Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Lean On Me ❯ That Wasn't The Plan! ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer- I do not own GW!!!

Chapter Two

Heero sat in his darkened room late that night sitting at a desk typing on his laptop. The bluish light illuminated his face, casting an eerie glow. His fingers flew over the keyboard. He clicked a button and a screen appeared. It had the word `Profiles', written across the top and a box for the person's name to be typed in. He clicked in the box and typed the name, `Diamond Kastle'. He pushed `enter' and waited. A dull beep came from the speakers and the computer said, "No such name in these files".

"Hm." Heero typed in the name `Kali Marietta'. The same thing happened. He leaned back in his seat. "That's what I thought."

"Riley, I can't believe you did that!" Vienna exclaimed, dropping onto the sofa next to Riley.

Riley frowned. "Hey, I'm sorry! Sheesh. You've done worse, so don't go blaming me."

"Yeah, but I never put us in real danger. This is Heero Yuy we are talking about here! Not some ordinary bimbo!"

Riley sighed. "I know, I know. But there isn't exactly anything we can do now, is there?"

Vienna shook her head. "Not really. Maybe we should contact J."

Riley sat up straight. "No way. We are not calling him. This is an important mission and I don't want it to be blown because of me. I'll fix it, okay?"

Vienna watched her friend's expression. "Oh, fine. I guess things really can't get worse, can they?"

Just then, a knock sounded on their door. They both stared at each other. "Maybe it can."

"You open the door since you got us into this mess," Vienna said.

Riley sighed, but stood to answer the knock. She opened the door a crack to see who it was. Vienna watched. Riley pushed the door fully open to reveal no one. She stepped outside and looked left and right. There was no one in the hall. Frowning, Riley stepped back inside and was about to close the door, when she noticed it. Stuck to the door was a note, being held up by a knife. She tensed and slowly pulled the knife from the door, the note still attached to it. She quickly shut the door.

"What happened?" Vienna asked.

Riley walked over and sat down on the sofa. "No one was there but this was stuck to the door with this knife. You read the note."

Riley passed the note, and Vienna began reading: "Watch your step, watch your back, we are on your track." Vienna looked up at her friend. Riley stared at the note in surprise. She let the knife fall to her lap as she grabbed the note from Vienna. Her temporary dyed blonde hair fell over her shoulders as she looked over the short note.

"I can't believe this. I know this isn't Heero. He would just say it to our face."

"Heero wouldn't write something so corny anyways," Vienna replied, scrunching up her nose.

Riley shrugged. "Who is it then?"

"Dunno, but that leaves us to find out whom."

Riley and Vienna entered the dining hall the next morning, wearing their uniforms. They looked around. The table only had a few people sitting at it at the moment. Relena was at the head of the table, someone they did not know was sitting on her right, probably that guest she had mentioned the day before, and then the pilots were on the left, talking quietly. Heero saw them come in and his face darkened. Relena looked up from her whispered conversation with the man on her right. She smiled at them welcomingly.

"Hello there. I guess I forgot to mention that students eat in what they call the mess hall, but no matter. You can feel free to join us this morning." She turned to the man on her right. "Mr. Baltimore, these are two of my latest arrivals, Diamond Kastle and Kali Marietta. Girls, this is Raphael Baltimore."

Riley and Vienna stiffened noticeably. Relena had not noticed the change in them, but Raphael had. A tiny smirk appeared, but he quickly erased it. The girls felt Heero staring at them in wonder, as were the other four.

Vienna tried to calm her beating heart. She pasted a smile on her face. "Hello, Mr. Baltimore."

He stood and shook his head. "Oh, please, call me Raphael."

Riley gave a curt nod, but nothing more.

Raphael stepped back from his seat and walked over to them. He took Vienna's hand and kissed it, then did the same for Riley. When he stepped back, he smiled. It sent shivers down Riley and Vienna's backs. "It's a pleasure to meet you both." He turned and walked back to his seat.

As soon as Relena and Raphael weren't looking, the girls wiped the back of their hands on their skirts. When they stopped, they both looked at each other and whispered, "Yuck!"

Duo and Quatre started laughing quietly. Trowa seemed amused and WuFei was raising his eyebrows. Heero was watching Raphael. He then looked at Vienna and Riley.

"Girls, take a seat," Relena called to them.

