AN And here is the next chapter. Still no real action, but we're really getting there. Please be patient.
Chapter 7 already. And still the story is going slow. sigh So without further ado...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Under Pressure
Chapter 7
~~~~~~~~~~~
Lu ran a hand through her hair. Zechs still felt sorry for dragging Relena away, even though his
sister had already told him not to worry about it. She had no idea how she could relieve the guilt her
husband was feeling. Heero had healed, according to Quatre and Relena had simply taken on her duties
again. Zechs was just being a bull, as usual. Should she tell him Heero and Wufei were working on
something inside the Cinq palace? It could ease him up. On the other hand, it could also arouse his
paranoia.
This was highly frustrating. Next time she contacted Relena, she would ask her little sister-in-
law how to handle that stupid brother of hers.
Sighing Lu stood and started to pace up and down the room. She was about to turn for the twentieth
time, when the door opened and an agitated Zechs entered.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I just got a call, from Colonel Une. The Preventers stumbled across a disturbing signal, somewhere
in Canada. She asked me to join Commander Po there. Do you want to come?"
Lu thought it over for a bit. She didn't like being separated from her husband, but... "Is it a
cut-off-from-the-world kind of mission?"
Zechs nodded. "Communication is limited to daily briefings with Preventer headquarters."
That would mean she had to leave Relena alone. Besides, there was still some work to be done here.
"Then I'm not going."
"Okay." He looked a bit disappointed at her words, but he didn't raise any protests. "Next time
you speak to Relena, give her my love. And you're not to tell anyone about this."
"I know. I'm not really a rookie in such matters, you know," she joked. "What is it about, anyway?"
He frowned. "They don't know. But Une doesn't trust it. And neither does Sally."
She was about to ask what Wufei thought of the matter, until she remembered that the man had quit
the Preventers three years ago. The few times she had spoken with Sally, she felt the woman missed him.
She didn't want to talk about it, though. Lu had left it at that.
"When do you leave?"
"Tomorrow."
A sneaky smile grew on her face. "Well, what do you suppose we do in our last night together?"
Zechs answered her smile. "I don't know. Got any ideas?"
"Some," she murmured, as she put her arms around his neck.
~~~~~~
"I'm glad you could make it, Colonel," Sally pleasant voice reached his ear over the dim the
helicopter was still making.
"Me too. So, what's the status?"
"We're not sure, sir. So far, we have managed to keep our presence secret, but I don't know how
long we can keep it that way. We don't have the men, nor the equipment to spy on them, so we're pretty
much stuck her." She didn't say it out loud, but what they actually needed was a Gundam pilot. But Wufei
was gone and they couldn't drag the other away from their daily business.
Zechs grimaced, while they began walking to the barn, where Sally team was stationed. He didn't
have the proper experience either. Where did that idiot Wufei go? And why did he leave in the first place?
Resigning from the Preventers like that had been a pretty rash act, for him. "So there's nothing we can do?"
"That's pretty much it, yes, sir. All we know, is that they, whoever they are, mean business. Their
arsenal, from what we could gather, is pretty impressive. But their security is too tight to penetrate."
"Great, so we're stuck," he grunted.
"That's one way of putting it. I'd like to say, that at the moment, we cannot do anything."
"Always the optimistic, aren't you, Sally."
"I do my best, sir," she grinned.
Inside the barn was the familiar hustle and bustle of a temporarily base. Zechs looked around and
felt at home. This was something he knew, something he could handle. The double doors, through which they
had entered, gave way to a makeshift computer lab. Equipment was spread over tables and wires crisscrossed
the floor of the barn, connecting the computers and machinery. People, all in Preventer uniforms, were
intent on the screens or papers that printers spewed. They didn't bother to look up as the two people entered.
