CHAPTER III- Several Situations

Morning came with the unlocking of the locker room at seven. Relena had slept the whole night, bent in the corner, and her body's aching was a clear result.

She wanted to go home.

But she would not remain with Treize Kushrenada in the house.

Treize had been an old friend of her brother's when he had been involved in a gang. Their parents had died years before. Her brother had been previously named Milliardo, but on the streets he had been given a new name- Zechs Merquize.

Relena remembered the many nights of Treize crashing on the couch of their house, escaping the cops or another gang. Whenever Treize showed up, her brother ended up delving into something illegal. Eventually she had convinced him to move away and break all ties with the Romafellar Gang, yet it seemed that even that could not save her brother.

She sat up dusted off her clothes. She rinsed her hair She turned the tap of the shower on and rinsed her long golden hair out and tried it with her jacket. Her fingers were her brush, water her toothbrush. She glared at her reflection. This could not work. She had to find a willing friend or return with her tail between her legs.

The proud girl flipped her hair over a shoulder and sighed. She needed to get help.

Heero entered his first period class just before the bell. His teacher marked him with her normal glare and he shrugged it off. Angry or not, every teacher had to admit that Heero Yuy always got the highest grades in every subject.

He dropped his books onto his desks and made the motions to sit down, his gaze settling on the girl sitting next to him. She was bowed over the warm up exercise, her hair damp and clinging to her neck.

He noted with his usual attentiveness that she was wearing the same clothes as the day before, an action he had only previously attributed to boys. Something was up. Had she told on him? Had she done something? Had her washing machine broken? (A/N: I really couldn't resist)

"Relena?"

She didn't even look up.

"Relena?"

She snapped her head up and narrowed her eyes, "Shut up, Heero, you'll get Ms. Foryasic mad at us."

His frown deepened as he noted that she hadn't been doing the warm up, but writing down the names of people in her class and crossing them out, one by one.

He tore a sheet of paper from his binder and scribbled hastily.

What are you doing???

Are all superheroes this nosy?

When people act suspicious, yes.

I need a place to stay for a couple of days, that's all.

At this, everything clicked. The reused outfit, the distracted expression....

You ran away from home?

No...yes...sort of. For a couple of days. My brother and I have an agreement.

Brother?

Yes. Are you satisfied now? If you breathe a word of this to anyone, I'll tell everyone what I know.

At this reply, Heero stopped writing and merely looked over the note, thinking. The teacher began explaining the homework, and Relena began copying doing the solution to the warm up. Heero let out an angry breath and wrote reluctantly:

Stay with me.

WHAT?!

I live alone. My apartment's up the street two blocks. No one will know, and I'm never home anyway.

Why are you helping me?

So I can keep an eye on you, nothing more.

Okay, then. But if you tell anyone ANYTHING or harm me in ANY WAY, I'll tell everyone what I know.

Heero nodded and then promptly tore the notes into pieces before stuffing it into his backpack.

They ignored each other after that.

"I can't, Treize." Zechs was saying, pacing the linoleum floor of the kitchen with angry steps.

The man seated at the kitchen table rested a chin on his hand, "Need I remind you that I set you up with your job, my friend? You live in the house I helped you pay for, paid off the debts you never told your sister about. Do think the newspaper would have been interested in your articles if I hadn't paid them under the table? We were good friends once, close enough to be brothers."

"I know, Treize. It's just...time changes us all."

Treize stood up, "Not that much."

"I've got to think about my sister, Treize. Last time...last time was too close."

"Your sister doesn't know we supported you when you moved out here. She could always find out...."

"You wouldn't!"

"I would. She's probably at some friend's house...I could find out where."

"Get out, Treize."

"No. This is just as much my house as yours. I believe that this afternoon is the deadline for your article. You'd better go type it. We won't let Relena get hurt, Zechs, I swear."

The man glared at his friend. His hair was wild, her eyes dangerous. She turned at stalked out, "You see to it, Treize. You see to it."

"This is your home?" Relena asked when Heero flicked the switch to the relatively small apartment.

"Yes, for the most part." Heero walked forward and dropped his backpack on the sofa, "My parents live abroad, so I ended up here."

"Why don't they live with you?"

"They aren't the settling type. They loved their honeymoon so much, they never stopped."

The rooms were spotless and museum-like. Relena let out a snort, "Your place is unnaturally tidy."

Heero went to the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of milk, "That's what Shingami says."

"The Shinigami? From A District?"

Heero nodded absently as he sipped the milk from the cardboard container without a glass. Relea crinkled her nose at this, "You're place might be nice, but your manners certainly aren't."

He didn't look abashed, just simply mildly annoyed when he replaced the carton, "This is my home, my rules. Got it?"

"I can very easily tell on you."

"Not if you're dead."

She glowered at him until she couldn't bear to look at him any more. HE smirked and said, "There will be some people coming over today. I'm going to need you to stay in the other room until we're done, okay?"

"Oh yeah! You're a member of the Gundam League, aren't you?"

"The Five. We're called The Five."

"Will I get to meet them?"

"No. This is a strategic meeting. You will not learn their identities."

"Let me guess: Quatre Winner, Duo Maxwell, Wufei Chang...and that one with green eyes...Trowa...something.....Trowa Barton!"

Heero actually looked shocked, "How did you...."

"After I figured out who you were, I asked around a bit. Found out who your friends were."

"So?"

"Well, you seem like a no-nonsense sort of person the only reason you'd ever hang out with someone like Duo Maxwell is if you had some sort of strategic alliance to him. I just put two and two together after you mentioned that there were five of you as superheroes-"

Relena trailed off at Heero's expression. He took a breath and decided to stick to business, "You'll get the bed, except I have to go in there and change. Do you have any money for clothes? You can't show up to school in the same outfit every day."

"I don't have the money to-"

Heero dug into his pocket and pulled out a wad of twenties, "You won't owe me anything, consider it a gesture of mutual faith."

Relena cocked an eyebrow at the thinly disguised bribe, "I'll be back in an hour then."

"Right."

She put the money into her wallet and walked out.

Heero decided that Relena Darlian was far too clever for her own good.