Andria woke to the familiar sounds of insects and the warm breeze blowing off the plains. She sighed and stretched, not wanting to open her eyes. She felt like a child again. It was the stretching that made her realize she was certainly NOT a child any longer. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and sat up, brushing away her tangled copper hair. “Mmm… Sunshine…” She smiled out the window of her hotel room at the city and beyond it, the ‘wild’. She grinned and jumped out of bed to get dressed. She paused only to open her laptop and send off a quick email before packing it and heading downstairs to the dining room for breakfast.

Heero looked up at her mildly as she entered. “‘Catch you later, alligator’?” he swung his laptop around to show the email she had sent not five minutes ago.

“You got a problem with that?” she tried to keep it light, taking a seat halfway around the table.

“Did you really think you could leave here without me?” he took a sip from the mug by his plate.

“I can take care of myself,” she bantered. “Have some orange juice, it’s good for you.”

“Hn.”

“The world’s greatest conversationalist, ladies and gentlemen.”

“Hn.”

They ate in silence for several minutes, Heero tapping away at his laptop. “What are you doing?”

“Getting the layout of the first base you were planning to hit.”

“How do you know which one I was planning to hit first?”

“It was in the attachment with your email. I read the entire objective- I take it you thought a crocodile waving at me was amusing?”

Andria’s cheeks turned pink. “Well it would have if you’d gotten up a little later… I was going to time the mission to when I heard your yell of frustration…”

He gave her a skeptical glare. She was like the dawn. Golden and bright, but with darkness delicately cloaking her to give her a mysterious air. No wonder he had gotten involved with her. “Ready to go?”

“What makes you think you’re coming?!”

Heero held up her purse.

Andria gasped. “How did you-“ she quickly picked up her bag and riffled through it. “How the hell did you get that?!”

“Experience,” he gave it back to her. He sent up silent thanks to Duo for teaching him everything he knew. “I have experience penetrating bases like that. You’ll need my help.”

“Heero,” Andria kept her eyes down, busying herself by putting away her purse. “How did you meet those other boys? How do you know Relena?”

Heero took a long time to answer. “War destroys things, but it also brings people together,” he said carefully. “Come on. I’m going to need time to plant the bombs.”

_________________________________

All clear… She snuck the last five feet into the office and went immediately to the computer console there. Within moments she had bypassed the firewall and was in. “Let’s see… Training regime… Food delivery… Ah, here we go.” She copied over files containing data on the new MS to her disk. She surfed some more. “Jackpot…” she copied over their plans for the next six months.

Something in the hallway caught her attention. She stood, hand going to the gun at the small of her back. If she had to, she would kill.

“Whoever you are, you better say your prayers right now,” a boy’s voice came from the shadows of the hall. He stepped into the room and Andria frowned. He couldn’t be more than thirteen. “Because in a few minutes, you won’t be here anymore.”

He wasn’t in uniform. She could afford the risk. “What do you want?”

“Just to hack into the network over there. This base is going up in pieces in a few minutes anyway,” the kid shrugged.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Andria neatly flipped out her disk. “I’m doing the same thing- see? Something tells me we aren’t enemies.”

The boy looked unimpressed. “How do I know you’re an ally?”

“Luke? Luke what are you-?” a man’s voice came from the hallway.

“Found us another rebel, just like us,” the kid replied.

“What are you-“ the man came into the room and froze.

Andria nearly dropped the disk. She backed up, banging into the table, eyes wide with shock. “Dagan?!”

“Andria?!”

_________________________________

Heero turned to take a last look at the base. It was running so smoothly- soon it would be in chaos and flames. De ja vu swept over him. With it came the mask he had worn for so long… He shook his head to shake it off. Where was Andria?

“Heero!” She ran towards him, followed by two others- a man and a boy. Heero frowned. “Heero, you can’t set it off yet! There are others inside there!”

“Andria, what’s going on?” he caught her arm and she came panting to his side.

“Other rebels… still inside… my- my-“

“Andria, what is it?” he demanded.

“You can’t blow it up yet,” she said defiantly, looking him in the eye. “The Princess is in there.”

For a moment, an image of Relena flashed through his mind. But shouts from the base, caught their attention. Several people ran for all they were worth from the base. MS were already mobilizing to give chase.

“I don’t know where your bombs are placed,” the man spoke for the first time. Heero had forgotten his presence. “But it’s all clear with me to blow it up.” He held up a detonation device.

Heero studied the man’s face. “Likewise.” They pushed the buttons at the same time. The base erupted in patches- then all at once was engulfed in flames. The people fleeing the base came to join the two who had followed Andria.

“Heero,” she said quietly.

“Who are they?”

Andria swallowed. “I want you to meet my brother- Dagan Ntengi. Dagan,” she called the man’s attention away from his comrades. “This is my- friend- Heero Yuy.”

“It’s good to meet you- Heero,” Dagan held out his hand. Both men sized each other up.

Heero could see the similarities. The same jaw line and those green eyes. He wondered briefly if those eyes also spit fire the way Andria’s did. The hair was darker and duller than Andria’s flamey locks. “Good to meet you as well.”

Andria bit her lip, looking from one to the other. Finally she turned to Dagan. “What are you doing here? I thought you were dead.”

“That’s what we thought about you,” tears filled the tall man’s eyes and he wrapped her into a large hug. “I thought I’d never see you again…”

Andria found herself crying as well. “Dagan…”

“Dagan?” A woman’s voice said. Heero turned to find a tall woman who appeared to be a cross of Indian and African bloods. “Who is this?”

“Dagan?” A woman’s voice said. Heero turned to find a tall woman who appeared to be a cross of Indian and African bloods. “Who is this?”

Another loud explosion from the base caught everyone’s attention.

“No time- we need to get out of here,” Heero ordered.

“The bikes are nearby,” Andria replied. “Dagan, you coming?”

“We’ve got transport of our own, little sister,” Dagan grinned wolfishly. “Wynne?”

“Alright everyone, head for the trucks, we’re making tracks here,” the tall, dark woman shouted, commanding attention and obedience. The other people there ran into the bushes. “Way ahead of you,” she smiled warmly at Dagan.

Andria blinked. The look that passed between them- was it-?

“We don’t have time to stare,” Heero grabbed her arm. “Hurry up,” he pulled her in the other direction to the motorbikes they had stashed in the bush. They mounted quickly and were on the road immediately, circling back to meet up with the large trucks being driven by Dagan and this woman.

‘Who is she?’ Stray thoughts ran unbidden through her mind as they flew down the makeshift highway. ‘Dagan… the last I saw you, I was almost too little to remember your face…’

Heero spared her a glance from the road. He frowned in concern. Distraction was a danger to all of them. But he couldn’t deny that there was something to think about. This Dagan… what sort of man was he?

They had returned to camp with Dagan, who had insisted they move their things here. Heero had agreed it would be less suspicious if no one knew where they were, and before Andria knew it, she was surrounded by good folk who liked to smile and knew the meaning of good work. There were times when she looked at them and couldn’t tell these people were fighting a war. There were others when it was all too clear. It was a revolution.

Sudden weight across her shoulders made her look up, startled. Heero settled the blanket and handed her a plate of food, taking a seat next to her with a plate of his own.

“Hey,” he said quietly. “You should know it gets cold here after the sun goes down.”

“I do,” she wiped her eyes free of the little moisture that had gathered there as she stared at the fire. She looked down at the food on her plate and her eyes lit with delight. “Curry!”

“Is that what it is?” Heero asked dryly, still not sure whether it was safe to try or not.

Someone’s chuckle made them both look up. “The first time you ever tasted curry was when you were three,” Dagan took a seat on a tree log next to them, speaking directly to his little sister. “You loved it so much, you snuck into the kitchen after dinner, found the curry powder and tried to eat it straight from the jar.”

Andria’s jaw dropped. “Gag! That must have been AWFUL…”

“It was,” her brother laughed. “You dropped the jar and it broke- Mother was scrubbing yellow out of the floor for weeks and it was never the same.”

Heero poked at the sticky mass of- well- yellow- on his plate. “What does this taste like?”

“It’s good!” Andria picked up a forkful. “If you’ve never had it before, then you should probably have some water near- by-“ she and Dagan stared at him as he took a large bite.

‘If you’re going to try it, really get a taste for it,’ he had always been taught… Heero’s eyes widened. He stopped chewing.

“H-Heero?” Andria didn’t miss the watering in his eyes.

“GAH!” Heero jumped to his feet and raced for the table half way across the camp and demanded a glass of water from the woman standing at it. He swallowed it down in one go and took another to rinse his mouth out. That was SPICY! He swore and wiped his mouth off, and slowly became aware of the laughter. Every African in the camp was laughing at him. Shamefaced, he returned to Andria and Dagan.

Andria was trying desperately to hide her laughter. “I’m sorry, Heero- I tried to warn you,” she giggled.

Dagan looked vastly amused. “Andry, your friend doesn’t seem to like it very much.”

“Oh, be quiet, Dagan,” she stuck her tongue out at him. Heero managed to frown a little as he continued to swallow to wash his mouth out. Had he detected a slight accent there? One that very nearly matched Dagan’s and the other people here?

“Dagan, are you trying to poison our guests?” The tall, dark woman said sternly but playfully, coming to sit beside Dagan.

“Wynne, I want you to meet my little sister, Andria,” Dagan smiled at her. “Andria, this is Princess Wynne Amanth. Her kingdom was usurped and we’re fighting to help her regain control.”

“I’ve heard of you!” Andria gasped, shaking Wynne’s hand. “You were on the telly last night!”

Telly? Heero gave Andria an odd look. Yes, there was a pronounced accent coming into her speech that had absolutely not been there before.

Wynne smiled at the younger girl. “I’ve heard a lot about you, too. Sometimes Dagan gets very wrapped up in telling me about his childhood,” her black eyes danced with amusement and Dagan blushed.

He coughed. “Um, Andry- who’s your friend? We weren’t properly introduced.”

“Heero Yuy,” he said before Andria could cut in.

Both Dagan and Wynne grew very serious and seemed to reassess this young man at their campfire. Wynne scrutinized his features, “Yes,” she murmured. “You certainly are, aren’t you?”

Andry looked between them in confusion. Was she missing something here? “Highness, uh-“

“Call me Wynne,” she relaxed and smiled at her.

Andria smiled back shakily. “Wynne, how did you come by curry? Isn’t it expensive?”

“Not to treat my little sister who showed up out of the blue when I thought she’d been lost to the wilds,” Dagan said smugly.

“And what about YOU? I thought you must’ve- must’ve-“ she choked on the words. ‘gone the way of Mom and Dad’…

Dagan grew serious. Her rubbed Wynne’s back as he stood. “Come on, Andry. I think we need to talk.” He lead her away from the fire to another place to sit and talk in private.

Wynne sighed and watched them go, concerned. She turned back to Heero and arched an eyebrow at the glaring frown on his face. “Alright, let’s be frank with one another, Mr. Yuy.”

“Princess,” he replied formally.

“You’re a Gundam pilot, yes?”

“Hn.”

She nodded. “You can only be the now legendary Heero Yuy. You fit the description perfectly.”

“Just as you can only be the daughter of Kyria Amanth,” he growled.

Wynne flinched visibly. Her mother… “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “We’ve started badly, haven’t we?”

He only stared at her in the same icy way.

“Please, Mr. Yuy, it’s wrong of me to ask this- but- why are you here?” Her dark skin made her eyes appear luminescent in the flickering light.

“To protect Andria,” was his immediate response. He thought about the words only after they had left his mouth. He really was, wasn’t he? He was here to help her in this insane mission she had dreamt up so that she could get home quicker and be safe. “The man who’s usurped your throne- he’s in league with Markiah, isn’t he?”

“He is,” she blinked at him in surprise. “That bastard’s been giving him help- helped him take my place and is helping him stay there.”

“Then we share a common enemy.”

“We do.”

Silence stretched between them.

“When do we start?”

“Now.”

Andria drew in a deep breath and stopped, wanting to look him in the face. “Dagan, what happened to Mom and Dad?”

He wouldn’t look at her for a few minutes. “You were too little to remember, weren’t you? How old were you, three?”

“Four.”

“Close enough. Mom and Dad were scientists, you remember that, don’t you?”

She nodded. “They studied plants, didn’t they?”

“They went off on these trips into the Serengeti and they took us with them… but- I don’t know- something happened. The party was attacked and you and I were still at the camp while they were out. Then I lost you in the melee… I was so scared, Andry. Those men… they were raiders or rebels or something. They didn’t care that we were just kids. Next thing I knew, one of Mom’s friends had yanked me onto a truck and we were driving away and they wouldn’t turn back to find you. They wouldn’t listen to me, and trucks were still driving away so I hoped maybe you were on one.”

Andria studied the sand at their feet. “I remember,” she said quietly. “One of them shoved me into the bushes and told me to keep quiet, so I did. That was the most terrifying night of my life. I’ve had nightmares about it,” tears slipped into her eyes and she wiped them away. “What happened to you?” She fought the rest of the memories, tried to suppress them. They were worse.

“We went back to the town but you weren’t there. I thought you were dead, Andry.” He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. “You’re my little sister…”

She squeezed back. “I’m glad you had it so easy then.”

“Why? What happened?”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“They never found Mom and Dad, you know,” he said quietly.

“They didn’t… I did…” she murmured.

“What?” his green eyes widened. “Oh, Andry,”

He let her cry into his shoulder, releasing at last the horror of a four-year-old child who had wandered the hot, dry grasses for days before coming upon the corpses of her parents. A foreign wetness fell onto her cheek and she looked up to find that he was crying as well.

“Life hasn’t been kind to us, has it?” she whispered hoarsely.

“But it’s given us the gift of finding one another,” he tried to sound hopeful. “Come- tell me what you’ve been doing?”

“Can’t.” she pulled away, wiping her eyes on her sleeves. “Classified.”

He arched an eyebrow at her. “Don’t you try to give me that cheek. You know plenty of dangerous information about me.”

“What, that you’re assisting ‘rebels’ and having some kind of affair with the rightful princess?” Andria shot him a Look. “Yes, I can see the way you look at each other. Is it serious or what?”

“Wynne is my soulmate, Andry,” he told her solemnly. “The first time a saw her I knew I had to talk to her, get to know her. Now I don’t know how I ever managed to live without her. I love her.”

“And she loves you back,” it wasn’t really a statement or a question. Andria’s eyes drifted across the camp to where she could see Wynne and Heero talking still.

“Mm, yes, this Heero of yours… tell me about him,” Dagan said, a teasing lilt in his voice.

“What about Heero?” Andria squeaked. “He’s- well- he’s Heero. There’s not much else to say.”

“Is he your boyfriend, then?”

Andria fell silent, staring across the area thrown into highlighted relief, orange on black, flickering in the light of the flames, at the boy who had followed her all the way into the wilderness. “He was…”

“Wynn-ey, Lynn-ey, give me your answer, do. I’m half crazy, all for my love of you! It won’t be a stylish marriage, I can’t afford a carriage, but you’ll look sweet, upon the seat of a bicycle made for two! OW!” Dagan grinned sheepishly at Wynne, still scowling at him, a pillow in one hand. “You didn’t like the song, love?”

“I would like it much better if you would WORK while you sang,” she told him sternly.

Andria glanced up from her laptop, seated on one of the logs ringing the now much lower fires. The camp has dispersed into the many duties necessary for survival here on the plains as soon as the sun rose. She had been allowed to sleep in, and couldn’t help feeling resentful, as though she were useless. Since no one would allow her to help today, she had resigned herself to her mission. It irked her that she had not yet seen Heero this morning, but she was kept distracted by her mischievous brother mercilessly teasing Wynne. They continued to bicker and she shrugged, returning to the keyboard, humming the tune as she typed.

/Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do/
I’m half crazy all for my love of you/
It won’t be a stylish marriage/
I can’t afford a carriage/
But you’ll look sweet upon the seat/
Of a bicycle made for two./

She had a vague memory of her father singing that…

“Ack! Andry, help me, she’s bloody trying to bloody- ow, Wynne, watch it!” Dagan tried to put Andria between himself and Wynne.

“No way, go ahead, do what you like to him,” Andria stood and moved out of the way, taking the laptop with her.

“Thank you, my friend,” Wynne smiled wolfishly, advancing upon her prey once more.

“Traitor,” Dagan scowled at Andria. She merely grinned at him and chose a different seat to watch.

With a cry, Wynne attacked and the two of them battled for a moment- then tripped into the tent behind them, lost within it’s folds. Andria laughed as a thousand odd noises of yelping, crashing, banging and tumbling emanated from within. After a moment, Wynne emerged, triumphant, and fixed a loose lock of hair behind her eyes, smiling at Andria and winking.

“I don’t think he’s going to want to come out for a while,” Wynne said slyly.

“Oh? What’d you do to him?” Andria giggled.

Wynne arched an eyebrow at her. “You’re too young, aren’t you?”

“I’m nineteen!”

“Maybe not, then,” Wynne took a seat beside her.

Muttering, curses, Dagan came out, rubbing his head. “Vicious women… conspiring against me…”

“They’re by the stream, now go help them already!” Wynne ordered. He wandered away in the direction of the river, still grumbling. “Men… I’m sorry- he is your brother but-“

“Don’t apologize! He’s worse now than when we were kids, I can tell,” Andria laughed. “Besides, you seem to like him enough.”

“Mm, yes, though sometimes I wonder why,” Wynne smiled after him fondly.

That look of happy contentment in the one you loved sent a small pang through Andria’s heart. She immediately crushed it. She thought she was over that! Maybe she was- but was Heero? He followed her all the way out here- why? This didn’t bode well for his relationship with Relena, which made her feel distinctly uncomfortable. She wasn’t aware that Wynne has spoken to her at first, and glanced up, confused.

“I said,” Wynne was smiling genuinely. “What’s troubling you?”

“Oh…” Andria’s lashes drooped. “I- it’s nothing.”

“Which means it’s something very big. Do you want to talk to me about it?”

Andria paused. The invitation was a tempting one…

“You must be joking,” Wynne said in disbelief, handing Andria a mug of warm tea.

“No, I swear it! I didn’t hear from him for days after we left and then suddenly at the airport he’s there beside me like ‘which is closer, Sank or Australia? Well, gee, aren’t I just perfect being able to get here so much faster than you when I was so far away, Hah hah, ain’t I great?’”

“How has he acted since then?”

“Coolly, calmly- never phased by anything, but then, he never was. You know- Three years may seem like a long time to get to know somebody in, but- if anything… the last month and a half has taught me just how little I know about him…” her lashes drooped with her voice. “I know nothing about his past or why he is the way that he is… Hell, I couldn’t even tell you where he got his frigging laptop from.”

Wynne glanced towards Andria’s tent. Before it was Heero’s ‘set up’. He has refused a tent for himself and instead set himself as her personal guard. An uncomfortable thought tickled her mind. ‘She doesn’t know…’ “What has he told you?”

“He told me… he told me about his friends…” her eyes widened a little. “You know- he didn’t even tell me very much about them! I know nothing!

Wynne gave this pause, considering quietly. At last she spoke, with the quiet, gently commanded dignity and attention that was so common of wise people here. “Perhaps… he is not ready to tell you. Perhaps he is ashamed of his past.”

“What can he possibly have to be ashamed of?!” Andria exclaimed, frustrated.

Wynne shushed her. “You do not know that. Wait. Be patient. Be his friend. And he will tell you when he’s ready.”

Sound advice. Solid advice. Logical advice. Advice that probably stood a damn good chance of working.

WHAT THE HELL KIND OF ANSWER WAS THAT!?

Andria hunched her shoulders, and knew her bottom lip was protruding in a pout. She also knew Wynne was right- but that didn’t make it any easier. Emotions were harder to rationalize with. She- hn’ed!!? (AN: O.o Andry! You’ve been hanging with Heero too much! Abort mission!! Abort! I’ll say it again- press The Button!)

Wynne smiled to herself. She had made her point. Andria was clearly smart enough to understand. “Well then,” she stood. The younger woman’s eyes followed as she rose. “I think it’s time we got back to work, hm?”

On Earth, time can be witnessed in the progression of natural things; seasons, weather, days. The dramatic difference between day and night is so definite on Earth- yet nonexistent in the colonies. The colonies must try to manufacture these same things, and fool their bodies into believe that they are still on Earth.

This can be done because humans are adaptable creatures. Not only are their bodies able to grow accustomed quickly to new situations, but they learn from their surroundings. Indeed, humans are the very product of their experiences.

If I were to be completely honest with myself, I would have to admit that this human capable is truly amazing. However, adaptability does appear to have its limits.

And if these #%&$ing mosquitoes don’t leave me alone, I’m going to #%&$ing shoot something.

-Heero Yuy’s Notes, AC199

Estelle dropped nimbly to the ground and slid into the shadows as a man passed by. She had just HAD to hide her MS in the middle of the city, hadn’t she? Well, it WAS about the only place they would never think to look… She made sure he was gone before running up the alleyway to slip behind a pile of junk. Taking out a sturdy, if small, crowbar, she used it to help lever up the heavy metal covering the entryway to her hangar. She dropped the five feet inside, ducked to recover it and made her way in the dark to the hangar itself, right in the middle of the underground network of tunnels below the city. The stench couldn’t be helped.

“Time to give the kiss of death to some more of Markiah’s Soldiers, eh friend?” She said, flicking a main light switch to reveal her massive gundame. “Let’s give ‘em hell.”

_________________________________

“Mr. Winner, is it true that you’re here to discuss buying out Brazillia Connections?”

“How do your sisters feel about this bold move?”

“Mr. Winner, can you explain your strange absence for the last two months?”

“Mr. Winner- Mr. Winner- Mr. Winner-”

Their voices blurred together, making it easier for him to ignore them. Body guards and his financial and PR advisors helped to keep them from totally surrounding him and stopping his progress altogether. Reporters. He hated reporters like these, who looked for the sensational only, not caring what the truth was.

Quatre- Mr. Winner- finally made it to the lobby of the building where his meeting would take place. Yes, he was here to see if Brazillia Connections was worth adding to the Winner’s vast business. Yes, his sisters approved- they had been the ones to suggest it. Of course he COULD explain his absence, but why would he? Really, that information was top secret.

“Mr. Winner- Mr. Winner-”

He let his people turn them away while he took the elevator to the ninth floor. He was only here because it was convenient to his real purposes. Such a coincidence that his sister Alexandra had found a company ready for them to acquire located right where he needed to be. And he did need to be here. Impatience was the only word to describe him right now. He wanted out of business suits and office buildings and onto the streets to find Estelle. Lord only knew what was happening to her right now. All those girls… they were so inexperienced and they were being shipped off on missions like this? When he found her he would- he would what? Tell her to give up and go home?

“Ah, Mr. Winner,” a short man obviously of the indigenous Indian peoples offered Quatre his hand. “It is excellent to finally do business with you.”

He would have to think about that later. “I agree, Mr. Shakal.” Quatre forced himself to pay attention as the man began a lengthy and involved multimedia presentation to prove that his firm was worthy of being acquired by the Winners. It was just like any other presentation… never mind. He eventually tuned it out. Afterall, he wouldn’t be making the final decision in reality anyway.

A loud explosion rocked the entire building and the presentation abruptly stopped.

“What the hell!?”

“It’s a Mobile Suit!”

“It’s destroying the foreign military base!”

“It’s- It’s-” they all stared out the windows in total shock.

“It’s a gundam,” Quatre whispered, awestruck, before running out of the room.

_________________________________

Mobile suits seemed to pour out of the building almost faster than she could shoot them down. They came at her from all sides, trying to distract her with taunting tricks, but Estelle Brownlow was not to be toyed with. With a yell she aimed straight at the source. “Target Lock- accept your Final Kiss!” The hangar burst into flames and she smiled grimly.

She looked down at her beeping radar. “What the-?!” Something new was heading into the battle zone. It distracted her so much that she nearly didn’t see the suit flying straight for her face. “AH!” she quickly got her weapon between her and it and fired. “Shite, that was close…”

“This is Former Gundam Pilot 04, I demand that you state your name and intentions,” a voice buzzed through over the comm.

“Gundam Pilot?” Estelle blinked. “I thought they disappeared after the war… You can call me Dame 02, Pilot 04. I’m here to wipe out as much of this base as I can. I suggest you get out of my way.” Gundams… predecessor to her precious gundame. She racked her brain for everything Madam Anthony had ever told them. The five young gundam pilots who had fought in the last war were supposed to be the toughest soldiers of their time. But they had disappeared into the stuff of legends, hadn’t they? The war had been so very, very long ago… She watched a Virgo come into her field of vision.

“Are you the same suit that fought in Sydney?”

“How would you know that?” she quickly cut down another Capricorn.

“I was there.”

So familiar… she knew it sounded familiar… if she could just think who- she prepared to fire again.

“You’re Estelle, aren’t you?”

Her eyes widened in shock and the cannon’s blast missed it’s course by a long shot, destroying one of the buildings instead of the latest MS. “Who the hell are you?” she croaked. “Who are you!?” she angrily turned the cannon on him. A fuzzy image began to appear on the comm. She squinted at it. Bl-blonde hair? And blue eyes and- and- “QUATRE!” she screamed as a Scorpio plowed into him from behind. She could hear his yell over the comm., but couldn’t bear to watch the pain register on his face as his suit collapsed to the ground. “Quatre! Quatre! You- Damn you, Markiah!” she destroyed every suit in the vicinity, taking the rest of the base down with them. “Quatre-” she couldn’t get the gundame to move fast enough and she jumped down from the cockpit, running to his fallen MS. “Quatre!”

“Uhh,” he groaned, managing to open the hatch before worrying about his injuries. “Estelle…”

“Quatre!” she scrambled into the cockpit of the Virgo. “Are you hurt? What are you doing here? Are you crazy or something? How could you-” she stopped helping him, frozen in shock. She stared into his pure face. His angelic blue eyes looked back at her calmly, if in pain. He knew what she would say next. “You’re- you’re a gundam pilot?” she whispered.

“Was,” he corrected, then winced in pain.

“Here, let me help you,” she pulled away the seat belts and helped him to stand. “Why are you here, Quatre?”

“No time… they’ll come soon,” he nodded in the direction of sirens already rapidly approaching and flinched.

“Let’s get you out of here,” she dug in her pocket for a voice command remote and spoke into it. “Forward, three. Reach down, 20. Wait for further.” She swore as she saw red trickling down the back of Quatre’s shirt. The giant MS moved by itself to reach down 20 or so feet and extend it’s hand to them. Estelle helped Quatre to stand then directed the arm to bring them to the cockpit where she quickly got them off the scene.

_________________________________

Quatre woke hours later to the feeling of something cool and damp being gently rubbed across his head. A soothing ’sh’ calmed his racing heart and he was able to relax enough to open his eyes.

Estelle smiled down at him in the dingy light. “Glad to see you’re awake.” She rewet the cloth and finished washing his face of all the dust. “How do you feel?”

“Uh, sore,” he said honestly, trying to sit up.

“Don’t,” she placed a gentle hand on his chest, unknowingly making it beat faster. “I don’t know how badly you were injured yet. What were you thinking, Quatre?”

The concern in her eyes made his heart soar, and he swallowed hard to try to suppress the feeling. What was he thinking? He didn’t need to think. He would go anywhere for her. He looked around the room for the first time. It was small and badly lit in the back where they were, though a window brightened what could be called a kitchen come living area. He was lying on a rusty metal bedframe softened only by a fairly thick, if hard mattress.

Estelle pushed a wavy wisp of hair behind her ear and into the scarf she had tied over it. “Are you hungry?”

“Uh, no, thanks. Estelle, why did you come here?” he managed to pull himself up a little so he could see her better.

She busied herself putting away the washcloth and bowl of water. “I don’t know how much I can tell you… I mean, in a way, you lied to me, Quatre,” she turned to face him. Hurt and betrayal was there, but not anger. “You were in that battle- I recognize your voice now.”

Quatre could feel anger rising in his voice. “If you want to talk about lying-”

She looked away, avoiding his gaze. “I’m not denying that I lied to you as well.”

Good god she was gorgeous standing there in the light from the window next to the sink. So simple and so open and honest. “I forgive you if you can forgive me.”

“Done,” tears welled a little in her eyes and she quickly wiped them away. “Quatre, you’re my best friend. I’m so glad you’re here,” she strode over and hugged him tightly.

Startled, he hugged her back. Best- friend? “But Estelle, why did you come?” he held her away from him so he could see into her face.

She sat on the bed next to him so they could talk. “It’s because of that Markiah guy. He’s out to take over the world. We girls had to split up to try to cover all his biggest bases. So I’m here trying to wipe out as much of his military force as I can. It’s as simple as that. And please don’t be angry with Relena, it’s not her fault. She didn’t want us to go.”

“But- you have so little experience,” the worry was written all over his face. “You’ve lived in that Keep your whole lives- how can you expect to do all this alone?”

“We were trained excellently at ‘that Keep’,” she replied curtly. “Besides, it’s not like you gundam pilots did much before you got the gundams.”

That stung. “That’s not entirely true. Some of us did fight for years before Operation Meteor.”

“Oh yeah? Who? Who are these other ‘experienced pilots’?” she asked, then it dawned on her. “Th- those other boys- your friends- are they-?”

“Yes. Trowa, Duo, Wufei, Heero and I were the pilots of the gundams,” he said honestly. “And you five girls? You all pilot those- gundame?”

“Lying bastards!” Estelle stood quickly and started to pace. Quatre stared at her, surprised. “All of that and neither side ever knew- ARGH!” she kicked over a chair, venting her frustration. “Heero… he didn’t need to train with us, did he? Is he one of those ‘experienced pilots’?”

“Yes, he is. So is Trowa. Wufei fought as well. Duo lived on the streets. I lived a pampered life.” He hung his head, finally realizing it. “I’m probably the last person to be talking about having experience…”

Estelle closed her eyes and counted slowly to ten. Damn her temper. Damn it to all hell and gone. “Quatre, I’m sorry. I- I- shouldn’t have reacted like that. It’s just- we could really use your help,” she said honestly, startling him into looking up. “It’s true. We DON’T know what it’s really like to be out here. We could certainly use your help. Are you willing to give it?” there was pleading in her eyes now. She was afraid. In her heart of hearts, she was afraid to do this alone.

