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BACK TO SCHOOL !

Author's Notes

Note that I don't own ANY of the characters throughout the fanfic. * sob *

Don't flame me for any pairings and there's no yaoi for you people out there ! 0_0'

***

" So what are you guys all planning to do now ? "

Relena asked the 5 male students as they stepped out into the sunshine-filled grassy plots of the school compound. Surrounding them were the ancient buildings of the College which looked like a magnificent Cathedral.

" I think I'm going to unpack my boxes since I dumped them there and ran all the way here. "

Duo offered first as he looked around at the other guys.

" I guess I'll go back first too. "

Quatre had a thoughtful face as he pondered before answering.

" I'd follow Quatre and Duo. "

Wufei made his decision to go anywhere except with the girl in front of him.

" Guess I'll go back and have a nap. "

Trowa quickly added as he realised that almost everyone was going back to the dormitory. Now everyone was looking in the direction of a spaced-off Heero, his attention now on some faraway object in the Milky Way.

" EARTH TO HEERO !! "

The cobalt blue eyes snapped irritably at the American student but otherwise, his expression hadn't changed a bit.

" Where would you like to go Heero ? "

Everyone remained silent as they allowed the silent one to think it quickly through his head. When it seemed that he was not really going to answer, Duo had a sudden wicked idea.

" Why don't you follow Relena around the school ? I suppose she would want SOME company right ? "

A shocked Relena stared at Duo and shook her head in a frantic way behind Heero's back. Quatre couldn't help but bite his lip to prevent him from bursting out with laughter. It was obvious that Relena wasn't prepared to be left alone with HIM now. Before Heero could even say anything, Duo had already flung his two arms around Quatre and much to Wufei's annoyance, his shoulders as well and they were soon trooping out together, with a quiet but silently smiling Trowa behind. Wufei's " Get your hands off me Maxwell !! " could be heard echoing back through the now-empty corridors.

Silence

Relena looked down at her shoes and wondered why Duo just HAD to do this to her. He knew how to make her life so terribly hard sometimes. Heero had not moved a single bit from the spot he was standing on and Relena wondered whether he had grown his roots down to the core of the earth or something remotely close. However, she had so much questions to ask him. She had so much things to tell him. She wanted to hear him speak to her again … dearly …

" Heero … well … you can go back with them. I'm sure you're tired and I won't take up too much of your time. I'll … I'll see you in school tomorrow for the first lesson. Erm … yeah … good bye … "

Relena walked past him towards the same direction the other ex-pilots had just departed in when she felt a sudden restraint on her right arm. Sucking in her breath sharply, she thought she felt her brain shut down for a while.

* I … I can feel his fingers around my arm … *

Everything seemed to be in slow motion to the dazed girl. She thought she saw herself stop as she walked past him, her hair floating gently by in the late afternoon's breeze, her shocked expression as the contact caused her head to jerk upwards, the absolutely slow turn-around of her head …

" I have something to tell you. "

Heero stared point-blankly at Relena and she thought she was becoming meek. She seemed to shy away from his eyes, his look, his face, his everything ! Heero was still holding onto her arm, a firm grasp but not too strong to cause pain. The picture was beautiful, two students bathing in the sun's rays and facing each other.

" I am so going to like this man ! "

" Duo ! We're not supposed to be HERE ! "

" Ssssh Quatre, you'll give our positions away !! "

" Trowa, make Duo go away. "

" I can't, besides, this is interesting actually. "

" TROWA ! "

" HUSH Quatre !! "

" Maxwell, where in the world did you smuggle that camera with you all this while ? "

" That's MY secret. "

" It can't be in your hair all this while. "

" You're just jealous that you don't have a long nice braid like mine. All you have is a small wiggly whisker. "

" OH YEAH ? "

" SSSSHHHHH WUFEI !! "

The four shifted uncomfortably behind a pillar in the 2nd storey of the building right on top of the pair standing below. The fierce whisperings and hushings seemed to have caught the attention of the perfect soldier.

" Where's Heero going ? He's bring Relena with him ! "

" He must have found out. "

" Damn ! It's all your fault Wufei ! "

" ME ?! I don't even know why I'm involved around here ! "

" Argh !!! I need to follow them ! "

" NO DUO ! You're going back to our dormitories with US NOW ! "

With that, an adamant Quatre dragged Duo by his braid towards the dormitories' direction. Trowa and Wufei looked on speechlessly as a yelling Duo struggled helplessly.

