"What have I done?" she murmered, sinking to her knees beside the fallen body. Blood was pooling around the form and spilling onter her flowing white nightgown, staining it bright crimson.
She saw the bloodied knife laying at her feet, and her eyes widened. Reaching out, she cradled the sharp object in her hands. Tears started streaming down her face, and she threw the weapon acrossed the room. She brought her hands to her face, to somehow block out reality, but recoiled when she saw then covered in blood. Peering over at the figure, she felt the blood cooling quickly on the floor. She could only see the body's back, but it was enough. The long, platinum hair of Millardo Peacecraft lay coated with the life-giving substance.
She screamed, a cry of desperation that ripped from her throat and filled the vacant mansion, causing some sparrows to take flight outside in the night.
Moments later, the door burst open and another figure appeared.
"Help me!" she cried out, running to the figure, her bloodied hands outsretched, "Millardo's dead!"
The figure let her embrace it, but showed no feeling towards her plight. It replied to her in a monotone voice.
"Relena, what have you done?"
~*~
"Heero?" Relena looked up into the cold blue eyes of her bodyguard. He stepped away from her and began inspecting Millardo's room.
"No signs of forced entry...none of struggle, either, " he stopped and turned to Relena. "Tell me you didn't do this."
She looked at him frightenedly. "I...I can't remember...I fell asleep in my own room, and then I'm standing over him, and he's dead!" She started to shake uncontollably, and then she collapsed.
"Relena!" Heero dove to catch her seconds before she hit the floor. Cradling her slight body, the soldier carried the blonde princess to her room and gently laid her on the bed.
Turning, he picked up the phone that was located on the nightstand, and dialed a number.
"Preventers HQ, this is 01..there's been a murder at the Peacecraft Mansion. Send a team in to secure the peremiter."
Putting the phone back in its cradle, Heero turned to see Relena sitting up in her bed, staring at him.
"You think I did this, don't you?" she asked, her head bowing from his gaze.
A flicker of emotion crossed his face, but the stony mask he wore served its purpose...for the moment.
"I will not be able to come to a conlcusion until the forensics team arrives."
Relena sighed and looked down at her hands; they were shaking uncontrolably.
Heero was torn. On one hand, he wanted to beleive what she said. In his mind, there was no way that his charge was capable of such brutal violence. On the other hand, he had to listen to that tiny voice in the back of his mind, saying that all the evidence pointed to her.
"Heero?"
He looked up into her fightened eyes, and felt what little he had of his heart melt.
"You need to leave," he stated, his voice making his decision for him.
"What?"
"Pack your things and get out of here," Heero almost lost the tight control he had on his voice and gave away to the desperation there, but went over to her dresser and began going thorugh her clothes.
Relena jumped out of bed and ran over to him.
"But won't running away make me look guilty?" she almost demmanded. Heero abruptly stopped what he was doing and turned to face her, putting his hands on her shoulders.
"Relena, all the evidence that I've seen points directly at you. While you may not remember what happened, the police won't accept that as an excuse. You have to get out of here, unless you want to be cahrged with murder."
He turned to continue, but she stopped him, putting her tiny hand on his wrist.
"Come with me, then."
The offer hung in the air, and for a moment he was tempted.
"I can't," he replied, "I have to stay here and find out what happened. I'll tell everyone that you wern't here when I found the body."
Relena nodded her head and took the bag of clothes he held in his outstretched hand.
"Where should I go?" she asked, her small voice bordering on hysteria. Heero's cold blue eyes softened for an instant as he beheld her. Her slight frame was shaking visibly, still draped in her bloodstained nightgown.
"There is an underground safehouse in Peru that I hid out in during the wars," he instructed. "I want you to go there and STAY there until I come to get you."
She nodded and started from the room, but Heero once again stopped her. She whirled around to face him, her blonde hair flying around her, looking at him in wonder.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked him, wonderment in her blue eyes.
"I swore once I'd always protect you," Heero stated, his hand defied years of emotionless training and went to caress her tear-stained cheek. "I always keep my word."
A small smile formed on her lips as she stepped slowly away from him and the room.
Heero heard the wail of the sirens in the distance then, and looked around the blackened, now abandoned room.
"Now what am I supposed to?"
He turned when he heard the sirens coming down the drive of the Peacecraft mansion, then the slamming of car doors.
As he left the bedroom, there were hurried footsteps on the spiral staircase, then the forms of several Preventer officers came into view, being led by Sally Po.
Heero approached the group and led them into the room where Millardo's body lay.
"He was like this when I found him," the Perfect SOldier stated as the team dispersed.
"Where's Relena?" Sally inquired, pacing slowly about the room. When she didn't hear an answer, the blonde officer tunred to face Heero, only to see his eyes glued to a spot just above her head.
"Well?"
Heero let his icy gaze pierce Sally's as he stated, "I don't know."
She sighed and put her hands on her hips in frustration. "You've been her personal bodyguard for three years, never letting her out of your sight for more than 5 seconds, and now you're trying to tell me you don't know?"
He glared back at the woman. "That is exactly what I'm trying to tell you."
Sally opened her mouth to retort back, but was inturupted by one of the officers running into the room.
"Commander Po, we found something! I think you'd better come look at this."
She shot a glare at him on her way out the door, and followed the officer down the hallway. They entered Relena's room, which was abuzz with activity. There were agents everywhere. Sally walked over to Relena's bed, which was coated with blood.
"What is this?" she asked. Another officer approached her, with vial in hand.
"Commander Po," she said.
"Yes, Leuit. Powers?"
"The readouts here indicate that the blood on the bed is in fact Mr. Peacecraft's. Also, we found the weapon. The only fingerprints on it are Relena's."
Sally's eyes narrowed, then she turned to Heero, who had followed her into the room.
"I'm going to ask you one more time, Heero. Do you know where Relena is?" She was met with silence.
"Then you leave me no choice. Men," she ordered to her troops, "Bring Leuit. Commander Yui in for questioning, and gather the evidence."
Two stong men grabbed Heero's arms, and to their shock, he didn't struggle. He only looked at Sally and said,
"You can't beleive that she did this. Relena isn't capable of such violence. You know that as well as I do."
Then, he let them lead him out of the room.
~*~*
Relena ran out of the mansion in a panic, the small bundle of clothing that Heero had packed her thrown over her shoulder. She heard the sirens growing closer, and ducked into the surrounding woods on the outskirts of the property.
"Michales, Moore, you two form a team and sweep the perimeter of the grounds," a familiar voice commanded.
"Sally..." she breathed. Knowing that the Commander was an expert in her feild, Relena quickly changed from the nightgown to the jeans and sweater in the bag so that she could make her escape quickly.
As she was putting the white gown into the bag, the branches to her left snapped and crackled. She shrank down in the foliage in order to hide her location.
"Michales, what makes you think that anything is in the woods?" a deep voice asked. A more feminine, though irrate voice answered.
"I dunno, Moore, just got a feeling."
The owner of the more feminine voice kept getting closer and closer. Relena tensed, knowing that action had to be taken.
"You and you 'feelings'" Moore jested.
"Shut up! I oughta-" the voice was cut off sharply, and there was a loud crash in the brush.
"Michales!" the other officer yelled. He ran towards the sound, and came face to face with the blue eyed diplomat, who was standing over the female officer.
"I'm sorry," Relena murmmered to him.
"Vice Foreign Minister! Waht are you doing-OPHF!"
The leuitnent was silenced by a punch to the neck. He fell unconscience by his partner.
Shaking her hand in pain, Relena took off from the grounds, not looking back for anything.
~*~*
"And in other news today, the legandary pilot and leader Millardo Peacecraft was murdered in his Sanc Kingodm home early this morning. He was found by the Vice-Foriegn Minister's bodyguard. Also, Relena Peacecraft, his sister, has been named a suspect in this murder, as she is missing from her estate in Sanc. Her fingerprints were found at the crime scene, as well as on the weapon. The bodyguard, whose name hasn't been released, is being held at the Preventer's HQ and is undergoing questioning."
Duo turned off the television with a worried expression. He always knew that watching the news would make him go crazy one day. Now, he knew it had, because he just had the craziest thought.
