Notes: Finally, Heero actually gets to attend some classes! BTW, statistics really do show that students who sit up front get better grades. Guess where I sit in all my classes. ^.~ This is dedicated to aju_scenes for the wonderful writing theyfve continuously delivered.
Xenophobic Part 3
Always one for punctuality, Heero showed up to class ten minutes early and was rewarded with a good seat up front on the left side of the classroom. He liked sitting up front, but he preferred to not be sandwiched between two other people. A corner seat was perfect for his tastes. Statistics consistently show that students who sit up front get better grades, after all.
Heero set down his books and pulled some paper and a brand new pen. He marked the paper experimentally to make sure it was working properly and put his class and date in the upper right corner. He glanced around for Duo, but he didn't seem to be there yet, so he opened his Psychology book to review chapter 1 again in preparation for the lecture.
It was a strange feeling for Heero to be sitting in a classroom. He'd had schooling before, but it had hardly been traditional. His adopted father, Odin, had insisted he learn his craft from a young age, and most of his schooling had been at home. He was vaguely familiar with the classroom setting, but the lessons he was learning from Odin were nothing like what he'd be learning now. His transcripts and test scores were fraudulent, though it wasn't because he didn't know the information. Though he was being taught how to be a special ops agent, Odin had still insisted on him knowing everything he would have learned in school in even greater depth than the students actually attending school.
Even if Odin was training him to be the killer that got him into the war in the first place, he always held some sentimental hope that Heero would someday be able to go to college like a normal kid. The war just took precedence to him.
If Odin were alive today, Heero mused that he'd probably be proud of him. He wasn't sure what to think about that.
"A studious one, eh 'Ro?" Heero looked up to see Duo leaning over his desk. "That's an admirable quality in a man. And punctual, too. I'm afraid I can't lay claim to that second one." Duo grinned sheepishly, and out of the corner of his eye, Heero could see that it was only a minute before class was scheduled to start.
He smirked. "I don't like to disappoint." He lifted his left arm, the sleeve of his sweatshirt sliding down a little to reveal a silver bracelet that jingled when he shook it.
Duo laughed heartily. "Why Heero, are those bells?"
"I told you I'd be here with bells on."
"You're really something, you know that? Where did you get that, anyway?"
"I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you," Heero said in mock seriousness.
"Alright, settle down everyone." Professor Po smiled at her students kindly, and Heero could see that she was probably even younger than him.
"Uh-oh, that's my cue." Duo winked and took his place at a desk in front of the class to sit in for the lecture.
Aside from the various faces Duo made at him during the class, there wasn't much to the lecture. An hours' worth of notes and a few suppressed chuckles later, Duo was sliding up next to him outside the classroom door.
"So what does a T.A. do, exactly? I always thought it stood for Teacher's Assistant, but I could be wrong. You seemed to spend your time trying to distract me."
"Well, there haven't been any assignments yet, so there's nothing for me to assist. Since I've heard all these lectures before, that means I have plenty of time to distract you." He wiggled his eyebrow suggestively at Heero. "Besides, you should be honored to be my source of entertainment."
"Is that so?"
"Definitely! Some people would kill to be you."
"I somehow doubt that," Heero muttered, and Duo eyed him curiously.
"Lunch?" Duo asked tentatively, noting the sudden tension in the air.
Heero shook his head a little to clear his mind and said with a forced smile, "Sounds great."
~*~
Trowa stretched his legs as much as he could in the uncomfortable chair. He didn't mind being at Kelby's, especially considering the company, but he couldn't help but think they could afford some better seating.
The crowd was thinner than it had been last semester due to some scheduling conflicts, but the core group was still there. Hilde and Duo were arguing over something mechanical with the new addition, Heero, observing patiently; Relena had engaged Wufei in a conversation about what the Earth Sphere Unified Nations were doing about the current terrorist threats from the smaller outlying colonies; and Quatre was sitting beside him, nursing a cherry coke and worrying over his father's business. Trowa could tell because his brows were knit together in an almost comical way.
When Trowa stood up to leave, he was bemused to see Quatre do the same.
"Would you mind a little company on your walk?"
Trowa smiled. With as confident as Quatre could be when discussing business and political, he could be astonishingly shy. "I'd love some."
They walked in silence for a while, the sunny blonde uncharacteristically quiet. When they reached the music department, Trowa spoke up. "Well, here's my stop."
