Ayashi no Yuugi

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.

Chapter 8: Mission Within a Mission: X-500B

Room D23, Girls Dormitory, Peacecraft Academy, Sanq Kingdom

April 8, 199 AC, 2:20 PM

Kotori and Sakura's faces were blank as they packed a suitcase each, an extra suit, extra underwear, trench coats, a pair of black pants and a tank top, nylons, socks, black leather dress shoes, a black evening gown for black tie occasions, some jewelry. Under the clothes were four guns, twenty small hand grenades about ten millimeters in diameter, eight daggers, sixteen cartridges, and five communicators and three detonators as well as nineteen attachable explosives each. They attached the CSA and Preventors identification tags onto the suitcases so they wouldn't get stopped for having weapons in their luggage.

The two girls then put on their sleek Armani suits (A/N: Similar to the ones Tomoyo's bodyguards wear in CCS), Sakura's in navy blue, and Kotori's in black. They wore matching high heels and grabbed their Gucci bags and slipped a gun and an extra cartridge inside as well as their wallet and CSA IDs. Sakura pulled her hair into a neat bun at the nape of her neck, leaving two locks, which she braided, to frame her face. Kotori pulled up her hair into a high ponytail and split it into seven braids, leaving two locks free to frame her hair.

They put on their Gucci sunglasses, pinned their Preventors IDs onto their jackets and slung their purses over one shoulder and picked up their suitcases and laptop cases. Kotori locked the door behind them and slipped the key into her purse and the two left, their heels clicking quietly on the pink granite floors.

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Sanq Kingdom Shuttleport

April 10, 199 AC, 3:45 PM

Heero Yuy and the other Gundam Pilots stood in the Sanq Kingdom Shuttleport, awaiting the arrival of Relena's new bodyguards. Relena stood nearby, chatting to Dorothy Catalonia, Lady Une, and Mariemia while they waited for the arrival of Cosmos and Gaia from the GT Kamikaze. The frustrating thing was that due to engine problems, the shuttle had been delayed by an hour. (A/N: Some things never change! -)

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An hour later, Gaia and Cosmos stepped into the Sanq Kingdom Shuttle port, carrying their suitcases. They studied the people from behind their Gucci sunglasses, their face blank of all emotion, their sharp eyes missing no details. Gaia was the first to see their target, Vice Foreign Minister, Relena Dorlian Peacecraft.

"Over there," Gaia said, her voice monotoned.

Cosmos turned and her sensuous lips turned up in a smirk. "She has her precious Gundam Pilots with her, and Dorothy Catalonia, Lady Une and little Mariemia Barton, too! How kawaii, ne?"

"Hnn," Gaia said, her eyes flickering over to Cosmos before moving back to the target. "Let's get this mission over with. The sooner we get away from Peacaecrap, the sooner we can get on with our other missions."

Cosmos nodded and the two girls made their way over to the group waiting for them at the other end of the shuttleport.

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Heero Yuy's eyes narrowed fractionally when he saw the two dark haired women dressed in dark colors come toward them. The fact that he couldn't see their eyes set off alarm bells in his head. They came over and in perfect time, removed their shades.

The women had pale skin and elfin features, and their dark hair was pulled away from their face. The woman in black had silver eyes, an unusual color, and her eyes darted from the faces of the people around them before settling on Relena. The other woman was dressed in a navy blue suit and had amber eyes which were cool and calculating.

"You must be Relena," the woman in black said, her voice in monotone.

Relena smiled and said, "I am. You must be my new bodyguards."

"Indeed," the woman in black said, "Watishiwa Gaia."

The woman in navy blue nodded and said, "Watishiwa Cosmos, we will be your new bodyguards from this point on."

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Colony L4, ESUN Embassy

April 12, 199 AC, 1:55 PM

Cosmos and Gaia had accompanied Relena to the colony L4 for an important meeting. The bodyguards of the delegates were in the waiting room that was connected to the conference room. Subject Specimen 07 codenamed Cosmos and Subject Specimen 08 codenamed Gaia leaned against a pillar, Gaia facing the other body guards of the delegates currently in the conference room, Cosmos facing the intricately carved double mahogany doors. Neither woman were very comfortable, nor were any of the bodyguards and for good reason.

