Chapter 5.5 (Hee!)

By

Uplifted

Milliardo leaned back in his chair and sighed. They had been arguing for a bit; Duo had already fallen asleep, snoring loudly in his comfortable chair. Relena had long since stopped talking. Her exhaustion was visible now. Hiro still glared, his hostility stemming from the blatent refusal to allow Hiro to leave. Hiro himself had little doubt that he couldn't escape; nothing could hold him for long. But the Professor was adamant in his staying at this Institution. If Treize wanted him, bullocks to the rest of the world. He was important enough to stay here.

"Please," the Professor said wearily, the argument taking a toll on his reserves. "I'm asking you, Hiro. Stay with us. Perhaps," he added wryly and a bit slyly, "we can do something about that memory problem of yours."

What happened next was too fast for anyone to see. Relena screamed as suddenly Hiro had pinned Professor Marquise with one gundanium claw to the jugular. The Professor coldly gazed back into the youth's hot temper, as Duo shot up with a yell from his nap. But Hiro's body was once again betraying him. What was that voice in his head? Why….why had he retracted his claws and stepped away, meek as a stupid little school girl?

"That's better, Mr. Yui." Prof's own mind reeled from the contact with Hiro's. It was so confused, so cluttered, that there was hardly any room for thoughts that weren't related to violence, or…

War. The thought made him shiver uncontrollably, and the air was filled with a thick tension.

"What just happened? What did you do to me?" demanded the indignant, animalistic mutant. Hiro's own fangs were bared, and his hair visibly stood on end at the presence of another in his mind. "What kind of mutant are you? What do you know about my past?" he demanded, his voice barely raised above a low, gutteral growl. Prof sighed, rubbing his temples to ease away the oncoming migraine. The images of brutality, Hiro's memories, had been black and white, fuzzy, as if something or someone was inhibiting his own mind. Prof shook his head, silvery hair flowing off his shoulder. His piercing gaze glared at the two before him, as if he had shaken off his own troubles and migraine in that shake of the head.

"Your questions will be answered in short time," he said to Hiro, "if you stay. Will you?"

Hiro turned his head, neither affirming, nor disaffirming his position. Relena gazed silently, her bones heavy with exhaustion still. Milliardo turned his head to look at her, though his gaze seemed to rest on the back of her chair, rather than herself.

"And you?" he asked in his gravelly voice.

"I'll need my father's approval," she said, staring at the phone on his desk. "Can I still call him?"

With a firm shake of the head, her silent hope was crushed. "Under no circumstances are you to be in contact with anyone from your old life. Treize is still alive; I can feel it. We need to keep you two safe. I will discreetly contact your father. You two need to focus on keeping yourself out of Treize's hands."

"I can keep myself free just fine." Hiro said with a backwards growl and a raising of claws. Milliardo failed to be intimidated from the threat, and instead he raised one of his own hands. The mental telepathy behind it seeped into Hiro's mind.

"You can only fight so many people at one time, Hiro Yui."

Hiro retracted his claws, and Relena stood from the chair she had been resting in. Duo, uncustomarily silent, walked them both out of the office, but not before Milliardo had called after them;

"Take them to the med lab. Get some tests run!"

: :

Relena was almost walking on Hiro's feet, she was so close behind them. The metallic halls reminded her so much of Treize's compound that she inadverdently clung to Hiro's shirt. Hiro subtly turned his head and continued following Duo. They were in the subbasement of the school and headed to the medical bay, where Hiro had heard about 'some tests.' He could only assume what that meant.

Duo was jovial, cheerful and jaunty down the hall, pushing various buttons. The doors would slide open, slide close, and Duo would be on his merry way. When they finally reached the actual door they were supposed to go through, Relena walked past it, assuming it to be another of Duo's open/shut acts.

"Okay!" he said with a loud cheer that rang off the walls. A blonde woman, two braids cascading off her shoulders, elegantly smiled tightly in annoyance at Duo's loudness.

