Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing.

Deceptions Part 5: The Owner

By Symee-Sama

WARNING: Mild Language, and Physical Abuse

"Is that all you know?" Zechs asked and sighed in frustration when Trowa nodded. It had been three weeks now, and they were still no closer to finding his sister. They hadn't even found a single lead. All they knew was that Yuy had been on L3 four days ago and had bombed a Preventors base. What had happened to him? Zechs didn't like him very much, but even he had to admit that Yuy was brave, and that this didn't seem like him. Zechs was pulled from his reverie when he heard Trowa speak to him again. "What did you say?"

"I said that Heero mentioned Duo when I asked him about Relena." Trowa repeated calmly. "He told me that Relena had betrayed him, and then he asked me if I cared about what she had done to Duo. He said that she deserves everything that's happened to her."

"She doesn't deserve any of it," Zechs snapped. How could anyone hate Relena so much? She was so pure and innocent. She was the main reason that it was still peaceful. There had been riots and rebellions in the ESUN after the Mariemaia incident, and she had stopped them without a single shot fired. She was truly amazing, and now - she was gone. Zechs felt his composure abandoning him.

She was only nineteen, and she had gone through so much. She had been a princess, a queen, and one of the highest-ranking government officials before her seventeenth birthday. She had been told by the boy she loved - Zechs grimaced slightly at the thought of Heero and Relena together - that he would kill her, and now it seems that he had carried out her threat. No! She had to be alive. He just couldn't bring himself to believe that his sister; his beautiful, intelligent, and compassionate sister was dead. She's not dead, he told himself.

"I don't think she's dead either," Trowa said softly, making Zechs jump slightly. He hadn't realize that he had spoken his last thought aloud. "What should we do about the situation?"

"We need to talk to Maxwell." Zechs decided. "We need to see what Yuy is talking about, but who's going to talk to him? I can't, I might end up killing him because of all his smart-ass comments."

"Wufei has trouble handling Duo as well, and he won't leave Sally anyway." Trowa paused, and thought for a moment about their circumstances. "Normally I would tell you that Quatre would be the best one to send, he likes Duo a lot, but he is no shape for any missions right now. He is still in mourning for his sister." He sighed sadly. "She was the one who understood him the best, and though he loves all of his sisters, she was his favourite. I guess it will have to be me." Zechs nodded, and Trowa sighed again. "I'm not very good at talking with people." He cautioned.

"Understood." Trowa gaped as Zechs' eyes took on a pleading quality. Zechs never pleaded, he never begged. "Do anything you have to. . . but get her back. I never really realised just how much she meant to me until I lost her."

"I know what it's like to worry for a sister." Trowa said seriously, and thought about how he would feel if Catherine had been kidnapped. "I'll talk to Duo," Trowa promised. "And Zechs, don't worry. We'll find Heero. He can't hide forever, and when we find him he'll pay for his crimes. He made the biggest mistake of his life when he hurt the ones that we love."

"Tell me if you find anything," Zechs ordered, and turned off the vid- phone. He sat there, staring at the blank screen, worries and doubts running through his mind. What if Relena really was dead? He pushed the thought out of his mind. He couldn't give up hope. He tried to think of happier things, but nothing worked. How could he think about anything, but her? He smiled slightly as he found a subject to think about. One that he could keep his mind on. He was so absorbed in his thoughts, that he jumped slightly when someone touched his shoulder, and turned around to face them.

"Noin," he said breathlessly. "Don't sneak up on me like that."

"Why?" She asked. "Did I scare you Zechs?" She smiled inwardly, knowing that he would never admit it. They had been married for almost a year now, but he still didn't like to show any weakness to her. She supposed that it hurt his masculine pride for his wife to know that he was scared.

"Of course not," He said gruffly, and changed the subject. "I was thinking of Relena and-" Noin put a finger to his lips, and shook her head. He gaped at her, incredibly confused. What had he said wrong? He frowned, who could understand women?

"You shouldn't lie Zechs," She said quietly. "I always know when you're lying, so why do you even try?" He opened his mouth to protest, but she silenced him with a glare. "Besides, I saw a small smile on your face when I came in. So don't tell me that you were thinking about Relena, because I know that wouldn't make you smile."

