Identity Lost
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters, I do not own.
Five – The Encounter
Second chances never work out as smoothly as one would think.
The weather was turning worse by the minute. Grey cumulonimbus clouds covered the massive skyline early in the day and pea-sized raindrops were already invading the earth. He didn't know how long he stood by the window staring at nothing. On occasion, he would follow the trail that the rain made on the windowsill. Heero didn't even realize what time it was until he heard a pounding. It took several beats before he realized the pounding wasn't coming from his head but from the door.
"Heero! You better not be stone drunk again! C'mon wake up." Duo shouted above the heavy beating he gave to the door. Before he could offer another sound lashing at the wooden frame, the door suddenly flew open and he met dangerous eyes on the other end.
"What is it, Maxwell?" Heero muttered without blinking.
"I came to pick you up for work." He explained quietly as he pushed his way into the apartment. Looking around the vicinity, nothing changed much since the last time he was here. Empty beer bottles and cans littered the carpet and dirty clothes were still waiting for the next trip down to the laundry machine.
"I don't need a babysitter." Heero simply replied as he returned to his cheerless bedroom and changed his shirt from yesterday to the Preventer uniform.
Duo noticed his colleague looked the same as he did ten years earlier back in the days of the Eve Wars. He couldn't believe how someone could still maintain that solid physique of his and the lean muscle tones that covered his entire body. No doubt about it, Heero treated his body with the same ferocity as the eye of a tornado.
"God knows how you keep in shape, man." The braided pilot commented as Heero finished changing. "Oh, by the way, Hilde asked for you to join us tonight. She thought it would be good for you to be around some familiar people instead of drinking yourself brainless. What do you say?"
Reaching for his coat, he made his way to the door without even glancing at Duo. "Not interested."
"Oh, c'mon! It'll be fun. She knows a friend who works at this Restaurant and Pub, called Hieronymous. Think discount!" Noticing that Heero was unfazed, he added, "OK look, if you're not having a good time, you can still drink yourself brainless. We'll go right after work."
He knew if he didn't give in, the man would be bugging him the whole day. That's how Duo usually got his way. "Alright."
"Yeah? Trust me, good times will be had." He didn't show it but he was doing back flips in his mind.
Before they laid a foot in the bar, Heero had a moment's hesitation but was quickly hustled in by the throng of patrons lined up behind him. Hilde motioned for Duo and Heero to wait by the bar counter as she strolled around in search for her friend. There weren't any seats available so they had no choice but to lean against the stained, wooden counter where they had ample opportunity to scope the vicinity. After so many years out of combat, they couldn't help that subconscious part of their minds that enforced them to locate all the exits and to keep careful watch of all members within the room.
"What'll it be?" The bartender asked the men as he filled three orders.
"We're waiting for a friend to return. Hold the order for a few minutes, will ya?" Duo replied and the bartender merely shrugged his indifference.
Having nothing better to say to each other, Heero asked "Who's Hilde's friend?"
"I know exactly what you're thinking, Heero. No, this is not a blind date. Her friend has been working here for, well, since ever! They met a few years ago during some fundraiser event. I guess they've been keeping close tabs on each other."
"Hn."
"Guess they found each other." Duo commented as he noticed Hilde walking back with another slender woman.
As Mima approached the two men, she felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. Only the man with the long braid was looking at them and the minute they saw each other, they couldn't break away. It almost seemed as if it were a reunion of some kind.
Once he had a second look at Hilde's friend, he couldn't believe the resemblance. Everything from the posture, the high cheek bones, to her smile… but it couldn't be her, could it? He didn't even notice that he had his jaw opened the whole time as Hilde made introductions.
"I'm back, guys. I'd like you to meet a very special friend of my mine, Mima Kanzaki. Mima, this is Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy." Hilde said, smiling.
The one that Hilde introduced as Heero didn't seem to care about the new member in their circle. He didn't even bother to look up and acknowledge her presence. Mima tried to shake the negative emotions off and focused her attention on Hilde's significant other.
"So, this is Duo." Mima exclaimed, bright eyed. "I can see why Hilde has latched onto you. It's a pleasure to meet you, Duo."
"C'mon, Mima. Don't embarrass me." Hilde nudged her friend, chuckling. Noticing some tension in the air, she walked into Duo's embrace and whispered for his ears only, "stop staring! I know what you're seeing."
"Uh… yeah, Nice to meet you, uh… Mima is it?" Duo mentioned, while shaking himself out of his thoughts.
"I know just the thing. How about some drinks on the house?" Mima said as she left them momentarily to retrieve their beer. "I'll be back in a bit."
"Why didn't you tell me she was Relena's twin? Geez! It nearly gave me a heart attack." Duo yelled over the blaring music. "God! Heero did you get a look at her? She was Relena!"
"Well, because I knew that was the exact reaction you'd get from it." Hilde exclaimed as she punched him, hard. "It's not Lena. I wish it were but she grew up in the city all her life. She has family and a history here."
"Just a striking resemblance, is all." Duo added. "Heero, why are you being such an ass? You should've taken a look at her. She was the splitting image of Relena, well, aside from the hair."
"Don't you dare say her name in front of me again, Maxwell." Heero muttered. "I mean it." He suddenly had death shining through his eyes.
"Fine. You could at least be civil to her, can't you?" Duo reasoned. Before Heero had a chance to respond, Mima returned with a tray full of peanuts, three glasses, and a pitcher.
"There you are. Enjoy! I have to run: lots of customers tonight. It was a pleasure to meet you Duo and… you, Heero. Feel free to stop by anytime." Mima said by way of a quick farewell. It was true that she had a lot of customers to tend to but the other reason was more personal. Despite the fact that she didn't really get a good look at Heero, there was something about him that made her feel … different.
"Hey wait, Mima. When are you getting off tonight? I thought we might catch a drink or something later on." Hilde asked as she held onto her shirt.
"Uh… you know I don't drink." She didn't think she could handle the situation if she had to be by Heero any longer.
"Well, not an alcoholic beverage. What kind of friend do you take me for? Maybe some coffee?" Hilde coaxed, offering Mima her best puppy-dog expression. "We have so much catching up to do."
She finally caved. "Sure, why not? I'll be finished up here in less than two hours."
"Great! We'll be here."
Mima couldn't focus that night. She'd already forgotten two orders and felt so embarrassed because she needed to ask what they ordered twice. How could that man have this effect on her? She didn't even know him. Some time during the night, she noticed Heero's eyes wandering in her direction. Was she imagining things? Or perhaps her eyes were wandering over in his direction.
As her shift ended, she went back to the employee section to grab her coat and purse. Mima wasn't sure whether it was a good idea to have a drink with them, especially with Heero but she couldn't refuse their invitation. While putting on her coat, a shadow loomed from the doorway. Since the employees' lounge was such a small space, she always found herself alone in here. She didn't even notice a new presence walking closer to her.
"Who are you?" The voice commanded behind her.
Startled, she stood up immediately to face the intruder. It took a few takes to identify the man as one of Hilde's friends. "…Heero?"
"I said, who are you?"
TBC
AN: Thanks for all your reviews! I'm glad to see that some are interested in my crazy stories. Stay tuned...
