SUNDAY MORNING (Peacecraft Palace Garden)

Relena walked along the cobblestone path, savoring the moment. This is the first time in years since she enjoyed a Sunday morning outside her office, and without any bodyguards. She stopped in front of the roses, a sweet smile forming on her lips as she delicately touch one of them.

From the shadows, Heero watched the slender girl that he's been following all morning. He promised himself that he wouldn't let her out of his sight for even a second, she's still in danger and she's just too important to lose. He silently studied her, noting every detail --- from the shimmering golden tresses on her head that are being caressed by the wind, the white sundress that reach just above her knees, hugging the contours of her body as the breeze blows, to the golden sandals on her feet. She really did change -- she's taller, about 5'5", her body filled out with just the right curves, her hair longer and if possible more golden, her face more mature. But inside, he can feel that she's still the calm, confident and caring Relena he met 3 yrs ago. He can still see the same determined statement in her eyes, though he noticed a trace of exhaustion and loneliness in them too. Heero's eyes softened when he saw Relena smile, making her whole face glow with warmth and sweetness as she touched a rose. He liked seeing her this way--- happy, carefree, not overworked and stressed the way he saw her yesterday.

SATURDAY MORNING

As Heero entered the reception area, his eyes focused on the auburn-haired girl sitting on the assistant's desk just outside Relena's door. So Relena has an assistant. Good, he said to himself. As he approached her, the girl looked up from the computer, her gray-green eyes meeting his Prussian blue ones. "May I help you?" the girl asked him.

"Im here to see Relena."

"And what is your name, sir?" the girl asked again, her eyes boring into him, studying him.

"Heero Yuy." Suddenly, he saw something in the girl's eyes - recognition? Yes. And something more.

"So, you're Heero Yuy," the girl said, slightly smiling.

Upon hearing this, Heero grew alert, his eyes silently conveying a warning, his body exuding danger as he continued to stare at her. But the girl just ignored this and smiled again. "I've heard so much about you from Relena-sama. I bet she's going to be happy to see you. Just go on in, I wont announce you so it'll be a surprise." With that, she returned to her work.

Heero studied her for a moment before proceeding to the door. He knocked first then turned the knob. He saw Relena in her desk, head bowed, reading some files. She's so engrossed with what she's doing that she didn't even look up when the door opened. Heero closed the door, still Relena didn't notice. He decided to just stand there, silently watching, waiting for her to acknowledge him. This is the first time he's seen her face to face since he rescued her from the base last night. Only after a few moments did Relena realize that she has company.

"Heero," she said, startled.

He noticed that she looked tired, her eyes weary, her skin pale. She's not getting enough sunlight. She looked thinner too. She's working too much and she doesn't eat right, he told himself.

"Sorry if I startled you. Your assistant told me to just come in."

Relena smiled. But even her lovely smile cant erase the look of exhaustion in her face.

"It's nothing. I just thought it was Athena. So, what brings you here?"

"Quatre told me to ask you if you want to come eat lunch with us. There's a new gourmet restaurant downtown."

Heero saw a shadow cross Relena's face. He wasn't sure if he just imagined the mixture of joy, hurt and disappointment that flashed in her eyes. But only for a second. It was immediately replaced by a brilliant (yet forced) smile.

"Thanks for asking, Heero. That's really thoughtful of you," Relena answered. Heero noticed that she put stress on 'thoughtful' and 'you'. "But I still have so much to do. My workload tripled since my kidnapping last Wednesday and Athena just came back from being sick. I cant afford to waste time traveling, ordering, eating then traveling back. Tell Quatre, Im sorry. I'll just ask Athena to buy me a sandwich or something."

"Hn." And with that Heero turned and left the room.

Heero inched forward as Relena started to walk again. He saw her sit on a bench and look up the sky.

Relena looked up the sky and sighed. If only I could stay like this forever. She felt light, refreshed, happy. Even with the current tension in her life and the ESUN she cant help feel content and safe. She's even looking forward to her birthday, which hasn't been the case for the past years. I'm looking forward to the Peace Summit because it's important. But I can't wait for my party because I know it's going to be fun.

A girl's debut (18th birthday celebration) is supposed to be special. And she knows that her debut is definitely going to be special. Everybody will be there, all that matters to her most anyways --- Milliardo, Noin, Lady Une, Duo, Hilde, Trowa, Catherine, Quatre, Dorothy, Sally, Wufei and Heero. Especially Heero. "Im glad you came, Heero," she whispered as she remembered what happened yesterday.

