His commlink, IDs, gun, and the rest of his gear were neatly laid out on top of his dresser, along with a gold watch, a bracelet, and a ring, all gifts.  His work clothes, both the suits and the uniforms, were in trash bags lined up on the bed.  Except for those things, the rooms he'd lived in for the last six years now looked as impersonal as any hotel suite.

The very few personal items he was taking with him -- data chips, pictures, some casual clothes and a book he'd been reading -- were stowed in his backpack.  He'd never picked up much in the way of the jetsam that most people seemed to acquire through life; he didn't seem to have the knack for it.

Or maybe this had just never seemed enough like home to bother.

His time table was fairly tight, but he had a few minutes to spare.  Relena's annual Thanksgiving celebration was breaking up now, and the drunken departure of several hundred guests would mask his own exit.  He'd hand-picked and trained Relena's security force; they'd better be hitting his commlink with respectful queries within the next ten minutes, or else he'd have wasted his time.

Either way, he wouldn't be here to find out.

He went into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror, running a hand over his chin.  Relena had been right about losing the beard, he thought.  He looked younger now, almost as young as he actually was.  The circles under his eyes were darker, though.  He smiled, thinking of how little sleep he'd gotten since that first phone call.

It had been a long time since he'd felt this excited about anything.

He'd been asleep when that call had rung through, overriding his security and flashing up on the screen without his approval.  He'd never been a heavy sleeper, but that voice had woken him up in more ways than one.  Sleep had been out of the question afterwards.  So had his life as he'd been living it.

What he was doing was dereliction of duty, no question.  He met his own gaze steadily, searching for signs of regret.  By the time Relena found his resignation letter on her desk, he would be long gone.  Perhaps she would understand the message this sudden departure was meant to send:  don't look for me.  He wouldn't bet on it, though.  She was a smart woman with many talents, but giving up on him wasn't one of them.  She'd have to learn this lesson the hard way.

He couldn't manage to summon up any remorse.  Relena was a trap he had fallen for too many times over the years.  The fact that she always meant well and wanted the best for everyone only made it harder to leave.  His resolve had always fallen apart in the face of her good intentions.

This time, though, everything was different.  He was running on sheer excitement, burning all his bridges with an enthusiasm he hadn't felt in years.  Tomorrow he would wake up as a different man in a different life, and he could hardly wait.

No, he had no real regrets.

Time to go.

He locked the door behind him, and took the service corridors downstairs.  There were people everywhere, and he nodded at the ones who greeted him, careful not to give them anything more than they expected from him. 

Out front, expensive cars were arriving for famous guests, and Relena stood at the top of the stairs, saying goodbye to each of them.  It was part of the graciousness she was famous for.

Heero moved through the crowd with a studied casualness, using the crowd to avoid Relena's sight.  He made no attempt to disguise himself otherwise; he would be easy to pick up on the security video.  This very public departure was also a message:  You cannot keep me.

The car that pulled up in front of him was as expensive as the rest.  The bright lights flashed off its darkened windows as the door opened and he climbed in.

The braid was gone, replaced by a short ponytail, and there were lines in his face that hadn't been there before, but there was no mistaking that smile.  Heero couldn't keep himself from smiling back.

"Where to, sir?" Duo asked.

"I have no idea," Heero said solemnly.

"Me neither.  Ain't life grand?"

Their plan was simple.  Old friends, old enemies, and years of other people's causes were behind them now.  There were no certainties; they were jumping out into thin air, and Heero could feel the weight of gravity leaving him.  He heard his old and new partner laugh softly.

"I'm glad you came, Heero."

"I'm glad you're a pushy bastard who calls people at 3 in the morning and won't take no for an answer."

Another laugh, and the feel of a strong hand grasping his own.

The car reached the end of the drive and turned onto the main road.  That led to the highway, and that... could lead almost anywhere at all.