"It would work, though," he thought. "I mean, come on? How hard would it be to break into the Preventer's HQ, anyways? And Heero has bailed me out more times than I can count. I owe him one."
He got up off the couch and ran out the door, his braid flapping behind him.
~*~*
"Now what am I supposed to do?" Relena thought, sitting on a small, puddle-jumping plane. She had obtained a fake ID and was on her way to South America.
She brushed her now black hair out of her blue eyes and sighed. She hated cutting her hair, it had been the one thing about herself that she actually liked. But she had to conceal her identity.
The polotician squirmed in her seat, not being used to traveling coach.
"PLease make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their upright positions. We will be arriving shortly."
Relena nervously swallowed. She was supposed to meet a contact of Heero's, who was to take her to the safehouse. She had no idea what he looked like. She only knew that Heero had sent him.
The plane landed without incident, and Relena shuffled off, careful to keep her head down and eyes averted.
She was walking down the terminal corridors, when she saw someone standing in front of her. First she spied the shiny black shoes, the the uniform of the Preventers. She glanced quickly at the face, which seemed Asian, before she took off running down the crowded hallway.
"Oh no, they're looking for me," she thought desperatly. "Heero must not have been able to do anything."
Hearing rushed footsteps barreling behind her, Relena ducked into the woman's bathroom and his in one of the stalls, putting her feet up on the door so she wouldn't be seen.
"Onna, get out here!" the man who had been chasing her hissed.
She didn't move, she didn't even breath as she saw his feet walk down the aisle of stalls.
"I'm the one Yui sent you to," he whispered.
"How do I know that?" she said, deciding to reveal her location. She heard a sigh, then he said,
"Yui told me that you couldn't remeber anything about the murder, but you were there at the scene when he found you."
Relena opened the stall and turned to face him.
"But you work for the Preventers. How do I know you won't turn me in?"
The man approached her and looked her hard in the eye.
"Ever since the Eve Wars, I've owed Yui a favor. He called it in."
She sighed and blew a strand of hair out of her face.
"My new name is Jade Prinkey." She offered her hand out to him. He took it and answered,
"Lt. Commander Chang Wufei." Turning, he called over his shoulder, "We should go. The quicker we get to the safehouse, the less chance someone will recognize you."
She turned to follow him and they proceeded to leave the restroom. When they were almost to the door, however, a tall blonde woman ran in and without looking. crashed into the Chinese agent.
"I'm sorry," she apologized. Then, her eyes grew wode and she screamed, "THERE'S A MAN IN THE WOMAN'S-OPHF!!!" She was silenced by a blow to the back of the neck.
"Weak, foolish onna," Wufei muttered, dragging the diplomat out the door.
"Was that necessary?" she hissed as they left the terminal and proceeded to search for his vehicle in the vast parking lot.
"She was hindering out escape," the ex-pilot countered simply. "I don't expect you to understand. And besides, if you hadn't run from me, it would have never happened."
As the Vice-Foriegn Minister climbed into the awaiting Jeep, she felt her head starting to throb. "This is going to be a long, long trip," she thougth dismally.
~*~*
Heero was shoved into his darkened cell, and fell to his knees as he felt the drugs that had been administered to him start to take affect. After twelve hours of interrogation by none other that Lady Anne, he was exhasted. But, he thought triumphantly, they still don't know were Relena is.
According to the guards that were stationed outside his cell, he had been there for three days. The Preventer's had him maximum security; he had already attempted escape twice. He would have been successful, too, if Sally Po hadn't counted on his attempts and posted more than twenty armed guards around the floor where his cell was located.
Now, there where more than thirty armed guards surrounding his cell, and he had been drugged with muscle relaxers.
The blue-eyed pilot fell backwards onto the cold cement, unable to stay upright. Staring up at the ceiling, he started counting the tiles.
"I have to keep focused," he thought. Even though he knew that there were 27 tiles. Just the same as the last four hundred times he had counted them.
It was taking all his energy to fight off the medication. He felt his limbs grow heavy and his eyes rolled back in his head. As he was on the brink of unconscienseness, he heard an explosion. Not just an explosion, but a very loud one that shook the entire prison.
Jolted back to reality, Heero saw a silohette rush into his cell, then help him to his feet.
"Hey 'ya, buddy!" a cheerful, familiar voice quipped, "Whaddaya say we blow this joint?"
The pilot was able to focus his eyes for a moment, and he saw the laughing countance of Duo Maxwell, self-proclaimed Shinigami.
The two ran/hobbled down the corriders of the penitentary. Mysteriously, it was vacant of guards. Heero eyed Duo warily and thought, "I don't want to know."
Running acrossed the grounds, the two climbed into Duo's truck and calmly drove out of the prison compound.
Heero felt the drugs mount against him for the second time that night, and he pressed his forehead to the cold glass of the truck's window. His last thought before succumbing to unconscienceness was that he hoped Relena was okay.
~*~*
As Wufei's Jeep pulled onto yet another bumpy side road, Relena rolled her eyes in boredom. As first, she was content to take in the foreign scenery, but after four hours, that got real old real fast. The
Suddenly, the vehicle came to a halt, startling the girl out of her reverie.
"We're here," the Chinaman stated plainly. He exited the Jeep and made his way up a windy, overgrown path. The shrubs and trees were overgrown, making the path look ancient and unwalkable. The sound of small, blood-sucking insects filled the hot afternoon air, and the diplomat grimaced in anti-anticipation.
"Hey!" Relena cried, scrambling out and running to catch up with him. "Wait for me!"
Wufei snorted in disgust, but slowed his pace. "Woman, keep up!" he growled. "This place is full of wild animals, and I don't feel like having to rescue you."
The diplomat glared at the back of his shiny black head and opened her mouth to retort back, but instead she tripped on a root that was raised in the path.
"Ow!" she cried as she felt her ankle snap.
"What now, onna?" Wufei called back over his shoulder.
"I hurt my ankle."
Sighing, he turned and picked her up, then proceeded towards the safehouse. Relena glowered. She hated beign waited upon by this self-righteous bastard. Lord knows he'll have something to say about this later, Relena thought.
~*~*
Sally sat at her desk, examining Heero's file. There wasn't much there, considering that Heero had hacked into the computer system and had managed to delete most of his profile and information.
"Hell," she thought, "He's the one who designed the bloody thing in the first place."
She put her chin in her hands and relfected on the past few days. A good friend was dead, her partner had gone AWOL, and Noin...she was a basketcase. She had been in Italy, visiting her family, when she had gotten the news. Noin had locked herself in her barracks and hadn't come out in three days. Millardo had propsed to her a month ago; the wedding was going to be in four. And to top it all off, Noin was pregnant.
"And just where is Wufei?" Sally pondered. He hadn't been to work in a couple days. He just dissapeared the day before they were assigned to the murder case.
"Could he have something to do with all this?" Sally began to peice together what she knew. "Okay, Relena has dissapeared, and Heero escaped maximum security prison with the help from someone on the outside. That we know for sure. And Wufei is unreacahble. This can't be a coincidence."
Picking up the phone, she dialed the number for the person she knew would know what the hell was going on.
"Hello, Sweepers HQ, L2's finest scavengers and technicians. How can I help you?" a feminine voice answered on the second ring.
"Yes, is Duo there, Hilde?"
There was a pause, then she answered.
"Nope. He took off a couple of days ago. Said he was going to visit an old frind."
"Ok, thanks.:
Sally hung up the phone, and immedialty felt a headache coming on.
"If they're all working together, this case could be impossible to solve."
~*~*
Hilde hung up the phone and turned to face the kitchen.
"That was Sally. She was asking about you, but I told her you took off a couple days ago."
"Thanks Babe!" Duo responded from the table, stuffing his face with a ham and cheese sandwich.
"Anytime," she replied, taking a seat.
"So Heero," the long haired pilot inquired, "How you gonna clear yours and Relena's names?"
He looked up from his laptop.
"I'll need the autopsy report of Millardo, first off. Then, I need the case file. I'll have to go back to the crime scene to see what I can find, too."
"Sounds like you've got it all figured out," Duo chuckled. "Just let me-"
"Us."
