Love Letter
Chapter Three
Sendai, AC 205
"Thanks, Sister!" Ni called as he got out of the car. He waved to sister Helen as she drove away. It was nice that she could give him a ride today. More often than not she was too busy at the church and he would have to walk nearly half an hour to get into town. Ni turned and stared down the street. He would have to go to the post office to drop off a package, and to the market to pick up this week's groceries, but first there was something he wanted to do. Talking about Heero had dug up old memories, and he really wanted to go visit the old school. He wondered if it had changed at all.
* * *
"You're in Sendai?"
Trowa could almost see Duo nod over the phone. "I have a business conference there."
"And you thought you'd pay Ni a visit."
"There are some things I'd like to say to him."
Trowa flipped his cell to the other ear. "Okay. I was thinking maybe we could go on vacation when you get back."
"That'd be great! You're timing's perfect actually, I don't have to come in to the office Thursday or Friday, so I have a four day weekend."
"Great. I was thinking we could go up to the mountains, maybe to Hakuba?"
There was a pause on Duo's end of the line. That was where Heero had...
"Look Duo, never mind. If you're not up to it-"
"No," Duo quickly interjected. "Really, this is something I need to do."
Trowa smiled. "Good. We'll leave Thursday morning then."
* * *
Ni walked up the wooden steps, fingering the banister along the way. As he walked along the hallway he marveled at how the classrooms were set up exactly like he remembered. An addition was being built on the east side of campus, but construction wouldn't start until summer. As far as Ni was concerned, it was like being back in high school. He paused outside the library, peering in at the brown shelves and white curtains. He decided to oblige the part of him that wanted to run his fingers over the bindings of the old books, no doubt the same books that were there when he went to school. Maybe he could brush up on his artistic movements. He was pulling out a familiar looking book when a trio of school girls got his attention.
"Excuse me sir, could we help you?"
He smiled, resulted in several shy giggles. "No thanks. Do you girls work here?"
The girl in front nodded. "We volunteer here for our student service hours."
"I see. I use to go to school here actually, I was just reminiscing."
"Really? May we ask your name?"
"Heero. Heero Yuy."
One of the girls started giggling again and whispered something to the other two.
"Oh!" the head girl exclaimed. "Are you the Heero Yuy whose name is in all these books?"
The girl grabbed a random book of the shelf and flipped it to the card at the back.
"Oh no, that was a classmate of mine. We happened to have the same name."
"I see."
"Did he really manage to write his name in all these books?"
"Just about. He got to maybe two thirds of them. He's quite famous around the library actually, every one's very curious as to what kind of person this Heero Yuy is."
Was, Ni thought, but he didn't comment on it. He talked to the girls awhile, learning more about the school now and the new construction, when he noticed he should head out and start his errands. He said goodbye to the group and left, wondering if he would be back to visit anytime soon... or ever at all, for that matter.
* * *
"Taxi!" Duo called over the crowd of people. He had just gotten one to stop when a meter yard braid came flying past him. He turned around, and found himself looking at his mirror replica.
"Wait! Ni!" he yelled, but Ni had already rushed off to who knows where and hadn't heard him. The taxi diver honked and he got into the back, handing the driver Ni's address on a slip of paper. He would have to wait when he got to Ni's place, and hope Ni would be back soon.
Once Duo got to Ni's house, he sat down on the front porch and waited for half an hour before the cold started to get to him and it didn't seem as if any one was coming back anytime soon. He opened his briefcase and got out his phone to call another taxi. He also got out a sheet of paper and and pen. He'd just have to write Ni another letter.
Dear Ni,
I think that this will be our last correspondence. I wanted to thank you for telling me about Heero. It cleared up a question I always had. When I met Heero, he was very much the same as in your story- distant and quiet. But he warmed up to me instantly. Sometimes he could talk with me for hours, and a lot of the times it seemed as though he were afraid to let me out of his sight for just one second because I might disappear forever. I always wondered at that because, as much as I wanted to believe it, I don't think Heero Yuy was ever in love with me.
