CHAPTER THREE

"I can't believe you've kept all this for so long Quatre" Duo shook his head in amazement as he looked over the huge pile of albums the blond boy produced out of nowhere, each labeled and dated.

"I thought we would want memories of things we go through" Quatre replied "And I figure none of you would bother to do it"

Duo picked up the top album and opened it randomly "Profile pics?"

Quatre nodded "Yeah, first things first, we have to get him at least familiarized with these people if recognize them"

"You really think this will work?"

"I can't be sure, but at least it's a safe way of starting"

"Umm…yeah…" Duo coughed, and smiled weakly "I guess…"

The two of them carried the bundle into the living room and set them down in front of Heero.

"What's this?"

"It's part of the plan to get your memory back" Quatre announced "In a non-destructive fashion" He handed the profile album to Heero "Any impressions?"

Heero flipped it open with interest. He stared at the photo on the first page "Whoa… this guy's intense man! He definitely has issues….major ones"

Duo leaned over and burst out laughing "Heero, that's you!"

Heero's eyes widened "You're kidding! I look like I wanted to kill someone!"

"Naturally…"

Heero shook his head in bewilderment "This is going to take some getting used to, you guys all seem to imply I was like…really scary"

"The Perfect Soldier" Trowa commented "Calm, cool, collected, capable of achieving anything as long as he believed in it, ready to face any circumstance, put his life at risk over and over again"

"Honestly?" Heero whispered in disbelief "I wish I could recall some of this…but I truly can't…I've tried, I really tried hard" He looked up at Duo "You tried to help me and everything…but I just can't get a grasp on anything. Sometimes I would look at something, and feel a strange sense of bonding…like with the Wing Gundam…but I can't tell where it came from…"

"I know it's hard to have no idea who you are" Trowa looked at him sympathetically "No one knows better than I do…that's why you have to try to remember. I'm sure there's something that'll trigger your memory…we just have to find it"

Heero glanced at Trowa, there was a strange warming in his heart at those words, and he almost felt himself blush under the gaze of those watchful green eyes.

"Well now that you have identified your angry old self" Duo interrupted "Shall we move on?"

"Oh…" Heero snapped back to attention "Sure thing" He hastily turned the page, and immediately burst out laughing.

"Now this guy I recognize!" He pointed "What's with the expression!?"

"It comes of nature" Duo replied in defense to the bizarre look he had on his face in the photo "Besides the flash really killed my eyes"

"Obviously…" Heero studied the picture closer "Yup…the same hair, the same weird look, the same clothes…do you ever change out of that outfit by the way?"

"There's nothing wrong with my outfit!"

"You look like a priest"

"I was raised by a church, it's only natural!"

"Well, sheesh! Oh forgive me Father Maxwell for I have expressed hysterical amusement at your outward appearance"

Duo responded to this by give Heero a solid clunk on the head "NEXT!" He declared.

Heero flipped to the next leaf, and felt himself redden slightly.

 "Trowa…"

He looked up and again made eye contact with him, a strange sensation rose in his chest "Umm…this is you right?"

Trowa just nodded.

"You think anyone else could pull off the unibang look?" Duo asked.

"Umm…no" Heero couldn't think of what else to say, so he just kept turning.

"Quatre…great smile dude!"

"He was always the most photogenic!" Duo grabbed Quatre and ruffled his hair "Won't you say so Quatre?"

"Quit it Duo" Trowa finally spoke "You're making him uncomfortable"

"Ooooo…Trowa to the rescue!" Duo said teasingly "Can he save Cutie Quatre from the Malicious Duo?"

"Quit it" Trowa repeated.

Heero couldn't help feeling a tiny bit jealous at the Trowa's protectiveness, but tried his best to ignore it by turning his focus back to the photos.

"This is…you…" He looked over to Wufei "Sorry I never got your name"

"NATAKU!!!" Duo shouted "Call him Nataku!"

"My name is Wufei" The Asian boy announced quietly "Nataku is what I call my Gundam…and in times such as these, baka is what I call Duo"

 Duo pretended not to hear.

Quatre leaned over to Trowa and whispered "The next picture should be of some significance to him…that guy did make a pretty strong impression on Heero's life"

Heero turned the page, and everyone fell silent, waiting.