"-us, excuse me, us know if you need any help."
Heero turned back to his computer ignoring the offered assistance..
Duo grinned amiably and grabbed Hilde's hand.
"Whadaya say we leave Mr. Detective here to his own devices for a while. We'de better hook up the space hyper thrusters to that ship; if Heero's plan works, he'll need it.
The two exited the room, leaving Heero at the table to work in peace.
~*~*
You expect me to stay here?" Relena screeched at Wufei. "There's no electricity or water! There isn't even indoor plumbing! How am I supposed to survive here by myself?"
The two were standing in the center of a dilapitated house. Well, shack would be the most approproate term for the run down building.
"You won't be by yourself," The Chinses man grumbled. He went outside to the porch and let out a high pitched whistle. A couple seconds later, a huge, wolf-like dog came bursting out of the underbrush. It obediantly followed Wufei indoors.
"This," he said, indicating at the beast, "Is Amos. He will protect you from any intruders or animals that dare to venture near. Also, I will be patroling the surrounding jungle for the enemy.
"Now," he continued, crossing back to the door, "There's a week's worth of rations in the cuboards in the kitchen. I'll be back Thursday with supplies."
And with that he left, blending into the darkness of the night jungle.
"Well, looks like its just you and me, Amos," Relena said to the dog. She turned to the door just in time to see the tip of his black tail dissapear.
"Or not..."
~*~*
She opened her eyes to another painfully sunny day. Squinting, she crawled out of her bed for the first time in four days. Shakily, Noin drew the curtains closed and sat back down on their, no, her bed. She brought her arms around her and wept for the umpteenth time that week.
"He just can't be dead," she whispered softly, "He can't leave me like this. I don't know if I can handle it."
Her hand drifted down towards her midrift, where she felt the fruit of their love pulsate with life. Smiling gently, she murmered, "At least you didn't leave me with nothing, Millardo. And I know that you wouldn't want me grieving like this. That's why I've decided to leave. I can't live with the constant reminder that you're not here."
She rose from her seat on the bed and gathered her things from her stark barracks. Just as she was packing the last shirt, she heard a faint sound outside her door. Cautiously, Noin approached it, and peered out.
"Hello?" she asked. She opened the door wider to see into the hallway, and was shoved inside by a masked figure. Noin brought her gun to bear, but rethought that move, as she was looking down the barrel of her enemy's weapon.
"What do you want?" she asked the figure. A strong, feminine voice answered,
"I want the Peacecraft line dead. It is what his Majesty Trieze wishes."
Noin's eyes widened as she realized she was dealing with a psycopath. "Treize is dead! He's been dead for five years!"
"Silence!" The masked woman shouted. Both heard hurried footfalls rushing down the corrider.
"Another time, perhaps," the figure, with gun still aimed at Noin's head, made her escape out the open window, tearing the curtains down in her wake.
"Lt. Cm. Noin! Are you alright?" another figure, this one clad in kakhis and a light blue shirt, entered the room hurridly.
"Yes, I am, Quatre. I fear the situation had become more complicated than originaly thought. By the way, what are you doing here?"
The blonde Arab smiled. "I came to try to convince to you to come out and rejoin civilization. I see I'm too late, though," he stated, pointing to her packed bag.
"I have to leave here, Quatre. It hurts to much..." she trailed off, tears threatening to fall once again.
"Alright, then. Why don't you stay at my place. There is top notch security, and I can get in touch with the Preventers to tell them where you are."
"Thanks, Quatre."
"Anytime. I owed you one, anyways."
Both smiled at each other, and left the room, Quatre carrying the heavy bag.
~*~*
"So you're saying that the person who attacked Noin wants the Peacecraft's dead?" Sally said into the phone, making sure she had her facts stragiht. "So, then its logical to assume the killer isn't Relena as we had originally thought. Thanks Quatre, you've been very helpful."
Sally hung up the phone and sat back in her chair, thinking. The voice was strong, Quatre said. A woman's voice. And she wanted the Peacecraft's dead. But then, why hadn't Heero seen this person entering the Mansion? Then again, maybe he had....
The agent stood up suddenly and strood into Lady Anne's office. "Lady Anne, I think I have a lead on this case-"
She was waved silent as the comander in chief of the Preventers finished a phone call.
"Yes, just make sure its taken care of. Tonight, no later than that, we have to stop them." She hung up the phone and turned to Sally then and smiled warmly. "Now, you said something about having a lead on the murder case?"
"Yes," she repleid. "I just got a call from Quatre up on L4. He said that Noin was attacked last night by a tall woman with a very strong voice. She said that she wanted the Peacecraft line dead, thats what Trieze wishes."
"I see," Lady Anne answered, obviously distressed. "I want you to put up a twenty four hour guard around Noin."
The commader stood up and gathered some papers from her desk. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with the diplomats of the South Chinese Government."
Sally also rose and saluted. "Yes ma'am. Noin is at Quatre's Mansion and has the proper security. But what about Relena? Shouldn't we try to find her and protect her?"
Lady Anne stiffened feo a moment and turned around. "If you've forgoten, Leiut. Com., Miss Peacecraft is still missing. For all we know, she was the one who attacked Noin. I want the search parties and bounty hunters we hired out looking for her 24/7, got it?"
"Yes ma'am," Sally saluted again, and followed her out of the office. Something in her gut was telling her that this was wrong. That Relena wasn't the killer. But orders were orders, she thought dejectedly as she called the commader of the search parties.
~*~*
"So, Heero. You got anything yet?" Duo asked for the millionth time that evening. Heero cast his Death Glare at him, and he shut up.
"Geeze, I was just wonderin'."
A beep sounded from his computer and he looked up with a slight grin on his face. "I've got the case file here."
Both Duo and Hilde crowded around to see the information.
"It says that Relena still the prime suspect. They have people looking for her. Also, it states that there were remnants of some sort of drug in Millardo's system at the time of the autopsy."
"Look at that!" Duo excitedly pointed to a section on the computer screen, and Heero smacked his hand away. Duo glared at him, and stuck his tongue out. "It says that Noin was attacked yesterday by some woman. That wasn't Relena, I'm betting."
"It also says," Hilde stated, reading further, "that the woman who attacked her wants the PEacecraft's dead. If she found Noin at the base, then they could probably find Relena."
"And how do you think they're going to do that?" Duo asked confidently. "Our buddy Heero here hid her so well, I bet HE doesn't even know where."
Suddenly, Heero realized what Hilde was getting at. "The killer probably counted on the Peacecraft's gettting help from us Gundam Pilots. So they have been spying on us all this time! Damn!"
"So, what's the problem?" Duo wondered. "She's not with any of us, is she?" Heero gave him a look, and Duo shouted, "You idiot! YOu are the taco supreme of all idiots! I can't beleive you, Yui! Whose she with?"
"Wufei."
"You stuck her with Wufei?" Duo screeched, well into his ranting. "That's inhuman, even for you!"
"Enough with the fighting, boys," Hilde interjected. "We have to go after Relena."
There was a unanimous vote, then they tore out of the house and to the space port.
~*~*
The jungle was well into darkness when Wufei came back to the safehouse.
"What are you doing here?" Relena asked hotly from the couch, Her ankle had swelled considerably, and she was unable to move.
"I got word from Heero. He said to stand by."
"You heard from Heero?" Relena immediatly sat up and tried to stand. Pain shot up from her foot, and she was forced to sit back down.
"Yes. It seemd that the killer is after you now. She wants the Peaceraft line destroyed. She can't get to Noin because she is being heavily guarded at the moment. You're the obviuos target."
Relena huffed. "I'm NOT a target, Mr. Chang! I can stand up for myself!"
Wufei raised an eyebrow and suppressed a chuckle.
"Miss Peacecraft, when I see that, then I will have seen everything."
The diplomat strode over to him, slightly limping on her injured ankle, and held her hand out.
"Do you have an extra gun?"
Smirking, Wufei offered her his 9mm semi automatic.
"To fire, you..."
He trailed off when Relena released the clip, checked the ammo, and then slid in back into place with a flourish. She released the safety and held her trigger finger ready.