“I’ll help,” he agreed immediately. “I don’t know if I can speak for the others, but I will help.”

“Thank you,” she whispered gratefully.

The butler supervising in the relatively small house Quatre had rented for his stay blinked as his master got out of a taxi and helped a girl nearly his height and with hair only a few shades darker out of the taxi.

“Master Quatre?” he asked.

“Rudolph, this is Ms. Brownlow,” Quatre lead her up the steps. “She’s an old friend of mine. She’ll be staying in the house with us. She’s to be given full privileges and will need to keep her own hours. Understood?” (AN: NO it’s not Rashid. Get over it.)

“Yes, Master Quatre,” he bowed uncertainly and let them pass. Who’d have thought he’d ever go for one of THOSE!?”

Inside, Estelle tried to cover laughter with her hands. Quatre gave her an odd look. “What’s wrong?”

“Well, you know what they’re going to think,” she giggled.

“What do you mean?” he blinked, wide-eyed and innocent.

“They’ll think I’m your pet whore or something,” she laughed, mischief sparkling in her crystalline eyes. “Nothing further from the truth, hmm?”

Quatre went a few shades paler than normal. “Oh no,” he muttered, blushing.

“Don’t worry, it’s not like we’re going to fuel the rumors,” she laughed again. “They’ll think it’s the oddest relationship ever! Come on, I want to get settled. There’s a lot to do still.”

“Uh, yeah, sure,” he said dazedly. “Upstairs, third left.”

“Thanks again, Quatre,” she leaned over and kissed his cheek lightly, winking before heading upstairs.

Quatre sighed and let his head drop, but he was smiling. This WOULD drive the servants crazy, wouldn’t it?

“Master Quatre?” Rashid of the Maganauc Corp was staring at him.

“Don’t worry, Rashid,” Quatre laughed, suddenly becoming aware of all the huge bruises he had sustained. Nothing more serious though, luckily. “We’re just going to have an interesting stay here,” he looked up the staircase fondly.

_________________________________

The next morning happened to be a Saturday and so they spent it quietly. Quatre spread out at a worktable in the spacious sitting room and Estelle sat in the window seat, drawing what she saw.

Quatre threw down his pen in frustration. The incredible wordiness of the documents lead to the same thing every time it seemed- someone trying to create a loophole for themselves. He had to read each one through to find the error, and if it sounded reasonable, he usually had to read it three more times to find the loophole which was guaranteed to be a thousand times worse than those that were obvious. He rejected document after document, knowing that if he didn’t someone else might not catch the problems.

Estelle looked up briefly from her work. “What’s the problem?”

“This business deal… if we bought out the company, we’d acquire our on ISP and would be able to give the product to all our employees at home as well as at work and could still make a profit selling it to others. But their lawyers have come up with the most insidious contracts,” he sighed.

“Why don’t you write one and present it to them?” she continued to sketch.

Quatre turned to look at her, blinking. “You know, I never thought of that.”

“Just tell them what your requirements are and if they can’t or won’t meet them, then don’t make the deal,” she said sensibly.

Quatre took a moment to think about this. “Estelle, you’re brilliant!”

“But of course,” she smiled teasingly. The smile stayed as Quatre telephoned his people (AN: yes, they were WAY too stupid to think of this on their own… people tend to lose perspective when under pressure…).

The next few mornings passed similarly, with Estelle working on her laptop to try to hack into the network of the next base she was targeting. Quatre spent the afternoons in meetings but they had the evenings together to talk and to grow even closer than before. There was a real bond between them, one that would be hard to break.

The fact that it wasn’t the sort of bond Quatre so obviously wanted was beside the point.

_________________________________

AN:

Lady: *WEEPS*

Duo: *pats her head awkwardly* There, there, it’s ok… You’re not a failure at writing…

Lady: But- but- it’s WRITER’S BLOCK! I just cannot write this middle portion! And this is the second time this has happened!!

Duo: So just TELL THEM what’s supposed to happen and get it over with! Jump to the good parts! Believe me, the other BCs are more than long enough! *pout* Except mine. Mine is too short. Wufei’s is a lot longer.

Lady: You’ll take what you get and like it. :p Ok, people, here’s the deal:

Quatre has fallen deeply in love with Estelle- he traveled halfway around the world for her! Stelly, the amazingly unobservant artist, is completely unaware of his deeper feelings for her. Really, the casual, open friendliness between them is worse for Quatre, who is trying his best in this time to get to know her still better and win her heart. This is something you won’t see often, people: A frustrated Quatre. He loves her- she’s oblivious. He wants to protect her- he has no MS. He’s constantly being bothered by work. He doesn’t have any kind of outlet. When I say ‘frustrated’, I mean ‘aggravated to the point of cracking if something doesn’t happen soon’. And still she’s oblivious. Oi, am I vicious or what? Yeah, I’m having trouble writing and showing all this… Let’s jump to somewhere near the end of their stay here…

Duo: *coughs* Firstly- everyone, here is the great part about contacting Lady Lye- she actually listens to you. Show’em, babe.

Lady: *eyes shine* YEEEEEEES… Via the WONDERFUL MIRACLE that is Instant Messaging, Pagemaster suggested a song to help me bridge the gap here!! THANK YOU, PAGEMASTER-CHAN!! *hugs and hands Pagemaster a prize of her choice of La Femmes plushie* See? Contacting me is NOT a waste of time and I will NOT turn you down. The more real reader feedback I get, the happier I am.

Duo: You mean the bigger your ego is.

Lady: :p You kidding me? I get the most honest constructive criticism from people I IM cuz they get to know me! So don’t be afraid- speak up!!

Duo: ^_^ It’s ok to harass her into writing more, too…

Lady: BAKA! *bops him on the head* ^^; No threats, please… They aren’t nearly as effective… Right, songfic time! Whoo hoo! ^_^ Ja ne, minna-chan! Wave to the people, Duo!

Duo: *waves feebly as the scene cuts*

_________________________________

(AN: The song is “Complicated” by Carolyn Dawn Johnson. Yes, I’m keeping track of all the music I use for a Femme-y soundtrack that will be posted on my website upon completion, along, hopefully, with lyrics and places to find it and stuff. So, here’s a disclaimer- it ain’t mine. It’s from Quattie’s POV, which might sound strange, but I like the gentle tone of it, and for those who don’t know- Quatre’s voice in the original Japanese is played by a woman. So it’s really not that weird. :p)

I’m so scared that
The way that I feel
Is written all over my face
When you walk into the room
I wanna find a hiding place

*Quatre is speaking with Rashid while waiting for his breakfast to be served when Estelle walks in, cheerful as always, and plops herself into a seat, pleasantly inquiring after Rashid and the other Maguanacs. The conversation falls on Quatre’s dead ears as he finds himself staring at her. He shakes himself out of it before either can notice and casually butters his toast.*

We used to laugh
We used to hug
The way that old friends do
But now a smile and
A touch of your hand
Just make me come unglued

*Estelle and Quatre are walking through the shopping district, several Maguanac attendants in the vicinity to keep an eye on them. She talks and Quatre listens= or tries to- he keeps getting distracted. She is pushed into him by a fellow pedestrian and apologizes, continuing as though nothing has happened, but Quatre is lost to the world; disjointed.*

It’s such a contradiction
Do I lie or tell the truth?
Is it fact or fiction
The way I feel for you?

*Quatre watches Estelle from the doorway as she works at her laptop, bent over in concentration.*

It’s so complicated
I’m so frustrated
I wanna hold you close
I wanna push you away
I wanna make you go
I wanna make you stay
Should I say it
Should I tell you
How I feel?
Oh, I want you to know
But then again I don’t
It’s so complicated.

*Quatre holds open a door for her, hurries ahead to open the door of the limo, brings her tea on another night where she is working and planning her next attack. She smiles up at him gratefully and accepts, thanking him, but there is nothing more.*

Just when I think
I’m under control
I think I finally got a grip
Another friend tells me that
My name is always
On your lips

*Rashid and Quatre are going over a new upgrade for the Maguanacs, when Rashid looks to Quatre seriously and asks him if Quatre’s favorite cookie really is peanut butter. Quatre blinks in surprise and stammers a yes- how did he know? Why, Estelle told him.*

They say I’m more
Than just a friend
They say I must be blind
Well I admit that
I’ve seen you watch me
From the corner of your eye

*Quatre has fallen asleep at his desk, contracts and legal documents spread about him for a pillow. Estelle peers in, smiles fondly, and returns a moment later with a blanket and pillow, tucking him into his chair. She smooths his hair back, smiling, but turns away before she can see the sweet smile coming to the sleeping boy’s lips.*

Oh it’s so confusing
I wish you’d just confess
But think of what I’d be losing
If your answer wasn’t yes

*“Master Quatre, why don’t you say something to your lady friend?” Abdul of the Maguanac corp shot Quatre a knowing look.

“Wh-what?” Quatre stared at him, wide-eyed.

“We can all see the way you look at each other,” Mohammad confirmed. “Go for it!”

Quatre was silent, staring at the window. Rashid came in to berate the errant two for leaving their chores, but Quatre heard none of it, staring into space and murmuring, “I couldn’t do that… what if… No, I just… can’t…”*

It’s so complicated
I’m so frustrated
I wanna hold you close
I wanna push you away
I wanna make you go
I wanna make you stay
Should I say it
Should I tell you
How I feel?
Oh, I want you to know
But then again I don’t
It’s so complicated.

*Estelle gets to a closed door first, and opens it before Quatre can for her, continuing as she was, completely missing his barely visible disappointment. She also takes a chair for herself rather than giving him the chance to pull it ot for her and blocks all other niceties he might have the small pleasure of doing for her. She isn’t doing it on purpose… she just… doesn’t know.*

I hate it ’cause
I’ve waited so long
For someone like you
Should I say it
Should I tell you
How I feel?
Oh I want you to know
But then again I don’t
It’s so complicated

Another meeting. Another awful, horrible, BORING meeting. Quatre managed to restrain himself some, though not all of his glare was directed at the innocent presenter, who was beginning to sweat and stumble in his speech. His superior, if his junior, continued to glare, tapping his pen on the table, unable to hide all his anger, and making everyone in the room, the floor, yes, the entire building nervous. But right now, the guy with the Slide Show Presentation was in the spotlight.

He fumbled and tripped his way through, sweating horribly and growing more and more nervous and uncomfortable under that unrelenting, unreadable glare. He finished weakly, waiting in silence with the rest of the audience for Mr. Winner’s reaction.

The pen tapping continued, Quatre’s expression never changing as they waited breathlessly. It slowed to a stop, the Winner heir continuing to stare straight ahead. In one smooth movement, he had stood and was gathering up his papers.

“Thank you, that’s enough for today. My secretary will get back to you,” just as quickly, he had left the room.

Quatre’s closest assistants glanced at one another worriedly and followed quickly. “Mr. Winner? Mr. Winner, are you sure-?”

“Yes. That’s all for today. Cancel the rest of my appointments for today.”

“Mr. Winner!”

“That will be all, Ms Riley!”

They both watched their young boss go. He had seemed so young and cheery before… what was eating him!?

(AN: I TOLD you he was frustrated!!!!! And if anyone makes any baka hentai comments on what KIND of frustrated, I’ll smack ‘em.)

Estelle glanced up from the detailed map of the city’s sewer system as the front door slammed, rocking the house. Alarmed, she blinked and stared to the doorway, listening to the sound of pounding feet before Quatre came into the study, dropping his briefcase haphazardly on a chair and going to pace by his desk, a scowl on his face. She watched warily, as he turned towards his desk, riffled through it, slammed the drawer shut without taking anything out, began to pace again- and then collapses in his desk chair with a weary sigh.

“Rough day at the office?” she asked after a moment.

“That’s an understatement,” he groaned and leaned back in the chair, turning it around to look out the large windows.

“Well, I think I know just what you need,” she said, folding the map and putting it and her other files away.

“And what’s that?” he asked tiredly.

“To come on my mission with me tonight. You’ve been really restless lately and the exercise will do you good. Promise you’ll come?” she pinned him with her intense green eyes.

He swallowed hard. “How can I refuse?”

________________________________

“How CAN I refuse?” Quatre begged, already dressed for their mission.

“You can’t. That’s the beauty of it,” Estelle replied lightly, checking her equipment. “The mission is this: Large, and I mean HUGE shipments of certain alloys have been delivered to a warehouse in this area. We go in underground, infiltrate, have a look around and regroup. Understood?”

“If I knew this was purely to find out information, I could have stayed behind,” Quatre muttered irritably, completely out of character.

Estelle spared him a bemused glance, noting the change. “What alloys could possibly be important enough for us to investigate?”

He frowned and paused to think- then flushed as he realized his stupidity. Of course. How obvious. Gundanium.

Estelle watched it register on his face and nodded. “Titanium, too. Now let’s cart our arses out before somebody decides they want to know where we are.”

Quatre didn’t protest and they slipped out into the night. The industrial sector of the city was quiet, a few late workers, but other than that, very few people to call the alarm if they were spotted. They slipped among buildings easily, silent in the dark.

Estelle had chosen what seemed to Quatre the world’s tightest, sleekest black jeans and turtleneck he had ever seen. Her hair was back in a ponytail and it fell in honeyed waves loosely to her shoulders, a few tendrils framing her face in the light filtering from other sources. Quatre swallowed hard and picked up his pace, following her lead. He couldn’t afford thoughts like that. (AN: *evil cackle* I adore this job… OOC? HAH. Welcome to my world.)

He stopped himself from running into her as she raised a hand and peered carefully around a building, then waved them on. Before he could quite realize what was happening, she had darted ahead and was instantly lost in the darkness. He searched wildly with his eyes for that flash of honey, but found none- and nearly had a heart attack as a hand grabbed his and yanked him inside a warehouse building.

Unrelenting green eyes held him in place as she held up a finger for quiet and then she released him, away again and almost gone in the dark once more, like a wraith. Barely there. He hurried to follow and they stopped before a seemingly ordinary door. Estelle examined it thoughtfully and then reached into one of the pouches at her belt. She pulled out a skeleton key and knelt to get to work, while Quatre kept watch, both of them growing edgier as it became clear that the lock wasn’t going to give easily.

Suddenly the tumblers fell into their place by chance, and triumphantly Estelle stood and eased the door open. It was an ordinary room; more storage space. Nothing out of the ordinary, not too neat, not too messy.

“This has got to be it,” Estelle muttered and moved forward to run her hands along the seams of the metal sheets that lined the walls. Something caught Quatre’s eye and he moved forward to examine it. If he didn’t know better, he’d say that that looked like a very old lock system panel- his eyes widened and he motioned her over. Her eyes lit and she quickly fished out the combination to open the lock, keying it in.

A panel on the far wall slid away, barely creaking at all, indicating that it was used frequently enough to be oiled. They glanced at one another and then followed the revealed steps down at least five stories underground. Just as it seemed they might have made a mistake in coming down here, the stairwell opened onto a much larger room, dimly lit by hundreds of lights hanging from it’s ceiling suspended by their cords. It seemed to be a cave, carved into the earth and supported by man made supports and engineering.

But it wasn’t the room so much that baffled… it was its contents. The two intruders hung back, their jaws both lax. Both uncomprehending.

Massive. Powerful. Thought never to be seen again.

Very much still alive.

Duo chuckled as the ship took off. Kyla stared wide-eyed out the window, watching every moment as the Earth fell away behind them. “Never been to space before, huh?”

“No,” Kyla said softly, still staring at all the stars that now swept around them. “This is beautiful… You used to live here? How could you ever leave?” she finally tore her eyes away so she could see him when he answered.

Duo took his time readjusting his seat now that the warning lights had turned off. “Kyla, babe, I said the same thing the first time I saw Earth.”

“I guess it’s true that the grass is always greener on the other side,” Kyla looked out the window again.

“You mean the star clusters,” Duo said with a straight face. She blinked at him, unsure if he was being serious or not. A hint of a smile touched his lips.

“Dingbat,” she said fondly, slapping him lightly on the arm.

“It’s true! They are!” he protested, laughing and grinning broadly as he saw the smile grace her lips. She made him feel so ALIVE. Some girls had made him act this way before; made him want to impress them and make them laugh. But he had never felt so incredibly comfortable and at ease at the same time before. Only with her. No, he wouldn’t trade this time with her for anything. Not Space and not Earth. Because it was only with her.

“Welcome to L2, babe.”

Kyla frowned at the walls of the colony. “Doesn’t it make you feel- claustrophobic?”

“Nope. Grew up here, remember?” They made their way through the terminal and into the streets where they hopped onto the nearest form of public transportation. Kyla’s eyes grew wide again at all the little differences in even the most simple things. Duo couldn’t help laughing. “You’re such a tourist, Ky. Think everything’s so high-tech and new here?”

“It’s just- odd,” she shook her head and smiled weakly. “I’ll just have to get used to it.”

“Here, I want to show you something,” he pushed a button and they got off at the next intersection. They walked for a few blocks, Kyla still trying to take in everything at once. Duo felt odd as he walked through the streets. Everything looked out of proportion. Of course. He had been a child the last time he was here. A familiar landmark caught his eye. “Welcome to my former home-“ he said as they rounded a corner.

“You lived in New New Las Vegas?” Kyla blinked at the fluorescent lights.

“HUH?” Duo did a double take. “What the hell happened here!?” Where before there had been slums and poverty, were casinos and bars of all shapes and sizes. “This used to be a slum!”

“I dunno,” Kyla said sagely. “Some might call Booze, Cards, and Sex Alley a slum.”

“No- this wasn’t here before!” he protested.

“Are you sure this is the right street?” she readjusted her grip on her suitcase.

“Positive- hey isn’t that-?” they both stared as a man left one of the casino’s close to them and got into a large limo. Before leaving, they had reviewed all the files Estelle had pulled. This was one of the men from the images there.

“I think this may be a blessing in disguise,” Kyla said. “Pick a hotel, Duo.”

“We’re gonna stay HERE?” he blinked at her.

“Why not? Where else are we going to go? Besides, it looks like the perfect place to find the sleazebags we’re tracking.” She said frankly.

“But- but- we’re only-“ he paused. Ooh damn. His ‘birthday’ hadn’t been that long ago, had it? Colony gambling age was OVER eighteen. He was certainly that. “Nineteen. We’re nineteen. GAMBLING HERE I COME!”

Kyla’s eyes popped a little. “Oi! Hush! We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves! And who says we’re going to have time to gamble, hm?” she managed to calm him down.

“Fine,” Duo grumbled. “Let’s head for that one,” he pointed to one across the streets from the one their quarry had left.

“Looks good,” they headed across the street to check in.

“Two roo-“ Duo began.

“One suite, please,” Kyla cut him off, smiling sweetly at the clerk. She produced fake ID’s from her bag and Duo simply stared in amazement as ‘Mr. and Mrs. Jones’ appeared on the screen. “Thank you. Come on, Duo. Upstairs- fifth floor-“

“When did you have time to get those?” he asked, picking up her suitcase to carry it to the elevator while she put everything back in her bag.

She gave him a critical look. “Andria’s taught me everything I know.”

“Ah. Hey- We’re sharing a room?!” he cried happily.

“Ding,” said the elevator, letting them off on their floor.

“Don’t go getting any ideas-“

“But we have to make it realistic!” he insisted, dragging both suitcases to their room. “Otherwise no one will believe that we’re married.”

“Well they certainly won’t if you keep talking like that,” she opened the door using the key. “What are you waiting for?” She blinked at him as he stood there with the bags.

“Pardon me,” Duo put the bags down. He crossed over to her and picked her up, carrying her over the threshold.

“What?! Duo what on Earth are you-“ she flung her arms around his neck and protested. At the same time, she never wanted him to put her down. So close… so very, very close to those laughing blue eyes and that wonderful smile that was aimed directly down at her. She unconsciously relaxed enough for them to get through the door to the ‘living room’ of the suite.

He unceremoniously dumped her on the couch. “My duty as a husband is done,” he bowed and went to retrieve their bags. When he came back, he was obviously trying to repress laughter.

Kyla had no such problem. “You’re a dingbat,” she said giddily. Good god, how was she going to manage as the sane one around here?

Duo pretended to pout. “Just for that, I get the bed.”

“Who says!?”

“I do.”

“Not if I can get there first!” Kyla was not about to sleep on the couch! They raced for the bedroom.

“G’Night!” Kyla called sweetly and shut the door of the bedroom behind her. Her response was a string of grumbling from the plush couch.

The next morning, Duo was up and ready to go first thing. He didn’t want to disturb Kyla, who hadn’t emerged from the bedroom yet, but they couldn’t afford to waste time either. Tentatively, he knocked on the door. “Ky?”

“I’ll be out in five,” he heard her call, and went back to cleaning up the slight mess he had made of the living room. “Alright. I’m ready.”

“Gre-“ Duo stood up straight and stared. His voice came out in a gasp. “W-What are you wearing?”

Kyla didn’t appear at all phased by his reaction. Knee-high black boots added a good four inches to her height, leading up to a tight black mini skirt and red tube top. She’d pulled her hair back in twin pigtails that curled coyly around her face. “What do you think?” she turned around so he could get the full view.

“Um, Ky? I know you girls have kind of been cut off from the rest of society and, well, the fashion world but uh-“

“Is prostitution illegal on this colony?” she asked casually, going to investigate the tray of breakfast foods Room Service had brought up.

He continued to gape at her. “P-p-p-p-“

“Prostitution, Duo,” she scolded, picking up a muffin. “Is it illegal here or not?”

“uh- I- er- wha- uh-“

She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Great. We’ll just have to make sure we aren’t caught then. You’re not going out like THAT are you?” she asked, referring to his usual black shirt and pants deal.

“Kyla WHAT is going ON here?!”

“It’s called a disguise-? You know? Fitting in so you can slip in unnoticed?” She finally noticed the way he was staring at her and started to giggle. “Y-You didn’t think- You didn’t think that I- that I would really-“

Suddenly Duo’s head hurt. “This is gonna take a lot more out of me than I thought it would…”

She continued to giggle, hiding it badly. “I’m sorry, Duo,” she wrapped one arm around his neck and planted a kiss on his cheek.

“So just what is your great plan, Ms. Smarty-pants?” he pretended to still be offended.

“You saw the hotel that guy came out of yesterday. This whole place is one seedy pit of sex, drugs and money. And hey- who’s got better access to their rooms than a whore who makes house calls?” she said, eating her muffin in between sentences.

He stared at her again. How could she be so damn casual about it? “You’re not gonna REALLY-“

“No, of course not. But they don’t have to know that.”

“Great. Just great. Not only are you doing something potentially illegal, you’re only pretending to do something potentially illegal, which could land us in even MORE trouble. Boy,” he shook his head. “Are you ever lucky I came out here.”

She shot him a sideways glance. “Have experience in this, do you?”

‘She knows,’ he thought, panicked, suddenly seeing all the hundreds of explosions he himself had caused only a few years ago. Then he looked at her face. She was only kidding. He relaxed- “Hey!”

“I’m kidding, Duo!” she laughed. “Come, sit down and have breakfast and then we’ll go Bad-Guy hunting, huh?”

He made a big show of giving in, but ultimately smiled. Just to be able to spend this time with her. It was more than he’d ever dreamed of.

VID FIC TIME! Yeah, it’s soooooooo corny but I jus’ couldn’t help it!! ^__^
The Song: ‘I’m just a girl’ by No Doubt. (WHOOOO! NO DOUBT ROCKS! WHOO! Asinine lawyers, I’ve already got the CD! I LOVE it! See, I’m practically advertising it! So :p) Hey, at least it’s not Lady Marmalade… too cliché…

/Take this pink ribbon off my eyes
I’m exposed
And it’s no big surprise
Don’t you think I know
Exactly where I stand
This world is forcing me
To hold your hand/

Kyla and Duo entered the casino, heading for the ‘Dance Hall’. Really, it was just one big strip show. They couldn’t help staring as they entered. It was huge, lavishly, if tackily decorated to give the semblance of a fine theatre. The illusion was betrayed by cigarette butts smashed into the delicate carpet and disarray everywhere, covered in a thick, sickeningly layer of smoke and the smell of alcohol.

Kyla watched the girls moving about the room apprehensively. More were on stage, putting on a show for a drunken crowd of men. Some moved between the tables, obviously designated as waitresses, but others were simply lap warmers and teasers.

“You were saying something about this being a pit of sex?” Duo croaked. His eyes were bulging. Never had he seen quite this much of- well- this- all in one place and all so crudely done that it almost repelled more than tantalized.

She shot him a look. “You’re not thinking about what I think you’re thinking, are you?”

“Huh? NO! No, never!” he protested, cheeks coloring a little.

“I understand, Duo, it’s only natural, I guess…” she murmured, looking out at the sea of sleaze and filth. She shot him another quelling look. “So long as ALL you do is think about it.”

“Yes, ma’am!” he saluted, nodding vigorously.

/Cuz I’m just a girl, little ‘ol me
Don’t let me out of your sight
I’m just a girl, all pretty and petite
So don’t let me have any rights
Oh… I’ve had it up to here!/

“Alright… I’m going in…” Kyla said grimly. If they stood here too long it would ruin their chances.

“Kyla- babe-“ he grabbed at her arm, making her turn towards him. His eyes held such worry and concern. Inwardly he was terrified. That someone would molest her, that they would hurt her, that they might sink to using drugs to seduce her, …that they would be found out. He searched her face, desperately not wanting to let her go. “Just… be careful. Please?”

She reached a tender hand up to brush his long and unruly bangs away from his face. “I promise, love,” she kissed him softly. Before either could change their mind, she fled down into hell.

He watched her go, feeling empty. She had called him love… But what good was it if she didn’t come back? Loud catcalls in the corner made him surface from his reverie. He could feel the old Duo Maxwell rise within him as he shifted from worrisome lover to jaunty Casanova. He straightened his clothes and with a rakish grin, walked down the stairs. “Mission Accepted… Shinigami is back from Hell…”

/The moment that I step outside
So many reasons for me to run and hide
I can’t do those little things
I hold so dear
Cuz it’s all those little things
That I fear/

It took Kyla several moments to get her breath back in the hazy reek of stale cigarettes, unwashed bodies and alcohol everywhere. She stumbled only once and walked boldly forward, looking more confident than she felt. Confidence was the key. As she strolled between the close tables, she wanted to gag. Everywhere was mess, everything soiled, nothing clean. Raucous sounds filled the area, combining with everything else to make her want to fall to her knees and try to block it all out. She fought down the nausea and instead concentrated on focusing on the group. She had memorized pictures of the men they were looking for. Now all she had to do was find them.

Table to the front right, men in business suits, drinking heavily. Bingo.

/Cuz I’m just a girl
I’d rather not be
Cuz they won’t let me drive late at night
I’m just a girl
Guess I’m some kind of freak
Cuz they all sit and stare with their eyes
I’m just a girl
Take a good look at me
Just your typical prototype
Oh… I’ve had it up to here
Oh… Am I making myself clear?

I’m just a girl…
I’m just a girl in the world…
That’s all that you’ll let me be!/

All eyes at the table swiveled to look at her as she approached, a wing in her hips and her shoulders back, head held high.

“Which one of you boys would like to offer me a seat?” she purred. Five chairs instantly pulled out to make laps available. She chose the man who looked most important, settling herself daintily in his arms, smiling charmingly. He grinned at her and his breath assaulted her. Suddenly she didn’t know why she bothering to play the part- these louts were so drunk they’d probably bang a cat. She steeled herself however not to flinch as his hands started to roam over her. This was so not want she always dreamed fighting for peace would be.

/I’m just a girl
Living in captivity
Your rule of thumb
Makes me worry some
I’m just a girl, What’s my destiny?
What I’ve succumbed to
Is making me numb
I’m just a girl, my apologies
What I’ve become is so burdensome
I’m just a girl, lucky me
Twiddle-dum there’s no comparison/

It seemed an eternity that she sat on his lap, feeling more and more ill with each passing moment. But still she played the part, giggling coyly and seductively, letting her body be manhandled. It repulsed more than anything she’d felt in her entire life. Miserably, she doubted herself, her reason for being here. It seemed she’d sunk so low… she felt so light-headed… all she wanted to do was shove these gross beasts away from her and get out of this place. The heat, too, was getting to her. Some small part of her hallucinated… of warm arms wrapped around her waist to pull her closer and someone’s cheek she had kissed that morning. ‘Duo…’ With a horrified start she realized the hot arms around her were those of a monster, who didn’t care about her at all. The brightness in her eyes became tears. ‘Duo…’

/Oh… I’ve had it up to!
Oh… I’ve had it up to!
Oh… I’ve had it up to…here…/

She blinked rapidly as brighter light pierced her eyes and her mind cleared. Where were they? They were out of the room, out of the Hellhole. But still the man’s arms were about her waist, his lips sucking hungrily at her neck as they got into the elevator. So he lived in the hotel, did he? She could stand this. Again she steeled herself. She WOULD stand this. There was no room for error here. She do this and get out and then wash herself from head to foot, scrape away this slobbering wetness on her neck.

She cooed to him and tugged him out of the elevator to his room. The fool was so drunk he could barely walk. Again she fought down the revulsion, subtly urging him to get out his key. He was too drunk to do it himself and so she did it for him, pocketing the key without him noticing. She pushed him towards the bathroom to get changed, whispering in his ear that she would do so out here and be waiting for him.

The door closed. With a wordless cry she used the sheet from the bed to wipe off her neck. “Oh GROSS. How do real prostitutes DO this?!” she shuddered and went immediately to the laptop on the desk. A quick code breaker and she was in. “B-I-N-G-O and bingo was it’s name-o!” she sang softly, finding the file already open. She popped in a disk and hit copy. Now all she had to do was wait.

