Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. ^-^

Back To Zero

a 1xR, 3xR fanfic by Ines kanoyan

Romance/Drama

Chapter 3: Out of my league

Three years had passed since Trowa had been assigned as head of Relena's personal security. He had decided to leave the L3 colony and the circus troupe to ensure Relena wouldn't do anything out of control. Yes, it had been three years since Heero's plane had crashed into the ocean and out of Relena's life but only physically.

She had managed to appear as if she had really accepted his death peacefully, but, being her personal body guard and not too long her closest confidante, Trowa knows just how things were tough for her. He had said that he would protect her in his own way. All of them (Gundam pilots) had been terribly worried about how she would take Heero's death, but Trowa felt that he was the man who could be around for her. The other guys had all said that they would continue looking for him in-between their personal commitments and someone ought to be by her side, Trowa had volunteered to do the job.

Since the world and the colonies were technically in peace and the vice-foreign minister had gained enough respect and love from the people, Trowa's job involved less of protecting Relena but more of accompanying her and sharing conversations with her.

Relena emerged out of the conference hall after all of the officials had left. "At last!" she said, as she let out a sigh of relief.

Trowa approached her at once, taking her bag and several folders from her arms.

"Thanks," she said with a smile. "Would you believe it? That was the last meeting I have for the rest of this month!"

"Yeah, hard to imagine, you're getting more time to spare to sleep." Trowa commented.

As the relationship between the colonies and the Earth develop into a more harmonious one, Relena's job as a diplomat had become less and less tedious and hectic. She used to have a hard time managing her schedule with all the meetings, conferences and events in which she has to give out speeches or have a talk about her Mars Terraforming project. But, now after 8 years had passed seems like Relena will have a chance to live a more normal and less hectic life.

Relena frowned, as she realized Trowa was teasing her. He was his usual serious face but he managed to grin playfully as he teased her. Yes, they have become relatively close to be able to joke about each other.

"Is that so?" Relena said, as she lunged into Trowa and managed to pull his famous side swept bangs.

"Ouch!" Trowa cried as Relena immediately moved out of his reach.

She smiled naughtily as she walked away from him.

'She had won again.' Trowa thought as he followed her onto her waiting limo.

it's her hair and her eyes today
that just simply take me away
and the feeling that I'm falling further in love
makes me shiver but in a good way

Relena sat beside the driver's seat as Trowa placed her stuff onto the back of the car. He then moved to sit beside the blond girl by the driver's seat. Relena was still smiling naughtily at him but in a defensive pose as if anticipating his revenge.

When she noticed that Trowa was in no mood to get back at her, she moved closer to him and said, "Okay. I'm sorry. I know you hate it when I touch your hair. But, you're the one who joked about me sleeping a lot."

"Why isn't it true Miss Peacecraft? When you don't have anything scheduled you do nothing but sleep, remember when you had slept for three days straight?"

"Yeah, yeah,"

Trowa chuckled heartily. Relena was starting to get pissed off again.

"Okay so shall we head home so you can go back to sleep?"

"Nah!" was Relena's quick reply.

"So where are we going?" Trowa asked, surprised. Relena seldom had other destinations except for her mansion or the places where she's scheduled for meetings. It's always work-home-work for her.

"We'll drop by Easton University."

"Easton University?"

"Yup. I've told you before I want to go back to school, right? Now, that my schedule's way too light, I think I can manage to enrol for a graduate degree in a regular university." Relena explained. "I've always wanted to attend a class with classmates."

Trowa smiled to himself. He felt relieved upon hearing Relena's intention of getting into a university. It had been Quatre who had influenced her to get a graduate degree. Quatre, himself enrolled in university in his home colony to get a graduate degree in business management. He had told Trowa that it might be a good idea for Relena to take a program in political science to help her with her work as a diplomat and also to take her off into oversleeping as a result of her depression after Heero had been missing.

Yes, sleep had been Relena's escape into the reality of Heero's loss. She wouldn't admit it but all of them know, especially Noin, that this was Relena's defence mechanism.

