Guardian Shadow

Chapter 5: Reason to Live

Heero watched as this man, an ex rival of his, press the button guaranteeing his death. This man knew what it meant to fail a mission. "A failed mission means death." Words spoken by Dr. J. Words which dictated his and the other man's childhood. Heero's latest mission, to kill Jansen, failed. But in all accounts he shouldn't have to do this. This man was supposed to be dead. Dr. J. was supposed to have killed him for failing his mission. Then Heero was given his target and completed it.

Just before the bombs went off, the other man turned away, apparently not wanting to watch. The two blasts were powerful, and Heero had tried to jump up and back to get out of the blast area. He had gotten hit, and hit bad. He was bleeding, and the pain was incredible. Lying on the floor he tried to get up. He tried to get to the door, be couldn't. The blood he had lost was too much, the pain was too much, and his injuries were too much. He passed out, his last thought was that it was over. All these years, after taking on the suicidal mission of being a Gundam Pilot, defying death, saving peace, and protecting peace through Relena, he was finally going to die. He let blackness take him and resigned to his fate.

In the hospital Quatre felt a strong pain in his chest. So much that it brought him to his knees. A nurse came in trying to help, but she couldn't do anything. The pain wasn't physical. Duo stood there, he knew what was going on. Quatre was going through the pain involved with the "soul" or "heart of outer space". Relena was very concerned. She didn't know all that was going on but she was suddenly more concerned about her not so secret crush. She loved Heero and anyone who knew her knew that fact. She had a connection with him.

Relena knew now that Heero was dead. She had been told he died saving her, now it was true. Heero had fought that man, and lost somehow. Relena saw how affected Quatre was when the nurse pulled him from the room. Duo tried to play it off, but that had confirmed the sudden sad feeling she felt. The last time Quatre had had a problem like that it was when Heero was ordered to self destruct his Gundam by Dr. J. He did so without hesitation, even without trying to get out of the blast area. He had effectively committed the ultimate act of protection to save the colonies and suicide. But he failed on the last part. Now he hadn't killed himself, she knew he wouldn't, but he was dead.

Later that day, Duo drove Relena to her home. 'This is a castle,' thought Duo. 'It's going to be impossible to protect her,' but he knew that was a lie. Heero would have found a way, and he vowed to protect her for his, now late, best friend. He was his best friend, they weren't the closest or most talkative best friends the world knew, but they trusted each other, understood each other, and would risk their lives for each other. Now Duo would risk his life for her. Relena got out of the car and walked into her large home and decided to turn in early.

As Relena fell asleep the three Gundam Pilots that were protecting her met to decide on the security. Wufei gave an analysis of the situation so everyone would be up to speed. "The person who planted that bomb was good. He is obviously part of the Preventor organization, because he could get to the car before anyone else had a chance. He prefers long range attacks, or he still wants to remain anonymous. This means that actual guarding right next to the Vice Foreign Minister is useless unless you want to do what Heero did and jump in front of a bullet. I suggest we search every area around here and make sure everything coming in is safe. I don't think this is over nor will the next attack be for a little, but I still want us on our full guard." Duo and Quatre fully agreed and they set up a schedule so the three could split the time to watch the VFM.

Wufei and Duo were out scouting the areas for snipers and other such attacks while Quatre was training the guards on what to look for and setting up the checkpoint system to make sure everything entering was safe. After about a week the guards were starting to get a little lax and the pilots were getting a little worried and annoyed with them.

"Hmm…They're smarter than I thought, but I still have my way to get to her." A man that was slightly bigger built than average stood in the trees looking through a scope. Relena was sitting on her bed, clearly visible through her overly large bedroom window on that separated her room from her balcony. His rifle could easily hit her, she was only 500 yards away. She would be dead before anyone even heard the shot. But he hadn't done all of his homework. He still had another day of observation. Being careless wouldn't do. The last time he did something that skipped some of his "insignificant" detailed observation he had failed the mission and Dr. J. had tried to kill him. He barely survived.

No. He would wait. He would follow through with the plan. He turned and walked into the woods silently. He mixed with the shadows, he looked like a random shift in the leaves, or a change in the clouds as his shadow moved. He would have to make this kill a little less artistic. His last two tries at his intended target were very artistic. The bomb aimed at the VFM so 'that boy' would get in front and die was beautiful. It got through the Preventor's bomb sweeps multiple times. Then the two bombs that did kill 'him' were beautiful. C-4 with remote trigger, simple wire design but with multiple ground and live wires so diffusing would be difficult, but what made them worth it were the projectiles making them killing works of art. But they were precision bombs. He would need to be within a foot of the target, and in fact the only one he really wanted to kill, when they went off. He had felt a piece of metal wiz by his head as it blew up, but that was the plan. He loved bombs, they were fun, beautiful creations that could do anything. They could be used to create or destroy. But he loved them because he did both at the same time.