"Thank you, Miss Relena," Vienna said with fake respect. They walked to the side the boys were on, but Raphael then commented, "Please, do me the honours of sitting by me."

Riley looked to Relena, who nodded for them to do so. She sighed inwardly, but she and Vienna walked to the other side. As it turned out, Vienna had to sit by Raphael. Breakfast was served a few minutes later.

Riley glanced at Heero. He was secretly watching Raphael, who was talking to Vienna. It was easy to tell Vienna was bored to death, though trying to look interested.

Riley dug into her breakfast, ignoring everyone else around her. By the time she had finished, Vienna was terribly bored and had hardly touched her meal. Riley tuned into the conversation in time to hear him say something that caught she and Vienna off guard.

"Diamond, would you care to join me at a dinner event tomorrow evening?" Raphael asked. "I would be most pleased, and I believe Miss Relena will be attending the dinner as well."

Vienna hesitated, glancing back at Riley, whose eyes were wide. She suddenly nodded and whispered loud enough just for Vienna to hear, "Say yes. This gets us a free ticket to the dinner. If you say yes, we don't have to get on Relena's good side!"

Vienna nodded. "Yes, I would be delighted, Mr. Raphael." Inside she was gagging. Why me? Why oh why!

Relena stared at Raphael in surprise. She cleared her throat. "Mr. Baltimore, are you certain you wish to take Miss Diamond to this dinner?"

Raphael turned to Relena. "Yes, I am very certain."

"Mr. Raphael," Vienna interjected, "er, Raphael, would there be any way you would be able to find a date for my friend, Kali? She adores social events."

Riley looked at Vienna sharply. From the corner of her eye, she saw the boys give her weird looks. She groaned. This was most certainly attracting attention.

Raphael smiled. "I am sure I can. Miss Relena, do you know of any suitable young men?"

"Oh, well, I-" Relena started.

"I'll go," a cold voice suddenly said.

Duo's jaw dropped. "You'll what!" he exclaimed, staring at Heero. Heero kicked him under the table. Duo grunted and reached down to rub his shin.

"I said, I'll go," Heero repeated.

Riley looked at Vienna. Vienna looked at her. What is he planning? they both thought.

Raphael shrugged, though Vienna noticed that the idea made the man uncomfortable. "Alright then, I suppose, as long as it is alright with Miss Relena and Miss Kali." He looked over at Relena. She sighed and shrugged.

"I don't control Heero. He control's himself," she replied.

Riley rubbed her temples, thinking. What the heck is he thinking? It's so obvious he has something planned, but what is it? I know he isn't trying to be friendly because he doesn't trust us. A light bulb went on in her head. Dr. J. I'll bet my bottom dollar it was him. Heero knows an attack will be against Relena so he needed to find a way to get to the dinner. And of course he would jump at the chance of going with me if it meant not having to go with Relena. That has to be it. But then, why did Dr.J say none of the pilots would be there?

Raphael forced a smile. "Good. It is settled. My limo shall take us to the dinner. Miss Relena, you are of course expected to join us. Now, I must leave for my room. I have many things to settle and do."

He took his leave quickly. Relena straightened. "Well, I too have things to do. I will see you girls later, since it seems some shopping is needed. How about noon? I'll meet you out front and tell your teachers you are to be excused from your classes." Vienna noticed Relena was sounding a bit upset, and as she walked out of the dining hall, she could tell Relena was tense. She smiled. The reason was obvious.

WuFei suddenly said to Heero, "What are you doing?"

Vienna turned to Riley, ignoring her brother. "Come on, let's go. We may want to get some sleep before we go shopping with Ms. Terror."

Riley smiled in spite of her predicament. "True."

They stood and began to walk to the door.

"Hold it!"

They stopped walking and slowly turned on their heels. Heero was standing and watching them. "The two of you owe us an explanation."

"What do you mean?" Vienna held her breath.

"I mean your real names. What are they?"

"Kali and Diamond. How many times do I have to repeat it?" Vienna said, annoyance in her voice.

"Come on, Dia," Riley tried to pull her friend out of the room, but Vienna pulled back.

"No. We need to get a few things into his thick head."

Riley winced. "Bad thing to say. Now I really think we should go." She yanked Vienna's arm and pulled her out of the room. In the hall, Vienna calmed down. They walked far enough down the hall until they were certain no one could hear them.

