I do not own Gundam Wing. This fan fiction has no commercial value and I am not making any kind of profit or income off of this. I also do not own the quote below…and don't know who to contribute it to - other than perhaps the creators of Xena (don't ask).

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You could miss your true path by the width of a hair, but that is the same thing as missing by a mile.

Chapter 2

While Relena was escaping to the movies, Heero was conducting an all-out manhunt throughout the Conference Hall and surrounding five-mile radius. What looked like a permanent scowl marred his features. As the search continued, the Preventer agents under his command were forced to contact her chief of security - Relena's older brother, Zechs. The only thing the searchers found was a missing ceiling tile in the men's restroom. Heero cursed and punched the wall.

Approximately two hours later, after all the credits had rolled and every other audience member was long gone, Relena left the safety of the theater and walked out into the lobby of the movie house. She wasn't surprised to see the tall man with platinum-blonde hair she called brother, nor the sullen young man with piercing blue eyes she had escaped from earlier that day standing apart from the cheerful, bubbling crowd. The matching Preventer uniforms and similar cold expressions froze the air around them.  Relena squared her shoulders and prepared for the worst.

They saw Relena stride through the milling after-movie mob to make her way over to them. She probably knew the Preventers had the place surrounded, and therefore didn't bother to put up a fight. They had tracked her down through the cab company, somehow missed that morning by the routine scanning of her phone records for recent, suspicious calls. Zechs was highly displeased in her behavior; this wasn't the first time she had done this.  But the ditching of her guard detail was going to stop - tonight.

Her face was set in a grim expression as she approached them. In a gesture of obedience, Relena took her place between the two men that guarded her life with all they were worth. The only difference was that to one, it was a labor of love, but to the other, he was just doing his job.

The three rode in strained silence back to the Peacecraft Mansion, knowing this was the proverbial calm before the storm. Hurricane Zechs would touch land tonight; there would be no pity for those caught in his path.

When the small group arrived, Duo was waiting on the front steps in full uniform. He smirked as Heero and Zechs accompanied the young woman into the house.

"So you thought you could do so much better, huh, Yuy? Guess you're not so smart after all." Duo taunted his friend and replacement as Relena's head bodyguard. He grinned at Relena, his violet eyes dancing gleefully, as she climbed the small set of steps to the front door. She swallowed a smile when he winked at her.

Yes, the great Heero Yuy had been beaten.

* * * * * *

It had been non-stop since she arrived home.  Her brother had dragged her immediately into his office and launched into his usual tirade.  Relena was tired of Milliardo's angry ranting. She'd heard it all before. They were just trying to protect her, blah blah blah. He always had the same tired lines and excuses. To her, they still weren't good enough reasons for keeping her virtually imprisoned.

Relena glanced up at the sound of her own voice. She hadn't meant to declare the sentiment out loud. She cringed as Milliardo's complexion changed from its usual pale hue to a dark crimson red. "You're not a prisoner! How dare you insinuate…"

Relena tuned him out again and went back to her inner turmoil.  She didn't want her brother to worry so much, but she couldn't stand being followed around by a bodyguard all day, everyday, every minute.  She couldn't eat or sleep without one being only a few feet away.  But it had never been so personally painful until 'he' had taken the lead position.

At first, the former princess had been pleased when Heero was assigned to take over Duo's old post. Not that Relena didn't like Duo – she just liked the thought of having Heero's attention.  She thought there was a reason he came back, some deeper meaning to his motivations besides wanting to protect her.  Now, she was sorry for every time she had ditched Duo and made him look bad. She had regretted it before, and had always apologized to her dear friend. She was just one of those people that needed to have time to herself, from time to time.  And 'losing' Duo had become somewhat of a game. She never thought they'd reassign him.

Relena's ears no longer reverberated with the deep sound of her brother's angry baritone. She looked up at him and waited to see if he would continue, but his pinched brow and lively complexion told her that this was the part where she normally apologized and tried to make up with him – telling him not to worry so much, the world was at peace, etc. But not tonight. No, she'd had enough of Mr. I-think-I'm-God, Yuy.

"Milliardo," she began and stood up.

Zechs could see fire in her eyes as she met his gaze. This was supposed to be the part where she apologized and promised to change, where she told him not to worry so much. This didn't sound like an act of contrition.

"I want Heero Yuy reassigned. I don't want him as my personal bodyguard."

Ice blue eyes bulged from their sockets as he regarded his sister's rigid posture and clenched jaw.  He shook his head not sure he had comprehended correctly what she had just said. "Come again?"

"I want Heero Yuy reassigned, fired, whatever. I don't want him as my personal bodyguard. I want him gone." Her tone was firm and crisp; she didn't even blink.

"But…"

"No. I will continue to be difficult and I promise that if he is *not* reassigned immediately, I will cease to obey his orders and lose him every chance I get."

The former Oz lieutenant's face hardened into an angry scowl.  "Relena, don't be foolish. Yuy's the best there is." He paused, sipping in a breath before continuing.  "Besides, I thought you two were…friends." No matter how hard he tried, Zechs couldn't help but trip slightly over the last word, displeasure evident in his voice.

