FPOH: Hidden Burden

[Midge-14]

<b>A/N:</b> This is one of the more important events in the timeline of 'Five Pieces of Heaven' and its not as WAFFy as the others. If you haven't read the others in this series then all you need to know is: Heero and Relena have four children. They are (oldest first): Ayame, Hana, Chloe and Sasha. Henry is the driver employed by their household.

<b>Disclaimer:</b> I do not own the characters of Gundam Wing but I own their kids and am fiercely protective of them grrr

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<center>Five Pieces of Heaven

<b>Hidden Burden</b></center>

<center>~~~*~~~</center>

The year is AC 215.

The hardness of the floor met Ayame?s backside as she fell back with a sharp expulsion of breath.

?Oops. Didn?t see you there Yuy,? Taunted a boy?s voice above her.

There was a ripple of laughter. She sat up and began to gather her books. The same boy who had spoken stepped forward and mercilessly kicked one away as she reached for it. Ayame closed her Prussian blue eyes and breathed slowly. She had been hoping she might avoid Jason and his friends but it seemed that they had been waiting to intercept her before she could take refuge in the soft comfort of Henry?s car. She edged forward and wrapped her fingers around the spine of another book only to yelp in pain as Jason kicked it away, catching her fingers as well. She whimpered and rubbed her sore hand.

?Aw did I hurt you?? Jason?s voice mocked.

?No elegance at all,? The melodious tone of Francine floated through the air. ?Look at her crawling on the floor.? She wrinkled her delicate nose and yanked Ayame?s hair. ?Your hair?s always a mess too.? Ayame simply flushed and brushed her short blond bangs out of her eyes as everyone laughed at her.

?But you?re used to crawling on the floor aren?t you Yuy? I mean isn?t that what you?re good for?? Jason said with a sneer. There was a snort and a couple of giggles. Ayame lowered her head and bit her lip. She couldn?t let them get to her, she was stronger than that.

?Yeah that?s right; lower your head in shame,? Francine said gleefully, ?After all you?re the only one in this school with a filthy colonist for a father.?

Ayame lifted her head, ?Don?t say bad things about my dad!?

?We?ll say what we like,? Said a large boy called Matthew and he smacked one of her books across the back of her head hard. Her head whipped forwards and she buried it in her arms, holding back the tears that threatened to spill.

?Now we sympathise that you have <i>colony</i> blood in you,? Jason said smoothly, ?But it really doesn?t excuse you from being taught your place in this school.?

?Just leave me alone,? Ayame mumbled, hastily retrieving her books. Scrambling to her feet, she tried to rush away but someone stepped in front and pushed her roughly. Ayame stumbled but managed to find her balance.

?Where do you think you?re going Yuy?? Jason said innocently.

Ayame shot him a glare but then someone shoved her and she nearly dropped her books again. This time she refused to meet anyone?s eyes and simply turned sharply on her heel, pelting down the corridor in the opposite direction as fast as she could and breaking past the tight circle of bodies before it could close around her. Jason held up his hand when the others made to go after her. He shook his head and smiled.

?See you tomorrow Yuy!? He called out, ?We?ll be waiting.?

She ran until her lungs were about to burst and Jason?s words stopped ringing in her ears. Skidding to a stop around a corner she realised that she?d reached the main doors of the school. She regained her breath and dusted the skirt that made up part of her uniform. Her hand started throbbing terribly midway but she ignored it and stepped outside. It didn?t take long to find her car among the others parked in the drive, waiting. Henry was sitting inside, reading today?s newspaper. He gave her a warm smile and tipped his hat, ?Hello Miss Ayame, good day at school??

?Yeah it was great,? She forced a smile and settled back into the plush seat of the car as he pulled out of Eve River Academy and drove home.

<center>~~~*~~~</center>

?Mama.? Sasha wriggled and stretched her arms out for Relena, wanting out from the high chair that she had been placed in. Relena paused from her task and smiled, brushing a stray lock of golden hair out of her eyes. At thirty-five, she still kept a good shape and it was visible in her slender form as she moved around the counter towards the one year old and placed the banana slices she?d been cutting in the tray in front of her. Sasha blinked and brought her chubby little fingers forward, fingering them tentatively while Relena placed a soft kiss on her dark brown curls.

