Chasing

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Chapter 1

"What is wrong with that girl?"

Zechs Merquise, also known as Miliardo Peacecraft, looked up from his dinner plate. His crystal-blue eyes studied his wife. "What do you mean?"

Lucrezia Noin, now also a Merquise/Peacecraft, turned to look at her husband. "Relena. I mean, just look at her. She seems so sad these days…"

"You mean ever since the Mariemaia incident?" Zechs questioned.

"Yes…well, kind of. Every since he disappeared."

Zechs fell silent and studied his younger sister. Relena Peacecraft stood at the window, gazing out at the night sky. Her long hair tumbled down her slender back in a river of gold, her violet-blue eyes fastened on the starry night. Even in jeans and a T-shirt, she was beautiful. With a small nose and high cheekbones, along with lush, long eyelashes and a small mouth, Relena could truly hold the title "Queen of the World."

However, her beauty was marred by one thing: Relena's eyes were continually sad – there was no light or happiness in those beautiful, wide eyes. For nearly seven years now Relena had born the immense burden of being Foreign Minister to the Colonies and Queen of the World with her chin held high and a smile on her face…but with those same sad eyes. It nearly broke her brother's heart, to see his sister with such a pitiful aura of despair surrounding her.

"Relena, you haven't touched your place," Lucrezia called, giving Zechs a worried glance.

Relena turned and headed back to the table. She sat and picked at the excellent fare without really eating.

Zechs shook his head. "You have to eat, Re. You leave for L1 in three days."

"What's L1, Daddy?"

All three adult heads turned to look at the small boy seated at the far end of the table. Zechs grinned at his eldest son and child, Treize. "It's a cluster of Colonies, son. Several Colony cities make a cluster. There are eight clusters now; we're building more."

"Oh. Okay," replied Treize. Relena smiled at the almost-six-year-old boy. Even though Treize was young, he was wise beyond his years. With his mother's dark hair, and his father's handsome blue eyes, Treize was definitely Zechs and Lucrezia's child.

"Why does Aunt Leena have to go there?" asked the small blonde girl seated next to Treize. She was the almost exact likeness of Relena, her aunt, with Relena's violet-blue eyes, blonde-brown hair, and slim figure.

"It's just business, Ashlyn," Relena replied.

"What kinda business, Aunt Relena?" Treize inquired, his crystal-blue, innocent eyes wide.

"Oh, just politics. Trust me, you don't want anything to do with them," answered Relena with her beautiful smile.

"Too late," Zechs said with a quiet chuckle.

Lucrezia laughed, but even as she did so she noticed that her sister-in-law had again adopted that sad, lonely look in her eyes.

What was bothering the girl?

Lucrezia thought she knew.

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

Relena buckled the seat belt and started the car with almost defiant gestures. With a small sigh, she pushed on the gas pedal and the car shot forward.

The countryside sped past as she drove further and further away from the Peacecraft estate. She had traveled this road so many times lately she thought she could drive it in her sleep. Relena flipped through the radio stations, but all the songs seemed to be about love…and broken hearts. Country music stations…go figure, she thought. With a slight feeling of disgust, Relena drove on in silence.

The late morning sun was steadily climbing to its zenith; the country animals long since awake. Relena watched a pair of swallows dive into a sycamore grove with a regretful, lonely expression on her face.

Breakfast that morning had been horrible – Lucrezia had kept asking what was wrong.

"Are you sure you're all right, honey?" she would say.

Relena had forced a smile and said, "Yes, of course."

It had fooled Zechs, but not her sister-in-law. Lucrezia had gazed at Relena for just a minute more before turning to her son.

"Treize, eat your eggs," she said.

The little boy gave his mother a look of utter reproach. "Mom, I hate eggs!"

"Mom, I hate eggs!" mocked Ashlyn in a singsong voice.

Treize quickly changed the subject. "Mom, does Aunt Relena have a boyfriend?"

An awkward silence had fallen over the table. Zechs and Lucrezia gave each other worried looks, while Relena stared at her plate and Treize and Ashlyn looked up innocently.

"Well…" stammered Zechs.

"I – uh…" Lucrezia said awkwardly.

