Memoirs:

 

“I am going shopping with Quatre, koi.”

 

“Hn.”

 

“Do you want me to get you anything, besides the regular grocery that is…”

 

“No…I am fine. Oh, wait. I need some more printer cartridges. Color.”

 

The braided boy nodded and shrugged into his jacket. “Don’t forget to give Coco his milk.” He added, reaching down to scratch the purring black and white cat’s ears softly. “We shouldn’t be too long.”

 

Heero never raised his eyes from the book before him. “I won’t forget. Hurry up already. The snow is beginning to pick up again.”

 

“Alright, alright. You don’t have to be so eager to get rid of me, you know.” Duo walked over to place a soft kiss on his lover’s lips, raising an eyebrow as no response was forthcoming. “Fine. I’m gone. See you in about two hours.”

 

Heero nodded absentmindedly and flipped another page of his book. The sound of the door finally clicking shut behind his partner caused him to drop the quite boring read. He yawned and stretched languidly, twisting his toes within the white socks he wore, to get rid of the slight cramp that had settled in.

 

Coco was beginning to complain again and grunting softly, he got to his feet and walked into the kitchen. Opening up the fridge, he eyed the nearly empty bottle of milk that had been bought specifically for the cat.

 

“Looks like you are almost out.” Heero muttered as he reached for the cat’s bowl above the fridge. Pouring the last of the milk into the bowl, he placed it gingerly on the floor and couldn’t help smiling a bit at how fast the cat dove for it.

 

Done with that particular chore, Heero sauntered back into the living room and plopped down on the couch. He would have made a beeline for his computer, but he was too tired, mentally, to do much. He eyed the clock and decided to take a nap for at least a few minutes before his package arrived.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

At the grocery store…

 

Duo eyed the frozen pecan ice cream hungrily. “I really don’t think Heero will mind. Do you? It’s just pecan ice cream, after all.”

 

Quatre was busy searching through the selection of frozen seafood. Trowa would like something ‘lobsterish’ tonight. “I really don’t know, Duo. Does Heero like pecan?”

 

“It’s not for Heero.” Duo replied. “It’s his money, that’s why I am worried about getting it. He is pretty precise about what he wants on his grocery list and if I go a dollar over his expenditure, he goes nuts on me…in a silent kind of way.”

 

“Ah…then you should probably wait until you get to go to the grocery with your own money, ne? Or…I could just buy it for you.” The blonde offered with a warm smile.

 

All five ex-pilots rarely got a chance to spend time together and any chance was never one to be missed. The Arabian was more than grateful to be spending the evening in the American’s company. His own partner and lover, Trowa, had said something about going to visit a friend and Quatre had decided to use this opportunity to go shopping with the gregarious teenager.

 

“Nah…I will just go get Coco’s milk and then we will be on our way.”

 

“Coco?” came the bemused question.

 

“Oh, didn’t I tell you?” Duo asked with a raised eyebrow as he began to push his cart towards the Pet Supplies, with the blonde closely in tow. “It all happened on one snowy night, Q. It was blistering cold and then I saw…”

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

“Meow…meow…”

 

Heero swiped at the furry creature that had climbed onto his head. The cat only shifted positions and dug its claws into the light yellow shirt on his back. Grumbling at being disturbed, Heero sat up and lifted Coco off him with a scowl. “You are off to the kitty basket, you little…” He stopped as the soft chime of the doorbell filled the apartment. Jumping to his feet, with Coco still in his grasp, he opened it up and nodded curtly at the person standing behind it.

 

“Come on in, Trowa. I thought you weren’t going to make it on time.”

 

The uni-banged pilot quirked his lips in a semblance of a smile and walked into the cozy hallway. Shaking off the snow that had gathered on his large black coat, he dropped the medium-sized cardboard box that he had been holding and carefully hung it up.

 

“Ready to see what I managed to salvage?” He asked softly, following the Japanese ex-pilot into the living room, with box in arms again. He placed it gently on the low coffee table, reluctantly admiring the tasty but yet simple pieces of furniture that made up the comfortable room. The ‘meow’ from Coco made him gasp and he quirked a questioning brow at Heero.

 

“It’s a long story.” Was the simple reply, before cobalt blues fell upon the box. A barely noticeable flinch raced through Heero’s body and he swallowed tightly. “Did…did you go through them?”

 

Trowa shook his head and opened it up carefully. “No…they are rightfully yours to keep and see. I just picked up whatever my hands could reach. Those guys were pretty persistent. They would have burnt me down to the ground along with the house if I hadn’t hurried up.”

