Disclaimer, I don't own Gundam Wing.



Ice Princess
Chapter Two

    “I suggest you eat something, Miss Peacecraft.”  Kurt Kensington sat across the table from the red-headed, green eyed girl.  She stared back to him.  If looks could kill, Kensington would not only be dead, but lying in several billions of pieces.
    “Stop calling me that,” she replied, quite coldly.  “How many times must I say I’m not that perfect little princess?  She doesn’t exist anymore.”
    “Oh, but she does exist.  In the hearts of many many many enemies of mine.”  He sighed and rested his hand on hers.  “Kayla, we could have been something together.  I could have given you everything your heart desires.”
    She quickly pulled her hand away from his and chuckled.  “Oh, I doubt that. The only thing you could possibly give to anyone in this world is death and destruction.  The war is OVER, Kensington.  It has been for six years.  When will arrogant bastards like you ever get that through your head?”
    He smiled.  “You know, there was a hint of Peacecraft in that reply.”
    She threw him another cold look and turned away from him.  “So what are you going to do with me, now?”
    “Where you go, Heero Yuy follows.  So, as long as you’re alive, I get Heero Yuy.  And I want to keep you alive, and, preferably, in one piece.  You’re free to go anywhere in this building, provided you are escorted by either myself or a guard.  Might I warn you, though.  These guards are very well trained.  The only thing that keeps you alive in their presence is my order.  Otherwise, they'll kill you where you stand."
    She glanced around the table where four of Kensington's best people were standing.  Looks like I have some work to do.
    "Well, Kayla, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do.  These gentlemen will escort you to your room, when you're ready." Kensington stood from his chair and bowed slightly, before turning and walking away.
    Kayla watched as Kensington left the room.  The minute the door closed behind him, she eyed the four guards gathered around the table.  She picked up the fork that lay next to her plate and stabbed at the food. She kept eyeing the guards from time to time.
    "How much you gentlemen wanna bet that I can't kick all your asses in under twenty minutes?"
    She heard chuckles from the guards.  Of course they wouldn't take her seriously.  The perfect pacifist princess couldn't have kicked anyone's ass.  Hell, she wouldn't even have been able to throw a punch.  She smirked as she stood from her chair.  "I think I'm ready to go to my room, now." She held on to the fork for a few seconds as the four guards gathered nearer to her, ready to escort her away.  The minute they were close enough, she attacked.

    Heero was watching the events from a window on the opposite side of the room.  His eyes were wide as he watched the woman fight.  He couldn't believe that the red head in the room; taking on four full-grown, trained assassins; was Relena.
    He looked for a quick entrance, then found it.  He left the window and walked quietly along side the building, stopping at every window, looking in to watch the fight.
    He found the door and quietly began picking the lock.  Usually, it wasn't his style, but he wasn't about to barge in and risk them killing her, though he was sure that she could handle things herself, now.  Then again, if he barged right in, she might be the one to kill him.  He finally got the lock picked and slowly cracked the door open, just enough for him to slip through.  He slowly and quietly closed the door, and drew his gun.  He began inching his way toward the fight.

    It didn't take long for the first guard to fall.  All Kayla had to do was stick him in the right place with the fork.  He fell to his knees, clutching his private area, giving Kayla an opening to pull his gun.  In four quick shots, the four guards fell to the floor, dead.
    She glanced towards the door that Kensington had exited.  She held tightly to the gun as she searched the other three guards, grabbing clips from each of them, making sure she had enough ammunition.
    Something caught her attention behind her.  She spun around and, in less than a second, the barrel of her gun was pointed in between the Prussian eyes of Heero Yuy.  She stared at him for several minutes, her gun still poised.  He stared back.  His eyes reflected three years of pain, sadness.  His eyes showed emotion.  The first time she'd seen him show emotion.
    Her eyes, on the other hand, were dull, lifeless emerald orbs.  They were no longer the eyes of a loving, caring, young woman.     Heero couldn't believe the reflection.  This wasn't Relena.  It couldn't be.
    After a few minutes, she lowered the gun, but continued to stare at him.
    "I should have known, sooner or later, you'd catch up," she said, almost the same monotonous tone that Heero used.
    "Relena...," he started.
    "Relena Peacecraft is dead, Yuy.  She's been replaced with Kayla Landry."
    Heero shook his head.  "Relena's still in there. I can see that, and so can Mrs. Dyess."
    There was a brief flash in Kayla's eyes as he mentioned the old woman's name.
    "She's alright.  I took care of the 'friends' that Kensington had sent.  Duo's keeping her company."
    She blinked, her dull eyes, for one moment replaced with amusement.
    "That poor old woman doesn't need a heart attack, Yuy." For another moment, a brief smirk came to her face.
    "Yeah, well, I didn't want to leave her alone, and Duo wasn't far away."
    The smirk faded back into her unemotional state.  "You should have stayed there.  This is what Kensington wants.  He knew you'd come."  She looked down at the gun in her hands and made sure there was enough ammunition left in the clip.  She looked back up at Heero.  "I need to take care of this one, myself."
    He shook his head, checking his own gun.  "I know I can't stop you, but I can't let you do this by yourself, either."
    She stared at him for a few more moments, then nodded towards the door.  "And I know I can't stop you, either.  So, let's go."     She darted towards the door that Kensington had previously exited through.
    Heero took off in a jog after her and watched as she jogged ahead of him.  This wasn't the same girl as he knew three years ago.  He'd known that when Mrs. Dyess had told him about her.  But he couldn't help but be inwardly shocked of how much three years can change a person.  Especially a change over the entire emotional spectrum.

