DC: I don't own GW (or anything affiliated with them, though I wish I did) All other characters are mine and created from the mind of insanity, mainly me. All resemblances to any characters of other fics are purely coincidental. Otherwise, don't sue me, all I have is my laptop.

DAY ONE

Kirin Rei Shido walked into the middle of the grand hall and admired the crystal chandelier that hung daintily from a half-inch thick wire. To the right and left of her were balconies that looked down upon the wide, red velvet sheathed stage. She looked ahead and on either side of her were rows and rows of seats used by important officials and figureheads of Sank. She tipped her head slightly and pictured herself on the highest balcony to her right. There she would set up her sniper rifle and aim at the Vice Foreign Minister of Earth. Relena Peacecraft.

Kirin Shido was a feared woman in her line of work. She was a highly skilled assassin and General of the terrorist group called ONI. She was only in ONI for one reason and one reason alone. Terrorists have a lot of connections, they could find out things no civilian could ever have come across on. Her reason was that she was looking for her demented uncle. The man who murdered her parents and the one who turned her into the young killer that she was.

Kirin's physical attributes were what appalled many people of Earth. Her skin was like a live porcelain doll. Her hair was at least down to her thighs and was a brilliant metallic silver. Her eyes were the color of pure gold. In any other way, she was beautiful, but to some she looked threatening. Her gold eyes told all that she was only eighteen. In her eyes she was still a child, the innocence lost from the horrible experiments that she had endured as a baby. But in those eyes she also had the intelligence of a killer. A killer who never thought twice about its targets, man, woman, child, senior or invalids, nor did she feel the least bit of regret. Some would call her a monster, most would call her a Dark Angel. She was both merciful and merciless, her methods of killing were quick and painless. But wherever she went, Chaos always followed.

Kirin smiled and she gripped the black bag tighter. Inside was her weapon for mass destruction. Later in the week there would be a gathering for all the officials of Sank. It was Relena Peacecraft's twenty-first birthday and there was going to be a big speech from her a "pre-party" as some would call it, and from the hall it would move to her estate. Kirin would get only two chances. One at the hall and another at the estate. Either way, Relena was going to die.

"Excuse me, miss..." said a cleaning attendant. "But you can't be here. We're cleaning up for a special celebration."

"I know." Said Kirin. "I was just about to leave. It's a beautiful place."

"Will you be attending the party?" asked the attendant.

"Maybe. I'm a very busy person."

"Oh. Well, I hope to see you there. It will be a very memorable experience."

Kirin silently laughed. "I'm sure it will be. It'll be a bang." She turned and nodded at the attendant.

The attendant shrugged, not hearing the threat in her voice. He continued to clean the floors.

Kirin stepped outside the hall and pulled on a pair of silver shades. She zipped up her white jacket and walked towards her motorcycle. Nearby she could hear pleasant shouts coming from a pink limousine. She stopped long enough to see the woman of the week, Relena Peacecraft exit the pink limo and stand before a group of adoring followers. Some were young girls like herself, all were chattering and complimenting the pink skirt she wore. Her hair went past shoulder length and her blue eyes sparkled with amusement. She talked over the girls who began a fit of giggles and more comments, more so directed at the party she was throwing for her birthday.

Another, limo, this time black, came behind the initial pink limo. A group of five young men stepped out, each standing aside and not allowing themselves to go into the mix of things. Kirin eyed each one of them carefully. She knew them, somewhat.

There was a young man wearing all black. He had long, chestnut brown hair that was braided, which hung loosely at his waist, and lively blue eyes. He was the only one who's face was lighted up and his attitude more respondent than the others. He seemed more impelled to mischief than anything else.

Another young man, with blonde hair and blue eyes stood beside him, looking a little flushed but otherwise, more approachable. He wore a light pink dress shirt with a purple vest and khaki pants. He had a softer and nice tone to his pale skin but there was something about him that made Kirin want to hug him.

A tall young man stood behind the two, his arms crossed over his chest. His brown hair was angled in a way that covered one of his jade green eyes. He wore a dark blue, long sleeved turtle neck and tight blue jeans. His face gave no indication of whether he was nice or not. In fact, his face was like a mask, just staring and unfeeling. He seemed a little calmer than the others.