"Which direction is the emeny coming in?" She turned to see the Chinese agent's mouth slighty agape and his eyes wide as saucers.
"Please," she said arrogantly, "I have to know how to defend myself. Heero IS only human, after all."
There was a rustle in the bushes, and a tall figure stepped out, staying close to the shadows that concealed it. The dog, Amos, heard it from outside, and rush the figure silently, but it brought its leg around and kicked the animal, falling it without a sound.
"Stay here," Wufei commanded. Relena nodded, her throat suddenly dry and parched.
Wufei caustiously approached the door, and pressed himself against the wall. The figure stalked towards the door, and opened it with a light hand. The chinese man whirled around to point his gun at the figure, but it brought its gun around faster and shot him point blank in the chest.
"Those who stand in my way are hindering His Majesty's wishes," the female voice sounded. She looked around the ramshackle cabin, looking for the Peacecraft princess.
Suddenly, from behind, there was the impression of a gun on the back of her neck.
"Turn around slowly, and raise your hands to where I can see them," Relena demmanded.
The figure chuckled, but did as it was told.
"I should have known that you would have done that. The Peacecraft's, although known for their bravery, are also known for their stupidity."
Relena blinked. "What do you mean?"
She laughed. "All these years, I've been waiting, just for the right time to complete my mission, one I failed six years ago. It was dissapointing and humiliating. And now, I'm going to finish you off for that!"
The gun in Relena's hand started to shake. "Who are you?"
The figure laughed again, a sinister laugh that seemed strangly familiar to her.
"I am many people, my dear. But you have known me as all of them."
Then, the figure abruptly charged Relena and knocked her off her feet, the gun going off into the ceiling.
The tables were now turned as Relena stared down the nozzle of her enemy's own gun.
"It has been fun, I must say, m'dear," she gloated, "But it must come to an end."
The diplomat faced her death with a regal expression. "Coward. You hide behind that mask, just like my brother did. Show your face, and kill me like a true warrior."
The figure hesitated for a moment, then said, "Very well. I guess you are entitled to that much."
She slowly raised the mask off her face, and Relena's eyes marrowed in dislbelief.
"Lady Anne? But why?"
"NO! Not Ann! Not that weakling!" she gloated, "But Une! And I'm going to finish something that I should have a long time ago."
The gun was pointed at her head, and Une's finger pressed on the trigger. It all happened in slow motion.
"Long live Master Trieze," she muttered under her breath. Then, the shot rang out into the jungle.
~*~*
"Heero! Can't you drive any faster!" Duo whined. The jeep came to an abrupt halt at the foot of the jungle path. Quickly, they ran up the path, frightened that the killer had beaten them there. The many branches and shrubs grabbed their feet and arms, stinging them and trying to trip them up.
As they came upon the shack, they saw the door hanging wide open, and Wufei laying in the doorstep. Heero's eyes hardened as he slipped into Perfect Soldier mode, and he stealthily approached the safehouse, gun in hand.
He peeked in the door, and saw Relena on her knees, and Lady Ann pointing a gun at her head.
"Long live Master Treize," he heard her mutter. Heero then acted upon instinct and raised his gun to eye level. He pulled the trigger, and Lady Ann staggered.
Relena opened her tighly shut eyes and looked around warily.
"Am I dead?" she said out loud. Then she saw Lady Une fall to the ground beside her. She scooted away from the body, teriffied.
Heero entered the small house then, and saw Relena backing away in fear.
"Relena," he said, before he could stop himself. She quickly turned her head and saw him standing in the doorway.
"Heero!" She tried to stand, but her ankle gave out on her, and she fell to the floor in a heap.
Heero knelt by her side and put an arm around her.
"Are you ok?"
She looked up him, and their gaze locked. For a moment, all the craziness that had happened over the past few days disapeared, and they were the only two people in the world.
"Hey, 'jousan!" an over-exhuberent voice called from the doorway. He tripped on Wufei, and fell on his face.
"Ow...oh my God, Wufei!" Duo scrambled around and put his hand to his neck.
"He still has a pulse. Its strong, too. He'll be okay, I think he just passed out."
Hilde, who had dragged in the wolflike dog, brushed him away, and examined him more thouroghly. "He was shot in the chest, right below the manubrium. It looks like the bullet went straight through, too. This dog was in the yard, Relena. It'll be okay, too. Just some broken ribs."
The moment shattered, Heero and Relena stood; Heero supporting her with his own weight.
"We'll need to get him to a hospital," Relena stated.
"No need for that," another familiar voice called from out in the darkness. Sally Po appeared with support troops. She looked from the body of Lady Une, then to Relena and Heero. Then to Duo and Hilde.
"Visiting an old friend, huh Hilde?"
The short girl gave a nervous laugh and nodded.
"What happened here?" the Commander asked, kneeling by her fallen partner.
"Wufei. Hey Wufei, wake up." She urged her partner to regain conscieneness by gently shaking him.
"Lady Une tried to kill me," Relena stated simply. "She also tried to kill Noin, and she killed my brother."
Sally nodded. "I figured as much. I had a hunch it was the Lady. Noin's description was right on, and I knew it had to be someone Heero knew and trusted, to have free run of the Mansion. She had been acting funny this morning when I questioned her about Noin. And then I asked to find and protect you, but she brushed me off. That's when I knew that she was the one behind all this."
THe other officers began filing in and cleaning up.
"She was there that night, Heero," Relena whispered as the Preventers led them out of the safehouse. "She had come to see my brother about some trade agreement, and we ended up having drinks with her."
Heero nodded. "When I read the case report, it told me that not only Millardo's blood was found with a powerful chemical in it, but yours was found, as well. With the same chemical in it. She must have been trying to make you think that you killed your brother by planting that whole scene when you found him."
Relena started to shake with sorrow. "Please, Heero. Let's not talk about this anymore."
They, along with Duo and Hilde, were led to an awaiting transport.
"Why do you think she did it, Duo?" Hilde asked, lowering her voice so that Relena couldn't hear them.
"I dunno, babe," he answered worridly. "People do strange things for strange reasons. Maybe she finally snapped."
Hilde nodded, and Duo put his arm around her, holding her shivering body closer to his as they boarded the transport.
~*~*
Wufei sat crankily in the hospital bed, needles and wires attached to him. He could harldy move, much less anything else.
"Woman!" he belowed, "Get in here!"
Sally sauntered in with his medical chart in hand.
"That's LT. Cm. Woman to you, sir. You have some visitors who insisted on seeing you."
"Visitors," he growled to himself, "Its just a gunshot wound, people think I'm dying or something...."
He trailed off when he saw Heero, Duo, Relena, and Hilde enter the room.
"Hey Wu-man!"
"Shut up, Maxwell. I am NOT in the mood for your shenanigans."
Hilde gigled. "He just said 'shenanigans'."
Glowering, Wufei hissed, "Why have you all come? I wish to heal and be up, not bothered by all of you."
Relena stepped forward and grinned. "I just wanted to thank you. For putting up with me."
For an instant, Wufei was speechless. Then, he recovered his tongue and stated,
"What was I supossed to do, woman? I took a vow to protect the weak when I joined the Preventers, and that's what I did."
He humphed and crossed his arms over his chest. The group just smiled and rolled their eyes, knowing that was his way of saying, "You're Welcome." As the quartet left the room, Heero looked over his shoulder.
"Thanks. Now, we're even."
"Yeah, even." Wufei said, echoing him.
Once outside, Relena looked at Heero out of the corner of her eye and smiled. And to her suprise, he didn't scowl at her, as was his custom. Instead, his face softened just a bit and allowed a very tiny grin to form on his lips.
"So, Heero," she asked almost timidly. "What are you going to do now?"
He stopped, letting Duo and Hilde walk on ahead of them.
"I swore to you once I'd always protect you," he answered.
Once again, as it had done so few days ago, Heero's hand defied years of strict training and reached out to caress the cheek of the girl before him.
"I always keep my word."
Without the immediate danger surrounding them, Heero allowed his defenses to drop. He leaned down toards her and kissed her soft lips.
