Well... I'm back from China. Actually... I've been back from China for a while, I just haven't updated. Which I'm very, very, VERY sorry for... but I just couldn't figure out how to write the chapter right... and it still sounds a little weak to me. Not much plot development either... but it has been entirely too long since my last update. Over a month, I think.

Well... anyways, here it is. I really hope you enjoy it. And please review!

Disclaimer: I don't own GW or SM. I only wish I did. I do however own the poem 'Like Wine'. Please don't steal it.

Amber tea

shoots from a marble fountain

like rose-red wine………

A butterfly's

golden shredded wings

flutter slowly down

holding onto their last journey

in the sweet air.

Journey's done—repent.

A tiny ripple across

a golden sea.

Enough for a god to feel.

It is forgotten.

--Inverse-chan

Forty-five minutes later, a very pissed off Wufei stood outside of Relena's apartment, glaring at the door. He angrily jabbed the doorbell, for the time being he decided to take out his anger on inanimate objects. Impatiently, he waited for a response.

What was she doing here? She would ruin the whole mission! First Heero pulling them out of the library, and now this. He didn't know how much more he could stand.

At least finding the apartment had been relatively easy. He would have gone crazy by now if he had searched all of Tokyo for this dingy place.

After what seemed to be an eternity to the angry youth, the door opened, and he was faced with a blonde that he had never seen before. Her hair was long, much longer than even Duo's. It fell freely down her back, and framed her heart shaped face. Large blue eyes looked innocently at him, and for a moment he wondered if he had gotten the wrong apartment.

"Are you Wufei?" She asked, her voice strong and smooth.

"Yes... where is Relena?" He replied, not wasting time.

"She's inside. Please come in."

Entering, he looked around. "Who are you anyways? I've never seen you before."

"My name's Minako. It's nice to meet you. I'm living here now with my friend. Miss Relena was nice enough to let us stay here with her and Dorothy." She smiled, guiding him to the couch. "Please wait here for a moment. I'll go tell Miss Relena that you're here."

Wufei watched as she disappeared down the hall. She seemed nice, but what was she doing there in the first place? Relena wasn't prone to offer just anyone she met on the street an apartment, even if she was a pacifist. Looking around at his surroundings, he took note of the bare walls and scarcity of furniture. It looked like Relena had just moved in, most likely for the sole reason of stalking Heero.

He sighed. When would that idiot onna get a clue and realize that he just wasn't interested? And why was Heero such an idiot? Why couldn't he just come out and say it to her face?

Maybe he should have told the Wing Zero pilot about his visit today, but it wasn't really his fault that the youth had mysteriously disappeared. He seemed to be doing that a lot recently, even more than usual.

And if Heero didn't want to be found, then he wouldn't be found. It was really useless to look for him, and Wufei had a hard time figuring out why he hadn't realized this sooner.

Duo had most likely gotten him out of whatever trouble he was in earlier, seeing as how there hadn't been any more distress signals. What had that been about anyways?

There were just too many unanswered questions lately, and most of them seemed to revolve around Heero Yuy. Resolving himself to have another 'talk' with the gundam pilot later, he focused his mind on the task at hand.

Yelling at Relena. Getting her out of Tokyo. Promising her that Heero would call sometime in the immediate future. Accomplishing this within the span of less than three hours, so that he would be able to get back to the safe house that night.

As if on cue, the former Queen of the world appeared, with Minako and Dorothy in tow. Meeting her smile with a scowl, he awaited for her to get into yelling range.

"Relena... what do you think you're doing here?" He said, trying to keep calm.

"Conducting a business meeting."

"Between yourself and Heero?"

"Possibly."

"Get out of Tokyo. This is no time for your interference."

"Heero?" Minako broke in, trying to release some of the tension. "Heero Yuy?"

All three pairs of eyes swiveled to her, causing her to feel extremely uneasy. Dorothy's eyes were confused, as were Relena's. However, Wufei looked at her with unmasked suspicion.

"Do you know him?" He asked, his voice flat.

"Uh... no. Yes. No. That is to say... I don't really know him, but I know of him. He goes to my school." Minako stuttered under the spotlight.

Glaring at Relena, Wufei continued. "What is she doing here?"

"She needed a place to stay, and I offered my apartment for her and her friend. What does it matter?"

"She's a civilian. She shouldn't be here."

"I have faith in her, Wufei."

"You shouldn't be here either."

"Perhaps."

"Is that all you can say? You're endangering everything!" Wufei all but spat out in his fury. How could she be so... so... irresponsible! Damn onna.

"Uh... excuse me?" Minako asked, utterly confused and now suspicious herself. He was speaking like he was... a spy? But how would he know Miss Relena? And Heero? And why was he so upset?

A key turning in the doorknob caught her attention, and the attention of everyone else in the room. Rei came in, her arms full of boxes.

"Uh... perhaps someone could help me? It's not easy balancing all of this stuff you know." She said, glancing over the top of the boxes and looking pointedly at Minako.

