Get Rel

NOTE: I don't own Gundam Wing or its characters.

Okay, this note is for Gundam Wing Nutcase and anyone else who got confused with the Trowa/Catherine discussion. Remember, or re-read, chapters 15 and 18 from 'For Rel', Trowa likes Quatre (as I have hinted) and Relena (Salimar) figured that out. Now, the discussion between Trowa and Catherine was meant to kind of show how Relena's disappearance does not just affect Heero, Duo, Hilde, and Quatre but also the others (although indirectly). Plus, it was meant to suggest that Trowa was becoming more bold by going out of his way to spend time with Quatre, although it's on the phone. If you still need clarification then ask and I'll answer.

Heero couldn't believe it, he was avoiding everyone and acting like a complete, utter teenager who is ashamed at being caught doing the Salsa with Hilde while making a complete ass of himself. Oh he could just picture it in his head still.

"Come on Eiji, I'm not going to bite you know," she had teased him with. Reluctantly he took Hilde as his partner and they began to swirl around in a fluid motion as though they had been dancing for years, though Heero believed that he had more smoothness than his partner. "So, was that Zeches?"

Hilde had whispered it into his ear while she rested her head on Heero's shoulder. She must have been watching Heero as he conversed with Zech…Mr. Nottingham on the steps.

"Yeah," he confirmed as he eyed a red faced Duo, who was glaring at him. "I think Duo's jealous that you are dancing with me instead of him."

"Let him be jealous for now, I'll explain it to him later that I was just trying to save you from embarrassing yourself by not knowing how to dance…Hey, do you know how to Salsa?" Hilde inquired pulling away from Heero's shoulder.

Heero snorted, even though Relena had taken the time to learn how to Salsa, Heero had refused to learn such a silly dance. So the answer to Hilde's question was an absolute 'no', and she knew it.

"Oh that's right, you didn't go to the lessons with me and Lena," she laughed. "You should have come with us; it would have been a good experience for you."

Sitting on his bed, Heero groaned. How was he supposed to know that by not going to a stupid dance lesson he would be forever reminded and taunted by it?! He just had not been interested in the Salsa at the time, but now he kind of did wish he had gone to the lessons and danced.

"Here, I'll teach you," offered Hilde.

"No." Heero just didn't want to learn how to do the Salsa, he was perfectly find with the traditional dances and waltzes, that required no extra movement of the hips.

"Oh come on, I'll demonstrate it for you," Hilde grinned, separating away from Heero and showing the steps of the Salsa.

After seeing the moves one time, Heero knew them automatically, but that meant diddly to Heero since he still didn't want to Salsa. Hilde held out an offering hand but Heero refused it and was about to join the rest of the outcast dancers, but he ran right into Robin.

"Leaving so soon Eiji?" he inquired, quite amused. "You're not going to Salsa with Mindy, well then perhaps you'll salsa with me then."

Rolling his eyes, Heero returned to Hilde and took up her offer. They started off slow but unfortunately, Heero's movement and steps were never correct. He knew the steps but putting them together with the swaying hips was more difficult than he anticipated. He must have stepped on Hilde's toes at least six times and when he tried to dip her he was certain that he nearly broke her back.

Heero, he thought as he stared up at the ceiling, you truly are a dumbass.

The phone beside his bed began to ring, playing 'Melody in Five' until Heero finally willed himself to answer the darn thing. "Hello?"

"Hey Heero, what is this that I hear about Zeches being here?" came Duo's whispered voice on the other end of the line.

Heero groaned. It would have only been Duo who would demand to know the reason for Zeches' presence in Sheboygan. Time for the simple explanation. "Duo, meet me outside and I'll tell you all that you need to know." Maybe the explanation should take place somewhere more open and not over the phone.

Hanging up the phone, Heero grabbed a white tank top from the floor and pulled it on. It was the only article of clothing that he lacked since he was wearing his long forgotten, yet trademark biker shorts.

Quietly Heero exited the house; he was hoping to get out of the place without running into Jason or one of her many friends, or her father. Heero shivered at the thought of Jason's father, he never, EVER, wanted to be hugged ever again by another person of the same sex.

He must have called when he was still undressed, Heero assumed as he glanced at his watch only to find out that he had been sitting on Jason's steps waiting for Duo for the last ten minutes. He loves to take his time.

"Hey," Duo called out as he raced down the sidewalk. "You know, I should start too serious contemplate killing you and Hilde for making me cross-dress. This is insufferable."

The former Zero pilot glanced over his companion and raised an eyebrow at him. "It can't be so bad if, if I'm not mistaken, Selfie, you are wearing pants, your normal pants," Heero pointed out, wondering when this change had come about. Rising to his feet Heero gestured with his head that they go for a little walk while they talk.

