Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Heero and Relena ❯ The Assassination ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or anything associated with it. I do, however, own this story. 'Nuff said. ;)

A/N: Tons of apologies for not updating sooner! Thank you all so much for your reviews!!! I have my certification test coming up soon and the prep course is taking up all of my previously available spare time.

I'm still not sure just how many chapters I'm adding in between Chapter Three and the original Chapter Four?!!! Also, I'm just randomly adding my own characters whenever I find I need them. Oh well, you wanted action, here's some action, humor, and angst, coming right at ya' in the longest chapter I've written so far!!!

Rating: R

Heero & Relena

The Assassination

(September 18, AC 200)

He watched as the small group walked from where the limo was parked toward the semi-large gathering of people. He was lying flat on his stomach upon the large, thick tree branch. His elbows supported him as he securely held his pinpoint-deadly rifle on his shoulder. The tree branch forked under his chest, offering the perfect support for each of his elbows. His state-of-the-art scope had been specially customized for him as binocular instead of the typical single scope. He had the laser turned off for now, so as to not draw any unwanted attention to himself. He focused his sight on two people, one walking slightly ahead of and in front the other.

Today is Senator Gordon Sherwhool's 100th birthday. In celebration, a semi-large group of the most popular politicians, celebrities, and the press, had been invited to attend. The Senator was expected to give a speech about the progress of the Mars Terraformation Project. As credit for the entire project belonged to Vice Foreign Minister Darlian, the crowd eagerly anticipated her arrival.

"Duo, stop it!" Relena said laughing as he helped her out of the limo.

"Your wish is my command, Princess!" Duo stated as he made a grand bow to her. Relena put her hand up in front of her mouth as she laughed harder. She reached over and lightly slapped his shoulder.

"Duo!!! You have to be serious now!" She exclaimed, still smiling as she started walking toward the gathering of people.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Duo said smiling at her before he turned toward the gathering. He suddenly became frighteningly serious. Relena gasped to herself.

<<<How does he do that? He's such a big sweetheart, but then the Gundam pilot comes out of him, scaring me every time.>>> Relena thought as she faced straight ahead again.

Lady Une had assigned three regular elite guards and two Special Forces guards to Relena since this was to be an outdoor event. The chances of assassination drastically rose, hence the need for two Special Forces. Relena was unaware that there was a fifth person guarding her in the shadows, unseen from plain view.

Duo walked beside her to her right, as the other three guards flocked her on her left and back sides. They proceeded toward the group of people. Duo whispered so low, Relena couldn't hear him…

"What's it look like?" Duo asked.

"I don't see any threats, but that doesn't mean they're not out there. Don't let your guard down," Heero replied back through the wireless commlink only the two of them shared.

"Gotcha, and buddy, just watch where you're pointing that thing!" Duo said as sarcastically as he could. Heero fumed, but remained silent.

<<<Let's see how riled up I can get him today…>>> Duo thought mischievously.

"So, Relena!, how's Count Kura?" Duo asked slyly. Relena blushed.

"I haven't seen him since the budget conference Tuesday. I don't know," she replied ambiguously.

"Yeah, not including that late night phone call you had with him last night?" Duo egged her on. Relena's eyes flashed dangerously toward him as she kept silent. Duo backed off, knowing that look too well. Relena tactfully changed the subject.

"I don't think I'd like to live to 100 years old," she said. Duo played along.

"Yeah, think of all the wrinkles you'd get! Maybe a few clothes-pins might hold them up?"

Relena once again had to cover her mouth as she laughed. Duo smiled.

"You're still as beautiful as the first day I met you, Princess," he said seriously.

"Duo! You're such a flirt! If Hilde heard you say something that sweet to another woman that seriously, she'd probably kill you!" Relena admonished him.

"You're right. If I had said that to another woman, she would, but I said it to you, so she wouldn't care," Duo said, lightly flipping his head to shift his still long, unruly bangs. "Beside, you're one of my best friends, and I couldn't be luckier."

Relena blushed with that admission. "Thank you, Duo," was all she said for lack of anything more fitting to show her gratitude. Relena's posture shifted to pensive.

"Duo?"

"Yeah?"

"Nevermind," Relena said. They took another few steps.

"Duo?"

"Relena?"

She smiled at him toying with her now, but she wanted him to be serious.

"Duo, have you seen, well probably not, but have you heard from…?" Relena felt ashamed asking Duo about Heero again.

