Identity Lost
AN: Wow... Six months later and finally, I updated this fic. SO Sorry! I will finish this fic though... this I promise you. Hopefully this chapter will be suffice for now but I am currently working on the next chapter and it should (should being the operative word) up within one week. AHHH I really want to finish this! ENJOY!
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters, I do not own.
Nine – Chance Reunion
It's strange how the fates of two individuals can change…
Heero found himself wandering the streets, which was unusual for him since he tended to enjoy sulking in his grief alone. What was more surprising was the fact that he wasn't drunk; he had the buzz going but not drunk. 52nd Precinct was usually where he picked up the hookers and as he stumbled his way to that particular part of town, he felt a compelling force not to satisfy his carnal desires and continued to walk aimlessly.
Suddenly he heard the shuffling of clothing and a man grunting. At first, he thought the sounds were in his imagination but the sounds persisted. As he approached the noise, he noticed two figures camouflaged in shadow behind the alleyway. The first thought that came to mind was that they were lovers who couldn't wait until they found a bed. He quickened his pace to avoid seeing anything that he wasn't supposed to see but suddenly stopped when he heard, "Please…. Stop" It was the woman.
Within an instant, his senses perked up and he realized that whatever was going on was not consensual. He couldn't believe that he was almost ready to pass them without intervening.
As he approached the two shadows, it became more obvious that the woman was pressed against the wall and she was struggling to escape.
"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Heero's voice boomed and echoed along the enclosed space.
He saw the masked figure turn toward him and shout, "None of your goddamn business, now git!"
"Get off of her." Heero responded threateningly as he took a few more steps towards them.
The man decided to rid the intruder before finishing his little transaction and released the woman for now. He approached Heero with knife in hand, ready to kill. Heero anticipated his opponent's moves before the man even realized as he easily blocked the man's swinging arm. They both struggled for command of the weapon until Heero got a hold of the attacker's arm and twisted it around at an awkward angle until he was forced to drop the knife or risk having a broken arm.
The man then resorted to armed combat, seeing that any mortal weapons were not going to help him. Heero dodged two punches that flew past his left shoulder and then finally landed a hard punch to the rapist's stomach. He folded over immediately and groaned.
"Leave now!" Heero called out. He wasn't even breaking a sweat but the other man was panting, trying to get more oxygen into his deprived lungs.
"Ah shit! You're not worth it." The man said before reclaiming his knife and then hobbled down the street. Heero trained his eyes at the coward as he disappeared down the street, almost daring him to return for a second beating. He ensured that the threat would not return until he saw to the woman lying on the pavement. "Hey, are you alright? Did he hurt you?" He asked, moving closer to her. When she didn't respond he suspected something must have been terribly wrong. He gently turned her over to lie on her back in order to assess her condition. The nearest streetlight was able to cast a narrow beam of light into the alley so that Heero could identify the victim. He took a closer look at the unconscious woman to make sure it was really who he thought it was.But…. It couldn't be her.
There was no mistaking the woman with the coal black hair that almost reached her shoulders and her heart-shaped complexion; it was the same woman he met with Duo and Hilde that night, Mima. The first thing that came to his mind was how on earth did she end up in a place like this.
He gently checked for any signs of chronic injuries and thanked the forces-that-be he didn't find any. For the first time in his life, he had no idea what the next best course of action would be; take her to the hospital, bring her home, or…. No, he wouldn't even consider the thought of taking her with him.
Xander Kava wobbled to the nearest bus stop and favored his right shoulder. He didn't realize how hard that guy had hit him until the adrenaline had worn off and he couldn't shake off the pain vibrating throughout his body. Kava ripped off his ski-mask and winced. His dark auburn hair was a mess but it didn't detract the sharp features on his face that made most women turn for a second glance. Most of the time the 40 year old used his shapely form to lure his prey and strike once they discover that it's too late to escape. Tonight, however, his appearance needed to be kept a mystery, as per his instructions. Xander Kava was just disappointed that he was unable to finish what he started.