Relena stared at the door, slightly ticked off and disappointed. "AAGGHH! The nerve of that guy! Coming in here, asking me to go eat lunch with him, with them," she corrected, "because Quatre told him to, then when I said no he just walked out without saying a word, without even saying goodbye!" She leaned backwards to her chair, trying to calm herself.

"On second thought, he still asked me so that's good isn't it? He could just ignore Quatre and not invite me but he didn't. He still went out of his way to come here. It's the thought that counts right?"

"Then again, why did he just accept my answer without saying anything? He could force me a little, we both know that I really would like to eat with him. He could easily persuade me if he wanted to but NO, he just took my answer at face value and made his famous silent exit routine."

"AAGGGHH! I cant believe it! Im arguing with myself. And it's all because ---" Relena then realized something. "Why am I so ticked off? I know it's typical for Heero to behave this way, why am I so affected? What am I thinking? What am I expecting from him?" she asked herself. Her ramblings were interrupted when the door to her office opened.

"Relena-sama, I'm going out to eat lunch now. Do you want me to get you anything?" Athena asked her.

"Yes please, Athena. A sandwich will be fine."

"Sandwich? You've been eating that for lunch ever since I started working here! For once today, Im going to get you something else, a little heavier perhaps."

"But--"

"And don't you argue with me. You're going to eat whatever Im going to buy for you and you're going to finish it all up or else"Athena looked at her threateningly.

Relena couldn't stop herself from laughing at Athena's stern statement. "Ok, ok, I give up. You're the boss."

"No.You're the boss, Relena. Hey, how did your reunion with loverboy go?"

Relena looked at her, confused. "Loverboy? Who are talking about?"

Athena answered with amusement, "Who else? The guy that went out of here just moments ago, Mr. Heero Yuy. Now I know why you like him. He really is hot. Come to think of it, he's the hottest among your other guy friends and that is saying a lot coz those 4 are really gorgeous too. Though I think your brother can be considered a match"

"Stop it Athena," Relena said, blushing. "For your information, he's not my loverboy. And I cant recall telling you that I like him."

"Haha. I've known you for more than a year now and every time you talk about him you get that faraway look in your eyes. And you should hear the way you describe him, it's like he's perfect. Now you tell me that you don't like him," Athena challenged.

Relena sighed as she saw the smug look on Athena's face that says 'GOTCHA'. No use hiding it from her, she decided.

"Ok, ok, you're right. I admit it. I like him. But don't get any crazy ideas like you setting the two of us up." Then her face became sad. "I don't even know if he likes me back," she whispered.

Athena saw the look on Relena's face. "Hey, don't be sad. I just met him today but Im pretty sure that he likes you back. I can see it in his eyes and that's a big deal considering no other emotion is present there. But I did see it. Just wait, he'll come around. And I hope soon coz you two will make a cute couple."

Relena cant help laughing at what Athena just said. Heero and her --- a cute couple? I wonder what Heero will do if he heard Athena say those words. Maybe he'll just find another Mobile Suit and self-destruct or jump from the 50th flr again without opening his parachute.

"Thanks Athena. Now hurry and go now so you could be back early with my lunch. Whatever it may be."

Athena laughed. "Ok but dont get too excited. I'll pick the best lunch for you yet. Bye."

Relena shook her head as Athena closed the door, a smile still present in her face. She then returned to her work.

About 35 min later, she heard her door open again. She looked up, expecting to see Athena back, carrying her mystery lunch. Well, it's her lunch alright. But she didn't expect the person in the door to be the one carrying it for her.

"Heero! Why are you still here? I thought you went out to eat lunch with the guys."

"Im eating lunch. Here. And you're going to eat with me." Heero saw that Relena's going to argue with him so he cut her off. "I don't care how much work you still have to finish. You need to eat. And besides, I threatened your whole kitchen staff to prepare this as fast as they can so you're going to eat it whether you like it or not," Heero said with finality.

Relena just sat there, staring at him with wide eyes. She watched him place the tray on the round table near the window.

"Well? It's going to get cold," Heero said to her after he finished setting the table.

Relena stood up and walked towards the table. She then sat down opposite him and they started to eat. They ate in silence. Relena kept sneaking glances at him, questions whirling in her mind. Finally, curiosity got the better of her.

"Heero, how've you been?

"Fine."

"What were you doing these past years?"

"Studying."

"So, you went back to school."

"Hn."

"Did you have any job?"

"Part-time. Computer programmer."