"Yeeeeesssssss," Duo smiled, egging her on, again. Relena noticed and bopped him on his arm again.

"Duo Maxwell, you're incorrigible!!!" she couldn't help but smile. She regained her seriousness with some effort, "Duo, have you heard from Heero?"

<<<Eeek! Heero will kill me if I say yes!>>> Duo thought frantically.

Relena looked up at him, barely a trace of hope in her eyes. Her look disturbed Duo, and he thought twice about telling her he had not seen Heero.

"He's around," Duo settled, praying Relena wouldn't try to pry out more information from him about Heero like she usually does. Instead, Relena suddenly veered off to the right, causing Duo to completely stop before running into her. She headed over to the river which flowed by the edge of the park area. No one was over there. Duo and her guards quickly caught up to her, flanking her once again.

"Duo, what the hell is going on?" Heero gritted out through the commlink.

"Relena, what are you doing?" Duo called out to her as they reached the chest-high steel-bar railing marking the edge of the city's cement foundation steeply into the river's bank. She leaned her forearms on the railing, then put her head down on top of her hands. She deeply breathed in the fresh, sweet air, before sighing heavily. Duo signaled to the guards to stay within five feet of her, before just watching her for a moment, trying to gauge her sudden mood swing.

"Hey Heero, I'm starting to really worry about Relena. These mood swings are happening a lot more often and the mood she'll be in after she's "swung" is always unpredictable."

"She's just stressed out; she's under a lot of pressure. Don't worry about her. Remember, she's stronger than all five of us put together."

"Yeah, you're right. She is definitely the strongest person still alive. I guess I'm worrying over nothing, but I'm not so sure...," Duo said walking over to her.

"Duo?" Duo leaned his forearms on the railing close beside Relena.

"Yeah?" he said just as softly as she spoke. He remained standing straight up, though he lightly leaned on the railing. "We're early. The conference doesn't begin for another 10 minutes or so," he finished. Relena looked up to him, grateful he realized she had needed a moment of peace.

"You're a good friend, Duo," she said. He looked at her, their faces half-a-foot apart. He smiled.

"You are too, Princess," he said. She nudged his shoulder with hers.

"Duo! I'm not a Princess, or the Queen!" she said, smiling blushingly at him.

"You'll always be a Princess to me, Beautiful," Duo said, winking at her.

"Duo!" Heero growled at Duo in warning over the commlink. Duo turned around in a 180 movement out of Relena's sight. He reached up his left hand, pulled the bottom of his eyelid down, and stuck his tongue out at the trees in the distance. The three guards just looked at him like he was crazy. In one fluid movement, Duo had put both his hands on top of his head in typical fashion, turning back to face the river.

"Duo?" Relena called him.

"Yup!" Duo said with a knowing smile.

"You're the strangest person I've ever met," she stated. Duo burst out laughing.

"Princess, considering how many people YOU'VE met in your life, that's a compliment!" he smiled happily. Relena smiled along with him, but then a sad look crossed her features. Duo noticed the new mood swing and prepared himself for the unexpected.

"Duo, when you see Heero, does he ever say anything… about me, at all?" she asked timidly.

"Yeah, all the time!" Relena looked up at him, shocked, before she quickly recovered.

"Soooo, you HAVE seen him," she smiled coyly. Duo paled as he realized he fell face first into a trap.

"Touché, Princess," he smiled back at her, "Yeah, he's always talking about how your security needs beefing up. He's quite concerned about keeping you safe, you know," Duo said with a smile, which died when her face dropped once more.

"Is that all he says about me?" she asked. Duo knew what she wanted, but out of respect for Heero, he didn't know what to say. He decided the best course of action was to keep his mouth shut. Relena noticed his silence and closed her eyes.

<<<I will not cry, not here. I won't let them know how much I'm hurting inside. I have to become strong, like Heero. My life doesn't matter, just the lives of everyone else in the Earth Sphere. They depend on me, even if I can't do enough to help them. I can never do enough to help them, but I have to go on trying. I must resist these pathetic emotions!!!>>> Relena fought inside of herself for control, finally winning. She recomposed herself and stood straight. Duo straightened, taking a step away from the railing. Relena looked at Duo.

<<<God, it's like there's no one in there, like a walking corpse!>>> Duo had a second to think, before the warmth came back into her eyes. Duo swallowed hard, increasingly disturbed by what he had seen. <<<Heero, if only you knew… BAH! You don't give a damn about her anyway!>>> he thought angrily, looking again toward the trees.

