I chose this picture because, as you'll see in the following sections, it can be manipulated quite easily for both 1x2 and 1xR ^_^.

A personal analysis of the relationships Heero has with both Duo and Relena, and why I ended up a 1x2 'shipper instead of 1xR. Oh, and before I get any hatemail, let me just point at the word "personal" and remind everyone that this is merely my opinion, and not the Gospel Truth™. It's been said before, but it's worth repeating again: there are no official couples, gay or straight, in GW canon. GW isn't about romance; it's about war and politics and the effects thereof. There, I covered my ass. ^_^

Heero --> Relena

I'm gonna be honest: when I first started watching the series (from the very beginning), I thought there could be something going on between them. However, as the series progressed, that idea faded. At the point where Relena started becoming less annoying, it seemed like Heero was growing more and more disinterested toward her. Especially after the flashback episode starring the both of them (#27, "The Locus of Victory and Defeat"), where Heero clearly and plainly sticks both Duo and Relena in the same category (namely, the category of people he can't kill and are detrimental to the mission), I thought that Heero became quite cold toward her.

In the beginning, I had a blank slate. I was new to this show and new to anime in general. I watched the first couple of episodes without reading fanfiction, without looking for information and without bias. I couldn't define Heero's feelings, if any, toward Relena. He can't kill her, that much is obvious. But I did wonder what would have happened on the dock in #2 if Duo hadn't showed up and effectively saved Relena's life. Would Heero have shot her? I don't know. I think he might have.

I went online. I did a general search for information, to learn more about the background of the characters. When I read about Heero's childhood, things began falling into place. And the more episodes I watched, the more I became convinced that to Heero, Relena is that little girl from "Episode Zero", all grown up and alive. He can't kill her because he still feels guilty about "the first time" he did that. He now has a chance to redeem himself, in a way, even if he doesn't quite understand that himself. ("Why can't I kill her?!" #6, "Party Night")

Heero is loyal to Relena. He protects her. I think it's because it's not because he's in love with her, but because she functions as a symbol for everything he's fighting for. To him, "Relena" and "peace" are the same thing. He wants peace. Therefore, he will do anything to reach that goal (because he's determined like that) and wouldn't do anything to harm her.

Except when he feels Relena is taking the wrong path. Witness Relena removing all borders and being Romefeller's puppet. It's clear he doesn't agree with her speech on world peace and how to achieve it. He says he's going to kill her -- there's no hesitation, no doubt at all. He knows he's doing the right thing and, when it comes to peace, he's willing to do anything to ensure said peace. Even if it means killing Relena. His dedication to peace is stronger than his loyalty to Relena.

And he goes as far as pointing his gun at her (again). The only thing that stops him from shooting is the applause starting up. Even Relena looking him in the eye doesn't make him falter. Then he leaves, saying he's going to fight his own enemies, thereby implying that he isn't fighting Relena's enemies for her.

The whole Sanc Kingdom sequence is weird as well. It starts out with Relena batting her eye-lashes at him when he and Quatre land in Sanc. He seems confused at the look on her face. He doesn't even want to stay in Sanc. Relena welcomes the both of them, babbling about school uniforms, and she assumes they're staying. Heero says that he's leaving as soon as his Gundam is fixed. Relena bribes* him into staying, by asking him to at least hang around until they've found the still missing Trowa. Reluctantly, Heero agrees, but he doesn't seem happy about it. (And to top it all off, Relena doesn't even find Trowa. Duo does.)

In Sanc, Duke Dermail asks Relena to come talk to him. Relena goes, but not before asking/forcing/demanding Heero to stay in Sanc. She wants him to promise that. He says he promises and promptly runs off to Luxembourgh to fight with the Treize Faction. He breaks his promise to her with remarkable ease. Furthermore, when Quatre (Quatre!) is worried about what Romefeller might do to Relena, he shrugs and walks away without comment. He's also not interested in protecting the Sanc Kingdom, unlike Quatre, and is always distant to her. Even when they do have some sort of conversation, with Relena asking him why he's always running off to fight, they don't seem to connect. Heero's (absolutely adorable) baffled expression says to me: "You don't understand me at all, do you?"

