The Perfect Soldier
Chapter 1: Reluctant Reunion
A.C. 197, December 24
.
The clock in the main hall of Relena's mansion chimed two-thirty in the morning. The young man who had been reading quietly in the library glanced up from the book in his lap and then at the darkened window. It was odd, but for some reason he still wasn't tired. He was waiting for something, his instincts told him. Something... but what?
With a slight shake of his head, he turned back to the book, but the early hour made it difficult to focus his attention. As his eyes skimmed the page, his thoughts were far from plot and character development.
He glanced at the clock again through the open door.
Where was Heero?
He should have arrived hours ago.
Everyone else had made it to Relena's after having accepted her invitation to spend Christmas at the Salzburg estate. Perhaps that was what kept Trowa from sleeping. It was so unlike Heero to be this far behind schedule that it made him restless.
The young man easily recalled that unexplained event last February, when Heero Yuy had been taken prisoner by OZ, and a mysterious look-a-like had shown up to take them to him. Trowa's green eyes slowly unfocused as he recalled that night.
"Heero? Heero, can you hear me?" Quatre's concerned voice was nearly the only sound in the shadowed room. With a sigh, the Sandrock pilot replaced the warming cold compress over Heero's bruise with another.
"How is he?"
Quatre looked up as Trowa pushed the door open, letting the soft light from the hall tumble into the luxurious room.
The blonde shook his head, "He hasn't woken up yet."
Trowa crossed the floor to the bed and lifted the compress to examine Heero's spreading bruise. It looked as if he'd taken a single, extremely well-placed blow to the head. Slim fingers probed the area, testing the strength of the other boy's skull. It seemed to be solid. A slight frown creased Trowa's brow.
"It's been over and hour, he should have woken up by now..."
The Heavyarms pilot carefully lifted Heero's eyelids, one at a time. As the lanky young man examined the limp form on the bed, Quatre gathered up the used compresses.
"Did you... did you find anything?"
Trowa shook his head. "Nothing." Not a thing. No footprints, no broken branches, no sign of anyone anywhere.
Quatre fidgeted uneasily as if he'd read Trowa's thoughts.
"Who do you think it was?"
Trowa understood the Sandrock pilot's acute distress. They'd all just placed their lives in the hands of someone they hadn't known, but thought they had. So easily, that mysterious Heero Yuy could have handed them over to the fragmented OZ organization and then their victory in space only six weeks ago would have been for nothing. So easily, the war could have started all over again.
So easily, we could have been lead to our own demise. But instead, he helped us rescue a comrade that we didn't even know we'd lost yet.
How could he have known about Heero's capture so quickly?
Even though Trowa mused over this, he realized that the reply didn't really matter. The mysterious twin had vanished. There would be no answers to these questions until he reappeared again.
Quatre shivered, "He looked and moved and sounded just like Heero."
"Aa," Trowa agreed, not knowing what else to say.
On the bed, Heero moaned and tried to force open his eyes. Quatre's face was awash with relief as the pilot slowly began to come to. Trowa sat on the edge of the bed prompting Heero to wake up as the blonde leaned over his shoulder.
"Heero."
"Nuh..."
"Com'on, wake up, Heero. You could have a concussion; you need to wake up," Quatre urged, picking up where he'd left off when Trowa had arrived.
Cobalt eyes slowly fluttered open. "Wha... what happened?"
"What do you remember?"
Quatre glanced over his shoulder at Wufei who stood framed in the doorway.
Heero's eyes squeezed shut. "The base was... deserted..." he began.
"So they were expecting you," Trowa concluded.
"A-Aa. Got the data... but walked right into..." As Heero's voice trailed off, his face twitched slightly, and everyone knew that he was remembering that startling confrontation all over again. Duo slipped into the room behind Wufei and approached the bed.
"They gave me some sort of injection…"
Quatre carefully removed the blankets around Heero's arms and soon found the slight bruise of a pinprick on his right bicep.
"The next thing I remember is... trying to stand up... in a cell. And then, the door opened. The light from the hall was too bright... couldn't see. Then something hit me. That's all."
Heero blinked his eyes again, trying to keep them open for as long as possible. His head throbbed and even moving his eyelids caused him pain. "How did you find me?"
There was a beat of silence as the pilots exchanged glances.
Wufei said, "Something strange happened at about midnight..."
Trowa let out a very soft sigh as he finished reviewing that night for the thousandth time. Had the Heero who had shown up at midnight really looked like the real Heero? Or had it just been a resemblance? It was hard to tell now, ten months later. The only way to be sure was to have the two of them stand side by side.
