This is really a simple story. I don't know why I made it complex. Maybe I'm really just into twists and ironies. For comments, suggestions or reviews you can email me at raizenheero@aol.com .

AC 198

Nine shadowy figures met in secret. The guy who appeared to be the mastermind said, "We only have barely more than a month left. We need to find him. Fast."

The person beside him replied, "But how? The last time anyone has seen him was during the Marimeia incident. And since then, it seems like he just vanished from the face of the Earth and the colonies!"

"Yeah. We've been looking for him for over a year now and still we couldn't find even a small trace of him."

"There's nothing unusual about that. It is Heero Yuy we're talking about. If he doesn't want to be found, there's no chance in the whole world that we could find him."

"So why do we still bother looking for him if that's the case?" the guy next to her snorted.

"Because the plan wouldn't work without him," the person opposite him answered, sneaking a glance at the silent figure sitting in the corner. Sensing the glance, the figure told them, "Maybe we should just forget about looking for him. We could find another person to fill his place."

"No!" the mastermind replied. "With all nine of us working together, we could find him. Besides, I really don't believe that just anyone can fill his place, do you?"

"No," the other figure silently admitted.

The mastermind smiled. "See? I, for one, would only want him for the position I intended him for. And I know that if that's what I feel, you feel 5x as much. And the sooner we find him, the better we could prepare. Any suggestions on how to find our elusive mouse?"

The guy who snorted earlier replied, "We've been doing it all wrong. If we kept looking, we'll never find him. What we need to do is to lure him out."

"I agree," the guy leaning on the wall said. "With the right motivation, Heero will willingly show himself."

"What kind of motivation are you talking about?" the person next to him asked.

"He might be the Perfect Soldier but he still has one weakness. We could use that one weakness of his to our advantage."

"You mean we're going to use Miss Relena as bait?" another guy asked, his blue eyes flashing with disbelief.

"Yes."

"Don't you think it's a way overboard?" the person next to the mastermind queried.

"I thought you all want to find him. Desperate times call for desperate measures. We're running out of time and that's the quickest, not to mention the only way to make him come out," the guy who suggested to lure Heero out answered.

"Are you all going to agree with this?" the guy with the blue eyes inquired.

All of them glanced first at the silent figure sitting at the corner, the one who suggested earlier to just stop looking for him. When they saw that the person agrees with the whole bait thing, everyone nodded their consent.

"Now that we all agreed to our course of action, let's talk about our plan," the mastermind suggested.

3 days after...

"Now for the top stories. We just confirmed reports that there was a failed assassination attempt on Vice Foreign Minister Relena Darlian last night. " A picture of Relena was shown on the screen. "This was the first time her life was endangered after the coup of Christmas Eve AC 196. She was in the middle of delivering her speech during the monthly ESUN Council meeting here on Earth when an unknown assassin fired at her. Fortunately, 20-yr old Colony delegate Jared Bentley saw the assassin at the balcony and pushed her out of harm's way. " A picture of a handsome man with brown hair and piercing blue eyes was shown. "But the assassin was never captured. There are rumors that an insurgent group is planning another war, that's why they wanted to remove the Vice Foreign Minister out of the way. But Lady Une of the Preventers assured the public that there's nothing to worry about. There's no insurgent group and that it's just a random assassination attempt. But the Preventers are certain that the assassin might come back to finish the job that's why they placed Miss Relena under the best security they could ever provide. We are all hoping that the assassin will be captured before Miss Relena's 18th birthday party, which will be held a month from now. For the other news"

Heero turned off the TV and glanced at the calendar. Hn. It's time, he told himself. He went to his laptop and dialed a number. The image of his boss appeared on the screen.

"Heero, what can I do for you?"

*******************

Eight shadowy figures met in secret again. "Are you guys sure it'll work?"

"Absolutely. Heero wouldn't take any chances with regards to Relena's safety," the guy next to her answered.

