Endless Dream

by Sansha

“People on the colonies have been taking up arms against people on Earth! If we’re not careful, we could have another war on our hands.”

3. Chapter Two

Author's Notes:  Took me long enough to get this posted, huh?  -_-   Sorry.  Since taking up residence in the spare bedroom at Marika's house, things have been a bit busy – but fun!

So, a couple lil notes:  First off, the Sansha writers now have nicknames!  Yay!  From this day forward, Marika Webster will be known as Hick, being that she's from the south.  GoldenGoddess, our resident Canadian has been dubbed Eh, and I, Bekki Sue, shall henceforth be known as Yankee, as I am from New England.  Make sense?  Good.

So, just a warning for you guys, the end of this chapter is a BIG surprise, but don't get freaked out by it, k?  I promise, we have a LOGICAL explanation for it.  ^^  Promise!

Disclaimer: Not mine.  If you sue, all you'll get is a bagful of pennies.  Why?  Because that's all I have.

~*~*~*~*~

Endless Dream

Chapter Two

~*~*~*~*~

Three-thirty was one hell of a time to begin training, Wufei would admit to that much, but given the woman's background in hand to hand combat, he decided that he wanted to see for himself just how much she was capable of, even with the handicap of physical weariness. Her performance on this test would give him a better idea of what she can do.

Upon entering the training room, Wufei saw that Musha was already there, fighting off her imaginary demons, just as she was the first time he saw her. Though her only target was the air before her, she fought with vigor. Briefly, just briefly did Wufei wonder if she'd worn herself out before the test even began.

"Attention!"

The arms that were stretched forward now snapped to Musha's sides, feet planted firmly on the ground, body snapping into a perfectly straight line. Her response was instantaneous, as if she'd known all along that he was there, waiting to give the order.

"At ease, Miss Eien."

The woman relaxed, silently grateful. Wufei then approached her, circling her slowly like a vulture. He could sense her shoulders rise under the unwelcome scrutiny. The Chinese man wasn't quite sure what made this woman fear this sort of observation, but it was obviously one of her weak points.

"We're not here to talk, Miss Eien. The purpose of this meeting is solely to test your physical strengths and weaknesses. Nothing that was discussed in my office yesterday will exist in this room, am I clear?" He watched the woman nod obediently and continued. "So now, show me what you've got."

Show you what I've got...? She repeated in confirmation, trying to keep the joyful edge out of her voice. She'd had a crappy couple of days; being forced into the men's barracks, spinning in a literal circle at the commands of her commanding officer, having her room bugged by her commanding officer, being sent to hand to hand combat testing at three thirty am by her, you guessed it, commanding officer.
And now that SAME man was asking her to show him what she could do. As in, she was being given permission to fight him?

God help her and her self-control. 

A timid little smirk played at her lips. Oh, she'd show him what she could do, all right...

She hesitated a moment longer, then, in a rush of speed she was in front of Wufei, her fist buried within his gut as the result of the uppercut she'd just delivered. The blood pounded in her ears and she took a deep breath, preparing herself... She'd show him what she could do...

She pivoted on the balls of her feet, allowing her momentum to carry her a full 360 degrees, her foot elevated to deliver another blow, but she met with empty air. Wufei was gone.

'What?'

Suddenly, something hit her from behind. She stumbled forward, struggling to regain her balance. Wufei's foot shot around from the left, inches away from connecting with her ribs. How had he moved so fast?!
Musha jumped and rolled forward, doing a summersault over his knee and rolling along the ground to safety. No time to relish in this victory...

Jumping up and landing in a crouch, Musha whirled around with a liquid grace, every effort devoted to knocking Wufei off his feet.

Too slow! Musha bit back a curse as her foot once again met with empty air. Wufei had pivoted away from her assault and, as she had done moments before, was spinning away to safety. Wait...

Quickly, she shifted her weight and spun around on her other leg. The soft flesh of her heel connected with the back of Wufei's kneecap. Success! He wobbled, struggling to regain his balance.

'Time to finish this...'

She jumped up from her crouch and grabbed his sleeve. His balance was gone; all she had to do was knock him over now...

That was her fatal mistake. Wufei took this opportunity to throw her off balance, sending the smaller body crashing to the floor. Unfortunately for him, she still had a good grip on his sleeve, effectively pulling him down with her. Through the momentary struggle of body and limb, they managed to find themselves in a very awkward position as Wufei had the woman pinned to the ground beneath him. He used this to his advantage though, and grinned that cocky kind of grin that Musha hated more than anything – especially from him.

"I win."

~*~*~*~*~

The morning after the incident found Tensei at her desk, absently drumming her fingers on the desktop surface. She never imagined that being the assistant to one of the wealthiest and busiest men in the Earth Sphere could ever bring about boredom. The previous night ended quite late, even after seeing Quatre home. She'd told the restaurant manager that the police could contact her in the morning, but one in the morning was not what she had in mind. Well, at least someone was concerned with the man's well being!

Tensei glanced at her clock and smiled inwardly when she realized that this would be Musha's break time. She reached for her phone and dialed the number almost merrily, thankful to have the opportunity to converse with someone 'normal'.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end was nearly inaudible, as if Musha had just woken up.

"Musha? Are you alright?"

There was a slight groan on the other end, and the distinct sound of a bed creaking as a body turned over it. "Yeah, just kinda tired. I had training at three-thirty this morning."

"Three-thirty?! Who in the world authorized that?"