"Shit!" Kava cursed. He was going to need major painkillers to work off the headache and the aching muscles.
It didn't matter though, he promised himself. He was going to get rewarded for the job he pulled tonight and if not, there would be hell to pay. As the bus approached, he grinned for the first time in months.
Hundreds of images danced in her mind, clips of another life.
A younger version of the Heero that she knew saying with absolute conviction, "I will destroy you."
Horrible machines engulfed the blue sky as bullets showered to the earth… "WHY CAN'T I KILL HER!"
She could hear herself saying to him… "I don't care if I die… Heero, let me stay by you a little longer… I want to become as strong as you are…"
Finally a striking likeness of herself shattering into a thousand pieces as bullets continued to bombard the images.
Mima suddenly awoke, gasping, trying to breathe. She was shaking so hard that she didn't even notice she was in unfamiliar surroundings. Then everything came back to her with crystal clear clarity. Mima couldn't trust her memories at the moment for she didn't know whether the attack was real or a figment of her imagination. The other images she saw, she decided to shuffle them to the back of her mind to sort out later.
"So you're awake." She heard a quiet voice from the other side of the room, calm, soothing.
"Where am I?"
"You're safe." He didn't even try to hide the fact that he didn't answer her question.
Mima glanced around the room, hoping to find anything to help her identify the location. Perhaps the mugging and the rape was not all in her head. Rape. God, she couldn't believe it. Was she actually raped? She couldn't remember; everything was foggy and distorted. She noticed that she was covered with a blanket and lying on a double-sized bed. Her clothes were still in disarray but at least she was covered by a t-shirt that didn't belong to her.
What the heck was going on? She only prayed it was some horrible nightmare but the clothes shot that theory down the drain. Her nerve endings werestanding upon high alertand she grew more and more afraid.
The darkness didn't help matters. Curtains were drawn and there wasn't a single light on. The man was still hidden in shadows and she couldn't determine whether it was her attacker or not. That lack of information made her heart pump faster and involuntarily made her more on edge. Could she possibly have been kidnapped as well?
"Who are you?" She asked, quivering.
Instead of responding, he asked a question of his own. "Are you hurt?"
'Why would her kidnapper wonder whether she was hurt?' It didn't make any sense to her. She suddenly noticed a shift of movement from his direction and could see the figure drawing closer to her.
Mima knew this was it; she had nowhere to run so she simply closed her eyes and waited. There was not enough energy and determination left in her to defend herself anymore. What came next shocked her into silence. The man gently grabbed her left wrist and began applying an antiseptic on the cuts. It stung so bad that she opened her eyes and wanted to pull her grasp away from the stinging. The pain she was feeling from the disinfectant was more proof than she needed that the attack was real.
"Hold still. It won't take much longer." He soothed.
She really wished she could see his face. From the moment he made contact with her she knew it couldn't have been the same man who attacked her. The one nursing her wounds was not as large, rough, and intimating as the man that will haunt her for the rest of her life. He worked as gently as he could from one arm to the next and then asked if she hurt elsewhere. All she could do was shake her head.
Mima slowly felt more comfortable in his presence. She guessed he was trying to show her that he was not a danger to her and she felt grateful to this stranger.
"Who are you?" She repeated, finding her strength return somewhat. She had an inkling that he was the man who saved her and her curiosity for him overcame her fear. "Can you please turn on the light? The darkness scares me."
As he put away the materials he used on the patient, he said, "There's a small lamp on the left side of the bed."
Mima slowly fumbled her way around as she looked for the lamp by touch. Once she flicked on the switch, it only provided a tiny glimmer of brightness that didn't reach half of the room. The only thing she could see of the mysterious figure was his silhouette. Still, it was a lot better than sitting in a void of black. There was something about his height and the way he held himself that triggered something in her memory. It almost looked like …. Well, there was only one way of finding out.
"Heero?" She whispered.
