Mending the Shatters Part 2
II. School Days
Heero was kneeling before his desk, his school bag lying in front of him. He looked down at the dark blue folder he was holding, tracing his fingers over its rough surface. He'll have to take actual notes in it this time. No more pretending to be writing while actually pondering over his next mission. There was no next mission, there would only be a test in the end of the term. No more looking down at the students, knowing that he is superior to them. Now, he'll be just like them. He'll be one of Them.
Heero sighed and stuffed the folder into his backpack, along with the others. He got up, trying to keep his breathing and his heartbeat straight. He didn't know why he was so nervous. He was NEVER nervous. He didn't sleep at night for he was too busy tossing and turning in bed, thinking about possible scenarios for the next day. It made him feel more secured if he imagined every possible thing that could occur, so he will be ready for it. He had never done that before, only when preparing for a mission. But this was just school. And he had already been in dozens of them.
But that was different. Then he had had Duo. And although his presence was sometimes annoying and distracting, he was never alone. He had never had to face Them all alone. He had Duo to speak for him and handle the socializing part. Now, it was up to him.
Heero shivered again. Dammit! What's wrong with him!?
"Snap out of it Yuy!" He berated himself harshly. We gotta mission to do... Who was he kidding?! Even though he was trying to think of it as just another mission, he could feel his stomach muscles clench each time he thought of entering the class. The way everybody would look at him... Like he was some kind of... freak. An ex-Gundam pilot coming to school... Damn Odin! Why did he have to tell them?!
No, he was right. They would have found out one way or the other. It was better to tell them in advance. After all, the war WAS over, and there should be no logical reason to try and hide what-- WHO he was. Heero snorted. No matter how many times he repeated Odin's words in his head, he never believed them.
While getting up to his feet, Heero straightened his uniforms. He took a moment to examine the uniforms, sending a glance towards the mirror on his closet's inner door. He smiled a little. At least the uniforms weren't too bad. Not like the Sank Kingdom ones who could choke you to death while you walked. There should be a warning attached to those uniforms - 'Do Not Try And Pilot A Gundam With These Uniforms, It May Proven Hazardous To Your Health'. Heero smirked. Not that he had cared about it at the time...
But memories aside for now, these uniforms were much more simple and comfortable, which suited him just fine. He was wearing a dark blue sweater, beneath it a white-collar shirt, accompanied by a pair of dark gray trousers. He fixed his shirt's collar and adjusted the buttoned sleeves of the shirt. Taking a last glance at the mirror, he quickly ran his fingers through his messy brown bangs, pushing them up, but they immediately fell back down. He smiled a little, amused.
Taking a final deep breath to calm his anxiety, Heero walked out of his room. Odin was already waiting for him downstairs, sitting in the kitchen with his usual carton of orange juice. Heero rolled his eyes and shook his head with a sigh. When will that man grow up and drink out of a normal glass? Nearly ten years and he hasn't learned how to pour himself a drink in the morning.
Heero smiled to himself. It was good to know that some things will NEVER change, as small and insignificant as they are.
"Morning!" The blond man greeted him warmly, making a slight salute with the carton of juice.
Heero nodded his greeting as he walked over to the fridge, looking for something sweet.
"Want me to take ya to school?"
Heero could swear that he was trying to tease him, for he heard the smile in Odin's voice. Grabbing a cup of strawberry yogurt, Heero closed the fridge and shook his head in reply. "No thank you. The school is within walking distance."
"Alrighty then, have a nice day." He replied smoothly, getting up and collecting his things from the table. He put a half eaten piece of toast in his mouth as he put a large pile of papers in a shabby old folder, placing it under his armpit. Then he took the toast out and turned to walk out of the kitchen. "See ya after work." He called and Heero could hear him tossing his car keys up in the air, and then catching them. "Take it easy, kay?"
Heero only nodded, not that the man could see, for Heero was in the kitchen and Odin at the door, but still, the man didn't complain. And as the blond closed the door behind him, Heero realized he didn't even know what his caretaker did for a living. He made a mental note to find out.
Looking up at the kitchen clock, Heero felt this not so welcomed anxious shivering down his spine. It was almost time to go...
* * *
He had just walked through the front gate, and already was he a nervous wreck. All around him students ran to greet their friends, nearly all of them walking around in groups. They were all chatting all too happily for such an early hour of the day, and their chatter was making him even more nervous, for some absurd reason. Although he was swallowed by the crowd of pupils, lost in a sea of boys and girls all dressed like him, he felt so very VERY alone. Isolated. He just knew that this is how it's going to be for the remaining of his time here.
Well, one month. He could last one month. He had been through worse.
When the bell rang, Heero was still sitting in front of the principal's office, waiting to be directed to his classes. Next to him, another few people sat, a mother and two children, who also seemed to have just registered to the school. One of those kids, around his age he supposed, was tapping his feet nervously on the floor. The other, a younger girl, was fidgeting with her fingers. Even the mother looked nervous, her whole body tense. Only he was sitting as still as a rock, though inside he was struggling to keep his heart rate normal.
"Heero Yuy?" A voice called from within the office, and Heero had to keep himself from flinching.
He got up, looking at the lady. "Yes?"
"Come in please." The woman gestured and walked back in.
Heero swallowed and walked in after her, suddenly finding that his fists were clenched, knuckles white. He immediately unclenched them.
* * *
He did his best to try and remain calm to the world as he followed the school counselor through the endless network of corridors, towards his class. He held his bag's suspender tightly, reaching up at fix it every two seconds, even though it never really slipped off his shoulder. When they finally reached the class, the counselor turned to him, smiling sweetly. "I'll introduce you to the class. It should be interesting, people have been talking about your arrival for nearly three days now."
Heero swallowed, and nodded politely. He couldn't even find the strength to talk back. God, why was he so nervous!?
"Quiet, everyone!" The teacher called as the counselor's entrance caused some distraction and created a loud rumble of chatter. "Quiet, please!"
Gradually, the class fell silent.
The counselor smiled, looking at door's direction, signaling Heero to enter. He took a deep breath, and then marched forward. He thought that he had heard someone whisper something with the word 'shy' in it. He shrugged it off and walked over to stand by the counselor.
