Title: Asperger's Soldier

Rating: Um.. PG-13 for now.

Disclaimer: Despite it having been on my X-mas and birthday lists for the past two years, I still don't own Gundam Wing. Sorry.

Pairings: 3+4; 6+9; possible 1+2, but I'll probably leave them as just friends. (or course I could be swayed by a few nice reviews...)

Author's Note: I'll have a more extensive note at the end of this. Basically this is dedicated to my sister, Bar-Ohki, who's thinking inspired me to write this. Parts of this story are based on real-life events, others are fictional.

Warnings: Please don't try to diagnose yourself based on the information here. If you feel you need to, seek a professional opinion. Oh, and probably some swearing and governmental bungling, the usual.

***** -- Change in scene.

/words/ -- emphasis/ italics

"words" -- dialog

'words' -- thoughts


~~~~~~~~~~


Narrator: The year is A.C. 197. After the destruction of the Gundams their pilots went their separate ways, each trying to adapt to the now peaceful world. Quatre took on the task of running the vast Winner Co. Wufei Chang and Trowa Barton moved on to become prominent members of the Preventer organization. Heero Yuy became the personal body guard of Vice Foreign Minister Relena Peacecraft. Duo Maxwell enrolled in a boarding school to finish his high school education.



Relena surveyed the guests she had invited for the afternoon luncheon as they mingled and chattered aimlessly across the lawn. Everyone seemed to be having a reasonably good time. She glanced toward her taciturn body guard, standing a few steps away in a some what secluded spot, close enough to help her but far enough away that he wasn't involved in with any of the chattering guests. She watched as one particularly brave guest, a young man by the name of Roy Kinzee, approached Heero.

She listened to their conversation with half an ear, giving most of her attention to her other guests. Roy was joking with Heero about being too uptight, or something along those lines.

"Come on and loosen up a little, man. I've seen you at lots of these functions and you never ease up and mingle," the blond youth taunted.

"I have a duty to perform," Heero answered in his standard monotone while glancing across the lawn at the other guests.

"Oh yeah. You better be careful or I'll sneak up and hurt Miss Relena," Roy responded, not quite deadpanning his comment.

Relena had just turned to tell him that she didn't appreciate such comments, even in jest, when she saw the young man flat on his back and holding a rapidly swelling jaw. At the same time her body guard was cocking his gun at the unfortunate aristocrat. There might have been even more of an incident had she not cried "Heero!" in her most reprimanding tone.

Slowly the youth lowered his gun, not taking his eyes off of the young man he had attacked. "Heero, what in the Earth-sphere do you think you're doing?" She demanded, trying to sound scolding.

"He was threatening you," the Japanese boy answered, not meeting her eyes.

"Oh Heero, what am I going to do with you?" she sighed, playing the part of exasperated parent for the benefit of her guests. In truth it wasn't the first time that Heero had misinterpreted a comment like that, or the first time that he had over reacted to a mild provocation. "My sincerest apologies, Mr. Kinzee. Please, let my medical staff have a look at that bruise," she pleaded as she helped the young man to his feet, "If there is anything I can do for you, just let me know."

"I'll take you up on that offer, Miss. Peacecraft, your body guard certainly knows his business. Although I would recommend some sort of anger-management for him, I'd hate to think what would happen if you hadn't intervened," with that the young man walked away with as much dignity as he could muster.

"Heero, I suggest that you retire for the evening, you're obviously under too much stress. I'm sure that you're second in command will do a fine job of watching things while you're gone."

For a brief moment the former Gundam pilot seemed confused, but he quickly re-holstered his gun and left the gathering. Relena watched him go with a worried sigh, 'Perhaps Kinzee is right about getting help for Heero. He certainly hasn't been adjusting to life during peacetime.'


******


Heero sat impatiently in the waiting room of the government building. On the other side of the solid oak door, Relena and a psychiatrist were discussing the results of the tests they had administered. There had been many prying questions, long sessions of seemingly pointless exercises and even an attempted hypnosis.

And now that all that was over and done with, he found himself sitting on the ugly blue cushion in one of the wooden chairs in the rather bland waiting room. For lack of a better pastime he observed the hand full of angel fish swimming in the tank across the room, counting how many strokes it took to get them from one side of the enclosure to the other.

He was just finishing his second round of counting when the door opened and he was asked into the small office. On some level he was annoyed that they had refused to include him in the discussion of his results, citing a 'patient's right to know' clause in the local legal system. Unfortunately, Relena had ordered that this be conducted like a criminal evaluation. If they found him to be unsuitable for a 'normal' lifestyle, he would be faced with a difficult choice: accept their recommendations of treatment and confinement, or go into fugitive hiding. While he was fairly sure he would be able to escape and remain hidden for a reasonable amount of time, he also knew that if Relena chose to, she had to resources to find him almost anywhere. Not to mention she could probably call Quatre into the search, at which point neither the Earth nor the Colonies would be safe for him. Perhaps Mars...

