Heero chuckled to himself, as he listened to the two of them bicker and drifted off into sleep for the short drive to the apartment complex where Hilde and Duo lived.
Somewhere I Belong
Chapter 2
Unexpected Action
By: Miguela
Heero awoke to someone shaking him again, and again it was Duo. He was still in the back of the Toyota, lying across the whole length of the back seat, with Duo shaking his shoulder from the front seat.
"Hey man, time to wake up," he said cheerfully, smiling brightly. "We're home."
Heero sat up slowly, feeling his back crack and his head pound. He touched the wound gingerly, to find that bandages had been bound around it to stop the blood flow. His hair was caked with blood, though it was crusty and dried, which was better than wet blood in his book. He was still dizzy but it was minimal.
He slid out of the car, making sure not to hit his head on the way out – that just would be spiteful – as Duo held out his hand. Heero pushed it away, held on to the door of the car and helped himself stand.
"I can walk on my own Duo," he said sternly. He stood up straight and noticed that he had grown a good head taller than the Deathscythe pilot. He glared at him, when he again tried to protest to his moving on his own.
Finally, the braided pilot just shook his head. "Still as stubborn as ever and still have that really nasty glare," he commented, placing a hand on the back of his head. "You really haven't changed at all over four years, have you?"
"I could say the same about you," he shot back, stepping slowly so as not to lose his balance and fall flat on his face. Wouldn't that just be lovely? A lt. commander falling flat on his face because of some stupid concussion; he would never be able to live that one down.
"Really?" Duo asked in excitement. "I would've thought that I had grown more mature."
Heero snorted. "If anything, you've gotten even more immature," he replied. He edged his way along the car to the brick building, where he used it for support.
Duo cried out in outrage, "Yeah? Well, you're still that cold hearted bastard that I met five years ago."
"Better believe it," he muttered, though a smirk was beginning to creep over his lips.
Duo's jaw dropped. "Do I see what I think I see?" he asked in disbelief. "Is that a smile I see on the perfect soldier's face?"
He glared. "Would you prefer if I held a gun to your head?" he demanded, angry more with himself than his fellow pilot as his vision shifted and he leaned heavily on the wall. As hard as I was for him to accept help from anyone, he would have to ask Duo to help him, as he was getting nauseous again.
"Naw man, I'm just glad to see that you changed for the better, is all," he corrected. Duo must've sensed that there was something a miss with his friend as he slid slightly down the brick wall. "I think that you need a hand, man," he said, and Heero felt an arm slide around his waist, supporting him as his knees became weak. Heero said nothing to this, just accepted the aid of his friend. "You really have changed," Duo muttered in amazement. "Five years ago, you would've shoved me off by now and carried on by yourself."
Heero groaned. "Whatever."
Heero allowed Duo to assist him inside the building and as far as the apartment door. As the two of them walked down the halls towards Duo and Hilde's residence, Heero could hear several neighbours show concern over his state. He heard them say to Duo that he should get a doctor to take a look at him, while others said to get the paramedic that lived on the fourth floor. Duo thanked them for their suggestions, but said that he knew of someone who would take care of him.
Heero was aware of someone taking his chin; the grip was firm but gentle. "He has a very bad concussion Duo," said an elderly lady. "You had better get him to lay down; he looks like he's about to black out."
"Yes Mrs. McFarland," Duo said and the hand removed itself from his chin. "I will, don't worry."
Finally, Heero felt himself being lowered down on a very comfortable mattress, the pillows fluffy and the quilt warm and hand stitched. "How's that pal?" Duo asked quietly. "I gotta go call Wufei and tell him what's happened."
"Why him?" Heero managed to ask, peeping an eye open.
"Because he knows the person I want to take a look at you," he replied smoothly, and walked out of the room, as Hilde came in with a glass of water in one hand and a first aid kit in the other.
"Mind if I take a look at that wound of yours?" she asked.
He shrugged. "Be my guest," he replied.
She removed the bandages, throwing them in the trashcan, then washed the wound thoroughly. She was gentle, almost as gentle as Relena had been when she stroked his hair and whispered that she loved him dearly in his ear. He remembered that she would touch him as if he were made of glass, the same way he would touch her.
