Highbridge Chapter Two

[cherryflavored1R]

Highbridge

By Cherry Flavored

Disclamer: don?t own

Part Two- Sneaking Away and Meeting Dule
~~~~


?Has Relena emailed you back yet?? Noin asked Zechs.

?No, of course not. I mean, I did send it late, but wouldn?t she think to check again?? he said in an annoyed tone.

?Well, that?s your fault, isn?t it?? Noin asked with a smile at the man. ?Anyway, we?ll see her hopefully in about two days, won?t we??

?Hopefully?? Zechs said.

?Hope is a good sign! Don?t think we?re not leaving here, because I can feel it.?

?I know? I just want to know what?s going on with my sister. I haven?t heard from her in about three weeks because of this isolation thing. She?s only been speaking through emails. That?s another one of those things that I don?t like about being in space on a mission- no speaking to non-Preventors on vidphone or even audphone. She?s one of the most powerful people in the universe, though! Why can?t I be in contact with her??

?Like I said, Zechs, we?re leaving.?

?Yeah well, Sally better hurry up with those arrangements.?

~~~~


Heero sat alone on one of the benches that sit beneath all of the trees at Highbridge. He looked out on the expansive lawn, seeing the many students all across it doing various activities. It was a very simple scene. It could easily make someone forget his surroundings, which is what Heero accidentally let happen to him. That is why he didn?t notice the sound of footsteps coming up behind him.

?Um? excuse me,? said a voice.

Heero turned around to see a happy young man looking down at him. Heero assumed he wanted him to move, so Heero stood up (since the war, Heero was making an attempt to not make waves, and even though it was not in his nature to move for someone, he?s learned to get over it).

?No, wait, I wanted to ask you something, actually,? the boy said.

Heero stopped and faced him. ?How can I help you??

?Well, first, my name is Yume. Yume Stratton. I was just wondering about you. Well, I mean, you?re Asian. Well, what I mean is, I am too, and we don?t exactly have a lot of those here. I just wanted to know where you came from. I mean, where you?re name came from,? he stuttered.

Heero smirked at the nervous kid. ?Japan. But I was born and raised on the colonies. I?ve only been to Japan once, actually,? he said politely.

?Really? I?m Japanese, too? or half, actually. My mother moved to Wellington and married a doctor there. Anyway, what?s your name??

?Adam?? Heero said, not completely used to saying the name. ?Adam Yurigashi? I transferred here from my last school in the Cinq Kingdom.?

?Wow? you really went to the Cinq School? So you haven?t been in school for awhile? Hey, wasn?t Cinq just for girls?? Yume said with a skeptical smirk.

Heero almost smiled. Almost. It?s true; most of the students there were girls, so Heero could understand Yume doubting his truthfulness. ?Actually, it was open to anyone, but the political leaders sent their daughters there because people generally think women are more inclined to understand the ideals of total pacifism. But, as I found out, there are females that love war just as much as men do,? Heero thought for a moment. Why was he telling this kid everything he knows? Heero didn?t realize it, but he really missed talking about politics and war. It was a part of him, and he couldn?t just be thrown into a normal life and expect to forget it. He also missed the Cinq Kingdom, but there was absolutely no way to rationalize that subject.

?Anyway,? Heero started, changing the subject, ?What year are you in, Yume??

?11th. You are too, right?? Yume asked. Heero nodded. ?Oh yeah! We have to go to class, don?t we??

?Yeah,? Heero said, picking up his bag from the ground.

?I?ll talk to you later, okay?? Yume called as he retreated back towards the main building.

Heero nodded again. He was kind of surprised that he actually had a conversation with someone. He thought about it a second more, and then walked off towards classes.

~~~


When Heero arrived at his dormitory room he immediately flipped on his laptop. While he waited for it to start up, he went and fixed some coffee. He returned to his desk and brought up all of his messages for the day. Normally he first checked his new school email address for assignments or bulletins pertaining to Highbridge. But this time he went straight to his secured line address, L101. He has only one message, which he opened up.

Message sent May 16
197
Message from user VFMdarlian
To user L101

Heero:

You?re right, I did want to know. Are you enrolled anywhere?

Relena


Heero sipped his coffee. He clicked the button labeled ?Reply? and began typing.

That night, although it is not a scientific fact, it is believed that Heero slept easier after reading that message.

~~~


Relena wrung her hands together. She had been sitting in a meeting for two hours straight and she still hadn?t said a word yet. She was getting tired of being at the weekend-long conference she was attending in Nairobi. She knew that her work was important, but she didn?t like the idea of touring an old OZ base during the conference- and she especially didn?t like that it was the one that her brother and Noin used be stationed at. Of course, she wouldn?t be there the whole time; many of the meetings would be in the traditional hotel-type places. But the very idea of being at the same place where so many OZ soldiers trained made her uneasy. Not to mention, she didn?t like that the base was being rebuilt, even if it was for ?educational? and ?historical? purposes.

