Relena woke up with a start. She had been having a cup of tea on the colony, urging the colonists to think of themselves as part of the united Earth and then she passed out. That was embarrassing. She rolled out of the huge bed that she found herself in and was startled to see a little girl in the same room as her.
"Are you a prisoner too?" Relena asked curiously.
"No Vice Minister, " the little girl cooed. "I was the one that arranged for your imprisonment. I am Maria-Mary Khushrenada. And I will inherit my father's place in history as sole ruler of the Earth, I will have them bow down to my might."
Relena stared at the young girl in shock. Khushrenada never mentioned having a daughter. He would have during their last conversation. He told her almost everything else that was private. So this girl was lying or Treize never knew that he was a father.
"I have the tests to prove that I am the daughter of Leia Barton and Treize Khushrenada, Vice Minister." She said, reading Relena's expression correctly.
"Treize told me some of his plans after the war. They didn't include World Domination." Relena said numbly, overwhelmed by all that had happened to her in the last day or so.
"If he didn't want to control the Earth why did he fight for it?" Mary asked.
"To end an abomination that had been going on for too long." Relena replied tightly. "A thing that had taken on a life of its own. Something that had destroyed too many people." Her eyes were bleak as she thought about all those who had their lives ruined by that war. Heero. Duo. Wufei. Trowa. Quatre. They had sacrificed so much for this peace.
"I doubt that. My father thought that war was a noble effort." Was her lofty answer.
"Your father planned to settle down after the war under an assumed name, no matter who won or lost." Relena informed her tightly. War isn't noble, It's messy, bloody and destructive.
"Really?" Maria-Mary smiled. "When did he tell you this?"
"A private conversation after he broke me out of the 'Queen of the World' prison the Romafellers put me in." Relena replied.
"You didn't want the honor? To control the World, to have them all bow down to you, You did not want that power?"
"I accepted it so that they would stop bombing my homeland. And I gave the Gundam pilots enough time to escape into space. And the power was illusionary." Relana said bitterly.
"Ah And why was he telling you all this?"
"I liked your father. And I had a message from his lover. I promised that I would pass it on."
"The Lady Une? How was she communicating with you? She was in a coma at the time." Maria-Mary sounded puzzled.
"Une wasn't sleeping with him. He had another relationship."
"But she was so devoted. How could he deny her?" She really couldn't understand why her charismatic father wouldn't be interested in such a beautiful woman.
"Because of a little thing called hormones. You may not understand them yet, when you're older you will. A lot of things happen because of them, most of them stupid." Relena laughed quietly. "But Lady Une was not sleeping with your father." I was sleeping with her you brat!
"Were you?" she asked
"Not after he slept with my brother. That would be a wee bit incestuous." Relena laughed uneasily. I had thought about it as a power play, though. I still don't know if I could have gone through with it.
"Treize Khushrenada did not have sex with men. That is a lie" Maria-Mary's voice went up sharply. To imply such a thing about her father!
"He was bisexual. He also preferred men to women. He grew up with my brother and things just went from there. Until the Mirialdo walked out on him." Relena said distantly, wondering why she was discussing this with an eight year old girl. Even if it was supposedly her father they were talking about. "Your father fell deeply, unexpectedly in love during the last year of the war. All he wanted to do afterwards was live quietly in the country, growing roses and watching his lover cook. He wanted the war to end. It had destroyed too many lives. His legacy is not of world conquest, but of peace. We just went about it in different ways."
"I do not believe you Vice-Minister!" Maria-Mary declared passionately.
"I don't care whether you believe me or not," Relena said calmly. It was like arguing with a miniature version of Noin. And for the same reasons. Relena bit back the urge to laugh, biting her tongue to stop it. Maria-Mary would never understand the laughter.
"You will accompany me to Earth Vice Minister." Maria-Mary informed her, dropping the argument. Relena shrugged. It didn't matter. If Maria-Mary thought that they would actually negotiate with Barton and the rest of them she was naive. Relena just was hoping that someone would stop this madness in time. If she happened to get rescued before they went through with their threat, she would be overjoyed, but she wasn't counting on it. She had wasted too much of her luck teasing a certain psychotic pilot. It would be too much to hope that Duo would rescue her like before.
Duo swore and dodged missile fire. He wasn't too happy that his back up was Noin. She may have been the better pilot then Sally, but he still was thinking that she was itching to put a rocket in his back. If it wasn't for the fact that he was going after Relena, she might. She had ignored him and Heero on the way out, talking only to Sally. Duo couldn't figure out why she was mad at Heero, was he supposed to have used his super psycho powers to stop this from happening? That they showed up together didn't endear them to her. Noin just gave both of them a cool glare and then ignored them. Duo was just happy for the sack time and that Shinigami was airing out.it had smelled bad, just like he thought it would. It had been difficult to get in there after all that time had passed.it gave him the willies and shoving a grumpy Heero in back wasn't helping any. That he once had lived in there was scary, he couldn't even stand to be near the thing now. But he'd do it, wasn't like this was the first unpleasant thing that he had to get through. At least he got to sit down, he wasn't bent over in the back of a car, getting it from a nameless john. The short flight to get fueled up helped him relearn the controls, remember tricks and get his balance again. Heero picked up Wing, hidden in the bottom of the ocean yet again, did the boy have no imagination? That's where it ended up a couple of times before. But loading the blasted things under the cover of darkness was helpful and now he was trying not to get killed before he could rescue the princess yet again, he should start getting paid for this, it was getting to be a habit. Just a few hundred more meters and he'd be in.