    "Damn it all, Maxwell, I don't care what you're doing right now.  I know Yuy's contacted you with something."  A very, very irate Milliardo Peacecraft practically yelled into the phone.  He paced back and forth in his office at Preventer Headquarters.
    "Look, Zechs, I swear I don't know anything," came Duo's voice from the other end of the line.  "All I know is Heero called me up and asked me to keep an eye on this little old lady.  He didn't tell me anything else."
    "Then why the hell did you call me?"
    "Well, I heard Heero mention the name, Kurt Kensington, and I wondered if you might know anything about it."
    Milliardo stopped his pacing.  "Kensington? Are you sure?"
    "Pretty sure, Zechs.  Why? What's up?"
    Milliardo remained silent for several minutes.  He shook his head.  I don't believe this....I don't fucking believe this....
    "Yo, Zechs, say somethin'."
    "Give me a number where I can reach you, Maxwell.  I'm going to do some research."
    He listened and wrote the number down as Duo recited it from the old woman.  He muttered a thanks to Duo and hung up the phone.  He walked around his desk and immediately set to work at his computer.
    "Relena, why did you have to get involved with that man?"  He muttered to himself as he worked.  Of course, he didn't realize just how much 'involved' she was with Kensington.
    He stayed at the computer, working for about an hour and a half when he found what he needed.
    "Gotcha...."
    He picked up the phone and dialed the number that Duo had given him.  
    "Hello?" said an old woman's voice from the other end.
    "I assume this is Mrs. Dyess?" he asked.
    "Yes.  And, I assume that this is Mr. Peacecraft?"
    "Yes," he said as he picked his jacket off the back of the chair and slid it on.  "I'm going to be there in twenty minutes.  When I get there, I'd like you to tell me everything."
    "That won't be a problem, Mr. Peacecraft.  I almost feel guilty for not getting a hold of you and your people sooner, but I made a promise."
    He nodded.  "I understand.  I had made a promise to her, also.  Unfortunately, I've broken my promise.  I had to."
    "I understand."
    "Twenty minutes.  Goodbye."  He hung up the phone and left his office.

    Kayla, with Heero right behind her, kicked open the back door after killing two more guards.  She stood with the gun ready and watched as Kensington's limousine drove away.
    “Damn...,” she muttered.  She looked back to Heero.  “If you hadn’t distracted me, I would have caught him.”
    “If I hadn’t distracted you...,” he said, staring directly into her iced over eyes, “...you would never have known that Mrs. Dyess was safe.  You would risk the old woman’s safety to kill that bastard?  I don’t think so.  I know you better than that.”
    “I’ve changed, Yuy.”  Her voice was unchanging as she returned his gaze.
    “Not that much.”  He grabbed her arm and tugged her around the corner.  He climbed onto a motorcycle and waited for her to climb on behind him.
    “We’re going after him, right?” she asked as she climbed on behind him, after placing the gun between her jeans and her skin on her back.
    “No. We’re going back to the cafe.” He started the motorcycle.  “I believe you know where he’s going.  He’s not foolish enough to do anything until he has me.  We’ve got time.  We’re going to take you and Mr. and Mrs. Dyess back to Preventer Headquarters.  And I’m going to organize a group to go after him, based on the information you left with Mrs. Dyess.”
    She placed her arms around his waist as he revved the machine.  Deep in her sub-consciousness, she found this rather comforting.  The heat of his body against hers.  It made her heart fill with a warmth that she forgot she had.  A warmth that she’d only shared with the Dyess’ since her new life began.  She had almost commented coldly on his plan before feeling this warmth.  All she could do was hold him tighter as they began their way to the other side of the city where Mrs. Dyess’ cafe was.
    He turned his eyes toward her arms that were wrapped around his waist.  He sighed almost heavily as she held him tighter.  He knew it, now.  He loved her.  That was the reason he was driven so hard to find her.  It wasn’t because she was Relena Peacecraft, the former Vice-Foreign Minister.  It was because she had a place in his heart, one that he didn’t notice until she was gone, and it was empty.