As they arrived at the admission office, Relena immediately went inside to ask for the necessary papers to be filled up. As one of the staff handed her the papers and instructed her to fill them up at the table across the office, Trowa sat across her and watched as she excitedly accomplished the forms.

all the times I have sat and stared
as she thoughtfully thumbs through her hair
and she purses her lips, bats her eyes as she plays,
with me sitting there slack-jawed and nothing to say

He was mesmerized by her again. She looked so simple and naïve as she slowly filled up the boxes with the letters of her name. Trowa was in a trance again. He often was, whenever Relena was in a meeting and he stood there and watched her talk to other officials; he found himself drawn to her strength which he found not dominating but mild and soothing. He had never imagined himself to be so fascinated with her. Although, back then he knew that she must have something special in her to draw the attention of the serious and goal-oriented Heero Yuy. Now, he was rediscovering her for himself. How she manages to maintain her grace and elegance amidst the tension of arguments and the heat of misunderstandings, how she remains simple and humble despite being surrounded by dominant and chauvinistic politicians and rulers and how she is able to effortlessly make him smile by just simply sitting or standing in front of him.

coz I love her with all that I am
and my voice shakes along with my hands
coz she's all that I see and she's all that I need
and I'm out of my league once again

Ever since, he had a soft-spot for women. It broke his heart to see women suffering and being hurt back then in the cruel time that was war. And when he had learned that Catherine was actually his real sister, he had found it easier to relate with women than the other Gundam pilots. He had been a real girl magnet, for he was a true gentleman and he made it a point to be always considerate and caring for women; not to mention his perfectly chiselled body and his tall and lean physique and of course those emerald green eyes. And yet, his commitment to being a gentleman became a hindrance for him to really get into a relationship for he never took advantage of the girls who tried to take advantage of him. Or maybe he hasn't just found that lady whom he could really commit himself into.

He promised to himself that the lady he would take care and respect that special lady he would give his heart. He would win her by the gentle touches of his affection and the strength of the intensity and loyalty of his love.

This would have been easy if it had been an ordinary girl. But, Trowa found himself falling for the person who had fallen in love with someone as deeply as he had been with her.

it's a masterful melody when she calls out my name to me
as the world spins around her

She laughs, rolls her eyes and

I feel like I'm falling but it's no surprise

"Trowa? Trowa!"

Trowa snapped out of his reverie as Relena tapped his shoulder and waved her hands close to his face for him to notice her.

"What?" he said, as he stood up from the chair, catching the way Relena had smile at him from his apparent absent-mindedness.

"Daydreaming again, huh?" she teased, as she held onto his wrist to pull him out with her towards the car. He had been lost in his thoughts long enough for Relena to finish filling out her admission papers. Her touch electrified him, though she often touches her and even hugs her on some instances, which he knew were nothing to her, he couldn't help but react to it. The simple brushing of their hands, a small peck on the cheek, and even when she would play with his hair to tease him, makes Trowa understand the feeling of having butterflies in one's stomach. It was how Relena had affected him throughout the years he had been close to her.

coz I love her with all that I am
and my voice shakes along with my hands
cause it's frightening to be swimming in this strange sea
but I'd rather be here than on land
yes she's all that I see and she's all that I need
and I'm out of my league once again

He smiled as he got into the car to drive her back to her mansion.

"So, how have you been?" Quatre asked, as he watched the waitress pour out his freshly brewed coffee.

"Pretty much the same," Trowa replied before taking a sip from his cold orange juice. "I'm thinking of taking few short courses on painting since Relena's in school."

"Yeah, she's really excited going back to school; it was really a good idea to convince her about it, huh."

Trowa nodded seriously as he looked outside of the window of the coffee shop. He was thinking about Relena's fast-approaching 23rd birthday.

Quatre seemed to notice his friend's sudden silence and felt the urge to nudge him to open up to him. "What's the matter?" he asked.

Trowa was a bit startled as he hadn't felt Quatre would sense his absent-mindedness. "Nothing, I was just thinking of her."