Quatre fidgeted a little and uttered, "Mine too, actually."
Trowa blinked in surprise. "You're joining the Music Club?"
His smile was sheepish. "I'm no Vivaldi, but I can play a few notes."
"Violinist? Where's your instrument?" He motioned to the case in his hand that held his flute securely in place.
Quatre shrugged. "I dropped it off earlier. I have three classes before this one."
"Well, after you." Trowa pulled the door open for him and followed him inside.
After signing in, there was a small introduction speech from Instructor Frank Silva, the advisor and Music Department Director. Not for the first time, Trowa found himself amused by the large Instructor's odd looks. His prosthetic nose and his spiky hair made him an odd choice for director of the Music Department, but despite this, he had an excellent ear and was a caring Instructor. As he reiterated in his introductory speech, he preferred to just be called S.
Once everyone was brought up to speed, he asked the students to form pairs and give a sample of their musical talents. Trowa just tilted his head in question and Quatre smiled. They listened to a few pieces from their fellow students, and Trowa easily picked out the couple of students who would be picked for the final concert at the end of the semester.
When their turn came, they stood and made their way to the front. Most of the students knew who Trowa was from either their classes together or the performances he'd already done, but people were looking at the newcomer. It was obvious no one had seen him before, and as they took the stage, curious eyes were locked on Quatre, trying to determine whether he was a threat to their spot in the end of the year performance.
Trowa wasn't sure how skilled Quatre was, but he knew he wouldn't take time out of his busy schedule for something he was merely curious about. Doing a little sizing up of his own, he motioned for Quatre to start.
From the moment Quatre set his bow to the strings, Trowa was entranced. It wasn't a melody that he recognized, but it was powerful. It held more than a hint of melancholy, but somehow, it was still uplifting, and it was almost a full minute before Trowa felt he could join in with confidence.
The notes weren't foreign to him, but stringing them together this way was nothing short of divine. Quatre didn't steal all of the glory; far from it. Instead, it was a gentle push and pull, like the moon gently moving the tides in the right direction.
It was nearly ten minutes before their solo came to an end, but the sound lingered in the awestruck faces of those listening. Quatre blushed appreciatively at the zealous applause.
S whistled loudly. "Where have you been hiding, kid?"
Quatre ducked his head. "In the Business Department."
"Business! That's no place for talent like yours! H must be offering some extra incentive this year."
"No sir." Quatre's blush deepened.
"You have real talent. You could really go far." S gave him a serious look, but Quatre just took his seat.
A few lackluster performances later, the group broke for the day, and Trowa couldn't help but ask. "Why aren't you a Music major?"
His look turned pensive. "Business will help me take over for my father."
"I understand that, but couldn't you double major?"
Quatre frowned, shaking his head. "I don't have time for that, Trowa."
He wanted to say more, but it was clear Quatre was firm on this, so instead he offered, "Anytime you're looking for a duet partner, you know where to find me."
Appreciation spread over the young blonde's features. "Thanks, Trowa. I'll keep that in mind."
A smile played at Trowa's lips. "I hope you do."
~*~
Heero spread his books across the floor to get a better viewpoint. If he learned anything from the war, it was everything was more efficient when you had a plan. He had already covered the first three chapters on his own in Psychology - a topic more fascinating than he would have thought - and he pushed the book to the left. He already had his assignment for his literature class, and though he was ahead, he didn't think it would hurt to get a little more of a jump start. That book, he pushed to the right. He was about to judge the merits of working ahead in Political Science before his class the following day when his doorbell rang. He grumbled a little and pushed himself up off the floor to see who it was.
"Delivery!" Duo Maxwell stood outside his door dressed entirely in black, complete with a black baseball cap. He held the case of bottleneck beers up and shook it lightly in explanation.
Heero rolled his eyes and stepped back to let him in. "You know, when I gave you my address, it was with emergencies in mind."
"This IS an emergency. Look at you!" Duo pointed in mock horror. "It's the first day of school and you're all by yourself." He looked to the books scattered across the floor. "My god, don't tell me - are you studying? On the first day of classes? This is worse than I thought." He made a show of feeling Heero's head for a fever. "It can't be. I'm afraid you have the worst case of Homeworkitsis I've ever seen."
Heero smirked indulgently. "I hear you have one hell of a case of Homework OCD yourself, Mr. Maxwell."
Duo grinned sheepishly. "Been talking to Hilde, eh?"