_________________________________

Downstairs, very few would recognize the games Duo Maxwell played. A recorder in his pocket caught every word as he charmed information out of the women wandering the floor. His good looks and smooth voice drew them in, away from the regulars who old and fat and ugly, and all too willing to hit a girl when she was already down.

He couldn’t help glancing at the door. Kyla had disappeared and not come back yet. Of course, that was the plan, for him to be faithful lookout and watch her back while she did the hard part. But the worry was painful. If anything happened to her… he’d castrate the man who touched her. He already has his eyes on the brute who’d lead her out.

A flash of red hair crossed his vision and he looked up. Then he gaped. “ELEANOR!?”

The blond turned red head turned to him, her brown eyes blinking widely. She squinted in the dim light, dressed in what appeared to be typical get up for the area. “Duo?” she gasped.

Oh, ACK! Mercy! Shinigami protect! Duo picked his jaw off the floor. “Well. Fancy seeing you here. You do this regularly or are you just here trying to get noticed as Playbunny of the Month?”

She glared at him. “I,” she said in her twanging Australian accent, “Am VERY highly respected around here. Men BEG for me.”

“Yeah sure, pull the other one. Listen, El, sit down a moment,” he said with a winning smile. She eyed him suspiciously but conceded. It had, afterall, been that grin that had made her want to get to know him in the first place. That and those nice long legs. “What can you tell me about big, bad and ugly over there?” he pointed to the table Kyla had gone to.

“Who, them? They’re business guys,” she cracked her gum. “They’re, like, in here every day. Not much fun… one of ‘em punched a girl in the eye last week.”

‘Kyla…’ he thought with a gut wrenching pain. “What rooms are they in? How about the big guy who’se the boss?”

“HE came in here? No way, you must mean the other guy- He’s on the fifth floor, 5102. The big guy never comes to places like this. He’s real solitary, you know?”

“Thanks, El, I owe you one.” He meant it, too. He did indeed owe her for this.

She eyed him suggestively. “You know… I could give you half price,” she batted her long, fake lashes at him. “What would that little brunette tramp care?” she said, running a hand roughly into his hair.

Duo stood abruptly, anger on his face. “Don’t ever talk about her like that,” he hissed. “I don’t ever want to see you again, got it? Not near me, and not near her. We are THROUGH Eleanor and that’s that.” He stalked away to the elevator. He could only hope he wouldn’t be too late to help Kyla.

_________________________________

“Just a minute…” Kyla called back towards the bathroom door. Her eyes pleaded with the computer. Stupid files- there were too many, it was taking too long! But she couldn’t afford to let one slip through their fingers… The last file loaded onto the desk and she nearly whooped with delight. It was time to beat a hasty retreat! She grabbed the disk, shut down the laptop and dashed for the door and into the hallway, just as the idiot came out of the bathroom, to find his room empty.

In the hall she collided with something big and black. Before she could open her mouth to apologize she was swept up in a bone crushing hug. “Ky… I was so worried, did you get it all?” Duo pulled back to look at her.

Her eyes filled with unshed tears and she hastily brushed them away. “Yes, a whole disk’s worth. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

_________________________________

That evening, Duo watched her worriedly. She sat wrapped in a blanket, leaning against the large panes of the sliding glass doors that lead onto a minute balcony. Her hair swirled loose around her shoulders and she had scrubbed all the make up off her face. Actually, it looked worryingly to him as though she had scrubbed too hard all over. She had taken a long time in the shower and emerged bright pink, unwilling to speak to him about it. He was hurt as well… she had shied from his touch ever since that initial large hug.

In his mind reeled bits and pieces of news reports of rape victims… How they felt unclean and tried too hard to wash away the feeling, how they wouldn’t let anyone close how- He shook his head and made up his mind. It was stupid to worry when he should just ask her and set his mind still, be the news good or bad.

“Hey,” he sat down next to her.

“Hi,” she sniffled quietly.

“Ky, be honest with me… did anything happen to you?” he asked softly.

Her eyes brimmed with tears again. “No. No, nothing. He touched me and he kissed me, that was all. But I still-“ she bit her lower lip. “I can still feel him on my neck. I just can’t get rid of it. And-“ it was a stupid fear, she knew it was. But something in his eyes told her that she could tell him anything.

“Go ahead, babe,” he reached down and took her hand in his, their fingers intertwining, his large ones with her small ones.

“I- It was just too damned close!” she said, eyes brimming again. “You know what could’ve happened to me? He could have raped me so easily… and I would’ve been almost helpless. And I was inviting him to, just by being there! How could I be so stupid!? How could I put myself in so much danger!?” her voice trembled with every sentence.

“Oh, Kyla…” his eyes seemed watery too, or was it just a trick of the fading light? He put an arm around her shoulders and she leaned in to sob into his chest. “You did what you thought you had to do. You did what you thought was right. It was a selfless act, a risk most people would be too afraid to take.”

“But it wasn’t bravery,” she choked. “It was stupidity. It was ignorance. God- He barely touched me and I still feel manhandled- how do rape victims handle it?! How do they bear to feel this way over their whole bodies!?”

“I don’t know,” he said softly, hugging her again. “We can only hope to never find out.”

She wiped her eyes and looked up into his face. Her voice quavered. “I don’t want to fight a war anymore… They’re dirty and ugly…” she bit her bottom lip. “But if I don’t, who will?” she whispered.

“Sometimes life plays cruel jokes on us, heart of mine,” he put a hand up to stroke her hair and she put her head down on his chest again. His heart was aching now. Hadn’t that always been his reason for fighting? So no one else would have to? Now he COULDN’T fight and she was in his place. She who had become his reason for everything. It wasn’t right, it wasn’t fair; to have Fate mock him this cruelly and throw his reasons back in his face. Right now he felt helpless. The only thing he could do was try to help her stay away from the bottomless pit of depression war could bring. “Sometimes the Fates decide to mess with us, and then we have to try to pick up the pieces as best we can.”

She snuggled into the crook of his neck, pulling the blanket over them both. “Thank you for being here, Duo…”

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else right now,” he kissed the top of her head. He held onto her quietly as she drifted into sleep in his arms, her breathing becoming even and regular. He kissed the top of her head again before laying his cheek against it. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else…”

A week later, Kyla sat in the storage room they had rented, atop her gundame. A piece of its hard shell was flipped up like the hood of a car and she glared down at the contents. Something had gotten stuck in the moving process and the leg wasn’t working properly. Unfortunately- she couldn’t see exactly what it was. She gave the Thistle’s innards an assessing look and rocked back on her heels to reach a pair of small pliers.

Her escapade still haunted her dreams, but only at night now. With Duo’s help, she was finding it easier and easier to face each new day. A warm feeling came over her and she smiled a little as she looked to see if the pliers were the ones she wanted. He was so good to her- better than she deserved, surely. He was always ready to lend a helping hand, or a smile, or his shoulder to her, his eyes always full of love for her. She sincerely hoped that hers reflected the love for him to see. He hadn’t made a move on her in the entire week, proving himself honorable, but it was with a mischievous, grim satisfaction that she realized she may have to go out of her way to prove it to him when she was ready to return to the physical aspect of their relationship.

She carefully positioned the pliers around a piece of metal that was supposed to turn easily. She gripped them and pushed. No go. She frowned, readjusting her grip- this must be the problem area. She strained at it and it still would not budge, seemingly stuck fast. She tried again, rising up on her knees to give her extra hold and still it remained still.

“Why you stupid little piece of junk-“ she muttered at it, giving it one more try. She ended up panting and decided it was time to go back to her tool kit for a bigger pair of pliers. She turned on the smooth surface and smiled. “Hey, Du.”

“Hello yourself,” he looked past her to the open piece of the Thistle’s shell, his arms crossed as he stood on the stepladder, peering up. He hoisted himself up to look at what she’d been doing. “Problem?”

“Very. It won’t turn- the part with the pliers-“ she said as he came over to peer at it.

“Ah,” he nodded. He reached in and lifted up another piece of metal. The part with the pliers swung around and a piece of shrapnel from the Sydney battle fell away. “Tada,” he picked it up and put it in her open palm. “There’s a little souvenir for you. You wanna head out? I was thinking we could go to that Indian place for dinner-“

Kyla swiveled again to face him and he stopped his descent down the ladder. “Duo… Why do I feel like you’ve been avoiding me?”

He looked hurt. “Avoiding you? When have I avoided you? I’ve been looking out for you this whole time.”

She shook her head. “That’s not what I mean. …I feel like… like you’re avoiding touching me.”

He looked at her solemnly. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you that you were so precious that I’m afraid not to.”

“Are you afraid I’ll flinch away?” she asked, a little bit of hurt for both of them in her eyes. He flinched. It was answer enough. She slid over on the slippery metal to take his face in her hands. “I will never, ever, shy away from your touch.”

His hands trembled as they came up to brush her hair back and hold her face as well. “Ky…”

“Sh…” she leaned down to kiss him and he met her halfway. She let him pull her down onto the ladder beside him and wrapped her arms around his neck, delighting in the delicious feeling of his strong arms around her waist. All was right with the world once again.

To: Dame Addison
From: Dame Kobiak
RE: L2
Text: How is mission progressing? Please check in regularly. We worry. Have you heard from the others? Will set up safe line to phone you and email when established.

Trowa says Hi. ^__^

Be safe, Addison. And your dingbat, too.

-Kobiak

Kyla stared at the laptop screen and the email she had received. Her chest ached. She missed Raisa and the other girls. Her fingers wavered over the keyboard, debating a reply. With a sigh she closed the window. She didn’t know what to say and wasn’t sure she wanted to speak to anyone right now. Raisa asking after the other girls wasn’t a good sign, however. Surely she, who was acting as their HQ in Sank and Europe, would be in contact with them all? Then why had she asked?

Still musing, she opened another window to sift through still more of the data she had taken from the hotel. Behind her she could hear the comforting sounds of Duo in the bathroom, singing. File after file opened and closed, each one both telling her more- and leaving her with still more questions. What were the bastards after?

One name appeared again and again. Jack Darwin. Curious, she searched and found his file. Obviously, he was the ‘big guy’ Duo’s ex had told him about. Head of operations from L2, one of the only people in direct contact with Markiah. Taking a risk, she tapped into their network, more specifically, Darwin’s files. Her eyes widened.

“He’s a fucking spin doctor!” she exclaimed, millions of articles listing on the screen, everything from a lawsuit over a children’s medicine, to an actor trying to cover his affair, to major politicians. Whatever it was, Darwin was all over it, covering it up, distorting it’s public image, changing people’s minds.

A memory flashed through her mind. Hanging out in Relena’s office, Hilde had come in with Relena’s mail. She asked if Relena wanted to reply again to a Jack Darwin; it was the thousandth letter he’d sent. Firmly, Relena had taken the envelope to reply to it personally, looking angry. When Andria asked, Relena’s tight lipped reverie had broken enough to explain that she wasn’t about to do business with someone whose job was to manipulate people’s minds. She didn’t want and didn’t need it.

“Bastard…” Kyla muttered, skimming some of the articles. The man could make killing endangered baby harp seals sound righteous. And- an ad filled her screen, headlining his latest. “WHAT!? DUO!!!!”

“Woah- woah- Ky, what’s wrong? You ok!?” he scrambled into the room, dripping wet, a towel clinging loosely around his waist.

“Look at this-“ she pointed angrily at the screen.

/Work becoming taxing?

Not being treated right?

Feel you deserve better?

Times are changing.

When you’re not getting what you deserve, it’s time for a revolution. Revolutionize your free time by getting away from it all. Join the brave people of Eastern Europe for summer this year and make a world of difference to your mental health.

Edin, is your Eden.

Call your travel agent for details. /

“Edin is your Eden?!” Duo looked at it skeptically. “But they’re recovering from their stupid war. How can they be advertising for tourism already?”

“It’s a cheap ploy… What can they be thinking?” Kyla took the link and started surfing. Her eyes widened. “I don’t think they’re going to let people leave, Duo. Something I saw-“ she frantically returned to the project files she had on disk. “They’re upping their security in customs, keeping people in-“ her fingers flew over the keyboard.

“Wait, what’s that?” he pointed to a shipping bill. “They’re importing some heavy loads of that herb…”

“That’s no herb,” Kyla frowned. “That’s a highly refined version of marijuana. It alters people’s perceptions so that they become confused easily, even after the effects have seemingly worn off. Worse- unlike marijuana- it’s highly addictive.” (AN: S’true. Marijuana’s NOT addictive. Don’t take my word for it- look it up, it’s scientifically proven. The war on drugs just doesn’t want you to know that- they’re still going for the demonizing thing. GAH don’t flame me! Go AWAY! I don’t use the damn stuff! GERROF!! And as far as I know, this new thingy doesn’t exist. Ain’t it fun righting about the future? ^_____^)

“Looks highly suspicious to me,” he murmured.

“Let’s take a look at his next campaign-“ she clicked again. Both gaped.

/RELENA PEACECRAFT A FAKE. DNA PROVES NOT REALLY PEACECRAFT.
Queen of the World? Does this con-artist deserve to rule anything, let alone Sank or the world? /

“Do you think it’s true?” Duo asked, his voice hushed.

“Doesn’t matter. The question is- will people believe it?” Kyla said grimly. “No doubt about it. We go in and shut this down before it leaks out. When we get home to Sank, we talk Relena. Until then, we don’t mention it to anyone.”

“Gotcha. So what do you wanna do? Quietly erase their files? Destroy all evidence? Just say the word,” Duo cracked his knuckles, a part of him thrilling to be back in business.

“I was thinking more along the lines of kill Jack Darwin, but that’s not too realistic, is it?” she said cheekily.

“Nah, we can probably squeeze that in,” he grinned.

“Let’s go with taking out the whole building. Want to help?”

“I’d love to. Scooch over?” he nudged her out of her chair and sat at the laptop, taking control and pulling up blueprints. “We need to plant explosives in key points, here, here and here… You’re gonna want to do this when no one’s likely to be there but they won’t be on the lookout for anything like this… Now for REAL destruction we’ve got that bucket of bolts you call a gundam in the hanger- hey! Stop hitting me with that!”

“GundamE! GundamE! It’s not a frigging gundam! It’s BETTER.” She thwaped him with a cushion for punctuation. (AN: Hey! Thwaped is a word you crappy spell checker! *grumble*)

“That’s debatable, babe.”

“Yeah and I’d win that argument. What are you, a war buff or something?” she looked at him quizzically, hugging the pillow she had hit him with. “You know everything about them, you think they’re the coolest MS in the world and yet you swear you didn’t do much more in the war than mechanics and junkyard duty on this very colony.”

He shot her a sideways glance. How long could he keep it a secret? It would come out eventually, and at the rate he was headed, he was willing to bet that ten years from now he’d still be only a few feet from her. If he had it his way, there’d be a lot LESS than a few feet between them. Should he tell? She’d find out eventually. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you that I’ve worked on gundams.”

She gave a derisive snort, something dancing merrily in her eyes. “Like they’d let a dingbat like you work on one?”

“Hey! I was pretty good in my day! I-“ he bit his tongue. ‘I PILOTED one. I was the Great Destroyer, Shinigami, the God of Death. I helped win that war.’

“Yeah, yeah, save it,” she teased. “Go dry yourself off, you’re distracting in that little towel.”

“Eh!?” he jumped, blushing. Then swallowed hard; she was looking at him in that way that would suddenly make only having that little towel a VERY awkward situation. “Maybe you’ve been working too hard,” he poked back recklessly.

“Maybe I have,” her voice a dropped to a husky purr. Oh boy. He beat a hasty retreat, the towel slipping off his behind just as he reached the sanctuary of the bathroom. “WHOO! NICE ass, Du-babe! Love it!”

“Oh screw you…” he muttered, cheeks going bright red. He quickly shut the door behind him, blocking out her laughter. Mmm this was getting hard… He’d have to do something about this whole ‘not actually being married’ thing.

Kyla breathily whistled a merry tune as she put her hair up. It was a sea shanty her grandmother had taught her when she was small. Thoughts of her family brought on a wave of sadness as she parted her hair in the back, leaving half of it loose and grabbing a hair tie for the other. With a snap of elastic, she turned her sorrow into determination: no one else would ever have to loose their families the way she had. She quickly fixed the second pigtail and grinned, shaking her head so they bounced in the mirror.

Straight leg jeans and sneakers were dug out of the closet, and she pulled on a thinly strapped tank top, assessing herself in the mirror again. Good. She looked enough like a civilian to not raise suspicion, but she wouldn’t be hindered. Grabbing a denim jacket, she left the bedroom.

“Ready to go?” she slipped her arms around Duo’s waist from behind and hugged him, burying her face in his back. He was tense and she looked up when he spoke.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready again…” he murmured, unaware almost that he had spoken out loud. He fingered a gold cross on a long chain, his face grim. She moved to look at him quizzically and he sighed, forcing a smile. “But that’s never stopped me, has it?”

“I’m probably not the one to ask,” she said, brushing his bangs out of his face so she could see his eyes clearly. They looked so haunted. “Christian? Catholic?”

Duo blinked, then realized she referred to the pendant. He flushed a little and looked at it again, cupping it in both hands. “I was never really anything. But when I was little, a Catholic church took me in. I dunno if I ever believed any of it. I sure don’t now.”

“My family’s always stayed true to it’s roots,” she murmured softly. It certainly was a day to remember loved ones lost, wasn’t it? “No armies could ever make them give up the Auld Ways.” (AN: Pronounced ‘old’. If you wanna get specific, there’s a slight twang to it.)

Grimly, Duo lifted the chain over his neck, letting the cross slide down beneath his shirt, a white tank top, already covered by a closed black jacket. “Sometimes I wonder what my life would’ve been like without the armies.” Never an orphan, never a street brat, never a thief, never a soldier. Never here with her.

“I wonder as well…” she murmured, then hugged him tightly again. Armies of different kinds had slowly chipped away at her life before she could take control of it. Now was her time to fight back, and she wasn’t going to lose him, too. “Come on, let’s go. And remember that I’m only letting you come because you swore you could help and keep yourself out of trouble.”

That coaxed a laugh from him, be it a hoarse one. “My middle name is Trouble.”

“Mm, I know,” she teased, pulling away to buckle on a belt of tools and equipment, stuffing a map in her pocket. “Is Duo Trouble Maxwell what it reads on your ID? Or just an initial?”

“Only if yours says Kyla Mischief Addison,” he shot back, tickling her before strapping on his own equipment. The laughter died in his face. “Let’s go.”

Getting inside was easier than she had thought, but then, she didn’t know that she was traveling with the great Shinigami. She felt a little dazed actually at how he had swiftly gotten them in and exactly where they wanted to be with none the wiser. She gave him a ‘you’re going to explain just how you did that someday’ look and he simply looked smug.

“Never doubt me,” he grinned.

“Can’t say I ever did,” she sighed. “Got everything?”

“Roger that,” he mock saluted, and kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you on the other side, babe.”

“Be careful,” she reminded, walking backwards so she could still look at him. Now that she was here, fear gnawed at her gut.

“Same to you,” he smiled tenderly, then saluted again and disappeared into the shadows.

‘The sooner you get this done, the sooner you can both get out of here,’ she thought, turning grimly to her task. Duo may have been the master at sneaking around, but she was surely an expert. It didn’t take her long to slip past what few guards there were and into a file storage center.

Rows and rows of shelves filled with disks, papers and other records seemed crammed into the tiny space so as to keep people out. She stared for a moment at the racks that went straight to the ceiling and then got to work. She needed to find the information they had gathered on Relena to take back to Earth, and possibly anything else that looked interesting. She studied the filing guide for a moment and then crossed straight to the box-drawer labeled ‘Peacecraft, Relena’. It was full of disks. She whistled softly and picked a few up. Their labels read things like ‘Christening ceremony’, ‘Public Appearance 00003’, ‘adoption papers’, ‘private school enrollment, elementary’, ‘Public Appearance 00027’, ‘Public Appearance 00153’, ‘private school enrollment, high school,’ ‘Public Appearance 04742’… It was every piece of data generated by Relena Darlian-Peacecraft since birth. Reaching into one of the holsters on her belt, she pulled out various flat, cloth holding cases, taking off the denim jacket and slipping one of the vests on. She was about to put on a LOT of weight.

It took a good fifteen minutes to cram the disks onto her person, but she still had space left over. Lovely things these cargo jackets… Closing the drawer, she swept her eye over the shelves again. She already had so much… could she possibly take on any more? Was it worth it to look?

One word leapt out at her and she curiously pulled the drawer open. Gundam. Feeling as though she held the key to some huge secret, she riffled through the disks. Oddly enough, the Madam had never spent very much time going over the gundams. They had been taught how their suits worked, what symbols they were, that the gundams had played major roles in the war. That was all. For some reason, none of them had ever questioned it. No, that wasn’t true. Some of them had clamored to know more and their questions had never been answered. Kyla couldn’t even remember if they’d ever been told who the pilots were. It suddenly seemed like a huge gap in her education, and she shoved the disks into the vest pocket, closing the drawer and putting her jacket back on, buttoning it closed. Now she was ready. Now she had to get out.

A quick glance at her watch told her that Duo would be almost finished setting up the explosives he had magically produced. He was going to have to explain that, too. She made her way to their meeting point as swiftly and carefully as she could, glad for mufflers between the disks.

“Hey, you!” a security stepped out.

“Not today, buddy,” in the same movement, she drew her gun and hurled a smoke bomb out him. It opened immediately, blinding the man, and knocking him out. She ran away from the incriminating scene, nearly running into more guards. She shot att them and opened another gas bomb, then ran full tilt for the rendezvous. Alarms started to go off- their cover was blown.

Sight of a familiar chestnut braid leaning around a corner to aim a gun, brought a relieved smile to her face. “Duo!”

“Babe!” he replied, not looking up from his targets until he was finished, then he grabbed her hand and pulled her after him. “They found you, too?”

“Can we get out in time?” she nodded.

“Have you got the disks?”

“Plenty.”

“Then we can get out. This way,” he pulled her down a side corridor, and again she was being lead by a master of infiltration. Duck in here, take a side route there, through endless corridors and they were on the roof of the building. “Only way. Get that stinger of yours out here,” he turned to fire on men following them and slammed the door closed on them. “Hurry!”

“Right,” she fished out a pocket remote and pressed the most prominent button. Ten seconds later, Thistle Wing’s engines cut the air and landed before them. “Come on!” she called, swinging herself up.

“You go, I can handle this,” he ordered, holding the door closed. The sound of helicopters whirring towards them added urgency. “Go! Whatever happens, you’re more important. Don’t worry about me.”

“Duo!” she cried in disbelief. How could he do this to her? She couldn’t just leave him here!

“GO!”

The choppers were getting closer. With a wordless cry of frustration, she swung inside the cockpit and closed it, firing up the manual systems. “Idiot. Thinks he can be all noble-“ she muttered, strapping in. There was only one option- protect her peanut-brained dingbat boyfriend from the suit. “Let’s do this.”

The Thistle shot upwards easily. Green, serrated wings, almost like leaves, rose from it’s back to keep her up and purple accent lights shone eerily. One great hand reached around to the back to lift away a giant claymore, it’s blade an eerie purple beam. (AN: *sweatdrop* I’ve been reading too much of Kate Forsyth’s ‘Witches of Eileanan’ Series. Actual books. According to her, a claymore is- “a heavy, two-edged sword, often as tall as a man.” Or in this case, a gundam. O.o That is SOME weapon…) With barely any effort, it raised to knock it’s flat side into the two helicopters, flinging them away. She immediately plunged downward to check on Duo, just as the door was forced open.

The guards came out triumphantly, bearing down on Duo, and came face to face with- a mobile suit nearly 17 meters tall. (AN: ^^; Anybody know how to convert meters to feet?) The horrified shock on their faces was almost comical and Duo took advantage of it to scramble up one of the Thistle’s legs and into the cockpit.

“Miss me?” he panted, still managing a cheeky grin.

“You’re just damn lucky,” Kyla muttered and raised the claymore in warning. The guards scattered, practically climbing over each other to get back inside and far, FAR away.

“I knew you’d come through,” he said smugly, strapping himself into a seat further back in the cockpit. “Hey this thing’s really done up!”

Kyla didn’t respond, her fingers flying over the keyboard of an onboard computer, and she swore. “They’re mobilizing. We just HAD to be flashy about it, didn’t we?” she sighed.

“Can I use that thing?” Duo pulled a disk out of his jacket pocket. “I found this lying around.”

“Sure, go ahead. But don’t blame me if it gets rocky around here,” she unstrapped it and handed it to him, then took the controls again, already able to see Mobile Dolls approach. “Hiiiiiiiiaaaaaay!” she leapt into the air and came down amidst the dolls, slashing at them with the claymore and bringing down the first row.

Duo rocked against his seat and raised an eyebrow, but dared not comment. He no doubt that she was indeed descended from brave Scottish clansmen as she ripped apart the suits, making ‘Braveheart’ look tame. He popped the disk into the machine and opened it up, sifting through passcodes and files, growing accustomed to the rocking of the suit.

The Thistle jumped into the air and kicked off against the wall of the building, flying through the lines of suits, the great claymore taking out rows and rows at a time.

“Yie!” Duo’s eyes widened and he stared at her, straining against the seatbelts. “Oi, watch it, will ya?!”

She glanced back to grin at him. “Aw, don’t tell me you can’t stand a little boat rocking, Thanatos.”

Suits fell rapidly, the Thistle barely taking a hit, and never once scratching or denting; dolls just didn’t have the power to break through that lacquer. The field cleared a little, the remaining suits attempting to gang up on her.

A comm. link appeared on Kyla’s screen, a man’s image in it. “Greetings, Ms Addison,” he said condescendingly.

Kyla gasped in recognition and Duo peered around to see. Memories came at her in a rush and she found her tongue slipping back into old ways, the twang in his tone starting the onslaught. “Harold ye blaygird scumbug, what in hells do ye think ye’re doin’?!” she snapped.

He smiled wickedly. “I’m no longer Harold, Ky. My name’s Jack Darwin now. And YOU are intrudin’.”

“Ye stupid fuck, what are ye blatherin’ on abou’?!” she demanded angrily. The dolls seemed suspended in place, hanging back and waiting for orders. Duo glanced from Kyla to the man on the screen who had the beginnings of a similar face structure. His overwhelmed mind fought to understand their heavy accents before he remembered; Kyla had said that she was born in Scotland. So this must be someone she knew.

The man scowled. “Ye canna speak to me that way, cousin!”

“I’ll speak to you any way I damn well please! Now stop fucking around and tell me what it is ye’re up to!” Duo facefaulted. COUSIN?

“Ye always were impudent,” Jack snarled. “We thought ye were dead.”

“Too bad for you I’m no’! Wha’ games are ye playing here, Harold?”

“My name isna Harold!” he fumed. “Tis Jack Darwin now and dinna ye forget it!” a mad gleam lit his eye and several dolls came sailing towards them.

She spared the dolls no more than the necessary effort or attention and immediately faced him again. “I’m no’ in the mood for your games,” she quiet tone was dangerous.

“You don’ have the luxury of decidin’, cousin,” he was nearly able to match her glare for glare, save the maniacal glint in his brown eyes. He turned away from the screen, barking orders at men behind him, and when he turned back, he was laughing. “Good bye at last, Addison,” he cackled.

Kyla’s eyes widened at the screen. “SHITE!!!!!!!”

Blinking, heat seeking missiles streaked straight for the Thistle, aiming directly for it’s middle. Furiously, Kyla and the Thistle shot upward and back the way they had come, the pilot swearing viciously when the missiles turned all-too quickly to follow. She beat at the controls frantically, tried to evade them, make them miss, but then with a sickening drop of her stomach realized that they were within a colony. Those missiles slamming through the outer wall, possibly even the explosion they made anywhere else, would kill everyone within. All it would take was the tiniest tear, the most minute pinprick of a hole. Angry with herself and her son of a bitch cousin, she headed straight for the exit, punching in an override code to make the massive doors between her and open space obey her need.

“Ky, let me off,” Duo unbuckled his seatbelt.

“What?! Why!?”

“I’m not good in here. I think I know where he’s hiding. Open the door, I’ll be ok,” he readied himself to jump out through the cockpit’s door.

“What?! You’ll be killed!” she spared him a horrified look. “Duo-“ she bit her lip and nodded. She knew he was right. “Be careful.”

“I will,” he kissed her cheek and wiped away the beginning of a tear from her soft lashes. The cockpit door swung open and he dropped down and away, lost to her. Feeling ill, she switched on the video screen, watching, heart in her throat, as he landed expertly in the softening treetops of a park. With a choked sigh of relief- whatever happened now, she had no control of it- she turned all her attention back to the opening doors.

Space swallowed her and her immediate mission was to lead the missiles away from the colony. Very, VERY far away. They made three comet-like pinpricks of moving light in the vast black vacuum. Within the colony, people pointed to video screens in awe and fear. What was going on? Why was there a mobile suit battle here?

Duo half free fell, half climbed his way down the trees, taking on many a scratch and dropping neatly to his feet onto the grass. He took a moment to orient himself and then started running. He knew exactly where he was going. Cousin or no, this guy was going down.

He raced along the streets of the colony and directly to the building the laptop had pinpointed as the source of the signal. Without hesitation, he dodged the distracted guards and ran in. No one moved to stop him- all were glued to the video screens, watching news coverage of something no one had ever thought to see again. He wasted no time watching, steeling his heart to believe in her, and continued through the building to the top story and the roof. The door flew open at his entrance and a figure turned to face him.

“Jack Darwin,” Duo growled.

The man’s eyes narrowed, a slight resemblance to Kyla flickering over his face in his determination, but it was lost immediately as his look turned wicked. “And who might you be?”

“Och, I’m jus’ a wee man o’ the faeries,” Duo mocked his accent and drew his gun fluidly. “Back away from that control panel if you know what’s good for you.”

Jack sniffed disdainfully. “American. Only YOU could be so crass. What’s your business here, George Washington?”