They knew their superior preferred they kept to their work, instead of interrupting themselves to pay her the
proper respect. At the far and of the barn, sleeping quarters were set up, with bunks and chests neatly placed
in rows. Some were occupied. People who would be working night shifts. They were trained to sleep whenever
they had the chance, no matter how many racket was made around them.
Preventers glanced at them as they walked past. The long blond hair marked the man in their
Commander's company as Zechs Marquise, otherwise known as Milliardo Peacecraft. They nodded in silent
respect to the brother of vice foreign minister Darlian. Even though that minister had given up on the
name Peacecraft, she had not denied the bloodbond with the former Lightning Count. She seemed to take
comfort in a living relative and he was glad for it.
"We have some doubtful readings by satellite," broke Sally's voice through his musings. "Maybe you
can make something of them." She looked at him expectantly, as he gazed at the screen.
He shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I've never seen anything like it."
She sighed. "Oh, well, it was worth a good try." Then she murmured under her breath so softly he
could barely understand, "Where is Wufei when you need him?" She didn't sound angry, not even annoyed. He
frowned, confused. She sounded sad, very sad. She must really miss him. He figured he had not been supposed
to hear that, so he chose to ignore it.
There was nothing to be done except continue with what Sally and her team already started with.
~~~~~~
Wufei blinked in surprise as a whining sound brought him from his reverie. The computer screen flicked,
telling him the decrypting was complete. Finally! They had been working on it for over a week, much longer than
he had anticipated. His fingers rattles the keys. A few seconds later the readable logs were visible on the
screen. A few more commands and the printer wrote everything they had on white sheets of paper, twofold.
He handed one pack to Heero and began reading the other. Half of it was useless trash, shipment and
transport logs. But a few pages caught his interest and he began studying them, while Heero still flicked
through his pile.
Wufei frowned and rubbed his nose. If this was true, than they could be in more trouble than they had
bargained for. At least he hadn't struggled with that security line for nothing. The abandoned base he had found
belonged to a nameless organization. Their primary objective seemed to be to find... Duke Dermail's hidden
archives? Wufei cocked an eyebrow. Why didn't he know anything about those? Maybe that Catalonia woman knew
something. He browsed on to find out what they planned on doing with them. Apparently they hoped to find
something that could help achieve their ultimate goal: to overthrow 'Peacecraft's reign' and establish a
new world order.
He sighed. Couldn't those idiots come up with something else, something new? Like opening a fast food
multinational, that would be interesting. Why did they always want to rule the world?
"Looks like we got a new threat to peace on our hands. Want to warn the others?"
Heero looked up at his friend's words. "I think we should get to know more of them."
"And how do you propose we do that? The base I found was abandoned, remember? For all we know, they
could have given up, already."
Heero shook his head. "No, they moved."
Wufei shot up. "Where to?"
"Look at page fifteen."
He flicked through the pages, searching for the right one. There it was. His eyes scanned the lines.
Heero was right. The base had been evacuated due to the unbearable elements of nature and failing ceilings in
several parts of the compound. The people had been moved by the order from headquarters, wherever that might
be, to join a failing base in Canada.
"So you're suggesting we should check that out first, before we warn the others?"
Heero nodded. "What we have here is more than a year old. We should try and find something more recent."
"So we're leaving for Canada," Wufei sighed. "I'll ask Relena to get us a plane."
Heero only nodded in response.
If his hair wasn't tied so tightly, Wufei would have run a hand through it. He didn't want to admit it,
but the stony pilot was giving him the creeps. He recognized the look in Heero's eyes. It was the same as in his,
except that it wasn't masked with despair, but with confusion. The guy was in love and he didn't even know it.
It didn't take a genius to figure out the object of his affection. He was head over heels in love with Relena
and if he didn't find out soon what his emotions meant, he wouldn't just hurt himself, but the girl as well.
Wufei decided not to interfere with the matter. First off, that would be something Duo would de and he
refused to do anything what that long-haired baka would do. Second, he was still confused and hurt by his own
feelings, so how could he help anyone else? He took the stairs one floor down and walked in the anteroom of
Relena's office. Her secretary, Anna he believed her name was, looked up.