The clock in the hall chimed three. Trowa glanced down at his book and closed it. He wasn't going to be able to concentrate on it, anyway. He rose from the comfortable arm chair to replace the volume on the shelf. The book had just been slid into place when a sharp rapport echoed through the foyer. The Heavyarms pilot turned and wandered out of the library. The sound came again.
Yes, someone was at the door.
Trowa unlatched the main entrance and swung the heavy door open. His green eyes scanned the darkness beyond, coming to rest on the lone figure illuminated by the lantern. A pair of tired cobalt eyes returned the mild gaze.
"Heero," Trowa said, backing into the foyer to allow him to enter.
"Trowa," the youth replied.
The green eyes took in Heero's well worn jean jacket and grungy duffle bag tossed over his shoulder. He gave new meaning to the term 'traveling light.'
"No one else is awake?"
Trowa shook his head. "Come on. You're room's waiting."
"Aa."
The two started up the stairs. As they ascended, Trowa told himself that he was relieved that his associate had made it here alright, even if he was a bit late. But there was an uneasy feeling gnawing at Trowa. Something was trying to tell him that all was not as it seemed. He glanced at Heero and tried to pinpoint the source of his uneasiness.
"Where's Relena?" Heero asked.
Trowa almost smiled at what Duo would call 'proof of Heero's crush.' "She had to attend a banquet and ball tonight. She'll be here around noon."
"Aa."
They stopped at a white door in the long, guest hall. "'Night, Trowa."
It was Trowa's turn to reply with "Aa." He turned and walked calmly to his room, listening to the sounds of Heero Yuy opening his door and then closing it again. The warning continued to gnaw at him.
But Heero was here. There was no need to rescue him again from a mission gone awry.
So why did he still feel so uneasy?
.
Later that morning, the kitchen in Relena's mansion resembled a secret meeting room for gundam pilots. Their hostess had yet to return from her sudden engagement that evening and the servants of the house were on vacation, spending time with their own families. That left the male guests to congregate as they would, and it was no coincidence that they selected the area surrounding the refrigerator and pantry; the objects held a main strategic advantage.
"Hey, Wu-man, you gonna eat that?"
An incoherent growl was Duo Maxwell's only warning.
"Who wants waffles?" Quatre asked, lifting the waffle iron out of its place in the cupboards.
Duo abandoned the dubious-looking piece of toast and grinned at Quatre. "Hey, sure. That sounds great. Count me in."
Quatre went back to scrounging through the pantry for waffle mix.
"So... I wonder if anyone else has shown up yet," Duo mused, propping his feet up on the kitchen table precariously close to Wufei's toast. The dark-haired pilot glared at Duo and elected to relocate his breakfast.
"I thought I heard something last night. Could have been someone arriving," Quatre replied.
Duo grinned at Wufei. "Now, if that someone was Heero, we all know what that means."
Wufei steadfastly ignored Duo.
Quatre's large, blue eyes widened even more. "What?" he asked, secretly dreading this new scheme that Duo had cooked up.
Duo opened his mouth to reply when the kitchen door swung open. They all turned as one and Duo took the opportunity to snitch a piece of Wufei's toast. As Duo took a large bite, his gaze alighted on the figure in the doorway. His eyes went wide. There was Heero. Wearing a green T-shirt, jean jacket, and faded Levi's.
Around the hunk of toast in his mouth, Duo said, "Hey, Heero. You have no idea how glad I am to see you." He sent a pointed look at the stunned Wufei. "Pay up, man."
Quatre took in the scene with big eyes. And then they narrowed and he sighed. "Shoot," he swore.
"What is it?" Duo asked. "You didn't screw up the waffles did you?"
"No. I bet Heero that you two wouldn't have a bet over if he'd show up."
Everyone stared at Quatre for a long moment, and then Duo threw back his head and laughed. The sound drew Wufei's gaze and he spied the stolen, half-eaten toast clutched in Duo's fingers. Something snapped in the Nataku pilot's head.
"MAXWELL!!"
Duo froze and then pushed away from the table in time to avoid Wufei's sweeping fist. Unfortunately, he lost his balance and the chair slowly began to topple over backwards. From the doorway, the new arrival calculated the distance between Duo's head and the nearby cabinets; there was no clearance. In one swift leap, the figure was crouching behind Duo's chair and righting it with two strong hands.
"Hey, thanks, man. I owe you one," Duo said after a breath of relief.
"Aa," Heero replied, moving toward the coffee machine.
"Would you like a waffle, Heero?" Quatre asked, politely.
The hopeful expression on Quatre's face drew out another "Aa" from the pilot. Quatre grinned and began whipping the mix and other ingredients together. Heero took his coffee and planted himself at the table.
"So, Heero," Duo said as Heero quietly sipped his coffee. "How's outer space been treating you? I heard it's been pretty quiet out there."
