Ch. 2 Understanding

Heero just starred at the skull, while the skull stared back. Heero had seen this shirt before but he didn't know where. Suddenly Heero felt something surge through his entire body. He knew now where he had seen this symbol before and now he understood his purpose. He needed to go pack and then he would need to get a car, no a truck, it would have to carry a large load. But first he needed to write his Declaration of Intent.

He was driving along Main St. looking for a specific building, it had been years since his mentor, Odin, had showed him the building but things were starting to look familiar. Then he saw it: the newly rebuilt Maxwell Church. He parked the truck just in front of the large wooden doors. He got out of the truck making sure to lock it and grabbed the shirt.

He opened one of the doors and found an almost empty church. It was about noon so there was nobody else inside the church except for the priest cleaning up after a sermon when he noticed Heero. He was elderly, with a gray hair and matching beard and wire-frame glasses.

"Well, hello to you young sir," He spoke in a thick Irish accent. "I'm Father Mulcahy."

"Heero Yuy." He said, it was short and to the point.

Father Mulcahy nodded and smiled, "So, what can I do for you?"

Heero unfolded the shirt and held it up so the priest could see it.

Father Mulcahy's smiled faded, "Oh dear," he said. "Wait here for a moment." He walked quickly to Heero's right and went through a door. He reappeared a little later with a lantern. "You might want to follow me."

He went to the opposite side of the church to a small door and waited until Heero was beside him before opening the door to reveal a narrow staircase leading downwards. Father Mulcahy turned the lantern on and said, "Watch your step."

After following the stairs for some time the eventually reached the basement. "It's an old bomb shelter," explained Father Mulcahy. "That's how it was able to survive the war."

He led Heero to a large crate covered by a sheet. When the sheet was removed the box was painted olive drab and labeled U.S. Military. Heero opened the crate to reveal a very large arsenal, from pistols to assault rifles, to shotguns to high explosives. On top the weapons, however, was a black Kevlar flak jacket. Heero picked it up and turned it over and on the front was another angry looking skull. This one was very faded, however. 'I'll have to do something about that,' he thought. He set armor down and began sifting through the weapons and somewhat organizing them.

Finally Father Mulcahy spoke for the first time since they came down here. "So, I assume you will become the next one?"

Heero stopped as he pulled out one of the pistols, it was a M1911A1 otherwise known as a Colt .45

"Yes." He answered plainly.

"In that case," he said. "God be with you."

Heero stopped just as he was about to put a fresh magazine in the pistol. He thought about this for a moment. He had once said that he didn't believe in God but last night, when he saved those people, he felt something, something different, something he had never felt before, it was the similar to what he felt when he was inside the mausoleum, it had felt like someone was there, comforting him.

Finally Heero answered, "We'll just see what God has in stored for me." Then he rammed the magazine into the pistol and pulled back on the slide, chambering the first round.

City Hall, Downtown New York, Monday morning, December 25th, Christmas, 7:00 a.m.

Relena had been lent an office so she could do her work. However, she found herself glancing towards the clock, very often too.

"Heero," she breathed. He was not only a half-hour late but it was the first time that he had ever been late, in fact he usually comes in early.

"Heero," she breathed again.

She shook her head trying to dispel the thoughts constantly entering and exiting her mind. She was with Trowa now, they were going to get married next June and start a family. Besides, Heero had made it perfectly clear that he had no emotional attachments to her whatsoever. Still, she missed him being beside her, protecting her or at least listening to what she had to say. Now, without him, she felt somewhat lonely.

Suddenly, she heard a loud engine approach the building, stop, and turned off. Relena stood up, went to the window, pull back the blinds, and looked towards the parking lot. She saw an all black, muscle car park directly under her and was a bit surprised when Heero stepped out of the driver's seat. He was dressed in all black, from his black fatigues to his black leather trench coat. The only thing that wasn't completely black was his shirt, which adorned a white skull.

He entered the building just as Relena sat down; he made his way towards her office, and ignored the glances he got from other people in the building until he finally reached her office. He took a deep breath and prepared himself for what he was about do. He placed his hand on the doorknob, turned it, pushed open the door… and there she was.

She looked up from her paperwork and smiled. God, that smile, it almost brought him to his knees but Heero managed keep his composure.

"Hello, Heero," she said. "You know you're a little late."

"Hn," was his only response as he put his hands in the pockets of his trench coat.

He took another deep breath and took a couple of steps until he was just in front of her desk. He slipped his right hand out of his pocket, reached inside his coat, pulled out a white envelope and handed it to Relena.

Her smiled faded a bit as she took the letter from his hand, "What's this?" she asked, starring at the letter.

"My letter of resignation," he said. "I'm leaving, today."

Relena's smile was completely gone by this revelation and was replaced with her mouth slightly open due to the shock of Heero leaving. So many words entered her mind as she frantically tried to put a sentence together but only one word escaped her lips,

"Why?" she asked.

"I can't stay here," he said. "There's something I have to do. Something I should have done a long time ago." With that he turned and left, never once looking back.

He was just about to leave when he heard a familiar voice speak, "Hey, Heero. I missed you at the party last night."

Heero turned to face his friend. "Duo." He stated plainly. He turned back to leave but Duo called out to him before he could.

"Heero, wait," he said. "Were are you going?" "I'm leaving." Heero said. "And I'm never coming back." He began to move towards the exit.

Duo thought for a moment then asked, "What should I tell the others?"

Heero stopped, sighed then turned around to face him, "Duo," He looked down at the floor, looked back up and said, "Duo you're my best friend and I wish you and Hilde all the happiness in the world. The same goes for Wufei and Sally, and Quatre and Dorothy."

"And what about Trowa and Relena?" Duo asked. Heero clenched his fists in anger and said, "Tell Trowa to watch his back," Heero said. "Because you never now when a friend is going to stab it." With that said he turned and left the building.