AN: Hey another chapter is ready to go! I am really excited with the story is starting to unfold. I know exactly what I want to write, all the twists and turns, however, actually writing it takes more time than one would expect. However, I promise not to give up, and to continue on with this piece. Oh, I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters.

"Goodbye, Milliardo. I will see in a few weeks."

"Please be careful, Relena," replied Zechs as he embraced his younger sister tightly. "Here I almost forgot to give this to you," he said as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a silver pin that was made in the shape of a dove.

"It's not a gift, mind you. It's a tracking device so that we will know where you are at all times. Whether you like it or not you must wear this. I am under strict orders from Commander Une to give it to you."

"Normally I would protest, but right now I am not in the mood," said Relena smiling slightly as she pinned the silver dove onto her suit jacket. "All right. I really should be going, take care."

"You too."

Heero sat in the back of the private shuttle that Quatre had arranged for he and Relena to fly to L4 on. He looked out of the window; the stars seemed so brilliant. Earth was large and illustrious below him. He sighed and looked ahead at the empty seat in front of him. He thought he wouldn't have to fight anymore. He thought it was over and that his job was complete. But as time went on, he realized that the hate between men would never stop despite anyone's best efforts.

After the war, he didn't know what to do with himself. He thought of becoming a Preventer, but that meant he would still be a soldier. He had told Relena before he went away that he wouldn't have to fight anymore. So he left, wanting to find himself and what else he was capable of. For a while he designed software programs, trying to forget about his past life and start a new one. Yet at night, while he slept, the nightmares would come and memories would flood through him like a river. He usually would wake up in a cold sweat and remain awake for the rest of the night.

He couldn't understand exactly why he had the nightmares. They were usually about him failing to complete his mission. Yet each time he woke up, he couldn't remember what his mission was. The result in all of them was usually death, torment, and loneliness. The loneliness was usually the part that scared Heero the most.

This brought up another question in Heero's head. Why should I be afraid to be alone when I have been so nearly all my life? He had never felt any real emotion up until the nightmares. It confused him greatly.

Heero snapped out of his thoughts and focused on what he really needed to focus on. He looked across the aisle towards the front where Relena sat fast asleep. Heero noted to keep a close watch on her and make sure she rested as often as possible: Especially since the incident that had occurred the other day. He didn't know what had made him catch her when she fell. He remembered holding her frail body so that she wouldn't hit the ground. It felt awkward to him, to do such a thing. He felt a strange emotion run through his body. Concern? He wasn't sure.

The pilot's voice over the intercom once again snapped Heero from his thoughts,

"We will be arriving in L4 within the next fifteen minutes."

At this Heero rose form his seat and walked toward the front of the shuttle. He sat next to the still sleeping Relena. She looked younger when she was asleep. As young as she was when Heero had first met her. In many ways she was still the same girl he had known. Yet in many other ways, she had grown and matured into a young woman, just as he had grown and matured into a young man.

Heero snapped his seat belt into place. He heard Relena breathe in and open her sapphire eyes. She looked at him oddly, seeming to forget where she was. Then she faced forward in her seat and clasped her seat belt too.

"How much time do we have before we land?" she asked softly.

"About eight minutes," was his short reply.

"Oh."

Colony L4 shuttle port…

Two young men stood on a platform waiting for a shuttle to arrive. The shorter of the two looked anxiously toward the sky, his blue eyes glowing with contentment. He spoke to the person standing beside him,

"They should be arriving any moment, don't you think, Trowa?"

Trowa Barton nodded silently and also looked skyward. He and Quatre Winner had been waiting at the shuttle bay for nearly an hour.

"Trowa?"

Trowa looked at his friend. Quatre's blonde hair was falling about his face, somewhat shading his cheerful blue eyes.

"Hm?"

"How long has it been since you last saw Heero Yuy?"

"Nearly two years."

"Me too. I wonder what he has been doing all this time. He just disappeared so suddenly and now he's back again," said the former Sandrock pilot with some puzzlement.

"Whatever Heero Yuy does, he always does it with a purpose in mind," replied Trowa unemotionally.

Quatre nodded his head in agreement then looked skyward once more. He was beginning to see a small shape appear. It grew larger as it came closer and Quatre soon came to the assumption that the shuttle they had been waiting for so long had finally come.

The shuttle landed. A few moments later, four figures emerged from it. Two were Prevents dressed in their usual green uniform. Another, was a young woman with long honey hair, pale skin, and sapphire eyes. The last figure to emerge from the shuttle was a young man with wild brown hair and cold Prussian eyes that Trowa and Quatre recognized immediately.