"Class, I would like to introduce Heero Yuy. He will be joining your class."
Again the loud rumble of noise rushed through the class, and Heero took the time to examine the bunch of kids in front of him. They were all eyeing him, some suspiciously, some giggling, some indifferent. He saw a couple of girls huddle together, whispering into each other's ear while eyeing him with this weird gleam in their eyes. He swallowed again, looking away.
"Wheredya park yer Gundam?" Someone called and a few giggles followed.
Heero scowled at the stupid boy who had made the comment. He immediately disliked the joker-faced guy.
"Not next to yer Chevy, Ralph, so chill!" Another voice, a girl, called. More laughs roared through the class.
"I'll leave you now," The counselor turned to Heero and said. "Good day." She smiled and left the class.
More excited voices called all at once, and Heero had to hold himself from shying away. After a while the teacher managed to clam the class, and turned to face him.
"Now then, why won't you tell us a little about yourself?" She suggested. "I must say that your presence has made many of us quite curious."
Heero nodded his acknowledgement, and again turned to face the class. Something about himself... like what? He couldn't think about anything but the obvious. Why is this so hard? He was afraid that he'd stammer. "Well, um..." He began uncertainly, trying to avoid all those eyes directed at him. He didn't know where to fix his gaze. Oh c'mon! He has done it a billion times before! Why couldn't he face the damn class!!? Maybe because this time, he had to face them as himself. Not as anything or anyone else. Just himself.
"Like you all probably know I was a, um, a... a Gundam pilot, and, um..." Oh God, what to say? I saved the planet? I below up Libra? I killed so many people I can't even begin to count... What should he say?!
"C'mon man! Speak up! Can't hear ya!" Someone called.
"Lost his tongue in the war." Ralph, the joker, called.
Heero glared at him angrily, but then he remembered Duo saying that he looked very VERY creepy like that, so he wiped that expression off his face. No need to scare them off, he barely just arrived...
"What would you like to know?"
"Which Gundam did ya pilot?" A girl called.
"Wing." And Heavyarms, and Epyon, Wing Zero... But no need to tell all that, right?
"Deathscythe is cooler." Someone called.
Heero could just picture Duo's head explode... And that stupid grin... For some reason, he found that he was smiling. Yeah, just keep thinking like that. What would Duo say? Think like a smart ass... He couldn't think of any witty reply. Oh dammit! Just say something! Quit staring!
"But it was Wing that saved your planet." Oh oh. Shouldn't have said that, right? Shit.
"Ohhh... everybody look at me, I saved the planet..." Ralph called teasingly.
"You're such a jerk Ralph!" The same girl as before called.
"Why won't you go and sit down, Heero?" The teacher suggested, trying to keep cool and nice.
Heero took one last look at the class, before nodding.
"There's room next to Jeremy over there." The teacher pointed at a boy sitting at the end of the class, in the corner.
He pulled his bag's suspender up again, and walked over to the said boy, feeling dozens of eyes follow his every move. When he reached the table, he tried to smile at the boy who looked up at him indifferently, but his smile faltered, coming up all weird. He just wanted to burry himself somewhere and die.
The teen just kept staring at him, eyes cold.
"Um, hi." Heero let out, trying his best to act social.
Jeremy snorted and looked away, uncaring. Heero sighed and settled in the seat next to him. As the teacher continued on with the lesson, he noticed Jeremy pull the chair away from him, towards the wall. Heero looked down at the table and sighed again. So much for his first day of school.
* * *
Recess was even worse than the first period. Jeremy hurried to leave the class, as if running away from him, and so Heero stood up, sighing, and began to pack his things. That's when all the students decided it was time to huddle around him, shooting out long strings of questions.
He tried to answer them politely, not wanting to act like his usual unsocial self, and scare off more people. After all, it was expected of him to spend A LOT of time with them, and he didn't want to start on the wrong foot. He answered questions about the war, about the other pilots, about the places he'd seen... He had even answered questions about Relena, being asked how was she in real life. And then they started to get personal. They started to ask about him. About his life.
"Why are you here?"
"Don't you have anything better to do than go to school?"
"Is it true that you and Queen Relena were lovers?"
"Didchya bang her?"
Heero whirled around to look at the person who had asked the last question, not surprised to see that it was Ralph. God, he hated that guy!
"No, I didn't." He answered coldly, glaring at him. "And I didn't have an affair with her either. I don't even-" Then he stopped himself, before he'll say something he really didn't need anyone else to hear. Should he tell them how he hated it when she stalked him? Should he complain? They'll just mock him again, a person who's complaining about being chased by one of the most powerful women on the planet... It's just like the Wing and Libra thing, they'll mock him.
Heero closed his eyes, looking away.
"What's up with him?" Someone wondered out loud.
"Yo, man, didya?"
"I think he's hiding something..."
"C'mon! Tell us!"
They were getting too close. They wanted to know too much! He mustn't let ANYONE close... they would hurt him... Go away! Please! Just go away! Leave me alone...leave me alone...leave me alone...please... Oh God... He needed to get out of there!
"Stop asking so many questions!" He burst, looking around angrily.
All looked at him, stunned at his exasperation.
"Chill man..." Someone called.
"No YOU chill!" He shot back. "I don't have to answer your stupid questions! Just leave me alone!" And he stomped out of class, trying to ignore the whispers that followed his retreat.
* * *
After that incident, no one really approached him, unless they absolutely had to. He was alone most of the time, except when the teacher handed-out group assignments. He would usually stand aside as pupils fought each other as to who will have to 'get stuck with the freak'. At times like this he wished he had a gun. Or a nice little self-destruct button. Even better. He could take them with him.
Despite the loneliness, he kept his word to Odin. He kept on attending school, sitting alone in class, alone in the cafeteria, alone during recess... Always alone. He was used to it. He had been alone for a large part of his life. It was no big deal. Just another thing he had to endure for the sake of the... For the sake of what? There's no war, no mission, no real cause for his suffering. Was he doing this for Odin's sake? Perhaps for his own? He didn't know. All he knew was that one more week, and he's outta there.