His thoughts were interrupted by the psychiatrist, "Please have a seat Mr. Yuy."

Obligingly Heero folded himself into the chair next to Relena. He noted with a bit of surprise that Sally Po, his current physician, was also in attendance.

"Miss. Peacecraft, perhaps it would be best if you explained the situation to Mr. Yuy," the psychiatrist, Dr. Oingo suggested. He was a tall, skeletal man, with a large bald spot and a beak-like nose.

Relena nodded slowly before turning carefully toward Heero, speaking more slowly then usual, "Heero, the results from the tests you took were... inconclusive. They point to you being socially maladapted and unusually violent. Because of this I've agreed that you should be put into the custody of a governmental mental health facility until we can be sure that you won't have any further problems."

'They're locking me up,' he thought analytically, not going any further then the words spoken to him.

"And I disagree completely with that course of action." Sally Po cut in, her eyes narrowed as she leaned forward in a slightly threatening manner. "As his current physician I believe that you all should listen to my advice when I recommend that he continue with further testing," she paused to add weight to her words, "by another doctor."

"Your recommendation has been dully noted, Dr. Po, but I'm afraid that we won't be acting on it. I find the results of his tests thus far sufficient to warrant his entrance into our custody," Dr. Oingo replied with a voice like ice, it was clear to Relena that there was a great deal of animosity between the two of them.

"Isn't it Heero's decision, ultimately? There has been no trial, and I know that you don't have an official warrant for his detention, so isn't it up to Heero to sign himself into your care?"

"Actually no," the psychiatrist replied.

This statement attracted Heero's full attention, he was surprised by the statement and it was unclear to him why the legal decision wouldn't be his own if there hadn't been a Judicial warrant involved.

"He is under eighteen, and while he is an emancipated minor, in cases like this the decision is placed in the care of his acting medical doctors. That would be yourself and I, Dr. Po."

Sally was livid. She honestly doubted that Heero was the highly dangerous and volatile youth that the tests made him out to be. Admittedly, he did have access to weaponry, was trained in it's use, and had no qualms about using it when he felt necessary. But the truth remained that he had strong feelings against hurting people if he could avoid it. He would simply not react to provocations unless he felt they were honestly dangerous. To lock him up in a mental ward seemed criminal to her. Briefly she made a mental note to look into the psychiatrist's records for OZ allegiance when she returned to Preventer HQ.

"I will not approve of his admittance to a mental institution." She said firmly.

Dr. Oingo sighed heavily, "What would it take to prove to you that it would be in both the best interest of Mr. Yuy, and of the general public to follow through with this course of action?"

"I'd need a specific diagnosis, a list of instances (excluding wartime activities) where he struck out against innocent people without any form of provocation, as well as a concurring recommendation by at least one of the former Gundam pilots, Ms. Lucretia Noin or Lady Une." Sally answered. She hadn't been lying, if the psychologist could provide her with all of that then she really had no reason to further her reluctance, 'the idea of Heero having trouble adjusting isn't too far fetched, but what about the others? Wouldn't Wufei and Trowa, at least, have had similar trouble with the end of the fighting?'

"Perhaps we can compromise on this issue," Relena suggested, sensing the rapidly raising tempers in the small room, "Sally, would it be acceptable to monitor Heero at his home for the time being, while he undergoes further testing? I don't see any reason why we couldn't consult another doctor on the issue, if only to get a fresh view on the situation."

Partially because what she said was reasonable, and partially because she was the one paying Heero's bills, both doctors agreed with Relena's suggestion. Once everything had been decided arrangements were made for Relena and Sally to meet with Dr. Oingo at a later time to work out the particulars of the arrangement.

As she left the psychiatric assessment office, Sally wondered how Heero felt about everything that was happening, it was as though he hadn't even been there, 'We'll have to wait and see. I just hope that he's all right with all of this.'




Author's Note: Well, what do you all think so far? I'll get the next chapter out in the next couple of days, I have it written but it needs a few touch ups. If you're more interested in a 'conspiracy theory' story, you're gonna have to tell me, because right now this is headed elsewhere. Oh, and you wanna know what's up with Heero? You're gonna have to review and ask for it ;P Thanks for reading!