"Quatre, thank you so much for the use of your shuttle. I'm afraid if not for that, a flood of reporters would be screaming thousands of questions at me this instant," said Relena as she gave the blonde hair man a friendly hug.

"It was no trouble at all, really," he replied. "It's good to see you, Relena." Quatre stepped away from her and toward the young man behind her.

"It's also good to see you too, Heero," he said as he held out his hand toward the former Gundam pilot.

Heero hesitated, then briefly shook hands with the young man who offered his hand to him in friendship. He then looked over Quatre's shoulder at Trowa and nodded. Trowa nodded back politely, but said nothing. He had always been a man of few words.

"Very well then," said Quatre as he began to walk toward a waiting car. The others followed him. "Miss Relena, might I ask when we are to begin?"

"As soon as possible," she replied. "I was hoping as early as tomorrow afternoon."

"All right," said the blonde hair pilot nodding his head. He turned to Heero. "How do the others fare?"

"They should be arriving at the space port shortly. They will begin reconstruction immediately," he replied automatically.

"Let's just pray that we are able to give them enough time," Relena said solemnly as she climbed into the car that would take them to the Winner estate.

Meanwhile at the Preventers Space Base…

"Would you take a look at this, Hilde?"

"I know. I was just thinking the same thing."

"I never knew that Preventers had access to this kind of technology," exclaimed the braided pilot in disbelief.

"We keep it this way so that braided bakas like you don't cause any problems," said Wufei sharply.

"Lay off Wufei," commanded Sally.

"Onna, don't try to tell me what to do!"

"Don't try to pull that shit on me," cried Sally.

Hilde and Duo quietly left the two Preventers alone to settle their dispute. The two of them walked together toward a large open bay. It was filled with mobile suits, mechanics, and various Preventers. Duo grabbed Hilde's hand and looked at her. Her gaze was focused on the large scene. The bay was most certainly the largest either of them had ever scene. It was here that they were going to reconstruct the Gundams.

"Duo, can you believe this?"

"No babe, I can't. But I'll tell you one thing, we need to get to work," he said while flashing her a huge smile.

"All right, let the games begin."

"How are things going?"

"Maxwell, has already started things underway. The first few shipments of materials have just come in and they have already begun."

"Perfect," replied Lady Une to Zechs. "Now it is time for the three of us to play our parts. We are going to investigate each colony. I want to know every terrorist group on the colonies: their members, enemies, and whether or not they are still active. We need to discover if any of these groups has the income to produce mobile suits or dolls. If they do, I want to know where they got their material and how much of it they obtained. I'm sure you understand what I expect out of the two of you. I know that you are capable of handling this."

"We understand you perfectly," replied Noin calmly.

"Very well, now to another question: has Preventer Intel cleared everyone on board this space station?"

"We have run thorough checks on everyone. No one outside of Preventers should find out about this operation. Not even members of the ESUN aside form Relena," said Zechs.

Lady Une nodded her head then added, "I still want security extremely tight here. Put out this order: If anyone aboard suspects another of disloyalty, the person in question will immediately be detained and questioned in a military tribunal. This is not a democracy here. This is serious and shall remain so, until the situation passes. Understood?"

Noin and Zechs both nodded in agreement.

"Good, let's get to work."

That evening at the Winner estate…

Relena stood outside on the large balcony that was connected to the Winner mansion. Quatre's home was large and illustrious. He was a hospitable host, making sure he amounted to each of his guest's needs. Relena smiled at the thought of her sweet friend. It was hard to believe that he had been a Gundam pilot.

The Gundams. She had made a dangerous move agreeing to have them rebuilt. She was the only member of the ESUN to know of the operation. It was a choice that could very well put her reputation, job, and life at risk if the information leaked out. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

She had other things to worry about. She always had things to worry about. Things that any other normal young woman her age would never have to deal with. She had sacrificed her whole life when she became the Vice Foreign Minister to the colonies. True, she loved her job, but the current toll it was taking on her body was almost too much.

"Relena, can I get you anything?"

Relena spun around to meet Quatre's kind gaze. She smiled at him, nodding her head no. He acknowledged this, but moved toward her anyway, wishing to speak with her.

"How have you been? I mean despite all the chaos that has occurred."

"I must admit, Quatre, I've been better," she told him sighing slightly.