"Oh. Good for you."

Silence again.

"Umm, Heero?"

Heero looked at her.

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For saving me again. And umm," Relena looked at her plate, "for the birthday present." Relena looked up and their gaze met. "The bear and the earrings. They're from you right?"

Heero nodded.

"I really loved them. I just wish that you've given them to me personally. Were you there in my party?"

Heero didn't answer.

"It's ok. You're here now. You'll stay for my birthday?" Relena asked hopefully.

"Yes."

Silence again. They continued eating.

A certain thought nagged at Relena's mind. I could just ask Milliardo but it wouldnt be the same. It's now or never, she told herself. Relena scrunched up all her courage and asked, "Since you'll be here, I, umm, can you, uh, can you be my escort?"

Heero stared at her.

Relena laughed nervously. "What I mean is, can you escort me on my 18th birthday party? Tradition requires that the debutant should have someone to accompany her throughout the whole party, posing for pictures, greeting guests, dancing with her. It's like a boy-err a bodyguard, YES a bodyguard. Aside from the dancing and socializing part. If it's ok with you."

Relena looked down and waited for his answer. Just smile if he says no. It's not like he didn't reject you before. Just smile if he says no, she kept chanting in her head.

"Ok."

Relena snapped her head up and looked at him. She tried to see the statement on his face but his head is bowed and his wild bangs are blocking her view. Am I hearing things? Did he really say yes? (No, he said ok, hehe. Sorry bad joke.)

"Great," Relena told him simply though she's trying her best not to grin from ear to ear.

They continued eating in silence. After a few minutes, they're done. Heero stood up and put the remains of their lunch in the tray. He's on his way to the door when Relena called him.

"Heero?"

Heero stopped and turned to look at her.

"Thanks for eating lunch with me," she said smiling.

Heero gave her a grunt as a response then left.

Relena's reverie was stopped when she heard a familiar voice shout "Relena!" She turned to look around and saw Hilde running towards her. Behind Hilde were Dorothy and Catherine walking in an even pace.

"Hilde!" Relena stood up and hugged one of her bestfriends. "Did you guys just arrive? How's the flight? How are you?"

"One question at a time please," Hilde joked. "Yes, we just arrived from the airport, we haven't unpacked yet! We wanted to see you first. The flight was fine and Im just doing great! How about you?" Hilde asked cheerfully.

"Just great! Can you believe it? I actually said Im great." She then turned to Dorothy so she could hug her next. "Looking good Dorothy. I see that Quatre's taking good care of you."

Dorothy blushed and smiled slyly. "It's good to see you, Relena. I cant wait for the party. We're going to have a blast."

Catherine stepped up. "My turn," she said as she hugged Relena.

"Hi, Cathy."

"Hi to you too. Hmm, you look thinner than the last time I saw you, Relena. You're not taking care of yourself," Catherine told her. Catherine is like an older sister to Relena - a cool, fun-loving older sister. "But you're still as pretty as me so it's ok." Everybody laughed.

"Come on, Cathy. You know that I would never be as pretty as you," Relena said as she made a face that made everyone started laughing again.

Heero started to walk away as she saw Hilde, Catherine and Dorothy approach Relena. He knew that there'll be a private conversation among them, 'girltalk' as Duo dubbed it so he shouldn't be eavesdropping on them. Besides, he knew that Relena is safe with them for now.

INSIDE THE PALACE (in the study overlooking the garden)

Wufei peered through the window, eyeing the 4 girls hug each other, laugh and talk in the garden. "Those onnas are too noisy," he complained. "It's a mistake to let them come early. They'll just be an added burden to us and they might get in the way of our mission."

"How come? I think that it's a good idea they are here. They'll make Relena happy. It's her birthday, she should be thinking of parties, gifts and friends instead of how to maintain peace or avoid being killed," Quatre said. "And they would liven up the house."

"They wouldnt be an added burden since those girls can protect themselves in their own way. And having them around makes it easier for us to watch Relena, they'll be with her and she wouldn't try another disappearing act again." Trowa said. He silently studied Wufei. "That's what bothers you, isn't it Wufei? You cant accept the fact that those girls are strong in their own way and that you're starting to care for them. Not just those 4 but also the rest of our girls."

"Where did you get that preposterous idea, Trowa?" Wufei asked indignantly albeit taken aback with what his usually silent comrade just said. "Our girls? I care for those onnas? And they can take care of themselves? Please," Wufei snorted. "We always end up protecting them."

