School wasn’t as hard as she had thought it would be. Well, she never had thought it would be too hard...not the work. She never had any trouble keeping her grades up before, not even if she had to study material intended for students two or three years older than her. She never did mind studying. It was something to do, something to keep her busy and make her think about things like equations and definitions...which were nice things to think about when she was alone.

But Heero...Heero Yuy...

Eliza brushed a loose strand of black hair away from her face. No. It doesn’t matter. Nobody matters. There were other things...she was reminded of the satchel in her hand, and the precious object inside that she couldn’t forget... I’m going home. To my home.

She continued walking down the street, her eyes fixed on the pavement before her. She tried to concentrate on that--on the gray ground that passed under her feet--and not think about anything else. But even as she tried to push all other thoughts out of her head, they wouldn’t leave her alone...the people passing her by on the street, ignoring her... They have each other... And standing in front of the classroom, with uncaring eyes watching her, boring through her... They all have each other. They don’t need--

She squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to stop. It’s all his fault. All of it.

Then she smiled. She wasn’t quite sure why...for some reason, that made her want to smile. That’s why things are like this, she told herself. I’m here because I want to be here. And things are this way because I wanted them to. Her eyes were open, but still fixed on the pavement. It didn’t matter where she was looking. So that boy is Heero Yuy...I should’ve known. She took a breath, walking faster now. Almost running, really. Maybe it’ll be even better this way. Maybe--

Her thoughts were broken when she suddenly collided with something. The force of the blow sent her to the pavement, and her satchel flew out of her hand, landing in the dusty road. W..what... Her right elbow stung where it had struck concrete; it was scraped but not bleeding too badly. She could feel tears coming to her eyes, tears of pain and humiliation...why now? Why did they come now? Eliza raised her head slowly, biting her lower lip. Not wanting to see what she had run into.

Above her stood a young man...a boy, really...looking at her with cool green eyes. He didn’t appear injured in the least. And he didn’t say anything...didn’t even try to help her up...just stared at her, unresponsive. God...why can’t they just leave me alone?! She managed to push herself to her feet, feeling something wet trickle down her face. She wanted to run, to get away from this boy...but he was blocking her path. Why won’t he move?

The boy bent over, picking up her fallen satchel. She stared at him, frozen, unable to move until he held the object out to her. “You dropped this,” he said, his voice soft and still.

Eliza blinked. That boy...how could he look at her with those serene eyes, like nothing was wrong at all? That quiet, unemotional voice...hadn’t he ever been in pain? Hadn’t he ever cried, even for a silly reason? How...how can he look at me like that? How?! She took the satchel from him, her face burning, and mumbled a hasty thank you. Then she hurried down the street, not daring to look back.

“. . .” The boy watched her go, his gaze as steady as before. Once she was out of sight, he reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small piece of paper. A photograph. He examined it, his green eyes solemn.

Yes...that was definitely her.

Quatre didn’t say a word as Trowa entered the room, although he would’ve liked to know if he had been successful. It would be better to save the questions and let the other boy speak first...if he wanted to. Trowa had been even more withdrawn than usual lately...perhaps because he didn’t need to fight as much as before, he was becoming lost in his own thoughts. In his memories... I can’t ask him about it...

He didn’t need to. Surprisingly, Trowa did choose to speak to him once he was inside. “I found the girl, Eliza,” he told him, his voice soft, as usual. “She was on the street. She matched Heero’s photograph exactly...but I wasn’t able to do any more than see what direction she was going.”

Quatre nodded slowly. He must’ve been spotted...bad luck. “Are you going to relay the information to Heero?” he asked.

“He’d want to know,” was the other boy’s terse reply. He made his way to the other side of the room, pulling out the chair in front of the computer. Wordlessly, Quatre moved to stand behind him, watching him as he attempted to contact Heero.

I’m not sure if this will help him...he did say to follow her, after all. But she can’t get far. The blond boy closed his eyes briefly, deep in thought. I hope...

Heero hit the computer’s main power switch, shutting the whole system down without warning. He stared at the now-black monitor, his dark eyes suddenly brooding. Duo blinked, startled. Heero had finally gotten a response from Trowa, and he had been more than a little curious about the results of the search for Eliza...but as soon as he saw the expression on the boy’s face, he moved to the other side of the room as quickly as possible, not even thinking about questioning him. He was now sitting on his bed, leafing through a magazine that the apartment’s previous owner had left in the closet. Nothing but pictures of old cars...this guy had some bizarre taste... He sighed. It was scary...he could feel the tension in the room...it made him feel slightly queasy. He could barely stand to sit still...something had happened. He sighed again, getting to his feet and stretching a bit. “What’s wrong...?” he finally ventured to ask.