" I didn't know Quatre had THAT in him. "

" Ah … "

" This would be good enough. "

Heero looked around a little bit more after he led Relena to a deserted area in one of the school's overflowing parks. Relena sat down on the nearest bench curiously as she looked around as well.

" What is going on Heero ? "

" Duo and the others were spying. "

" REALLY ?! "

Relena burst out into laughter as she could easily imagine the peeking eyes from somewhere around them earlier on. Her voice floated around the serene greenery as the sun took on a darker shade of red. Relena's voice trailed off as she found herself staring into Heero's eyes again. The darkening rays had brought out his cobalt green eyes and hid most of his facial features, skilfully hiding his expression. He hadn't really changed much all these years, but he had grown to be quite tall and he was easily almost a head taller than her. Relena caught herself and looked away again, hoping that her blush could be hidden from his piercing view. Somehow or other, she couldn't bring herself to act around him like she used to when she was 15 …

" Erm … Heero ? Why did you bring me here ? Don't you have something to tell me ? "

" I want you to know the reason why we came here. "

" Eh ? "

Relena's heart skipped a beat. What did he mean ? Peace was not going to last ? Was there a new mission for them ? Was she in trouble that she didn't know ? WHAT ? WHAT ?

" It was Professor J's idea. "

" HUH ? "

" He thought we should all study together in case something should happen in the future. In such a situation, it'll be easier to round us up and get into action. "

" Ah .. "

" Our job is also to protect you. "

" Me ? "

" You must understand your position. "

" I'm not the Queen anymore ! "

" But you are of symbolic value and icon to the people. If anything happens to you, the future of the Sanc Kingdom is undetermined. You understand, don't you ? "

Relena became quiet as she digested the notion into her head. Nodding her head silently, she kept her head down. All that was heard was the quiet gushing of water running down a fountain.

" It's late, I shall send you home. "

Relena nodded again as she stood up and brushed her skirt. She walked alongside Heero as they proceeded to walk out of the school park. They continued walking in silence until they reached the Girls Dormitory's gates.

" Thank you for sending me back. "

Relena bowed quickly and pushed the gates open. As she turned around to close it, she looked straight into Heero's eyes.

* Heero *

Relena did not smile, choosing to look away quietly and then proceeded to enter the main building. Somehow, she wasn't feeling so chirpy anymore. She was reminded of her status, her difference from everyone, her loneliness.

Heero walked on in silence towards his dormitory, located a few streets away. Hands in his pockets, he concentrated on his footsteps and the pebbles on the road. He was slightly confused, a little upset and irritated all in one.

* She was definitely not herself at all. She did not try to talk to me that often, nor was she immediately on my issue when we were alone. She seemed to have retreated into her shell somewhere down the line during these years. She had changed her attitude towards me *

Heero creased his brow as he thought hard.

* Why ? *

He kicked a pebble hard and it went sailing straight towards a wall.

* So why do I even bother ? *

Heero pulled out his left hand and flexed his fingers. He had stopped her by using those fingers to grab her hand.

* She was so friendly to me all this while … she was the only girl to try and open my heart. I didn't but she never gave up. She was a person with no airs, choosing to mingle with Gundam pilots when she could be seated comfortably like those snobbish politicians in the past. Yes, she impressed me a great deal. I acknowledge her power. She's even the same age as me *

Heero had reached his dormitory and he gingerly opened the gates. He could hear some loud rock and roll music blaring within. It's weird that even the most prestigious schools had such wild students occasionally. Heero had always been someone to enter buildings by back lanes and secret entrances. Stepping into one through the main door was a new concept.

Peace.

It came through that little lithe body he had just sent home. That same body had held such precious thoughts and bravely announced it to the world, regardless of her own safety. He knew what Maxwell was trying to do to the both of them. For that, the brat would have to pay. But not now. He had to sort out his thoughts. He had spent a long time by himself after the war, doing miscellaneous jobs and getting handsomely paid because of his reputation. However, he spent a longer time with Professor J, learning about his past and how to actually pick up the pieces and live on normally. He had to admit that peace was good, but it made him feel uneasy. Just like Relena. She made him feel good, but he was never really at ease. He couldn't do so, he was trained to be alert and ready to kill. Peace was softening him. If war returned, he would be as good as dead. Yet, like a deadly temptation, the feeling that peace brought was alluring him to another side of the world. He wanted to relax, to laugh and tumble in the sand, to feel the same happiness that the little girl had when she was walking her dog so long ago. He had been 15, he had experienced his most traumatic mission back then and life had never been quite the same after that.