When he said, 'her', Quatre immediately knew who he was talking about. It wasn't a secret to Quatre how Trowa feels about Relena. They weren't the closest Gundam pilots for nothing, in fact, even before Trowa admitted to himself that he actually liked Relena, Quatre had known it.

"Why don't you tell her how you feel." he suggested as he smiled.

Trowa's eyes widened in surprise or perhaps in fear that somebody might hear. It was a top secret after all. "What are you saying?"

Quatre smiled playfully seeing how Trowa was blushing wildly. "Why? What's wrong with confessing your feelings to the girl you love?"

Trowa sighed. "Quit that out, that's not what I'm thinking about. Her birthday's next week, I haven't bought her a present yet."

"I'll tell you what the perfect present would be,"

Trowa looked at him quizzically, waiting for his reply.

"Your love."

Trowa rolled his eyes as he sighed. Quatre was beginning to sound like Duo. He wondered whether they've been together lately.

Quatre, seeing Trowa's reaction, said, "It has been three years since Heero's been missing. Yes, we all hope he will be back someday and still find it hard to accept that he'll die in a plane crash but nobody can deny the fact that you're in love with Relena. You both deserve a chance."

"I don't know," Trowa sighed as he contemplated about Quatre's words.

Relena sat by the window of the coffee shop just across the main entrance of the Easton University. She was too excited to go back to school and to the normal life of a 22-year old girl that she found it hard to sleep last night. She bought a condominium unit just three blocks away from the Easton University campus. It would be too tiring and too costly to travel all the way back to her mansion at the Cinq Kingdom when her school is on a different country. Milliardo and Noin were in full support of her decision to go back to school and so she found it easy to convince them to allow her to live on her own. But, still her bodyguard would have to stay close to her and so, Trowa had to occupy the unit just below Relena's floor to ensure of her safety. Trowa in his three years of serving as Relena's bodyguard has managed to gain the trust and respect of Milliardo. Milliardo admired the way Trowa had been a real gentleman and a true friend to his sister that deep in his heart, he was considering Trowa for Relena.

There's still an hour and a half before her first class and so Relena took her time munching on some doughnuts as she gazed out into the huge gates of the university. She was busy gulping her freshly brewed coffee when her attention shifted to a person going out of the bus in front of the gate. The sight was all too familiar to her-that dishevelled brown hair, that lean, muscular built and when his face was revealed to her, there can be no doubt as to who that person was!

In seconds, Relena was on her feet hurrying outside the door of the coffee shop and across the street. She can't be mistaken, he has to be. When he looked at the exact same spot where she has seen him settle in, there was no trace of him. She looked sideways and even peeked inside the university gates but still no sign of him. She was beginning to look like a mad woman searching for no one. When she turned to look across the street, right by the coffee shop window, he stood. He was waving his hand calling for a taxi cab!

"Heero!" she cried, as she hurriedly crossed the street despite the go signal on.

But, the man whom he called Heero didn't even budge or react to her cry. And before Relena could get close to him, he was inside a taxi cab to the opposite direction.

Car horns sounded loudly as Relena stood at the center of the busy street, her feet froze as she saw Heero speeding off to the opposite direction.

"Hey!" a man inside a truck cried. "If you don't get your butt off I'll be forced to run over you!"

But, Relena was like a statue amidst the busy street.

Just when a speeding car was about to run over her, strong arms carried her off in a swift motion.

Trowa placed her down on a bench near the street sidewalk.

"What were you doing standing in the middle of an intersection?" Trowa asked her worriedly.

Relena's heart was beating in the rate as fast as the speed of light. She was having a hard time composing herself. Trowa brushed of strand of hair that scattered all over her face. She held his hand and spoke, "I saw him,"

"Who?" he asked, starting to get really worried.

"Heero… he's back!"

And with that, Relena lost her consciousness and fell into Trowa's arms.

-to be continued-

song used: Out of my league by Stephen Speaks

A/N: So, here's the 3xR chapter. Hope you like it. More to come, but this time Heero's back so more triangle action for you. And watch out for the big twist to come! Please review! Did I tell you that I so love reading long reviews? I envy those fics wherein the reviews are really, really long, so don't be shy-REVIEW!