AN: I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. I know you all thought I was evil for the cliffhanger. Sorry! My apologies and I tried my hardest to write this chapter quickly to satisfy your hunger! LOL! Well please enjoy! By the way, you will really enjoy this chapter!

I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters.

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Heero's heart leapt and he urged to run faster. He reached the Relena's door where her guards were already pounding to get in.

"Open the door!" screamed Heero.

"We can't its locked!" cried one of the guards.

Inside the room, Heero could hear Relena's cries for help. He could tell she was putting up a fight. Furniture could be heard flying through the room, then crashing on the ground.

He got an idea.

"Get something to knock this door in!" barked Heero as he ran into the next room over.

It was another empty bedroom. The castle had a lot of those. Heero tore through it though will all his speed. Picking up a chair, he launched it through the window, shattering the glass everywhere. He peered out. Next to him lay Relena's balcony, he could still hear her cries.

He quickly judged the distance he had to jump. Then taking several steps back, Heero broke into a sprint and leapt through the window. He soared through the air and hit the balcony roughly. He lost his grip and began to slide down, but his determination would not let him give in. Grabbing hold with his right hand, Heero hung, poised in the air.

Grunting, the young man pulled himself up and onto the balcony. Breathing heavily, Heero looked into her room. Relena was pinned underneath a large brute.

Crying out loud, Heero rushed into the room, running straight into the assassin. He knocked the man over and carefully looked at Relena for a moment. She was unconscious. Heero felt a sharp pain in his side. He fell over and looked up. His opponent had just managed to kick him roughly.

Showing no signs of pain, Heero stood up and ready. The assassin lurched at him, but Heero quickly sidestepped him, then, landed a blow to the man's back. Giving his enemy no time to recover, Heero began an onslaught of punches and kicks.

The man grunted and fell. Heero stopped watching him carefully. The man showed no signs of movement. Heero could hear the others shouting on the other side of the door. They were pounding on it waiting to get in. The man lay still.

Heero slowly inched away from the man towards the door. He was going to unlock it. Watchful Prussian eyes grew cautious. Heero froze when the man began to stir slowly. The assassin got to his feet and gazed at Heero. Heero glared back and slowly the two began to encircle each other. Heero caught site of Relena's form lying on the floor, she was still unconscious. He had to move quickly.

Heero watched as the assassin pulled out a dagger. Then in a swift movement, the man lunged forward at full speed. Heero tried to move out of the way, but his arm caught the sharp blade. He grunted slightly and turned around as the man attacked again. This time, Heero jumped in the air and landed a swift kick to the man's face. The dagger fell out of his hands and Heero dove for it.

Panicking without his weapon, the assassin began to bolt for the balcony doors. Heero however, would show no mercy. Taking the handle of the dagger, Heero launched it into the air with deadly accuracy. He hit his target square in the back. The assassin fell, flinched a little, then, lay still.

Breathing deeply, Heero held onto his injured left arm. Blood poured out from the wound, but it was not too deep.

Disregarding the noise at the door, Heero rushed over to Relena's side. He gently took her into his arms and laid her on the bed. He listened for her heart beat; it was there, but slightly weak. Heero examined her. The red marks around her neck indicated that she had been nearly strangled to death. Her face was pale, she needed to breath.

Carefully, Heero opened up her mouth. He leaned down and breathed into her. He waited for a moment, then pressed his lips against hers once more and breathed again. He pulled away,

"Breath deeper Relena," he commanded.

He performed the gesture once more. All of a sudden, she took a deep breath and choked. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared at Heero with wide eyes. She gasped for breath, looking up at him in fear. Realization hit her hard as she remembered what had just happened. She shot straight up out of bed, trembling. Tears streamed down her face. She moved away from Heero towards the other side of the bed.

"Relena…" he began.

She was beginning to panic. Her breathes were short and quick. The tears continued to fall. She grabbed her throbbing neck where rough hands hand been only moments before. She shook as she remembered a man strangling her. She had struggled with him, throwing all her belongings at him, anything she could think of to get away from him. Then he grabbed her and…

A sob racked her body as she fought back the memories.

Heero looked at her anxiously. She was crying…what was he supposed to do? He moved closer to her.

"Relena, you're safe now," he said.

She nodded her head, but continued to shake.

Heero looked at her. Tears streamed down her young face. Her eyes were full of fear. He found himself drawn to her. Again, Heero moved closer to her on the bed. Relena did not seem to notice. She only continued to sob.

Both of them were vaguely aware of what happened next. Heero did not intend for it to happen, but he placed his arms around her and drew her tightly to him. Too exhausted to care, Relena cried into his chest. His embrace was comforting; Relena felt herself falling deeper into it, she felt safe. Gently, he lifted her face up and wiped away the tears which fell freely down her face. This motion shocked her and she froze.