I first saw your picture in Heero's yearbook. I saw you again, in town, for just a moment today. On both accounts I was struck by how alike we look...it's uncanny, really. You could be my identical twin, except I keep my hair cut short. I've thought about it for a long time, and I've come to the conclusion that I was right, that Heero never was in love with me. Heero was in love with the fact that I look like you. He was never afraid he'd lose me. He was afraid he might lose you for a second time. I was never anything more than a substitute.
There's one more thing that struck me during our conversation. In the library, when he told you about how he liked to check out books just to sign them. I don't think he was ever writing his name on those cards...I think he was writing yours.
Sincerely,
Duo Maxwell
Duo finished just as he heard the honk of the taxi. He quickly folded up the sheet of paper and pushed it through the mail slot before running off to get in the cab. This time tomorrow, he would be with Trowa in Hakuba.
* * *
Ni turned on the coffee machine. "It's really nice of you to come and visit me, Relena. And thanks for the soup."
"No problem," Relena replied from her seat at the kitchen table. She was busy reading the letter they had found in the foyer. "Anyway, it's about time we caught up again. We haven't talked for what... five months now?"
"Something like that. How do you take your coffee?"
"A little cream and a lot of sugar, please."
Ni came over to the table a few moments later holding two mugs. Relena crinkled her nose in distaste.
"I see you still take yours black."
Ni smiled. "It's the only way to wake me up in the morning."
Relena handed the letter to Ni. "I think he's right."
"Who?"
"This Duo Maxwell."
Ni read through the letter, than looked up with a frown. "I don't think so."
"It makes sense. You were the only person he was willing to talk to for more than a minute, and he did go out of his way for you all those times. It was pretty obvious that he held certain affections for you."
"You didn't think it was so obvious then."
"Back then I was a young girl blinded by love."
Ni snickered. "Besides, if Heero cared about me so much, he would have told me, right?"
"I told you before. Talking is just not Heero's way."
"But he would have done something to show me."
Relena was contemplative for a moment as she nursed her coffee. "Ni, what happened? After you delivered the letter, between you and Heero?"
"Well, you remember what happened to you..."
Chapter Three
Sendai, AC 205
"Thanks, Sister!" Ni called as he got out of the car. He waved to sister Helen as she drove away. It was nice that she could give him a ride today. More often than not she was too busy at the church and he would have to walk nearly half an hour to get into town. Ni turned and stared down the street. He would have to go to the post office to drop off a package, and to the market to pick up this week's groceries, but first there was something he wanted to do. Talking about Heero had dug up old memories, and he really wanted to go visit the old school. He wondered if it had changed at all.
* * *
"You're in Sendai?"
Trowa could almost see Duo nod over the phone. "I have a business conference there."
"And you thought you'd pay Ni a visit."
"There are some things I'd like to say to him."
Trowa flipped his cell to the other ear. "Okay. I was thinking maybe we could go on vacation when you get back."
"That'd be great! You're timing's perfect actually, I don't have to come in to the office Thursday or Friday, so I have a four day weekend."
"Great. I was thinking we could go up to the mountains, maybe to Hakuba?"
There was a pause on Duo's end of the line. That was where Heero had...
"Look Duo, never mind. If you're not up to it-"
"No," Duo quickly interjected. "Really, this is something I need to do."
Trowa smiled. "Good. We'll leave Thursday morning then."
* * *
Ni walked up the wooden steps, fingering the banister along the way. As he walked along the hallway he marveled at how the classrooms were set up exactly like he remembered. An addition was being built on the east side of campus, but construction wouldn't start until summer. As far as Ni was concerned, it was like being back in high school. He paused outside the library, peering in at the brown shelves and white curtains. He decided to oblige the part of him that wanted to run his fingers over the bindings of the old books, no doubt the same books that were there when he went to school. Maybe he could brush up on his artistic movements. He was pulling out a familiar looking book when a trio of school girls got his attention.
"Excuse me sir, could we help you?"
He smiled, resulted in several shy giggles. "No thanks. Do you girls work here?"
The girl in front nodded. "We volunteer here for our student service hours."
"I see. I use to go to school here actually, I was just reminiscing."
