"The guests will be here soon." Vanai's eternally cold and bitchy voice echoed down to Ray from the balcony of the main banquet hall. "Please make sure that your people are in their positions. I can't tell you how much of an inconvenience this whole thing is. Why you have to lure them here to kill her is beyond me." she continued. "I'm going to finish getting ready. Maybe I'll be able to have a little fun with the other guests while you and your brutes do what brutes do. Oh yes… once you're done, send Zacharis to me. I will make good use of him." Vanai finished, her voice trailing off as she walked away.

Ray sneered and checked the action of his silenced pistol, which was tucked inside his suit coat. For the party he was masquerading as James Bond, the famous British super-spy from several centuries ago. Though, of course, his weapon was no costume fake. The plan was good, he reminded himself. Though I really hate working with Vanai. She's an evil and twisted little bitch, that's for sure. Though I never knew before now what a nympho she was. She calls Zacharis to her quarters twice a night at least, and often more than that. What does she see in that monster? What has he got that I don't? Ray asked himself, finally getting down to the root of his anger. He was pissed that Vanai, just about the most gorgeous girl he had ever seen, was having Zacharis Frost plow her belly twice a night or more, but she would barely even give him, Ray Sark, the time of day. Ray wondered viciously if Cervantes Zunnichi knew what a whore his little girl really was.

Ray shook his head and went on his rounds, making sure everyone was in place for the mission. Several hundred students from Vanai's school had been invited, to serve as cover for the real guests, those being Lacus Clyne and her party. The students would be separated into several groups after some dancing and dining, and sent out to the grounds for games. However, the games of Lacus and her friends would take place in the estate forest, and would be of a decidedly fatal persuasion. Killing both Lacus and all her friends didn't bother Ray. Those who befriended a Coordinator were nearly as bad as the Coordinator itself, in his mind. They deserved to die, to serve as an example to those who would pursue their folly.

Twenty of the more fanatical and proficient Blue Cosmos soldiers had arrived earlier in the day. Each was dressed as an angel for the party and would nominally serve to give directions to bathrooms and carry coats and the like. However, each was armed with a silenced pistol at all times, and there was a large stash of submachine guns out in the woods, just waiting to be used. They would make sure the targets did not leave or otherwise get missed by Ray, Zacharis and Amy.

Next Ray took an electric golf cart out to the clearing in the woods where the killing would take place. It was far enough away from everything else that any noise could be explained away as fireworks or animals. Amy Sihov was in costume at the center of the clearing, stirring a pot of greenish sludge. She was garbed as a wicked witch, with a long warty nosepiece and sallow, greenish skin. A wig provided stringy white hair, while tattered black clothing and peaked hat completed the look. The stare she gave him made Ray feel decidedly nervous as he got out of the cart.

"What's in the pot?" he asked, deciding not to be humorous.

"Melted plastic, sewage, a few freshly killed animals from Zacharis, some water." She replied. Ray shivered slightly.

"He's been doing the animals again?" he asked, slightly disturbed. Zacharis was supposed to be sedated and unconscious whenever he was not directly needed. But now he seemed to be getting resistant to the sedation drugs.

"Wrings their necks or skins them alive usually. Sometimes he just bites their heads off, or twists off a limb and watches them bleed to death." Amy reported, which didn't make Ray feel better.

"Why hasn't he killed Vanai yet then?" Ray said, only realizing afterwards he had been thinking out loud.

"She chains him to the bed and screws the hate out of him. She gets beaten bloody during the process, but he always climaxes before he can get his arms around her neck. Even Zacharis isn't any more capable after sex than any other male." Amy said with a shrug. "That gives her time to get away and off him, and gives him enough time to get rational again. Or less crazy anyway. That's the only way to do it with him. You gotta go fast, hard and heavy, or else he'll get your neck in his grasp and it's all over. He don't really care if you're dead or alive, after all. I know." Amy commented. Ray believed her. She had been Zacharis's lover before the transformation upgrades, and even for a little while afterwards. She knew him better than the scientists did.

