LaF09: Final Prelude to the Battle Chapters

Quatre smiled as he left the living room, leaving his friends to their own strange devices. But the smile faded quickly and was replaced by melancholy. It really DID feel empty here now. He headed for his office and turned on the video-telephone thingy. (ooh- bet you thought we’d never return to THAT word again, did you! Thingy… *grins* seeing as I’ve already broken the mood…) He went to stand at the window as he accessed the voice command. “Hilde, please.”

“Hi, Quatre. What’s up?” her image appeared on the screen.

“Nothing, which is exactly the problem,” he said almost bitterly.

“Life too dull without us girls?” Hilde laughed. She stopped when she saw the look in his eyes. “Ah. I see. Well as it happens- you wouldn’t be able to talk to them anyway.”

“What? Why?” that caught his attention. He moved to stand before the little machine.

“That new guy? They’re done some research. They started heading out to do reconnaissance yesterday. Isabal, Estelle and Andria are long gone.”

“Where did they go?” he demanded. “And why?”

“I told you- they went to investigate.”

“But- but they’re so new at this!” Quatre exclaimed, envisioning all the horrible things that could happen. “They’ll be discovered so easily!”

“Have more faith in them, Quatre!” Hilde said, not liking how seriously he was taking this.

“Tell me where they went,” Quatre dug out a notepad. “They need help.”

“Quatre- how can you back them up if they don’t know you’re gundam pilots?” she asked worriedly. ‘And how can you know how much help they need if you don’t know they’re Dames?’

“We’ll find a way,” Quatre said stubbornly. “Tell me where they went.”

Hilde took a deep breath. ‘Do I get a choice?’

Less than half an hour later, Quatre dashed out of this house. “I’ll see you all later, good bye!” he called, leaving his notes on the hall table.

“Quatre?” The others looked up and blinked.

Wufei’s eyes widened as he stared at the TV screen. “How dare they- how dare they!” he, too, ran off to his room, gathered everything he owned that was there, and dashed out. He neglected to say good bye however.

Duo poked his head into the hallway as the door slammed shut again, this time blowing the paper to the ground. “Wufei? What’s this? Quatre’s handwriting?” Heero and Trowa read over his shoulder.

“They’ve gone- where?” Trowa blinked.

“Not all of them… Kyla’s going to L2!” Duo exclaimed. “She can’t go there alone on- on business for Relena! She’ll get herself killed!” he dashed off to gather his things as well.

“Hn,” was all Heero said, rereading everything Quatre had written.

“Raisa’s staying in Sank…” Trowa murmured.

“Andria’s going to get herself killed,” Heero muttered. “She doesn’t understand what she’s going to be getting into.”

“Like we do?” Duo said angrily, yanking on his coat. “Those girls are so stupid- they should have known to ask for our help!”

“They don’t know we’re pilots, Duo,” Trowa reminded him.

Duo froze. He’d come close to nearly blabbing the girls’ secret, too… “That’s beside the point. It’s dangerous out there with that Markiah guy running around. I’m gonna convince Kyla not to go.”

“Good idea,” Heero disappeared briefly to reemerge with his backpack.

“You coming, Trowa?” Duo asked.

“Absolutely,” the former HeavyArms pilots grabbed his things as well, and the three headed for the airport.

The seatbelt lights went on with a ‘bing’ and a voice came over the plane’s intercom. “We will be descending shortly. Will all passengers please return their trays and seats to the upright position and turn off all electronic devices at this time? The captain has turned on the fasten seat belts sign. We should be descending shortly,” the ditzy Flight Attendant babbled.

Andria rolled her eyes but did as asked. She then turned all her attention to the vast tapestry of Africa rushing up to meet her. Pride filled her soul. She hadn’t been here since she was a child.

In the airport, she collected her single suitcase and went to go stand in the lines to go through customs etc. A male voice behind her made her turn.

“Which is closer? Sank or Austrailia?”

“Sank, of course,” she replied automatically, gasping when she was met with a pair of deep Prussian eyes. “Heero?”

