Chapter Seven

"Get out."

Miliardo's voice was cold, and his eyes radiated the same degree of contempt. His lip actually curled as he stared down at the younger man, who was glaring back at him defiantly, prussian blue eyes hard and dangerous.

"Get out of my house, Yuy," Zeches said again. "Leave, or I'll have you arrested for tresspassing and assult."

"Milliardo!" Releena cried, shocked and horrified at her brother's behavior.

Zeches ignored her. He seemed intent on staring Heero into the ground. Heero's face had resumed it's impassive mask, but the subtle anger Releena saw in his eyes was terrifying.

"I'll leave the house," Heero said quietly, still glaring intently at Zeches. "but I'm going with Releena to the Winner estate. You can't stop me."

"The hell I can't," Zeches shot back. "You come within a hundred yards of that estate and I'll shoot you on sight, as a threat to the vice foreign miniser."

"Miliardo!" Releena shrieked again. She was growing desperate, and very, very afraid of her big brother. She had never seen him act like this. But Zeches seemed deaf to her, as he and Heero continued their battle of wills.

Heero almost winced, and it seemed to Releena that a shadow of hurt passed over his face before he could mask it. She knew Zeches had touched a sore spot with the young pilot, and prayed that her brother would stop this dangerous confrontation before he pushed Heero over the edge.

"I would never harm Releena," Heero growled, a hint of betrayal shining in his eyes. "My mission is to protect her---"

"Really?" Milliardo's expression twisted into an ugly sneer. "You couldn't protect her before; what makes you think you'll be able to now?"

Heero grew very still, except for the fists beginning to clench at his sides.

"Stop it, both of you!" Releena screamed, frantic to break this up before Heero did something regrettable. She had no idea WHY Milliardo was antagonizing him like this, but she had to put a stop to it before her brother found himself in a whole lot of pain. Summoning all her courage, she pushed herself between the two men, shoving them back and away from each other. She heard Milliardo's angry curse, but silently turned her back to him, facing Heero instead. His face was cold, intence and frightening, still glaring at the Lightning Count with death in his eyes. Another ill placed word or jibe in his direction and he would snap.

"Heero." Releena softly placed a hand on his chest, and he reluctantly dropped his gaze. Looking into her eyes, his face softened, but she could still see the anger and betrayal that raged within. "Wait outside for me, Heero, please?"

Heero gave a tiny shake of his head. "I'm leaving. I won't stay here any longer," he replied flatly, glancing at the Lightning Count and narrowing his eyes. Releena gasped and clutched at his arm. He was leaving her again! And after they had come so close! Bitter tears started in her eyes, and she raged silently in frustration and helplessness. For a brief moment, she despised her brother for jumping to conclusions, for driving Heero away when she had waited so long for him to come to her. No...that was wrong. She didn't just despise Zeches; for the first time in her young life, Releena found that she hated someone. At that moment, Releena loathed her brother for his suspicion and arrogance; for his infuriating protectivness that had gone too far. She hated him from the bottom of her soul for so casually destroying her dreams.

"Releena." Abruptly, Heero dropped his head and brought it very close, almost touching her ear with his lips. "Don't cry," he whispered so that only they could hear. "I'll wait for you, I promise."

Releena looked up at him through blurry eyes. She thought she saw a tiny smile quirk his lips before he stepped away and walked to the door without another word. Zeches watched him depart with hawk eyes until the lean, muscular frame had cleared the mansion altogether.

"Miliardo."

The Lightning Count frowned at the calm fury beneath his sister's words, and turned to face her. Releena was staring at him quietly, but there was a barely surpressed rage in her green eyes that was very uncharachteristic. Her mouth thined into a line, and she suddenly spat the words out at him.

"What did you think you were doing?!"

Zeches blinked, then scowled furiously. If anyone should be asking that question it was him! "What the hell were YOU doing Releena?!" he raged back. "I come up here and find you alone with Heero Yuy, of all people. For all I know, he was hired to assassinate you, again!"

"That's not true, and you know it--!"

"It doesn't matter!" Zeches cut her off, furious at her damned innocence. "I want you to stay away from him, Releena!"

"I will not."

Zeches clenched his teeth. "You will," he answered, falling back into that calm, cold stranger she'd seen with Heero. "You have to. Don't you see, Releena? That boy is more dangerous than anything you could hope to meet. He's an assassin, for God's sake! A cold hearted killer!"

"He protected me, Zeches."

"And if he's given an order to assassinate you, he would do so in a heartbeat."

"I cannot believe that! He longs for true peace as much as I do!"

