DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters below except for the maid and butler. I made them up. So sue me. (Please don't!)

For a moment she stood in paralyzed fear, not knowing what threat the approaching figure brought. It loomed in front of her like some kind of forever dark shadow, bringing with it a sense of terror-stricken fear that immediately ate at Relena's heart.

"Please," she called out, putting a hand out in front of her to stop the figure in it's tracks. "Who are you?"

"I am Death." It's soft voice whispered in her ear, prickling her senses and making a shiver speed up her spine.

I am Death, it's presence announced. I am Death. And I am here for you, Relena Peacecraft.

"I've done nothing to you!" Relena cried helplessly as the figure took a step forward.

"And yet I drive you to insanity," the soft fluttery voice said, low and deep. "You wander nearer and nearer into my realms. You are near to accepting me, Relena. Give up this hopeless battle. Because you know that in the end, I shall triumph."

"No!" Relena screamed. She turned on her heel and began to run. "No, I won't let you do that!"

There is no hiding from Death, Relena, that masculine, unacceptably attractive voice echoed throughout her black surroundings. Death is everywhere.

"Don't take me!" she screamed, even as she felt it's claws grip at her shoulders. "Please, please don't! Nooooo!"

~*~

A presence, to her right. She sat bolt upright in bed and prepared to scream. Death was near, Death was coming for her, Death was here...

"Ah, Miss Relena," Pagan said gaily as he opened her drapes. "Rise and shine, little girl. Your guests have arrived."

"My...my guests?" Relena asked, only vaguely aware of what that implied through her headache. She rubbed her forehead tenderly and squinted at the too-bright light of the sun as it fell onto her bedspread.

"Why, Master Heero and Master Duo have arrived. Surely you haven't forgotten your invitation?"

"My invitation." She sighed and remembered her e-mail invitations. Inviting them all for a vacation at her summer mansion had been very risky, but she wanted the young pilots to rest in peace for a spell. "Yes, you're right. Heero and Duo have arrived, have they?"

He looked down at her. "Yes, Miss Relena. And I suggest that you get dressed. It would be very rude not to meet them."

"Yes, of course."

Pagan left the room and Relena was left with a feeling somewhat sort of like dread.

~*~

"Relena-san!" Duo chirped as she and a servant approached. She looked pale and weak, but somehow managed to hold a welcoming smile to her lips. Duo spread his arms, but Relena offered her hand instead, and Duo shook it. No, he pumped it.

"Welcome, Duo," she said breathlessly. It had taken her less than her usual time to get dressed, partly because she did not want to be added into the category as "Rude Hostess."

Relena glanced at Heero, whose stony features weren't meant to be made out. "Heero," she acknowledged.

He nodded once for greeting. Duo raised an eyebrow, sensed the tension between them and cleared his throat.

"I'm very thankful that you decided to come," Relena remarked, looking away from her past love and turning to Duo. "That was very kind of you."

Duo shrugged, smiled coyly. "Who'd want to miss out on a huge mansion with two swimming pools?"

Relena smiled faintly and turned her back to them. "If you two would please come with me. Thomas will take your bags. I'd like to take you on a tour of the palace to familiarize you with your surroundings."

The servant took their bags and they both fell behind Relena, Duo somewhat cheerily and Heero a little less so.

~*~

Duo stretched back on his large, king-sized bed, relaxing. Relena had been so nice to invite them here for a vacation. But he knew there was something else. And he sensed that it was because of something to do with Heero.

She wants to see him that bad, he mused. It's so sad that Heero doesn't want to get involved with her. I'll have to ask him later as to why he doesn't, though. It puzzles me, really.

"Hello?! Anybody here?"

That voice. That...so familiar voice...Duo's ears prickled at it. He had heard that voice many times in the past whisper soft utters of love into his ear on a cold, rainy night, her body next to his, keeping him warm...

Duo jumped off of his bed and peeked out into the hallway.

There she stood, a backpack slung over one arm, talking to one of the servants.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but Miss Relena isn't available at the moment," the servant called Thomas announced to her.

Hilde sighed, shifted her weight onto the other foot. "Well, I'm a guest here! She invited me! I should at least get a little service around here."

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I'm not in a position to know these things. I'm afraid you'll have to come back later, when the Mistress isn't busy."