Ayame watched them from the doorway sadly. She was ashamed of the things Jason and his friends said and was worried that if her mum and dad heard about it then it would hurt them as much as it hurt her. It was for this reason that nobody knew what she had to put up with at school. She always smiled and acted normal when she was home no matter how much she longed to cry and take comfort in her mum?s soft embrace.

?Hi sweetie!? Relena said cheerily. Ayame started and realised that she had been noticed. She smoothly moved towards the fridge and poured herself some orange juice as if that had been her intent all along. ?Hi mum,? She smiled. Relena crossed her arms over the white cardigan she was wearing and leaned back against the counter. ?How was your day??

?Good,? Ayame said too quickly and Relena?s smile turned slightly puzzled. Ayame rectified this by gushing about her day with a big smile that was just a little bit forced and her hands tightly clenched around her glass. She talked about how Jason had helped her in Math class and how Francine and she had paired up during science to do an experiment?<i>lies?all lies</i>. She was convincing and she felt terrible for it; she knew it was wrong but seeing Relena?s gentle smile reappear as she listened was enough to keep her going. ?That sounds really nice. You should invite your friends around one day.?

<i>Oh no, not this</i>. Ayame made a face, ?Aw mum, I?ve got lots of homework?? She trailed off.

Relena gave her a funny look but laughed, ?You?re only eleven years old; you shouldn?t be working so hard. Don?t tell your dad I said that,? She winked. ?Just remember to have fun too.? She said gently and Ayame felt like crying. Relena turned away slightly and looked like she was about to say something else. Ayame tensed.

?Oh goodness, she?s gotten out of the high chair again.? Ayame looked up in surprise and realised that Sasha was gone. Ever since she had learned to crawl, Sasha always managed to escape from her high chair, as unbelievable as that may seem. You had to take your eyes off her for a second and she would vanish only to be found in the unlikeliest of places. Relena bit her lip and searched the kitchen for her while Ayame snuck out and back down the corridor, glad that her attention had been diverted.

She leaned down to pick up her abandoned rucksack from the entrance hall and found Sasha curled up behind it, chewing on her strap. Those same Prussian blue eyes blinked up at her and the strap was relinquished, leaving it coated in saliva. Ayame grimaced, ?Eww Sasha??

Sasha smiled and stretched her arms out, ?Beebi,? That was her chosen word of recognition for any familiar person that wasn?t Relena, Heero or her Teddy. Ayame sighed and wrapped her arms around the little baby, hoisting her up with a grunt. ?Come on then, let?s find mum.? Sasha pressed her banana-sticky hands over Ayame?s school shirt and was content to sit still as they walked back. Relena was in the living room looking behind the cushions. ?Mum!? Ayame called, ?I found her.? Relena looked up relieved and took Sasha into her arms. ?You?are a very trying baby,? She scolded but Sasha simply giggled in delight at her tone and rubbed her face into Relena?s shoulder.

Ayame turned away to make her exit when she felt Relena?s hand touch her arm. ?Hold on a minute.? Turning, she watched as Relena shifted Sasha to her hip and took Ayame?s hand causing her to wince in pain. Relena frowned, ?What happened to your hand?? Ayame looked and saw that a large purple bruise inflicted by Jason?s foot had developed. She looked up sheepishly, ?I fell and hurt it while playing.? Relena looked at her carefully for a moment and her expression saddened. Ayame felt that crying feeling come up again.

?It looks painful sweetheart; you should have shown it to me. I know that you feel like I?m too busy all the time??

Ayame shook her head rapidly from side to side, ?No mum its ok. It doesn?t hurt much really. I?m old enough to understand??

??It?s not ok.? Relena cut in sternly, ?Sometimes I get worried about you. You don?t have to grow up so quickly that you don?t need to come to me anymore for anything. I?m your mother and no matter how busy I seem I will always have time to listen to you if anything ever troubles you or there?s something on your mind. I promise.? She cupped Ayame?s cheek and looked her straight in the eyes, ?You got that??

Ayame nodded, ?Yes mamma,?

?Good, now let?s get you some ice for that??

