Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is the legal property of Sotsu/Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment.

Author's Note: This chapter had a major revamp. One major change is the conversion to the metric system. Why? Because outside of the United States, everybody uses the metric system so all the characters, though Duo may be an exception, should think in that system. =P

ZERO SOUL

Chapter 1: Reunion and Strategy

By: Vegie-kun

Relena Darlian was at the moment, sitting behind her desk staring down a stack of new proposals that had been drafted by the members of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. Seconds ticked away into minutes and Relena continued to stare in an attempt to will away the mound of paper. She let out a heavy sigh and picked up the first proposal. This was the fifth week in a row in which she had sacrificed a beautiful Saturday morning to stay cooped up in her office doing paperwork. It had been nearly two years since the defeat of Dekim Barton and peace had returned once again to both the Earth and the colonies in space. Yet in spite of all that, she continued to work fervently and with little rest, ignoring the pleas from both her older brother and Noin. Even as she understood their worries, she couldn't afford to just take a break, not when so many people depended on her. Few girls her age would do the same, but Relena, like many other children who got caught up in the war, had to grow up quickly. Her behavior and mannerisms were just reflections of that.

Gone were her chances of an ordinary life; gone when she first met that boy nearly three years ago. As hectic as things had become, she refrained from voicing any complaints about how her life panned out... On the contrary, she was somewhat thankful for having met him. He'd broken her out of that mundane routine that she'd once regarded as her life; one filled with pretenses and fair weather friends and void of any excitement. Her family's wealth and influence afforded her many privileges, though genuine friendship eluded her. Her smile had to be unwavering, her manners impeccable; always polite and courteous, especially in the face of the media. But look at her now, newly elected Foreign Minister Darlian, the champion and guardian of the peace. Her life, now filled with paperwork, meetings, social gatherings, and conferences, was not something she would wish on any girl, especially one her age. Putting down the third packet of paper she stretched her slender arms above her head, got up and made her way towards the window. Opening them up, she leaned on the sill and took in the sight of the garden below, smiling as the wind gently blew across her face carrying with it the scent of tulips, hyacinth, and freesia.

"Heero..." she whispered softly to no one in particular, "I wonder what you're up to these days. Hopefully you're doing well and have found happiness." She smiled once again as she pictured his face in her mind. She'd always found his penetrating dark blue eyes mesmerizing. Her thoughts wandered to the day when she first met him, to the day he tore her invitation, to the numerous times he'd threatened to kill her, and the countless times he had saved her, and to the moment he fell unconscious into her lap. Throughout their time together he'd imparted unto her a level of strength that enabled her to accomplish things she'd once considered insurmountable. Even now whenever she encountered tasks she felt too daunting to overcome, she'd remember his words of encouragement and push on through. Lost in her reminiscing she failed to notice the figure that entered the office.

"Relena," came a familiar voice and the girl turned to see her friend and advisor, Lucrezia Noin, standing in front of her haphazard desk. Relena rarely saw her out of her Preventer's uniform so her current wardrobe of a red tank top and dark blue jeans took Relena by surprise.

As she continued to gaze at the person before her Relena noticed how Noin's appearance hadn't changed much since the time they'd first met each other. Though at the moment it seemed that she was starting to let her hair grow long. Relena had always secretly admired the woman. Noin possessed a level of maturity that the young woman could only hope to amount to. And she also envied the relationship the other woman shared with her older brother though not in the sense that she wanted to monopolize more of his time. No, Relena envied the ease with which they interacted with one another and the level of trust they clearly gave the other. Suddenly realizing she'd been staring for too long she coughed sheepishly and greeted her friend.

"Hello, Noin, I wasn't aware that you'd be stopping by though your visit is a welcomed surprise." She smiled, honestly happy to see a familiar and friendly face. "Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?" Relena queried before returning her gaze to the garden below.

"Well, Relena," the older woman began, moving to stand next to Relena at the window. "I was originally here to pick something up for Zechs but then I met the gardeners outside and we started chatting." She peered outside to take in the view, "They say the azaleas growing near the pond have bloomed beautifully so I thought how wonderful it would be if we could go and see them... So... I was wondering if you would like to join me for a walk over there and as they say 'shoot the breeze'?"

