Hello, again! Finally an update. We really hope some people are still reading this.

I'm sure we lost a lot of readers due to our absence, but life has thrown a lot of crap in our paths. Still, we're back and hope you enjoy this chapter!

looking back on everything, gah! 5 months . . . (smacks CEP to the moon!) It's all his fault, really. I've tried to get him to write. It's not that easy.

Anyhow, reviews, for those of you still reading. (hangs head):

Krage: We're really glad you liked that. Hope you're still reading! After so long, we wouldn't blame you if you weren't. (sob)

Omnicat: Trowa isn't really being a leader in that scene. It's more that Quatre is not comfortable seeing his friends as pawns in a game, and that he doesn't like manipulating them. It's all well and good that your friends are your "soldiers" but when they become pieces that you are playing, the morality bothers him. As for Wu Fei, you'll see he's still running on his ideal Chinese world, a very traditional but also idealistic mentality. Relena and Wu Fei are turning out to be tons of fun together! Who knew? And sorry for the lack of updates. We're trying. Finally, both me AND CEP are in the mood to write. I can't do it without him:-)

(CEP: Uh . . . I blame Ukky.)

Kamineko: Gomen, Gomen! (cries at seeing fewer and fewer reviews every chapter) And thanks for the Zechs complement. As for the traitors and prison, there are two ways you could see it: Things have changed in 300 years, or Zechs is REALLY negative. :-p We haven't really decided yet. Also, it's not Relena who's name is changing, silly goose! It's Zechs! Relena is a household name, she's keeping it! Names are power, and we all know that just dropping her name is going to get her places. Sadly, she's gonna have to use that in politics. Nasty, dirty world, but she plows through it with a shovel of goodness! Okay, that sounded just weird. . . . :-p

(CEP: As sad as it is, Zechs would die if it was revealed that he was still alive. Even as much as they forgave everyone else I doubt they could forgive him. He'd get a trial, but it'd be a show-trial if someone didn't kill him while he was in jail awaiting trial)

Hououza: About time Heero had some fun! They're gonna give him some of it if it kills him! Tee hee. Yeah, Zechs needs to realize that changing your name doesn't change the facts, but I think with a new name it will give him some breathing room mentally, you know? I hope work has gotten better, I know how stressful that is! (hugs)

Gigglegal: Sorry there's not much humor in this chapter! But the next one will have it, and we already have tons of ideas. We are determined to get back on track! Please leave more reviews, we love them!

Genkai Lady: I'll have to read that book, the Handmaid's Tale. Glad you liked Trowa and Quatre. We aren't intending on making anyone a stereotype, and those two together are the most oft stereotyped of them all! Zechs is such fun! I've heard tell that the "strangeness" of his speech in English was due actually to them having difficulty in matching the lip flaps. But I find that hard to believe, since other characters don't speak so oddly. I think it's just his eccentricity. (And who would want him to be normal?) I really don't think Treize and Zechs were gay personally. I think they were just very close friends. (And really, why do close friends always have to be gay? It's strange how there's this assumption that sex has to be involved in every relationship, isn't it?) I'm not really sure why they chose wind for him. Maybe he was thinking of a candle being blown out. (or maybe it's 'cause water was already chosen, lol) So happy that you liked the Duo/Hilde stuff! Also glad you liked the Wu Fei stuff. Ironically, one of our other star reviewers felt he was behaving badly, lol, while you approve of his behavior. It's so fascinating to see so many different views from such smart people:-) Hope you find this chapter just as cool, and please review! We're looking forward to it.

NOW! Onto the chapter!

This chapter has a religious overtone that wasn't really intended, but we realized later that it all seemed to fit together. So, for those of you who are enjoying and contemplating over your Hanukkah, Christmas, Winter Solstice, etc, we hope this chapter finds you well and touches you. Er, in a good way.

Happy Holidays!

Chapter 10

Earth, Honshu
April 14th – 3:45 pm

"Eternal friends."