"Listen, Tensei." She released a sigh, "We need to talk. Can we meet for lunch?"

The other woman shrugged. "I think so. Quatre's been in a meeting all day with his head of security. I think he got wind of what happened last night."

"What happened last night?" She could already hear the overprotective edge rise in Musha's voice.

Tensei shook her head. "Let's just meet for lunch and touch base, alright? I'll pick you up at twelve."

"Alright. See you then."

Just as the call was terminated, there was a knock at Tensei's door. She offered a casual "Come in." and set the phone aside, looking up to see her employer enter the room.

"There you are." She went about organizing the items on her desk for the fiftieth time, "I was afraid you'd be stuck in that meeting forever."

"Actually…" he rocked back on his heels, "It's not quite over. Your presence is required for the remainder of the discussion."

Tensei wondered briefly why she would be needed for only part of the meeting. After all, it was her job to attend all meetings as his assistant. She didn't have much time to voice her question, though, as Quatre was already behind her, pulling her seat out for her to stand. "Right in my office."

Tensei followed the man into the next room, curiosity washing over her as she saw two unfamiliar men in the room, already seated.

"Miss Tensei, I'd like for you to meet Trowa Barton." The man with the strange hair nodded slightly, acknowledging his introduction as the blond continued. "He's the head of security here at WEI, and a very close friend of mine. He is the one who initially called this meeting." He turned slightly and gestured to the other man. "And this is Chang Wufei, he's a commanding officer with the Preventers. Our entire security program is supervised by their organization."

Tensei nodded to both men as she sat in the chair that Quatre pulled up for her. "Good morning. It's nice to meet you both."

The unibanged one leaned forward in his seat, his one visible eye meeting with hers. "Miss Tensei, I called this meeting to discuss the incident last night."

So she was right. "What about it? I thought you got a copy of the police report."

"Well, Miss Tensei, it just concerns us that you never listed your talent for using firearms on your résumé."

"Well, with all due respect, I didn't find it necessary to list that skill on a résumé for such a position."

"What I'd like to know," The Chinese man spoke for the first time, crossing his arms, "Is how you attained that skill in the first place. Your records list that you completed school then went on to work as a singer at clubs in various cities. Please tell me, Miss Jiaino, what business a singer or even a personal assistant has possessing skills in weaponry."

Tensei suddenly felt herself become very defensive. Why were they asking her these questions? "Just a hobby, I guess. I was very young when the war was going on, and many children on the colonies were taught basic fighting skills. It was for our own protection. I happened to have a knack for it, so I continued training until I became an expert. I don't intend on using it to harm anyone, but last night was an emergency."

"I see." Wufei nodded, seemingly taking over the conversation. "Then would you care to enlighten us as to why you carry a pistol on you?"

Tensei froze. That would be a hard question to answer, but she had to find some way. "With all that's going on right now, I thought it couldn't hurt." She narrowed her eyes slightly at the Chinese man, "Lucky thing I had it on me, or Mr. Winner wouldn't be here right now. I can't very well stop a bullet with my bare hands."

"Miss Tensei," the one called Trowa assumed the conversation, "I'm sure you understand that it is strictly against policy for employees to carry anything that could even be considered a weapon on their person while on duty, unless expressly cleared to do so."

"I suppose you'll have to confiscate my nail filer, then?"

The sarcasm was not appreciated, but it wasn't noted either. The man simply continued, ignoring her altogether. "However, due to the fact that we have no reason to suspect you of anything amiss, and given the fact that you did save Mr. Winner's life, we're going to let this go without taking any disciplinary action."

"I appreciate that." Yeah right. She knew now what Musha was talking about when she said paranoid.

"Also, I'd like to propose… an amendment to your contract that will both allow you to carry your pistol with executive clearance and allow you full access to the Preventer's shooting range."

Access at Preventers? That could be good for the mission, communication wise. She picked up on the fact that Musha's room was bugged, based on her reluctance to say much of anything of importance on the phone earlier. "And that would be?"

Trowa retrieved a manila folder from his briefcase and extracted a sheet of paper. "Mr. Winner's testimony on the police report states that the two of you exited the restaurant. You immediately knew that something was wrong. You jumped in front of Mr. Winner, shielding him with your own body as you drew your weapon and fired."

Tensei glanced over to the aforementioned would-be victim, confusion written all over her face. The pleading look on the man's features silently begged her to simply agree. She never put anything in her report about the specific details leading up to the shooting – some things you simply don't remember, nor care to talk about at one in the morning. The woman wondered briefly why Quatre fibbed on his testimony, but he was the boss, after all. "Yes, that's correct."

The relief on the blond's face was almost too obvious, but Tensei brushed it away for the time being, deciding that now was not the time to wonder what he was up to.

"Well," Trowa stuffed the papers back in the folder, "It looks to me like you're pretty capable. I mentioned earlier a change in your contract. It would simply be adding one more responsibility: acting as a last line of defense for Mr. Winner's person."

That sounded reasonable. At least now she wouldn't have to worry so much about concealing her weapon so carefully. "So, what are the conditions?"

"Three days of training, under my supervision." It was Chang that spoke this time. "Only a couple of hours each evening. We have three new recruits that you'll be training with."

"Sounds fine to me."

"Very well, then." Trowa stood and offered his hand. "Once you complete your training, report to me. I'll have your security clearance for your weapon."

Tensei shook the man's hand and nodded. "Wonderful. Is there anything else?"

