Identity Lost

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters, I do not own.

Seven – Who is he?

Relationships are not all scripted to be a fairy tale.

Was this guy really serious? They had a hard enough time with the last hour spent in each other's presence.

"You're joking right?" Mima asked while she pointed to the place they just departed. "We barely survived the café incident and you're asking me to see you again?"

"You… fascinate me." He answered bluntly, ever the Perfect Soldier.

"My face fascinates you. I can mail you a photograph." She countered fiercely and began walking away without waiting for a response.

"Meet me tomorrow and I'll tell you about the war." He called out, challenging her to fight the curiosity he knew was stirring in her mind. "That's what you're dying to know, correct?"

Mima turned around very slowly and eyed him with piercing sapphire blue spheres. She was shocked into silence when his effortless attempt to read her came immensely accurate to the truth. Dozens of excuses she mastered, whenever it came to Connor Striker, seemed to prove futile where Heero Yuy was concerned. Not only was she short on a reason not to see him again, but Mima also found herself wanting to be with him.

"I'm waiting." Heero probed, knowing full well that she was having trouble responding to his wit.

"Yes, it is. But we… I just don't want to see you again."


Spending hours tossing and turning in her bed, she had no idea what came over her. Mima was never so irrational when men came crawling. Heero wasn't exactly on the floor begging but he had the audacity to lay everything bluntly out on the table. She was too clever to take the bait but now that she found herself unable to sleep, she wondered if she made the wrong decision. Perhaps she should've agreed to see him again; she did feel a growing attraction to him after all and wasn't that how most relationships started off?

The city lights streamed in through her window blinds, casting rays of yellows and reds into her room. Sirens were occasionally heard blasting on the streets and she couldn't believe that she was able to drown out the sounds after living in the decrepit neighbourhood after god only knows how many years.

A loud banging on the front door shook her from her reverie and she cursed whoever was at the door this late at night. She turned around to reach for her robe and noticed the digital clock sitting on her nightstand.

"Guess it's not so late anymore." She muttered as the numbers displayed 08:00.

Before glancing through the peephole, she knew who would be standing on the other end. She groaned inwardly and the thought of her sister, Jezzie, suddenly popped into her mind.

"Mima?" Connor Striker's muffled voice was heard. "I hear you in there. Open up!"

"Be right there!" Mima shouted back as she made a rapid dash into Jezzie's bedroom. Her sister was probably still sound asleep but hearing her incessant bickering was far more pleasing than having to turn Connor down for the 'n'th time.

Very lightly, she opened the room leading to the bedroom and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, Connor's here. Thought you might like to know."

Jezzie waved her arms at the sound as if she were swatting away mosquitoes. "Later." She mumbled with her sleep-filled voice. "And stop that banging racket."

"C'mon wake up. I know how much you want to talk to him. Connor's practically knocking the door off its hinges to speak to you." So she wasn't exactly telling the truth but a little white lie didn't hurt anyone.

"Connor's here? Omigod!" Jezzie announced, bouncing off the mattress with the agility of a panther on the hunt. Mima couldn't help rolling her eyes as Jezzie quickly got dressed and finished putting her makeup in two minutes flat.

By the time they reached the front door, he was still complaining for someone to open the door. If there were an award for persistence, he'd be the lifetime achiever.

In the blink of an eye, the door swung open and Connor almost fell in from the abrupt weight-shifting he had to do. His colliding into Jezzie didn't deter her at all. "Whoa… sorry." He apologized. "What took you so long to open the door? Hey, I thought Mima was here. I heard her voice a couple of minutes ago."

Mima stood well hidden from view as she listened to the conversation from her room, well behind closed doors.

"You know how we need our beauty sleep." Jezzie replied while avoiding his latter question. "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to invite Mima to accompany me to an annual banquet." Connor answered as his eyes wandered the apartment, looking for clues that Mima might be present.

Jezzie gave an annoyed expression and sighed. "I'm sure she's very busy and would not have the time of day to attend your functions. I, on the other hand, am available. When is the banquet anyway?" She asked very suggestively.

He brushed his fingers through his hair, avoiding eye contact with her. Someone would have to be blind not to notice how she was infatuated with him. For once in his life, he was regretting looking so stunning in his designer suits. "Well…. uh, in two weeks and I'd rather speak to Mima about it. I do appreciate you offering though."

Mima discovered this was her cue to make her entrance. "Hi Connor. I was getting dressed and heard that you need a date for the banquet that's coming up…. Gosh, I'm really sorry but I'll be working. Jezzie, on the other hand, has her vacation starting late next week so she'd be the perfect candidate to go with you. How about that, it's a good thing Jezzie has offered as well." She eyed Jezzie for her acquiescence.

"Um… yes, my vacation. How did I forget about it? I'd love to be your date." Jezzie stated.

Connor looked confused and ruffled his hair some more to straighten his thoughts, although he was still unsure what happened. "Sure, I guess. It's Saturday, so make sure you're ready by 6pm and find a dress."