Hilde told him of the times that Duo would take her out to dinner, hoping that he and Relena would be there, though they never were. She said how she missed seeing him around and how depressed Duo was after he left. He had the sneaking suspicion that she had wanted to tend him so that she could make him feel bad for leaving.
Thankfully, Duo soon returned, portable phone in hand. "He asked to speak to you," he said simply. "Probably to prove that you really are here; I guess I played too many jokes on him."
Heero smiled inwardly, though remained calm and stoic on the outside. He sat up slowly to avoid feeling really dizzy, and took the portable phone from his friend. "Hello?"
"So you are there Yuy," came Wufei's smooth voice from over the line.
"Yes Chang, I am here," he said, rolling his eyes despite his intention not too. "And my name is Lee Kodora; Heero Yuy was just a code name."
"Whatever," replied Wufei, "but back to business: what happened to you? Maxwell mentioned that they found you unconscious in an alley."
"Yeah, those same guys who tried to assassinate Relena came to meet me at the shuttle port and give me a warning," he said, looking around for his laptop case, and found it on the night table. "They warned that the Gundam Pilots have 24 hours to surrender or they wont miss Relena the next time."
There was silence on the other end of the line as the former Altron pilot digested this information. "Where can we meet?" he asked quietly.
"St. Cinnamon in two hours," he said, taking his laptop out of its case and switching it on. "We'll talk about this more in depth with Duo and Trowa and figure out what we should do."
Again there was a pause. "Alright," he said finally. "But in the mean time, rest up."
"I will," he reassured, typing in the passwords to get past the firewalls with one hand. "You and Trowa had better guard Relena well in the meantime."
"We will," Wufei replied. "See you in two hours."
"Yeah," he replied and hung up.
"So?" Duo demanded immediately after he hung up with Wufei. "What's up?"
"We'll be meeting him and Trowa in an hour at St. Cinnamon," he said, looking around for a phone outlet.
"What?!" Duo demanded in outrage. "You're going to go to St. Cinnamon with your head banged up like that?"
He glared at his friend out of the corner of his eye. "They wont stop trying to harm Relena if I'm injured Duo," he said, being the voice of reason. "We have to get these guys; I will not kill another man for peace when I have already done so countless times."
It was all so true; how many times did he listen to the pilot in the enemy mobile suit scream in pain and fear as they were incinerated and blown to pieces to become space debris. He always listened to the audio of each enemy suit so that he would be reminded that it was another human being that was dying at his hands. He refused to be like others and forget altogether the human factor, though he had had no mercy for the mobile dolls, machines that killed mercilessly that were like toys for the Romefeller Foundation to turn the tides of the war with. They, the Gundam Pilots had foiled that plan by destroying them all.
A hand on his shoulder tore him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Hilde's kind, smiling face. "How about something to eat Heero?" she asked. "You must be hungry after your flight."
He thought for a minute, but his stomach was the one to decide that it was hungry, as it growled loudly at that precise moment. He laughed slightly at the irony, though he declined her generous offer.
"Thank you Miss Schpiker," he said, managing to lean off the bed he was sitting cross legged on and plug in the adaptor of his laptop as the battery sign flashed in the corner of the screen. "I'm afraid that if I eat something, it might go to waste, and I wouldn't want to waste any food."
She got the hint. Heero knew better than to eat after receiving a concussion, for it creates nausea.
"All right, then would you like something to drink?" she asked, taking the glass that she had brought in with her in hand. He accepted it, and drank deeply, feeling refreshed and hydrated after doing so.
"Thank you very much Miss Schpiker," he said, returning the glass to the end table.
"Call me Hilde," she replied, packing up the first aid supplies and taking the glass in hand again, to be returned to the kitchen. "Don't work too hard now Heero; you're supposed to be resting."
"My name is Lee now Hilde," he replied. "Heero Yuy was just a code name; my birth name is Lee Kodora."
She nodded. "I know, but I like Heero Yuy better, it suits you; the name of a colony leader who fought for peace."
He smiled softly as she shut the door. That was true, so many people had relied on him to bring peace back into their world, and the code name that the scientist, Dr. J, had given him had rang true. He guessed that somehow he knew that he would turn the tides of the war and that he needed a suitable name, unlike the name Odin Lowe, an assassin that had taken him under his wing when he was young, had given him, Odin Lowe Jr. Relena also thought that as well, telling him to find out his real name instead of relying on the code name. He had done so, and had found that his real name was Lee Kodora, from colony L1 – X11574, which had been destroyed earlier in the war.