Relena found a quick and easy way to settle the problem, as usual. In two quick movements, she got up and began tickling her nephew.

"Of course I have a boyfriend! He's sitting right here at my table…not eating his eggs!" Relena said as Treize squealed with laughter.

But even as Relena walked out of the breakfast room to get ready for the day, Zechs and Lucrezia held a worried conversation.

"She's lonely, Zechs."

"I can see that."

"She misses him."

"I know."

"Honestly, I don't know what she sees in him. I guess he's attractive, in a dark sort of way. But he's a silent as stone and cold as ice."

"I know what you mean."

"And he's so reclusive! After the Mariemaia problem he just disappeared! Not even Duo Maxwell knows where he is now!"

"Lucrezia, honey, I know."

"Don't! I'm on a roll here! I could go on and on about Heero Yuy! I could list-"

"I'm sure you could, Lucrezia, but please don't."

Lucrezia was shocked into silence. "What?"

Zechs toyed with his fork awkwardly, but his reply was prompt and confident. "I'm sure you could list all the things that you think are wrong with the young man, but don't. Lucrezia, whether you like it or not, Heero Yuy had saved my life countless times, even if he did it somewhat grudgingly. I will not have any put-downs about any of the Gundam pilots, or people similar to them. I do agree with you on some bases – Heero is extremely reclusive – but altogether, he is one of the most amazing, strong, and, I admit it, talented young men I've ever met. And who Relena loves is completely up to her."

Lucrezia stared at her usually quiet husband, completely aghast. "I – I'm sorry, Zechs. I'm just…so worried about her."

"I know, honey," Zechs replied, putting an arm around his wife. "I am, too."

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

After about an hour and a half of driving, the dense forests thinned out into a grassy meadow, dotted with wildflowers and low shrubs. On the outskirts of a small town lay a small cottage and a shop adjoining it. A somewhat dirty sign was set in the front yard, proclaiming to every passing car and pedestrian,

"Maxwell's Mechanics and Automobile Garage. We'll fix anything you've got and improve it! Call toll free 1-800-682-9345, or for more local business dial 934-8621."

Relena smiled as she parked the car in the driveway, behind a battered pick-up truck. The instant she knocked on the door to the cottage, it opened and a tall, shapely, dark-haired woman stood smiling down at her.

"Relena!" she exclaimed. "It's such a pleasure to see you again! Come on it!"

Relena stepped inside the house. The front entrance was brightly lit, and even though it was definitely not richly furnished, it had a sense of homeliness and comfort Relena always loved.

A tall, muscular man in his early twenties stepped into the entry hall to greet his guest. His dark, chestnut-brown hair was held back in a waist-long brown braid.

"Hey, Relena!" At the sight of his visitor, the man's boyish face broke into a wide, innocent grin that lit up his whole face. He slung an arm around the dark-haired woman's shoulders.

Relena smiled back. "Haven't seen you for nearly a month now, have I? How've you guys been?"

"The two of us have been just fine here," the man replied.

"Three," corrected the woman, patting her bulging stomach.

"Oh, that's right. You're due in October, aren't you, Hilde?" Relena inquired.

The woman smiled. "Yup. About a month and a half left."

"And how are you, Re?" asked the man, leading her to a small but tidy living room. "Still single, or have you met the man of your dreams?"

Relena's smile faltered, but she managed to hold on to it. "Still single, Duo." She did not say anymore.

Duo Maxwell noticed Relena's falter, but Hilde did not. She bustled around the house, fluffing pillows and basically making sure her guest was comfortable.

"Would you like anything to eat, Relena?"

"No, thank you, Hilde. I just ate breakfast then drove out here. You know my sister-in-law cooks up a storm."

"But your drive was an hour long!" Hilde pressed. "Tea or coffee, at least? A coke?"

Relena gave in. "A coke is fine, Hilde."

"One coke coming up! You might have to wait for a while, though. I have to pretty much go through the whole refrigerator. Can you wait a few minutes?"

"Sure, Hilde. Thanks a bunch."

"No problem!" Hilde hurried out of the room.

Before Duo could say anything, Relena said quickly, "Duo, I need to tell you something important."