" Heero, you're back. How was the little talk you had with Relena ? "

Quatre had greeted him as he walked to the 3rd level of the Guys Dormitory. All 5 of them occupied the level by special request.

" Fine. "

Heero started to pull off his cloak and he hung it up in the cloakroom. He proceeded to the kitchen where he saw Wufei at the counter making coffee, Duo sitting on the couch watching TV and Trowa simply just leaning against the windowsill and staring into oblivion.

" Heero ! So did you finally tell Relena how you feel ? "

Everyone turned to look at Heero as Duo posed the most nagging question since mankind. Heero chose to ignore it since he was too lazy to come up with a satisfactory answer. As usual, Duo started to follow Heero around, bombarding him with more questions.

" Leave me alone Duo. "

" Tell me about it ! "

" I only told her the reason why we were here, that's all. "

" Then you needn't run away from us. "

" I don't like to be spied on. "

" It was Maxwell's idea. "

" Wufei, don't tell me you didn't want to know what happened. "

" I don't care ! "

" Oh yes you do ! "

Heero thanked Wufei silently as Duo marched over to quarrel with him. He swiftly opened a can of Pepsi and gulped it down heartily. As he closed the fridge, his eyes started to glaze over as his thoughts filled his mind again. Trowa, in his own quiet way, was noticing the change in Heero. He hadn't seen all of them since the war ended and he was sure no one saw each other during this interval before the sudden announcement that they were all going to Relena's college. However, he immediately felt the change in Heero when he walked in yesterday. He was no longer rigid and closed-up. Although he was still quiet and kept to himself, the coldness in his eyes had very much disappeared and his actions were no longer hostile and rude. The clearest difference was shown earlier. He had seen how Heero tried to stop Relena from leaving. The gentle hoisting of her arm. The body language. The expression-filled eyes. No words were needed from him. He had made his message clear. He wanted her. He wanted peace. He wanted to live normally and he was afraid of what would happen to him if he relented to his basic needs.

" Hm ? "

Heero had peered at Trowa now as he continued drinking from the can and Trowa could see from his eyes that he was curious as to why he was staring at him. Trowa smiled mysteriously and continued looking out of the window. He had left Catherine behind in the circus and they were continuing to email each other about her current location and events happening around them. He wasn't sure where their relationship stood and they did not make things clear during those years after the war, even until now. However, he liked the way things were now so he decided to take his mind off for the time being.

" Stupid Maxwell ! Bah ! I don't even know why I agreed to stay with you in the same level. "

" Well, I know I'm irresistable sometimes. Yet, I don't want to attract people like YOU. Too much hotness in the head. "

" Hah, irresistable ? I've never seen anyone so thick-skinned like you. "

" Bad luck ! You're staying with me and you'll just have to bear with it. "

Wufei humphed quietly and he continued to sift more coffee beans through the filter as the fresh aroma of coffee started to fill the kitchen. Quatre was now quietly flipping through the local magazine placed in the kitchen, courtesy of the school. Duo sat down onto the couch again and continued watching TV as though nothing happened.

Silence

" AAARRRRGGHHHH !! "

Everyone looked at the frustrated American who pounced up and held his head in agony.

" We're College male students ! We're doing nothing on a nice night like this ! We have no life ! "

Quatre choked for a while, Wufei continued to sift his coffee beans, Trowa resumed watching the blackness while Heero rummaged the fridge for more food. Duo sighed loudly and eyed his companions.

" You guys are so frightfully boring. HEY ! Think we can smuggle Relena in here ? "

At this, everyone looked up and stared at Duo as though he was absolutely NUTS. Heero immediately caught himself and quickly resumed his business, pretending it didn't affect him at all. Honestly, it did.

" NO Duo … you know what will happen. Furthermore, I'm sure Relena would never … YIKES ! HOLY GAWD ! AH .. AH .. "

Everyone turned towards the direction causing Quatre's shocked expression and their faces turned to stone.

" Hi everyone, am I disturbing ? "

" RELENA ?!?! "