Relena snuggled closer to the warmth she was wrapped around, trying to evade the pain that was intent on ripping her skull in two and stomping on what remained. The pounding in her head abated somewhat, and she sighed in relief, daring to open her eyes.
Sunlight lanced across her vision, blinding her, and the pain returned worse than before.
Fighting the agony, she forced her eyes to remain open and looked around. She made out the interior of a car and the forms of three people. However, details were a bit beyond the capabilities of her aching eyes.
The warmth she leaned against stirred slightly, and Relena glanced towards it, briefly viewing Duo's features before everything blurred again.
She felt the car stop and heard the person beside her and Duo order them to get out. The voice was very familiar.
Suddenly, Relena gasped. It was Wufei! What had happened after she had fallen asleep?
Duo guided her by the arm into a building that smelled of salt and fish. Once inside the darkened interior, Relena's vision cleared completely, though her headache remained, and she studied those around her.
Trowa leaned against a crate marked "Salmon", arms crossed and head bowed. His hair obscured both his eyes from view, yet Relena was certain he was watching every move that was made.
Wufei stood to the side, gun aimed at Duo, a scowl crossing his features.
But, Relena mused to herself, when is he not scowling?
Much to Relena's amazement, Quatre was also with them, also pointing a gun in Duo's general direction, but he seemed apologetic rather than angry.
Finally Relena turned her gaze on Duo who was trembling with rage, his face a mixture of fury and sorrow. It was so unlike him that, if the situation were any less serious, Relena would have thought he was acting- and badly at that.
Duo and Quatre stared at each other for several tense moments, before Quatre broke the silence. "Duo, I'm sorry, but you're too much of a wild card." He aimed the gun at Duo's head.
Duo smirked. "Wild, yep, that's me. I expected this, but definantly not from you."
Quatre sighed. "I'm sorry." He quickly shifted his gun to point at Duo's chest and fired.
Duo grunted in pain and collapsed to the floor, clutching his chest.
Relena's eyes widened. Panic and shock swirled through her, blending together until they formed one solid, painful emotion. Grief. Sobs racked her body as she stared at Duo's corpse.
Quatre quietly apologized for a third time, and Relena whirled on him, her sobs and grief disappearing within an instant, replaced by a mind-numbing anger. "You killed him! Damn you!" She searched about for a weapon, a metal pole, a piece of aluminum foil, duct tape, anything that could possibly be used as a killing tool.
Finding nothing, she advanced on Quatre fully bent on ripping him limb from limb with her bare hands.
Quatre shrank away from the vengeful demon Relena had become and was saved by Wufei who grabbed Relena's arm and yanked her away from the cowering pilot.
Relena, not to be beaten so easily, tried to pull away, but Wufei simply tightened his grip.
Suddenly, Relena changed tactics. Letting herself be drawn close to Wufei, she kneed him in the groin. He released her, and she ran back towards Duo and Quatre.
Quatre prepared himself to either flee or brace himself against an attack. He sighed in relief when Relena knelt next to Duo and stroked his hair instead.
A low chuckle came from the shadows beside Trowa, and an equally low voice said, "So the bastard finally got what he deserved. Bravo, Quatre. Although I was going to do it myself, you've saved me a lot of time and effort."
Trowa backed away from the shadows and glared into them, standing almost protectively front of Relena. "Heero." The single word was filled with so much loathing that Relena unconsciously drew back. If a man as unemotional as Trowa could load one word with enough hatred to fuel an entire city for a year, things were dire indeed.
The former pilot of Wing Zero stepped into the light, and Trowa tensed. "How did you find us so soon?"
Heero chuckled. "How much of a fool do you think I am? A blind man could follow your trail. And now since I have one less nuisance to handle," he gestured to Duo's body, and an evil smile crawled on to his face, "it's your turn."
Trowa had little time to react as Heero lunged forward and punched him. Heero continued his attack with a fury that Trowa could not match, and he soon crumpled to the ground, unconscious and bloody.
Quatre was dealt with as swiftly, and Heero searched for Wufei. He found him curled up in a fetal position, still suffering from Relena's well-placed knee.
Heero smirked and turned towards Relena. "Nice job. We could have made such a wonderful team."
"Are you going to kill me now, Heero?" Relena briefly recalled the last time she had asked him that same question, but that had been under a different set of circumstances. Back then she had known he wouldn't kill her; now she was certain he wouldn't balk from it.
