Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing

_He he this part is sort of funny.

Mission of Mercy

Chapter 6 'Paybacks a bitch'

Relena woke the next morning with her face stiff from crying. 'Shower.' She thought automatically and gathered her shampoo, bottle of body wash, her towel and her clothes and headed for the bathroom. She was surprised to find it empty. Usually someone was always there early in the morning. She shrugged and placed her things in the shower area and stepped into the stall. She adjusted the water and let a moan escape her throat as a cascade of warm water loosened her tense muscles. She didn't take long though, warm water was limited. In ten minutes she was done and reached her arm around the curtain to reach her towel. She grabbed it and pulled it into the shower stall so she could dry off. When that was finished she wrapped it around her body and stepped out to retrieve her clothes. Relena looked to where she'd laid them and moaned.

"No! Misty!" She yelled. "I know it was you. Bring back my clothes or you'll regret the day you came into this world!" Relena leaned out of the bathroom and saw Misty grinning from across the tent.

"I thought you needed some humor this morning." She mused. "You'll never guess where I stashed your clothes." She giggled happily. "But I'll give you a hint. Some very handsome Preventers might know where they are."

"Arge. Misty you will pay for this." Relena yelled, but had to laugh when Misty stuck her tongue out and crossed her eyes at her. Relena promptly gave her the finger and pulled her towel tightly around her body and headed for the guys' bunks. "You're going to die Misty." Relena threatened as she avoided rocks and other sharp objects that were sticking up out of the tent floor.

As she neared the first room loud snoring reached her ears and she knew immediately it was Duo's room. 'Please be in here.' She prayed. 'Duo at least has a sense of humor.' She pulled back his curtain and scanned the room. 'Nope not there.' She had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing though. Duo was sprawled on his cot with one arm and one leg hanging off. He was wearing a pair of Scooby Doo boxers. The next room was Quatre's to her dismay it wasn't there either. 'All right that means, Heero. Okay, no big deal, I'll just sneak in and sneak out. I'm perfectly capable of walking quietly.' Relena assured herself and peeked into the room. She moaned. Her clothes were lying in a pile next to his bed.

Relena made sure her towel was secure and tip toed into his room all was good until she hit her shin on something next to his bed. The noise wasn't much but she was in pain. Relena covered her mouth to keep out the scream that wanted badly to escape. As she was hoping silently on one foot and clutching her shin her towel began to slip. She didn't realize it until it was all the way off. Relena stopped hopping and grabbed her towel. She blushed ferociously as she glance at Heero to make sure he was still sleeping. 'How would I ever explain to him what I was doing butt naked in his room' She giggled at the thought and felt her face grow bright red.

Ignoring the dulling pain in her leg she turned her attention back to her present task, retrieving her clothes, and smiled as she gathered all of them without a sound. As she was rising she glanced at his face and stopped. 'He looks so innocent when he sleeps.' She thought as she looked at his wild brown bangs. 'Never could keep those straight.' She mused and resisted the urge to brush them out of his eyes. She had to admit that the year had only made him more handsome. She smiled. 'If only thing were different. If both of us were less stubborn.' Relena shook her head and proceeded to leave with one last glance his way. She turned to leave, but one word brought her whole world crashing down.

"Relena?" It was a question and it had come form the one and only Heero Yuy.

"Okay, " Relena told him, "this looks really bad." She followed his gaze to her mid-thigh towel and blushed. She didn't notice him turn his head and do the same. "My former friend, Misty, decided today was the perfect day to get even with me." She explained. "She took my clothes and hid them in here while I was in the shower."

"Why didn't you get dressed and then find them?" He asked. She didn't notice him struggling to keep his eyes on her face and not um else where.

Relena blushed. 'I should have though of that.' "What and let her know that she'd won. Never." Relena scoffed her embarrassment in full bloom. "I'll just get my things and leave." She turned quickly and banged her shin again on the same obstruction she had the first time. "Ow!" She screeched between clenched teeth and grabbed her leg. This time it was bleeding and had begun to make a crimson river down her leg. "Stupid piece of junk." She cursed it and didn't notice Heero had gotten up and was now pulling her, unnoticed to sit on the end of his cot. Relena didn't notice until he had her pushed down on the end of his bed. He left her side to get something and Relena pulled his comforter up to cover her legs all the way to her knees. "Well, I have to keep some of my dignity." She said aloud and waited for her 'savior' to return.