Overlooking the beach was a stern-looking young, Chinese man. He wore a long white robe which obviously came from Chinese descent. His black hair was put into a tight ponytail and his black eyes looked angrily over the horizon. It seemed he didn't want to be there. His arms were also crossed, but he wasn't paying attention to the others.

At last was the fifth young man who had on a jean jacket, a green tank top, and blue jeans. He had wild dark brown hair and his blue, unblinking eyes were staring intently at nothing. He stood beside himself, looking like he didn't belong with the group. His cold blue eyes searched the area once and resumed staring at the group of girls who surrounded Relena. He didn't seem interested in her. Maybe he, and the others, were there to protect her?

Kirin shrugged and placed the black bag into her seat space. She threw one leg over her motorcycle and started the engine.

The crowd of girls suddenly quieted as Kirin quickly hid her face from the young girls and put on her silver helmet. She revved her engine and saluted Relena and the young girls. She turned her attention back to the road and sped off.

The girls, not knowing that the young motorcyclist was a female all swooned. "Who was that guy?"

Relena Peacecraft just beamed. In three days it was going to be her birthday! But almost a week ago, Lady Un, the Preventers mission coordinator, had gotten a grim warning: On Relena's twenty-first birthday, she will die. That was why the five ex-pilots were now accompanying her everywhere.

Relena began walking towards the hall, followed by her school friends and the five pilots. They entered the hall where one attendant welcomed her. "Hello, Miss Peacecraft. Welcome! We're cleaning the hall for your celebration!"

"I thank you greatly." said Relena. She turned and beamed at Heero. Though she did appreciate that the other pilots were there for her protection, she just wished it was only Heero. Ever since the war with Mariemaia five years ago, he had been extremely non existent in her life. And now he was there, protecting her once again.

Relena began to take a tour of the hall, though she had made speeches and had large debates in that same hall, they had done some refurnishing on the place.

Heero Yuy stood at the doorway with his comrades. When he agreed he'd join the Preventers, he surely tough they were going to send him out on missions to scout for possible terrorist activities or whatnots. If he had known it was going to be a babysitting job to just watch after Relena Peacecraft, he would have packed his bags and left for Space. But with much coaxing from Quatre, he stayed and now he was stuck there on Earth.

Duo Maxwell gave a big groan as he stretched, his riding jacket lifting up, showing a little of his pale abdomen. "Man! I can't wait! It's been months since I've been to a big party like this!"

"Don't forget, Duo, we're also there for Miss Relena's safety. Someone is trying to assassinate her."

Duo waved his hand nonchalantly. "Well, when your the Vice Foreign Minister of Earth, I guess it comes with the job description."

"Being targeted is more like a job hazard." Said Chang Wufei. He then snorted. "I wonder what would happen if she did die?"

"Wufei!" Quatre snapped. "That's not a nice thing to say! Miss Relena is an important part of Earth! Her father died for the colonies-"

"Her father was murdered." Heero corrected. "He was negotiating with the colonies when he died."

Quatre shook his head, his blue eyes tear-bright. "But still... Why think of such a thing? Human life is precious! We mustn't talk like that."

"How should we talk?" Wufei asked. "All we're doing is standing here, waiting for Relena's assassin. Instead of watching her, we should be preparing for an offensive or at the very least a tactic for what we should do to the assassin."

Trowa looked at Quatre, who was losing a one way battle, and to Wufei and Heero who were apparently annoyed at their long standing mission in which they had to follow Relena where ever they went. "If worst comes to worst, we would kill the assassin. At the very least, we'll subdue him and interrogate him."

A grunt escaped Wufei's lips. "And then what? Ask him where his faction is? Maybe we should ask him to join us for tea?"

"Wufei, why are you so angry?" asked Quatre. "If it weren't for Miss Relena- "

"If it weren't for her we would be somewhere in Space doing something more important than being her personal bodyguards!"

The sudden outburst from Wufei turned the once noisy hall, silent. Relena hadn't heard the remark but looked thoughtfully at the pilots. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, Miss Relena." said Quatre. "We were just discussing something. Wufei got a little emotional."