Duo, not the least bit surprised, settled back in his easy chair. "Shoot, Re. I'm all ears."

So Relena opened her mouth an out poured all the emotions, thoughts, and ideas from over three years. "Duo, I can't stand it. It's been five years since I last saw or heard from Heero. He's kept silent and away from all of us – Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, even you and me – ever since Mariemaia and the whole Barton Foundation dilemma. I can't bear it! Every day I look up at the sky and wonder where in the world – or space – he is. The Colonies? Earth? Some mechanics base? It drives me crazy!" Relena paused for breath, and Duo broke in.

"So spit it out."

Relena was caught by surprise. "What?"

"Spit it out."

"Spit what out?"

Duo snorted. "Relena, all of us know that ever since that first day at the beach you've – well, you've had the hots for Heero. But lately I think we've realized that it's something more. Stop hiding and running from it, Re. You love him."

Relena hesitated for a moment before replying, in a much softer tone, "You're right, Duo. I do love him. I've always loved Heero, with all my heart, mind, and soul. And I have no idea where he is! Duo, you have Hilde…and she's pregnant! Quatre has Dorothy, Trowa has Rebecca, and Wufei has Sally. And everyone's married! Do you have any idea how hard it is to be me? I need somebody, Duo! I can't live without someone to be by my side, to help and hold me through the hard times, to be there to comfort me when things go wrong! I just can't manage another day!"

"You should have been a writer instead of Queen of the World, Relena. So…what are you going to do?"

Relena's voice quieted considerably. "This is my whole purpose for coming, really – this, this idea that I have."

"So go on."

Relena took a deep breath. "Duo, I'm going to find him. I don't care if I have to travel to the ends of the Earth, if I have to search every Colony with a fine-toothed comb. I'm going to find him, Duo. I know you have Hilde to look after, so I don't expect you to help me. But I would greatly appreciate it if you would give me any information, any clues at all that you have on Heero's whereabouts. I need all the help I can get." Relena sat back in her chair to catch her breath.

Duo didn't hesitate to voice his thoughts. "Relena, I don't know if you realize what you're talking about. You're not exactly just an ordinary person. Wouldn't your brother, or Lucrezia, or somebody notice the Queen of the World is missing?"

Relena answered quickly, excitement and anticipation rising. "I've already taken care of it. Zechs and Lucrezia think I'm going to L1 on a business trip."

"And how long do they think this 'business trip' with last?"

"Another point for me here, you gotta admit," Relena replied quickly. "These trips are totally unpredictable. The shortest trip I've ever taken lasted two weeks; the longest, six months."

"Relena! You can't – won't – find Heero in six months! Suicide Boy is not exactly the easiest guy to find, you know. In fact, he's definitely one of the hardest! Sometimes I swear the guy just likes to hide."

"Then I'll make time! Duo, do you have any idea how important to me this is?"

Duo paused for just a second before answering, "Kind of, yes. This is going to be one of the hardest missions I've ever even dreamed, if you manage to carry through with it. Okay, so how long do you have till you're supposed to leave? Two weeks? Three?"

"Two days."

Duo blew up. "Two days! That's completely crazy! Do you have any idea how much you have to do to get ready? You have to get supplies, pinpoint the first places to hit and search, not to mention find a ship and a pilot!"

"Already taken care of."

"What!"

"What makes you think I can't pilot a ship?"

Duo snorted. "Maybe the frilly dresses, makeup, bodyguards, and totally feminine attitude."

Relena's lip curled in scorn. "I don't choose to act like that, Duo. There's a different side to me, you know. For your information, I can fly an X-103 very nicely. And I'm not too bad at a 3-7, either."

Duo did not feel like admitting the fact that it had taken him nearly a year to even take off in a sleek, swift X-103. "And do you have a ship?"

"No, of course not."

"Oh, yeah, that makes a lot of sense. You can't get anywhere in space without a ship, you know."

"Duo, you're forgetting one large thing."

"I am not!"

"Yes, you are. You forgot who I am. Duo, I'm the Queen of the World and Foreign Minister to the Colonies."

"So?"

"So I can pretty much get anything I want."

