The man sat staring at the television screen, listening to the speech of a young honey-blonde, blue-eyed girl. Her speech is all about the recent coup-de-etat, what it is all about and how it was foiled. But the girl is not merely retelling the events nor just asking the public to forgive a disillusioned little girl who was used as a pawn by her own grandfather. She's also trying to convey a very important message - that maintaining peace is harder than achieving it and that everyone should do their part in maintaining peace, not just the ESUN officials, the Preventers, the soldiers or the Gundam pilots. The audience cheered and applauded, hope filling their hearts as they welcome a new era of peace. A world where there are no more weapons to be used against one another, where there are no more boundaries between nations, and where the thirst for war and bloodlust are gone for good.

"So you too, Dekim, had failed," the man said, leaning backwards to his chair. "It's all up to me now, then." He turned his head to the side and said, "Commence Phase I of Operation Domino."

In the shadows, a figure leaning on the wall with arms crossed answered, "Nimnu Ryoukai," in a monotonous voice, then left.

Relena happily but guiltily walked down the street. She sneaked out earlier from her office in the Peacecraft Palace after putting a sleeping drug on both her bodyguards' coffee. I know that they're just being cautious and that they only mean well but I need time for myself, by myself, Relena thought. And I cant have that quiet time with those bodyguards hovering around me all the time. They should learn to let up once in a while so I wouldn't have to resort to drastic measures.

She continued walking, smiling at other passers-by, glancing around, looking at stores then abruptly stopped when something caught her eye. In one of the store windows, a brown bear with a red ribbon around its neck is sitting in the middle of a sea of many other white bears. Relena smiled. She cant help but think of HIM whenever she sees a bear. A Prussian blue-eyed, brown-haired HIM. It has been a month since she last saw him, resting peacefully on a hospital bed after the incident. Then out-of-the blue, he disappeared again. The whole gang was a little hurt (and a little pissed, mind you) when they learned that he left again without even saying goodbye. Especially Duo. But not her. Because in his own way, she knew, he had said goodbye to her. She remembered feeling his presence when she was delivering her speech. She knew without looking that he's there, and that he's leaving again. She didn't mind his leaving. She knows that he still has some issues that he has to face alone and that he still has to learn how to live and adjust to a world with no more battles to be fought.

"We'll see each other again," she said to herself reassuringly. "Our destinies have been intertwined from the beginning. He'll be back. My Heero will be back." She stared wistfully at the bear one last time before continuing on her way.

Why is it that all of the important men in my life are always being taken away from me, in one way or the other? Relena mused. Her foster father, the former Vice Foreign Minister, was assassinated, her brother, Milliardo Peacecraft (also known to the world as Zechs Merquise) went to Mars for the terraforming project with Noin and lastly, Heero. But unlike before, she's not asking the others for information on his whereabouts. But she kept close correspondence with these people whom she met during the war. They became close since the last threat to peace and at long last, she found a few people whom she can call her true friends --- Duo, Hilde, Trowa, Catherine, Quatre, Dorothy, Sally, Lady Une and even Wufei. Also, her brother and Noin never failed to call her once a week, just to check in on her. Still, at times, she felt lonely. Terribly lonely. And burdened. She'll be 17 this year but she has responsibilities that no normal teenager her age has or should have. Like being the Vice Foreign Minister for starters. And maintaining peace. Almost everyone look up to her as the symbol of peace. How did I become that? she wondered. My life changed since the day I met you, Heero. But I will never regret it.

She looked at her watch and sighed. Quiet time is over, she thought. I guess I better get back before the bodyguards wake up, go ballistic and make Lady Une, Sally and Wufei worry about me. She stopped, then chuckled. Wufei worried about me? Impossible. Angry-maybe, indifferent--- probably but worried, never.

Relena started walking in the direction she came from, thoughts of her remaining work and her appointments for the afternoon occupying her mind, as well as the speech she will make at tomorrow's conference. She was just reaching the other side of the street, still preoccupied that she didn't see a very fast Chevy pick-up from her right. Too late. Relena was paralyzed with shock that she didn't hear someone yell, "LOOK OUT!" and shoved her. Relena fell face first on the sidewalk and felt someone on top of her. She regained her senses when the person on top of her asked, " Are you alright, miss?" then helped her up.

Relena turned around to look at her savior. She saw a girl, about her age and height, staring back at her. With her shoulder-length auburn hair and gray-green eyes she looked really pretty. But there is something about her that reminds Relena of someone else. A boy? she thought. Or someone just as strong. She looks lean and slight but I can feel that she's stronger than she looks. She almost shivered when she stared at the girl's eyes. Those eyes, the intensity, the coldness---Relena's thoughts where interrupted when the girl peered into her face and asked again, "Hey, are you ok?" Relena saw the coldness in her eyes flicker away and was replaced by concern.

Relena smiled, "Yes, Im fine. Thank you for saving my life. I know that it is foolish of me to cross the street without looking. I almost have gotten you killed too."

"Oh, it's nothing. At first I thought I wouldn't get to you fast enough. Then I was worried that you went into shock when you kept on staring at me and not answering my question," the girl said, smiling.

Relena noticed that that simple smile radiated her face. I think I would like her to be my friend, Relena thought to herself. She extended a hand and said, "By the way, Im Relena."