"Quiet," Wufei mused, "that's quite a novel concept for you, isn't it, Maxwell?"
Duo threw a glare in Wufei's direction before turning back to Heero.
In reply to Duo's observation about outer space, Heero said only, "Aa."
Duo chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'd forgotten how talkative you are, Yuy," he commented with a wry grin.
Wufei turned to Heero. "Sally has asked about you. She wants to know if you're interested in a job, Yuy."
Duo threw his head back and laughed, cutting off Heero's reply. "Ha! I knew there was a reason you accepted Relena's invitation! This rich. Sally made you come just to offer Heero a job!"
Wufei glared at the American and then turned back to Yuy.
Heero sipped more coffee. "I'll consider it," he said.
Duo blinked. "You'll consider it? Man, what're you up to, anyway? I haven't heard anything about you since last February. What gives? You got a load of missions you're not sharing with the rest of us?"
"Lay off, Duo," Heero grumbled.
"You've forgotten how... disagreeable he is before the third cup of coffee," Trowa said softly as he let the kitchen door swing shut behind him.
Duo let out a very unrefined snort. "Well, he's just disagreeable in general. What's wrong, man? You look like you've got a bad case of hemorrhoids or something."
"He always looks like that," Quatre said with a teasing grin as he plopped Duo's waffle in front of him.
Duo sniffed appreciatively. "Yeah, I guess you're right. This smells great, Quat! Where'd you learn how to cook, rich boy?"
Quatre laughed and set the butter and syrup on the table. "Oh, I've picked it up here and there."
The gundam pilots watched as Duo, the test subject, shoved and enormous piece of syrup-drenched waffle into his mouth. He proceeded to chew, making loud, ecstatic sounds.
From that point on, he was pretty much ignored. Wufei picked up a day-old paper—the one that he'd completely scoured yesterday—and began to read. Heero finished off his first cup of coffee and got up to get a refill.
Trowa watched Heero move around the kitchen and eventually come to lean beside the coffee machine. When Duo noticed Heero's new post, he chuckled and said, "Hey, I hate to break it to you, Heero, but you don't get a caffeine buzz by osmosis."
Heero said nothing and sipped the refill.
"So what time did you arrive last night, Heero?" Quatre said, flipping a second waffle onto a plate.
Heero accepted the dish and began to dress the waffle. "Three oh four a.m."
That reply sent Duo into another laughing fit. "What?" he choked out. "No seconds?"
Heero glowered.
Duo grinned. "Man, oh man. You have no idea how much I've missed our talks, Heero."
"Hn."
Trowa poured the remains of his coffee down the sink and moved to the coat rack in the kitchen's breezeway.
"Where are you going?" Duo said after gulping down another bite.
"Town."
Duo eyed the Heavyarms pilot. "I wouldn't have guessed you're one of those last-minute shoppers, Trowa. Don't you plan you gifts out like three years in advance like Heero here?"
Heero glowered again.
"Ooops, I forgot," Duo continued after seeing that cold stare, "Heero's Christmas spirit amounts to 'Bah, humbug!'"
"Ch'. Be quiet, Duo," was the bland reply that confirmed Duo's statement.
The Shinigami pilot grinned. "Man, it's a good thing no one ever wrestled you into a Santa suit." He paused, considering the image of his homicidal friend in a festive Santa suit. "That's about the scariest thing I think I've ever thought of," he concluded.
Heero turned away from the pilot that couldn't seem to shut up. With military precision, the coffee cup, plate, and utensils were washed, dried, and put away.
Duo grumbled something about anal retentive neat-freaks. "Hey, Quatre, I'll take another waffle!"
Yuy walked out of the kitchen, silently wondering how Wufei could stand all the racket and still manage to memorize that damn newspaper. With a slight shake of the head, Heero retired to the waiting laptop upstairs. There was work to be done.
.
Sunset was a little less than an hour away and the two figures in the estate's elaborate, wintering garden were determined, it seemed, to enjoy every last ray of sun shine.
Relena walked beside Heero as they strolled along the path. Their breath froze in the air, and the sound of snow falling from the tree branches nearby were the surest signs of winter cold that anyone could look for. Heero walked along, indifferent to the crunch of the frosty gravel beneath his hiking boots.
Finally, Relena said, "I didn't really believe you'd come."
"I said I would."
"Yes, but, your life is so... unpredictable."
Heero gave Relena lingering look. "I only make promises that I know I can keep, Relena."
She lowered her head. "I know. That's why I can't ask you to give up fighting, can I?"
"Relena..."