"I need to talk to Relena."
"Just a moment," she said with a stony face. The woman didn't like him very much. Well, maybe he had
been a bit rude when he had first showed up here, but she had wined so much about not wanting to let him in,
that he had lost his patience and yelled at her.
She directed her attention to the comm on her desk and pressed a button. "Mr. Chang is here to see you,
minister."
"Let him in," Relena distorted voice croaked through speaker.
He was motioned towards the door. And so he walked up to it and pushed it open.
"Wufei, how can I help you?" Relena smiled.
"We're going to Canada. Can you get us a plane?"
"Sure I can. May I ask why?" She invited him to sit down and he figured he owed her to tell her the whole
of it so he sat.
"From what we have of those records some sort of group lived in that base, that planned or is still planning
to undermine the current authority. I suggest you tighten your security. You seem to be their target. The occupants
from that base moved to Canada and we're gonna try to find out more about them."
Relena nodded thoughtful. "Well, the fastest I can get you a plane that can carry you over such a distance,
would be first thing in the morning. I guess you don't need a pilot, so I'll have to send them back in a different way."
"Then we'll leave tomorrow morning."
She seemed a bit sad at the prospect. "How vital is it for me to increase security?"
He silently complimented her for keeping such a cool head. Even though she obviously didn't like them
leaving, she didn't complain or refused to help them. She settled the matter and turned her attention to something
else. "Frankly, I don't know. We don't know how active they are at the moment. It's more a precaution."
"Okay, I'll see what I can do. Should I alert the Preventers?"
Unbeknownst to the woman in front of him he winced at the word. "Not yet. They would send a whole team.
Just Heero and me should be enough for now."
"Very well," was all she answered with.
There was nothing left to say so he stood. "I guess we better start packing. Thank you for your hospitality,"
he said as kind as he could.
"You're welcome. I'm not sure I'll be there in the morning. I have to leave at five a.m. for a meeting in
India." She rolled her eyes in disgust. "I hate getting up so early."
With a slight grin he left the office, but the glare Anna shot him wiped that of his face. His mood took a
swing and he glared back. As he walked into the hallway he wondered how Heero was under all this. Wasn't he worried
about Relena's safety? That sort of thing happened to come along with being in love, even if the emotion wasn't
recognized as such.
Wufei smirked. He wasn't going to spell it out for the man. He would have to figure it out on his own.
~~~~~~
Heero sat on the edge of the balcony. When he had come here he had silently wondered how many rooms in this
palace had a balcony. He had come to the conclusion it was probably easier to count the ones without. A dull grey
sky stole away his vision on a beautiful sunset. It had rained a bit this afternoon, but now it was dry. The ground
below him still glistened with raindrops and the stark tree branches tried to hold on to the liquid but lost to the
small breeze, playing with the leafless twigs.
The plane they had ordered was estimated to arrive at 2 a.m. but they had agreed to wait until morning to
leave. A good night sleep would be welcome before starting this whole ordeal. He had a bad feeling about this. For
some reason he felt uncomfortable leaving Relena alone. He didn't know where the feeling came from, but there it was.
His eyes fell on a familiar shape making it's way through the garden. Apparently he wasn't the only one
searching for a bit of fresh air. He looked on as the figure that was Relena sat down on a white bench near a
fountain. He was fascinated be the way the wind made her hair play around her features. Occasionally she pushed
a strand behind her ear. Futile work, because the honey blond locks wouldn't be contained.
He pushed himself from the ledge he was sitting on and landed safely on the ground, three stories down.
Silently he made his way to where Relena was resting. A few paces behind her he settled his back against a tree,
not caring his shirt became wet. From close he noticed her hair wasn't tied in the trademark thin braids of hers.