"He knows we aren't Kali and Diamond," Vienna said urgently.

"I know. But how does he know? Does he recognize us?"

"I don't know. Man, this isn't good."

Riley looked worried. "Oh yeah, so not good. If it could have been anyone but him, it would not have been so bad."

Vienna looked tired. "Nothing we can do. May as well go to our rooms and try to sleep."

"Yeah."

Heero watched the door close behind the girls and sat back down. They seem so familiar, but yet they don't, he thought.

"Heero, are you sure you want to go with Kali?" Trowa asked.

Duo got a sneaky smile and leaned to Heero and said, "Does Hero have a crush, hm?"

Heero glared at him. "No."

"Then what?" Quatre asked. "The plan was for you to go with Relena."

"I get it," Duo said. "He didn't want to go with Relena so he figured Kali was a better choice."

"There is something about them that seems so familiar," Heero said. "I think I've seen them before, but I can't remember where. Also, I looked them up in the government files; their profiles are non-existent."

"What?" Duo scratched the back of his head. "Do you mean to tell me their ghosts?"

WuFei sighed. "No, you idiot."

"What are you trying to say, Heero?" Trowa said.

"They aren't who they say they are. They may very well be after Relena."

Duo snickered. "Good, they'd be getting her outta our way. Sounds good to me."

"Duo," Quatre warned.

"What? I'm stating the truth."

Heero shook his head. "I'll keep a close watch on Relena and the other two. If they're the ones after Relena, I'll stop them."

Riley slept the whole morning, both of them ditching what classes they had that morning. Vienna did not sleep at all. Instead, she spent it drawing in the room she slept in. She lay on her bed, her pencil moving across the sheet of paper. She stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth as she put the finishing touches on it. She smiled and held it up to her face. "Not as good as it could have been, but it's still good." She set it aside and stood from her bed, yawning. She looked at herself in the mirror hung on the wall. She hardly recognized the face that stared back at her. This girl had reddish hair and green eyes. It was the same face and figure, but still not the same. Sighing, she walked from the room into the living area. She noticed the note set on the table, the knife next to it. She went over to it, sat down on the couch and picked up both things. She reread the note, and then studied the knife. It was a simple design. The noticeable thing about it was the small symbol of a snake, coiled up. Vienna shrugged. Nothing important was there. Sighing, she lie back on the couch and fell asleep.

** ~~ ** ~~ ** ~~ **

Vienna stared at herself in the full-length mirror, making sure she did not look like a complete fool. It was the night of the dinner and she was set to go. Riley was, of course, still getting ready in her own room, but Vienna was already finished. Her dress was a long sleeved gown, velvet material, and black in colour. It flowed down to her heels and swished when she moved. She wore simple black dress shoes with a slight heel. Her short dyed hair was loose around her face and she wore very little make-up; she was not into girly stuff like that. She made certain the holsters that held her two weapons under her gown were not noticeable. After some adjusting, they weren't noticeable and she left her room.

She had been standing in the living area for three minutes when Riley finally came out. She was a big contrast to Vienna. Her dress cut a few inches above her knees and was a pearl white silk. It had a scoop neck, and she wore a silver necklace. Her long blonde dyed hair was swept back in an elegant clip with some strands of hair framing her face. Her shoes were white platforms with studs on the sides. She wore not much make-up either, but then again, she was going with Heero.

"You ready?" Vienna asked.

"Yup. Got your weapons?" Riley asked.

Vienna nodded. "Yeah. So, where are you hiding yours?" She smiled with interest, knowing it would be hard to hide the weapons with what Riley was wearing.

Riley smirked. "You don't want to know."

"Okay. Are you ready for your date with Heero?"

"Shut up, V. If I had my own way, I would have shot myself already just to save him the trouble."

Vienna laughed. "Yeah, so watch your step. You don't want to get him ticked."

Riley sighed and looked at the knife sitting on the table. She picked it up and twisted it in her hand. "I think I'll take this and use it. May as well put it to good use." She disappeared into her room and returned a moment later, the knife out of sight.

"Are you ready now?"

Riley shrugged. "As good as I'll get."

