad there was any change at all.

"What happened at school today?" she asked casually, ignoring the zombied look on his face.

"Nothing."

"Oh? Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Nothing you want to tell me?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Marie had dealt enough with Heero to imitate his glare. He snorted as the news report on the television took over the silence in the room.

//"And I'm sure most people will be glad to hear about the upcoming decrease in price for the Winner Enterprise Corporation laptops. They will be going down from over two thousand dollars to a mere fifteen hundred. Great news for those still waiting to buy one, but sad news for those that just finished paying full price."//

Heero didn't bother to glance at the three laptops that lay on his desk, two of then barely used.

//"Also, consumers are to expect the Yuy Company to jack up the cost on laptop batteries. That may have a major impact on businesses that supply their employees with laptops but we all hope the decrease in computer costs make up for this."

"That wraps up our business news, on to Sarah with reports on the latest immigration problems.

"Thank you Ken. Protests have been erupting in a harbour on the western shores about accepting family immigrants. They claim that people entering as a family immigrant only increase our dependency load, causing tax payers to take up the bill//

Marie reached for the second remote on the chair beside her and turned off the television. Heero glared stubbornly at her.

"Heero Yuy. I am sick of you moping around like this! I am going to kick you out of the house for some well needed entertainment!" she stood as his face transformed with shock. "You have some money, change into something more comfortable and I'll drive you into town."

Heero looked at her, a skeptical look on his face. "I'm not going out by myself."

"No," she agreed. "Ana-Marie Winner offered Quatre to come with you," she smirked. "Now get changed and meet me out the back by my car."

With that she was gone, leaving Heero no way to protest. He cursed as he changed from the black dress pants to jeans and a sweater to tee shirt. He snagged his jacket on the way out but had to go back to his room to grab his running shoes. It took only a few minutes before he was grumpily waiting by Marie's car. She smiled as she came out of the small back door, keys and a black purse in hand.

"You seem more eager then I thought," was the satisfied smirk. Heero snorted but obediently got in the passenger side and buckled his seat belt. Marie drove like a native from Italy. She drove very loosely and fast, turning signals having never been used on her old car. Heero closed his eyes to avoid contracting a blood clot in his brain from the fear. Her accented voice spoke easily as she zipped down the lightly populated dirt road into the heart of the town.

"Quatre's going to meet you at the Winner Office buildings. He was working on a practical case with one of his tutors today."

Heero tried to swallow around the dry block in his throat as he nodded. She barely slowed down for the turn on to the main street then into the parking lot. Heero released the door handle and his knee as he relaxed. After a moment of prompting from Marie, Heero undid his seat belt and opened the door. He waved her of and took the familiar path into the Winner building.

As the only tall buildings in the town, Mr. Yuy and Mr. Winner had spared no expense in the design of the head quarters for their multi-billion dollar companies. Each was curved to look like the outline of a quarter of a circle. When put together they made a full semi-circle with a small green area in the center. The gap between the two buildings created a driveway for vehicles that took one of two paths along the sidewalks to the parking lot behind. Huge and formidable, the two glass buildings claimed most of the attention in the usually calm town.

No one dared to question the presence of the teenager as he rode his way up the elevator to the sixth floor. This was where Quatre and he always worked on one of the practical assignments at the company before Heero had started high school. Beige and grey walls made a very sophisticated look to an adult eye. Heero always commented they looked like someone puked in a prison.

It was no trouble finding Quatre bent over a desk, his head buried in accounting books. The woman Heero remembered from his own home schooled days watched his calculations as he made them. Heero raised a hand and knocked on the open door.

Quatre and the woman looked up. The pale features broke into a relieved smile as the tutor scowled.

"Heero!" Quatre put down his pencil and stretched the cramps in his hand.

"Heero. What are you doing here?" the woman sneered. She was one of the reasons Heero agreed to start at a school. She turned sharply to the blonde. "Keep working."

As Quatre picked up his pencil again, she shooed Heero out into the hall and closed the door.

"What are you going here?" she repeated. "I have a student working."

"Ana-Marie Winner told me I could take Quatre with me for the rest of the day," hero explained calmly. "It's an approved plan, I'm sure you've been told."

"I was under the impression it wouldn't take place until after my lessons were conducted," she didn't stop the hard look.