His name was like a signal that brought him out of hiding and he finally stepped forward and sat on the bed next to her. She let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding and took in every feature of Heero's face. It was a comfort to see someone familiar after the hell that she went through but she still had no idea what really happened to her.
"Yes, it's me" He responded. Now that she had one mystery solved, she still had no clue where she was.
She tried again, "Where are we?"
"My apartment. It's not much to look at but I get by." Mima looked around the room, seeing what she could see with the little light she had and noticed several empty beer cans and liquor bottles strewn around. A small television sat on a worn wooden stand on the far right-hand side of the room. The bedroom extended further backward where a mini kitchen was located with all the essential equipment needed for cooking. She realized that there were no walls to separate the rooms from each other. It looked like one gigantic room and only the furniture provided the distinguishing features. A couple of closed doors were located on the left side, which she assumed were closets, bathrooms, and perhaps the main door out of the apartment itself. He was right, there wasn't anything particular about his bachelor's pad except for the darkness. She guessed the room corresponded to the occupant's mood.
Once he noticed that she finished taking a mental tour of his apartment, he asked, "Are you sure you're not hurt anywhere else? I guess I should have taken you to the hospital but… I wasn't thinking." It still surprised him that he didn't do the logical thing and let medical professionals take a look at Mima. He still had no idea what possessed him to carry her limp body with him to his car and then driving to his apartment. Something in him told him not to let her out of his sight.
"Um… No I'm fine. Thank you." She said, not knowing what else to say.
Silence ensued, as neither of them knew what to do next.
"I think you should file a report at the police station, Mima." Heero offered, knowing quite well he should have done the exact thing once he was alone with her. It was yet another mistake he made that night.
"But I don't even remember what happened. All I know is the guy wanted my money and then… never mind."
"He tried to rape you." He finished for her, very bluntly.
"Uh… yes." She confirmed quietly. 'Tried' being the operative word. She couldn't bring herself to actually say that four-letter word, not yet. "And I can't go to the police."
Before Heero could disagree with her, she said it again with finality that left no room for argument. Mima was raised not to trust the authorities especially those in uniform. Samantha never liked them and preached to her and Jezzie how they were meddlesome and were never helpful. She knew the cops could do nothing for her as the culprit was long gone by now and she had nothing concrete for the authorities to go on except her word. She shuddered as she realized that she had just become another statistic.
"Mima, what were doing on that part of town anyway?" He asked, hoping he wasn't hitting any personal buttons.
"I was making a delivery and…Omigod! What time is it? I need to get back to the restaurant!" She jumped out of bed and tried to gain her balance but her head throbbed from the sudden motion.
Heero stood next to her for support and was surprised that she was able to think about work at a time like this. "Take it easy. It's a little past two in the morning. I'll call and let them know what happened."
"NO! Please…" Mima pleaded, holding onto his shirt to keep him from reaching the phone. "I don't want anyone to know. Just tell them I felt sick and decided to head home." After a ten-minute heated debate with Mima clearly the winner, Heero had no choice but to acquiesce and finally called Hieronymous with the news.
She slowly relaxed as she heard Heero lie for her over the phone. There was no doubt that Samantha will be having a field day with her disobedience but she didn't want to think about that right now. Mima understood Sam much better than anyone and she would accuse her of inventing an elaborate story to get out of work. In fact, that was how one of the earlier waitresses got fired since she had to run out on her shift when she received a call that her boyfriend got into a car accident. Her mother, Samantha, was not a forgiving woman when it came to making a profit. Sometimes she wondered how she could come from the same line of family when their values were on opposite sides of the spectrum.
She was lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice Heero hanging up and returning to her side. "You were making a delivery at 52nd Precinct? Who on earth would order anything from there?" He asked, warning senses perking up. Something about the whole situation didn't sit right with him.
"No clue. I was just sent out but I couldn't find the place. I must have been lost for a while and was pretty much a walking target out there. I guess you could say I asked for it." She explained, afraid to look at him. She felt ridiculous, almost like a child that was caught doing something bad. How did everything go so wrong for her on a simple delivery?
