The Bud  (Part 1)

She is not in school today. The moment the thought formed in Heero's mind, he quickly crushed the rest of the memories that tagged along with the word 'she'. Every time his thoughts wandered back to the girl, the pain of her rejection would cut him like the sharpest of blades. Heero did not understand. He should feel relieved. The girl was too much of a hindrance to his mission. If she did not take the first step to end that impossible relationship between them, common sense would have advised Heero to end it himself. What was he trying to achieve by fashioning that ring for her? He was a fool ... a fool who had let his heart rule his mind. It occurred to Heero that he had used those exact same words to describe someone else before. Who...?

"Hey, so how are you getting along with Katherine Kane?" Heero turned to the speaker with a face that could curdle milk. If the speaker had been a boy, teeth would be littered all over the floor at that moment. The speaker's teeth.

Realizing that a sensitive topic was touched, the girl hastily tried to figure out a way to escape from Hojo's cold, penetrating eyes. Her companions ended her speculation by dragging her away, forcefully.

"Susan, you dolt! What were you trying to do?" scolded one of the girls who was dragging the speaker.

"I'm just trying to be friendly, that's all! How would I know that he would turn on me as if I had killed his entire family or something?" Hojo's actions baffled her. Just two days ago, he was as warm and bright as sunshine. Now, he is ..... Susan shuddered to recall the expression on the boy's face.

"If you have the least bit of a woman's intuition, you would have realized that mentioning Katherine Kane is the last thing you should do in front of him right now."

"Huh?" Puzzled, Susan asked, "Why?"

"You mean you don't know? It is the biggest news in school this morning!"

"What news?" Now Susan's curiosity was really aroused.

"The news that Katherine Kane has left this school, you ninny! Nearly every student has been talking about it since morning."

"WHAT?!!" It was not Susan who had shouted the question aloud.

Hojo Tsukasa suddenly appeared before the group of girls. They shrank away from him at the sight of his contorted face. "What you just said. Is it true?"

The girls trembled in their shoes. "Ye ... Yesss.....!" stammered one girl with the posture of a mouse facing a cat with razor-sharp teeth. "As... Ask Laila or Doyce. They should know...."

Hojo bolted out of the classroom. The weak-kneed girls promptly collapsed with relief.

* * * * * *

His legs were bringing him to the classroom that Katherine used to study in. Why am I doing this now? Didn't he just make the decision to have nothing to do with the girl, ever again? So what if she had left the school? So what if he would never see her again? Why should he care? His aching heart released him from his confusion. I want to see her again.

* * * * * *

"Tell me it is not true!" pleaded the pathetic boy in front of Doyce and Laila. He was the sixth boy to affront them since the news broke out. Laila rolled her eyes skyward and from the way she folded her arms, Doyce could tell that she was trying very hard to stop herself from slapping him senseless.

"Get this message across that thick skull of yours... Katherine Kane is gone! Okay? Now would you leave us alone?!" Laila shoved the boy aside and continued walking down the corridor, followed shortly by a puffing Doyce.

Laila ground her teeth and Doyce tried to cool her friend down. "Why are you so angry, Laila?"

Seeing the worry in her friend's eyes, Laila's demeanour softened. "It's just that these boys are driving me nuts. Here we are, suffering the loss of a close friend and there they are, lamenting over the loss of a girl on their list of worthwhile conquests. The next guy who asks me about Katherine is going to...."

"I want to ask you about Katherine." The soft voice came from behind them.

Doyce looked behind her while Laila slowly counted to ten. Laila felt like a barrel of gunpowder surrounded by sparks. She was about to lash out when the look on Doyce's face stopped her. "It is Hojo Tsukasa," Doyce whispered. Laila immediately turned to face him. A gasp nearly escaped from her lips when she saw the wretched look on the boy's visage. Katherine did not even bid him farewell before she left?

"What do you want to know?" asked Laila, her voice no longer harsh and irritable.

"Before she left, did she..." Hojo's voice faltered a bit at this point. "Did she leave any messages for me?"

His voice sounded so wishful that Laila was tempted to lie. "No." Laila cleared her throat and repeated it more loudly. "No, she didn't."

"Then did she tell you where she is going?" How did the boy manage to keep his voice under such cool control?

Laila shook her head sadly. "She didn't say anything about that too. She seemed determined not to let anyone know her whereabouts."

