Current whereabouts: Unknown

Duo flipped through the rest of the report and placed it back on Une's desk. He leaned back in his chair, hands cupping the back of his head. "Alright. I've read your report. What do you want from me?"

"We want you to find Heero Yuy," Une leaned forward to rest her elbows on the desktop.

Silence stretched between them before Duo stood up. He shook his head, causing his braid to swing. "No go, Une. Heero has dropped from public view, he doesn't want to be found." His hand waved over the folder. "If you bringing your best resources to bear can't find him, what makes you think I can?"

Une stood as well, moving around the desk to join Duo. "Because you two were friends, lovers, during the war? And he just walked out of your life?" She clucked her tongue and gave him an incredulous look. "I find that hard to believe."

Duo shrugged and gave her a cheeky smile. "Hey. Win some, lose some. Still. Can't help you, Une. Sorry. I don't work for the Preventers; don't have time. I have a business to run and can't afford to neglect it." Duo stepped around her to head for the door. "Learn to live a little, Une. You are too tense. If you need the Gundam pilots, we'll be here. But...enjoy the peace some, huh? It's not going anywhere."

With a wave, he opened her office door and walked through it, not bothering to shut it behind him.

She called out to his back. "If you change your mind..." the words died on her lips. Une knew it was no use. Sighing, she slumped back to her chair. Duo was right. If Heero didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be. Especially when he had friends protecting him.

It would have been a boon to the Preventers to have Yuy on their staff as instructor, but some things were simply not meant to be. Une was able to console herself with the knowledge that she still had Chang Wufei fulltime and Trowa Barton on a contractual basis.

Picking up the phone, Une reluctantly called the Board of Directors to give them her report.

Relena turned back from staring at the gardens. The picturesque window, running from ceiling to floor, offered a magnificent view of the yard. Flowers of all descriptions were in bloom and provided a colorful splash against the vivid green of the grass. She smiled. "Are you sure they know nothing?"

"They have no clue and don't even know where to begin looking," Duo stretched out in the chair, his feet splayed out in front of him as he slouched comfortably in the presence of the Vice-Foreign Minister.

She gave him a nod and crossed the room to collapse onto the small sofa next to him. "Une has been hounding me for months about it." Her head rolled to look over at him and she smiled. "Thank you for not taking the job."

Duo shrugged and smiled at her. "I have to protect my interests you know. Heero was quite specific in his wish to not pick up another gun, to not pilot another MS, to not be involved in any way, shape or form, in the politics of the world. The only reason he would come out of retirement is if you asked him to."

Relena sighed. "I hope it never comes to that. I don't think I've ever seen him so happy." She patted Duo on the knee. "Or you for that matter."

"Hey...if you can't find happiness, make it, or something like that." Duo smiled at her before rising to stand before the window. "So, you are okay with having your wedding in our gardens? I think it would be totally phenom for you and Wufei to get married here, even if it is a private ceremony."

She stood to join him, taking his hand in hers to squeeze it hard. "Yes, and thank you for the invitation. I promise, the guest list is numbered on two hands. You won't have anyone tromping through your rosebushes."

Duo laughed and squeezed it back. "Don't thank me. It was at the suggestion of my gardener. He was quite insistent."

At the mention of the gardener, a young man rounded a row of hedges trudging behind a wheelbarrow. The dark mass of floppy brown hair stuck to his sweaty face. As if sensing he were being talked about, he looked up to the window, his dark blue eyes scanning before he saw two figures standing and looking down at him.

A small smile crossed his face and with a shy wave, Heero bent back to spreading mulch around the azaleas.