Relena closed her eyes and accepted this warm embrace from her bodyguard, knowing that, indeed, he was only human.
~*~*
Owarii
She saw the bloodied knife laying at her feet, and her eyes widened. Reaching out, she cradled the sharp object in her hands. Tears started streaming down her face, and she threw the weapon acrossed the room. She brought her hands to her face, to somehow block out reality, but recoiled when she saw then covered in blood. Peering over at the figure, she felt the blood cooling quickly on the floor. She could only see the body's back, but it was enough. The long, platinum hair of Millardo Peacecraft lay coated with the life-giving substance.
She screamed, a cry of desperation that ripped from her throat and filled the vacant mansion, causing some sparrows to take flight outside in the night.
Moments later, the door burst open and another figure appeared.
"Help me!" she cried out, running to the figure, her bloodied hands outsretched, "Millardo's dead!"
The figure let her embrace it, but showed no feeling towards her plight. It replied to her in a monotone voice.
"Relena, what have you done?"
~*~
"Heero?" Relena looked up into the cold blue eyes of her bodyguard. He stepped away from her and began inspecting Millardo's room.
"No signs of forced entry...none of struggle, either, " he stopped and turned to Relena. "Tell me you didn't do this."
She looked at him frightenedly. "I...I can't remember...I fell asleep in my own room, and then I'm standing over him, and he's dead!" She started to shake uncontollably, and then she collapsed.
"Relena!" Heero dove to catch her seconds before she hit the floor. Cradling her slight body, the soldier carried the blonde princess to her room and gently laid her on the bed.
Turning, he picked up the phone that was located on the nightstand, and dialed a number.
"Preventers HQ, this is 01..there's been a murder at the Peacecraft Mansion. Send a team in to secure the peremiter."
Putting the phone back in its cradle, Heero turned to see Relena sitting up in her bed, staring at him.
"You think I did this, don't you?" she asked, her head bowing from his gaze.
A flicker of emotion crossed his face, but the stony mask he wore served its purpose...for the moment.
"I will not be able to come to a conlcusion until the forensics team arrives."
Relena sighed and looked down at her hands; they were shaking uncontrolably.
Heero was torn. On one hand, he wanted to beleive what she said. In his mind, there was no way that his charge was capable of such brutal violence. On the other hand, he had to listen to that tiny voice in the back of his mind, saying that all the evidence pointed to her.
"Heero?"
He looked up into her fightened eyes, and felt what little he had of his heart melt.
"You need to leave," he stated, his voice making his decision for him.
"What?"
"Pack your things and get out of here," Heero almost lost the tight control he had on his voice and gave away to the desperation there, but went over to her dresser and began going thorugh her clothes.
Relena jumped out of bed and ran over to him.
"But won't running away make me look guilty?" she almost demmanded. Heero abruptly stopped what he was doing and turned to face her, putting his hands on her shoulders.
"Relena, all the evidence that I've seen points directly at you. While you may not remember what happened, the police won't accept that as an excuse. You have to get out of here, unless you want to be cahrged with murder."
He turned to continue, but she stopped him, putting her tiny hand on his wrist.
"Come with me, then."
The offer hung in the air, and for a moment he was tempted.
"I can't," he replied, "I have to stay here and find out what happened. I'll tell everyone that you wern't here when I found the body."
Relena nodded her head and took the bag of clothes he held in his outstretched hand.
"Where should I go?" she asked, her small voice bordering on hysteria. Heero's cold blue eyes softened for an instant as he beheld her. Her slight frame was shaking visibly, still draped in her bloodstained nightgown.
"There is an underground safehouse in Peru that I hid out in during the wars," he instructed. "I want you to go there and STAY there until I come to get you."
She nodded and started from the room, but Heero once again stopped her. She whirled around to face him, her blonde hair flying around her, looking at him in wonder.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked him, wonderment in her blue eyes.
"I swore once I'd always protect you," Heero stated, his hand defied years of emotionless training and went to caress her tear-stained cheek. "I always keep my word."
A small smile formed on her lips as she stepped slowly away from him and the room.
Heero heard the wail of the sirens in the distance then, and looked around the blackened, now abandoned room.
"Now what am I supposed to?"
He turned when he heard the sirens coming down the drive of the Peacecraft mansion, then the slamming of car doors.
As he left the bedroom, there were hurried footsteps on the spiral staircase, then the forms of several Preventer officers came into view, being led by Sally Po.
Heero approached the group and led them into the room where Millardo's body lay.
"He was like this when I found him," the Perfect SOldier stated as the team dispersed.
"Where's Relena?" Sally inquired, pacing slowly about the room. When she didn't hear an answer, the blonde officer tunred to face Heero, only to see his eyes glued to a spot just above her head.
"Well?"
Heero let his icy gaze pierce Sally's as he stated, "I don't know."
She sighed and put her hands on her hips in frustration. "You've been her personal bodyguard for three years, never letting her out of your sight for more than 5 seconds, and now you're trying to tell me you don't know?"
He glared back at the woman. "That is exactly what I'm trying to tell you."
Sally opened her mouth to retort back, but was inturupted by one of the officers running into the room.
"Commander Po, we found something! I think you'd better come look at this."
She shot a glare at him on her way out the door, and followed the officer down the hallway. They entered Relena's room, which was abuzz with activity. There were agents everywhere. Sally walked over to Relena's bed, which was coated with blood.
"What is this?" she asked. Another officer approached her, with vial in hand.
"Commander Po," she said.
"Yes, Leuit. Powers?"
"The readouts here indicate that the blood on the bed is in fact Mr. Peacecraft's. Also, we found the weapon. The only fingerprints on it are Relena's."
Sally's eyes narrowed, then she turned to Heero, who had followed her into the room.
"I'm going to ask you one more time, Heero. Do you know where Relena is?" She was met with silence.
"Then you leave me no choice. Men," she ordered to her troops, "Bring Leuit. Commander Yui in for questioning, and gather the evidence."
Two stong men grabbed Heero's arms, and to their shock, he didn't struggle. He only looked at Sally and said,
"You can't beleive that she did this. Relena isn't capable of such violence. You know that as well as I do."
Then, he let them lead him out of the room.
~*~*
Relena ran out of the mansion in a panic, the small bundle of clothing that Heero had packed her thrown over her shoulder. She heard the sirens growing closer, and ducked into the surrounding woods on the outskirts of the property.
"Michales, Moore, you two form a team and sweep the perimeter of the grounds," a familiar voice commanded.
"Sally..." she breathed. Knowing that the Commander was an expert in her feild, Relena quickly changed from the nightgown to the jeans and sweater in the bag so that she could make her escape quickly.
As she was putting the white gown into the bag, the branches to her left snapped and crackled. She shrank down in the foliage in order to hide her location.
"Michales, what makes you think that anything is in the woods?" a deep voice asked. A more feminine, though irrate voice answered.
"I dunno, Moore, just got a feeling."
The owner of the more feminine voice kept getting closer and closer. Relena tensed, knowing that action had to be taken.
"You and you 'feelings'" Moore jested.
"Shut up! I oughta-" the voice was cut off sharply, and there was a loud crash in the brush.
"Michales!" the other officer yelled. He ran towards the sound, and came face to face with the blue eyed diplomat, who was standing over the female officer.
"I'm sorry," Relena murmmered to him.
"Vice Foreign Minister! Waht are you doing-OPHF!"
The leuitnent was silenced by a punch to the neck. He fell unconscience by his partner.
Shaking her hand in pain, Relena took off from the grounds, not looking back for anything.
~*~*
"And in other news today, the legandary pilot and leader Millardo Peacecraft was murdered in his Sanc Kingodm home early this morning. He was found by the Vice-Foriegn Minister's bodyguard. Also, Relena Peacecraft, his sister, has been named a suspect in this murder, as she is missing from her estate in Sanc. Her fingerprints were found at the crime scene, as well as on the weapon. The bodyguard, whose name hasn't been released, is being held at the Preventer's HQ and is undergoing questioning."
Duo turned off the television with a worried expression. He always knew that watching the news would make him go crazy one day. Now, he knew it had, because he just had the craziest thought.
