Author: Reboo email: lngwp@oz.zzn.com Title: Assailant-Part 2 She awoke days later in a dizzy haze, unmoving and unwilling to open her eyes. She simply layed there and replayed the last weeks events through her mind, she didn't know how long she had slept for and at this point didn't really care as she let her recent memories surface. ***************** "Please," the Vice Foreign Minister begged her bodyguard and confidante. "Just one walk in the garden alone. I swear I'll be fine. Besides my brother and Heero aren't here right now, they'll never know." The Imperial guard eyed the 16 year old warily, but slowly felt her walls start to crumble. Relena noted the older woman's facial expression and sighed with relief, 'One more push, and her resolve will be eliminated.' She decided to push the guard a little more. "I'll tell you what Miliardo says about you," Relena added giggling as she tried to contain her laughter, it would work on anyone, and most likely her brother's best friend. "Does he actually talk about me," the guard whispered in a surprised tone. "All the time," Relena answered. With that answer the woman's resolves had crumbled, who could resist a chance to know what the former prince of Cinq thought of them, let alone her. "Oh alright," she had whispered. "But on one condition, and one condition only." Relena turned quickly around in fear of not being allowed to go alone, the young woman already felt her life to restricted. "What?" "We chat when you get back," the older woman said simply, and watched with a smile as her young confidante skipped down the garden path. With out a second thought she turned and left for the main building. ***************** That had been her mistake, the woman in the hospital realized again, and again as she replayed that day from two weeks ago in her head. It had seemed like such a simple pleasure but it had almost cost her her friend's life. She smiled ironically as she moved slightly, trying to adjust her uncomfortable position. The pain in her shoulder, and stomach was immense and almost hard to deal with so she took the moment to atleast smell the room she was in. She had always had good senses, and could often recognize people simply by their smell, such was the case with her best friend. Slightly she tested the air for his scent but didn't find anything but the disgustingly antiseptic, hospital smell. He would probably never forgive her for what she had let happen that day two weeks ago. His fury had been unimaginable and she let her subconcious bring her back to the remainder of the events before. ****************** "Lieutenant," the cadet on the other end of the comlink that popped up said urgently. "What is it?" she said not bothering to raise her head from her paperwork regarding the press confrence to be held their in a short amount of time. "There has been gun shots heard in the right section of the garden ma'am." he answered antsily hopping about. This brought her out of her silent reverie as she registered the man's words and in a second bolted the room, letting her instincts as a soldier kick in as she ran for right garden. She absentmindedly checked her sidearm as she berated herself for letting her emotions get the better of her, 'damn the man's opinion before, if anything had happened to his sister she would most likely be banished from the kingdom.' Charging through the gate she saw the firing of weapons being exchanged and quickly ran in its direction, she had no regard for her life at the moment as she came in and shot several times at the men or whatever was firing rounds at her men, and the bleeding Vice Minister who layed still upon the ground. Rage filled her and she rapidly destroyed the targets her men had so easily missed. She rushed to Relena's side, and quickly called for her men to send immediately for an ambulance. She didn't accompany the unconcious young woman to the hospital when the ambulance came, instead letting Pagan go. Bringing her men with her she had checked the garden where the firing had come from. It had turned out to simply be one man, and a lot of self operating machines firing blanks. Immediately she checked the gun most likely held by the assailant for finger prints, nothing came back, so that evening she trodded to the hospital with a heavy heart. Her friend's attacker was good, and didn't match any of the profiles she had on killers in her database, it kept her mind on a constant battlefield, simply trying to figure out who the attacker was, it wouldn't be easy. Two days later Zechs Merquise and Heero Yuy returned to the Cinq kingdom, Zechs wanting to talk to his sister, Heero to his girlfriend. They had been met with shocking new upon their arrival home, and unfortunately the head Imperial Guard hadn't been the one to deliver the news. Zechs had stormed into her office in a silent rage, his fury seemlessly uncontrollable, but flashing only in his eyes. Zechs had kept his silent reverie in talking to her, his voice and eyes, only, showing his true emotion, hatred in those few seconds, to her it was as if his eyes had gone from blue to red upon entering the room. He accused her blatantly of being the soul person that the blame for this incident landed on. She had already known that but the fierceness of his voice spoke with no simpathy towards her for what had happened. Demanding she leave immediately, and hand over her rank he told her to never again return to Cinq. She obliged, and left willingly, still feeling the pain of his words as she did so, yet keeping her demeanor cool and herself hidden behind her own masks. She couldn't believe him, he was her best friend, and yet showed absolutely no allowance for her one mistake. It was completely out of his character she had noted while she was leaving the