Heero cursed and watched Duo take off out of the carrier. He hadn't said much, just stared at his Gundam. Noin's glaring at the two of them didn't help either, but Heero ignored it. He was more worried about the situation that he would find at the end of the battle then whatever problem Noin had.
Wufei working with Dekim Barton was a surprise. He thought that Wufei hated the violence. He had enough nightmares about it. And to have Wufei working with a group of fanatics to start another war. It was unforgivable. He knew that Wufei had a stiff sense of justice, honor, guilt. What was driving him now though? Trying to protect the daughter of the man that he had killed? Was that why he had abandoned him? To start another war, a war so that they could fall back into the old patterns of their lives and try not to adjust to being normal, being civilians?
It had been hard for the two of them, most people didn't like the fact that they were living together, and they never treated them as adults. It had been hard.. But he thought that they were getting better. He was learning to be human, normal. Then he fell apart when Wufei left him. Thank God that he went to Quatre. Now he just wanted some answers. Duo may be going in to rescue Relena.but Heero was here to rescue his lover from whatever twisted bit of guilt he had that drove him to side with a man like Dekim Barton.
But what little Duo said to him, it was something that was helpful, in an odd way. Duo had been staring at Shinigami, Heero wasn't even sure that he was talking to him or his Gundam. "Its worth it, the fighting to make it survive, the effort that it would take to make things better."
"Is it?" Heero asked bitterly. "He's starting another war... more people dead.."
"More ghosts to talk to you in your sleep." Duo agreed. "But, you lived without it. Heero, don't fuck it up, I haven't the option of getting it back for me. Try and make it better with Wufei."
"But... he left me... and Quatre.." Heero had no idea why he was talking to Duo, what magic did he have that made one want to confess everything to him? But he was talking to Duo and soon their hushed voices tumbled over each other, telling of wishes, regrets and hopes.
"That's something that you have to decide. But before you worry about that, remember the little things.the way he smells, waking up in his arms, knowing that he loves you, that can never be replaced. Give Wufei a chance, because I would walk through Hell again just to get T-chan back." Duo said quietly.
"Even if he didn't love me any more, because I still love him. I dream about him, it seems so real. I almost get to touch him again then it changes to something else or I wake up."
"Wufei.he always had to sleep near the door, like he thought that something was going to come in and take me." Heero told Duo, "But waking up with him in my arms, his hair tickling me, it was wonderful and I miss him. There are still days that I expect to wake up with him, tell him about something that I did, that I saw something that he might like.."
"I smell roses and wonder, was it quick, did he think of me? Une? Mirialdo? What was he trying to do? I can't listen to certain pieces of music without crying. I don't think that I'll forget him, stop wanting him, that he was willing to just enjoy the time that we had together."
"We never talked about it. He always expected to get dragged back to the life that he once had and he didn't know if he could do that again, just be the yes man that they expected. He told me he felt guilty about that. He was going to tell Master O that after the war was over, he wasn't going back to his colony. He just never got to tell him that, and then it was gone. He wondered somehow if he had jinxed them."
"Heero, fight for your love, not matter what it takes. Its not the black and white world that you were told about. Didn't you feel that once you fell in love, that you suddenly saw the colors for the first time. That you were part of something that was good, that nothing bad could come of it. That for once you weren't destroying something?"
"Duo, I fell in love. It was something that I didn't expect, but it wasn't until I was in the ZERO System that I realized I was in love with Wufei. That it was something that could last beyond our immediate needs, that we were more then a suitable or convenient arrangement, and it scared me. And now, I don't know if he loves me still , that we wasn't fooling ourselves, fooling the world that it was something that was meant to last."
"What did you see in there.what did it whisper to you." Duo asked curiously.
"What did Epyon tell you?" Heero asked.
"I asked first," Duo said, "But, it told me I was Shinigami. That death was all I could be. Then, it played dirty, it told me things that I didn't understand until later. Things that scare me, because they were so little, little changes that could have happened.."
"That you and I could have been lovers , that Wufei ended up with Treize." Heero said.
"That, that we could have been OZ. That we might have been the bad guys. That, that I could have had parents, been normal.."
"Not ever killed. Been born into a family that loved me. Been to school. Had a dog, a teddy bear." Heero finished. "It was dirty. Quatre said that he saw the same things, but it was that he didn't care, was the one that J trained, was cruel, sadistic and an animal.."
"T-chan never told me what he saw, but he cried when I crawled out of that thing. He knew that name of everyone that was killed fighting for him. They talked to him in his dreams too .. There were nights that we were both too afraid to close our eyes, because we didn't want to dream." Duo whispered.
"Duo, if something happens.could you tell Wufei that I love him. That I just wished that he told me why he left me, but I don't mind." Heero said softly.
"I will. But fight to stay alive, self destruction isn't the answer. Do you want Wufei to be as screwed as I am. I don't eat, everything tastes of ashes.sleep.you saw me.don't let him be haunted by the might have beens.the if onlys.." Duo fell silent after that and had spent the rest of the trip staring at Shinigami with empty, dead eyes. Heero didn't think that Duo was going to come home from this trip, he'd just make sure that Relena got out, then quietly kill himself, making it look like an accident. And Heero didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Duo should get on with his life, stop just existing, Heero had done that for most his life, he saw what Duo was doing. But considering how fragile Duo was, making him live, trying to pump life back into him might not be the best thing. Letting him join his lover was most likely best for him, because Duo's ghosts were winning. It showed in his eyes, the way he acted, the things that he just said to him, because the world hadn't gone back to black and white when Treize died, it had gone just to white. White, the absence of any color, anything for Duo. Any hope, any feelings and any chance of love.