Heero approached her slowly, playing the role of hunter as he crept steadily closer. "I may. But why should I? I think I've done enough damage here for one day."
"What are you going to do with me?" Relena kept her rapidly building fear out of her voice, but not from her eyes.
Heero lifted his hand to her face and brushed away a tear only he could see. "That depends. Will you come with me? Run away with me?"
Relena vehemently shook her head. "No."
Heero sighed. "Why not? I thought you loved me." He sounded hurt, but his cold, almost dead eyes belied his tone.
Relena stepped back. "I don't love you! I love Duo! I never did love you! It was just a crush!"
Heero's eyes darkened, the dispassion in them fleeing to be replaced by an insane rage. "It was him, wasn't it? Duo did this! Duo turned you against me! If he wasn't already dead, I'd-"
"Hey, Heero!"
Both Heero and Relena glanced towards the voice, and Relena stumbled back as though hit.
Duo stood several feet from them, holding a gun aimed straight at Heero.
Heero wrapped an arm around Relena's shoulders. "Ah, Duo, I get to kill you after all."
"Heero, get away from my girl and go to hell." He fired.
Heero opened his mouth to retort, but only blood and a gurgling sound crossed his lips. He raised his hands to his throat and scrutinized the crimson liquid covering his fingers. After a moment of staring at his bloodstained fingers in sick fascination, he slumped forward, dead before his head hit the ground.
Relena's eyes darted from Heero's corpse to Duo who should have been lying on the concrete as dead as Heero. "D-duo? You're alive?"
Duo grinned. "Last time I checked, yeah."
Swallowing a sob, Relena ran to him and embraced him. "Duo, I thought..." She trailed off, burying her face in his shirt.
Duo murmured soothing words, stroking her hair, and glanced up when a hand clapped him on the shoulder. He turned to Trowa.
The tall man was holding his side, but seemed all right overall. "You two should probably get going. Quatre just called Une. She and a squad of Preventers will be here soon."
Relena lifted her head and peeked at him over Duo's shoulder. "I thought you were working for..."
"Heero? No, we've been with the Preventers the entire time. Had Duo not run away with you, we would have still gotten you away before Heero managed to do anything to you."
Relena frowned and wiped the drying tears off her face. "Then Duo lied." She looked towards the braided pilot. "You lied. You said they were trying to kill me, but you knew they weren't. You knew. You lied to me after you promised not to!"
"No, I didn't! They only told me their role in this whole fiasco while we were coming here, while you were asleep. I'm sorry for scaring you though, babe."
Relena accepted his explanation with a nod. He did sound sincere.
Quatre limped up to them, still eyeing Relena a little warily. "Does she know yet?"
Trowa inclined his head slightly. "Yes, and I was just going to suggest they leave now."
Duo wrapped his arm around Relena's waist. "That's a very good idea. Let's go!"
A puzzled expression crossed Relena's face. "Go where? Why aren't we waiting for-?"
"Do you really want to go back? We still haven't managed to have a date uninterrupted. Besides, you need a vacation. All this stress from being chased around isn't good for you."
"But I can't just run away!"
"Why not? You've done it before."
"But, Duo! I can't!"
"Give me one good reason why not."
"I... well, because..." Relena glanced to Trowa and Quatre.
Quatre just shrugged and said, "He's going to win no matter what you say."
Duo grinned. "Couldn't have said it better myself. So, 'Lena, take a three month vacation, then you-"
"Three months?! No! I can't be gone that long! Two weeks!"
"Two months!"
"One!"
Duo nodded. "That settles it then. No less than thirty-one days."
"Why not thirty days?"
Duo frowned. "To quote Wu-man- wait, where is he anyway?"
The four looked towards Wufei's last known position only to find the Chinese man gone.
"Hmm, must have gone to wait for Sally to kiss it and make it feel all better."
THWACK!
"Duo!"
"Sorry, babe. Anyway let's just go on a regular date. You know, a movie or something."
Relena nodded. "Definantly stick to normal dates."
"Yep! As normal a date as the VFM and the God of Death can have!"
Relena groaned. "Are you ever going to stop being... well, you?"
The corner of Duo's mouth lifted in a smirk. "I wouldn't be me if I did!"
With a final wave to Quatre and Trowa, the two set out on their "normal" date.