The scream of a maid jolted many people awake. When they arrived on the scene, they realized why she had let out a cry of horror.
Their princess was gone.
Like wildfire, it spread across the news. "Relena Dorlian, the famous female diplomat..."
"Known for her participation in the AC 195 and 196 wars,"
"Her success in starting the Terra Forming Project,"
"As well as her friendship with the famous Gundam Pilots..."
"Has disappeared as of December twenty-fifth."
"No one knows where she has gone..."
"Or if she left willingly..."
"But a cold breeze blew through the country..."
"On this Christmas Day..."
"When a maid discovered that Ms. Dorlian was not in her room."
Duo Maxwell dropped his can of soda. It hit the tiled kitchen floor and the bubbly liquid made hissing sounds as it spilled across the floor. The braided boy didn't notice, however, because the news about Relena had his complete attention.
"Duo!" came an exasperated voice. "What are you doing?! That soda will make the floor sticky!"
Hilde Schbecker, long time friend and partner, came barging in, grease smudges all over her face and clothes. Her baggy pants and old shirt were stained with sweat, oil and grease, and she was so not in the mood to clean up soda.
When Duo didn't reply, the already irritated German exploded. "God damn it, Duo, whatever the hell you're watching isn't half as important as--"
"Relena's gone missing," the American cut in quietly, not taking his eyes off of the screen. "It's all over the news."
Hilde swallowed her shout of happiness, and quickly pulled up a shocked expression. "Oh, my God, are you serious?! Relena?! Do they know anything? Is there any sign of a struggle? Was she kidnapped? Is it possible---"
"They don't know anything," Duo interrupted. He finally looked away from the television.
Relena Dorlian. Not many people knew how close they were. He had a lot of respect for the blonde. She was as dedicated to protecting the world as he had been in his piloting days. It had taken him a while to understand that she was working to stop wars in her own way--by talking--instead of just destroying the enemy.
They'd become friends in Hilde's hospital room, both of them worried about the poor German whom had almost been killed during the war with Libra. She'd been in a coma for a week after the battle had ended, and both the diplomat and American had worried about her. During that time, they had gotten to know each other.
So now she was gone. He wondered if the other pilots were seeing this and worrying about it as well.
Hilde made sure Duo was still in his own haze of worry, before pressing her fingernails to the corners of her eyes. Instantly, tears appeared.
Duo looked over a few moments later to see Hilde crying. Her eyes were wide, and her breath was quick. Instantly he pulled a chair from the table over to them and pushed her onto it. He knelt in front of her and smiled brightly. "Hey, come on, I'm sure she's okay. They've got the Preventers, after all. Sally, Wufei, and Une are probably on it right now."
Hilde nodded slowly, sighing as she calmed down. She closed her eyes; tried to stop the tears. Duo could tell she was going through so much grief, not knowing whether or not her friend was alive or dead. She was so obviously falling apart with despair and worry.
Hilde excused herself and ran up to her room. Duo nodded, thinking she was going to cry her heart out. Poor thing, he thought. She's taking this so hard! I bet she'll feel better if she has some time alone.
As soon as she was in her room, however, she jumped up and down in celebration. She had done it! Relena was free!
She danced around and laughed happily. Hopefully Duo wouldn't overhear her. The braided man would think she had gone insane.
The German woman calmebecame subdued when a thought hit her. Heero. If the Japanese boy started looking for Relena...
Hilde frowned. That could be dangerous. After all, Heero was an excellent soldier, and soldiers had the ability to track. Could he find Relena?
The German girl shook her head. Heero had disappeared ages ago. God knows where he could be. He'd left without a single word to her diplomat friend. He wouldn't care enough to go after her!
She tried to believe her own thoughts, but her Women's Intuition was telling her he would be looking for Relena. And that he would too determined to stop until he found her.
Hilde gulped. Damn that Intuition. She'd have to contact Sally and discuss it with her.