They walked from their room and down the hall to the grand staircase. When they turned the corner, they noticed that instead of waiting by the limo Relena, Raphael, and Heero were in the foyer. Next to Heero, Duo was standing, talking a mile a minute. Raphael was the first to notice them. He smiled.

"Good evening, ladies. You two do look ravishing," he complimented.

Heero and Duo watched them walk down the stairs. Duo's eyes had almost popped out of his head.

Duo grinned. "Whoa, baby! Dang Heero, you and Raphael got the good end of the bargain!"

The girls reached the base of the stairs and Raphael instantly came forward and took Vienna's arm in his. He smiled down at her and they began walking out to the limo. Riley made certain that Raphael wasn't trying anything and then put her attention on Relena.

Relena was smiling at her. "Hello, Kali. You do look great in that dress. I knew it was perfect for you."

Riley smiled back. "I was about to say the same for you."

"Why thank you. Well, it seems your friend and Raphael have hit it off."

Riley bit back the nasty remark that had come to mind. Relena was trying to act like a friend for a change. She forced a light laugh. "I suppose you could say that.

Relena nodded and walked outside, unaccompanied. Riley followed her, missing the quick exchange between Heero and Duo. Heero soon caught up to her and they walked out side by side, neither touching the other.

Riley looked up at him. "Touch me and I will hurt you," she said.

Heero looked down at her. "Hn. I doubt it."

The limo ride was uneventful. Relena tried a bit too hard to get Heero's attention; Vienna was stuck listening to Raphael blabber on about certain boring topics, and Riley just stared out the window. When the limo pulled up into the driveway of the grand estate where the dinner was being held, neither Vienna nor Riley knew what to expect. When Vienna stepped out, she had to stare straight up to see the top of the mansion.

"Kinda big, isn't it?" Vienna commented to Riley.

"Yep. You could say that," Riley replied, smiling.

Raphael was already at the door greeting an old colleague of his, laughing and cheering. Relena slipped past him into the crowd to mingle. Riley and Vienna noticed this and ran to keep up with her. Heero watched them go, his eyes narrowed.

In the mansion, Vienna looked high and low, but the crowd was too thick to see Relena anywhere.

"She sure does move fast," Riley muttered.

"Yeah, a little too fast." She turned around so she faced the door and then gasped. "Riley, he's gone. We have got to find him."

"Who's gone?" Riley asked.

"Raphael. He isn't at the door!"

"Crap! You find Raphael, I'll find Relena."

Vienna sighed. "Why do I get Raphael?"

"He's your date," Riley reminded her. She walked deeper into the crowd, pushing past people, and asking if anyone had seen Relena.

Vienna scowled and began her search, grumbling to herself. "Why me? I always get stuck with the enemy. Where is he anyways? He couldn't have walked away that fast."

Heero, on the other hand, had had Raphael in his sight the whole time. He was hidden in the shadows, not far from where Raphael stood, listening to a conversation he was having with a man in a business suit. Raphael was talking in hushed tones, but Heero could still hear it loud enough. He took a few steps closer before keeping perfectly still, blending with the shadows.

"They're here," Raphael was saying. "I lost sight of them a awhile go when they chased after Relena Peacecraft. Find Relena and somewhere you will find them."

The other man nodded slowly. "No problem."

Raphael nodded. "Good. Now be sure you just scare them, nothing more."

The man disappeared into the shadows, as Heero had done. Raphael turned back to the crowd, an evil smile on his face. He strode into the crowd.

Heero knew what was going to take place, and perhaps on who. He jumped from the shadows. He looked about for Relena; he saw her across the room.

Vienna had seen Raphael walk away from a back corner and walk into the crowd. She moved forward to reach him. "Hi, Raphael."

Raphael turned and smiled down at her. "Diamond, I've been searching for you. I would like you to meet some people. Men, this is Diamond."

The men he was talking to all murmured their hellos', some kissing her hand.

One of them, who looked young and somewhat like Raphael, smiled at her and glanced up at Raphael. "Where did you pick her up?" he asked.

"Diamond is a dear friend of mine from Ms. Relena's school, Daryn."

Vienna eyed the young man curiously.

Daryn nodded. "You wouldn't mind if borrowed her for a moment, would you?"

The breath in Vienna's throat caught.

"Not at all, just bring her back," Raphael replied.