"I was thinking of you," he said quickly, and reached for her in an effort to pull her into his lap, but she slapped his hand away. She glared at him, and he cowered under her gaze. What had he done wrong?

"You're lying again," she admonished. "Why do you keep lying to me Zechs?" She moved her face close to his, and cupped his chin, tilting his head up so he was looking into her eyes. "I know exactly who you were thinking about. . ." She paused slightly for effect. "You were thinking about Heero."

Zechs eyes bulged. "I was not!" He protested and pushed her away. "I don't think about him!"

Noin sighed in frustration. Why was he being so difficult? "I'm not saying that you were fantisizing about him or anything." She ran a hand through her hair. "You're married to me, remember? I just figured that you were thinking about what you were going to do to him when he gets caught." He nodded slightly, amazed that she always seemed to know what he was thinking.

"You can be a cruel man, Zechs. I could almost pity Heero." Her eyes flashed with anger. "Almost. I can't honestly feel anything but anger towards him now. Not after what he did to Catherine, Sally, and Wufei. And especially not after what he did to Relena. She loved him Zechs." She caught his grimace. "As much as you hate to admit it, she loved him, and look where her love got her. . ." Noin trailed off unable to continue, and Zechs stood up.

"We'll get him, Noin." He promised as he pulled her into his arms. He held her close as she sobbed softly into his chest, but refused to look at her. He knew that she hated it when anyone saw her cry. He wanted to kill Yuy for making his wife sad, for taking Relena away, and for attacking the noblest people that Zechs had ever known.

Damn you, Yuy! He wanted to scream at the world, to curse the former Gundam pilot who had brought so much pain into their once happy lives, but he knew that would upset his wife, so he settled for whispering his promise to her over and over again. "We'll get him. We'll find the bastard." He whispered in Noin's ear like a prayer, and by the time she had stopped crying, he could almost bring himself to believe it.

* * * * *

"Four days ago, the Preventors base on L3 was viscously and brutally attacked by a terrorist. The Preventors released the identity of the bomber today. Heero Yuy, an assassin from L1, and former Gundam Pilot. Yuy is 19 years old, armed, and extremely dangerous." A picture of Heero flashed upon the screen. "He is also responsible for the kidnapping of Vice Foreign Minister Darlian. If you have any information on this man, please contact the Preventors immediately. . ." Duo turned off the television. He couldn't stand to hear more about Heero's crimes.

What happened to you buddy? He thought gloomily. Why are you doing all this stuff? It's not like you to hurt people without a reason. Especially Relena. Why on earth would you hurt the girl you love? Duo couldn't figure it out. Sure they'd had little fights, but all couples did. Hell, it would be unnatural if they didn't fight. He searched through his memories and tried to think of what went wrong. What had caused Heero to do this?

Relena and Heero had parted as friends after the war, and had been brought back together when Mariemaia had attempted to overthrow the ESUN. Heero had already admitted to Duo that he felt something for Relena, but didn't know how to describe it. He missed her, and despite what he tried to tell himself, he knew somewhere inside that he wanted to be with her.

Heero stayed with Relena after Dekim Barton died, and had told her that he wanted to protect her. She accepted his offer, and Duo knew that they had begun to feel things for each other that were much more than friendship. They became closer, and Relena began to break down the emotional walls that Heero had put up. He began to come into work with a smile on his face. He would talk, and joke. He still had trouble understanding his emotions at times, but that was to be expected. No one understood their feelings all the time.

So what had went wrong? Why had Heero dissappeared a year ago, only to come back, kidnap Relena, and blow up a base? It didn't make any sense. "Damn it!" Duo yelled in frustration, and picked up a pillow, chucking it at the wall. "Why did you do this Heero?!?" He wanted to go out and beat some sense into his best friend, but he didn't know where to find him. "Besides," Duo said softly to the empty room. "He would probably kill me if I tried."

"Who would kill you?" Hilde entered the apartment and took off her coat. She hung it on the back of a chair and then turned to face her boyfriend. "And why?" She looked expectantly at Duo.

"Hilde," He said quietly. "Haven't you heard?" She shook her head, and he pulled her to a nearby chair, motioning for her to sit down. Hilde frowned, and shook her head again. She moved away from the chair, back to where they had been standing.

