The Last Beat

~Relena and the Earth Sphere Unified Nation~





Christmas Eve.



Heero couldn't remember if he had ever celebrated Christmas. Holidays were never really his thing. However, Heero had noticed a change in people during this particular holiday over the past five years. They were either considerably more irritable...or a little more carefree. This year, though, everyone was tense. The apprehension that comes over people at the brink of war had settled over the populace and Heero was sad that the holiday didn't effect people they way it had. And he had no idea why. Holidays weren't really his thing and Christmas was no exception.



Heero was crouching in Prime Foreign Minister Relena Peacecraft Darlian's bedroom window, watching her sleep. He had just arrived at the Sanq Kingdom and figured that by staying as close to her as possible--at all times--was the only way he could protect her from any assassination attempt.



She looks like an angel...



Heero's head jerked up as he heard the bedroom door handle jiggle softly. Heero hid behind the curtains, he didn't want the assailant to know he was there.



A youngish looking man clad in black walked quietly into the room.



"For the colonies..." the assassin whispered as he raised his gun and pointed it at the sleeping Relena.



A gun fired--but it wasn't the assassin's.



Relena gasped as she sat up, startled by the gunshot into wakeful-ness.



It took a moment to assess the situation unfolding before her eyes.



The assassin assumed a look of disbelief and shock before crumpling to the floor, dead, at the foot of her bed.



Relena turned towards her savior, still startled, who was still pointing his gun at the dead man on the floor.



Heero met her eyes. "I made a promise, five years ago, that I would never hurt anyone as long as I didn't have to," Heero said softly. "I have to again. I'm sorry, Relena."



Heero lowered his gun.



"Oh, Heero..." Relena breathed.



A squadron of armed soldiers rushed into the room. "Are you alright, Ms. Peacecraft?" one of them asked worriedly.



"Yes, I'm fine," Relena answered. "Thanks to Heero Yuy."



The soldier turned to Heero. "Please accept our gratitude, Mr. Yuy."



"You need tighter security," answered Heero grimly.



"Perhaps you can stay and assist them," Relena offered hopefully.



Heero stared at her for a moment before nodding. "Yes. The death of the Prime Foreign Minister would be unacceptable," Heero said quietly.



Oh, Heero...



***





"Alright, guys. I'm outta here," Duo called as he walked through the common room, heading toward the hallway that led to the main hanger. "Merry Christmas, by the way."



Quatre started. "Hey, where are you going?" he called after the braided man.



"Amsterdam," Duo said over his shoulder as he disappeared around a corner.



Trowa arched his brows and glanced at Wufei, who shrugged and continued his work.



Quatre, Wufei, and Trowa were going through boxes of miscellaneous stuff that they had found around the safe house. Bottles of water, random maps, makeup, and tampons were the only things they had discovered so far.



Quatre sat back. "I had forgotten all about Christmas," he said to no one in particular. "In any case, it's going to be a lot harder, now, going through all of this stuff with only the three of us."



"It's not like we're finding anything useful, anyway," Wufei muttered.



"Merry Christmas, Quatre," Trowa said, handing him a tampon.



Wufei looked up, shocked. He had no idea Trowa had a sense of humor.



Quatre frowned at him, snatching the tampon from him. "What the hell am I gonna do with this?" Quatre said as he threw it into the 'ridiculously inconsequential' pile.



Trowa smiled ruefully. "Oh, I don’t know, fix a leak?"



***





Duo was in a considerably better mood as he headed for the nearest airport in the jeep he had found in one of Nefertari's many bunkers.



It felt good to get out of that safe house and away from everyone. Especially, away from Wufei, who had been refusing to look at him. Duo had noticed because he would glare at the Chinese man every chance he got.



Duo was even humming to himself cheerfully as he headed towards Amsterdam, where he was hoping to find a trace of the most dangerous rebel group in the history of mankind--the Earthatorial Rebellion Association.



***





Relena walked into the security headquarters of the Sanq Kingdom Palace flanked by Dorothy Catalonia and two bodyguards. She walked up to Heero Yuy, who was typing determinably on his laptop near the desk he had been assigned. Heero was dressed in the Sanq soldier uniform and looked for the entire world like a knight right out of a fairytale.



"Heero, a word please?" Relena asked quietly.



It was only then, that he looked up at her.



Silently, Heero stood up and followed her to a vacated board room.



She closed the door on her two body guards and her advisor. Relena wanted privacy with Heero.



Heero was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.



"Please, have a seat, Heero." Relena gestured to a seat next to the table.



"I'll stand, thank you."



"Fine." Relena walked over and stood directly in front of Heero. She touched his arm tentatively.



When he did not shy away from her touch, Relena asked the question that was burning in her mind. "Why are you here, Heero? Really?"



"Really?"



"Yes, really?"



Heero reached out and touched her cheek. "You gave me five years of peace, Relena. I believe in you."