"Hello. I'm Sally Po, resident mutant and doctor. Now, why don't you sit on this table here," she instructed Relena, who followed, albeit very cautiously. While Relena sat, Hiro watched and puzzled over his own thoughts. Duo amused himself further by Poufing himself all over the place.

Hiro snorted. An annoying power for an annoying mutant.

"Ah!"

Hiro's head whirled back to see Relena's face pale as Dr. Po drew a needle full of blood from her patient. Her blue eyes wide, Relena flinched away as the needle was withdrawn. Dr. Po smiled apologetically and went to the cabinets that lined the med lab.

"Candy?" Relena shook her head at the question (What was she, twelve?), then carefully applied a Band-aid taken from Dr. Po's offered hand and taped it on her upper arm. The doctor smiled, then looked with an appraising gaze to Hiro. She went over and began unwinding the bloody bandages. She gasped when the roll was completely off his arm. There was no mark!

"This is amazing! But…what about the other wounds? Would you please take off your shirt?" asked the doctor, who was running a hand over the formerly damaged area in wonder. With upraised eyebrows, Hiro took off his shirt and offered his side for viewing. There was no mark to be seen; the flesh was unmarred in any way. Relena found herself admiring the tanned, firm body before glimpsing something.

"Wait." she said, with more authority than she felt. She nimbly (at least as nimble as someone exhausted from physical exertion and blood loss can be) stepped off the table and walked over to her savior. When she stood in front of him, she had to look up to fully see his face. "Can…I…?" She moved her hands over the side of his body.

Feeling almost hypnotized by her touch, the feeling of neutrons and electrons gathering, he allowed her gentle hands to turn his lithe frame. He heard a collective gasp and gritted his teeth. Duo teleported just in time to see his shirt go flying back onto his frame. One of Relena's petite hands covered her mouth, and she motioned, as if to reach out to him. He glared sharply at her, and she fell back. Dr. Po was a bit more of an analyzer than the girl or Duo.

"Well, Mr. Mutant, those scars are pretty impressive. Must've taken at least a few dozen surgeries for that kind of scar tissue from a scalpel. And your healing factor doesn't help that, so…" She trailed off, her voice failing under the threatening blue force of his eyes. What kind of mutant was he?

"It's none of your business," he said quietly and walked out of the room. Relena and the rest watched, as with one swipe of his claws the casts that had previously covered his body were reduced to shreds and discarded on the floor.

"What'd I miss?" asked Duo, his face a cheery mixture of curiousity, seriousness and the usual happy-go-luck attitude that he seemed to wear like a cloak.. Relena wordlessly headed out of the room, following Hiro, no doubt. Sally smiled sympathetically at the braided boy as he mouthed in exasperation.

"Isn't anyone going to tell me anything?" he asked with a huff. Dr. Po quietly filled him in, as Relena followed Hiro's form out into the hallway.

Those scars, gouges, welts, had been repulsive, awful even, to look at. The sight had shaken Relena to her caring core and brought out feelings of pity and gross curiosity, but the image had also aroused her compassion, the need to protect this strange individual who had protected her without a thought to himself.

Relena caught up to Hiro rather slowly, probably owing to the fact that he was striding with his long, sturdy legs through the hallways back to his own room. Silently, the girl was amazed that he knew where they were; such an intricate puzzle of hallways and the like she had only seen at Treize's compound.

Her quiet footsteps were the only sound in the entire hall; his footfalls were silent, a cat's wary tread through unfamiliar territory. He neither acknowledged her, nor sent her off. His fury radiated away from his tense body, and she found herself placing a gentle, pacifying hand on his shoulder.

Instantly she regretted it. He whirled, turning on her. His eyes had changed; before a dark blue had stared, now a stark and frightening gold glared at her. His claws extended, and his hair stood on end, flaring away from their original resting place. Frightened, she stepped back with a small gasp of surprise. At the unexpected sound, Hiro visibly deflated away from his threatening posture. But he stared at her solemnly. She could read neither dislike, nor animosity in his eyes, and that cheered her enough to actually speak through tightened vocal cords.

