Chapter Fifteen

Noin knocked on the door once again. "Relena-san?"

Getting no reply, Noin sighed inwardly to herself. Ever since Kaede re-escorted her back to her room, Relena had not made one single step outside.

"Relena-san, I've left some food here for you," she said, carefully setting down the tray of food. "It's best that you eat. Daijoubu, Heero will come back."

Again getting no response, Noin sullenly left the hallway and back to her own work. Inside, Relena lie on her bed, her face blankly staring at the wall. Her tear soaked pillow had dried after some time, and her eyes were red with lack of moisture. Heero's words kept on returning to her.

"Don't tempt me."

She closed her eyes tight, curling herself back into a ball as she remembered what had happened the night before he left seven years ago.

<Red Hawks HQ ~ Engine Room>

The two brothers stared at one another in a deadlock, then they broke off.

"Geez, don't scare me like that," Kaitou muttered. "Thought you were one of those damn Red Hawks."

"Where have you been?" Heero asked. His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he looked at his younger brother's uniform. "Why are you wearing their uniform?"

Kaitou dusted off his jacket before putting his gun away. He was a young man of twenty years, and the only reason why Heero had recognized him was because he looked like an exact replica of Heero, with the exception of his hair and height. Kaitou had jet black hair like Kitsune's and was much taller than his older brother, topping off at an even six feet.

"Why do you think I'm wearing this?" he asked. "This was the only way I could get Reinhardt's trust."

"So he thinks that you don't remember your family," Heero answered his own question. He took a good look at his younger brother. "You've grown."

Kaitou broke into a halfhearted grin. "Heh, quit being such a scrooge, aniki. I'm surprised that you actually recognized me after thirteen years."

"The same goes for you," Heero said, smiling. He looked up at one of the mobile suits. "Do you know why these are here?"

"Aa. Reinhardt plans on using them to wipe out any resistance and take over. With kids that have been superficially enhanced..." Kaitou explained.

"I'd be too easy to take over," Heero finished. He put his hand on the cold metal of the mobile suit. Can't let this happen.

"Look, aniki, I know what you're thinkin', but---"

Kaitou was cut off short as a bullet whizzed by his head. The two men turned around.

"There they are! Get them!"

"Che, they have to find out sooner or later, don't they?" Kaitou muttered, returning fire. He only blinked once before the pack of soldiers before them disappeared before his eyes.

"We don't stand a chance against them," Heero said, grabbing his brother by the collar of his jacket and running behind the Gundam for cover. "Those are the AES soldiers."

"Then how're we gonna get away?" Kaitou asked, raising his voice as the gunshots got even closer.

Heero scanned around the area again. There were rows and rows of Gundam suits and nothing else. He took a look at the Gundam that they were using for cover. I guess I have no other choice....

"Follow me," he said, leaping onto the side rail again and sprinted for the stairway.

"Oi, aniki, matte!" Kaitou yelled after him, following.

Although the rain of bullets were fired by an elite and superficially enhanced unit of soldiers, it was rather easy to avoid the bullets aimed for them. All it needed was accuracy and timing, which what the two brothers were experts in. The brothers jumped on top of the loading dock that led to the mobile suit's cockpit from the rear. Heero punched at the control lock to open the door and he and Kaitou ran in, closing the entrance just before an AES soldier could catch them.

"Whoa...why is it so dark in here?" Kaitou asked out loud.

Heero flipped on the control panel switch, turning everything on. At least they didn't change the controls...

"This mobile suit is only for one person, so you just have to squeeze in on the floor or take a seat by the emergency exit," Heero explained to his brother. "But whatever you do, DON'T push the red button."

"Right...got it," Kaitou murmured as he took the seat at the exit. He then observed his brother configure the controls. "Oi...do you know how to use this thing?"

"I piloted one a long time ago," Heero replied absentmindedly as the zero system responded to his commands. The screens before him flashed into a full view of the area. "Yosh, let's go."

<Preventers' safehouse>

"Sir! Something's been picked up on radar. It's a large object flying towards us," a Preventer called at the controls.

Zechs immediately ran towards the man, "A flying object? It must be a bird or something."

Noin decided to enter just then and quickly began to register the commotion.

"Ie, it's too bit to be a bird, sir," the Preventer replied. "And our sensors detect metal."

"What kind of metal?" Noin asked curiously.

Zechs turned at his wife, thinking the same thing as she was. The Preventer at the panel didn't notice the husband and wife exchange looks but he tired to answer the question.

"Etto...let me check," he said, glancing at the screens while typing in some commands on the computer. After a few confirmations, the screen red "ERROR" and returned to the radar screen. "Error?"

"Sir, we're getting transmission from the unidentified object," another Preventer said.

"Put him on," Zechs ordered.

A few seconds later, Heero's face appeared on the screen.

"Heero!" Noin exclaimed.

"Can you give me a decent landing area? Or do I have to shoot down a couple of trees?" Heero asked, oblivious to the expressions on their faces. Either he was oblivious or didn't really care what they thought.

"Landing area?" Zechs asked incredulously. "Masaka...are you piloting a mobile suit, Yuy?"

"...Something like that."

"Mobile suit? Aniki, you gotta be kidding me," a voice said in the background. "This thing's a lot different than your typical mobile suit."

"Who is that?" Noin asked.

"...A stowaway," Heero replied with some hesitation. That remark was answered by a small "Oi, who's a stowaway?!?" by the same voice, but Heero ignored him. "Anyway, can you give me the coordinates for landing space or do you guys have to experience some earthquakes for a few seconds?"

"Um..there's a space at the landing pad, sir," the Preventer said to Zechs and Noin.

Zechs glanced at Noin for a second, who silently nodded. "...All right. Heero, you can land at coordinates X-C-five-zero-zero. We'll meet you there."

"Roger," Heero said and signed off.

All the while, husband and wife stared at one another, wondering who was the other voice behind Heero. All they saw were a pair of Prussian blue eyes.

<At Heero's situation>

As Heero signed off, he turned around to glare at Kaitou who peaked his head out from behind Heero's seat.

"I thought I told you not to talk when I was on," he said.

"Well, yeah, you did but...when that guy said that you were piloting a mobile suit, I kinda, well..." Kaitou tried to explain with a sheepish grin on his face.

Heero groaned, head in his hands. "Never mind."

 

AN: Heh, heh, I guess that you can say that Heero and Kaitou are total opposites of each other. ^^ R&R!