Duo fought down his reactions to Jack’s words, knowing it would just make him lose his temper. “My ‘business’ is to stop you. I won’t say it again- back away from the control panel.”

A slow smile spread across jack’s face. “What, you mean- this control panel?” he waved a hand at the array of technology set up before him. “Gladly-“ his finger jammed down on a button and as Duo’s bullet streaked for his skull, he leapt out of the way, laughing madly.

“You sick bastard-“ Duo swore.

“Duo!?” Kyla’s voice echoed over the comm..

“Ky!”

“Aye, my cousin’s no’ such a bad fighter afterall,” Jack nodded. Too late, Duo realized Jack’s eyes weren’t on him, and someone he couldn’t see was pulling both his arms back, immobilizing him. He fought back, but within a moment his gun was out of his hand and he was completely captive. Jack laughed as the string of curses from the American. “You on the other hand, are obviously no’.” That stung. “But even she is not invincible,” Jack continued, and strolled casually back to the control panel.

“Duo!? Harold, what’ve you done to him!?” Kyla tried to fight and talk at the same time, earning herself several close calls in the process.

“Why, nothing, cousin, dearest. Only taken him out of action,” he reveled in the horrified look on his cousin’s face. The man holding Duo clamped a hand over his struggling captive’s mouth to keep him quiet. “You shouldn’t’ve come here, Ky. My influence stretches across the entire Earth and all its’ colonies. I know you’re helping against Markiah, I heard all about Sydney. He’s the biggest and greatest account I’ve ever handled and soon, no one will be able to stop us from punishing the world for their wrongs against us! They WILL suffer!”

“I won’t let you ruin this world they’ve worked so hard for!” Kyla’s eyes narrowed. The beat of the righteous heart. The promise of the thistle. Wait- something wasn’t right. She quickly surveyed the lit equipment before her. What was-?

“Enjoy Dame Addison, I’ve left you a wee gift,” he said, keying in a four digit passcode.

“You bastard- what’ve you done?” Duo yelled, foreboding filling him and turning his stomach to jello, all his hatred pouring out of his eyes.

Kyla’s eyes widened in fear and a sickly yellow glow seemed to fill the cockpit. It was like- like the Thistle was in her head with her, fighting with her. Telling her what to do, how to fight, where to strike at the throat of her enemy. Her scream echoed through space and the colony.

“You bastard!” Duo broke free of his captor, and ran forward, swinging his fist in a wide arc, ready to slam it into Jack’s jaw. A force field like those that had been created for the Mercurious stopped him, sending a jolt of electricity up his spine and crackling with static. He collapsed to his knees as the flares died down. “What’ve you done to her?” he whispered, not defeated yet.

“You may step back- he won’t be any more trouble,” Jack nodded to the guard, who left, and smirked down at Duo. “You’ve heard of it, I’m sure. It’s called a Zero System.”

Duo’s eyes widened.

In space, Kyla battled, slicing through suits without thinking about it- no, she wasn’t thinking about it. Her thoughts were searching frantically for a way out. An irrational wave of claustrophobia swept through her and she could feel herself tensing up in fear, like a child. And suddenly, she was a child again.

“Mam!” she could feel someone’s legs inside her arms. Her mother. She was warm… she smelt like flour and ginger…

“MAMA!” someone pulling her away- away from the still, discolored forms of her parents- “MAMA!!!”

“Kyla,” warm arms wrapped around her and she cried into the folds of someone’s dress. She turned her wet face up to look at the person there. Her grandmother smiled down at her, every detail of her wizened old face etched deep into her memory. “I know little one… it’ll be alright…”

The unforgiving, crackling light of flames swept away her grandmother’s image. She ran up the stony dirt path, tripping, falling, scraping her knee, scrambling to her feet and pressing onward. “GRANMAMA!” There was smoke- too much smoke- much too much smoke- Her heart pounded with fear, she understood now. She knew what was happening- didn’t want to believe it, but did she have a choice?

“GRANMAMA!” she crested the rise and stopped at the small white gate, her workdress blowing in the winds and updrafts generated by the flames. Even at this distance, they seemed to burn into her skin with their heat. “GRANMAMA!” she screamed, ready to run in and find her.

“Don’t be a fool!” someone held her back.

“No! Granmama! I have to go to her! GRANMAMA!” she cried, struggling against their grasp, knowing she couldn’t break free. She sank to her knees, watching the flames lick up around the cottage. It was too late. She was too late. One final sob escaped her lips before she lost all her senses to the tears. “Granmama…”

“Eh?” he looked up and his face broke into a grin when he saw her. “Hey, Ky, what’s up?”

“Muchacha-!” Isabel screamed as Andria and Estelle shoved her over the edge of the pool and she fell in with a splash, making them all laugh, Raisa and Kyla watching from their seats by the pool. She resurfaced to spit water in their faces, joining them in a grin. Then she yanked them both in with her. “Do NOT think you can win-“ gurgle.

“Kyla!” he smiled warmly at her, something twinkling, dancing in his eyes. “Wanna go somewhere?”

“You’re going to get the dress right?”

His warm arm around her waist…

“Don’t be silly- I’ll pay for it then.”

Reaching for her ice cream on a busy street in Sydney, his arms wrapped tightly around her middle…

“With my own money too. You look beautiful. You should have the dress.”

Stepping lightly, twirling in his arms, to the rhythm of a heart-throbbing harmony… The cool, hardwood floor beneath her stockinged feet the exact opposite of the heat in her face or passing between their hands.

“It’s my treat.”

His worried eyes and lingering hand on her arm before she slipped out into the bar to execute her mission.

“It’s my gift then.”

In the cockpit, Kyla shook her head, trying to focus on the reality around her again. She was sweating but she couldn’t lift her hands off the controls to wipe it away. “What…?” She was breathing hard, the suit had finally stopped moving. Had she stopped it? Or were there simply no enemies left? She swallowed hard, a new fear gripping her stomach. Had she destroyed them all in one fit of fury? “What is this thing?”

Jack laughed down at Duo, thinking he had beaten him into submission. “It’s really a very advanced system. It plugs directly into the pilot’s brain, making them the perfect soldier. The best killing machines ever made. The only draw back, is that it has a tendency to… drive the pilot insane,” his face broke into a cruel grin.

Slowly, shakily, Duo pulled himself up so that he could glare at him. “You don’t know the first thing about the Zer- oh!” someone kicked him in the back, hard. Bastards. Dishonorable bastards. Kicking a man when he was down…

“It’s also,” he knelt down to look Duo in the face, to gloat and be able to watch the pain tearing him apart. “been known to show a pilot his future.”

“Why are you telling me this?” he croaked. The pain in his back was fading, going numb. His ribs would probably ache for the next week though. If he made it to the next week. The back of his mind was whirling, calculating, trying to find a way out. Perhaps the best way was to pretend that he was just the back country hick tagalong sidekick, infatuated with the gundame pilot and shoving his nose in to help even though he couldn’t. Dimly he hoped he wasn’t living the role.

“Because,” his voice dropped to a whisper. “Dame Addison, is psychic.”

Duo’s eyes widened, reacting before he could stop himself. Real fear for her gripped him now, along with a flood of memories. He had piloted Wing Zero- he knew the torture of the system- but- if she- if she had a tendency towards these things- god- her senses- her poor senses- they’d overload! It really might drive her insane!

“Didn’t know that, did you?” he chuckled maliciously, falling for the trap Duo’s wide blue eyes always set.

Ky, Ky, babe, I’m going to get you out… I have to… If I can just get to the comm…. If she can just hear my voice… Thank god this guy was such a fool. “She’s stronger than that, you know!” he spat, slipping into his role again. Just a little longer… let him relax enough for Duo to land one good punch to his jaw and make that stupid forcefield move out of his way…

“You don’t really understand, do you?” he cocked his head to the side. “The Zero system has only ever been truly mastered by one man. A gundam pilot, years ago. But maybe he didn’t master it- you see, he disappeared after the war. Most likely the aftermath of what he saw has driven him mad. Pity really. He could have been an excellent addition to our side.”

“What side is that? Satan’s?” earned Duo another kick in the ribs. He groaned appropriately, but his eyes never left Jack. Yes, there! He had done it- Duo Maxwell, you are one hell of an actor.

“It shouldn’t be long now before it begins to show her her future,” he said, standing, stupidly turning his back on Duo, thinking him impotent now. He grinned, nothing nice in it. “It will show her dying by my hand, you, her lover, dead or in pain nearby- I haven’t decided which yet.”

“Let me make the decision for you,” the sound of cracking knuckles and Duo’s voice strong and without pain made Jack turn and his eyes widened moments before Shinigami’s fist connected with his face. Duo made sure he had fallen and then wasted no time reaching the comm. Thistle registration number… “KYLA!!!”

“Thistle, why are you doing this to me?” she had lost all control. This machine was taking over her mind. Dimly a word made it through the fog… ‘ZERO’. Of course…

It was hot day and none of the girls wanted to pay attention. They slouched in their seats or passed notes, some daring to giggle in the back. The class spanned three age brackets, the youngest about twelve.

She was fifteen years old again, shooting furtive looks to her companions and trying not to draw any attention to themselves. Andria looked the other way as she expertly flicked a folded up note onto Kyla’s desk, drawing a giggle from Raisa at her over dramatics.

“Girls?”

Kyla’s arms immediately folded to cover the note. Every girl in the room instantly faced front, looking innocent and engrossed in the Madam’s lecture.

She was not amused. Arms crossed over her chest, her glared around the room, scouting out the guilty parties. “Do I need to remind you again why it is important that you be here?” Now they all looked guilty, reminded of their missions. “I thought not. May I continue?” No one dared protest. “The Zero System. Who was it made by? Dame Brownlow?”

“We don’t know,” Estelle swallowed hard. She had been drawing on her notes again.

“Correct. What DO we know about it, Dame Jacobs?” the Madam turned to a younger girl, also not paying full attention.

“Th-that it’s powers are incredible,” the girl began, looking nervous but pushing ahead anyway. “That it can drive a pilot insane. That it’s only been programmed into two mobile suits so far and that this is the first war it’s ever been used in.”

“Very good.”

The Madam’s voice faded from her mind. Her breath came in short, hard rasps, her exhausted form straining against the seatbelts. A shaking hand reached up to support her aching, buzzing head, her eyes wide and unseeing. Her thoughts raced at a thousand miles a minute, confusion and chaos reined. She could feel her heart throbbing in her chest, fighting to keep a steady beat. The only sounds were those of the system and her breathing, a disturbing quiet as she fought for control.

Slowly, she realized that that crackling wasn’t just static… it was someone’s voice, fearful, urgent, as familiar as the Madam’s had been, and right now, infinitely more welcome. Numbly, her hand reached out to flick the comm. back on. “Duo…”

Inside the colony, Duo stopped screaming into the comm. He swallowed hard, tilting his head back to send up silent thanks and when he blinked again, there were hot, wet lines crossing his cheeks. “Kyla.”

“Duo… how do I get out of here?”

“Kyla, listen very carefully. Jack Darwin found a way to plant a different cockpit system in the Thistle. It’s called ZERO. It plays off your weaknesses to make you stronger, but you have to have a strong mind set to fight under it, otherwise it takes control.”

Kyla listened carefully, taking stock of herself and moving her stiff limbs. She glanced at the screen and wimpered. “There are more coming…”

“Bring it in, Ky. I’m not risking you on that with a sixth sense,” he ordered, finally able to pull up the visual on the unfamiliar machine. She looked scared and shaken, but not beaten.

“Sixth sense?” she blinked at him, wide-eyed.

“He said that you have one. It makes sense, Ky, think about it. I’d rather not risk it. Bring the Thistle in. I’ll pilot it,” Duo was already pressing buttons on the panel- there, he had a view of the battle field now. He swore. Their reinforcements were practically on top of her now.

“Duo, I can’t- they’re right here- I’ll just have to risk it,” she sounded brave as she pulled on a helmet, but he could see she was afraid. “Besides,” blue eyes turned to the comm. tenderly, and a pale hand reached up to touch the screen. “I don’t want you to get hurt, either. Over.” She closed the window.

Dup put his hand up to meet hers, too late. “Ky- Kyla! No! Damn it!” He slammed his fist into the paneling and sparks flew up. In classic Duo fashion, his eyes widened. “Whoops…” it started to smoke and electricity crackled along its glass surface. “Woah- hey!” he backed off, staring at it.

“You idiot- what’ve you done to it?! The whole system’s blown now! My dolls! My network!” Jack pushed Dup aside to lurch to his feet and see that it was too late for his precious machinery.

Duo gave him a skeptical look and slugged him again. He didn’t get up again. Warning lights were flashing like crazy from the panels and the guards had fled the room. “Woops- looks like it’s time for me to boogie-“ One instinct, he found his way back down through the building, again, with no one to stop him. When he hit the street, he wasted no time and hailed a cab to the vast doors leading onto outer space. If he had to hijack a suit, he would.

His resolve not to glance at the coverage of battle being broadcast throughout the entire colony fell apart when he looked up to see the Thistle streaking straight back for the colony. Several people screamed, and for a moment he couldn’t move. Then he was off like a shot for the doors to help her back in.

“Damnit- gerroff!” Kyla muttered through grit teeth as she confused the last doll and ran it through with her claymore. Before more suits could be sent, she was streaking back to the colony, punching in the override and ready to ride it out. She was sweating the effort and much fewer lights blinked back at her from her dashboard. She had had to disable most of it to keep the ZERO under control. Manual battling… NOT something to make a habit of.

The doors were open just enough- and she was through, bringing the suit to a decent stop and ignoring the frantic technicians running around. The cockpit door opened on a huge cloud of dust that made her choke and obscured her from their view. She fell back in her seat, eyes stinging and hacking her lungs out, it seemed.

Strong arms lifted her out and in a dizzying moment had set her on her feet on solid ground. “Ky- Kyla, are you alright? How many fingers am I holding up?”

“Duo?” she rubbed at her eyes and her weary face broke into a smile as she wrapped her arms around him.

He hugged her back just as tightly. “Come on- we can’t stay here- where’s that remote control thingy you’ve got?”

“Here,” she pressed it into his hand. “Be careful with that-“

“Let’s try- this one-“ Duo jammed a finger on the button and the cockpit door slammed closed, the huge suit rocketing upwards, only his lightning reflexes keeping it from slamming into the ceiling. They both stared upwards at it through the haze, as terrified technicians and engineers panicked, clueless.

“C-A-R-E-F-U-L,” Kyla reiterated weakly.

“Eh heh…” Duo muttered sheepishly and got control of the suit. “Let’s rock and roll, baby!”

__________________________________

Kyla moved around the tiny kitchen of the minuscule apartment she and Duo had been forced to move to when their hotel room had become conspicuous. Mm, had it only been three days ago since that big battle? She forced back memories of the ZERO system and placed a pile of cutlery in the sink, humming a little. A noise came from the room behind her and she called over her shoulder.

“I’ll be there in a minute, Duo! I just need to finish. You don’t want burned food, do you?” she lifted the lid of a pot on the stove to monitor its contents and adjusted the heat. “You know, you never did tell me how you managed to hide the Thistle in that hangar so quickly- or without anyone seeing you.” Another grunt from the back room. “You also didn’t tell me how you got through those air vents so easily. You DO know that you ARE going to have to explain it all to me eventually, right?” she filled a bowl with the soup from the pot and placed it on a ready and waiting tray, ignoring the grumblings that emanated from Duo’s vicinity. “What was that?”

Silence.

“I didn’t think so.” She carried the tray into the bedroom and set it on a side table, grinning at her Shinigami. “It’s chicken soup.”

“Kyyyyyyyyy~laaaaaaaaaa!”

Her laptop began to blink and she gave him one last teasing glance before opening it. A window opened immediately, presenting with an option. Her eyes widened and she shrieked, pressing ‘Enter’. “Oh my god!”

“What!? What?!” Duo called frantically from behind her.

“Raisa!” was the happy reply as Kyla pulled up the video link. “Rai-!” she paused. “Trowa?”

A small smile graced the bang-ed wonder’s lips. “Hello, Kyla. I’ll get her. Raisa!” he called into the background.

Duo’s eyes widened. “Trowa!? On video!? Gah! No!” he dove under the already rumpled covers of the bed.

Kyla ignored him. “You’re being an idiot, Duo.” Her eyes lit as Raisa came to sit in front of the camera, just as excitedly. “Rai!”

“Ky! Oh gods, I was getting so worried about you! You never replied to anything and neither have the others-“ Raisa started to babble.

“What? Rai, what do you mean they haven’t responded?”

“I haven’t had contact with anyone since you all left!”

“What!?” Kyla stared at the monitor. Behind her, Duo peeked out from beneath the sheets. “You’ve heard nothing?”

“Not a word,” Raisa shook her head sadly. A pair of gentle hands came to massage her shoulders and she glanced up and behind her gratefully. “I don’t suppose you have?”

Kyla shook her head, disturbed. “No. I’m sorry I didn’t reply, Rai, I didn’t know you’d be worried… this can’t be good. I’ll try them later, if that’ll help.”

“Thank you,” Raisa smiled gratefully.

“So how’ve you been?” Kyla asked carefully, trying to hide any amusement as she watched Trowa’s hands on Raisa’s shoulders.

“We’re good,” Raisa said lightly, then broke into a smile.

“I thought so!” Kyla grinned.

“And how’s your dingbat?”

“I’m not a dingbat!” Duo shot beneath the covers again.

“Actually, how IS Duo?” Trowa bent down to look at the monitor better.

Kyla’s grin turned feral. “How is the dingbat? How IS the dingbat? Dingbat, why don’t we show them how you are?”

“Noooo! Kyla! Come on, you can’t! They’ll never let me live it down!”

“Oh, but Dingbat they’ll be so concerned!” Kyla winked at the confused Raisa and Trowa and angled the camera towards the bed, where Duo was trying to burrow through the mattress. “Come on, Duo,” she pulled the sheets off him.

Trowa and Raisa stared. Then almost simultaneously, both began to giggle, and grin, and then to laugh outright, leaning on one another for support.

Duo glared back at them, crossing his arms over his chest, and then immediately scratching the spots on his arms. “You people act like you’ve never seen someone with chicken pox before…” he muttered.

“Check out my Connect The Dots Thanatos!” Kyla hugged him and then swatted at his hand. “Don’t scratch,” she ordered.

“H-How did you get chicken pox?” Trowa managed through his laughter.

“We walked past a day care on the way home the other day,” Duo glared at him.

“Within twenty-four hours, he had spots,” Kyla affirmed.

“I hope you have plenty of calamine lotion,” Raisa giggled.

“Rai, can’t you see they’ve already used half a bottle!” they both succumbed to more laughter.

“I’m going to get you for this,” Duo scowled at Kyla.

“Well you sure can’t give it to me,” she pointed out. “Waves of it ran through the Keep and I’ve already had it. Actually-“ she turned back to the computer, serious now. “I don’t know how long it’ll be before they let us go back to Earth.”

They both sobered, and Raisa pulled the laptop closer. “Nothing urgent is happening here as yet, but I am getting worried about the others. Whenever you can, come home and let me know. We’ll meet you in Sank.”

“Right,” Kyla nodded.

“We need to try the others though, so I suppose we have to go,” Raisa smiled sadly.

“What’re you doing letting him man your laptop, anyway?” Kyla raised a slightly teasing eyebrow at Trowa.

“No one ever answered my calls anyway!” Raisa defended him. “He’s good at this kind of thing,” she deflected any argument. “Tell the Dingbat we hope he feels better and stay in touch, alright?”

“Hey, I’m right here, you know!”

“Will do,” Kyla smiled sadly and reached over the laptop. “Our regards to Trowa as well. See ya, Rai.” The connection was closed.

Kyla sighed and sat back against the pillows on the bed, lost in her thoughts. “Life’s funny, isn’t it?”

Duo continued to scowl and tried to scratch again, “You aren’t the one with chicken pox at nineteen… this is a kid’s disease!”

“I can’t believe you haven’t had it or a vaccination by now,” Kyla raised an eyebrow at him. “Don’t scratch,” she batted his hand away.

“But it itches!” he wailed miserably.

“I know, heart-of-mine,” she sat up and kissed the top of his braided head. “But scratching just makes it worse, I promise. Come on, lie back and have your lunch, huh?”

He grumbled but complied, enjoying the attention he received as she fluffed his pillows and straightened the sheets. “You know what would REALLY make me feel better?” he said, a light dancing mischievously in his eyes.

She shot him a skeptical look. “What?”

“Having a pretty girl sit here and feed me and then help me bath and put lotion on me and-“

“Duo!” she crossed her arms and tried to look angry but failed at his too-cute look. “What am I going to do with you, huh?”

“Love me and take care of me and- yeah, and love me,” he decided.

She raised an eyebrow at him, her posture shifting subtly. “Love you, hm?”

“You heard it straight,” he said seriously.

“Well…” she sat next to him on the bed, very close and leaned in until their faces nearly touched. “I don’t have any problem with that…” his eyes lit. “But- I don’t think you’re really up to it at the moment,” she pulled away and went to get the cooling tray of food.

Duo stared at her, slack jawed. She had- had just- just said- just said she would- and- DAMMIT! “Woah, woah, woah, back up there-“

She set the tray across his lap and smiled pleasantly down at his shocked face. “Motivated to get better yet?” she kissed the dumbfounded Duo on his forehead again and left. “You better eat all that!”

He stared after her, in shock. He allowed himself the time to let their conversation filter through his fever clogged mind and register on every level. A hugr grin slowly came to his face and he let out a whoop. Kyla loved him!

China

An entourage of servants provided by the Dames mysterious supporters greeted Isabel in China. They escorted her to her new residence, an elderly man telling her all she needed to know.

“The aristocracy rules here,” he said as they rode through the city’s streets. “Therefore, in order for you to penetrate society and find what you need, you much become one of the upper classes. The residence in incredibly well furnished even for someone of your assumed station and everything is being paid for by your benefactors.

Isabel nodded. “And my identity?”

“Daughter, heir, and chief representative to the owner of a large resource-managing company. It’s influence is growing and you are here to spread good will on behalf of your parents. It’s rumored that very soon you may rival the Winners.”

“Ah, I see,” She said, thinking of the blond boy who had befriended Estelle, as they pulled up to her new residence.

“There is a rather large party tonight- an excellent opportunity to see and be seen, Madam Holcon,” he continued.

“Very well. And, Amigo- call me Dame Halcon.” She said, stepping out. ‘So we shall see’.

__________________________________

Wufei managed to control his anger on the plane and the trip to his family’s ancient residence, but seeing it very nearly tipped the balance. This house had belonged to his family for hundreds of years even before the Changs had left Earth. That someone had the nerve enough to think that mere money could replace it was an insult.

“Master Chang,” the head servant bowed. “We are glad that finally your family has returned to its roots.”

“Yes, thank you. See to my bags, please?” he couldn’t help sounding short. The concentration needed to control the angry dragon inside him distracted from his people skills. (AN: Like those were good to be begin with…) He took himself inside and to the large Master Suite directed to him. His rage slowly grew as he saw all the priceless family heirlooms littering the house. He slammed the door of his suite without meaning to and took off his stiff, formal, outer clothing, his impatience making it a more difficult and trying job than usual. “I’ll kill whoever is tampering with out soil,” he said through gritted teeth. That stupid news show- it had shown him that that asshole Markiah was looking to buy large swaths of lands to extend his- ‘college’ situated here in China. “Over my dead body.” The lands traditionally belonged to the Changs. So he had come here to have a personal hand in the proceedings, unwilling to leave it in the hands of even the most trusted and loyal family servants.

His first opportunity would come that very evening. Servants came in to help him bathe and dress for the large party that night given by none other than the man representing Markiah. He was grateful for their assistance because it allowed him time to think. By the time he left, the rage was as a dragon, coiled inside him, ready to be unleashed at any time that he called on it. A mask took over his face and he rode to the mansion where the party was without so much as blinking an eyelash. Control. Everything was about control.

The hosts greeted him with false warmth.

“Ah, Master Chang!” the man said, clasping Wufei’s hand in both of his own. The man reminded him strongly of Duke Dermail- all show. “It is excellent that your family has finally returned to it’s rightful place on Earth.” ‘With the rest of us’ when unsaid.

Wufei didn’t bother to smile back. “I thank you for your kind hospitality in inviting me on such short notice, Master Xiang.”

“Not at all, not at all! How could I possibly not invite the last of the Chang clan? This is a great day indeed.” Or, in layman’s terms; I’m just waiting to finish off you and your disgustingly rich family. More glary shall come soon!

“Indeed,” Wufei nodded solemnly. ‘You lying son of a bitch, you think you can toy with my like an inexperienced child. Your family only managed to stop scrabbling in the dirt when mine left for Outer Space.’ “I won’t keep you from your other guests any longer.” They bowed and Wufei slipped into the crowd. “Mission Accepted,” he muttered to himself.

“Chang Wufei!” A hearty hand clapped him on the back. “Friend, it has been too long!”

Wufei turned and managed a weak smile. “It is good to see you again, Ramsay.” The large man before him grinned through a carefully trimmed blond beard. He was obviously of European descent, but he too had grown up on L5.

“Ah, not since 190, hm? I am so sorry to hear about Meiran,” Ramsey shook his head sadly.

‘Meiran’, an old ache returned to Wufei’s chest. Of course. The last time he had seen Ramsey, she had still been alive. “Thank you,” he said quietly, eyes downcast.

Ramsey frowned in concern. “Come, Wufei, let us move on as the living should. Actually,” he coughed surreptitiously. “There are rumored to be two great beauties here tonight, though I have only seen one. Truly the most exotic flower, indeed.”

“Exotic? Ramsey I am not looking to get married again,” Wufei shook his head. Especially not after the way love and all it’s partners had treated him.

“Do not make rash decisions before you see what is offered,” his old friend advised. “Come and see,” Ramsey lead Wufei though the general throng. Wufei spotted where they were headed immediately. A tight group of eager young men blocked his view of whomever was at the center of it. He didn’t want some game-playing jewel fit only to sit on her husband’s hand and sparkle. SHE had taught him that…

The knot shifted slightly and he could see who was causing the commotion. He nearly fell flat on his face, heart pounding wildly. “Isabel?”

She turned then and their eyes met. Shock read plainly on her exquisite face.

“Lady Halcon-“
“Madam Isabel-“

“E-Excuse me, gentlemen,” Isabel smiled sweetly at her admirers. “I’m feeling a little faint-“ she slipped out from amongst them, putting them between herself and Wufei. ‘What’s that hibrido doing here?!’

“Damn, looks like it will have to wait-“ Ramsey said, disappointed, turning to his young friend.

“I’ll talk to you later, Ramsey!” Wufei called, disappearing into the crowd. He had to find her. He had to. It must have been her- why else would she have run away? If he didn’t find her now and speak to her… he might never get another chance… He found her outside, away from the open balcony and all it’s light and noise that flooded into only a small corner of the night,

Isabel was aware of his approach. She didn’t try to move, knowing it wouldn’t deter him, but she wished she could sink into the wall of the building. ‘Why now? Why him?’

“Isabel.”

“Wufei.” They stood still for a long moment, trying to size each other up. “Why are you here?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” The silence stretched between them. “My family owns land here. I’m here to oversee a business deal.”

“I’m here on a mission. For Ms. Relena,” she replied honestly.

“That new threat?”

“Si.”

“Isa,” he began uncomfortably.

“You lost the right to call me that the moment you doubted me,” her eyes flashed with anger.

“Isabel-“

“No. I don’t want to hear it, Chang,” she put up a hand to stop him. “I’ve seen people like you before. They wander the Earth and Space like lost souls. You’re just a confused little boy who could never live up to the expectations placed upon you. So you try to feel strong by living only by the rules of right and wrong that you don’t really understand. Good bye, Wufei,” she brushed past him and to the balcony stairs.

He let her go, staying where he was in defeat. Isabel paused ever so briefly as she turned to enter the building. She could just make out his forlorn form before her eyes were flooded with all the sights and sounds of the party. ‘Adios amante.”

“Lady Isabel,” Master Xiang had managed to part her throng of admirers. “Might I be honored to speak with you?”

“Certainly,” Isa curtsied. “Excuse me,” she said to her disappointed followers and took Master Xiang’s arm.

“Lady,”

“Please, call me Dame Isabel. It is what I am called at home.”

“Very well then, Dame Isabel. I have heard that your family is planning on extended it’s influence to Asia.”

“Si, Master. We are very eager to do so, as you have one of the best networks of exporting here. We would very much like to take advantage of your ‘middle men’ here.”

“Yes, yes, this part of Asia is known for it’s great shipping companies. Why, I own one myself.”

“Do you, Master Xiang?” ‘Finally, we make progress,’ she tried to sound as though she hadn’t already known this.

“Why yes, I do.” The wizened little man chuckled. ‘Like candy from an infant’.

“Ah, that’s right I remember now,” she feigned thought. “I have heard that you only use the best men to transport goods of such quality as the ones my family deals in.”

“That is so,” he nodded. Isa was trying her best not to be repulsed by him. Everything about him was wrinkly and old and he stank of corruption. “We only use the most dedicated of men, trained in all things. Our facilities are the best civilian schools in the world and rival only mass military organizations. We train them in everything from how to think to how to fight.”

“How to- fight?” she allowed astonishment and a little fear to show in her eyes.

“Why, Dame Isabel, when you are entrusted with the livelihood of others- and ones of such quality as your family produces,” Isa smiled grimly inside. Using her own words against her. Very clever. “-you must take care not to let it come to any harm. I assure you, dear lady, that we train them only in self defense.”

‘Horse shit.’ “Ah, I would very much like to see these training grounds, Master Xiang.”

“And so you would, my dear, so you would! Perhaps tomorrow it can be arranged for you to tour our facilities?”

“I would like that very much, sir,” Isa curtsied lightly.

“Ah, and there is Master Chang!” the gnarled little man beckoned to him.

“Master Xiang,” Wufei bowed. He had just come in from outside. His eyes met Isa’s, but she looked away.