The Gundam Pilots had been excellent soldiers. They had fought through their entire lives. But there were times when they didn't know what they were fighting for. Relena had given them something to fight for. Peace."A soldier's reason to exist is so he can fight for something or someone to protect." Heero had been fighting these last couple of years behind the scenes for her, to protect her. In doing so he protected the peace. She also knew that this man, whoever he was that was threatening her, didn't want that peace. Wufei commented that this man was thinking along the lines he himself was during the Mariemaia war. This man saw that soldiers were not needed anymore and thought they were being thrown away. He was fighting for the lives of those soldiers. He was fighting for the being of those soldiers.

Duo looked around, he had spotted some movement earlier, but when he went to check on it he found nothing. There was a good sniper spot nearby and he checked on that. But same as always there was nothing. He was still deep in the woods, walking away from the hill when he heard the radio crackle. It was Wufei, he said someone was inside. Someone had gotten to the VFM. 'SHIT!' was all Duo could think before sprinting in the direction of the house. He had been trained to be able to sprint a full mile before letting up, he did three quarters of one before getting to the house. What he saw, he would never forget.

Wufei had been asleep not 10 minutes before. But he woke up a little early for his shift. He didn't feel totally uneasy, but something was off when he woke up 10 minutes before his alarm went off. So now he was walking the halls. Then he noticed a guard wasn't at his post. 'Weak, probably in the bathroom, can't they hold it? No, of course not, they are hired muscle.' Those were the thoughts that went through his head. But just as he turned to go to the VFM's room he saw a drop of blood on the floor about 15 feet away. Just under a small table holding a vase of flowers next to a staircase, was a small almost unnoticeable dot of wet, dark crimson. Without anymore thought he ran down the hall and burst into the VFM's room. He had made a radio call to Duo while on the run.

Duo had made it there into the room in less than 3 minutes, but nothing had moved since he got there. Not Wufei, not the man he could see, not the golden blonde girl scared on the floor. The only things indicating the passing of time in the room was elegant grandfather clock in the corner and the rather large pool of bright crimson growing larger mixing with a much darker, but slightly smaller, puddle of red. One large man could be seen, his back had a sharp thin blade sticking out of it. On the other side of the man, closer to the bed, on the floor staring up was a shocked girl. She was in a baby blue night gown that seemed to be very light and was obviously designed to be worn in a bed with large comforters. She looked like she had tripped from surprise and fallen back, but hadn't moved since.

The man had fooled them. He had showed them that he wanted to be long range and not risk being caught. Well, he had slipped through the guards. He had gotten through security cameras, motion sensors, guard dogs, and 3 skilled soldiers protecting the last thing their comrade cared about. He had gotten into her room while she showered to minimize sound detection. But he didn't need it, he was very silent even with his weight. He could do many things silently that most lighter than him couldn't dream.

He hid in the corner between the massive dresser and the grandfather clock. She walked out of the bathroom in her night gown and as she was about to get into bed he snuck up behind her. Finally he would make things right. Finally he would restore war to the world. Finally he would bring back the way of life the soldiers of the world had been denied. He announced his presence by informing the girl with words. 'Miss Relena, I have come to kill you,' She deserved to know what was coming. She turned around in what he thought was a smile, then it quickly changed to shock and fear as she fell back. He thrust his knife forwards. He would hit her in the heart, the kill would be quick and relatively painless.

Relena had not been herself the past few days. She had taken a few days to get out of the shock of Heero's death. Now she was like a sad girl. She showed more signs of her young age and emotions than she had shown in a long time. She couldn't deal with anything, she cried, and got angry at small things. She was emotionally exhausted. He was dead. She couldn't do anything about it. She would never see the body, assassins were too good, they never left evidence of who they were or who they killed unless it was a statement to be made public. She didn't want to go back to work. Work reminded her of outer space, Heero's home. Work reminded her of peace, what Heero had fought for, protected, and died for. Work reminded her of Him. She was working so that no one would ever have to be a soldier again. No one would ever have to grow up like Heero did. No, work made her think too much of Heero. She was on a permanent vacation now.