"That's all, Miss Tensei." Quatre smiled, "Thank you for being so agreeable. Don't forget about the appointment with the Kleins at three this afternoon."

"Sure!" She gave a little wave and disappeared back into her office, shutting the door softly behind her. "Damnit…"

~*~*~*~*~

"It was utterly humiliating, Tensei. And the way that he grinned! Oh, if it wouldn't have compromised the mission, I'd have killed him right then and there!"

Tensei shook her head and took another sip of her iced tea. "I'm sorry, Musha… I wish I could have been there to see the look on your face." She laughed softly until a cherry tomato hit her square between the eyes. "Hey!"

Musha sighed. "It was so hard for me to hold back like that, but he's suspicious of me, Tensei. I can't get him worried, or everything will be shot."

Tensei nodded in agreement. "They're incredibly paranoid, but that could work to our advantage."

"Not entirely." Musha added, "Chang overheard my side of our first phone conversation. He heard me talking about you being the best at infiltration and now he's suspicious."

"Chang Wufei?" Tensei couldn't believe her eyes as Musha nodded. "He wants me to undergo three days of training with the Preventers."

"What in the world do you need to do that for? You're just Quatre Winner's personal assistant."

"Not anymore." She took another sip, "I'm his secondary line of defense. Someone tried to assassinate him last night and I stopped it… word got around. Anyway, it's the only way they'll let me keep the gun that they now know I have."

The other woman sighed heavily and shook her head. "Things are not going according to plan, but all is not lost. As long as we satisfy their suspicions, we'll be in the clear."

"Their minds must be put at ease before the treaty signing. We can't afford to be under the magnifying glass when it happens. If our sources are right, there'll be a riot for sure."

Musha frowned. "I still don't like the idea of you being down there. You'd better be damn careful, there'll be bullets flying."

"Don't worry, Musha. If all goes according to plan, yours will be the only bullet launched. Let's hope for that."

"Right." The woman glanced at her watch and sighed. "Yeah, my lunch break is definitely over. I'll call you next time I'm near a payphone."

"Sure thing." Tensei stood and dropped her part of the bill on the table. "Be careful, okay? The treaty signing on Friday is only the beginning."

At this, Musha offered a playful wink. "Me? Careful?" She laughed. "Never!"

~*~*~*~*~

"Where have you been?" Chang Wufei questioned the woman as she entered the main building and checked back in.

Musha rolled her eyes before turning to face him. "I was out to lunch with a friend of mine. Is there a problem with that?"

"No." Came the answer, "No problem. I was just curious." He leaned back against the wall, "So, I have an assignment for you. It's not for a couple days, but I thought I'd brief you ahead of time."

Musha looked at him curiously. A mission? So early? "What is it?" She set the pen down and gave the man her undivided attention.

"The Earth Sphere is taking extensive action to squash these fits that the colonies are having once and for all. Delegates from each colony will be meeting with Earth's own representatives, Relena Peacecraft and Quatre Winner to discuss passing a law that will give governments of all parties universal jurisdiction in terrorist situations. As it stands, the differing laws that govern the earth and each colony are preventing justice from being served properly in these incidences. With this legal agreement, we won't have to wade through all the hassles and red tape of transporting criminals back to their home for punishment. That leaves too much room for biased people in power to let criminals go.  It's the first step to preventing terrorism."

Musha nodded in understanding, waiting for him to continue.

"You, along with three other Preventers will be assigned to see to it that Relena Peacecraft makes it to the meeting safely. Once she has arrived, her own security forces will take over, and you'll be free to go."

Musha nodded. "Sounds good. When will this all take place?"

"Friday night." Wufei answered, "Make sure to report to resources for your uniform."

She was a bit relieved, though surprised that Wufei would actually assign her that night, given the suspicions that he'd made so clear to her earlier. No matter. This would be perfect, better than planned. "I'll make sure to do that. Is there anything else?"

The man waved his hand. "Nothing more. You're done for today. Report for training at 0600 tomorrow morning."

~*~*~*~*~

Tensei was all smiles as she watched the three businessmen exchange handshakes and friendly greetings. Her job was basically to stand there, smile, and wait until she was needed.  Not the most exciting job, but then, undercover work was never meant to be exciting.

"Honestly, Quatre. I'm a bit surprised that you even came to the office today." The elder Mr. Klein shook his head as he took his seat across from Quatre's desk, "After what happened last night, I'd imagine that you'd need a bit of time to recover."

Quatre merely waved his hand dismissively. "Really, everything is fine now. By the time I realized what was happening, Miss Tensei had already taken care of the assassin."

"I told you, Quatre!" Alexander shouted enthusiastically, "This one's a keeper!"

"I wonder," Franklin said with a smile, "If you could throw her in as part of the deal?"

Quatre laughed and played along. "I don't know, she's worth much more than what I've already offered. We'd have to rewrite the entire agreement."

Tensei couldn't listen to this anymore. Though she knew they were only kidding, she couldn't stand to hear them speak about her like this. Immediately, she snatched up the necessary forms for the deal and placed them on the desk in front of both Kleins. "I've kept the paperwork as short and sweet as possible, but I was careful to make sure that it's accurate. The first page is a brief summary of the conditions of this agreement. After you read that, please see the second page, which lists the same conditions in a spreadsheet chart." She continued without even looking up, "The last page is a summary of the agreement as a whole, and space for both your signatures."

