CIRCLE OF ORBITS

~Jessenia~



Chapter Three

"Ahh, hello Hilde. Hello Duo. How have you been? I've heard that you two formed a pair!!" Relena winked at Hilde and nudged Duo with her elbow. "Tie the knot yet? Do I hear wedding bells?" Hilde blushed and Duo swatted at the elbow of the Queen of the World with agitation.

"..." Duo had to stop himself from his instinctive reaction, "No. I think we are still too young." Relena looked curiously at Hilde as if asking a quiet question. Hilde jerked her head in a short nod and Relena looked sad for a moment.

"Well, I should get you to your room. I'm sure you both are very tired." Duo smiled when he noticed that there would only be one room for the both of them. But where on earth had Heero gotten too?

*

He sat, sprawled on the over-stuffed chair, reading a book that he had swiped from his store. Miyu was asleep on the couch. They had gone to the mall and not only purchased clothing, but Miyu had also styled her hair, preferring a straight cut, long black tresses perfectly even, and black bangs cut in a line, three small braids tied with colored beads to allow her a childish look.

Heero had been able to pull a few strings and get her a place in a school that was known for its good students. Money-wise, Heero's job supported them, and monthly, Relena would send him a great deal of money. At first he had tried sending it back, but Relena had found ways to make sure it stayed with him, or kept coming back to him, so he resigned himself to take it. It was a great deal of help, and along with that, the people in the small town he lived in all knew that he was a gundam pilot, and since the area was so small, he had influence, even though he kept to himself and was still young.

It wasn't hard to see that Miyu was getting attached to Heero. And, though it was slightly difficult, if one knew where to look, it could also be told that Heero was too.

*

Dinner was not the formal affair that Duo had mentally prepared himself for. It was just Hilde, Relena and himself, and the numerous waiters, but Relena did her best to maintain the conversation. It was nearing eleven o'clock when Duo began to actually listen to the part inside him that was continuously nagging him about the location of Heero Yuy.

It had appeared that Hilde was thinking the same thing. "Relena-san, forgive me if I seem a little rude but... I thought that Heero was staying here with you." Relena's expression melted into a soft, forlorn little smile and she averted her eyes to stare at a corner of the room where a large rosewood cabinet housed a picture of Heero Yuy during a quiet moment, when he had been unaware of the photographer. Duo had spotted it when he had first come in.

"...Iie..." Duo's heart froze, and he tore his gaze from the picture to look at the hostess. Immediately his mind started supplying explanations for Heero's absence, ranging from death to the hopeless little wish that Heero was out there somewhere, trying to find him. "Heero left, not too long after the war ended. He went to a tiny little town to live and has been there since the Celebration." Duo looked-up, jolted out of his reverie. Why had Relena said that? Did she know that it was after the Celebration that Duo and Heero had parted? That they had both claimed that to be going to stay with their female companions. No, Heero had claimed that he would, Duo had actually done it.

"Relena....wo...would you know, perhaps, why Heero left?" He could barely get the words out, but he looked trustingly at Relena, forgiving her, bit by bit, for the love that she had for Heero, and the jealousy that she had forced him to experience.

"Hai. He said that, although he did like me as a friend. It was just that. I was a friend. We did talk about it, it seemed to me that he wasn't ready."

"Wasn't ready?" She smiled, remembering a conversation that seemed like it happened just yesterday.

"He was very confused, Duo-kun. He didn't know what he wanted, and he told me as much. He didn't want to drag everyone into his chaotic frame of mind." Why would Heero be confused? It was what he wanted, wasn't it? If it wasn't, why didn't he just tell Duo the truth? After losing himself in quiet thoughts, he realized that it was too much to expect from Heero. The soldier who was just learning to co-exist with the universe.

When Duo went to sleep that night, it was in a haze of coiled frustrations and wild yearnings sharing the space with thoughts that wouldn't let him be. Solving a puzzle with pieces that had an indefinite shape. When he awoke the next morning, it was with clean determination. Feeling more awake and more alive than he had ever felt since....Since one perfect night, several years ago in which he sat with Heero under the sky watching the fireworks. He hadn't been able to say it then, but maybe now, he might.