“May I present to you Dame Isabel? She is here from Spain to see if her family would like to do business with us.”

“Lady,” Wufei took her hand and bent over to kiss it, as a gentleman should.

“Master Chang and I have already met,” Isa said, her voice a little strangled. She glared at Wufei as he stood up. He returned her glare with a calm gaze.

“Ah, two young people such as yourselves would, I suppose,” Master Xiang nodded, pretending not to notice anything odd. He sighed wearily. “I am getting old and losing my grip on the doings of the younger ones. Soon it shall undo me. Master Chang, Dame Isabel and I were just discussing that she should like to tour our training facilities. Perhaps you would care to join us?”

“I would indeed,” Wufei bowed his head.

“Then it is agreed. Ah, but if you will pardon me, I must not neglect my other guests. Do enjoy the party,” the little man tottered off.

“That hibrido is still sharp as a tack,” Isabel muttered as they watched him go.

“You noticed too?” Wufei asked dryly.

Isa looked at him, she had almost managed to forget he was there. “I should compliment you, Wu-man. You look good.” She managed to keep the grudge from her voice. He did indeed look good. Formal dress suited him.

“As do you,” he nodded his head in acknowledgement. That was the understatement of the year. She was radiant. Black and pale yellow accented her hair and finely detailed features beautifully. “Pardon me, but I see an old friend.”

She watched him go, respect in her eyes. “Touché, mi amigo.”

Isabel chose a more conservative dress to tour the facilities. A high collar to her blouse and a pale blue jacket over a many layered blue skirt kept her looking respectable, if not comfortable. Plus, she could easily hide a knife or two within their folds.

She put on her mask of naive young maid as her car pulled up in front of Master Xiang’s house and she was escorted inside.

“Ah, Dame Isabel,” Master Xiang greeted her with what might be called warmth.

“Master Xiang,” she curtsied.

“Master Chang is already here, so we may begin immediately,” the little man nodded. Isa’s eyes narrowed and she glared at Wufei again. Infuriatingly, he refused the bait yet again. She had no choice but to follow the obnoxious little man however. He ordered his car to come, and it took them to the training facilities outside of the town. “Here we are,” he said as they pulled in. Wufei was first out and he helped the old man to catch his balance. “Thank you, my boy.”

Wufei said nothing, but offered his hand to Isabel as well. Grudgingly, she took it. And nearly let go in shock. It read plainly on his face as well. The fire…

“Come, let’s not dawdle,” Master Xiang called and continued to waddle ahead.

Their eyes locked for one more moment… each wary of what had passed between them. What was it? Would it happen again? Was the other to blame?

Xiang lead them throughout the buildings extensively, prattling on the entire time about this teacher or that class that was taught here. Isabel bore it with a smile plastered on her wide-eyed face. Good god this was boring…

“Here is where we teach mathematics. In this world one cannot possibly get by without a basic understanding of the fundamentals-“ the gnarled little man chattered.

Wufei interrupted him calmly. “This is most interesting, Master Xiang. Such an institute is admirable. However, I am concerned about the… physical education you put your men through. I’m told that that is what my land will be used for if it is sold to you.”

Isabel didn’t miss the flash of irritation in the small man’s eyes, though it was quickly covered by his jovial air of senile old man. She also appreciated Wufei’s cutting in now- it might just alleviate some of her boredom.

“Yes, of course you would be,” Master Xiang said cheerfully enough. “But you see, I had thought to perhaps leave that much out of the tour until much later this afternoon, as I fear Dame Isabel might not enjoy it, would you madam?” he looked at her condescendingly. “I had thought perhaps that she could spend the rest of the time with the other ladies in the building while we men continued on.”

Leave her out?! Like hell she’d be left behind! “Actually,” she said pleasantly. “I’m really rather curious. I’ve never seen men fight, let alone train,” she continued with her wide eyes.

The tightening of the small master’s shoulders was so quick, they both nearly missed it. “If that is what the lady wishes,” he said, voice a little strained.

“That’s most admirable of Lady Isabel not to shrink away from such things,” Wufei said impersonally, amusement in his eyes at her barely restrained fury that only he could see. “May we go now, Master Xiang? I am most eager to see this.”

“Right this way,” he nearly muttered and tottered ahead.

They followed him downstairs and outside and through a chain link fence. What they saw was almost beyond belief.

On a large, flat plain, were rows upon rows upon rows of men practicing martial arts. They stretched further than they could see, and the ranks never faltered in their practice. Isabel felt a pang of twisted nostalgia- hadn’t the Keep seemed just like this when she first arrived? Only something was wrong here… Wufei recognized it immediately. These men were being trained as killers, not defenders. And they were being trained to be soldiers.

“As you can see, our students are quite dedicated,” Xiang continued walking, leading them along one side of the rows of men. “We only accept 140% from them.”

“how very… disturbing…” Isabel murmured so quietly only Wufei barely picked it up. She watched the men, feeling disturbed. Was this how they had been at the Keep?

“Master Xiang,” Wufei drew the small man’s attention. “What is on the far side of that wall?” he pointed to a high wall on the very, very far end of the area that they could now thankfully see. He smelled wreckage… blood… defeat…

“Hmm? Why, nothing, my boy. It is simply a wall meant to keep prying eyes from our men so hard at work as you see here,” Xiang nodded amiably. “This is really all there is to see,” he said after a moment. “And I see that Dame Isabel has had quite enough. Shall we go?”

Xiang ordered his driver to take them both home as soon as he himself had been dropped off. “So weak and old, you know…” They sat uncomfortably in the backseat of the large car.

Wufei watched her out of the corner of his eye. She was beautiful. And not just physically- her spirit was beautiful too.

“You have a problem with something, muchacho Chino?” she glowered at him. Even her glower was beautiful.

“Nothing, senorita.”

Slide as quietly as you can, don’t let your feet move apart, keep your head up and your eyes open… Isa landed on the ground and silently thanked her teachers before dashing behind a building. The two men passed her by, completely unaware of her presence. The damn base was crawling with soldiers. She slipped away and found her way into the main office building. She needed to find their objectives. Now. She’s already been gone from Xiang’s stupid party for fifteen minutes now and if she didn’t return soon, someone would begin to look for her or find her bulky dress where she had hidden it in the garden. Remembering the dress she lengthened her stride, smiling. Pants were SO much more durable and practical.

Obviously the office was locked. A quick turn with a skeleton key made it open. She peered inside before going in and shutting the door behind her. On the desk was laptop, screensaver hard at work, albeit surrounded by stacks of papers and folders. With a groan she saw that the small room attached to this was nothing but row upon row of filing cabinets. If she didn’t find what she needed quickly she might have to actually go through each and every one. Better to start with the laptop. She sighed and got to work. A few minutes later she smiled. “Bingo.” She would be out of there in no time.

_________________________________

Wufei moved around the room at his usual pace, always questing for little pieces of information. While his ears took everything in, his eyes quested for one thing that he could not seem to find. Where was Isabel? She had been here only a short while ago but now she seemed to have disappeared.

Distraction allowed him to forget his mission briefly and move to one of the large windows of this residence. Xiang was such a dastard. He gave parties at other people’s houses the batty old coot. No, not so batty. The little man was still sharp as a tack just as- he scowled at his reflection in the glass. What was wrong with him? Why could he never stop thinking about her? What could possibly be so special about her? How was she doing this to him? He was Chang Wufei, the great warrior for Justice and last of the Chang clan. Surely no mere woman could do this to him? She was pulling him away from a mission that was rather important to his future. He needed to concentrate now. He couldn’t allow himself any more of these foolish flights of fantasy and-

“Wufei!” a hand clapped him jovially, if hard, on the shoulder.

Wufei’s eyes bugged out from shock and he nearly choked on his wine. Ramsey look at him in concern as he coughed and tried to regain a normal breathing pattern.

“You alright, Wufei?”

“Fine,” he croaked. Damn the irony! Damn it to the furthest pits of hell! He had become distracted again thinking of how he could not afford to be distracted! “Damn it, Ramsey, you could have given me some warning.”

“Sorry, old pal,” the giant said. “How are you? We’ve barely gotten to talk at all since you came out here.”

“Mm, I know.” Because of her… he gazed out into the darkness beyond the glass. No! Bad Wufei! Bad thoughts! Bad!

“Are you alright, Wufei?” Ramsey was peering at him curiously. “Is something bothering you?”

Wufei managed a weak smile. “No, nothing.”

Ramsey gave him a critical look. “I don’t believe you.”

“What!?”

“I said, I don’t believe you. Stop staring at me that way. I know when you’re lying, Wufei. Does it have something to do with that girl?”

Movement in the dark. A lithe figure. Long hair. Isabel, he thought, heart pounding. “You know me too well. I’ll get back to you!” he made a dash through the crowd and into the dark. She had to be here, she just had to. He searched for her blindly. What was he doing? What could he do when he found her? She hated him, it was so obvious-

Someone cried out up ahead. “Who- who’s there?” a trembling voice asked.

Wufei stepped into the light cast by a window. He could barely see her- but that voice wasn’t Isabel’s. “I won’t hurt you.”

One patent leather Mary Jane tremulously made it’s way into the light, pulling the rest of her with it. Wufei openly stared. She was like a China doll. For a moment he thought it must be a joke, that she must be a performer of some kind. But it became very clear that this was no joke. She quivered as he looked her up and down. Her long black hair was kept back in two pigtails held by large, satiny blue ribbons that matched the pale blue ribbons adorning her large, frilly, poofy pink dress. It came barely below her knee and was met halfway up her shin by frilled white socks. Her Mary Jane’s reflected the light from the window in their patent leather depths.

And she looked to be about seventeen years old.

“Please- I’ll scream-“ she looked ready to run at any moment. Her deep black eyes reminded him of a deer, caught in the headlights of a car.

“No- here- I won’t hurt you,” he said carefully. “Just please don’t scream.” Curiosity got the better of him. “Who are you?”

“Meiran…”

“Who are you?”

“Meiran…”

Meiran… Meiran… No… No, this slight, delicate beauty could not possibly be Meiran, his proud, righteous wife. Wufei stared at her. He was being irrational, he knew it. But- no- Meiran- Memories started flooding back to him. The way she would glare at him disdainfully, the way she would pretend his words were of no important to her, the way she looked when she slept, finally quiet and equal to all other humans.

“…Xiang Meilin… please- don’t tell my grandfather that I’m out here!” black eyes brimming with tears brought him back to the prescence.

Meilin… not Meiran… Meilin… Strange… their faces were actually remarkably similar… but each face was possessed by a different soul…

She stared at him in fear, wringing hands cloaked in tiny white kid-gloves adorned with pink lace. “Please- he’ll be so angry-“

“You’re- you’re Master Xiang’s- granddaughter?” Wufei croaked.

She nodded unhappily. “He wanted me to come to the party tonight but I got scared and ran away- he’ll hate me if he finds out I’m out here!” Sudden hope filled her eyes, like a child. “You won’t tell him, will you? You can help me get back before he realizes, can’t you? Can’t you? Please?”

He stared at this girl before him. It was eery- it was Meiran standing before him, saying those things. Meiran? Beg? Never. His Meiran had never begged for anything in her life- the word was not in her vocabulary except as an insult. And while he pulled away in fear at what seemed the sudden incarnation of his dead wife- at the same time, he felt wildly attracted to find her as a weak woman before him.

“FUCK!” Isabel slammed the laptop closed as sirens and flashing red lights filled the building. “Fuck, fuck and double fuck!” she grabbed her disk and prepared to run.

“This way!” someone called. A young soldier filled the doorway of the office. He spotted her immediately and prepared to sound the alarm, opening his mouth-

“Not today, muchacho!” Isabel slammed her fist into his jaw and her foot into his gut, not stopping to say sorry before bolting past him and down the hallway. “Shit… I HATE it when they do this,” she muttered as she ran, encountering still more soldiers. With her fists and her knife she cleared a path and kept going. As she ran, she pulled a remote control from her pocket. “I’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this yet, but,” she pressed a button.

Meilin screamed as lights and sirens started to flare from the direction of the base. She backed away a few paces and stared in horror as the base came to life. Wufei swore, finally realizing where Isabel must have disappeared off to. He made a move to go to her- but a whimper made him turn. Meilin was helpless. Completely and utterly helpless. He couldn’t just leave her here, could he?

Angry at himself, he grabbed her arm. “Come on-“

She shrieked and protested feebly, trying to pull her arm away but her efforts were pathetic. A three year old could have done better. “Where are you taking me!?” she cried hysterically.

“Somewhere safe- Don’t fight me, girl!” he snarled when she hesitated, and pulled her along.

“Wufei!” Ramsey stood at the doorway, looking confused. Inside he could hear the fearful babble of confused partygoers. “What in the devil is happening?”

“Take her- don’t let her get hurt,” Wufei threw Meilin at him. “She’s Xiang’s granddaughter.”

“Wha-!?” Ramsey looked at the trembling mass of pink frills in his arms. THIS was the second beauty rumored to be in town? He had heard of Xiang’s granddaughter- but this baby doll was her?

Wufei turned to go- “NO!” Meilin had hold of his arm. Of course NOW her grip was strong. There was terror in her eyes. “Don’t leave me! Please!” she begged.

Fuck… How many times in his young stupidity had he fantasized that just once, Meiran could have said those things to him? Looked at him that way? Depended on him. It was so tempting… A round of gunshots from the base strengthened Wufei’s waning resolve. “Meilin, let me go.”

“No!” she shook her pigtailed head, tears spilling down cheeks that he now saw had been coated with white and pink powders, enhancing the impression of a porcelain doll.

Firmly, Ramsey pried her off of Wufei. “Go, I’ll take care of her,” he nodded to Wufei.

“Thank you, Ramsey!” he called as he disappeared into the darkness.

“Noo!” Meilin sobbed, still reaching for him. “No…!”

__________________________________

His ever faithful, eveready motorcycle brought him to the scene in seconds. He fit in amongst the chaos effortlessly as soldiers eager to prove themselves ran helter-skelter across the grounds. He smiled at their foolishness. Even the stupidest of OZ soldiers had been better trained than these eager young fools.

Shoutings drew his attention however. Spotlights aimed at something in amongst several buildings of the school. He didn’t hesitate.

Isabel stood defiantly in the center of their spotlight on a large blacktop with basketball hoops spaced along it’s length. She glared up at the man with a megaphone standing directly behind the spotlight, the coward. Was he afraid to let her see his face?

“You’re surrounded. Drop all your weapons and put your hands where we can see them. If you proceed amicably and give us no trouble, your punishment may be light.”

She snorted derisively, but let her knives drop to the blacktop. Damn. They’d be scratched now. Impudently, she pulled out the remote control. “Do you see this, coward? How do you know that it’s not hooked up to a chain of bombs ready to blow this place up with a single push of a button? I don’t think you’re in a position to be making deals.”

This brought hurried talk amongst the idiotic ‘leaders’. It was clear that whoever was really in charge wasn’t on the scene yet. Isa was aware of the men that surrounded her, each of their weapons aimed directly at her heart. She didn’t care. She could do this. “We’re- we’re going to call your bluff,” one called down half-heartedly.

“Really?” she looked surprised. “That’s good because it was a bluff.” Then she grinned. “What it actually does is much worse,” and she pressed another button.

Men’s screams rent the air and fire lit the sky. They all turned to stare up in fear at a rapidly descending mobile suit firing at anything and everything outside the beam of light.

Isabel grinned and spoke into the remote and her Bloodied Thorn landed beside her. “’Bout time,” she swung herself up into the cockpit, ignoring the wild shots from the frantic men around her. “I’ll see you burn in hell.”

__________________________________

Wufei stared on in shock as she took her seat in the huge mobile suit that reminded him so much of the ones he used to pilot… Isabel… that- that was the same suit that had been at Sydney! He knew it! Cursing his stupidity for not seeing it before, he leapt into action, easily pushing a terrified recruit out of an MS and joining the battle.

The stupid fools were trying their best to gang up on Isabel, but they obviously didn’t know enough about piloting. Was that really a gundam she was piloting? Since when did she have a gundam!? Didn’t matter- he mission now was to help her.

Help her he did, using sheer force to shove away as many Leos as possible. He quickly opened a comm. with her.

“You idiot woman, what do you think you’re doing!?” he shouted across the line. Beneath the shout was a quivering- he was afraid for her.

Isabel frowned at him. “Wu-man? I could ask you the same thing! This is my job- get out of the way.”

“What do you mean ‘your job’?” the battle didn’t stop just because they were talking. If anything, they now both had to work harder to maintain the conversation and not get killed.

“My work here for Ms. Relena- Why the hell should I tell you, anyway?”

“Where did you get the gundam?”

“Gundame,” she corrected, irritated. Could no one get the name right straight off? “It’s mine. It’s just a mobile suit, ‘Fei, nothing special-“

“Nothing special!? Isabel, once you’ve piloted a gundam you can never go back to piloting a regular MS,” he hacked up a Leo, fingers still itching the way they always did in a battle that wasn’t with his gundam. It was true. Those suits were special. Anything less just felt- wrong.

She frowned. What was she hearing in his voice? “And how would you know?”

“I piloted one!” he shouted as one of the building behind them caught fire and started to collapse.

Isa’s mind detached itself from her body, which continued to fight. What did she know about the war and those pilots who had fought in it? That there had been five of them, certainly… Names, names, she needed to remember names… No, they had never been told their names… Madam Anthony had said that no one knew them. But characteristics, those she had… All boys… some more distinct than others… She tried to picture them in her mind. But the last she had seen those pictures had been- how long ago? During the war itself and then never again. No, her memory couldn’t be this bad… she could remember what they looked like-

With a gasp she slammed on the brakes and stopped, her ‘thorn’ having just run through a Leo. She took several deep breaths, nearly trembling. No way…

“Isabel? Isabel!” his voice came over the comm., but she ignored him.

Wufei… Heero… they both were- both were- and those other boys too- they all fit the descriptions… those MS that had shown up in Sydney… that must have been them. How blind she was! She finally responded to his cries and looked up at him. “Chang Wufei you have a lot to tell me.”

With a sickening feeling he realized what he had just told her. But it wasn’t upsetting that she knew and might give him away- it was upsetting because he didn’t know how she would react.

Battle waits for no man- or woman. A suit thrashed at Isabel and she leapt into life again, no holds barred this time and smashed most of the suits into the ground. “Are you coming or not?” she asked him over the comm. and took off.

“Hey! These pathetic suits don’t fly!” he reminded her.

“Then hop out!” she said as if it were no big deal. Wufei muttered and grumbled as he unstrapped himself, but what choice did he have? He scrambled out of the Leo and up the gundame, shocked at just how similar it was to the gundams. He swung himself into the cockpit and it promptly closed behind him. “Take a seat in the back,” she nodded to a few seats with seatbelts in the back wall of the cockpit and he didn’t argue.

__________________________________

Guests milled around in the ballroom, twittering nervously. They had no clue still what could be going on, but Xiang’s men were keeping them inside, assuring them that nothing was wrong in the most uncomforting way.

Isabel and Wufei managed to slip in unnoticed. They stuck together but didn’t speak. That would come later. They didn’t have time right now. Right now they needed to pretend that they had never left and were just as clueless as everyone else.

“Wufei!” Ramsey called and waved.

“Ramsey!” Wufei managed a smile and clasp arms with him when they met halfway, Isabel trailing along, keeping a wary eye on the people around them. “What’s happened?”

“You came baaaaaaaaack!” something pink and frilly slammed into him and attached itself to Wufei’s waist. “I knew you would come back! You saved me! How can I ever thank you?” Meilin turned adoring black eyes up at Wufei.

Wufei stared down at her, aghast. Why had she fastened onto him like this? “Er, Meilin?”

“Ooh, and I know your name now, too!” she squealed happily, making no move to let go. “Ramsey told me- he’s so nice. You’re Chang Wufei! THANK YOU, Chang Wufei!” she hugged him a little tighter.

‘Oh, shit it knows my name now…’

“Rather like a limpet, eh?” Ramsey chuckled to Isabel.

She, however, was NOT amused. She coughed delicately. “’Fei, who’s this?”

Wufei quirked an eyebrow at the nickname. He’d thought that it had been a slip of the tongue before but it seemed she wanted to call him that. “Er, this is Xiang Meilin,” he said, carefully prying her off him. Those admiring black eyes never left his face however. “Master Xiang’s granddaughter.”

“Ooh, I see,” Isabel said, not a drop of niceness in it. “It’s certainly nice to meet you, Meilin.”

Meilin looked at her and blinked, like a started bird. Other people? There were other people here besides Wufei? “Oh, hello. Who are you?”

“I’m Dame Isabel,” she held a hand out to the girl, appearing friendly. Actually, she just wanted to get this limpet off of Wufei. Something inside her was festering horribly. She didn’t like to think what it was so she ignored it. Meilin looked at the hand suspiciously but did take it, and Isabel used it to help pull her away from Wufei a little, turning her around so she was no longer facing him. “So, Meilin,” she pulled the girl’s attention back to her. She kept glancing nervously at Wufei. “I love your dress, where did you get it?” The thing was hideous. It was a crime to send a girl her age out in something like that.

“My-my grandfather has them made specially for me. He says that they’re better than the fashions women wear today. He wants me to stay a little girl.”

Figured. “Really? And just how old are you, Meilin?”

“Seventeen…”

Wufei heaved a sigh of relief and winced. His ribs hurt now. Ramsey gave him a sideway look. “You alright?”

“I suppose. Good god, Ramsey, did you have to let her latch onto me as soon as I walked in?”

“’let’ isn’t the word I choose to use.” They watched Isabel talk to Meilin, drawing her slowly away from them and into a group of other young women. Meilin looked like a scared rabbit and she kept glancing back at Wufei. He quickly looked away. “So, seems you’ve found the company of both of the city’s great beauties.”

“What?”

“Isabel Halcon and Xiang Meilin are drawing men to the city in droves, all of them wanting to see them. Their beauty’s becoming a legend. And you, lucky man, seem to have the favor of them both.”

Wufei stared at him. “Have you been drinking, Ramsey?” Ramsey chuckled. Wufei spared another glance at Isabel. “No, I don’t have the favor of them both.”

Ramsey quirked an eyebrow. “Oh, don’t you?” He had seen the green monster rearing it’s head even if Wufei hadn’t.

Isabel came over to the, Meili not in tow. “I think they’re starting something.”

“Where’s Meilin?”

“See for yourself.”

“Attention! Attention!” one of Xiang’s men came to the forefront of the room, tapping on a wineglass to draw the nervous attention of their guests. Xiang stood just behind him, Meilin at his side. “There is no need to panic! Tonight, rebels attacked the School,” he waited for the shocked whispers to die down. “There were very few injuries or casualties and the rebels have escaped. We ask that you not worry yourselves- they will be caught.” It was a promise. A declaration of war. Wufei felt Isabel tense beside him and he knew he did, too.

Xiang stepped forward. “Enough of these bad things,” he smiled at them all like a simple-minded, doting grandfather. “Tonight was meant for happy things. I have a great announcement to make. My granddaughter, Meilin,” he waved and she came to stand beside him, looking nervous. She was a good foot taller than he. “Is to marry Markiah Chisholm, the king of the new nation Edin,” he said to wild applause and cheering.

“What?!” both Wufei and Isabel exclaimed, shocked and horrified.

Ramsey harrumphed. “They’re going to marry off a seventeen year old baby to a dictator?”

“She’d have been married years ago if they followed the old ways,” Wufei murmured. Isabel couldn’t help it. She glanced at him sideways, sympathy in her eyes. She knew what a big cost it had been to him to tell her of his personal life before. She put a gloved hand on his arm and he started and stared at her for a moment before they both had to turn back to the front.

A tapestry had been pulled aside to reveal a screen and Markiah’s image filled it. “I wish to thank you, Master Xiang, for doing me the great honor of allowing me to take your granddaughter in marriage.”

“It is my pleasure, your Excellency,” Xiang made a small bow.

Wufei nearly growled. Bad enough that that Markiah was right there and that he would marry Meilin- he used the title only Treize had deserved. Wufei felt it was his duty to protect the memory of his great enemy, out of respect.

Isabel and Ramsey exchanged worried glances over his head. “Fei, Fei,” se tugged at his sleeve, bringing him back to them. “Look around- all these people accept this. We have to, too or we’ll stand out. We can’t afford to look like rebels,” she hissed. Still glowering, he relaxed enough to appear as though nothing were wrong.

Markiah continued. “It is my hope that with this marriage, an alliance shall form between Master Xiang’s family and mine and that together we may continue to promote peace.” This announcement was met by cheers and salutes with wineglasses. “To peace!”

“To peace!”

“Load of shit, isn’t it?” Ramsey said as he and Isabel walked outside into the darkness late that evening after the party had finally ended. Wufei was fending of Meilin.

“Si, it is… I feel bad for that girl…” Isabel replied. “Thank you Senor Ramsey for walking me to my car,” she nodded as she saw the car that had been given her pull up.

“You’re very welcome, senorita,” he bowed with a grin. “Wufei’s too crude to be here but I’ll say goodbye for him,” he kissed her hand twice.

Isabel smiled. “Good night, Ramsey,”

“Good night, Dame Isabel,” he swept a bow as she got in and the car pulled away. He turned around and headed back towards the house, whistling. “Hey, Wufei!” he called. The Chinese boy trudged towards him. “What’s up, eh?”

“Meilin’s marrying Markiah Chisholm, the man out to take over the world, and no one sees anything wrong with it,” he muttered angrily and they fell into step.

“Out to take over the world?” Ramsey frowned. “I heard he’s a dictator in his own nation, which he overthrew, but the world?”

“He threatened Relena Peacecraft.”

“…lots of people threaten Relena Peacecraft. It’s practically a part of her job description these days. She’s the leader of a nation that’s the leader of the pacifist movement- of course she’s going to be threatened.”

“It’s no joke, Ramsey.”

“I never said it was,” Ramsey paused. “You look worried, that’s all. She’ll be alright, Wufei, I’m sure she’s not as helpless as she looks.”

“But she is. I don’t think she’s ever spent a day away from Xiang… I don’t trust him. I don’t trust him at all.”

“I take it your business deal may ‘fall through’?”

“If the land’s willed to Markiah the way I think it is, then it’s hit rock bottom.”

“Find the proof and you’re set.”

Wufei snorted. “Easy for you to say.”

Ramsey stopped then and waited for Wufei to do so as well and face him. “No, really. I’m serious. You could do it. Look at what happened tonight- somebody sure managed to get in there. And let’s face it,” he looked Wufei straight in the eye. “You’re not exactly green, Wufei.”

Wufei digested this. Isabel HAD penetrated the base… perhaps he could as well. And once he had wrapped up his business here, he could find her, sweep her off her feet, kiss her senseless until she realized that she loved him and that she was being foolish and take her back to Sank where she could be safe. Sounded like a plan to him. “You know, I just might.”

_________________________________

AN: WAH! This KILLS me! There’s a middle missing here. It should include many more parties showing interaction between our characters, building some depth in there, showing the full extent of relationships- here’s what you need to know. (To RInGo: GAH! Just rip my heart out and rub salt on the still pulsing arteries why don’t you!? [do my visual rock or what?] Damnit all…)

Wufei is trying to be both socialite and business man- not an easy combo. He is also battling his growing desire for both young women in his life- Meilin, everything he never had, the exact opposite of every woman he’s ever known; Isabel, proud, strong, beautiful, a free spirit, also something he has never known as women were restricted where he comes from. Which should he choose? CAN he choose? *waggles finger* Naughty Fei! Messing with both girl’s hearts!! Even if Isa will never admit it!

Speaking of whom, Isabel is standing all this partygoing fairly well, though it is taking it’s toll. She can only smile so much, being a woman of action. Despite herself, she still holds a small flame for Wufei… Evidenced by her sometimes seething jealousy of Meilin as she insists on spending as much time with him as possible.

Ramsey, seeing Wufei’s distraction, has kindly made himself a shoulder for Isa to lean on. Of course, he would be a fool not to notice her beauty, but he is always a gentleman.

Meilin, the rival for Wufei’s affections, is oblivious to it all. She sees only her dolls and her toys and her chances to be with Wufei, whom she is smitten with. Perhaps it is only a puppy love, a crush, but she doesn’t even know what those are. She remains the most vulnerable of them all, demanding all their efforts to protect her from her grandfather’s scheming, no matter their own wishes.

Getitgotitgood? I hope so… GOMEN NESAI!!!!!! End AN.

“Phone, madam,” a maid knocked on Isabel’s bedroom door.

“Hm?” Isabel has only woken up a short while ago. After her stunt last night she was now seriously debating canceling all events to stay home and go back to sleep. She could study what was on that disk later. “Thank you, I’ll take it in here,” she went to the window seat, splashed with sunlight, and turned on the console. “Yes? Oh- hello, Master Xiang.” Great. Just what she needed.

“Dame Isabel, how nice to speak with you again!” the little man smiled. It didn’t come anywhere near his eyes. “I must confess that I have a favor to ask of you.”

“A favor?” Leave me alone you slimy little man, this was supposed to be my day off!

“I couldn’t help noticing last night that you seemed to make fast friends with my granddaughter.”

Isabel suddenly had a sinking feeling. Oh no. Please no. Not Meilin. Anything at this point besides Meilin. Anything besides Meilin and Wufei. Especially Meilin and Wufei together. “Meilin? Oh, well, we really didn’t get to talk for very long…” Maybe there was a way out of this.

“Ah, well, you see, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. You see, Meilin’s really a very lonely girl- she’s very solitary.”

Yeah, I’ll bet. You probably lock her away in her room with her stuffed animals, don’t you? “Mhmm,” she nodded to show that she was listening.

“Would you perhaps like to spend some more time with her? I’m afraid she’s a little out of touch with what young ladies do these days. Could you-?” he let the question hang there, staring at her hopefully.

“I’d love to,” she said through gritted teeth.

_________________________________

And THAT was how she became roped into becoming the princesa’s playmate. Day in and day out a car came to take her to the Xiang residence. To be with Meilin.

