Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Confessions, Obsessions ❯ Chapter 1

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Category: year after the movie, Gundam Wing, Yaoi
Pairings: will be 1x2, 3x4
Warnings: none yet, maybe OOC Relena, not really bashing since she's smart enough, a lot of dialog but with this type of fic that's a given
Author: Arigatomina
Email: arigatoumina@hotmail.com
Complete Archive: www.geocities.com/arigatomina

Confessions, Obsessions

Part 1

"Well, we have a very special show this week. Our guests are, of course, celebrities, but not in the traditional sense. While all of you have heard of them, they were seldom seen and their names were never released. But today they will be." Smiling, the woman paused as tension built in her audience, then she brought the microphone back to her lips. "This week our guests are none other than...the Gundam Pilots." The audience went wild and she smiled as the camera panned about the huge auditorium, pausing on various screaming faces. Then it returned to her. "That's right, ladies and gentleman, all five and a number of surprise guests as well. Please, stay tuned for this week's episode of...India Interviewing the Stars!"

"And...clear," a man called as they switched to a commercial.

Smiling to the people seated near her, the woman moved through a small opening beside the stage, her smile disappearing as she was out of sight. Motioning her assistant to her, she let her apprehension show. "Are they ready? I can't believe we actually got them all."

"Relax," the man said slowly, his pale blue eyes taking in her nervousness. "This is going to be the best show you ever did. Just take your time...and breathe."

"Funny, Chris. You should be a comedian. I have every right to be nervous. Any one of those *boys* could kill me in a heartbeat and you're telling me to be calm."

"They will not," the man said with a small smile. "After all, the publicity'll draw lots of money and it goes to charity. That's why they're here."

"Okay," India smirked, eyeing his short reddish orange hair as he straightened the collar of her burgundy top. She took a deep breath as the call came. "Here goes."

"You'll be fine."

Stepping back to the spot she'd recently vacated, she gave a brilliant smile as the camera zoomed in on her. "Our first guest is the young man who delivered the finishing blow in both of the Gundam Wars. I give you, Heero Yuy!"

The crowd went wild as the boy stepped through the door on the right side of the stage, and everyone stared at him. He wasn't impressive looking, not really. He was on the thin side, the straight lines of his black tuxedo not revealing any of his contours, but his eyes caught people's attention. Narrowed beneath lowered brows, they shone with an intensity that seemed to have a power of its own. He was actually striking with his dark brown hair tousled as if it hadn't been combed, a thick lock or two falling down over his forehead. His gaze flew over the seated audience as if he took in everything in the room, then he sat in one of the chairs that were lined up on the stage.

Turning so she faced him, India smiled with what she hoped was an expression of confidence. "Welcome to the show, Heero." The boy stared at her for a minute and she felt conflicting urges to both step back and to move closer to him, then he gave a slight nod. "Heero, why don't you tell us something about yourself." He'd agreed to answer any questions, so she began with the first on her list. She didn't have the entire show lined out, but the introductions were generally mapped out ahead of time. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

She'd grown accustomed to his short responses from their meeting when he'd agreed to come on the show, so she nodded. "That would mean you were a mere fifteen when you became a Gundam pilot. What made your colony choose to send such a young boy into battle?"

"I was the best," Heero answered, his voice cold sounding and no one spoke as the audience members were listening carefully. "Age was not a factor in my being selected. I was trained for the task and my skills surpassed any others who might have been selected."

"I see. And could you name a few of these skills for us? I'm sure the others would like to know."

"Espionage, hand-to-hand combat, computer skills, and the actual piloting." He wasn't sure how much they wanted to know, and he had no intention of listing everything he'd been trained to do. It would take too long.

"And your name, Heero Yuy, the name of the late leader of the colonies. This was your code name during the war, what's your real name?" It was a bold question to ask, but India didn't flinch as the boy's eyes bore into her. He'd agreed to answer *any* question.

"My name," the boy said slowly, "is Heero Yuy."

There were a few laughs from the audience, but more whispers. "All right." Glancing to her audience, India raised her eyebrows. "Anyone want to ask him a question?" Hands went up everywhere, and she stepped up the middle aisle, signaling to a black-haired woman in her mid-forties.

Standing, the woman accepted the mike as she looked at the boy seated on the stage. "What are you doing now that the war is over?"

