The young man didn't even attempt to make a reply. He just sat there and stared at her blankly. His face was emotionless, so Sally couldn't even hope to use his reactions to see what he was feeling.

"Do you not want to talk to me, Heero?" Sally asked. She was tempted to move further into the room, but she was all too aware of the fact that such an act could quite possibly agitate a subject, especially one that didn't even remotely know her. She valued her life; she wasn't about to take any unnecessary chances.

"No," Heero responded, sounding like he didn't care in the least whether or not that was the response his visitor had hoped for. Sally was undaunted by the uncooperative attitude.

"Heero, I want you to realize that I'm here to talk to you. To listen to you. You don't have to talk to me if you don't want, but I would like you to at least listen to me."

The blank stare continued, the Japanese boy's gaze unwavering. After several long minutes the silence got too oppressive for Sally, trained professional though she was. It was almost as if her patient was deliberately making her feel uncomfortable about being there by staying silent.

Heero's silence was not simply a lack of words coming forth from his mouth; Sally could have handled that. Instead, it was everything about him. He sat completely still, so there were no slight movements to cause little, barely noticeable noises. Even his breathing was scarcely audible; his chest barely moved when he drew or released a breath. It was almost unnatural, and certainly quite disturbing.

The silence continued for several long minutes before Sally couldn't handle it any longer. "Well," she began with a delicate cough. "I'd like to start off with a few simple questions. Let's begin with your name."

"Heero Yuy," the teenaged boy replied shortly.

"Do you mind if I call you Heero? I'm sorry for not asking earlier, but now you can tell me if there's another name you prefer. A nickname, perhaps?"

"I don't care."

"Heero it is, then. Now, Heero, I heard that you're from Japan. Is that true?" A nod. "Where, exactly, in Japan?"

"It doesn't matter. That piece of data is not essential to your file, so don't continue questioning me about it—I won't tell."

Sally blinked and resisted the urge to sigh. Apparently her patient had been through this routine before, and knew all the rules by now. "Fine. So, Heero, what will you tell me for my file?"

"Omae o korosu." He looked up and stared at her. His cold blue eyes held a spark for just an instant, and that expression sent a shiver of fear down Sally's spine.

"I'm sorry, Heero, but I don't speak Japanese. Would you care to translate that for me?"

"I'll kill you."

Sally wasn't sure of how to properly respond to that, but she could tell that she wasn't going to make any more progress during her current session with Heero. "I'm sorry, but I can't continue on with our session while you have such an attitude. I'll be back sometime later this week; perhaps you'll care to cooperate then."

"Hn."

Sally stood up, watched Heero for a moment, and headed for the door leading back to the hallway. She knocked twice, then waited patiently as the locks began to slide open outside.

"Well?" Noin asked once Sally was out of the room. She began locking the door again with quick, efficient movements. "How did it go?"

Sally sighed and shook her head. "He was highly uncooperative, and at the end of the session he threatened to kill me."

Noin nodded as though she was wasn't surprised by the answer. "That's happened every time," she revealed, finishing with the last of the locks. "Would you like to move right on to your session with Duo, or would you rather put that off until tomorrow and just go to the lounge? I could provide you with some information on Heero then, perhaps over a cup of coffee?"

Sally smiled. "I think coffee would be a lovely idea. Duo isn't expecting me, after all, so the wait won't hurt."

"Then please, follow me."