Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Mistaken Words ❯ Loss of Faith? ( Chapter 2 )

Mistaken Words

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Loss of Faith?

His stride faltered as he came closer to his final destination, and only his own determination, and love for Relena kept him going. She had changed over the three years, in which they had to struggle with the reality of Heero's betrayal; Relena had become short tempered at times, quick to react when around friends. Thankfully she was able to keep her thoughts about her when making a public speech, as any outburst would undoubtedly draw unwanted questions about her personal life.

The house was strangely silent this day, Quatre noticed, glancing down an adjoining hall, which like so many others was empty. It seemed that even if the world did not understand the full weight of the assassination attempt, they did give their princess space on the day that she so desperately needed it. He turned down yet another hall; the office had been placed at the very centre of the house, so to better protect Relena from any form of attack that might come. Quatre hoped for one day where such precautions would no longer be necessary, and indeed the world was slowly moving towards it, though they would never be able to stop working.

“Yo Quatre!”

The young President of the colonies turned about to find his former comrades, now brothers, walking slowly towards him. Duo lead the way, his long braid swinging like a pendulum behind him. As he came closer Quatre took in the simple gold band on Duo's left hand. They each had dealt with matters during the war in their own ways, and it was no different after. For Duo the best way for him to settle into the peace, was with his love at his side. Not even a full month had passed before he had proposed to Hilde; Quatre could not say that it had surprised him; however the intended union did cause some legal problems. Neither Duo nor Hilde were of the age that they could take this big step, even with the government in disarray with everyone trying to find their place, the young couple was met with legal blockades.

It had been at that point, when it seemed a hopeless task, when Quatre stepped in. It was not that he wanted to make Duo go through a virtual hell, only he felt that as a friend it was his duty to make sure, the former pilot was absolutely serious about this commitment. It had not been an easy process for even Quatre himself to work through, as he was also being saddled with the responsibility of trying to bring about a mutual peace with the earth; certainly he had seen easier tasks. Regardless of other matters Quatre had done all that he could for his friend, and along with the help of Relena and Zechs, the marriage could legally take place. Unfortunately for Duo, all the paperwork and meeting had taken so long, that when the problems had all been past, November ninth had already come and past, and along with it Duo's best man.

Clearing his thoughts once more, Quatre sighed, he was far to easily distracted of late, especially today, where his mind would like to be anywhere but in the present. He smiled warmly at both Duo and Wufei; Trowa was off on leave to spend some time with his sister, helping with the circus. A sombre air fell about the three young adults as they stared at each other in the sun lit hallway. Not even Duo's cheerful spirits held up that well on this day, anyone who knew him, could see easily, the fire that burned in the back of his usually mischief's eyes. It was at times hard to say who had taken the betrayal harder, Relena or Duo.

“How's Relena?” he questioned quietly of his two friends, as always deeply worried for one of his closest friends.

Duo shrugged slightly, eyes flashing with rage, “What can you expect? She's basically kept to herself all day, as usual…”

Wufei remained silent; arms crossed over his muscled chest, of all the pilots it had been Wufei who had managed to keep the calmest head in the face of that day. Even now he kept his thoughts and opinions firmly under raps. It was something Quatre could respect; though at times he would have given anything to know what the Chinese man was thinking. A little over a year ago it had been Wufei who met up with Yuy, none of them knew what was said if anything, it was something the former pilot had refused point blank to speak about. He was the only one to have had any contact with Yuy since Quatre had spoken with him after the assassination attempt.

His features took on a more serious note, “I really don't see why this has to happen today, would it really make all that much difference if we waited till tomorrow?”

“It has to be today, our source have been becoming more active over the last few weeks, something is definitely about to happen. Besides the sooner we move her to a secured location, the safer she'll be,” Duo said firmly, there was no humour in his voice, there never was on this day. “No one other than us know about the cottage, she'll be safe their till we can figure all this out.”