Heero followed Duo out of the carrier, wondering whatever possessed him to agree to have Noin as Duo's back up, that Duo agreed showed how disturbed he was. Noin didn't look happy and if anything happened to Relena, she'd be taking it out on Duo.
"Sally.watch Noin.I don't trust her around Duo." Heero ordered before rushing into combat. The troops weren't bad, they had been trained well and they knew his fighting style. He expected that, Wufei would have told them, it would only be justice, because their suits no way matched his Gundam, but he was also waiting.waiting for Wufei to challenge him and settle this once and for all. Heero waited for his lover as he fought, Duo helped a little, but his main priority was getting in and rescuing Relena. He just stayed around long enough to kick some butt and then faded away to sneak into the colony. Heero didn't even notice him leaving, but they never really fought together in Space. Heero cleared out the troops that were fighting against him, wondering when he would feel guilty about them, they were just pawns.and the chess masters this time didn't even care about their sacrifice.
As the flashes died down and the debris started to float around him, Heero took a deep breath. Sally and Noin had disappeared someplace. He heard their chatter on the radio, so they were still all right. He let it go with a 'whoosh' as he saw Nataku appear on the battlefield. He couldn't say anything, his throat was suddenly tight, and time just stopped. Heero and Wing made a slight gesture, incomplete.he couldn't tell what he wanted to do besides get out of this damn machine and hug Wufei, feel him in his arms again, before continuing with this madness.
"Wufei." Heero whispered, not caring that he couldn't hear him, not even bothering to check if the com unit was on. All the sleepless nights, the floundering about, the guilt about what he might have done or not done just disappeared. He just wanted to touch Wufei again, for a second he realized why Duo was so empty, so broken. Why he dreamed of his lover and told Heero all those things. "After all this time.why are we fighting, still? What's left to fight? We have peace. Don't destroy it.don't let anyone else destroy it either."
"Her peace is an illusion." Wufei announced flatly, slashing at Heero. "Did we ever have peace? Or was it just another wait between battles?"
Heero fell back, not wanting to hurt Wufei. He felt that they were probably well matched in their fight, Wufei was in better shape for once, and been training regularly, while Heero had left Wing to slowly rot on the bottom of the ocean, hoping that it would be useful at least as a home for fishes. He was mildly amused that Duo had the same idea, or was it that after the Eve battle, he was too numb to think of a better place? Duo probably was too tired or too hurt to think of a better one. Even he had gagged at the smell of Shinigami's cockpit when Duo opened him up. The smell of rotting protein, not that he hadn't smelled worse, sometimes the training that J had given him had been excessive, but he hadn't had to smell something like that recently. And Duo's face hadn't changed, his eyes were just focused on something else for a minute or two, then he shook himself and climbed in, motioning Heero to follow him. Thank God they both hadn't grown too much or they would have never both fit in there, so that he could retrieve Wing.
Half of his mind was occupied with these stray thoughts, while he concentrated on defending himself against Wufei. He was not going to end up like Duo, mourning his lover to distraction.
"It looked like peace, may be it wasn't, but we were happy, weren't we?" Heero asked softly, "I know that I didn't show it to you, didn't want to admit it. I thought that you were content with our original arrangement. No strings. I didn't want to tell you that it took three sessions in Wing on the ZERO System to realize that I love you. It just was so absurd. Then you fell apart, you saw your colony destroy itself and I didn't wasn't to confuse you anymore with what you might perceive as a weakness."
Wufei laughed. "We clung to each other because we didn't have anything else."
Heero shook his head, knowing that his lover couldn't see the gesture. "We had friends, we may not have had family, but people cared about us, as strange as it seemed. Quatre. Trowa. Relena. Duo, as screwed as he is."
"Duo." Wufei laughed shortly. "Where is he now? Cowering on Earth?"
"Right now, he's trying yet again to rescue Relena. He told me that he forgives you, that he understood that it might have not been your fault. That things happen."
"He forgives me for killing his lover? For exposing him to the rest of you?" Wufei demanded.
"Wufei.he understands. It was war. People die. It was fact that they lived with for as long as they knew each other. Duo was supposed to kill him at one time, or don't you remember? Duo thought that you could have been a friend to Treize, that you were alike enough to be friends. He is an emotional mess because of what happened but he doesn't blame you. Stop blaming yourself. That you killed Treize Khushrenada. That you killed anyone. That you survived and your colony didn't. Remember them, mourn, but don't let it eat up your life. Would they want that? Would your wife want you to be driven by guilt of her death rather then the love you had in your marriage?" Heero asked. "Do you want someone else to be driven by the same things that you are? It will happen.we, who we are now, are a product of the war that dominated out lives for so long. Do you want that? No matter what you told yourself or what someone told you, it will happen. It took twenty years for it to happen to us. It might take another twenty, but sometime in the future there will be another Chang Wufei, another Trowa Burton."
"Another Heero Yuy?" Wufei asked sarcastically.