"It would work, though," he thought. "I mean, come on? How hard would it be to break into the Preventer's HQ, anyways? And Heero has bailed me out more times than I can count. I owe him one."
He got up off the couch and ran out the door, his braid flapping behind him.
~*~*
"Now what am I supposed to do?" Relena thought, sitting on a small, puddle-jumping plane. She had obtained a fake ID and was on her way to South America.
She brushed her now black hair out of her blue eyes and sighed. She hated cutting her hair, it had been the one thing about herself that she actually liked. But she had to conceal her identity.
The polotician squirmed in her seat, not being used to traveling coach.
"PLease make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their upright positions. We will be arriving shortly."
Relena nervously swallowed. She was supposed to meet a contact of Heero's, who was to take her to the safehouse. She had no idea what he looked like. She only knew that Heero had sent him.
The plane landed without incident, and Relena shuffled off, careful to keep her head down and eyes averted.
She was walking down the terminal corridors, when she saw someone standing in front of her. First she spied the shiny black shoes, the the uniform of the Preventers. She glanced quickly at the face, which seemed Asian, before she took off running down the crowded hallway.
"Oh no, they're looking for me," she thought desperatly. "Heero must not have been able to do anything."
Hearing rushed footsteps barreling behind her, Relena ducked into the woman's bathroom and his in one of the stalls, putting her feet up on the door so she wouldn't be seen.
"Onna, get out here!" the man who had been chasing her hissed.
She didn't move, she didn't even breath as she saw his feet walk down the aisle of stalls.
"I'm the one Yui sent you to," he whispered.
"How do I know that?" she said, deciding to reveal her location. She heard a sigh, then he said,
"Yui told me that you couldn't remeber anything about the murder, but you were there at the scene when he found you."
Relena opened the stall and turned to face him.
"But you work for the Preventers. How do I know you won't turn me in?"
The man approached her and looked her hard in the eye.
"Ever since the Eve Wars, I've owed Yui a favor. He called it in."
She sighed and blew a strand of hair out of her face.
"My new name is Jade Prinkey." She offered her hand out to him. He took it and answered,
"Lt. Commander Chang Wufei." Turning, he called over his shoulder, "We should go. The quicker we get to the safehouse, the less chance someone will recognize you."
She turned to follow him and they proceeded to leave the restroom. When they were almost to the door, however, a tall blonde woman ran in and without looking. crashed into the Chinese agent.
"I'm sorry," she apologized. Then, her eyes grew wode and she screamed, "THERE'S A MAN IN THE WOMAN'S-OPHF!!!" She was silenced by a blow to the back of the neck.
"Weak, foolish onna," Wufei muttered, dragging the diplomat out the door.
"Was that necessary?" she hissed as they left the terminal and proceeded to search for his vehicle in the vast parking lot.
"She was hindering out escape," the ex-pilot countered simply. "I don't expect you to understand. And besides, if you hadn't run from me, it would have never happened."
As the Vice-Foriegn Minister climbed into the awaiting Jeep, she felt her head starting to throb. "This is going to be a long, long trip," she thougth dismally.
~*~*
Heero was shoved into his darkened cell, and fell to his knees as he felt the drugs that had been administered to him start to take affect. After twelve hours of interrogation by none other that Lady Anne, he was exhasted. But, he thought triumphantly, they still don't know were Relena is.
According to the guards that were stationed outside his cell, he had been there for three days. The Preventer's had him maximum security; he had already attempted escape twice. He would have been successful, too, if Sally Po hadn't counted on his attempts and posted more than twenty armed guards around the floor where his cell was located.
Now, there where more than thirty armed guards surrounding his cell, and he had been drugged with muscle relaxers.
The blue-eyed pilot fell backwards onto the cold cement, unable to stay upright. Staring up at the ceiling, he started counting the tiles.
"I have to keep focused," he thought. Even though he knew that there were 27 tiles. Just the same as the last four hundred times he had counted them.
It was taking all his energy to fight off the medication. He felt his limbs grow heavy and his eyes rolled back in his head. As he was on the brink of unconscienseness, he heard an explosion. Not just an explosion, but a very loud one that shook the entire prison.
Jolted back to reality, Heero saw a silohette rush into his cell, then help him to his feet.
"Hey 'ya, buddy!" a cheerful, familiar voice quipped, "Whaddaya say we blow this joint?"
The pilot was able to focus his eyes for a moment, and he saw the laughing countance of Duo Maxwell, self-proclaimed Shinigami.
The two ran/hobbled down the corriders of the penitentary. Mysteriously, it was vacant of guards. Heero eyed Duo warily and thought, "I don't want to know."
Running acrossed the grounds, the two climbed into Duo's truck and calmly drove out of the prison compound.
Heero felt the drugs mount against him for the second time that night, and he pressed his forehead to the cold glass of the truck's window. His last thought before succumbing to unconscienceness was that he hoped Relena was okay.
~*~*
As Wufei's Jeep pulled onto yet another bumpy side road, Relena rolled her eyes in boredom. As first, she was content to take in the foreign scenery, but after four hours, that got real old real fast. The
Suddenly, the vehicle came to a halt, startling the girl out of her reverie.
"We're here," the Chinaman stated plainly. He exited the Jeep and made his way up a windy, overgrown path. The shrubs and trees were overgrown, making the path look ancient and unwalkable. The sound of small, blood-sucking insects filled the hot afternoon air, and the diplomat grimaced in anti-anticipation.
"Hey!" Relena cried, scrambling out and running to catch up with him. "Wait for me!"
Wufei snorted in disgust, but slowed his pace. "Woman, keep up!" he growled. "This place is full of wild animals, and I don't feel like having to rescue you."
The diplomat glared at the back of his shiny black head and opened her mouth to retort back, but instead she tripped on a root that was raised in the path.
"Ow!" she cried as she felt her ankle snap.
"What now, onna?" Wufei called back over his shoulder.
"I hurt my ankle."
Sighing, he turned and picked her up, then proceeded towards the safehouse. Relena glowered. She hated beign waited upon by this self-righteous bastard. Lord knows he'll have something to say about this later, Relena thought.
~*~*
Sally sat at her desk, examining Heero's file. There wasn't much there, considering that Heero had hacked into the computer system and had managed to delete most of his profile and information.
"Hell," she thought, "He's the one who designed the bloody thing in the first place."
She put her chin in her hands and relfected on the past few days. A good friend was dead, her partner had gone AWOL, and Noin...she was a basketcase. She had been in Italy, visiting her family, when she had gotten the news. Noin had locked herself in her barracks and hadn't come out in three days. Millardo had propsed to her a month ago; the wedding was going to be in four. And to top it all off, Noin was pregnant.
"And just where is Wufei?" Sally pondered. He hadn't been to work in a couple days. He just dissapeared the day before they were assigned to the murder case.
"Could he have something to do with all this?" Sally began to peice together what she knew. "Okay, Relena has dissapeared, and Heero escaped maximum security prison with the help from someone on the outside. That we know for sure. And Wufei is unreacahble. This can't be a coincidence."
Picking up the phone, she dialed the number for the person she knew would know what the hell was going on.
"Hello, Sweepers HQ, L2's finest scavengers and technicians. How can I help you?" a feminine voice answered on the second ring.
"Yes, is Duo there, Hilde?"
There was a pause, then she answered.
"Nope. He took off a couple of days ago. Said he was going to visit an old frind."
"Ok, thanks.:
Sally hung up the phone, and immedialty felt a headache coming on.
"If they're all working together, this case could be impossible to solve."
~*~*
Hilde hung up the phone and turned to face the kitchen.
"That was Sally. She was asking about you, but I told her you took off a couple days ago."
"Thanks Babe!" Duo responded from the table, stuffing his face with a ham and cheese sandwich.
"Anytime," she replied, taking a seat.
"So Heero," the long haired pilot inquired, "How you gonna clear yours and Relena's names?"
He looked up from his laptop.
"I'll need the autopsy report of Millardo, first off. Then, I need the case file. I'll have to go back to the crime scene to see what I can find, too."
"Sounds like you've got it all figured out," Duo chuckled. "Just let me-"
"Us."
"-us, excuse me, us know if you need any help."