"You did not ask for it Mima." He stated clearly. "What was the address of the place?"
She handed him the sheet of paper and wondered why he was giving her the third degree. He stared at the numbers and street address for what seemed like a long time before he returned his gaze back to her.
"What…What is it?" She asked.
"This place doesn't exist." He would have known too, since 52nd Precinct became his night time playground for the past couple of years. "Are you sure it's the address that was given to you?"
"Yes, of course. Unless it was copied wrong."
"I don't think so." Was all he said.
She became even more confused with the situation and she didn't want to think about it anymore. It was over, wasn't it? Her fingers reached for her necklace without conscious thought; it was the same to her as breathing. Mima couldn't explain it but she always felt better knowing that her necklace was a constant in her life but when she reached for it, something was wrong. The necklace wasn't there. Her hands frantically moved around her neck and what remained of her shirt but came up empty handed.
"Oh no!" She whispered to herself. It was gone…no way of retrieving it.
He saw how she became agitated so quickly and had no idea what was going on inside her head. "What's wrong, Mima?"
"I lost it. My… my necklace. It must have fallen when he …"
She was panicking and all for a piece of jewellery? It seemed uncanny to him but she was obviously disturbed by the idea of losing her necklace. "We can go back tomorrow when it's light out to see if we can find it. I think you need rest right now." He tried to talk logic into her frazzled senses.
"You don't understand, Heero. It's…it's all I have. I have to go back now!" She was off the bed in a flash and ran to the doors, looking for the one that would lead her out. The first one she hit was the bathroom and the second one finally met the hallway. The corridor lights streamed into the room like a beacon and she used it to look for her shoes that were taken off her feet.
She looked like she was in a trance and no matter how many times he called out her name it wasn't registering. "Mima!"
"I have to get it back. You don't understand." She repeated again as she got her shoes on and rushed out the door, not sure where she was going.
"Mima, dammit! I'll take you." He called, running after her. It seemed that he didn't have much choice. They were heading back to the crime scene.
Xander Kava stood in front of the door of his employer. He was ready to collect, as he knocked loudly, oblivious of what time it was.
"Shhhh…. Would you cut it out? Do you want to wake all the neighbors up?" Jezzie hissed as she shoved him into the apartment. She hoped no one saw him come into the building.
"Look, I did what I was told. Now are you going to pay up or what?" Kava mumbled as he walked around the apartment and made himself at home.
"Do you have it?" Jezzie said.
"Yeah yeah. He reached into his long coat and pulled out a silver necklace. The dove dangled and shone in the light that was reflected from the ceiling bulbs. It was the same necklace that Mima never took off. She tried to grab it from his hands but he pulled it back before her fingers touched it. "Uh uh… not until I get my money first."
Two years back, she met Xander Kava when she ran with the wrong crowd. She was now glad that they had their chance encounter or else she would have never been able to get Mima's necklace. It was obvious that the silver chain around her neck was real and Jezzie had been trying to get a hold of the prize for a long time. As a result of the upcoming banquet she simply had to hire someone of Kava's calibre to get it for her. She had no qualms about stealing the little piece from 'Mima'. Mima enjoyed the high life for most of her childhood growing up as Relena, Darlian's daughter, after all.
Jezzie decided to play it his way and reached for her purse. She pulled out a few hundred dollar bills and asked, "Are you sure you made it look like a robbery?"
"Yes, of course. I know what I was doing." Kava grumbled. He couldn't believe that she was questioning his skills. Due to his luck with fate, he had over a decade to hone his skills to perfection.
"And you didn't hurt her? I don't really want her to get hurt." Jezzie exclaimed, feeling her guilty conscious ringing alarm bells.
He smirked as he replied in the negative. Kava didn't need to share every vivid detail with the people who paid him. As long as he got the job done, there were no complaints on either side. He liked to have his fun as well and unfortunately he didn't get his chance with the bitch that night.