Heero looked up from his homework as he heard the front door open. He was sitting in the living room, in front of the TV, doing his physics homework. Since he had come in the middle of the school year, there weren't that many subjects left for him to choose from, for the classes were full. But still, with the help of the all TOO kind school counselor, he had managed to find the classes he sort of, kind of, maybe, just maybe, liked. He had to choose four different subjects that would be added to his regular curriculum. Having no idea what was he to choose, it had taken him quite a while to do so. At the end, he was pretty pleased with the results. He had taken computers and physics for one hand, and literature on the other. He could actually hear Duo laugh about it in his head, and that thought made him smile. Him, Heero Perfect (not so perfect anymore) Soldier Yuy taking a literature class!!??? That will be the day! And it was, apparently.
Also, he had to choose a language class, and with all the choices offered to him: French, Spanish, German and Japanese, he had chosen... well- isn't it obvious!? The Counselor was reluctant at first, saying that if he already spoke the language then he should try something else, but he had objected. Even though he knew how to speak, though he was a little rusty, for he haven't spoken fluidly to anyone for most of his life, he also didn't know how to read and write and he wanted to take the opportunity to learn.
All in all, Heero was pretty pleased with what he had chosen. No one else chose, but he. He chose what he wanted to do and it was a 'pretty damn good feeling!', as one braided American would say.
The homework he was doing now weren't so hard. He had probably learned this stuff when he was twelve. But it still needed to be done, and so he did it, maybe just to pass the time.
He looked at the VCR's digital display and was surprised to find out that he had been working on it for nearly half an hour. Now it was six P.M. and Odin was back from work. He watched the blond mutely as he hung his jacket on the hanger by the door and headed towards the kitchen, one hand rubbing the back of his neck tiredly. Heero pouted, looking away as he saw the blond did not even bother to send him a casual glance. He sighed. It was bad enough that kids in school ignored him, but Odin was doing it as well? He frowned at himself, surprised that it actually hurt.
Heero hadn't spoken a word to anyone in four days. Odin didn't seem to notice and he didn't comment about it. Heero guessed that after three weeks, the blond had gotten used to his silence. But it still hurt. Odin was acting as if he's not even there. Of course Heero was partly to blame; he had done it on purpose, acting invisible. He wanted to know how Odin would react. As it seemed, the man didn't care much, for he ignored him just like those kids in school. Even now, when he had deliberately stayed downstairs to do his homework, waiting for him to come back home, the blond acted like he was nothing but air.
Damn him! Heero thought fiercely as he slammed the physics book shut. He AND those kids can go to hell. He'll be more than happy to send them there himself!
He yanked his things off the table and stalked up to his room, slamming the door behind him.
Odin froze as he heard the door slam and turned to look up at the stairs direction. He frowned and then looked away, back to his job of preparing dinner.
* * *
When dinner was ready, he set the table, placing two sets of dishes on it. He looked up in the direction of Heero's room, and frowned again.
"What to do..?" He muttered quietly, still frowning. The boy had been acting so strange lately. He barely saw him the last few days, being stuck at work for long hours, and when he did come home, Heero was nowhere to be found, or closed up in his room. Odin was sure he didn't hear him utter one word all week. Something was up with the teen, and he was clueless as to what. He really wasn't good at this so-called 'fatherly' stuff.
But he had to do something.
Sighing heavily, Odin walked up to Heero's bedroom and knocked on the door.
Of course, he didn't expect to be answered.
He knocked again. "Heero, may I come in?"
As nothing but silence answered his request, Odin sighed, and let himself in. He closed the door behind him, doing anything possible to pros pone the time between now and their confrontation. He took a deep breath and, slowly, he turned back to face the room. He frowned.
Heero was laying on his bed, back facing him, blanket drawn as high up to his neck. The window was fully open, exposing a beautiful sea of stars, letting in a cool breeze.
"Heero?" Odin called quietly, hesitantly, walking towards the bed.
The teen did not move.
Odin sighed loud enough for the teen to hear, and settled down on the bed, his back facing the boy. "How long is this silence treatment going to last?" He asked silently, but not angrily.
Heero pulled away a little, snuggling deeper into the covers, pretending to be asleep.
"If you were waiting to see which one of us will break first, then congratulations, boy, you've won."
Heero snorted, pulling away even more, merely inches from the window. He looked down at the ground two stories bellow; thinking what damage will occur to his body if he pulled a little further, and rolled out the window. But he dismissed the thought quickly. There was a small banister separating him and the chasm.
"So I guess it is my turn to apologize, again..." The blond continued bitterly. It seemed that he had been doing nothing but apologizing for the last three weeks. "Though I am not sure what for." He turned his head to look over at Heero. "Do you mind telling me?"
Heero rolled his eyes. Nice try old man, but I'm not talking.
"Okay, then maybe not." He sighed again, looking away, gazing at the air in front of him. "If you want me to apologize for not speaking to you for nearly a week, then forget it."
Heero winced, closing his eyes. He should have know... Why would he care..?
"After all," The blond continued, "It was you who started this silence thing. You forgot that I could be as stubborn as you are."
Heero fought down a small smile. Kisama...
"And, if you were thinking about testing me again, then I must say that I am a little insulted."
Heero snapped his eyes open, confused. He wanted to whirl around and look at the man, to read his face and tell what he meant by it, but he held himself back.
"I know it is hard for you to trust me, and I didn't expect us to act like the last nine years never happened, but I don't think I did anything wrong to make you feel so distrustful." He turned back to face the teen. "Heero, tell me, what did I do wrong?"
Nothing... you did nothing... It's all my fault... It always is... I'm sorry... Heero pulled the blanket higher, high enough to cover his face, so Odin wouldn't see his tearful eyes. But despite the fact that his face was shielded from sight, he did not let the tears pour out.
"God, Heero, I don't know what to do anymore... I'm afraid of doing all the wrong things, saying all the wrong things. I'm afraid that if I'll say one thing, then I'll push you away, I'm afraid that if I won't say anything, you'll pull away. I feel like I'm walking on egg shells here! Like I'm trying to shoot in the dark. You gotta help me, Heero! Tell me, please. Just..." He stopped to take a deep breath, then sighed. "Just tell me what to do... what's wrong... Just... just say something... please."
But Heero remained silent.