The silence following Laila's reply was loud. "I understand. Thank you." Hojo left, but not before Laila caught a glimpse of the impact her words had on his facial expression.

"Poor Hojo," sympathized Doyce who was standing beside her. "What Katherine did was cruel."

Laila nodded silently. She could have cooked up some story to make Hojo feel better but it would not have been right for her to do so. Her memories told her that Katherine had appeared in their room one night and hugged each of them goodbye. There was no mention of Hojo at all. Laila frowned. Even if Katherine didn't mention Hojo, I'm sure both Doyce and I would have brought the topic up. Maybe their sorrow of parting with Katherine was so great until it completely slipped their minds. But something about the night they saw Katherine for the last time felt.... wrong. She shook off her perplexity after a while. It was foolish of her to doubt her own memory. Memories never lie.

* * * * * *

Report Week 3 :

Ask 1 to watch out for 3.

KK-DM

Shang quietly read the message sent by Kane which Sheila had helped him to intercept. Sheila could not make head or tail of the message, but Shang was able to decipher it in a single glance. The message was sent to warn Kane's comrades about him - the number '3' sounded like 'Shang' in Chinese. As for the number '1', Shang was still unable to tell who it was supposed to symbolize. But logic told him that '1' was one of Kane's comrades, most probably someone who had infiltrated the school together with Kane.

However, Kane's actions could be seen as nothing but puzzling. Why didn't he just inform this comrade '1' by word of mouth, since they were staying in the same school? Maybe Kane was cautious enough to notice Shang following his every move on the day when they were supposed to meet at night. Kane's caution was going to cost him some trouble. Since '1' could not be identified and secretly eliminated, he and Sheila would have to continue attending school as usual to avoid suspicion. Then there were the other necessary precautions to take. Kane... Shang's eyes softened as he thought about his newly acquired wingmate. He hadn't found out Kane's real name yet. But no matter, I will know everything there is to know about him soon enough. Shang looked forward to the establishment of the bond between them, his lips forming one of his rare smiles.

* * * * * *

The ribbon hung limply in Heero's hands. He should just burn it or throw it away. Why am I torturing myself like this?

A red light began flashing in his wrist watch. It was the signal of incoming messages from his commanding officer. Heero switched on his laptop and continued to stare at the ribbon as his computer carried out its task. He still could not accept the fact that Katherine had disappeared from his life, maybe forever. He clenched his fists, crushing the silky strip of cloth in his palm. Damn the girl for doing this to him!

Heero proceeded to read the instructions on the computer screen. Nothing he read registered in his brain until the last paragraph. His eyes caught the word 'Duo Maxwell' and he hastily scrolled the message upwards to read from the beginning of the paragraph.

...I would also like you to check up on Duo Maxwell who is currently working undercover in the school you are in ....

Duo? Impossible. He could spot that metre-long braid a mile away. Heero read on.

....He hasn't reported back this week and this matter is of much concern....

Duo missing? That could explain why he saw no sign of the American boy at all.

.... his alias is Katherine Kane....

Heero froze. The ceiling, the walls and all the furniture in the room seemed to have melted away. His entire being was focused on those two words on the screen.

.... Katherine Kane....

Heero reread the paragraph again and again. The meaning of the words did not change. Duo is Katherine Kane. The revelation descended on him like a tonne of bricks. Heero felt as if the world around him had stood still and began crumbling into pieces.

How could he have been so blind? The clues were there right in front of him all the time - the way 'she' exclaimed "Jeez!" when 'she' was agitated, the way 'she' was able to carry out hours of monologue, the way 'she' teased him about his quiet disposition, the way 'she' made him feel....

Heero's first reaction was intense shame. His first and only love had turned out to be that.... that.... Unused to this emotion, Heero transformed it into fury. Fury gave him strength, its fires burning more strongly than that of shame. How the American pilot must have laughed at him behind his back! Everything was one huge joke for him laugh at! Everything! Even when he had placed his heart on the chopping board, Duo must have seen it as no more than an opportunity to slice and dice it for amusement. Amusement!

A sudden, tearing sound jolted him out of his stupor. The ribbon in his hands was ripped into two pieces. Heero coldly contemplated the ruined ribbon as if it was something hideous and repulsive. The owner would suffer the same fate as the fabric in his hands... as soon as I get my hands on him!

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