kingdom. For the next week and a half she seemed to have dropped off the face of the earth. The night Relena was to give her speech however, after her miraculous recovery from an almost fatal condition in such a short amount of time, she learned of another attack planned on Relena's life. Disobeying her promise to never return she snuck back into the country and waited in the crowds as Relena gave her speech in her mansion. After being the highest ranking Imperial Guard for such a long time it seemed to her that she knew the building like the back of her hand, and as soon as the assailant attacked she had headed after him in hot pursuit trusting Miliardo and Heero to well take care of Relena Peacecraft. *********************** As she allowed herself to come out of her recent memories she gained the courage to open her eyes, and allow herself to clearly observe everything around her. It was the normal hospital room, nothing special. She noted that her right shoulder and stomach had been patched and mused slightly at her current situation. Relena most likely would have already forgiven her for what she had allowed to happen, but Zechs most certainly would not have and with her wounds there was no way she could get out of the country before he found her even if she did leave right now. She was once again at the mercy of the Lightning Count. Allowing herself to drift off to sleep, she thought of what she would do next, space was always an option for her, and Mars, well the thought of going back to Mars was simply enticing. It felt like she hadn't visited there in the longest time, so she let her happier memories come to the surface. Hours later she awoke refreshed, and resolved herself to getting up, dressed and walking herself out of this hospital and into a new life, soon, preferably soon. It was still just her, but she had faced the test of time before, and relaxation and time to think were what she needed, and Mars would be just the place for that. Slowly, and painfully she dressed herself, trying to force herself to use the mannerisms she had developed after breaking her right arm in the Academy. Back then she hadn't been used to using her left hand, but she was by now, so it should have been easier to use now, right. She seriously doubted this as she tried to lace her shoes up, and gave a humph as she decidedly just shoved the shoelaces in her shoe. There really wasn't much of a difference in how effective each way was to keeping her shoes on her feet, was there. Quietly she stood up and walked to the door, she was finally going to be able to leave, with doctor permission or not. It had been a week since she had woken up, a week and two days since the attack. The nurses had taken good care of her, she really couldn't complain. Zechs had even come to apologize, but of course while he thought she was still sleeping. The urge to get out though was immense, it was like the hospital was suffocating her, and she could never quite get past the stifling hot temperature the building seemed to release, although it may have just been her. Noin had never dealt well with hospitals she always tied them to death, not healing, maybe that was simply her problem. Her mind was dead set on leaving, she needed to escape just like all the others had after the war. To just disappear and take a long rest, something she could never remember having since her youth back in Italy. It would be refreshing, maybe should would even go back to Mars, the planet she now considered her true home. Nearing the checkout desk she took a deep breath to get ready to go up, but paused as two men in suits came up to the desk. "Is a Lucrezia Noin here checked in here," a tall redheaded irish man asked, his accent clearly coming through. "We," and he emphasized we, " really need to talk to her, its urgent, and we really want to know if she's okay yet." a smaller japanese looking boy added. Lucrezia froze dead in her tracks as she listened to the men, and ideas began racing through her head. Then it struck her, the man she killed he mustn't have been working alone but instead within an organization. "Ugh," she berated herself, "What have you gotten yourself into this time Lucrezia Karin Noin. You'll have to scram and quick now." she added to herself as she mentally harassing herself for not having done a better check on the would be assassin. Oh well, no time now she thought as she fled down the staff and emergency exit stairs, almost knocking a couple of nurses over on her way down. Reaching ground floor she rushed out and hailed the nearest cab. "Take me to the nearest space port," she said shutting the door behind her. Back at the hospital's fourth floor two irate assassins entered the empty room, previously occupied by Lucrezia Noin. "She's not here," the redhaired man said stating the obvious to his partner. "She could wind up causing the boss some real trouble, you know that. A whole lot more trouble than the little Princess." the japanese man added. Inspecting the room carefully the irish man spotted a locket dangling from the bedside chair. He picked it up and carefully turned it over, noting the interesting inscription. "To Noin, my love. from Zechs" The man laughed sardonically at the little locket, and its owners foolishness. They know had the perfect way to flush their escapee out into the open. It turned out to not have been a waste coming there after all. Noin silently gazed at the stars from her window seat in the departure lobby. In a few minutes she'd be off to Mars again, whether it would keep her from her new enemies however she didn't know, she was simply happy to go home. A/N: reviews would really be great, this is my first fic so I would really appreciate it. Disclaimer:Gundam Wing does not belong to me, the story however does.