"Relena - "

"No, I'm not just going to order a ship, Duo. I can go with an alias too, you know. And," Relena added with a small smile. "If all else fails, there's always you and the other guys."

Duo stared at her for one long moment. They could both hear Hilde rummaging around in the refrigerator in her and Duo's mechanics shop. There were a few low curses, and several shouts of annoyance and exasperation.

Finally, Duo said quietly, "Provisions?"

Relena answered promptly, "I'm going to make do as I go along. The ship is usually stocked with food and extra clothing, along with spare tools."

"Do you know the first places you're going to look?"

"Yes and no. I was hoping to get some information off of you guys, but the first place I'm going to look will be L1."

"Why?"

"Maybe because that's where he comes from."

Duo was silent for a long, long time. His cobalt-blue eyes were clouded, yet thoughtful, and Relena felt a glimmer of hope.

At long last, Duo raised his head and said, "Relena, it might be crazy – and stupid – enough to actually work."

Relena let out a sigh of relief. "Good. Any information you can give me?"

Duo wrinkled his nose. "Yes and no. But, Relena, I'm not just going to give you information."

Relena raised an eyebrow. "Oh boy."

Duo went on as if he hadn't heard her. "I can – well…Relena, I'm going with you."

The words flew out of her mouth. "You can't! Duo, you have Hilde – and your child – to look after! You have a business…a life! And a good one, too. Why in the world would you come with me?"

Duo gave her one of his boyish smiles, and for a minute he looked as Relena remembered him from nearly seven years ago, carefree and reckless. "To see the look on Heero's face when he sets eyes on you again, girl. Do you have any idea how good you look?"

Relena did not blush, or even blink. "I am not kidding, Duo."

"Kidding about what?" came another male voice, much more soft and polite than Duo's.

A rather short, but well-built man walked into the room, his emerald-green eyes taking in all of what was in the room. His eyes lit up as he saw Relena.

"Hey, look who dropped in, Q-man! Come on, sit down with us. We're having a little heart-to-heart chat about somebody very special…" Duo paused dramatically, then clasped his hands together, tilted his head to one side, and fluttered his eyelashes. "Me!"

Quatre Winner eyed his friend. "Duo, I think you've had a little too much coke today."

"Coke, what coke?" Hilde walked into the room carrying two cans of Coca-Cola. Her large dark eyes widened when she saw Quatre. "Hey, more people! Sorry, Winner, but these are the last cans."

"That's all right, Hilde. I'm fine," Quatre said with his gentle smile. Then, he noticed the sense of seriousness that hung over Relena…and Duo – a one-in-a-million chance. So did Hilde.

"What's the matter?" Quatre asked.

Duo glanced at Relena. "I have to talk with Hilde. Relena, no matter what you say, I'm going with you."

"Going where?" asked Hilde, utterly bewildered.

Duo slung an arm around her shoulders. "Honey, we need to talk."

They disappeared into a side room.

Quatre sat down on the couch, staring at Relena. "What's going on?"

So Relena told him everything. Quatre had always been the easiest of the five Gundam pilots to talk to; he was a wonderful listener and almost never criticized. Before she realized it, Relena was finished with her whole explanation.

Quatre sat silently for a minute before saying, "And Duo is going with you?"

Relena nodded once. "Yeah, if Hilde doesn't kill him first."

"Then I'm going too."

"What?" Relena cried. "Quatre, no! You don't have to, trust me! I didn't mean to drag you all into this – this – mess!"

Quatre folded his arms impassively. "I'm going whether you like it or not."

Relena sighed. There was no getting past Quatre when he acted like this.

"And I'm sure Trowa and Wufei would hate us if we left him out of this."

Relena would have literally exploded then, but the look on Quatre's face stopped her. He stood up, running his fingers through his platinum-gold hair, and picked up a telephone.

"Quatre, I don't think - "

"Relena, if you, me, and Duo are all going – and you know Duo and I are leaving our wives home – Trowa and Wufei would kill us if we up and left without them. Trowa will hate me forever, especially, and Wufei will think we were thinking he was weak and call it all injustice." Quatre paused, and then said into the telephone, "Hello, Sally. Is Wufei there? He is? Can you get him for me? No, nothing's wrong…well, not seriously." He paused again, then his eyes widened and he said, "He what?"