Quatre nodded, “I can appreciate all this, however I still feel that this is rather a cruel time to confront her about this…” he trailed off for a moment, folding his arms in a similar fashion to Wufei's, “And tell me this, why me? You're both more than capable of telling her about this yourselves…”

“It has to be you,” Wufei cut in finally onyx eyes hard, “and it has to be today. We can protect her, but when she has a mind to, nothing we say can have any effect on her, you've reasoned with her before you'll do it again.” Quatre did not miss the lack of a requesting tone in Wufei's voice, “And it must be today, not only for the fact that a strike could come at any time, but today of all days, Relena's most aware of her vulnerability.”

“Alright, is everything ready for the move?” Quatre agreed with a sigh.

The braided man nodded, “Everything's prepared she can be off the minute she agrees…”

“And if she doesn't?”

“You can be the one she's mad at,” Duo shrugged, it was no attempt at humour, it seemed creepy to Quatre.

Wufei unfolded his arms taking a step closer, “Anderson and Ryan, are going to go with her, they're packed and ready.”

The young President nodded, “All that's left now is for me to tell her,” looking over both faces for a moment longer, Quatre gave them a half hearted smile and turned to leave. But he was stopped by a sudden question that entered his mind, “Have we any word yet…”

“No word yet on whether he's involved,” Wufei cut in seeming to know exactly what Quatre had wanted to know, though the tone of his voice left little room for doubt.

With one last sad nod of his head Quatre turned the corner, entering the hall that brought him directly to Relena's office. It was in more than one way terrifying to imagine the peace being destroyed; if it did happen it was most likely something the world and colonies would never recover from, at all cost they must keep it from happening. The time for thinking matters over, Quatre realised was at an end, as he was standing outside the office doors, and he had already wasted enough time. With only minimal hesitation Quatre walked confidently into the reception room.

The young secretary behind the hardwood desk, jumped in surprise at his sudden entrance. She came to her feet stuttering, “M…Mmr…Pppresident…?!”

“It's alright Hanna,” he smiled soothingly at the young girl, who was so easily startled by the unexpected. Perhaps not the best choice for a secretary, but she performed all her other tasks so well that Relena kept her. “I take it Relena's in?”

“Y…yes Sir…” she responded with a little more control.

“Thank you,” Quatre strode across the spacious room, lined with chairs along the walls, and small tables where forms could be filled out. Much of Relena's day to day work was the little things that would otherwise be over looked, she did not seem to mind dealing with the insignificant matters, and in fact she had often told him that all matters were important at least to someone. For courtesy's sack he knocked once upon Relena's door, knowing full well that she never denied anyone access. As expected Quatre caught Relena's soft voice from through the thick door biding him to come in.

Drawing in one last calming breath, Quatre walked in, crossing his final line of defence. There was no turning back now, as he stepped over the threshold, he would have to answer the questions that he had until now not even considered. Quatre tried to formulate some path that the conversation should take, one that would cause the least amount of pain for the both of them, however he knew that no amount of planning would keep the questions on course. Forcing a smile to his young features Quatre walked into the office, his blue eyes seeking out Relena immediately.

The former Queen of the world sat behind her desk, reading over a form, which she held in one delicate hand. She was so small, Quatre mused to himself, so very fragile, and yet it had been her more than anyone who had brought about the peace. It seemed at times that a strong wind would surely break her crystal form, and yet she had with stood not only the assassination attempt, but the emotional turmoil, which had followed. Quatre was not the only one to love her, all the pilots did, along with the world, but Quatre also had a supreme respect for her, and her undying faith. There were times when he thought she might still hold out a small hope, that these last three years could just be explained away.

“Quatre,” Relena looked up from her work, a dazzling smile painting her face, though he could tell it was slightly forced. “What a surprise, what brings you here?” she questioned, eyes studying him intently, as though to gain the answer from his features.

Trying not to sigh, Quatre took his time in answering anything to delay the inevitable. He strode toward the desk slowly, taking in the furnishing, which Relena herself had picked out. They were elegant, but sat in the background of the viewers mind, your attention was drawn instead towards the centre of the room where Relena would be waiting, the one place Quatre did not want his attention to be. Once he reached the deep armchairs that sat before the large oak desk he began to speak, “How have you been?”