"Come on Wufei, you know that Trowa has a point. Hilde can fight and pilot a Mobile Suit. Dorothy operated the Zero system controlled Mobile Dolls that gave us hell during the Eve Wars and managed to stab Quatre." Quatre cringed. "Sorry, pal. Anyways, Catherine can pin you with her knives even with her eyes closed. Noin is the second best soldier after Zechs in the Lake Victoria Academy, an instructor there too and once head of the Sanc Kingdom guards. Sally has been our ally since the beginning of the Eve Wars, fighting OZ with her own resistance group which is by the way I assume you already knew, hehe." Wufei glared at him. "Er, to continue, Lady Une is Treize's second in command, you know how really efficient she was in obeying his orders and now the head of the Preventers. Even Ms. Pacifist there was able to fire a gun once, as Noin told me, when Relena shot Lady Une's rose. And you know how strong and determined she is," Duo told him. "Admit it. You can readily see that those girls are pretty tough just by being able to stand up to us," Duo said, grinning.

"Also, you know that we protect them because we want to, not because we have to. This is due to the fact that we don't want them to get hurt," Quatre added.

"How can you say all these things?" Wufei asked incredulously. "How can you know this about me when I just barely admitted them to myself?" he whispered.

His 3 friends gave him a knowing look. "Because that's what we're feeling so we know that that's what you're probably feeling too. The 5 of us are so alike, it's no wonder that fate lead us to meet each other," Quatre answered.

"Don't worry Wufei. Admitting that you care for others and that you will do anything to protect them, even if they are girls, is not a weakness. I know that even Heero feels the same way as the rest of us," Trowa informed him.

"Well in that case," Wufei stopped then frowned. "Hey, didn't you miss your onnas for the duration of your stay here? Why don't you snatch them away from each other and have some quality time together so they will stop yakking and leave us in peace?" Wufei suggested.

The other three laughed. "Nah. We'll leave them with each other for the time being. This is their only opportunity to have a girl bonding session. We'll have our chance for a private time later tonight," Duo answered mischievously.

"Besides it is very possible that they'll drag us to the mall with them later after their girltalk," Trowa told them.

Duo and Wufei grimaced when they heard the word 'mall'. For them, 'mall' and 'girls' when combined spell TROUBLE.

"Man, I know this is coming! We have to go with them whether we like it or not, those girls wont let us off the hook that easily. And because we are Relena's bodyguards, we have to go wherever she goes. We don't have any other choice," Duo cried.

Quatre laughed. "Shopping is not really that bad."

"You have 29 sisters, Quatre! And that onna of yours is a shopping demon. You're used to it," said Wufei.

"That's the strange thing. With those reasons alone, shouldn't be Quatre as wary or even more than the rest of us with regards to shopping?" Trowa asked.

Duo then said, "Hey, I just realized something."

"What?" Quatre asked. Maybe he got an idea how to track down Damon.

"Cathy is Trowa's sister,"Duo answered. Quatre and Trowa sweatdropped.

"We already know that, baka," Wufei said.

Duo ignored him. "That means Trowa is the only one who doesnt have any girl here. But don't worry buddy, I think I already found the perfect girl for you. Her name is Midii Une, I just met her last year. She's really cool and pretty too. I'll fix you two on a date as soon as this thing is finished."

Trowa stiffened when she heard the name. He's going to ask Duo something but was cut off by an indignant yell.

"I don't have a girl!" Wufei exclaimed.

Trowa, Duo and Quatre exchanged looks.

"Duh. You do. Sally," Duo informed him.

"Actually, you and Quatre are the only ones who have official girlfriends,"Trowa said to Duo. "Heero and Wufei still haven't done anything to make theirs official. It's a good thing their better halves are patient in waiting for them."

"Sally is not my girl! And she's not my better half! Why do you always assume things about me? Injustice!"

Quatre smiled. "We're not assuming, Wufei. We can see the evidence with our very eyes. There's something special between you two. The way you treat her, talk to her, argue with her. We can see the subtle change in your eyes whenever you look at her, or when her name is mentioned."

Wufei was silent for a moment. He looked back to the garden. "Maybe."

"Hey, we should have recorded this. This is a memorable day! We managed to make Wufei admit 2 things that we knew he had a hard time admitting to himself much more to us," Duo said happily. "I hope we can do this to Heero too."

"There you are! Do you know where Relena is?" Sally asked, suddenly appearing at the door of the study.

