"Looks like I'll be staying here for a while Duo," he told his friend. "My apartment's been blown into oblivion."

Somewhere I Belong

Chapter 3

Facing the past

By: Miguela

The ride back was silent, as Heero poured over the information Wufei gave him, taking in the information at first glace. He was like a sponge, absorbing all the useful information plus a few tidbits that may prove to be useful. He gave a short account for what he found to Duo as they approached their destination.

"They call themselves the Black Wolves," he said, handing Duo a forensic picture of a tattoo found on the body of the would-be assassin. "According to forensics, they all sport a tattoo of a black wolf's head howling on their right shoulder blades, which should make it easier to find their members." He flipped through some sheets. "We haven't determined their motive yet, though we know that they demand the surrender of the Gundam pilots and the Preventers and are willing to go to any measure to get what they want."

"Yeah," Duo muttered, "like kill Relena and you and everyone off one by one."

Heero glared at him. "Yeah, but we've got to make sure that Relena stays alive;" he looked down in resignation, "the rest of us don't matter that much."

Duo pulled into the apartment parking lot, and parked the Toyota in the designated spot. Then the two of them collected the papers that had somehow gotten scattered around, and placed them back inside the folder and headed up the apartment.

Heero's thoughts were whirling with all the information that he had absorbed in the car, and the recent events with the bomb scare. What was the point in surrendering themselves and the Preventers to those psychopaths? What did they hope to accomplish by doing that? Maybe try and control the world or something ridiculous along those lines though he knew that nobody would be stupid enough to try something like that. Though it had happened before many times in the earth's history and again with the colonies, so it was a possibility.

When they entered the apartment, they found Hilde watching the news, which was featuring Relena's campaign tour again, as it had been for the last week or so. Heero took a seat on the couch after hanging up his jacket in the closet and kicking off his shoes. He always watched the news at this time, and there was always something on Relena.

"Foreign Minister Darlian will have four more stops on the colonies, on the L3, L4, and L2 clusters where she'll be making public appearances and speeches regarding her plans to help the colonies as well as strengthen their relations with the earth," said the news anchor. "She had received outstanding support from the public and is viewed as the favourite coming down to the last two weeks before the Election Day. Her rival, Minister of Defence Chambers, has had many strong supporters from the earth, though he is not smiled upon by the colonies."

"So, who do you want to be President of the Earth Sphere, Lee?" Duo asked sarcastically, "That phoney Chambers or Relena?"

"Relena of course," he replied without hesitation. "She is always doing what's best for the Earth Sphere, even if it means that she'll have to put her own needs aside."

Duo stared at him in amazement, then slowly smiled. "I figured as much."

The reporter then when into a detailed analysis of both candidates, outlining their qualities and flaws, and this was when Heero took his leave, heading to the solitude of his room to place a search of the web on the Black Wolves on his lap top.

Putting his favourite CD in the drive, he plugged in his headphones, and then clicked play. While Linkin Park played softly in the background, he hacked into countless databases, searching for anything to do with the tattoo found on the dead would-be assassin or the Black Wolves' organization. He searched for about a half an hour, when he found something that perked his interest: there was a high-level security encryption placed on a site that had BW written on the corner of a totally white web page. In the bottom corner was a blue box where a writing cursor appeared.

Hoping this was his lucky break, he ran his decoding program that he had designed, and waited. It took ten minutes, but he was in, and the information that he needed ran across the screen. He copied it all to a floppy disk he had popped in just in case he found something like this, and closed the window as quickly as he could, then disconnected his cell phone with lightning speed, then sat back and breathed a sigh of relief. He now had all the information he needed, though the question was, could they stop them before their plans fell though?

Collecting the disk, he went out to see Duo and Hilde. "Duo, I have something you need to see," he said, pocketing the disk in his shirt pocket. He found them right where they had been when he had left, watching T.V.

"What is it man?" Duo asked; he had his arm draped around Hilde's shoulders as they sat on the couch. "Did you find something useful?"

He nodded, and pulled out the disk. "A lot of useful information that could help us eliminates this Black Wolf organization before something drastic happens." He went over to their home computer and popped the disk into the drive, opening the program on the screen.

Curious, Duo and Hilde came over, still arm in arm, to watch him work with nimble fingers.

Finally, four pages of information popped up, all about the Black Wolves. "According to this," Heero explained, "The Black Wolves are planning to try and start a revolution that would put them in place as the rulers of the new world they create."