"Miss. Valetta, I know perfectly well that Mr. Winner expects all lessons to be finished at the same as a regular school. They end at three o'clock, as should your lessons," Heero pointed out, forcing all mockery and sarcasm out of his voice. He looked at her with perfectly honest eyes as she struggled to come up with a reply.

Finally she gave up. Quatre packed up his stuff and practically jogged out of the building and down the elevator. He gave a short burst of laughter as they came out in the sunlight and slowed to a walk. Quatre caught his breath as Heero started to lead him out of the office circle.

"So," Quatre panted. "Where are we going?"

Heero shrugged. "I've never really been around town, I don't know what there is. What do you want to do?"

Quatre's eyes lit up for a minute before he blushed shyly and ducked his head. "Um, well, I've always wanted to, er, go to a…"

Heero waited patiently for him to go on. Quatre paused on the street and scratched his head sheepishly. "Um, a m-movie theatre. I've never been to one and it looks really fun!" he stammered excitedly, looking up at Heero hopefully.

"Sure," Heero shrugged. "Why not? It'll be fun."

The theatre wasn't too far away and they made it there in plenty of time for a movie to start. There were a few good films Heero really wanted to see playing but he let Quatre pick it. They bought tickets and Quatre went for popcorn and drinks when Heero saw him.

He swore his heart stopped as the glass doors opened to reveal his crush. Heero ducked behind the arcade machine, not really knowing why. There was no way the boy knew he was obsessed with him, there was no reason to hide. Heero changed his stance from a crouching one to a casual one, trying to not draw attention to himself. He felt pathetic keeping the boy in the corner of his eye as he and his friends went to buy tickets.

"What are you doing?"

Heero's feet left the ground as he jumped at the voice. Quatre stood there with the food looking at him puzzled. Heero felt his face heat up as Quatre cocked his head curiously in the direction Heero had been focused in. Then he looked back at the blushing teen.

"I asked what you were doing," Quatre restated frankly. Heero coughed and tried to change the topic.

"Oh, good! You have the food! Come on, we want to get good seats!"

The ploy worked and Quatre's face lit up at the prospect. Heero dragged him into the right theatre and they did managed to get good seats in the middle. They even got extra seats on each side of them, a major plus. It was a fairly new place so the problem of having a tall person seated in front of you was eliminated. Heero relaxed as the room slowly started to fill up during the advertisements. He absently started to eat the single bag Quatre had bought. The theatre was just darkening now and the sound was coming on when a hand touched his shoulder.

"Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?"

Heero was sure he was dead. There was no way his heart could stop beating for so long and he still be among the living. His throat dried and he felt the air against the back of his eyes. He croaked as the braided boy looked at him curiously.

"No, you can sit there," Quatre spoke from the other side of Heero. The boy thanked him and he and his blonde friend sat down. Heero clutched the armrest so tight he was surprised the plastic didn't crack. He focused his gaze on the screen, refusing to look next to him.

This was not happening. This only happened in movie. He was sitting next to the most beautiful creature in the galaxy. He could feel the heat radiating from the chair next to him. He could hear his breathing. If he struggled he might even be able to hear the boy's heart beat. The movie's opening credits ended and it started.

The next two hours were a blur. Heero couldn't even recall the name of the film. He spent the whole time either clutching the arm rest trying to ignore the boy next to him or crushing popcorn in his hands and dropping it on the floor while trying to ignore the boy next to him. He couldn't sit still and by the time the movie was over, he felt ready to throw up.

He pretended to be busy gathering his jacket as he waited for the boy and his friend to leave. As they got up, the blonde commented, "Jeez, that was a cool movie, huh Duo?"

The angel nodded. "You just like it for the girls!"

"I know what you like it for, Duo Maxwell—"

The braided teen jabbed his heel on the blonde's foot as they started to move out of the aisle. Heero paused as he gathered his jacket, his face hiding a goofy smile. Quatre attempted to get his attention by poking him in the ribs but to no use.

Heero's crush had a name.

Duo Maxwell.

GS Note: As you can tell, un-betaed as usual. Oh well! Neko should be along soon, this part just took me a while to write. Oh, and please don't hate Dorothy, you WILL all laugh, I swear ^-^