Identity Lost
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters, I do not own.
Six – Just another face
The wounds from the past will never be forgotten.
This was the first time she had a good look at Heero. There was such wildness behind his cobalt blue eyes that she found it difficult to turn away. Mima knew he must've kept in good shape by the way his thinly pleated jacket melded his shoulders and outlined the finely toned muscles underneath. He looked almost like a depiction of the faces seen in a fashion magazine. Heero's tousled hair exacerbated the danger that was reflected in his stance. She wasn't sure whether she was afraid for her life or strangely attracted to the new stranger.
They remained rooted in their position, eyeing the other person down. The leaky faucet from the kitchen could be heard as it counted down the seconds that trickled by with each drip of water.
-- Drip --
-- Drip --
-- Drip --
"Who are you?" The voice commanded more loudly this time.
"Hilde just introduced us… Mima Kanzaki, ring a bell?" She answered, trying to sound unfazed.
He simply shook his head in a mocking gesture. "I don't think so. Try again."
Mima paced around her side of the room, finding something to do in order to calm her frazzled nerves. Why did he have to be staring at her so intently? She could feel one of her headaches beginning to consume her thoughts…
"How…how much did you drink exactly?"
"None, for once. So, you going to answer my question or not?" Heero said, unrelenting.
Mima didn't know what he wanted from her so she kept her mouth shut. The headache was starting to cloud her senses and she couldn't think straight. She really wanted him to leave her alone.
"What do you want me to say?" Mima snapped, knowing full and well that the migraine was the cause of her haughty tongue. They were both surprised from her outburst. She was beginning to see stars… No, not stars… but gunshots being fired. Mima could see an image from the dark recesses of her mind: one of violence, death, and machines… huge robotic machines in combat. Was it a memory from her past?
She had to mentally shake off that image. Very slowly, she rubbed two fingers to her temple and said, "I…I'm sorry. I'm not feeling well. If you'll excuse me." Mima quickly gathered up her things and headed for the exit. Unfortunately, the man she was trying to escape from was standing by the only way out.
She was almost home free when Heero reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Look…I think I should be the one apologizing. You just… you look a lot like her." He said by way of explanation.
"Do you mean Relena?" Mima asked, looking at her shoes. She knew she hit the target when he tightened his grip.
"I'm right, aren't I?" Mima chuckled to herself. "Don't worry. You're not the first one to make that comment. If I could have my wrist back, I really should be going."
He regrettably loosened his grip and found himself alone with the leaky faucet. He had no idea what came over him. It seemed as if everyone around him was right; he was starting to lose it. Despite the awkwardness of the situation, he couldn't help the attraction that he felt and he was sure she felt the same. So she wasn't Relena, he already figured out that much. This woman seemed more reserved and afraid but none of it mattered to him. She was just another face in the crowd after all.
"I'm sorry. I don't think I can join you guys tonight." Mima sadly explained to the pair who was more than comfortable in each other's presence.
"What? Why?" They both asked in unison.
"I'm just not feeling well. I think I'll turn in for the night. It was really nice seeing you again Hilde. We must get together some other time. Good night." Mima then turned and dashed toward the exit.
"Huh… so what did you think that was all about?" Duo pondered as he pulled Hilde closer to him so that he could steal a quick kiss on her lips.
Before she could utter a response, Heero returned to the table looking almost as distraught as Mima but he was doing a great job at hiding it behind his unmoving appearance. Five minutes of quiet slithered by before Heero finally called it quits and left the group for the night.
"Do you think something happened between those two?" The braided ex-pilot asked as he waved a waitress over for the bill.
"Perhaps. They left so suddenly and as normal as that behaviour is where Heero's concerned, Mima's not like that. I'm worried about her. I think a girl-chat is long overdue."
Mima walked aimlessly around the crowded streets, swarmed by city dwellers and tourists bubbling with excitement. From the blatant chatter, blazing lights through store windows, and the overall ambience of life, she found it difficult to believe that it was already past midnight. It appeared as if too much fun was to be had and she felt reluctant to return home.