They were found like that when the door was finally broken down. In stumbled the guards, Duo, Trowa, Wufei, and Quatre, and Martin. All stared as Heero held Relena on the bed. Duo grinned, Quatre blushed and turned away. Heero, upon seeing them, released Relena as Martin approached them. Martin looked at the young woman, the red marks on her neck.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

She simply nodded her head. Martin called for several guards.

"Please escort, her Highness to the infirmary to take care of her injuries. Quatre," called Martin. The blonde haired man came immediately. "You will go with the princess and remain with her at all times. Once Sally has seen to her injuries, take her into the study. She will remain there for the rest of the night under close watch. I shall meet with you later." Quatre nodded and took Relena's frail hand leading her out of the room. As she walked out, Relena took one last longing look at Heero.

{-}

Noin breathed a sigh of relief. Zechs would be furious when he found out that Lord Treize had sent an assassin. She had almost failed in her mission without even knowing it. Angrily, Noin sat down on her bed, placing her head in her hands.

What was should she doing there? Why should she even care? She loved Zechs and would do anything for him, but why did she find herself worrying about Relena?

Noin moved over to the window. She was a captain in Lord Treize's army, the only woman to ever accomplish such a rank. If things were so wonderful, why did she feel like everything was so bad?

{-}

They all sat patiently in the study. Heero watched Relena carefully as she slept on a cushy window seat. She was exhausted and her sleepiness had got the better of her despite her protests to stay up and hear all the information. Heero peered closely at her. She looked like a goddess while she slept; so peaceful yet beautiful.

"We need to discuss some important matters," began Martin as he entered the room. All eyes were placed on the wizard. "I have just spoken to the girl, Hilde. What she has told me is vital information."

"What has happened?" asked Quatre.

Martin continued, "The girl spoke to me about a conversation she overheard between Lord Treize and his sorceress, Lady Une. It was he who sent the assassin to kill Relena. But that danger has passed so that it is not consequential right now. What's important are his future plans. Lord Treize seeks to gain the Powers of Dire."

Everyone looked around in question. Martin kept speaking, "The Powers of Dire come in the form of Dark Magic. Centuries ago, Rhapsody, god of the underworld, sought to overthrow the Four Guardians. However, he was trapped in his underground lair, so he created the powers to give to human to carry out his work. Well, the Guardians defeated this threat to Mythica with the help of the great Heero Yuy. He defeated the man who had obtained the powers and cast the Powers of Dire into hiding for eternity. Now, I do not know how Treize discovered their location, but he did."

"Probably that Lady Une," piped in Duo.

"Probably," murmured Martin. "But that is not the point. What matters is that with these powers, Treize may prove to be unstoppable."

"What do these powers do?" inquired Trowa.

Martin looked at him with a stone face, "Terrible things."

Silence filled the room for a moment. Then Wufei spoke,

"Injustice! It does not matter what kind of power he holds! With our armor, we will find a way to defeat that baka!"

"Wufei is right," cried Quatre. "We will find a way to destroy him! We cannot lose hope just yet."

"No we cannot…"whispered Martin.

"What else do you need to discuss with us?" asked Trowa.

"The other matter regards Relena's. She is no longer safe, here in the city. Treize knows of her heritage, and will stop at nothing to get rid of her. He knows how powerful she may become…the Lady Une must have foreseen it."

"Where will she go?" inquired Heero. "She must be hidden within reach of the palace."

"I agree," said Martin. "This is why I have decided to take her to my cottage. I can protect her, there, with my magic. No harm will come to her. However, the city will surely despair should they know of her disappearance. I will leave Quatre and Wufei here to make sure all is well. My cottage is less than a two days ride from here. I will help to escort the Princess, then return back here at once to maintain order. Wufei, should anything happen, I will send you to give word to Heero, Trowa, and Duo who will act as Relena's bodyguards."

The oriental man nodded in approval.

"Very well," continued Martin. "In a few hours, we shall ride."

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Duo walked through the hospital wing. It was early in the morning, before sunrise. He searched each stretcher looking for a certain someone. Finally, he found her, in the last row. She was sleeping peacefully now, after eating a good meal and a hot bath. Sally suggested that she was in perfect health; she was just suffering from extreme exhaustion. All she needed was some rest.

Duo peered at Hilde closely. She was a pretty little thing, once she had washed the dirt off her face and changed into some different clothes. She had discarded her men's attire for something much more suitable for a young woman of her age. Duo studied her features: her hair was as dark as a ravens, it was wavy, falling about her face. Her lashes were thick and earlier he had noticed her bright violet eyes.

Duo jumped back as she began to stir a little bit. Slowly, she fluttered her eyes open. Looking around the room, she seemed to have forgotten where she was for a moment. Duo took the opportunity to speak,

"Hello there!" he said cheerfully.