Later, Ayame walked slowly up the stairs to her room with a tremble in her lips and glistening moisture in her eyes. She ran into Chloe who was skipping happily down with her pretty golden tresses bouncing behind her. ?Yami!? She squealed, ?I painted a big picture of you at school today, wanna see??

Ayame paused, ?Maybe later Chlo, okay?? She said quietly. The five year old came to a stop and paused uncertainly at her older sister?s aloofness, ?Kay.? Ayame continued up and entered her room, shutting the door behind her.

It all came loose then. Stifling her sobs she fell onto her bed and buried her face in her pillow. The chill of the ice still tingled on her hand but at least it didn?t hurt so terribly now. She wondered dismally what would happen if she feinted sickness and missed school tomorrow. It would never work; the others would just be twice as terrible the next day. Being pushed around she could handle but the words?they dug deeper than any pain they could inflict on her. How could they say such hurtful things? Ayame felt lonely and confused but she didn?t know what to do. She was too embarrassed to tell Grampa Pagan because he always praised her for being so grown up. There was Henry, Uncle Duo or Aunt Hilde but she didn?t think they?d do anything except tell her mum and dad and that was not an option?no?never.

Feeling helpless, Ayame cried some more because it was okay to cry when no one could see.

<center>~~~*~~~</center>

Heero Yuy walked through the door and carefully closed it behind him. His need to move silently came purely from something that was best explained with the saying ?old habits die hard?. He stopped a moment to remove his Preventer jacket before moving towards the living room and glanced in. This was another habit that was hard to shake but Heero often needed the reassurance that everything was okay and he had realised that it was easier done when his presence went unnoticed. It was hard to concentrate with four girls demanding his attention all at once.

Chloe and Hana were sitting in the middle of the room with a group of plush toys around them while Sasha was in her playpen, holding herself up by gripping the edge and making small sounds of complaint. Further inspection revealed Ayame curled up in one of the armchairs by the window, her exercise book propped open in her lap and her head bent deeply into it as she scribbled. She now raised her head at the increasing sound of Sasha?s cries.

?Hana, give Sasha one of your toys.?

Seven year old Hana raised her head irritably, ?But we?re using all of them!?

Ayame gave her a look, ?You can spare her one at least. Chlo give her one please.? She added when Hana just pouted and lifted her chin up. Chloe leaned forward and picked up a teddy bear with a purple waistcoat that had big shiny black buttons on it. ?Here have Mr Buttons,? She held it out but Sasha shook her head and batted it away, her lip trembling.

?No no, she wants this one? Hana said with a sigh and picked up a scruffy, old-looking teddy with a blue bow tie and a serious looking expression. She held it out to Sasha who stopped whimpering and held her hands out, ?Teddee.? She grabbed and hugged the teddy bear close.

Heero chanced a glance at Ayame and saw she was staring in the other direction a little distantly and somewhat sadly. His expression hardened into a slight frown as he slowly made his way to her, bypassing the centre of the room where Hana and Chloe were playing without attracting their attention, and knelt down in front of where she was sitting.

?Hey,? He said softly and she jumped, startled. ?Oh! Hey dad.? She smiled, a little weakly he thought and his frown deepened.

?What?s wrong??

She shook her head and her smile brightened, ?Nothing?s wrong.?

?Hn,? Heero was not convinced. He glanced down and she tried to hide her hands under her book. ?You?ve hurt yourself,? He said blankly. Ayame looked a little nervous. ?It?s nothing.?

His eyes narrowed ever so slightly, ?How did it happen??

She fiddled with her book, ?Oh you know?I was playing with Cecilia and I wasn?t looking where I was going and I banged it somewhere.? She said smoothly. Heero kept his eyes level with hers and stared at her unwaveringly. She stared back, a reflection of his own eyes, but hers weren?t as demanding and she could see he wanted her to tell him what was really on her mind. She suddenly threw herself forward, causing him to jerk back reflexively, and hugged him tightly.

?You worry too much dad.?

She kissed him on the cheek, quickly grabbed her books and rushed off. Heero stood and made to go after her, confusion etched on his features.

?Daddy!?

Too late, Hana and Chloe had seen him. They rushed forward and Heero had to stop when they came in front of him and started jumping excitedly, impeding his pursuit. When he looked up, Ayame was gone.