Relena's smile vanished, as she broke eye contact, busying herself with the loose papers laying upon her desk, “I've been fine,” she said, though he could tell she did not mean it, there was no conviction in her voice. Several moments passed before she looked back up at him, a small fire of determination in her beautiful eyes, “I've lived through worse, this is only a day…”

Quatre nodded in agreement, though it broke his heart to hear Relena say such things, he was almost positive that that was not how she felt on the inside. Matters would certainly have been easier on her if she had. “I'm glad to hear it,” he replied, voice eyes so slightly subdued.

Shaking her head a ghost of a smile appeared, somehow changing her entire face, though he could not clearly say how. “You all worry too much about me…” her eyes shone with love for him, and Quatre could not help smiling back at her. She had a way of controlling the emotions of a room, few people could be sad or upset when Relena was around, he did not know what it was, but he was glad for it. Though he could not help wondering how much she suffered in her attempts to hide how she really was feeling. “So why have you come, I would not have thought the President would have all that much spare time to come by for an unexpected visit.”

“Would `I was in the neighbourhood' be acceptable?”

“No I'm afraid not, you Gundam pilots are never just in the neighbourhood, especially Gundam pilots turned President of the colonies. So really what brought you?” she asked cocking her head to one side as she continued her unending study of his face.

Nothing of coursed showed, Quatre let nothing slip now, being honest was one thing, however letting a delicate situation get entirely out of hand, due to a facial expression, was completely unacceptable. “Lately our sources have been picking up increased movements in some fractions that we've been watching.”

“I've heard about this,” Relena nodded, the first hints of suspicion entering her expression then, “I get daily reports about this…” she trailed off, but the meaning of her statement was not lost to him. Why would the President of the colonies feel the need relay information that any desk clerk could and did do?

“Yes well, for the most part it's just traffic, however in the last few days we've been picking up evidence of some plot…”

“Wait let me guess…a plot against me?” Relena cut in eyes flashing. “And they sent you in to try and convince me of some knew safety measure…am I right?” she looked none too impressed right at that moment.

Swallowing Quatre looked for the best method to defuse the situation that was very quickly getting out of hand. “Nothing has been confirmed as of yet, but we can't be too careful, not when we have the peace, it's now that we must be constantly on our toes…” he paused for a seconds seeing that his words were not having that much effect. “You know your safety is very important, in my opinion more so than mine.”

For a moment her eyes lost the anger, and she leaned towards him, “I understand how important I am for the people, I'm reminded of it ever day. I also understand that we can't afford to be too careful with the peace.” He nodded his agreement breathing a sight of relief, “However I also do not intend to cower whenever there's so much as a whisper of danger. What will that say to the people? That I do not trust in the peace that we have formed? That is not the type of message I can or will give.”

Shaking her head Relena came to her feet walking around the desk small hands clasped into tight fists, “I agreed to what you see here,” she emphasised, gesturing to the surrounding, windowless room. “And if you'll recall, I told all of you that this was as much as I was going to give, I will not hide from a threat.”

“We're not asking you to hide from a threat, were asking you to protect the peace by protecting yourself. The people will think no less of you for taking such…” he searched for the right word all the while carefully watching the emotions on her face, “Precautions. If you were injured,” Quatre just barely managed to catch himself before he said again, “The peopled would definitely be more outraged than if you tried to protect yourself.”

Relena crossed her arms beneath her breast, “Yes that might be, but this `threat' if we should even call it that, has not even been confirmed. Show me evidence give me proof, what if this is all a mistake, could it be that people actually want peace this time for good?” her voice was growing angrier with each syllable.

The former pilot could not keep from sighing, “Relena I trust the others' instincts, they believe that you are in danger. This is something you have to trust as well…”

“I don't disbelieve you!” she fumed in frustration pacing about the room, before coming to rest beside his chair. “But I wanted to believe in them! And this…this…threat, is shaking that belief” she looked off not really watching anything, “I don't want to give up on them yet…not yet…” Relena all but whispered.

Quatre dropped his head to one hand, fully understanding Relena's words, “We're not giving up yet…but what if it's him?” his head shot up in shock, the words had slipped out without intention. His eyes darted over to Relena to gage her reaction to what was perhaps the curliest blow he could have dealt, her cerulean eyes were wide with, he could not exactly call if horror or shock, but something he could not understand, something he would never be able to understand.