"If you'd been paying attention you wouldn't have hit your leg." Heero pointed out as he kneeled to look at it.

"Well, if you kept your room neat people wouldn't be hurting themselves on your JUNK!" She said the last word loudly and with a prominent hiss as he wiped it clean with some sort of disinfectant. "That hurt." She complained. She didn't see the smile that was creeping its way across his face. She watched him lean forward and gently blow on her leg.

"Does that feel any better?" He asked and locked eyes with her's unable to move.

Relena found herself drowning in his Prussian blue eyes. "Yeah." She managed at a whisper as they continued to stare at each other. She gulped. "Thanks." She could barely hear her own vice as Heero moved his head closer to her face and hers down toward him.

"Hey, Heero, you ready for, or, or, or…" Duo's voice broke the moment completely and Relena and Heero both jerked away from each other. "What's going on?" He asked as he viewed Relena a towel wrapped around her and her clothes in a pile on the floor. Heero was in his boxers and a T-shirt. Duo smiled. "Sorry to interrupt you two…"

Relena jumped to her feet immediately and tried to hide the embarrassment that stained her cheeks. "My friend decided to play a trick on me." She informed him and bent to grab her clothes and disappeared out the door.

Duo watched her until her form disappeared around the corner. "So someone works fast." He commented. "Wink, wink nudge, nudge…"

Heero rolled his eyes. Its not what you think Duo, just go eat your breakfast." Heero fell back on his bed trying to calm his raging heart. "Go bother Quatre."

"And tell him all about your little interlude with Relena…I'd love to." Duo rubbed his hands together.

"Wait! I'm up." Heero called after him. "I know how you exaggerate."

Duo ignored Heero's calls and turned his attention to Quatre. "Good morning buddy!" He called happily. "Your official wake up call is here."

"I didn't order one." Quatre protested and threw his pillow at Duo.

"Not nice Q-man. If you're not careful people will begin to mistake you for Wufie." Duo told him cheerily and moved closer so he could shake him. "NOW GET UP!"

Quatre groaned and pulled his blanket over his head. "Go away and come back when you're less annoying." He kicked Duo with his foot. "Now leave. I'm tired."

"Fine miss breakfast. Don't say I didn't warn you." Duo turned to see Heero walking toward him. "Well buddy it's just you and me."

Heero grunted and continued to breakfast. Duo smiled and followed his disgruntled friend to the mess hall.

* * * * * * * *

Relena glared at Hilde who was covering her mouth to keep from laughing too hard. She had been laughing since Relena hold told her what happened that morning. She thought that it would have gotten old but as soon as Heero and Duo walked into the mess hall she had started up again.

"Hill will you cut it out!" Relena hissed at her and jabbed her elbow into Hilde's side. "I tell you the most embarrassing moment of my life and you laugh at me." Relena poked at her food absently. "What a friend you are."

"Please Lena," Hilde began between chuckles and bites of egg. "It's funny. I can't believe you don't see the humor. I mean what are the odds that Misty would put your clothes in He..he…" Hilde started again and had to cover her mouth.

Relena groaned. "Shut up." She poked at her food and tried to ignore the butterflies that jumped in her stomach. She had felt it and she couldn't deny that. It had been there, just like before. The warm sensation had coursed through her body and a tingling had begun on every portion of her body. The feelings had disturbed her. She and Heero would never work out, they were different people and they were both too stubborn to give in. Groaning again she tried to focus on her food and ignore Hilde all at the same time. She couldn't let his presence get to her.

"Can we sit here?"

The voice caught Relena off guard making her jump. Beside her Hilde began laughing again and almost spewed her orange juice on the ground. Relena glared at her friend. 'Sometimes Hilde.' Relena looked up reluctantly to see Heero and Duo standing in front of her. She tried to give them a casual smile. 'Don't blush.' Her mind begged. Remember what he said to you last night. Feed off the anger.' "Sure." She mouthed and watched as they both sat in front of her.

Hilde had gotten herself under control, for the moment any way, and smiled at them both. "Hey guys. So were is Quatre?"