"Hey, Hilde!" Duo called from the doorway to his room. Her head turned, and her eyes flashed, and a sudden joy leaped into them.

"Duo!" she cried happily, jogging down the hallway to meet with him.

"It's okay, Tom, she's alright," Duo called to the servant.

He went off in a huff, saying something about his name being Thomas and not Tom.

"So, Relena invited you, huh?" Duo asked skeptically.

Hilde sighed, switched the backpack's position to her other shoulder and stared at him. "Not even you believe that, Duo? You can go ask her right now if you want, if you even know where in the heck she is. She gave me an e-mailed invitation."

"Wonder why she invited us?" Duo wondered out loud.

"What are you talking about, you doofus?" Hilde joked. She pushed the backpack into his chest and he stumbled back with it, grinning. "Maybe she just wants us to have a good time."

Sure, but Duo wasn't sure about that. He had a feeling...a certain edge, that there was much more to it than just that.

~*~

Wufei Chang approached the towering palace with great, extreme caution. His eyes swerved to his left, his right, and he continuously kept looking over his shoulder to insure himself that no one was following him.

He entered the front gates, the gravel scratching the bottom of his shoes lightly as he neared the front door. At the front door, he paused, extract great care in pushing the bell, and it chimed.

A few seconds later, a servant opened the door.

"Yes, sir?" the servant asked. It was female, and Wufei summed her up in one glance. She had no power to defeat him. It was something he did every time he saw a new face; examined their grace, their aura, and if he sensed a threat, he would act upon it.

"Is Miss Relena here?"

Before the words were out of Wufei's mouth, Relena appeared from behind the servant and smiled at him. A welcoming, thankful smile.

"Wufei," she said. "I'm sorry I couldn't be the one to meet you. I was having problems, and I do regret that I didn't have the time to greet Miss Schbeiker as well."

"Hilde is here?" Wufei asked.

Relena nodded and she opened the door wide for him. "Here, let me take you on a tour of the palace," she offered. "Let Charlotte take your bags for you."

It sounded routine to Wufei. Like it was her responsibility, and she had grown very tired of it a long time ago.

Wufei nodded, gave the bags to the girl, and followed in Relena's wake.

~*~

The pale orb glittered down onto her on her place on the window sill, so still, so silent, so solitary in the sky. No stars accompanied it tonight, and the round, full paleness of the moon whispered to her softly, I am here.

Relena's breath caught on her throat and her heart thrummed loudly in her ears.

Who are you? her mind asked desperately.

I am Death, came the answer.

Relena's arms were immediately wrapped around her legs as she brought them up to her chest, and she shivered that oh so familiar shiver. Her skin tingled with the expectancy of Death to come leaping upon her at any minute, it's claws unsheathed and its fangs bared.

I am Death.

Something was coming. If it wasn't already here.

~*~

Hilde yawned, stared at the moon in soft dismay. How she missed those nights with Duo, alone, together, warm in his strong, muscled arms.

Yet her spine tingled as she stared at the moon from her king-sized bed, and her heart slowed to an impossible speed, and her mind sped like an unstoppable motor.

He's coming, her heart screamed to her. But who is...he? Is he a threat? Something that should be feared? Or something...harmless?

Her feet led her to Duo's door, and she knocked softly on the exterior. Her hand gripped for the golden-painted doorknob, and she twisted it clockwise.

"Hey, Hilde, what's up?" Duo asked from the bed. He was reading a book, shirtless.

Don't dare look at his chest.

Hilde blinked, smiled an embarrassed smile, and focused on his cobalt blue pools of warmth.

"I--I couldn't get to sleep," she stammered, blinking several times.

Duo flushed and closed the book, looking back up at her.

Oh, God, I didn't mean for it to sound like an invitation, she thought. She cleared her throat and made no moves towards his bed.

"So, Duo, what're you reading?" she asked, her bright tone a bit too forced. She leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms, making it plain to see that she wasn't going to move for a while.

"Dracula," he answered with a smirk.

That shiver ran up her spine again. No. It was just coincidence. There weren't such things as vampires. It was stupid, really, to even think of such an unbelievable concept.

"You miss me?" she suddenly found herself asking. And suddenly found herself wanting to know. Did he miss her?

