The Trust of a Lifetime

By Lady Saffir

DISCLAIMER: The following fic, with characters not belonging to me, by the way, is um.... dealing with adult themes. The rating is what it is because of what the story deals with. So please, proceed accordingly, and above all...DO NOT READ IF THE IDEA OF RAPE DEEPLY DISTURBS YOU.

RATING: R

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Relena sighed as she looked up at her husband. Their conflicting duties had once more pulled them in opposite directions, and this time there was no way around it. Heero was off to Japan to speak about his memories of the war, while she herself was off to America to speak about HER memories of the war. Why couldn't the other delegates understand the fact that they needed time to remember their own private memories of how THEY first met. And to remember other loved ones, Relena thought. This time of year was always hardest for her. Because four days after they celebrated their first meeting, they mourned the loss of Relena's adopted father.

"I'm not allowing you to get on that plane, Heero Yuy," she said, her words muffled by the folds of his shirt. The sudden desperate urge to permanently attach herself to Heero came to the fore, and only with a vicious mental stomp was Relena able to flatten the idea.

Hearing a sigh, she raised her head, only to find herself once more being crushed to his muscular body. Distantly feeling Heero's jaw work as he spoke, the attempt to once more look up was rewarded this time with success.

"What?"

Giving the petite woman a small smile, Heero repeated himself.

"I'm honestly going to miss you."

Words, along with tears, clogged Relena's throat. While they were often traveling because of their respective jobs, she had always been the one to profess her disappointment at their situation. While Heero had always taken it in stride.

Wordlessly, Relena pulled him down to give him a parting kiss he wouldn't forget. His arms automatically locked about her small form, crushing her body against his. With a mental sigh Relena pulled away, reaching up a hand to gently brush his way-ward bangs out of his eyes.

"Get going, you, or I will expressly forbid you to leave." Relena ordered firmly, trying to keep the waver out of her voice. Good grief, you'd think that they'd never been apart for a week, with the way they were acting.

Heero smiled gently, then bent to place a kiss on her forehead.

"Yes, ma'am, Princess. Your wish is my command."

"Well, in that case..." she drawled, laughing at his expression. Giving him one more hug, she pushed away from him.

"All right, enough mushy stuff. I'll call you when I get there, and I'm sure that you'll have Gavin checking in every hour."

Gavin, the bodyguard that Heero insisted Relena take with her, stepped forward when he heard his name.

"Don't worry, sir. I won't let anything happen to Miss Relena while you're gone," the young man said respectfully. Inwardly he was seething though. HIM, the top of his class, demoted to baby-sitting a spoiled princess. He didn't care how important the woman was, it had been humiliating to receive this assignment.

Steeling himself, Gavin was able to keep from flinching when the older man turned to look at him.

"See that you do," he said coldly, effortlessly reverting back to the 'Perfect Soldier'.

And just as effortlessly, he became the loving man that Relena knew he was. Pulling his wife close for a kiss. Closing his eyes to fully enjoy the brief moment, he broke the kiss, then strode toward the waiting plane without a backward glance.

"I love you," Relena whispered to his retreating figure.

Gavin was some how able to abstain from gagging at the sight before his eyes. Jesus, you'd think that they were never going to see each other again!

"Miss Relena, it's time for your flight," he reminded her, steering her in the direction of her own plane. Outwardly he was attentive to Relena's every whim, but mentally he was planning his revenge against his superior officer.

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Relena sighed, rubbing her temples to keep the headache at bay. The entire day had been sent speaking of her late father, and it had taken all of Relena's diplomatic training not to burst into tears. She had made it back to her bedroom successfully, but now, in the privacy of her suite, she could feel the mental barriers that she had erected about the painful memory crumbling under the stress.

Blinking painfully, Relena was determined to keep from crying. Crying was for those that could afford it, and at this point she couldn't. In one hour she was to attend a memorial banquet, and was expected to deliver the opening address.

'I don't wanna!' her mind stubbornly insisted, causing Relena to smile in spite of herself. She wished that she could be so childish. The sound of the vidscreen interrupted her thoughts, and it was with her first genuine smile of the week that Relena greeted her caller.

"Heero!" she happily exclaimed, practically rushing to get closer to the screen. Because of their hectic schedules, they had only managed their traditional good nights, with a few words exchanged between.

Allowing one of his rare smiles to peak through, Heero returned her greeting. He was calling to make Relena think that he was still tied up in meetings and wouldn't be able to speak to her until they both returned home.

However, he, along with all of their friends, were on a direct flight to meet up with her. Her birthday was tomorrow, and there was no way he was allowing her twenty-first birthday to pass without a murmur.

"Hi yourself," he returned, truly glad to know that in less than six hours he would be by her side once again. Every time he was called away, the unexplainable fear that something would happen to her sprouted, leaving Heero with a lingering fear that took days to dissipate. And for some reason the feeling had doubled, and refused to leave him.

