Chapter 2: Fleeting Moments

The briefing at the park went rather smoothly... more or less, if you ignored Duo and his constant chattering. All of them stayed at the park for awhile afterwards to enjoy themselves, if not for anything else.//Gosh I didn't know how much I actually missed them ëtil now.// Relena thought as she sat at the small lake's edge with Duo and Quatre on either side of her.//I wish that we could have gotten together under different circumstances. I know that they all have lives to go to... I just hope that they don't waste it all trying to protect me-//

"Eh, 'Jousan. You okay?" Duo asked, snapping her away from her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh... I'm fine, Duo, just thinking, that's all," Relena replied with a smile.

"Thinking about what?" he asked curiously.

"About this new threat," she answered, "I'm... just worried that you guys might end up getting hurt... that's all."

"Us? Get hurt? Who do you think we are, amateurs?" Duo joked with a grin.

"Hahaha... You're probably right. Being former Gundam pilots, I suppose you can more than handle yourselves..." she trailed off when she noticed that Quatre was just lying on the grass, hands behind his head, staring at the sky and being quiet. "Quatre, is something bothering you?"

"Yeah... there is," he began, face sad and still looking up, voice full of concern. "We... we know that this enemy has mobile suits and, based on past experiences, we know that the numbers they have will just continue to grow. It worries me because we still don't have a clue as to where they're located so we can't stop them while they're still weak. Plus, by the time we do find them it may already be too late and we probably won't be strong enough to defeat them. What will we do then, especially since we don't have our Gundams now?"

"C'mon Quatre, have a little more faith in yourself and the rest of us," Duo said in a cheery voice. "Where is that old Winner optimism that we're all so familiar with?"

"Honestly, I'm just not so sure anymore..." was his only reply.

The three just sat in silence afterwards, staring at the scenery to try and forget the imminent danger. As morning turned into noon they all decided to head back to the Peacecraft mansion and get the pilots, Noin, and Sally checked in. Sally declined the invitation, however, saying that she was still needed at headquarters for a little while longer, but promised to be there by the end of the week. After that they all dispersed from the park, the lurking shadow continued to follow close behind.

Once the group reached the mansion they started to unload their luggage from the van and proceeded to walk towards the door. After Milliard rang the doorbell a servant opened the door and gestured them in.

"Wow... this place is even bigger than I imagined it to be!" came Duo's awed response as he surveyed the surroundings.

"Yes, it is quite large," was all Wufei could say.

"..." was Trowa's response.

"Just as I remembered it," Quatre said as he walked in.

"I hope you like it here, the servants will lead you to your rooms," Milliard said as he walked beside them. "Once you unpack meet us in the dining hall, and you'll be served lunch."

"Food! Alright! I knew you wouldn't let us starve!" Duo cheered as he followed a servant woman up the stairs.

"If he doesn't shut up I'm just tempted to do so," Milliard whispered to Noin who, in turn, elbowed him in the ribs.

Lunch was elaborate, to say the least, and seemed more like a buffet than anything else. It consisted of various kinds of sandwiches, fruits, muffins, grilled fish, roasted chicken, salads, pastas, puddings, cookies, cakes, and many types of beverages. Duo's face lit up like a beacon once he eyed the spread on the long table. When everyone was seated and told that they could begin, Duo wasted no time at all, piling his plate with anything within his reach. By the way he was eating everyone thought that he had been kidnapped and starved for weeks. Duo kindly ignored that and continued to eat as if there was no tomorrow.

"Um... Duo" Quatre began nervously. "You shouldn't be eating like that. You could choke on something if you're not careful."

"Hey *crunch*..." Duo began still shoving food into his mouth. "Don't *chew* ... worry *swallow* Shinigami *slurp* can't *crunch* get hurt *chew* by a little *swallow* food-*choke*..."

"DUO!" everyone shouted as Quatre got up and ran behind Duo to do the abdominal thrust on him to try and dislodge the food stuck in his throat.

After lunch was over everyone, excluding Milliard and Noin who went back to Preventer headquarters to check up on Sally and talk to Lady Une, decided to relax around the house. Wufei went to the library to do some reading while Trowa tried to teach Duo how to juggle balls in the main living room. Quatre and Relena had gone upstairs to the tearoom to do some catching up.

"My, Quatre, it's been awhile. The last time I really got to talk to you was during that last gala in Italy," Relena started as she poured tea for the both of them, handing him a cup when she was finished.

"Thank you, Miss Relena," he said taking the offered cup. "Yeah, it has been a long time, but you know how things are these days. I barely have time to myself before I have to go to another business meeting or peace conference."

"Then how were you able to get time off to do this?" Relena asked as she took a sip.

"Well, when I got the call, Iria had just come back from her space station to visit. I asked her to take care of things at the company as a favor. Surprisingly, she was more than happy to do so, although, I do feel kind of guilty for dumping all that responsibility on her..."

"Don't worry," Relena comforted, "I'm sure you never would have asked if you weren't sure she could handle the situation. Besides, doesn't she have 40 Maganacs to help her out?"

"Hahaha... Oh gosh, I feel sorry for Rashid and the others. Iria can sometimes be strict and bossy."

The two continued to drink and chat about the last conference they attended, joking about the way some of the other politicians fumed when their requests were denied. They also shared tips on how to stay awake during long and boring meetings. Quatre's method was to imagine that there were flamingos sitting on the politicians' heads. Relena's was to try and imagine them as barn animals. As they continued to talk it soon became dark and Quatre asked the inevitable question.

"Miss Relena... have you seen Heero lately?"

"Actually... no," she replied with a tinge of sadness in her voice as she stared at her cup.

"I'm sorry to ask, but we've had a hard time trying to locate him. He would be a big help if we could just get a hold of him."