Heero watched the entire scene happen, but he couldn't see the dead look that had pervaded Relena's eyes for a moment. He was startled when Duo shot him a death glare. He blinked twice before daring to speak.

"What?" Heero spat out at Duo.

"Nothing," Duo spat back at Heero.

"Then go back to the duty you're neglecting," Heero snapped back. Duo's glare worsened, before he followed Relena toward the gathering.

<<<What the hell was that all about?>>> Heero had time to think to himself before the small procession reached the crowd and stepped up to the temporary platform.

The crowd cheered as Senator Leader John Hurley introduced Vice Foreign Minister Darlian to the podium. The scheduled speakers were all sitting side-by-side in a row behind the podium. Relena looked over and smiled at Senator Sherwhool as she stood up from her chair and walked over to the podium. Duo stood behind her to her left, and one of the other guards stood to her right. Relena reached into her jacket's vest pocket and removed her pre-written speech cards, which she then placed on the chest-high podium. She looked out into the crowd, still cheering in anticipation of her speech.

<<<There's only about one hundred people or so, but they're as loud a one thousand!>>> Relena thought to herself. She took a quick glance down to her cards to recall her first sentence. Relena's first surprise was Duo launching himself into her left side, pushing her to the ground. Her next surprise was the sudden sharp pain in her left shoulder between her collarbone and socket.

"Relena!" Duo cried out defeatedly as he saw during their fall the shot he had sensed successfully hit its target. He landed on top of her on the platform's wooden planks and shielded her with his body.

The crowd was screaming in fear and terror. Some people had fallen to the ground on their stomachs and covered their heads. Others simply panicked and ran for their lives. Chaos ensued as two more shots pierced the pandemonium. Duo had pulled his gun out, but he couldn't both protect Relena and hunt down her assassin. He looked to his right to see where one of the other shots had also successfully found its target.

Senator Sherwhool was being cradled by his eldest child, Senator Rosemarie Gwelyn. The blood was quickly pooling on her clothes as the wound poured his heart's essence out of both the bullet's entrance and exit. Relena caught Duo by surprise as she pushed him off herself and crawled over to the two senators. Duo quickly crawled after her and hugged himself to her back with one arm, while cradling his gun with his other.

"Senator," Relena called to him. The Senator opened his eyes and looked up at the two women. He smiled, even though he was in tremendous pain. He reached up and stroked his daughter's cheek.

"Daddy, don't die! I love you!" Rosemarie cried out to him.

"I love you, my sweet Rosemarie. Have courage! Please," he coughed up blood. Rosemarie used her handkerchief, which she had been sobbing into, to wipe off his mouth and chin.

"My sweet, please tell our family how much I love them," he said to her. Relena was sobbing as well. The Senator had been like a father to her for the past 4 1/2 years.

"I will, Daddy, I promise you!" Rosemarie sobbed out between hitched breaths.

"Relena," he said, turning to her. Relena took his hand.

"Stay strong, my girl. I want you to know," he coughed up more blood as he quickly grew weaker, "Please know this, I love you as I love my own children. Take care, my child…" Senator Gordon Sherwhool's breath exhaled completely with his last words. His head fell and his eyes closed. He died with a smile on his face. Both women collapsed into sobbing huddles. One final shot rang out in the distance. Duo perked up searching futilely for the assassin through the fast disappearing crowd. Suddenly, static crackled on his commlink.

"Duo, the perimeter is secured. I've already contacted the hospital for two critical injuries," Heero informed Duo, "I can see Senator Sherwhool, but you're blocking my view of Relena." Duo listened as Heero paused. "How is she?"

"She's been shot in her left shoulder. If I hadn't of sensed the danger, it wouldn't gone right through her heart just like the Senator's. The assassin must be an excellent marksman to be able to adjust their shot even as I pushed her down. An amateur would've shot ME through the heart by not being able to adjust their target in time!"

"Yes, the assassin was very efficient," Heero agreed as he looked down at the body sprawled on the grass before him. Duo noticed Heero's use of the word 'was'. <<<Man! He sounds so down. It's no wonder, he hasn't had to kill anyone since Mariemaia's war! I can't begin to imagine what he's feeling.>>> Duo thought with pity for Heero.

"Hey, Heero, don't be down, man! Relena's gonna be just fine," Duo said, as he put one arm under Relena's knees and the other around her back to pick her up. She was still sobbing uncontrollably from both the sudden loss of someone close to her, and from the pain of her own bullet wound.