Normally calm blue eyes blazed in a direct challenge.  "We were never friends, Milliardo. It's apparent he doesn't give a damn about me personally. Someone like that isn't going to give one hundred percent to the task of protecting me." Her delicate hands wove themselves into a white knuckle grip in front of her lap

"On the contrary, Relena, a lack of emotion on my part will always keep me focused on my mission." Heero's even monotone materialized from the far corner of the room.

Relena stiffened as she spun and saw the object of their discussion step out from the shadows. She glared at him before turning back to address her security advisor. "Despite what he says, brother, I find him inadequate for the task and I want him removed." Her voice rose as she strode towards the door.  She paused in the exit and tossed over her shoulder: "Immediately."

Milliardo watched his sister storm into the hallway, slamming the door to his office shut behind her. He pivoted to face the stone-faced young man. "She sounds serious, Yuy. What did you do?"

Heero shrugged. "I've done my job, nothing more, nothing less." He frowned, thinking of the hateful words she had uttered a few moments ago. "I find him inadequate for the task…I want him reassigned." Heero shook his head. He didn't understand why he felt so….hurt by her words. 'Pride.' The word surfaced in his mind. 'She's wounded my self-image. That must be it.' A smirk wound its way to his lips. "I can handle her. She won't get away again."

"See that she doesn't. She's apparently very unhappy with you for some reason. If she continues to remain so, I will have to have you reassigned. Even if it's her own foolishness, I can't have her endangering her life."

Heero nodded. "Understood."

* * * * * *

It had been over a week since Relena had issued her ultimatum to fire Heero Yuy from his post as her bodyguard, and yet he was still following her every move. Despite that fact, she was in a good mood.  It was Friday, and her schedule was light in preparation for the weekend.

She placed a few necessities into her briefcase and headed downstairs for breakfast. As always, her dutiful shadow followed.

She rode with Heero to her office in absolute silence. He noted that she hadn't spoken to him in days. He supposed it had something to do with the fact that he had yet to be reassigned as per her request. Zechs had moved to block his removal, and in doing so had added himself to her 'not-on-speaking-terms-with' list. Heero was surprised that despite her normally talkative nature, she had managed to keep her promise for a week so far.

Again, he felt something clutch his heart, but the former Gundam pilot ruthlessly pushed it aside. This was his job – no more, no less. If she didn't talk to him, fine - less distraction that way.

The car pulled up in front of the large steel and glass, modern-looking building and she got out. Relena no longer waited for Heero to open the door for her. She brushed passed him with a stiff, haughty air, arriving at her office suite within a few minutes. She greeted her secretary and checked her agenda for the day. "Ah, a meeting with Ambassador Dixon from the L4 colony. Wonderful." She sighed and rolled her eyes.

The secretary frowned and glanced at the schedule, opening her mouth to address her boss, but Relena continued briskly into her inner office and shut the door.  Seconds later, the door opened and Heero marched in, taking up his usual post along the far wall and next to the window. Relena didn't even glance up as he entered the room.

Just before lunch, Relena pushed the button on the intercom. The secretary's voice came on. "Miss Relena, Ambassador Dixon is here."

"Thank you, Judy," Relena replied, her voice resonating in weary waves. She knew Heero hated what Duo had termed 'schmooze-fest' – where she had to greet these diplomats with more enthusiasm than she felt. "Heero, would you mind terribly much if I asked you to bring me something to drink to tide me over until lunch? I'm afraid Mr. Dixon can be quite long-winded."

Heero's only response was raising an eyebrow and internally noting that a week was apparently her threshold for not speaking to him. He wordlessly agreed, thankful to miss out on the sickeningly animated greetings those 'diplomats', for lack of a better word, required from Relena. He left the office quickly to avoid seeing even the beginning of 'schmooze-fest'.

When he returned, the door was already locked. He could hear the Ambassador's voice droning on and on in a boorish monologue.  He sighed and slumped into a chair just outside the room to wait.

An hour went by and he could still hear the old windbag in there boring the snot out of poor Relena…. 'Hn, poor Relena?' He frowned at the thought, but then pricked up his ears as his mind picked out something the Ambassador was saying from amongst the endless babble.

"Tomorrow we will make a statement to the world…." Tomorrow was Saturday, there wasn't anything planned for the weekend. He jolted upright  as he listened more closely to the Ambassador's speech. He had heard that last sentence before. With a burning, sinking feeling tunneling into his stomach, he realized he had heard the whole thing before.

"Damn it, Relena!" He cursed and stood up. He backed up a few steps and rushed at the door, jamming his shoulder into it to burst it open. The wooden barrier flew aside, revealing an empty room save for the tape recorder on her desk whining out the speech Ambassador Dixon gave last month before the signing of a disarmament treaty. He picked it up and switched it off.

A few moments later, it exploded into tiny pieces of plastic and metal, sliding down the plaster wall and showering the floor with ribbons of tape spilling out of the wreckage.