Odin let his shoulders slump and bowed his head, sighing sorrowfully. "I just don't know what to do anymore... You said that you wanted to be here, maybe you don't... I dunno..." And with that he got up, and walked over to the door. He turned to take one last look at the boy lying on the bed, and then turned to leave.
"They mock me."
Odin froze in his spot, shocked at the sound of Heero's voice. He slowly turned to face the teen, seeing that he was still gazing out the window.
"Who does?" He asked softly, walking back into the room.
Heero shrugged, still not looking at him. "Kids at school. They think I'm a freak." He sighed, looking down at his hands. "Can't really blame them..."
"Heero..." Odin called, placing a comforting hand on the teen's shoulder.
Heero inhaled deeply, trying to keep his emotions under control. "It doesn't matter what I say or do, they always have something to say about it."
"So you decided to keep silent?"
Heero nodded, pulling his head out of the blanket, looking up, eyes shimmering with distress. "I don't know...what...I'm...suppose...to...do..." He said between quick breaths, trying hard to contain his upcoming sobs. "How am I supposed to make friends if no one will even approach me..? It's not that I don't want to... but they... they don't..." He felt Odin's soft touch on his shoulder, and closed his eyes again. "I was trying so hard to be...nice. I don't want to be this freak forever! I want to be... to be like before... before the training... when I was happy." He whirled his whole body around, looking up at Odin, his blue eyes tearful. "I want to be human again! I want... I want to be Kid again..." He sniffed his nose, and reached up a hand to wipe it. Goodness, he was almost crying! "What am I supposed to do? How can I... I don't know how... please... help me..."
Odin did not know what to do as he looked down upon the shivering form of once a strong and powerful soldier. He had no words to ease Heero's pain, and so he had decided to risk it. He brought his arms forward, and pulled Heero into his embrace.
Heero flinched at first, gasping while his whole body tensed. But as Odin stroked his back gently, the teen relaxed and sunk into the embrace, burying his face on the man's broad shoulder, putting his own arms around him, pulling him closer.
Odin smiled a little as he saw Heero respond positively to his hug, and closed his eyes in content. This was a big progress. Very big indeed.
"You're wrong, Heero." He whispered into the teen's hair. "You are human. You're as human as they get. Just look at yourself now, Heero. Tell me what you see."
Heero sniffed his nose again and pulled his head up so he was facing his closet, where a large mirror stood. He blinked a few times, and watched his reflection: sitting on his bed, being embraced tightly, his head resting on Odin's shoulder. And he saw that his arms were wrapped around the man as well. He didn't even notice it.
He examined his features, seeing that he looked like a horrid mess, hair all over his face, eyes shimmering with tears, cheeks wet. He was crying. He never cried. Soldiers don't cry...
"Not a soldier anymore..." He mumbled and then felt Odin's callous hand stroke his back gently.
"No." The man whispered in reply. "Not a soldier. Just Heero."
Heero smiled a little at the figure in the mirror. "Just Heero..." He echoed. "Just... Just Heero..."
It will take getting used to.
* * *
Heero smiled to himself as he opened his bedroom window, all the way. He took his time in inhaling the fresh sweet air of the valley, closing his eyes in content. He then loaded his backpack on his shoulder, and climbed up on the bed, and out the window. He turned around, taking one last look at his dark room, then looked down at the ground two stories bellow. His eyes then darted up to the railing, separating him and the ground, and another sly grin came to his features.
With one quick move he jumped, and was now standing on the railing. He smirked, again glancing back down at the ground. He turned his head around and looked up at the tile roof that was just within reach.
He jumped up the roof, using his hands to push himself up the steep red tiles. Once up on the roof, he stabled himself and took a moment to look around. Again he smiled. The view was outstanding. He had the valley from one side, washed by the early Sunday morning light, and the ocean on the other side, still half covered by the morning mist, a few stars still sparkling in the dark blue horizon.
Heero smiled as he continued climbing up. He made it just in time. The sun was just about to rise.
He found himself a comfortable and safe spot, and settled down, putting his bag down as well. Taking out a notebook and a pen, Heero turned to look around him once again. He could never get enough of the Earth's beauty. The small town that went from the hill his house was located on, and down to the shoreline, was still asleep in this early hour. Only a few birds were his company as he watched the sun rise over the valley, and began to scribble something down in his book.
* * *
The bell rang and students hurried to pick up their things, rushing out of the classroom. As usual, Heero took his time, not really in a rush to go anywhere. He packed his things slowly, sighing heavily as he dropped his notebook and the thing crashed to the floor, papers scattering everywhere. He cursed silently and bent down to pick up his mess.
"Heero?"
He flinched as he heard the teacher's voice call him from the front of the class. He hurried to get up, straightening his shirt. "Yes, miss?"
The young lady smiled kindly at his formality. It wasn't really needed in this school. She gestured him to come closer. "I would like to ask you something, if you please." The literature teacher explained as Heero made his way to her desk.
"Yes, miss?"
The lady smiled again. "Please, Heero, call me Shirley. Everybody does."
"Oh, um, sorry, um..." Not miss! NOT MISS!! "..Shirley."
Again she smiled as she noticed the teen's hesitation. She reached to her drawer and pulled out a sheet of paper. "I went over your assignments," She began as she handed the sheet of paper to the fidgeting Heero. "Don't worry, you did fine." She let out in amusement as she noticed how nervous he suddenly looked. "In fact, you did a little TOO fine."
Heero swallowed. Too fine? What the hell does that mean? It's probably not good.
The teacher leaned forward, looking him straight in the eye. "Heero, did you write this yourself?"
Does she think he copied it from somewhere?! He was not a cheater!
He forced himself to keep an even temper, and only nodded.
The teacher smiled again, looking down at the paper. "I thought you did..." She muttered, then looked up at him again. "Do you have any previous experience in writing? Have you written before?"
"Um, y-yes... a little... during the war... Just stuff that was in my head..."
"I see..." Shirley said, nodding. "Heero, this piece is absolutely beautiful."
It is?! Something HE did was... beautiful?!
"Wha-what do you mean..?" He managed to choke out, feeling his heart beginning to race for no apparent reason.
"When I handed the assignment, I wanted you to familiarize yourselves with the structure of a poem, but what you wrote goes far beyond that, Heero." Again her eyes were piercing through his soul. "I wanted to ask of you, to read it in front of the class."