She had gotten an early shower and slipped into her night gown. She came out of the bathroom and sat at her valet, brushed hair, and finished getting ready for bed. She got up to turn to bed when she felt a slight draft from the window behind the far window. The large drapes shifted with the slight breeze. The window behind them was slightly open she assumed. Then as she neared her large bed, she heard a voice. It was deep, it showed signs of no emotion, it showed signs of long suffering, and it also said it was going to kill her. Heero had promised to kill her the first time they really talked. Turning she was happy even if it was her imagination. But the man she saw wasn't a small boy for his strength, it was a large man with a knife. She stumbled back in her surprise just as she saw a slip of metal being shoved forward by his hand.

Wufei had seen the last move. The thrust. But what he saw couldn't be true. This man was dead. Heero stood between the man and the VFM. There was a small assassin's blade in his hand. It was long and thin, used for quick thrusts and easily concealed. As the assassin moved he thrust his weapon for an instant kill. Just to the left of the sternum, through the ribs, piercing a lung and the heart, and puncturing the target's back the weapon did its job well in the hands of one who was skilled. Unfortunately the target also had a weapon. A short fixed knife aimed at the girl behind the assassin. Taking the knife in the chest the assassin had protected the girl and killed her attempted murderer. The pool of blood being leaked by the larger man was much bigger but flowing slower now that nothing was pumping it out. However Heero's puddle had grown very little. There didn't seem to be anything left to pump out.

Relena stuttered "He-Heero?" And as if the sound broke the scene both men collapsed to the ground. Wufei and Duo shot forward. Wufei, taking the man that had fallen backwards and landed on the floor checked on the threat. He didn't need to stay for long, the man was dead. Duo had rushed to Relena as she caught the boy falling into her arms. He had bandages on his legs, stomach, arms, and chest. All were bloody, and the chest bandages were soaked with blood from the new wound. Her gown was stained red, blood from her love. "Mission: Complete." It was barely audible as the boy passed out.

This was more than one could think. Quatre hadn't seen the event, he was asleep. He had been hit hard by the "confirmation" of Heero's death. He had done his share to protect Relena, but slept the rest of the time. This guy, the one they all trusted to do the impossible had beaten the odds more times than they could count. Now he was back from the dead, only to return without saying hello. He had found something to protect. He had found his battle that was suitable for his death. He had been searching for one the whole time. Lt. Noin had once said he had an incredible will to live when he had chosen a situation "guaranteeing" death many times. This could prove it.

Duo and Quatre were sitting in the room Relena had set up for Heero. She had wanted him to stay so bad that she wouldn't let them take him to the hospital. He was to be guarded from escape at all times. It took a full week before he regained consciousness again. Duo noticed before Quatre. He knew that Heero had the ability to keep his heart rate and brain waves down. The small shift before returning to normal was all he needed. "You worried that girl a lot you know?" At first Quatre was a little confused, then the reply came.

"She should forget me and move on."

Quatre was a little angry at this. This girl had been in there every night, fallen asleep sitting in a chair next to him and resting on the bed. Quatre had carried her into her own room after she fell asleep each time. "What do you mean?" he asked with a little too much anger, but still quiet so Relena wouldn't hear.

"She was in danger because of me. She is too valuable."

"What are you talking about? That man would have attacked her no matter what," retorted Duo.

"He could have gotten war easier ways than kill her, he was a discarded trainee by Dr. J. He was disgraced and replaced by me. He wanted to hurt and kill me." Heero had not told anyone that he had competed for his position.

"You do not put her in danger. And what makes you think she wouldn't accept that danger to be with you?" Quatre was getting angry at Heero's lack of sensitivity on the subject.

"She is too valuable, she is too pure, and she is too beautiful."

"That is exactly why you should stay."

"I have bathed in blood. I am worth less than the common assassin, and I am the ugly creation of a world at war."

"Do you think she doesn't know about you, know your past, and who you are? Do you think she will discard you when she finds out what she already knows?"

"No, she already knows everything, but I can not touch her with this much blood on my hands."

"Don't ever say that, I love you, and I know you love me." This voice was definitely more feminine than the three male voices in the room.

"It is not a question of love. I am evil next to you. I have killed and lived contrary to what you want in your life and world."

"That doesn't matter to me. You don't live that way now."

"I just killed right in front of you, how can you say that." Heero had gotten out of bed, put on some clothes over his bandages and moved to the door but Relena blocked it.

"You did that so he wouldn't kill me." Relena reached out to try and embrace him and pull him close, but just as she got close he drew back as if to protect her from himself. Heero looked as if when he touched her he would destroy her. Relena knew him and decided not to push it. She let him leave.