He had joined the Preventers using his real name, though his credentials weren't all that real: he hadn't graduated from high school, though he could've passed the final exams in all classes with the highest marks, and he didn't have a college degree in anything, even though it was all marked down on paper that he had. Lady Une knew precisely how intelligent he was, which meant that when he had applied, he had done so through her.
He surfed the net for a bit, via his cell phone, looking for a schedule of Relena's stops on her promotion campaign, which he saved to the hard drive, then began typing a formal report on the attack on him to be filed against the new renegade group. He knew that Lady Une would have something to say to him about filing reports when he should be filing a request for leave so that he could rest, though he never cared for such things. He had gotten shot in the shoulder on one mission dealing with a local mafia group and he came into the office the next day, arm in a sling, filing his report that he had typed the previous night while waiting in the Preventers' hospital. She had forced him to take two days off, and wouldn't accept the report. He had thrown it on her desk and stormed out, going back to bed for the next two days.
He had never taken a day off since, not even for vacation. He didn't know what he was saving his days off for; he never went anywhere. He guessed that he would have to take a couple of days off to be with Hilde and Duo, and hang out with Trowa and Wufei and maybe even visit the always busy Quatre, but nothing more than that. I wont go and visit Relena, he swore to himself. She told me not to come back.
He finished his report quickly and slept on the comfortable bed, nothing like his own bed back in his apartment, until Duo knocked on the door and told him that it was time to go and meet Trowa and Wufei at St. Cinnamon.
I didn't take long to get to the crowded café on the main street of the colony. This was the spot where everyone went for the best cinnamon rolls in the whole earth sphere, homemade and made fresh each day. The café was old styled, with pictures of the original St. Cinnamon, founded in 1992, 278 years earlier, when the family still lived on earth. It was lit with low hanging lamps and candles at night, and the display case was always full of fresh baked cakes and pastries for the numerous customers to marvel at.
Trowa and Wufei were sitting at a booth close to the door, chatting quietly when Heero and Duo arrived. Heero had taken off the bloody bandages in the car, much to Duo's disapproval, and had walked into the café with mussed up hair, having had to fight with it to get it off in the first place.
"I thought that you had a head wound Yuy," Wufei greeted them.
Heero glared at him. "My name is Lee, Chang, how many times do I have to tell you?" he snapped, though it didn't have its usual edge.
"Until I can remember to stop calling you by your code name," he replied.
Heero looked over at Trowa, whose arm was in a sling and he seemed slightly dazed. Must be the medication he'd been given, he thought, the same nasty stuff they gave me. He remembered that he wasn't able to see straight for weeks after taking the strong pain relievers that he'd been prescribed after getting shot.
A waitress came over to take their orders, handing out a menu for each of them. Wufei ordered a large plate of home fries and a hamburger with a glass of water; Trowa wanted a glass of water and a cinnamon roll; Duo wanted a Pepsi and a slice of pizza and Heero ordered them same – it seems that he and Duo had the same taste in food.
After that was settled and the waitress had gone to place their orders at the kitchen, Wufei brought out a manila folder, which he handed to Heero. "This should have all the information on that new group that we could find," he said. "They seem more capable of causing major damage than the other small groups that have popped up over the years."
Heero placed the folder in his jacket, having large secret pockets designed for such things. "Thank you, I'll look at it when I get to a more privet spot," he replied.
The four of them then started chatting about random things, like how Duo was thinking about proposing to Hilde when his job as a mechanic and repair man picked up and he had saved up enough money for their dream wedding and honeymoon. Then it switched to Wufei's relationship with a Chinese girl from the Preventers' branch on L5. He said that he was thinking of moving in with her, or vice-versa. Then it went to Trowa, who still hadn't found anyone that he thought he would spend the rest of his life with, though he was looking hard. And finally, it turned to Heero.
"So, how are you and Relena doing?" Trowa asked in his soft voice.
"Yeah, come to think of it," Wufei added, "I haven't heard any mention of you from her in a good while."