"Those are the important papers." Tensei reached into the briefcase that she carried for this meeting and extracted a larger stack of papers and set them on the desk. "And these are all the other papers that require signatures for purposes that are entirely arbitrary, but legally required at the same time."

The documents were passed around the desk between the three men as they scribbled signatures in near perfect silence. None of them found it necessary to actually take the time to read the agreement. No one ever did, anyway. When the papers were finally completed, they were stacked neatly and handed back to Tensei. She took up her own pen and signed the coversheet as the legal witness. With the final stroke of the pen, the deal was closed.

"Well," Quatre stood, soon joined by Alexander Klein and his son, and extended a hand once more. "Thank you again, gentlemen. I believe that this deal will profit all of us."

The elder Mr. Klein nodded. "I agree. We look forward to working with you, Mr. Winner," he turned to the assistant, "And you, Miss Tensei. You've done a wonderful job."

"Thank you, Mr. Klein." She cued the fake smile and nodded. "Have a safe trip back."

"We will." The man gave a small wave before they both exited the room.

"Well," Quatre sighed and slumped back into his seat. "What a deal, huh? This'll be great." He flashed her a grateful smile, "It never would have gone this smoothly without you, Tensei. Thank you."

The woman shook her head. "You did all the work, I just put it all on paper." She collected the documents and slipped them back into the briefcase. "I'll take these down to make sure that they're processed right away."

"Wait." Quatre extended his hand to stop hers as she moved to lift the case, barely even noticing her tense underneath his touch. "What are you doing tonight?"

Tensei blinked. "Tonight? That all depends on your schedule, Quatre."

At this, the man smiled. "True. In that case, I have a celebration dinner on my schedule for this evening for seven o'clock."

Tensei nodded, all too eager to get out of the room before she thought her hand would melt off. "Of course. I'll make the reservations. Just tell me how large the party will be, and which restaurant you'd like to dine at."

His smile broadened. "Party of two." He chirped, "At Nucci's. I'll have Teppei pick up something appropriate for you to wear."

"I don't understand." She shook her head, "Who else are you celebrating with?"

Quatre laughed. "You, of course!" She opened her mouth to speak but he beat her to the open air space. "Don't argue with me. You're a big reason why this deal was closed and I want to thank you. Besides, you ARE my personal assistant. We should get to know each other a little more."

It was one of those moments when she wished she had a screwdriver or ANYTHING pointy to drive through her head. "Alright." There was that fake smile again.

"I'll pick you up at your house at six-thirty." She opened her mouth again, but he beat her once more, "And I promise to drive safely."

At this, Tensei could only nod her head before she retreated back into her office.

~*~*~*~*~

Slender hands gripped the belt around the woman's waist, pulling it tight to her hips, securing the scabbard of the long blade to her side. Her long hair was swept neatly under a smooth black wig, and sunglasses concealed the true color of her eyes.

She crept through the black of the night, careful not to make a sound as she made her way to the garage where her "trusty steed", a state of the art motorcycle awaited her. She mounted the bike swiftly and turned on the engine, glancing around to make sure that all was clear before riding off into the night.

~*~*~*~*~

It is said that lightning never hits the same place twice. That may be true, but Tensei wasn't so sure that the same was true for a person. She knew her employer was oblivious to the extent of danger that he was in, but even after nearly being killed, he still didn't take it seriously.

The woman absently drummed her fingers against the table's surface, lost in her own thoughts of how frustrating this man was, and how he REALLY should have brought his bodyguard with him in public.

Quatre stared at his dinner companion with no small amount of amusement. "Tensei, you seem a little nervous. Is there something that I'm missing?"

Missing? Oh, nothing except for the fact that he's totally brainless. "No." She answered softly, "Nothing. I'm sorry, I'm just a bit tired. It's been a hectic last couple of days."

Quatre watched those fingers drumming on the table top. She'd been doingthat since they'd sat down. In a smooth, unobtrusive movement he snaked his hand across the table and laid his fingers atop hers, effectively catching her mid-tap. "You know, it might help if you talk about whatever's bothering you."

Careful not to seem too anxious, Tensei slipped her hand back and folded them both together on her lap. "I told you, nothing's wrong."

Quatre pulled a slim case from his pocket and slid it onto the table next to his plate, long fingers caressing it almost lovingly. "Do you know what this is?"

Tensei stared at it for a moment, wondering what in the world he was talking about. "Um... glasses?"

He flipped the case open, extracting a pair of silver rimmed glasses. He smiled at her slyly and held them from his lips by one of the earpieces, speaking round the piece. "You know what's so special about them?"

"Special?" She shrugged slightly, "They look like plain old glasses to me."

He snorted lightly and slipped them onto his face. "With these glasses, I can see inside you."

The ducky on the wallet was cute at best, but Tensei never took it as a reason to be concerned for the man's well being. However, given this new evidence... "Quatre, they're reading glasses."

Raising his hands to touch the corner of the lenses he gave a sly grin. "They may look like reading glasses, but no... These glasses are very special. I can see inside your feelings, your soul's reactions to certain... stimuli."

She really… didn't need this right now. Deciding that it would be best to just let him say whatever point he's trying to make, Tensei sighed. "And how's that?"

"You can't hide, Miss Tensei. There's something bothering you, and I can see it quite clearly right now." The grin grew broader. "Would you care for me to enlighten you?"

No, not really. "Yes, please. You're confusing me."