The girl took her hand and answered, "Nice to meet you, Relena. Im Athena---". Athena's voice trailed off as her eyes widen with recognition. "Hey, you're Relena Darlian Peacecraft! The Vice Foreign Minister!" she said, still holding to Relena's hand. "I cant believe it!" Athena exclaimed.

"Why? You cant believe that the Vice Foreign Minister almost got run over if you haven't arrived in the nic of time to shove her down the sidewalk?" Relena asked, amused.

"Huh? Yes, I mean no. What I mean is that I thought it's fancy meeting you here, when Im on my way to your office."

"Your on your way to my office? Why?"

"Well, Im the new assistant the ESUN Congregation hired to help you with your work."

"So, this is a stroke of luck huh? My new assistant is also my savior. What a coincidence! Hmm, but I think , coincidence or not, we should better get going so you can see the office and get acquainted with everything and everyone." Relena said and sheepishly added, "Also, they might start worrying about me since Im not supposed to be out here aloneÖ"

Athena looked at her with amusement, "So, I saved a runaway princess then? Or should I say an escaped politician?"

They both laughed and started walking in the direction of the Peacecraft Palace. "You know, I was just thinking earlier how much work I have to do when I get back that I don't know if I could finish all of it in time. And thinking of those various tasks and all of my appointments almost got me run over," Relena said after some time. "But I know everything will be better now that I have you as an assistant. " Relena looked at Athena and smiled.

"I know what you mean. I think that this is a start of something wonderful, Relena-sama," Athena said smiling back, making the glint in her gray-green eyes intensify.

Heero ran his hand through his unruly hair for the umpteenth time, the look of concentration never wavering from his face. He's been staring at his laptop for hours now though his face shows no sign of weariness. It has been a year since the Marimeia incident, the last time he or the other Gundam pilots have been inside a Gundam, fighting a war. And since then peace was maintained. Or at least, there haven't been any threats to it that will eventually lead them to another war. So far.

And he intended things to stay this way. No one shall ever be allowed to disturb the peace. No one. Not while he's still alive. As a soldier, he's duty was done. Young as he was, he helped usher peace and in this new era, there are no more need for soldiers like him. But as a civilian, a member of the ESUN, he still has the duty to help guard this peace that many sacrificed their lives and souls for. He went through the data again, trying to figure out what he missed. There are no abnormal occurrences, no suspicious activities, nothing. But that queasy feeling never left him. It's like a calm before a storm.

Or maybe Im just being paranoid, he mused. Still not at ease to live in a peaceful world. But he's trying. He went back to school, designing software in his free time (might as well use my training for my advantage). He's trying his best to put his bloody past behind him and to start living a decent life. As far as he knows, everyone is doing the same thing. Duo is back with the sweepers group, living with his girlfriend Hilde in L2 where they manage their own 'metal junkyard'. Trowa is still performing in the circus with his sister Catherine. Quatre is busy doing his role as the heir to the Winner fortune and one of the colony representatives while Wufei is working with Sally in the Preventers. He didn't keep contact with them but somehow they managed to find him: Duo--- never failing to call once a week, Quatre--- though busy still manages to check on him once in a while, Trowa --- dropping by whenever his circus troop is performing in L1, Wufei and Sally --- visiting and updating him about the Preventers whenever they have an assignment nearby.

It's nice to hear from them once in a while, he reluctantly admitted to himself. But he wouldn't admit it to them loudly, especially to Duo. They'll think Im getting soft.

Though he's not the one initiating contact, Heero made it a point to keep an eye on these people he now consider as more than allies or comrades at war. He knows everything that is happening to each of them. Heero frowned. " Maybe I am getting soft." He also monitors what's happening in the ESUN, the Preventers, even the events in Mars. More importantly, he keeps an ever strict vigil over the one person holding peace together, the one true reason why he survived and still existing in a world where someone as blood-stained as him has no place. Or purpose.

"Relena," Heero said in his monotonous voice. He clicked a few buttons and the data he was reading was replaced by an image of a smiling blonde with blue eyes. Heero's eyes softened as he continued to stare at the picture. He can recall himself drowning in those eyes every time he looks at them. Memories came flooding back to him as he reached out and traced her cheeks with his fingertips. "Relena," he said again, almost like a chant. He need not say other words - they're not needed. That single word says it all. "I promised to protect you and the peace you created, Relena. I never break my promises." Immediately, the softness in his eyes was replaced with cold determination.

He pressed a few buttons and the screen once again displayed the data he was reading earlier. He started to review what happened for the past year in the ESUN particularly in the CONGREGATION, his soldier's instincts telling him something is amiss. He then noticed that almost every ESUN cabinet member had a scandal and was replaced except for Relena. Weird. Im sure I remember running a background check on each of them before and found nothing. They're fairly decent guys, he thought. What's more weird is that the replacements are either former Romefeller or Alliance aristocrats or people behaving as such.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a beep of an incoming transmission. Strange. The transmission was sent in a frequency that only one person knew, only one person used. And he has not heard from that person for 2 years now.

"That's because he's dead," he muttered to himself. Is this some kind of a joke? A trap?

"Well, I wouldn't know 'til I answer it, wont I?" He pressed a button and got the shock of his life when he saw the image from the other line, though his shock never seeped through his stoic exterior. In his ever monotonous voice he said, "Dr. J."

In his office, the man said to the person on the videophone, "I think this is long enough. It's time for Phase II."