"Zechs Marquise" Heero said absently.

Quatre gasped "He does remember him! Heero! You do know him!"

"What?" Heero looked up, completely lost "I'm suppose to know him?" He pointed to the picture "I can't even see his face here…How am I meant to know him? What's with the mask anyway? Costume party or something?!"

"Err…" Quatre was at a loss for words "How did you know his name then?"

"You labeled it" Heero indicated the neat handwriting at the bottom right hand corner of the photo "I haven't forgotten how to read"

Everyone sighed, partly in frustration, partly in disappointment.

"Well what's with the mask anyway?" Heero persisted "What does he look like without that mask?"

"Long story" Duo turned the page for him "This is him without it…don't comment on the hair…" He turned again "On to the females…"

"Relena Darlian?"

"Anything?"

Heero shook his head "Nope…what's she like?"

"You're better off not knowing" said Wufei "It may save you some nightmares"

Heero raised an eyebrow "That bad eh?"

"Oh come on!" Quatre protested "She's nice!"

"Nice? NICE?! HER?!?!" Wufei exclaimed "Are we talking about the same thing here?"

"I'll just go on!" Heero hastily turned the page before Wufei had a chance to launch an attack.

"The circus?" He wondered aloud "You guys had time to go to the circus?! I thought you were soldiers!"

"We have to have some time-outs" Duo replied "We're still kids after all"

"Wow…wish I remember this one…looks interesting, this girl looks way cool!" He indicated Catherine "Although the outfit is a bit wacky, still…nice legs, great figure… only what's with the weird guy holding her?"

"Weird guy?"

"Yeah…this clown person…the half mask...really peculiar outfit…the hair's weird too…"

"Oh dear…" Quatre cast a glance over "That's Trowa…"

Heero dropped the album in shock, his face burning up.

"Oh…umm…sorry…I…umm…" He couldn't think of what to say.

"It's okay" Trowa shrugged "It's one of my other jobs"

"Yeah, should see him do the tightrope…that trick really comes in handy when trying to escape from enemy spies" Duo winked and added "Heero you look like a tomato"

Heero made a major effort to unblush, then, picking up the album, he opened it to where he had left off, and immediately dropped it again.

"EEK!! FREAK!!:

"Well that rhymed nicely…having a try at poetry there?" asked Duo casually.

"Well that was one freaky picture!" Heero lifted the album "Never imagined anyone could look so frightening! What did she DO to herself?!"

"Dorothy right?" Trowa asked "It's natural"

"Those eyebrows? That really is a freak of nature!" Heero couldn't get over it "I swear, pick one off and you can stab someone with it…or use it as a compass or whatever! At least I'll recognize her easily"

"I tried to convince her to wax them once" Duo said "She just gave me the dirties"

"With features like that she looks as if she's permanently give people the dirties"

Quatre decided it was time to stop commenting on poor Dorothy.

"Try a different album" He suggested and picked one up at random "Here"

Heero looked at the delicate small folder in his hands "Quatre I know you're really into the sweet-n-sentimental theme and everything but don't you think the pink and the lace is going a little overboard?"

"I didn't make this one, it was present to you from Relena"

"Relena?" Heero looked at the initials on the cover "R.P?"

"Relena Peacecraft" Quatre told him.

"I thought her last name was Darlian"

"Another long story" Duo said, then continued in one long breath  "See her real family was killed and she was adopted by this family called the Darlians and so she took their name but then her real name is Relena Peacecraft and she has this older brother called Milliardo but he wanted to disguise himself so he called himself Zechs Marquise and wore a mask and that's who you saw a while ago and Heero you look really lost am I going too fast for you would you like me to slow down so you can catch up or would you just like to forget this part totally which is kinda stupid to ask since you don't really remember any of it anyway why are you still looking so lost oh never mind"

"I followed you until up to 'Another long story'"

"Just look through it"

Heero opened the album and studied the first picture.

"She's kinda cute" He commented, and everyone except Quatre chocked.

"Now I've heard it all" Wufei said "Heero commenting on Relena and saying she's cute…CUTE?!"