"Wouldn't get up." Duo said and shoved a piece of soggy bacon into his mouth. "Can you believe he's not a morning person."

Hilde shrugged. "I figured he had a fault some where. I mean he's happy all the time, its just fate that he's not a morning person." Just as the words left her mouth Quatre stepped into the mess hall his hair in a scrambled mess and his face long and drawn. Hilde giggled. "He looks worse than you do after you wake up, Duo." Hilde told him giggling.

"Hey!" Duo said and looked up from his plate. "That's not nice."

"Yeah, but it's true." Relena mused.

"How would you know?" Duo asked and raised an eyebrow.

"Hill showed me a picture last year. Real cute Gundam boxers Duo." Relena laughed at Duo's shocked face. "Hey, don't be mad at me Hill showed me."

Duo turned to Hilde who was trying to control her laughter once again. "Sorry?" She started but lost control completely and fell onto the table giggling.

"Shinigami does not take things like this lightly!" Duo roared and shoved his last biscuit into his mouth and swallowed. "You will pay for your betrayal." With that he jumped onto the table and made a grab for Hilde. She easily dodged and ran out of the mess all with a stream of children following. "Get back here Hill!" Duo called after her.

Relena watched as the children jumped on Duo pulling him to the ground. "Don't mess with Miss Hillary!" They warned him in deadly unison. Relena smiled and turned back to the table. She sat face to face with Heero. Immediately her mood darkened. She had no idea what to say. Relena looked at her plate absently and hoped by some small miracle she would get out of this.

"How's your knee?"

Relena looked up a sheepishly. "It's fine." She mumbled. "Nothing that won't heal." She told him glancing at his face for only a moment. 'Don't get caught in his eyes again.' She warned herself. 'Focus, focus.'

"Relena about what happened in my room…" He began after a moment. "I…."

"Hey, it was nothing alright. I swear I'll never go in you room again. Scout's Honor!" Relena smiled at him cheesily and sank back into her chair. 'You are such a dork.'

"No that's not what I mean…I'm talking about…"

Relena interrupted him again. "Oh my gosh its fifteen till seven I've got to get to school. Me and Hill have a class to teach." Relena jumped up bringing her tray with her. "Maybe we'll talk later." She told him and waved. "See ya."

Just as Relena was leaving Quatre sat down beside Heero. "So things not going so well." He asked. Right as usual.

"Worse than that." Heero told him as he watched Relena's departing form.

* * * * * * * *

Relena fidgeted in her chair as she waited for their students to arrive. She was nervous and even the slightest mention of the morning made her turn a deep shade of red.

"Calm down Lena." Hilde told her. "You are too worked up over this." She sank into the chair beside Relena and draped her arm around her friend's shoulder. "Duo and me are fine. You just need to work it out with him and, well it'll work."

"What makes you think that one year away from me will bring him running. I mean I was with him for over five and that didn't work. Besides, I don't want anything to do with him. I just hope things get nice here real fast." Relena moaned and slammed her head down on her desk in frustration. "You won't believe what an idiot I was after you and Duo ran off."

"What'd you say?" Hilde asked her eyes sparkling with the urge for gossip.

"Well he started to talk about what happened this morning and I got panicked." Relena lifter her head of her desk and looked Hilde in the eyes. "I know, I said I didn't care and I don't but it just made me uncomfortable. I told him I'd never go in his room again…."

"That's not bad. You made it sound like you said something stupid."

"I did I told him scouts honor and held up my fingers like this." Relena imitated her movements from earlier and groaned. "And I did that laugh."

"You mean the one with the snort at the end?" Hilde asked.

Relena nodded. "Twice."

"You're right that is bad." Hilde told her.

Relena hit her upside the head. "You're supposed to tell me that wasn't as bad as I think. You are supposed to make me feel better not worse." Relena moaned and fell back onto the desk. "I think if I kill myself now I won't have to talk to him anymore."

"You aren't that lucky girl." Hilde reminded her. Just as Hilde finished her sentence the kids began to arrive.

"Hey everybody take your seats and tell us everything you learned about our visitors." Hilde told them and smiled as little Deacon took his seat on the front row. Relena looked up only to smile at them and laid her head back down.