Duo snorted. "Doesn't that sound just like someone else we all know and hate?" he asked sarcastically. "Namely Dekim Barton?"

Heero shook his head. "They don't plan to use military force, but underhanded schemes, to gain the upper hand. They are all specialists in bombs, especially nuclear bombs."

"Well that should put a dent in things," Duo said. "How about those assassination attempts on Relena?"

"I couldn't find any link as to why they want Relena dead, and us out of the way," he confessed. "The only reason I could think of is that they might want to use Relena as a hostage or something."

Duo scratched his head in confusion. "Makes sense... What are we going to do now?"

"We guard Relena," he said firmly. "No matter what."

With the plan of action in mind, Heero and Duo set off to the hotel where Relena was staying for the night, which was on the same colony that Duo and Hilde lived on.

During the long drive across the colony to the hotel, Heero thought about how Relena would react to seeing him again. If she hadn't changed during the four years, she would squeal and glom all over him before he even had a chance to get in the door. But if she had matured at all, she would politely welcome him, and a slight blush would creep up over her cheeks as it always did when she was close to him. She had seemed to become more resigned as the years wore on, facing the reporters with a calm smile, and never losing her cool or nerve.

He smiled to himself. Maybe she would forgive him for leaving... Maybe they would 'kiss and make up'... Maybe they would live happily ever after...

It was then that he noticed Duo's hand waving frantically in front of his face. He slapped it away, glaring. "What is it Duo?" he snapped, frustrated that he had cut into his musings.

"There's a song playing that I want you to hear," he said, taken aback by his companion's surly mood. "But if you're going to take my head off because of it, then I wont bother."

Heero frowned. "Sorry, I was just thinking..."

"Thinking of Relena, right?" Duo taunted, then soon regretted saying it, as Heero's fiercest glare yet was fixed on him. After all those times that he had stared back into those blazing cobalt eyes, Duo not once flinched, though he knew that this time he had struck a sensitive spot, and knew also that Heero meant war if he continued to poke his nose in their business.

Duo glanced away, shivering involuntarily at the coldness of his friend's gaze, and then changed the subject. "Anyways, here's that song I wanted you to hear." He turned on the stereo, popping in a CD, and hit play.

Heero was quite enchanted by the song, an old song from the 21st century, though still a good song. He knew from the instant he heard it, that he wanted to get that CD from Duo somehow. The song went something like this:

Remember me...

Remember me...

Find myself all alone

In darkness without you

Now I can't turn away

From what I must do

You know I'd give my life for you

More than words can say

I've shown you how to love someone

I know you'll find the way...

Say goodbye, close your eyes, remember me...

Walk away, the song remains, remember me...

I'll live on somewhere in your heart...

You must believe...

Remember me.

The way I could change my mind

I don't have the answers

If you could see through my eyes

You'd let go of your feelings

And though I have to leave you now

We were born of each other

I'll miss your touch; you'll count on me

I'll be with you for ever...

Say goodbye, close your eyes, remember me...

Walk away, the song remains, remember me...

Ways of change we can't explain, remember me...

I'll live on somewhere in your heart

You must believe...

Remember me...

You know I'd give my life for you

More than words can say

And I've shown you how to love someone

I know you'll find the way...

Say goodbye, close your eyes, remember me...

Walk away, the song remains, remember me...

Be there to watch over you, remember me...

Feel un-gone, my heart lives on. Remember me...

Don't you think of this as the end

I'll come in through your dreams

Remember me...

Close your eyes

Say goodbye

Remember me

Say you will, say you will, say you will, close your eyes,

Remember me... Say goodbye

Say you will, say you will, say you will, Say goodbye

Remember me...

Heero felt emotions serge through him after the song had finished. All the emotions that he had ever felt for Relena, all the trust, all the love, all the pain he felt when he thought of how he had to leave her as she had told him, welled up in his chest in one strong serge of emotion the like of which he had never felt before. He felt right then and there that he really did want to follow what was said in the song about protecting her and wanting to be in her heart forever.

"Where did you find that, Duo?" he finally asked after he had calmed himself enough to speak clearly.

Duo shrugged. "Actually, it was Hilde who found it on one of her old CDs. I just kinda borrowed it from her." He smiled at his best friend. "Do you like it? I thought that it suited you and Relena perfectly."

Heero didn't know what to say, but just nodded.

"You know Heero, I bet Relena really does miss you," Duo said, turning into the parking lot of the hotel Relena was staying in that night. "I bet she'll be really happy to see you."

