The dreaded pink shark is slowly closing in..

Enjoy~

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Chapter 10

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Preparations for the press conference went smoothly for the most part. With the unknown threats that lingered around them, everyone on the Preventer's staff was constantly looking over their shoulders. Scrutinizing every move that everyone made. Investigating even the slightest unusual behavior. It was proving to be an exhausting task, but everyone plowed forward.

Every member of the press that was to attend was screened multiple times by various Preventer workers before passing through the vigorous checks of Heero and Zechs. So far everything checked out fine. A bit too fine for Heero's tastes.

Things had been unusually quiet for the past week. Protest groups seemed to have settled down after Quatre's latest brush with death. The majority of the world and colonies were at the most peaceful point in decades. It was strange that the horrific incident would calm things so drastically. If anything, Heero and Zechs would have thought it would escalated tension.

In the end they were left with very little answers in a very taxing situation. However they weren't about to let their guard down again.

They were taking even further caution with this assignment. Heero and Zechs took on the role of body guards personally while everyone else was running intel and security sweeps of the area. The day of the conference, both Relena and Quatre were secured in a vacant home they were using as a safe house until they continued to the court house that was chosen for the event. It was to be a smaller event than the previous one, which was somewhat of a relief.

But as Heero and Zechs stood in the living room of the safe house it was clear that neither of them were going to release their serious full alert stances. Quatre and Relena were getting themselves ready in the two rooms just down the hall, and the only other person in the house was one of Relena's assistants that was helping her with her hair and makeup. Said assistant had to jump through some serious hoops and withstand a in depth background check, but everything came up clean.

So far everything seemed to be going according to plan.

"I don't like this...."

Heero looked over towards his comrade and snorted softly. "You got that feeling too?"

Zechs nodded and folded his arms stiffly over his chest. "I have no idea why this press conference to so damn important. They should both be under close guard. Not parading around like ducks in a row..."

"I don't get it either... Quatre's not pleased about it. He only agreed to this to get her to shut up." Heero mused, having done something similar in the past.

"We both know how that is... Her persistence can be quite irritating after a while." Zechs mumbled as he leaned against the doorway to the hall. "Personally I think she's realizing that she's losing her hold on the masses. Her rhetoric is becoming old. The people want answers to the problems they're facing now. Not vague ideas for the future."

Heero readily agreed. "I know. Quatre's been the one getting his hands dirty by helping reconstruction efforts and overseeing diplomatic meetings between the colonies. I'm not surprised the attention has shifted so drastically." A faint chuckle left him when he remembered his last conversation with the Arabian. "Quatre said he was content with letting Relena get her ass handed to her by the public eye. Looks like that may happen fairly soon."

The colorful language didn't really seem like his brother, but Zechs still gave an amused hum. "Maybe a little failure will do her some good. She may have suffered through a lot, but past all the angst she's still spoiled as hell."

That made Heero raise a brow, but his lips twitched into a smirk as he bowed his head. "Heh, glad someone has the balls to say it out loud."

"You learn to be blunt when you're surrounded by long winded people."

"I second that."

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"Relena... Do you really think all of this is necessary?"

The vice foreign minister looked into the large mirror in front of her and smiled at the reflection of the blonde diplomat. "Of course. I can't go back on my word, now can I?" she giggled sweetly.

Leaning against the back wall, Quatre lightly tugged at the white cravat he was wearing in irritation. "Relena, these are extenuating circumstances... We're both still in danger. Hell, Zechs could be a target too. All of this will be far too tempting a target." he pointed out seriously. His eyes kept glancing down at his shoes where there were still a few specks of blood on them. He purposely left the spots there to remind him who was really the one in danger. 'I'm the target... It's so obvious now... But who is after me..?' he thought as a deep frown fell over his face.

Although the frown made her curious, Relena slowly let her eyes run over her companion's tall slender frame. He was wearing a black version of his diplomatic clothes, which made a slow smile form on her lips. 'The future God of Peace clad all in black... How fitting for today... So beautiful...' She felt her heart pound softly as she forced herself to keep a calm front. 'Things have to be perfect today... I only have a small window... Especially with those two following our every move...'

Thoughts of her brother and her former lover made a faint smirk twitch onto her face. 'With their overwhelming grief, they will be the first to give themselves to Quatre's following... I'll be there to comfort the both of them... And the rest will all fall in step...' Her smile grew the more she thought of her perfect plan.

When the woman didn't respond, Quatre glanced up through his long bangs towards the mirror. He immediately noticed the smirk on the reflection's face, which made his eyes narrow. 'I'm getting a bad feeling... Relena had a connection to every incident I was victim of... For someone that knows how dangerous this is she's acting rather calm... Too calm...' He didn't want to think that the figurehead for peace would be involved in something that had already cost the lives of countless people. However he knew he couldn't take any chances. 'Why would she insist that I accompany her...? She refused to back down when Sally protested... Some of my diplomatic associates have also complained that this is too dangerous... She seems far too determined to go through with this... Like someone that knows they have nothing to lose...'