He ran his fingers through her ash-blonde bangs. "Protecting you now is the least I can do," Heero added softly.



"Oh?" Relena closed her eyes. Heero is touching me... How many times has she dreamed of this? "And what's the most you can do?"



Heero pressed his for head against hers. "Please, don't ask that of me...I don't know how..."



Relena opened her eyes. "How to, what? Love?"



Relena felt Heero nod against her forehead. Relena wrapped her arms around him and Heero leaned into her embrace.



"I understand, Heero. I really do," she said softly into his ear. "But I'm not the one to show you how. I can give you peace, but I cannot show you how to love."



Heero pulled away slightly, looking into her eyes. "Who, then?"



Relena smiled sadly at him. She knew, but he didn't. How long has she wanted him to look at her like that? And now she was giving him away.



"Someone, Heero. But not me. It has never been my place to show you how to love."



"Who?" It was a desperate question, the missing piece in the puzzle of his life.



"You know, Heero. Deep down inside, hidden somewhere in the depths of your being, you already know."



Relena pulled away from him and touched his cheek tenderly.



"I hope you realize who it is, sooner, rather than later," Relena whispered, before walking out of the room, pulling the door shut quietly behind her.



Heero leaned against the table, ran his hands raggedly over his face, and took a deep breath. He hadn't realized he was trembling.



What the hell am I doing here?...



***





"Wufei?"



"Hm?" Wufei looked up to see Trowa walking toward him.



They were taking a break from their search of Nefertari's safe house. Somewhere in the background, Quatre was playing on the piano he'd found in one of the many rooms. It sounded suspiciously like John Lennon's Imagine song.



"I want to talk to you about something."



Wufei put the book he was reading down. "Talk away."



"It's about Nefertari." Trowa sat next Wufei on the couch.



Wufei looked away. He'd expected this, sooner or later, but not from Trowa.



"You do realize," Trowa began. "That this is a dangerous game you’re playing."



Wufei still wouldn't look at him.



"It is very probable," Trowa continued, "That she's using you for information."



Wufei glared at Trowa, then. "You mean like idle pillow talk?" Wufei snorted. "That's ridiculous. She knows more than we do!"



"Still, I think she's using you, Wufei," Trowa repeated. "Can you be certain she's not? Can you trust her?"



Wufei didn't answer him.



"Just be careful, Wufei." Trowa stood up. "That's all I'm saying."



Trowa walked from the room, leaving Wufei to glower after him.



He's right, though, Wufei thought. I can't trust her.



***





"Good evening, Prime Foreign Minister."



Lady Une had fallen into step beside the former Queen of the World. They were now walking through the Sanq Kingdom Palace side by side.



Relena nodded to Lady Une. "Lady Une, it’s always a pleasure," she said formally.



"I hear that Heero is reorganizing your security," Lady Une said.



"Nothing slips past you, does it?" Relena replied.



They turned a corner.



"Actually," Relena said. "I'm not sure how long he's going to stay."



Lady Une nodded. "He doesn't, by any chance, know anything we don't, does he?"



Relena shook her head. "Not that I know of. Apparently, he's as in the dark as we are."



"Huh."



They turned another corner.



"Any news on the girl with the gundam?" Relena asked.



"No." Lady Une shook her head. "But Wufei, Trowa, and Quatre are searching her safe house as we speak."



"My heart goes out to Quatre," Relena commented.



"All our hearts do," Lady Une agreed. "But there isn't much we can do until the Wolfgang Prophecy is acquired."



"Yes," Relena mused. "Notify me immediately, when you do have it."



"Yes, Prime Foreign Minister."



They turned another corner and the two women went down separate ends of the hall.



***





The club walls vibrated with the thrum of the base, so even the very structure of the building seemed to move with the beat of the music. Neon lights danced over the crowd, illuminating their sweaty faces as the ground against each other. Nefertari moved through the bodies, lithely dodging the few men and women who attempted to dance with her. Her pulse ricocheted through her body with the same velocity as the music through the walls and Nefertari had to fight the urge to throw herself into the crowd, dancing until she passes out.



And there it was.



The stairwell.



Nefertari mounted the steps, still not being able to hear her own thoughts over the pulsing music. The walls were old and smelled of mold, beer, and piss. The graffiti was garish and Nefertari spotted more English words than she would have thought possible. Slowly, the music melted away and a bright light shone down on her face. She continued her steady pace up the flights of stairs, heading for the light. Nefertari forced her breathing to an even rhythm when she approached the rusted metal door the led to the roof.



Nefertari stood in front of the door for some time, letting the white light that leaked through the door's small window to wash over her face. She closed her eyes and willed her rapidly beating heart to slow, to allow her some semblance of pride.



She wouldn't let him to realize how terrified she was of him.



Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and stepped out into the cold winter air.



