FORGOTTEN SOUL

Chapter Three

Releena was walking down the corridor to her office, ruffling through some paperwork, her eyes on the documents but her mind somewhere else altogether. She couldn't concentrate on them; the words scrawled across the paper like bugs and blurred together, soaking up the few drops of moisture that fell from her eyes. She'd had a very trying day and was quite stressed out; that on top of her constant worry for Heero had been too much for her. She had to get away, to be alone somewhere before she broke down in front of everyone. She was just going to lock herself in her office, turn off her phoneline, and have a good cry where no one could see her.

Rounding a corner, she was suddenly slammed into by a boy in a black priest suit, and they both went crashing to the floor. Hastily wiping her eyes, Releena tried getting to her feet, unconscious of Duo's babbled apologies.

"Oh, man, sorry Jousan! Didn't see ya, I mean--I wasn't watching...I mean...I wanted to catch you before you left. Leena, hey, WE FOUND HIM!"

Releena's head jerked up and she stared at Duo wide eyed. "Duo, you mean it?! You found Heero?!"

Duo's violet eyes were sparkling. "Trowa and Quatre just called in. They're flying him back as we speak."

Releena gave a little whoop, and whirled the astonished Duo around in a fierce bear hug.

"Oof. Hey, Jousan, better save that for Heero. He'd come after me with a gun if he ever saw that." But Duo was grinning, his eyes revealing the same feeling of happy relief. Heero's disappearance had been hard on everyone.

"What happened?" Releena wanted to know. "Where did they find him?"

Duo's silly grin vanished. "Ahhhh, well." He rubbed the back of his head and looked uncomfortable. "Maybe you should ask Heero--"

"Duo...."

Duo sighed. "Trowa said Heero told them he'd been captured."

"Captured?! By whom?"

"Dunno. He didn't say. But apparently they detained him for several days before he could escape. Umm...." Duo chewed his lip and looked like he was about to say something he didn't want to say. "One more thing," he finally sighed. "Quatre said it looked like Heero had been tortured."

Releena drew in a breath. "Oh, Heero," she whispered.

"Yeah. So, go easy on the guy. From the way it sounds, he's really been through hell."

Heero sat quietly in the back seat of the shuttle, head down, arms crossed over his chest, studiously ignoring his two comrads. The blond, the one called Quatre, kept shooting worried looks his way, and the taller pilot, Trowa, would ask him a question from time to time, hiding his concern better than the Arabian, but not so much that Heero couldn't pick up on it. This confused him a little. He was faintly surprised at the depth of loyalty these two terrorists were showing; it seemed that they genuinely cared about him. And why did this seem so familiar?

Heero shook his head as the pain in his skull began nagging at him again. It didn't matter, anyway. He had his mission, and nothing would stop him from completing it.

The shuttle touched down at the terrorist's headquarters, a large organization called the Preventers. Heero had been schooled about this place, too. The Preventers hid behind the guise of upholding the peace, only to pursue their own ends with military and acts of terrorism. It was a lie; a facade. They cared nothing for peace, and they had fooled the whole world into thinking they were there to protect them. Heero's jaw tightened, his mind working furiously. After delivering the four ringleaders to the New Romefeller, a few well placed explosives throughout the building would make sure the Preventers would never rise again.

"Heero? We've touched down. You okay?"

Quatre again. Heero eyed him suspiciously. This one he would have to watch; no terrorist could be THAT kind or innocent.

"Fine," he answered tonelessly. Standing up, he brushed by Quatre and Trowa without a second glance, limping carefully out of the shuttle and towards the Preventers headquarters.

"Heero!"

Heero blinked in confusion as a slight young woman came running towards him across the runway. His mind barely had time to register that fact before the girl flung herself into his arms, hugging him so tightly he could hardly breathe. Heero was so surprised he couldn't do anything. But what was really strange was the fact that anyone else who tried to touch him would probably be hurt; just another one of his instinctive reflexes.