"Nothing." Frowning, Heero glanced to the other people near her before looking back. "I haven't decided what I'll do yet."

Moving to a younger girl, India leaned over her and handed her the microphone. The girl smiled as she was suddenly the center of attention. "Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked. Laughs and cheers mingled as people waited for the response.

"No."

Taking back the mike, India waited until the camera was on her, then she raised a skeptical eyebrow. "I think I have a guest who might argue with that," she said slyly. A camera focused on the black door the boy had entered through and there were screams as it opened to reveal someone they all recognized. "The Vice Foreign Minister to the colonies and former Queen of the World...Relena Dorlain!"

Smiling as the screams deafened anything she might say, Relena crossed the stage gracefully. Heero's shock was evident as his face softened a tiny bit and there was silence as he spoke her name. As always, she loved the way he said it, so gently. "Hello, Heero."

When the girl had taken the seat next to Heero's, India was again the camera's focus. "Relena. I understand you're an old acquaintance of Heero's."

"Yes," the girl said softly, her blue eyes shining as she gazed at Heero. "I've known him since he first came to the earth. I'll never forget when I first saw him on the beach. He'd just crashed his Gundam and I was so afraid he wouldn't make it." Glancing to Heero who was watching her with an unreadable expression, she sighed as her lips curled into a smile. "But he did. And he enrolled into my school the very same day."

"So I could kill you." Absolute silence filled the room at Heero's cold words. Staring at the girl beside him, he fought the need to glare. Relena made it sound as if it had been love at first sight, and she gave the false impression that he'd gone to her school so they could be together. He turned to look at India as Relena wasn't upset by his words. "My orders were to eliminate anyone who saw my Gundam."

The boy sounded defensive, and India's bright green eyes glinted. "But you didn't kill her," she said, "She's here." The audience, which had just started to boo the boy, suddenly cheered.

"I tried," Heero scowled as Relena smirked at the woman's comment. "I would have if someone hadn't interfered."

"Let's meet that someone," India said quickly, her smile widening. "Pilot of the Gundam Deathscythe Hell...Duo Maxwell."

Again, there were cheers, but whistles and catcalls accompanied them as the door opened to reveal the American. Dressed in a suit identical to Heero's, the boy was also striking as his golden brown hair hung in a braid down to his waist. His violet eyes sparkled, his long bangs not quite hiding them, and he grinned as he waved to the people. Meeting Heero's startled gaze, he smirked as he moved to sit on the boy's right. He knew Heero hadn't been told the others were there, and he enjoyed the way those cobalt blue eyes seemed frozen on him. They hadn't seen each other in over a year. The Japanese boy wasn't the only one who'd been left in the dark, but Duo grinned as he knew Heero hated being surprised.

"Duo, Heero tells us you stopped him from killing Relena," India prompted. Everything was going smoothly, and her confidence was now real rather than forced.

"Yep. In fact, I shot him twice." Not the least bit upset by the boo's from the audience, the longhaired boy shrugged. "Well, I didn't know he was a Gundam pilot. I just saw him about to shoot Relena, and I *had* to step in. I wouldn't have shot him twice, but he's so stubborn he tried to go for his gun. Besides, they were only flesh wounds. Heero can survive anything."

"Why do you say that?" India asked. She didn't know all the details, but she usually played the show by ear and she'd yet to have one that didn't end up being an interesting story.

"Because he self-detonated his Gundam and survived. Not to mention the time he leapt out of a thirty story window while we were escaping from an Alliance hospital."

"Hospital?"

"Yeah," Duo muttered, glancing at Relena before smiling quickly. "After I shot him, he kinda tried to blow himself up and Relena had him taken to a hospital. Unfortunately, it was one of the Alliance's facilities, but I got him out." This was answered with cheers, and Duo smirked as he found himself the recipient of a Heero-Yuy-Death-Glare. "I gave him a parachute, but he didn't pull the cord until it was too late to do him any good."

"Because he heard me call his name," Relena put in, smiling at Heero. "It was my voice that made him realize he still had a reason to live."

The aww's from the audience made him glare, and Heero looked to India. "If you've ever heard her voice when she screams, you'd understand. It could wake the dead."

Blinking in surprise as people laughed, India gave a small smile. She hadn't expected that. "Relena," she said, "it doesn't sound like he cares much for you."