Instead all of it just hung down her back. Her shoulders were slightly hunched, indicating how tired she was.
"I hate saying goodbye," she suddenly spoke.
Heero didn't move. She couldn't know he was there, could she? She was talking to herself.
"I agreed with Wufei to get you two a plane, but I don't like it. I actually made up some story about a
meeting in India where I would have to go to early in the morning, so I didn't have to be there when you two leave."
It sounded suspiciously like she was talking directly to him.
She suddenly turned around to face him, not in the least bit surprised he was actually there. He was slacking.
"Why don't you say anything?" she asked.
"What would you have me say?"
She turned face forward again. "I don't know. That I shouldn't have told a lie? That I am a coward for not
being able to say two simple words?"
"I know a lot about you by now and I know you're not a coward. Quatre has more troubles with leavetakings
then you." He wasn't sure, but he thought that last drew a smile on her face.
He walked around the bench and sat down next to her. It reminded him of how they had sat down in Libra. He
had been waiting for Peacemillion or the other Gundams to make a move, or for the war to end. Either had been fine
to him. She had been grateful for his presence then. He hoped she was now.
For a long time neither of them spoke. He wasn't thrilled to admit it, but he rather enjoyed her company.
She had always managed to spark something in his chest, to alleviate the pressure weighing him down just by being
there. He breathed in deeply and smelled the rain soaked earth underneath his feet. An early bird send a hesitant,
wavering song to the cold evening sky. The wind blew blond strands in his direction, tickling his cheek and neck
with the tips. He didn't bother to brush them away. He felt that any movement he made, would destroy the tranquility
in the air.
"How long will you be gone?" Relena asked finally. Her clear voice tore through the stillness.
"I don't know," he answered.
"Heero, will you promise me something?"
He looked at her in acknowledgment.
"Will you promise me you won't be such a complete stranger as you have been the past years?"
The question surprised him. He had purposely avoided her. He didn't think inferring in her life, would benefit
her cause. The Gundam pilots were not exactly public enemy, but they had all five agreed on anonymity in order to
protect the lives of their friends and loved ones. All it took was one nosy reporter, or perhaps a former student
with a good memory, who recalled the incident at St Gabriel's. It wasn't too difficult to link Relena, the new student
who had transferred within a month and the mysterious appearance and disappearance of Gundam 01.
But looking at those clear blue eyes gazing over the winter garden, how could he refuse? So he found himself
making a third promise to this woman. "Okay."
Her smile made his heart leap.
"I guess we had better get some sleep. I might not have to go to India, I still have a lot of work to do
tomorrow." Her skirt rustled as she stood.
Heero silently followed her example and they slowly made their way back to the palace. The door opened without
a creak, but the sound their shoes made on the tiled floor of the entry hall made up for the lack of sound. Luckily the
stairs had carpeting. In silent agreement they stopped at the second floor.
"Bye, Heero," she said softly. Suddenly she squeezed his hand. Then she turned around and ran away. He stood
listening to her dying footsteps. After a few moments of silence he slowly made his way up to the third floor. Why did
he feel like something had ripped his heart out of his chest?
~~~~~~
Relena stood looking out of her bedroom window. It was only 7:00 a.m. Two lonely figures, each with a duffle
bag slung over the shoulder made their way down the drive, towards the gate. She looked on as the two walked from the
grounds to the runway, where their plane awaited. It was a rather small carrier aircraft, but it was big enough to make
it across the Atlantic Ocean. They disappeared inside and a few moments later the low rumbling of the engines reached
her ear. She watched as it slowly began moving forward, away from her. It gathered speed, until it suddenly it raised
up into the sky. It grew smaller and smaller and then it was gone.
Tiredly she rubbed her eyes and was surprised to find wetness. A few tears had managed to escape and were
trickling down her cheeks. Angrily she wiped them away. But as new kept coming up she gave in and cried, hiding her
face in the curtains.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN Well, and that's the end of that one. 'Till next time. Bye. Dannee.