"Duo?" The shield dropped over him, the feeling leaving his body and oozing to the floor in a spoiled haze. "Duo? I think that Relena should have a bit of company here, what do you think? Just for a while, of course." Duo turned a bit, and nodded.

*

"Hey shrimp!!! Yeah, that's it. I'm talking to you! Stupid kid." She turned and looked back, no expression on her face. "Hey, can you even talk?" A wry smile spread across her face, and she changed her direction to walk towards them.

"Oh, I can talk...."

"Niisan!!" Heero's expression went serious as he focused on the little figure running in his direction, a large blue splotch forming on her left eye.

"What happened, Miyu?" She came to a stop by him, and he squatted, tilting her chin gently to get a better look at the bruise. Miyu had been living with him for a year and they called each other brother and sister. Heero still observed the changes in his character with a slightly amused air, if the war had still been going on, he would be in big trouble. /But it isn't./ He reminded himself, and continued to inspect the bruise.

"I got in a fight at school."

"You got in a fight?" He echoed, debating in a silent war whether he should track the kids down and slowly, painfully kill them, or if he should play it cool and just brake a few bones.

"Stupid boys think they're so smart. I don' care who they think they are."

"Do not care, Miyu, 'do not'. After a year of school you have to have picked-up at least that." He found himself correcting absentmindedly. "Now tell me what happened."

The story was explained. The boys were the school bullies, they decided to pick on her because....she was the first one who crossed paths with them and pissed them off at the same time. Heero knew that this wasn't the first time that this had happened. Miyu would often return from school with bruises and such which Heero had treated with as much concern as he was now paying to the massive blackish-blue splotch. As a child, Miyu appeared distant and cool, which many of the children interpreted as arrogance. But if any of them knew her history, they would rethink all of that. The fact was that Heero had told the principal before about the fights, and that had gotten Miyu in even worse trouble.

"Come on, let's go home." He said as he stood-up and ruffled her hair. She jutted-out her bottom lip in mock-pout and began to smooth it back into place. "But first, I think you deserve some ice-cream." The pout turned into a wide grin.

Beep

you have one new message

beeeep

"Yuy-san, your young charge has beaten-up three of our students. We would like you to come and have a talk with us, along with Miyu. Please contact my secretary to arrange a time. Thank-you."

Brrriiiing

"Hello, this is Mrs. Adams, from Mount Eleanor Elementary school."

"Hello, this is Heero Yuy."

"Ahh, Heero-san, how are..."

"Don't bother. I'm calling to say that I'm withdrawing Miyu's application to this school. I am entitled to my money back. As an aside, Mrs. Adams, your idea of discipline is greatly corrupted. I suggest you look into it before the problem exceeds your control."

"But...Mr. Yuy..."

Click

"No more school?!"

"What can you possibly learn from people like that? Those "school bullies" are untouchable because they make monthly donations. That is not the education you need!" Heero was pacing in anger. Miyu smiled, a secret pride filling her.

"So...what will I do?" Despite all the interesting facts she picked-up from all the work she got assigned on a regular basis, Miyu did not enjoy school. She had often wanted to just stay home. It wasn't that she did not like learning, she loved it, but she couldn't stand the regimented, dead-head approach that the schools had towards education.

"You'll work at the bookstore with me, and I'll teach you everything that I know." A look passed between them. Miyu knew all about Heero's history.

"Everything?" Heero smiled, a sly grin that Miyu had become very familiar with. It usually meant excitement.

"That's what I said isn't it? And another thing."

"What?"

"You are going to take Martial Arts." Miyu chuckled at the pensive look that her "niisan" was giving as he tapped the cordless phone's antenna against his lip.

"Yare yare...", but she was smiling.

*

TBC

standard disclaimers apply.