"Yep." He took the offered beer and cracked the top off with his teeth.
"Whoa, nice trick. Where'd you learn that?"
Heero's thoughts turned to a fellow officer from the war, and he tried not to let it show in his expression. "An old friend taught it to me."
"Huh." Duo was obviously not satisfied, but he let it go, opening his beer with the bottle opener on his keychain. He took this lull in the conversation as an opportunity to look around. "Holy shit! I thought you were joking! You really don't own a TV."
"Nope."
"So... what do you do for fun around here?"
Heero gestured to his bookshelf and Duo took it as an invitation to investigate. He grew more and more impressed by the selection as he made his way through the wide variety of topics. "God, you've got everything from Chaucer to Tolkien." He cocked his head to the side. "Is that Rowling I see?"
"What's wrong with Harry Potter?" Heero asked, partly in defense and partly in amusement.
"Nothing. I just never saw you as a wizards kind of guy."
"There are wizards in Tolkien."
"My point stands." He picked over the next shelf. "Beyond Good and Evil. I've been reading that, myself."
"It's excellent, isn't it?"
Duo turned towards Heero, taking a long swing from his beer. "More than just excellent. Nietzsche really has the world pegged."
"Hmm, I wouldn't go that far. He's just a touch too skeptical for my taste." Heero took a moment to eye his textbooks before picking them up and putting them aside for the moment. He figured he was far enough for now. He'd spend a little time after work on Saturday working on it further.
"An optimist, too? You're just full of surprises."
"I try."
Duo eyed the titles Heero was stacking neatly on his side table, and one in particular caught his interest. "Who do you have Political Science with?"
"Slate," Heero said in passing. It wasn't important to him who his teachers were, just what was required of him to pass.
Duo frowned. "Oh, they didn't tell you?"
A confused "Huh?" was all Heero could think to say.
"Professor Slate passed away a few weeks ago. The Director of the department is taking over his classes for the semester."
Heero quirked an eyebrow in askance. "And that would be?"
Duo pressed his lips together in a firm line as if he were about to say something particularly nasty. "Treize Khushrenada."
It was particularly difficult for Heero to school his features at the mention of Treize, and he managed it through sheer will alone. "Khushrenada? He was one of the commanding officers of OZ, wasn't he?"
Duo scowled. "He was their fucking ringleader. To put a cherry on top of this fucked up sundae, the Headmistress was like his mascot or something. They're bastards, all of them. Hilde almost joined the war effort, you know. She went through training and everything. She changed her mind though and got out of it somehow. It's a good thing, too. I don't think I could have forgiven her for it."
Heero kept his face appropriately horrified. "Which side?"
"I don't know, and I don't care. In war, there aren't good guys and bad guys. There are the winners, the losers, and the innocent people who died for their fucked up notions of justice. I hate them all." Duo growled. "Let's talk about something else, 'Ro. I don't talk about the war for a reason."
Heero obliged, and they turned to milder topics, but Heero couldn't help the stab wound Duo's words had left. He wanted to leave his war past behind him, but could he really hide it from his new friends?
For the first time since he'd met his new friends, he wondered if it would be wise not to keep a safe distance from them.
~*~
"Heero Yuy? Are you talking about who I think you're talking about?"
"Codename Zero, yes."
"You're sure?"
"Positive. He was in my office last semester."
"Does he know?"
"That you're teaching his class? I don't think so. I went through a lot of trouble to make sure he was put in Slate's class."
"Well, this should prove to be a very interesting semester indeed."
Une leveled a stern gaze at him. "Treize."
"Don't worry. I won't reveal his identity." He laughed. "I can't promise he won't try to get out of the class, though."
"There aren't any open classes that you aren't teaching, and it's a freshmen requirement. You know that as well as I do."
"I know. That's why I said it'll be an interesting semester."
Headmistress Une sighed. "He's made friends with Heavyarms."
Treize quirked an interested eyebrow. "Oh?"
"From what I can tell, Zero doesn't recognize him. I could do some reconnaissance if you want."
"Please, Une," he admonished, "the war is over. Call it 'research'."
"Very well. Research, then."
"It might be a good idea to keep an eye on him. Once he realizes just how many ex-OZ soldiers he's surrounded by, there's no telling what he might do. Our identities are already compromised, but some of us, including Heavyarms, though he wasn't one of ours, haven't been. We need to make sure it stays that way."