As they made the exchange, Jezzie wanted him to leave as quickly as he arrived. She was glad that everything went off without a hitch and she managed to acquire the one piece of jewellery for the big event with Connor Striker.
"So that's it. Thanks for the business, sweetheart." Kava waved and disappeared into the night.
"It has to be here." Mima cried, crawling in the alleyway. Unfortunately, the lighting wasn't good enough between the buildings so she resorted to searching with her hands. She knew she was getting cuts from the pebbled rocks and broken glass on the ground but the pain wasn't even registering into her brain.
Heero looked on, feeling helpless. Clearly she was in shock and losing her necklace was the final punch that drove her over the edge. "What does it look like? I'll try to help you look for it." He said calmly.
"I'm sure it was pulled off by accident so it has to be here somewhere." She chanted to herself. He knew she didn't hear him. "Why can't I find it Heero?" Tears started forming from her eyelids and she brushed them away in frustration. She was on a mission and she wasn't leaving until she had her necklace back.
Blood was beginning to drip from the newly formed cuts on her hands. The minute he noticed how she was hurting herself he grabbed her roughly and held her. "Mima, stop!" He shouted as she struggled to break free. He forced her to stand up and turned her to face him so she could see that he wasn't fooling around. "Mima, just stop. You're hurting yourself." He said softer this time.
"It's gone." She whispered, tears flooding her cheeks.
"Yes, I think so. Just… let it go." Heero replied as he held her tighter. Her head rested comfortably on his right shoulder and her arms naturally wrapped around his waist. They had no idea how long they stood there but neither wanted to break the embrace. He knew she needed him and she was grateful that he understood that.
She wanted to scream and destroy something. Nothing made sense in her life anymore. Why was she the one who had to make that delivery and why did the attacker have to choose her to rob from? Why did he have to rape her? Luckily it wasn't carried out but, unfortunately, it felt the same as if she were violated in the worst possible way. Mima didn't know what she did in this lifetime to warrant such a cold, unforgiving fate and she began shivering.
Heero soothed her as he felt her shaking uncontrollably. "It'll be alright. It's over now. Do you want me to take you home?" He asked, dreading her answer if she said yes.
"No, I don't want to be alone. Can I stay with you tonight?"
"Sure."
Two months later, Mima and Heero were still seeing each other. It was an unspoken relationship. The incident drew them both together and they made it a commitment to see each other every second night once she was off her shift. Sometimes they talked and most times they shared each other's company in comfortable silence. Neither could explain the sudden bond that was formed.
Their private lives were still very much hidden. Not once has he questioned about her past or the significance of the piece of jewellery that she lost. She was satisfied with the little knowledge she gathered from Hilde that night with regards to Heero and hadn't bothered to press for more information. Ironically, they soon became inseparable.
It was Friday night and Mima was finally let off work a few minutes past midnight. When she walked outside she saw Heero leaning against his grey Toyota vehicle, hands in his pocket, with not a care in the world.
Mima approached him, slightly smiling to herself at his relaxed stance. "Hi"
He turned and looked her way as his version of a greeting. She'd already gotten used to his deficit of using words.
"Do you mind if we go for a late stroll around the neighborhood?" She asked. After having eight weeks of getting to know the guy, she wanted to bring something to his attention that she was certain would not sit well with Heero and his bottled up personality.
Once they were several minutes away from his parked vehicle, Mima began, "I know you've been having drinking problems and I know it's not my place to say this but, I'm worried about you."
She was met with dead air, as expected.
As they continued walking, Mima decided to be forward and just say what she had been meaning to say for weeks. "I want you to stop drinking."
She didn't realize that the warm body walking alongside her stopped abruptly until she was three steps ahead of him. Turning to face him, she was afraid of what his reaction would be to her blatant request.
"Look… forget I said anything. I knew it was a sensitive topic and…"
Before she had an opportunity to complete her thought, he spoke for the first time that night, "What do you know of my drinking? You know nothing."