"Really? May we ask your name?"
"Heero. Heero Yuy."
One of the girls started giggling again and whispered something to the other two.
"Oh!" the head girl exclaimed. "Are you the Heero Yuy whose name is in all these books?"
The girl grabbed a random book of the shelf and flipped it to the card at the back.
"Oh no, that was a classmate of mine. We happened to have the same name."
"I see."
"Did he really manage to write his name in all these books?"
"Just about. He got to maybe two thirds of them. He's quite famous around the library actually, every one's very curious as to what kind of person this Heero Yuy is."
Was, Ni thought, but he didn't comment on it. He talked to the girls awhile, learning more about the school now and the new construction, when he noticed he should head out and start his errands. He said goodbye to the group and left, wondering if he would be back to visit anytime soon... or ever at all, for that matter.
* * *
"Taxi!" Duo called over the crowd of people. He had just gotten one to stop when a meter yard braid came flying past him. He turned around, and found himself looking at his mirror replica.
"Wait! Ni!" he yelled, but Ni had already rushed off to who knows where and hadn't heard him. The taxi diver honked and he got into the back, handing the driver Ni's address on a slip of paper. He would have to wait when he got to Ni's place, and hope Ni would be back soon.
Once Duo got to Ni's house, he sat down on the front porch and waited for half an hour before the cold started to get to him and it didn't seem as if any one was coming back anytime soon. He opened his briefcase and got out his phone to call another taxi. He also got out a sheet of paper and and pen. He'd just have to write Ni another letter.
Dear Ni,
I think that this will be our last correspondence. I wanted to thank you for telling me about Heero. It cleared up a question I always had. When I met Heero, he was very much the same as in your story- distant and quiet. But he warmed up to me instantly. Sometimes he could talk with me for hours, and a lot of the times it seemed as though he were afraid to let me out of his sight for just one second because I might disappear forever. I always wondered at that because, as much as I wanted to believe it, I don't think Heero Yuy was ever in love with me.
I first saw your picture in Heero's yearbook. I saw you again, in town, for just a moment today. On both accounts I was struck by how alike we look...it's uncanny, really. You could be my identical twin, except I keep my hair cut short. I've thought about it for a long time, and I've come to the conclusion that I was right, that Heero never was in love with me. Heero was in love with the fact that I look like you. He was never afraid he'd lose me. He was afraid he might lose you for a second time. I was never anything more than a substitute.
There's one more thing that struck me during our conversation. In the library, when he told you about how he liked to check out books just to sign them. I don't think he was ever writing his name on those cards...I think he was writing yours.
Sincerely,
Duo Maxwell
Duo finished just as he heard the honk of the taxi. He quickly folded up the sheet of paper and pushed it through the mail slot before running off to get in the cab. This time tomorrow, he would be with Trowa in Hakuba.
* * *
Ni turned on the coffee machine. "It's really nice of you to come and visit me, Relena. And thanks for the soup."
"No problem," Relena replied from her seat at the kitchen table. She was busy reading the letter they had found in the foyer. "Anyway, it's about time we caught up again. We haven't talked for what... five months now?"
"Something like that. How do you take your coffee?"
"A little cream and a lot of sugar, please."
Ni came over to the table a few moments later holding two mugs. Relena crinkled her nose in distaste.
"I see you still take yours black."
Ni smiled. "It's the only way to wake me up in the morning."
Relena handed the letter to Ni. "I think he's right."
"Who?"
"This Duo Maxwell."
Ni read through the letter, than looked up with a frown. "I don't think so."
"It makes sense. You were the only person he was willing to talk to for more than a minute, and he did go out of his way for you all those times. It was pretty obvious that he held certain affections for you."
"You didn't think it was so obvious then."
"Back then I was a young girl blinded by love."
Ni snickered. "Besides, if Heero cared about me so much, he would have told me, right?"
"I told you before. Talking is just not Heero's way."
"But he would have done something to show me."
Relena was contemplative for a moment as she nursed her coffee. "Ni, what happened? After you delivered the letter, between you and Heero?"
"Well, you remember what happened to you..."