"It's the apparent lack of a body guard." He stated quite smugly. He lenaed back in his chair and lifted his glass taking a drink of his soda.

"Yeah." She agreed fully, "The lack of body guard that it not only apparent to me, but to any other psycho that could be lurking around here."

"Ahh, but you don't understand, Miss Tensei." He grinned, a full-blown charming grin. "You seem to have forgotten something rather vital." He leaned forward now, elbows on the table, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

Playing along with his little game, Tensei leaned closer. "And what would that be, Mr. Winner?"

He rose from his seat and slid into the seat next to her, arm sliding across the back of her chair. He whispered in her ear, barely audibly. "You're carrying a gun that you aren't authorized to use... it's tucked into that nice little shoulder holster beneath your jacket."

Tensei felt everything stop for just a moment. How did he know that? "You're accusing me of breaking the rules?"

He slid his arm across her stomach and snaked his hand up to tap the butt of the glock for a moment. "I used to be a gundam pilot. I am neither oblivious nor stupid. And do you really think I myself go anywhere unarmed?"

He grasped her left arm and snaked it around his back until it encountered the pistol he wore holstered to his belt.

Well now she felt like an idiot. Nevertheless, she was relieved. "I'm sorry." She said hesitantly, "I didn't know... I just." She sighed, "You know that it's my job to worry, right?"

He held her hand in place for a few seconds longer as he drew his arm back, letting his fingertips graze the silk of her blouse. His eyes remained focused on the table before them.

It took a moment before Tensei allowed herself to breathe once more. She was feeling quite uncomfortable being so close to Quatre, but it wasn't entirely unpleasant.

"Well, then." She cleared her throat gently, "Looks like we both came prepared. That's good."

"Prepared, eh?" (sorry, gotta leave that in... it's a private joke 'tween us for our canadian faction) Quatre smiled slightly and raised his eyes to her face, aqua gaze staring at her intently, giving no clue as to his thoughts.

"You know... in case there's another psycho or something."

His right hand still rested atop hers, holding it in place on his gun. "Psychos are everywhere. Just try not to..." He trailed off and bit his lower lip.

"Try not to what?" She spoke quietly, curiously.

"Forget... try not to... forget that I'm..." He smiled slightly, wondering at the texture of her hand under his. As though of it's own accord, his thumb began tracing patterns over the back of her hand.

"What?" She could not deny the slight sensation that trickled through her arm, though she tried to stay focused. "You're what?"

His fingers slipped through hers, joining their hands completely. "I'm... not... " He was being pulled. Ever so slightly closer to her... her breath was drawing him in. "Sorry. What were you saying?"

"You said that you were..." She shook her head, "I'm sorry... I forgot."

"Oh... It must not have been...." He reached his free hand up and touched her beneath the chin ever so slightly.

In an effort to keep herself from being sucked into his eyes, Tensei attempted to finish the sentence for him, but it barely came as a whisper. "Important?"

Quatre let his fingertip slide down the length of her jaw, threading its way through her hair and tipping her head closer. He made no sudden moves, unsure as to why he was even behaving this way in the first place.

Tensei found herself in quite a precarious situation. Here she was, in the arms of one of the most sought after men in the Earth Sphere, experiencing only the softest and gentlest of caresses at his hands. She'd known all along that this sort of thing could never happen, but when it came right down to it, she was weak.

Before he realized what was happening he'd pulled her closer, the tips of their noses almost touching. He hesitated only a moment before touching his lips to the delicate jawbone he'd been so entranced by.

At the feel of his lips on her skin, Tensei drew in a breath as she melted into his arms. She was soon reduced to a mass of quivers as she tentatively reached a hand up to finger his hair. Damn it all, it was soft, too….

Quatre let his eyes slide shut as he drank in the smell of her. What was that.... rosemary shampoo or something? He pulled away from her slightly and muttered a single word in Arabic, almost too low to be heard by anyone save himself.

Tensei managed to speak after a moment, trying not to disrupt her even breathing - the only thing that she had control over right now. "What?"

"Habib." He breathed the word out almost as a caress. Ever so slowly he tilted his head closer to hers, almost as though seeking permission.

She didn't know what that meant, but whatever it was, it sounded just wonderful coming from him. Almost instinctively, she pulled herself closer to him, wanting nothing more than to be closer.

He took that as a sign of her intent to yield to him. His lips were on hers in the next heartbeat, gentle, almost no pressure. Quatre held her solidly in place, unwilling let her pull away from this, what he considered to one of the few perfect moments he had experienced in the entirety of his life.

Tensei didn't dare move, terrified of doing something wrong to shatter this moment. The only part of her that did move were her lips as she carefully allowed them to drag against his.

Quatre allowed his hand that was holding her to release its grasp and slide around her back, pulling her closer, craving the feel of her nearness. He brushed his tongue over her lower lip, seeking entrance, praying she wouldn't bite him or something so sinister as that.

At the feel of his tongue on her lips, Tensei complied with his silent request and gently parted them slightly. This was all much like the kiss that they'd shared the previous night, but there was something different about this time… something pleasant.

There was a vulnerability in the moment he had not anticipated. Tensei was so unlike any one else... far from the other shallow women he'd been bullied into spending time with. He deepened the contact, the pressure building within him. He was overwhelmed by the desire to want her completely, wholly. Something washed over him in waves. A sort of desperation. The contact they shared changed instantly, reflecting this change. Within seconds he was ravaging her mouth, his tongue mimicking the movements of an age-old dance.

