The darkness of her surroundings and the odor of fresh blood in the air caused Relena to shiver. The soldiers that had taken them from the mansion, roughly deposited her in the dark room alone. Rubbing her head, she found the source of the blood smell. She had been knocked unconscious with a blunt hit to her head. Wiping the bleeding area with her hand Relena looked around her.

Seeing nothing but a large metal door across from her position, Relena didn't know what possible escape plans she could hope on. Curling into the corner Relena tried to figure out her next move. She knew they were both as good as dead if something did not happen and soon.

'Millardo won't be able to get to us in time…so I guess it's up to me this time.' She told herself trying to overcome her worries. Building up her determination, she stood and walked confidently over to the door. Pressing her ear up to the cold steel, she tried to get a better sense of the surrounding movements outside.

The footsteps of several people grabbed her attention. Hearing them come closer, she moved away from the door and back into her corner. Pretending to be unconscious or asleep, she closed her eyes and tried to stop her heart from exploding with fear and worry.

The door screeched open on rusty hinges to reveal several men with weapons. Two entered and turned allowing more to enter behind them. After four men were inside, two more brought an unconscious and bloody man in dragging his feet on the floor. The first to enter reached up and pulled chains hanging from the ceiling down to clasp them around the man's wrists.

Relena listened as the chains clanked and locking noises indicated they were restraining the man. Things then went silent- the room was too quiet and it made Relena worry all the more about the condition of their prisoner.

There was no doubt that the man they were shackling was Ryo. The question of his condition remained the major concern to her as time ticked on.

Time passed slowly as she waited for the mass of men to leave the room. When they finally did exit, Relena was frightened. What would she find they had done to the man she loved? Was he even alive? When would they be back? How was she going to get them both out alive?

So many questions jumbled inside of her head, yet she had to find out and help Ryo. Standing up once again, she slowly walked over to the center of the room. With the limited light sources, Relena couldn't see all the damage that Ryo suffered.

Slowly she took Ryo's face in her hands. Feeling large bruises and cuts on his face, tears welled in her eyes thinking of the pain he was always going through in his life.

"Ryo… Ryo wake up…" She called in a whisper. "Please, show me you are still here." She pleaded as she frantically looked for a pulse from his neck.

Relena kissed his lips when she found the faint pulse she so desperately wanted. A slight groan rose from his lips and assured Relena that he had not left her just yet.

"Ryo, oh, Ryo…" She didn't know what to say, or do at the moment. After letting herself panic for a moment, Relena gave herself a mental slap.

'Stop it. Take one thing at a time. Tend to Heero, I mean Ryo first, then escape, and afterwards panic.'

Ripping at her clothing, Relena crudely wrapped the dripping wounds on his body. Tearing away the already tattered clothes he wore, she tried to suppress the tears. Who ever the men where, they were thorough in their torture. Cuts and bruises ran from head to toe.

Once she bandaged as much as she could, Relena tugged at his restraints. Finding them tightly secured and no hope of tugging his wrists or legs free, Relena once again let despair creep up within her mind.

'I've failed… I've failed him… we're both going to die. I'm sorry Ryo…'

"Re..lena…" A parched throat called to her. The voice gained her attention and brought her back to the present.

"Ryo. Oh Ryo, are you in pain? Tell me what I can do…" She pleaded as she tried to take some of the dead weight off his wrists. The men had shackled his wrists to a bar hanging from the ceiling. His arms stretched out above his head, and his legs barely touching the ground, Relena knew his already weak body could not take much more abuse.

-

"What do you mean the bunker is empty?" Millardo raged at the tired soldiers. They had worked for nearly an hour clearing the hallways to the extra bunker. Finding it empty and large amounts of blood scattered around the floor in one particular corridor only added to the blonde's foul mood.

"We have some one going over the security feeds as we speak sir." An officer spoke interrupting the tantrum of the older brother.

"Good. At least someone around here is earning their keep. I want this entire building searched. Any clues send them to me. I'll be in the central control room."

Millardo had left the debris-cluttered hallway and made his way to the heart of the command center. He needed to feel some kind of organization and control otherwise he felt he would explode.

It was not long after he finally calmed down behind the display screens and computer readouts that his little bubble of controlled rage was disturbed.

"Wow, lookie here." Came the loud American accent from behind the doors. Once they opened the figures of four men appeared. Each was surprised at the massive damage the building had amassed.