At that moment Heero wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole. There was no way he was facing Them.
"Um, mi-- Shirley, this poem is a little, um, it's a little personal." He wasn't lying, what he wrote really did come out of his... heart. If he had one, that is.
"I understand, Heero." She sighed, thinking. "Have you ever published one of your works?"
"My works?"
"You said that you have written before." She reminded him.
"Oh, yeah, I did, but, um... It was always anonymous. Through the net." Where he doesn't have to be himself and he doesn't have to let people see him, to know him, to mock him...
"Please think about it, Heero. Art is meant to be published. Keeping it to yourself will be a sin towards it." She handed him the paper. "Please think it over."
Heero nodded, taking his work from her. "I will, mi-uh, miss Shirley."
She sent him a wide grin, amused by the variation of her name.
* * *
Heero shifted his weight for foot to foot, feeling nervous under the gaze of twenty pairs of eyes. He swallowed hard, trying to keep himself from showing his nervousness and discomfort. You mustn't show weaknesses to the enemy... But there was no enemy!!! God! Why can't he stop thinking like that? They were only kids, his age, and he was twice as strong than all of them... but only physically. At that other department, the mental one, they were seven times stronger. Damn them!
"Class- quiet- please!" Shirley called and the constant hum of chatter decreased to a minimum level, and only a few whispered sentences were heard here and there, most of them containing Heero's name.
Heero swallowed, looking down at the paper in his hand, trying not to look up at all those faces staring at him.
"Go on, Heero." The teacher encouraged him.
He swallowed again.
"Once upon a time..." A voice called from the far end of the class.
"There was a little Gundam!" Another called, giggling.
Laughter rolled around the class. Heero wanted to shy away. When will they get tired of the stupid 'Gundam jokes'?!
"Shut the fuck up already!!!" A girl screamed. Heero thought he recognized her voice. It was the same girl that always defended him against that idiot, Ralph. He wondered who it was, he never had the nerve to try and find out.
"CLASS!!!" The teacher roared. "If there won't be silence in less than two seconds, you'll have a quiz about HIS work!!!"
The effect was immediate: silence fell.
She turned to Heero, still not looking up at the class in front of him. "Please, go on."
Heero took a deep breath, and sent up a quick glance at the class. He avoided any eye contact, and then looked back down at his paper. Here goes nothing...
"As I descend towards the burnt-up earth,
the morning sun shines..."
He looked up at the class briefly, searching for any reaction. They were all looking pretty indifferent. He sighed quietly, looking back down.
"No matter how much it hurts, I won't forget your smile
I will search for the tomorrow when we can meet again...
Sayonara, bird taking flight to the eastern sky
Because the world always conceals everything you are..."
As he looked up now, he was surprised to see that everyone was listening with great interest, arms resting on the tables, head leaning on them. That encouraged him to go on.
"Even tears will be lost in the morning
Once again, something will begin...
If there are things you can't reach, no matter how hard you chase them,
At the risk of my life, I'll catch them in these hands...
Flying away... In my heart, I want to fly away
Flying away... For your sake, let's run to the sky... flying...
Sayonara, bird taking flight to the eastern sky
Because the world has always been waiting for you...
Flying away... Embracing the wind, I want to fly away
Flying away... For your sake, I can be free... flying..."
There, he was done. Finally. He took a deep breath, preparing for the worst, and looked up at the class. He nearly gasped. They were all just sitting there, gaping at him. Maybe he had something on his face... What were they looking at like that?! They reminded him of that school he'd been to, under the name of Duo Maxwell, when all these kids looked at him just like that when he gave his little speech. Only now, not only the girls had this dreamy expression on their faces. For goodness sakes, even the class's joker (NOT Ralph, he did NOT take this class! Thank God for that...), kept silent.
"That was beautiful..." Some girl mumbled.
"Wow..." Another confirmed.
Quiet mumbles roamed through the class as people began to through comments around. Heero held himself from smiling. He didn't manage to catch more than three bad words about it.
The bell rang and again the class was hastily emptied. And again, Heero was one of the last to leave.
"I thought that was really beautiful." A female voice called from next to him.
Heero turned around to face the girl, already recognizing her voice. It was his 'Ralph defender'. He also recognized her face, or more like her tall ponytail. He never forgets faces, and he knew her as the young waitress from that night he and Odin went out for dinner.
"Um, thank you." He hurried to say after he realized he was just staring again.
She smiled. "No need to thank me, you very well deserve it." She smiled again, then left along with the rest of the class.
* * *
Three more days! Only three more days and he's out of that hellhole!
But first, it seemed, fate has decided to abuse him a little more.
Damn it.
All the way to hell and back.
Heero pulled up his bag's suspender, climbing up on yet another rock as he trailed after his class. They have been walking for hours long, covering merely five km at such a long period of time. Heero just didn't see the point for this endless walking. All this just to climb up a stupid mountain and look down at the view?!
Chk! Who needs that? Certainly not he.
Sure, he loved hiking; he found it relaxing and quite enjoyable. Quality time with himself and his thoughts, away from heretic battles. But he was fed up with this so-called 'self quality time'. He had been subjected to it for far too long. Besides, if he wanted to go hiking, he'll go by himself. He didn't need the rest of his STUPID class to tag along. Not at all, actually. He's better off without them.
What he hated most about this trip was the way it made him feel: even more rejected than before. Since it was a few days trip, they were scheduled to sleep in cabins. That meant splitting into groups. That meant that there was no group that would have him. He was stuck with the other 'unwelcomed freaks', and even they, as their own group, were repulsed by the mere thought of sharing a room with him. Fuck them! Fuck them all!!!
And what he hated the most about his class, about this whole situation in total, was that it actually BOTHERED him. He actually CARED about it. He actually felt HURT for being so isolated. Very much hurt. He hated that feeling. He knew hurt from before, and he thought that he had experienced it in every level possible, but this was new. This pain wasn't there before, because he didn't let it be. He had kept himself and his emotions separated, and now that he was trying to fuse both these sides back together, he found out that it hurt. Oh God, it hurt...