Daryn nodded and held out his arm to her. "Come on."

Taking a deep breath, Vienna took his arm and let him take her away from Raphael.

Raphael watched the boy closely.

"Raphael, are things going all right with you and Daryn? You two aren't as close as you once were," one of the older men said.

Raphael nodded. "Yes, but it isn't getting any better. He distances himself from me more often, but what else can you expect from a son?"

** ~~ ** ~~ ** ~~ ** ~~ **

"Kali, over here!"

Riley turned when someone called her alias name. She spotted Relena waving to her near the front. She walked forward, keeping an eye out for anything. "Hello, Ms. Relena and how is your evening going?"

"Splendid. And yours?" Relena asked, taking a sip from a teacup she was holding.

"Great," Riley replied.

Relena nodded. "That's good. Have you seen Heero around? I've been meaning to speak with him."

Riley pretended to cough, covering her mouth to hide her smile. "The last I saw him was when we came inside. I'm sorry."

Relena sighed. "It's all right."

Riley tried to change the subject. "Have you seen any of your friends? Or did they not come?"

Relena shook her head. "No. I came because I am the Vice Foreign Minster. It's expected for me."

Riley nodded, as the tiniest bit of sympathy for Relena rose. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw it, and acted quickly. Shoving Relena to the floor and out of harm's way, she quickly looked up to where she had seen the gunman seconds before. He was gone.

Most of the people in the room were screaming and hiding, some ducking. Riley looked around, trying to locate where the gunman had gone. Before she could find him again, another shot rang through the air: left side of the room, upper balcony, right corner. Riley thought frantically. That shot wasn't directed at Relena. What the heck is going on here!? she thought.

Relena grabbed her arm. "What's going on, Kali?"

Riley looked at her irately. "What do you think?" Riley searched the crowd for Vienna but she couldn't see her anywhere. In fact, she couldn't find Heero or Raphael either. She shook her head. Look again, she instructed herself. You must have missed them. She looked again, but the results were the same. She glanced back at Relena. She was on her own.

As Daryn continued to talk, Vienna got a glimpse of Riley talking to Relena. She smiled inwardly, glad that someone was watching over Relena. She focused her attention back on Daryn.

He smiled at her. "Let's go outside for a moment. I need a breather." Vienna didn't have a chance to reply. Daryn took her hand again and led her out of the mansion. They stood on the steps leading down to the driveway, staring at the night sky. Vienna gave Daryn a side-glance. He seemed to be thinking. A cold feeling came over her. Something wasn't right. She looked over her shoulder just in time to see Raphael walk out to them. Vienna forced a smile, her head reeling. This is not good. I should not be out here alone with Raphael and some boy. This sounds a whole lot like some horror movie to me!

Daryn didn't even turn around, but he still said, "Hello Father. Nice of you to join us."

It hit Vienna like a ton of rocks as it dawned on her. It all looked so obvious now. Her breathing became ragged. "I - I need to be getting back inside," she said. She started walking back inside, but she felt Raphael grab her arm and yank her back.

"I don't think so," he whispered into her ear.

The sound of a gunshot rang clear. Vienna stared over Raphael's shoulder into the main hall, where everyone was. She saw Riley shove Relena to the ground. She looked for Heero, but she couldn't see him. Fear crept over her. Instinctively, she tried to get away but Raphael was too strong. He shoved her forward, handing her to Daryn. "Take her to the limo," Raphael instructed as another shot was heard. She hoped it hadn't hit Riley or Relena.

Daryn dragged her away but not without a fight. Vienna let him drag her away from Raphael, who had gone to the door at a fast pace as if trying to get to someone inside. As soon as his back was turned, Vienna jabbed her elbow into Daryn's stomach. He groaned but he still did not let go. She kicked back, hitting him in the shins. He loosened his grip, giving Vienna her chance. She pulled away, spun on her heel, and brought her elbow down onto his back. He fell to the ground with a thud, moaning in pain.

This caught Raphael's attention. The man turned. He growled and ran to her. She heard him coming and got ready to attack, but suddenly someone jumped in front of her and leapt at Raphael. The two flew backwards and started rolling around on the driveway, throwing punches at one another and trying to kick the other off. Vienna watched anxiously. She got a quick glimpse of the other person. She gasped. "Heero?"