"Yes, I understand that. Yes, I know that, too. I'm not part of any newspaper or anything! I don't even really like to read the news! Just connect me with Lady Une." Blue eyes looked upwards in exasperation. "Yes, she knows me. Ask her! Tell her it's Quatre Raberba Winner! What do you mean you can't pronounce it?! Kat-tra Ra-BER-baaaa Win-er. Got that? Oh, for crying out loud---"
The phone was slammed back down onto the receiver. A slim man with pale blonde hair and sea blue eyes let out a string of curses that most people would be shocked to hear from him. With his sweet face and wide, innocent eyes, Quatre was not one you would expect to possess a sailor's vocabulary.
Long, graceful fingers started to knead his shoulders. "No luck?" asked a calm voice.
Quatre shook his head. "They're refusing to let me talk to her. They think that I'm from a newspaper." He purred. "Ooooh, that feels good."
"Do you want to try and call Wufei or Sally?" The voice now had a tint of amusement in it. Quatre arched his back, loving the feel of fingers massaging his aching shoulders.
"Right now?" the blond whispered. "Nah. They'll call us when they're ready. Besides, they would probably be annoyed that we called. They're probably completely absorbed in finding her." His eyes turned guilty. "I really shouldn't be relaxing here. Relena's a good friend of mine, and has always been there for me. I should be helping the Preventers."
"Would you like the go to the Cinq Kingdom?" The hands moved up Quatre's neck and began to massage the blond's head. Quatre moaned.
"Yes....that would be good...."
The hands moved away. "All right then. You'd better notify your secretary and start packing. We'll want to get there as fast as possible."
Quatre whimpered. "Okay," he murmured, tilting his head back towards his lover, who was standing behind his chair. "After you finish this massage."
The hands returned. A satisfied smile appeared on both of their faces.
"Mmmm...maybe we could leave tomorrow...?"
"Why tomorrow? I thought you'd want to leave as soon as possible."
"Because I want to spend all night being taken with a ravishing passion on a canopy bed."
Trowa smiled as his hands slipped through the flaxen locks. "As you wish."
Wufei rolled his eyes as Sally once again covered the length of the room with her long stride.
"Sally, if you do that one more time, I swear I'm going to hurl you out of a window," he said in calmly annoyed voice, watching her from where he was sitting. They were both waiting in Lady Une's huge office. It had bay windows on two sides, revealing the city surrounding them. A single desk sat by one wall of windows, and there were only a few plain chairs for visitors. It was not a welcoming room.
He briefly flashed back to being in Relena's office, when he'd been with the other gundam pilots five years ago. She'd asked them to come so she could personally congratulate and thank them. She'd had a beautiful room with soft couches, stuffed chairs, and beautiful paintings on the walls. It had been bright and cheerful, just like the owner of it.
Wufei felt a pang of worry. Even though he was not a person given to caring about many people, he had a deep admiration of Relena. She was full of strength, just like Meiran had been. Now that she was missing, he had to admit that he was concerned.
But that concern was being tossed into the back of his mind, because Sally continued pacing, damn the woman. He closed his eyes, trying to block it out, but her feet were making noises against the carpet in the silent room. Pretty soon, his eyebrow was going to start twitching. For not the first time in five years, he wondered what the hell had compelled him to work with her.
Sally paused to look over at him. His eyes were squeezed shut, his fists were clenched, and she could tell his teeth were, too. She smirked. Her pacing was wearing on his patience. But she had to keep doing it. This act was not going to work on Une unless she played it to the max. Une was too clever to be fooled easily. She had to watch her step. The blonde wouldn't let Relena down that way.
The doors to the office slammed open, and in stalked Une. Her steps were impatient and long. Her Preventers uniform had not a crease in it and her hair was neat, despite her quick pace. She sat down at her desk and got straight down to business. "So, what are you planning to do?"
Sally sat down in one of the chairs next to her desk. Wufei was now calm and stoic, as he always was with pretty much anybody but his partner. "We're not sure. The whole mansion and the land is being dusted for fingerprints, but the ground was wet, meaning that it won't be much help. Her room will be probably be clean as well, because I doubt we're dealing with amateurs, but we're checking anyway."