Listening intently to her babble, Heero broke in when she paused to take a breath. He knew what was going to happen when he told her the 'bad news', and he really wasn't looking forward to it.

"Relena, listen to me. I've only got a few moments before I have to return to the meetings. I was just calling to let you know that I won't be able to meet up with you the day after tomorrow. Something's come up, and I have to stay and take care of some things."

Inwardly flinching at her crestfallen look, Heero couldn't help but try and cheer her up.

"I promise when I see you that you won't regret the delay," he teased, trying to draw a smile out of her. His plan only worked slightly, but at least it was a smile.

"I love you," was Relena's only reply.

"And I love you, but now I have to go. Be good," he commanded, before terminating the link between them.

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As he was escorting Relena into the ballroom, Gavin was mentally going over his plan. Heero wasn't due back for another two days, which gave him plenty of time to complete his plan and disappear.

Throughout the banquet and dance, Gavin remained the ever-attentive bodyguard, personally seeing to Relena's needs. As the night wore on, he couldn't help but be impressed at the Vice-Foreign Minister's alcohol tolerance. After five glasses of wine she had yet to show any side effects, but Gavin could detect small changes in her behavior.

Deciding that now was the time to act, he bent to whisper in the smiling woman's ear.

"Miss Relena, are you ready to leave? You look a bit flushed," he prompted, hoping she would take the subtle hint.

Smiling gratefully upwards, Relena nodded before excusing herself from the conversation around her. The other ministers nodded their goodnights, then returned to the conversation at hand.

Leading the way up the stairs, Gavin silently opened the door of Relena's suite, not bothering to turn on the lights. Sensing the woman behind him, he turned suddenly, crushing the slight form against him. At her indignant squeak, he chuckled, the sound sending chills down Relena's spine.

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Heero grinned in anticipation, hardly able to contain his excitement. The look on Relena's face was going to be priceless, which was the only reason that he had allowed Duo to tag along with a camera.

Rounding the corner that led to Relena's apartments, Heero stopped when a sound filtered through his mind.

Listening intently, Heero waited for the sound to repeat itself, then took off running as he realized who was making that sound, what that sound meant. It was the sound that he dreaded hearing, and never wanted to hear, but unconsciously he sent a prayer of thanks upward that he was here in time to save Relena.

Duo chased after his friend, taking up a position on the other side of the doorway. Silent understanding passed between the two men before Heero viciously kicked the door in.

The sight that greeted their eyes provoked only one emotion in the two men.

Rage. Pure, undiluted rage flew through their systems, each man struggling to maintain control.

But it wasn't easy, the balancing of control. And in the circumstance, a lesser man would have crumbled against the onslaught, and given in. However, years of training had taught Heero and Duo self-control, but never had the practice taken this form. And the thought flitted through the two men's mind that their control was about to break. And after that came the thought that perhaps a loss of control would be justified in this instance.

For before their horrified eyes, Relena Darlian Peacecraft-Yuy lay on the floor, clothing shredded beyond recognition. Pools of blood were beginning to form underneath her still form, a cut on her cheek bleeding profusely. That wasn't the cause of their rage though.

No, the two men were used to the sight of blood, even that of a loved one. Each knew the price, and they, along with their beloveds, had early on accepted the price of their identities. Their life would never be entirely their own, but each found a way to live in spite of everything.

What had the two men seeing red, although Heero's was steadily progressing to blackness, was the blood that was pooling between Relena's legs. Multiple cuts and bruises crossed the tender flesh of her inner thighs. More blood was slowly leaking from the cleft between her thighs, causing a hot rage to begin boiling through Heero's bloodstream. The man that had caused this would not live through the night.

Motioning Duo to stand guard, Heero dropped down beside his wife, swiftly checking for signs of life. Re-assured at the slight throb beneath his fingers, he bent to check her injuries, wincing as Relena cried out in her unconscious state at his probing.

Tearing the blanket from the bed, Heero gently covered her still form, taking care to place no pressure on any inured area. A warning growl from Duo had Heero on his feet in a flash, gun drawn and safety off. The sight before him caused white spots to flash across his vision.

There, lounging in the doorway, was Gavin Hayes, the man that he had trusted to guard his love. And splattered across the younger man's clothes were spots of blood, which had dried to match the color of Relena's.

"OMAE O KOROSU!"

Lunging for the other man, Heero stopped when Gavin pulled a gun.

"Oh, I don't think so, SIR," he sneered, focusing the sights of the gun on Heero's chest.

"And I wouldn't think of trying anything," he drawled, tossing a look at Duo.

Heero snarled, trying unsuccessfully to tamp down his rage. He knew the emotion of hatred, of anger...but never in his life had he felt like this. The feelings that coursed through his blood seemed to whisper that he could rip this man apart with his bare hands. And that same feeling whispered of invincibility, leading Heero to toss caution to the wind.

About to speak, Gavin turned to shoot at Duo, catching the other man in the thigh. Quickly turning back to face Heero, he listened with half an ear to Duo's grunts of pain.