The figure sitting opposite him voiced out, "But it's been 2 weeks and there's still no sign of him. Maybe he didnt hear about it or he smelled a trap so he's still hiding."

"He's out of hiding alright. I bet he's watching over Relena as we speak. In the shadows of course," another figure said.

"That's why we should be extra careful. One wrong move and we'll be busted. We don't want him to suspect, do we?"

"I still think this is a bad idea. You all know how thorough Heero is. He'll find out sooner or later."

"He has a point, you know. I'm having doubts about this too. If Mr. Perfect Soldier finds out about this scheme, we'll all be dead," the person beside the mastermind added.

"There's no need to worry. As long as we stick with the plan, everything will turn out fine," the mastermind assured them. He then grinned, "Besides, Phase II is proceeding smoothly. Tomorrow night, we'll have Heero where we want him."

On Mars...

Zechs stopped flipping the channels when he saw the live transmission of the Peace Gala in L4. He watched intently as Relena stepped out of her limo, being helped by a brown-haired guy with blue eyes glinting in the dark. Behind them were Duo, Hilde, Trowa, Catherine, Wufei and Sally. "We are here live at the Winner Mansion in L4 Colony for the Peace Gala being thrown by the young multi-billionaire Quatre Raberba Winner. As you can all see, the first ones to arrive were Vice Foreign Minister Relena Darlian, her escort, Jared Bentley and their friends," the lady reporter said. Relena smiled and waved as she and Jared walked on the red carpet towards the Mansion, the 3 other couples trailing behind them. "Ever since Mr. Bentley saved Miss Relena from being assassinated in the last Council Meeting, those two had grown closer. Reports had said that they had been going out for the last 2 weeks. Also, rumors were heard about some kind of engagement that will be announced on Miss Relena's birthday. We will find out if the rumors are true or not 2 weeks from now when we cover Miss Relena's 18th birthday live from the Peacecraft Palace. Unfortunately, we wouldn't have the same priviledge here when Mr. Winner banned all press from covering the Peace Gala inside once it started." The reporter then spotted the next limo. "Here comes another important guest of Mr. Winner"

Noin turned to her husband and said, "Zechs, do you think it's time---"

"For us to go back to Earth?" he finished for her. Zechs reached out and patted Noin's enlarged abdomen. They only had to wait another three months for them to see the new addition to their family. "That will be nice. I want our child to be born in the same place I was born, in the Sanc Kingdom. I'm sure Relena will be glad to know that she'll be an aunt and that we'll be able to attend her 18th birthday party."

"Aside from the fact that you want to check out that Jared Bentley guy, hmm," Noin said with a smile.

Zechs grinned sheepishly. "That too. " His face then grew serious. "There's something about that guy, the rumors about the engagement and the failed assassination attempt on Relena that makes me uneasy. Everything is so sudden, I can't help but think that they're all scripted. Or connected for that matter."

Noin laughed. "Being a typical over-protective brother are we? Don't be so paranoid. If there's something wrong about the whole situation, Quatre and the others would have known it by now. You know that those kids have kept close correspondence and that they're all close friends. They won't let anything happen to Relena. Aside from that, Lady Une told us that because Relena refused to be under the Preventers' 24/7 surveillance, Duo, Trowa, Quatre, Wufei and Sally volunteered to be in-charge of Relena's safety until that unknown assassin is captured. And even if something got passed them, we can always count on Heero to be the last line of defense. I'm sure that when he heard Relena is in danger, he went out of hiding and immediately ran to where she is so he could protect her. So you see, there's nothing to worry about."

"Maybe," Zechs answered. I really hope you're right, Noin, about me just being paranoid. But still, I have to make sure. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "Pack your things then get some rest. We'll be leaving tomorrow."

At the Peace Gala...