Heero shrugged. "I guess we weren't meant to be together," he said noncommittally. "She wanted to go into politics and I wanted to go into hiding so we went our separate ways."
The other three were stunned by this announcement, and stayed silent for several minutes. This unnerved the waitress slightly as she set the food and drinks before them and not even received so much as a thank you or acknowledgement from any of them.
Heero was reminiscing about his time with Relena, all the times he had watched her from a distance, and all the times he had been brought out in the light with her, as her date or as a bodyguard. Even though they seemed perfect for each other, there was a flaw: she liked to live in the open while he still preferred to live in the shadows. He didn't like publicity of any sort; it was bad enough when he had to give a statement for his branch every once in a while and a camera was shoved in his face.
Then she had started insisting that he always be right next to her, as her boyfriend. He had like the idea, it was a dream come true for both of them, but he didn't want to be with her, in the spot light all the time. It was because he didn't like being the centre of attention all the time and because if anyone ever found out that he had been a Gundam pilot she would become the prime target. Even though he had disappeared rather thoroughly, she was still being threatened because of him. He frowned, and noticed that a large slice of pizza was sitting in front of him.
They ate in silence; Heero's constant glare, aimed at the table, was too fierce for any of them to endure, so they let him think. When they were finished, Wufei and Trowa took their leave after paying the bill split between the four of them.
"Hey, Lee?" Duo prompted. "Are you ready to heard back?"
Heero looked up from glaring at the floor, startled out of his thoughts with the mention of his real name. "What?"
"I asked if you were ready to get back," Duo repeated, gesturing towards the parked car.
"Yeah," he replied, feeling a slight headache coming on. He guessed that he had over done it by coming, even if it was just for a half an hour.
As they approached, they could see something on the ground beside the car: it looked like a present wrapped in sliver wrapping paper, though Heero knew better.
"Duo, there's a bomb," he said urgently, throwing out his arm and catching his friend in the chest.
Duo looked over towards his car, and, sure enough, spotted the package. The two of them jogged over to it, being precautious for it was ticking rather loudly. Heero noticed a note attached to it with ribbon that read: Dear Gundam pilots, we see that you aren't taking us seriously enough. This should change your thoughts and any doubt that won't carry out our threat of killing Relena then each of you at the end of 24 hours. Heero crushed the note in his fist.
He looked at the wrapping paper, trying to find a way to defuse the bomb before it annihilated the colony. He saw a switch on the side, but at first glance he knew that it was a decoy by the way it had been put in plain sight. He didn't touch it, just in case, and just looked for any tears in the paper. He found one near the edges, where wires were visible. He hadn't had extensive training in bomb diffusion, though he knew enough, or hoped he did, to defuse this one. It was homemade, from the sloppy way the wires were attached.
"Duo, find me a pair of wire cutters, would you?" he asked, looking at the wires to determine what one would be the best to cut. Duo brought him the cutters, and he picked out a red wire. He snipped it, hoping that he had snipped the right one. There was a click from the inside and the ticking stopped.
Heero wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and pulled out his cell phone and pressed the speed button for Lady Une's cell phone. He listened to it ring, and a rather frustrated 'Hello?' on the other end.
"Lee Kodora reporting in," he said, and heard her sigh in relief.
"Lee, where are you?" she demanded. "All the rookies are panicking because they don't know where you went after work. Your apartment's been blown to smithereens."
It was his turn to sigh. Of course Duo's car wasn't their main target; they wanted him to be scared and what better way than to destroy the place called home? "I figured as much," he replied. "I just defused a bomb that was placed beside Duo Maxwell's car. I'm on L2, in front of St. Cinnamon. Were any of the other tenants hurt in the blast?" Call me sentimental, he thought, but I don't want any of them to get hurt over me.
"No, the only thing destroyed was your apartment; everyone else is safe," she reported. "We've evacuated the building and have started clean up."
"Alright, I'll stay here and look after Relena," he replied, straightening from his crouched position next to the car. "Call me if there's anything."
"Alright," she hung up, terminating the conversation.
"Looks like I'll be staying here for a while Duo," he told his friend. "My apartment's been blown into oblivion."
A/N: I didn't get any reviews for the first chapter. It wasn't any good? Please, give me some inspiration; leave me a few words on whether or not it was any good. There wont be any updates for the next two weeks (I'm going to China for two weeks!!) though I will post more chapters when I get back. That's a promise!