"He does," Relena said, also surprised and a bit unhappy with the boy's response. "I know he does because before he left my school, he protected me from OZ when they tried to kill me. I know he said *he* was going to kill me, but he didn't." Smiling as she remembered the dance, she sighed. "I think that was the night he started to realize his feelings for me."

"Is that why you followed him?" Duo asked suddenly, turning as he leaned forward to see around Heero.

"Followed him?" India asked, looking at Relena. As she'd hoped, the story was developing nicely and the audience definitely seemed to be interested. "Where had he gone?"

"He had a new mission," the girl explained, "so he had to switch schools."

"Yeah, and not two days later, you show up in that *pink* limo of yours," Duo muttered, rolling his eyes. "Stalking's illegal where I come from."

"And where is that?" Relena asked scathingly. "I won't be lectured about proper etiquette from *you*."

"I sense a bit of anger between you two," India smirked, laughs coming from the audience. Anger was good for ratings and there were obviously hard feelings between the two of them. "Duo, how do you know when she showed up?"

"Because I was there," Duo said. "She pulled up in her limousine and everyone stood at attention. It was disgusting."

"Then you and Heero were at the same school?" She'd wondered about the boy when she'd seen how excited he was by her announcement that the other pilots would also be on the show. He'd been particularly happy to hear that Heero would be there and she'd hoped the reason might be more than simply wanting to see an old friend. "How did *that* happen?" India asked.

"Coincidence," Duo smiled. "The Alliance and OZ cut off all communications between the colonies so we had no idea what was going on in different colonies. As far as each of us knew, we were the only Gundam pilot sent to earth. We didn't find out differently until we met each other and then we still weren't aware that we'd been given the same target to destroy. Since it was so close to the school, we hid in it." Giving a small laugh, Duo shook his head. "Believe me, we were surprised to see each other when we found out we were both there. Anyway, she," he looked at Relena, "showed up in the middle of our free period. You should have seen the fake smile she gave. She wasn't there five minutes before the entire student body was hanging on her every word."

"There's so much hostility in that comment," India murmured. "Is it possible you were jealous of her effect on people?"

"What?!" Duo glared and his eyes sparked as he stared at the woman in disbelief. "Hell no! I just can't stand the way people suck up to the wealthy. No one even knew who she was, just that she rode around in a limo and that she obviously didn't have to go to school."

"He's jealous," Relena smirked. "He's always been a nobody. He's so crude he can't understand that respectable people naturally garner respect." Shrugging, she gave a pitying smile. "What does a thief know about respectable society?"

India watched the longhaired boy, and she was surprised to find no hint of anger in his eyes as he sat very still. "Duo, do you have anything to say to that?"

"No." He was caught off guard, and he couldn't imagine how the girl had found out about his past. Unless she was simply guessing, which was doubtful.

The woman frowned as she stepped closer to the stage. "She called you a thief," she said, as if the boy needed reminding. Experience taught her that her viewers loved a fight and these two seemed to be the perfect candidates. The fact that Relena was supposed to be a dignitary of peace made it even better.

"I was," Duo said, not blinking as he met India's gaze. "And I admit, I don't know about respectable society, whatever that means. The only thing I can argue with is the jealously bit, since I'd *never* want to be like her." The audience didn't seem to like his response, but Relena was visibly pleased that he'd practically denounced himself. Which he had, but it wasn't something he was ashamed of. His past was necessary and he knew damn well the pampered Peacecraft-turned-Dorlain would never understand. "I guess if you want name calling, there are a few that come to mind," he said after a few seconds of silence. "Unfortunately, they're not appropriate for television."

"I see," India laughed, turning to her audience. "Any questions?"

"Relena, you obviously have a problem with Duo," a man said. "What made you dislike him?"

"Besides what I've told you?" Relena asked, "Well, he shot Heero."

"But that was to save your life," the man reminded her.

"It doesn't matter what the reason was. Besides, Heero wouldn't have killed me. He's tried to a number of times but he always stops." Giving the silent boy a smile, she looked back to the man asking questions.

"He's tried to kill you more than once?" India asked, taking back the mike as she faced her guest. Heero's eyes were aimed at the floor and the woman wouldn't have been surprised if the carpet caught fire from the heat of his glare. "Heero?"

"What?"