The wind swept across the hills and dales of the Yokohama Memorial Cemetery as if seeking a kite to toss high into the deep cerulean sky, brushing the last of the cherry blossoms before his eyes and whipping his hair into a frenzy before calming.

Milliardo sighed and bent his head over the grave, then crouched down to study the words emblazoned across the simple headstone. "A part of me still regrets being unable to fulfill the vow we made so long ago, Treize." He narrowed his eyes in pain, thankful that he had been given this chance alone at Treize's grave. His family, his friends, all waited in this distance by the limousine, and for that he was grateful. He could not do this before an audience.

"What am I to do, my old friend?" he asked with frustration in his voice. "Do you forgive me for living? I still cannot bear to forgive myself," he moaned, and dropped his head into his hands, feeling his throat constricting. "Oh, my friend, forgive me. I miss you more than ever before."

Touching the gravestone, he sighed and leaned over it. "Lu tells me over and over," he whispered, knowing his smile twisted ironically, "that it wasn't my fault. That you wouldn't blame me. Epion was more than I could take. You built a machine that went beyond both of us, Treize. Into a dark place I never want to go again."

Tears pricked at his eyes, and he sighed, feeling the warm sun across his shoulders. "You wouldn't want me to cry, would you. Your Lady, your love . . . she tells me as well. I should be happy to be alive. And . . . a wretched part of me is. I love Lu so very much. But I don't deserve her. If anyone deserved the happiness of a family, it's you, and you will never have that again.

"Speaking of family," he exhaled, "I need your advice."

He sat back and crossed his legs before the grave, and bowed his head. "Your cousin . . . oh, Treize. How torn a man I am. Between life and death, between trust and suspicion, between love and hate." He could hear his own deep voice filling with bitterness, but pressed on. "I vowed to watch over her. But what folly is she getting herself into this time, I wonder. Do you know? Can you help me steer her in the right direction?"

Nothing but the wind whispering along the plains answered to him, and Milliardo opened his eyes to gaze up into the brilliant sun shining down. "Sometimes I see your face . . . when I gaze into the stars."

Slowly, he rose, and stood silently there, letting the breeze toss his loosened mane wherever it wished. And somewhere inside of him, he felt more clear. "It's good to visit you again. Perhaps I was meant to live, to remember the pain caused and to repay the debt to humanity I have incurred. Can I wash away the stain of my sins? Or," he mused, opening his eyes to the distant ocean and words a hush, "would you chide me as a fool?"

With a glance to his right, Milliardo shook his head at the empty grave that sat there. "Zechs Marquis, Milliardo Peacecraft . . . both are truly dead. May they rest in peace, with you, Treize . . ."

He blinked away unshed tears, a serene smile budding at his lips.

". . . My everlasting, eternal friend."

(-(-(-)-)-)

Earth, Moscow
April 14th – 10:52 am

The light was blinding. Beckoning to all with its resplendent multi-hued vibrance, it captured the gaze and held it gently, but firm. As he peered up, shielding his eyes with a lazy hand, Duo knew he was captivated; dry-mouthed, ensnared and enamored. Yet, in a tiny place within himself, a sliver of fear echoed.

Above, hanging within the sky and framed by stone and mortar, a crystal painting shimmered within the full glory of mid-morning. Angel and demon, weapons drawn, clashed in brilliant color. Good and evil bound in pale cerulean and deep ochre, the winged hellion bared a blood red blade and the seraph a sword of diamond.

"Stunning," a deep voice softly spoke at his elbow, and Duo started, head jerking back.

"Yeah," he replied, laughing slightly at himself and to cover his embarrassment, before sneaking a glance to his left. "Sure is."

Heero stood there, arms crossed and expression lax as if ready to give a dissertation on the religious significance, or something equally dull. Still, his eyes never left the stained glass depiction before them, even after his quiet comment.