“You don't think he is…do you?” her words tore at his heart.

“There's no way to be sure, not entirely, I'm sorry I said it…” Quatre looked away, focusing on a spot about a meter away, though he was still aware of Relena's every move.

For a long time nothing was said. A painful silence clung to the room with unforgiving hands, almost as though it wished to crush the two young souls present. Quatre wanted to look at Relena, make sure everything was okay, when he knew in his heart that matters could not hope to be okay. However he kept his eyes focused where they were, this conversation had basically gone as he had expected it would, perhaps even a little worse than he had first thought. He could understand all of Relena's arguments, but weighing their merit against those of his own, he knew that if it came to it, he would force the issue no matter what she said. It seemed that Relena also knew this in her heart, as finally she sighed, a tiny, almost defeated sigh.

“It makes no difference what I say does it?” she questioned, her voice subdued. “You already have me packed, don't you?”

Now Quatre did look over, eyes slightly downcast, he did not really want to look her in the face. “Yes…we would have liked for you to willingly agree, but it has to be done.” Coming to his feet apologetically Quatre forced his light blue eyes to look into her own, what he found there was not at all what he had expected.

In the back of his mind he believe he might see Relena fighting back tears, at the mere thought that the attack might have been coming from Him. However this was not the case at all, her expression was yes subdued, but her eyes were not. There was a fire of determination within those usually shinning orbs, which almost caused a shiver to run down his spin. “I almost hope it's him…” she whispered looking him straight in the face, “I want answers.”

Quatre was at a loss for words, his mind was racing to catch up with what he just heard, and Relena was giving him no time. “I take it I'm already packed?” it was half a question, as she walked back around her desk, to carefully place the loose sheets of paper in a folder.

“Yes…” he responded blinking several times, “Wufei and Duo have selected Anderson and Ryan to accompany you,” he managed finally to shake off the dazed stupor that he had fallen into.

“And what will the public be told?” Relena sat once more at her desk scrupulously putting everything to rights, “I'm assuming that I'm to leave right away?”

Nodding his head to the second question Quatre answered the first; “They will be told that you have taken a extended vacation, merely because you have yet to take a single day off, that was not forced upon you. The public will most definitely be pleased that you have decided to do this for yourself.”

“Yes,” Relena breathed sarcasm dripping from her voice, “Isn't it nice that I decided to do this for myself…” she sat with her hands folded together on the desk, looking ever inch the princess that she was. Quatre blushed at this but said nothing, “I'll go without trouble, but I want to be updated often as to what is happening, this is as much my business as it is the worlds, and I don't intend to be left in the dark.”

The former pilot raked one hand through his hair, sighing in relief, “I'll do what I can, but they many be few and far between. No one outside of our small group knows of the cottage, and if we start throwing around transmissions, someone might find out.” There was no reason to specify which someone he was speaking about, they both knew. “Under no circumstance are you to try and make contact with us…”

“It's alright Quatre I know…” she said standing gracefully, he nodded mutely.

“I'm sorry it had to come to this.”

Relena gave him a truly warm smile, as if to reassure him, “So am I Quatre, but lets not give up hope just yet. Mankind may yet surprise us.”

He loved how much faith she had in the people around her; Quatre had not yet lost faith, however he was finding it harder and harder to be optimistic in such situations. It was almost a constant fear, the peace being destroyed, he was almost positive that if it was the world would not recover. That was why he and the others were doing everything they could to prevent any form of major conflict. He had a feeling deep in his heart, that if they could just manage to get their hands on Yuy, a great deal of the tension that was floating about the world would be alleviated.

She stepped around her desk, and came to a stop right in front of him. For a time she looked at him, her pretty face upturned so she could see his face, as he stood head and shoulders taller than her. Relena's honey blond hair spilled down her back, and Quatre found that his fingers itched to touch the soft strands, but he contained himself. Over the years he along with the other pilots had come to care for her more greatly than they did anyone else. She was like a younger sister, one they guarded from ever danger, yet at times Quatre almost felt like it could be more, had there not been something standing in the way.