"So Blondie, why'd you throw a party without me?" Duo Maxwell questioned.

Quatre did his best to quiet down the brash and loud pilot seeing the tension on Millardo's face.

"Um, Duo, I don't think now is the time for jokes." The younger blonde commented. "What happened here?"

"Revenge…" Was the cold, yet observant remark from the Chinese man.

"By the looks of it, Yuy's enemies have finally caught up with him." Trowa expanded. "They were very determined." he added before becoming silent once again.

"Do we know where they are? I'm assuming they took Relena as well…" Quatre asked moving closer to Millardo. Looking at several of the flashing screens, he tried to get a better assessment of the situation.

"Relena was with him at the time. We're pretty sure she was taken…" Millardo gave a frustrated sigh. "I had a bad feeling from the start… I knew this would happen."

"Don't worry; Heero is with her, he's never let her down before." Duo brushed off the seriousness of the situation like always.

"He's not Heero… he's changed into some weak…afraid… little boy." Millardo snarled. Just thinking about the changed Ryo's attitude towards violence caused Millardo to worry even more.

"His head took quit a hit in the accident, but I doubt he's lost the deep down need to protect his loved ones. Relena might be the only thing he will fight for now." The voice of reason came once again from Quatre.

"He'd better." Millardo added before he began to fill the pilots in on the severity of the situation.

-

Relena was thankful when Ryo finally came to. Looking into his Prussian blue eyes would always have a calming effect.

"Wh…where are we? What are you doing here?" His throat cracked as he tried to speak further.

"We're safe," She wanted to tell him, yet she knew he would not believe that.

"They've taken us to some storage bunker. I was unconscious for the trip… I'm sorry." She tried to hold back a sob. "I'm sorry…"

"Sorry? Sorry for what?" He asked trying to get a better look at her face. She had turned away from him, not wanting him to see the desperation and fear in her eyes. Straining against his restraints, Ryo tried for a better angle to look at her face.

"I failed you… you've always done so much for me… and I fail you when you needed me the most… I'm worthless."

"You loved me…" Ryo began after a period of silence. "You cared for such a monster… someone others would have locked up or killed, yet you saw the real me… how could you have failed me? You saved me Relena. From the little I remember of Heero's life, he knew from the moment he saw you, that you'd save him…us…me."

Turning back towards him, Relena cupped his cheek in a tender caress.

"You were never a monster to me," she smiled. "Just a little scary at times."

"I won't let you die here… Relena you have my word…"

"That might prove to be difficult." A voice came from outside the room. The door's locks loudly unlocked and soon the door swung open.

"I'm glad you are awake, I thought after that beating you'd be nearly dead." The same voice grew louder as a man wearing black entered. "Ms Vice Foreign Minister, I'm so glad you could join us. However, coming here was a very bad decision on your part."

"What do you want from us?" Relena screamed placing herself in front of Ryo.

"You all should know exactly what we want… Him!" The man pointed at Ryo. "The Red Doves have deemed him a danger to peace. He has murdered our families, destroyed countless lives, and piloted a true death machine. He cannot have a place in this world…. You of all people should understand this…"

"No! You are the danger to peace. Attacking a space satellite, a government center and then deciding that you understand justice better than anyone… you are the true danger here!" Relena screamed out.

A strong hand slapped across her face before she could go on. Blinking back tears, Relena looked up at the man and received another slap. This time the unexpected force caused her to fall roughly on the cold floor.

"You stupid bitch! You've been brainwashed by him, can't you see!"

Ryo could not hear anything more from the conversation. After witnessing the man touch Relena like that, his eyes went red. Anger and the urge to shed blood grew within his body.

Ryo did not know exactly what was happening; he could not and would not allow that man or anyone touch her like that. For a moment, it felt like a switch went on in his mind as the man approached Relena a second time. Once he saw her hit the ground, the wanting and sheer need to tear that man's head off became too much.

Feeling his muscles flex, Ryo sprung into action. As the man rose his arm above Relena about to strike at her again, a chain wrapped a round his neck and pulled him backwards…

A/N:

Sorry for the delay- I know it has been an entire month- you must be soo pissed. GOMEN!

I promise to finish the story quickly. Therefore, no more months of waiting!

Thanks for the reviews that come in- and for not giving up hope in updates

Enjoy and I'll see you later!

Ja Ne