CIRCLE OF ORBIT

~Jessenia~



Chapter Four

*

It was hard to decide which was worse: ignoring his feelings and living a bland existence with someone who loved him, but whom he did not love. Or knowing that the person who he loved was out there somewhere, and that there was a chance that, well, there was a chance. And yet not being able to seize that chance and find him.

It had been a year since he had learned the truth about what had happened. He spent all of his free time at the computer tracking down Heero's files, the only problem was that he didn't have much free time to search. Between babying Relena and keeping Hilde happy and himself sane, he didn't have much of anything left over for "old habits", as Hilde put it.

With a heavy sigh, he tightened the cord on his bathing robe, and stepped out of his room. They were staying in one of Relena's cottages, and there were only two bathrooms. One for guests, which was being re-tiled and therefore deemed unusable for the time being, and the other, in Relena's room. He knocked and waited, before entering. It was habit. Both Relena and Hilde were out shopping, but it had been ingrained in his head that he should be "considerate of other people's needs". With a shake of his head he brushed passed the desk and knocked a letter onto the floor. He stooped to the ground and picked it up, feeling strangely nervous. He flipped it over and there, in Relena's neat hand-writing, was Heero's name. He opened the envelope and carefully removed a thin slip of paper. It was a check for a substantial amount, addressed to Heero Yuy. Duo quickly replaced the check in the envelope and looked around, flipping the envelope to the front and reading the address.

Committing it to memory.

A year wasted because he didn't take the initiative. He had been waiting for Hilde or Relena to suddenly stand up and yell "Road trip!!" but that wasn't how it was going to work, he needed to think for himself again. He needed to see Heero.

*

With a yawn, Heero stretched and rolled onto his side. Sleeping-in was another bad habit that he had acquired over the years. Luckily, he was still a light sleeper and was able to wake at the slightest misplaced sound. He groaned and rolled out of bed, stretching lazily and slipping on his housecoat. Padding quietly towards his prey: a fresh cup of coffee. Coffee in hand and first sip of sanity savored, Heero knocked lightly on Miyu's door.

Ever since he was young he had been reading, long before he reached the age where it was expected. But Heero's books had been mostly texts that related in some way to being a soldier or studying the necessities of war. A bit before the end of the war, he had enjoyed reading "real books", as Duo would have put it, as in, there was a plot and characters and a fixed ending. But since the end of the war, Heero had found more enjoyment in reading than in anything else. It was one of the few things that allowed him to co-exist with Duo's memory, and take him away from his reality.

When Heero had arrived in this area, a little island off the coast of what was once North America, he had opened a bookstore, and found that it combined his knowledge of mathematics, in a more tedious and less enjoyable way admittedly, but also, he was able to play with books. And get payed for it.

"I'm up, Heero..." grumbled a rather sleepy voice and he chuckled as he was jolted out of his memories. He began to sip once more at the coffee, and went back to his room to change.

*

The rain was pouring down and Duo couldn't help but feel the purging effect that it was having on him. "Out with the old and back to the even older." He chuckled, as he stepped on the gas peddle and sped down the street.

Hilde hadn't been all that mad, and to his discomfort, not at all surprised that he had said, upon their return from the store, that he was going to go off for a while, and would contact her as soon as he knew what the hell he was doing. He had been desperately confused and had spent his entire shower convincing himself that Heero had moved on. That there was a logical explanation for Heero's departure. That maybe Heero had left because he really didn't love Relena, and not because he felt any fondness towards an old friend and fellow pilot during the war. But a part inside of him came up with alternate solutions which Duo's heart seemed to like much better. And when he had dried off, he had come out of his thoughts to realize that he was sitting at the bottom of the stairs with a large suitcase in hand and not being able to remember when he had packed it. And then the front door had opened and the whole thing had acted itself out, and by the time he realized what he had done, he was already halfway to the airport.

*

Heero and Miyu returned from their lunch break carrying large ice-cream cones which were already melting in the summer heat. Pausing for a moment in front of a large ornately carved wooden door, Heero fished around in his pant-pocket for his keys while supporting and slurping at the ice-cream in the other.