But never mind, he'll be out of this school soon enough. The semester would end soon, and so would his torment. At first he thought that Odin would try to convince him to stay longer, but after last week, he knew that the blond knew better. Last week Odin had been called to a meeting with the principal, regarding Heero. He had picked up a fight with Ralph, nearly punching the life out of the sorry-ass bastard. But the punk had it coming. Being the joker, Ralph, and the whole class, thought it funny when the teacher was late one day and so to pass the time, Ralph came out to the front and began to do impressions of teachers. He was very good, and everyone had a big laugh. Then he did some celebrities, and even Heero found it hard to keep from smirking as he did Relena Peacecraft, giving a speech. But then, then Ralph began to mimic other well-known students around the school, including Heero, well known for his silent death glares and such. And he did it so teasingly, so provokingly, right in front of Heero's eyes. At that point Heero saw only red and launched at the guy with his fists, throwing all of his accumulated frustrations from this fucking school into his attack.
Ralph ended up at the hospital.
Heero ended up suspended for two days.
Odin ended up begging for the principal to give Heero a second chance.
And everybody got even angrier with Heero.
Well, too bad, cuz he's not sorry. The guy had it coming... Or did he over react? He wasn't sure. Revenge felt good at the time, but now he was beginning to regret it. He nearly killed the guy.
Shit.
Never again... never again... he had promised to himself.
A few calls from afar distracted Heero from his brooding. He ceased his walking and looked around. He had fallen quite behind the rest of the class, and he couldn't see them anywhere.
Great, he thought grimly, just what I need, getting lost in the middle of freaking nowhere...
The calls echoed around the mountain range once again, and now Heero could tell that it was a group of girls, screaming in terror. Something was wrong.
He opened in a frantic run towards the source of the screeching sounds, and came to a quick stop as he found himself at the edge of a cliff. Not so far away, a few meters a head, was his class, all huddled around a tree that tilted sideways into the chasm, all eyes looking down into the craven.
Adding one plus one, Heero quickly realized that someone had fallen down. He rushed forward.
"Careful, Kevin!!" The teacher, Shirley, called down into the chasm.
"I need more rope!" A deep voice called from deep down.
As Heero arrived, he saw two of the strongest boys in the class, holding down a rope, straining at the effort of keeping their friend, Kevin, hanging above the gorge. Looking down, Heero saw a girl hanging by the tree's root, five meters bellow the class. Kevin was suspended about two meters above her. And there wasn't enough rope.
All this he noted in less than three seconds, then the fallen girl's voice was heard.
"Oh God! Kev, I'm slipping!!!!"
"Hold on!!! Shit!!!!" The other boy cursed, trying to find a hold in the rock and climb down.
"AHHH!!!!!" The girl screeched, squirming, trying to get a better hold of the branch. She nearly slipped and a few rocks rolled down into the abyss, followed by the class's calls of worry and distress.
"Dammit, Jack! I need more rope!"
"Hurry up!!!"
"There isn't any more!!!"
"I'm slipping!!! Kev!!!!!!!!"
"What the hell?!!!"
All eyes turned from the scene as they saw a figure streak by, running towards the tree, jumping high up in the air, using one branch as a ramp and then plunging down into the chasm.
"HEERO!!!!" Shirley called as the ex-Gundam pilot jumped down into the gorge. "What are you doing?!!"
"Oh God!" A girl called. "He fell!!!"
All watched in horror and then awe as Heero dropped down into the abyss, flinging his hands up, trying to get a hold of the tree's roots that stuck out of the cliff. Finally he got a good hold of one, roughly stopping his descent, hanging right above the fallen girl's head.
All breathed in relief, some muttering words of astonishment.
Heero fixed his grip around the root, and looked down at the girl. His eyes widened as he looked down upon her face. Though her features were covered with dust and dirt, messy bangs clinging to her sweaty brow, her green eyes glazed with fear, Heero could tell who she was. After all, he never forgot faces. And the ponytail gave her away.
He reached down his hand towards her, lowering himself down as much as he could afford. "Give me your hand." He called, voice clear with command.
The girl shook her head heretically, wrapping both arms around the root. "I'll fall!" She wailed.
Heero could feel the branch he was hanging by begin to give way. He didn't have much time. "Please," He called, voice urging. "You have to trust me. Give me your hand. Just one."
"No! NO! There's no way that branch can hold both of us!" She called, tears running down her dusty cheeks.
Heero sighed, thinking fast as to how to make her trust him.
The girl began sobbing again, clutching tightly to the branch, head buried in her arms, eyes shut tight.
"What's your name?" Heero suddenly asked.
The girl jerked her head up, gaping at him. He was smiling down at her, just this little smile, his eyes radiating reassurance.
"A-Annabel..." The girl stammered, looking up into his deep blue eyes with disbelief, as if she found something she didn't think she could find in there.
Heero lowered himself a little more, his hand nearly touching her head. "Your hand, Annabel, give me your hand, and I'll pull you back up."
Annabel bit her lower lip, looking up at him with tearful eyes.
"I promise I'll get you up. All you have to do is give me one hand. Just one."
"C'mon Annie!!!" A few girls called from above.
The branch Heero was hanging by creaked again. Heero whirled his head around and looked desperately at the girl, eyes begging. "Please Annie... C'mon..."
The girl closed her eyes tight and with one swift motion, threw her arm up at him. She felt his strong grip around her wrist, and before she knew it, she felt this great force pull her up, yanking her off the root she was holding.
When she finally dared to open her eyes, she saw that she was clutching her arms around the boy's neck, legs locked secured around his waist, and she was leaning against his back as he carried both of them up, climbing up the roots with little effort.
As a few rocks rolled down the cliff, Annabel snapped her eyes shut again, and tightened her grip around Heero's neck. The teen only groaned, but carried on without complaint. A few minutes later, and they were up on safe grounds.
The class cheered.
Annie's friends came running towards them, first hugging and kissing Annie, then turning to thank Heero. One of them actually hugged him! Even a few boys shook his hand.
Heero smirked, mission complete.
* * *
The local media, of course, made a big fuss about it: Ex-Gundam pilot saves a schoolgirl from falling to her death!, the papers read. Reporters suddenly knocked on their door, asking for an interview. Naturally, they didn't get one. The last thing Heero needed, was someone to make a fuss about him. All this attention was making him uncomfortable. He just did what needed to be done, and that's all he let himself say to the reporters before slamming the doors in their face.