"Sally! How long have you been there?" Wufei asked, silently praying to his ancestors and all the Gods he knew. Please don't let her have heard our conversation. And I promise not to threaten cutting Duo's braid again.

"I just came in, Wufei. Where's Relena?"

Trowa nodded at the window. "In the garden with the other girls."

"So, they're already here huh? I'll go join them then. And Wufei, call me if you're leaving, ok?"

Wufei nodded then watched her leave.

"See," was all Quatre said.

"And don't worry, she feels the same way about you," Trowa quitely told him.

Wufei is getting tired of this heart-to-heart talk. He admits that it was nice that he was able to open up to his friends and was readily understood by them but enough is enough. Are they ganging up on me? If Heero was here, Im not the only one they'll be psychoanalyzing. Suddenly he asked, "Where's Yuy?"

"You know that guy. If he's not shadowing Relena, he must be working with his laptop," Duo answered.

"I'll go find him," Wufei told them as he walked towards the door.

"You can try to hide but you cannot run from the truth, Wufei," Duo called on to him as his figure disappeared from the doorway.

8:15pm
QUATRE AND DOROTHY'S ROOM

"I missed you, Quatre," Dorothy said as she hugged Quatre. She just came out of the bathroom, having changed into her nightgown.

"I missed you too, Dorothy," Quatre answered, kissing the top of Dorothy's head. Then Quatre cracked a smile. "And I just left last Friday. How do you suppose Duo feels when he's been away from Hilde for almost a week?"

Dorothy smiled and pulled Quatre towards the bed. They slipped under the covers and snuggled against each other.

"So what's new in the colonies?" Quatre asked after a while.

"Since Friday? Nothing much. Just the usual talk about the coming Peace Summit. Everyone knows its importance to the future relations of the Earth and the Colonies. They are all hoping for the best, having full confidence on Relena's diplomatic prowess, but they're also preparing for the worst. Then yesterday I heard talks about a Gundam that could fight for the colonies though I doubt that's true."

So Damon is still bent in pursuing his plan, Quatre thought.

"What are you thinking, Quatre?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing dear. Im tired, that's all. Let's go to sleep."

"Ok. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Dorothy. Sweet dreams," Quatre said as he turned off the lamp shade. As Dorothy snuggled closer and closed her eyes, she didn't see Quatre set his watch to wake him up before 10pm.

TROWA AND CATHERINE'S ROOM

"Arent you tired, Cathy? Let's go to bed," Trowa said as he approached his sister. Catherine is leaning in front of the window, gazing at the night sky.

"The Earth is really beautiful, isn't it Trowa? Its beauty never ceases to amaze even after so many visits."

Trowa stood beside her and placed an arm over her shoulders. "Yes it is. By the way, how's everyone in the circus?"

"They're all ok. Everyone's asking about you. We all missed you, you know, especially the lions." Then Catherine giggled. "And there's this new trapeze artist, Ardy, he's so cute."

Trowa raised an eyebrow at her. Cathy just laughed and leaned closer to him. "What have you been doing here, Trowa?" she asked quietly.

"Watching over Relena."

"That's hard work huh?" Cathy replied, smiling. "I know how stubborn Relena could get, especially regarding her safety."

Trowa didn't respond. He just continued looking at the stars.

"It's a blessing that Relena was found before the Peace Summit or else hell will break lose. The manager got worried when you asked for a vacation. He thought that there might be another trouble or war coming," Cathy told him.

Trowa looked down at her and held her gaze. Cathy turned pale as she studied the statement on her brother's eyes.

"Trowa"

Trowa kissed her forehead reassuringly. "We'll have a busy day tomorrow. Let's get some rest."

He then led Cathy to the bed. Cathy laid down but before she closed her eyes she mumbled, "Just be careful, Trowa. That's all I ask."

"I promise, sis," Trowa answered as he laid back and pretended to sleep, patiently waiting for 10:00 to come.

DUO AND HILDE'S ROOM

Duo whistled as he watched Hilde get out of the bathroom clad in her nightie. "Looking good, babe."

Hilde smiled seductively as she slipped in next to Duo. "Have you been a good boy, Duo?"

"Yup. Scout's honor. The only girl I spent the whole week staring at is Relena since it's my job. And the only other females I came in contact with were Noin, Sally and Lady Une all of which you know are already taken."

"Lady Une?"

"Well yeah, she's still loyal to Treize's memory, isn't she? Though Treize is dead, it still means that she belongs to someone, that she's taken, hehe."