"Well…" Heero shrugged "Mildly anyway"

"Wait till you meet her, or re-meet her"

"What?"

"Nothing, continue" Wufei motioned.

Heero kept turning.

"Hey! I'm in this one…and this one…and this one…and…umm…how come there're so many of me?" Heero felt puzzled "And why do I look so angry in most of them…that is…this is me right?"

"Doesn't that tell you something about the girl?" Wufei asked "Now she's the one with the major issues…don't think she'll ever get them sorted out though"

"Well if she can't even be sure of what her full name is she definitely has a problem…did she ever contract amnesia?" Heero questioned.

"This is getting nowhere" Trowa muttered, running his hands through his hair "Sorry but I don't think this is doing any good…we're just making him confused"

"But what else can we do?" Quatre asked, disappointed "I thought that someone here would trigger something…I mean we've all been through so much, how can it just be wiped out like that?"

"Obviously this amnesia thing is deeper rooted than we thought" Trowa replied "When I lost my memory it came back to me after seeing you Quatre, that was enough for me…"

You were all that it took, because you were the most significant person in my life…

"But here…" Trowa shifted his gaze to Heero "From what Duo said, it could be intended amnesia…I think Heero purposely wiped out that part of his memory somehow, and subconsciously he doesn't want it back, which is why nothing can stimulate him enough to get any of it back"

"What are you talking about?" Heero asked, completely mystified "Of course I want it back! Do you know how frustrating it is hearing you all talk and not understanding, to wander around here not knowing where I am, who I am or what my purpose in life is?"

"You don't understand" Trowa continued, still in the same soothing tone "Perhaps in your state of mind now you do want it back, but Heero somehow conditioned himself to forget, it's too complex but I believe that's what happened"

"So…"Duo spoke up hesitantly "What you're saying is Heero really doesn't want to remember any of his training or the military education he went through? He doesn't want to live as the perfect soldier any longer?"

Trowa nodded.

"That's so uncanny!" Duo frowned "I don't believe that's true!"

"It's just my theory, whether or not you believe it doesn't make a difference, all I'm saying now is no matter how many photos or other symbols of the past we show or use on him, it's not going to work because that's not the root of the problem"

"What's your solution then?"

Trowa shook his head "I don't have a solution, but I know what we're doing now is not going to help"

Quatre hung his head sorrowfully "I'm sorry"

"Hey…it's not like you were wrong for trying" Trowa comforted him "We just have to do it some other way"

"Throw him off a building" Duo tried again.

"What?!" Heero gaped at him "Why?!"

"See? Not even that holds any significance for him" Trowa emphasized "References to the past isn't going to do the job…and even if putting him into a dramatic situation such as the one you suggested so faithfully" He glared at Duo "I think we should concentrate on a method that leaves him alive by the end of it"

Quatre sighed, and nodded.

"I guess this is all in vain then…we just have to leave it up to himself"

"What?" Heero said again "What do you mean?"

"We can't help you like this" Wufei said "Obviously we haven't come across the important element in your condition, and before we know the root of the problem we can't solve it…we just have to leave it to chance" He paused for a moment, before adding "Try to be strong…I know you are, but something must've broken inside you, I don't know what happened…but you have to try to bring yourself back!"

Heero stared down at his own hands, his head was starting to hurt from trying to take in everything. He knew what they were implying. Dig deeper…it's there somewhere…

Trowa stood up.

"For now…I think the best thing for you is to get some rest, leave the rest up to fate"

Heero looked up at the sound of his voice, he still felt so completely lost.

As Trowa passed by Heero he leant down and said softly in his ear:

"I do know what it's like to have no sense of who you are or why you exist, I've been through this myself, perhaps I never had it as hard as you but I do understand…but trust yourself Heero, with your strength it'll all be alright…I'm sure of it"

The voice…

Again, Trowa's voice, and his presence, sent a strange sensation through Heero's heart, and he felt his cheeks flush. Somehow it increased his heartbeat yet calmed him at the same time.

His gaze followed the taller boy as he made his way down the hall. Unable to move or think for the moment. It wasn't until Trowa disappeared into his own room and Duo started shouting "EARTH TO HEERO!!"  that he finally snapped back to reality.