"Hey, Heero," Duo murmured, eyes becoming unfocused as the displayed scene shimmered into a creamy oil painting before his bleary gaze, "do you, you know . . . believe in God, even?"

Heero didn't even grunt, but Duo felt it was an appropriate question.

After all, they stood within the recreation of the most famous church in Moscow, rebuilt only within the past thirty years: New St. Basil's cathedral. The original church, destroyed during one of many occupations of Moscow within the bloodied past of planet Earth, had been rebuilt using the same ancient techniques, but far larger, grander and if possible, more colorful than its predecessor.

Duo could only wonder at what the creator of the first cathedral would have thought, had he or she still been alive. The church was amazing . . . but it was just a building.

"God?" Heero finally replied, and Duo blinked, then recalled his prior question. "I don't think I've ever really considered the likelihood," the somber pilot continued, cobalt eyes blinking slowly as he continued to study the huge collection of glass before them. "There is no God in wars. Soldiers find solace in praying to one just before they die. But where was God when the wars began? Where is He when death covers the land and sky?" Heero shook his head, eyes narrowing yet still captured by the image. "I guess I'm an atheist. But I think we both know," he paused, and within the space between words his expression seemed almost sad before the mirage vanished altogether, "what god you believe in."

A florid rush of emotions lanced through him before he turned away, dark eyes seeking an escape from the gaping wounds Heero's insinuations brushed across. "Yes. And you . . . you would too . . ." the braided teen murmured bitterly. "There is no other god in war . . ."

"Unless war is the god . . ." Apparently unaware of the crux he had cast into the air between them, Heero continued to gaze thoughtfully at the bejeweled wall of light. "So many powers of darkness exist when the slaughter of life becomes mundane."

"Yeah," Duo felt his mouth sinking into a scowl, his eyes glittering like dull coals, "but Death is the ruler of them all . . ."

Only silence remained once his last word fell, one Heero appeared unwilling to break. The slow and heavy weight of time once again began to press down onto Duo's shoulders, and he glared vengefully up at the stained-glass angel. There is no god to pray to, his thoughts coalesced within his rage. What fools men are, worshipping a figment of their imaginations. His head drooped, and he recalled true hellfire and damnation . . . and the smoldering wreckage, bodies scattered throughout, of the Maxwell Church. What good did your god do you then? Nothing at all . . . and you died upon his "sacred" ground . . .

"Ahem," a female voice interrupted his musings, and Duo's head jerked as he glanced down to find Hilde staring at him with a frown and deeply furrowed brow, arms overloaded with foodstuffs. "Hey, you guys!" she exclaimed, shoving a drink carrier holding three drinks at them in general which Heero took disinterestedly, "you're supposed to be having fun! Come on, I leave for five minutes to get you some food – and you'd better appreciate it, 'cause I'm not the wifey kind," she added, and Duo rolled his eyes, knowing she was now full-pitch into her rant, "and I see the two of you moping!" she glowered at them both in turn. "We're supposed to be having fun. So, let's go!"

With a sudden smile upon her face, the brunette started handing out snacks. "Here, if we're tourists, then it's about time we enjoy ourselves! Have to eat the touristy food, right? It's a requirement!"

Looking down at the processed foods she had shoved at him, Duo smiled and shook his head. "You're right, baby. Let's find someplace to sit down, though. I can barely hold all this, let alone have the hands to eat it. You sure got one of everything!"

Heero followed them but looked with distaste down at the foods he held. "None of these things are very good for human consumption," he informed them somberly.

Sighing, Hilde shook her head as they began heading back towards the collection of plastic tables and chairs that had been set up next to the snack bar. "That's the entire point of being a tourist! Live a little, Heero. Nobody's gonna do it for you, you know."

And Hilde stared into his eyes for a long couple of moments as Duo gobbled down his snacks, until Heero harrumphed and turned his glare to his food instead. "Whatever."