Wufei scoffed and turned away from Relena.

Relena just smiled and directed her attention to Heero. "Were you part of the discussion, Heero?"

"Yes." he was about to tell her what was on his mind, but Quatre's stare told him to shut up.

Relena just nodded and turned back to her friends who began talking excitedly again.

Quatre scowled at both Heero and Wufei. "By Allah, I don't know what would happen if she heard either one of you."

"Eh, she'd probably cut their pay." Said Duo. He had, surprisingly, stood back and watched the 'discussion' unfold between Quatre, Heero, and Wufei. Besides Trowa's little interjection, he wasn't in the conversation much.

At long last Relena had gone through the back rooms in which, if there was ever a play, the actors would go into the back rooms and change. She finally met up with the five pilots. "Are we ready to leave or is there something you wish to do first?"

"We're leaving." Heero said, before Quatre or Duo could protest. "We could see the new renovations after the party."

Knowing not to argue with an annoyed Heero, Duo just nodded and followed after Relena who was the first to leave.

Relena went into her respective limo as the pilots did the same. "Pagan, we're going to my estate."

"Miss, Relena...Lady Un has gotten another message from Space. She says it's urgent to go the Preventers Headquarters."

Relena sighed. Another message from an unknown source. "All right. Let's go."

Champion Hotel-(2:48 p.m.)

Kirin Shido came to a full stop in front of Champion Hotel. She got off her motorcycle and tossed her helmet to the bellboy. She got from her seat space her special black bag and winked at the bellboy before entering the double-glass doors. She passed the wide-eyed receptionist at the desk. "Excuse me, miss!"

Kirin stopped. "Is there a problem?"

The female receptionist came from around the counter and smiled unsurely. "Do you have a reservation?"

"Yes." said Kirin. "In fact, my friends are waiting for me upstairs."

"Oh, I see..." the woman seemed embarrassed. "Well-"

"Apology accepted." Kirin snapped. She turned on her heel and entered an awaiting elevator.

"What floor, Miss?" asked the attendant.

"Thirteenth." Kirin answered. She shifted her black bag to her other hand and leaned on the wall.

It was a quiet ride up with the occasional entering and exiting passengers. There was a small child with her mother who entered at the seventh floor.

"Miss, this elevator is going up." said the attendant.

"I know. But my daughter is so insistent upon using the elevators..." the woman turned to her small child. "Please, try to calm yourself!"

The little girl was jumping up and down and pressing all sort of buttons, all the while smiling radiantly at the attendant. She finally turned and was met with Kirin's gold-eyed stare.

"Wow!" said the little girl. "I like your eyes!"

The woman turned and saw into pools of gold. She quickly grabbed her daughter and pulled her close. "Don't look at her like that!"

Kirin winced. Was she that horrible and disgusting looking that a mother wouldn't let her own daughter look upon her? On the next floor, nine, the woman and her child left in a rush. The child's last words touched Kirin's heart.

"Mommy! She didn't do anything bad! She's just like us...!"

Kirin felt angry tears in her eyes. People who feared her didn't understand her. Maybe that was why she liked children more. They knew no differences nor anything wrong with someone like her. They were fascinated by her. They were intrigued.

Kirin eyed the attendant who was now trying to avoid eye contact with her. She shook her head, feeling the tears leave her eyes. She had never cried after the death of her parents. Never. She would kick and scream, swear, and throw fits, but never cried out in frustration or sadness. She had lived so long without those emotions she knew it would be a long time before she would ever cry again.

"Thirteenth floor." said the attendant.

Kirin smiled automatically and exited the elevator. Before the doors close, the attendant leaned out and spoke to her. "If it'll make you feel any better, I think you're very nice looking."

Kirin looked surprised, yet gave a laugh. "Thank you. You're not so bad yourself."

The attendant smiled and stuck his head back into the elevator.

"That was nice of him." Kirin said to no one in particular. She walked a little ways down the hallway and turned to her right. She knocked three times and waited. Finally she took out her key and inserted it into the keyhole. "I'm coming in! If you're naked, get some clothes on or else!"