"Perhaps, but it doesn't change the fact that he is still dangerous." Zeches was unrelenting. "For God's sake and your own, Releena, stop this childish obsession with that kid and grow up! He doesn't love you! He can't! He's a perfect soldier with no feelings and no responsibilities save for his damned missions! I'm sorry to put it that way, but it's true. I don't want you hurt again, so I have to be harsh. Do you understand?"

He softened his voice a bit at the last, but Releena wouldn't look at him. Sighing heavilly, Miliardo rubbed at his eyes and turned toward the door.

"Hurry and finish packing," he said softly. "I'll wait for you in the car."

'I'll wait for you...' Heero promised he would be waiting for her, and Heero always kept his promises. Releena smiled faintly as she began to pack. Miliardo was wrong. Heero did love her; he hadn't exactly said it, but she was sure he cared for her. She WOULD see him again, and no overly protective, pig headed brother would stand in her way.

God, she was beginning to sound like that obsessed little school girl again.

The flight to the Winner estate was uneventful; Releena kept to herself and ignored Zeches the whole time. They finally touched down at an airport surrounded by sand and had to take a jeep the rest of the way.

Quatre's estate, when they finally reached it, was simply staggering in terms of how huge it was. It reminded Releena of the castles the sultans used to live in, and she was impressed by both it's sheer size and it's elegance. The blond Arabian, though endlessly polite and ever humble, certainly knew how to live it up.

A servant met them at the door and showed them in, motioning to a couch and some chairs and saying he would inform Master Quatre of their arrival. Releena sank down into a cool white armchair with a relieved sigh, grateful for the chance to rest. It had been unbearably hot outside, and the air conditioner in the jeep must've had two pounds of sand in it. Not the most luxurious way for the vice foreign minister to travel, she thought wryly, and chuckled softly to herself.

A familiar shout in the outside hallway caused her to glance up, just as Duo Maxwell came flying into the room in a pair of bright red swim trunks, sopping wet and dripping water all over the smooth tile floor. Hot on his heels and equally drenched was a cursing, fuming Wufei, who, coincidentally, was NOT dressed in any kind of swimwear but still in his regular clothes, and chasing the American pilot around the room with a murderous look in his eyes. Milliardo sighed, and Releena coughed politely to muffle a loud snort of laughter. It wasn't hard to figure out what had happened.

"Oi, Wufei!" Duo was yelling between gasps of helpless laughter, keeping an elegant mahagony table between himself and the enraged Chinese boy. "Lay off already! I said it was an accident! I slipped, honest!"

"Lies!" howled the other, as they continued their ring-around-the-table, Releena and Zeches looking on in amusement. No one could be that clumsy! You will pay for your crime, Maxwell!"

"Wu-man, lighten up a little! Sheesh, you'd think I'd blown up Shenlong instead of "accidentally" pushing you into the pool. Ya shouldn't have been around the pool anyway if ya didn't want to get wet."

"Dishonorable, sneaking, lying--!"

At that moment, Quatre walked in, and prompty lost his balance on the wet tile, barely catching himself in time. Staggering upright, he quickly regained his composure and gave the two rowdy pilots a look of eternal patience.

"Miss Releena; Zeches, I'm glad you could make it," he said politely, for the benefit of Duo and Wufei as well as his other guests. The two other pilots stopped their horseplay instantly and looked in Releena's direction. Duo grinned and waved, unabashed, while Wufei scowled with embarassment and stalked out of the room.

As Quatre showed them both to their rooms, Duo followed, hovering at Releena's elbow and chattering all the way. Miliardo sighed and gave in to the inevitable. This vacation was going to be less peaceful than he expected.

He had barely completed the thought, when one of the Magnanacs rushed up to Quatre, startling them all with his urgency, and whispered something into the young master's ear. Quatre blinked, then frowned a bit as he looked to Zeches. Miliardo waited silently as the young Arabian nodded in understanding and waved the servant off, before turning to him in apology.

"Zeches, you're needed back home right away," he stated, his soft blue eyes pleading forgiveness, uncomfortable that he was the one to deliver this news. "Word came over the net, and they need you as soon as possible; it's an emergancy."

Miliardo sighed loudly, making no attempt to hide his annoyance. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Of all times....what's the quickest way back from here, Winner?"

"I'll have someone fly you back," Quatre offered, guilty that Zeches had to leave so quickly and wanting to make up for it any way he could. "At least stay for dinner; it's the least I can offer you."

Zeches shook his head. "Better leave as soon as possible," he growled, resigning himself to his fate. "Thank you, Quatre, but I think I'd better go before I get too comfortable."

"I'll come with you," Releena said, feeling that if Miliardo didn't get a well earned vacation, she shouldn't either. Differences aside, he was still her brother.

