by Katherine
Prologue
He was standing right next to her. He was so close to her that she could smell the musky fragrance that was Heero?s essence. The boy was silent, but an urgent look framed his handsome features. Relena held out her hand and he took it willingly enough, but the caress wasn?t without reason. Heero slipped her a scrap of paper, bent his head as if to say something to her, but then vanished instead. Relena looked up bewildered. She smoothed the paper out and read a single word. ?Danger?. Relena had no time to react. A chasm suddenly appeared at her feet, a great gaping hole that wanted very much to swallow her. Then Wufei appeared. He cried out to her, ?Women are weak!? and pushed her into the dark abyss. Relena fell headfirst. The blackness enveloped her; her head was spinning, and then....
She awoke. Sweat poured down her back, soaking her white nightgown. A sense of foreboding filled her as she struggled to untangle herself from a mass of twisted bed sheets. ?That was no ordinary nightmare,? Relena thought.
At last free from her prison of sheets, she walked to her bedroom door, unlocked it, and stepped out into the quiet corridor. ?Pagan, Ms. Smith? Heero.......? she called out, knowing fully well that Heero was at the guardhouse outside the house. It hit her then, like a lead weight in the stomach. In an exceptionally good mood today, she had let the servants off. Relena didn?t know why, but the thought of being alone in the house, her own home, filled her with dread. She wanted Heero to come and keep her company, to reassure her that she was safe and sound in his arms. But that wasn?t going to happen anytime soon. She sighed. Something wasn?t quite......right.
Relena quickened her pace and walked into an enormous kitchen. The girl surveyed her surroundings. Everything seemed to be in order. Pagan kept his kitchen meticulously clean; if anything were out of place she would have noticed. But something was wrong, she was sure of it. But what? She was broken out of her reverie by a crackling sound. ?Oh my god,? Relena said aloud before blacking out. ?The house is on fire!?
Chapter 1- The Warning
A golden sun waned on the horizon, bathing Relena in an ethereal light. It caught her hair, highlighting the fair strands. Standing alone looking down at the ruined shambles that had once been her beautiful home, she felt a sudden urge to give up on the whole ?peace is good, let?s be nice to each other? thing. Just throw the one ideal that had dominated her life for years away in a single second. Relena was tired of being the sweet little girl who stood in the corner while the ?important? diplomats waged silent war on themselves. And when it looked like a real battle would occur, Relena would simply step in, smooth things over and make everyone happy again, then retreat to her lone corner, glad to have helped patch everything up.
?It?s not fair!? Relena cried out in agony. A shadow crossed her path. ?It?s perfectly fair,? a voice answered in return.
?Heero! I-I didn?t realize you were here; I didn?t mean to make trouble for-?
The boy interrupted her coldly. ?This was a stupid thing to do Relena. I thought you?d be a little bit smarter than risk your life.?
Relena choked back a sob and answered him. ?I know, it was stupid, it?s just....I wanted to see my home one more time.. You know, to say goodbye.?
?Say goodbye right now because you?re leaving with me. Whoever started this fire could still be lurking around. This was a warning to you, and these men have no qualms about killing you.? Heero?s tone softened. ?Come on, let?s go. Quatre?s house is nice. You?ll be comfortable there.? He put a protective arm around Relena?s shoulder, sending chills up her spine. ?I?ve never gotten used to his touch,? she thought. ?Nor will I ever.?
Heero led the girl to a black limo partially hidden under a large oak tree. They did not go unnoticed. A pair of binoculars followed the car?s path from the dusty road to the airport. ?Your first mistake Mr. Yuy, is to underestimate your enemy,? a silky voice said softly to itself.
~
Chapter Two coming soon!
It's pretty short and awful, but I'm not good at writing seriously.