Relena hugged him about the waist suddenly, pulling the President from his thoughts. A tender smile touched his features, as he slowly closed his own arms about her tiny form. It felt so good to hold her to him, as if something clicked in the world when she was in his arms. But as always there was something, it was so small, almost insignificant; nevertheless it continued to nag at him. Telling him that this could not be, would not be. He did not know from where this feeling originated, yet he could not ignore it, and so he remained at the distance Relena had set.

She shifted in his arms, once more breaking his line of thought, “Don't think it will always be this easy,” Relena warned with a gentle smile.

“I look forward to a time when we no longer have to do this,” he replied seriously.

Shrugging her slim shoulders, Relena stepped away, “It's probably not necessary now, but as you say better safe than sorry, besides a vacation at the cottage is not all bad.”

“I'm glad you see it that way, it will ease my mind, along with the others.”

“I should really go and change,” she stepped from his embrace, and Quatre felt as though a part of his heart was going with her. Looking back over her shoulder while she stood half way out the door, Relena's face had taken one a grave expression, “I look forward to hearing from you.” She did not give him the chance to respond as her lithe form slipped from the room, leaving Quatre alone, in a void of silence.

***

Relena glided down the empty halls of her large home; mind not really focused on anything save the conversation she had just left, and what it would mean. She found it increasingly more difficult not to give into the despair, which stalked at the edge of her emotions. Everyone looked to her, it was because of this that most times she could not let the really emotion that she was feeling show, for the sake of the weaker, she hid what she was truly feeling behind a mask of optimism. This might have gained her a lot of respect among the other officials, but it left her feeling drained. She had been so long at this game that she almost never actually expressed her real feelings, it was simply easier to show what people wanted to see, all the time. As a posed to switching between the two.

As it was, Relena did not quite know what to feel in this situation, her emotions were a jumbled mess, one that could take days to work her way through. She realised that she would have the time to do so, as Quatre never specified a date or time that this `forced' vacation would come to an end. Sighing, Relena forced a smile to her features as she passed one of the many maids that worked within the confines of her beautiful prison. That was what it was, she had decided some years back, a glorious prison, with ever comfort imaginable, but a prison none the less. Knowing that she was important to the peace, was about the only think that kept her within the invisible walls. There had been a time when the shackles did not felt nearly so tight, but that had been three years ago, when she could share the burden with another, it was something she was not about to gain back.

Her stride picked up speed, in response to the frustration that she was feeling. It was an emotion she could never seem to put into words, it was far too broad, and so many other feelings were always mixed in that she could not find a place to begin. She felt as though she were being consumed by a fire, one that no amount of water could quench. And it had all been started by him; just the thought of him brought more emotions to mingle with the ones that already coursed through her tiny body, lending more confusion and anger. Like a whirlpool, Relena was slowly being pulled down, to either drown, or discover what was on the other side. A part of her was sure it was the former as a posed to the latter.

With a shake of her head, which sent golden tresses flying in all directions, Relena banished all thoughts of him from her mind, and focused in stead on making it to her room, with a pleasant expression upon her face. There was no reason to worry the men and women who worked for her. She usually kept such thinking to secluded places, where none would see, much like their relationship had been. Relena nearly sobbed at the thought, as grief suddenly overwhelmed her. One small trembling hand found its way to her mouth, as she struggled to breathe. Thankfully she stood outside the door to her room, and was able to slip in unnoticed.

She threw the door closed behind her, and as the tears began to slip from her tightly closed eyes Relena's diminutive fist slammed against the hard wood, in the only way she could express her frustration. “Ms Peacecraft?” a soft voice questioned from the silence. Mortification filled Relena as she opened one tear filled eyes, to see her worst fear confirmed. Standing before her were the two men who had been assigned as her bodyguards, both with an expression of concern on their faces.

Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment, she had not ever wanted anyone to see her like this. With a great deal of effort Relena managed to pull her emotions under control, locking the more volatile ones away, to be dealt with at a later date. She looked at the two men, having no idea what to say to them, their presence had been so unexpected. “Are you alright Ms Peacecraft?” the second man asked, she recognised him as Anderson.

