Finally getting to the 1XR, I promise! Any comments or feedback will be greatly appreciated it. Standard disclaimers apply. Thank you and enjoy!

Chapter Three

Heero walked down the streets, looking at random strangers as he weaved through the crowd. It was good to be back in his hometown after a two yearlong stint in the middle of nowhere.

He sure missed the sights and sounds of the busy city from street vendors to random conversations. New towers of glass teased the skyline, as the reflective surfaces caught the sunlight and illuminated nearby architectural giants.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of gold. A unique hue that he remembered fondly from before, and for a brief second, he paused in his footsteps against the beige pavement. "It couldn't be." He shoved the idea to the deepest part of his mind, but it kept forcing its way up and he had to act on it.

Ahead of him, he saw her. It was one of his kids he watched previously. Her lithe form donned a lilac halter top with a cream colored skirt. Relena Peacecraft had grown up, and he couldn't believe his own eyes. She had become a young woman.

He followed her for several blocks until she entered a building. Without knowing, he decided to enter the revolving doors and was met with a wide foyer with a building directory plastered on the marble wall. He looked at the list of names as a memory of her came to life.

"Do you know what I want to be when I grow up?" Her voice chirped.

"And what is that?" As he sat across from her make believe tea seat.

The little girl poured the invisible liquid into her white tea cups, "I want to help people, but not what Daddy does…I want to heal people."

"I think that's sounds like a good plan."

…

"Isn't this supposed to be your day off?" Dave looked up from his stack of charts, curious as to why his co-worker was there in the first place. But then again, there was a smug look sneaking up in at the corner of his mouth.

"Yes, but I need to get through my charts too. I don't want to be chart audited and get a list of deficient marks." She went up to him and kissed him. "Why didn't you wake me up this morning?"

"You looked too peaceful," he shrugged, "Sorry."

She went around the corner and into her office. A massive windstorm had taken over her shelves and desk. Books were strewn over the area along with miscellaneous lab reports that needed to be filed.

Her eyes scanned over the papers, as she made several keystrokes on her laptop. Transferring to the new system was twice as tedious as writing on the paper forms, but the work had to get done. Either way, she felt her lower back begin to spasm as she shifted in her seat.

"You should go back to the apartment." He leaned against the doorframe.

"I'm almost finished," as she continued to touch type. He walked towards her, and without warning, pushed the screen down. She looked in horror as she heard the click come from the screen, "Hey, I was about finished with that chart."

"No butts. These are doctor's orders." He leaned in to kiss her.

She looked at his brown eyes, "You better hope that last file saved. Otherwise, you'll be sleeping on the couch tonight."

"Maybe you should take back your words."

She looked at him with a perplexed look, "What do you mean?"

"Oh nothing, you'll have to wait," he kissed her again and trailed his hands down to her sides.

She felt her pulse quicken as he continued his light ministrations. "You better get back to your patients. Otherwise, you'll be here for a long while."

"Well Happy One Year Anniversary, my dear."

Relena got up from her seat and stretched out the kinks in her back. "I'll see you later," and she blew an invisible kiss towards him.

…

"Can I help you sir?" The security guard eyed at Heero for a while. The twenty year veteran with previous military experience felt that the young man was a sign of mischief.

He looked up from his magazine, "I'm just waiting for a friend of mine. She has an appointment with her doctor today."

"Very well," the old man shuffled back to his post behind the desk, but still looked at Heero occasionally.

Heero minded his own business until he saw his target walk out of the elevator. The petite blond stepped out from the steel doors and greeted the security guard. He felt his muscles in his throat constricting and his breath getting stuck somewhere in his windpipe, as she walked by him. The scent of cucumber and a floral scent trailed behind her. He quickly glanced back to his magazine, pretending to be just another stranger in the crowd.

He stole a glance after her and watched her spring across the street to the bakery. With her having the head start, he decided to follow after her. Maybe she still didn't see him. After all, kids usually don't remember their imaginary friends, and he assumed adults as well.

He bounded across the street, being mindful for the random traffic pattern coming from the taxis and public buses. And there she was again, sitting in the far corner and eating a chocolate chip bagel from what he could tell.

Above her seat, there was a mirror and he noticed his own reflection staring back at him. He watched her get up from her mini lunch and for a brief second, she paused and looked at his reflection.

For a brief instant, he felt her eyes connect with his through his reflection and he quickly left the area. "Oh shit," he muttered. Her wide eyed response was enough for him to realize that she still remembered him after all these years, and that she saw him. The last time he saw her was nineteen years ago.

"Heero?" Relena quickly packed up her belongings and ran out the door, chasing after the elusive apparition. She felt the hairs on her arms stand up. This couldn't be happening. There was no possible way that he could be here in the flesh. "You're just stressed and overtired," she talked to herself as she went down the street filled with pedestrians. "You're just imagining this, Relena. Calm down."

Her eyes scanned the crowds, hoping to find a familiar black leather jacket and denim blue jeans. "Excuse me…" she tapped on a shoulder of a man, but it wasn't his face. "Sorry." The physician assistant continued her search but she couldn't find him anywhere.

What would she do if she did spot him? A multitude of possibilities came to mind as she walked down the busy main street. Nineteen years was enough to exact revenge on him in one form or another, whether it may be ignoring him to inflicting pain on him.

She felt her head begin to throb, as she was starting to think too hard on her grand, master plan. She fought off the pulsating pin pricks that began on the sides of her head and travelled to the crown. Dave was right for her to go back to their apartment that they now shared together. Technically, it was still hers but she gave him a spare key.

She let a sigh escape from her lips. Maybe she should've stayed under the covers earlier this morning and none of this would've happened. She nibbled on her lower lip, and took one last glance at the shifting crowds that came her way. Still, there was no sign of the elusive Heero Yuy, whether he was fake or real.

…

The imaginary friend watched her from the corner of his eye. He could tell that she was disappointed by the way her shoulders stooped and how she kept her head lowered to the ground. The way she looked seared into his memory, as she walked in defeat.

Curiosity still got the best of him as he trailed behind her by at least twenty feet. He noticed every so often she glanced here and there, hoping to catch him off his guard, but he was careful not to get trapped in her line of sight.

The sun began to set below the low lying clouds. Thinking he was in the clear, he quickened his pace to head back to his own place. He rounded around the corner and bumped into a small form, "Sorry, my fault."

Not knowing who he bumped into, he quickly recognized the voice as it sliced through the distance between them. "Heero Yuy." And the minute, their eyes met, he knew he was in trouble. He stood there in shock, wondering how he managed to get caught, as he felt a fist connect with his lower jaw.