The feelings were overwhelming. Never in her life did she dream of ever experiencing something like this. It was nothing and everything at the same time. After only a few more moments of this divinely sweet union, thoughts of reality struck Tensei through this bliss and caused her to jerk back, staring not at Quatre, but straight ahead at what happened to be his shirt, given her line of vision. She suddenly felt consumed with guilt.

Quatre stared at her, breathing heavily for a few moments, his uncooperative body refused to take her hint and he pulled her back once more, intent on regaining the contact he'd just been deprived of. He'd tasted heaven and by Allah he wanted more. Now. His lips claimed hers once again, all traces of gentleness gone, rough and demanding.

There was a moment of inward panic as Tensei realized just what was going on. She would be helpless to stop him, given his superiority in the strength department. Luckily for her, though, she heard an obnoxious ringing come from her purse. Taking advantage of Quatre's moment of confusion at the sound, she pried herself as far away from him as she could manage and grabbed her purse, digging for the small device quickly.

"Hello?" She pressed it to her ear, trying not to sound out of breath.

Musha listened to the breathless voice answer the phone. "Tensei? Your breathing sort of hard, is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine, Musha." She tugged a few times as she managed to break free of Quatre's firm hold, "I'm just... Quatre was just telling me the funniest joke and I'm still recovering."

"Joke...? Recovering?" She didn't believe that for one second.... Tensei did not laugh out loud at jokes, she'd snicker... then snort, then start wheezing. "Right. Anyway, there's something I need to talk to you about, do you have a minute?"

"Yeah." Not paying even an ounce of attention to Quatre, Tensei quickly got up and made her way to the ladies lobby, gratefully collapsing on the sofa. "What's up?"

"You alone?" The voice was hesitant. "What really happened? Are you in some kind of trouble? Do you need me to come?"

"No, nothing's wrong, Mu. I'm alone now, but definitely fine. Like I said, laughing."

"How many times did you snort?" The question was brutal.

Tensei could feel the blush flood her cheeks. "Musha! I don't snort! It's... more like choking."

There was a distinct chortle on the other end of the line. "You weren't laughing, then what were you doing?"

Tensei hung her head in defeat. It was rare that she could ever get anything past Musha, but if she ever suspected anything, it was all over. "Before I tell you... you have to know that it's all for the good of the mission."

"Right... I'm listening. I got wind of what happened last night, by the way... the REAL story. You handled it well. So go on, tell me what's happening."

Great. "So... Now that you're familiar with what happened last night, I guess you won't be so upset after all." Yeah. She was definitely stalling.

"Upset?" She could feel a headache coming on already. "Just spill it, stalling will only make me angrier. You know that."

Tensei sighed exasperatedly. "We were kissing, okay? Just a little… he got real close and… Musha, I had to go along with it! I can't do anything to upset him! It's imperative that I stay near him for his own protection."

"Who initiated it?" Musha instantly went into mission mode.

Tensei actually had to think for a moment, but soon came to a safe conclusion. Safe, meaning that whether it was the truth or not, Musha wouldn't have her head. "He did."

"Okay." Musha fell silent for a moment as she thought. "And what kind a response did you give him?"

"I... went along with it. Responded back until he was satisfied." Ok, so only a slight fib. That wouldn't hurt.

"Satisfied?" Musha smirked. "Meaning he let you go and moved away from you physically?"

"Uh..." Might as well fess up. "More like I went along with it until my cell phone rang."

"And you LEFT HIM SITTING THERE!" Musha yelled into the phone.

"Well what was I supposed to do?! You only call my cell phone if it's important! I didn't know what to do!"

Musha drew in a deep, calming, cleansing breath. "Peek out the bathroom door and see if you can tell me what he's doing?"

Tensei stood and walked to the doorway, poking her head outside to get a view of their table where her unfortunate suspicions were confirmed. "Damnit... he looks real upset. His head is buried in his hands."

Musha breathed out a sigh. "Listen to me and listen carefully. I'm going to give you instructions, and you will follow them, do you understand?"

She nodded, though she knew her friend couldn't see. "I understand."

"Good." Musha scrubbed her face with her closed fist. "When we hang up, you will go back to the table with a shy smile on your face and calmly explain that it was a friend who is stuck in traffic and needs your help. You will tell him that you took care of the problem and ask him in these words exactly, 'Where were we?'... Then you will stand with your hand out to him when he answers you. No matter what his answer is, no matter how off the wall, you WILL lead him to his home and you WILL do WHATEVER it takes to ensure that this mission is a success. ANYTHING. Do you understand me?"

Tensei took a deep breath before nodding. Boy, this could get interesting. "Alright."

"Okay, no go. If you call me before 9 am tomorrow morning, it will be considered that you have failed in your assignment and you will be reassigned to another part of the mission. I'm talking grease monkey, got it?"

Right. As if she could even do that. Either way, she knew that Musha was right. It was too late to turn back; the important thing was that Quatre allow her to stay close to him through the duration of this mission. "Alright. Talk to you tomorrow." Tensei cut the call and shoved the phone carelessly back into her purse, taking a final deep breath before walking back out to the table.

When she approached Quatre, he was still in the same position as when she looked out at him a moment ago. "I'm sorry." She said gently, "A friend of mine had car trouble. She was stuck and needed some help, but I got Musha to take care of it." She waited now, hoping for some sort of response – preferably something that didn't involve anything horribly dramatic. That would be terribly awkward and the press would have a field day with it.