Heero snorted. "I highly doubt that Duo," he said, closing his eyes.

"Why's that?" Duo demanded. "Come on man, you can tell your best friend what happened, can't you?"

Heero pondered this for a minute, as Duo parked the car next to a Preventers' van, and then said, "Maybe another time Duo."

But Duo wasn't one to give up that easily and stilled pressed on. "Well then, at least tell me why you don't think she'll be happy to see you after three years."

"Because she told me that she never wanted to see me again," he said simply, and exited the car, hoping that Duo would just drop the subject for the time being. It was still a very sensitive matter, even after so many years, and he just wasn't ready to talk about it with anybody, least of all Duo, who was known to run his mouth from time to time.

As they walked to the elevator, Heero reminisced about the time that he and Relena had parted ways...

He and Relena we getting along great; they had become very comfortable with each other, and he had even started to open up to her more frequently, talking about the training that he had undergone to be a Gundam pilot, and the treatment he had received, and the nightmares it had caused. She had shown sympathy and understanding, and listened to his ramblings without making any comment. When he was done talking for the night, she'd put her head on his shoulder and offer her silent support.

He was even planning on marrying her one day; he truly believed that they would make each other happy to the end of their days, but that fantasy only lasted for so long. He finally got to see the other side of Relena, the controlling spoiled brat her parents had made her into by giving into her every whim. She would demand more of his time, stopped listening to his ramblings by cutting him off, or walking away to attend pressing business with other colony and earth officials. She was consumed by her job and had less time for him, and the time that she did have to spare she spent doing paperwork or writing speeches. He was put on the back shelf as her career took centre stage.

He confronted her one day about her work habits.

"Relena?" he asked cautiously, poking his head around her door and into the room; he never bothered to knock anymore. He found her at her desk, pouring over a huge stack of papers, a cup of tea cooling beside them.

She glanced up, blinking twice, then turned her attention back to her paperwork. "What is it Heero?" she all but snapped, scratching something down on her paper and taking a sip of her tea.

"I think that it's time we talk," he said gently, moving towards her slowly, unsure if she would get up and snap as she usually did when she was disturbed.

She shrugged. "What do you want to talk about?"

When he thought about an answer, he realized that he was unsure of how to confront her about his feeling of being shut out of her life. He decided that there was no sense in beating around the bush and said as plainly as he could, "Do you like your work more than me?"

He realized that he sounded like a lost little boy, but that was how he felt. She had told him not to shut away his feelings, so he didn't try. He just left them out in the open, plainly readable on his face.

She looked up and stared into his eyes. "Why would you think something like that, Heero?" she asked, her tone sounding more like a businesswoman and less like the friend he had thought her to be.

He sighed; might as well come out and say it, he had thought. "Because you've been working a lot harder at your job than at our relationship," he said plainly, and he thought of kicking himself right then and there for how stupid it sounded, though he couldn't take the words back.

She stared unblinking at him. "What do you want me to do Heero?" she demanded, her tone now sounding cross. "Quit my job so that I can baby you all day?"

He growled threateningly low in his throat. "No, but I do like to spend time with you once in a while," he replied.

"Well you can't have your cake and eat it too," she shot back. "If you want to spend more time with me, then why don't we announce publicly that we're a couple and you can spend all public outings with me."

"I already said that I didn't want to do that," he replied, sitting in a chair across from her. "It would only cause problems."

She scoffed. "You sound like a spoiled kid Heero, saying that you want me to spend more time with you when you have the perfect opportunity to be my boyfriend in the public's eye and now be frowned upon. If you don't want to make sacrifices then I don't think that we should be seeing each other anymore." His heart sank, but he understood her reasoning. Now she sounded like the spoiled brat, but he didn't say anything. "But I warn you Heero, if you leave, I don't ever want to see you again as long as I live."

He packed his duffle bag that night, and as he was leaving, Relena called out, "I don't want to see you ever again, Heero Yuy!"

He hadn't seen her since, moving to L1 and never moving from there. He had obeyed her wish and had left Wufei and Trowa be her personal bodyguards, and the matter had become a thing of the past for both of them.

Now he was being forced by a new threat to come back into her life and be hurt yet again. No, he vowed to himself as the elevator doors opened on the floor that Relena's room was situated, I won't be used again.

He held his head high as he headed down t her room, his best friend at his side; he went to face the woman that had broken his heart.

Sorry it took so long for me to update this. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter and hopefully I'll have the next one posted soon.