Somewhere I Belong
Chapter 2
Unexpected Action
By: Miguela
Heero awoke to someone shaking him again, and again it was Duo. He was still in the back of the Toyota, lying across the whole length of the back seat, with Duo shaking his shoulder from the front seat.
"Hey man, time to wake up," he said cheerfully, smiling brightly. "We're home."
Heero sat up slowly, feeling his back crack and his head pound. He touched the wound gingerly, to find that bandages had been bound around it to stop the blood flow. His hair was caked with blood, though it was crusty and dried, which was better than wet blood in his book. He was still dizzy but it was minimal.
He slid out of the car, making sure not to hit his head on the way out – that just would be spiteful – as Duo held out his hand. Heero pushed it away, held on to the door of the car and helped himself stand.
"I can walk on my own Duo," he said sternly. He stood up straight and noticed that he had grown a good head taller than the Deathscythe pilot. He glared at him, when he again tried to protest to his moving on his own.
Finally, the braided pilot just shook his head. "Still as stubborn as ever and still have that really nasty glare," he commented, placing a hand on the back of his head. "You really haven't changed at all over four years, have you?"
"I could say the same about you," he shot back, stepping slowly so as not to lose his balance and fall flat on his face. Wouldn't that just be lovely? A lt. commander falling flat on his face because of some stupid concussion; he would never be able to live that one down.
"Really?" Duo asked in excitement. "I would've thought that I had grown more mature."
Heero snorted. "If anything, you've gotten even more immature," he replied. He edged his way along the car to the brick building, where he used it for support.
Duo cried out in outrage, "Yeah? Well, you're still that cold hearted bastard that I met five years ago."
"Better believe it," he muttered, though a smirk was beginning to creep over his lips.
Duo's jaw dropped. "Do I see what I think I see?" he asked in disbelief. "Is that a smile I see on the perfect soldier's face?"
He glared. "Would you prefer if I held a gun to your head?" he demanded, angry more with himself than his fellow pilot as his vision shifted and he leaned heavily on the wall. As hard as I was for him to accept help from anyone, he would have to ask Duo to help him, as he was getting nauseous again.
"Naw man, I'm just glad to see that you changed for the better, is all," he corrected. Duo must've sensed that there was something a miss with his friend as he slid slightly down the brick wall. "I think that you need a hand, man," he said, and Heero felt an arm slide around his waist, supporting him as his knees became weak. Heero said nothing to this, just accepted the aid of his friend. "You really have changed," Duo muttered in amazement. "Five years ago, you would've shoved me off by now and carried on by yourself."
Heero groaned. "Whatever."
Heero allowed Duo to assist him inside the building and as far as the apartment door. As the two of them walked down the halls towards Duo and Hilde's residence, Heero could hear several neighbours show concern over his state. He heard them say to Duo that he should get a doctor to take a look at him, while others said to get the paramedic that lived on the fourth floor. Duo thanked them for their suggestions, but said that he knew of someone who would take care of him.
Heero was aware of someone taking his chin; the grip was firm but gentle. "He has a very bad concussion Duo," said an elderly lady. "You had better get him to lay down; he looks like he's about to black out."
"Yes Mrs. McFarland," Duo said and the hand removed itself from his chin. "I will, don't worry."
Finally, Heero felt himself being lowered down on a very comfortable mattress, the pillows fluffy and the quilt warm and hand stitched. "How's that pal?" Duo asked quietly. "I gotta go call Wufei and tell him what's happened."
"Why him?" Heero managed to ask, peeping an eye open.
"Because he knows the person I want to take a look at you," he replied smoothly, and walked out of the room, as Hilde came in with a glass of water in one hand and a first aid kit in the other.
"Mind if I take a look at that wound of yours?" she asked.
He shrugged. "Be my guest," he replied.
She removed the bandages, throwing them in the trashcan, then washed the wound thoroughly. She was gentle, almost as gentle as Relena had been when she stroked his hair and whispered that she loved him dearly in his ear. He remembered that she would touch him as if he were made of glass, the same way he would touch her.
Hilde told him of the times that Duo would take her out to dinner, hoping that he and Relena would be there, though they never were. She said how she missed seeing him around and how depressed Duo was after he left. He had the sneaking suspicion that she had wanted to tend him so that she could make him feel bad for leaving.