Quatre raised his head to meet her eyes. "Oh." He made no move to rise from his seat, instead lowering his gaze to the floor as though he expected to be chastised. "That's good."

He was not making this any easier. She had no choice. Tensei took a couple steps closer and knelt before the man, placing a gentle hand on his knee. "So… now that that's taken care of… where were we?"

Aqua eyes flickered to where her hand rested on his knee. Gently he lay his own atop hers. "You aren't... angry with me?"

"No." The word came out barely a whisper, "How could I be? It was… incredible."

A smile began to tug at the corners of his lips. "This hasn't happened to me in a long time, Tensei..." The dropping of Miss went unnoticed by him. "I... apologize if you feel as though I forced myself on you."

She simply shook her head and stood, sliding her hand to his own to encourage him to join her. "No… I gave as well. Believe me, if I didn't want you to do that, you would have known."

He accepted her hand and rose from his seat. "I guess we should go home now." He used their joined hands to pull her close once more, his free hand clenching into a tight fist.

She tried to keep her cool at the closeness. "Yeah. That would be a good idea."

Quatre reached into his pocket and laid some bills on the table for their dinner then headed for the door, never releasing his grasp on her hand.

Remembering Musha's instructions, Tensei tried for some extra credit and gave his hand a gentle squeeze, accompanied by a warm smile. "Thank you, Quatre. I had a really nice time. This really is a beautiful restaurant."

Quatre remained quiet until they reached the car. He leaned against the passenger side door and pulled her around in front of him. "I've really enjoyed your company tonight." With only the slightest bit of hesitancy he leaned forward and caught her lips in a gentle kiss, not holding her in place by force, but rather, hopefully by the pull of the emotions he felt rolling through both of them at the moment.

Tensei responded gently to the kiss, making sure to stay close when it ended. "And I enjoyed your company." What scared her was the fact that it was true. She really did enjoy it.

Quatre freed one of his hands and raised it, gently tracing the contours of her face. Fingertips ghosted over her lips in a faint touch, lingering for a few seconds too long. He breathed out the words almost to low for her to hear. "Allah, I want you to..." He trailed off into silence, dropping his hand.

She did her best to control the shiver that ran through her and simply pulled close to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "You've got me, Quatre...."

He shivered almost involuntarily at the close contact. Almost instantly, she was enveloped in his arms. "I don't want you to go home tonight." Once again, his voice had dropped to below a whisper. "Allah help me, I just don't want it to end. I don't make a habit of this with my assistants, any of my employees... please don't think that... I'm just..." He sighed and stopped speaking, closing his eyes. Why did her opinion count for so much?

Tensei felt her stomach drop at this. In all honesty, she wasn't completely sure about this... she'd never really thought it would ever happen... but now, it was a matter of keeping the mission safe. She had to do whatever he wanted. "Shh..." She leaned in closer and brushed her lips gently against his cheek in a silent answer. "It's alright."

Quatre pushed himself up from the car and tipped his head forward touching his forehead to hers. A slight sigh escaped him. He seemed to be speaking more to himself than her. "I can't sleep... every time I close my eyes, I can feel you... your smell… your voice… your eyes. I reached for you last night. I woke up and you weren't there of course, because you don't belong to me."

His eyes slid shut, hands coming up to clasp her arms gently. "I wake up and think about you, what you're doing. It's so odd, because I don't know you at all. All I know of you is from your resume." He laughed a bit bitterly at this. "I don't know why this is happening to me. All I do know is that I don't want it to be that way anymore." He raised his head to nail her with a steady gaze. "Tensei... I'm… no one. I'm just a guy with problems like everyone else. The only thing I can think of is that... this is the way it's supposed to be. Do you understand?"

In all honesty, she couldn't even begin to comprehend how he could feel this way. Nevertheless, her orders were to keep him happy. "I understand, Quatre." She whispered, "And it's okay, because I do belong to you now." She tried to sound as sincere as possible, adding a soft sigh at the end of her sentence for effect.

Quatre rested his palm cradling her cheek. "I'm sorry to have to say it, but I can't have you as my personal assistant anymore."

It was at that moment, with those words that Tensei felt her world crumble around her. But she HAD to be his assistant! She had to be with him at all times! "What?"

He rested his other hand lightly at her waist. "I'm so sorry. It's not that you aren't doing a wonderful job, it's just... I can't work with someone I have such strong emotions towards. It would be a huge mess and I can't have that happen right now." He sighed gently, hoping she understood.

Inwardly trying to get over the initial panic, Tensei was pretty sure that she could work it out. It would be harder, though. She'd have to make sure to stay close to him still, and now she wouldn't have the cover as his personal assistant. This would likely turn into more work than she had anticipated. "Well... I understand, but... can I at least stay on until I can find another job?"

He shook his head slightly. "No, you don't understand. You won't be working again. Ever. It's just not going to happen." He frowned. Wasn't he being clear?

Tensei looked at him strangely, unable to figure out just what he was saying. "I don't understand, Quatre… what are you talking about?"

"How do I do this... I haven't ever done this before." Quatre drew in a deep breath. "You will be busy with other things, you won't have time to have an outside job." He moved away and opened the car door for her as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket. "Just sit tight for a second and let me make a quick call."

"Um...okay." She obediently moved into the car and waited, hands folded in her lap.

Quatre shut the door securely and flipped open his phone as he walked around to his side of the car. As he opened the door, she could hear his last words. "Thanks Max. We'll be there in ten minutes... yeah. I appreciate this."