***





Duo had found the remnants of a recruiting office for the Earthatorial Rebellion Association in Amsterdam, however, it seemed to have been cleared out for some time now. Duo's guess had been right. The Earthatorial Rebellion Association had begun in Amsterdam. He couldn't find any trace of where they had gone, though.



Duo was now seated in a chair, in a shack-of-a-safe house he had found for himself, keeping an eye on the surveillance images projected through his laptop from the cameras he had placed around the city, searching for suspicious activity.



Duo reached for his bottle of water, but stopped short when one particular image caught his eye. He hit a few buttons on his laptop, trying frantically to recapture the image of the rooftop of the club near the recently-vacated recruiting center.



"There!" Duo smiled as the club's rooftop came back into view, and then frowned as he focused his attention to the two figures standing there. "What the--"



Duo zoomed into the image--just in time to see Nefertari Wakara emerge from the stairwell, looking angry as hell.



"Well, well, well...if it isn't our little Nefie," Duo muttered as he forwarded the images he was now recording to Quatre, Wufei, and Trowa.



***





Nefertari glanced once at the man standing on the far side of the rooftop, then turned to glare at the man nearest her.



"General Sky," Nefertari said darkly. "Coming all the way to Earth to talk to little-ol'-me? To what do I owe the pleasure?"



"I came here to replace you," General Sky replied. "You've been undermining my orders. And this unfortunate situation with the former gundam pilots...it just won't do."





//...you fell away...

...what more can I say...//





Nefertari shook her head sadly. "Not another one, General." She flicked her hand absently at the other man. "You know you can't kill me."



Sky smiled cruelly. "Then prove it."



Sky beckoned to the other man with a flick of his wrist and the man raised both of his guns, one in each hand, and began charging at her, firing round after round.



Nefertari pivoted, pulling out her two firearms, and cleanly missed the first two bullets. She swung at the assailant, firing her weapons. The man slapped her right hand away, before the gun could point directly at his face, and fired two more rounds.



They continued their deadly, close combat dance, until they heard the click click of the barrels of their guns emptying.



Nefertari stepped away from the man, discarding her empty firearms carelessly, and unsheathed her swords.



Nefertari smiled at the fear in her assailant's eyes as he discarded his firearms and prepared to fight her with his bare hands.



However, her honor was too great for that, and she tossed him one of her swords. The man caught it and Nefertari allowed him to circle her, not once taking her eyes from his.





//...So many words...

...can't describe my face...

...I won't let it out...

...I can't relate...

...to a happy state...

...feeling the blood run inside...//





Blade flashing, the man attacked. Nefertari easily parried his attack and spun on her heel. Thrust. Parry. Thrust, thrust. Parry.



The man feinted left. No, you fool, Nefertari thought fiercely. That will throw you off balance! She brought her fist down hard on the man's sword hand. The curved blade went flying and Nefertari caught it, mid-spin, in the air.



I'm ending this...



Using her swords like deadly scissors, Nefertari spun back to the man, and cut him cleanly in half through the middle.



Blood sprayed everywhere and Nefertari, covered in blood, rose slowly.



Nefertari turned back to Sky and walked directly towards him, sheathing one of her swords.



Nefertari shoved him roughly against the side of the rooftop, bringing her unsheathed sword to his throat.



"Why is everything so fucking hard for me?" Nefertari hissed.



General Sky regarded her calmly. "Because you feel too much."



"Why do you tempt me?" Nefertari demanded fiercely. "Why do you provoke this...this...ministry of the unworthy?!" She jerked her chin towards the bloody mess of the man that was supposed to have replaced her.



"The more you disobey me, the more men I will force you to kill...until one of them kills you and replaces you."



How can you be so fucking calm? Nefertari thought.



Instead she shoved away from him and sheathed her second sword. "Keep on trying...I'm not done so easily."



Nefertari turned on her heel and walked back into the club.



You just absolutely refuse to die, General Sky thought.





//...why won't you die?...//



***





Quatre was shaking as he stared at the computer screen. He had never seen anyone move that fast. Ever.



"You guys get all that?" Duo asked over the comm. link.



Trowa leaned over Quatre shoulder. "Yeah. When are you getting back, Duo?"



"I should be there in a few days," Duo answered. "Though, I gotta say, I don't think I'm gonna feel too safe around that girl, anymore!"



"I know what you mean," Trowa agreed. "See you when you get here."



"See ya."



Trowa turned off the computer and stood the still-shaking Quatre up. "Come on, Quatre. Let's go."



Trowa paused to look at Wufei, who was regarding the computer like it was an evil thing. "You still trust her?"



Wufei glared at Trowa but said nothing.



Trowa proceeded to walk Quatre out of the room.



***





Duo sat back in his chair, thinking.



Who where the two men on the rooftop?



Who was the man you killed, Nefertari?



Who was the other guy?



Was he a hostage?



He hadn't looked like a hostage.



Why didn't you kill him, too?



Duo ran a hand through his hair. One of these days, I'm going to figure you out, Nefertari.



One of these days...