Danger
OK, Nemico Mortale is Italian…don't ask what it means. ^_~ I know but I'm not telling till later.
Thanks to Kozuka, Neya, Hitomi Toshihiko, Ashiko-chan, and Angel Wing Yuy!!
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AC 206
"So you've heard of it?" Wufei asked him for the fifth time. Heero's eyes darted from the computer monitor 6 inches from his face and to his friend Chang Wufei, who seemed on his last nerve of the day.
"Yes. Operation U. Terrorist mission." Heero responded lightly. Wufei twitched.
"Obviously, Yuy. You know what their first order of operations is?"
Heero nodded, wondering briefly why he was responding to the agitated Chinaman in the first place.
"Assassinate Vice Foreign Minister Darlian." Heero answered calmly. Wufei sighed.
"You're not the least bit concerned?"
Heero allowed himself a slight smile. "Of course I'm concerned, Wufei. But I can't properly protect Relena if I'm running around like a panicked five-year-old."
"TO-U is a bigger problem than last year's half-witted man leaping at Ms. Darlian with a steak knife. It's organized and professional. They know what they're doing, Yuy."
"So do we, Wufei." Heero assured him. Wufei studied him momentarily before grinning.
"You never cease to amaze me, Heero." He chuckled, bemused.
~*~*~
Relena's fingers did an annoying little tap dance on her conference portfolio resting on her lap. Heero reached over from the opposite seat in the limo and set his still hand on her fidgety ones.
"Oh," She said, startled, breaking her gaze from the window. "Was it bothering you, Heero?"
Heero relaxed back into his own seat. "Just a little, Ms. Darlian."
Relena smiled. "Please Heero, how many times do we have to go through this?"
"Apparently not enough, Relena." He said, the corners of his mouth twitching.
"I'm not the only one preoccupied," She said pointedly. "What's your excuse?"
"Assassination threats, terrorist notes, bombings..." He shrugged. Relena laughed out loud.
"Just business as usual, I see."
~*~*~
Relena looked back to Heero, who seemed to be hovering behind her. "Heero, what's really wrong? You normally don't circle me like a vulture."
Their eyes met, and Heero thought he might be taking it to the extreme after all. But he in truth was more worried than Wufei. Might as well tell her.
"There's a terrorist mission to assassinate you on this trip, Relena." He told her calmly. She still watched his face, hoping to see some flicker of emotion, possibly worry for her safety. Inwardly she sighed. What she had with Heero was all she'd ever had and all she would have. She'd only seen him truly react to something very few times. Finally giving in to the fact that it wasn't the true love she'd imagined as a young girl, she'd tried finding happiness somewhere else, but always needed him near her. Whether or not she had his love, she needed his strength.
And doing this had proved better than she could imagine. After several dates with a few bad choices, Relena provoked Heero into becoming extremely protective of her…even to the point where he supervised her dates for a year. Naturally scaring half of them away. Despite this, Heero didn't manage to scare away Nathan Smithe.
Now Relena had Nathan, the man whom she loved more than possibly natural. An amazing man, and an even better father to their daughter. She had her true peace, she was happily married, and she had her small daughter, Wing. A tribute to her true friend, who was as prepared to sacrifice his life for true peace as she.
"Another assassination attempt?" She finally responded. "So?"
She caught him off guard. When his eyes darkened and his jaw gaped open, Relena took a quick step back in surprise. "Heero, it's not that big of a deal…you're here…"
The flare in his eyes disappeared as if it had never been there as the soldier of his past regained control of his reactions. Heero, I try so hard to break you of that…it's been eleven years…can't you let go yet? Sometimes…seeing you smile…hearing you laugh…but then you become the perfect soldier once more, Relena thought grimly.
"Thank you for the trust in my abilities, Relena. But this one will be different. Zechs' and Wufei's worry is wearing off on me." Heero said, placing his hand on her shoulder. She shook her head, smiling softly.