 

Heero nodded and stared at the box with trepidation. In it contained all personal items that had belonged to one Odin Lowe. The man Heero had grown up with, the man he had never really had a chance to know on a personal level, the man who had trained him to become what he was today…

 

~ Odin… ~

“Do you want me to leave you in privacy?” Trowa asked softly. “I can go back and wait for Duo and Quatre at the grocery store. I wouldn’t mind in the slightest.”

 

Heero shrugged nonchalantly not really trusting himself to speak. The items had been salvaged from a home in the outermost part of town. Through his relentless searching on the Internet, Heero had finally found the place that the mysterious fighter, Odin, had called home for the earlier part of his life. The house had now become so rundown from years of neglect that the authorities had decided to burn it down to the ground. Refusing to accept that he had been filled with anxiety at having to go to the house himself, he had asked Trowa to help him out. And now, sitting before him were precious mementos or items that could finally reveal who Heero Yuy really was.

 

Trowa got to his feet. “You know where to reach me if anything comes up.”

 

“Hai. I will call you…later.”

 

Trowa grunted softly and spun around to make his way out the front door. Shrugging into his jacket, he turned back to face the immobile figure on the couch. “Does Duo know about this?”

 

For a moment, he wasn’t sure Heero would answer, but a slight nod from the Japanese boy served as an answer for him. Knowing that he would have to be satisfied with that, Trowa opened up the door allowing a gust of cold winter night air into the room. “Take care now, Heero. If you find anything significant or need help…don’t hesitate, okay?”

 

And not waiting for an answer, Trowa let himself out of the apartment, leaving the stoic boy on the couch still staring blindly into nothing.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

AC 182

L1 Colony Cluster

 

My name is Odin Lowe and I have just been recruited into the Federation army. This is the proudest moment of my life…

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Duo hummed beneath his breath as he hoisted the large brown paper bags into the back of Trowa’s car. He could see the chuckling couple walking towards him and shaking his head softly at how flushed and happy Quatre looked, he decided to place a quick phone call to Heero. Just to make sure that he was all right.

 

“Who are you calling?” Trowa asked, as they stopped beside Duo.

 

“Heero. Just wanted to tell him that I am okay. He tends to get worried, even if he sucks at showing it.” He pulled out the small cell phone and was just about to dial up the number to his apartment, when a hand covered it firmly. “What the…?”

 

Trowa shook his head slowly, a strange look in his eyes. “You shouldn’t bother Heero for a while, Duo. He has some…things he has to go through at this time.”

 

Duo frowned. “I am sorry…but Heero is my lover and partner and if he is going through any thing, I have a right to be there, ne?”

 

“Trust me on this one, Duo.” Trowa continued firmly. “You most definitely do not want to be there.”

 

Quatre eyed both boys squaring off in a battle of wills before laughing shakily and stepping in between them. “I have a great idea! Why don’t we all go have dinner at that new Italian restaurant downtown, hmm? I bet they will have something delicious and Allah knows I am starving…please?” He added with a pleading look in his green depths as neither boy had made any attempt to budge.

 

Finally, Duo snorted and turned his face away. “For your sake, Quatre, that’s all. As soon as dinner is finished, I am going back to my apartment, got it?”

 

Trowa nodded with a barely concealed sigh of relief and turning to his partner, he placed an arm around his slight waist and led him towards the passenger side of the car. “Thank you, Duo.”

 

The American threw in the last bag of the groceries into the car and slammed the hood a bit too loudly. “You are welcome, Trowa.”

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

AC 185

L1 Colony Cluster

 

I cannot believe that I have been dismissed. Well, to be honest, I dismissed myself. Found out that the Federation was working with OZ to help in taking over the colonies and in destroying the Earth’s Alliance. Now, I am no man of peace myself…but hell will freeze over before I allow myself to become a part of that organization. I have decided to work…

 

…alone.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Heero tossed the book to the side, hands now thumbing through the box in slight agitation. Where was he? Why wasn’t he mentioned anywhere?! He had met Odin sometime in AC 185 and yet there was no mention of him in any memo or in the small black and quite weathered journal he had been reading earlier. Swallowing against the stubborn lump that was stuck in his throat, he tossed out papers filled with Federation blueprints and maps to different locations. Papers filled with designs for weapons for mass destruction. A layout of the Wing gundam…an address book…

 

“Maybe…someone…”

 

He thumbed through the small red book with hands that weren’t quite steady. A crazed almost maniacal look had come into his eyes as names, addresses and numbers he couldn’t quite place flew by quickly. He could always go into the Internet to check through the names.