It's funny, first he complained about being ignored and isolated, and now he was complaining about getting too much attention. But he guessed everything needed to be done in normal measures, no need for extremes. He was very thankful that Odin didn't make a fuss about it. He was kind of expecting this big 'I'm proud of you' speech, coming form him, but he didn't get one. And he wasn't complaining, he was happy for the fact that Odin accepted him as who he was and didn't make a commotion about such a trivial thing. After all, he did other so-called great things and never were he or the other pilots rewarded or praised. And they never sought that kind of glory. For goodness sakes, he just wanted to be left alone!
So, sitting in his usual corner in the cafeteria, all alone of course, Heero dug his fork into his meal and rolled his eyes. Meat loaf... what is it with Americans and meat loaf? He didn't know why he had taken it. He didn't like meat. The cook lady just threw the damn thing into his plate while he was too busy trying to ignore the endless calls and shouts that went his way through the cafeteria.
He looked up from his food, quite shocked, when he saw a shadow fall over him, as someone came to stand by his table.
It was Annabel.
"Hi." The girl let out, smiling down at him, holding her tray with both hands, a set of crutches under her armpits.
Heero was too shocked to respond.
"Is this seat taken?" She asked kindly, gesturing down at the seat in front of him.
"Is this a rhetorical question?" He answered back, voice bitter.
The girl pouted at his grim attitude, but sat down nonetheless, putting her crutches aside.
Heero gasped quietly. He had been mean and still she chose to sit next to him?! He didn't understand why... And everybody was looking their way... At the beauty that came to sit by the beast... He smiled inwardly at that little cliché. That literature class was beginning to affect him.
"You don't have to sit by me." He said as whispers carried across the large hall, containing both their names. "You don't owe me anything."
"I know." She replied casually, opening her little bag of ketchup, pouring it on her fries. "I just felt like sitting here, you got a problem with that?" She eyed him in amusement.
"Um... no... Not at all..."
She grinned. "Fine then, so here I sit. And all of them," She gestured around the cafeteria. "Can go to hell."
Heero smiled a bit, beginning to feel a little more comfortable in her presence. They both ate silently, Heero avoiding his meat loaf and the urge to look up at the girl in front of him, also trying to ignore the stares he felt on his back. The silence, as odd as it may sound, was bugging him. He had to think of something to say to her, before she too will run away... Think Heero! Think!
"How's your leg?"
"Hm?" Annabel looked up at him, shocked to hear him actually SPEAK.
"The crutches, are you all right?"
"Oh, yes, it's just fine. Broken, but it'll be fine, thank you."
Okay, that done... what now?
"They really made a fuss about it, didn't they?" Annabel spoke, breaking the silence.
Heero nodded and then thought better of it, adding a verbal reply. "Were you interviewed by the news?"
Annabel suddenly giggled. "Yup! Man, I felt like this Relena Peacecraft or something! 'How was it to be rescued by someone like the all mighty Heero Yuy!?', they asked. Man, I told them I was 'too busy being scared shitless to notice anything'." She chuckled. "They're such dumbasses, treating this little incident like the God damned Libra just fell on me."
Heero chuckled. "That would be unpleasant."
Annabel shrugged. "I just hope they'll forget about it soon. The problem with small towns is that nothing exciting EVER happens, and so every little thing is a headline in the paper. Gah! I can't wait to get out of here."
They spent the rest of lunchtime talking, Heero struggling to find words, but Annabel was pretty good in guiding the conversation. She reminded him of someone...
After a while he had stopped noticing the stares that were sent his way and actually found it easier to speak with her. She was a nice girl as he slowly found out. She was quite knowledgeable, witty and sharp. And he was even more surprised to find that he was actually having a dialogue, and not a one sided conversation. He didn't even notice as the time passed and it was time to go back to class.
"What class do you have now?" Annie asked.
"Um, physics, I think."
"That's great!" Annabel called. "Me too, maybe you can help me over to class?" She eyed her crutches.
Oh, broken leg, he nearly forgot. "Sure." He said, getting up and walking over to help her with her tray, books and crutches. He cleared both their trays and came back to help with the books.
"Oh man! I better not be late!" Annabel called as she hurried to collect her things, looking hastily down at her watch. "With these stupid crutches it takes me HOURS to get to class! If I'm late for Philips, I'm dead!"
Heero smirked, helping her walk away, sloooooowly walk away. It was so odd that people used the teacher's first name in this school. It amazed him how everything was so casual around here. It was NOTHING like the schools he was used to. Moreover, pupils didn't bother with the actual name of the subject. Shirley was literature, Nathen was Math, Dorothy was English and Philips was Physics. Pure and simple. The nature of the teacher would shape the nature of the subjects. Physics AND Philips were hated by most.
"I'm telling ya, the guy just hates me! I'm sure I'm gonna fail this year! Physics is like freaking Japanese to me!"
Heero made a face. "It can't be that bad. Philips is a good teacher."
"I'm not saying he isn't." Annabel carried on as she fixed her hold on her crutches. "But I'm a block-head when it comes to this stuff. Give me Shirley any day! Waves and particles, that's gibberish!"
Heero shook his head, smiling to himself, somehow thinking that that was a very Duoish thing to say.
* * *
The rest of the day went on pretty nicely, unlike all the previous days. Annabel and he shared only one class that day, and so he was alone again in the rest, but he didn't mind it anymore. She had actually succeeded in making him feel better, less alone.
After school was over, Heero made his way towards the gate, heading home. He was brooding as usual, eyes glued to the ground as he walked.
"Yo!!!! Heeeeeeero!!!"
He quickly halted as he heard his name being called, and whirled around, shocked. Annabel was standing by the gate, a few meters back, crutches in place, waving at him with both her arms.
"Waiiiiiit uuuuuuup!!!!" She called again.
Heero sighed. Yeah right, if he'll wait, he'll have to stand there for about an hour as she slooooowly progressed forward. He began to walk her way.
"Hi." He let out as he came to stand in front of her. He eyed the pile of books she was holding. "Need help?"