Heero supported her, if not the pacifism she worked for. She'd seen him chuckle during her speeches…but he was there. That's what counted. She had Nathan…and what she felt for Heero was very different than what she had thought it was.
"You don't have to be nervous. We have a meeting to get to," She said, taking a step away. Heero watched her for a moment before nodding solemnly and following her.
~*~*~
The kid was annoying Heero. He could barely manage to keep his eye from twitching let alone bash the arrogant young man's face in. He'd definitely be talking to Relena about her choice of escort security.
"How old are you, again?" Heero growled.
"Twenty." The fair-haired boy said quickly.
"Well, I'm very sorry you won't live to twenty-one." Heero said as his fist readily collided with the boy's jaw, knocking him to the ground.
"Heero!!" Relena shrieked from somewhere behind him. Heero choked out a surprised gasp as Relena shot forward and kneeled to the boy. "Lee?! Are you okay??" She pressed loudly.
"Relena…?" Heero questioned, bewildered. Relena glared at him for a moment.
"This is Nathan's brother, Heero!!" She scolded, then returned her attention to Lee as Heero's face burned with embarrassment.
"I'm okay, Relena…" Lee groaned. He sat upright and smirked at Heero. Heero twitched in response and Relena glowered.
"Heero, I know you're still upset about our discussion earlier, but I don't need you taking it out on my officers! Especially not my twenty-year-old brother-in-law!!"
"Relena," Heero retorted in his defense, "He was refusing the duties I was assigning him!!"
She sighed loudly. "Heero…switch places with Lee. You take over surveillance, will you? Lee will be my First this time and ride with me."
The rejection stung. Heero Yuy, reduced to surveillance?!
He saluted. "Yes, Vice-Foreign Minister." He said flatly. His response was equally painful to Relena. He saw it in her eyes. Every time he returned to the cold exterior of the past, her eyes waver with rejection. Rejection of her efforts.
At a time like this, Relena could not afford to sacrifice proper protection, especially not because she wanted to give her brother-in-law a little practice as First. And yet she was.
"Heero," She started again, and Heero felt an overwhelming urge to look away from her agonized eyes.
You protect me, I protect you. Relena, you just broke that. This was the first time in the ten years I've been your guard,
Heero thought as he walked off to get some extra ammo for his gun.As he loaded the magazine and tucked a few extra ones into every possible place on his body, he thought harshly on what had just happened. They were a team, what the hell had that been about?!
Relena worked for peace, and no battles need be fought. She saved countless innocent souls in her prevention of war.
And Heero protected Relena. Kept her alive to further her ideals. Most of the time he felt like her big brother, an emotion very alien to him.
Her efforts were working. There were changes…small at first and hardly noticed. But at the same time, he always drew away subconsciously from her and her help.
Then there was always Wing. He was, after all, the small girls' godfather…and though he resided in Sanq along with Relena, he rarely saw her or her family. Relena ruled Sanq indirectly, but eventually it would be passed to her child who would rule properly.
When he did see Relena, Nathan and Wing, he ended up spending a great deal of time with the bright-eyed girl of four. And all she wanted to do was stay on his shoulders, laugh and hug him. Not even he, Heero Yuy of the Wing Zero, could ignore that kind of adoring attention.
How could he not equally love the girl when the first word from her lips was "Hewo"? No…she still couldn't pronounce his name correctly, more like "Hero"…but it didn't matter.
With an amused chuckle, he made his way back, muttering a half-hearted, "Ninmu Ryoukai,"
~*~*~
Heero arrived at the conference center first to secure the area. A few moments later, a couple Sanq Kingdom officers also arrived, since they weren't part of Relena's security escort. One of them Heero recognized dimly from 195 as a member of the Treize Faction.
There were crowds everywhere, and it was difficult to secure the area without arousing suspicion. The Italian sovereign had wanted this meeting to be top secret.