"Don't worry about me, just worry about Relena and get her to the hospital. If she bleeds to death, you will too," Heero said noncommittally through the commlink.

"Affirmative, I'll leave the link open, over and out," Duo said as he gently laid Relena down on the cot inside the ambulance. He stepped back to let the ambulance workers start on her wound. Duo glanced out into the back of the other open ambulance. He watched as the body-bag was zipped up. Senator Gwelyn was sobbing just as uncontrollably as Relena in the other ambulance.

<<<Poor girl, she has no one to hold her on the ride to the hospital.>>> Duo thought as both ambulances' doors were shut. They pulled out to the street and rushed to the nearest hospital.

Heero watched through his scope as blood spurted out of Relena's back even as Duo pushed her to the ground. He calmly scanned the area of trees far off in the distance opposite from his set of trees. He had seen, out the corner of his eyes, where the spark from the shot had originated. Heero took aim, letting his own bullet fly. The trees moved violently where he had shot, but no body fell.

"Damnit!" he cursed out loud as he jumped down from his tree and started running the long way through the surrounding trees so that the crowd couldn't see him with his rifle. Just as he reached the other set of trees, he heard a second shot ring out. He reached the area he had shot at, looking up and all around himself for the other assassin. Suddenly, a body compacted with the ground behind him. Heero turned around to see the figure dressed as a news cameraman he had noticed earlier while scanning people. He ran up to the figure to see that his shot had been true. The assassin was bleeding heavily from the exit wound of the bullet's path through their stomach.

<<<A fatal shot, even if I couldn't see him.>>> Heero thought satisfactorily to himself. He got out his walkie-talkie and flicked it to cell phone mode. He quickly dialed 911 and placed an emergency call for two ambulances on his authorization. He then walked over to the figure, who was struggling on all fours. Heero brutally kicked the assassin onto their back. The assassin cried out in pain.

<<<It's a female!>>> Heero thought in shock. He bent down and pulled the mask off the assassin's head to see…

<<<NO!>>> he thought as his heart twisted in agony. He dropped his gun and put his arm under the assassin's shoulders, holding her close to himself. She opened her eyes slowly to observe the stranger holding her so… familiarly. Her eyes focused more on him and she laughed when she recognized the famous face before her. She then coughed up some blood. Heero reached for her head-mask and gently wiped the blood away.

"You're Gundam Pilot Zero-One aren't you? Heero Yuy?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said.

"It figures. You would be the only one… skilled enough to have made such a… fantastic shot. You couldn't even see me, could you?" Heero nodded in agreement.

"Well, if I'm gonna die, I couldn't think… of a better way of going out… even if this is… one of the longer ways to die… time-wise. Seeing as how you're a fellow assassin, maybe… you could do me the honor of at least… giving me a quick death?" she implored him between her strained breaths.

"If you were anyone else, I'd leave you to die," he said to her, imploring her with his eyes to recognize him. She studied him, seeing that he obviously wanted something from her.

<<<There's something strange about him… so… familiar?>>> she thought to herself.

"Emi, you didn't believe me when I said that I am the most dangerous man alive," Heero said softly, giving her the final hint she needed. Her eyes widened as she finally recognized him. Shock prevailed throughout her features as realization clicked into place the only mystery in her life that she could never solve. He gently ran his hand through her hair. She reached up and stroked his cheek. Then, she cuddled into his shoulder, smelling his scent, confirming it was indeed…

"Yuji," she said ironically, "Who knew my sweet, quiet Yuji… is really the most feared Gundam Pilot of all… the infamously violent and merciless pilot of the Wing Zero Gundam… Earth's saviour," she breathed out onto his jacket. He held her closer to him.

"Emi, remember you once told me the only thing in life you feared was dying alone?" Heero asked her. She looked up at him.

"Yes," she said before vomiting up more blood, this time all over Heero's chest and stomach. Heero patiently wiped her mouth clean once again. He held her protectively close to him and cupped her cheek, stroking it with his thumb. He looked into her eyes.

"This is all I can do for you," he said. Emi blinked once, then twice, as what he said sank in. Her eyes teared up, and she swallowed a sob. Heero gently wiped her tears away.

"Humph, you're not merciless like they say," she said softly, chuckling at the irony of her situation.

"Don't make me repeat myself. There's only a handful of people alive whose existence I acknowledge. Yours is one of them," he replied, not admitting outright that he does care for her. Emi read in between his words and smiled.