The young Foreign Minister contemplated the idea. It had been quite some time since she'd last left the office, too wrapped up in work to literally go outside and smell the roses. But then she stared at the paperwork still decorating her desk and felt a pang of guilt. "That's thoughtful of you, Noin, but as tempting as that sounds... I'm afraid there's just too much to be left undone so I really have to get back to work." With that Relena started to walk back to her desk but before she could reach it Noin grabbed her wrist.

"Relena, please," There was a brief flash of urgency that passed through Noin's dark purple eyes, "I have a feeling that there's something in that field you should really see. The life of flowers are so fleeting, they bloom specifically to bring happiness to people. Their life would be meaningless if you didn't take the time to enjoy their beauty... Besides, you need to get out once in a while... I mean... it's such a beautiful day." She motioned to the window, referring to the scene they were staring at moments ago. "Too beautiful to waste cooped up in this office. I know how important work is... but so is your health and one of the best ways to ensure good health is relaxation. So how about it?" she asked with smile.

The girl's eyes wandered around the room hesitantly before settling upon the woman again. "... Okay, Noin, you do have a point there. I needed to clear my head anyways and a walk would do just that," Relena replied with a smile. "Just wait for me downstairs while I go find a hat to wear."

Minutes later they began making their way out of the Peacecraft mansion while they talked, catching up on the latest happenings of their life. Noin gave her the latest updates she and Zechs had just received from the space station orbiting Mars. It seemed that the project was ahead of schedule and so they were currently trying to decide the types of temporary working stations to build on the red planet. In turn Relena revealed to her that she was in the process of drafting immigration and settlement policies for Mars, much to Noin's delight.

Their conversations continued as they idly meandered through the garden on their way to the pond, Relena took her time absorbing the scenery. Something so simple had unknowingly become a rare treat. /How long has it been since I was able to set aside time for myself?/ She mused forlornly. The days had been starting to bleed into each other and if not for this intervention, she didn't know when she would have been able to leave the mansion. Having her office within her residence proved to be both a blessing and a curse. It provided a world of conveniences but it also made escaping work next to impossible. Again she had lost herself in thought when Noin suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence.

"... Relena, to be perfectly honest," She began guiltily, "the real reason I asked you out was because I didn't want any rogue ears listening in on our conversation." The concern laced in her voice was hard to miss and Relena's curiosity was piqued. "It's been awhile since we last did a full sweep of the mansion. With all the recent parties that's been held there, anyone could have planted bugs anywhere."

"Noin?" Relena questioned with a look of confusion.

The older woman sighed and decided not to beat around the bush any longer. "Relena, there have been rumors going around, and we've found some evidence, of another terrorist organization out there. We are still in the process of confirming whether they're remnants of old organizations, or if they're a new one, but what we do know is that they're gaining more power with each passing day-"

"And you're worried that they may go after me," Relena cut in with a matter of fact tone.

"Yes." Noin conceded with furrowed brows. "We can't take any chances anymore. You are too important to lose." The resolute tone of her conviction, tempered with concern and compassion made Relena smile. Noin was someone she could trust without question and Relena counted herself lucky to have the young woman in her life. "So," she began again, catching Relena's attention, "Zechs and I decided to arrange some extra protection for you."

"Protection?" Relena scoffed at the notion, "I already have a full security detail! The last thing I need are more bodies to get in the way of my work."

"We know that," Noin conceded, "but considering the opponents we may be up against, your current security may not be sufficient enough to handle whatever actions they may take against you."

"... I won't deny the fact that I was unaware of exactly what this post would entail and the dangers it would bring when I originally decided to accept it... though my father's death gave me a glimpse of that," the young woman began ruefully, "... but to keep building up a wall around myself with every single rumored threat is not something I can afford to do..."

"And we've taken that into consideration," Noin interjected. She notice the girl making ready to protest and held a hand up to placate her as they continued their journey. "Before you say anything more, please just hear us out. We've already contracted a few Preventers and some special agents to take charge of your safety and you can make your decision after you get all the information. You'll also be meeting with these agents at the brook and we'll use that time to draw up security strategies and plan for whatever scenarios we may encounter until we're able to identify these terrorists."

