1: Snow on my shoes

[Disclaimer: I do not own GW or anything related to the television series. "Sand in my shoes" belongs to Dido.]

Two weeks away feels like the whole the world would have changed,
but I'm home now, and things still look the same
I think I'll leave it till tomorrow to unpack, try to forget for one more night
that I'm back in my flat
On the road where I can't watch the sun set, I don't have time, I don't have time,

I've still got sand in my shoes and I can't shake the thought of you
I should get on, forget you but why would I want to?
I know we said goodbye, anything else would have been confused
But I want to see you again

Heero stared into space as he tried to contemplate the greeting card that rested in his hand. He resided in his apartment with the lights off. He had simply taken a bus ride around the colonly until the last stop where he then walked all the way back to the apartment complex. His head with jumbled up with thoughts of Relena and their last encounter before he left.

The sad look in her eyes would not leave his mind and it began to drive him up the wall, groaning he fell back on his back clutching his head in an attempt to drive the image of Relena out of his mind but to no avail. "I can't take this.....," Heero moaned tossing the card onto the ground. Had he become so human that he was actually beginning to think like a boy his age; lonely thinking of a girl that made an impression upon him?

Opening his eyes he stared up at the ceiling with a look of determination and confusion. His conscience was telling him to go and see Relena, as was his heart but his better judgment still functioned as though he was still the perfect soldier. Not attatched by anything and advised him not to see the girl otherwise she would jeperdize the mission. And Heero began to wonder, what mission?

Closing his eyes Heero clutched the sheets of his bed as thoughts of Relena bombarded him once again. Pulling his sheet around him Heero awaited sleep to claim him and carry him off to a place where Relena couldn't be found. He needed to rest and that's exactly what he was going to do. The only way to llive a good life is to act on your emotions. And done the complete opposite of his words. Forgive me Odin. As Heero was carried away by slumber the snow continued to fall outside his apartment window.

Duo lay awake in the bed with a slumbering Hilde up beside him, he stared outside the window at the heavy snow fall. He couldn't believe it had been a year since the last time he had since his friend Heero. He was eighteen now, and much taller. Hilde couldn't believe he was still growing because she had stopped when she turned 16.

Duo, however wasn't surprised; he and the others were still young despite what they had gone through. Their minds had matured beyond their years but their bodies had yet to catch up with the mind. With a blink he looked down at the sleeping German girl beside him and smiled. Once upon a time she would have killed him, now she was a trusted and loyal friend to him, which he found strange. Then again there was no one stranger than Hilde Schbeiker except maybe Heero Yuy. "I wonder how everyone's doin'," He whispered to himself running a finger down Hilde's pink nose.

She was still recovering from the snow or rather slush ball fight she had pulled him into. He had hit her victoriously more times she had hit him but alas, she conquered him with a blow to the head giving him instant brain freeze (if such a thing his possible). Burrowing deeper into the covers Duo tucked his arms underneath his head with a sigh and closed his eyes awaiting sleep to claim him.

The next day the American was awakened by the sound of Hilde yawning as she climbed out of the bed. Cracking open one eye he watched the German girl stretch one of her arms out while the other straightened out the huge baggy undershirt he had lent her. Hilde turned to meet Duo's tried gaze with a smile, she laughed at the memory of Duo sneezing uncontrollably after he was hit with the soggy snowball she made as though he were alergic to sloshy snow itself.

"Hey Duo, glad to see your awake," Hilde greeted him cheerfully. Duo simply smiled as he lifted his head from the pillow positioning himself into an upright position, his legs were still covered my the layers of covers on the bed while the rest of his body remained uncovered. His hair was a matted mess and his face was less than greeting friendly. Hilde noticed it looked a bit smooshed after he burried his face into his pillow but she never pointed it out to him.

Duo igored the fact that she was watching him and climbed out of the bed with a sheepish grin on his face, he made his way across the room and out without so much as a word spoken between them. Hilde felt a bit invisible at that moment and began to wonder if she had done something to offend him. Staring out the window the German noticed the sky was hidden by a canvass of gray clouds and the snow was still falling down rather heavily.

Hilde began to notice a pattern between Duo and the snow; he would smile or smirk every once and awhile but it was very rare. It almost seemed as though he had something against the seasonal whether for reasons beyong her comprehension. Stepping out of the room she scanned the living room for the braided teenager but found no traces of him anywher in the area, he wasn't even in the kitchen. "He must be in the bathroom," Hilde said to herself.

