Aquarian Wings

By Ashley R Taloff

"In my heart I'll always see you soar above the sky."

Chapter Two: Requests of my Eyes


Present Time

AC 204

Relena walked downstairs quietly, so as to not wake up Aquarius, who had fallen asleep on the library couch while studying Biology the night before. Relena had pulled the thick book from under the pretty teenager's face and placed it, paged marked, on the dusty blue carpet covered floors of the warm room.

Relena stifled a yawn with her long fingered hand, then carefully wiped the sleep dust from her tear ducts.

She walked into the dining room and poured herself a cup of coffee and picked up the paper, her eyes wandering over the headlines. Relena inhaled the warm steam from the coffee and sighed in utter bliss. It had been a peaceful week, with absolutely no transgressions of any variety. At least not any more than were usual. There was the pang of loneliness and the inexplicable worry that she had spent eight years of her life doing something that was virtually impossible to achieve, but nothing that she hadn't dealt with before.

Aquarius stepped into the room, scratching a hand through her rosewood brown hair and glancing around the dining room absently. "Morning Mom . . ." she said, the words distorted by a yawn.

Relena smiled softly. "Morning Aquarius, up late last night?"

Aquarius grinned sleepily as she replied, "Have to keep those grades up."

The blonde woman nodded softly, then looked up as Mrs. Anderson, their housekeeper for most of Relena's life, walked in with two plates of eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, and cinnamon rolls. Relena could see Aquarius's eyes widen and she herself felt her own stomach give a quick tighten as if to say, 'Me hungry, want food.'

The two sat down and began to eat in a comfortable peace.

Aquarius looked up, "Can I have the front page when you're done, Mom?"

Relena smiled and handed it over. "I'm finished with it, but you're going to have to wait on the comics, because those are mine next."

They smiled at one another and went back to the soft morning silence they were accustomed to while reading the morning news.

And then the bay window shattered into thousands of pieces, broken by a brick that slammed into the hardwood table, smashing it and causing splinters to fly. Gunshot rang out, and Relena listened to her gut, side tackling Aquarius and pulling her down to the floor. Relena watched as the beautiful Andrew Wyeth paintings in their dining room were shredded into slits of color, chunks of wall went flying, and part of Aquarius's bell collection were destroyed.

Mrs. Anderson ran out into the dining room, gasping and shrieking, then screaming as four bullets hit her body.

A fifth imbedded itself into her skull, exploding the left side of her face and sending brain matter spraying onto the dove gray walls.


Preventers HQ

Present Time

AC 204

Lady walked out of her office in Preventers HQ that morning with a bad coffee hangover and an even worse feeling in her gut. Something bad had happened, but she wouldn't know what it was because her retardedly overprotective secretary had unplugged all the phone lines and hid the cords.

She was determined to find said secretary and drag her back to HQ, ASAP.

But, much to her dismay, she found out what had happened in the worst way possible. Reporters of every variety stood outside on HQ steps, hanging from the pillars, on top of vans, crammed into every nook and cranny known, and unknown, to this section of the bureau.

Dozens of questions were thrown at her in a chaotic, deafening wall.

"Commander Lady Une, do you know who . . ."

"Lady, can you tell us what exact- . . ."

"How is the bureau going to . . ."

"What are your plans . . ."

"Are there any suspects . . ."

"Lady . . ."

"Commander Une . . ."

"Commander!"

"Commander Une has nothing to comment on," answered a roughened voice.

Lady was surprised to find herself being dragged back into Preventers by a pair of strong arms and only being able to see another darkly dressed man carrying a young boy of about 7-9 years.

She found that her ears were ringing and her limbs numb. The few words that she had recognized were 'Relena and Aquarius Peacecraft' and 'Killed.'

Her hand felt the fabric of the man's sleeve, and her mind started to overload when she saw the face of the man. Heero Yuy. "Relena . . . Aquarius . . . are . . ."

Heero's eyes glittered. "Fine. Or at least as fine as two people who've been through that can be. We've hidden them. Aquarius didn't see much because Relena protected her from the gun-fire."

Lady rubbed her cold cheek, but her hands felt colder. "Where . . . how . . ."