"Are- Are you all right?" Her voice came out squeaky, and she inwardly grimaced and rubbed her throat, trying to sound more mature, confidant.

Hiro raised an eyebrow carefully, watching the girl rub her throat. He was sorry to have turned on her. But his bestiality, the worst 'gift' those bastards had ever given him, was rising. Maybe his memories were coming back, maybe it was just the presence of this girl, but his control was slipping. And around her, he would let nothing slip.

"I mean," he turned his thoughts back to her as she continued talking, "I never really thanked you for saving my life."

She received a grunt for her troubles, though he was still watching her intently. A little too intently. She held her breath as he leaned closer. Her breath froze as his cheek pressed against hers. But the words were the ones that fell like ice around her heart.

"I will kill you."

Her face paled, and she stared at him seriously. Before she could react, he was already walking away from her. He regretted the words. They rang in his ears now, over and over, with a ringing finality. But it was true. If she kept wandering back to him, he would probably kill her if his beast took over. His emotions were something he had been told to follow but now they were holding him back from having a semi-normal life.

Relena continued to follow him and apart but together, the two walked back to the rooms they had occupied. Unfortunately, these rooms were joined.

: :

Meanwhile, back in the Medical Lab, one doctor had already sent a weary Duo away after he had significantly depleted her candy stock. Some of the mutants at the academy were young, no older than twelve. Sometimes candy helped persuade the older ones too to submit to her ministrations. But nothing could make that insufferable Wufei Chang be treated by a woman. It frustrated her to no end that a mutant with such a hard head was constantly in trouble and refused to be tended to by her. Sighing, she stood up from her desk and went to examine the sample of blood she had gathered from one Relena Dorlian. The DNA had matched perfectly, the weight, height all the schematics. But something was wrong…

Watching carefully, she tapped a few drops of blood onto the slim glass pieces used with microscopes. Bending over and focusing on the small droplets, she watched intently. If her suspicions were correct…

The blood was still warm, still alive, to some degree. As she watched the small molecules, blood vessels and proteins in the blood, she used her computer to extract the DNA from the blood. Shortly, a double helix flashed onto her computer monitor. Mentally tracing which gene was dominant and which recessive, she dropped the pen she had been holding.

Honestly astonished, Dr. Po stared at the screen, watching as the separate genes flashed, one by one, then disappeared into the blank abyss that was her computer's memory.

The last remaining gene was the one that she needed. It flashed once, but stayed there. Hurriedly, Sally saved the information to a disk and left. In her hurry, she forgot to log off the computer, or to at least lock it so that none could see the private information. As she left, the door hissing behind her, a dark shadow detached itself from the ceiling and vaulted to the ground.

: :

Whatever information Sally had gleaned from Relena's blood, the girl wasn't told, and she was woken the next morning by Duo, who waltzed into the room as if he owned it and continued to create such a loud noise that Hiro came in through the door to glare and scowl. But not even Hiro's Glare of Death could make the braided teenager falter now. Relena, who had fallen on her bed and slept fitfully the night before, groaned.

"Duo…what're you doing in here?" The boy in question raised an ear-splitting grin for her, and even though it was six in the morning, she couldn't resist giving him a small smile in return.

"Here you go, Relena!" And with a flourish of the hand, he dumped a load of clothes onto her bed. She was so shocked at the sudden array of colors and short skirts that she simply gaped at him. Hiro watched from the corner, arms crossed, as he leaned against the wall. His raised eyebrows displayed his contempt at Duo's choice of rather…revealing…outfits.