The pinkness was beginning to drive her crazy. Isabel had defiantly dressed in black that morning. Now she cursed her shallow stupidity. It was turning into a warm, clear spring day and ‘Grandpapa’ had suggested they spend it outside. Damn him. Dimly she wondered again if he realized that she was the one who had gone onto the base. Perhaps he was trying to keep her occupied on purpose. That slimy little-

“Isabel!” Meilin cried happily, dressed once again in what could only be described as a play dress. She’d grown very attached to Isabel in the week that she had started coming here regularly. She had started out wary of Isa’s outspokenness, but now regarded her as a die-hard best friend.

Their days consisted of tea parties, talking about Wufei, Isabel coaxing Meilin to try something new- say, a book that was NOT a fairy tale, talking about Wufei, Isabel gawking at Meilin’s huge collection of dolls, avoiding the topic of Wufei, being drawn into a conversation about Wufei, trying to distract Meilin with another tea party-

It was killing Isa. “Meilin,” she smiled back and took a seat that was surreptitiously in the shade.

“You know, I was thinking about what you said,” Meilin said, oblivious to Isabel’s discomfort. “About that story- which one- oh, Oliver Twist, yes?”

“Mhmm,” Isabel nodded, actually curious now. She had found that Meilin’s bookshelves were lined with every fairy tale imagineable, but not a single of the hard classics.

“Well look!” she handed something to Isabel. It was an ancient, dust covered book, the spine clearly reading ‘By Charles Dickens’. “You see! I asked someone to buy it for me. And I was wondering if maybe you wanted to read it together?” her eyes shone.

How could she refuse. Much as she had to keep reminding herself that Meilin was only two years younger than she, Isabel still had a mother’s instincts. She smiled genuinely. “I think that’s a wonderful idea. But first… let’s go shopping…”

_________________________________

Nearly a week later, Isabel found a reprieve. She had finally convinced master Xiang to allow her to invite some others to join them for an afternoon, turning his own slimy arguments back on him. Served him right the hibrido…

They sat outside again, another half dozen young women about. Meilin had become the center of attention- describing the book she and Isabel had been reading. It made Isa smile. None of the young ladies here had ever though to give ‘scholarly’ pastimes a try… but now they were enthralled by Meilin’s excited story-telling. A smile still on her lips, she moved quietly in the back ground, helping the servants to set out tea for them all.

It suddenly occurred to her right now she felt almost happy. Certainly it was warmer than she might had liked in this long skirt and long sleeved blouse, even though she had cheated on the number of petticoats… She turned her face up the sun, shielding her eyes with her closed hand. ‘Mama… I know how you felt now… I see why you always enjoyed it…’ She could almost pretend that she WAS a mother… perhaps Meilin’s mother… hosting a playdate at their large house… such silly old games… something was missing from it…

Was domestication good for her? Perish the thought!

________________________________

Wufei felt increasingly irritable as he entered the Xiang mansion, following a butler. Damnit all… He had to meet with Xiang’s lawyers… why couldn’t they come to him for once, damnit? His patience was growing thin now… They were messing with him, trying to get him to give in and sell sooner, rather than later, and they deflected all hi questions about the base, which meant that there was no way in hell that things there were good. He needed some way to sneak in there and find the information to expose them… but how?

On top of all their backhandedness, they made him wait. He nearly growled aloud as he paced the room he had been shown to. Bastards… The dignity… the injustice… never liked the Xiang clan anyway… bastards…

He found himself staring out the window. Were those- people? Yes, they were courtesans- was that Meilin? He instinctively moved back from the window a little. She didn’t seem bothered at all by the fact that she technically engaged… She would still latch onto him adoringly if she saw him. He could feel himself growing hot under the collar. DAMN IT! He didn’t need to be thinking about her right now! He mentally scolded his body for trying to betray him like this. That’s what it was. A war between mind and body. And heart.

He nearly collapsed when he saw the figure moving amongst the servants, though she was obviously in charge. She practically glowed. Her long skirt swished about her like a bell as she moved, deftly arranging cups and napkins. Her hair had been pulled back in a formal net at the base of her neck, leaving it exposed to the warm rays of the sun. Suddenly he had the urge to go out there- to be near her-to hold her-

“Master Chang, they’re ready now.”

“Thank you.”

“-you see the summer leads to many complications but we are quite certain that are capable of overcoming any hindrances that may occur and may we-“

“Yes, yes, but for the last time- what will my land be used for?” Wufei was somehow able to keep a tight rein on his temper, though his foot continued to tap irritatedly.

“Thank you for coming, Ramsey,” Isabel said as the car let them off in front of the facility’s main building. “I don’t think I could have stood another day of Meilin by myself.”

“Hey, no problem,” he shrugged genially. “What’re friends for?” he smiled, receiving one in return.

“Oh, Isabel! Master Ramsey!” Meilin skipped down the steps happily. “You have to see this, it’s amazing!”

“Hello, Meilin,” Isabel smiled. She had found that Meilin was actually rather sweet, if so ignorant that it could become annoying. “I see you’re wearing the clothes we bought.”

Meilin paused to beam at them happily. She wore a nice, simple navy skirt that came to about knee length without flying out and without being too formfitting. Her shirt was in the traditional Chinese style, buttoning to a high color, and was long sleeved, in a charming white that brought out her eyes. She had left her hair mostly down today, only a little pulled back in a half pony tail. She finally looked truly happy. “Oh yes, thank you, Isa! Even my grandfather said they were pretty!” she said, missing the glance sent between Isa and Ramsey. He had? “Now come inside, quickly! There’s a marvelous movie that they have here- it shows you things from all over the world! America and Africa and Europe and mountains and oceans and- oh, come see!” she said eagerly, pulling them inside.

Master Xiang read the documents over one last time. “Is this true?” he demanded of the man who had brought them in.

“Uh- I assume so, sir,” he nodded and half bowed, obviously terrified.

“Go, then. Get me Xhou.”

“Yes, sir,” he bowed out hastily.

Xiang went to the window of his office, staring across the fields at the training facility in the distance. Xhou was the head trainer there. Really, he was a military genius. The phone beeped. “Xhou, I have some bad news. We’ve been found out.”

“Operation Kamikaze?”

“You have your orders.”

“Yes, sir.”

In one fell swoop he would destroy the base and everything connected to it. He would severe all ties to Markiah- it was simply too risky now. All ties. Which meant that if Meilin were gotten rid of in all this, it was simply too bad.

_________________________________

Isabel couldn’t help feeling uneasy. After the movie, which had made her feel very homesick for her friends, they had been invited on a tour of the facilities, something they couldn’t decline. But something told her that something was very, very wrong. She ignored her companions in favor of keeping a proper watch on their surroundings.

Ramsey said something with a rakish grin, making Meilin blush and laugh. “What do you think, Isa? Isa?” he frowned in concern. Even Meilin looked alarmed at the way Isa had spaced out.

“Something…” Isabel murmured, walking over to a desk. A cup of coffee sat there. The liquid wasn’t still. As she watched, it started to shake in it’s confine violently. “Get down!”

Screams filled the office as mobile dolls could be seen surrounding the base. One nearly vaporized the building next to them, making everyone around it panic.

Meilin’s shrieks weren’t helping Isa think. “Ramsey, keep her quiet! We need to think of a way out of here as safely and quickly as possible!”

“Aye, aye,” he nodded, grabbing Meilin. “Calm down, girl!”

“We’re going to die!” she wailed, true terror in her doe-like eyes. “Those suits- grandfather’s trained them- they’re insuperable!”

Isabel didn’t stop to wonder how such a frightened rabbit would know a word like insuperable at a time like this. “The stairs- come on!” the three of them took off. With luck, they just might make it.

_________________________________

Wufei had been pacing his chambers all day. He had ignored the phone calls from Ramsey and Master Xiang asking him to join them today, but he just couldn’t.

This- this THING with Meilin was beginning to get to him. REALLY get to him. Why the hell WAS he so attracted to her? Sure, she was beautiful, sure she was sweet. But she lacked that drive and that fire and that passion that was what he was sure he really wanted.

Didn’t he?

There was something about the way she looked at him, eyes saucer wide and pleading. Somehow that helplessness did crazy things to him. Made him want to protect her to- He had to be brutally honest with himself. To make physical love to her. The thought both excited and repelled him. He didn’t REALLY want that, did he?

And then there was Isabel. Isabel with her smiles, Isabel with her sarcasm, Isabel with her teasing. Each day here suddenly seemed more bearable for only having seen her face once. Even if it was only to sneer at him and make some snide remark about how she hated him. It hadn’t started that way.

It had started with a kiss. A deep, passionate kiss, that had made his senses reel. And it hadn’t been a joke, of that he was sure. But ever since that kiss, he had burned for more, selfish as it may seem. She made him feel complete. They anticipated each other’s movements even when they didn’t want to. Surely there was meant to be something more there?

If only she would love him back.

A noise outside brought him out of his reverie. He went to the window and swore. THAT was why he should have gone to the base today. It was being destroyed!

“Why do the damn stairs have to be so damn far away?” Ramsey muttered as they ran down the hallways, trying to find them.

“Because this building was designed by morons whose only goal is to take over the world,” Isabel snapped as they left the hallway to enter a large, open area.

The three froze, staring out the window into the cold, heartless light of a mobile doll’s ‘head’. It started to glow and Ramsey and Isabel together pushed Meilin back, shielding her with their own bodies.

The beam saber slashed through the supports of the building like butter and floor buckled under them. Meilin’s screams blended with the screeching cries of bending metal and the floor swayed and distorted in every direction.

Seeking a better hold on the swaying supports, Isabel pulled away from them, taking hold of the stairwell. She knew she had made a mistake when with a sickening wrench it pulled away from the rest of the building.

“Isabel!” Ramsey and Meilin watched in horror as she just managed to stay upright.

“Ramsey get the princesa out of here!” she snapped, holding onto the railing for all she was worth. The drop made her dizzy so she looked away quickly.

“Isa-“ he protested, uncertain.

“GO!” she ordered. With a determined look on his face, he nodded and grabbed Meilin, pulling her deeper into the building to find another set of stairs and safety. Isabel closed her eyes briefly, wondering if the God her mother had believed in so fervently would help her now. Her heart had one more wish however. A plea for help. ‘Wufei…’

The chaos of it all… it had taken him too long to get here. Wufei dodged the large MS. He could taste it in the air now- they had lost. This was their last ditch attempt to erase all evidence of their crimes here. But that still left his friends in danger.

He searched through the crowds of people streaming from the buildings, too panicked to see straight. He grabbed one by the arm. “Xiang Meilin- Ramsey de Moreton- Isabel Halcon- have you seen them!?”

“What are you waiting for, run!” the woman screamed, yanking her arm free and dashing off.

Wufei swore and let her go. Which building? Which building?! If he only knew which one… “Ramsey!” he caught sight of the large man.

“Wufei!” Ramsey cried in relief. Hanging onto his arm, terrified, was Meilin.

“Where’s Isabel?” he demanded, finally making his way to them.

“Wufei!” Meilin sobbed, but she stayed attached to Ramsey.

“Inside, on a part of the building that’s falling away,” Ramsey pointed.

Wufei’s heart nearly stopped beating. She was on THAT!? That swinging disaster held on by a mere thread of steel? “Get Meilin out of here,” he said with new determination.

“Wufei, be careful!” Ramsey called after him fruitlessly, the ‘princesa’ still sobbing on his arm. “Come on,” he said, pulling her along.

Her grip on the rail was sliding. A short, strangled scream escaped her lips as her sandaled foot slid. ‘So this is the end’, she thought grimly, struggling to pull herself to a slightly better position. ‘I’m going to fall.’

“Isabel!”

“Fei?” astonished eyes turned towards the shout. “Fei, you idiot!” she yelled at his scrambling form. The moron was climbing up to get her! “You stupid fool it’s too dangerous up here! You have to protect Meilin! Stop being such an idiot!”

“Meilin’s safe,” he said firmly. “You’re not. Don’t fight me, Isa.”

“Fei, I’m going to fall, look the rail’s not firm enough- there’s nothing we can do about it.” Only five feet of air separated them now. But below that five feet were three hundred feet and a fall to the hard ground below.

“No,” he said with new determination, finally stabilizing himself on the opposite tower. “I won’t let you fall!”

The harsh wind made the building shake and sway and Isa screamed as she slipped again. “There’s nothing you can do! If I fall, I fall! Don’t let yourself fall as well!”

“No, there is always something that can be done,” he said angrily. He found a new position, a new handhold and closed the gap between them, grasping her arm firmly. “I’ve let one woman fall, I won’t let another go right through my fingers! You women- you run off into battles you don’t know how to fight!” his shouts trembled a little- with, grief?

Her first reaction was to take offense- but, no- this anger- this rage wasn’t directed at her, and she bit back a sharp response, her heart going out to him instead. She had only a short time left, she knew. But she had to do this. She had to help Wufei find his own peace. She wouldn’t allow herself to become one more burden on his laden shoulders. “Let me go, Fei,” she said quietly.

“Never.”

“Fei, whatever demons are haunting you, let them go! And let me go, too! What happens, happens! Whatever happened to you in the past, accept it and let it go! There’s nothing you can do about it! And there’s nothing you can do now without risking your own foolish life even more, now let me go and save yourself!” she tried to yank her arm away.

He had been shocked at her words. How did she know? No, she didn’t know. She was one hell of a guesser though. Meiran… He had lost her to a battle. A battle he should have been fighting, not her. But she had been the fighter, not he, he who hid behind his scholarly delusions and ended up arriving too late. He had promised to protect her, too. The wind picked up again and made everything sway wildly, making them both ill.

“You idiot, save yourself!”

“On three you’re going to jump, do you understand me?” he stared deep into her black eyes. She nodded feebly. She hid it well, but she was terrified. “Just hold onto my hand and jump towards me, alright? Everything will be ok.” He watched the small, creaking sways of the building. They got louder and harsher every time. As the wind picked up again, he timed his count to the time when it would swing closest to him. “One, Two, Three!”

“One, Two, Three!” he yanked her back onto the more stable half of the building.

Isa screamed, feeling herself suspended in midair for a moment. Then strong, warm arms were around her and she collapsed into them, choking on a sob. He- he had saved her. She looked up again as the worst crashing noises yet came from behind her. Her kick had dislodged the flooring exactly where she had been. His grip on her waist tightened and she buried her face in his shoulder, not wanting to watch it fall. That could have been her. Would have been her. But for him. He had saved her.

Wufei turned his gaze away from the falling debris. What he held in his arms now wasn’t debris. He knew now that she was the most precious thing in the world to him. No way in hell would he ever let her go.

“Hey,” he whispered pulling back a little to look her in the eye. “It’s ok. I’m here.”

“I know,” she buried her face in the collar of his jacket again. “Thank you…”

A nearby explosion reminded them that this wasn’t the time to be whispering sweet nothings. “Can you walk?”

“I’ll live. Let’s go!”

Wufei lead them back the way he had come. Destruction was now everywhere and MS were still parading around outside. All the people now had either gotten off the base or were essentially dead. Wufei stopped them at the door. It was nothing but bare earth from here to the gate. “We’ll never make it.”

“You’re forgetting,” Isabel held up the tiny remote.

“Master Xiang! Master Xiang!” a subordinate raced into the room.

“What is it, you fool?”

“Someone’s- someone’s rescued Ms. Xiang!”

“Meilin!? But that’s impossible! The girl couldn’t find her way out of a paper bag, never mind the base!”

“Well, sir,” he said uncomfortably. “She has.”

Xiang turned on a monitor and swore. There indeed was his granddaughter, now surrounded by well-meaning fools. He had hoped that she would be lost in the ‘attack’, releasing him from his deal with Markiah. He had no choice now. “Get someone down there to help her, damnit!” New activity at the base made him pale. “We’re leaving, tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“You heard me! Get on with it!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

_________________________________

“Adios, muchachos!” Isabel pulled one final stunt in the Thorn, sending them skyrocketing into the air. “You alright, Fei?”

“Fine,” he looked a bit queasy. Damn woman drivers. “Where are you taking this crazy thing?”

“Back home, of course,” she said as though it were obvious, piloting easily.

“And where would that be?” he snorted skeptically, the knot of worry in his gut making him impatient.

She rolled her eyes at him. “Where do you think, amante?” the words were out of her mouth before she could think them through. Old habits die hard. She quickly shut up and looked away, hoping to god he hadn’t seen…

“I was hoping,” he said quietly, making her turn to look at him. “that we could stop at my place. I need to make a call. Or does that not fit into your plans, lover?”

She made a small squeak of outraged shock, turning away, then realized it was only fair. “Whatever you say…” she murmured.

“You WERE the one who told me to ask Heero,” he smirked. She glanced back at him, amusement and respect in her eyes, despite herself, then she turned her attention back to flying. You were the one…

_________________________________

Isabel continued to mutter angrily in her mind, arms crossed firmly over her chest as she followed Chang Wufei upstairs. Of COURSE his big stupid house had a big stupid hangar in it… of COURSE it was filled to the brim with old MS. Of COURSE it was big enough to house the Thorn. Stupid man. She watched him go as he strode away from her, going to straight to an office. She followed slowly, telling herself it wasn’t tentatively, and settled to wandering a large, comfortable, if lavish room that was the last before he closed a door behind him. Fine, if he didn’t want her to follow.

She stood in the center, looking around, trying to get a feel for the place. It was kind of hard with so much to look at. The wealth around her was astounding. Every chair and table was covered in rich, deep, soft, inviting fabrics. But the intricacies of the embroidered designs on them was too beautiful to sit on. The carpets, too, were their own works of art. Vases painted to tell stories held flowers on dark cherry wood tables and small porcelain figurines smiled and glared at her from what seemed every surface. Even the books on the mahogany shelves looked as though they were expensive. Most, if not all of it, had to be antique.

Not wanting to intrude, but unable to stop herself, she knelt beside a large urn, tracing a finger along the delicate outlines of a bird in flight. It was all so beautiful and rang with the glory of ancient times. She followed the lines around all that she could easily see of it, following the story of the bird’s travels. A small table stood next to it and a little figure of a dragon caught her eye. Carefully, she picked him up, appreciating every detail. He seemed made of gold and gemstones, the lacquer was so beautiful. Every detail was exquisite, right down to the pointy tips of his claws and the fire in his eyes.

“That was made by my last ancestor to live in this house,” Wufei came to sit beside her on the floor.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, blushing slightly and hastily putting it back. Silly girl. What right did she have to touch these things? “Did you make your call?”

“I did. Help should come by dawn,” he nodded.

Silence stretched between them. There was a lot of silence in this house, because of its emptiness, but it was a meditative silence. As though the house were waiting for things to begin to happen around it again. Isa pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She suddenly felt shy and a little afraid. She fiddled with the button on her jacket. “Fei…”

“Why did you kiss me?”

The question startled her and she looked up at last. His eyes were unreadable, and they begged the question. “W-What?”

“Maybe I should have asked why you punched me, first.”

It dawned on her. The first time they had ever met. Her cheeks colored with sudden embarrassment and shame. Now that she thought about it, she couldn’t remember why she had socked him. ‘Socked’… listen to her… Really, she couldn’t think of any reason to hurt this proud dragon beside her. “Why did you save me?” Fight fire with fire.

“Well, that one’s easy,” he looked at her calmly. Simultaneously she melted and wanted to hit him again to make her stomach stop jumping.

“So answer it,” she dared.

He did so with a kiss, leaning in closely and tilting her chin up with one hand. She didn’t fight back, though she froze momentarily, startled, then relaxed and enjoyed it. It was very different kiss to the one she had given him. He broke it, “Satisfied?”

“My turn again. Why did you kiss me?”

“’Because you needed it’.” He threw her answers back in her face, making her stare at him in shock. With a wicked grin he added, “And because you are muy hermoso.”

“I’ll kill that boy…” she muttered darkly, making him laugh. “Been studying, have you?”

“A little,” he admitted. The mood had lightened considerably. “And I’m sure that that’s not what you wanted to know.” She looked at him quizzically. He just kept surprising her today. “You want to know if I kissed you because I want to do it again.”

She made a small noise of mock disgust and crossed her arms over her chest, trying very hard to glare at him, but it wasn’t working and they both knew it. “Is that an invitation?”

“I could use another clichéd line, but I think I’ll be nice and let it hang there.”

“You call that nice?”

He shrugged, eyes never leaving hers.

Since when did she need an invitation? She stared back, amazed at just how much his seemingly blank eyes held. There was a whole world in their dark depths. She could feel her heart begin to pick up pace in her chest again, throbbing against her ribs. She could feel her eyelids slowly drooping as they seemed magnetically drawn together…

She quickly stood, head reeling with the spinning emotions. “Wufei-“ she bit her lip.

He stayed on the floor and wouldn’t look at her, his cheeks aflame with shame. “No- no, I’m sorry, Isa… I shouldn’t have asked you to come here…”

She knelt down, balancing neatly on her high heels, a feat in the skirt as well. She reached out one cool finger to tip his chin up and look into those eyes again. “Sh, amore, no me ire’…” she whispered. Her heart was thundering again. Maybe it was stupid, maybe it was foolhardy, maybe it was even fatal, but gently, she tilted his chin up a little more to kiss him softly.

Her actions surprised him, and he nearly tumbled backward at the shock- then a new shock coursed through him and desperately he clung to her. This fire, this passion, this heated desire-

Her head was a mess- it was a windstorm of emotion. But her cheeks, her lips, her body- they were on fire, fanned by the gales of her passion. Passion that she hadn’t been aware that she’d had, especially not for him. But now it was unleashed and she found herself kissing him hungrily for more, just as he was kissing her. She tumbled back, unable to retain her balance on the unstable high heels but her lips never left his, as his arms were so close around her waist that she merely sat on the floor, clinging to him.

He pulled her onto his lap, giving her a single, long, lingering kiss. He pulled away to look deeply into her eyes. “Isa…”

“Fei…”

_________________________________

People swarmed in an area a good distance away from the smoking base, taking over one of the practice fields. A group had gathered around a small, central figure and she looked up as a man approached them and saluted.

“Ms Xiang? I’ve been told to bring you home immediately.”

Meilin looked at him, and then up at Ramsey, who had been standing as body guard and never left her side. He nodded grimly. She turned to the man. “Thank you,” she stood, wrapping the blanket the kind people here had given her closer around her shoulders and followed, Ramsey in her wake.

_________________________________

(AN: Alright, hentais. You may now imagine whatever the hell you want. I WOULD lemonize this except I’d have to up the rating too much to do so and thus I have put it off. I may in the future, but I’m not promising anything. If someone would like to, just let me know.

Duo: What she’s not telling you is that actually she’s just too shy to write one-

Lady: I am not! I have the perfect idea for a lemon later on and I am GOING to write it.

Duo: *Smirks* Yeah, right. Then why don’t you lemonize this?

Lady: …because it’s too much citrus.

Duo: You like citrus.

Lady: Yes, I do. So keep an eye for a Citrus Bar to hopefully open on my bio… hopefully…

Duo: Procrastina~ation! OW! *Lady thwaps him*)

_________________________________

It was the small hours of the morning, dawn just beginning to paint the sky a paler blue before Wufei awoke. He looked around him at the now familiar surroundings of his bedroom. Something however was unfamiliar, yet infinitely more welcome. Tangled in his arms was the most beautiful creature he had ever known, her silken black hair spread across the pillows like ink. He bent his head and buried his face in the small of her neck, pulling her closer. She was angelic in sleep.

Isabel murmured softly, barely stirring, and turned to snuggle into his bare chest. She drifted in and out of the layers of sleep, a smile coming to her lips as it registered that she was safe and warm, wrapped in a loving embrace. Her eyes flashed open. Whose embrace?! Whose?! She sat up quickly, but Wufei had drifted back into a light doze. She stared down at him, utterly flabbergasted, her heart pounding. No. No, it wasn’t possible. She hadn’t- hadn’t slept with him, had she?! Flashes of the night before ripped through her mind and she stared ahead, a hand going to her mouth. Why, WHY had she let her foolish body lead her?

‘Poque usted lo ama,” a voice in her head whispered as she stared at his sleeping form. Everything about him was beautiful. The curve of his shoulder, the smooth muscles of his back, the way his hair spilled around his perfect, sleeping face. She found herself reaching out to push back a stray lock of black of silk and she pulled her hand back quickly, biting her bottom lip. ‘No,’ she thought. ‘Because you love him,’ it insisted.

He stirred then, realizing she was no longer in his arms. Her apprehensions forgotten, she leaned in and ran a hand through his hair, kissing him softly on the lips. “Wake up, amante…”

He surfaced quickly and looked up into her smiling face. He smiled back. “It’s really true this time.”

“Don’t be cheeky,” she said, still smiling, pulling out of his line of vision to sit on the edge of the big bed. Her back to him, she picked up the small clock on the bedside table. “Nearly five a.m. Isn’t your friend supposed to be here by dawn?” she glanced back to look at him.

Wufei sat up on his hands, watching her. His eyes traveled from the soft, slightly wavy tendrils of black hair that covered her shoulders to her bare spine and bottom, half covered by the plush of the mattress. “Hm?” he murmured.

“I said, your friend will be here soon,” she wouldn’t meet his gaze. Before he could ask her what was wrong, she turned away again and stood. “I’m going to shower… I won’t take long,” she said, gathering up her clothes from the night before.

He watched her, a little confused and more than a little hurt. “It’s the door to your left, next to the lamp.” She nodded and disappeared, eyes still downcast. Glancing at the clock, he saw the he didn’t have time to ponder it now. He stretched and went to his wardrobe, taking out what he would need for the day and headed down the hall to take his own shower.

_________________________________

Isa let the water warm hot, steaming up the mirror and tiles closest. It was a huge room, made of exquisite tiles, marble, and gold spigots. She stepped into the hot stream and let it cascade down her shoulders and back, her hair safely in a tight bun close to her head. Her breath caught in a sob and before she knew it she was crying. She leaned back against the cool tiles of the wall and slid to the floor, her tears mixing with the shower water.

“What have I done?” she whispered hoarsely. “What have I done…?”

The sun was just beginning to rise as Wufei received a call on the comm.. He looked up from his coffee and book, sitting in a chair in a private sitting room, and reached over to switch it on and turn it towards him. His face lit into a smile. “I’ll be right there.”

Isabel tiptoed down the stairs carefully, peering around the corner. She had never spent the night at ANYONE’s house before and wasn’t sure what the protocol was. She couldn’t help it, she felt nervous. And her nerves were making her feel ill, which wasn’t helping her state of mind. On top of it, she had to admit that she felt a little sore. ‘But that’s normal, right?’ Her melancholy was pushed away when she saw that he was also not here. ‘What the hell?! Did he run out on me or something!? That jerk-‘

“Dame Isabel?” a maid was looking up at her. “Master Wufei said to meet him in the hanger when you were ready.”

“Thank you,” Isabel nodded kindly to her and she shuffled off. She still raged inside. She muttered to herself as she retraced her steps of last night to the hanger. The system recognized her immediately and let her in, and she headed down the stairs two at a time, slowing as their spiral became visible to the entire hanger. There was movement everywhere, though none of it showing any reason to panic. The most seemed to be focused on- “Hey! HEY! What do you think you’re doing to my suit!?” she ran forward to shout up at the men working on the Thorn.

“You the pilot?” one guy tipped his hat at her. “I salute you, miss, you’ve got one fine machine here.”

“I know that,” she snapped. “What are you doing to it!?”

“Repairing it!” he went back to work.

Isa didn’t have time to protest further. She turned swiftly, hearing her name called, and she primly walked over to Wufei, though she still wouldn’t look him in the eye. “What’s going on here?”

“Isa,” he said, looking at her curiously. “I asked them to work on the Thorn. Don’t worry, they know how, it’s in good hands. This,” he indicated a tall woman with honey-blond hair wrapped in two twisted pigtails walking towards them. “Is Sally Po, an old friend of mine and my partner in the Preventers.”

“I take it you’re Dame Isabel?” Sally smiled warmly and offered her hand.

Isa took it weakly, her already confused mind reeling. “Yes…”

“Sally’s going to help us fight Markiah,” Wufei informed her.

“I’m going to do all I can,” she affirmed. “The first thing we need to do though is look at this mobile suit situation. With my men’s fifteen Taurus’s, how many do we have?”

“Another twenty Leos from me and the gundame,” Wufei told her.

“What are you planning to do?” Isa pulled out her dazed state. They were talking about her suit as though they already had it’s aid. ‘Don’t they?’ That wasn’t the point.

“Xiang’s forces are mobilizing, we don’t know what for,” Sally said. “We do know that it can’t be good and that we’re going to need to be ready on a moment’s notice.”

“What happened to Meilin and Ramsey?” Isa looked sharply at Wufei.

“I don’t know, I haven’t heard anything from them,” he shook his head.

“Then that’s our first mission. We can’t let the princesa get herself into any more trouble. I don’t want to end up bargaining for her life,” Isabel said firmly. “How are the repairs on the Thorn coming?”

“As good as can be expected, but it won’t be ready for several more hours,” a technician standing to the side informed her.

“Good,” Isa nodded. “I don’t need it now anyway.” She started to walk back towards the stairs.

“Wait! Isa! Where are you going?” Wufei called after her.

She turned halfway, just enough to look at them. “I’m going to find them.” She grimaced. “But first I’m going home to change.”

_________________________________

In under an hour, the sun was up and Isabel was ready in camel slacks and a silk tank, her white jacket blowing in the wind as she headed up the stairs to the Xiang front doors. Her eyes glittered dangerously behind her sunglasses. The sound of a car pulling up made her turn, and she instantly lost her composure.

“Fei!” she hissed.

“You didn’t think I could really let you go in there alone, did you?” he said, looking at her critically. Why was she acting this way? Had it anything to do with…?

“Hmph. Fine. Come if you must. But don’t get in my way,” she turned huffily and continued on her way, not waiting for him to catch up. Mmm he looked so good… khakis and a dark shirt, under a long trench coat. Nice… he had such a sense of style- NO! She couldn’t think this way! Not before a mission and not ever! They were reluctantly let in and let to an antechamber.