"I know you didn't mean anything, Quatre, but I gave up looking for him long ago. I had to move on with my life."

"I understand. I do hope that we find him soon though."

"I'm sure we will... Um, if you'll please excuse me, I'm going to take a walk in the garden," Relena said as she put her cup down, getting up to leave the room.

"Do you want some company?" Quatre asked as she reached the door.

"No, thank you, I would like some time alone to think about everything that's happening," she replied as she walked out into the hallway.

As she walked downstairs she noticed that Duo was doing a pretty good job of juggling, not the best, but decent.//Wow, I wish I could learn to do things that fast. Ha! Like I have time to adopt a hobby.// She thought as she made her way out to the gardens.

Once outside she began to stroll down the cobbled path, admiring the rose bushes and other flowers that surrounded the garden.//I CAN'T believe that I still can't keep a straight face every time HIS name is mentioned. I'm too old for that... so why can't I forget him... I can't forget the other pilots either, but I don't react strangely to them. Maybe I really do love him... but I guess I'll never know.// As her thoughts drifted she started walking down some steps but failed to notice that one of the cobblestones was loose. When she stepped on it the stone dislodged and she started to fall forward. Relena closed her eyes and braced herself for the fall, but before she landed on the ground a strong arm wrapped itself around her small waist from behind. The arm positioned her on her feet as a familiar voice spoke up.

"What are you doing out here alone?" came the monotone, emotionless voice.

Upon hearing that all too familiar sound Relena opened her eyes and turned around to stand facing unruly dark brown hair, emotionless features, and penetrating Prussian blue eyes.

"He... Heero..." was all she could manage, still recovering from the shock.

She just stood there staring at the young man, noticing how tall he had gotten since she last saw him. He was now a good 5'10" and his shoulders had broadened, but he still looked slender at 18 years of age. He hadn't changed much, although his features weren't as boyish as they use to be, but he was still handsome.

"What are you doing out here alone? Don't you know that there are people out there who are after you?" he repeated more sternly.

"What's wrong with being out here alone?" she asked defensively. "I have bodyguards watching me every minute. I'd kill to have at least five minutes to myself."

"It's not safe, go back inside," he said in return.

"What makes you think that you can tell me what to do?" she asked almost furiously but managed to maintain her composure. "I haven't seen you in almost two years and now you show up out of nowhere and start giving out orders expecting me to obey. Well forget it, I'm staying out here."

"... Fine, but I'm going to stay out here as well then," he replied taking a few steps ahead of her.

Shocked again by that sudden response she could only nod dumbly and walked quickly to catch up with him. "So, Heero... how are you?" she asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Well," was his short and to the point reply.

"Since you actually showed up I guess you know about the current situation, huh?"

"Yes," he began, "I have been tracking them down and observing them for the past year; however, they're larger than what Sally Po mentioned earlier."

"Wait a minute!" she stopped and turned him around to face her. "You were there at the park today? How did you know about that meeting?"

"Although I have been tracking them down, I have also been keeping an eye on you. The bodyguards you have are less than qualified to do the job," he said as he eyed her.

"You've... been keeping an eye on me?"

"Someone has to. Besides you're too careless when you do things like this. If I were an assassin then you'd be dead by now."

"Well, not every assassin is as good as Heero Yuy, now are they?" she teased; smiling when she saw a look of surprise flash on his face before it quickly disappeared. "I'm just surprised that you care about me enough to actually look after me."

"I don't. I do it because you're important to both the Earth and colonies. If something happened to you, we could have another war."

"Really now?" she queried as she leaned up to him, eyes staring up innocently.

Oblivious to Relena, Heero's heart began to beat faster than normal.//What's going on? Why is my heart like this? Is it because she's so close?... No, it can't be... but then how do I explain this? GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF, YUY! Okay, try to maintain a straight and emotionless face... got it!//

"Yes," was the monotone reply.

"Oh well, it was worth a try... but I really do miss you... You know, I've always wondered why you act so cold towards me," she said as they continued to walk along the path, "I've done nothing but try to be your friend."

"Friends aren't needed on the battlefield, allies are."

"Oh, is that all I am?" she continued in a solemn voice. "... You want to know something?"

"What?"

"You already know that I gave up being the ruler of the Sank kingdom, but it's not because I thought that it was too much... well maybe a little. The real reason was because I couldn't truly follow its teachings and principles anymore," she paused for a while before continuing. "The thing with Mariemaia and Dekim Barton, not to mention all those other terrorist attacks, made me see that pacifism doesn't always work. It only works when both sides are willing to listen. And besides I couldn't really call myself a pacifist after I slapped Mariemaia. God, I still haven't forgiven myself for that."

"You did what you had to do," Heero said in his usual cold voice.

"Maybe," she began again, "I just want to be able to provide the people, you, and the others with some sort of hope. I came to realize long ago that sometimes fighting is necessary, especially if it's for a good and just cause; however, I still hate seeing people get injured, I'm just tired of seeing them get hurt."

"Relena, you are stronger than you think. Not many people had the courage to stand up to OZ, Romefeller, Mariemaia, and Barton, but you did. Even now you are still strong enough to face this OZ, and if you need help I will be there. I'll do all I can to try and make your dreams and visions come true. And when they come true I will do everything in my power to protect them as best I can," Heero replied with concern and compassion.

"Heero..." Relena gasped quietly, surprised by his moving words.

//Kuso! Did I say all that out loud? Damn, I was hoping NOT to spill my heart out to her! Heero no BAKA! Just shut up already!//

"Hahaha... Thank you, that means a lot to me," she laughed softly. "I'm glad you came. At least now, if I do get killed, I was able to see you one last time."

"You won't die," Heero replied in monotone but there was determination behind that voice.

"I beg to differ," came another voice from behind the two.