Thankfully, Duo soon returned, portable phone in hand. "He asked to speak to you," he said simply. "Probably to prove that you really are here; I guess I played too many jokes on him."
Heero smiled inwardly, though remained calm and stoic on the outside. He sat up slowly to avoid feeling really dizzy, and took the portable phone from his friend. "Hello?"
"So you are there Yuy," came Wufei's smooth voice from over the line.
"Yes Chang, I am here," he said, rolling his eyes despite his intention not too. "And my name is Lee Kodora; Heero Yuy was just a code name."
"Whatever," replied Wufei, "but back to business: what happened to you? Maxwell mentioned that they found you unconscious in an alley."
"Yeah, those same guys who tried to assassinate Relena came to meet me at the shuttle port and give me a warning," he said, looking around for his laptop case, and found it on the night table. "They warned that the Gundam Pilots have 24 hours to surrender or they wont miss Relena the next time."
There was silence on the other end of the line as the former Altron pilot digested this information. "Where can we meet?" he asked quietly.
"St. Cinnamon in two hours," he said, taking his laptop out of its case and switching it on. "We'll talk about this more in depth with Duo and Trowa and figure out what we should do."
Again there was a pause. "Alright," he said finally. "But in the mean time, rest up."
"I will," he reassured, typing in the passwords to get past the firewalls with one hand. "You and Trowa had better guard Relena well in the meantime."
"We will," Wufei replied. "See you in two hours."
"Yeah," he replied and hung up.
"So?" Duo demanded immediately after he hung up with Wufei. "What's up?"
"We'll be meeting him and Trowa in an hour at St. Cinnamon," he said, looking around for a phone outlet.
"What?!" Duo demanded in outrage. "You're going to go to St. Cinnamon with your head banged up like that?"
He glared at his friend out of the corner of his eye. "They wont stop trying to harm Relena if I'm injured Duo," he said, being the voice of reason. "We have to get these guys; I will not kill another man for peace when I have already done so countless times."
It was all so true; how many times did he listen to the pilot in the enemy mobile suit scream in pain and fear as they were incinerated and blown to pieces to become space debris. He always listened to the audio of each enemy suit so that he would be reminded that it was another human being that was dying at his hands. He refused to be like others and forget altogether the human factor, though he had had no mercy for the mobile dolls, machines that killed mercilessly that were like toys for the Romefeller Foundation to turn the tides of the war with. They, the Gundam Pilots had foiled that plan by destroying them all.
A hand on his shoulder tore him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Hilde's kind, smiling face. "How about something to eat Heero?" she asked. "You must be hungry after your flight."
He thought for a minute, but his stomach was the one to decide that it was hungry, as it growled loudly at that precise moment. He laughed slightly at the irony, though he declined her generous offer.
"Thank you Miss Schpiker," he said, managing to lean off the bed he was sitting cross legged on and plug in the adaptor of his laptop as the battery sign flashed in the corner of the screen. "I'm afraid that if I eat something, it might go to waste, and I wouldn't want to waste any food."
She got the hint. Heero knew better than to eat after receiving a concussion, for it creates nausea.
"All right, then would you like something to drink?" she asked, taking the glass that she had brought in with her in hand. He accepted it, and drank deeply, feeling refreshed and hydrated after doing so.
"Thank you very much Miss Schpiker," he said, returning the glass to the end table.
"Call me Hilde," she replied, packing up the first aid supplies and taking the glass in hand again, to be returned to the kitchen. "Don't work too hard now Heero; you're supposed to be resting."
"My name is Lee now Hilde," he replied. "Heero Yuy was just a code name; my birth name is Lee Kodora."
She nodded. "I know, but I like Heero Yuy better, it suits you; the name of a colony leader who fought for peace."
He smiled softly as she shut the door. That was true, so many people had relied on him to bring peace back into their world, and the code name that the scientist, Dr. J, had given him had rang true. He guessed that somehow he knew that he would turn the tides of the war and that he needed a suitable name, unlike the name Odin Lowe, an assassin that had taken him under his wing when he was young, had given him, Odin Lowe Jr. Relena also thought that as well, telling him to find out his real name instead of relying on the code name. He had done so, and had found that his real name was Lee Kodora, from colony L1 – X11574, which had been destroyed earlier in the war.