The 18-year-old strode across the floor toward the bathroom door which was just a few inches away from their bedroom door. Sighing she knocked lightly on the door. There was a grunt from the inside indicating Duo was inside the bathroom, though it left Hilde's curiosity unsatisfied. "Duo are you alright?" The concern was evident in her voice. "Solo," He replied. Hilde drew away from the door slightly taken aback. What in the world did "Solo" mean? She thought just as the bathroom door opened. Duo stepped out of the bathroom looking awake and cleaner than he appeared when he first awoke from his sleep, he stared at Hilde with a thoughtful eyes before flowing past her and back into the bedroom.

But not before saying "Good morning Hilde!" To the bewildered German girl. Hilde stared at the open bedroom door in confusion as she made her way toward the bedroom door, peering inside the bedroom Hilde watched Duo pull a pair of faded black jeans up around is waist with his black Marvin the Martian sweatshirt over his head obcusring his sight completely. "Duo are you alright?" She asked. "Hai. Why Hilde?" Duo's response was muffled by the sweatshirst coming down from off his head and onto his shoulders.

Hilde shrugged hesitantly. "I dunno, you just seem down is all," Hilde responded quietly. Duo looked up at his friend and gave her a genuine smile before stepping out of the room with his wool slippers. "I'm alright Hilde, just pre-travel jitters," He responded. Hilde's Aquamarine eyes brigthened in releif as she watched the braided teenager enter the kitchen with a hungry look on his face. Duo headed over to the frige to see if there was any milk left to add to his instant warm cereal when the sound of telephone ringing caught his attention.

Uttering somethng under his breath Duo headed for the vidphone that was hung on the wall inside the kitchen with it's mim-screen above it. Picking the phone up an image appeared and Duo smiled more than he had over the last year. "Hi buddie how ya been? Have the colonies been treating you well?" Duo greeted the Latin American with a lopsided grin. Trowa just shrugged running a hand through his hair revealing his hidden eye for a breif moment before his abnomral bangs fell back in their place hidding it once again. His green eye stared at his happy-go-lucky friend for a moment in curiousty before he spoke.

"Have you gotten an invitation from Relena about a ski trip this up coming weekend?" Trowa asked with a hint of wonder in his voice. Duo turned his head toward the blue greeting card on the dinning tabel. "Hai, I did," The American replied returning his attention back to his tall friend. "Kinda werid dontcha think? Her craving our company now, after all these years?" Trowa pondered on the comment before he shrugged the thought off. "I appreciate the kind offer from the princess, but if you ask me its just some elaborate scheme of hers to get Heero to come down from space," Trowa yawned shifting in his seat.

Duo figured the silent young man was still in his PJs, he looked down at himself. He wasn't exactly wearing something suitable to go out in but at least it wasn't wearing his pajamas. "Probably. But I'm willing to give her the benifeient of the doubt. Relena's not a shallow person, so I figure she wants to see us all again." Trowa gave a roll of his eyes before looking away from his vidphone's screen for a moment. He stared at the front door of his trailer, he noticed the door knob was turning in a unsually hesitant way.

Placing the phone on the side he reached under his pillow (his vidphone his above his bed) and pulled out his gun. Ignoring Duo repeating 'what's wrong?' to him, Trowa slowly and silently advanced toward the door. He stopped just a few feet away from the door with his gun aimed ready to kill whomever wasn't some he knew. The door opened and in popped Catherine's head with an uncertain look in her pale blue eyes. Trowa immediately hid the gun behind him shoving the object into his pants covering it with his flannel shirt.

"Good morning Trowa, I brought you breakfast," Catherine smiled pleasantly to her friend. Trowa just blushed nodding in response, because on the outside he managed to keep his cool exterior but on the inside his heart was racing wildly like a stallion. "Thanks Cathy," Trowa responded sheepishly making his way back over to his bed. Once he stepped into view he was greeted by the face of a very annoyed Duo Maxwell.

Oops, was all that registered in Trowa's mind as he picked the phone back up. "I'm sorry Duo. False alarm," He said with a sigh. Duo scoffed but said nothing. "Anyways, do you plan on going on this ski-trip of Relenas?" Duo nodded with a second thought. "Sure am," He replied. "Are you?" Trowa gave his friend a half nod, Duo chuckled before looking over his shoulder. "Well I've gotta be on my way. My stomachs a'callin' and I can't keep it waiting long. Later Trowa!" Duo chimmed happily. Trowa nodded and hung up the phone.