Intense Prussian blue eyes watched Relena from the shadows as she laughed with Jared, Quatre, Dorothy, Duo, Hilde, Trowa, Catherine, Wufei and Sally at their table. For the past 15 days, Heero never let Relena out of his sight, making sure that the assassin wouldn't get the opportunity of finishing what he had started. Though he knew that Duo, Trowa, Quatre, Wufei and Sally were more than capable of protecting her, one can never be too sure. Relena was just too important to lose, and he would do anything in his power to protect her. But to be honest, he had some other personal reasons why he kept watching over her. He couldn't explain it but there was something about Relena that made him feel at peace with himself, made him feel at ease with everything around him. And the idea of seeing her again in person after a long time was something he just couldn't resist.

He saw Trowa and Wufei stand up and leave the ballroom, probably to get some fresh air. Immediately after the two disappeared from view, two men from the nearby table who had been eyeing Catherine and Sally all night went to their table and asked the two women to dance. Catherine and Sally readily accepted their invitation so the four of them headed to the dance floor. Duo and Hilde, Quatre and Dorothy decided to follow suit. Jared then took Relena's hand and led her to the dance floor to join their friends. Heero's eyes narrowed. He didn't know why he felt weird everytime he sees Relena with Jared, especially if they were having fun. Well, he started having weird, unexplained feelings since the day he met Relena, but this was different. Maybe because there's something wrong about this whole situation, particularly that guy, he told himself. This might be true, for his instincts had never failed him before but deep down, he knew that it was not the entire reason why he was feeling this way.

Since I met you I've begun to feel so strange
Everytime I speak your name
You say that you are so helpless too
That you don't know what to do

Heero saw Relena clasped her hands around Jared's neck, settling her head against his chest as they swayed to the music. He suddenly had this urge to turn around and walk away. But he just ignored it and continued watching her. Relena's safety was more important than whatever urge or feelings he was having.

Each night I pray there will never come a day
When you up and take your love away
Say you feel the same way too and I wonder what
It is I feel for you

His face remained neutral though his breath became irregular as he watched Jared whisper something on Relena's ear, making Relena blush and slap him playfully on the shoulders. He couldn't understand why he was this affected, why he was feeling something akin to pain gnawing at his heart and his whole body when he didn't have any wounds. He experienced different kinds of pain before, in fact, he was trained to tolerate tremendous amounts of pain than an average person. But this pain was different. Come to think of it, everything was different with regards to Relena. She defied everything he had ever known, she was an exception to every rule. Then it hit him.

Could it be I'm falling in love (with you baby)
Could it be I'm falling in love (ooh)
Could it be I'm falling in love
With you, with you, with you, with you

Heero's gaze softened as realization dawned on him. Coming into a decision, he went out of the shadows and started walking towards the pair. Suddenly, he saw metal glinting above them as a dark, hooded figure aimed his gun at Relena.

"RELENA!" Heero yelled, whipping out his gun and firing at the assassin. Everyone inside the ballroom dropped to the ground and covered their heads. The assassin dodged, managing to avoid getting hit in a critical area, the bullet hitting him in the shoulder instead. Heero was about to fire again when a shot was heard from behind him, making his gun fly away from his grasp. At the corner of his eye, he saw another hooded figure standing at the 2nd floor opposite the first assassin. With no other choice left, he ran towards Relena and shoved her to the floor, covering her with his body. He waited for the volley of bullets to pierce his body. But it never came. Heero looked up and saw the two assassins gone.

Duo, Quatre, Hilde, Dorothy, Sally and Catherine immediately ran to where Heero, Relena and Jared were.

"Heero, buddy, are you ok?" Duo asked.

"Hn," Heero answered as he went on his feet and helped Relena up. "Protect Relena. I'm going after them."

"No, Heero. Relena will be safer if you stay here with her," Quatre told him. "Sally, go with Duo. Find Trowa and Wufei on your way out so they can help with the search," he instructed. Sally and Duo nodded then ran out of the room, guns in hand. Hearing the panicked murmurs of the guests, Quatre turned to look at Catherine and Hilde and asked, "Can you two help me and Dorothy with the guests?"