“Yes everything's fine,” she answered quickly, though she could tell neither truly believed it, Trying to gather some of her lost dignity Relena crossed the sitting room, making her way towards her bedroom so she could change out of her business suit. Both sets of eyes followed her with concern but neither man said anything or tired to stop her. Once inside the sanctuary, which was her bedroom Relena moved over to the vanity table, and sat down staring at her pale reflection. How could she have let herself lose control like that, and in front of those two men? Her cheeks still felt as though they were on fire.

She berated herself for a lack of control, and ran a hand over her face, wiping away the tears. Relena still felt like weeping, but she pushed the need aside, refusing to give into it again, actually surprised at how fast the tears had come upon her. She usually had better control than that, however today was not a usual day. With one last look at her sad features, Relena stood and moved to her closet, looking through what cloths were still left on the hangers, and selected something nice to wear. She did not hurry to change, wanting as much time to herself that she could get. Sitting back down on the padded bench Relena cocked her head to one side considering her reflection, and what to do about her hair.

Sunlight spilled in though the thick windows, giving off no warmth, but more than enough light. It caused her hair to sparkle, and shimmer in ways no other light could. Not really wanting to think at the moment Relena allowed her eyes to lose themselves in the layout of her room, through the mirror that she was gazing into. A king sized canopy bed spread out behind her, far too large for her, but there really wasn't anything she could do to change it. Looking upon it was not a comfortable sight, as it was so open and lonely, so she quickly moved her eyes on. A great fire place with an engraved marble mantel took over the wall at the foot of her bed, within the hearth was a small well tended fire, which added warmth to the otherwise cold room. She often fell asleep simply staring off into the flames; there was something hypnotic about them, soothing in a way that nothing else could be.

Relena knew she did not need a house of this size, yes she had always lived in the large and very wealthy homes, but she did not need them. At times they could have such and empty open feel, as though they were waiting to swallow you into their oblivion, never to be seen again. Yet the world would have it no other way, she suggested once moving out, and allowing the home to be given a better use, such as that of an orphanage. But the people were almost outraged at the idea, and so she had just let it be, contenting herself with the loneliness of her home. That as well had not always been the case, Relena refused to allow her thoughts to go down that road, as it would only cause more anguish.

With a barely audible sigh, Relena gathered her hair together, and with quick hands braided it's long length, and tying off the end with a simple blue elastic, she came to her feet. They men outside would not come into her room, however they would also not wait forever, she had delayed long enough. It was time that she left as she promised she would, to wait in the shadows for news of this plot, and those involved. Her face once more composed, Relena stepped from her room to be greeted with the concerned faces of her bodyguards. She offered them a smile, which looked genuine, and quietly assured them that she was fine.

“We must be off ma'am,” Ryan said gesturing towards the door, and placing one hand near the small of her back he made to guide her in that direction. She allowed them to conduct her through the halls of her home, with a silent air following about them. Relena was rather surprised not to see either Duo or Wufei, she would have expected them at least to make some form of goodbye, yet each hall they turned down, proved to be as empty as the first.

She glanced at the two men, who had been given the task of keeping her safe. Both were about average height for a man, and so stood a clean head taller than her. Anderson was well built if not very handsome, where as his partner Ryan was lean, and quite attractive. They both moved, with a sense of being on their toes at all times, even in the safe confines of her home, their eyes were always moving searching for any hidden danger. Relena did not feel safe with them. It was not that she feared for her life, no, she rarely did. More it was that these two men did not give off the aura of being on top of everything, as the pilots did. Sure they could handle whatever came their way, but they might not see it coming, and that foresight Relena had always found a comforting thought.

As they continued to walk Relena could see now that she was being led towards the servants' entrance, most likely that would be were her unassuming car would be waiting. She knew that the land about her house appeared peaceful and quiet, it always did. But that by no means meant there was not some photographer waiting in the bushes to get a picture of her. They would not consider the servants' entrance, as she had refused to use it before. Relena did not want to set barriers between her and the people, if men and women thought that filling their magazines with pictures of her, would sell them, they were welcomed to try it. She was reassured with the single thought that she had the best hackers in the world, and so the magazines only got the best shots of her.