"I would suggest that you stay out of this, Duo, unless you want me to shatter both of your knee-caps," Gavin suggested, as he and Heero began to circle each other warily.

Never taking his gaze off of the other man, Heero issued a command.

"Duo, watch over Relena."

About to protest, Duo abruptly shut his mouth, painfully crawling over to where the inert body of his friend lay.

The circling continued for several minutes before Gavin abruptly stopped.

"Come now, Heero. Let us settle this like gentlemen. I challenge you to a duel."

Heero's gaze hardened.

"You have no right, but I accept. A question: where are you planning on getting the swords though?"

With a bark of laughter, Gavin pointed to the far wall, where a pair of fencing rapiers rested.

"I anticipated your early arrival, and took steps to insure my survival," he taunted, sauntering over to pick up a sword. Tossing it to the other man, Gavin picked up his own, then turned to face Heero once more, dropping into the fighting stance.

Simultaneously the two men rushed at each other, viciously hacking away at the other's defense. Ignoring the sweat that had begun to bead on his forehead, Gavin couldn't resist the chance to taunt his supposed 'mentor.'

"I can see why you married the little sniveling princess. Quite a peach, isn't she? Oh, a pretty face, I'll give you that, but really - aside from the face and the body, who could possibly find that little snob interesting?"

Heero allowed the words to be absorbed into his mind, but didn't allow the emotions that rose up to blind him to his target. This man, this man that he had trusted to guard his love, had brutally ripped a part of his heart out, and while Heero was no stranger to pain, this feeling of heartache was almost more than he could bear. Catching sight of Duo pulling the still unconscious Relena close to him prompted Heero to redouble his efforts.

Silence prevailed for another minute before Gavin tried another tactic.

"Really, SIR, do you think that you can beat me? Even though you were a Gundam Pilot, you've slipped. Three years ago, would you have even ignored the chance that something like this could happen? And besides, you taught me everything I know - as have all the pilots. No," he said with mock thoughtfulness, "I don't think you're going to win. And do you know what I'm going to do after I kill you? I'm going to kill Duo over there, and slowly torture Relena."

Heero snarled, swiping without finesse at his opponent.

"Why? What has she done to you to cause this blind hatred?"

"Why sir, you surprise me! It is obvious that you think so little of my abilities. I mean, asking ME to play nursemaid? I think it is beneath my abilities. And so, you, and she, must pay for this insult to my honor."

Now losing all pretense at maintaining a traditional form, Heero began to hack at his enemy's defense, gradually wearing through.

"No. You mistake my actions. I allow no one to guard Relena unless I hold them in the highest esteem. It is YOU who have insulted my honor."

Seeing a hole in Gavin's defense, Heero literally leapt at the opportunity that presented itself. Flinging his body against that of the younger man's, Heero used his forward momentum to pin Gavin against the wall.

Fear had wormed its way into Gavin's eyes, and for the first time he questioned what would happen if he lost. And finding the answer, he fought to free himself.

Heero easily kept Gavin against the wall, one arm pressing against his throat.

"You forgot something, Gavin. You were right when you said that I taught you everything you know." Bearing down, Heero grimly smiled as Gavin began to gasp for air.

"But I didn't teach you everything I knew," he hissed, about to deliver the killing blow. As he prepared to swing, he pronounced his judgement.

"For an attack on the royal family of the Sanq Kingdom, and your lack of honor, I hereby renounce any titles that you have earned, and strip you of rank. As is my right, given by Milliardo Peacecraft, the true Monarch of the Sanq Family, I pronounce your death sentence, effective immediately."

"Hee...ro?"

The sound of Relena's voice stopped Heero in mid-swing, but the enraged man did not lose his grip. He knew what she was about to say, so he beat her to the punch.

"Relena...I must."

Ignoring her whimper of pain, he began to swing again, only to once more be stopped by a single word.

"...please..."

Sanity returned in a rush, although the rage didn't recede as easily. He released his grip on the other man, turning as he spoke.

"It appears that you will have to await another's judgement."

About to speak to Relena, Heero saw Duo's eyes widen. Without thought, Heero turned, reflexively bringing up the point of his sword.

The shocked gaze of Gavin Hayes trailed down the hilt of Heero's sword, to where the thin metal pierced his chest. A trail of blood began to pour out of his mouth, silently dripping down his chest. The 'plit, plat' of blood hitting the wooden floor was the only sound in the deathly silent room.

Moments later, the sound of Gavin Hayes lifeless body hitting the floor followed.

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All right, it is finished. I, having drunk a pot of extra super strong coffee, apparently waved a big red flag for my muse to come and whisper not so sweet words into my ear. But please, tell me what you thought. I enjoy talking to people about what my stories evoke in the reader, so feel free to type away.

*Eh hem*

Ya know, I don't think that's the sound my computer makes when I receive e-mail....

Heero -You'd better start talking....