"Another Heero Yuy. Another child that grew up with a gun for as a constant companion. A child that that thought pain was a continual thing in his life, that love was something alien and unreal, even after he fell in love. A child that once the war that he was trained for was over, had no idea how to function in the society that he protected." Heero took a deep breath and waited, Wufei arguing with each other wasn't the best thing, but it was a start. And it kept the Barton's best fighter occupied.
Wufei bowed his head, not speaking. Heero was right. Dekim Barton would be another dictatorship, much like the Romafellers and the Federation had been. He had been blind not to realize it in the beginning, by the time that he did, it had been too late. He was in too deep. But he had an obligation to Maria-Mary. She was who she was because of her father, a man that he killed. He had a blood debt to her, because of that.
"But is Relena much better. Is she right?" Wufei asked. It took me leaving you and a war to declare your love for me. But.I knew. You may not have been able to tell me, I understand that, love was something that was never mentioned to either one of us when we were growing up. It was more important that the household was harmonious in my clan. That you respected your mate, who should NOT be the same sex as you. That you never told me that you loved me was wrong.but I never tried to tell you that I loved you, either. And then I walked out of your life without a backwards glance driven by the demons that haunted me.
"She may not be right, but it is what is needed now. Let it grow, give it a chance.don't let us go back to the way it was." Heero pleaded.
"I think that my major problem with Relena is that she is a shameless woman that does not know her place." Wufei said.
Heero was silent for a minute, not believing what he heard. After a while of just listening to each other breath over the intercom he spoke, "Wufei was that a JOKE?!"
"I believe so. And Heero.I love you. Do not blame yourself.I never told you either."
"But you showed me, which is more then I can say." Heero muttered, wondering if Wufei was suffering from something strange to make a joke in the middle of battle. But they weren't fighting anymore, he hoped.
"And you showed me.you understood my occasional need to run off and fight, for something as meaningless to you as honor." Wufei said.
"Did I ever tell you that I felt safe with you just because you always insisted on sleeping on the side of the bed that was closest to the door, like I was going to get stolen away in the middle of the night?"
"So.we are both idiots. Now I must do one more thing and then I will go home with you and try and repair this relationship." Wufei said seriously.
"And that is?" Heero asked.
"Rescue Maria-Mary from herself, she has inherited all of Khushrenada's charm, but none of his wisdom."
Duo ran down the corridor, shooting anyone that got in his way. He wasn't worried about hitting Wufei by accident, the com traffic had him in his Gundam, chasing after Heero. That was a fucked situation, settling their relationship problems by trying to kill each other. Duo left them to their problems and hoped that it all worked out, because if it didn't the other would probably be joining the loser in the afterlife, once they realized that what they just did was one of the bigger mistakes in the Universe. Duo hit the personal quarters, the best place that he thought he would find Relena. They wouldn't be keeping her in the brig, she was a symbol to them, just like she had been with the Romafellers.
Duo checked the pocket schematics that he had to make sure that he was in the right place. He hoped that he didn't mess this one up. He wasn't up to another extended session of torture by the bad guys. He thought he was in the right place, the notes said that he just had to go in a little further, and he'd be there. he hoped that he was in time, because he didn't want to face Une if he failed. That he didn't make it and they did drop they damn colony on the Earth. Duo thought he caught a glimpse of Trowa running about, boarding a shuttle with the man that he thought was Dekim Barton. If that guy was leaving they were going to drop the colony, but he didn't see Maria-Mary or Relena with them, were they being left behind because they were no longer useful? Or was it because they were dead. He had to make sure. And check the controls to make sure that this thing would still stay up.
He also thought he was seeing some of the guys that he had killed during the war, because he was starting to have flashbacks. It had started when he sat in Shinigami again. The smell, the feel of the chair.it all combined to do something to him. He had spent the rest of the trip just staring at Shinigami, wondering if he could climb back inside him. He and Heero had done something, not talk exactly, but told each other their fears, the things that they missed. It was good to tell someone that.
Duo pulled his wandering thoughts back together and stopped to take a deep breath, jimmying the door open. He tightened his grip on his gun and pushed the door open. Hopefully he wasn't too late. He hit the floor, aiming inward at the voices that he heard, surprised to hear the tinkling laughter of a child.
"I know that you would show up or at least one of the Gundam pilots. Since I did have one with us.even though he denied it under questioning. But we did have one that was very helpful to us. Supplied us with descriptions of you all, Duo Maxwell. Pilot 02" a girl laughed.
Duo shrugged. "We stick together, because there wasn't too many of us." He caught sight of the child, Maria-Mary Khushrenada, standing in front of Relena. No clear shot, not that he would take it while he had the chance to talk to Maria-Mary instead of killing her. "You okay 'Jousan?"
"Fine.they just..." Relena reassure him.
"Wanted to use you. Dekim Barton worked with those fucking scientists." Duo said heatedly. "So Maria.I assume that you are Maria Mary Kushrenada, now comes the big question, do you want to do what you threatened? Or was it Dekim?"
"I want the Earth to bow down to me." Maria Mary said haughtily.
"Why?" Duo asked, shifting so that he could get closer. It was just the three of them, but he didn't now how long that would last.
"It is the legacy of my father!"