Ten minutes later they picked up the sounds of flowing water and the path they walked upon soon led to a clearing – a truly breathtaking place surrounded by azaleas, littered with dogwood trees and flanked by a brook that led to a small pond. Walking further into the meadow Relena spotted a small group of people gathered near the largest tree. Upon further scrutiny she recognized one of the figures to be that of her brother. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face, her previous wariness regarding the meeting forgotten, and broke out into a run towards him. He met her halfway and scooped her up in a tight embrace. She could feel him tightening his grip and did the same. It had been some time since they had last seen one another; their busy schedules afforded them few opportunities to be in each others' company. She knew her time with him was limited; only until the Mars Terraforming Project was able to proceed to the next phase. And so she made it a point to savor every second she had with him.

"Miss Darlian," Sally greeted the young girl as Zechs lowered her back to the ground.

"Please, Major Po, Relena is fine," she replied, clasping the Preventer's hands in her own.

"Alright then, but in exchange, you have to call me Sally. Deal?" she entreated with a friendly smile.

"Hmmm... Deal," Relena returned with a smile of her own. She then redirected her attention back to her brother, hands on her hips. "So, Milliardo, who are these special agents that you've arranged as my protectors?"

He grimaced under her withering stare. "Hmmm, so I take it Noin has already informed you of what's happening," her brother acknowledged. "Well in that case-"

"Oi, 'Jousan!"

Relena quickly turned around to confirm her suspicions as to whom that voice belonged to. Running towards her with waving arms was none other than Duo Maxwell. /Oh God, he still has that meter long braid!/ She thought and smiled as he reached out and swept her in a twirling hug. She soon caught sight of the other pilots as they made their way down. Quatre ran with child-like exuberance while Trowa and Wufei walked at an evenly set pace. Relena looked at them and noticed that they'd all grown taller and had lost their youthful slenderness. Trowa was still the tallest; seemingly about 188 cm which easily towered over her not so small 170 cm frame. Duo was next at 180 cm, then Wufei and Quatre at 175 cm. Her excitement quickly died down, however, when she noticed a certain individual missing among them. /I had a feeling he wasn't going to be here... /

"Miss Relena!" Quatre chirped, giving her a gentle embrace. "It's great to see you again! It's really has been too long!"

"Miss Relena," Trowa greeted with a nod.

"Yes, well... can we just get this briefing over with?" came Wufei's 'greeting'.

Relena regarded him with a wry expression. "It's nice to see you too, Wufei," Relena murmured before breaking out in grin. "In fact, it's great to see all of you again, though I'm sorry that we had to bother all of you with this matter."

"What bother? We're actually glad for the chance to do something with our time instead of just moping around all day," Duo answered with a wide grin. "It's been so long since I've seen any sort of action, I'm afraid I'm losing my edge."

"Seriously, Miss Relena, we want to do this." Quatre added. "We're all worried about what could happen to you. Think of this as our way to repay you for all the hard work you're doing to maintain the currently friendly relations between the Earth nations and the colonies."

"Ahem," Zechs interrupted, "Okay, now that everyone's re-acquainted we'll get to the objective at hand."

"Hey," Duo asked before Zechs could get to the briefing. "why did you ask us to meet in this clearing anyway? Wouldn't it be safer to meet in a private room?"

"We wanted to meet here so that people wouldn't get suspicious, especially the members of the Earth Sphere Unified Nations." Noin informed patiently, "If they found out that we were holding a secret meeting at the Peacecraft mansion they'd start to ask questions. We can't afford to reveal anything until we're absolutely sure who the enemy is. And," she smiled as she caught the young Foreign Minister's gaze, "as an added bonus it also gives Relena a chance to get out and enjoy the scenery."

"I agree that this is a beautiful location," Quatre agreed with trepidation, "but what about security? We're very open to an attack here and I don't everyone's brought any sort of weapon with them."

"Don't worry about that, we had the Preventers do a sweep of the area earlier," Noin reassured.