"What is all this stuff, Duo?" she asked, poking a beautiful yellow halter top. She stared at it in a dream almost. Her father had never allowed her to wear jeans, much less a skirt shorter than her knees. But in Europe, in her father's house, things were a bit different. She clutched the shirt to her face to hide her sudden homesickness, but Duo didn't notice. She didn't know if Hiro did, and his disturbing comment had chilled her. She didn't dare look to his shadowy form. If she had to, she would have admit that she found his presence comforting. And the fact that he said he would kill her? Though it scared her, she didn't think he could go through with it.

"It's school stuff! Today, you start as an official Institute Student!" He was happy for her, and she smiled back. But the apprehension in her face must have been noticed because he continued, "Don't worry, everyone will love you here. Acceptance isn't easy, but it's a lot better than going to a non-mutant school and trying to hide what you are." But the problem with his statement? She didn't know what she was trying to hide.

"I've never been to a public school," she admitted with a blush, and his hearty laugh reassured her. "No worries Rel. You'll like it here. Some of us already like you!" he said with a charmingly goofy grin that she found hard to ignore. As Relena turned her back from Duo to eye her selection, the teleporter glanced in Hiro's direction sharply. Hiro neglected to notice the hostility in the gaze, but he mentally sighed. Obviously his treatment of the girl had been noticed, but it couldn't be prevented. They had to stay away from him. He was…dangerous.

"All right Rel!" Duo said with a whoop and a cheer as she emerged from her bathroom clad in an outfit from her new clothes. Her very first pair of jeans with a white, silky peasant top, white sandals, and her cornsilk hair brushed to a static perfection gave her a pretty, clean look that reflected in her pose and attitude. She looked shyly at the boys in her room, then glanced at the electric alarm clock on her bedstand. What time had Duo told her that school started?

"Duo, when does school start?"

"Ah! It started five minutes ago!

"DUO!"Relena yelled with horror. Late on the first day? Seeing that both of his guests were clothed, Hiro in baggy blue jeans and a tight black shirt that he had found in his closet, Relena in her selected ensemble, he pushed both would-be students out the door.

"Here we go!"

Aw, crap. Maxwell was here today.

Howard glanced up from attendance to watch, under dark sunglasses, the teleporter, well, teleport, into the room. The two new students used the conventional means of arriving to a class; namely, the door. Howard watched as Duo, sheepish now that the class was giggling at his arrival, made his way to the front, along with a pretty girl with blonde hair and a surly boy with flyaway dark hair.

"Well Duo, I see you're actually here today, instead of sleeping."

The class laughed at the teacher's comment, remembering a previous time when Duo, late as usual, had accidentally teleported before getting out of his pajamas. Duo still smarted from landing on the desk that time.

"But who are these newcomers? Students, I hope?" Howard questioned in his genial way.

"Yup!" Duo said with a newfound smile slipping onto his face in the form of a grin. It was a wicked one, and it showed. He stood at the front with Relena and Hiro. Relena looked nervously at the people, but kept her head up, straight and proud. Several boys whistled then, and she flushed. She had only attended all girls schools previously. This new school was co-ed and run by mutants, for mutants? If there was one more thing to add, it would be the piece of straw on the camel's back. Seeing her nervousness, Duo grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. Relena smiled at her rescuer before letting his hand drop and raising her chin.

"I'm Relena, uh," She faltered as she wondered if she should use her last name. But many of the students had previously faced such a dilema; in such a world, mutants were now going nameless in the preference to save their families from the prejudice that involved mutants. She smiled to make up for the last-name-stumble, and continued. "I'm sixteen and previously attended a private school for girls." As several people clapped, she smiled brightly and failed to notice someone glowering at her from the middle of the classroom. Hiro did though and got up from the wall he was leaning against to stand. Although slightly stunted, he was an impressive figure with his muscles coming into full view with the black shirt.

"Hiro Yui. It's a pleasure." His montonous face betrayed otherwise, and his eyes darted over the students. Despite the cold chill that prevaded the room with his words, several girls were already eyeing Mr. Yui.