"Duo, that's not nice," Hilde said as smacked him by the shoulders. Then she started chuckling at Duo's so called logic.

"By the way, do you know that Relena asked Heero to be her escort tomorrow night and he said yes?"

Duo grinned. "What do you know, Heero, Relena's escort. I sure wish I've seen the look on Heero's face when she asked him and when he agreed. Hehe. That'll be a real Kodak moment." Duo frowned. "Though if you're not the one who informed me I wouldnt have believed it with the way Relena was behaving around Heero tonight at dinner."

"Yeah, that's pretty strange. It looked like Relena's avoiding Heero. But we just spent the entire afternoon talking about him. Then just hours after she's mad at him?"

"Maybe she has PMS," Duo suggested.

"You always blame irrational female behavior with PMS, Duo," Hilde said.

"Am I wrong?"

Hilde's going to answer back when suddenly a thought came to her. "Does Relena know how Heero found her?"

"No. Why?"

"That's it! I think Relena heard me and the other girls talking about how smart Heero is for giving her earrings that are really a tracking device. We thought she already knew. And she didn't react or say anything."

"Uh-oh. Trouble in paradise," Duo replied as he touched Hilde's cheek.

"Knowing Relena, she'll think that the only reason Heero gave her the earrings is to find her if ever she was kidnapped."

Duo didn't answer, he just continued caressing Hilde's cheek. He looked at the clock. Hmm, I still have more than an hour and half

"Let's forget about Heero and Relena. I would rather talk about us. You don't know how much I missed you, Hilde."

"I do, Duo. Because that's how much I've missed you too." Duo smiled as he leaned over and gently captured Hilde's lips with his own.

ZECHS AND NOIN'S ROOM

Zech's looked at his wife who is lying beside him. She was stroking his hair lovingly though he knows that her mind is somewhere else.

"Why so silent, Noin? What are you thinking?"

"Well, Im just thinking how happy I am that we're able to come on Relena's debut. Also, I feel content to be here with all of our friends," she answered. Then she looked at her husband.

"Zechs, do you think we could stay for a while longer after this whole thing blows over? The Terraforming project is going smoothly and it is nearly finished anyways so"

Zechs smiled at her. "If you want to, then the answer is yes. You know that I couldn't deny you anything."

Noin hugged him. "I know. But I also know that that's not the only reason you agreed to stay longer," Noin said knowingly.

Zechs looked at her, confused. "Other reason? What other reason?"

"That personally, you also like to stay. You've missed Relena terribly and you want to catch up with each other's lives. Aside from Relena, you also missed the company of our other friends."

"I admit that I missed Relena, that thing is pretty obvious. But missing the others? What are you talking about?"

"Don't deny it, Zechs. Even from the start, you liked the Gundam pilots. You're fighting at opposing sides at that time, true, but you've always admired and respected their courage, their strength, their purity. Especially Heero. You and Heero are alike in so many ways that you two would ever admit. You just lashed out on him when it comes to Relena."

Zechs was silent for a moment as he stared at the ceiling. He sighed. "I guess you're right. I just get jealous sometimes." He then looked at Noin. "There, I said it, satisfied?" he chided softly. "Now enough talk. We have plenty of time to rest before the meeting tonight."

"Do you think those boys could sneak out and attend the meeting without their girls noticing?"

Zechs chuckled. "Yep. No doubt about it. They've been through worse, remember? Even if Relena didn't suggest to go to sleep early, those boys will still find a way to make their respective counterparts sleep before 10pm."

"Maybe we should have gone back with Lady Une, Sally and Wufei to the Preventer's Headquarters after everyone decided to go to bed. They might need our help in the preparation for tomorrow."

"Don't worry about it. We spent the entire day there, Wufei and Sally spent the whole day relaxing with friends. It's their turn. And they'll be back at 10 so if ever they need our assistance, they could tell it to us by then."

"If you say so. I love you," she said as she kissed him goodnight.

"And I love you. I'll wake you up before 10."

RELENA'S ROOM

Relena absently brushed her hair as she sat in front of her dresser mirror, her thoughts wandering to the events that transpired earlier. "What a perfect day this is," she said happily. After spending time with Hilde, Sally, Dorothy and Catherine in the garden they went to the mall, managing to drag the 5 boys with them. She cant help smiling at the thought.