Heero squatted down and looked at the woman's haggard face. "Lady, my sources are good. Wu Fei and Kai-Ling have the two at a safe house. There's a lot more to it, but first, I'd like to know if you've got a really comfy couch anywhere."

Lady ran a hand through her hair. "In the coffee lobby. There is a big one there."

Heero smiled and scooped up the little boy, whose long blonde hair was captured in a thick plaited braid. Quickly he walked to the room that she had pointed to.

Aramis. Aramis Maxwell.

Heero had been given Duo and Sylvia's child.

Lady took hold of that memory stand and drew herself back to sanity.


SafeHouse in English Countryside

Present Time

AC 204

Wu Fei entered the safehouse after thoroughly checking the grounds. His face, like the other Gundam Pilots, had matured seven years, making him now a man. At that moment, he felt anything but. Merien would yell at him now for his inability to strike. All he did now was hide from the assassins in a safehouse. Where was the strength in that?

Oh, but Wu Fei knew. Relena Peacecraft/Darlien and her daughter were precious to the world; keeping them safe was what should be done.

But dammit, it sucked to be running from bastards.

Kai whipped around the corner, training a spatula at his head. He lifted a brow.

"You've caught me," he monotoned, a smile playing about his lips. Kai was the child prodigy in Preventers. A young woman officer at 20; yet she wasn't arrogant, instead was creative, kind, and tough as nails.

And the only person other than Merien who made him feel like his stomach disappeared when she smiled at him.

Kai's eyes glittered with laughter. She was the daughter of a Scottish author and Chinese CEO; the only part of her father she got were those vivid green eyes and his temper. The rest of her, from her straight black hair to her tiny feet, screamed Oriental.

"Sir, I'm sorry, I think I'm going to have to shoot you."

Wu Fei wondered what she was going to 'shoot' him with. But because he liked the feeling of stepping into a house with her in it, waiting for him, Wu Fei played along. "Oh, no, please, Miss, don't shoot me," he said without changing tone.

Kai's full lips pulled into a grin as she pulled the spatula head back and let go.

Wu Fei was hit head on with a large spoonful of scrambled eggs.

And the war ensued.

Aquarius found them cleaning the mess up twenty minutes later.

Wu Fei saw her first and turned slowly. Kai saluted, as was proper. "Ma'am."

Aquarius nodded softly and added, "Kai, it is fine if you don't salute. There are things of more importance now. Saluting me is of little consequence."

Wu Fei looked at the youth with gentle eyes. Since Aquarius had been adopted by Relena, things had changed, become better. Relena's loneliness had ebbed, and all who were new to the pair actually believed Relena to be Aquarius's biological mother, not a surprise though, considering the rumors that soaked trashy 'zines.

Wu Fei had been lightly assigned to protect the two after the assassination of Duo Maxwell and Sylvia Noventa-Maxwell. Two years later, after the attempt on the lives of Zechs and Lucrezia Marquise, Kai-Ling Takamai had been added to his team. And now, the month Relena Peacecraft/Darlian was to be inaugurated into Foreign Minister of Earth, the assassin returned.

Unfortunately, two lives had already been taken. How many more would die before they caught him?

"Fei . . ." she whispered softly.

Wu Fei felt a tug on his heart. Aquarius was like a daughter to him. He just hoped that Kai would never discover this weakness. "Yes, Riu?"

Aquarius bit her lip softly. "Is mom okay?"

"I'm fine. Bit sore, though."

The three turned to see Relena looking calm and collected; standing on the landing with her head held high. She descended quietly, step by graceful step, and walked to Aquarius, embracing her daughter.

Wu Fei saw Relena's eyes glitter with tears as she pet Riu's straight hair.

Kai looked away from Aquarius's sobbing with shame in her green eyes. Damn the bastard who had done this. The Peacecraft's were kind and did a hell of a lot more for mankind than did the average Joe Shmoe and never once asked for thanks. She would personally make sure that she ripped this fuck a new asshole when she discovered who he was.

Relena controlled her own urge to cry. She had stayed in her room for almost an hour, trying to control her need to scream, to rage, to sob, to seek any form of solace from another human. So she had held the bear Heero had given her. He sent her a new one every other year and this one still smelled of him. His warm, musky aftershave clung to the fur. Relena had cried for Mrs. Anderson. For Mr. Anderson. For the life that she could not protect. The unfairness of it all frightened her. The possibility of losing Aquarius nearly felled her in its own right.