Duo watched the screen go black before he placed the phone back into's it original place. He noticed Hilde was standing over the stove mixing the instant Oatmeal into the boliing water. "Hey you can always microwave that stuff Hilde," Duo pointed out. Hilde turned away from the stove for a breif moment sending a glare in the American's direction. Raising his hands in surrender Duo stepped out of the kitchen with a coy grin and headed toward the couch. Hilde returned to pouring the instant mix into boliing water with a look of worry in her eyes. The strange behavior Duo had been showing around her the moment the snowy whether began to develop had instantly faded when he spoke with Trowa, which she found strange.

Was there something about the Gundam pilots that provoked Duo's happier side to come out? She knew they were his friends but compared to the bond he shared with them, she knew them a whole lot better than they did. Didn't she? She lived with him during and after the war, which was a total of four or five years. He practically told her everything that was on his mind and beyond so why was it that whenever winter came around he became distant and she felt as though she didn't know him at all.

Then she remembered the word/name Duo had said to her when she knocked on the bathroom door. Solo......., The gears in Hilde's mind began to turn with possible ways to solve the complex puzzle which was her long haired friend. The name/word Solo must have been linked to his past, which would probably account for him not liking the snow. Or maybe your just being silly and Duo's is just having what we human's call, "a bad day". We all get 'em Hilde, Her mind scolded her.

Growling in frustration Hilde began to mix the instant Oatmeal around in the boling water. Her eyes shifted over to Duo who laided across the couch with his head proped up on the arm of the chair and his legs popped up on the other. She wanted to cry but it would draw too much attention to her so she decided to keep what she was feeling inside for as long as she could bear. Meanwhile Duo stared outside the living room window with a depressed expression as he counted the snowflakes that fell from the sky past the window. He had to do something to occupy his time while Hilde was making Breakfast for the both of them. He shivered involuntarily at the draft that seemed to have blown through the cracks of the front door. Damn winter, He thought angrily shutting his eyes.

Elsewhere in the snow riddled streets of the city inside a apartment Chang Wufei sat cross-legged on the ground with hands on his knees. Across from him resided a burning fire inside a fireplace, the flames danced around eachother warming the small building. The 18-year-old had decided to stay in the solitude of his apartment after parting ways with his friend Sally Po who had gone off to visit her home town.

His onyx eyes stared into the semi-darkness of his medium sized bedroom, he began to feel the sudden urge to give his friends a call. Despite what he had told Sally, he knew somewhere inside him there was a part of him wanted nothing but to hang around with the rest of the Gundam pilots, despite their status in strength or life. Sighing Wufei rose from his mediation knowing that there was no point in continuing for his mind was too cluttered to even concentrate. He stared at the fire as though he were in a hypnotic trance and began to remember the very little time he had spent with Nataku when she was alive.

He lowered his head in shame; he had at least wished he wasn't forced into marrying the girl, then at least maybe he would have been able to stay around her for more than two seconds. Then again it was her gloating that annoyed him the most. She would contantly tell him that she was the strongest of their clan and that no one could beat her. Of course once he was fed up with her pride and constant gloating, he soon proved to her that she not the strongest after all.

Wufei blinked back nostalgic tears as he made his way out of his bedroom. The Chinese teenager stared into the dimly lighted room wondering if he should at least get a pet to keep him company in the absense of Sally. Sighing Wufei headed over to the couch and flopped down, he sank down slightly from impact. Picking up the remote beside him Wufei began to flick through the channels in attempt to kill time and keep himself entertained, he knew there was not a thing on the television because he had done this before retreating to his bedroom to mediate.

It be nice if someone would at least call me. Liberating me from self-bordem, Wufei thought tiredly turing the T.V. off. He tossed the remote onto the floor and began to undo his hair from the pony-tail he had put it into letting it free. He stared at himself in the reflection of the Teleivision. He always did think he looked strangely with his hair out because it reminded him of when he was younger...... when he had a family to be angry at. The young man gritted his teeth in annoyance at the weak thoughts he held within his mind before lying down on the couch.

"Has life lost all meaning to me?" Wufei whispered into the room. "Perhaps it has. I am alone after all." Wufei chuckled bitterly proceeding to close his eyes when the sound of ringing from his vidphone stopped him in his tracks. Rising from the couch he picked the phone up from it's cradle bringing it to his ear. "Yes?" He said tiredly staring into the now illuminated screen. Dorothy Catalonia greeted the mellow Chinese teenager with a sly smile, one of her trademarks. "Hello Wufei, I see your well and alive," The young woman chuckled.