But, holding this girl, somehow felt right....and....and so very familiar....

Heero winced as the sharpest burst of pain yet lanced through his head, causing him to jerk away with his hands to his temples. He felt the girl gasp and reach out for him, but shrugged her off violently. Quatre and Trowa came rushing up, and Heero forced himself upright to face them, concentrating on his mission and only that. The agony receded a bit, but still throbbed in the back of his mind. It was a warning: for whatever reasons, this girl was dangerous to the mission, and to himself. He couldn't allow her to distract him.

"Heero?" Releena asked anxiously. Yes, that was her name: Releena Peacecraft. He remembered now; the New Romefeller had said something about her. She was the vice foreign minister who was in league with the gundam pilots. Whether or not she knew they were terrorists was unimportant to Heero. She was unimportant. If she got in his way--if she got in the way of the mission-- he would deal with her. Until then...

WHY did this seem so familiar?

Taking a deep breath, he turned to face her. Concern shimmered freely in those bright green eyes, and something else as well. Heero shuddered inwardly with the weight of that look, but didn't let it reach his steely outward expression. He couldn't blow his cover.

"Sorry," he apologized, rubbing at his forehead so he wouldn't have to look her in the eye. "Just tired, I guess. The last mission...." He trailed off, letting them form their own opinions about what had happened to him. As predicted, they were all very understanding.

"Sure, Heero," Quatre said sympathetically. "Yeah, you're probably exhausted. You want me and Trowa to drive you home?" Heero turned away. "Not necessary," he sta

ted flatly, and began walking towards the compound. Trowa, Quatre and Releena eyed each other worriedly.

"Something is wrong," Trowa said in his quiet voice.

Quatre blinked. "I'm sure he's just tired," he replied, but it sounded like he was trying to convince himself. "He's been through a lot. He'll just need time to recover."

Trowa looked at Releena, the person who knew Heero Yuy better than anyone, the one who had been responsible for the gradual change in the gundam pilot, for his small smiles and silent laughter. For the way his eyes softened when he looked at her, for the way he allowed her to pull him from a dark, distant corner and into the thick of things, a brooding onlooker no more. Trowa noticed all these little things, and secretly applauded Releena for giving at least one of them a change to live again; to feel for someone. He looked at her now, wondering if she knew him well enough to see what he had seen the moment they picked Heero up.

"No, Trowa's right," Releena whispered, and a pained look came into her eyes. "That wall; it's there again. He's shutting us all out." She was talking more to herself now than the other two, but Trowa saw the brief flash of panic that crossed her face, and realized that her worst fears must be coming true.

Quatre must've seen it also. "Releena-sama." Quatre always turned formal when he found himself in awkward situations. "I'm sure Heero just doesn't want us to worry over him. You know how stubborn he can be about his own welfare. He's uncomfortable with us showing any sympathy and he doesn't want to be pitied. He just needs to sleep this off and he'll be back to normal tomorrow."

"Normal" in the sense that described Heero Yuy, of course. But Trowa and Releena were still concerned. They had recognized the blank, empty look in the eyes of their friend--the one reserved for strangers and enemies--and had the disturbing feeling that Heero hadn't known them at all.

Heero entered the Preventers headquarters and gazed around warily. That last encounter with the girl had almost been disastrous for the mission, and had put his senses on edge. He would have to be careful it didn't happen again. Looking around the familiar hallway, he started for his office on the second floor.

"Hey, Heero!"

For the second time that day, Heero was suddenly grabbed, from behind this time as someone flung an arm around his shoulders. This time his reflexes didn't hesitate. Grabbing the offender's arm, he flipped him over his shoulders laid him flat on his back with a thud that echoed down the hallway.

Duo felt all the air leave him as he was slammed on his back, and for a moment couldn't draw breath enough to speak. He lay there stunned, gasping for air, looking up the muzzle of a gun Heero was pointing at his face.