"He was sick of it toward the end," Duo said seriously. "He didn't want the power. The only reason that he fought in the last battle was that he had to. He had to save the Earth from what Mirialdo Peacecraft wanted to do to it.had anyone told you of that? What would happen to the Earth if you drop a colony on her.no one will bow down to you, because they'll be either dead or too busy trying to survive to care who's in charge, not that a lot of them did before. All they wanted was peace. What you are threatening them with is an endless winter.your father loved the Earth and knew how fragile she was. He'd be rolling in his grave right now if he had one. They never did.." Duo trailed off wistfully, thinking of Treize for a second.
"How do you.no matter, you're just here to distract me."
"I'm here to stop you. I didn't bleed and sweat and endure hell to watch a deluded child destroy what I suffered for. That you are being manipulated doesn't help things. Dekim was in with a crowd that knew how to use people.tell me Maria, has he told you that you were replaceable, that he could start over again with a less flawed model?"
Duo watched the blood drain out of her face, and he figured that she must have heard the threat one or twice to have that reaction. He felt sorry for her, but he had to stop her.the big picture would always dictate his actions, even if he hated himself afterwards. Right now he hated himself already. He'd just had himself more if he had to kill her. What was a little more self loathing?
"I heard that threat, a lot during my training. I used to go to bed and wonder where I'd wake up.if I'd wake up. Heero.he slipped once and that was the reaction that they had to it. And it was just a little thing.he felt guilty that he killed a little girl about your age. And her dog. An innocent that spoke to him. She got caught up in things.just like you did." Duo continued conversationally, like he had all the time in the world. "He buried the dog, he couldn't find her and they saw him and thought that was unacceptable behavior for their little weapon system on legs. So they tried to destroy anything that he had left, any feelings. Any love."
"I am in charge." Maria spoke with authority, but her eyes were uncertain. He was getting to her.
"So why aren't you leading the charge.inspiring the troops. Getting the hell off this thing before they crash it into the Earth. Because I just saw Dekim beating feet to get off this thing, so it's coming to the end, on a schedule that you know nothing about. Are you just a little doll that they drag out for show, like the Romafellers did Relena?" Duo asked, hating to hurt her, but the alternative was killing Maria and he didn't want to do that.
"Maria."Duo continued softly, "Before we continue this.can you just look in a mirror? I promise, no tricks."
Maria started to protest and then shrugged, she was armed and the mirror would still let her see him. She stood in front of the one by the door and looked back at him. "What am I supposed to see?" she asked sarcastically.
"Look at your eyes Maria.they're still innocent. I always thought that T-chan's were that innocent once. You do have his eyes, his ability to inspire people, just don't abuse it." Duo said, reflectively.
"How.you aren't..?" Maria sputtered.
"Who?" Duo asked, tilting his head grinning suddenly, feeling amused all of a sudden. Threaten Maria with a gun, she's all cool and collected. Hint that he was the one sleeping with her father.she falls apart. "The boogie man? The Easter Bunny?"
"She," Maria said calmly, gesturing at Relena "told me that my father fell in love at the end of the war.you can't be that person though. It couldn't have happened."
Duo smiled sadly, the amusement leaving him, it was hard to believe that the two of them had been in love. "It did. But that isn't the issue here. You are the issue here. I see innocence in your eyes, still. What do you see in mine?"
Maria frowned and turned around, walking up to Duo to peer deeply into his eyes. "I see. nothing."
"That's right. Nothing. Not a thing. No emotion. No joy, no sadness. And it won't change if I have to kill you. Because of people like you grandfather, the plans that he made and his attitude that people are expendable pawns. He 's thinking of destroying the only planet that can support us in the solar system for his pride or ambition. A planet that was bathed in blood for the last couple of years and is still healing from the greed of another set of ambitious old men."
Relena made a small noise of protest, causing Duo and Maria to look over at her.
"Relena." Duo sad gently. "It was bad. The things that happened, things that I did. But Maria.your father realized that his troops weren't expendable. That people, not pawns were fighting for him. And it stole his soul, if he had one left from swimming in the politics of the Romafeller Foundation. He would have liked you to keep your soul, your innocence as long as possible, because it never comes back."
"Duo, "Relena started, "I understand.Une is the same way." Relena stopped and shook her head. "Maria, only you can stop this now. Only you can decide whether you want to continue with this madness and plunge the Earth and the Colonies back into war at best. At worst, cause a global catastrophe that we will not recover from. My brother thought that if he destroyed the Earth the colonies would be at peace, but he was wrong. All he would have done was delayed things by throwing us back into barbarism. The people are trying to keep the peace that was declared a year ago. Let this fragile hope bloom. It may be the thing that stops war forever. I never thought that Total Pacifism was workable, but it was a goal that I hoped for, something that could be nurtured. While I blithely told people that it would just happen, I never thought that it would without a lot of work, sacrifice and unity. It's now starting to mature, this little tree that was planted a year ago. Don't drowned it by watering it in blood."
Quatre sighed and looked up at Lady Une. He didn't think that anyone else could tell that she was nervous and worried, but he could. "She'll be alright. Duo must be getting good at this, it is the second time around for him and he is a fast learner."
Une smiled down and him and sighed. "He's not well. He.I worry about him, out in the woods by himself."
"After this, I will try to keep in touch better. He deserves it. I wasn't as good a friend to him as I should have been."
"Quatre, I know that you do have a habit of blaming yourself for things that are beyond your control. Duo's life is beyond what can be controlled. He understood what had to be done. He did it. That he's the way he is today is because of a lot of things. His childhood, not that he had one. His training with that.. "Une trailed off, too ladylike and conscious of the eyes on her to say more. "We can discuss this later."