There was a muffled shout and some movement. After a full ten seconds of silence, Kirin turned the key and opened the door. The room was bright with clothes strewn all over the place. The bathroom, which was to her right, was occupied. She went further into the room and saw one of her associates playing a videogame on their television.

"What happened in here?" Kirin demanded, seeing the only thin that wasn't disarray was her own luggage.

"Luggage mix-up." said Yume Okinawa, the second oldest associate. Kirin thought Yume looked incredibly similar to the young man she saw earlier. They both had the slightly dark skin tone, dark brown hair, and blue eyes, though Yume's had much more emotion in them. She was wearing a violet tank top with black pants. She was playing something on her new game system.

"Shin's in the bathroom?"

"No." Yume said sarcastically.

Kirin rolled her eyes and began to pick up clothes. "I wish you two would pick-up after yourselves. This place is a mess!"

"That's what maids are for, K-Chan."

Kirin scowled at Yume. "I know, but still...do you want maids looking though your stuff?"

"No."

Kirin looked at the pile of clothes she had gathered. She could faintly tell which clothes belonged to which girl. Yume always wore at least one violet article of clothing whereas Shin always wore a shade of blue. She, however, always wore silver, white, or black. She shrugged and dumped the pile of clothes onto the nearest chair.

She lay down on the bed and stretched, the sound of her spine popping made minimal noise as to the sounds from Yume's videogame.

"So, did you check the place out?" Yume asked, pausing her game to take a drink of soda.

"Yeah. The hall looks nice. They're renovating it. Tomorrow I'm going to look at the estate. Want to come?"

"Shin and I are going shopping." Yume said. "Why don't you take pictures?"

"I'm going to feel like such a tourist." Kirin whined. She sat up and shook her head, silver strands falling over her shoulders. She looked around the room and stared at a mirror. "Do you think I'm ugly?"

Yume gave Kirin a sideways glance. "Is that a trick question?"

"No!" Kirin said, exasperated. "Just tell me the truth."

"Truthfully...in a complete 'friend-like' way. No. Why?"

"Well, this little girl in the elevator liked me. Her mom didn't. Then the guy in the elevator said I was nice-looking."

"Well, two compliments and an insult. You're getting better."

"Oh, shut up."

Shin Kin'Youbi finally emerged from the bathroom. "Hey, Kirin, you're back!" She tied up her curly brown as she sat on the floor, wearing only light blue sweats.

Kirin looked at Shin. "Yeah. You and Yume are going shopping tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I saw some really cute clothes I want to buy and I need some new music discs." Shin answered. Her green/ violet eyes looked around the room. "Hey! Where's all my clothes."

"On the chair." Kirin pointed. "Hmm. So, tomorrow I'm going to the estate and check it out. You two are going shopping. That leaves two more days until the party."

"The day after tomorrow we can look for dresses to wear!" Shin suggested. "Tomorrow I'm strictly looking for everyday clothes."

Yume nodded. "I want to buy some more videogames. As of now, you're the only one on a mission."

Kirin slowly nodded her head in agreement. "So that would leave one more day for planning. Perfect. Everything is set."

Yume and Shin looked at each other. "Ever wondered what would happen if everything didn't go to Kirin's plans?"

"Ooh, I'd be so mad." Kirin answered. "You guys wouldn't like me when I'm upset."

"What is she going to do?" Shin asked. "Turn green and grow big muscles?"

Yume laughed. "Or maybe she'll turn as red as a tomato and explode?"

Kirin crossed her arms. "Ha, ha. Very funny. But if you want to know what would happen, I'd probably press this little detonator button," she removed a small detonation device from her pocket. "And destroy this side of the Earth."

"Ooh..." Yume said, making feigned noises. "Better not tell Kirin we switched her electronic organizer! She might blow up Space!"

Kirin didn't sound like she was joking. "I'm capable of doing that."

Yume and Shin stopped laughing. The eldest of the three, Shin, shook her head vigorously. "We were just kidding, Kirin!"

"Sure you were." Kirin replied. She lay back down and curled herself into a ball. "I'm going to sleep. Wake me when you're ready to leave."

Shin looked outside the window. "Kirin, it's only two in the afternoon. Why are you sleeping so early?"

