There's Always Something in the Way

By GiGi

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Gundam Wing...I wish I did, but I don't. Santa just doesn't like me, I guess. ^_^

Chapter Uno

He wasn't coming back, Relena mused with a sudden burst of rage. She could see it all clearly now. Heero Yuy was never going to come back. And she hated him for it.

She shook her head and walked off the balcony to stand at her vanity mirror.  There was the picture of her and Heero. The picture that Duo forced Heero to take with her. He snatched the frame, took the picture out, and tossed it into the fireplace. And then, to her horror, she wept. She wept over him...and it wasn't worth the hurt, the pain she felt. He has promised to return...promised to come back to her.

And his time limit was over.

She wiped her eyes, surprised that they stood dry afterward, and stood straight, looking at herself on the mirror. "I will never, ever believe in Heero Yuy again." She said with a note of confidence.

~* 7 months Later; Reunion Party*~

Relena walked into the room, Duo at her side. She gave him a bright smile and snuggled closer to him. It was all perfect. No one could spoil this day.  Quatre was holding a reunion party to announce the marriage of him and Dorothy, and mostly everyone was there. Mostly.

But not to her knowledge, he was there, standing in the shadows, watching the room with his blue eyes.  He had been gone, and cursed himself for it. He could have finished the mission sooner, but no. And now, rage bubbled to the surface. She was hanging on Duo's arm, his every move. And Duo was enjoying it. How could he, Heero thought with anger. Duo promised he would tell Relena
the news. Obviously he hadn't. Then Heero spotted Hilde. She looked so alone, so depressed, and he knew exactly why.

She had been in love with Duo, he knew. And so did Duo. But here was Duo...with the woman he loved, but could never say it. And he cursed himself for it again. It was all his fault. Everything was. Nothing good could ever happen to him. Nothing.

He sighed and quietly slipped out onto the balcony. Quatre knew he was here, Trowa probably did too. But no one else, and they were all having too much fun to come onto the balcony to see him. They wouldn't even care, he mused, running a hand through his brown, unruly hair.

Duo slipped with Relena onto the balcony, all the while kissing her neck and nuzzling against her. Then he looked up, seen the figure there, and froze. The blue eyes bore into his, and he knew who it was.

"Heero! Buddy! Where you been?" He asked cheerfully, nervously.

Heero stared at Duo, his emotionless mask falling, crumbling physically and mentally. The pain that reflected in his eyes was more then he had ever felt, more then Duo had ever seen. "You knew, Duo." He said quietly.

Relena stared at Heero, her hands shaking. She had said she would never think about him...but she had. Now, seeing him again made her shake, made her scared. The pain in his eyes made her scared. But that deep, horrid rage was still there, and tears of anger formed in her light blue eyes.

"You knew exactly where I was, Duo. You knew why I wasn't back." Heero turned away, disgusted. He couldn't believe the man he counted as a best friend had betrayed him so.

"I...I..." Duo couldn't speak. He knew it was all true...and Heero had witnessed what he hoped he wouldn't.

"Its always about you, Duo." Heero said, the pain he felt making his voice crack. He had never, ever felt such heart-wrenching pain. He felt like someone had put a hand over his heart and squeezed. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I am going to give Quatre my regards and leave." He angrily brushed past Relena and Duo and walked away.

Hilde spotted Heero and jumped up. Her eyes lit with horror as she seen the pain snap like a whip across his face. "Heero.."

Heero turned to Hilde, clenched his fists. "I am sorry for you, Hilde. I knew how much you loved him." He then turned and walked to Quatre.

After Heero disappeared that night, everyone wanted answers to why. Answers only Duo could give, but wouldn't. How could he? It was killing him to have seen the sorrow on Heero's face. To see Heero's emotionless mask crumbled before his very eyes. It was worse then any battle, any bloodshed.

And all he could do was feel self pity and sorrow as he lay with a rigid Relena in bed...


~* 2 Months Later; Colony Meeting *~

"Mr. Yuy, thank you for coming. We hope you were comfortable here."

Heero nodded agreement and goodbye's as he made his way out of the meeting.  He pushed open the doors and looked around for Quatre. When he spotted him talking to someone, he walked over slowly.

"Heero, how was the meeting?" Quatre asked, forming a brihgt smile.

"It was all right." Heero stated and slipped on his jacket. He glanced at the man in all black, and grimaced when he seen the long, brown braid. "Duo."

Duo cursed and nodded his hello, then turned back to Quatre. "I'll see you tonight, then." He walked away without another word.

Heero shook his head and followed Quatre out to the limo. He just listened to Quatre's talk of the wedding, of everything else, but on truth, the words weren't really settling into his brain. He was busy thinking about the past, the pain.

