Hello again. Sorry for the delay folks. Midterms are kicking my butt. And taking up all my free time- Why does every teacher think that 50+ pages of reading is alright per night, not to mention I have like five classes? Stupid education system…. Oh well enough with my ranks- you obviously didn't come here for that- but the story! So without further ado- on with the show
Insert disclaimer here: _______________
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Chapter Two-
Across town at the home of the Vice Foreign minister, Relena was trying on dresses for an official summit banquet ball.
"What about this one?" Her angelic voice asked with a slight giggle.
"I don't know- it looks nice and all, but I'm not good with picking out dresses…" A blonde boy said as he sipped his tea.
"Oh come on Quatre! You have the best taste in cloths- you have got to have an opinion."
"Relena, you know everyone will think you look beautiful. No matter what dress you pick."
"I give up!" She sighed and reentered her large bathroom to change. Quatre simply laughed at her dilemma and continued to drink his tea, when the door opened to her room. It was her sweet old butler.
"I'm sorry to intrude Ms Relena and Master Quatre." The old man said.
"What's wrong?" Quatre asked.
"There's a phone call for you, Master Quatre. You can take the call on Ms Relena's phone on the desk."
"Thank you." Quatre said. "Relena, do you mind?" He asked before he picked up the receiver.
"Go right a head." Relena called from the bathroom. The old man slowly exited the room and Quatre picked up the phone.
"Hello."
"Quatre is that you?" Came a familiar voice.
"Duo?"
"Yeah- well I've got some really bad news. We'reatthehospitalrightnowandHeerohurt." He said in all one breath.
Quatre couldn't understand anything his hyper long-haired friend said. But Duo's voice didn't sound its usual hyperactive happy tone; this time, instead, it sounded like a person who was very concerned and almost scared.
"Duo! Calm down. Remember deep breaths. Now tell me slowly what's wrong?"
"Q-man, Hilde and I are at the hospital… it's.. he's.. Heero's in bad shape.. He just collapsed and went nuts or something."
"What? When?"
"This morning. We called as soon as we got him here. You weren't at your place, so we figured you were at Relena's." Dou continued.
"Ok, Duo. I'll be there in a second ok? Just stay there." Quatre said as he hung up the phone. As he turned he say Relena standing behind him. He hadn't even heard her come back into the room.
"Quatre who was that?" She asked seeing the worry in Quatre's kind eyes.
"Relena, I have to go to the hospital."
"Why? What happened? Is Dou or Hilde hurt?" She asked growing more concerned by the second. "Is it Trowa or Cathy?" She continued to ask as she followed Quatre out to the car. They both got in.
"Relena.." Quatre sighed. "It's Heero."
"Heero?" The words came as a whisper. Memories flooded back to her of all the encounters with the mysterious gundam pilot. The most painful ones where when he always left.
He never did say goodbye. He had escaped out of the hospital during the one night Relena left his side. Quietly leaving, just how he had entered her life, in shadows.
Her heart tugged at her chest. Tears swelled in her eyes. Her hands went to a small golden locket she always wore around her neck.
That night he only left two things for Relena' but one was invisible for all to see. The other a golden locket shaped as a heart. Inside was inscribed some nonsense word- that Relena, nor anyone else, except Heero knew the meaning of.
"You mean Heero's been here for a while and no one told me?" Relena felt hurt.
"Relena, we all know how secretive Heero is, he just came back one day. He's been staying at Duo's for a while." Quatre tried to explain.