Just as she guessed, she hit a sore spot in his life but she pressed on. "I think I know more about it than you do. You're trying to forget her, aren't you?" Mima didn't need to mention her name. They both knew who suddenly came up in their conversation. "It's not going to work, Heero. Alcohol is poison and not the solution. You must understand!"
"Enough!" He said hoarsely, taking deep breaths to calm his temper. Heero knew she was right. He still couldn't believe how that ancient topic was able to stir such a tumultuous effect from him. God knows it was beaten to the ground thousands of times from friends, coworkers, and now from the only person that he was slowly beginning to open up to.
"You loved her." She exclaimed, more as a statement than a question. Mima was a woman after all and she knew the signs when she saw it. Heero had loved this woman.
"You know what the funny thing is?" He explained. "She'd been drifting further and further from my mind whenever I'm with you."
Now it was her turn to be mute. How was she supposed to respond? Did he just make a confession to move their relationship up a level? All she knew was that he looked vulnerable so she closed the distance between them and wanted desperately to touch him but held back. "I'm here."
There was so much left unsaid that neither knew how to proceed.
Finally she couldn't hold it in anymore and said, "I'll continue to be here for you as long as you stop drinking." As if on cue, Mima reached for his hands and simply held them as he contemplated his next course of action. She fixed her eyes to his and willed him to make the right decision.
"Relena's really gone, isn't she?"
She wasn't clear whether he was speaking to her or to himself but she figured he was battling his own demons at that moment and said nothing.
"Mima… I'll stop." Heero finally admitted as he made a silent vow to stop drinking, to stop seeking prostitutes, and, more importantly, to stop reminiscing about a dead woman. It was time to look ahead for once in his life.
His loyalty to Mima never wavered. They've been seeing each other for over six months and his eyes still lit up whenever he saw her. She, on the other hand, would never realize how important she had become in his life.
Heero walked around the vicinity of Preventers to stretch his legs on his break. It was late afternoon and the streets were as busy as ever. Businessmen were hustling to make their next meeting on time as cab drivers honked their horns in agitation or in some sort of ironic musical debut.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a young woman walking his way. She dressed to the nines in a pale Chanel suit and jewellery to complement the outfit. The jewellery was what caught his attention. It was a silver encrusted necklace with … a dove. It looked exactly like Relena's but that was impossible. He held his breath and lifted his gaze to the face of the woman and it was like staring at a ghost. Her hair, her cheekbones, and her eyes.
"Why don't you watch where you're going?" A middle aged man muttered when Heero was rooted in his spot. He hadn't even realized he stopped moving.
Jezzie felt lighthearted. She just came from a brief visit to her unofficial boyfriend's office. Despite the fact that Striker was annoyed with her, she knew she turned a few heads as she walked out his building with her fabulous new suit. It almost ate up most of her savings account but seeing how Connor Striker ogled at her was more than enough compensation.
As she continued walking down the cluttered streets, a strange man grabbed her arms and turned her to face him.
"Relena?"
"W..what?" Jezzie stuttered.
"Relena, it's you! Don't you recognize me?" Heero argued as his grip tightened on her arms. She didn't seem to show any signs of recognition on her face but he was desperate to pull her out of whatever trance she was. It had to be her.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. Let me go." Jezzie said.
As the strange man in front of her continued spouting past events and names of people she had never heard of,something slowly clicked in her head and she knew how she could take advantage of this opportunity. It was so simple and there was no telling if this situation would present itself again. She had to make it the best performance she's ever done.
"We all thought you were dead. What happened to you all those years ago?" He demanded, trying to control his excitement and fear that she would disappear again.
"I…I don't remember. I had an accident a couple of years back and I have no recollection of anything prior to the accident. Do I know you? Can you tell me who I am?" Jezzie lied, feigning innocence and shyness.
"How many years?" He asked.
"Ten."
TBC