Why exactly had Noin and Milliardo been so adamant about Relena coming to this particular conference? Relena figured it was because they wanted her to see the place that they spent so much of their young adult years. She didn?t know, and she really wanted to get back to her room.

That was the other thing Relena was thinking about. She had an email to read, hopefully, when she got back to her room. She felt guilty, almost, about not paying attention in the meeting, but it was getting very tedious, and she was still puzzling over why Heero had decided to contact her. She had a very strange feeling when ever she considered the possibilities. She also got a very strange lump in her throat? and she also constantly wrung her hands.

All of Relena?s thoughts, however, were ended with the loud clapping that began to erupt from the attendees of the meeting. As they stood up, she realized that the meeting was over, and she stood politely as well and clapped.

Once she was dismissed, she gathered her things and headed to the far exit of the conference room. She was incredibly tired and wanted to avoid any questions from others. She pushed open the door to see three faces smiling at her.

?See guys, I told you she?d be coming out this one,? said Sally with a knowing look.

Relena?s face lit up at the sight of Lucrezia Noin, Milliardo Peacecraft, and Sally Po.

?Oh! Noin, Brother, it?s so good to see you! Sally, you too!? she said as she reached to hug Noin.

?We just got back. That?s why we told you to come here, so we could meet up. The shuttles only ran to three places, and with that to choose from, we picked the Africa stop because there were none close to home. You surprised?? Noin said.

?Yes, very, and also pleased!? Relena said with a smile.

?Well, we hoped that you wouldn?t mind skipping the rest of the conference so we could go home,? Milliardo sighed.

?No problem! We can leave tonight,? Relena quickly told him, anxious to leave. The group turned to head up to Relena?s room.

When Relena grabbed her tote bag to leave, she remembered something: her laptop was slipped inside the bag. That meant she could dodge the others and head to some other place than her hotel suite to get online, where her brother could be peering over her shoulder. The last thing she wanted to do was let a top Preventor know where Heero was!

?Hey guys? Um, I just remembered I had something I forgot to do in the meeting. I meant to ask one of the representatives a question. Do you think I could catch up with you guys later?? she fibbed. ?Here?s the key, room 117,? she said as she grabbed a thin keycard out of her bag and handed it to Sally. She quickly rushed off then, without giving the others a chance to object.

?That was? weird,? Noin said.

?I agree?? Milliardo said.

~~~


Relena found and empty conference room and pulled up a chair to the massive meeting table. She slid the computer onto the wooden surface and turned it on. She signed onto her email account remotely, and switched her headset on.

She saw her prize immediately. ?Command: open,? she whispered into the device, as to not let anyone in the outside halls hear her.

?Wow?? she said, as the letter opened. It was longer than she had expected from Heero, although that wasn?t exactly saying much.

Message sent May 16
197
From User L101
To User VFMdarlian

Relena:

Highbridge Academy in Auckland is where I?m enrolled; I got a lucky break because J knows the headmistress here.
I must ask you not to tell the Preventors, or anyone for that matter, as to my whereabouts. I?m under orders from J to let no one know. He thinks I should start a new life of sorts, away from people who want the information and skills that a Gundam pilot could offer. It?s mostly a precautionary measure, but he says it?s necessary. Or he could just be paranoid.

-01


Relena stopped for a moment. Did Heero Yuy really tell her all of this? Did he go against mission?! He wasn?t supposed to let anyone know? but here it was, plain as day; he told someone. Her. ?Not to mention, was that last comment actually funny?? she thought.

?And my life wasn?t complicated enough?? she said aloud. She pounded her fist on the table in sudden frustration. ?He makes me so mad!?

But her anger soon eased into a sigh. She couldn?t be mad at anyone but herself. She should have just ignored the email, just like her birthday present. She looked to her side, wishing she could just talk to him in person- wishing he was right next to her. That?s when she noticed something, though. A young man was standing in the doorway, after apparently hearing her pound the table.

?Something the matter, Minister Darlian?? he asked politely. Relena blushed.

?Oh no, nothing? sorry?? she stuttered. ?Great, he recognizes me??

?I didn?t mean to intrude, Ma?am,? he said.

?And I didn?t mean to be in here? I apologize? Mister??? she questioned his name.

?Ledger, the name?s Dule Ledger. I was coming to a meeting I had in this conference hall early to get some work done, but I didn?t expect to meet the Vice Foreign Minister herself in here. Are you sitting in on the meetings as well, Ma?am?? he asked, speaking with a very clear Australian accent.

?Oh no, I was just leaving when I? realized I had something to do on my computer. I? sort of ducked in here to avoid the crowds in the main lobby,? Relena said laughing slightly. ?I?ll get out of your way.?

?Oh, please, don?t let me kick you out. Do you mind if I sit down? I mean, it?s not every day you run into one of the most respected people in the world and get a chance to talk,? he said, motioning towards a chair.

?Please, feel free. Did you have a question for me or something?? she asked cordially.

Dule sat in the chair beside her and replied, ?No, not really. Well, actually, if you don?t mind, I would like to ask what troubles a Minister so much that it would make a respectable lady loose her cool,? he said with a smile.

She really didn?t know what to say exactly. As Relena pondered her answer, she looked him over. He was young, dressed in a suit and tie (although it was clear the jacket of his suit had long been removed), and was pretty good looking.

?I? well, believe it or not, I sometimes don?t know exactly what to say to people,? she said. ?And let?s just leave it at that.?

?Fair enough,? he said. He placed a worn, chocolate-colored hand on her shoulder and said in a mock-profound tone, ?Miss Darlian, if I may give some advice that a wise man once told me: sometimes, you do what you have to do, without analyzing your thoughts beforehand. No matter what the consequences, if you know you have to, then it must be done.?

Relena smiled warmly at his remarks. Despite their vagueness, they struck a chord with Relena. She felt that although this man couldn?t have been more than five years older than she, he knew something. She could tell by his hand; the tired palm on her shoulder felt like it had been through forty more years of experience than his age was showing.

?I?ll keep that in mind. Thank you very much,? Relena said as she began putting up her laptop in preparation to leave. ?It was a pleasure talking to you, Mr. Ledger.?

?Same to you, Minister Darlian,? he said.

After gathering her things, Relena walked out of the room with a fresh set of thoughts to ponder, and an idea.