"I'm just getting ready. I need plenty of sleep. Besides, I heard Relena has some bodyguards we might have to contend with."

"Ooh." Yume whirled her finger in the air unenthusiastically. "Should we be scared? We're highly trained soldiers!"

Kirin sighed and closed her eyes. "Never underestimate your opponent."

Preventers Head Quarters-(3:51 p.m.)

"When was it sent?" asked Quatre Winner. His eyes held more concern than his counterparts.

"We received it just around noon. We almost had a lock on the source, but it cut off almost as quickly as it was sent." said Lady Un. Her brown hair fell over her oval face. Her hazel eyes looked tired and somewhat angry. "They're one step ahead of us."

"Read the note again." said Quatre. "Maybe there might be a clue hidden in it or something. Maybe we just not hearing it right?"

Lady Un cleared her throat and read the recent message about Relena Peacecraft. "The assassin is the one you least expect. You may have already seen him but haven't acknowledged him."

The note appeared on a projector screen. It wasn't hand written, it was typed. The source of the note couldn't be pinpointed so it could have come from anywhere. It was one big mystery to them all.

Heero Yuy stared hard at the screen. Quatre had suggested that there was some clue in the message. There was a drawn up comparison between the first note and the second note. On Relena's twenty-first birthday, she will die. Her birthday was in three days. That much they knew. But who was the assassin? Apparently the assassin must've been the one who sent those letters himself. That meant he was already there and he already saw Relena. Did he see that she had bodyguards with her?

Relena was sitting between Pagan and Quatre. "I still don't see why this assassin is giving us clues. Does he really want to kill me or is he just playing a game?"

"Maybe he's building up to a point?" Trowa suggested. "He may want something from you."

"That's a possibility, too." said Quatre. "Should we wait on his demands or try to act now? We're at a loss..."

"We still need to keep Miss Peacecraft under surveillance." said Lady Un. "Until we get any further messages or demands, she'll have to be guarded. Day and night."

That erupted a rude groan from Wufei. He snorted then turned his chair so no one could give him a questioning glance. The room fell quiet. Except for the sound of the humming machine in the room, it was beginning to get tense.

"Lady Un!" called a hurried officer. "We've received another message!"

Lady Un turned to the computer and quickly inputted some codes. The screen went blank then finally displayed a long message. She cleared her throat and began to read.

I am watching your every move. I know what you are planning, and you're right, I do want something from you. Why am I telling you this? If you really are the feared Gundam Pilots then you would calculate the risks and consequences and figure out what I want. I have faith that you know what you're doing. However, I have a greater faith in my assassin. He is the best among the best. He will not fail and he will not falter. You will receive four more messages until Relena's 'untimely' demise.

The room became quiet again. Now they were certain there might have been a spy on the premises. But who could it be? The pilots always traveled together, Relena was constantly being watched. Pagan was a faithful and loyal servant. Lady Un wouldn't dare try anything against Relena. This was getting serious.

"So what's going to happen?" Duo asked. "We have to gather up all this info to find this guy and we don't know what he looks like!"

"We'll start with the hall." Heero said. "We'll need a complete list of everyone who is going to attend"

"But Heero, half the city will be in attendance." said Relena. "It'll be impossible to look after every single one of them."

"As long as we have a physical description of them, we could possible narrow it down. I've done a few assassination jobs in my years, and I could tell if he's the one by looking at his eyes."

"Do tell." said Duo.

"An assassin wouldn't usually blend into the crowd. He'll keep his eye on his quarry for as long as he could until the final moment of his prey's death. There's a certain light in them that I know very well." replied Heero.

"And afterwards?" asked Lady Un. "Would you want another list for those who are at the estate?"

"Certainly." said Heero. "Until then, the rest of us will be preparing for Relena's celebration."

The five pilots took that as their cue and stood up. They filed out of the room, flanking Heero.

Lady Un nodded. "While they get ready, I'll get the lists. Miss Relena, Pagan, you should stay here until everything is complete. We don't know what will happen if you go home now."

"All right. I'll stand by as long as I can."

"Thank you." Lady Un left the office leaving Pagan with Relena.

"So, Miss Relena...read any good books lately?"

"As a matter of fact I have..."