"I know you can't know that you'll never fight again. So I'm not asking you to stop, I'm just trying to say that..." she sighed, momentarily at a loss for words, "... it's alright if you do stop someday."
Heero looked at her again before facing forward. "Fighting is all I can do for you. It's all I know how to do."
A long moment of silence passed between them. "I understand," she said.
The two of them followed the path as the sun sank lower on the horizon.
.
Trowa was deep in thought, gazing at the uniformly arranged chess board in front of him when someone slipped into the opposite seat. He glanced up as Heero placed a cup of coffee next to the other pilot's elbow and then took a sip from his own.
"Thanks."
"Aa."
Heero made the first move on the chess board and Trowa reached for a pawn.
From the other side of the room, Duo groaned, "Here they go again."
"No one made you watch the last game," Heero observed dryly, countering Trowa's move.
Duo rolled his eyes. "You're missing the point. I stayed up to see who would win, and then it was a draw, of all things. You have no idea how exhausting it was to watch you two chase each other around a chess board."
Heero did not dignify that with a reply. Neither did Trowa. Both were of the opinion that chess was a serious game of strategy. There was no chasing involved.
The night wore on and soon the clock in the hall had chimed midnight. Still, the chess game was not resolved. Both pilots were focusing on evasive maneuvers rather than offense, which tended to lengthen the game.
Duo came up behind Heero and leaned over his shoulder. He blinked bleary eyes and yawned. "I don't know why you two put yourselves through this. Just looking at all that unnecessary strategy gives me a headache."
Heero ignored him and executed the next move.
"Well, I'm off to get some shut-eye. I'd stay up and cheer for ya, Heero, but this game could cure an insomniac. Later."
"Aa."
Trowa nodded goodnight to the Shinigami pilot.
When the clock chimed one in the morning, Heero picked up the coffee cup at his elbow and discovered it was empty. He stared into it for a moment, the emptiness striking a chord inside of him.
Damn. I thought I'd severed all of those feelings for good.
"Trowa."
"Aa?" The Heavyarms pilot didn't look up from the chess board.
"Do you ever wonder about who you are?"
That got his attention. "Sure," he said easily, unconcerned.
"And if you had the chance to know? Would you want it?"
This time, when Trowa looked at Heero, his green eyes carefully studied the youth. After a moment, Heero returned his gaze. It didn't take a genius to know that a hell of a lot was going on behind those eyes. And it took a special kind of training to recognize the look that said the answer to that question was off-limits.
Heero shrugged. "Sorry."
"Sure," was the mellow reply.
Heero took his turn.
Trowa said, "I saw you talking with Relena earlier."
Heero glanced up. "Aa."
"She worries about you."
"Aa."
"You care about what happens to her."
"Aa."
"But you're Heero Yuy." A soldier. A fighter. A person without a real past, just a borrowed name and a borrowed history and training for a personality.
"Aa."
There was a long moment of silence as they continued the game.
And then, Trowa said, "If you had the chance to know, would you want it?"
Heero's hand paused over the board. Taking a breath, the gundam pilot commenced with moving a bishop. "I don't know."
"Hn," Trowa agreed.
The game continued.
The night wore on.
The question circled in their respective heads.
.
Shit.
Heero Yuy sat down on the bed and glanced out at the stars beyond the room's window.
He didn't answer the question.
Yuy sighed and tried to force himself to get under the covers, but couldn't. It would be hours before he'd sleep.
I'll never complete this mission now. Dammit.
Yuy put his head in his hands and closed his eyes.
He mentally went through every movement, every word, every look that Trowa had used today, trying to come up with a good estimation for how the Heavyarms pilot might have truthfully responded.
I don't know.
That had been his own answer.
And it didn't help any.
Heero swore.
Slim hands buried themselves in spiky hair.
I can't afford a mistake, but I have to know. It's imperative to the success of the mission.
But how did one finish a mission when the single, necessary piece of information was unavailable?
Somehow, I have to finish this mission and get the hell out. The longer I wait, the greater my chances are of failure. And then all hell will break loose.
Heero lifted his head and stared at the grungy duffle he'd carried through Europe with him. Now it contained very little, but it was enough, more than enough to accomplish what he'd come here to do.
Resolute, having realized that he may never get another chance, the youth who answered to the name Heero Yuy paced over to the writing desk and removed a single sheet of stationary. He picked up a pen and took a seat.
As soon as they see this, they're sure to know. But by then, I'll be long gone.
In spite of the fact that he was making himself vulnerable by putting pen to paper, Heero carefully penned a short note, signed it, and then encased it in an envelope. The recipient's name was carefully penned onto that, and then he glanced at the deflated-looking duffle.
It was nearly three in the morning.
So little time.
So much uncertainty.
.
~End of Chapter 1~