"Well, Mr. Yui, Ms. Relena, it's good to have you here. I'm called Howard, and this is Intermediate class for those with a mutation of the X-gene, commonly called mutants." He rubbed his partially bald head and ruefully chuckled. The class muttered and giggled. "But you learn about your genetics in biology. I deal with training your powers so you're not overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught that they may give you. Depending on your age, gender and power, I'll set you up into groups. Those with experience, please help those younger ones. I know it's difficult. I went through something like what you're going through," and he displayed his right arm, which neither Hiro or Relena had seen previously. It was covered in metal and circuits, a sort of bio-limb. "I can create any type of machinery. I lost my arm in 'Nam, and I created my own biomechanical arm. Works better than the old one too." For display, he crushed a soda can, set there for that purpose. It deflated like a popped balloon under the pressure.

The entire class oohed and ahhed at the display, while Relena and Hiro simply waited for the promised groups to be assigned. Relena secretly hoped to be with Hiro, while Hiro simply wanted out of the class. What could they teach him about himself that he didn't already know?

"Alright, Ms. Hilde, you partner with the Ms. Relena? Hiro, you can work with Mr. Winner." Quatre's father was an adamant hater of the Mutant Registration Act, proposed in Congress, that would force every mutant to enter a list. Of course, mutants on the lists disappeared who were already registered, and those who didn't comply were hunted down. It was better to remain unknown in this war, but many were finding it too hard to remain passive as moer curelties were forced on the mutant race. Quatre's father openly opposed many of these atrocities, and bankrolled the Institute, for which Milliardo was eternally grateful.

Hilde, a girl with bouncy short hair, and an oddly grim face, motioned for Relena to follow her to a secluded corner, while Hiro and Quatre sized each other up. The tactitian in Quatre was fierce, almost as fierce as the beast in Hiro. The two nodded, and Quatre offered a soft smile. Then the testing began. Other pairs laughed as plants grew out of no where, objects floated, colors flashed, and sounds crashed against each other. It was almost hurricane like, and Hiro enjoyed none of it. He focussed instead on Quatre and his quiet meditation. Abrubtly, Quatre enveloped himself in an energy sphere. He levitated the ball of energy out of Hiro's reach, and the feral mutant watched warily as Quatre's ball emitted startling noises. Lightning energy descended out of the ball, and Quatre gritted his teeth to keep his control stable over every atom of energy. Hiro watched in slight surprise on his countenance at the display. The blonde boy had never tried this before, and it would come in handy in the next battle.

Relena, meanwhile, was having a generally awful time. The girl, Hilde, had done nothing but glare, and throw an occasional ball of color and light at her, which Relena quickly avoided. Finally, Hilde hissed, "Why aren't you using your powers? Think you're too good? Think you're better?" Her furious face smirked suddenly. They were too close for Relena to step away, as, almost in slow motion, a firecracker of luminous colors and heat burned in Hilde's outstretched hand. The wicked smile was reflected in her eyes, and Relena anxiously ducked as Hilde threw the ball towards her.

"Watch out!" Someone called, as Hilde's 'cracker bounced around the room, before exploding in a powerful arc of heat, flames, and color. Several people screamed, and Quatre's energy encompassing power saved them all by enveloping the power in his bubble. The lightning retracted into his sphere, but the damage had been done. Small fires had erupted throughout the room, and Hiro's keen eyes had already looked for those who were injuried. But as he turned to the person he was really looking for.…

"Relena!"

TBC

Eh….I'm sorry? Laughs This has been the best cliffhanger I've written, as of yet! I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, and I'm sorry for the lateness! Well, let's see. I've included Milli, Hilde, and Hiro, so that was last chapter's sneak peek! Here's the next chapter:

What's happened to Relena? Why was Hilde so angry? Does Trowa like Hiro! And…Relenas WHAT!

Find out in the next exhilerating installment of:

Passions!

THANKS TO ALL WHO REVIEWED! 3 I LOVE YOU!