"Are we done with the questions yet!?" Zechs interrupted, visibly irritated and annoyed. Everyone nodded his or her head and he continued. "Noin and I have called you all here because we have information on the new... or rather old - depending on how you look at it - terrorist organization. Some of the things we have been able to confirm is the fact that contain amongst their ranks, former OZ members and that their numbers are growing fast. Sally was also able to get some information as to what their objectives are. Sally," he turned to the yound doctor, "care to take it from here?"

"Wait a minute. How come she was able to get information on them?" Duo asked ignoring Zechs.

"Sally has many contacts." Noin replied. "Contacts whose identities need to remain concealed to ensure their safety. They risked a lot trying to get what little they could, so we have to make sure that it's put to good use." The somber expression on her face made clear the gravity of the situation.

"Alright," Sally began. "Now, listen up. Based on the data my contacts were able to gather, this group considers themselves the true OZ. In other words, they're the hard core believers of Trieze's ideals."

"More like extremists who misinterpreted his intentions," Zechs interjected snidely.

"That may be the case," Sally mused, "but whatever their feelings, it's clear they believe that whatever the current course our world is currently taking is detrimental for its future. Now this current OZ consists of former Oz officers, soldiers and aristocrats that escaped at the end of the Eve Wars. Unfortunately we haven't been able to discover their identities and at this moment we are still unable to pinpoint their exact location." She took out a few map printouts from the folder she had been carrying with her and passed them around. "We think they have various bases located around the Earth and possibly in the colonies as well so we've been keeping an eye on the most probable places. At the moment we are unsure if they are using mobile suits, but we're betting they are. It seems they want to restore OZ back to power and because of that they see the Gundam pilots and Relena Darlian as the greatest threats to their goal."

"Yeah," Duo piped up nodding his head in agreement, "especially since Miss Ex-Queen of the World over there foiled their attempts at world domination by uniting the Earth and the colonies."

"Hey!" Relena shouted indignantly, "What about you guys? I'm pretty sure that they have an even bigger grudge against the Gundam pilots since you're the ones who destroyed the majority of their bases and mobile suits,"

"Well, we don't have our Gundams any more so I'm pretty sure they've already forgotten about us," Duo retorted, sticking out his tongue and delighting in the blush that spread across Relena's face.

"That's quite enough!" Zechs screamed.

"Sorry," Duo and Relena replied rather sheepishly, bowing their heads and avoiding Zechs' glare.

"Uh..." Sally began again, "Well, we will need to start planning the security details and figure out how many agents we'll need on this; as bodyguards and as part of the investigation team. Zechs and Noin will work in the intelligence and reconnaissance department for the time being." She turned to address the group of young men. "As for you four Gundam pilots, you will help with both the protection and investigation. Your talents and skills in upheaval and espionage are most desirable." There was a sadistic gleam that Wufei swore passed through her eyes before it vanished abruptly. "So we definitely have to use them to their fullest now or risk another crisis upon the Earth and colonies."

"Ugh, that just means we have to do more work," Duo moaned, flopping himself onto the grassy ground.

"Baka!" Wufei snapped, staring down at his comrade. "You would do well to keep your mouth shut for the duration of this meeting, Maxwell." He frowned before giving his attention back to his partner. "Honestly," the young man continued on, sighing, "how lazy can you be?"

From his position on the ground he looked up and gave the Chinese youth a deceiving smile. "What's your problem, Wuffie?"

At that affectionate nickname Wufei cleanched his jaw and whirled on the braided pilot. "Don't call me that, Maxwell!" He fumed savagely.

Duo couldn't help the ear to ear grin currently plastered to his face. "Well, then don't call me Maxwell."

"But that is your name!" Wufei responded, trying to keep up with Duo's level on insanity but failing quite miserably.

"No," the American pointed out, holding up a silencing had, "my name is Duo."

"Fine, Duo!" Wufei conceded relunctantly, "Just shut up!"

"Alright Wu-chan."

"ARRRRGGGGHHHHH! MAXWELL!"

The entire group burst out into laughter at the comedic scene in front of them. But once the laughter died down they quickly resumed their discussion, eager to finalize a plan. Amidst the surrounding trees and shrubbery a shadowy figure hid in darkness; though annoyed by their antics, it refrained from interfering.

"Hn."

-to be continued-