“Isn’t it odd how I managed to get here first?” he said, all emotion void from his voice.

“I always knew there was something about you,” she said, trying to keep it light. It was hard when he was staring at her that way though. It was almost a glare. Finally she let her anger take hold of her. “Upset that I’m not ‘protecting Relena for you’?” she spat.

He visibly winced, surprising even she, who had seen him at his most open. “I understand that you think that what you’re doing is helping… But this is too dangerous a mission, Andria.”

“A wiser man would have apologized first,” she turned on her heel and went to get in line, copper hair swinging wildly.

“Andria- wait!” he grabbed her arm. “I’ve taken care of all that already. I have two tickets back to Sank.”

“I’m not going back to Sank!” she exclaimed. “I have a ‘mission’ here, as you call it. I’m not letting you or anyone else get in my way.” His grip was too firm. She couldn’t leave.

“I’m sorry, Andria,” his eyes flashed with a controlled anger. That sudden flash made something inside of her shrink away in fear. What if he didn’t have such control over that anger? What if he someday let it control his actions? The destruction that anger was capable of… she shuddered inwardly. “I never wanted to hurt you.”

“Well you did.”

“I’m sorry. What more do you want me to say?” he looked deep into her eyes, trying to find what it was she wanted to hear.

Andria froze under his gaze. How had she missed this side of him? “A-Apology accepted.” They remained there- suspended in place for a moment, before Heero awkwardly let her go. “Why are you here?”

“I heard that you were coming here to investigate something Markiah’s working on. I couldn’t let you do that. You don’t know what you’re doing, Andria.”

“I know exactly what I’m doing. I can take care of myself, Heero Yuy,” she told him firmly. “I won’t leave here. This is my homeland- if anyone should be here, it’s me. And I have a right to protect it.”

“Hn,” he muttered, studying her face. She was so proud and noble. But that pride could easily trip her up. “Let’s go,” he started walking towards the lines.

Andria did a double take. “Huh? What do you mean- ‘let’s go’?”

He stopped to look her in the eye again. “When I said ‘let’s go’, I meant ‘let’s go’. Now hurry up. I’m going to need to find accommodations as well now.”

“You’re staying?” she blinked. He only looked at her.

“Hurry up.”

She watched him walk for a few more feet before shaking her head and catching up. He was so odd. But she was glad he was here.

Kyla and Raisa exchanged glances as they walked to Relena’s office. Why had Hilde called them down there. They knocked on the closed door.

“Come in,” Relena’s voice called. She was sitting behind her desk, Hilde at her side, talking to- to-

“Duo!” Kyla cried and ran to him.

“Kyla!” his arms opened and enveloped her in a massive Shinigami-sized hug.

“Hello, Trowa,” Raisa said, leaning against the door frame, happy just to look at him.

“Hello, Raisa,” he didn’t move either.

Hilde grinned like a mad thing. Relena surreptitiously coughed. “Trowa and Duo have come to talk to you about that… thing… you girls were planning.”

“You told them?” Kyla stepped back, looking at Relena and Hilde in disbelief.

“We can trust them totally in all matters,” Relena said calmly. “They’ve been my greatest friends. I trust them with my life.”

“Kyla,” Duo took her arm. “We need to talk about this. You don’t know what you’re getting into.”

Kyla exchanged looks with Raisa. “What’s to talk about?” the blond girl asked.

“What you’re proposing to do is dangerous,” Trowa told them. “We fought in the war- you girls have only seen one battle.”

“We’re not going anywhere to fight,” Kyla said.

“Then where’s the Thistle, Kyla?” Duo’s eyes were stern.

“What business is it of yours where it is?” Kyla glanced at Trowa. He didn’t know they had MS.

“I saw the trucks outside. You’re going to take it with you, aren’t you?”

“It’s called being prepared. If I don’t have to use it, I’ll be more than grateful.”

Trowa looked at Relena and Hilde in confusion, then at Raisa. His eyes asked the question.