His thoughts steadily became darker the longer the silence hovered in the room. He briefly humored the thought that he could be allowing his paranoia getting the better of him, but he instantly chided himself. 'In war and politics paranoia is your best friend... My intuition hasn't led me astray yet... No point in doubting it now.'

A knock on the door had both of them turning towards it to see Heero stepping inside. "Come on, you two. They're ready for us. Relena, you're going first with Zechs. Quatre, I'll be taking you once Relena is secure." he stated while holding the door open.

As Relena quietly stood from her place at the vanity in the room, Quatre looked out the door to see Zechs standing there with a deep frown of concern focused on him. The amount of concern his brother showed made a grateful smile appear on Quatre's lips. 'My brother is looking out for me... I'll be fine...' he thought while giving a reassuring nod to Zechs. The action prompted a little smirk on the older blonde's face before he wordlessly led Relena away.

Heero closed the door once the two left and let out a slow breath. "If you want to back out now I can see what I can.."

"No, Heero... I'm already here. There's no sense in running." Quatre cut in calmly.

Heero faced his long time comrade and frowned in disapproval. "Quatre... The risk of this is completely outrageous.. Why did you agree?"

Quatre bowed his head and heaved a heavy sigh. "It is ridiculously dangerous... But the amount of extra security involved gives us an opportunity. Even if I am attacked again it will draw out someone who is responsible." He lifted his gaze to the cobalt one fixed on him. "No matter what happens to me, Heero.. We need to stop whoever is behind this. I may just be the first target."

The subtle statement made Heero's mood darken. "So you're offering yourself up as bait..."

"I know what you're thinking, and you're probably right. It's insane and selfish of me to do this without discussing it with anyone." Quatre readily admitted. He pushed away from the wall and looked to the large vanity Relena had been seated at. "But you have no idea how horrible I feel now that you and the others set everything into proportion... To know that so many died as a result of being some sadistic person's assassination attempt..."

Hearing the torment in the tired voice made Heero's concerns grow. "Quatre, you can't be thinking of blaming yourself for this."

A weak snort left the blonde as he ran his hands through his hair. "I might as well... Innocent people died because they were just within the same area as me." Quatre grew silent for a moment before he forced himself to face his one time leader and confess what was really wearing on him. "Before now, everything was orchestrated to appear as accidents... But that sniper was a deliberate attempt. That shows a growing desperation. There was no way deadly force wouldn't have been used to take him out."

"So that sniper was a sacrifice..." Heero muttered as he began to see the same picture.

Quatre readily nodded. "For all we know, that missing woman could have been killed as well to finish any loose ends. We've been focusing too much on those two, and not enough on anyone that could be a common thread."

"Relena..." Heero found himself grunting.

A pale hand rose to keep Heero listening. "I'm beginning to have similar thoughts, Heero... I don't want to, but she's been way too careless the past few years. It's borderline idiotic now that I've examined some of the things we've had to do for her recently." A frown stole over his face as a question struck him. "Heero.. Have you noticed Relena's behavior changing any?"

The question forced Heero to recall his past with the woman. "She took my breaking up with her pretty hard.. But she seemed fine after a while until Pagan died."

"Wait, Pagan died?" Quatre cut in with a puzzled look. "When? I never heard anything about it."

Heero nodded and held his chin as he thought aloud. "It was about three years ago. After that Relena seemed.. Odd, I suppose. I only found out because I had gone to her place for a few of my things I had left behind. I'm not sure why, but she didn't seem very sad about his death."

"Three years ago? The riot on L-3 happened not long after that..." Quatre muttered.

Now seeing the connection as well, Heero looked to the door almost apprehensively. "So Pagan's death may have triggered something... But what could it possibly be that would result in this?"

The blonde head shook as he let out an exasperated breath. "I have no idea... But we need to be sure it is Relena before we act." His mind was racing with all the possibilities, but he was able to muck his way through them to figure out a plan of action. "Alright.. In case something does happen to me, you need to send someone to investigate what Relena has been up to recently. Search the hotel room she's been staying in and see if you can pull up phone records or her credit card reports. I'm sure you know we have to be as discreet as possible."

"Of course... But can't we figure out a different way that won't get you directly involved?"

The concern in his friend's words made Quatre smile sadly. "I'm still trying to think of something, but this is the best chance we've got. The only option we have is finding the evidence we need soon so we can quietly contain her. This has the potential to cause an uproar and destroy what progress has been made. We have to tread carefully."

He didn't like it. In fact, Heero hated it. But it didn't change the facts. "You're right..." Even as he said that an idea of his own occurred to him. "I know... I'll have Duo bring my laptop. I'll do searches on her phone records and credit cards. Wufei's already has doubts about Relena's connections with all of this, so he'll be of some help as well."

Quatre nodded readily. "If you do a search of her hotel and her home I would like Duo and Trowa to handle it. They'll be able to spot anything suspicious."

"Agreed, but directly after this conference you are going under lock down. Full security detail in a safe location. I don't care what you say, I'm not going to let you place yourself in any more danger. Got that?"