"Sure," Hilde said just as Catherine replied, "No problem."

The three girls spread out, helping those who were still on the ground to stand up and assuring them that everything was fine while Quatre headed to the podium, also calming down the guests he passed by. When he reached the podium, he tapped the mike once before speaking. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I deeply apologize for the scene earlier. We made all the necessary precautions to avoid something like that to happen but I guess the precautions we made were still not enough. But everything is under control. As of this moment, Preventer agents are in pursuit of the assassins. Is anybody hurt?" Quatre asked as he scanned the crowd. Everyone seemed to be fine. Quatre smiled. "In that case, let the party continue," he said, glancing at the orchestra. Music once again filled the room and knowing that everything was back to normal, everybody resumed what they were doing before the shooting.

While Quatre, Dorothy, Hilde and Catherine walked away to help the guests, Relena watched Heero leave her side to retrieve something a few feet away --- his gun. After tucking the gun inside his dinner jacket, he went back and stood in front of her.

"Heero," Relena said, smiling brightly at him. He was much taller than the last time she saw him and if possible, even more handsome. His shoulders were broader, his face more mature though it retained some of its boyish quality. But even with that unruly chocolate brown hair of his always falling on his face, it would never conceal his beautiful blue eyes from her. She could still see the same intense expression in their very depths. After all this time, it didn't change. And she doubted that it ever will.

"Relena," Heero answered, his breath caught by the sight of her. She had grown taller, though she only reached up just below his chest. Her hair was longer, her face lost its childish quality and he couldn't help but notice that her body had filled out in the right places. Sure, he had seen her frequently on TV and in newspapers and he had been watching her this past 15 days. But not this close. Never this close. He could simply raise a finger to touch her, if ever he got the urge to do so. Heero sighed inwardly. He had forgotten the effect she had on him. Being near her had always made him feel happy.

I don't need all the things that used to bring me joy
You made me such a happy boy
And honey you'll always be the only one for me
Meeting you was my destiny

Prussian met sky blue as the two stared into each other's eyes, both oblivious to everything but themselves. Jared watched the pair with fascination. All that they said to each other were their names and yet it seemed like they had said so much more. I bet they didn't hear what Quatre just said in the microphone, he thought. When he saw that the two had no inclination whatsoever of coming out of their own private world, Jared cleared his throat and extended a hand. "Hi. I want to thank you for saving Relena's life."

Heero jerked his head in his direction and regarded him coldly, ignoring his outstretched hand. Jared smiled uneasily as he lowered his hand. Relena jumped to the introductions. "Jared, this is Heero Yuy. Heero, this is Jared Bentley."

Heero nodded at him then turned his attention to the door. He saw Duo, Trowa, Wufei and Sally entered the ballroom and headed toward them. Quatre and the three girls joined them too. Catherine ran to her brother when she noticed that Trowa was not wearing his dinner jacket anymore and there was a lump on his shoulder caused by a bandage underneath his dress shirt. There were also some bloodstains in the area of the lump.

"Trowa, are you alright?" Catherine asked worriedly.

"I'm ok, Cathy. Sally already took care of it. Besides, you know that I've been through worse," Trowa assured her.

"What happened?" Dorothy asked.

"We were chasing the assassins when they fired at us. Trowa got hit on the shoulder," Wufei informed them.

"What about the assassins?" Heero inquired.

"We lost them," Sally answered.

"Did you get a positive id, some clues who might they be or why they want to kill Relena?" Heero inquired again.

"Nope. Sorry," Duo replied.

"So what do we do now?" Hilde asked.

"I think there's nothing we could do now," Jared told them. "Let's just be glad that nobody was hurt and that the assassins failed in their mission once again." He then offered a hand to Relena. "May I have this dance?" he asked, smiling charmingly at her.