"Just make sure you're ready when the time comes. With any luck, the mine in the bottom of that witch brew will take most of them out or disable them so Zacharis and I can finish them off." Ray ordered. Amy sketched a salute with no real feeling behind it. She started to stare at him like he was a freshly bleeding side of beef, so he touched her kill switch just obviously enough to get her to get back to her absent minded stirring of the sludge. Ray climbed back into the cart and sped off again, glad to put her behind him but dreading his next meeting even more. Ray drove to the front drive area of the manor. Zacharis Frost, in full Grim Reaper regalia, stood like a blot of dark madness against the pale wood of the double doors that lead into the main hall of the manor.

Zacharis's costume consisted of a voluminous robe of heavy black cloth, complete with hood, that he wore draped entirely around himself. The hood was so expansive it covered his entire face in deep shadow, except if you shone light directly into his face. Not that that would help much, since his entire face and upper neck was covered by a bone white skull mask that looked disturbingly lifelike but was actually just a prop, to Ray's relief. With Zacharis's dark eyes, it was usually impossible to tell where he was looking while in his costume, but Ray could feel the others gaze on him as he climbed the steps towards Frost. The culmination of Frost's outfit was his scythe, which was made of hard oak stained black as night by Frost's own hand. The blade was made of military grade titanium-steel, sharpened by lasers to a molecule thin edge and had been hand forged by Frost himself as well. Ray had seen Frost chop down an oak tree one foot in diameter with a single swing of his homemade weapon. Of course, Frost also carried a large caliber revolver under his robe somewhere. It wasn't loaded yet, and wouldn't be until the time was right, or else Frost would invariably use it on somebody.

"You know what to do?" Ray asked once he reached Frost's position.

"I greet the guests. Welcome them to the costume party. Tell them to go inside. Kill Pink when the time comes. It's simple." Zacharis responded dryly.

"Her name is Lacus Clyne, not "Pink". And we're also killing her companions, anyone who is near her when she arrives. Make sure you remember that, Frost. None can escape. They all have to die." Ray commanded.

"Pink suits her better. Girls quickly forget their names when Frost gets them. Pink applies not only to her hair, but also to her wonderful bloody flesh and all those tight spots that Frost so loves to explore. So Pink she is. Pink, Pink, Pink!" Zacharis said, singing the last three words sweetly. "They all will die." Frost promised, his voice turning to that of a bloodthirsty beast. "Will chop em, slice em, gash em, and cut em… all into tiny little pieces. Then…" Ray held up a hand to stop Frost. He didn't want to know what Frost would do with minced up bodies.

"Once we're done with the mission, Ms. Vanai has requested your presence." Ray said distantly.

"She likes what Frost does to her, doesn't she? You think she's disgusting for what she does with me." Frost noted, his voice changing inflection again, becoming analytical. "You're jealous of Frost, Ray. You want Frost to kill her, choke her, destroy her, because it is Frost who she cries out to, not you. Maybe I'll get my arms around her tonight. Then you won't have to be jealous any more."

"Shut up, Zacharis." Ray snarled, feeling uncomfortable. He took out Zacharis's kill switch. "Just shut up, or I'll push this button."

"Would you, really?" Frost asked. Ray decided not to answer and stalked inside, shivering in a cold sweat. As he did so, the guests began to arrive.

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"This place is huge!" Miriallia noted after the taxi dropped her, Dearka, Athrun and Cagalli off at the entrance to Vanai Zunnichi's estate. Athrun just shrugged and Cagalli didn't seem that impressed either. But considering that their parents were both former heads of state, it was a good bet that this wasn't all that impressive to them or at the very least wasn't something new to them. Dearka was suitably awed, just like she was though. She wondered about that for a moment, since Dearka's father was a PLANT councilman too, but then she remembered that Dearka had been practically banned from his family after he joined the military. Probably not a happy memory.