<center>~~~*~~~</center>

Eve River Academy was a very prestigious school attended by students from upper class families. The old headmaster, an acquaintance of Relena?s, had retired a few months ago and his position had been taken over by a certain Mr Wentworth. Nothing much had been changed in the school during the transition; its students remaining the same. At the moment, it was the time allocated for lunch and Ayame sat on the grass with her book. She loved to spend her breaks outside by a small scattering of trees to the side of the gardens. The other students remained in the main part of the grounds and hardly came by here. That suited her just fine because she preferred the quiet solitude. She had once tried to mingle, had been initiated into Francine?s circle of friends, but she had scandalised them with her unmanageable hair and her tomboyish style. She had also horrified them with a story about a mud fight between her and Ethan Maxwell and how Uncle Duo had to bring out the hose and douse them thoroughly with water to clean them. <i>?How disgusting!?</i> Francine had sniffed. They were all so uppity and snobbish; Ayame didn?t understand them at all.

?Hey Yuy!?

She snapped out of her thoughts and noticed with dismay that she was surrounded. Jason was leaning against the tree looking down at her.

?It?s bad manners to daydream when someone?s talking to you,? He chided.

?But we know she hasn?t got manners anyway,? Came a high-pitched giggle from a girl named Cecilia. Ayame closed her book and slowly started to stand but someone?s hand came crashing down on her shoulder, forcing her back to the floor. She looked up and saw it was Matthew.

?Is this your secret place?? He taunted, ?Always hide here do you??

?I?m not hiding,? She said defiantly but they ignored her. Francine grabbed her book and wrinkled her nose, ?What trash are you reading today??

?Hey give that back!? Ayame tried to stand and make a grab for the book but Matthew?s hand pushed her down again, harder this time. Francine began to rip pages out of the book to Ayame?s horror. It wasn?t even hers; Ethan had lent it to her to read because it was one of his favourites. Bitterness rose up in her throat as Francine sniggered and she shifted forward instinctively but Matthew?s hand shoved her against the tree, hard.

?Try it again,? Matthew dared but she didn?t.

They laughed, since some sort of victory had been achieved, and threw loose twigs and bits of branches at her. Ayame sat there silently, feeling helpless and alone.

?Someone needs to put you in your place Yuy,? Jason said with disdain, ?You can?t get away with your mum?s mistakes.?

?She hasn?t made any mistakes!? Ayame suddenly fumed before she could stop herself. Why did they always have to make fun of her parents? They hadn?t ever done anything to the kids standing around her; they hadn?t even ever <i>seen</i> them.

?Marrying a low class nobody and tarnishing the royal bloodline. King Peacecraft would be crying in his grave.? Francine taunted.

That was too far and it touched a nerve. ?Don?t talk about my mum that way!? Ayame yelled and stood up. ?And my dad?s not a nobody!?

?That?s right,? Jason grabbed her shoulders and looked at her solemnly, ?Do you know what your dad really is??

Ayame shrugged him off, ?I don?t want to hear it.? She stalked off across the grass.

?He was a Gundam pilot,? Jason called after her and she stopped in her tracks. Everyone was shocked into silence. ?What?? Ayame finally spluttered. She hadn?t heard this one before.

?You heard me,? Jason leaned against the tree and crossed his arms, ?Didn?t he ever mention it??

?You?re lying!? Ayame said urgently, ?How could you know??

Jason crossed his arms, ?I overheard my dad saying it.?

?Oh and your dad knows everything does he?? Ayame snapped. What Jason was saying was scaring her; the Gundam pilots manned those huge scary looking mobile suits called Gundams that she had seen pictures of. Her dad would have told her if he was one, wouldn?t he?

?He knows the truth,? Jason said with a serious expression. ?And you realise that this makes things much worse?? The others slowly approached and circled Ayame who glanced at Jason nervously. ?I thought he was just a nobody from the colonies but he?s much more dangerous.? He moved closer to Ayame and waved his fingers in front of her while speaking in a low tone that sent chills up her spine.

?The Gundam pilots, you see, they used their Gundams to kill people in cold blood and destroy whole colonies just like that.? He snapped his fingers in front of her nose. ?If you made them angry or tried to stop them then they wouldn?t just kill you but your whole family and everyone who?d even <i>spoken</i> to you. Everyone was frightened that they might be next on the list.?