(-(-(-)-)-)

Earth, Honshu
April 14th – 3:59 pm

Casting a glance behind her, Dorothy gazed deeply at Relena where she stood beside the others, from across the expanse of grass and stone that reached between them. "Miss Relena," she sighed, then shook her head and returned to frowning down at the headstone she stood in front of, the bouquet of flowers clasped before her. "Very well, then."

"Mister Treize . . ." She sighed again, then laughed slightly. "Treize. My cousin. I said last time would be the last. Miss Relena had other ideas. Well." Smiling lightly, she sighed, a pang deep within her chest resurfacing. "Happy Birthday, cousin.

"Oh," she giggled, "did you forget? Well, that's alright." Her smile fell, and she sniffled, suddenly overwhelmed. "I don't want to live in the past," she stressed. "Relena is so certain that this is good for me. But, it's not." She blinked. "Is it?"

Dorothy slowly let out her breath, then frowned. "I have to be strong. For everyone. You know that, Mister Treize. I don't have the luxury of wallowing in the past, in memories and misery. I just don't." She scowled, then dropped her chin to her chest. "Forgive me. I did my best, but I was unable to keep you alive. Now . . . I'm the last. It's just me." Inhaling the perfume of the blossoms, she added, "I won't let you down. I'll make you proud of me, Mister Treize. And father," she wiped at her eyes. "And mother," she whispered, and the words vanished upon the wind.

That's that, then, she decided, and gingerly set the flowers down upon the grave. Cousin . . . give me strength. I will need all of your support, looking down on me from heaven. I guess I wasn't strong enough, because I miss you so. But I will do as you would have had me do. I will follow in your footsteps.

She closed her eyes briefly, and envisioned him within her mind. The journey ahead isn't going to be easy. I know you would understand. But it's something I have to do. No matter how much it's going to hurt everyone involved.

Tossing a glance back to the others, her eyes lingered mere moments upon the Preventer agent. I have to be careful. He, out of them all, has no trust for me.

And no wonder. He shouldn't trust me. Not at all.

(-(-(-)-)-)

Earth, Moscow
April 14th –11:11 am

"So, what do you think of it, Heero?" Hilde piped up as they strolled along the streets of Moscow, headed towards the next site of interest.

"Which?" he asked. "The churches? The city?" he raised an eyebrow and glanced at her before continuing to walk ahead. "Or the food?"

Duo cackled between them, then grinned as Hilde shot him a glare. "I donno," she replied, ignoring him. "Any of them." She walked a little faster to catch up to the taller boy, and tried to set pace with him. "Why do you walk so fast?" she said as an aside.

"Genetic manipulation."

Hilde blinked and leaned back. "You could have just said you felt like it," she muttered. "So, come on. No distractions. You don't talk much, Heero, and I'd like to get to know you," she smiled brightly and tried to look innocent, instead of desperate. C'mon, buddy. Talk to me. You're important to Duo so I really want us to get along.

Heero simply gave her an unimpressed look, then shook his head. "The city is beautiful," he told her. "The churches gave me a lot to think about. The food was . . . greasy."

"Argh," she groaned melodramatically, then smiled. "Okay, then. What do you mean, the churches gave you a lot to think about? What did they make you think of?" In the corner of her eye, she noticed that Duo was unobtrusively watching them from a few paces behind with a great deal of interest, though to her, he hid it badly.

"Well," Heero sighed heavily, as if put upon to even speak at all, "A great many things. They were made beautifully. A great deal of care was placed into them. It made me think," his voice grew more calm and introspective, "that religions cause the creation of quite a number of amazing, breathtaking monuments and artistic relics. However, in the end, they also destroy much, much more."

The somber, resigned tone to his voice juxtaposed the brilliant sunlight, and Hilde winced, rubbing at her forehead. "Um, I take it you're not a big believer in God."