~~~


Sally, Noin, and Zechs unloaded their baggage in Relena?s room, which was decided to be the temporary resting place of their mountains of stuff.

Noin fell backwards onto Relena?s hotel suite bed, inhaling the sweet fragrances that were all around Relena?s things. ?It?s so good to be back on the Earth! Fresh air is the greatest blessing to mankind, I swear!?

?Amen! For me, one day in space is enough to make me long for breeze,? Sally added.

Noin glanced at Zechs, who was absentmindedly putting clothes away.

?What?s wrong, Zechs?? she asked, concern filling her voice.

?I was just thinking the same question about Relena,? he said. Although his tone was thoughtful, it clearly wasn?t dazed. Relena had the ability to frustrate him. I mean, with a girl like that for a sister, how could you read her actions? She was so unpredictable.

?Yeah, it was kind of weird when she just ditched us,? Sally said.

?Well, you heard what she said, she forgot to do something,? Noin said without worrying at all.

?Relena? Forget something? Noin, the girl is like clockwork with her business,? Zechs said.

?He?s got a point, Noin,? Sally commented.

?I think you?re over-reacting.? Noin finished her argument, and with that, they dropped the subject and return to organizing their things.

A few minutes later, they were joined by the Minister herself. She walked in as though she was totally lost in thought.

?Hello, Miss Relena,? Sally said cheerfully as she came in.

?What did you forget?? was the question from Zechs.

Relena laughed. ?Well, that was abrupt,? she said. She had already planned her answer, though, so she had no sweat on reply. ?Actually, I forgot to speak with Lady Ashana. I didn?t see her there today and I wanted to speak with her about the recent disputes on the western coast in Africa.? All of this, actually, was true. Lady Ashana was a well known peace promoter from Ghana, who was not that much different from Relena herself. They were pretty good friends, since the Lady was one of the closest to Relena in age (Lady Ashana was only twenty seven) out of the ESUN delegates, plus their views were quite similar. Relena had not seen Ashana at the conference, and she was almost positive that Ashana would make an appearance, seeing how this was Africa?s largest conference of the year.

?Did you speak with her?? Noin asked.

?No, she was still gone. But she?ll probably be at the Rome meeting next month.?

?Well I certainly hope so; I?ve been hoping that a settlement could have been reached by now in her area of jurisdiction,? Zechs said. ?If there?s one thing Ashana isn?t like you about, Relena, it?s her nerve. I think she is afraid to make the wrong decision, and therefore analyzes it way too much.?

?Yeah, but think about the difference in security measures. The embassies in the affected countries just don?t give the same kind of protection for her that Relena gets, mostly due to money. I think she knows if the people aren?t happy with her decisions, she puts the lives of herself and all of her staff in danger of being attacked,? Sally noted insightfully.

?I feel sorry for her sometimes?? Relena said with a sigh.


~End of Part 2

Okay, important notes on Dule: I drew his name and physical characteristics from Dule Hill on the West Wing. Except for the accent, that is. So when you think of his looks, think about Dule Hill, who is a fine looking man. His personality came from many places, but he might end up a lot like Charles Gunn from Angel- you?ll see. And you say his name ?Doo-lay.?

Review please! More Action coming in later chapters, I promise!