"In that case, since you are… two people in one, you have to make me… two promises," she said, her breaths growing steadily heavier. Heero's eyebrows raised in question.

"The infamous Heero Yuy must promise me to carryout my wish… as a fellow assassin… and honor me with a quick death." Heero felt his eyes stinging at her request. He blinked a couple of times, and was surprised when he felt her warm touch against his cheek wiping his tears away. He looked back to her and nodded his affirmative.

"The second promise must come from my sweet, loving Yuji," her voice was growing more difficult with each breath, "I won't die until I let you know. I was hired to kill the… Vice Foreign Minister…" she stopped a moment to try to steady her labored breathing, "…and Senator Sherwhool. His name is Mannigan. That's all I know. I'm sorry," she said, closing her eyes as the pain rippled through her thin frame. Heero held her face back up to his and she opened her eyes.

"What promise would you like from Yuji, from me?" he asked her gently.

"Relena Peacecraft… is a very special woman… more special than… she herself realizes… promise me that one day… within the next…" she became lost in thought, "two years… promise me, that you'll ask her… to marry you." Heero's eyes went up in shock. He stared at Emi, flabbergasted and speechless. She smiled at him.

"Emi, how did you know it was Relena? Was I that obvious?" Heero asked.

"No… but nice to see… I still have… that effect on you," she said breathlessly.

"You always have," he said quietly.

"Then say it… and promise me… then, I can die truly happy," she said.

"I promise you, Emi Waters, that I will ask Relena to marry me, within the next two years," Heero swore to her. He then pulled her close and gently hugged her. Emi only had enough strength left to barely place her hand on his side in a return hug.

"I only wish… it was me… that you fell in… in love with. I love you… my Yuji." Heero was crushed. The tears leaked freely from his eyes now as she continued.

"I would daydream… that you were saving… yourself for me. She's a very… lucky woman. You will be… each other's first. Now… I can… die happy. Now… Heero… Yuy… honor me," she whispered to him. Heero cried silently as he held her closer to him, not wanting to let go. He reached down and kissed her lightly on her lips.

"Did I ever tell you thank you for everything you taught me?" he asked her. She nodded her head negatively, smiling at him.

He carefully laid her back down on the soft grass and stood up. He bent down to pick up his rifle and got down on his knees beside her. He pulled her body into a sideways position on the ground, facing him. He stood back up. She watched him as he held his rifle in his left arm and placed its point against the side of her head directly above her ear. She smiled at him gratefully.

"Thank you, Emi," Heero said, then pulled the trigger. He watched as the bullet made a clean hole and what little life was left instantaneously perished from her eyes. He fell down to his knees beside her.

<<<Another corpse, by my hands.>>> Heero had time to think before the background noise finally managed to filter its way into his mind. He looked up to see the remaining frantic people who hadn't run with the first shots, start running now as they believed the killer wasn't done. He reopened his broken link to Duo.

"Duo, the perimeter is secured. I've already contacted the hospital for two critical injuries," Heero stated as formally as he could. He raised his scope up to observe the faraway platform, "I can see Senator Sherwhool, but you're blocking my view of Relena," Heero paused worriedly, "How is she?"

"She's been shot in her left shoulder. If I hadn't of sensed the danger, it wouldn't gone right through her heart just like the Senator's. The assassin must be an excellent marksman to be able to adjust their shot even as I pushed her down. An amateur would've shot ME through the heart by not being able to adjust their target in time!"

"Yes, the assassin was very efficient," Heero agreed, relieved Relena wasn't critically hurt, then stared regretfully at Emi's still warm body. Her blood continued to ooze from both wounds as if she were still alive…

"Hey, Heero, don't be down, man! Relena's gonna be just fine," Duo said. Heero's mind went numb as the pain of Emi's death started to course through him.

"Don't worry about me, just worry about Relena and get her to the hospital. If she bleeds to death, you will too," Heero said.

<<<Not that I could bring myself to actually kill you, Duo, much less Relena.>>> Heero thought as shock took over and he reached down to close Emi's still-open lifeless eyes.

"Affirmative, I'll leave the link open, over and out," Duo closed the communication, but Heero didn't hear him. He pulled Emi's bleeding body into his arms once again. Heero had time to reach up and shut off the link, before the few, silent tears squeezed out of his eyes upon the now empty silence of the deserted city park.

Plyric *runs behind her couch to hide!*

I'm probably gonna get flamed for this chapter, but I had my reasons for putting Emi into the story. You'll see later. =)

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