Heero led them down a cobblestone stretch of road, avoiding the street venders as they called their wares, some in English and some in Russian. "I don't see any reason to believe in God, Hilde. Would a god allow all of the wars that have occurred to take place? Would he have let so much pain and suffering happen before peace could be achieved?"

He stopped so suddenly within the shade of a large table umbrella that Hilde nearly ran into him, before he turned to face her, and she felt the blood rush into her cheeks. "Would any just and loving god let so many people die?" His deep blue eyes gazed into her own, expression as stone, but she could almost believe that an emotion lingered within the depths. "Would he or she, or it, allow the virtuous to perish and the evil to live?"

Thrust far beyond her depth, Hilde swallowed and looked down - inadequate yet determined to speak - but her chance was taken from her by another.

"He did," Duo said softly from behind her. "Didn't he?"

A dull thrum of panic sunk into her chest as Hilde turned to glance up at the approaching boy. She knew that tone, and, unsettled, felt her determination flare right before she stared into his turbulent, violet eyes. "No. God doesn't control people. He didn't want people to be mindless automatons. But that doesn't mean that He doesn't care about us. He, She, It, whatever!"

Hilde grimaced as she watched Duo's soft features stiffen and twist into a sneer. "He doesn't care, Hilde. He's not real."

"If," she postulated loudly, "if He's not real, then how do you explain all of us surviving the war and meeting up the way we did? You can't just say that was a bunch of coincidences. We had to have something watching out for us!" Please, oh please, just listen! This was why she hated bringing up religion around Duo . . .

Heero looked down at her solemnly as Duo pushed past to lean against the brick wall, then tugged up the collar of his leather jacket around his neck and pulled out his sunglasses to hide his baleful eyes.

"Hilde," the calmer pilot returned, "I don't wish to cause you duress. But, I do believe those were all just coincidences. A lot of other people didn't survive. It's only because we did that we see it as a good omen."

The dark-haired girl tried with difficulty to ignore Duo's dark mutterings to her right and instead stared desperately up at Heero's serious gaze. "But, what about Relena?" she said, and watched as the skin tightened around those suddenly hollow Prussian eyes. "If Relena hadn't survived all of this, if she hadn't met you and Duo, and then went on to fulfill her destiny, then a lot more people would have died, and the wars would have lasted far longer than a year or two!" Even as she said it, a far away part of herself wondered just how much Heero himself could take of what she was saying, and how far she was pushing him. But she couldn't stop the words, and now they had been said.

"Relena was supposed to die," Heero murmured, almost as if to himself.

Hilde felt her chest constrict, and taking a few steps closer to him, she gently spoke, "But she didn't. And I don't care what you say, Heero. That wasn't a coincidence. That wasn't an accident. She was meant to live. She was meant to meet you, and she touched everyone she met and changed everyone's lives for the better. It's why a lot of people still call her Queen, and some even call her a saint."

"I know," he muttered, and the agony that was ever clearer in his torn expression drew tears from Hilde's eyes. She tugged off her beret to twist it between her hands, gazing down at it with shame at the pain she had caused.

Within moments, Hilde realized familiar hands were rubbing her shoulders, and she turned to blink up at Duo from where he stood behind her, smiling at her sadly, his anger vanished. Strength returned to her, and she faced Heero once more with renewed resolve.

"Heero. Do you really believe it was just a coincidence that all of the people necessary for the survival and peace of humanity managed to live through the turmoil to create the new era we live in? What are the odds that you five would have lived to save us all, not to mention meet everyone that you needed to help you? Even the odds of you surviving were slim, let alone everyone else."

The teen before her inhaled slowly, but seemed on surer footing. "That's presuming that someone else wouldn't have stepped up to take our places."

"Well," she countered, Duo's hands warm on her back, "somebody else might not have had the courage, or the skills, or the tenacity to do it. And there's no way that someone could have mirrored Relena's life in such a perfect way as to place themselves in the position of world leader that she found herself in."