Over three years since the end of the war. Three years since he had been abandoned by Duo and left Relena. Two years since he had taken Miyu in, and over three months since she had been pulled out of that school. Three months since she had begun to work at the shop and maintain her education under Heero's tutelage.

Heero could never get over the oldness of the building in which his store was located. Everything was wood. All the wood was carved, and there were even "twirly stairs" as Miyu had begun to call them. The place was overwhelming, and quiet and there was always the heady smell of fresh new books waiting on the shelves.

Walking through one isle, Heero scanned the shelves and snatched a book. Then returned, Miyu following, to perch on a chair behind the large mahogany desk. Miyu sitting on the other side, and the book between them, and thus, they settled to spend the rest of the day in contemplation of various pieces of literature, on various subjects. This was the way Miyu was educated.

*

Duo settled back in his chair, looking out the window with an expression of belated betrayal. He had spent over a month visiting the other pilots, something he had never been able to do while he had been with Hilde. He had spent two weeks purchasing things which he might need, preparing mentally for whatever lay before him, and of course there was traveling time. And now, here he was, hiding in an apartment and turning over the facts in his head.

The whole town knew Heero Yuy. He used to be a Gundam pilot, and was now working in the only bookstore in town. Of course, after a bit of research, Duo had found that Heero's was not the only bookstore, it was just the only one that was worth visiting. He had gone into the store once, worked up enough courage and Heero hadn't even been there. He had purchased a book and then fled, but not before savoring the beauty of the place. At least he knew that Heero had good taste.

All the ladies whom he talked to found Heero rather attractive, but had labeled him "the quiet type." Duo was not surprised. Much to Duo's dismay, however, he had also found out that Heero was living with a girl named Miyu, luckily that information had been followed by the important fact that she was about seven years old, black hair, and had been taken-out of school because the principal had been unjust. The town was disappointed that Heero hadn't done something more to prove the inequitable nature of the place. But just the same, the news had spread and the school had closed down just a few weeks ago.

A bookstore, and an adopted child. Nothing made sense to Duo's muddled mind. Was that a hopeful sign? That Heero had taken in a young child and so obviously become protective of her, and had been working in a bookstore? Was that really where the story ended or was he missing something?

And so, Duo sat.

*

Heero groaned and rolled out of bed, fulfilling, once again, the tradition that must be upheld for six out of seven days of the week. He sipped at his coffee, called Miyu and went to get dressed. They sat and ate breakfast, discussing various things about self-defense and the attack courses which Miyu had recently been taking and Heero had studied at some point during his life, whether as training for the war or as an activity to keep him occupied afterwards. When they had finished eating, they snatched their sunglasses, locked-up and went down the stairs.

The elevator opened.

Out stepped a tall man, about Heero's age, with a rather long braided mass of hair. Violet eyes looked around uncertainly and he walked up to the door where the two people had just exited from. He raised a hand, and knocked. There was no answer. The figure swore under his breath.

He had misjudged his timing.

*

Duo was walking up the sidewalk, slurping a bottle of water. He regretted his choice of jeans, but was smugly satisfied with the heat, and was happy to accept the jeans because he was in a tank-top.

As he rounded a corner, he noticed a slim figure walking down the street. The eyes were hidden behind sunglasses, but Duo knew that confident walk. His eyes roamed up and down the figure, noting the way Heero's clothes complimented and hinted at the boy's physique. The brown hair was the same, only somehow, Duo felt that it looked softer, though whether it was soft or if it was just Duo's intense urge to run his fingers through it, he wasn't certain. What he did know was that he had never seen Heero look so relaxed and comfortable....and so damn sexy.....

As they approached each other, a movement caught his eye. "NIISAN!!!" Duo slowed and watched as a smallish girl came running up to Heero, and held his breath as Heero stopped and waved. The girl came to a stop just before colliding into Heero. "Niisan!! You'll never guess what I learned in self-defense today!!" Heero tilted his head, and Duo took the opportunity to cross the street.

"The side-kick, to add to you repertoire." Miyu's smile disappeared and she pretended to be upset.

"You're no fun." Duo shook his head, and disappeared down the alley.

*

TBC

standard disclaimers apply.