The audience laughed at the angry question and India couldn't help her smile. "How many times have you tried to kill her?"

"Too many to count." Again, he was met with laughter, and Heero's jaw tightened as he heard the boy beside him give a low chuckle.

"And did Duo interfere with those times as well?"

"Me?" Blinking as he quickly wiped the smile off his face, Duo shook his head. "Oh no, saving her life once was enough for me."

"He had nothing to do with it," Relena said coldly, her eyes moving over the violet-eyed boy in blatant distaste. "Heero simply couldn't do it. He couldn't kill me..."

"Why not, Heero?" India asked. She noticed that the audience members weren't the only ones interested in his answer as Duo's eyes latched onto the Japanese boy.

"She became necessary for peace," Heero said slowly. "I realize now that I overreacted. I was determined to kill her for having been witness to my Gundam but then..." He scowled suddenly and turned to pin Duo with an intense gaze. "Others saw it as well. I couldn't kill everyone who'd seen it. The mission was impossible."

"Right." His voice was soft, but the anger was distinct as Duo glared at the boy beside him. "Like anything's impossible for you. You could have killed us all while we slept, it's not like anyone was watching you." He glanced at India and frowned suddenly, knowing he'd have to explain. "The reason I was there to keep him from shooting Relena that first time was because I'd been attacking the search party looking for his Gundam. He'd crashed it in the ocean and I found it. After we got out of the hospital I took him to some acquaintances of mine."

"And they saw his Gundam," India said. It made sense to her, but she knew her audience was probably confused. "So he stayed with you?"

"Well, we were going to fix his Gundam with mine. See," his eyes narrowed, "he went and shot torpedoes at *both* of our suits when he tried to blow himself up. When he wouldn't accept our help, we left him working on his own. I should have known better than to trust him."

"You're still angry about that?" Heero's surprise was evident in the way his voice softened slightly, but his frown belied any gentle emotions as his brows lowered.

"Um, we're in the dark here," India said, smiling when both boys frowned at her. "We don't know what you're talking about."

"He used parts from *my* Gundam to fix his own," Duo supplied, nodding when the people nearest him showed outrage. "Nice way to repay me for helping him, eh? And *he* was the one who damaged both of them."

"I had a mission," Heero said, staring hard at the boy beside him, his eyes narrowed even more as he was ignored. "It was the only way."

India nodded as she was signaled and raised the microphone. "We'll be right back after this short break." The camera made a detour over the guests' expressions before going to the now-cheering audience as they went to commercial. There was silence on the stage, but she stuck around in case they said anything that would help her know what to ask when they went back on air.

"Duo." Heero didn't flinch as violet eyes glared at him. "What's wrong with you? You never hold a grudge."

"How would *you* know?" Duo muttered, folding his arms over his chest as he stared at the floor. "You don't know anything."

"Don't talk to him like that." Eyes glinting, Relena scowled at the boy before laying a hand on Heero's shoulder. "It's really nice to see you again, Heero."

Turning on the girl, the Japanese boy frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"Come on, you knew I'd be here." She wasn't bothered that he didn't seem happy to have her there. "As soon as I found out you were going to be on this show I *had* to come. It's been so long, I couldn't find you."

A soft snort sounded beside him and Heero glanced at Duo from the corner of his eye before looking at Relena again. "There's no reason for you to be here. This show is supposed to be about the Gundam pilots."

"You knew that?" Duo asked, forgetting his anger as he turned in surprise. "You weren't supposed to know."

He could see the hostess watching him, but he didn't care. "Not much gets past me," Heero said, meeting Duo's eyes. "You know that."

"But...you seemed surprised to see me..." The boy didn't move and Duo shook his head suddenly. "What am I thinking, of course you knew." The signal was given and he watched the black woman take her place again, clearing his expression. Then the crowd was cheering and they were back on the air.

"We're here with Gundam Pilots Heero Yuy and Duo Maxwell, and Vice Foreign Minister Relena Dorlain. We just found out that Heero used parts from his fellow-pilot's Gundam to repair his own." Turning to face the boy as a different camera took up her image, India's expression looked curious. "Heero, you said it was the only way to complete your mission. Were missions more important than betraying a fellow Gundam pilot?"

Heero didn't so much as blink as he answered. "Yes. The mission always comes first."

