Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is the property of its respective owners.


Relena Was Dead: Chapter Three
by Wicked Child

"Poor guy. Died believing Relena was alive." Duo shook his head. "If I ever get sick and there's no hope for me, promise to shoot me?"

Wufei snorted at his friend's comment. "In that case, we should have killed you a long time ago."

"Hey!" Duo exclaimed. "I don't think I'm hopeless."

"I didn't say you were hopeless Maxwell. Just sick."

Duo stuck his nose in the air. "I resemble that remark."

Quatre sighed. "Come on you two. Heero's being serious."

Duo rolled his eyes. "That's new."

"I believe him."

The three other Preventer agents looked over at Heero.

"You believe him?" Wufei asked.

"I believe him Wufei."

"So she faked her own death? What for?" Duo asked. As far as he knew, Relena had been happy with her life. The world was still at peace, unless you counted little fires that had to be put out here and there. She was still an influential political force, people still relying on her to settle matters and to bring about new resolutions and bills for The People. She had glowed as though she were in love and expecting something wonderful to happen in her life. Unfortunately it never happened.

"You actually have to ask? How about a life of her own?"

"Well no shit Sherlock Chang! But why not let us in on it?" Duo looked at the others. "Right? We were important to her weren't we? Not just Heero but the rest of us too. And wouldn't Zechs know?"

"You would think so unless she were running from everything and everyone associated with her previous life." Quatre looked over at Heero. "What do you think?"

"I think we need to visit the cemetery. Or rather a certain family's mausoleum."

"Uh Heero," Duo cautioned. "That's sac religious. I don't know if I can participate." Duo had finally come to terms with his past and regained his confidence in the Lord. He was now a devout Catholic who went to Mass every week with his family.

Heero shrugged. "Then don't. The three of us will do it without you."

"I'm sorry Heero. But I agree with Duo." Quatre looked apologetic. "Relena is gone. I know you loved her and want to believe she's alive but the truth is that her body is in that mausoleum."

"What about you Wufei? In or out?" Heero ignored everything Quatre had said after agreeing with Duo. If he had to, Heero would do it alone, the way he used to.

"I have yet to decide. You will know my answer when the time is right."

Heero nodded.

"When are you planning on doing it?" Wufei asked.

"Tomorrow night. After Pagan's funeral."

~~~

Pagan's funeral was held in the early afternoon with only a few people gathering to pay their respects. Heero, Duo, Quatre, and Wufei were there as well as Zechs, the young nurse, Noin, a few people Heero didn't know and Mariemaia. The service was short but sweet and the coffin placed inside the Peacecraft family mausoleum. Later that night, Heero would be breaking into the crypt to find out if the man was telling the truth or just delusional.

While the other three former Gundam pilots spoke to Zechs and the others, Heero studied the mausoleum to find the necessary information he would need. As he circled the stone structure, he noticed that nothing had truly changed in the past six years. But if he wanted to be honest with himself, Heero would have to say that nothing had changed in the past two years since he stopping visiting Relena's resting place. Ever since he met Natalie and had chosen to let go of 'what ifs' and 'what might have beens.'

As he came back around the front, Heero noticed a woman standing among the tombstones only a hundred yards away. Her hair was covered in a scarf, hiding any attempt to discern hair color. Her eyes were also hidden by a pair of sunglasses reminiscent of starlets of long ago.

She wasn't anyone Heero could recognize but he couldn't take his eyes off of her. She reminded him of her. The way stood almost identical to the way she stood. The way her hands clenched at her sides reminding him the way she would clench her hands.

"Oy Heero!" Duo said as he joined his friend. "What you looking at?"

Heero kept his eyes trained on the woman who could have been a statue but for the wind whipping her dress about her.

"That woman," Heero said as he nodded in her direction. "She reminds me of…."

"Relena," Duo finished. Duo didn't want to admit it but somehow the woman truly did remind him of the deceased Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs.

At the mention of the name, the woman turned and walked up the small hill toward the street. She stopped at a tree and was accompanied by a tall slender man with ever so graceful movements. The man said something and the woman nodded, smiling. She intertwined their fingers and walked away.

"Forget about what I said Heero."

Heero looked at Duo slightly puzzled.

"Sac religious or not, I'm in. That was way too creepy and I've seen some creepy shit in my life. But that just took the cake. Too creepy."

"What was creepy?" Quatre asked walking up to them.

"We just saw…." Duo began.

"A woman who reminded us…." Heero interjected.

"You can leave now Yuy," Zechs said interrupting the three. His eyes locked with his former nemesis.

The two men stared each other down until Duo grabbed Heero's arm.

"Yeah, we were just about to leave anyway. C'mon Heero we have to make plans for tonight remember? Let's go Q."

Quatre was lost. He didn't know there was so much animosity between the two former pilots. He thought that had died long ago. "What's tonight?"

"The party remember? It's Heero's two year anniversary with Natalie." Duo shot the blond man a look that promised that he'd tell Quatre everything later.

The three of them left together after learning that Wufei had already left. Heero was unable to contact him either so he told Duo that it would just be the two of them.

"What?" Quatre exclaimed. He couldn't believe Duo had changed his mind. He knew his partner was unpredictable and rather fickle but this surprised him. "When did you change your mind?"

"This afternoon at the funeral," Duo told him before taking a bite out of a peach. He threw one to Quatre who caught it easily.

"Why?"

"I saw someone who reminded me of a ghost," Duo shrugged. "Besides, Heero still needs me to help out on his mini-mission. Get himself killed otherwise."

Heero looked over and resurrected his glare from times past. He was the only Preventer without a partner and he kept it that way. Although Une had tried forcing a partner on him not long before Relena's death.

The kid was fresh out of the Academy and Une boasted that he was the best student ever. She had told Heero jokingly that he better watch his back or the kid would take over. After a week, Heero had sent the kid running out of the Preventer's main office. He never came back.

Relena had scolded him for being so hard on the kid. They had been talking in her room's sitting area on a small couch Quatre had bought her. She'd played with his hair and he fell asleep on her lap. He later knew that night was one of his favorite memories of her; one he kept to himself. As he turned back to his laptop a single tear slid down his cheek. It wasn't lost on Duo or Quatre.

"We'll collect you when the time comes," Quatre said.

"You mean you're going?" Duo asked.

Quatre smiled. "When my friends need me, I'm there. I would've showed up tonight anyway."

"All right then. We'll go get the supplies while you do whatever it is you need to do on the laptop." Duo and Quatre left Heero alone.

When the door shut, Heero leaned back and closed his eyes. Her smiling face filled his mind's eye. So beautiful.

Relena. If you're still out there, why didn't you tell me? Why have you left me out? And who was that man?