The taxi with Kira, Lacus, Sai and Ysak pulled up and they quickly climbed out of the vehicle. As the taxi pulled away, Kira stared in amazement at the size of the house as well. It must have had at least sixty rooms divided among three floors. The property looked to be square miles in size, with its own lake, small forest and plenty of open grassland. A small convoy of electric gas carts were ferrying arriving guests from the finely wrought iron gates up the long winding drive to the manor itself. Another taxi pulled up behind the group and they moved aside to let the new arrivals out. Two instantly recognizable people in instantly recognizable uniforms climbed out.

"No… it can't be." Ysak moaned. Everyone else just stared as Chanel and Katie bustled up to Ysak, smiles on their faces. They were each dressed in the uniform of an Earth Forces Lieutenant, exact in detail down to the folds in the clothing and the placement of decorations and rank insignia. They both wore pistol holsters on their right hips.

"What are you two doing here?" Ysak demanded, edging away from them, his hand dropping to HIS weapon. The girls lost their smiles and looked a bit… penitent.

"Raine and Uncle Vladimir made us promise to apologize to you, Ysak-y, for how we acted last night." Katie said contritely.

"Yes. It wasn't right of us to break into your room and search through your personal stuff like that." Chanel added.

"We hope you can forgive our presumption, but every other guy we've been around has never minded when we showed up when all their friends were gone. We weren't being considerate of your feelings." Katie said on her turn.

"We're really sorry, Ysak-y. Can you forgive us?" Chanel asked.

"Really sorry. Please?" Katie added her voice. Both girls looked at Ysak with puppy dog sad eyes and contrite expressions. Ysak was strong, and pissed off… but no sixteen year old guy was that strong or pissed off. Not over something that Ysak, deep within himself, had actually, on some level, enjoyed.

"I forgive you." Ysak mumbled, barely loud enough for anyone to hear. Dearka nudged Mir and smirked.

"He's such a softie at heart. Well, maybe not his "heart" per se." He whispered. Mir just nodded, wide eyed at seeing the irascible Ysak gentled by the words and expressions of the two girls. They both now wore radiant smiles and launched themselves at him giggling. Each one grabbed an arm and held it tightly. Ysak looked very uncomfortable.

"I'll ask again though, what are you two doing here?" Ysak said, trying to shake loose, to absolutely no effect.

"Going to the party with you."

"To protect our interests."

Ysak winced. "That's right, you two forged a copy of my invitation. What did you uncle and sister think of THAT?"

"They thought it was really clever actually."

"Yeah, we couldn't have done it without using Raine's software or Uncle Vladimir replicating Vanai's signature."

"They just warned us not to do it very often, because once someone sees through a forgery, you can't do it again for a long time."

"But enough about prep work, aren't you going to escort us to the party?"

Sai sidled over to a spot between Dearka, Athrun and Kira. "Jeez… it's like tag team wrestling. I'm getting a neck ache just looking back and forth between them when they talk. Most guys would probably be confused enough by them that he'd do whatever they asked just in the hopes that things would start slowing down and making sense."

"Oh, Ysak's plenty confused." Dearka replied out of the side of his mouth. "He wants things to slow down too. But he's really resistant, because he doesn't much like the idea of Natural's as girlfriends. He thinks Athrun and I have gone a bit daft somewhere, because of Mir and Cagalli. But now of course, here he is falling for not one but two Natural girls at the same time. His mind's probably like a whirlpool right now." Dearka explained.

"Is it possible for a guy to fall in love with two girls… twin sisters no less, at the same time?" Kira asked, astounded.

"I guess so. Especially if they love him too. Though unless the sisters got along perfectly, I wouldn't think the relationship would be very stable." Athrun replied.

"What… you don't think you could fall in love if Cagalli had an identical twin sister with a similar personality?" Dearka asked with a grin. Athrun shook his head immediately.

"No. The thought of two Cagalli's is pretty scary. I assume it's the same for you guys, with Mir and Lacus." Athrun answered. Dearka and Kira nodded. They were just fine with just ONE girlfriend.

"Come on, stop dawdling or we're going to be LATE!" Cagalli called from the pick up point of the golf carts. The guys hustled over and everyone was quickly transported up to the house proper. After composing themselves and readjusting their costumes, they headed up the grand staircase. At the top, a figure with a scythe and dark hooded robe, obviously meant to be the Grim Reaper, was greeting people and directing them inside.