Heero turned back to his computer ignoring the offered assistance..
Duo grinned amiably and grabbed Hilde's hand.
"Whadaya say we leave Mr. Detective here to his own devices for a while. We'de better hook up the space hyper thrusters to that ship; if Heero's plan works, he'll need it.
The two exited the room, leaving Heero at the table to work in peace.
~*~*
You expect me to stay here?" Relena screeched at Wufei. "There's no electricity or water! There isn't even indoor plumbing! How am I supposed to survive here by myself?"
The two were standing in the center of a dilapitated house. Well, shack would be the most approproate term for the run down building.
"You won't be by yourself," The Chinses man grumbled. He went outside to the porch and let out a high pitched whistle. A couple seconds later, a huge, wolf-like dog came bursting out of the underbrush. It obediantly followed Wufei indoors.
"This," he said, indicating at the beast, "Is Amos. He will protect you from any intruders or animals that dare to venture near. Also, I will be patroling the surrounding jungle for the enemy.
"Now," he continued, crossing back to the door, "There's a week's worth of rations in the cuboards in the kitchen. I'll be back Thursday with supplies."
And with that he left, blending into the darkness of the night jungle.
"Well, looks like its just you and me, Amos," Relena said to the dog. She turned to the door just in time to see the tip of his black tail dissapear.
"Or not..."
~*~*
She opened her eyes to another painfully sunny day. Squinting, she crawled out of her bed for the first time in four days. Shakily, Noin drew the curtains closed and sat back down on their, no, her bed. She brought her arms around her and wept for the umpteenth time that week.
"He just can't be dead," she whispered softly, "He can't leave me like this. I don't know if I can handle it."
Her hand drifted down towards her midrift, where she felt the fruit of their love pulsate with life. Smiling gently, she murmered, "At least you didn't leave me with nothing, Millardo. And I know that you wouldn't want me grieving like this. That's why I've decided to leave. I can't live with the constant reminder that you're not here."
She rose from her seat on the bed and gathered her things from her stark barracks. Just as she was packing the last shirt, she heard a faint sound outside her door. Cautiously, Noin approached it, and peered out.
"Hello?" she asked. She opened the door wider to see into the hallway, and was shoved inside by a masked figure. Noin brought her gun to bear, but rethought that move, as she was looking down the barrel of her enemy's weapon.
"What do you want?" she asked the figure. A strong, feminine voice answered,
"I want the Peacecraft line dead. It is what his Majesty Trieze wishes."
Noin's eyes widened as she realized she was dealing with a psycopath. "Treize is dead! He's been dead for five years!"
"Silence!" The masked woman shouted. Both heard hurried footfalls rushing down the corrider.
"Another time, perhaps," the figure, with gun still aimed at Noin's head, made her escape out the open window, tearing the curtains down in her wake.
"Lt. Cm. Noin! Are you alright?" another figure, this one clad in kakhis and a light blue shirt, entered the room hurridly.
"Yes, I am, Quatre. I fear the situation had become more complicated than originaly thought. By the way, what are you doing here?"
The blonde Arab smiled. "I came to try to convince to you to come out and rejoin civilization. I see I'm too late, though," he stated, pointing to her packed bag.
"I have to leave here, Quatre. It hurts to much..." she trailed off, tears threatening to fall once again.
"Alright, then. Why don't you stay at my place. There is top notch security, and I can get in touch with the Preventers to tell them where you are."
"Thanks, Quatre."
"Anytime. I owed you one, anyways."
Both smiled at each other, and left the room, Quatre carrying the heavy bag.
~*~*
"So you're saying that the person who attacked Noin wants the Peacecraft's dead?" Sally said into the phone, making sure she had her facts stragiht. "So, then its logical to assume the killer isn't Relena as we had originally thought. Thanks Quatre, you've been very helpful."
Sally hung up the phone and sat back in her chair, thinking. The voice was strong, Quatre said. A woman's voice. And she wanted the Peacecraft's dead. But then, why hadn't Heero seen this person entering the Mansion? Then again, maybe he had....
The agent stood up suddenly and strood into Lady Anne's office. "Lady Anne, I think I have a lead on this case-"
She was waved silent as the comander in chief of the Preventers finished a phone call.
"Yes, just make sure its taken care of. Tonight, no later than that, we have to stop them." She hung up the phone and turned to Sally then and smiled warmly. "Now, you said something about having a lead on the murder case?"
"Yes," she repleid. "I just got a call from Quatre up on L4. He said that Noin was attacked last night by a tall woman with a very strong voice. She said that she wanted the Peacecraft line dead, thats what Trieze wishes."
"I see," Lady Anne answered, obviously distressed. "I want you to put up a twenty four hour guard around Noin."
The commader stood up and gathered some papers from her desk. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with the diplomats of the South Chinese Government."
Sally also rose and saluted. "Yes ma'am. Noin is at Quatre's Mansion and has the proper security. But what about Relena? Shouldn't we try to find her and protect her?"
Lady Anne stiffened feo a moment and turned around. "If you've forgoten, Leiut. Com., Miss Peacecraft is still missing. For all we know, she was the one who attacked Noin. I want the search parties and bounty hunters we hired out looking for her 24/7, got it?"
"Yes ma'am," Sally saluted again, and followed her out of the office. Something in her gut was telling her that this was wrong. That Relena wasn't the killer. But orders were orders, she thought dejectedly as she called the commader of the search parties.
~*~*
"So, Heero. You got anything yet?" Duo asked for the millionth time that evening. Heero cast his Death Glare at him, and he shut up.
"Geeze, I was just wonderin'."
A beep sounded from his computer and he looked up with a slight grin on his face. "I've got the case file here."
Both Duo and Hilde crowded around to see the information.
"It says that Relena still the prime suspect. They have people looking for her. Also, it states that there were remnants of some sort of drug in Millardo's system at the time of the autopsy."
"Look at that!" Duo excitedly pointed to a section on the computer screen, and Heero smacked his hand away. Duo glared at him, and stuck his tongue out. "It says that Noin was attacked yesterday by some woman. That wasn't Relena, I'm betting."
"It also says," Hilde stated, reading further, "that the woman who attacked her wants the PEacecraft's dead. If she found Noin at the base, then they could probably find Relena."
"And how do you think they're going to do that?" Duo asked confidently. "Our buddy Heero here hid her so well, I bet HE doesn't even know where."
Suddenly, Heero realized what Hilde was getting at. "The killer probably counted on the Peacecraft's gettting help from us Gundam Pilots. So they have been spying on us all this time! Damn!"
"So, what's the problem?" Duo wondered. "She's not with any of us, is she?" Heero gave him a look, and Duo shouted, "You idiot! YOu are the taco supreme of all idiots! I can't beleive you, Yui! Whose she with?"
"Wufei."
"You stuck her with Wufei?" Duo screeched, well into his ranting. "That's inhuman, even for you!"
"Enough with the fighting, boys," Hilde interjected. "We have to go after Relena."
There was a unanimous vote, then they tore out of the house and to the space port.
~*~*
The jungle was well into darkness when Wufei came back to the safehouse.
"What are you doing here?" Relena asked hotly from the couch, Her ankle had swelled considerably, and she was unable to move.
"I got word from Heero. He said to stand by."
"You heard from Heero?" Relena immediatly sat up and tried to stand. Pain shot up from her foot, and she was forced to sit back down.
"Yes. It seemd that the killer is after you now. She wants the Peaceraft line destroyed. She can't get to Noin because she is being heavily guarded at the moment. You're the obviuos target."
Relena huffed. "I'm NOT a target, Mr. Chang! I can stand up for myself!"
Wufei raised an eyebrow and suppressed a chuckle.
"Miss Peacecraft, when I see that, then I will have seen everything."
The diplomat strode over to him, slightly limping on her injured ankle, and held her hand out.
"Do you have an extra gun?"
Smirking, Wufei offered her his 9mm semi automatic.
"To fire, you..."
He trailed off when Relena released the clip, checked the ammo, and then slid in back into place with a flourish. She released the safety and held her trigger finger ready.