She would die for her daughter.

Catching Wu Fei's eyes, she mouthed the words, 'I need to know what's happening. Can you give Aquarius a shot of Valium?'

Kai, standing beside her partner, nodded slowly. She grabbed the garbage bag of eggs and walked into the kitchen to dispose of her memories and find the aid kit.

Relena hold the warm cup of tea between her two pale, cold hands. "It's happening again . . . Isn't it, Fei?"

Wu Fei looked off into the distance, which, in Kai's mind, was much further than the pastel flowered wallpaper. She longed to reach out and lightly squeeze his hand, but that would be crossing the line that neither of them had the courage to do.

"From what the Preventers gather, yes. The perp moves in cycles. Every two and a half years, he strikes out at us." Wu Fei's dark eyes closed as he monotoned the words he'd been given by Preventers. It was sad, that when it came down to it, he said it to himself so often it was no longer a hesitation. He found himself remembering Lucrezia and Zehcs in the hospital, Zia for her miscarriage, Zechs for taking a shot that would've killed his wife; remembering the grisly sight of Duo holding Sylvia. Remembering Duo's blood soaked words; remembering Aramis's sad violet eyes, which hauntingly reminded him of Fei's dead brother.

Who next?

"What of the others?" Relena bit her lip, fighting off the memories of past assassinations and the attempts on her brother and sister-in-law. Sylvia's son. Her god-son. Aramis.

Hold them back, Relena, you are stronger than that.

Kai, finding herself far too curious of the dark memories lurking in Fei and Relena's eyes, changed the subject. "We are to move out. 1900 hours."

Fei's eyes widened. "When did we get the order?" he asked, hiding most of the shock.

"Commander Une sent it while you were tending to Ms. Peacecraft/Darlian's daughter," she replied, wonderingly aware of the odd look that crossed the Vice Foreign Minister's face. "We are to go to Mannheim."

Wu Fei nodded, and Relena found herself clicking off Mannheim's statistics, including the civilian unknowns.

A large Preventers GeoCity base was in Mannheim.

Kai noted the far-away look in Relena's eyes. "Ma'am, you can still rest. We'll wake you up when it's time to leave."

Relena looked up. "We'll need to ready ourselves for disguise, will we not?"

Kai nodded. "You and your daughter will be acting as young best friends. Special Agent Chang and I will act as though we are in a relationship."


Present Time

1758 hours

Mannheim GeoCity Base

Deutschlandes (Austria, Denmark, Germany)

Une stared blindly at the read outs. Dammit dammit dammit.

There was nothing, no leads, just a bloodbath without the footprints. She wished for something, anything, that could help them. But all that was here and tangible was a small letter with no fingerprints and no DNA traces.

RosEs are red,

vioLEts are blue,

aNd one Ant crawlS,

DYING SOON.

Child's play, a child's taunt in writing.

'Relena's Dying Soon.'


Present Time

2015 hours

Europa Subway Track U6

Relena pushed up her glasses, which were, despite the shocked looks from Wu Fei and Kai, prescription. She had worn contacts, since the loss of sight was caused during the first few years of her work. Slight changes frightened the public, and no one except Mrs. Anderson and Aquarius knew of them.

Ah, but she couldn't forget Heero. He knew.

Her hand ached from holding the plastic loop, and she itched beneath the wool fabric. Aquarius sat four seats ahead of her, and Wu Fei and Kai were avidly necking behind her.

A small grin twitched at her lips.

Their attraction wasn't noticeable to most, seeing as how most didn't see them on a regular, interactive basis.

Relena and Aquarius, in previous times, had placed bets on when the two would finally take advantage of one another. Apparently this unorthodox assignment would be it.

They had been a bit uncomfortable with one another first, Kai had sat wooden and

Wu Fei kept silent and looking anywhere but at her. Eventually they began touching, then one thing led to another, and here they were, two minutes from the stop, the last stop, and the two bodyguards wouldn't come up for air.