Duo walked into the room. Hilde was not with him.

Relena stood up. "Does she hate me?"

Duo actually looked kind of forlorn. "Nah, 'course not. She just – well, she wants me to go."

"She does?" Relena asked incredulously.

"Yeah. She says life isn't 'challenging enough' for me lately. Besides, she can always call me on the vidcam," Duo replied quickly. "So, what's Quatre doing?"

"Calling Wufei and Trowa." Relena rolled her eyes. Duo nodded, and they both sat down to listen to and watch Quatre.

"No, Wufei, I'm not forcing you to go – no, I am not trying to destroy your pride." Quatre sounded extremely strained. "Wufei, you either come or you don't. What's your choice?" He paused for a minute. "All right, all right, calm down. Five minutes? Wufei, you live a half-hour away – okay, okay. See you then." Quatre hung up the phone.

"What'd he say?" Relena asked

"He's coming. He'll be here soon." Quatre picked up the phone again, but before he dialed, he said, "After he explains everything to Sally." Then he dialed Trowa Barton's number. "Lucky for us, the circus is in town," he said to Relena as the phone rang. "Oh, hello, Becca. Is Trowa there?" He paused, then laughed. "I should have known. Get him for me, will you? Yeah, this is Quatre." He paused again, then – "Oh, hi, Trowa! Listen, I've got something pretty big to tell you." So he told Trowa the whole story and Relena's idea. It took longer than they expected, but Relena didn't mind. After about five minutes, Quatre said, "Will you come with us?…Great!…Yeah, we'll see you soon."

"I take it he's coming, too?" asked Duo.

"Yeah. He has to talk to Rebecca, though."

"Mm-hmm," Relena sounded distant.

"And now, if you'll excuse me," Quatre said. "I have to call Dorothy and…explain."

Duo's eyes lit up, but before he could say anything Relena tugged him on the shirtsleeve as she stood up. As he followed suit, she gripped him firmly but the shoulders and pushed him outside onto the grass.

Duo, leaning against a big oak tree, rubbed his shoulders. "Re, you've got a grip like a vice."

"You boys think that because I'm Queen of the World and all that that I can't fight, pilot a ship, spy, and track like you can," Relena replied.

Duo snorted. "'Course you can't."

Relena eyed him severely. "Duo, if you act like this the whole trip, I promise you, you won't last long at all."

Duo leaned back with his hands behind his head, silent for once.

Relena smiled and relaxed on the lawn, content on enjoying the peace of the moment…peace – while it lasted.

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

By the time a half-hour had passed, everyone was there. Duo, Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei were all listening attentively as Relena paced the grass in front of them.

"Okay, so here's how it goes. Early tomorrow morning – notice I said early - we meet at the old Fieldson meadow. Everyone comes dressed for travel, and bring your own supplies. I'll have the ship there and ready."

Duo interrupted, "I thought you told Zechs and Lucrezia that you weren't leaving for three days."

Relena gave him a glare. "I can tell them something came up. Calm down, Duo. Anyway, we'll leave immediately for L1. I don't think I'm missing anything - "

"Yes, you are," said Chang Wufei, his black eyes glittering.

"What's that?" asked Relena of the Chinese man.

"For one, to enter a Colony, you have to pass through an admission gate."

"So?" asked Duo.

Wufei glared at him. "Silence. I am speaking. Someone will definitely recognize Relena entering every single Colony."

Relena's face broke into a wide, slightly smug smile. "I've got the solution, Wufei. I thought of that a long time ago."

"Oh? Then what's your solution, woman?"

Relena kept smiling. "There is not one person in the world that has seen the true side of me. I entered a private school at age eight, and from then on was prim, proper, and such a goody-goody it gave me a headache. But that's just a mask…yes, a very good one, but a mask. None of you has any idea what the true me is like. So…when we pass through those admission gates, the guards will see no one but Rei Dausten, a pilot. That's all I'm telling you. I've got other bugs to work out tonight, but they'll be no problem. See you tomorrow morning, before dawn."

Quatre smiled broadly and said, "You know, this is so crazy I think it might actually work."