"Which direction is the emeny coming in?" She turned to see the Chinese agent's mouth slighty agape and his eyes wide as saucers.
"Please," she said arrogantly, "I have to know how to defend myself. Heero IS only human, after all."
There was a rustle in the bushes, and a tall figure stepped out, staying close to the shadows that concealed it. The dog, Amos, heard it from outside, and rush the figure silently, but it brought its leg around and kicked the animal, falling it without a sound.
"Stay here," Wufei commanded. Relena nodded, her throat suddenly dry and parched.
Wufei caustiously approached the door, and pressed himself against the wall. The figure stalked towards the door, and opened it with a light hand. The chinese man whirled around to point his gun at the figure, but it brought its gun around faster and shot him point blank in the chest.
"Those who stand in my way are hindering His Majesty's wishes," the female voice sounded. She looked around the ramshackle cabin, looking for the Peacecraft princess.
Suddenly, from behind, there was the impression of a gun on the back of her neck.
"Turn around slowly, and raise your hands to where I can see them," Relena demmanded.
The figure chuckled, but did as it was told.
"I should have known that you would have done that. The Peacecraft's, although known for their bravery, are also known for their stupidity."
Relena blinked. "What do you mean?"
She laughed. "All these years, I've been waiting, just for the right time to complete my mission, one I failed six years ago. It was dissapointing and humiliating. And now, I'm going to finish you off for that!"
The gun in Relena's hand started to shake. "Who are you?"
The figure laughed again, a sinister laugh that seemed strangly familiar to her.
"I am many people, my dear. But you have known me as all of them."
Then, the figure abruptly charged Relena and knocked her off her feet, the gun going off into the ceiling.
The tables were now turned as Relena stared down the nozzle of her enemy's own gun.
"It has been fun, I must say, m'dear," she gloated, "But it must come to an end."
The diplomat faced her death with a regal expression. "Coward. You hide behind that mask, just like my brother did. Show your face, and kill me like a true warrior."
The figure hesitated for a moment, then said, "Very well. I guess you are entitled to that much."
She slowly raised the mask off her face, and Relena's eyes marrowed in dislbelief.
"Lady Anne? But why?"
"NO! Not Ann! Not that weakling!" she gloated, "But Une! And I'm going to finish something that I should have a long time ago."
The gun was pointed at her head, and Une's finger pressed on the trigger. It all happened in slow motion.
"Long live Master Trieze," she muttered under her breath. Then, the shot rang out into the jungle.
~*~*
"Heero! Can't you drive any faster!" Duo whined. The jeep came to an abrupt halt at the foot of the jungle path. Quickly, they ran up the path, frightened that the killer had beaten them there. The many branches and shrubs grabbed their feet and arms, stinging them and trying to trip them up.
As they came upon the shack, they saw the door hanging wide open, and Wufei laying in the doorstep. Heero's eyes hardened as he slipped into Perfect Soldier mode, and he stealthily approached the safehouse, gun in hand.
He peeked in the door, and saw Relena on her knees, and Lady Ann pointing a gun at her head.
"Long live Master Treize," he heard her mutter. Heero then acted upon instinct and raised his gun to eye level. He pulled the trigger, and Lady Ann staggered.
Relena opened her tighly shut eyes and looked around warily.
"Am I dead?" she said out loud. Then she saw Lady Une fall to the ground beside her. She scooted away from the body, teriffied.
Heero entered the small house then, and saw Relena backing away in fear.
"Relena," he said, before he could stop himself. She quickly turned her head and saw him standing in the doorway.
"Heero!" She tried to stand, but her ankle gave out on her, and she fell to the floor in a heap.
Heero knelt by her side and put an arm around her.
"Are you ok?"
She looked up him, and their gaze locked. For a moment, all the craziness that had happened over the past few days disapeared, and they were the only two people in the world.
"Hey, 'jousan!" an over-exhuberent voice called from the doorway. He tripped on Wufei, and fell on his face.
"Ow...oh my God, Wufei!" Duo scrambled around and put his hand to his neck.
"He still has a pulse. Its strong, too. He'll be okay, I think he just passed out."
Hilde, who had dragged in the wolflike dog, brushed him away, and examined him more thouroghly. "He was shot in the chest, right below the manubrium. It looks like the bullet went straight through, too. This dog was in the yard, Relena. It'll be okay, too. Just some broken ribs."
The moment shattered, Heero and Relena stood; Heero supporting her with his own weight.
"We'll need to get him to a hospital," Relena stated.
"No need for that," another familiar voice called from out in the darkness. Sally Po appeared with support troops. She looked from the body of Lady Une, then to Relena and Heero. Then to Duo and Hilde.
"Visiting an old friend, huh Hilde?"
The short girl gave a nervous laugh and nodded.
"What happened here?" the Commander asked, kneeling by her fallen partner.
"Wufei. Hey Wufei, wake up." She urged her partner to regain conscieneness by gently shaking him.
"Lady Une tried to kill me," Relena stated simply. "She also tried to kill Noin, and she killed my brother."
Sally nodded. "I figured as much. I had a hunch it was the Lady. Noin's description was right on, and I knew it had to be someone Heero knew and trusted, to have free run of the Mansion. She had been acting funny this morning when I questioned her about Noin. And then I asked to find and protect you, but she brushed me off. That's when I knew that she was the one behind all this."
THe other officers began filing in and cleaning up.
"She was there that night, Heero," Relena whispered as the Preventers led them out of the safehouse. "She had come to see my brother about some trade agreement, and we ended up having drinks with her."
Heero nodded. "When I read the case report, it told me that not only Millardo's blood was found with a powerful chemical in it, but yours was found, as well. With the same chemical in it. She must have been trying to make you think that you killed your brother by planting that whole scene when you found him."
Relena started to shake with sorrow. "Please, Heero. Let's not talk about this anymore."
They, along with Duo and Hilde, were led to an awaiting transport.
"Why do you think she did it, Duo?" Hilde asked, lowering her voice so that Relena couldn't hear them.
"I dunno, babe," he answered worridly. "People do strange things for strange reasons. Maybe she finally snapped."
Hilde nodded, and Duo put his arm around her, holding her shivering body closer to his as they boarded the transport.
~*~*
Wufei sat crankily in the hospital bed, needles and wires attached to him. He could harldy move, much less anything else.
"Woman!" he belowed, "Get in here!"
Sally sauntered in with his medical chart in hand.
"That's LT. Cm. Woman to you, sir. You have some visitors who insisted on seeing you."
"Visitors," he growled to himself, "Its just a gunshot wound, people think I'm dying or something...."
He trailed off when he saw Heero, Duo, Relena, and Hilde enter the room.
"Hey Wu-man!"
"Shut up, Maxwell. I am NOT in the mood for your shenanigans."
Hilde gigled. "He just said 'shenanigans'."
Glowering, Wufei hissed, "Why have you all come? I wish to heal and be up, not bothered by all of you."
Relena stepped forward and grinned. "I just wanted to thank you. For putting up with me."
For an instant, Wufei was speechless. Then, he recovered his tongue and stated,
"What was I supossed to do, woman? I took a vow to protect the weak when I joined the Preventers, and that's what I did."
He humphed and crossed his arms over his chest. The group just smiled and rolled their eyes, knowing that was his way of saying, "You're Welcome." As the quartet left the room, Heero looked over his shoulder.
"Thanks. Now, we're even."
"Yeah, even." Wufei said, echoing him.
Once outside, Relena looked at Heero out of the corner of her eye and smiled. And to her suprise, he didn't scowl at her, as was his custom. Instead, his face softened just a bit and allowed a very tiny grin to form on his lips.
"So, Heero," she asked almost timidly. "What are you going to do now?"
He stopped, letting Duo and Hilde walk on ahead of them.
"I swore to you once I'd always protect you," he answered.
Once again, as it had done so few days ago, Heero's hand defied years of strict training and reached out to caress the cheek of the girl before him.
"I always keep my word."
Without the immediate danger surrounding them, Heero allowed his defenses to drop. He leaned down toards her and kissed her soft lips.
Relena closed her eyes and accepted this warm embrace from her bodyguard, knowing that, indeed, he was only human.
~*~*
Owarii