Sally clenched her fists as if she were angry. "Thanks for the optimistic look on things, Wufei. Way to make us feel better about our missing diplomat."
"It's probably better that he's honest," Une cut in, but there was sympathy in her eyes. She also cared about Relena. "Any illusions we have will only slow us down. It's better to look at this from a stranger's point a view."
"But this is Relena!" Sally objected, forgetting that Une a higher ranked officer than her. "We've met her and helped her and watched her grow up and...God, Une! She's gone!" She did a stunning display of blinking back invisible tears.
The brown eyed woman was watching her closely. One eyebrow was raised. "It's not like you to react like this, Sally."
Had she overdone it? Sally straightened. "I...I know. It's just that I was..am...very close to her."
Sharp brown eyes met hers squarely. "Close enough to know everything she does? Close enough to know if she hated her occupation?"
"What?" Sally's face showed her confusion clearly. Her brow was furrowed, and she was frowning.
Une sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Much to Sally's annoyance, it fell right into place again, not a strand sticking out. "It's more likely that Relena was kidnapped, but...there is the possibility that she ran away. We have to look at all the possibilities. We're thinking about calling in her closer ring of friends -- Hilde, Catherine, Dorothy, and Noin. They might know something. But if you do as well, I'd like to know." Her face was clean of emotion. "I know Relena is your friend, but you need to tell us if she did leave willingly. She has a big responsibility to her country, and has no right to just pack up and leave.
"I didn't say it was for certain," she added quickly at Sally's angry look,"but it's possible. Just think about her people. Who will stand up for them and help the country?" Why don't they stand up for themselves?! Sally thought angrily. Why do they need a twenty-one year old to take care of them?!
"I can't believe you would think that!" Sally said, her voice livid. "How dare you?" She then stood up and started to walk towards the door.
Une's voice made the blonde feel like she had thrown herself into arctic water. "Po, if you leave this room, you leave the Preventers as well. I may be your friend, but I will not stand for your attitude. I am the head of this organization, and you will not be disrespectful. I suggest you sit down and act like an adult. Or do I need to call your parents?"
Sally was still for a moment, before stomping back over to her chair and sitting down stiffly. She then said, her voice calm,"Relena never hated her job. She was irritated sometimes by it, but she never hated it. She would never leave willingly." Her lie was smooth and flawless, and she could see through Une's eyes that the woman believed her.
There was silence for a few moments. Wufei was sitting there silently, expressionless as always.
Finally, after a few minutes, the brunette said,"You'd better get back to work. If you get any leads or anymore information, I want it as soon as possible." She opened a drawer and began rifling through the papers while waving the other hand at them. "Now get out; I have a meeting in twenty minutes."
Sally stood up quietly, and she and Wufei left.
"Well," he said, looking over at her as they walked down the hallway,"that was interesting. I've never seen you act like that before. I thought you and Lady Une were friends."
The blonde didn't reply. They had been, but she knew Une would never understand Relena's choice. So, therefore, Sally would never tell her the truth. And she knew deep down it would cause a great rift between their friendship. She also knew Relena would rather turn herself in than cause that to happen, but the Preventer had made this choice on her own.
She only hoped it wouldn't destroy her in the end.
Une sighed and straightened her uniform. Sally was angry. The blonde had also looked at her as if she had been the devil incarnate. She probably deserved it.
She missed Relena dearly, and highly doubted the girl had run away, but it was possible. The look in Sally's eyes, though, had made her doubt it even more.
She looked at the clock by the doors. Fifteen minutes until they got here.
Left to her own thoughts, she mentally ran through the clues they had found. Someone had messed with the cameras; they'd looped them so they would show the same five minute segment all night and day. The idiot guards hadn't figured it out until the morning, when it had been bright outside but the cameras had still shown the grounds at night time.
The man in the guardhouse had left because of a false emergency. Someone had called in, acted as his wife, and caused him to run home in a rush. The kidnappers had probably waltzed right out the front gates, and nobody had noticed.