Chapter 7 already. And still the story is going slow. sigh So without further ado...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Under Pressure
Chapter 7
~~~~~~~~~~~
Lu ran a hand through her hair. Zechs still felt sorry for dragging Relena away, even though his
sister had already told him not to worry about it. She had no idea how she could relieve the guilt her
husband was feeling. Heero had healed, according to Quatre and Relena had simply taken on her duties
again. Zechs was just being a bull, as usual. Should she tell him Heero and Wufei were working on
something inside the Cinq palace? It could ease him up. On the other hand, it could also arouse his
paranoia.
This was highly frustrating. Next time she contacted Relena, she would ask her little sister-in-
law how to handle that stupid brother of hers.
Sighing Lu stood and started to pace up and down the room. She was about to turn for the twentieth
time, when the door opened and an agitated Zechs entered.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I just got a call, from Colonel Une. The Preventers stumbled across a disturbing signal, somewhere
in Canada. She asked me to join Commander Po there. Do you want to come?"
Lu thought it over for a bit. She didn't like being separated from her husband, but... "Is it a
cut-off-from-the-world kind of mission?"
Zechs nodded. "Communication is limited to daily briefings with Preventer headquarters."
That would mean she had to leave Relena alone. Besides, there was still some work to be done here.
"Then I'm not going."
"Okay." He looked a bit disappointed at her words, but he didn't raise any protests. "Next time
you speak to Relena, give her my love. And you're not to tell anyone about this."
"I know. I'm not really a rookie in such matters, you know," she joked. "What is it about, anyway?"
He frowned. "They don't know. But Une doesn't trust it. And neither does Sally."
She was about to ask what Wufei thought of the matter, until she remembered that the man had quit
the Preventers three years ago. The few times she had spoken with Sally, she felt the woman missed him.
She didn't want to talk about it, though. Lu had left it at that.
"When do you leave?"
"Tomorrow."
A sneaky smile grew on her face. "Well, what do you suppose we do in our last night together?"
Zechs answered her smile. "I don't know. Got any ideas?"
"Some," she murmured, as she put her arms around his neck.
~~~~~~
"I'm glad you could make it, Colonel," Sally pleasant voice reached his ear over the dim the
helicopter was still making.
"Me too. So, what's the status?"
"We're not sure, sir. So far, we have managed to keep our presence secret, but I don't know how
long we can keep it that way. We don't have the men, nor the equipment to spy on them, so we're pretty
much stuck her." She didn't say it out loud, but what they actually needed was a Gundam pilot. But Wufei
was gone and they couldn't drag the other away from their daily business.
Zechs grimaced, while they began walking to the barn, where Sally team was stationed. He didn't
have the proper experience either. Where did that idiot Wufei go? And why did he leave in the first place?
Resigning from the Preventers like that had been a pretty rash act, for him. "So there's nothing we can do?"
"That's pretty much it, yes, sir. All we know, is that they, whoever they are, mean business. Their
arsenal, from what we could gather, is pretty impressive. But their security is too tight to penetrate."
"Great, so we're stuck," he grunted.
"That's one way of putting it. I'd like to say, that at the moment, we cannot do anything."
"Always the optimistic, aren't you, Sally."
"I do my best, sir," she grinned.
Inside the barn was the familiar hustle and bustle of a temporarily base. Zechs looked around and
felt at home. This was something he knew, something he could handle. The double doors, through which they
had entered, gave way to a makeshift computer lab. Equipment was spread over tables and wires crisscrossed
the floor of the barn, connecting the computers and machinery. People, all in Preventer uniforms, were
intent on the screens or papers that printers spewed. They didn't bother to look up as the two people entered.
They knew their superior preferred they kept to their work, instead of interrupting themselves to pay her the
proper respect. At the far and of the barn, sleeping quarters were set up, with bunks and chests neatly placed
in rows. Some were occupied. People who would be working night shifts. They were trained to sleep whenever
they had the chance, no matter how many racket was made around them.