Well, Heero does end up protecting Sanc. During the fight, there's a shot of a teddy bear amidst the flames -- a clear reference to the teddy bear of "Episode Zero", once again a hint that the little girl and Relena are the same in Heero's mind. Heero also gives Relena the same kind of teddy bear for her birthday, which only serves to strengthen my theory.

Even when Heero infiltrates the Libra and encounters Relena there (the preceding scenes with the other four pilots commenting on the relationship between Heero and Relena are also interesting, especially when you look at the way Duo's behaving), it still feels to me as if he admires her for her strength and determination, and not because he's interested in her romantically.

From the preceding scenes on the Peacemillion, I get the idea that the other pilots think there's something going on between Heero and Relena. That's very nice and all, but it's completely the wrong point of view, since it's not *Heero* who's saying all those things. *Quatre* mentions giving Heero and Relena some time alone. *Trowa* says something about the influence Relena has over Heero (and honestly, that doesn't even sound nice). Wufei dislikes her on principle because she's a woman and Duo... Duo's jealous. More on that later :).



Relena --> Heero

Well, I don't think I'm saying something controversial when I say that I think Relena has the teensiest of crushes on the Perfect Soldier ^_^. And who wouldn't, really? I mean, Duo has a crush, too (more on that in the Duo --> Heero section). From the moment she meets him on the beach, she appears smitten with him. Or at least intrigued.

But is it love? Or a mere crush? I don't know. My honesty forces me to admit I couldn't care less about Relena -- she's only interesting when she's interacting with Heero, who's my favorite character in the show. All I can say is that I think she doesn't have a crush on Heero, but on who she thinks Heero is. I have once compared her to Ginny Weasley of the Harry Potter series -- sure, they don't have much incommon, but they are both smitten with someone they don't know and don't understand.

That's right, I don't think Relena understands Heero or his motivations that well. Heero is a change of pace in her safe little life, someone to stir up the boringness. He's different from the boys she knows from school. He doesn't adhere to the rules. He's rude and cold toward her (ripping up her birthday invitation, telling her he's going to kill her). He's mysterious and she's attracted to that aura.

Especially in the first half of the series, Relena exhibits all the signs of a Major Crush. She goes as far as reading his very personal, very private mail (the letter from Mrs Noventa, in which she forgives him for killing her husband) and interferes in battles. She continually follows him around and says his name a lot in this dreamy, teenage-girl-with-a-crush voice at least a dozen times.

After the flashback episodes, when she becomes an important political figure and starts running the Sanc Kingdom, her crush diminishes somewhat. She has another task now, one that needs all the attention she has. When Heero and Quatre arrive in Sanc, she expects Heero to stay and blackmails/bribes him to do so when he says he won't. She also makes him promise to stay put when she is called to Duke Dermail.

She joins Romefeller -- under pressure -- and becomes Queen of the Frickin' World. Her first action is to erase all national borders, which, IMO, is stupid, but there you go. When holding an important speech, she finds herself staring down the barrel of Heero's gun once more and resigns herself to being killed. That's the only moment in the series when I think that Relena *understands* him. It is, however, a fleeting moment, and strong Relena soon makes place for little girl Relena when Duke Dermail dismisses her.

She ends up on "Libra", as a sort-of-prisoner, with Dorothy and Zechs. This is the first time Zechs and Relena hug. It's a sweet moment, the estranged siblings finally meeting each other for real. However, their methods of achieving peace are radically different, as is proven by the three-way conversation between Zechs, Heero and Relena when Heero comes to get Relena off the Libra. At the end of the conversation, Heero understands what Zechs is doing. Relena does not.

Like Duo, Relena is impressed with Heero, especially after he comes to rescue her from Libra. She thinks he's amazing (he thinks she is) and she admires his strength. She's still in love with him, but he in turn is curt and to the point (as is his usual manner).

Duo --> Heero











Heero --> Duo





* = Well, really, there's no other word for it! Except maybe "emotional blackmail". Relena only brings up Trowa after Heero's made clear he's ready to leave.