Walking out of the main house and into the car bay where the vehicle waited, Relena found the two elusive pilots. They stood together by the nondescript car, which would carry her on the first leg of her journey. Duo came forward immediately, and pulled her into a tight embrace, “Don't worry we'll end this, fast,” he whispered into her ear as she hugged him back.

“You always do,” was her own quiet response. She did not want to draw this out, for fear of her mind travelling back down the paths, which only lead to grief. Moving away from the braided man, she took a moment to consider Wufei, he stood off to one side, with his arms crossed, his dark features drawn into a serious expression. Relena stepped towards him, a tiny smile on her face, Wufei had changed a great deal over the last few years, or so she was told. She had not known him well enough during to war to say for herself. There was one thing however that she was very certain of, and that was she felt safest when in his presence. She had never told anyone this; least of all Wufei, as she knew it would draw comparison that the other pilots did not want to see.

They stood looking at each other for several moments, the silence of the room hanging about the pair like a cloak. Relena could sense the urgency from the two men set to guard her, but she ignored it, she was not going to move until she had gained exactly what she wanted. Wufei too seemed to realise this, and as his features softened he slowly unfolded his arms to take her into a quick hug. He said nothing, and to be honest she had not expected him to, he did not speak for the sake of filling the silence, as Duo did, but rather waited until the information he had was needed.

With the goodbyes finally at an end Relena stepped back and looked over to Ryan, who had positioned himself near the back door of the car. Nodding slightly, he pulled the door opened for her, and offered his hand to help her in. Anderson was already sitting in the front seat waiting patiently, however even with his nearness, as the door was closed behind her with a resounding click she suddenly felt very alone, and cut off. Gazing out the heavily tinted window, Relena watched the two pilots who were like older brothers. They moved to stand beside one another, and though she could not hear, Relena could see words pass between them.

She wondered what it was they were planning, and she wished that she could be a part of it, that the abilities she had been gifted with could be of some use to them. Yet they could not, and she would be left within the shadows for a long time. Relena scrutinised their eyes, carefully reading the emotions in them, both appeared outwardly determined. Nevertheless she could tell that it was merely a brave face meant for those around them, what they were truly feeling was buried much deeper. She could see it, in the deepest recess of their eyes, it made her wonder, and fear, had they all lost faith?

Thanks for reading!

 

Unforeseen Flaw:

 

The path that he travelled was a short cut, and because of that, he was forced to pass through rougher terrain. Shifting the strap of his assault rifle over his head so the deadly weapon was hanging across his back, he stepped towards a cliff face; hands immediately searching for the necessary holds. This was not the first time that he had journeyed on these very same grounds; in fact he had done so many times before. He had made sure to familiarise himself with the land around knowing that a day like this one would arrive, and he would need to be ready.

Hauling himself up and over the edge, he moved on again quickly, only a short distance now from what he sought. His breathing remained steady and even, not effected by the exertion of the climb. Having been travelling for about twenty minutes, he let his speed pick up, his strides in the snow lengthened as much as they could, he moved from a cautious walk to almost a lope, which carried him easily across the uneven ground. He had not realised until now how much he wanted to reach the end of this journey. His mind had been focused on other matters, however now, as he was steadily drawing closer, he could think of little else.

So much planning and time had gone into this, and he knew exactly where it would all go wrong, he had know from the beginning, and said nothing. Even with the unforeseen flaw, the end result would be the same, the only reason he had not mentioned it to them is because at all times he wanted to be in control of this situation. He had never needed to be in a position of power, in fact he hated it, knowing that he was no leader, but at the same time he was no real follower either, he worked best alone. Yet there were certain matters that he could not ride on the sidelines for, nor could he stay out of them altogether, there just some instances that he needed to be the one making the decisions.

Coming to a slow stop at the edge of a secluded glen, he dropped down to one knee, and peered out through the haze of snow, towards his destination. Surrounded and sheltered by ancient trees was a large beautifully constructed cottage; its arching windows filled with pale lights from within. It seemed like the type of sight one would read about in a fairy tale, yet it was all too real. Sliding his assault rifle back to his shoulder, Heero Yuy took one last look at the home before fading back into the snow-covered night.

Morganeth Taren'drel