"You speak in present tense," India commented, giving a small smile as laughs sounded behind her. "You *do* realize the war is over, don't you?"

"Of course he does," Relena frowned. She couldn't believe the woman had the nerve to mock Heero. She obviously wasn't used to having dignified people on her show. "You simply don't realize how dedicated Heero was. As a Gundam pilot he had to make sacrifices where necessary." Her eyes glowed as she looked at the dark-haired boy beside her and she laid her hand on his shoulder before facing the audience again. "Heero was by far the most dedicated Gundam pilot."

"What makes you say that?" the woman asked, raising an eyebrow at the girl. From where she stood, she could tell that *both* boys seemed to find fault with the statement as two glares were aimed at Relena.

"It's obvious," Relena shrugged. "In order to complete his training to be a Gundam pilot, Heero had to forsake all of his emotions. That was the only way for him to be the perfect soldier." The boy beside her was frowning, and she looked to the woman. "After my foster father died, I met Heero's doctor, Doctor J. He's the one who told me about the horrible things that had been done to Heero, that's why he denies what he feels."

"About you?"

"Yes." Her eyes caressed the scowling boy, and Relena didn't seem to mind that Heero wasn't happy with her comments. "But I know, he's really a very sweet person. You just have to look deeper that his rough exterior."

"You said he was the most dedicated," India reminded her, a quick glance showing that the audience wasn't bored with the line of questioning yet. "What about the others? Was their training easier than Heero's?"

"She doesn't know," Duo said sharply, not so much as glancing over at the blonde girl. "One thing you'll learn quickly is that Relena doesn't see anything but Heero. Unless information pertains to him or herself, she isn't interested in it. So she wouldn't know what the rest of us went through."

"What are you saying?" Relena asked quickly, her voice rising a bit as she glared at Duo. "You weren't even *trained* to pilot a Gundam! You *stole* it!"

There were gasps from the audience, but India was more taken in by the absolute shock on the two boys' faces as they both turned to look at Relena. Obviously, they either hadn't thought she knew or she was wrong. "Duo?"

"I..." He stared at the girl, who was looking very pleased with herself. It was impossible that she could know so much about him, and he couldn't for the life of him figure out what would make her research his past. But she was right, in part. "I *did* steal it," he admitted, waiting for the audience's response before continuing. "But I had permission to. You see, I worked on Deathscythe, my Gundam, before it was sent to earth. The original Operation Meteor, that's what our attack on OZ was named, it wasn't what we ended up doing. What they wanted was to drop the colonies onto earth, and then send the Gundam down to massacre the surviving soldiers. They didn't care about innocent bystanders. So I tried to destroy the Gundam when I found out, but..."

The boy trailed off, a small smirk curving his lips and India nodded quickly. "But?"

"I had a doctor, too. There were actually five of them, one for each Gundam and they'd worked together before the colonies were separated. Anyway, mine...he was obsessed with his creation, Deathscythe. He disabled the detonation system. I couldn't blow it up. Anyway, he ended up catching me, I think he knew what I was going to do ahead of time, and he told me to take it rather than just destroying it. So I did. I don't know if that would be considered stealing or not. After all, *he* was the one who made it."

"Then you *weren't* trained," India said slowly, noting that Relena nodded sharply. "And yet you still managed to fight in the suit?"

"Well, I didn't do so bad." Smiling, Duo managed to look less than cocky as he knew he'd been at least as good as the other pilots when it came to using his suit to its full potential. "And I wasn't the only one who didn't get trained. In fact, I think Heero *was* the only one who was already chosen for the pilot when his Gundam was made. The rest of us came in later."

"Is that true?" She wasn't sure if the boy had gotten his information from a faulty source, but she'd heard differently. There wasn't that much time left for the show, and she didn't think it would be a good idea to introduce the other pilots just yet. "Well, we'll have to check that."

"He doesn't lie."

She couldn't help but grin at the way the violet-eyed boy turned to stare at Heero in surprise. It was obvious he hadn't expected that from the boy. "No? I see. Well, I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today," she gave a sad smile when there were groans and boos from behind her. Turning to face her audience, she tilted her head to the side for a moment before smiling again. "But don't worry. Our cameras will be on the scene this evening, and tomorrow we'll continue with this weeklong special. Join us next time, on India Interviewing the Stars."

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TBC