She jumped a little then turned to look at him. "Hello," she said meekly.

He flashed a bright smile at her. She blushed slightly, quite taken by his handsome features.

"I'm glad to see you are doing better, how do you feel?"

She smiled, "Much more refreshed thank you, almost as good as new. If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here?"

He grinned, "Just here as an act of hospitality. I found you and felt I should look in on you after all. Besides, I am here to deliver you the message that Princess Relena was extremely grateful. You saved her life."

Hilde looked down. "It was the least I could do. I despise Lord Treize, and when I heard that Relena Darlian was actually Relena Peacecraft, I just knew I had to do something."

"Exactly how did you get all that information?"

"I was a servant for the Peacecraft family. I lived in the palace all my life. When Lord Treize took over, he ordered that we served him like our former master. He only spared a few of us…" she said her voice trailing off into memory.

"I am sorry to here that," replied Duo solemnly.

"Lord Treize murdered my family when the Cinq Kingdom was invaded. I was taken prisoner, along with a few other servants. We thought he would kill us for sure, but he spared our lives so that he would not have to cook and clean for the palace himself."

"You were lucky."

"I do not feel that way," she said sadly. For a moment, they were both silent. Then, Hilde spoke again, "Who are you? I must say, I was quite surprised to be, how should I say this, "rescued" by a young man such as you. Are you a soldier?"

Duo grinned, "A special kind of soldier if you will. Of the highest rank, you see."

"Oh naturally," she said sarcastically.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Duo crestfallen.

She giggled, "Oh nothing, I am sorry but you are just so young. You can't be any older than me."

Duo stood up, stuck out his chest, placed his hands on his hips, stuck up his chin in the air, and tried to look proud. "Do I look any older now?"

"Not in the least!" she laughed whole heartedly.

He listened to her laugh. It was a beautiful laugh. Each sound she made came from her heart. She was a silly girl like the ones he had flirted with in the palace. She was real and her laugh was real. He liked it.

"Well," he said, "I am sorry that I cannot entertain you any longer my lady, but I must away. You see, I have important matters to attend to."

Her face fell slightly, "Will you be back soon?"

"You see…um…I'm really not sure."

"Oh," she said as she looked down.

"Well, Hilde, it was wonderful to meet you. I hope to see you again sometime. Goodbye." Duo turned away and started to walk out of the hospital wing. But something tugged at his heart. To see her face fall like that was just too much for him. He spun around once more,

"Hilde?"

"Yes?"

"Do you…do you want to come with me?"

She smiled.

{-}

A couple hours later, they were riding in the countryside. Martin and Trowa rode side by side, Duo chatted on happily with the girl, Hilde, and Heero took up saddle beside Relena. Behind them, rode Lucrezia Noin, whom Relena had insisted upon coming. The day passed without any worries. All was well.

Relena had secretly snuck out of the city. She dressed in the clothes of a commoner and hid her face with a traveler's cloak. To Heero's surprise, she made no protest of leaving the people in the hands of Martin for a while. In fact, when the idea was presented to her that morning, she seemed rather enthusiastic about the trip. It was almost as if she wanted to leave.

Heero and Relena were now at the back of the party. She sang softly to herself as they rode on. What had happened last night no longer seemed to have any affect upon her. Her spirits were high, and Heero could tell she was enjoying the ride. Suddenly she spoke,

"I just love riding during the sunset! The world is so different and beautiful."

"Hn," was his only reply.

"Heero, thank you so much for last night, I don't think I could ever repay you."

"It was nothing," he grumbled.

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "You are modest aren't you?"

He looked at her questioningly and she laughed.

"I'm also sorry for being so upset. It's just that things have changed all so suddenly. Not just for me, but for everyone. Never in my life have had I ever thought I would be brutally attacked or the target of an assassination. It's just such a dramatic change for me."

"We all go through change," muttered Heero.

"Yes, we do," she agreed. For a moment, she was quiet. A question burned through her mind, one that had been bothering her for some time.

"Heero, what was your past like?"

He did not answer. She asked him again,

"I mean, where did you come from?"

"That is none of your concern," he snapped coldly.

She looked startled slightly, "I am sorry if I offended you. But, I was just wondering. Everybody comes from somewhere…"

"Leave it alone, Relena."

She looked at him oddly. His eyes burned. It was clear that he was angry at something, but what? Relena tried to look deeper. Heero's eyes were full of pain. Something terrible must have happened to him, she thought. For the next couple of days, she was going to make it her mission to find out.

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AN: So that's Chapter 14! I know you are all going to hate me for the length I'm sure, but I think it's an eventful chapter. We especially see Relena and Heero's relationship begin to develop more fully. Also, I needed to set Duo and Hilde off on a good foot. More drama in the next chapter. I really hope you enjoyed this one! Email: Wildrose1404earthlink.net