They were currently inquiring the people of the city, and so far no one had seen a woman who resembled Relena in any way.
There were no fingerprints in the room. There was no sign of a struggle, but all of Relena's clothes remained. Her credit cards, her cell phone, personal items; it was all still there.
Except for a few things. One was a teddy bear. A maid claimed that Ms. Relena had always had it shoved into a drawer. She had said,"Ms. Relena once told me when I was looking at it curiously that she'd always relied on it in the past. It being put away was symbolic of her becoming able to depend on herself. It was always a sore spot for Ms. Relena."
The other item missing was her nightgown. The night time maid had told them Relena had worn it to bed. So unless Relena had run away in her pajamas....
The brunette sighed in frustration. They didn't have much to go with.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the door opening. Her secretary was standing there, smiling. "They're here."
"Let them in."
The woman stepped to the side, and two familiar faces appeared. Lady Une stood, smiled, and walked over to them. They shook hands.
She led them to the seats at her desk, dismissed her secretary, and sat down as well. "I'm glad you could make it. It's been so long since I've seen you both."
Quatre smiled. "It's sad that we have to meet like this."
She nodded, letting out another sigh. All she ever seemed to do was sigh these days. "Wufei and Sally just left to head for the mansion. They're on this case, you know." She didn't have to say what case it was. They all knew.
Quatre's eyes lit up. "Wufei and Sally! I haven't seen them for ages! It will be wonderful to meet old friends again."
Trowa nodded, still the subdued man Une remembered. "Have you gotten any leads yet?"
"I'm not really the one to ask." She paused for a moment to look at both of them. "I trust you will want to work on this?"
Quatre nodded. "Do you mind? I know we don't work for you--"
"You've proven yourself plenty of times before this. Are you sure you want to do this, though? You both must have other affairs."
"I've left my business over to a trusted partner. He'll handle it for as long as I need," the blond said with a smile.
"And my job is a very...open one," Trowa said. The brunette didn't miss the little secretive look they gave each other. Oh, give her a break. Another moment and they'd start giggling. "Very well, then. Just meet up with Wufei and Sally, and get to work. You're now Preventers. Just remember, I'm the boss." She smiled. "If you can handle that, I'm sure you'll do just fine."
It was two days after Relena's disappearance that Zechs and Noin arrived. They had both been working on the Mars Terra Forming Project, but as soon as they had heard, they had moved as fast as possible.
They shoved their way past Une's poor secretary and went straight into her office.
"Une!" Noin cried, "Is it true?!"
The inquired lady smiled at the officer sitting in front of her. "We'll finish this later, Leon. Make sure you get through as much paperwork as possible tonight, okay?"
The man nodded and stood up. He exited, giving the frazzled pair in the doorway strange looks. They were both in rumpled clothes, and their hair was a mess. They stumbled to the chairs Une pointed out to them, and collapsed into them.
"Tired?" Une asked, quite calmly.
"We traveled day and night to get here," Zechs said tiredly.
"Didn't get any sleep," Noin added, her eyelids drooping.
Une nodded, and waved someone standing at the door in. The secretary they had pushed aside earlier stalked in, sniffing haughtily. She was carrying two mugs of coffee.
"Thank you, Loraine," Une said with a smile. The secretary nodded. "It's my job." With one more look of dislike, she exited, closing the door behind her.
The two started slurping down the coffee. The brown-eyed woman picked an invisible piece of lint off of her jacket. "So, I'm sure you've heard of what happened. And yes, it's true. Relena's disappeared."
The pair sitting in front of her suddenly spit out mouthfuls of hot coffee. The hot liquid hit Une, and the papers on her desk, in one single wave. She blinked, and looked down at her clothing, which was covered in warm liquid. It was all over her face as well.
With a strange calm, she pulled out a handkerchief and started wiping herself off.
"Relena's gone?!" Zechs whispered, his eyes wide with horror.