The children had questioned the three extensively and learned quite a lot. The day's lesson mostly revolved around the things they had been told and explanations about things they didn't understand. Relena joined in right at the end with a speech on the politics of were they came from and a brief bio on the man who had sent these men to the mission, Milliardo Peacecraft.

When they day was finally over with Relena found herself feeling better. "You know Hilde these kids always make me feel better." She wrapped her arms around her chest and sighed. "I think I'm all right now."

"Good. Because we're having dinner with them in three hours." Hilde told her and smiled at the startled expression her friend gave her. "What, Duo asked I excepted for both of us."

"Whatever." Relena said. "Not even that can dampen my mood." Relena spied the long sleeved shirt tied around Hilde's waist and made a grab for it. "I think your clothes need a bath." She teased and took off for the lake in the middle of town.

"No Lena!" Hilde begged as she called after her. "It's clean and I'm going to wear it tonight."

"What I can't hear you. Did you say 'go ahead and wash it? I think you did." Relena grinned and ran faster when she saw Hilde gaining. She reached the lake seconds before Hilde did. And casually tossed the shirt into the water. "Oops." She said innocently

"You will so pay for that Lena." Hilde told her as she watched her shirt bob up and down on top of the water.

"I was just doing you a favor." Relena mused.

"Oh, I feel I should return the favor." Hilde told her and gave her a hard shove into the water.

Relena screamed as she fell in face first. Hilde was ginning at her in triumph and had already tip toed out to get her shirt trying to keep her jean from getting in the water. 'Big mistake.' Relena thought and shoved Hilde into the water and began laughing. "Well, I feel my work here is done. Don't you?" She could here Hilde laughing behind her as she jumped on Relena and dragged her under.

Heero watched the display with some disgust. What were they doing? Duo on the other hand immediately saw it as an opportunity to have some fun. He went tearing out after them and soon had joined them in the water splashing and playing. Heero didn't run toward them, but walked a half smile creasing his face.

"What are you guys doing?" He asked when he reached the water's edge, and gazed at three thoroughly soaked human beings. He had to keep his eyes away from Relena. Her shirt was clinging to her body and showed off every curve. "Dinner is in an hour you'd better get dried off." To his surprise Relena turned toward him .

"Alright, just let me wash my hands first." Heero watched as she bent over and stuck her hands deep into the water. "Hold on I'm coming." He didn't even notice the smile that threatened to break out on her face with each step toward him. She came until she was just inches from his face. "Heero," She began and all he could do was stare at her face refusing to let his eyes wander anywhere else. "You need to lighten up." With those words she brought her hands to his cheeks and smeared some of the dark mud across them. Giggling madly she turned to run away, but Heero's arm shot out to catch her departing form.

"You're not getting away that easy." He told her allowing a small smirk to cross his face. "Allow me to get you back." Quickly and efficiently Heero lifted Relena into his arms and walked into the lake.

Relena struggled to pull herself free, but he was holding her too tight. 'What was I thinking. I shouldn't have done that.' Relena mentally cursed herself and redoubled her efforts. "I'm sorry." She told him and was surprised when he stopped.

"Me too." He said his face straight.

"For what?" Relena asked slightly confused.

"For this." He said simply and smeared mud all in her hair. Afterwards he dropped her into the water.

"Alright Yuy, just because I'm in trying to make peace here it doesn't mean I don't know how to fight." Relena smiled innocently and flung a ball of mud at Heero. It splattered all over him and Relena fell back into the water giggling.

Hilde sighed as she watched the two of play in the water. They hadn't even noticed hers and Duo's departure. They were flinging mud at each other right now. Their faces were incredibly serious. Hilde laughed and grabbed Duo. "Come on lets eat."

"I'm always hungry." Duo told her cheerfully.

Only minutes later Hilde looked up from her plate to see a steaming Relena. "Stay out there you son-of a…" She trailed off and Hilde could only stare wide eyed at her. What had happened in the last few minutes? She was covered from head to toe with mud and Heero, looking similar, came in only moments later. His face pulled back in anger and his eyebrows furrowed across his forehead. He wore his death glare and unmercifully shot it at everyone in sight. He mumbled as well, but she couldn't make out his words.

So there it is Chapter 6. *Smiles as she looks at it* Tell me what you think.

Sort of a little cliffhanger at the end, but it's not that bad.