Heero paused, merely peering down at her. "I see that your letter to me revealed only the barest shred of how articulate and opinionated you are."

She flushed again and ducked her head, only to hear Duo chuckle quietly behind her. "Yeah," he said thoughtfully. "She's one in a million."

"You know I'm right, Heero," Hilde murmured, further embarrassed by the praise. "Even if you, or I, or Duo could have been replaced . . . you know that someone like Relena only comes around once in a lifetime . . . if that."

"Perhaps," he hedged, eyes narrowing thoughtfully at her, "we were simply very lucky that Relena was born as she was."

Hilde smiled and risked a glance up at him. "Hey. Nobody's that lucky. Especially the human race. I think Relena was meant to save us. I also think that there aren't too many people who would have been brave enough, if put in the same situations, to do it. But she was. She made her choices, and nobody, not even God, controlled that. And she's probably the bravest person I've ever met, or ever will."

"Hey," Duo said from behind her, and she looked up to see him leaning over her shoulder. "You're pretty brave too. Not many people got the guts to stand up to this guy," he gestured with his thumb at Heero. "In fact, you and the princess are probably the only ones I know who can tell him to his face he's wrong and not get threatened!"

"Duo," Heero deadpanned, and they both glanced up at him. "Shut up."

(-(-(-)-)-)

Earth, Honshu
April 14th – 4:19 pm

"Wu Fei," Relena smiled at him, "would you like to go with me?"

Zechs – or rather, Sephir - and Noin, and then Dorothy, had all taken their turns at private moments before the grave. Now that Dorothy had returned to stand next to the group beside the ivory limousine, the wind tossing their hair and whispering along their ears, Relena was the last. Her, and Wu Fei.

Wu Fei's reaction was about what she had expected. Dark eyes narrowing, he shook his head, continuing to scan the horizon around them. "I will have a better vantage point of any possible threats from this location. I think it would be wiser for me to remain here and watch you from afar."

Relena sighed as her gaze dropped to his ebony and olive uniform, lingering on the photo ID badge upon his left breast, and the serious young man staring back from the image. "Actually," she told him, "if you were to go with me, you would be at the center of any threat to me. You would be with the apex . . . with me. You would be able to monitor any threats from a one-hundred and eighty degree rotation around ourselves. However," she smiled and met his eyes as his gaze slid back to hers with veiled annoyance, "should you remain here, you will be the apex of your search, but I would be at the apex of danger. Your position would be the perimeter of any danger, instead of the center. Your view would only cover a limited area in comparison to the possible threat ratio." Pleased with her ability to feed him his own jargon back, she straightened and waited for his reaction.

Stunned, at first the Chinese teen blinked at her, then a fury enveloped his features and he glared down at her with snapping coal eyes. "Vice Foreign Minster," he grated out in his harshest tone, "you . . ." Seeming at a loss for words, and with her patient eyes gazing back into his own, he appeared to deflate, shoulders slumping. "You are right. Let's go," he muttered, gesturing forward and looking as if he wished he could cover his face with a weary hand.

Smiling, the blonde further surprised him by happily slipping her arm through his and tugging on his elbow as she strode along the grass-covered lawn. "Good," she told him, enjoying the shock crossing over his Asian features. "I feel so much safer when you're around, remember?" Instantly, his embarrassed eyes hid from her own, and her smile vanished as she peered somberly into them. "I wasn't just saying it, Wu Fei. I know we have our differences, but I would never lie to you. You know that, don't you?" She suddenly wanted to know that he understood, needed to know. Wu Fei . . . I have so few people I can trust explicitly. You are so close to me. So many things she wanted to say . . . but his pride wouldn't let her.

"I," he stuttered, then raised gentle eyes to her own, far softer then they were when others were present, "I do. Relena." His hand covered the crook of her elbow then, and she felt a heat flood over her before she looked away, knowing a flush had risen across her cheeks. That devotion . . . it is addictive. As is that trust. My friend, we will find happiness, she vowed to Wu Fei as he turned his newly troubled gaze back to the grave they were fast approaching. I won't let it be otherwise.