He had joined the Preventers using his real name, though his credentials weren't all that real: he hadn't graduated from high school, though he could've passed the final exams in all classes with the highest marks, and he didn't have a college degree in anything, even though it was all marked down on paper that he had. Lady Une knew precisely how intelligent he was, which meant that when he had applied, he had done so through her.
He surfed the net for a bit, via his cell phone, looking for a schedule of Relena's stops on her promotion campaign, which he saved to the hard drive, then began typing a formal report on the attack on him to be filed against the new renegade group. He knew that Lady Une would have something to say to him about filing reports when he should be filing a request for leave so that he could rest, though he never cared for such things. He had gotten shot in the shoulder on one mission dealing with a local mafia group and he came into the office the next day, arm in a sling, filing his report that he had typed the previous night while waiting in the Preventers' hospital. She had forced him to take two days off, and wouldn't accept the report. He had thrown it on her desk and stormed out, going back to bed for the next two days.
He had never taken a day off since, not even for vacation. He didn't know what he was saving his days off for; he never went anywhere. He guessed that he would have to take a couple of days off to be with Hilde and Duo, and hang out with Trowa and Wufei and maybe even visit the always busy Quatre, but nothing more than that. I wont go and visit Relena, he swore to himself. She told me not to come back.
He finished his report quickly and slept on the comfortable bed, nothing like his own bed back in his apartment, until Duo knocked on the door and told him that it was time to go and meet Trowa and Wufei at St. Cinnamon.
I didn't take long to get to the crowded café on the main street of the colony. This was the spot where everyone went for the best cinnamon rolls in the whole earth sphere, homemade and made fresh each day. The café was old styled, with pictures of the original St. Cinnamon, founded in 1992, 278 years earlier, when the family still lived on earth. It was lit with low hanging lamps and candles at night, and the display case was always full of fresh baked cakes and pastries for the numerous customers to marvel at.
Trowa and Wufei were sitting at a booth close to the door, chatting quietly when Heero and Duo arrived. Heero had taken off the bloody bandages in the car, much to Duo's disapproval, and had walked into the café with mussed up hair, having had to fight with it to get it off in the first place.
"I thought that you had a head wound Yuy," Wufei greeted them.
Heero glared at him. "My name is Lee, Chang, how many times do I have to tell you?" he snapped, though it didn't have its usual edge.
"Until I can remember to stop calling you by your code name," he replied.
Heero looked over at Trowa, whose arm was in a sling and he seemed slightly dazed. Must be the medication he'd been given, he thought, the same nasty stuff they gave me. He remembered that he wasn't able to see straight for weeks after taking the strong pain relievers that he'd been prescribed after getting shot.
A waitress came over to take their orders, handing out a menu for each of them. Wufei ordered a large plate of home fries and a hamburger with a glass of water; Trowa wanted a glass of water and a cinnamon roll; Duo wanted a Pepsi and a slice of pizza and Heero ordered them same – it seems that he and Duo had the same taste in food.
After that was settled and the waitress had gone to place their orders at the kitchen, Wufei brought out a manila folder, which he handed to Heero. "This should have all the information on that new group that we could find," he said. "They seem more capable of causing major damage than the other small groups that have popped up over the years."
Heero placed the folder in his jacket, having large secret pockets designed for such things. "Thank you, I'll look at it when I get to a more privet spot," he replied.
The four of them then started chatting about random things, like how Duo was thinking about proposing to Hilde when his job as a mechanic and repair man picked up and he had saved up enough money for their dream wedding and honeymoon. Then it switched to Wufei's relationship with a Chinese girl from the Preventers' branch on L5. He said that he was thinking of moving in with her, or vice-versa. Then it went to Trowa, who still hadn't found anyone that he thought he would spend the rest of his life with, though he was looking hard. And finally, it turned to Heero.
"So, how are you and Relena doing?" Trowa asked in his soft voice.
"Yeah, come to think of it," Wufei added, "I haven't heard any mention of you from her in a good while."
Heero shrugged. "I guess we weren't meant to be together," he said noncommittally. "She wanted to go into politics and I wanted to go into hiding so we went our separate ways."