Riley ducked as another shot came near her. Relena was lying on the floor, staring at her. "Kali, what is going on? These people aren't even trying to hit me."

Riley sighed. "I know that, Relena!" She then grabbed Relena's upper arm and pulled her up. "Come on, we gotta get you outta here." She ran to a side door that led out of the hall and pushed Relena through it. "Go!" Relena ran inside. They found themselves in something that looked like a parlor. Riley spotted another door across the room. "There!"

"What is happening, Kali?" Relena asked they entered another room.

Riley glared at the girl. "Will you shut up and stop repeating the same question?"

The sound of a door being thrown open in the room they had left was heard. Riley glanced over her shoulder. "They're coming! Keep going! Get out of here fast, okay? I want you to run from this room and find a way to get back to the school. The men will go after me. Now go!"

Relena nodded and ran. Riley turned and looked for a hiding place. There was none.

Trowa shoved down on the brakes and the car slid to a stop in front of the main gate that led into the estate. He jumped out and ran around to the other side. Duo, Quatre, and WuFei climbed out and the four of them ran into the courtyard. The first people they saw were Heero and Raphael rolling on the ground, and Vienna, preparing to go after Riley. WuFei ran forward and stood next to Vienna. "What's going on?" he asked her.

Vienna quickly filled him in on everything as fast she could.

Duo nodded. "So you mean Kali is still in there with Relena?"

"Yeah."

"I'm going to go in and get them," Duo announced. "Dia, you stay here with Quatre and help Heero if he needs it. Trowa, WuFei, you guys are coming with me."

For once, WuFei did not yell at Duo for bossing him around. They ran into the mansion and stopped in the door of the hall. Duo looked around and then noticed three men dressed all in black disappearing through a door across the room on the left.

Riley pointed her two twin guns at the door, as it swung open to show three men in black. They all wore masks over their faces so as not to show their features. She held her breath, keeping her guns aimed. "Get any closer and I'll shoot," she warned.

One of them snickered. "Yeah right, pretty one."

"Wanna bet?" Riley said. She shot a bullet. It went into the wall; if it had been a few inches closer, it would have hit one of the men. She smirked and blew at the barrel of her gun. "I win."

"Get her!" the one in the middle shouted.

Riley's eyes widened. She squeaked. "Trouble!" She looked up and noticed the ceiling fan. She leapt up and grabbed hold of the center of it. She swung on it until she was going high enough to fly through the door. As she was about to let herself fly, a bullet shot through the air. It hit the chain holding up the fan and the fan dropped to the floor. She landed on her back heavily, knocking the breath out of her. She lay there for a few seconds and looked over at the three men. One of them was rushing at her.

Suddenly, one of them said, "Let's get out of here. I hear people coming."

"But we can't leave without her. The boss will be ticked," another said.

The third sighed. "Leave her. We can find her later." They all ran from the room.

Riley groaned and forced herself up. She rubbed her forehead. Her back ached horribly. She reached over her shoulder and rubbed it. She winced; it only made it worse. She staggered to her feet and jogged to the door the men and Relena had run out of. She now found herself in the library with a broken window to her left. She hurried over there and looked out. She could feel herself getting weaker by the minute, but she knew she had to get out of there. She lifted her leg over the windowsill and climbed out. All the glass had been shattered and cleared out.

She dropped to the grass below the window. She bent over from the impact, her back killing her. She cried out in pain, dropping to her knees. She held herself up, bracing her hands on the ground. She took a deep breath and saw someone running to her. She squinted, trying to make out who it was. She smiled. "Vienna!" she called out.

Vienna knelt down beside her friend. "Riley, are you okay? You look horrible."

"I feel horrible. I fell from a ceiling fan in one of the rooms back in there. Trust me, it is not a fun thing to do. Ah, dang this hurts like heck."

"Can you at least walk?"

Riley nodded. "Yeah, I think so." Vienna helped her to her feet.

"You'll be fine, Riles. It may hurt tomorrow, but it won't last forever."

Riley smiled. "I know, Vienna," she said, walking a step. Her smile turned to a wince. She bit her lip. "So, what happened to you? You left me in there alone with Relena."

"Sorry about that. I'll tell ya later. Right now, we've gotta get outta here before the boys get here."

Suddenly, behind them a voice said, "A bit late for that."