Ayame turned her head aside angrily, ?Stop making things up!"

?It?s true silly!? Cecilia giggled scornfully.

?It?s not true!? Ayame insisted and clenched her fists. ?My dad?s not like that! He works for Preventers and protects the Earth Sphere!?

?He isn?t doing a very good job, bad stuff still happens.? Matthew provided. The others laughed in victory, thinking he had won a point

?Hey,? Said Jason thoughtfully, ?What do you think would happen if Preventers knew that your dad used to be a Gundam pilot??

Ayame squeezed her eyes shut, ?Shut up!?

?They?d take your dad away, lock him up and throw away the key.?

?I said shut up!?

?Then you wouldn?t have a dad anymore. You?d be all alone with your sisters and your mum, crying all the time.?

?Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!?

They didn?t know how much it hurt?they had no idea that when she was seven; Heero Yuy had been undercover on a mission when there was an explosion in the building he was known to be in. For two years they had been made to believe that he was dead and that time was forever etched into her mind. Jason?s words were bringing back painful memories and her chest hurt with them?she would not lose her dad again; nobody would take him away. Ayame suddenly went cold inside with that thought. Matthew, Francine, Cecilia and the others immediately backed away at the intensity in her eyes.

?Maybe I should give them a call eh Yuy??

His response was a fist hurtling towards his face. Everyone gasped and stared at Jason who clutched his bleeding nose and stared at her wide-eyed. His surprise gave way to anger. ?You?re going to regret that,? He said acidly and launched himself at her.

A cry went up around the school and students were running to see the fight taking place near the gardens. Soon after, the teachers were rushing out too to see what the commotion was about and put a stop to it.

And Ayame knew she was in deep trouble now.

<center><b>TBC</b></center>

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A/N: Because I have been jumping around the timeline, I haven't actually mentioned Heero's disappearance in the years AC 211 and AC 213 but its another important event in this timeline and I will write about it in time. Ayame remembers it better than her sisters and she saw what Relena went through (but that will come later).

Feedback pretty please?

[Wingnut]

Idiot brat, the Preventers are one of the few that do know he was a Gundam pilot.
It also sounds like Jason got his impression of Gundam pilots from various people who were members of OZ and perhaps the old Alliance as well. It would likely seem that would be how Gundam pilots operated at least to some of them.

[Midge-14]

Yeah they still crop up like weeds those old alliance people don't they?

[Morrighan]

Oh, those ignorant brats. Pure-blood <i>aristocratic</i> brats - they're hardly emulating the poise and grace that's <i>supposed</i> to be taught to them. >< Poor Ayame.

[Lady Saffir]

Whoo! Go Ayame, kick his butt!

And by that, I mean...well, kick his butt in graphic description, please.

[Fate Lowe]

Ignorance...just pure ignorance. I hate people like that. Stuck up, snotty little brats. I hope that she kicks all their asses. Can't wait for the next chapter.

[Midge-14]

Aw shucks everyone thanks for sticking up for Ayame.

[PeaceWing]

Ugh! Those wretched, ignorant children. I agree with Wingnut and that got me wondering. Were their parents orignially members of Romerfeller? It sound as if though Duke Dumail's twisted views have continued to live on in the next generation.

I'm cheering on for Ayame all the way.

[WingZero2118]

Idiot brat, the Preventers are one of the few that do know he was a Gundam pilot.
It also sounds like Jason got his impression of Gundam pilots from various people who were members of OZ and perhaps the old Alliance as well. It would likely seem that would be how Gundam pilots operated at least to some of them.

you can say that again. and the fact that half the other preventers are previous gundam pilots or former alliance/oz members just makes him look like that much more of a moron. more than likely someone told him about quatres little rampage with wingzero and thats where he got his warpped version of things. aside from that this is a great story. ayame is just like her dad. the strong silent type. not needing anyones help or not wanting to burden them with their insignificant problems. very well written. cant wait for more!

[Queen Scorpio]

poor ayame and don't you just dislike people that judge something or someone they have NO clue about? *sigh* children are natural mimics of their parents, eh?