Raisa stood up straight. ‘No lies…’ she thought, brushing her hair from her eyes. “Trowa- do you remember that battle in Sydney?” Relena has said they could trust them. She hoped she was right.

“Of course.”

“There were five MS there, bigger and tougher than most suits, yes?”

“yes- how did you-“

“I was in one.”

Kyla swallowed hard. She knew what Raisa was doing. ‘Oh please, let it be the right choice. Please say we can trust these boys.’ She felt a hand on her shoulder and saw that it was Duo, smiling encouragingly at her. She couldn’t help smiling back.

Trowa gave this thought. Those voices over the Comm- they had indeed had a feminine ring to them. That would make perfect sense indeed. Perfect, perfect sense. “I take it the other girls were in the others?”

“Yes.” Her heart was beating wildly. What if he rejected her now? What if he threatened to use the information against them? What if, what if?

“They call them ‘gundame’, Trowa,” Duo said smugly.

“You knew?” Trowa blinked at him in surprise. Of all people DUO had known?

Duo shrugged in an off-hand manner. “Not like I couldn’t sympathize.”

“Why the different name?”

“They’re better than gundams,” Duo explained.

“What?” Trowa blinked and looked from Duo to Raisa to Kyla.

“They’re coated with a top secret substance that strengthens the gundanium tenfold,” Raisa told him quietly.

“Makes ‘em shinier, too,” Duo put in. Kyla rolled her eyes at him.

“Always joking…”

“That’s what I do, babe.”

“I find this a bit of a shock,” Trowa shook his head.

“Would you like to see them?” Raisa offered.

“Very much so,” he nodded and they all headed for the hanger. “I thought you abhorred weapons, Relena.”

“I do. But I don’t have a choice anymore. I need the Dames’ help,” Relena said honestly. “Besides, they’re friends,” she smiled at the other girls.

“I give you Gundame Whisper War,” Raisa said as the hangar door opened.

Trowa’s eyes bulged a little. It looked so much like their gundams. He shot a look at Duo, who shrugged, meaning they would discuss it later. “Where did you get this?” He walked forward to inspect it more closely.

“Madam Anthony gave them to us at the Keep,” Kyla told him. “My Thistle Wing is being loaded up to go into Space,” she looked at Duo.

“Well, if we’re going to space, then we’d better get a move on, hmm?” he said nonchalantly.

“Huh?” Kyla’s eyes widened.

“Duo was born on L2,” Hilde told her, trying very hard not to laugh at her old friend’s attitude. “he knows it like the back of his hand.”

“Better,” He smiled, remembering old times.

Kyla frowned at that smile. What was in his past? “So you think you can help.”

“I KNOW I can help.”

“You should go, Duo,” Relena agreed. “Duo’s expert at this sort of thing.”

“Fine then,” Kyla smiled. “It’ll be less boring this way for sure.”

“That’s the spirit!” he threw an arm around her shoulder. “L2, watch out!”

Raisa had shown Trowa the way into the cockpit. She sat on the open door, swinging her legs while he looked around.

“Interesting- you have wireless internet access in here?”

“Couldn’t live without it,” she replied. “All the gundame have them.”

“That makes sense that you call yourselves the Dames, then,” he sat down next to her. “Why did you decide to do this, Raisa?”

She pulled up her legs, hugging her knees to her chest. “I guess because it took me from being a homeless peasant to someone with a real mission in life. I have a purpose that I really believe in. What else would I live for?”

Trowa let silence stretch between them. He and the other pilots had been tossed about so much in the war. Sides shifting and changing… how simple it would have been to just have one ultimate mission from the outset, rather than having to come to the realization that all any of them wanted was peace.

Raisa stared into space before looking at him again. They didn’t really know each other. But it felt so good just talking to him. She resettled herself, letting her legs hang down again and leaning back against her hands that propped her up, enjoying this new feeling of security. She opened her eyes, startled, when she felt his touch on her hand.

Green eyes met blue, and nothing else seemed to matter.