Preventers glanced at them as they walked past. The long blond hair marked the man in their
Commander's company as Zechs Marquise, otherwise known as Milliardo Peacecraft. They nodded in silent
respect to the brother of vice foreign minister Darlian. Even though that minister had given up on the
name Peacecraft, she had not denied the bloodbond with the former Lightning Count. She seemed to take
comfort in a living relative and he was glad for it.
"We have some doubtful readings by satellite," broke Sally's voice through his musings. "Maybe you
can make something of them." She looked at him expectantly, as he gazed at the screen.
He shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I've never seen anything like it."
She sighed. "Oh, well, it was worth a good try." Then she murmured under her breath so softly he
could barely understand, "Where is Wufei when you need him?" She didn't sound angry, not even annoyed. He
frowned, confused. She sounded sad, very sad. She must really miss him. He figured he had not been supposed
to hear that, so he chose to ignore it.
There was nothing to be done except continue with what Sally and her team already started with.
~~~~~~
Wufei blinked in surprise as a whining sound brought him from his reverie. The computer screen flicked,
telling him the decrypting was complete. Finally! They had been working on it for over a week, much longer than
he had anticipated. His fingers rattles the keys. A few seconds later the readable logs were visible on the
screen. A few more commands and the printer wrote everything they had on white sheets of paper, twofold.
He handed one pack to Heero and began reading the other. Half of it was useless trash, shipment and
transport logs. But a few pages caught his interest and he began studying them, while Heero still flicked
through his pile.
Wufei frowned and rubbed his nose. If this was true, than they could be in more trouble than they had
bargained for. At least he hadn't struggled with that security line for nothing. The abandoned base he had found
belonged to a nameless organization. Their primary objective seemed to be to find... Duke Dermail's hidden
archives? Wufei cocked an eyebrow. Why didn't he know anything about those? Maybe that Catalonia woman knew
something. He browsed on to find out what they planned on doing with them. Apparently they hoped to find
something that could help achieve their ultimate goal: to overthrow 'Peacecraft's reign' and establish a
new world order.
He sighed. Couldn't those idiots come up with something else, something new? Like opening a fast food
multinational, that would be interesting. Why did they always want to rule the world?
"Looks like we got a new threat to peace on our hands. Want to warn the others?"
Heero looked up at his friend's words. "I think we should get to know more of them."
"And how do you propose we do that? The base I found was abandoned, remember? For all we know, they
could have given up, already."
Heero shook his head. "No, they moved."
Wufei shot up. "Where to?"
"Look at page fifteen."
He flicked through the pages, searching for the right one. There it was. His eyes scanned the lines.
Heero was right. The base had been evacuated due to the unbearable elements of nature and failing ceilings in
several parts of the compound. The people had been moved by the order from headquarters, wherever that might
be, to join a failing base in Canada.
"So you're suggesting we should check that out first, before we warn the others?"
Heero nodded. "What we have here is more than a year old. We should try and find something more recent."
"So we're leaving for Canada," Wufei sighed. "I'll ask Relena to get us a plane."
Heero only nodded in response.
If his hair wasn't tied so tightly, Wufei would have run a hand through it. He didn't want to admit it,
but the stony pilot was giving him the creeps. He recognized the look in Heero's eyes. It was the same as in his,
except that it wasn't masked with despair, but with confusion. The guy was in love and he didn't even know it.
It didn't take a genius to figure out the object of his affection. He was head over heels in love with Relena
and if he didn't find out soon what his emotions meant, he wouldn't just hurt himself, but the girl as well.
Wufei decided not to interfere with the matter. First off, that would be something Duo would de and he
refused to do anything what that long-haired baka would do. Second, he was still confused and hurt by his own
feelings, so how could he help anyone else? He took the stairs one floor down and walked in the anteroom of
Relena's office. Her secretary, Anna he believed her name was, looked up.