A couple walking arm in arm brushed past her, laughing at a recollection of some precious memory. She envied how they seemed so oblivious to the world. Mima didn't realize that she was staring until someone tapped her shoulder from behind.
"Excuse me, miss. Do you have the time?"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah uh… 12:25" she replied blankly.
"Thank you." An old man said before going on his way.
At that time, she noticed a familiar face in the crowd that was staring straight at her. The dark hair and passionless eyes couldn't have belonged to anyone but Heero Yuy. They were at a standstill while the patrons walked around both of them. Neither realized that they were blocking traffic as they continued to stare at each other.
Did he follow her? If he did, she was planning to give him a piece of her mind. Very casually, she walked over to him with her chin raised.
"What are you doing here?" She asked.
"Shopping."
"You want me to believe that?" Mima said, chuckling. "Why are you following me?"
"I wasn't; must have been a coincidence." Heero answered stoically.
She knew he was lying but decided not to call him on it and walked away from him. Mima didn't even reach the corner of the street before Heero caught up with her again.
"Since we're both here, let's grab some coffee instead of wasting the night away." He announced more than requested.
She was perplexed that he was still within her eyesight and told him so. "Why are you bothering me?"
How was he supposed to answer that question when he himself didn't even know the correct response? He couldn't say that he felt more attracted to her than to any other woman he's ever met or that he was simply curious about her. What troubled him more was that the moment he met her he felt a strange bond that he was reluctant to break.
"We started off on a bad foot and I don't want any awkwardness between us." He ended up saying and felt quite proud with his half-truth answer.
When she didn't comment any further, he added. "Just one cup of coffee and my conscience will be cleared."
She couldn't believe herself! Here she was sitting across from Heero in a quaint little café, sipping her second cup of much needed caffeine into her system. True, she felt strongly attracted to him but it wasn't like her to go out with a man she just met. What was it about Heero Yuy that she felt compelled to learn more about?
Half an hour in and neither of them uttered a sound aside from the sounds of drinking their beverage. She had already pegged him not much of a conversationalist and, ironically, he was the one who dragged them into this. Perhaps he could live in this awkward silence but she couldn't and decided to do something about it.
"So, how do you know Duo and Hilde?"
He looked up from his cup, surprised that she said something. "From the war a long time ago."
"The war? I don't remember that but it must have been awful for you." She commented quietly while tapping lightly on the porcelain mug with nails long overdue for a cut.
Don't remember? How could she not remember the event that revolutionized the very way in which they live? He couldn't believe that she was serious but then again, her naive expression gave nothing away in the sense that she was deceiving him.
Bitten by the curiosity bug, she asked. "What was the war like?"
"You really have no idea do you?" He replied, baffled by her question.
"I have a huge gap in my memory and don't remember a lot of things from my life let alone the world." She said as she tried to hide her embarrassment.
When he provided a confused expression, she explained. "Childhood accident; bumped my head."
He nodded once as if her comment explained everything even though it raised more questions. He wanted to probe further but she beat him to it.
"Did you…fight in the war?" She noticed his lips tighten into a thin pale line and thought better of asking anymore questions related to the war. "Actually, forget it. War is such a cold topic anyway."
With that said, she inadvertently killed the conversation and so they continued to sit in silence. The lack of conversation wasn't as awkward as the beginning; she felt safe just being by him and the thought terrified her.
They sat across from each other as if they had known one another for years and their body language was all that was needed for them to understand what the other was thinking. Once their drinks were done, they decided to call it a night and left the café.
Before Mima could bid farewell to him, Heero asked. "Can I see you tomorrow?"
TBC…
Note: Sorry for the long wait folks, for those who actually keep track of this fic... it's been too long since I last updated but I'm hoping I can get later chapters up on a weekly basis? bi-weekly basis? Haha I just want to get this done!