Quatre smiled. The Maguanacs and Rashid had ignored his orders and most of them were guarding Preventers headquarters and the President. Rashid had been apologetic, but firm.
"Your sister Iria insisted that we come. And I am not a man that would go against the will of that woman. So here we are. They insisted that they can take care of themselves and I was not going to argue with her. She would have made my life miserable Master Quatre. And did you not promise us once that you would not sneak off on your own and fight? And are you not alone? Did you not send Duo and Heero off to fight in Space?"
Quatre shook his head and laughed. "Rashid. I do not expect you to go against the wishes of my sisters, especially Iria. Even I am not man enough for that. As for being alone, I have the Lady Une with me. She is a strong fighter that I trust."
"But she is not someone that can be at your back. She is the leader here and you need fighters. So we will protect this odd person, this democratically elected man, because it is something that you think is important, Master Quatre."
"Thank you Rashid. And do be careful. You all are family too."
So now Rashid was the front line of defense, freeing up the rest of the Preventers to be other places. The sad part was that the President was upset that he had shown up with his private army to protect him. Was the man so insecure to believe that he was going to attempt his own coup or side with the Bartons. He could understand the Preventers anger, he was stepping into their territory, but this was too important not to get involved. But it had taken Lady Une considerable charm to calm the man down. Then he started ranting at her that she should have seen this coming. Quatre jumping into the argument was another thing that did not endear him to the man.
"Shut up." Quatre said quietly, wondering why he was being so rude, but it just popped out after that idiot started to repeat himself during his harangue of Lady Une. "She is dealing with a situation that could not have been predicted. And if it was, what sick person had this idea even before it happened! Lady Une is trying to keep you safe from an attack by Barton's forces, which will happen. She is worried about a friend and her lover, both of whom are in the thick of the fighting. And the apparent leader of the opposition is the daughter of her former commanding officer, who no one knew even existed before this announcement. So shut up, sit down and let her do her job. Screaming at her that she should have seen this coming is not helping her! Let her deal with what is happening. She doesn't have to be here.I'd hire her in a second for Winner Industries. So be thankful that she is on your side and willing to help you." Quatre turned on his heel and walked away, noticing the silence that was following him. Every eye in the control room was on him and even Rashid looked stunned.
Une shook her head and smiled, Quatre was priceless. She didn't think that he would ever be that rude. But it had shut up the honorable president and now she could think, plan what needed to be done. Unfortunately information was sketchy and she had far too much time to worry about what was going on above her head.
Duo stared at Maria and Relena. "So answer the nice lady, what will it be? Will you cooperate with us, so that we can work to get this thing back on track and not have everyone on the North American continent die in the next hour? Or do I put a bullet in your brain and go on to save the world?"
Maria stared at Duo, noticing the steady way that he held his gun and the blankness in his eyes. He would kill her. The reports that she had read on pilot 02 made him out to be a jokester, the trickster that pulled of the most amazing attacks, using stealth and wits. Not a man that would announce that he would kill her the same way that one would ask about the weather. That she expected out of the others, Pilot 01 or Pilot 03, the boy that stole her uncle's life and name. That Dekim Barton walked out on her she expected, deep down inside, she even wondered at times if they were related, he treated his dog better then her. Definitely showed it more love. All he ever told her was how disappointed he was that she wasn't smarter, stronger, better. That she didn't look enough like her father, that she was weak to want things like a doll, hugs or a Teddy Bear.
"I will place myself in the custody of Vice Minister Peacecraft. I will then surrender myself to the authorities, after you repair whatever damage has been done to this colony." Maria unbuckled her gun and handed it to Relena,
"I will take you to the control room now."
Duo sighed as Relena took the gun from Maria. "Check to see if the safety's on.if you shoot me in the foot by accident, no more ice cream treats."
"Please, I do know how to handle a gun, Duo." Relena protested.
"Okay, but.if we run into the troops, you captured us Maria," Duo instructed her. "Lead on McDuff and hopefully Heero and Wufei haven't killed each other yet, that they are still around to lend a hand."
"Why would Heero Yuy and Chang Wufei be fighting?" Maria asked, while Duo poked his head out of the door to check for enemy troops.
"Because Heero came out here with me too, he let me sneak in because that's what I do best. Wufei and him just need to talk things out, like why the hell Wufei's here?" Duo answered her, sliding out into the corridor and gesturing the other two to follow him.
Duo motioned for silence as they worked their way down to the central core of the Colony, Maria giving him instructions, which he occasionally checked against his map. He trusted her, she had the same sense of honor that her father had. She wasn't leading them into anything, he just wanted to make sure that he knew where he was going. The crackling of the com unit in his ear made him jump a little.
"Duo.where are you?" Heero demanded.
"I'm heading down to the central core, Dekim Barton has fled to Earth, you might want to follow him, he left about ten minutes ago. But I think that Trowa was on the same shuttle, but I'm not too sure.things are a little off. And I got Relena and Maria with me." Duo replied. "And you?"
"Wufei and I will pursue Barton.you take care of the colony." Heero said.
"As soon as we get closer to Earth, I'll contact Quatre. But I don't know if this line is secure, so I'm signing off."
" 'Kay. see you soon," Duo replied. He closed his eyes for a second and sighed. "Thank God that was worked out. Now they just have to both survive to the end of this."