Duo stared out of the window, then back at her. "Yeah."

A simple question followed by a simple answer. But not such simple circumstances.

"You miss me?" he inquired right back at her.

She glanced at the window, then back at him. "Yes."

Duo and her had left each other as friends, but not satisfied at knowing that was the only thing they would ever be. Those nights in his arms were just misunderstandings before they fully really understood they could only be friends.

"I don't understand, Duo," she remembered herself saying that day. "Don't we mean so much more to each other then just merely friends?"

"You really don't understand," had been his comeback. "It wouldn't work out for the both of us."

But in reality, Duo Maxwell hadn't let the relationship go on because she was getting too near his heart. The closer they became, the harder it would be to let go if she got killed in a battle. So he set the relationship up as friends. Just close, nice friends.

It worked that way.

~*~

The sun wasn't even near the horizon when Relena woke up.

That voice, that dreaded, terrible voice had been in her dreams again, and she willed herself to escape the boundaries of her dream-hazed world.

I am Death.

Who was Death, really? Was it God, disguising himself as a dreaded figure clad in black? Or was it something entirely different, someone you didn't need faith to believe in?

Relena sighed, then brightened. Swimming. Today she would go swimming to get her mind off of these troublesome worries that so often plagued her. Maybe Duo, Hilde, Heero and Wufei would like to join her, and for those few hours, she would forget.

Forget about Death.

~*~

Hilde inhaled a gust of air and jumped quickly into the pool. SPLASH! Water exploded around her, soaking her to the very bone and chilling her spine. She exhaled through her mouth, still under the water, and made bubbles blow softly around her smooth skin.

She surfaced, gasped for air, and laughed.

"I loved that," she commented.

Wufei was on a reclining chair, sunglasses hiding his eyes, head rolled back, but Hilde suspected he was asleep. Relena was trying to coax Heero into the pool. Heero was sitting on the pool's edge, his eyes fixed on someone behind Hilde.

Water attacked her from behind. Hilde screamed, tried to fend her attacker off, and realized it was Duo. She counter-attacked, and dove under the water, spotting his legs. She grabbed his ankle, pulled him down, and he crashed into the water.

Her shoulder touched his muscled chest as she tried to go up for air, but he grabbed her wrist and grinned that devil-may-care smile sown at her, and her heart ceased its endless throb.

He was amazing.

The sun gleamed behind him, making a halo seem to surround his head, and his eyes seemed filled with mirth.

She swam up, pressed her body against his, and saw the confusion in his eyes. Then the understanding.

Flash! Suddenly, all air was gone from Hilde's lungs. Time was suspended around her, making everything seem to glow in shades instead of colors. As thought everything were sketched in.

I am coming, a voice rang inside her head as she floated between the spaces of time and space. The water felt unreal, and Duo was nowhere in sight.

Then, suddenly, she sucked in precious air.

"Hilde, you okay?" Someone, slapping her back. She was still in the pool, and Duo was beside her.

"Yeah," she managed to gasp. But she wasn't, not really.

Something was going to happen. Today.

~*~

Relena gazed fondly over at the young couple. They looked so perfect for each other, so made for each other.

She glanced back at Heero, who wouldn't even meet her eyes.

"Heero, come into the pool," she coaxed, her eyes pleading, begging. He stared at her, finally meeting her gaze, and narrowed his eyes just the slightest.

"I don't feel like it, Relena."

Oh, the way he said her name! The way it rolled on his tongue in such a fascinating, alluring way was enchanting.

Relena sighed, ready to turn and wade away from him, but suddenly, she found herself grabbing onto his ankle and dragging him down into the pool.

SPLASH!

She smiled, felt the beginnings of a laugh inside her stomach, and tried to walk away through the water without so much as a smile on her face.

"Relena!" he sputtered behind her, reaching the surface.

"I tried to warn you," Relena said off-handedly, putting her hand out to her side, palm up and arm bent, as if to imply she had no choice. "But you wouldn't listen, Heero. I said to come into the pool, I begged, I pleaded, but you just wouldn't-"

Her sentence was interrupted by sudden hands on her shoulders. She was plunged under water, and the laugh came out, making bubbles fizz around her. Her stomach tingled, and her face relaxed into that smile, and she swam up to the surface, dragging in air and looking like a wet cat.