 

~ No time for that right now. I have to find something…what about me?! ~

He flung out even more papers, his heart thudding faster as the box slowly began to be emptied. As he flung another bunch of papers to the floor, his eyes fell upon the small picture that had fallen to the floor as well. Picking it up, he blinked, unable to believe what his eyes were seeing, unable to decipher what his brain was trying to digest.

 

It was a picture of a young looking Odin, as a…brunette! With hair just as dark as his was. But that wasn’t the only thing that had Heero’s eyes misting over. By his side stood a gorgeous Japanese woman with eyes of deepest cobalt. Her long black locks had been tied in a ponytail and the little baby she held in her arms seemed to be the reason for the beautiful smile on her pale visage.

 

A baby with eyes of cobalt and hair of chocolate…

 

He spun the picture around and couldn’t help stuffing a hand into his mouth to stop the harsh sob that threatened to escape. Written in fine cursive were the words…

 

Me, Yoh and little Miwa at six months old

AC 180

 

Yoh…His mother’s name was Yoh. His real name was Miwa. Miwa Lowe…

 

Bounding to his feet, he ran towards his laptop and began to type furiously into it. He was determined to find out about his mother and Odin. What had happened to her? Did she have a family? Did he, Heero Yuy or was it Miwa Lowe…was he really not alone in the world after all?

 

He barely heard the front door opening or the greeting from his bemused lover, as his eyes remained pinned on the flashing words on the screen before him. Duo pursed his lips and quickly fed Coco. Walking into the den, he leaned against the doorway and eyed his lover with a skeptical gaze.

 

“Wanna tell me what’s going on, Heero?” He asked softly. “The living room looks as if a tornado went through it. What the hell is going…”

 

“I had a mother, Duo.”

 

Duo blinked and tried to digest this little matter-of-fact statement. “You…you did?” He finally croaked out weakly. It didn’t occur to him to question the fact that everyone must have had a father and mother at some point to be conceived, for that particular idea had never crossed his mind at all in the first place.

 

“Hai.” Heero spun around and for the first time in…years, Duo could see the semblance of tears on his lover’s cheeks. “Her name was Yoh Hayakawa.” He rubbed his eyes and sniffled softly, handing over the picture to his lover to see. “Her parents…my grandparents are still alive, Duo. The Hayakawa family is quite…well known in Japan…”

 

Duo was quick to get over his shock and in a flash was on his knees before Heero. “What the hell are we waiting for then? Let’s find the next flight to Japan and get over there!”

 

Heero was already shaking his head. “No. I am not going back there. I can’t…I can’t…”

 

“Have you ever been to Japan, Heero?” Duo asked softly. “You’ve never been to your real homeland before, have you?”

 

“What am I going to do there? I can’t just show up and say ‘hello, my name is Miwa Lowe and I am…”

 

“Whoa…Miwa…Lowe??”

 

“Look at the picture and behind it.”

 

Duo did just that and smiled. He was about to open up his mouth, when a lean finger was pressed gently against it. “Don’t even think of making fun of my name, Duo.”

 

Duo sucked on the finger and released it with a light smirk. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Miwa.”

 

“Heero.”

 

“I thought you liked…”

 

“Just because my real name is Miwa, doesn’t mean I have to like it now, does it?”

 

“I think it’s a damn fine name.”

 

“How would you like it if your name was something else.”

 

The look on Duo’s face at the point caused Heero to stop his tirade. He lowered his lashes and stared blindly at the floor. Here he was happy with his new found family when his own lover and mate was still left in the dark about his past.

 

“Duo…”

 

The American smiled warmly and leaned over to place a soft yet lingering kiss on his lover’s lips. He pulled away gently and reached up to caress the handsome face before him. “Don’t worry about, Heero…Miwa…whoever you are. We’ll go to Japan and find out about your family, okay? And I don’t want to hear you bitching about it. It’s settled.” He got to his feet and pulled Heero along with him. “Let’s go to bed, koishii and then you can tell me all what you dug up so far.”

 

Heero stared into his lover’s face with gratitude. “Thank you, Duo…for everything…”

 

Duo blushed lightly and buried his face against Heero’s neck as they made their way towards the bedroom, with Coco now in tow. “Yeah, yeah…you will still have to explain to me how in the world you got to become so ugly when you have really beautiful parents, Heero.”

 

“Duo!”

 

“Just messing with ya!”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Honestly, Heero…you need to lighten up…”

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

On a little piece of torn out journal paper that must have skipped Heero’s eyes…

 

AC 180

Yoh and I have been blessed with a little baby boy. He has my hair and Yoh’s eyes. I think I will call him Miwa…yeah…Miwa is a good name. And I will raise my boy to become the best person that he could possibly be. I have a feeling that he is going to make us both very proud. I love you…son…

 

 

TBC