"Wufei was nice to me." Maria commented, as soon as Duo got them into the control room. Duo sat down at the controls, studying them quickly. As far as he could tell, they had just turned off a whole bunch of things and left, trusting that everyone would be too busy in the attack to fix what they had done.
"Hey Maria-chan," Duo asked absently, "How good are you at hacking around a computer.I need help and I don't think that Relena's up to it, besides I need her to guard the door."
"I am competent, but do you trust me?" she asked sliding into another seat.
"I trust you, because you are an honorable person, just like your father was." Duo said. "Its simple. They were trusting a plan that called for us to fight outside and not sneak in until it was too late. So all we really have to do is work fast and save the day."
Duo was silent after that, frantically rerouting commands and telling the colony nicely that it was supposed to stay up and not crash and leave a mucking big hole in the Earth. They had finished everything when Relena gave a strangled cry.
"Duo.company. Sorry, they snuck up on me." she apologized. There were about five guys behind her.
"No problem." Duo said. "Maria please talk them into letting us go."
"No," Maria said. "I am in your custody, they will surrender to you."
The troops just stared at them, wondering what was going on. The platoon leader stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Who's in charge?", looking at Duo, Relena and Maria-Mary.
Duo shrugged. "I guess I am. Surrender, because Dekim fled about a half hour ago after fiddling with the controls to this place. Hopefully the other Gundam pilots will take care of him. We just fixed it and from what noise I'm hearing over the com link, most of your troops are dead, the fighting has dropped off. All I need now is my pick up. Who is right behind you."
Duo waved at Noin, enjoying the annoyed look on her face and the stunned one on the leader's. " Hi Noin."
"Relena, " Noin cried, "Are you all right, You're not hurt?"
"Noin, I'm fine. I have to get back to get back to Earth. Sally can do mop up here, if that is even needed. It seems to have been limited to a fraction of the colonies population, if they even noticed anything." Relena replied, giving the older woman a quick hug. "We'll take Maria with us and Duo, can you get back on your own? I want you to fly escort or may be catch up with the others. Or something."
"Sure thing 'Jousan, " Duo said, saluting her, while his brain started gibbering again at the thought of stepping back into Shinagami. Something must have showed, because Relena still looked worried even after Duo flashed his patented 'Don't worry I'm Death and damn cheerful to be so' smile at her. Maria squawked when he hugged her. He held her tightly for a moment before whispering into her ear, "Thank you for making the right decision I would have hated like hell to have shot you. But I would have done it, relationship with your father or not."
Duo then ran out the door, pausing to wave good bye again before running down to where he left his Gundam. If he stopped to think about it, he would never be able to climb into that thing again.
Trowa carefully made his way to the back of the shuttle out of sight of Dekim Barton. Barton thought that he was still in the brig, but as soon as the fighting started, Trowa had broken out of what was laughably referred to a prison, stole a uniform and made his way towards Dekim, since he was the person to watch out for. He had to kill him, with his death this rebellion would die out and he could get back to his life.
The long months that he was here gave him time to think. He had been found out late in the masquerade, thankfully by Wufei. Who then argued that Trowa was more useful to them alive and managed to convince Dekim that he was better off in the brig. Trowa was still wondering why that worked, Dekim must be slipping. He should have been killed. But the time alone, shaken out of the rut that he let himself fall into of flitting closer to Quatre, then running away to be in the circus, to be with Catherine, allowed him to wonder exactly what he wanted out of life. It let him think and decide on what he should do. He loved Quatre. That was never the question, but he was overwhelming at times, frightening him with the intensity of his love for him. That Quatre allowed him to do this senseless dance was a miracle. But over time, he got the feeling that Quatre was not going to wait forever. That something might tempt him, something like Heero Yuy. He didn't know that they were together. He just guessed it. Wufei was here, involved in this rebellion for his own reasons. And Heero, while he was invincible in battle at times, did need a guiding hand as a civilian, he was the same way. So Heero was most likely with Quatre and would gradually melt into his charm, like an ice cube in the summer sun. Trowa just hoped that Quatre would forgive him for this one last dance and let him come back.
As the shuttle neared Earth, Trowa prepared himself. A bullet into Dekim. Then escape if possible, if not. Well.that was the chance that he took months ago. He just regretted that he never really told Quatre how he felt about him, just hoped that he would feel it, like he felt everything else. Trowa listened to the announcement that Dekim made, threatening to kill the Vice Minister if they didn't let the shuttle land safely, outside Preventer headquarters. Dekim neglected to mention that he had left Relena back on the colony and she would be dead within the hour if they didn't fix the colonies controls. Trowa wasn't worried about that though, he thought he had seen Duo running thought the hanger bay. It had to be Duo, no one else would have a braid like that. Dou would take care of things for him, he was good at that.
Trowa heard Lady Une promising Dekim that there were no Preventer troops in the area, that it was safe for them to land. Trowa wondered what was going on, until he caught a glimpse of a small blonde figure, half hidden behind Lady Une. It was Quatre. Trowa almost smiled, Quatre's troops were the ones around the building, camouflaged in some way. He could wait until the shuttle was on the ground before shooting Dekim. Preferably in sight of Lady Une. Trowa waited, landing was only in a few minutes and he managed to squeeze himself into a small space near the exit. Dekim would pass by this way and the man was so arrogant that he thought that all his troops were loyal to him, so he didn't worry about guards. The shuttle landed and Dekim made his way to the exit, chuckling to himself. Trowa held still and blended into the shadows, not much cover but it would do. Trowa caught a glimpse of Lady Une and Quatre at the landing area. Dekim went out the door, standing at the top of the stairs, gloating one last time before starting down. Time slowed for Trowa. He noticed Une's worried expression when she didn't see Relena. Quatre's look of shock when Trowa stepped out of the shadows. Dekim, turning to face him as he heard his gun cock, staring at him in horror, shock, outrage. His mouth forming the word 'Nanashi' before Trowa blew his brains out the back of his head and onto the rest of his shocked troops. He then spoke, dropping his gun and raising his hands. "The rebellion is over."