But Zeches firmly shook his head, squelching that notion immedietly. "Not a chance, Releena. You need this; doctor's orders. You're staying right here."

"Zeches--"

"No buts," he cut her off, and began striding back toward the door, where a Magnanac already waited for him. At the threshold, he turned around and gave her a wry half smile. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Take care of her, Winner." And with that, he was gone.

Quatre opened the door to her suite and showed her in. It was a cheerful room, with several large windows that showed the garden outside. Releena crossed the room and sat down on the enormous double bed with a sigh.

Quatre blinked at her. "Do you need anything else, miss Releena?"

"No, thank you, Quatre." But, as the blond pilot turned to leave, she asked: "Who else is here besides Duo and Wufei?"

"Trowa, Noin, Sally and Hilde," was the reply, much to her disappointment. As much as she loved those people, she had been hoping that someone else would make his appearance, too. She should've known better.

"Oh, and right before you arrived, I recieved a message from Heero."

Releena almost fell off the bed. "Heero?" she gasped, certain her ears were playing tricks on her.

If Quatre suspected anything, he was too polite to ask. "Yes, he contacted me just a few minutes ago. I was surprised to hear from him."

"What did he say?" Releena asked breathlessly.

Quatre blinked. "He asked if he could stay here at the estate for awhile; that he had some unfinished buisness to take care of and that he needed somewhere to bunk. Of course, I told him he was always welcome here, and that he didn't have to ask if he could stop by. Funny thing, though, he was quite adamant about having my permission before he came. I wonder what that was all about?"

Releena bit her lip. She knew exactly what that was all about, and thought it amazingly convinient that Zeches was leaving at that very moment. "Did he say when he would be over?" she asked hesitantly.

Quatre shook his blond head. Releena thought as much. Heero was always amazingly vague when it came to his whereabouts.

But, he was coming! When, she had no idea, but just the thought of him made her shiver with excitement. She could see the burning intensity of his eyes, focused on her alone; she could feel his breath on her face, his strong arms around her.

She would get no sleep tonight, that was for certain.

Dinner came and went, passing Releena in a blur of motion and laughter. She could not concentrate on her food, she could not concentrate on the subjects being discussed, she could not concentrate on her friends around her. Finally, and only when Hilde asked if she had been drinking triple expresso all day, was Releena able to calm herself down.

'Heero will be here when he gets here,' she thought, attempting to appreciate the slice of mince pie Quatre's servant lay in front of her. 'Stop acting like a bubbleheaded schoolgirl, Releena.'

She was more attentive to her surroundings after that.

Heero did not show up for dinner, nor did he appear at the small concert Quatre's more talented servants put on for their guests after the meal. And after that, the small group sat around the fire making idle chitchat and drinking very expensive wine. So it was well past midnight when Releena staggered he way up to her room, groggy and lightheaded from food, wine, and a general sense of contentment. She changed into her nightgown and was asleep almost before she hit the pillow.

In her dreams, she could see him clearly, but he was always just beyond her reach.

Miliardo was in a very bad mood when he returned to home base just before midnight. Storming into his office, he went immedietly to his desk and got his secretary on the line. She did not answer the call right away, and when her face appeared on the screen, it looked like she had been asleep.

"Right, so what's the blasted emergency?" Miliardo growled as soon as her blinking face appeared before him.

The secretary screwed up her face, peering blearily into the screen. "Sir?" she mumbled incoherently. "You're back early."

"Of course I am," Miliardo replyed, biting back the snarling retort on the tip of his tounge. "You contacted the Winner estate and said I was needed back here right away, remember? Or is this place so unorganized that no one has any idea of what is going on from one section to the next?"

"Sir, forgive me, but no one has made any attempt to contact you in the last twenty four hours. At least, not to my knowledge."

Miliardo felt his face go very still. "What are you talking about?"

The secretary gulped, noticably relieved that she was on the other end of the line. "What I said, sir. No one has tried contacting you. In fact, I was given strict orders to block all attempts to call you while you were on vacation. Everyone here agrees that you deserved a rest, sir. We were all going to leave you alone, whatever the situation."

Zeches clenched his hands so tight he felt the nails dig into his palm. "I....see. Very well then. Thank you, Mary." He terminated the connection and stood, his blood roaring in his veins.

SOMEONE had made that call; someone knowlagable enough with computers to send a false message to the Winner estate. Someone who knew he would be there. Someone who, for whatever reasons, wanted him out of the way.

Yanking open his desk drawyer, Zeches reached in and retrieved a small black handgun. He examined in momentarily, opening the chamber to check for ammo, then clicking it shut with grim satisfaction. Shoving it into his belt, he turned and stalked out of the room, a determined, chilling look in his icy blue eyes.