"Those poor guys. Who would have thought that the most feared, most skilled and most dangerous men in the whole ESUN known only to everyone as the Gundam Pilots can be bullied by girls? It's a good thing their identities were never revealed and all information about them destroyed or else they would have been embarrassed." Yep. Not only did those 5 carried boxes and boxes and bags and bags of clothes, shoes and accessories, they also went everywhere the girls went into --- boutiques, salons, lingerie shops even the home decor stores! The only place they managed to stay away from was the girls' restroom. "But they were good sports. Never heard them complain, not even once." Even the usually grumbling Wufei never said a word. Those guys are sweet. They went out of their way to make this day perfect for us. They really wanted us to enjoy. Hmm, or maybe they enjoyed it too as much as we did.

After the mall, they went back to the house and took a swim on the Olympic size pool. Then the girls spent another hour of girltalk before dinner, waiting for Milliardo, Noin and Lady Une to come back from the Preventers HQ. After dinner, the 13 of them continued they're conversation in the drawing room for another hour or so before Relena suggested that they retire early. Not only that they need all the rest they could get for the big day tomorrow but also she knew that most of them were looking forward in having their time alone.

Relena yawned. She felt tired. I didn't know that shopping is this exhausting, she said smiling. Her smile turned into full-blown laughter when she remembered their girltalk. They finally made Sally admit that she's falling for Justice boy himself! And this revelation made them tease Sally mercilessly all day (subtly of course). Then they set their sights on Catherine when she told them about this really cute new trapeze guy who spent the whole week flirting with her. But they quickly turned their attention on Relena when they learned that Heero agreed to be her escort and that she had asked him herself.

Relena suddenly stopped laughing, a scowl forming on her face as she remembered something that made her day less perfect.

"I have to talk to him about the earrings," she told her reflection. "I want to know the truth." She yawned again. "Well, time for bed," she said as she stood up.

She slipped under the covers and stared at the ceiling of her 4-poster bed. This is the first time that I'll going to sleep early, she thought. It's not even 8:30 yet. Her workload, insufficient sleep, the trauma of the past month and her kidnapping are finally taking its toll on her. Her eyes got heavy and after a few moments, she was fast asleep.

It was dark. She was running. But she cant see anything besides the darkness. She doesn't know why she was running. She doesn't even know where she is headed or where she's from. Yet it seems like she's been running forever.

Suddenly, she saw something ahead of her--- a light? Yes. She started to run faster. But she just cant seem to reach it. It's like teasing her, tormenting her, making her yearn for it then drawing farther back. 'I will not give up,' she said to herself. 'I will reach it eventually and nothing can stop me.'

Maybe it's her determination. Maybe it's her strength. Or maybe the light is not as far away as she thought it was. Whatever the reason, she finally reached it. And what she saw took her breath away. It was so beautiful! She saw a vast garden, five times more beautiful than the one in her palace. She couldn't believe that there exists something as pure and serene as this. She ran and touched and felt and laughed. She closed her eyes and whirled around, ecstatic. She then stopped whirling, took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

She gasped. Instead of the trees and flowers, she saw ruins, MS wreckage, mangled bodies and blood. Blood is everywhere. Backing away, she began to tremble. 'What is this? What happened?'

She then saw something in the sky. The sun was obscuring her view, casting a grim shadow over it. She can only see an outline of a big creature with wings. She realized that it's swooping down towards her. Only after a few moments was she able to see it clearly. 'Wing Zero? Heero?' She wasn't sure. It definitely looks like Wing Zero but it's black. And it's continuing its descent towards her, beam sabre in hand. She stood rooted in place, her legs failing her, her heart beating faster. It's coming nearer, and nearer, beam sabre ready to strike, nearer still then ---.

Relena woke up with a start and jolted to a sitting position. "J-just a dream," she muttered, relieved. A nightmare in fact. But is it just a dream? Or a warning --- a premonition?

She looked at the clock on top of her bedside table, the time 11:00 glowing in the dark. She smiled softly as her eyes focused at the 2 other things on top of the table. She reached out and gently touched the button nose of a brown bear, then the button nose of a white bear. Suddenly, she felt a prickling sensation at the back of her neck --- a familiar prickling sensation. Her eyes roamed around her darkened room, finally settling on the dark figure standing by her balcony door. Not alarmed even a bit, she took her time studying her midnight visitor, the moon somewhat illuminating him.

He changed, and yet not, she thought. He's taller, his shoulders broader, his body lean yet muscular (but not in that bulky, result-of-too-much-gym-weightlifting-and-workout sort of way). He's still wearing that familiar green tank top, denim jacket and jeans she had seen him last, his chocolate brown hair unruly as ever, his Prussian blue eyes as intense as the first time she was lost in their depths. His impassive face, though more mature, retained a little of its boyish quality she remembers well. How she wanted to reach out and touch him, run her fingers through his crop of unruly spikes, to hold him close and feel his warmth, to kiss him. But she didn't. Her need to draw some answers from him first held her other desires at bay.