"Anybody else find it a bit ominous that the Grim Reaper is doing admissions?" Dearka remarked. Mir elbowed him in the side to shut him up as she rushed up to be the first to present invitations. She handed the rather short Grim Reaper hers and Dearka's invitations. The man merely glanced at them before studying hers and Dearka's faces as if memorizing them.

"You may pass. Take the third right hand door. That is the door that leads to the dancing and banquet hall. Just follow the directions of the angels." Frost told them, making a note of their costumes so he could find them later that night. Frost also memorized the look of Athrun, Cagalli, Sai, Ysak, Chanel and Katie. However, when Lacus and Kira presented their invitations, he couldn't stop himself from staring at her. Pink was here, standing right in front of him. His grip tightened on the staff of the scythe. All it would take was a single swing and the humiliation of her slap on his cheek would be washed away in her life's blood. Her annoying little boyfriend wouldn't be able to stop him. Frost had already shown he was faster and stronger than the other. But no… better to take the time to do it right, later. It would be infinitely more enjoyable. Frost repeated his directions again.

"Was it just me or did was that guy staring at me the entire time he was checking our invitations?" Lacus asked as she and Kira hurried inside.

"Oh, he was staring all right. And I know why." Kira replied.

"Really, why?" Lacus asked, curious.

"Because I have the most beautiful girl in the world as my date." Kira told her. Lacus felt her cheeks heat up and felt her heart flutter most pleasurably in her chest.

"Why, Mr. Yamato, sometimes you say the most romantic things." She demurred.

"I guess I did learn something from hanging out with Athrun and Dearka then." Kira commented as they followed the straggling trail of guests into the dancing hall and banquet area. The room was huge, easily able to accommodate the hundred plus guests already there. About ten or so older men and women, dressed as angels, circulated throughout the crowd, carrying trays of drinks and snacks. Kira and Lacus caught up with their friends and Kira managed to snag two glasses of what tasted like cherry flavored carbonated water.

"AND NOW… YOUR GRACIOUS HOST!" one of the angels announced in a stentorian voice. Descending down a wide staircase from an upper balcony was Vanai Zunnichi. She was dressed in what could accurately be called a royal outfit, as her costume was that of a Queen from the Renaissance times. She had no escort, which had every unattached guy in the room drooling with glee. As she slowly stepped down the stairs the room went quieter and quieter, until, by the time she reached the floor, there was absolute silence.

"Well, what are you all standing around for?" Vanai asked primly. "This is a party, after all. We're supposed to have fun." With those words loud music started playing from hidden speakers and the lights started dimming.

"She knows how to make an entrance." Sai noted. Dearka just shrugged.

"Until she crashes through the back wall in a Mobile Suit and then climbs out holding an undisturbed iced drink, I'm not going to be impressed." He replied. A chuckle came from behind them. Dearka and Sai turned to see a man dressed in a high quality fashionable suit, with precisely trimmed hair and an artificially lined face. The young man held a martini glass in one hand.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Dearka asked.

"Shaken… not stirred." The man replied, as if speaking a code phrase. Seeing they had no idea what he meant he sighed. "Have you really not heard of James Bond?"

"No." Sai replied.

"He was a movie character from a few centuries ago. Spawned a whole series of spy-thrillers about his exploits." Ray Sark explained. "I'm Ray Sark. I'm in charge of the activities for this party." He introduced himself.

"I'm Dearka Elsman."

"I'm Sai Argyle."

"Argyle? Of the Heliopolis Argyle's?" Vanai asked curiously. She appeared from behind Ray like a monsoon of silk skirts and jewelry.

"Yes Ma'am. Though now my family lives on Earth." Sai replied politely, bowing in an elegant manner.

"Because of the horrid business during the war, yes. Please, will you come talk with me? It's so hard to find someone of similar class who has something real to talk about." Vanai asked. Sai looked doubtful until she slipped her arm through his, and then he started looking happy.