"Just tell me Duo," She said in a frustrated tone. "I can take it. You're acting like I'm too delicate to handle this, but I'll be fine."

"Hil," Duo began, his voice low. "I know you're not fragile or anything, but this is really big." He ran a hand through his bangs. "I've been having trouble handling it myself. . ."

"Stop babbling Duo and tell me what is going on."

"They released the identity of the guy who bombed the Preventors Base on L3." He began, and saw her fists clench. She had been angry when she had heard that Sally, Catherine, and Wufei had been hurt. And after she found out that Quatre's sister, Iria, had been killed. . . Duo mentally cringed. Hilde had almost broken the television when she heard. She had wanted to call Trowa and Wufei, but Duo had refused to give her their numbers, saying that they would call him when they were ready to talk.

"Who is it?" The fury detectable in her voice. "Who's the bastard who did all this?" Her eyes burned with anger. "Because when I find out who he is, I'm going to kill him."

"Hilde," He paused, not sure how to break it to her. "Heero was the one who bombed the base."

Her jaw dropped, and her knees gave way. He caught her in his arms, and lowered himself down to the floor, easing her into his lap. "I - I can't believe it's him," She said softly. "I've only met him a couple times, but he seemed nice." She looked into Duo's eyes. "I was wrong. He's a heartless bastard who deserves to burn in Hell."

"Don't talk about my friend that way." He said softly, not flinching when Hilde turned her angry gaze on him.

"How can you call that -" She searched for the right word. "- that monster your friend? Don't you care about the lives he's ruined? Don't you -"

"Of course I do!" Duo interrupted. "I'm really angry about what he's done, but I can see that something isn't right! This isn't Heero! He was a cold- hearted jerk when I first met him, but even then he didn't spill innocent blood."

"He's blown up bases before." Hilde pointed out with a smug expression on her face. Duo glared at her.

"Of course he has," He looked away from her and sighed, running his hands through his bangs again. "I have too, but Catherine wasn't at the base. He hurt her for no reason."

"She stabbed him."

"Hilde, this is gonna sound crazy, but you've got to hear me out." She nodded slightly. "I've been Heero's best friend since the war, and I know him better than anyone. The Heero I know wouldn't have hurt Catherine. He would have run away."

"But she stabbed him!" Hilde gave an exasperated sigh. "Do you honestly expect him to just run away from that?"

"No!" Duo's patience broke, and he shouted at her. "But the Heero I know wouldn't have threatened her in the first place! He would have run away!" He saw the doubt in her face, and continued in a calmer tone. "He's not the Heero I know, Hil, and I can't figure out why. Something's wrong, and it can't really be him."

"People change Duo."

Duo crossed his arms, and glared at her. "I refuse to believe that this is really him."

"Duo you idiot!" Hilde wanted to strangle him. "There is proof! He is responsible for this!" Duo shook his head, and Hilde lost her temper. "You just can't seem to get it through your thick head that Heero's doing this, can you? He likes to kill. You told me that he used to laugh during battle, and after the wars ended, there was no need to fight so he found new ways to sate his urges. You don't seem to care about your friends that much, Duo. They've all been hurt by Heero, but you refuse to acknowledge what he's done. What will it take for you to care? Will he have to hurt you personally before you get involved?"

Duo's eyes flashed angrily, and he pushed Hilde off his lap, onto the floor. "Never doubt my loyalty to my friends." He said angrily. "All their suffering tears me up inside, but I can't condemn Heero for this because I know it isn't him." He stood up and walked over to the door, grabbing his coat from the closet. "You're not the person I thought you were Miss Schbeiker." He said softly before he walked out of apartment, slamming the door behind him.

The formality stung, and Hilde struggled to hold back her tears. Duo was never formal. He had never called her "miss". When she realized what had just happened, she knew that it was over. Three years together, three years of happiness, ended because of him. Hilde's eyes narrowed. It was all his fault. He had caused this to happen. "I hate you, Heero Yuy." She said to the now empty room before she burst into tears. She missed Duo already.