They were at the hospital in a few minutes. Hilde met them in the lobby.
"What's wrong with him Hilde?" Quatre asked. "What happened?"
"We.. Don't know. He had been acting strange ever since he came back. He never slept, and he hardly ate and now this. The doctors are trying to figure out what's wrong. They ran several tests earlier but Heero- he's- it's like he's lost control." Hilde said putting her arm on Relena's shoulders. "He didn't want you to know he was back. He asked us not to tell you- he said he had to figure things out first. But he wanted to tell you himself…"
Duo came to the lobby to meet them.
"Duo!" Quatre called seeing a tried looking Dou enter the lobby.
"How is he?" Hilde asked still holding a silent Relena.
"We can see him- but only for a little while- the drugs don't last long. This way guys." Duo said as he led them to a secluded area of the hospital. "He's… he's not in good shape. The doctor's had to restrain him- you know hoe he dislikes hospitals. But what ever is going on- he's acting worse."
"Do they know what's wrong?" Quatre asked.
"They've never seen anything like this before- some preliminary tests say there's something messing with his brain and central nervous system… but they have no clue what caused it or how to treat it." Duo said. He slowly and quietly opened the door and entered into a large room. Two doctors stood near a bed. One was writing on a clip board and the other was attaching an IV into the arm of the still body on the bed.
Heero laid on the bed covered by white sheets. Several bandages wrapped around his head- the wound stitched up.
Duo motioned for everyone to enter as the doctors left. Slowly and silently they all came closer.
Relena, who had been silent up till now, looked down on the troubled solider. She wanted to hate him for leaving, but looking down on his face, all the anger washed away. Tears streamed down her face as she spoke his name in no more than a whisper.
But it was enough- suddenly Heero's eyes shot open. An unreadable expression showed in his beautiful orbs. He immediately began to shake and struggle against the bonds that held him to the bed.
"NO! RUN!" He screamed.
"Heero! Calm down." Duo said as he and Quatre went and tried to hold him down. He would surly snap his bones if he continued to struggle like this.
Relena was frightened at the unexpected out burst. She tried to get closer to him, slowly trying to touch his face to show him he was safe. He only wailed in some unseen pain. She looked into his eyes.
'Is that fear?' She thought. If it was, it was the first tome she had actually seen him afraid.
"Didn't they give him sedatives?" Hilde asked.
"They gave him enough drugs to knock out an elephant for days!" Duo replied. Heero violently shook and screamed. Several doctors ushered Hilde and Relena out of the room while more tried to give him more sedatives.

Relena wept as Hilde tried to comfort her.
"It'll be ok Relena." Hilde said as they sat down in the hallway. They could hear Heero's cried from the within the room. After what seemed like forever, Heero seemed to calm down. Duo and Quatre left the room along side the fleet of doctors that had been needed to calm the perfect solider.

"They want to put him in the mental hospital." Duo said sadly.
"No." Quatre said loudly. "He's not insane."
"But there's nothing we can do- he's in horrible shape.. He'll only hurt himself." Hilde commented.
"We can't just leave him- he'd die if he was stuck in a room with doctors." Duo said. I wish they knew what was wrong."
"He'll be fine in a few weeks." Quatre spoke up.
"Q-man, how would you know that?" Duo questioned.
"His body is having side effects from the zero system, more than likely. Well more like withdrawal symptoms."
"What?" Duo asked scratching his head.
"Think about it- the Zero System allows you to see and act better- faster. If there's something wrong in this brain- it's got to have something to do with all the exposure to that stress." Quatre theorized.
"But wouldn't you and Zechs have them too?"
"Well, I felt some side effects. But think about it- Heero was the primary candidate for it- he spent the most time with it- it was tested on him and well, emotionally he's the most stable due to his upbringing."
"So he'll be ok in a few days?" Duo asked.
"Maybe more- I've never seen him this disturbed.. His brain must be giving him nightmares or something."
"So do we leave him here?" Hilde asked.
"No! It'll only make it worse." Quatre said.
"He.. He can stay with me." Relena said- her eyes stopped watering as she listened to the conversation. "He won't feel cramp there and he knows the area."
"That's a great idea." Hilde smiled.
"And everyone can come and stay. We can all help Heero get better." She continued.
"That's good because Trowa and Catherine are trying to come tomorrow." Duo informed them.
"We better go get Heero's things." Hilde said. "That way we can get him totally moved into Relena's place."
"I'll get the stuff." Duo said. "Q-man see if the doctors will let us take him. The sooner we get him out of here and in a safer atmosphere the better."
Duo left to return to the shop, while Quatre went off to talk to the hospital staff.
"He's afraid of me, isn't he? He hates me." Relena said as she sank down to her knees and cried.
"What? Relena- what are you talking about?" Hilde asked.
"His expression when he saw me- he was terrified. Does he hate me that much?"
"No Relena, you know he doesn't hate you at all. Heero's loves you. I know he does. He's just not sure of things. You'll have lots of time to catch up with him while you nurse him back to health. So don't worry about things…" Hilde comforted her.