Une let out a slow breath. "Yes, I suppose it's for the best."
Treize turned to leave. "Let's help keep the peace we fought so hard for by letting those who wish to let go of their pasts do so."
Though she was a higher rank than Treize now, she couldn't help the crisp "Yes sir!"
~*~
Narrowed eyes glared around the room until Heero was certain Treize hadn't arrived yet. He took his customary left corner seat and waited, his eyes trained on the only entrance.
It was a full five minutes before he made his appearance, and green eyes immediately locked with his blue ones as he strode into the room with all of the confidence he had in the war and then some. Then, to Heero's indignation, he smiled and nodded to him before turning away to address the class as a whole.
"Welcome to Introduction to Political Science. I know some of you were expecting Professor Slate, but unfortunately, he passed away a few weeks ago. In light of this tragedy, I have opted to take all of his classes this semester. I am Professor Treize Khushrenada, and I am the head of the Political Science department. Those of you who have an undeclared major, if you like what you learn from me, drop by my office. We could always use more people interested in politics." Treize smiled, and Heero couldn't help but think it was as oily as he was.
Une he could handle. He didn't have to see her everyday or even every week, but Treize Khushrenada was not something he was prepared to handle. If Une was high on his 'to kill' list, the man currently working his charisma on a classroom full of unsuspecting freshmen was at the top. This man was the reason there was a war at all, and he didn't think forgive and forget applied to such a person.
Heero couldn't help it. He raised his hand.
"And you are?"
"Heero Yuy, Professor." The loathing dripped heavily from those last three syllables, but Treize just kept right on smiling, and it only infuriated Heero more.
"Could you tell us a little about your credentials?"
"Certainly... Heero, was it?" Heero merely glared. "I attended a prestigious college on L4, Providence Colony University, and once I received my degree from there, I pursued my graduate education at an off colony school, an off-shoot of the Oxford International campuses. From there, I did an internship at..."
"Excuse me," Heero interrupted. "You may have misunderstood my question. I meant what are your credentials as far as involvement with Political Science goes.
"Ah, so that's what you were trying to get at. Well, as some of you know, I've had a very high involvement with politics over the last several years, and I was directly involved with the peace treaties that got us to where we are today."
"By directly involved, did you perchance mean that you were the very reason they were necessary?"
"Now now, Heero," he chastised, "no one person was responsible. If Political Science teaches us anything, it's that wars happen for a reason, and that it takes more than one person to cause such drastic events."
"Events like the complete destruction of colony X199?"
"Things happen for a reason, Heero."
Heero practically leapt out of his seat. "What could possibly be the reason for the deaths of thousands of helpless colony people?"
Treize smirked, but it looked more like a sneer to Heero. "I realize that this is a very high emotion class, but we have to remember that these things have come and gone. The war is over, Heero. You'd do well to remember that, unless you want to get a Zero in my course, that is."
Heero sputtered before sitting back in his chair. So Treize was going to play dirty. As much as he wanted to make him own up to his misdeeds one by one, he couldn't risk having his identity revealed. Anyone with basic Colony History knew the codename Zero. It was all they knew, but it was enough. One slip from Treize and the news would spread like wildfire.
He sat through the rest of the lecture in silence, practically running out of the classroom when it was over.
He had to find a way out of this class. Both for his anonymity and his sanity.
~*~
"Heavyarms."
Trowa stood impassively in front of the impressive desk. "Don't call me that."
"I understand you have been able to keep your identity a secret from your classmates. I'm more than willing to respect that."
Trowa leveled an impatient stare at the Headmistress. "Then why am I here?"
"It has come to my attention that there is someone who could threaten that."
"Zero." It was not a question.
"Precisely. I had little doubt you'd recognize him. Has he discovered your identity?"
"Not yet. It's only a matter of time, though. He recognizes my voice."
"You understand that this could cause a problem with more than just you, then."
Trowa frowned. "What exactly do you want me to do about it?"
"Just keep an eye on him. As the Headmistress of this school, it is my job to keep the peace."
Trowa raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing.
"Will you do it?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Unfortunately, no." Trowa turned to leave. "I expect a full report by Friday, and each Friday following that."
Trowa grunted and opened the door.
"If he reveals anyone, the consequences will be more than any of us can hope to control. You understand. You've experienced it firsthand, after all."
He left the office without a word.
TBC...
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