No answer. Heero didn’t even turn around.

This is not good. Not good at all. “Did they catch her?” he asked, not really sure if he wanted him to say yes or no. If they did...that was it, the mission was accomplished...but...

“No.” That was all Heero said in response. He didn’t move an inch...just sat there with his back to him. Duo stared at him, perplexed. Just for a second...he could’ve sworn he saw the boy’s shoulders shake...but from what?

Damn...this is really screwed up. Duo lowered his eyes, saddened by his observation. I guess I should leave him alone for a little while...let him think... He took a step toward the door, then stopped. He couldn’t just leave... “Heero...” he called softly.

The other boy turned around, regarding him with weary eyes. Yes...although Duo was sure Heero had slept the night before, he looked as if he were about to collapse from exhaustion. What’s the matter with him...? Duo swallowed hard, trying to will away his uneasiness. Wasn’t he about to say something? Say it! “I...I’m going for a walk,” he finally told him. “Don’t wait up for me, okay?”

Heero nodded slightly, mute. He then turned back to the computer.

“. . .” Duo remained there for a moment longer, his gaze lingering on the boy’s back. Shaking his head in a mixture of confusion and despair, he left the room.

The streets were almost empty...considering the time of day, Duo guessed that everybody was inside having dinner. I guess I should be doing that, too... But he wasn’t particularly hungry...besides, he needed some time to think over the way Heero had been acting. He sighed. I don’t get it...why is he so upset? Trowa and Quatre didn’t fail completely...they did spot Eliza. But I’ve never seen Heero react like that to such a trivial mistake...

But he expected them to finish the job, right? a little voice in the back of his head nagged. When’s the last time you’ve ever seen him rely on anybody? He was forced to depend on somebody else this time...he didn’t want to!

Damn...that’s right. Duo stopped walking then, recognition causing his body to tense up suddenly. He hadn’t thought about it before. He always wants to do everything himself...so he’ll be sure he won’t fail! He made a bad decision...but it wasn’t his fault! Why does he insist on taking everything out on himself?!

Duo raised his head suddenly, glancing around him. The neighborhood didn’t look familiar...he had wandered out pretty far... He chuckled to himself. That’s the last time I’ll ever try thinking! He winced then, feeling a sharp pang of pain from his stomach. Why didn’t he watch where he was going? Guess I’m hungry, after all... It was a good thing that he had remembered to bring a little money with him. Heero wouldn’t wait up for him, he could just--

As that final fragment of thought popped into his head, something crossed his vision. A person, walking out of a store... So there’s somebody out here, after all. He took a step closer, trying to get a better view. It was a girl...a pretty young one, at that...carrying a school bag in one hand, and using the other to clutch a grocery bag to her chest...a girl with shoulder-length black hair that was pulled up on one side...

God! It’s her! Not making a sound, Duo waited for the girl to pass him. She didn’t seem to notice him standing there. It’s Eliza...so this is where she hangs out! She must live around here... Not letting himself linger long enough to reconsider, he found himself trailing after her, leaving just enough distance between them to be well out of sight. That’s it...it I just find out where her house is, it won’t matter that we messed up before...

Luckily, Eliza must’ve had no idea that she was being followed, because she didn’t look back once. Man...if she really is a spy, she’s not very good... He guessed that her house wasn’t far away...she didn’t look particularly athletic, so she wouldn’t have attempted the trip on foot if it was too long. I hope this makes Heero happy, he thought ruefully, feeling his stomach start to turn inside out. I’m skipping dinner for this!

Sure enough, a few minutes later the girl stopped in front of a small, run-down apartment building. She pushed open the front door, then disappeared inside. So they leave it unlocked... Duo contemplated going in after her, but decided against it. If he wanted to get any information out of such a withdrawn girl, he’d have to think it over carefully. It would be better if he waited...and she couldn’t go anywhere. After all, she didn’t even know she was being followed. And he did know where she lived.

Man... A faint smile formed on his lips. Heero’s gonna love this... But even as he thought that, he realized his error. He couldn’t let Heero get at Eliza...not now. She had reacted strangely to his name...if he didn’t know better, he would’ve thought she was afraid of him. He had to go himself. But I can’t go alone...if this girl really is trouble, I’m going to need backup...

Part Three
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