“Wait here, someone will be with you shortly,” the man nodded.

“It had better be VERY shortly,” Wufei told him, but received no further comment as the door closed.

Isa whirled, staring at the door. That soft click was undeniable. “The bastard- he locked us in!” she raced to the door.

“Predictable,” Wufei rolled his eyes. He ignored Isa’s examination of the lock and went to the window instead. “Do you know which room is Meilin’s?”

“Second story, the three windows over the balcony facing the back garden. Are you seriously going to climb up there?!” she hissed as he opened the window.

“Why not? How else are we going to get anything done?” he leaned out and stared up at the side of the building. Stupid fools. It was covered in moldings and fancy accents, all of which looked tacky and all of which would help him. “I’ll come back for you,” he looked pointedly down at her shoes, practically yet still with a heel for appearances sake.

“Be careful,” she blurted, before she had time to rethink them.

He smiled at her, warmly. She could feel her insides melt. “I promise.” He swung himself onto the window ledge and started to climb.

Master Xiang stuffed papers into a briefcase furiously. Others he threw onto the fireplace, built supposedly to ward off the early morning chill. A man entered and he looked up and snapped, “What is it?”

“Chang and Halcon are in the house, sir,” the man saluted.

“What!? Curse it to the ancestors! Who let them in!? No, don’t answer that… damn it all… now we have those two to contend with as well as Ramsey. Speed up the process- I want the entire entourage out of here within the hour, do you hear!?” the little man paced.

“Y-yes, sir!” the man snapped to attention and left swiftly.

Xiang’s communicator buzzed, an all-too familiar face appearing on the screen. “Ah, Mr. Chisholm, how nice to see your honored face again,” he simpered.

“Cut the crap, Xiang,” Markiah snapped. “I heard about what’s happened to you. I’m disappointed.”

‘HE’S disappointed!? He doesn’t have the BRAINS to be disappointed,’ Xiang thought bitterly. But like a true master, he never let his emotions show. “Ah, yes it is a pity-“

“No more excuses, Xiang,” Markiah interrupted him. “Get your ass up here immediately.”

“I had just given orders to do so, sir,” Xiang bowed, disgusted that he should have to play up to this fool.

“Excellent,” he sniffed. “I will see you tomorrow then. Don’t fail me.” The image winked out.

“Worthless front man… Lunatic,” Xiang muttered to himself. “Try to play ME down as an inferior, will you?” he pressed a button on the communicator. “Get the train ready. We leave NOW.”

_________________________________

Ramsey stood back a distance as maids fluttered around a sniffling Meilin. He had an eye to all exits and entries and wasn’t about to let anything happen to his charge. Something tapped at a window, and he looked over sharply to see a hand signal he hadn’t used since his boyhood.

“Ladies,” he went to the flock of women. “I think Ms Xiang would like to rest, now. You’ve done more than enough,” he smiled at them all winningly. They giggled and tittered, whispering words like ‘He’s handsome!’ and obeyed, leaving the room.

Meilin looked at him quizzically with her big doe eyes. “What are you doing, Ramsey?”

“Getting us out of here,” he said, going to the window and throwing it open. He reached out an arm and helped Wufei climb in. “Good to see you, buddy.”

Wufei nodded. “Isabel’s still downstairs. They locked us into an antechamber, trying to keep us out. What’s been happening here?”

“They’re upset about something,” Ramsey told him. “Meilin says some of her stuff and her suitcases are missing. I think they’re going to move their operations.”

“Figures,” Wufei nodded moments before a weeping leach attached itself to his arm.

“Oh, Wufei!” Meilin wailed. “I was so scared without you here!”

“Sh, Lin!” Ramsey scolded, pulling her off him. “We don’t want anyone to hear us, remember?”

She sniffled but looked up at him trustingly. He, Wufei, and Isabel were the people who were taking care of her. She trusted them all.

“We need to find out where they’re going, then,” Wufei said, recovering well.

Ramsey nodded. “I-“

A knock at the door. “Ms Meilin? Open the door, sweetheart, it’s time.”

Meilin turned wide, frightened eyes on both of them. She didn’t know what was going on, but she had a good idea that if she let her grandfather do what he wanted, she would be taken away from her three new ‘friends’. Her eyes widened when she saw Wufei disappearing over the sill again. “What’s he doing!?”

“Sh, he’s going back to get Isabel,” Ramsey shushed her. “Go open the door.”

Clinging to the moldings, Wufei kept himself close to the building. Ramsey has left the window open on purpose and he could hear every word.

“Come along, honey, it’s time to go…”

“Go where?”

“Why, to meet your future husband, of course!”

“B-But I don’t want to! I want to stay here!”

“Now, Ms Meilin, you know that’s not possible…”

“But I don’t want to go! Ramsey, tell her!”

“Ms Meilin, there is no choice in the matter! We’re leaving immediately, now come along!”

“No! No, I don’t want to! Ramsey!”

“Here, now, there’s no reason to drag her!”

“Get away,” there was the sound of Meilin’s shriek and the door being slammed.

Ramsey appeared at the window, looking upset. “They took her.”

Wufei nodded. “Just follow my lead,” he began to carefully pick his way down the side of the building, able to hear the goings on through half open windows. Ramsey cautiously followed, and Wufei stopped at the room he had left Isabel in.

“Isa? Isa- Isa!?” the room was empty. “What in the hell!? If she ran off on her own, I’ll kill her!”

Hearing noises at the front, Ramsey dropped the four feet to the ground and peered around the corner of the house. “I think they got to her, first.” He said.

“I don’t want to goooo!”

“Unhand me, you dirty hibrido! I can walk on my own!”

“Isa, tell them I don’t want to go!”

“Sh, princesa, I can’t do anything while you’re whining! Look, you overgrown ape-“

“Get in the car.”

“No…” Meilin wailed as she and Isa were shoved inside the car. Isa glared at the man from the back seat, a wall between them and the driver. Meilin continued to cry and Isa put an arm around her, letting the girl cry into her shoulder.

“Sh, muchacha… We’ll find a way out of this,” Isa murmured soothingly as the car started and pulled away. She looked back at the house mournfully. ‘Fei…’ “We’ll get out of this… somehow…”

Wufei flicked on the communicator at his wrist and spoke into it. “Sally, they’re taken Meilin and Isabel, we don’t know where. License plate AF4439C.”

“Aye, aye, cap’n,” she nodded, typing something into a computer. “It seems to be headed for a private train station. If you can get yourselves a car, you can probably make it in time. It’s departure time isn’t static, they want out ASAP.”

“Thanks, Sally,” Wufei nodded and turned off the communicator. “Got any bright ideas?”

Ramsey was eyeing the trucks on the practice field being used to load up mobile suits. “I might.”

Isabel glared at the men as they poked at her with their guns, herding the two girls along the platform and towards a train. “I can WALK, damnit.” She strode ahead a few paces and was instantly blocked by another. “What do you want, forward or back?” she snapped. “Make up your minds.”

“Just keep going,” the man sneered and stepped out of her way.

Meilin continued to sniffle and Isa fell back to walk at her side. It was just the two of them, now. The door of the car opened and Isa stared. “A BOXCAR!? A BOXCAR!? You expect us to travel all the way to god-only-knows-where in a BOXCAR?!”

“Get in,” one of them poked her.

“This is ridiculous!” Isa protested, pulling Meilin in after her. “You can’t be serious!” They merely grinned and let the door close. Meilin sank to the ground, beginning to cry again, but Isabel went immediately to the door on the opposite side. It wasn’t locked- victory! “Meilin, help me move it,” she called.

“Wh-what? Isabel, it’s no use,” the girl shook her head, pigtails swinging. “Whatever they want to do to us, they can and will. We’re trapped.”

“Damnit, girl, this is what I’m talking about!” Isabel snapped, fury in her eyes. “All you do is sit there and feel sorry for yourself! Let me tell you, if you want something fixed, you have to get up and do it yourself! Otherwise you’re just a doormat for others to walk all over. Now get off your ass and help me!” Meilin stared at her and scurried to her feet.

Even together, the door was heavy and rusted, dirt caught in the sliding tracks and they strained against it. They made slow headway, only a few inches at a time, but they only needed a few to slip out. Their only enemy was time, and Isa listened to the train starting up with apprehension. Suddenly they both turned at the sound of gunshots and loud yelling. Something crashed onto the platform, splintering the double doors and the guns and people were closer.

“What in the hell-!?” Isa wondered.

A flushed face accented by yellow hair appeared in the gap they had made. Ramsey panted. “Quickly, get it open a little more- Wufei’s holding them back for the time being.

“Ramsey!” Meilin cried with delight.

Isa had to admit, she felt like doing the same thing. “Quickly, Meilin, help me push again-“ with Ramsey’s help they got the door open enough more than enough. The gunshots became sickeningly closer and Wufei dashed up, his face strained.

“They’re coming- we need to get out of here-“

The train lurched into movement, making both girls sway on their feet. “I don’t think we can!” Isabel cried, peering out the doorway. The men immediately started to shoot at them. “Get in!” She cried, grabbing one of each of their hands and pulling them up.

“Ramsey, Wufei!” Meilin cried, running to both of them and throwing her arms around them.

“It’s not over yet!” Isabel snapped, gunshots ringing off the mental frame of the door, bouncing inside dangerously. The boys pushed Meilin away and the three of them managed to close it. Isabel leaned against the door, breathing hard. “What took you so long?”

“This got in our way,” Wufei answered dryly.

“…Um, anybody stop to think where this thing is headed?” Ramsey asked.

The communicator on Wufei’s wrist beeped, as if on cue, and they all crowded around to see Sally’s image appear. “Wufei, did you make it?”

“Mission Failed. Meilin, Isa, Ramsey and I are on the train and it’s moving to fast now to get off,” he answered.

“Damn. Hang on,” she turned to a laptop on the desk next to her, typing furiously. “Alright, I think I know where you’re headed now. Either Edin- or Sank.”

“Edin or Sank!?” they all stared at the watch in disbelief.

“But that’ll take a day and half to reach!” Isa cried.

“And we’re stuck in a boxcar with nothing soft to sit on,” Ramsey peered around unhappily.

“I’m sorry, guys, I can’t do anything to help you,” Sally said sadly. “Our troops will take too long to mobilize and by then you’ll be halfway to Greece. Our only hope is for you to tough it out until you get there.”

“Thanks, Sally,” Wufei said grimly. “Take care of yourself.”

“I should say the same to you!” she softened. “Be careful, all of you. I’ll keep in touch.” It switched off.

Isa groaned and leaned against the fall, sliding to the ground, not caring for the moment what it would do to her pale white coat. “I can’t believe this…”

Ramsey moved to look at the piles of crates and other unknown artifacts. “Well, let’s have a look at what we can find to make this more bearable, hm? Look, Meilin, there’s a teddy bear here…”

“Oh, goody, let me see!” she raced to him.

Wufei, too, leaned his head against the dirty wall of the boxcar. “It’s going to be a loooooooooong train ride.”

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.

Once the limo left the driveway, Andria burst into tears. Surprisingly, it was Relena who got to her side first.

“R-Relena?” she sobbed.

“I can’t believe he said that to you,” Relena said, her eyes filling with sympathy tears.

“Some boys have no sense,” Estelle agreed.

“Hey, remember what we said before?” Kyla said. “One silent shot, something in his drink, a little push over a cliff-“

“No! Kyla, you can’t kill him!” Andria protested, smiling despite herself.

“You were going to kill Heero?” Relena gasped.

“Andria won’t let us,” Kyla pretended to pout. “You sure about that, Andria? I really liked Raisa’s idea of shipping him off to work in Siberia-“

“No!” Andria laughed. She wiped away her tears, among die-hard friends now.

“I think Raisa’s thinking more along the lines of keeping boys ALIVE right now,” Isabel said slyly.

Raisa slapped her hands to her glowing cheeks. “Ohhh…”

“hey, yeah, that was some kiss!” Estelle exclaimed.

“Oh my GOD! You kissed him!?” Kyla exclaimed, totally shocked. Her shy friend had kissed the guy she had a crush on!? RAISA!?

“Well…”

Andria completely dropped her ‘my guy’s done me wrong’ kick. “YOU KISSED TROWA!? But- but you haven’t even talked to him yet!”

“Yes she did, she played her flute for him this morning!” Isabel told her.

Andria gasped. “When did that happen? Where was I? How could I miss all this?!”

“You kissed Trowa?” Relena gasped.

Raisa hid her face in her hands, smiling despite herself. “Stop it… I- Well- he- er- ugh! I don’t know what to say!” she hid under her coat.

“Uh-uh!” Kyla ripped it away. “We want details! Lots and lots of details! Like what was it like? Is he a good kisser? When’s the wedding?”

“Ah! No wedding! No wedding!” Raisa protested furiously. She paused. “He’s a VERY good kisser…”

“I knew it!” Hilde said from up front. “He looks so sensitive- is he really romantic or what?”

“I think Raisa’s the romantic one!” Estelle said. “Just reaching up and kissing him like that?”

“So are you going out now?”

“Did he agree to write to you?”

“He said he might come to visit…”

They all screamed in delight.

“That is SOOOOO cool!”

“You go, muchacha!”

“Raisa’s got a boyfriend!”

“So’s Kyla!” Raisa said to try to end the barrage.

“Hey, yeah, are you and the dingbat gonna do anything?” Isabel poked Kyla.

“Erm, um, well, we sorta exchanged emails and addresses and numbers and ID codes…” Kyla said happily.

“I’m glad that you got him,” Hilde said. “You’ll be good for him. Get him to stop being so perverted!”

“I can’t change Duo! I like him just the way he is!” Kyla insisted.

“Unlike Mr. Perfect-Soldier-so-I-don’t-need-manners-boy,” Relena said.

Andria growled. “How could he say that? Is there anything more WRONG than that?”

“My advice to you both,” Kyla commanded quiet and attention. “Is to forget him and move on. Both get new boyfriends. We all love Heero and his weird out of synch with the worldness, but he doesn’t deserve either of you if he’s going to treat you like that.”

“Heer, here,” Estelle nodded.

“But-“ both Andria and Relena looked at each other. “We still like him!”

About a week later, Quatre’s Sydney residence had lost it’s charm. The former pilots lounged around the house, having nothing to fill their time.

Eventually, Duo could stand it no longer. He didn’t want to look desperate, but- He riffled through the items on Quatre’s desk and pulled out paper and pen, settling himself on the couch to write. He pulled out the slip of paper that hadn’t left his possession since Kyla had given it to him. He sniffed it and sighed. It still smelled like her. Her started to write.

“What on Earth are you doing?” Heero was looking at him oddly.

“Nothing, nothing…” Duo said, happily writing away.

Trowa looked up. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Is what what?”

“That little piece of paper- is it-?”

“Mine,” Duo said defensively, putting it back in his pocket.

“Duo, that’s not fair!” Trowa exclaimed. “You’re the only one that has it! Let me see!” he reached for it.

“No! It’s mine!” Duo cried, moving out of Trowa’s reach. “It’s not my fault you forgot to ask.”

“Is that their address?” Quatre blinked, looking up from his work.

“It’s KYLA’S address, none of the others- leave me alone!” Duo exclaimed as both Trowa and Quatre reached for it.

Heero looked up at them doubtingly. Did they realize how foolish it made them look? He had manged to keep himself from joining the scuffle, but only just. Besides, which one would he write to? Which one COULD he write to? Andria’s outburst still stung…

“We do not need WEAK women,” Wufei said indignantly from his little corner where he had surrounded himself with pillows while he watched TV. Ever since the Dames had left he had seemed very- insecure? “We are better off without them.”

“Let us see, Duo!”

“No! She gave it to ME-“

“Please, Duo! Just let us see!”

“Is it my fault I’m smart and you’re not? Lemme alone!”

“Ah ha!” Trowa snatched it out of his hand. He and Quatre bent over it, keeping it from Duo. “Hmmm… looks like Relena’s residence in Sank…”

“Maybe we can write care of, hmm?” Quatre said.

Duo fell to his knees. “Please- PLEASE give it back! It’s the only thing of hers I have! PLEASE!?” he begged, eyes looking a bit wet.

They looked at him oddly. “You ok, Duo?”

“MINE!” Duo used the opportunity to snatch back his precious paper. “Mine, mine, mine…” he muttered lovingly as he clutched it. He smelled it again. “NO! You ruined the smell! It doesn’t smell like her anymore! Now it smells like Quatre and Trowa! You bastards!”

Heero and Wufei both shifted away from Duo. He was THAT obsessed?

Quatre and Trowa blinked at him. “It’s ok, Duo… It’s just a piece of paper-“

“But SHE wrote on it!” he wailed. “Don’t you realize the significance of that?”

“Why don’t you just write to her and then you can smell whatever she sends back?” Quatre said, realizing just how incredibly ridiculous that sounded.

“Yes! Quatre you’re brilliant!” Duo cried happily. He quickly picked up the pad of paper again.

“On one condition!” Trowa said, holding the pad away from Duo. “We get to include letters to the other girls as well.”

Duo blinked. “Et tu, Trowa? Et tu, Quatre?”

“Yes, us too,” Trowa said dryly.

“Please?” Quatre begged.

“Speerate envelopes,” Duo insisted, then snatched back his pad and continued writing. Trowa and Quatre victoriously did the same.

Heero hunched his shoulders up even more than they had already been. He didn’t seem to have a neck anymore, which was logical after how he had stuck it out like that…

“You guys don’t want to write to them?” Quatre asked sensitively.

“NO,” Wufei and Heero both snapped.

“Suit yourselves,” Duo shrugged.

To: Ms. Kyla Addison
From: Duo Maxwell

Hey, babe, how’s it going? Would you believe I’ve missed ya? I went into Sydney the other day. The damage is pretty bad there, but everyone’s really cheerful about cleaning up. Someone even hauled out some DJs equipment and people were dancing in the streets. There was a girl there wearing a dress like yours in green. I still say yours is prettier. Best money I ever spent.

I bet Isabel has already asked you if this is from ‘the dingbat’. If not, tell her she’s losing her edge. I am NOT the dingbat. I am Shinigami. Tell her to translate THAT.

Sorry that this is going to be really short, but I want to send this as fast as I can and get a response back as soon as possible.

Keep fighting,

Duo

__________________________________

To: Estelle Brownlow c/o Kyla Addison and Relena Darlian-Peacecraft
From the Desk of Quatre Raberba Winner

How are you? The house seems so much emptier with all of you gone. I can’t believe how much I miss just knowing that you were around to talk to.

How has your sketching been? Have you chosen a piece to turn into a painting yet? You have great talent, Estelle, I would love to be able to see one.

I wish I had the time to write a longer letter, but the deadline is approaching.

Keep well, Estelle

Quatre

__________________________________

To: Raisa Kobiak c/o Kyla Addison and Relena Peacecraft
From: Trowa Barton

I suppose you’re surprised to get this. I managed to get the address from Duo, and so I sincerely hope this reaches you via Kyla.

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you ever since you left. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way about anyone before. Everything seems brighter and clearer now, like I can finally see after being blind for so long.

Please, please write back, I need to hear from you. To know if you really meant what happened on the doorstep. Please respond quickly.

Anxiously awaiting your response,

Trowa Barton

__________________________________

Sank Kingdom, several days later. The girls chose once again to work outside. Relena typed on her laptop in a lawn chair, making light conversation with Estelle beside her, who was sketching the trees in the distance. Kyla examined a map of the area, searching for weaknesses that could be guarded against. Isabel looked over her shoulder and pointed out something Kyla hadn’t noticed and she scribbled a note on the map. Raisa had papers spread on the grass around her. Piles to work on, piles that needed someone’s input before they cold be worked on, piles that only needed approval, piles that didn’t belong to her and piles that were complete. She carefully worked her way through the stacks, enjoying the sunshine as she worked. Andria spoke with an officer before joining them on the lawn.

“Guard’s up and they’re keeping satellite radar on everything for miles around the kingdom,” she said, taking a chair next to Relena.

“That’s good,” Relena said, looking up briefly. “Thank you again, Andria. Thank you all. I don’t think I could possibly be able to handle this much longer if it weren’t for all of you.”

“Hey, that’s why we’re here,” Estelle shrugged. “To help you in any way we can so you can concentrate on what’s really important.”

“Andria are you sure they’ve got guards watching this place enough?” Kyla said sarcastically as she spotted soldiers through the trees.

“You know as well as I do that there are enough,” Andria stuck her tongue out. “It isn’t my fault that they’re needed.”

“Are you sure we should be outside though?” Relena asked, putting down her work.

“Relena, we’ve told you before,” Andria said firmly. “We believe in keeping your sanity through this- stayin indoors all day working isn’t good for anyone. We can handle any would-be attackers just as well out here as we could in there.”

“So stop complaining and enjoy the sunshine!” Isabel agreed.

Relena smiled. “Thank you. You guys have made my life so much better.”

“That’s our JOB!” Raisa laughed.

“Stop thanking us! We want to do it!” Kyla agreed.

“Ms Relena?” someone approached from behind.

“Yes?” Relena accepted the items on the tray that the man carried. “They’re letters,” she said, puzzled. “For you guys-“ she handed them out.

“Duo!” Kyla exclaimed when she saw the return address. She tore it open excitedly.

“For me?” Raisa’s cheeks burned again. She opened her letter with shaking hands, unsure what to think.

Estelle smiled when she accepted the letter from Quatre. “Interesting,” was all she said before reading it.

“No letters for us,” Andria feigned a sigh.

“Hmph. If that stupid little Chinese Boy didn’t have the sense to apologize, then good riddance to him,” Isabel said huffily. Her heart ached a little though.

“Oh, you know you still like him,” Andria said.

“Do not. He called me weak.”

“Wufei calls everyone weak,” Relena protested.

“He’s- he’s nothing more than a muy estupida hibrido,” Isabel said indignantly. “I don’t want to speak to him. I don’t need him. He can wallow in his stupid ideas of right and wrong forever if he wants.”

Andria and Relena looked at each other skeptically.

“Whatever you say, Isa,” Andria said indulgently.

“We completely believe you,” Relena returned to her laptop. Somehow, the two had become very good friends in a short amount of time. Perhaps it was the pain that had brought them together.

Kyla sprang up from where she had been sitting. “I’ll be back later, ok?” she ran inside and to her room.

“Oh my…” Raisa stared at her letter, reading it again and again. Quickly, she also ran inside.

“Hm. Interesting,” Andria commented. “What’s your say?” she asked Estelle.

“None of your business,” Estelle said tartly with a smile. She gathered up her things and also went inside. “See you all later.”

“This is frustrating…” Andria muttered, sitting back in her chair. “Someone wake me when they decide to tell us what’s happening.

Relena laughed. “I think they just got some very gushy letters.”

“Probably from the dingbat and his friends…” Isabel muttered. She sighed and stretched. “We need to get out more, muchachas. Find ourselves some decent men.”

“Sounds good to me,” Andria said sadly.

Relena nodded, also sad.

Isabel shook her head. “Who’d have thought that this would happen? That boy just doesn’t realize what he does to people… Come on, let’s go hottie spotting.”

“Hottie spotting?” Relena blinked.

“Ooh, yeah! Come on, Relena, it’s fun!” Andria grabbed her hand. “We head into town and look for cute guys. It’s exactly what we need to get over him! Let’s go!” The three ran off to do so.

Raisa smoothed out the letter, reading it yet again. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you ever since you left. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way about anyone before. Everything seems brighter and clearer now, like I can finally see after being blind for so long. Please, please write back, I need to hear from you. To know if you really meant what happened on the doorstep. Please respond quickly.” Her heart was pouding. “Oh, Trowa…”

To: Trowa Barton c/o Quatre Winner
From: Raisa Kobiak

Of course I meant it… I hope you meant it when you said you would come. I can’t wait to see you again. When we kissed, it felt like something alive.

I will continue to write for as long as you do.

-Raisa

__________________________________

Kyla reverently placed the letter on her desk and pulled out her favorite stationary. She had bought it one day when they were in Sydney. Next to it was a picture of Duo she had snapped with an abandoned Polaroid that had only one shot left. She smiled at it and got out a pen to begin.

To: Duo Maxwell c/o Quatre Winner
From: Ms. Kyla Addison

I don’t care what anyone else calls you- you are my Thanatos.

To: Duo Maxwell c/o Quatre Winner
From: Ms. Kyla Addison

I don’t care what anyone else calls you- you are my Thanatos. You’ve been looking at other girls? I’m glad you realize that my dress is better. (I’ve been saving it for a special occasion…) Or I would have had to Shinigami you- yes I know what it means!!

I can believe that you missed me- but not as much as I’ve missed you. Everything reminds me of something I could say to you, but you aren’t here.

Actually, Isa didn’t get the chance to say anything. I came inside to write to you before she could. I wouldn’t dare tell her she’s losing her edge though, she’s still too sharp!

We’ve upped things here, you know why. We haven’t heard anything yet, we’re keeping a lookout. Don’t suppose you and your pals would know anything, would you? Any help’s appreciated. Looks like we may be in this for the long haul.

Always smile. I tried to braid my hair yesterday, but it reminded me too much of you. So does strawberry ice cream. You owe me a cone, buddy. I’ll come to collect soon, don’t you worry.

Please keep the others there smiling as well- we girls can keep our spirits up, but I worry about you gloomy boys stuck in that big house all by yourselves. I know you can do it.

Thanatos will live again, eh?

I promise,

Kyla

__________________________________

“Boxers or briefs on that one, amiga?” Isabel pointed.

“Briefs,” Andria said immediately.

“Definitely briefs,” Relena agreed.

“Ooh- he’s got NICE abs…” Andria murmured and they all three stared at a VERY nice-looking guy walking by.

“Nah, I like that one-“ Relena picked out a guy handing a rose to his girlfriend.

“We’ll never get decent boys at this rate…” Isabel muttered. “All the good ones are already taken…”

They sighed as one.

Author’s Note: Hah. And you thought I was seriously going to introduce MORE triangles to the story? Not a bad idea- but not for right now. We’ll do that later. I promise. *wink* For now let’s just work with what we have, eh?

__________________________________

Andria Ntengi, intent on her purpose, expertly hacked her way into network after network, searching for any clue that might help. She hadn’t realized, or had chosen to ignore, that the sun had started to set hours ago. The only light in the office was from the monitor.

Shyly, Kyla opened the door. “Andry?”

“What?” Andria asked absently, still typing.

“Find anything?” Kyla came in to look over her shoulder.

Andria sighed and rubbed her eyes, trying to see the normal world clearly again. “Nothing. That guy’s systems are hidden better than any I’ve ever seen.”

“Have you found anything at all though? What about outside threats?”

“I wasn’t looking for them,” Andria shook her head.

“Estelle’s in her office doing almost the same thing- she’s researching. Trying to find out all she can from what’s been officially released,” Kyla leant against the desk, shifting her weight.

“What’d she find?”

“That he’s your typical dictator- miserable as a kid, oppressed by a stereotype and now he thinks that taking over the world will be his revenge. Just so happens that he’s starting with Relena,” Kyla shrugged. “He thinks that her idea of peace is foolish, and that it’s going to take a harsh, oppressive and violent hand to tame the world. Relena is everything that he’s not. So she’s his target.”

“Just what we need- a maniac,” Andria said bitterly. She sent the computer into sleep mode. “What time is it? I’m starving.”

“I came to get you for dinner,” Kyla smiled.

“Good. Hacking is hungry work,” Andria smiled back.

They went downstairs and sat at the table where the Dames, Hilde, and Relena ate. Estelle and Raisa were already there, talking about what Estelle had found. Moments after they sat, an angry Isabel stormed in, being followed by Relena, who wouldn’t meet anyone’s eyes, and Hilde, who looked just as angry as Isa, but refused to show it as openly.

The other Dames looked at them in confusion, but said nothing. Relena would speak in her own time.

“I want to thank you all for everything you’ve done over the last month…” Relena began once the food was out. None of them had touched it.

“Get on with it and tell them,” Isabel demanded tersely.

Relena glanced at her, not pleased at being rushed. “I recently received a message from-“

“From the hibrido,” Isabel cut in heatedly.

“FromMarkiah Chisholm,” Relena sent her a quelling glare. “He’s threatening to invade. He demands that we surrender at once or be annihilated.”

Kyla rolled her eyes. “Is there no originality anymore?”

“This is serious, Kyla,” Andria said sternly.

“Oh, come on! He sounds like a nutter!” Kyla replied. (AN: mebe Estelle should have said this… It’s sorta British, but a Scottish lass could easily say it, too… Another word for ‘nutcase’ or ‘psycho’ etc.) “What’s he doing, taking this straight from ‘how to take over the world in thirteen easy steps’?”

“That’s not the point, Kyla,” Estelle said firmly. “He has armies. He runs a nation. He recently lead the rebellion to take control of this nation. He has people who will listen to him when he tells them to attack us. HE IS DANGEROUS.”

“We can’t ignore it,” Andria agreed.

“I don’t know what action to take,” Relena looked at them each in turn.

“If you try to surrender again-“ Hilde warned.

“I won’t do that. I can’t.” Relena agreed. “But I’m wary of starting a battle. Sank is still a symbol of peace and we mustn’t tarnish that reputation.

“You won’t have to,” Raisa said simply.

“The Dames are officially a rebel group hiding out in Sank. We support Ms. Relena in all her endeavors, but understand that we may never officially support her, as that would contradict what she stands for. Therefore, we have made it our mission to protect her and the Kingdom whether she likes it or not, but it is clear that we have no official approval from her at all,” Andria said. She and the other girls gave Relena smug looks. They had agreed to this plan only a few days ago.

“But-“ Relena paused. “Everyone will know who you are… I know who you are. And I approve of many things that you do… The war against MarieMaia showed me that sometimes you have to fight to preserve peace,” she said with determination.

“Doesn’t matter,” Estelle shrugged. “We work without needing your approval.”

“Cool,” Hilde said. Relena still looked uncertain.