"Heero!" he managed to gasp. "What the hell is wrong with you? It's me, you baka!"

Heero blinked cold, empty eyes at the person on the floor. "Duo," he stated emotionlessly, and the gun vanished as quickly as it had been whipped out. He didn't apologize, but he did offer a hand to help the other up. Duo grabbed it, glaring at Heero as he was hauled to his feet.

"Man, you must've really been through something," Duo stated, in a voice that didn't quite match the glare he was shooting at the other pilot. Then it dropped entirely and Duo was his cheerful self again.

"Anyway, I'm glad you didn't get yourself blown to bits. Releena would never forgive you if you managed to die out there," he said with one of his usual grins. Heero remained impassive. "Oi, what's wrong with you anyway? I thought you and Jousan would be...well, you know. Since you haven't seen each other in a few weeks. She was really worried about you, ya know."

So that was it. He and that girl.....Heero winced. This was an unexpected problem. Why hadn't the New Romefeller warned him about this? They could've told him he was supposedly the boyfriend of the vice foreign minister; that was a rather important piece of the mission they had left out. Heero didn't know if he was supposed to keep up this charade or not.

He sighed inwardly. A soldier knows how to deal with unexpected difficulties, he reminded himself. Break it off, or kill her, if she becomes a problem. Just don't blow your cover.

Duo was staring at him intently now, a puzzled frown on his face, his violet eyes sharp and accessing. Heero tensed immediately as Duo narrowed his eyes.

"You okay, pal?" he said, the frown still in place, as if he saw something in Heero that he didn't like. Heero shrugged, careful to let his face show nothing, to be completely expressionless. He was uncomfortable under Duo's stare. It was as if the braided pilot could see past his facade to what he was really thinking.

Come to think of it, they all did. Every one of them. Trowa, Quatre, Duo and Releena. To different extents, they all knew something was wrong with him. He would have to be very, very careful around these people who apparently knew more about him than he did.

"I'm fine," he said, in answer to Duo's question and curious stare. "Just tired."

"Come on, Heero." Duo was unrelenting. "There's something more, I know you better than that. Out with it. What's the matter?"

Heero felt trapped. How in the world could they know him so quickly in such a short amount of time? They must indeed be professionals. For a moment, he was on the verge of attacking this braided menace, blown cover or no, when he suddenly had a thought.

"It's nothing," he growled, feigning embarrassment as best he could.

"I....hurt.... a lot, okay?"

The look in Duo's eyes went from wary curiousity to genuine surprise and concern. "Oh, man, sorry Heero. I didn't....I mean....I NEVER expected you to admit something like that! You must really be hurting. You've never admitted anything like that before."

Heero shrugged. Duo acted like he had just uncovered earth's greatest secret. "You want me to get a doctor, Heero?" he asked, trying to be concerned through his excitement. "Sally's still here, I think. Should I make you an appointment?"

"No," Heero growled again. "I'm fine." He certainly did not want a doctor poking around inside him, even though he WAS hurting. That hadn't been a lie, at least. The New Romefeller had given him one last "sesson" before he left, to make his capture story more authentic. Heero wasn't sure, but he thought something had been inplanted inside his head, and he didn't need a doctor stumbling onto it right now.

"Well, at least let me drive you home," Duo persisted. "You're in no shape to drive yourself, Heero. And tommorrow morning, I AM taking you to a doctor."

He fully expected Heero to protest, or ignore him, or punch him for being so annoying. But the other youth surprised him again with a nonchalant shrug and a muttered: "Whatever." Duo stared at him in shock for a brief moment, than stammered that he needed his keys and took off down the hall.

Heero watched him go and smirked coldly to himself. Good, Duo had offered to drive him home. He would be all alone with the chatty pilot, and none of the others would be around to come to his aid. The New Romefeller wanted the gundam pilots, and he would not fail them.

Duo would be the first.