Wufei gave her a weak glare which she shrugged off. "Dorothy what do you want?" Wufei grumbled running a hand through his hair. Dorothy raised a greeting card up to the screen so he could read the almost too-neat handwriting, Wufei scanned the card with questioning eyes before looking up at the woman in question. "A ski trip?" He said in disbelief. Dorothy just gave him a look that reflected the confusion in his eyes.

"Why would Relena want to drag us off into the mountains where there is more snow and cold than here?" Wufei yawned. "Because she just does, besides you look like you could get out," Dorothy implied sharply. Wufei blinked at her sudden change of attitude but said nothing about it. "When it is?" Wufei asked pretending to curious. Dorothy turned the card toward her with inquiring eyes then returned her attention back to the Chinese preventer. "This Saturday. Although she says everyone should arrive a day early to the Sanc Kingdom," Dorothy explained.

Wufei nodded, his curiosity was full aroused and interested. His looniness was cured, everyone he knew (excluding Sally) would probably be on this trip to the mountains. "So are you coming?" Dorothy asked curiously leaning in closer to the screen. Although she was nowhere in his area Wufei leaned back from the screen. "Hai, I am," Wufei replied dryly. "Now leave me alone." Dorothy smiled a friendly smile and the screen went black. Wufei smiled for the first time in weeks. I've got something do and someone to see. Wufei smirked triumphantly. He had cured himself of bordem.

Qautre watched Dorothy hang up and make her way over toward him with a smile. He blinked at her as she sauntered her way around his desk and onto his lap. He said nothing and returned to his paper work. Dorothy looked at the many mimi stacks of paper he had sorted as well as sighed concerning building two new colonies in the L1 and L5 points.

She began to wonder why he needed to sign that many papers just to give constructors permission to build a new colony in space let alone gather the neccessary parts and items for construction to start. Pulling the paper from his hand and placing it on the table, Dorothy leaned onto his shoulder with a sigh. "Dear Quatre, why must you work all day?" She asked in a mellow tone. "You hardly pay any attention to yours truly." Quatre stared into her pale blue eyes noticing a hint of loniness in them, chuckling he pintched her nose playfully and shrugged.

"I mean no offense to you Dorothy, I just have to finish everything my father left behind undone. So as soon as I'm done with this paper work I promise we'll do something together like you wanted," The young Arab teen explained. Dorothy smiled as best as she could before rising from his lap with a look of disappontment but she did her best to hide it.

"Well let me know when your done. I'd like to spend a little more time with you before we head off on this trip. You'll be busy talking with your fellow friends when we get to Sanc Kingdom, so hurry before then," Dorothy smiled and rushed out of the room in a hurry. Quatre felt like a heel for what he had said. He could sense that she was upset with is reply and tried to hide it from him. "I hope she doesn't think I'm ignoring her," Quatre said sadly.

He returned to sorting signing the contract papers. Outside the office Dorothy sat on the floor with her knees drawn up to her chest. Her skirt flowed around her onto the floor hiding everything but her sandaled feet. She sniffled whipping her face of the tears that fell from her eyes. She overheard what Quatre had said and began to think that was exactly what he was doing. Ignoring her. If you only knew Quatre, Dorothy's pale eyes closed and she rested her head on her knees.

"Jin where'd you run off to?!!" Bellowed Mariemaia storming into his doorm room. Jin however was oblivious to her cry, he laid in his bed out like a light. Mariemaia stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of a slumbering Jin under his covers, she noticed for the first time the strange look of his hair when the straighter part of it was unbraided. It was shoulder length and straight, while the top of his head was untamed much like Heero's hair.

It gave his face an entirely new character, sighing she flopped down onto the bed beside him scanning his bedroom floor; it was covered in puddles that had sank into the rug, his snow boots were wet and his jacket was hung up on the back of his chair. The back of the jacket was covered in melting snow.

It dawned on Mariemaia; he had went out obiviously which was why the note Relena had given her was missing. "He must have gone out to space," Mariemaia whispered looking down at the slumbering teenager. Smiling the 10-year-old girl laid across his bed tucking her arms underneath her head staring up at the ceiling with a wondering gaze paitently awaiting Jin to awaken from his sleep.

[TBC]