* * * * *

Relena groaned and rubbed her head as she sat up in her cell. It had been weeks since she had arrived on Earth, but she had yet to see the man who had "bought" her. She hadn't seen anyone except her guard. The solitary confinement was driving her to distraction. She needed something to do, someone to talk to. But her guard wouldn't talk to her, and there was nothing to do in her tiny cell. So she would lie on her bunk and reminisce about her old life. She actually missed the stress of being a politician. That's how bored she was.

Heero. The thought came unbidden into her mind. She had been thinking about him for weeks now. She loved him, and had thought that he had felt the same. So, what had changed? Why had he suddenly vanished for a year, and then shown up, only to kidnap her? What bothered her more was that he had sold her. Heero had never cared about money before, all the crimes he had committed had been for a cause. Was this whole fiasco for a certain cause? No. It couldn't be. How would selling her help anything?

Maybe it was personal. She ran back through what had been said before he sold her, and tears sprang to her eyes. Had he really meant all those things he said? Was she really nothing more than an annoyance? She wanted to deny it, but what reason would he have to lie? She thought for a moment. He had no reasons to lie to her. She was nothing more than an annoying obstacle to him, and Heero Yuy destroyed all obstacles in his way.

A tear slipped down her cheek, and she wiped it absently. She had promised herself she wouldn't cry, but she couldn't help it. She had loved him. Given him her heart and soul, and he had shown her what he thought of her gesture. Nothing. He didn't care about her.

Relena jumped slightly when a handsome young man entered the room. She wiped away her tears, and composed her face, donning a social mask that she had used often as the Vice Foreign Minister. "Hello," she said politely. "Who are you?"

"Your owner," The man smiled slightly. "I'm sorry that I didn't come to speak with you before my dear, but I had other business to attend to." He reached out for Relena's hand, but she flinched away angrily. The man frowned, and reached for her again, only to have her slap his hand away.

"I'm nobody's property." She said angrily. "Least of all yours."

He pulled out a small piece of paper, and waved it in front of her face. "But this says that you belong to me." His smile grew, and Relena began to feel afraid. "It also says that I can do anything that I want with you." She backed away from him until her back brushed the wall. "Don't be afraid." He ran his hand up her arm. "I'll be gentle."

"Stay away!" she screamed, and tried to push past him. "Don't touch me!" She bit back a groan as he threw her back to the wall, and held her there. He pressed his mouth against hers, and she fought the urge to gag. She pushed him away, and tried to slip past him again.

"Stay still!" He yelled angrily and slapped her so hard that black spots appeared in her eyes. He pinned her against the wall with his body, grabbed a fistful of her hair, and twisted her head up so he could kiss her. He gave her a hard kiss, making her whimper slightly in pain. He yanked her hair, forcing her head up and lowered his head to whisper in her ear. "Shut up. Don't make a sound or it will be worse for you."

He brought his lips to hers again, but this time Relena remained silent. She tried to think she was somewhere else, in someone else's arms, but she failed miserably. Who would she think of? Heero? She would have laughed if she could. Even when she was being violated, she thought about Heero. She stiffened as the man jammed his tongue into her mouth. Her mind screamed against the violation, she did the only thing that she could of think of. She bit down hard on his tongue.

"Damnit!" He pushed her to the ground, and beat her mercilessly. "You stupid bitch! You'll pay for that!" He screamed at her between punches, and grinned evilly when she cried out for Heero. "Why would you call out for him? He sold you to me." He pulled her up, and pushed her onto the bed. Relena tensed, preparing for the worst to happen, but he didn't make a move to join her. "So you feel something for Heero Yuy? I heard he promised to protect you once." He sighed. "Some people are so fickle."

Relena shook her head, wishing he would stop talking about Heero. He noticed her discomfort, but ignored it, continuing his monologue. "And the best part is that he knew exactly what I wanted with you. Where is your protector now?" He laughed and walked out the door, slamming it behind him.

Relena shoulders sagged in relief when he walked out the door, and she buried her face in her hands. That had been too close. She could still feel his hands on her, and taste him. Relena shuddered, and rubbed her arms as if that would make the dirty feeling go away. So this is what the most powerful politician in the ESUN had been reduced to. She thought about the man who had nearly molested her, and thought about what he had said. Where is your protector now? She wanted to ask the same thing. Where are you Heero? She thought, just before sleep claimed her.

Author's Note: What did ya think? Please tell me!