"I need to talk to Relena."
"Just a moment," she said with a stony face. The woman didn't like him very much. Well, maybe he had
been a bit rude when he had first showed up here, but she had wined so much about not wanting to let him in,
that he had lost his patience and yelled at her.
She directed her attention to the comm on her desk and pressed a button. "Mr. Chang is here to see you,
minister."
"Let him in," Relena distorted voice croaked through speaker.
He was motioned towards the door. And so he walked up to it and pushed it open.
"Wufei, how can I help you?" Relena smiled.
"We're going to Canada. Can you get us a plane?"
"Sure I can. May I ask why?" She invited him to sit down and he figured he owed her to tell her the whole
of it so he sat.
"From what we have of those records some sort of group lived in that base, that planned or is still planning
to undermine the current authority. I suggest you tighten your security. You seem to be their target. The occupants
from that base moved to Canada and we're gonna try to find out more about them."
Relena nodded thoughtful. "Well, the fastest I can get you a plane that can carry you over such a distance,
would be first thing in the morning. I guess you don't need a pilot, so I'll have to send them back in a different way."
"Then we'll leave tomorrow morning."
She seemed a bit sad at the prospect. "How vital is it for me to increase security?"
He silently complimented her for keeping such a cool head. Even though she obviously didn't like them
leaving, she didn't complain or refused to help them. She settled the matter and turned her attention to something
else. "Frankly, I don't know. We don't know how active they are at the moment. It's more a precaution."
"Okay, I'll see what I can do. Should I alert the Preventers?"
Unbeknownst to the woman in front of him he winced at the word. "Not yet. They would send a whole team.
Just Heero and me should be enough for now."
"Very well," was all she answered with.
There was nothing left to say so he stood. "I guess we better start packing. Thank you for your hospitality,"
he said as kind as he could.
"You're welcome. I'm not sure I'll be there in the morning. I have to leave at five a.m. for a meeting in
India." She rolled her eyes in disgust. "I hate getting up so early."
With a slight grin he left the office, but the glare Anna shot him wiped that of his face. His mood took a
swing and he glared back. As he walked into the hallway he wondered how Heero was under all this. Wasn't he worried
about Relena's safety? That sort of thing happened to come along with being in love, even if the emotion wasn't
recognized as such.
Wufei smirked. He wasn't going to spell it out for the man. He would have to figure it out on his own.
~~~~~~
Heero sat on the edge of the balcony. When he had come here he had silently wondered how many rooms in this
palace had a balcony. He had come to the conclusion it was probably easier to count the ones without. A dull grey
sky stole away his vision on a beautiful sunset. It had rained a bit this afternoon, but now it was dry. The ground
below him still glistened with raindrops and the stark tree branches tried to hold on to the liquid but lost to the
small breeze, playing with the leafless twigs.
The plane they had ordered was estimated to arrive at 2 a.m. but they had agreed to wait until morning to
leave. A good night sleep would be welcome before starting this whole ordeal. He had a bad feeling about this. For
some reason he felt uncomfortable leaving Relena alone. He didn't know where the feeling came from, but there it was.
His eyes fell on a familiar shape making it's way through the garden. Apparently he wasn't the only one
searching for a bit of fresh air. He looked on as the figure that was Relena sat down on a white bench near a
fountain. He was fascinated be the way the wind made her hair play around her features. Occasionally she pushed
a strand behind her ear. Futile work, because the honey blond locks wouldn't be contained.
He pushed himself from the ledge he was sitting on and landed safely on the ground, three stories down.
Silently he made his way to where Relena was resting. A few paces behind her he settled his back against a tree,
not caring his shirt became wet. From close he noticed her hair wasn't tied in the trademark thin braids of hers.
Instead all of it just hung down her back. Her shoulders were slightly hunched, indicating how tired she was.