"Boy, do I need it..." She muttered, then grinned at him. "Do you mind?"
"Not at all." He said kindly, taking her books from her.
"Man, thanks..." She breathed as she struggled to work her crutches, and they began to walk.
Heero was very silent, holding Annie's books close to his chest, as they walked out of the school grounds, and down the street. His eyes were fixed on the floor again, mind wandering.
"Which way do you go?" Annabel suddenly asked.
"WHAT?!" He jerked his head up to look at her.
Annie shrugged, not understanding why he reacted like that. "Left or right? My house is left."
Oh... that way. "Um, right, but, um, I can walk you home if you wish, I don't have anything important to do."
"Are you kidding? There's a Philips test tomorrow! Don't ya wanna study?!"
Heero shrugged, looking away uncomfortably. "It's just mechanics. It's no big deal..." He muttered quietly, still not meeting her gaze, afraid of being rebuked for sounding so arrogant.
But Annie just shrugged again. "Yeah, I'm sure for someone who pilots a Gundam it's nothing but child's play, but..."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound like-"
"Hey, man, it's cool. You don't have to be ashamed of your knowledge. Besides, I know I suck at this shit."
Why was she admitting defeat so easily? It can't be that bad... "Maybe I can, um, help you."
"Really?! You would?"
"Yeah, sure, why not?"
Annie grinned again. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into. Teaching me physics is like trying to teach a mule how to speak!"
Heero nearly chuckled. Or teaching Duo how to shut up...?
"But," Annabel called. "If you insist, then..."
"Hm. Alright, I insist." He smirked. "But you have no idea what you're getting yourself into." He replied teasingly. Goodness, he was even learning how to tease...
"Oh?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
They began walking, to the left.
"Me teaching is like trying to shut up that mule you taught how to speak."
"Well, I always welcome a challenge."
* * *
"Can I ask you a question?" Heero dared to ask as they took a break from their studying.
"Sure, shoot."
I'd rather not... "What caused you to fall, down the cliff?"
"Oh! That..." She called, rubbing the back of her head uncomfortably. "Well, it's kinda dumb." She began, her fingertips tracing the top of her glass. "I was trying to shoot this eagle down the valley, and I didn't notice when I came to close to the edge and..."
"Shoot an eagle?!" He called, startled. "Why?"
"Because, it was a beautiful shot."
Beautiful shot? Now THAT one he had NEVER heard before. "I don't think I follow."
Annie examined his confused features and then realization hit her. She burst out laughing. "Oh you're so dense sometimes! I meant shooting with a camera!" She continued giggling as Heero suddenly blushed, looking away in embarrassment. She reached down to her drawer, pulling out a battered old camera. "I love photography, and when I saw that eagle... well..." She shrugged, grinning. "I went a little over board, if you pardon the expression."
"Uh huh..." He let out thoughtfully, examining the camera. "But I don't think it was a good enough cause to---"
"Well, YOU don't have a finale project due in a few months!" She interrupted, startling Heero. "Sorry." She hurried to apologize. "It gets on my nerves that everybody found a subject, and I didn't... sorry I burst at you like that."
"It's okay." He tried to assure her with a smile, but he wasn't very good at it yet. Still holding the camera in both his hands, studying it like a foreign and unwanted object, he looked at their books. "Shall we continue?"
Annabel sighed, turning back to the book. "Fine... but I don't have to like it..." She smiled to herself as she caught a little, nearly invisible, smile playing on his lips. Her eyes widened and her smile grew. She leaned on the desk, still watching him as he huddled over the book, a pen in his hand and a small frown on his face as he looked over the exercises. Her eyes studied the light from the small lamp, the way it fell over his form, creating a game of shadows... what a PERFECT shot...
Heero inched closer to her, showing her the book. "All right, so this is what you have to do..."
* * *
"You wanna go horse-riding next week?" Annie asked as she and Heero walked into the cafeteria.
"Can't." He answered apologetically. "I promised Odin we'll go on this fishing trip this weekend. Sorry." He sighed, shaking his head. The last thing HE needed was to refuse the blond's request and hurt his feelings or something. Sometimes Odin was a little TOO sensitive, when it came to Heero and him.
"Don't worry about it. I just remembered how much you liked it when we went last time, so I wanted to do it again."
They both took their food trays and went to get their food.
"You're making me sound like this excited little boy." Heero snarled.
Annabel chuckled, shrugging. "Well, it's sort of what you looked like!"
"Thanks a lot." He growled.
"So how about going up to Cypris hill tonight?"
"What for?" He questioned as they went to their usual table. They nodded their hello to the rest of the students sitting around the table.
"Well," Annie began as she sat down. "They said on the radio that there's gonna be a meteor shower. Would you like to watch?"
Heero shrugged. "Guess so."
"Probably nothing he had never seen before, eh Heero?" One of the kids around the table asked, not unkindly.
Heero frowned. "Well, I've never seen one from Earth."
"Yeah, everything looks much better from the Earth." Another guy agreed, Kevin. He was a colony-born himself. "I'll never forget the first time I saw the moon rise from the Earth... It never looked so... alive."
Another girl nodded. "Yeah, I remember seeing it once from space, when I was little and we had this trip around the Earth, and it looked so... depressing. Dead." She turned to Heero. "Have you ever been on the moon, Heero?"
Boy, was HE on the moon... "Um, yes. I spent a month there once..."
"Cool!" Annie called. "I heard they have the best malls up there! It's the best place for commerce nowadays."
Heero sent her half a smile. "Yeah, I suppose. But I didn't get to spend much time in the mall..."
Silence fell around the table, as the students suddenly felt very uncomfortable. They always went into 'silent-and-embarrassed' mode when they were reminded of Heero's past as a Gundam pilot. It was hard to find the right thing to say at a time like this. They didn't want to be too pushy, asking too many dumb questions, and they didn't want to make Heero feel uncomfortable. And so, they moved on with the conversation.
"So, did anyone get to hear the news last night? They're gonna build a giant colony on Mars..." Kevin hurried to change the subject.
"Maybe they'll build a theme-park up there! Mars- The Happiest Place In The Solar System!" Annabel joked.
"Yeah! And maybe Heero can fly us up there..."
"Hn. Fat chance, baka."
TBC…