Quatre frowned. Heero had been so out-of-it lately. He wasn't acting like himself....not anymore. Not after what happened, Quatre thought on a sigh.

It had been that night when Heero found out that Duo had gotten with Relena, and he angrily, not to mention filled with pain, had walked to his car, got in and started it. He was hit by a truck, and was in the hospital for more then a he liked. No one dared tell him that Duo wouldn't come see him when he was in a coma, or that Relena wouldn't leave his side until he started out of it. No dared to say that Relena almost killed herself, using a razor to slit her wrists. It was all something they agreed Heero should not know, under any circumstances.

But Quatre seen Heero mentally breaking down, and it killed him to know why it was happening. It was always Duo who had gotten Heero to Relena, got them to talk. Now it was Duo who was causing Heero's sanity to ever so slowly dim, and the pain settling with such force, there was nothing there to help. And Quatre cursed Duo for it, but also cursed Heero, and Relena. If Heero had told the woman he cared this wouldn't be happening,  Quatre mused and he led Heero to the waiting limo. If Duo hadn't been such an idiot and left Relena to wait for Heero...this wouldn't be happening.

But it was happening...And Quatre then cursed himself knowing he could do nothing, absolutely nothing, to help them. He only hoped Duo and Heero could once again become friends...but he doubted it would happen so quickly.

Heero sat in the limo, his eyes settled intensely on him hands. Scars covered them, along with his chest, his arms, legs. And he bearly remembered why. But to his luck, he remembered that one night where his whole heart cracked into a million pieces, and he was not the emotionless, perfect soldier he once was. He hated remembering, but had no choice. It just would flash in his mind, wouldn't leave. He knew he was losing it slowly, and that was topped off with the conversation he had with himself inside his head.

But it wasn't helping to feel pity, Heero mused, and rolled his head on his shoulders. He would be strong for the remainder of the time he had control on his mind, and everything else in his life.

~* That Night, Quatre's Mansion *~

Relena sat quietly, watching Heero converse with Trowa. Her eyes darted from Duo to Heero constantly. Duo has told her he couldn't see her anymore, that it hurt him too much to know what he did. He and Hilde immediately hit it off, but Relena could still see the lust in Duo's eyes when he looked at her. And it disgusted her.

She hated how this all ended up, how her life along with Heero's and Duo's had so easily fell out of place, never to go back the same way it was again. And it hurt her to know she was the main cause. Or maybe Duo was. He had lied, said Heero hadn't contacted him, when all the while Heero had been calling, sending messages. The promise that was broken hurt Relena even more. Their friendship was destroyed, and that was not anything that she knew either of them wanted. They had been brothers to each other, watching each other's back, helping when they could.

And that love disappeared because of some damn promise over her. The love both men had felt for her had disappeared with it, to her knowledge.

Lucrezia frowned, and felt Mlliardo put his hand on her shoulder. Her own covered his, and she felt the tears form in her eyes. Relena had been miserable since the day that it happened, and it pained her to see the young woman so badly hurt. As much as she tried, or as anyone tried, they couldn't get Relena back to the once cheerful person she was. It was as if that one incident put a burden on her shoulders.

"I can't stand seeing her like this." Lucrezia whispered, leaning back against Milliardo.

"Me either, but we have to be strong for her." Milliardo said softly, and lead Lucrezia away.

Heero closed his eyes as the voice in his head started to speak up.

Go for her again.

"Never again." Heero muttered to himself quietly, and leaned back against the wall, his arms crossing over his chest. It wasn't the same as it was before. Of course he still cared for Relena... that would never, ever go away. But that didn't mean he had to go for her, and to show his love for her. That was gone now from physical view. His emotionless mask was back in place, and
Heero hoped to keep it there for as long as he possibly could.

But you know you still love her. Why don't you just drop your pride for a while and act on your emotions?

"Since when did I listen to you? Or act on my emotions? It caused enough trouble. My emotions make things worse then they already are, and I won't act on them." As he spoke so only he himself could hear, he opened his eyes and glanced at Relena. Then he sighed and walked to the balcony, not wanting to be in the company of these people anymore.

I remember you telling someone to act on their emotions, and you said you acted on them also. Why can't you do that again? Why can't you stop her misery? And stop Duo's?

Heero rested his elbows on the rail and put his head in his hands. "They caused this misery. Duo caused it all. He thought of only himself, and not me. I acted on emotions before, yes. But look where that got me..."

Well, then live in misery yourself. I won't go away until you do what the right thing is.

Heero muttered some unkind words and ran a hand through his hair. He didn't know if the right thing was to end all the misery, or let Duo, Relena, and himself live in it for not doing the right thing in the first place.