Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Letting Go ❯ Chapter 2

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Title: Letting Go
Dedicated to: SilverShinigami
Warnings: Angst; violence; swearing.

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Chapter 2

I woke up the next morning to a slight headache and the sheets sticking to my back. Growling, I pushed myself up off the bed and stumbled to the adjoining bathroom. 'I look like shit,' was the first thought to come to my head as I looked in the mirror. My hair was messed up more then usual, and I looked like I'd been running a marathon all night. Sighing, I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the shower.

So many things have happened in the last month. I'd never thought that I'd be on the run from the police, or that Wufei wouldn't be with me. It was my entire fault; I should've listened to my instincts when they told me that the mission sounded fishy. If only I hadn't dragged Wufei into the mess...

Shaking my head, I turned my face to the cold, biting water. It numbed me so that my headache was forgotten, and my mind was almost too cold to think.... almost.

It's been two weeks since that last mission, and I haven't seen Wufei since. There hadn't been a chance for me to visit him in the hospital; it was just too risky. I never knew that I could miss him so much - his voice, his comforting presence, and his accustomed friendship. We'd known each other since our days as children, and we'd never been apart for this long before...

Twenty minutes later, I walked out into the peaceful, empty bar and saw that Trowa and Duo were awake already. Trowa was silently polishing glasses and Duo was eating breakfast as he read the newspaper. Even though it's only morning, Duo already had tight leather pants on, with a silky black button-up.

"Hey there," Trowa said, looking up. "Hungry?"

"Very," I answered, sliding into a stool. I realized how true my words were as my stomach gave a complaining growl. I hadn't had a proper meal since - well, you know. Trowa slid a plate of steaming hot food in front of me, and I thanked him, tucking in instantly.

"Had a good sleep?" Duo asked as he put down his folded newspaper. I made a noncommittal sound and continued eating. Raising and eyebrow at me, he turned to lean back against the counter and regarded me with a questioning gaze as I continued to ignore him.

"You seem worn out. Something wrong?" he pressed on.

"Nothing," I growled, shoveling food into my mouth. The fork poked the top of my mouth and I winced, pulling it out.

Snorting in exasperation, Duo slid from the stool and picked up his newspaper, and walked to his office. I watched him as he disappeared into the room, then turned back to the front, jumping when I saw Trowa's emerald eyes leveled on me.

"Not you too," I groaned, hunching over the counter top.

"He's right, you know," Trowa said quietly.

I sighed, picking the rest of the scrambled eyes off. Wiping my mouth clean, I pushed my plate back and stood up, thanking him again. I couldn't meet his piercing eyes; I'd never told them much about myself, and I wasn't going to start now. They never asked, but I know that they wonder. I felt somewhat guilty, but it was for their own good...

I gave Duo's open office door a brisk knock and strode in, taking a seat in front of his desk. Duo looked up from his record books, his mouth open to answer me, but grinned when he saw that I was as rude as ever.

"Willing to talk?" he asked, leaning back.

"Not at all," I muttered, making myself comfortable. "I need a place to stay, and I thought that perhaps you'll let me keep that room for a while." I gestured at the general direction of the room I'd slept in last night, as well as many nights before. "I'll pay you for lodging and meals."

Duo shook his head, leaning forward to prop his elbows up on the desk.

"There's no need to pay me for that place. It's empty, anyway, and you're just about the only occupant it gets."

I shook my head as well, frowning slightly.

"It wouldn't feel right, jackass," I muttered, rolling the ring on my finger. "How about $100 a week?"

Duo shook his head with a slightly surprised look on his face.

"Idiot. $50 is more like it."

"$90 then," I countered, leaning back.

"$60."

"$85."

"$65!"

"$75."

"Oh, fine, you bastard," Duo grumbled, slumping in his chair. He met my glance with narrowed eyes. "But you better be here for every meal - I mean it!"

Smirking, I pushed myself up and reached into my pocket. Pulling some bills out, I counted quickly and tossed it at him, startling him as he caught it. I saluted him with two fingers and exited the room, still smirking.

"At the end of the week, jackass!" he shouted out after me.

My smirk only grew wider.

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I sat in a cafe, thoroughly reading every page in the newspaper I'd purchased. I'd been doing this for the last two weeks, ever since the day I left Wufei in the hospital. There never was any news about an arrest at the hospital, or any signs that Wufei had even been there. The police were sure to recognize him, I knew, so why isn't there any news about him?

