CHAPTER V- Requiem's Beginning

"Well, look who found you again!" An overly cheerful person shouted joyously. His face was smudged with axle grease, and his mouth was too close to the receiver, causing his words to spit over the millions of miles between himself and his latest victim.

"What do you want, Duo?" Heero's voice was a dead monotone, his eyes on the monitor beside the vidphone, scanning through the masses of raw information before him.

"Want? Me? Nothing, just a friendly conversation."

Heero's eyes locked with his friends, and Duo swallowed nervously.

"I heard about the attack at Relena's place. Pretty harsh, huh?" He let an infectious smile spread across his face, "But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"You know my location very well."

"Protecting your girlfriend again, huh?"

"No, I am fulfilling a promise. Go away, Duo, I'm very busy."

"C'mon buddy-"

Heero casually leaned forward and switched off the connection. A few moments later, an angry face flickered back on the screen.

"Hey!"

"I'm busy."

"You're antisocial, you know? I just wanted to tell you Hilde an' me were planning a vacation anyway so-"

"What?"

"I'll see you in two days, bro!" Duo shouted exuberantly, voice so loud against the receiver that it fuzzed quite a bit.

Heero reached for the off switch but Duo beat him to it. The former Gundam pilot sighed and got back to work.

"I am sick an tired of your bullshit, young lady!" Miss Une shouted in his office, the lazy midmorning sun drifting through the wide windows that rested behind her. Relena decided that the view outside was far better than Une's on a full-blown hissy fit, "The people want a statement! You can't just say 'no!' It's been a full day, and you know that the media never rests. You're showing weaknesses, Relena. You created the Preventer program, and if you fall, we may just fall as well. I can't let that happen, Relena! Are you even listening to me?"

"Where's papa?" The little girl asked, smoothing her bright party dress with nervous little fingers.

"I'm sorry, my little love, but he had an emergency meeting today. He sends his regrets that he couldn't attend your birthday party." An elderly man replied, picking up the little girl in his arms.

"How long will he be gone, Pegan?"

"A month. But don't worry, I'll be here to take care of you." He smiled, creasing his ancient face even more. She didn't like his smell. It reminded her of peppermint and dog drool. But his scent, like so many others things, had been something she had gotten used to.

After all, there was no one else.

Relena pressed her forehead against the cold wall of the hospital, the night light filtering anguish tearing her apart. There was no one to comfort her anymore. Nobody to care if she lived or died.

Except Heero.

Well, of course he cared. She knew they had mutual feelings for each other, and that had previously been enough. There was always someone to predict when she really needed a cup of coffee, always someone to inquire after her welfare, she had never needed Heero on a mundane basis, never needed him to tell her things were going to be alright. Now that Pegan was dead, there would be no one, no one at all.

But she could take it. Relena Darlian had to be brave for the world. She didn't have time to cry. She jerked up suddenly as soft strains of a tinkering music began wafting down the hall, sung by the voice of a child.

Come play in the Masquerade
Come dance with Moon and Stars.
Join hands with Dawn and Dusk
And become nothing once again.

Relena moved towards the music, intrigued.

Nothing! Nothing! Nothing!
What hides behind all masks?
Nothing! Nothing! Nothing!
To reveal that is all we ask!

The young woman drew her off-white coat tighter about her person, eyes wide as she crept towards a hospital room.

Little angel, lower your wings
For what angel's choir
Does your sweet voice sing?
Come dance in the Masquerade!
Dance! Dance! Dance!
Until you die of pain!

She pushed open the door carefully, only to see Pegan's dead body, his face hidden by a porcelain mask. A tape recorder rested on his chest, a cassette rolling. Relena gasped and felt her knees buckle. She did not faint, only stared.

Oh, please join the Masquerade!

"And who authorized this development?" Ariel Yuy hissed, throwing a newspaper on the desk of her chief assassin. The bulky man scratched his head slowly, further inciting his resemblance to a baboon.

"We didn't do anything, Ms. Yuy."

"Of course you didn't. You couldn't wipe your butt without a twenty page instruction manual." Ariel snapped, yellow eyes gleaming, "Position your men at those criminal's hideaways you know so well. Don't rest until you find out who caused this!" The politician wrung her hands together, "Now all of that work will be useless. Once again, Relena has won back the heart of the people with sympathy. I will expose her!"

"Yes, ma'am." The man replied, squaring his shoulders.

"Well then, get to it!" She snapped, her burning eyes commanding her minion to the door.

An old woman tossed crumbs to the pigeons that collected around her feet, ancient eyes wandering over the harbor beyond. She looked around the bustle around her and grinned sweetly, "Oh, to be young again"