This made Relena more nervous than she cared to recognize. She couldn't really bend over to ask or tell them anything, because that would give her away. There were tons of people who weren't making out that she could ask questions to. So she silently chewed the inside of her cheek and waited for the train to lurch to a halt.


Past Time

AC 200

Londonderry, Europa

Heero stared at the bill and wondered exactly how he would fit into this lifestyle.

The mansion was huge.

When you added one hundred acres of land, besides the mansion, it could probably have its own area code.

Gardens, pools, maids, game rooms . . .

"Labyrinths, rollercoaster parks, graveyards, a small suburb . . ." Heero whispered under his breath sarcastically.

After the funeral, Heero had stayed in his apartment and ignored the doorbell and phone. Eventually he unplugged the phone and rewired the doorbell, and then, before anything else came to pass, he jammed a random key in the outside lock of his door so no one could get in.

He didn't give a damn about anyone. There was this empty void where Duo and Sylvia once lived, that, Heero believed, would never again be filled.

They had been vibrant, beautiful, warm people. People who threw parties to throw them, people who could one night have a black tie affair, the next, a backyard barbecue. Nobody questioned them, because nobody cared. They were friendly to all. Until one night, Heero had been too late, and they had died because of him.

Too late.

He remembered that evil whisper.

He remembered how Wu Fei, Trowa, and Quatre had beat down the door. Quatre, out of them all, was the most pissed, next coming Trowa, and then coming Wu Fei. They fought, and Heero had gotten his second scar.

And in the end, they told him about Duo and Sylvia's Testament. How Heero and one other beneficiary had each received one fourth of the Noventa-Maxwell fortune. And how Heero had been given something even more precious.

Aramis.

He realized after starting to take care of Aramis that children did two things to soldiers. One, they made you overly protective, two, they made you act completely out of character in the most important times.

Two weeks after Aramis began living with him, Heero decided that a tiny apartment didn't cut it for a child. So he decided to go house shopping.

Instead he decided to buy this big ass monster . . .

No, this wasn't a house, but it was a place that Aramis and he could fill with life. A place that Aramis could feel free and loved. Someplace Heero had always wanted.


Present Time

204 AC

2047 hours

Preventers Mannheim GeoCity Base

Deutschlandes (Denmark, Austria, Germany)

Heero was roused from his slumber by Aramis moving. The nine year old murmured in his sleep and then cuddled into Heero's chest. For the umpteen trillionth time, Heero felt his heart melt and harden simultaneously at the first warmth of parental love, and then the ice cold anger to kill the bastard who threatened his son.

Heero let his hand brush away the down soft blonde hair from Aramis's forehead and held the boy gently. His son.

A noise came from the doorway.

Heero's eyes looked up and widened.

His angel.

She stood there, real, he realized, and gazing at him.

Suddenly he resisted the urge to fix his hair, he always tried to do that. It was odd, she never minded his mused hair. He'd never told her that he was afraid she'd think he was scum if he didn't comb it.

She was so beautiful, even now, after seeing what she'd seen.

Relena felt her diaphragm implode within herself. He was bathed in soft, warm lamplight and cuddling a small child.

Theirs?

No.

Duo and Sylvia's . . . Aramis.

The second chance that Relena couldn't take.

She felt her eyes trace the small child's facial features. Duo's big eyes and eyebrows, Sylvia's roman nose and mouth, and Duo's dimples, which never, even in rest, disappeared.

Then Relena let herself look at Heero.

He was so beautiful.

His gorgeous lips were parted, just a bit, in shock. And his tousled hair, even now, still remained untamed by comb or scissors. The wolf blue eyes were gentle now, and she saw some apprehension, as well as something else, lurking in the depths.


Now it is most of the European Countries in the United Europe group. You've heard of the Euro? (it's a new currency coming out so that if you are in, persay, France, then go to Germany, you don't have to exchange monies immediately/get harassed) Most of those countries ( i.e.: England, France, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands) but not all of them, as those who know of the Euro, are part of Europa. As you can tell, Deutschlandes is Austria, Denmark, and Germany; Switzerland is still alone (it is something I think would occur, because of its constant 'neutrality' beliefs). Portugal and Spain make up 'Espania Unita.'(If 'United' is something else in Spanish, someone tell me, Spanish is not my language . . .) Ireland is one country, not separated by North and South.