"I think we all have been," Quatre muttered.

"Where did Heero and Trowa go?"

"Heero wanted to make sure the security system was up to date. I assured him that it was, but you know him. Trowa went with him to help."

"He certainly hasn't changed much," said Relena sadly.

Quatre looked at her suddenly. Her blue eyes were tired and full of loneliness. She certainly looked as if she could use some sleep. There was also a hint of sadness about her. Immediately he understood her.

"Relena, how often did you think of Heero after he left?"

Relena snapped her head up, somewhat startled by the question. She looked at him oddly then smiled, a smile that reached her eyes this time. But the smile soon faded as quickly as it came, as she grew serious once more.

"You're being serious aren't you?"

"Yes," replied the blonde hair pilot.

"Oh I don't know. Probably every day I suppose. Then again, as time passed after he had gone, I forced myself not to think of him; to push him out of my mind. I think it worked. I eventually focused entirely on what I was doing with my life. The only times I would think of him would be either when I reflected on the past or just wondering what he was doing with his life."

She looked over at Quatre and smiled slightly. But her eyes were filled with confusion. Quatre decided to ask her another question. One that he had been meaning to ask her since the day he found out about Heero's return,

"Do you think that you…"

"Oh, I don't know," replied the young woman sadly. "I know what you wanted to ask. I suppose a part of me will always love Heero Yuy. But whether that love is true, or out of respect or friendship it's hard to tell. I'm just confused right now. I don't know what to think now that he's back. I use to think that I was in love with him. But why love someone with no emotions? That is hardly love at all."

"Relena, you never know. I think that Heero has changed more than we realize. He just hasn't showed us yet," Quatre replied soothingly.

"I have right to believe you, Quatre. I think that he has too. But right now, I do not need to be childish and get my hopes up. This is reality, not a fairy tale. I need to be focusing on my tour. Right now all that matters is the peace."

"Always thinking of others."

"I know, tiring isn't it?" Relena replied winking at him.

"Extremely," Quatre said laughing.

"Well, I'm going to turn in. Good night."

With that, Relena turned and walked back into the mansion, her long honey hair flowing like a waterfall down her back.

"Is the tracking system online?"

"Up and running," replied Trowa quietly.

Heero looked at the computer screen in front of him. A soft green light, that indicated Relena, was moving gracefully through the guest wing of Quatre's mansion. Trowa and Heero had been in the security room for nearly an hour checking the nearly flawless system that Quatre had installed.

Just then, the former Sandrock pilot walked into the room. He smiled warmly at the two young men who were seated at the computers and monitors, their eyes scanning every inch of the screens.

"Well, is everything all right?" he asked calmly.

"Fine, the system will suffice. Although, I am concerned about the security around her room," replied Heero flatly.

"Heero, you worry too much. She will be fine. Besides, we are only staying here for a few nights. Then we're going to be off on other colonies. If I were you, I would worry about what security steps you are going to take in the future," Quatre said reassuringly.

"Hn," was the reply that Heero gave. The young man left the room and went to Quatre's study. He intended to make the daily report from there on a secure line.

Meanwhile at the Preventers Space Base…

"Zechs, have you found anything yet?"

"Nothing at all. Except a few groups that have not been active for years. I wrote them down, but from as far as I can tell we still don't have a very good lead."

Noin frowned. She and Zechs had been working at this all day. She would have thought that by now they would have at least had some sort of clue. She felt like they were making absolutely no progress what so ever.

"Do you think that we are looking in the wrong places? I mean, who says that it is a rebel group in the colonies at all? What if the colonies are being framed for actions that they did not I even take?" Noin said matter of fact.

"Lucrezia, your intentions are good, but I think that for now we should stick to what we have. And what we have are all sources pointing to the colonies. Once we find more clues, maybe then we can determine if this was all a plot to frame the colonies, but for now…"

"I suppose you're right," said Noin cutting her fiancé short. "But didn't Relena say something about looking into the new representative from North America? Bret Mavica?"

"She did, but remember she wasn't feeling very well that day. She hasn't spoken of it since."

"Well, I think we should do as she says, Zechs. She always has been one of good judgment."

Zechs sighed. He knew this was a battle that he was going to lose. He still didn't understand why Relena would want to have Preventers investigate the man. She had told Zechs hardly anything about him.

"All right," he said giving up on the debate. "I'll investigate him first thing in the morning."

"Thank you Zechs, Relena will appreciate it," said Noin as she kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"I'm sure she will."