Hours later, Mima couldn't stop thinking how fortunate she was that Connor agreed to have Jezzie accompany him to his festivities. Hieronymous was getting ready for the dinner rush as the waiters prepped the tables and had the most popular dishes prepared for cooking. As Mima was wiping some tables, the front door open and in walked Hilde.

She was shocked that Hilde would be visiting this early from their last encounter. "Hey, how's it going?" Mima called out.

"Good. Is this a good time? Sorry, I should have called first." Hilde apologized before her friend was able to answer.

"No, it's ok. Just give me a minute." While she finished the last table, she kept wondering why Hilde came to see her. They were soon seated off to a corner where most of the workers were well away from hearing distance.

Hilde eyed around, not really wanting to meet Mima's eyes. She didn't even know how to begin this conversation. "I know this may sound strange but um… did anything happen between you and Heero last night?"

"What do you mean?" She asked, feigning innocence.

"Well, you both left at around the same time so I assumed that…."

"Assumed what? That we slept together? C'mon Hilde! You know me better than that. But… we did have a drink together. He coerced me into it though! Don't think I intentionally meant to leave you and Duo just to be with him. I didn't feel in the mood for company last night. I'm … I'm sorry." Mima explained as she fiddled around with the utensils before them. For some reason, she couldn't keep her hands still.

Hilde held her hands up in mock surrender. "No need for that. I should be the one apologizing. Anyway, the reason why I came here is to tell you about Heero's past. Once I have finished saying my piece, I'll leave it up to you to decide whether you still want to see him."

"But I…"

"Just hear me out, okay?" Hilde asked gently and Mima had no choice but to nod in agreement.

"I didn't meet Heero until much later but his history is one filled with despair, murder, and a tragic sense of loss. He was a soldier trained for war, one of the five Gundam Pilots who was sent to Earth on, what most people would call them, suicide missions." She paused then to grab a sip of water from the glass that Mima brought with her before they claimed their seats.

Despite the fact that she felt she had no right listening to this, she couldn't turn away. In fact, she was now more curious than ever to learn everything about Heero Yuy and to discover what sort of demons haunt his memories, especially those where Relena was concerned. "Go on." Mima urged.

"What I'm telling you are all of Duo's recollections, mind you." She continued. "Okay, so at that time, it was when Heero met Relena Darlian. I guess you could almost say that their paths were destined to cross. Relena was the lost princess of the Sanc Kingdom but during the uprising from the opposition, she was adopted by the late Vice Foreign Minister Darlian."

Mima cut in. "What happened to the Royal Family?"

"They… were killed. Only Relena was saved."

"Are you sure? There must have been someone else… a brother." Mima insisted as she dug through her clouded memories.

"Huh, how about that? Yeah, I believe Relena also had an older brother that survived as well. How did you know?" Hilde asked, strangely curious as to how Mima knew a fact that was well hidden from the tabloids.

"I'm not sure…" Mima answered honestly, not quite sure where that thought came from.

"Well, Heero was taken in by the military and trained as a child to become the 'Perfect Soldier' in every way. He had no fear of death during the mission. It's frightening when you sit down and really think about it. Anyway, Vice Foreign Minister Darlian was assassinated and Relena eventually walked in his footsteps, encouraging politicians to put down their arms and resolve issues through peaceful means. Once the war was over after several gruelling months, Heero stayed behind to protect her. I'm not sure what kind of relationship they had but they were close. They had a mutual respect for each other but Duo would bet his life on the fact that it went much farther than a simple common understanding between the two of them."

Mima sat silently, absorbing everything that Hilde had said. That certainly explained a few things regarding Heero Yuy but it didn't really explain why he acted like such a jerk now. She also didn't understand why the story felt so familiar, almost like a vision from a lost dream.

"And… well, he had never been the same since she died." Hilde said sadly.

"What happened, exactly? Our family is vaguely tuned into current news. I barely know anything that happens outside of this bar." She explained, looking a bit ashamed of not knowing anything.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. That family of yours has certainly kept you sheltered, that's for sure. Hm… the thing is, no one knows what happened to her. She disappeared one day with no traces found whatsoever. The point is, when she disappeared, Heero lost a part of himself that day and he changed. Nothing drives him anymore, no motivation, no purpose in life. Do you understand?" She continued as her voice increased an octave with each passing phrase. Hilde regretted sounding so harsh to Mima but Heero was not stable to be with anyone right now, let alone someone as gentle as the woman sitting across from her.

Suddenly she understood. "Hilde, do you want me to stay away from him?" Mima asked bluntly.

"I…"

"It's ok. There's no need to say anything else." Mima interrupted. "Don't worry. I already planned never to see him again after last night."

Hilde raised an eyebrow in question and Mima relayed the events that occurred the night before. She ended off by saying, "Now that I have heard his story, I can't really blame him for mistaking me as Relena. Put yourself in his shoes for a minute. I know I'd be dying for closure… but when you really love someone, there's no way you can shut them out, not completely."

Mima knew that she already promised Hilde there would be nothing between her and Heero but she needed to see him again…. later tonight.

TBC