Frustrated, I tossed the newspaper to the end of the table and slumped slightly in my chair. What should I do? Should I go back to see if Wufei's still there? But what if it was a trap? And what if he'd left already, or had been arrested by the cops?

I sighed and picked up my cup, sipping at the cooling coffee. Outside, the weather was sunny and warm, unlike the turmoil that was going on inside me. Wufei was right; I worried too much...

I left the cafe, walking with my hands stuffed inside the pockets of my black trench coat. I turned the collar up, despite the sun beating down on me. Wouldn't want the police recognizing me now, would I?

I walked the whole way to the west side of the city, where the less wealthy people lived. Arriving at my destination, I pushed pass the backdoors and into the apartment building. The elevator had broken down again, so I took the stairs all the way up to the 7th floor.

I came to number 712 and stopped before it, taking out my keys. Fitting a key into the lock, I gently pushed the door open, but it halted with a jerk of the chains. I cursed at my own forgetfulness, then closed the door, even as I heard footsteps hurrying towards me. I stood back, in view of the peep hole, and smiled at the person that had to be on the other side.

"It's me," I called out, not too loudly.

I heard the rustle of chains, and the door opened quickly in front of me. I smiled at the nervous girl that stood there, who peered at the corridors after she ushered me in.

"Hello, Relena," I murmured, turning towards her. She nodded jerkily to me, then gestured with her hands.

"H-Here, let me take your coat."

I allowed her to slip the heavy thing off me, then sat down to wait as she made her way towards the small kitchen. The poor girl has troubles trusting anyone, and I don't blame her for that. The man last night who'd assaulted me was her ex-boyfriend, and he'd been abusing her for years. Thankfully, I was able to figure that out and win her away from him. I'd rented an apartment for her, far away from the busier part of the city, and helped her settle in. I'd been funding her since then, though I hardly ever had time to come visit. She was my protege now, I suppose. The last time I'd visited, though, was more then a month ago...

"Thank you," I murmured, taking the cup she offered. As I blew on the steaming tea, she sat down opposite me and tried unsuccessfully to look less nervous.

"So," I began, "how have you been lately?"

"Oh, n-not too bad," she stuttered, playing with the cuff of her sweater. "I-I found a job, at a nearby cafe. I can somewhat provide for myself now."

"Why, that's great news," I said, feeling slightly cheered up. "Do you get along well with the people there?"

She blushed, looking down at her lap.

"T-The people there are really nice, e-especially the elderly couple who owns the place. M-Mrs. Falkin saw that I was in need of some money, s-so she offered me a job at the c-cafe."

I frowned, somewhat distressed by her flustered state. I smiled encouragingly at her questioning gaze, which was looking up for approval.

"The funds are still coming in, aren't they?" I asked, wondering if the bank had cancelled my account.

"Oh, of course!" she said, looking up quickly. "I really couldn't ask for more from you." She looked down again, nervously biting her lip. "I-I just didn't want to always depend on you, you know?"

I nodded, understanding what she meant. Taking a sip of the tea, I was surprised at the taste.

"Why, you brew this tea perfectly! Where did you learn it from?"

She ducked her head, a blush rising on her cheeks.

"Oh, t-there's this Asian woman who works at the cafe as well. S-She taught me how to properly brew tea, h-how to wait for the tea leaves to soak and everything."

I bit down on my lip; Relena's words reminded me so much of Wufei...

"You can't just dump the tea leaves in!" he'd once ragged at me. I'd only raised my eyebrow at him, dumping more tea leaves into the cup. "You have to filter the thing!" he'd berated, taking the cup from me. The whole lecture that'd come after was imprinted in my mind. The memory from that day wasn't a bad one...

"H-Heero?"

I snapped out of my thoughts, looking up at Relena's questioning eyes. I smiled slightly at her, sipping at the tea again.

"Is there anything that needs fixing?" I asked, looking around. "Are the taps alright? The lights?"

She shook her head, the honey-coloured strands falling about her face. Smiling again, I stood up and placed the cup carefully on the coffee table. I turned towards the closet and retrieved my jacket, slipping it on.

"I'll be going now, alright?" I said, looking down at her. Smiling, I opened my arms with a slight beseeching look. She bit her lower lip, then stepped nervously into my arms and let me hug her gently. I stepped back, giving her a broad smile.

"Thank you," I said. "I'll visit you soon, alright?"

She nodded again, following me as I went to the door. I waved at her, then departed from the place, leaving by the stairs again. Once I was out of the building, I stuffed my hands into my pocket and once again headed back to the east side of the city. That was when I got jumped...

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(TBC)