Soon, Relena's car was approaching. Lee was the first out of the car, then helped Relena out. Heero watched from the corner of his eye. Bringing up his wrist where he had his communication transmitter, he calmly noted,
"Officer Lee, please report to Ms. Darlian that the area has been secured. Over."
"Roger." Lee said smartly. Heero rolled his eyes. Even the simplest comment got a sarcastic tone in return. He brought his wrist up again, watching Lee and Relena walk up the conference building.
"Unit 6, what's your position? Over." He asked placidly.
"South of the building, sir. Over."
Heero glanced around and saw the officer standing a bit from him, also keeping close watch on the scene.
"Roger that, you are in visual." Then he smirked. "Try not to stand like a living statue, Unit 6. Over."
"Yes sir. Over." There was a pause. "Sir, look behind you," The man said in a strange voice. Heero turned around slowly and his blood turned to ice.
A man, stumbling, running like mad. Trying to get as far away from a building 500 yards from where Relena stood. Instantly he knew.
A bomb!! There's a bomb in that building!!
And then he realized that two of Relena's officers were 10 meters from the building!! He brought his transmitter up to his face and shouted urgently,
"Unit 5!! Unit 3!! Get the hell out of there, NOW!"
Too late…
He heard it first. The soft rumbling boom from the corporate building, and the trembling of the ground under his feet.
"No…" He choked. A millisecond passed, and the building went up in a flaming inferno…one that brought the death and destruction he knew so well. Anything within a hundred yards was instantly incinerated. Heero shielded his eyes from the light, and his skin burned with the heat.
But his mind was completely blank. That couldn't have been TO-U… He thought dully, That couldn't have been…
He somehow recollected what Wufei had said the other day. "Half-witted man with a steak knife"…Well, this was a half-witted man with a bomb. A lot scarier and a whole damn lot more deadly.
He looked up at the blaze again, and saw a figure sprawling out away from the building, the blasts knocking them to the ground. Heero set off at a dead run through the fiery debris. Somewhere in the distance her could hear Relena's panicked "NO!"
He reached the person struggling to return to their feet and leaped on them, sheltering them from the second explosion Heero had somehow predicted.
Hot white fire blazed past him, scorching his back and burning through his uniform. Not able to stop himself, he let out a low wail of pain. Beneath him, the figure let out a frightened shriek, making Heero acknowledge it as a woman.
When the fire reduced back into the burning building, Heero's arms gave out, and he collapsed onto the girl he'd saved. Moments later he staggered back up and studied her, wondering why she hadn't even twitched when he fell on her. The thought crossed him mind that she might have passed out or died somehow.
No…she was conscious. She was holding her shoulders, curled up into a ball, trembling. She was a small Italian girl, short but she had to be around 19 or so. Dark olive skin, ravens-black hair to her waist. It had obviously been much longer…the fire had burned away about 6 inches of hair. Looking at her clothes smudged with black, seeing the Italian Royal Crest on her shoulder, he realized something.
This girl was no civilian. She was royalty.
"Hey," He whispered, shaking her shoulder, "are you okay? The explosions are over."
She trembled another moment. Then her eyes flared open and she came to life. She twisted beneath him and they were face to face. Her eyes were a bright jade green. What surprised him was her reaction. In her eyes, he saw raging hatred.
"You idiot!!" She spat darkly, "What the hell did you go and do that for??"
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AnimeCat: OK, this is just a test. This is the prologue, not the first chapter. Can I please get some reviews for this? I've been working on the plot and the first 2 chapters for almost a week now…I'd hate to see it go to waste. Sorry about any OOCness…I tried my best to not have any but I'm not sure…
I know I really didn't go into the story well, too much on Heero and Relena's relationship, or lack thereof, but I wanted to give a clear idea of what might have happened in the years past and how they've grown on each other. Did I do okay?
Ya wanna know what's up with that girl? Review!!