"I don't like her." Mir noted after Vanai had left. "She sounded so arrogant." Mir looked at Ray and touched her mouth in contrition. "I'm sorry, what a horrible thing to say about someone you work for."

Ray shrugged. "I don't mind. I often agree with you. And you are?" he asked.

"Miriallia Haw." Mir replied.

"Well, Miriallia… Dearka… if you'll excuse me, I have some preparations work to be done before the games are operational." Ray said, leaving to circulate around his real target, Lacus Clyne. Ray didn't know who her boyfriend was, but he had certainly picked the wrong date tonight. In a few hours, he'd be dead and buried… or whatever it was that Frost did with his victims. Ray glanced around at those he assumed to be Lacus's friends, since they had arrived with her and were chatting amiably with her and her boyfriend.

Two of them looked reasonably familiar for some reason, but Ray couldn't figure out why, because their disguises, that of a barbarian warrior and a Norse valkyrie were so complete that he couldn't get a good look at them. The war paint really messed his perceptions up. Then there was one guy with a mean looking and livid scar across the middle of his face, who was escorting twin girls, one on either arm. Ray was startled for a moment, because scar-face was wearing a ZAFT elite uniform. Ray shook his head. There were no ZAFT soldiers in Switzerland and no way for them to enter the country without someone knowing. Ray shook his head again, because both girls were in Earth Alliance uniforms. The three of them were like an analogy for the whole current situation. Two sluttish girls representing the Earth Alliance, sucking up to the strong ZAFT man, while he pretended not to pay attention. It was the world political situation at a glance. Ray just wondered where they had gotten their costumes, because, as far as he could tell, they were exact replicas of the real thing.

Just then, a slow song started and all the various couples started doing the slow swaying back and forth that teens called dancing, but was really just an excuse to hold your partner very close in public with nobody caring. Ray headed off to do a final prep check, but not before he saw, with more than a flash of jealousy, that Vanai and Sai were dancing together.

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"So, where are the girls?" Alkire asked as he stepped into the shared kitchen of the apartment that he, Raine, Victor and James shared. Vlad had his own place, in the basement of a run down hardware store a few blocks away. Raine looked up from the potatoes she was peeling and tossing into a pot of boiling water.

"They said they were going to a party, with a guy." Raine replied, continuing with the preparations for making mashed potatoes. Raine didn't add that the girls had had to steal an invitation from said guy and forge two copies using her and Vladimir's aid in order to go to the party.

"Really? A party… with a guy?" Alkire said, pouring himself a large glass of milk.

"Yeah, I was surprised too. They haven't been to a party with a guy… ever, come to think of it." Raine replied.

"Yeah, the guys always get scared off by the girls bragging about you and Vlad before the relationship can go somewhere." Alkire responded.

"Or scared off by the girls themselves. It's not every day you come across twin sisters who know combat martial arts, are marksmen with a pistol, and can hack into almost any computer database in the world if given a few hours." Raine mused.

"Ain't that the truth. So who is this guy? He must be made of iron." Alkire said, getting a packet of chicken legs out of the fridge.

"I actually haven't met him face to face yet. He was one of those people we saw at the airport with Kisaka. Vladimir knows who he is, but I can't get him to tell me anything more than the guy's name." Raine finished with the potatoes and moved on to cutting up broccoli for steaming.

"What's the guy's name then?" Alkire asked, after a few moments pause.

"Ysak Joule."

"Ysak? That's a strange name." Alkire noted.

"Says the guy named Alkire Majesty." Raine shot back.

"Good point. Guess I can't really talk." Alkire admitted. "So where is this party at?" he asked, removing the chicken legs and putting them in the marinade he had concocted the night before.

"At the estate of a girl named Vanai. Vanai something. I couldn't read the last name because the girl's invitation was smudged." Raine replied. As well it should have been, considering that Katie had found it in a pool of apple juice after wrestling it from Ysak's grip when the girls invaded his apartment yesterday night. "It's a real high class sort of place though. Games, food and drink provided, at a place called an Estate. I think the last name started with a "Z". Might have been Zuccini or Zunich or something." Raine said. Alkire went dead silent, his face a mask of concentration and worry. "What's wrong?" Raine asked.