"What are you doing here, Heero?" Relena asked him softly.

Heero watched as Relena slipped out of the covers and sat down at the edge of the bed. He saw the moonlight cast a silver glow on her face. "Checking in on you."

"Is that so? As you can see Im perfectly fine. Now that you're done checking, maybe you should leave and let me go back to sleep," she said, almost like a challenge.

Heero didn't respond, nor move. He just stood there, watching her, his gaze unwavering.

"Well? Arent you going? Im tired and I still have a big day tomorrow. I need to rest."

"Then go to sleep. I'll stay here."

"I wont be able to sleep when I know that there's someone watching me," Relena said, somewhat irritated.

"I've been watching you sleep since the night I rescued you and you didn't seem to have any problems sleeping then."

Relena was surprised, but not that much. It just confirmed her suspicions. When she woke up today and yesterday, she swore that she could sense a lingering presence in her room like someone else has been here, with her, without her knowing. "Why? Why watch over me?"

"To make sure you're safe."

"Safe? Why are you so concerned for my safety, Heero?" Relena asked, her voice slightly rising.

Heero was taken aback by the question, though he never lost his expressionless façade. He answered flatly, "I promised to protect you, Relena, whoever your enemy may be."

Something snapped inside her. She stood up. "So you're merely keeping your promise? Is that it?"

"I don't break my promises. And I swear I'll do anything to protect you."

"Is that why you gave those so-called earrings? To protect me?" she spat out.

"They're a birthday present, Relena."

"I don't think so. You blatantly deceived me as to think that you cared enough to give me a present on my birthday just so you could disguise a tracking device that will help you find me in case I get kidnapped!" Relena yelled at him angrily. "That's so insensitive! Are you counting on the fact that I'll wear those earrings constantly because you gave them to me? Why didn't you just tell me it's a tracking device huh? Why the secrecy? Why deceive me?"

Heero didn't answer. Instead he asked, "Is that the reason why you've been avoiding me during dinner?"

Relena glared at him. "So, you've noticed," she snorted.

"It worked, didn't it? It helped me find you. Why are you so angry?"

Relena is getting frustrated. "It's not about that, Heero. I was hurt when I learned that you deceived me. Aside from that, I want to know why you went to all that trouble protecting me. Is it because of your promise? Am I just a mission to you? Do you see me as a symbol that needs to be protected at all times like what the other people think? I want to know the reason why you're dead-set in protecting me. Please tell me why."

Heero glanced at the 2 bears propped on her bedside table before making eye contact with her again. "I don't want you to get hurt," he answered simply.

"Why?" she asked again.

"You're important."

"Important to what? To whom?"

To me, he said to himself. "To all of us," he told her. "Relena, Im not protecting you just because I promised. I made that promise in the first place because I don't want anything to happen to you. In that sense, I regard you as a mission --- a self-imposed mission. About the earrings, I didn't mean to deceive you. When I first saw them I remembered you, that's why I bought them. I just thought of bugging them later on, as a precaution. If it means so much to you, I promise not to bug any other gift that I'll give you in the future."

Relena was dumbfounded. She couldn't believe he said all of that! It's the first time she heard him talk that long about something personal, about something that didn't involve war and/or tactical plans. Even before, she wanted to know if his concern for her is personal, not just because he felt obliged to or that he regards her as a symbol. And hearing what she always wanted to hear from him made her feel warm and cherished. "Are you telling the truth? Are you really protecting me because you want to, because you care what will happen to me? "

"Yes. Is everything clear now? Did I answer all of your questions?" he asked softly.

Well, not all of it, she thought. There are still so many questions that she would like to ask him, other things that needed clarification. But they don't matter now. They're irrelevant to the present situation. Besides they could wait for another time. She wouldn't push her luck, he might just clam up again and run. She knows that she's lucky enough to hear him admit these things to her. This will do for now.

"Yes," she said, smiling quietly at him. Then she yawned sleepily.

"Go back to sleep, Relena."

Relena nodded and settled back under the covers. She then stole one look at Heero who is now sitting by the large couch near the balcony door.

"Goodnight, Heero."

"Goodnight."

And with that, Relena slipped into a peaceful sleep.