Soldier's Return
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
"Relena? It's me, Heero. I-"
"I don't want to see you."
"Relena?"
"No! Go away! Get out of here! You're nothing but al killer. I don't want to have anything to do with you."
"She's right."
"What? Trowa? Duo, you too?"
"Hey, you heard the lady. You're not welcome here."
"But...I-"
"Please, Heero. Just leave us alone."
"Quatre? What is this? Some kind of joke?"
"No joke, Yuy. We don't want you here."
"What's this about, Wufei?"
"You heard them. The don't want you around, Heero. They don't want to see you. They don't want to talk to you. They don't want to know you. You stay away from my sister and her friends. You have no respect for life."
"Hold on! They're just as guilty of killing as I am. You as well, Zechs. You especially!"
"That may be, but we don't go around killing innocent civilians and their pets."
*So that's what this is about. But how? How do they know? They can't!*
Heero's eyes widened. He spun around and ran as fast and as far as he could go. He kept running until he fell into a small stream. The water was frigid, stinging his skin, but he felt nothing. He managed to drag himself up onto dry land and sat in the long grass. His brain knew he was cold and wet, but he didn't feel it and didn't care.
* What can I do now? Where so I go and who do I turn to? Doctor J and the others are dead. I have no home, no family. Relena and the others are my only...friends. They were my last chance.*
"Are you lost?"
Heero chuckled at the thought, but didn't look up from the ground.
"Lost? Yeah, I suppose I am lost."
"I'm not lost at all. I'm taking Mary for a walk."
His head jerked up and his eyes snapped open to look at the person talking to him. Standing not two feet away was a little girl in a dress with a big hat and a little dog.
"Hi there, Heero!"
"You...you know my name? How?"
"Oh, I've known it for some time now. Years probably. Every now and then I check in on you to see if you've found your way yet."
Heero smiled ruefully.
"I'm afraid I'm no closer now than before. In truth, I'm probably farther away from finding my way."
"That's not true. I know for a fact that you are very close to finding what you want."
"And what is that?"
The little girl frowned at him.
"Well, if you don't know, I can't help you. You have to figure that out on your own."
She turned and started to walk away.
"Hey! Wait! You never told me your name."
It was no use. The girl and her dog disappeared behind a tree leaving Heero alone with his thoughts and questions.
*Who is she and what am I supposed to find?*
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Heero bolted upright in the bed, tossing the covers off of his body and onto the floor. He sat for a moment, sweating and breathing heavily.
*That was bizarre. They all...they hated me. But Wufei is the only who knows about the girl and he doesn't even know the whole story. Ah, nevermind. It was a dream. It doesn't mean anything. But the girl. Who was she? I never knew her name.*
It wasn't long before his mind made the subtle connection to his surroundings. He had tossed the covers off, but he hadn't been under them in the first place; he'd just collapsed on the bed. Heero slowly looked around the room, taking in the details. It was very different from the one he had been in. The colors, furniture, and decorations made it look less like and expensive hotel room and more like...what? It felt more like a home, though just as expensive. That meant he could only be in one place, but it didn't explain how he had gotten to the Peacecraft estate.
Running a hand through his hair, Heero hauled himself out of bed and made his way to the door in the darkness. Upon opening the door he found himself in the middle of a rather long hallway without any idea about which way to go. It seemed equally promising both ways. He jammed his hands into his pockets and started to the left. Hearing faint laughter behind him, he turned and headed in the opposite direction. He soon found a set of curving stairs. Walking down slowly, he decided he was probably at the main entrance. The floor under his feet was white marble and impeccably polished. The walls to his left had a few mirrors and pictures hanging here and there while to his right was an average sized room with a sofa and a few overstuffed chairs, probably used for receiving guests. In front of him, under a large archway, were what he thought were the main doors.
He followed the soft voices down the hall and, after passing a few empty rooms, came to the open doors of the dining room. Inside were Zechs, Relena, and the other pilots accompanied by Hilde, Catherine, Dorothy, Sally, Noin, and Lady Une. Heero knocked softly on the door frame to get their attention.
"Hey there, buddy boy! Come on in and have some eats."
*Why the hell is Duo always so damn cheerful?*
Heero walked in silently and took a seat between Lady Une and Catherine.
"So did you get enough sleep? Seems the last time I saw you was when Trowa and I were taking care of you. You certainly got a lot of sleep then."
"Yeah, I guess so. How'd I get here?"
"Well, when they couldn't wake you, Zechs and my brother just carried you."
He thought that's what had happened. He was just glad it hadn't been Duo. At least with Zechs and Trowa he wouldn't have to worry about getting any bruises from being dropped.
After finishing his meal, pausing every now and then to answer a question or two, Lady Une asked Heero the question he'd been expecting since he had plotted his atmosphere reentry course.
"I don't mean to be a downer to our little reunion here, but...this isn't coincidence is it? I mean, first there are rumors of a new militaristic faction and then you show up in a new model mobile suit. I get the feeling that they are not two separate events...am I right?"
Heero drew in a breath, nodded, and stood up.
"Let me go get my things and I'll give you all the details."
He looked over at Zechs.
"Have you got a room with a projector in this place of yours?"
"There's a small breifing room with a projector setup, yes."
"We should do this there then. I have some visuals that you really need to see for yourself."
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gundam Wing. It is copyrighted by people who have a lot more money than I do. This was written for fun and for the fans of the series. All ideas concerning the storyline and new characters are mine.
NOTES:
Comments and criticisms are welcome. Please send them to HeeroWZero@hotmail.com and be sure to include your name so I can get back to you. Thanks for reading!