Quatre rushed up the stairs and hugged Trowa, overjoyed that he was safe.
Too overcome by emotion to really say anything. Trowa hugged him back, kissing the top of his head and whispering in his ear. "I love you. I'm ready to stop running away now. if you'll have me."
"Trowa," Quatre whispered back. "I've been waiting to hear that for so long."
"This is touching," someone observed sarcastically, "but can we straighten things out, that is if Mr. Winner will let us?"
Trowa stared at the man, he should know him from somewhere, but it was escaping him at the moment. All that matter was Quatre. He barely registered the fact that Wufei and Heero had landed and were also at the bottom of the steps.
"Mr. President," he heard Lady Une say, "Mr. Winner's troops will be leaving soon, as for Mr. Winner, he seems to be rather preoccupied right now. I doubt if he is willing to continue what Dekim Barton started."
Quatre right now wasn't interested in anything that would separate him from Trowa, including getting out of the way of the forensics team that were suddenly here to clean up the mess that Trowa had just made. Trowa shrugged and then lifted Quatre up. He had gotten a little taller and heavier while he was gone, but it was good. Trowa carefully carried him down the stairs, ignoring Quatre's giggles and the shocked stares that they were getting from everyone that was milling around the shuttle, Trowa put Quatre down after he worked his way through the crowd, ending up next to Wufei and Heero, who were holding hands.
"I see you got out of the brig." Wufei observed, throwing caution to the wind and actually putting his arm around Heero, in public. Heero just twitched his lips and melted into Wufei a little.
"No problem. And thank you. I had a lot of time to think.to realize what was important."
"Good," Heero said, smiling a little at Trowa. "I.it.you're lucky."
"As are you," Trowa agreed, nodding at Wufei.
Lady Une walked up to them, apparently the only one that wasn't disturbed by their open displays of affection. Heero looked over at her, "Relena should be safe. Last message that I got was that she and Maria-Mary were being taken here by Noin, Duo was following in Shinigami."
"Thank you." Une said quietly, her relief at the news obvious. "But Quatre, could you order the Maguanacs to leave? I know that they deserve to be part of this, but he's nervous."
"That is all right Lady Une," Quatre said. "I don't think that I will stay around either. I just want to see Duo again and then leave. They will go now, it's better with all the confusion. And if you chose to say that they were not here, they and I understand."
"Thank you Quatre, thank you all. I hate that you are all have been dragged into this, but we couldn't have done it without you." She replied, giving them all a small hug.
Relena worked her way though the crowd, rudely pushing where people wouldn't get out of her way. She looked tired, was a mess and Une thought that she was the most beautiful thing in the world. She gathered the younger girl into a bone crushing hug whispering, "You're safe, you're safe."
Relena returned it, "I was so worried about you." she whispered back.
The President was about to interrupt them when someone grabbed his arm.
"Move and you will regret it. Let 'Neesan have a few minutes with her lover, before you start acting like a jackass again. I heard enough about it from Quatre's people." a voice said by his side. He looked down to see a slender boy standing next to him. he glared down at him, wondering who he thought he was to talk to him like that. The boy must have read his mind because he grinned mirthlessly. "I'm one of the guys that just saved your ass from Dekim. Not that I actually did it for you, because I don't give a damn about you. But Relena was in trouble and I don't want 'Neesan worried. She shouldn't have to anymore. But get that stick out of your ass and nicely thank Quatre, Trowa , Wufei and Heero, because they just did it again. And they didn't have to, so stop acting like loving another man is a mortal sin.it works for them."
"I take it you are also another one of those Gundam pilots?" he asked haughtily.
"Got in one." Duo bared his teeth again at the guy, he was too tired and too strung out to be nice. "Stop acting like your shit don't smell because you never got your hands dirty to make this peace, that you were lucky enough never to have done anything to earn your office besides convincing people to vote for you. Just remember that this peace is built on the bones of the dead, the grief of a lot of people, and the blood of soldiers that fought for a cause, no matter what side they were on. A lot of people died to make this moment, so don't piss me off by acting like it just happened. Let them be together before you start tearing them apart."
He stared, astonished that someone would speak to him like that, he was the World President. And he was being scolded by a boy that didn't look old enough to vote. "I."
"Stuff it. I don't care, never did." Duo dismissed him from his mind. He looked down at Maria, not too far down, she was going to be tall like her father. And he was going to be short. "Lets get going Maria-chan. I know a place we can crash and shower. They'll get around to us eventually, right now all I want is a shower and to get away from all these people before I start screaming."
"All right Duo.but.could.you tell me something about my father?" she asked.
"No problem, his favorite color was blue. Duo said, his voice trailing off into the distance as they walked away from the crowd. No one was paying attention to two children, dressed in mismatched clothes too big for them, holding hands and slipping quietly into the morning.
End Part 10
Christine
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