She didn't see her love until three moths later. She had just about given up hope when Lady Une had let it slip that Heero Yuy was a high ranking Preventor on secret missions but whenever available would do a simple mission to "relax". She had been invited to a party hosted by Quatre and his family in honor of the Preventors and all that they do to protect the peace. When she saw him Heero had been sitting at a table near the front that looked like it seated 10 people. The five pilots were sitting around it at every other seat. A few of the seats in between held women. Duo had Hilde between Heero and himself, Trowa had brought Cathrine, whome everyone knew he thought of as a sister, and Wufei had brought a nice girl whose name was Yin.

When dinner was over and dancing had started all of the pilots had gotten up to dance with their dates except Heero. Relena had sat next to Heero in the seat that an escort of his would sit, but Quatre must have known Heero wouldn't bring anyone so he gave her the seat. Most people were confused as to who the people at the table were and why Quatre would associate with non general ranking officers, a junkyard owner, and a circus performer instead of the head of the Preventors and the richest men in the room. Relena had seen the angry stares from the "influential" people at the lowly "blue collars" sitting with Relena and Quatre. Though she also noticed how a lot of the single women were eyeing Heero.

He looked good in a dress uniform. Very good in fact. He had gotten up to go get a drink when she felt a tap on her shoulder. A slightly older woman, about 20 or so asked if she knew that boy. "Oh, yes, he is a good friend of mine and everyone else who sat at this table." This shocked the woman. How could everyone at the table that included such low people and such high people all be good friends? Answering a second question from the woman Relena stated, "No he isn't married, he is too young, I know he doesn't have a girlfriend, and yes he is a full Colonel in the Preventors just like the other officer at this table, Colonel Chang. His name is Heero Yuy, or at least that is his code name."

This answer had gotten a questioned expression from the woman before she turned back to the small group she was gossiping with. Relena heard, "I'm going to sleep with him tonight." That sentence rose just over the soft dance music. She felt a large amount of anger, jealousy, and…pain rise in her chest.

As Heero returned with a glass of wine for both him and Relena she saw the woman approach him. Heero had set one glass down at his place, then politely and gently handed Relena her wine before turning to the inquiring woman. She was aggressive, a little pushy, and very pretty. Unfortunately pretty didn't do anything for him. She had to be beautiful, something that came naturally, pretty was man made. This woman had tried too hard. She asked for a dance, but he thought better. He didn't like dancing with other women since his dance with Relena the night he saved her from the OZ mobile suit attack on her school. He gave a quick glance at Relena as she got up and went to the bathroom. Unfortunately this didn't go unnoticed by the woman who signaled to her friends and they all descended on the lady's bathroom when Heero turned the woman down a third time and retook his seat.

In the bathroom the group of women surrounded the crying Relena. "What does he see in you? Does he want someone famous? He is too good looking for a celebrity to have. He's mine." These things, worse, and more were said by the women. Relena couldn't take it anymore. She ran out, spotted Quatre and thanked him for a good evening, but she could tell that he knew she was distressed and left quickly, before anyone else would notice.

Heero saw Relena come out of the bathroom obviously she had been crying and was now about to break down. He hurt. He had done that to her. She deserved better than himself, but he wasn't worth that kind of pain. She almost ran out after saying goodbye to Quatre, he started to leave when he was cut off by the same pushy woman. She now had a look of contempt and pride if not a predatory grin. "May I have this dance." It was a statement not a question as she grabbed his hand to try and steer him to the dance floor.

"No." Heero's short reply was final. But the woman seemed angry at where he was obviously headed.

"What does she have that I don't, huh? You want fame? She's a weak famous girl. You want a strong woman who won't cause you a scandal and press for later." Heero gave her a glare that stopped her cold. She had never seen eyes like that. Heero turned and left, but Relena's limo was driving off as he got to the front door. Quatre had smirked as Heero left. Heero was good at details and saw Quatre as he left the room. They both knew what he was doing.

Relena sat crying on her bed when she felt a hand on her shoulder pull her into a hard chest and another arm grip her and hold her in a comforting embrace. She looked up to see Heero's blue eyes looking down at her. "I thought you couldn't be with me?"

"You're happiness is more important to me." That ended the discussion as he bent down and kissed her. He kissed her passionately and then held her close as she fell asleep in his arms. He stayed awake just to feel her in his arms and watch her sleep. The night was safe and peaceful for Relena Dorlian again.

Ok, I know this isn't a very long story, but I told you it wasn't going to be long. It is done now, no more suspense, no more chapters, no new threat. I'll see you around. Thanx for reading.