But for all of her friendly intentions, she had to try with difficulty to ignore the more than friendly feelings he occasionally rose within her.

(-(-(-)-)-)

Wu Fei cleared his throat upon seeing Relena's blush, and instead concentrated on where they were walking, and their surroundings. A threat could come at any time. I cannot be distracted by a beautiful wom- by her Ladyship.

Instead, however, he found himself distracted by the quiet, peaceful cemetery, and one particular headstone they drew nearer to. I will protect her. That is my only reason for being here, he reinforced within his own mind. This reaction is just the "bodyguard syndrome". It happens. It's nothing more. His jaw clenched as he tried to ignore that voice at the back of his mind that snidely informed him of how cliché he sounded – and of how often he repeated the same nonsense over and over, until one would think he would have started to question its validity.

But he didn't. He was only a guard. And she . . . she was the Queen of the World.

Wu Fei felt her hand tighten on his own that rested against the warm hollow of her inner elbow – the skin was soft, smooth – and then she smiled at him and stepped away, to stand before the grave, silently. He, however, began to scan the horizon, and their surroundings, a somber frown curling down his lips, away from the gentleness that her presence had begun to draw from him.

The wind rustled, the sun remained a hot sphere hanging high in the sky, and the world appeared a pristine gem. Tokyo bay glistened in the distance, and from afar he could hear the sea birds calling upon the air. No sign of any danger . . . and in truth, he hadn't expected any.

Behind him, he could hear the grass crunching under her feet, her lungs inhaling and exhaling the crisp, clean air. She prayed silently, her back to him; he realized that he deeply wondered at her inner words, at what she might be asking for. Or telling him. Him.

Wu Fei concentrated on the wind, and the trees that might be hiding any threat behind them, or the rolling hillsides that could be protecting a sniper as they slunk in the grass. He was not here for Treize, as everyone else was. He was here for Relena. No one else. Nothing else.

If he concerned himself with Director Une's health and well being, that was just his way. If he went to Mariemaia's scholastic events whenever possible, it was because it would disappoint her if he did not. It was not because he felt a need, a desire to make right that which was wrong, to do honor to an honorable enemy, a slain enemy, and-

Relena turned behind him just as his eyes flicked over his shoulder to scan the area before her – she couldn't be expected to be on guard, here – and they faced each other, eyes caught by one another. Hers were of a blue too deep and limitless to comprehend, and with that thought, he frowned and brushed past her to check the area she had turned her back to.

"Is it time to go?" he asked with more – and less – gruffness than he intended.
"Not just yet," came her soft reply, and he returned to gazing into her eyes with a frustrated expression.

"We do not have all day, woman," he grumbled, and faced away from her again to study the graveyard for any possible threat. "Your meetings are over for the day, and unfortunately Une has need of me back in Moscow, so I will be unable to go with you should you desire to go shopping, or any other recreational activity, until tomorrow perhaps."

Her voice behind him sounded amused. "Unfortunately?"

Coloring again, Wu Fei turned to face her. "It's time to go," he said, tone low and resting beneath his emotions.

They stared at each other for a few moments, then Relena put a hand on his shoulder. "Speak to him, Wu Fei. You, above all, need this." Her azure eyes glinted as they struck his own, and he felt a numbness travel along his spine that prevented him from pulling away.

"I cannot," he finally told her. "It is not my place."

"It's your place above anyone else's!" she exclaimed, and made a pained noise as he pulled his shoulder from her grip to take a few steps away. "Wu Fei . . ." He heard her sigh behind him, and his back stiffened at her touch. But he couldn't ignore her – he was here to protect her. So he turned, and instead looked over her shoulder, and over his own. "Wu Fei," she repeated, this time with annoyance, "I can't say that I know everything you've went through. But I do know a little . . . Treize respected you. You were someone he . . . truly admired."