He stood just a few feet from her bed, his lean frame outlined in shadow, watching her sleep. She looked so peaceful when she was sleeping, with her hair spread out on the pillow and catching the light of the full moon shining through the window. The same window he had just climbed into a few minutes ago. He had crept around the estate defences rather easilly for this nocturnal visit, disdaining to wait until morning to see her. She had been on his mind ever since he'd left the Peacecraft mansion and he couldn't wait any longer. He had to see her now.

Heero frowned at his own conflicting emotions. The Perfect Soldier still nagged at him; insisting that this was wrong, demanding that he forget this distraction and return to the person he was. That was the only way to spare them both from future pain. But Heero wasn't sure he could do that anymore. Despite his best efforts, despite all his walls and barriers around his heart, Releena had somehow reached a part of him he thought was lost forever. His heart, and his soul, were laid bare now, open and vunerable to her innoncent green eyes. He no longer cared. She could do with them what she wished.

But, he was still afraid. Afraid that his darkness would drag her brilliant light down with him and extinguish it. Despite her maturity, she was still young and naive compared to him, and the horrors he had seen. It was almost laughable that she should care for someone like him. They were exact opposites: darkness and light, killer and pacifist, the soldier of war and the soldier of peace. Heero clenched his fists, gazing down at them in the dim moonlight, almost seeing the blood that stained his skin. If he touched her with those filthy, blood infested hands, would he stain her as well?

Releena suddenly whimpered in her sleep, jerking Heero from his dark thoughts and back to the present. She was moaning and tossing restlessly, her pretty face creased in a frown, quietly mumbling something under her breath.

Heero took a few steps closer, Releena whimpered again, clutching the blanket as if trying to stop someone from leaving. "N-no.....Heero," she whispered, and Heero's breath caught in his throat. "Come back.....don't leave me alone again....please."

Heero sat down beside her, wondering what he should do. He didn't want to startle her, but Releena's soft, defeated whimpers tore at his heart and were getting steadily worse. After a moment, he began gently rubbing her back. Releena flinced at his touch, but then her eyelids slowly fluttered open, focusing on his face.

"Heero?"

"Right here," he whispered, lost once more in those pools of green. Releena leveled herself up to face him; her presence just a few suffocating inches away. Heero swallowed out of nervous habit. So close, they were too close...

"You came?" Releena murmured, touching the side of his face, as if to make sure this wasn't a dream, and Heero shuddered inside at what a simple touch could do to him.

"I said I would, didn't I?" he whispered, his voice husky.

She held his gaze, her eyes shining with pure love, and Heero couldn't resist any longer. With his heart pounding in his ears, he leaned forward, seeing her eyes widen, and gently touched his lips to hers. She stiffened for the barest fraction of a second, then her arms came up around his neck and she was pulling him closer. Heero's stomach jumped and he followed suit, molding her delicate body to his and deepening the kiss as his hands stroaked her back. Releena ran her fingers through his hair and under his tanktop and Heero felt like he was drowning. When she began lightly tracing his ribs under his shirt, he shuddered violently and pulled back, breathing hard.

"Too fast?" Releena whispered, her green eyes clouded with passion, but worried just the same.

Heero shook his head numbly. "Just....not used to it," he panted. Releena gave him an almost playful smile and brushed away the bangs that had fallen into his eyes.

"We'll have to remedy that, won't we?" she murmured, touching her forehead to his, her breath warm against his face. Heero smiled and took her lips again in a very deep, passionate kiss, before pulling gently away and getting to his feet.

"Leaving again, are you?" Releena smiled at him, not the least bit accussary. Her eyes practically glowed as she stood to face him as well.

"I think I'd better say goodnight, Releena." Heero tried to keep his voice level and succeeded for once, though his very being was thrumming like a live wire. And when Releena stepped close to him and put her arms around his waist, he very nearly lost his willpower again.

"Will you be here, tomorrow?" she asked plaintively. He knew what she was thinking; that he would disappear on her like he did all those times in the past. There was a momentary pang of regret to know that she would probably carry that fear around for a long time. He would have to work hard to prove that he wasn't going to walk out on her, never again.

"I'll be here."

She smiled and released him. "Goodnight, then, Heero. See you in the morning." She started to turn back toward the bed, but Heero caught her and drew her back for one last, very gentle kiss.

"Goodnight, Releena. Until tomorrow."

And then he was gone.

The tall, black haired man smiled evilly as he stared at the Winner estate through the binoculars. 'Finally found you, boy. And you as well, miss Peacecraft. Well, enjoy yourselves while you can. For soon, you will be at my mercy.'

Loud manical laughter suddenly echoed throughout the peaceful desset silence.