"Could the name have been… Zunnichi?" Alkire asked in a tone full of dread. Raine frowned.

"You know, that does sound right. Vanai Zunnichi. Yes, that was the name. Why?"

"Can you think of any other people with the surname Zunnichi? People who might have had recent cause to not like us?" Alkire replied. Raine dropped her knife in horrified realization.

"Cervantes Zunnichi." She whispered.

"Yep. The new head of Blue Cosmos. His daughter goes to school around here. That's why Vlad chose this spot for our living quarters. He figured Cervantes would never think to look for us so close to his precious daughter." Alkire responded.

"There's no way he could have connected the girls to us." Raine said flatly. "We aren't relatives or anything. They're just two war orphans I picked up after our last formal mission. I couldn't bear to leave them behind in that hellhole."

"Hey, I know that, Raine. It might just be a coincidence. However…" Alkire said, trailing off.

"Coincidences can still get people killed." Raine finished. "Just like Instructor Kisaka said. I'm surprised you remembered that. You never paid attention in class." She commented. "I think it might just be a harmless coincidence though. The girls had to steal and forge an invitation from Ysak in order to go to the party."

"What about this Ysak guy? Does he check out?"

"Vlad's done a full background check on him, as you might expect. Vlad has no problems with him."

"For all that means. We both know Vlad tends to judge people in relation to himself. If Vlad had problems with a guy, that guy would have to be a mass murderer. For all we know, Ysak could be an agent of Cervantes, who is even now kidnapping the girls to use as shields against our attacks." Alkire said.

"Do you really believe that?"

"No… do you believe that we should take the chance though?"

"No."

"I'll go get Victor and James. We'll meet you at Vlad's place. You go there and get him up to speed. And let him know that I'm going to be really pissed if he okayed the girls to go out with a spy." Alkire decided. Raine saluted and ran off to get ready. She prayed that they were overreacting. Coincidences can still get people killed. Kisaka's words echoed in her head.

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"That last dance was wonderful." Cagalli told Athrun as they picked up a few snacks from a passing angel. "I didn't know you knew how to dance."

"Well, I did have to learn a few steps for when I was brought to important functions by my dad." Athrun explained. "I was actually more surprised that you knew how to dance."

"Hey, I'm not always a tomboy. I do like some girlish things." Cagalli retorted.

"Believe me, I know." Athrun said with a smile and a twinkle in his eye, referring to her procedure for waking him up. He slid his hand around her waist, luxuriating in the feel of skin on skin. "You know, you should wear something like this more often. But in a different setting." Athrun advised.

Cagalli felt the heat rising to her face. Is he suggesting I should parade around in my underwear? Should I? Or was he hinting at something else? Perhaps taking our relationship a step up? Or am I just reading too much into him? "I think we should go to the beach. Then you can get a tan. You'd look really great in a bikini, I think." Athrun was continuing. Cagalli breathe a sigh of mingled relief and disappointment. Strangely enough, she was both relieved that he hadn't meant that he wanted her to appear before him in lingerie, and disappointed that he wasn't yet ready for the next step. Whoa… take it easy Cagalli. You've only been going out with him for a little more than two months. Is it any wonder he doesn't want to go THERE just yet? Get your hormones under control, girl. Athrun's not going anywhere and neither are you. You can take it easy. Have fun. No need to rush into things.

Cagalli promptly forgot that entire line of thinking when Athrun suddenly fell back a step and then stepped up behind her, putting both arms around her and pulling her back against his chest. The feel of nearly full body skin on skin contact drove her to distraction. "I think I like what you're wearing too. Though I'd also like to see it in a different setting." She half whispered-half panted. "Though don't you think you're being a little brazen?" the cautious side of her mind made her ask.