Une stared at him as if he were insane. "What did you think was going on?"
Noin looked at her feet. "Well....."
The brunette sent her a look that said,"If you don't spit it out I'm going to feed you to rabid bunnies." Well, maybe not that, but something similar to it.
"We heard you were getting married!" Noin blurted out, looking ashamed.
Silence. The only noise was Zechs's panicked breathing as he digested the fact that Relena was gone.
"So..." Une frowned. "You didn't know Relena was missing?"
"No," the couple answered in unison.
"Oh." The brunette smiled weakly.
Zechs's screaming could be heard throughout the whole building.
"Twenty bucks says he comes bursting in here in five minutes," Quatre said with a smirk.
Him, Wufei, Sally, and Trowa were sitting in a small break room. It had plain gray walls, round tables, and white tiles, plus candy and soda machines. They had been discussing the way of escape the kidnappers couple have used. They said kidnappers because they had all agreed Relena wouldn't run away. A map of the mansion and surrounding area was spread out in front of them. They'd had to push two tables close together to look at the whole thing.
"Nah, I'm giving him fifteen. Une will probably stall," Sally said.
"Yeah," Wufei agreed. "Besides, how will he find us? He doesn't know where we are. He'll be blasting through rooms for a couple of minutes before he finds us."
"You underestimate Zechs," Trowa argued. "He's got a sixth sense. I'm going with Quatre. He'll sniff us out."
Wufei and Sally exchanged looks of pain. Quatre and Trowa agreed about everything. Quatre could say he was going to sprout wings and fly out the window, and Trowa would totally agree. It was sickening. The partners could practically see the bubbly background floating behind them, with little hearts added in. Yuck!
"Well, let's put money on it, then," Wufei offered. They each tossed twenty bucks onto the paper covered table top.
They were silent as they watched the clock. Minutes ticked by. Finally, it reached four and a half minutes. The group started counting down.
"Thirty....twenty-nine....twenty-eight...."
The seconds ticked by, until they reached the final ten. Trowa shifted in his seat, looking down at the money. Quatre smiled confidently. Sally and Wufei met each other's eyes.
"Three...two...one....."
The door burst open, and in stormed a messy Zechs. His eyes were wild and so was his hair; he looked like Cujo's evil brother. All he needed was the foam dribbling from his mouth.
"We win the pool!" Quatre cried, gathering the money up to him. Trowa was smiling. Sally and Wufei cursed and glared at Zechs as he stormed towards them.
Quatre, in his excitement, leaned over and kissed Trowa. Which, of course, made Trowa lean a little closer, which caused Quatre to scoot nearer, until the blond was practically on the other boy's lap. They started to get a little too intimate, and Sally cleared her throat.
"Um...guys...." Quatre started to slide his hands under Trowa's shirt. The boy leaned forward to better access the Arab's mouth. However, he leaned a little too far and the chair began to tip...
THUMP. Sally and Wufei leaned over the table to see if they were okay.
And damn if they weren't still at it! Sally stretched out her foot and nudged them with her toe.
Wufei pulled the lid off of his cup of hot tea, and leaned over the table. Then, quite calmly, he poured the liquid all over the blond, the evil little instigator.
"Hot!" Quatre yelled.
"Oh, yeah, so hot," Trowa murmured, smirking. "You are so hot, little one."
"No, I mean, OW, this hot tea is burning my skin off!"
Quatre scrambled up, pulling his clothes away from his skin. He then went sprinting out of the room to change. Trowa slowly sat up. He then glared at Wufei. The Chinese man shrugged.
"Hey, I'm not into voyeurism, and if I didn't do something, you two would have continued mauling each other."
Trowa blushed, and then went after Quatre silently. Wufei sighed. Sally smiled.
"Ah, to be in love once more and not care if you're mauling each other in public..." the blonde said wistfully. Wufei cleared his throat.
It was then that they noticed Zechs. He had been watching the scene, slightly stunned. He turned to the remaining two. Sally's smile widened.
"Never a boring day at the Preventers."