The entire conference room was soundproofed, the doors were a foot thick and cored with six inches of lead. The walls were two feet thick and cored with a foot of lead, the centimeter thick bulletproof windows were layered, four in all, and the oak shutters were three inches thick and cored with an inch of lead. If something were to happen inside, the delegates could scream all they wanted, and no one would hear them or realize that something was wrong until it was too late.

Cosmos leaned against the wall, her eyes half closed, one hand on the gun strapped to her waist. Gaia leaned against the wall beside her, the keys of her handheld computer clacking away as she typed. Cosmos kept an eye on the star shaped communicator around her neck and another eye on the bodyguards of the sixty ESUN delegates attending the conference. Gaia kept her eyes on the screen of her computer, but kept her acute senses on the alert. No one would move without either of the women knowing, and nothing would happen unless they allowed it.

Both women and the other bodyguards were very much bored. The delegates had been in the conference room for the past five hours, and the conference included a lunch.

So while several bodyguards had slipped away earlier to return with a sandwich and a soda, others went hungry. Gaia and Cosmos, being female versions of 'Subject Specimen 01' codenamed 'Heero Yuy', had done what the Perfect Soldier would have done in their place. They had eaten just before they had left the hotel with Relena, and if they felt any hunger from missing lunch at the moment, they showed no sign of it.

At precisely 3:36 PM, the heavy carved oak doors swung open, and the Delegates poured out, and their bodyguards surrounded them as they left the waiting room. Gaia and Cosmos flanked Relena the moment she set foot over the threshold and escorted her out of the building. No words were spoken until they were safely inside the pink limo that Relena had somehow gotten from earth to L4.

"How was the meeting, Miss Relena?" Cosmos asked, noting the Vice Foreign Minister's tired expression.

"Horrible," Relena said. She leaned back against the seat and continued, "We're trying to figure out what a military organization called the Nautilus wants and how to keep them from trying to start a war. As of now, all we have is the idea of broadcasting that any attacks would be dealt with via military retaliation."

"But if that happens, we'd have another war on our hands," Gaia said dryly.

"Precisely," Relena leaned her head against the headrest. She studied Gaia out of the corner of her eyes and said suddenly, "The two of you aren't at all happy about being my bodyguards are you?"

"It's more of a case of 'Subject Specimen 07 and 08 severely dislikes Relena Dorlian Peacecraft and her methods and would rather kill her than protect her but have absolutely no choice in the matter'," Cosmos said cheerfully.

Relena frowned. "You sound like the other Gundam Pilots."

"We are Gundam Pilots," Gaia said.

"Then why weren't we aware of you?" Relena asked.

"We were given less visible missions than the others," Cosmos said, "and we didn't get our first real mission until during the…" She paused and looked at Gaia, "last two months of the Eve Wars?"

"Hnn."

Cosmos frowned. "You're starting to sound like Subject Specimen 01."

Gaia sent a withering glare in Cosmos's direction. "I do not."

Giggle, "Do too."

"Don't start. We're in the middle of a mission."

The rest of the trip to the hotel was continued in relative silence.

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Kamui Gaia 07: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out! Mitsuki and I got a really bad case of writer's block!

Mitsuki Cosmos: Sorry for the shortness of the chapter. We wanted it to be longer, but couldn't think of anything.

: For people who hate Relena, Cosmos and Gaia were pretty civil, weren't they?

Mitsuki Cosmos: They either have very strong self control, or they're playing with her before killing her.

Kamui Gaia 07: I like to think that Gaia and Cosmos are just really twisted.

Mitsuki Cosmos: To make up for it, we won't ask for reviews, and we'll try to get another chapter out tonight.

Kamui Gaia 07 & Mitsuki Cosmos (Together): Ja!