"Not really. Tonight I'm a barbarian. Brazenness is what they do. Besides, take a look around. We're pretty restrained by some standards." Athrun told her. Cagalli did as he bid and felt her eyes widening. Athrun was right. What some people were doing was downright lascivious.

"I guess I must be sheltered, but I never thought grinding at each other like that was acceptable behavior." She commented.

"Welcome to being a real teenager, I guess. Time to drop all your common sense and your inhibitions." Athrun said with a smile. They both shared a slight chuckle.

"No thanks." They said in unison.

"ATTENTION GUESTS! THE GAMES HAVE BEEN PREPARED. YOU WILL BE ASSIGNED TO GROUPS AND LED TO YOUR VARIOUS GAMING AREAS IN A FEW MINUTES. PLEASE REMAIN WHERE YOU ARE SO WE CAN FIND YOU AND ASSIGN YOUR GROUPS." A man said over the PA system.

"I wonder what kind of games they have planned?" Cagalli said.

"I saw them setting up a VR chamber earlier. It looks a lot like the training aids they used at the PLANTS for mobile suit practice." Athrun replied.

"You shall not." Cagalli said adamantly. "We just got you through a war in which you did more than enough stuff in Mobile Suits. Last time you were in one you tried to kill yourself, albeit to save the world. I'm not going to let you within ten feet of a simulator. And that goes triple for Kira."

"Can't argue with you there, Cagalli." Athrun mumbled into her ear.

"Ahem…" a voice said from behind them. Athrun turned, but kept Cagalli in his arms, lifting her with little effort and swinging her around before placing her back down. The speaker wore a finely tailored suit and carried a comlink in his hand. "I'm Ray Sark, director of the games tonight." The man introduced himself. "I'd like you to come with me so we can put you with your friends. They are waiting for you outside." Athrun and Cagalli complied, soon joining Kira, Lacus, Mir, Dearka, Ysak and the twins outside.

"Where's Sai?" Kira asked.

"Last time I saw him, he was the center of attention." Dearka said. "Every last unattached guy in the room was plotting his demise."

"Huh? Run that by me again." Athrun said.

"He was with Vanai. And by with, I mean about as close as you and Cagalli are." Mir extrapolated.

"Really? Sai was with Vanai? About time he found a girl." Cagalli said, leaning back into Athrun's embrace harder. Ray scowled, unnoticed and headed back inside. He quickly found Vanai, since she was the center of a moving ring of other couples. Like the brown haired girl… Miriallia… had said, she was with the one known as Sai, holding him possessively close. As he approached she laughed gaily.

"You're such a witty person, Sai. Unlike the rest of these drudges." She waved her hand at the people surrounding them. Ray stepped up to her smartly.

"Ma'am, I'd like to get Sai to his games group, if you don't mind." Ray said, arcing an eyebrow at her as a signal. She ignored it.

"I do mind. Sai's the only fun person here tonight. You can't take him. He'll join his group later… better yet, he'll join mine." Vanai replied, practically pulling Sai closer to herself. Ray grimaced inwardly. She was ruining the plan with her overactive libido. Ray had feared something like this would happen, but had fortunately thought of a remedy. There could be no survivors from Lacus's friends group. Sai would have a little accident after his session with Vanai. The poor guy would likely be flummoxed anyway, considering what she likely had in mind. He would be so disoriented that Ray could put a bullet in his head with ease.

Enjoy her while you can, Sai. The cold kiss of death is waiting for you ere the night is over. Ray thought darkly as he went back to his target group. They were waiting by the golf carts he had gathered. As he walked toward them, Ray sent the coded signal to his men in the woods, warning them to be ready. "Sai has transferred to Ms. Vanai's games group. He'll rejoin us after the game periods." Ray informed them. None of them seemed that bothered by the news. Indeed, Sai had actually been the odd man out, the only one with a date of some sort. All the couples or in one case, triple, seemed happier and more relaxed being among only people who had significant others. A gas powered cart pulled up, with Frost, still in Grim Reaper guise, in the driver's seat, with his scythe lying down in the small truck bed. "Please follow my cart. We'll go slowly, so no one gets lost." Ray instructed.