"So... care to explain what's going on?"

He started the car and pulled from the parking space. Quatre stared at her blankly for a moment. Didn't she understand? "We're going to see a friend of mine. He can take care of everything and it'll all be over and done with within 15 minutes after we get to his office. He and his wife are meeting us there. Maxmillian Lange, my chief counsel has a wife who works at the county courthouse. She's going to pick up the papers we need to sign and then Max, who is also a JP will do the rest. It'll all be completely legal and totally legitimate."

It took her a moment to process this. "Wait... courthouse? Papers?" Then one other bit of information sunk in. "JP? Wait a minute."

Quatre swerved into the light traffic. "His office is about 13 blocks from here. It won't take long to get there." He gave her a shy smile. "Later, if you want, we can have a bigger thing, if you want to. But I thought that for now... this would be easier for keeping a low profile."

"Wait, wait!" Tensei shook her head, as if to shake the confusion into order. "Quatre, where are we going and what are we going to be doing there?"

"We're going to meet a JP and his wife, who will serve as a witness. Max can perform the ceremony. Leave everything to me, you don't have to worry about a thing, except for saying 'I do' of course."

After having it spelled out for her, Tensei finally figured out what was going on. Two things entered her mind at once and hit her with the force of a hurricane. One, Quatre's wife would be even better for their mission than just being his assistant... and two, she was about to get married to a man that she'd only known for a total of about a day and a half. Was there something wrong with this picture? She was having second thoughts about this whole mission thing, but she knew that she could never back down. This was the only way to succeed... and the only other option besides success is death.

"Oh... sounds easy enough."

"Really?" He beamed at her. "You're not angry that it's so quick are you? I mean, I will give you a big wedding if you like. I'm sure you could stay with one of my sisters if you'd rather wait." He braked slightly, rolling through a stop sign.

"I…" No. No matter what, keep him happy. "Don't worry about it. Whatever makes you happy."

Something wasn't quite right here. Quatre swung the car into the parking lot and stopped the engine. "You... don't want to marry me?"

"No! I do… I do want to marry you, I'm just… you know, it's been a long couple of days, that's all. I'm just a little bit tired. It's fine." For Quatre's peace of mind, she gave him a small smile, "Let's get married."

Quatre breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. We're here." He got out of the car and came around to open her door for her.

Silently, Tensei followed her 'fiancé' into the building, making sure to smile whenever he looked back. She had to keep in mind that this was for the mission… for the good of everyone.

He paused with his hand of the office door. "Tensei, I want you to know... I'm not doing this because I want to have sex with you." That didn't sound right. He tried again. "I... want more than that. I'm falling in love with you, and I want to be with you. That's why."

Tensei nodded. It really didn't matter to her what his intentions were, orders were orders. She would humor him, though. "I know, Quatre... I want more, too. I want to be with you."

He pushed the door open and smiled broadly at the older couple who were standing beside the massive desk. "Max!" He extended his hand. "Thank you so much, can't tell you how much I appreciate it." He took a step back. "Tensei, I'd like you to meet Maxmillian Lange and his wife Danita."

"Nice to meet you." She smiled sweetly, shaking hands with each member of the couple. "I'd like to thank you as well for doing this on such short notice."

Quatre suppressed a grin at Max. "Do you have the papers ready?" At the lawyers nod, he motioned for Tensei to take a seat. Once the file was in his hand he flipped through the pages. Only moments later he slipped his pen from his pocket and scrawled his signature on two papers, passing them to Tensei. "The top one is the marriage license. the bottom is a standard prenup. It entitles you to half of everything that is mine during the length of the marriage." He grinned at her and offered her the pen.

Tensei nodded, taking the pen and drawing her own signature on the lines, sliding the papers back to Max when she finished. "That's everything?"

"Just the vows left." Max reached into the drawer of his desk and withdrew a small leather bound book. "If you would please join hands." He motioned them closer together. Quatre extended a hand to Tensei, motioning her to come closer.

She reached out her own hand, gently taking hold of Quatre's as she stepped beside him. So this was it, huh? Boy would Musha get a laugh out of this... either that or an ulcer.

Max smiled benignly. "Dearly beloved we are gathered here in the presence of God and these witnesses to join Quatre and Tensei in the bonds of Holy matrimony...." He droned on about the sanctity of marriage, the love, the fighting, sex, and many other facets that no man had any right to publicly proclaim about. Not soon enough he was speaking the words. "Tensei, you will face Quatre and repeat after me."

She turned slowly and nodded.

"I, Tensei Jiano, take the Quatre Reberba Winner to be my lawfully wedded husband." He stopped.

She allowed a momentary pause before reciting the words. "I, Tensei Jiaino, take thee, Quatre Reberba Winner to be my lawfully wedded husband."

"To have and to hold from this day forward, promising to love and cherish, to honor and obey, giving myself only unto you for as long as we both shall live." He waited.

"To have and to hold from this day forward, promising to love and cherish, to honor and obey, giving myself only unto you for as long as we both shall live."

Max turned slightly to Quatre, "Repeat after me please... "I, Quatre Raberba Winner, take the Tensei Jiano to be my lawfully wedded wife."

Quatre drew in a breath and smiled, "I Quatre Raberba Winner, take thee, Tensei Jiano to be my lawfully wedded wife."

Max grinned. "Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife."

~*~*~*~*~