Minako was about to answer when she heard Wufei make an odd strangled gurgling sound from besides her. Looking closer, she noticed that he had turned a weird pale shade, his gaze focused on Rei.

"Uh... hello? Minako?" Rei prompted again, looking at the blonde.

The sound of Rei's voice seemed to spur Wufei into action, as he dove beneath the couch. This obvious motion did not fail to escape Rei's observation, and everyone in the room seemed to sweatdrop. Including Wufei, whom had just realized how stupid his action really was. Damn his reflexes. He should have just slipped silently away... now everyone's attention was focused on him.

"Uh... Wufei? Are you alright?" Relena asked, looking baffled.

"I tripped." He automatically lied, but he didn't move towards standing up.

Rei meanwhile had set down the boxes in the living room, intrigued by their odd guest. She hadn't gotten a good look at him before... but there was something about his voice that annoyed her for a reason that she couldn't exactly place...

Frowning slightly, she moved behind the sofa to see a young man on the ground, face pressed into the carpet.

Hearing her come towards him, he inwardly cursed. This was beyond humiliating... he was lying facedown in the carpet in front of the one person that had managed to get under his skin at the new school. For heavens sake... the only person that annoyed him more than her was Maxwell, and that was most likely because Maxwell had been with him longer!

Immediately, his brain came up with a dozen different escape scenarios, half of which involved him knocking the raven-haired onna out cold. And all of which were utterly improbable.

"Do you... need some help?" He heard Rei ask, and he felt a flash of anger.

"Not from you." Wufei replied, voice haughty. He quickly and gracefully got back on his feet and looked her straight into the eye. His eyes were daggers, glaring and accusing.

Rei felt a surge of déjà vu hit her as she looked into the dark slanted eyes. So familiar... and then it finally connected. That rude haughty voice, and the poisonous glare that chilled her to her soul.

Slowly she lowered her gaze to Wufei's very flat chest, and with an equally painstakingly slow motion brought her eyes back to his glare.

She was dimly aware that her knees gave out as she slumped against the sofa. She then uttered a sound that sounded to a very curious Minako to be something of a 'gah'.

Wufei, for his part, ignored her and spoke to Relena. "We'll finish our discussion in the kitchen." His voice was commanding, and left no room for objection. Relena, in the meantime, was trying to take everything in stride. However, she seemed to agree that this was the best course of action, and she moved soundlessly toward the kitchen as Wufei followed.

Minako looked at the retreating Asian and then at Rei, who was still looking dazed besides the couch. Trying to piece things together, all she was left with was minor confusion and a major headache.

Dorothy, whom had stayed surprisingly quiet during the whole incident, finally spoke up. "Uh... what just happened?"
Hotaru stood in the mist, her sailor suit fluttering slightly in the light breeze. The fog that was all around her seemed to be alive, often embracing her with its ghostly tendrils, seeming to welcome her presence.

She smiled. The gray atmosphere was calming towards her, and it seemed to make her purpose clearer. She knew what she came here to do... to ask for help. She knew that she couldn't change anything with her power alone, and so she went to the only person that could make a difference.

"Setsuna... please come out." Hotaru called out in her calming voice.

Slowly, a huge marble doorway seemed to materialize from the fog. There was a flash of red, and Hotaru knew that Setsuna was there too, her garnet orb shining innocently on her staff.

"Hotaru... what are you doing here?" Setsuna asked, now completely free from the fog that seemed to dim with her appearance.

"I needed to talk with you. About the cruel twist of fate that seems to be playing with the future of the inners."

"You're here to ask me to change it." Setsuna said, emotionless.

"Yes." Hotaru said firmly.

"I can't. It's beyond my power."

"You can. You're just afraid to." Hotaru shot back stubbornly.

Setsuna sighed sadly. "Hotaru... you don't understand. If I change something, then maybe more harm than good will come of it."

"Anything is better than sitting back and watching the future as we know it fall apart. The world will be destroyed without the Crystal Queen to protect it, and the Crystal Queen will be destroyed without her inners to protect her."

"I can't see that far into the future. Nothing is final."

"Something is blocking you." Hotaru asked... no... said. Her words formed a question, but her tone made it a statement.

"Yes."

"And you're afraid of making a irreversible mistake."

"Yes."

"You have to do something." Hotaru said, almost pleading.

"No. I don't."

Silence hung heavily in the air. "You're a coward." Hotaru finally said, eyes full of stubbornness.

"Perhaps."

Hotaru turned around, heart heavy with defeat. Deep down, she knew Setsuna had her reasons for acting as she did, but that didn't quell her anger.

Because deep down she also knew that there was nothing that she could do.
Well... that's it for chapter 19! Please tell me what you think... and we'll get to see more Wufei/Rei interaction in the next chapter. Of which some (and I hope most) of you will find... entertaining.

Blackmail is a very powerful weapon.

Review! I love it when you do. I'll try to get out the next chapter much faster than this one... sorry again.

Love,

Inverse-chan