Relena smiled back, though she made a sideways glance at Heero. The others did the same.

"No. I'll have this dance," Heero said, taking Relena's hand. And before anybody could protest or react, Heero had led her to the dance floor.

One of Quatre's sisters, 20-yr old Varie Winner appeared beside Jared. "So he's Heero Yuy," Jared commented. "I can clearly see why Relena is so enamored about him."

Varie mock-glared at him. "Don't get any ideas, Jared," she warned her bestfriend.

Jared laughed. "Don't worry, I won't. " He turned to look at Quatre. "Now that Heero had come out of hiding, does it mean that this whole charade is over?"

Quatre smiled at him. "I guess so. Thanks for your help, Jared."

"Yeah. Thanks for being a good sport and for involving yourself even at the last minute," Duo added.

"You're really good at this charming-knight-in-shining-armor-kind of thing. I'm impressed. Imagine, you made Heero jealous," Dorothy said.

Jared chuckled. "Glad I could help. So he is jealous. I never would have guessed he's jealous of me by just looking at his face but there's no doubt that he resents me. I can feel it in my bones. If only he knew the truth. And speaking of the truth, I'll miss hanging out with you guys."

"Our little operation might be over but who said that you can't hang out with us anymore?" Sally remarked.

"Sally is right. You're always welcome to hang out with us," Hilde offered.

"Thanks. I like that." Jared then turned to Varie. "You promised me a dance. It's time to fulfill your promise, Varie."

"Sure. I'll be glad too," Varie answered and the two of them walked towards the dancefloor. Trowa and the others, on the other hand, opted to just sit on their table and rest. They had a full night.

Relena looked up at Heero as they swayed to the music. She still couldn't believe that he was finally here, that she was finally with him. Wufei's suggestion to stop looking for him and just lure him out worked like a charm. And even though she was not crazy about Trowa's idea of using her as a bait, she was thankful that it actually worked. The knowledge that Heero will willingly show himself and rush to her rescue somehow warmed her heart, though it also saddened her. She didn't know if he cared enough about her to be worried about her safety or if he was more worried on what will happen to the fragile peace they had all worked hard in attaining if something ever happens to her. Relena sighed. Maybe she wouldn't really know. She mentally shrugged these thoughts away, concentrating on the handsome boy holding her close. If finding him was that difficult then the next part would be even more so. Here goes nothing, she said to herself.

"How are you, Heero?"

"Ok."

"I haven't seen you in a while. What have you been up too?"

"Stuff."

"Like what?"

"You know. Ordinary stuff."

"Oh," Relena said, stalling for time. "Umm, I'll be 18 soon. My birthday will be next, next week."

"I know."

Relena's heart jumped. So he still remembers, she thought. "Are you going to stay 'til then?"

"Hn."

Knowing that her next question will be harder, Relena took a deep breath first before speaking. "Since you're going to be there on my birthday, can I ask you to be, uhh, my, umm, escort?"

Heero continued on staring intently at her.

Relena bit her lip. "I know you don't like socializing that much so it's fine with me if you refuse. I could just ask Jar---"

"No. I'll be your escort," Heero cut her off gruffly.

"Are you sure?"

"Hn."

You can be sure I will never let you down
When you need me I will be around
And darling you'll always be the only one for me
Heaven made you especially

Relena beamed at him, happy that he readily agreed. Suddenly, a shadow crossed her face as a stray thought came into her mind. She then looked down. "That way you can guard me easily and more efficiently. That's the reason you agreed to be my escort, isn't it, Heero?" she silently asked.

Her tone caused a pang in his heart. With his fingers, he gently lifted her chin so he could gaze into her eyes. "That's not the reason, Relena. This is," he said softly as he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.

Could it be I'm falling in love
Could it be I'm falling in love

NEXT... You don't think Heero wouldn't discover their little scheme do ya? What will Heero do to them when he finds out the truth?