Heero stood behind her, arms crossed, looking as though he didn't do anything. But he had the ghost of a smile faintly touching his lips as she gave him an accusing glare.

She was about to say something, when suddenly, "Miss Relena! Heero! Duo! Nice to see you all again!"

Relena turned, and Duo waved frantically at Quatre and Trowa, who were approaching the pool.

"Oh, Quatre! Trowa!" Relena called out, wishing she had more suitable attire to greet them in.

She hesitated, then, before she could make a move Duo leaped out of the pool, grabbed a bewildered Wufei's wrist, and dragged him off, calling over his shoulder, "We'll give them the tour, Relena!"

Before she could say anything, they were off and around the corner faster than she could comprehend.

"That was terribly rude of me," she said scoldingly to herself.

"Don't worry about it," Heero said in his usual, monotone voice. "He won't break anything. I hope."

~*~

Thomas scoffed, turned to Charlotte.

"These guests are such pigs," he commented as he picked up Duo's dirty underwear and tossed it into the laundry sack Charlotte was holding. "Especially this one."

"I don't know," Charlotte said with a grin, her sharp British accent making the sentence seem amused. "This one's kind of cute."

"Leaving us with all their dirty laundry." Thomas shook his head. "And can you believe it, this one actually called me Tom. Tom, for goodness sakes!"

Charlotte giggled, went right about folding Duo's bed. "I do declare, Thomas, you are the complainer. This is what you're paid to do. And Miss Relena truly is a wonderful girl, she is. Working for her is like helping a friend."

Thomas shook his head, grabbed the laundry bag, and stomped out the door.

"Thomas!" Charlotte whined. She shook her head and sighed straightening the wrinkles in the bedspread and giving it a final tap with her palm. "That should do it. Now to go inform a certain someone of what a pain he's being."

~*~

"A toast to our beloved hostess," Quatre said, smiling that bright, welcoming smile at her.

Relena sighed just the slightest and watched as everybody reached for each of their glasses on the table. She tried her best to smile happily as Quatre beamed at her.

A piercing scream toppled all the glasses to their sides.

"What in the world," Hilde breathed.

Heero leaped to his feet and grabbed for his gun. Duo did the same and they each pointed it to both exits to either side of the dining room, the kitchen, and the hallway.

"Guns! At dinner! Heero, Duo, where're your manners?" Quatre asked.

There was silence from each person at the table, then Hilde got up out of her seat and headed for the hallway.

"Hilde!" Duo warned.

Relena's heart pumped rapidly in her chest as Hilde got closer to the door, and her mind sped.

I am Death, that familiar voice haunted her head. I am here for you, Relena Peacecraft.

She got to her feet, placed her sweaty palms against the wooden tables, and her temples began to throb.

Hilde reached for the doorknob, when suddenly, Quatre clutched at his chest.

"Quatre!" Trowa cried as Quatre fell to his knees, sweating, shaking, looking utterly terrified.

"Oh, God, oh God," Quatre whispered, staring at each one of them, terror stricken in his pupils. "Oh, God...something...a black hole, in the palace. It's here!"

I am here.

Relena placed her right hand against her throat and felt the assuring, beating pulse there, though it did nothing to calm her fears.

He's here. He's here for me, Relena thought frantically. He is here.

The boys flew from their seats and joined Hilde at the door, pushing it violently open.

Relena stayed where she was, felt her knees buckling, and fell into her chair. Her hands nervously wrung at the elegant napkin that was conveniently in her lap, and her eyes searched the room recklessly.

A hand gripped at her shoulder, and she screamed a piercing scream herself.

Pagan looked bewildered, and frightened as well. "Miss Relena."

"What is it, Pagan?" Relena asked, trembling

Pagan's eyes were filled with worry and he continued. "Miss Relena. Charlotte was down in the laundry room, helping Thomas with the guests' laundry. It seems..."

His eyes pierced into her with such a frightening clarity that it chilled her spine.

"Thomas. He's dead."

~*~



Author's note: There's more on the way. I just got really bored with it really fast. I did it on my laptop on a 2 hr car ride, so you can't really blame me if it's bad.