He really didn't want to hear this. This was all more than he had ever wanted to hear. Continuing to look around, not meeting her eyes, the Asian Preventer hoped above all else that she would just give up. He'd almost hope for someone to attack them, just to end the subject here and now – almost.

And with every word slipping from her soft, thin lips, his resolve was deteriorating. And she knew it. She was cunning, and brave. Manipulative, yet with a heart untainted by evil. The perfect politician in an age of lies and depravity. The perfect Queen. The perfect Empress.

"Are you listening to me?" she finally spoke with a curt tone, and he shook his head slightly.

"I'm paying attention to our surroundings, Vice Foreign Minster," he told her, using the titles in that way that she often hated to hear from his mouth, and the ones that frequently caused those deep ocean eyes to crackle with the suddenness of a tropical storm. Daring a flicker of his gaze to hers, he saw that they were snapping now, and a pretty frown had crossed her face.

"Special Agent Chang," she returned, a coldness to her voice that seldom appeared, but always signaled the beginning of an argument, "I don't want to have to order you."

She wouldn't dare order me to pay my respects, would she? he wondered, then risked a glance to her once more, and winced. She would. This was Relena he was thinking of. She would get her way, with either sweet words or barbs, but she would have it. And even though she was his ward, his empress . . . he found the idea of giving in to her repellent to his dignity.

Well, enough was enough.

He faced her. He knew that her brother would be watching. Good; he could help keep her out of trouble while she occupied Wu Fei's time. "Relena," he told her, his tone serious, but not cold, yet not angry either, and his eyes meeting hers without fear or uncertainty. "This is none of your concern. And you know it."

Her expression collapsed, eyes filling with disappointment and desperation that repeated such feelings along her open mouth, down-turned with suffering, and he cursed his growing sensitivities. And as she looked away from him, curving her head to the side like a beaten child, Wu Fei felt his own throat constrict and his fists clench in impotent rage.

There was no guile in her now. This true emotion she stood before him trying to hide, that was what became his undoing every time. And every day he spent as her guard softened him. Before, he would have winced at a woman crying, and felt a sear of guilt. Now, all she had to do was give him those eyes, and it was enough to put him in a tailspin.

"Dammit, Relena," he muttered, then cast his gaze around them as if checking their perimeter, when in actuality he wished for a distraction to save him from the situation. Something. Anything. No, he altered his thoughts swiftly. Not merely anything. "I . . ." he struggled to speak, wanting to wipe away that despondent look clouding her normally brilliant blue eyes. Finally, he muttered, "Fine. Go to the car. Everyone had better be in that limousine with the doors locked when I get back. Especially you. If I find," the impotent anger he had been unable to express began to grow even as a smile blossomed across her mouth, "that you did not do as I said . . ." He glared into her happy eyes and cursed her cheer within his own mind. "There will not be anyone stopping me from punishing you, young lady."

She raised a surprised and bemused eyebrow at that, and he glowered and blushed as he realized – due to an over-exposure to Sally's perverse mind – how exactly that had come out. "You know what I mean," he grated, then pointed at the car abruptly. "Now go, woman!"

Relena simply beamed, thankfully able to control herself enough to not laugh unbecomingly when within a cemetery, and turned to walk back towards the car. A second passed, and then he moved swiftly to catch up with her, a scowl pairing with the heat still flooding his cheeks. "I'll walk you back," he informed her, and was rewarded with her cheeky smile.

I must be getting soft, he told himself, self-reproach thick within his mind. For even the barest of moments, I forgot my job. It won't happen again, he vowed. After all, if it became a habit, he would have to assign a new Preventer to be her personal body guard, and there was no guarantee that his replacement would be sufficient enough. Still, whoever was her guard couldn't afford any distractions.

Being distracted by Relena Dorlan could cost her life, and that was one thing that Wu Fei was not willing to lose.