"Yeah, well, everyone in this town seems to know that I'm actually a guy in dress. So, I figured that I may as well wear some pants every now and then, but maintain these ridiculous shirts that Hilde bought me, to keep up the sort of cross-dressing appearance," explained Duo, gratified to know that he had stunned Heero a bit.

"How?" Heero was willing to admit that Duo was by far not the best crossdresser in the universe but to be found out was pathetic.

Duo just shrugged, "I don't know but Robin says I'm the worst crossdresser he has ever seen, next to Salem of course."

For the second time that day, Heero was taken back. "Salem crossdresses?" Could Relena possibly be Salem?

"Yeah, past tense not present so don't you dare get the idea into your head that Salem and Relena are one and the same person," corrected Duo sensing Heero's thought line.

"I wasn't…" began Heero.

"What's Zeches doing here," interrupted the braided guy before blowing a bang out of his face.

Heero decided to not try to explain himself about Salem and Relena. "Looking for Relena, just like us."

"No kidding," scoffed Duo as though he thought it was pathetically stupid. "And he knows you're here."

Hilde certainly told Duo quite a bit, Heero thought. "That he does, but thankfully he doesn't know about Hilde and you which means we have an advantage over him. So, please, keep cross-dressing."

Duo let out a defeated sigh, he had hoped to somehow ease out of the whole cross-dressing thing and perhaps make up another fake name for himself, something more masculine. "Fine, but I'm going to kill you after we find Relena…" Something clicked inside Duo's mind that made him halt in front of Frankie's house and turn to Heero with a most serious expression. "Why do you want to find her?"

On the inside Heero groaned, that was the number one question that he dreaded just because he didn't have a real answer that others would accept. He was still promised to protect her and to keep the peace between the colonies and Earth, something Heero doubted that would remain if Relena was not Vice Foreign Minister.

So instead of directly answering the question Heero just returned the question. "Why do you?"

"She's my friend, Heero, for one, and two I want to ask her some questions. Other than that I do not wish to disturb her happiness. Now you answer the question," Duo replied.

"Same," Heero lied.

Duo grabbed Heero's shirt and pulled him close. "Bull! That is a bunch of bull and you know it!" the God of Death hissed at the unfazed guy.

Pushing Heero away Duo began to walk away but stopped and turned back to Heero. "You've been chasing the girl all this time for no reason?! Are you really that unfeeling towards her?"

Unsurprisingly, Heero didn't reply.

'Perhaps you should have stuck to Sylvia," Duo commented.

Heero grimaced at the memory of his former girlfriend, especially since he had unknowingly pushed her away with his obsession…no, hunt for Relena. Sylvia had been good enough to inform of that the last time he had seen her in Italy.

"It would never have worked between her and me," Heero reasoned. At least that's what she felt.

"Why?" After Italy Heero had not spoken about what transpired between him and Sylvia, suddenly she was out of the picture. Although Hilde was ecstatic about it Duo was a little curious as to who broke it off and why.

Apparently, Heero was not going to satisfy his curiosity for the Zero pilot kept silent.

With a frustrated sigh, Duo veered around and continued to march away yelling back, "Fine, keep your damn secrets. Let them eat at you!"

"Bad break-up?" came a voice from the porch.

Shifting his eyes to the person, Heero saw Frankie lying on the porch playing with a rubix triangle. When did she get there? Heero wondered, hoping that she hadn't heard much of his and Duo's conversation.

"No," he answered stiffly.

"Sounded like it," Frankie commented.

"It wasn't a break-up, we were just having a disagreement," Heero clarified.

"Not between you and Selfie, between you and that girl, Sylvia," corrected the girl, sitting up now. "Was it that horrible of a break-up?"

"Hn." Shit, he thought just remembering that everyone was now taking the 'hn' for a yes, which was not what he wanted to say. "No, just unexpected."

"Care to tell me your tale of woe?" questioned Frankie, standing up, ready to approach Heero if his answer was 'yes'.

"No." His entire being was so tense, causing his adrenaline to run like back in days of the Eves' War.

Frankie just shrugged as she glanced inside the house, only to see Robin motioning her inside. "Suite yourself," Frankie told him, noting bothering to press Heero on the matter until he broke. Instead, she just retreated back into the house, to give her cousin a hand.

What the hell is going on? wondered Heero, feeling as though everyone was literally against him that day.

Starring at the closed door Heero's thoughts took a different turn. Frankie doesn't press an issue, she lets me keep my privacy. Relena did that too. They both have that kind of hair color, though Relena was not so…tomboyish. Then again, her friends have kept mentioning the fact that I don't know the real Relena. I'll have to keep my eye on Frankie.