"I hate saying goodbye," she suddenly spoke.
Heero didn't move. She couldn't know he was there, could she? She was talking to herself.
"I agreed with Wufei to get you two a plane, but I don't like it. I actually made up some story about a
meeting in India where I would have to go to early in the morning, so I didn't have to be there when you two leave."
It sounded suspiciously like she was talking directly to him.
She suddenly turned around to face him, not in the least bit surprised he was actually there. He was slacking.
"Why don't you say anything?" she asked.
"What would you have me say?"
She turned face forward again. "I don't know. That I shouldn't have told a lie? That I am a coward for not
being able to say two simple words?"
"I know a lot about you by now and I know you're not a coward. Quatre has more troubles with leavetakings
then you." He wasn't sure, but he thought that last drew a smile on her face.
He walked around the bench and sat down next to her. It reminded him of how they had sat down in Libra. He
had been waiting for Peacemillion or the other Gundams to make a move, or for the war to end. Either had been fine
to him. She had been grateful for his presence then. He hoped she was now.
For a long time neither of them spoke. He wasn't thrilled to admit it, but he rather enjoyed her company.
She had always managed to spark something in his chest, to alleviate the pressure weighing him down just by being
there. He breathed in deeply and smelled the rain soaked earth underneath his feet. An early bird send a hesitant,
wavering song to the cold evening sky. The wind blew blond strands in his direction, tickling his cheek and neck
with the tips. He didn't bother to brush them away. He felt that any movement he made, would destroy the tranquility
in the air.
"How long will you be gone?" Relena asked finally. Her clear voice tore through the stillness.
"I don't know," he answered.
"Heero, will you promise me something?"
He looked at her in acknowledgment.
"Will you promise me you won't be such a complete stranger as you have been the past years?"
The question surprised him. He had purposely avoided her. He didn't think inferring in her life, would benefit
her cause. The Gundam pilots were not exactly public enemy, but they had all five agreed on anonymity in order to
protect the lives of their friends and loved ones. All it took was one nosy reporter, or perhaps a former student
with a good memory, who recalled the incident at St Gabriel's. It wasn't too difficult to link Relena, the new student
who had transferred within a month and the mysterious appearance and disappearance of Gundam 01.
But looking at those clear blue eyes gazing over the winter garden, how could he refuse? So he found himself
making a third promise to this woman. "Okay."
Her smile made his heart leap.
"I guess we had better get some sleep. I might not have to go to India, I still have a lot of work to do
tomorrow." Her skirt rustled as she stood.
Heero silently followed her example and they slowly made their way back to the palace. The door opened without
a creak, but the sound their shoes made on the tiled floor of the entry hall made up for the lack of sound. Luckily the
stairs had carpeting. In silent agreement they stopped at the second floor.
"Bye, Heero," she said softly. Suddenly she squeezed his hand. Then she turned around and ran away. He stood
listening to her dying footsteps. After a few moments of silence he slowly made his way up to the third floor. Why did
he feel like something had ripped his heart out of his chest?
~~~~~~
Relena stood looking out of her bedroom window. It was only 7:00 a.m. Two lonely figures, each with a duffle
bag slung over the shoulder made their way down the drive, towards the gate. She looked on as the two walked from the
grounds to the runway, where their plane awaited. It was a rather small carrier aircraft, but it was big enough to make
it across the Atlantic Ocean. They disappeared inside and a few moments later the low rumbling of the engines reached
her ear. She watched as it slowly began moving forward, away from her. It gathered speed, until it suddenly it raised
up into the sky. It grew smaller and smaller and then it was gone.
Tiredly she rubbed her eyes and was surprised to find wetness. A few tears had managed to escape and were
trickling down her cheeks. Angrily she wiped them away. But as new kept coming up she gave in and cried, hiding her
face in the curtains.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN Well, and that's the end of that one. 'Till next time. Bye. Dannee.