The other three were stunned by this announcement, and stayed silent for several minutes. This unnerved the waitress slightly as she set the food and drinks before them and not even received so much as a thank you or acknowledgement from any of them.
Heero was reminiscing about his time with Relena, all the times he had watched her from a distance, and all the times he had been brought out in the light with her, as her date or as a bodyguard. Even though they seemed perfect for each other, there was a flaw: she liked to live in the open while he still preferred to live in the shadows. He didn't like publicity of any sort; it was bad enough when he had to give a statement for his branch every once in a while and a camera was shoved in his face.
Then she had started insisting that he always be right next to her, as her boyfriend. He had like the idea, it was a dream come true for both of them, but he didn't want to be with her, in the spot light all the time. It was because he didn't like being the centre of attention all the time and because if anyone ever found out that he had been a Gundam pilot she would become the prime target. Even though he had disappeared rather thoroughly, she was still being threatened because of him. He frowned, and noticed that a large slice of pizza was sitting in front of him.
They ate in silence; Heero's constant glare, aimed at the table, was too fierce for any of them to endure, so they let him think. When they were finished, Wufei and Trowa took their leave after paying the bill split between the four of them.
"Hey, Lee?" Duo prompted. "Are you ready to heard back?"
Heero looked up from glaring at the floor, startled out of his thoughts with the mention of his real name. "What?"
"I asked if you were ready to get back," Duo repeated, gesturing towards the parked car.
"Yeah," he replied, feeling a slight headache coming on. He guessed that he had over done it by coming, even if it was just for a half an hour.
As they approached, they could see something on the ground beside the car: it looked like a present wrapped in sliver wrapping paper, though Heero knew better.
"Duo, there's a bomb," he said urgently, throwing out his arm and catching his friend in the chest.
Duo looked over towards his car, and, sure enough, spotted the package. The two of them jogged over to it, being precautious for it was ticking rather loudly. Heero noticed a note attached to it with ribbon that read: Dear Gundam pilots, we see that you aren't taking us seriously enough. This should change your thoughts and any doubt that won't carry out our threat of killing Relena then each of you at the end of 24 hours. Heero crushed the note in his fist.
He looked at the wrapping paper, trying to find a way to defuse the bomb before it annihilated the colony. He saw a switch on the side, but at first glance he knew that it was a decoy by the way it had been put in plain sight. He didn't touch it, just in case, and just looked for any tears in the paper. He found one near the edges, where wires were visible. He hadn't had extensive training in bomb diffusion, though he knew enough, or hoped he did, to defuse this one. It was homemade, from the sloppy way the wires were attached.
"Duo, find me a pair of wire cutters, would you?" he asked, looking at the wires to determine what one would be the best to cut. Duo brought him the cutters, and he picked out a red wire. He snipped it, hoping that he had snipped the right one. There was a click from the inside and the ticking stopped.
Heero wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and pulled out his cell phone and pressed the speed button for Lady Une's cell phone. He listened to it ring, and a rather frustrated 'Hello?' on the other end.
"Lee Kodora reporting in," he said, and heard her sigh in relief.
"Lee, where are you?" she demanded. "All the rookies are panicking because they don't know where you went after work. Your apartment's been blown to smithereens."
It was his turn to sigh. Of course Duo's car wasn't their main target; they wanted him to be scared and what better way than to destroy the place called home? "I figured as much," he replied. "I just defused a bomb that was placed beside Duo Maxwell's car. I'm on L2, in front of St. Cinnamon. Were any of the other tenants hurt in the blast?" Call me sentimental, he thought, but I don't want any of them to get hurt over me.
"No, the only thing destroyed was your apartment; everyone else is safe," she reported. "We've evacuated the building and have started clean up."
"Alright, I'll stay here and look after Relena," he replied, straightening from his crouched position next to the car. "Call me if there's anything."
"Alright," she hung up, terminating the conversation.
"Looks like I'll be staying here for a while Duo," he told his friend. "My apartment's been blown into oblivion."
A/N: I didn't get any reviews for the first chapter. It wasn't any good? Please, give me some inspiration; leave me a few words on whether or not it was any good. There wont be any updates for the next two weeks (I'm going to China for two weeks!!) though I will post more chapters when I get back. That's a promise!