To Heero's surprise his gruff words were met with a calm smile and another nod. "I understand, Heero... You're right, and I won't put up a fight. This isn't just about my safety. I've unintentionally been endangering innocent people around me." His pale hands reached out and rested on Heero's broad shoulders. Quatre looked seriously into the deep blue eyes and frowned grimly as he spoke. "If nothing happens during this conference I want you to make sure I'm isolated afterwards... I don't want anyone else hurt because some psycho wants me dead. Can you promise me that, Heero?"

Heero was startled, but he was immediately grasping the blonde's arms with a look of frustration on his face. "Dammit, Quatre, quit acting as if you're the one to blame! This isn't your fault! You're the victim! You don't always have to take responsibility!"

The amount of emotion behind those words was alarming and confusing to Quatre. "Heero...?"

The Japanese man shook his head before giving a stern glare. "No, Quatre.. You do this every time. You never let yourself just step back. You always insist on taking on the responsibility of everything around you." Heero tightened the grip he had on the black clad arms as his expression fell into something softer. Almost sad. "You did nothing wrong. Please stop acting like you deserve this... It tears at all of us when you face everything head on. When you don't let us help you."

Instead of arguing or denying what Heero was saying, Quatre found himself humming softly. He gently took hold of Heero's arms and held onto them firm. "Knowing that you and the others care so much... That helps me more than anything, Heero." The blonde head bowed slightly as a deep sigh left him. For the briefest moment he was allowing to show just how much this was wearing on him as his shoulders slumped forward. "I can't help how I feel, though. This has to stop one way or another..."

Seeing that look of exhaustion on the blonde grated horribly on Heero's conscience. 'He's no where near recovered from everything..' It was then that he made a decision. "Fuck waiting... I'm sending Duo and Trowa to look though Relena's hotel. If they find evidence we'll detain her after the press conference."

The flat tone told Quatre that there was no disputing it. "Wait until we're secure in the motorcade. Instruct the drivers to take us directly back to Preventers HQ, and we'll detain her there." He stood up straighter and looked into the dark blue eyes watching him. "We'll be able to have more control of the situation that way."

Heero nodded and reached into his jacket pocket. "I was able to make a smaller headset for you. That way you can communicate as well as listen in on what's going on."

Quatre took the smaller headset and gave a tired smile as he put it on. "Thank you, Heero. My hair should keep it hidden."

"I was counting on that when I made it. I don't want you to hesitate to call in anything you think is even the slightest bit off." Heero gave a stern glare and prodded hard at the center of the blonde's chest. "And no more heroics. I don't care what you've said to the others. I can tell that you're still in a lot of pain."

A small annoyed pout pulled at Quatre's lips as he rubbed at his chest. "Being poked at isn't helping, you know."

The dry retort made Heero smirk. "Just making sure I have your attention. I want you to make sure you keep one of us in sight at all times. Never walk anywhere alone, and especially not around Relena. Got it?"

"Yes, Heero. If you want to search her hotel this soon is it wise to send Duo and Trowa? Aren't they needed at the conference?" Quatre questioned, glancing at his watch to check the time.

Also checking the time, Heero noted that Zechs should be contacting him soon to inform him that Relena was secure. "As useful as they would be here, they're still too rattled from everything that has happened. It would be best to distance them from the situation."

"Heh, and the rest of us aren't?" the blonde pointed out with a smirk of his own.

"Touche." Heero readily conceded. "However both of them have been exhausting themselves trying to figure out the one behind this. Combined with how much your stay at the hospital impacted them and trying to keep your ridiculously huge family calm, I'm surprised they aren't the ones in a coma." His dark brown head shook as he folded his arms over his chest. "They would just be biting nails having to wait through the conference. This will give them something productive to do to burn off that nervous energy."

Quatre was a bit surprised at the thoughtfulness behind the reason, but he quickly knew that he shouldn't be. His genuine smile tugged back onto his face as he lightly nudged the once perfect soldier. "Careful, Heero... Your humanity is showing more and more these days." he teased.

A sharp snort left Heero before he rolled his eyes. "Don't remind me. You've all been a horrible influence on me. All this concern and family crap his making me feel funny."

"You mean feel human?"

"Yeah. It sucks. All these damn emotions. Such a pain in the ass." Heero grunted, meaning every word.

A bright grin formed on Quatre's face as he raised his hands and clapped them on Heero's shoulders once more. "Welcome to my world, Heero! It only gets worse from here!"

Another flat glare met the sarcastic cheery tone. "Great. You're not going to hug me now, are you?"

A chuckle left Quatre as he let his hands fall back to his sides. "I hadn't thought about it, but if you need one I will oblige."

"That won't be necessary. I'm not at Duo's level of sappy just yet."

"Yet! So there's hope for you!" Quatre teased further, just to see the faint twitch that formed in Heero's left eye.

Before Heero could make a snide comment a voice sounded off in their headsets. -"Wind reporting in. Dove has been safely delivered."-

Heero reached up to his headset. "Roger, Wind. Commencing delivery of Prince. Wing out." He turned towards Quatre and gestured for the door. "Let's go. Remember everything I've said."

"No heroics, no flying solo, no self blaming, and no hugs." Quatre recited as he headed for the door.

"Eh.. Close enough."

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TBC

Aww..

I wanna hug!

Lolz

Later~