Title: "Scars"

Author: Demeter

Warning: Yaoi. 1X2, 3X4, 5XS, Relena-centric, Relena-flaming will not be tolerated, unless done in a constructive way. As in, telling me WHY I suck in writing this instead of just "This sucks!"

Disclaimer: All rights and privileges to Shin Kidousenki Gundam Wing are trademarks and property of Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, and associated parties. All characters belong to them, and all stories, relationships, ideas are fiction, in no way related to the original storyline. The story, the relationships and original characters within the fic are copyright of the author Demeter.

Chapter Nine: Losing Faith

What is faith? When all seems to have returned to normalcy, a ghost from the past returns in all her shining glory. The relationships that have been fragilely mended will once more be torn apart.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Wufei fidgeted slightly as Sally continued with her report. He hated these sorts of meetings; all show and no go. They were boring as hell, compared with what they COULD be doing. Tapping a foot on the ground, he waited impatiently for the lecture to end.

Sally concluded with a warning and a smile to the soldiers, and dismissed them with a salute. Shuffling her papers together, she walked off the podium and toward Wufei. Seeing his scowling face, she gave a small chuckle, before linking arms with him. "You know, you'd be more popular with the new recruits if you smiled a little more. They respect you, but they're scared of you too."

Wufei snorted, as they headed for the jeep. Leaping into shotgun, Sally took up the drivers seat. The vidcom was blinking, as she revved up the car. Wufei hit the receive button, and was surprised to see Trowa's stoic face on the screen. "What's going on?"

Trowa looked tense then. "Is this a secure line?" His normally calm voice, agitated.

Wufei glanced at Sally before answering, "No."

"Then get to one and call me at the Peacecraft mansion."

The screen blinked a couple times before going black.

Sally looked confused as she shut the screen. "What was that all about?"

Wufei stared at the screen, before speaking in a curt tone, "Get us to the nearest secure phone line."

Sally glanced at him from the corner of her eye, but had been working with him long enough to know when not to argue. All she said was "Hold on." Pressing the gas pedal, she did a one-eighty, the tires squealing. The speedometer's needle climbed steadily to 80, 90, 100, 120.

A few minutes later, they screeched to a stop in front of a large building. Getting out of the jeep, they passed all greetings and banged into the communications room. Ignoring protests, they pushed the harried operators out and shut the door with a bang. Sally locked it, and surveyed the room carefully. She took off her coat and stuffed it under the door, to block out he sound, and poked some threadbare cloth into the keyhole. She locked all the windows, and closed the curtains.

Wufei was sitting at the vidcom, and was typing in the number for the Peacecraft mansion. Moments later, Trowa and Quatre appeared, one seemingly nervous, the other impassive but with a noticeable fidget. Wufei asked brusquely, "What's going on?"

Quatre glanced at his silent partner, before talking. "Somebody broke into the mansion last night. The intruder slipped into one of the rooms and hacked into the computer system. We think it was... Darlian's. The person managed to get to the outer doors, before I stopped the her."

There was a pause.

Wufei looked more than a little exasperated, before saying, "So? That room hasn't been touched in seven years. There shouldn't be anything of importance. What's making you all so jumpy?"

Quatre continued softly. "I saw... I saw the person's face. It was a woman."

Another silence, slightly longer.

Sally felt her heart twist, knowing something was going to be said that would change everything.

Wufei leaned back in his chair, his eye shadowed. "A woman?"

Trowa broke in then, putting an arm around Quatre. "The woman looked like a person we ALL knew a long time ago." His flat voice made the statement all the more real.

"And?" Sally asked, her heart thudding.

"She looked exactly like Relena Peacecraft."

*Bang* Sally whirled to see Wufei's chair slam to the ground. His eyes were black, furious. "Look Barton, if this is some sort of sick joke, it isn't funny." He clenched his fist, looking horrible.

"I wish it was a joke, but it isn't! She was there. I saw her with my own eyes! It was Relena!" Quatre was nearly shouting in agitation. He rubbed his hands together anxiously. "It was Relena. There's no changing that fact." Trowa squeezed his arm comfortingly, and Quatre looked at him, thanks in his blue eyes.

Wufei leaned over in his chair, his face hidden in his hands. "Kisama." He didn't look up as he asked, "Does Heero and Duo know about his?"

"No." Trowa's voice was emotionless. "I assumed it would be best we told both of you first."

"How about Milliardo and Lucy?" Sally asked.

"No."

The seconds ticked by as thoughts echoed through their heads. There were no sounds while the four of them tried to comprehend the situation. Finally, Sally, with hesitation in her voice, said, "Relena can't hack into a computer, let alone sneak into a tightly guarded castle, and THEN escape by a mobile suit. She has neither the skill, nor the inclination; she was a pacifist, remember? The person might have just LOOKED like her."

Quatre bit his lip, his sea-green eyes troubled. "I don't know. It was so like her... down to the hair. Even the color of her eyes. I've never seen those color eyes on anyone after she… disappeared. Dorothy's on her way over."

"Dorothy?"

"She knew Relena almost better than her own brother."

Sally looked into Trowa's eyes, and then said slowly, "I'll contact Milliardo and Lucy. You guys call Heero and Duo as soon as you can; they need to know." Quatre gave a hesitant nod, and the screen blinked off.  Sally bit her lip until it bled, wishing desperately this was all a bad dream, a bad dream, which would let her wake up soon.

She had known Relena better than the pilots, and knew of her passionate nature in helping others. She was not the flighty princess they all thought she was, and did not believe that her obsession with Heero was purposeful. Relena had a kind heart, and although blind to things such as real love, she never wavered in giving all she could.

Until she had nothing left.

Sally smiled bitterly as memories returned. How Relena would stare out the windows at times, her eyes lost in some dream, only to be prodded back to reality. The despair in her eyes then had never been easy to bear. To know that you weren't in the world you wanted to be was hard for her, harder than anyone.

She could still remember the stark pain in Relena's face, as she tried to comprehend the fact that Heero had just told her bluntly, in front of the whole group, that he despised her and only protected her for world peace.

There had been so much white in her face.

Wufei's short bark brought Sally back to reality. She hurried from the room, intent on calling Milliardo and Lucy, and telling them the news.

~*~ Part Nine ~*~

~*~ FINIS ~*~