“Alright, enough,” Isabel said, pulling out a map of the world. “To make this believable, we can’t be seen coming and going from here all the time-“

“Coming and going?” Relena and Hilde blinked in surprise.

“Well we sure can’t stay in one place if this guy’s got as many global contacts as Estelle found,” Kyla stood to help unfold the map.

“What are you saying?”

“We’re leaving for separate posts,” Andria told them.

“Markiah has allegiances with practically everybody,” Estelle used her knife to point out points on the map. “Enough people to worry about anyway. These allegiances range between outright assistance in times of war to simply allowing him to manufacture weapons. Most of all are the manufacturers… Corrupt officials have allowed themselves to be bribed into allowing it, no matter the aims of their nation’s people or leaders. Several colonies build MS’ for him. In Eastern Africa are still more manufacturing plants. Alliances with these European nations will make it extremely difficult for us,” she traced a semi-circle that seemed to lead directly to Sank. “In South America is the central military compound. In Asia are the training grounds for his soldiers. They’re taken there to train as soldiers and then brought back to him to fight. He’s obviously been planning this for years and years,” she said sadly. “As for all the nations he’s allied with- there are way too many of them for us to find them all.”

“I claim the African MS plants,” Andria said, her eyes promising vengeance on this man who had dirtied her homeland.

“I’d rather stop this at the source- put me down for the training grounds,” Isabel shook her head.

“I’ve always wanted to see the Amazon,” Estelle said thoughtfully. She marked large circles on the map.

“You said earlier that colony L2 had some suspicious activities on it,” Kyla said.

“Yes, but it’s highly top secret- I don’t have the same hacking skills Andria does,” Estelle told her.

“I’ll go there,” Kyla said firmly.

“And you, Raisa?”

Raisa bit her thumbnail, thinking. “Is it really wise of us to leave Relena all alone?”

“Not all alone,” Hilde said defensively.

“Sorry, Hilde, but you’re not nearly as well trained as we are,” Andria apologized on behalf of the girls.

“You want to stay?” Estelle turned to Raisa.

“Yes. I’ll stay and keep things secure here,” Raisa agreed. “Maybe I can even scope out this Europe situation.”

“Then it’s agreed.” Estelle made a final mark and folded up the map.

“Thank you,” Relena said gratefully.

“Stop thanking us!” Kyla said sternly. “This is what we DO, Relena! We’re your friends now- you don’t need to thank us for every little thing!”

“Anybody else realize we were eating?” Hilde suggested. They all paused and mini-sweatdropped. They settled in to eat before things got any colder. It would be their last meal as a group for quite some time.

“Raisa!” Estelle cried happily. “You decided to play, afterall!”

Raisa blushed and looked around the room shyly. Why did so many of them have to be here?

“I thought you were going to bed,” Heero said pointedly to Trowa.

“Well I found Raisa’s flute in the hallway, and I couldn’t just leave it there,” Trowa said smoothly. He nonchalantly brought out his flute again while Raisa took hers out as well. “And then I asked her to play for me, since I probably won’t get another chance to hear her for some time.”

Heero grunted skeptically. He knew Trowa was up to something. He had actually never quite seen this side of the silent young man before. It might be fun to watch.

Wufei glanced at Heero in confusion. Heero gave him a ‘wait and see’ look. Wufei nodded and settled back next to Isabel to see what there was to see. Quatre frowned at Trowa. What was he up to?

Raisa cautiously raised her flute. She looked to Trowa. “What do you want to hear?”

“Anything,” he said, leaving his flute in a resting position. “Whatever moves you.”

“Alright,” she thought briefly. Of course… her favorite piece… (AN: We’re gonna say it was composed in a time later than ours, so it has no name. O yeh, and if you’re not a music person, you’re evil & shouldn’t be here. You may wanna skip this next paragraph. Naw, I can’t really afford to boot you out for that. *pout* Give music a chance!!) The piece began; quiet and soulful. But it kept moving, wrapping Raisa’s audience into its depths just as she had always been captivated.

Trowa in particular, was spell-bound. How had he been able to overlook her at all before? She was so engrossed in the music- seeming truly relaxed and at peace. All he could see was her.

Raisa finished, letting the last note fade slowly. No one moved for several long moments. It was Quatre first started to applaud. Then they all were. Raisa blushed. She had almost forgotten they were here.

“Raisa I’ve never heard you play like that!” Estelle exclaimed, jumping up to hug her. “That was beautiful.”

Isabel sniffled and wiped her eyes. “Ai yi yi. So much beautiful music here…”

“That was beautiful Raisa,” Quatre stood so he could shake her hand in congratulation.

“Thank you-“ Raisa managed to flush again. “I love to play… I used to practice for hours doing nothing else.”

“Ah, so that’s where you were!” Estelle teased. “Isa was certain you were reading romance novels!”

Isabel stuck out her tongue at her friend. “I hate to say it, but we better get going, muchachas.”

“Si,” Estelle agreed. “I still have to pack-“

“May I walk you to your room?” Quatre said politely.

“Sure,” Estelle said, nothing polite about it.

“You did excellently,” Heero patted Raisa on the shoulder and left as well.

Isabel wiped away a few more tears. Wufei put a hand on her shoulder. “Come on, don’t be such a weak woman-“

Isabel’s eyes took on a cast VERY similar to the boys under Zero System… “What did you just call me?”

“I- Uh-“ Wufei took a hesitant step back.

Raisa quickly put her flute back in it’s case. “We’llcatchyoulaterIsaComeonTrowaifyouwanttolive!” she cried, grabbed Trowa’s arm and yanking him out of the room. They heard the sounds of yelling as the door closed behind them. “Phew. That was close… he shouldn’t have said that.”

“You play beautifully,” he said, still a little stunned.

“Oh,” she looked down, blushing again. “It’s not me- it’s the music. No one could ever manage to not sound good when they play that…”

“No, you made it come alive. That’s essential in music.” Trowa insisted.

“Thank you,” she smiled bashfully.

“Do you- really have to leave?” Trowa asked as they started to walk.

“I wish I didn’t,” Raisa said sadly. ‘Just my luck, too…’ “We have a responsibility to Relena though.”

“You’re returning to Sank?”

“Yes.”

“Maybe I’ll come to visit you sometime,” he said casually.

“Just to visit me? I’m hardly that important,” she said, liking the jonty tone in his voice and responding to it.

“Someone who plays like an angel isn’t unimportant. Of course, I could always go to not visit you.”

“Then I’d be offended.”

“Then I would have to change my itinerary to include you.”

“Well I would change mine to avoid you.”

“Then I would play my flute,” he stopped to look into her eyes. “Until you joined me.”

Raisa was captivated by those green eyes looking at her so deeply. Only truth was there. “I’d only wait for the next measure before beginning.” (AN: *cough* Thank you, No Name!!)

“I’ll come back to see you off,” he said, breaking the eye contact. Shyly, perhaps because of his own actions, he left her to pack.

‘Wow…’

__________________________________

AN: Does Trowa seem at all OOC to you? Hmm… he does a little to me… Ah, but he’s never been in love before… Yes, that’s my excu- I mean, explanation. He’s never been in love before and so we’re seeing a whole new side to Mr. Lets-hide-behind-the-bangs-and-not-speak. Let’s continue…

Several hours later, the Dames were loading up to return to the Sank Kingdom. Heero decided to hang back in the shadows to watch, exactly as he had done the first time. Only this time, his heart ached for two.

Andria and Relena worked side by side calmly. They even laughed together when Estelle tripped and landed on top of a pile of suitcases that fell open, covering her in clothes.

“Nice one, muchacha!” Isabel called from where she, Kyla and Duo were securing bags to the top of Relena’s rented limo. It was purple. Nice change of routine there.

“Oh bullocks…” Estelle muttered, then smiled. Then laughed. “Bloody hell- someone help me up.” (AN: shut up. It is NOT weird in any way… or do I need to include a Brit dictionary too?)

Still laughing, Relena did so. “Here, I’ll help you-“

Chuckling, Andria turned to help as well- her gaze fell on Heero, lurking in the shadows. “I’ll be back in five-“ she called, heading over. “Is this the way you always say good bye?”

Heero’s eyes showed pain. “Good luck, Andria.”

“With what?” she asked, tilting her head.

“With finding your life- the Sank kingdom’s good for that.”

“Heero-“ she bit her lip. “Why don’t you come with us? We missed you. And now I know that Relena misses you too when you’re gone. Please come with us.”

Heero shook his head. “Not now. I can’t. You go- protect Relena for me.”

“PROTECT RELENA FOR YOU!?” Andria couldn’t help being angry. He- he- he hadn’t asked her that. He couldn’t have. “PROTECT YOUR EX WHO I BROKE UP WITH YOU SO THAT YOU COULD BE WITH HER FOR YOU?!?!?” The emotional stress had finally demanded that some action be taken. The others looked up, bewildered. “HOW CAN YOU ASK ME THAT!?”

Duo gave a low whistle. “That guy has GOT to get out more… He knows NOTHING…”

“I thought it was getting out that caused the problem in the first place,” Isabel snorted.

“Isa! Duo!” Kyla scolded, upset- those were her friends over there!

Quatre emerged from the house, looking startled. Was that Heero and that girl? Heero was in some major trouble… Trowa and Raisa emerged behind him.

“What happened?”

“Andria-“ Heero had fallen back, more than a little startled and almost- afraid?

“Don’t you Andria me! I thought you had decency, Heero Yuy!”

Hilde popped her head out of the car window. “Holy crap… she’s gonna kill him!”

Relena stared on, afraid to move. Afriad to breathe. Afriad to blink. What was she seeing? And should she be happy or upset that she was seeing it?

“Andria, I-“

“I can’t believe you would ask me to do a thing like that!” Andria cried. “That’s the most uncouth thing I’ve ever heard of! Do you realize just how much that hurts? Don’t say anything- I’m through with you, Heero Yuy. It’ll only cause more heartbreak.” She spun around and headed straight for the limo. “Hurry up, we’re going, NOW.”

They scrambled to obey. Duo slammed the lid of the trunk. He and Kyla hugged briefly, exchanging whispered words before Isabel tore her away. Isa hadn’t missed the pale figure in the window- she turned her nose up at him and she and Kyla got in the car.

Raisa took a moment to realize what was happening. As Trowa turned to her, she reached up and pulled his face down for a brief kiss. It seemed like the nicest, most electrifying eternity ever. Face red, she pulled away and ran to the car, waving. “Don’t forget to write!”

Woodenly, Relena got in as well. Her face remained frozen, showing no emotions.

Quatre and Estelle shook hands and hugged quickly before Estelle had to join her friends in the car. She waved sadly as they pulled away.

The purple limo turned onto the main road and headed for the airport.

Duo waved after them sadly. He sighed and turned back to his fellows, then blinked at what he saw.

Heero, in shock, stared after it, quaking on the inside a little. DAMN. What the hell HAD they done to him?

Quatre, too, waved sadly. He hid his upset by rearranging the papers he had been carrying and heading back inside.

Trowa was very much in shock. Very, very, much. He too stared at the last place the car had been, utterly astonished.

Wufei had remained inside and had only gone deeper into the house to find a place to practice with his sword and vent his emotions…

Duo shook his head. “Women… can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em.”

Andria Ntengi shook herself out of her pit of despair. She moved to the window to see that all was right, knowing that whatever was bothering her wouldn’t be out there.

“What is this new thing on the wind?” she opened the window to taste the air. This air- under the dewy sweet scents of the flowers in the garden, was the desert and the bushlands. Her home. But not. “The savanna… it’s time to return there. That’s where I’ll find my fight.”

An explosion came from the direction of the city. “They’re attacking Sydney?” she gasped. Then her eyes narrowed. It was time for her to earn her rights to her gundame. “Isa! Kyla! Raisa! Estelle!”

__________________________________

The others heard it as well.

“What the-?” Estelle stood.

“Damn hibrido!” Isabel swore. “Come on! We have to find Relena!”

“Aye!” Estelle and Isabel raced out of the room.

The four former gundam pilots exchanged looks. They headed for the basement where Quatre always kept several MS’ on hand.

“Muchacha! Leave the dingbat!” Isabel cried as they passed Duo and Kyla.

“Kyla-!?” Duo grabbed her arm before she could go.

“I’m sorry, Duo- I’ll explain everything later!” the pain on her face couldn’t be hidden. She joined the other girls and raced through the shadows of the house.

“What happened?” Raisa had joined them leaving her flute in the hall.

“Someone’s attacking the city!” Andria called from up ahead. “Where’s Relena?”

“In her room- this way-“

They burst into Relena’s room. She and Hilde were both at the window, staring in horror at the red blaze in the distance that sparkled with pinpricks of yellow and white the colors of weapons firing.

“Relena, are you alright?” Kyla asked.

“Yes- why would they be doing this?” Relena turned.

“They may be after you-“

“Or maybe just after the city,” Raisa cut off Isabel. “Either way, we can’t let them do it.”

“Requesting permission to fight,” Andria looked Relena in the eye.

“Permission granted. Do what you must,” Relena returned her look.

“Then let’s go!”

“What’s the plan?” Duo asked, settling into a Taurus.

“We check it out, then decide whether or not to battle,” Quatre responded.

“Don’t we have a responsibility to protect the city?” Trowa asked.

“There are civilians in there- it is dishonorable for these people to attack them,” Wufei seconded.

“We’ll make our decision once we’ve assessed the situation,” Quatre said firmly. “Head out.”

__________________________________

The Dames emerged onto the battlefield.

“You and me are going places, Jungle Orb,” Andria said to the gundame fondly. She squinted up ahead. “What the hell kind of suits are those?”

“I’ve never seen anything like them before!” Raisa gasped.

Before them was a new kind of MS. Larger than a Taurus, and obviously better equipped. Their bright red color blended into the fires they had started.

Estelle quickly messed with her on-board computer. “The system can’t find them. Could they be new?”

“Whatever they are, they’re invading our turf,” Kyla said through clenched teeth.

“So let’s give ‘em hell, eh muchachas?” Isabel smiled.

They descended into battle, knocking away as many new suits as they could.

“This is Dame Final Kiss- We request that you leave the area immediately! Ms. Peacecraft is in the area and we are sworn to defend her. Repeat: leave the area immediately!” Estelle tried to establish communication.

A man in the uniform of a nation’s leader appeared on her screen. “Greetings. As it so happens- Ms. Peacecraft-Darlian is our target. We shall not leave the area.”

“Who the hell are you?” Estelle couldn’t help glaring at him.

“I am Markiah Chisholm, leader of the new nation of Edin.”

“Edin? I’ve never heard of that!” Kyla exclaimed from her Thistle Wing. She had picked up the frequency.

“Actually, we’ve only become established today,” Markiah smiled wolfishly. “It’s been a very eventful afternoon here in Europe.”

“Crap…” Andria quickly typed in a search on her computer, cutting down several of the new suits as she went. They didn’t seem to have figured out yet that the Dames were their enemies. “Shit! He hacked a part out of Italy!” Andria cried, wide-eyed. The new map showed a new nation at the head of the Italian peninsula.

“I think it makes a very pretty new addition,” Markiah smirked.

“That’s too close to Sank!” Isabel grit her teeth.

“Anywhere is too close to Sank! And if you’re thinking of aquiring it- then you’re our enemy,” Kyla said.

“Well I hope you ladies enjoy battling my Scorpios. They’re the very latest in MS technology combined with that of the Mobile Dolls. I’ll see you when I’ve captured Relena.” He dropped the communication.

“Damn! I couldn’t trace it!” Estelle swore.

“What the hell is a mobile doll?” Isabel asked.

“Exactly what it sounds like…” a new voice picked up the frequency, but no visual. “A suit that doesn’t need a pilot to fight.”

“Who are you? And what side are you on?” Kyla tried to establish a visual.

“Who we are doesn’t matter.”

Raisa picked up several Taurus’ on her radar. “Are you for or against this Markiah guy is the kicker though.”

“Against. We fight to protect Relena and Sank.”

“Five of them…” Andria muttered, glancing at her radar.

“Then you’re not our enemy in this battle,” Isabel said decisively. “What are we waiting for- trash those new suits!”

All conversation stopped and the ten MS focused on the battle. The Capricorns fought back viciously. The Taurus’ just weren’t doing well. The Gundame finished off the last. The smoke started to clear as the sun slowly came up. They faced each other.

“Alright. It’s our turn to ask the questions here,” one of the Taursus’ said. “Who are you and what are your intentions?”

“And where did you get gundams?” another asked.

“That’s gundame,” Isabel corrected.

“I’m not getting any hostile feelings from them…” Raisa said.

“It can wait, then. We need to get back to Relena,” Kyla said.

“I agree.” Andria spoke to the group. “We’ll probably cross paths again. When we do, we’ll have this conversation again.” The five Dames flew upwards, the better to confuse these new suits as to where they were going.

The GW pilots watched them go.

“This is a new development…” Trowa said.

“They sounded female, which is odd,” Quatre said practically.

“Dishonerable… leaving the field like that…” Wufei muttered.

“Hey, Heero- aren’t you happy? There’s a new war to fight! No more sitting on your ass!” Duo tried to sound helpful.

Heero didn’t answer. He watched the- gundame?- enter a bank of clouds and disappear from view. “Yeah… really happy…”

The Dames landed and stored their suits in the warehouse. Relena and Hilde came to meet them.

“What happened?” Hilde asked.

“New enemy- some guy’s just made his own nation above the Italian peninsula last night. He says he’s your enemy,” Kyla delivered the news.

“But why? What has the Sank kingdom ever done?” Relena looked pained. “Peace will never be attainable at this rate. I should contact him-“

“Not yet, Relena,” Andria said forcefully. “And not here. We need to find out all we can first and get you home as quickly as possible.”

“She’s right,” Hilde looked to her mistress.

Relena sighed. “I suppose you’re right. We leave immediately.”

“So… Relena Darn-we-missed-Peacecraft has protectors,” Markiah said idly to himself.  “Made of Gundanium alloy at that. This shall be a very interesting war…”

Kyla and Raisa bent over the computer printout of Thistle Wing’s current state. They assessed the damage and went to work, tinkering and making repairs. They had finished with Whisper War and were slowly making their way to each of the gundame. They were the only two who really liked repairing the machines. Andria had opted to go out hunting for parts, though she would normally happily have joined them.

They worked mostly in silence so they could concentrate. It was thus that Kyla was able to pick up a small scuffling sound. She paused, listening. Raisa glanced up briefly. She understood. Kyla would look into it.

Kyla slid down onto the floor and crouched under the platform the gundame was on. She thought she saw a shadow moving and crept the long way around to investigate. Whoever was in their secret hanger was in trouble… She slipped into the shadow between the huge storage cabinets. She felt a blade being pressed to her throat and froze.

“Where’d you get the gundams?” a voice hissed.

Kyla took a deep breath, careful to avoid being cut. She was sure she had heard that voice before…

“I said, where’d you get the gundams?”

“Duo…” Kyla croaked, trying her best not to move. “It’s me, Kyla.”

“Kyla?” Duo recognized her voice and her walk now. He removed the knife. “What the hell are you doing?”

“How the hell did you get in here?” she hissed.

“Those are the mobile suits that were defending Sydney- how did you get those?” he hissed back.

“I pilot one!” Kyla was able to make it feel like a shout, though she never raised her voice.

The sound bounced between the walls of the cabinets. Duo stared at her. “No. You’re lying- I didn’t hear that.”

“You accuse me of lying?” she took an angry step forward. “I wouldn’t lie about my mission!”

“Well you obviously did earlier, seeing as you withheld information that could be vital- does Relena know?” he said back, just as angry.

“Of course she knows! She gave us permission to battle today!”

“Does Heero know?”

Kyla looked down and away. “Duo… there are things about us that no one but Madam Anthony ever knew about us… even we don’t know everything.”

“So the answer is no.”

She nodded.

Duo whistled softly. “How about that. My girl’s a gundam pilot,” he said almost proudly. Nearly reverently even.

“What do you mean YOUR girl?” she looked up in surprise.

“Kyla? Are you ok?” Raisa called.

“I’m fine!” Kyla called back. She looked at Duo, unsure of what to do.

“So Raisa’s in on this as well? Are all of you girls?” he asked.

“I’m debating how serious the Madam was when she said to kill anyone who learned of this,” Kyla said half-jokingly.

“Hey, It’s not like I haven’t heard THAT one before,” Duo shrugged heartily.

“Kyla?”

Kyla looked at him skeptically. “Alright, Thanatos, come on. I want you to meet my gundame- Thistle Wing,” she drew him out of the shadows.

“Gun-dam-eh?” he blinked, looking at her MS.

“Gundame,” she confirmed. “Yo, Raisa! Look at what the dingbat dragged in!”

“Huh?” Raisa slid to the floor to greet them. “How did he get in here?”

“I flew,” Duo said sarcastically. Almost.

“Kyla! Raisa! There’s a Taur- us- out-side-“ Andria came panting in, then stopped when she saw Duo. “What the hell is HE doing in here?”

Duo whistled again. “This is going to be fun telling the others.”

All three girls turned cold eyes on him. “You WON’T be telling the others.”

“Well you’re not seriously going to kill me, are you?” Duo laughed, getting that jaunty tone in his voice that he always got when he knew he could take on whoever was threatening him.

“We wouldn’t do that,” Kyla shook her head. “But you can’t tell them.”

“It would blow our cover completely!” Raisa agreed.

“Please- Duo?” Andria pleaded, racking her brain for his name. “You CAN’T tell the others about this. Especially not Heero. He’d think we lied to him all this time…”

“You did,” Duo said coldly.

“Not because we wanted to! He would never be able to trust anyone ever again! Please, Duo. I beg you- don’t tell Heero,” Andria said imploringly.

Duo looked at the three girls. They all looked so earnest. And it wasn’t like he couldn’t sympathize. He turned his attention to the MS. “Bet I can help you with this.”

“How?” they asked.

“I have a few tricks up my sleeve, is all. I’ve piloted lots of suits- like that Taurus outside. I, uh, didn’t make it in time to fight, but I followed you when you left. You can take this as my word,” he winked, hoisting himself up to have a look at what needed to be done.

“You trust him, Kyla?” Andria and Raisa looked at her.

“I think we have to…”

Isabel and Estelle ran back to the living room as quickly as they could. They flopped down into seats and tried to regain normal breathing patterns. They had to make it look as though they had never left.

In the hallway, the four former pilots also raced towards the living room. Heero got there first, saw it’s occupants, and stopped the others outside the door, so they wouldn’t blow their cover.

“Where’s Maxwell?” Wufei asked.

“He went to investigate those new gundams,” Quatre panted.

“Everyone ok?” Heero asked. They nodded and went in as calmly as they could.

“Hey,” Isabel said casually. “Where were you?”

“Uh… watching that battle…”

“Yeah, uh, it was fascinating…”

“Bad, but fascinating.”

“Boys,” Estelles shook her head in disgust.

“Hey, anyone else realize it’s 7 a.m. and not one of us has had any sleep?” Trowa said.

Isabel and Estelle exchanged looks. “We were planning to sleep on the flight home…”

“What flight home?” Quatre blinked.

“We have to return to Sank immediately,” Estelle told him sadly.

“Oh…” awkward moment in the room.

Trowa coughed. “I’m going to go to bed. Wake me when you leave.” He exited. He paused in the hallway, seeing clearly what he had barely glimpsed on their way in. A flute case. He carefully picked it up. ‘Raisa’ was written on a tag in calligraphy. Well, he would just have to return it to her, wouldn’t he? He gave a small, sweet smile.

“So protecting Relena is really your mission?” Duo asked as they finished up.

“Yes. It always has been. We wouldn’t lie about that,” Kyla said honestly.

‘I’ve been there…’ Duo thought. “So do you girls like her or what?”

“She’s ok,” Raisa said, toweling her hands dry after just having washed them. “She seems so sad though.”

“She has a right to be sad,” Andria’s big green eyes couldn’t hold her emotions. She couldn’t help sounding defensive when she spoke. “Heero’s not an easy person to love. Losing him is even worse.”

Raisa coughed. “I’m gonna head back now, see you.” She skipped out.

“Are you still really upset?” Kyla asked Andria quietly.

“Doesn’t matter. I have to move on, don’t I?” Andria put her chin up defiantly.

“You act like the world’s going to come and destroy you if you show the slightest weakness,” Duo said nonchalantly. “It won’t. I can see now why you and Heero got along. All I can say to you is good luck.”

“No wonder Isa calls him a dingbat,” Andria rolled her eyes, being silly.

“Well he’s MY dingbat now,” Kyla yanked on his braid. “Isn’t that right, Thanatos?”

“Whatever you say Girl-With-A-Big-Mobile-Suit,” Duo said obediently.

“And don’t you forget it,” she grinned.

“They’re gonna start missing us,” Andria smiled, happy for Kyla. She ignored the twinge of pain in her heart. She had never been jealous in her life and she wasn’t about to start now. “Let’s go.”

“Lead on, O Dames!” Kyla whacked Duo lightly with his braid.

Raisa took her time walking back to her room. She really didn’t want to leave. It felt as though they were all meant to be here, together. Her heart ached a little. And she had never gotten to say anything to- him. Sadly, she opened her door and put a suitcase on her bed. She pulled out one of the drawers in her closet and put it down next to the suitcase so she could sit while she packed.

She looked up at a knock on the half-open door.

“May I come in?”

Raisa sucked in a breath quickly. Trowa smiled kindly at her. “Sure- sure-“ she moved the suitcase a little in case he wanted to sit.

“I found this in the hallway-“ he held up the flute case.

‘STUPID!’ Her head screamed. “My flute! Thank you!” she took it, trying not to flush as their hands touched briefly. “Where did you find it?”

Trowa blinked, startled. What had he felt when their hands met? It was like- like a spark had passed between them. “In the hall outside the living room. You should have joined us- I would love to hear you play sometime.”

Raisa blushed and let her hair fall forward to cover her face. She quickly added a few more things to her bag. “I’m better at piccolo…”

“You play pic as well?” Trowa was happily surprised.

“Yeah, it’s my favorite to play. I wish I’d brought it with me,” she smiled genuinely. ‘Hell yes I wish I’d brought it with me…’ “Madam Anthony believed in always exercising our full potential.”

“Hm. I would still love to hear you play.” She started to protest. “Please? Before you leave?” his blue eyes pleaded with her.

“Sure. I’ll get my music,” she said, faced with them. ‘Ooh… How’m I ever going to leave?!’

“Heero, look at me,” she tilted his face up with her finger. His eyes were so, so sad. “What’s wrong?”

“I… don’t think I’ve been completely honest with you.”

“About what?”

“Let’s take a walk.” Heero tried to think. Why hadn’t he thought of anything to say yet? “Um, You know Relena, yes?”

“Yes, we’ve been with her for a week now. She’s really nice, but it sounds like you already know that,” Andria said calmly.

“Well… actually… she and I have known each other for a very long time.”

“Really? How long?”

“Four years. Give or take.”

“Wow. That is long.”

“Look, Andria-“ he stopped walking and turned to face her. “Relena and I…”

“You and I what?” Relena had found them outside. There seemed to be a lot riding on the question. Her eyes held so much hope.

Andria looked between them, noticing everything about their body language and the silent signals that passed between them in the air. “Oh, Heero… Of course…” she started to back away slowly. “I should have realized. I was just an interim thing, wasn’t I?” her voice began to break. Any moment now she would break into tears. She couldn’t do that in front of him.

“What? No! Andria!” Heero realized she had gotten the wrong impression. Or had she?

“It’s ok, I understand,” she tried to smile and sound strong. “You go ahead and be with her. I’ll be alright. I have a job to do. Good bye, Heero,” she turned and began to walk, then run. She was quickly out of sight.

That stung. ‘I have a job to do’. The GW pilots hadn’t had a mission in so long… even if they had, they no longer had the gundams to complete those missions.

“Heero?” he had forgotten Relena was there. “Did I-?”

“No, no it’s not your fault, Relena,” Heero sat on the ground, unable to stand and think at the same time anymore.

“That’s probably one of the only times you’ve ever called me Relena to my face as a friend,” she said, sitting next to him.

“As a friend?” Is Relena my friend?

“If that’s what you want,” she said easily. Heero searched her eyes. She was hiding some emotion, but he couldn’t tell what it was.

“I’ve screwed up so much,” He hung his head.

“Is she your girlfriend?”

“She was my girlfriend.”

“Why don’t you go after her?”

“I don’t know how.”

“You’ve changed, Heero,” she said, startling him. “You used to be so cold and closed off. You’re much more open now. More relaxed. It’s good for you.”

Odd. Duo had said the exact same thing more or less. “I wish I hadn’t. Life is more painful this way.”

“Heero, from the first time I saw you, I knew that you were a kind person. What you have is a heart.” She reached out and put a hand on his chest, over his heart. “Hearts beat to give life. Hearts give us love and happiness. But in return for that happiness, you run the risk of getting hurt. A strong person can take the pain and learn from it, and grow so that next time they won’t get hurt as easily.”

“Like fighting a war,” he swallowed. Those damn emotions were swirling around again. Her hand on his chest was driving his crazy. She could probably feel his heart thumping like crazy.

“No, Heero,” she shook her head. “Love isn’t a war. You need to understand that if you’re going to keep your heart from getting hurt.” She stood and brushed off her light summer clothes. “I’ll see you at dinner?”

He nodded and watched her head back inside. Love is not a war. His entire life had been the preparation for, and then the fighting of, wars. He looked at his hands and the bits of dirt and grass that clung to them. “I’m completely unprepared for this. Where am I supposed to go now?”

__________________________________

Andria aimlessly wandered the dry gardens for a while. Eventually she headed back indoors and to her room. The tears had subsided for a while but as she closed the door they began again. She couldn’t help it. She could tell herself all the truths and lies in the world; it still hurt to lose her first boyfriend. She turned on the shower and let the water run hot. She got in and tried to get clean, but the tears overtook her. She sank to the floor of the shower and cried. Cried for losing Heero, cried for a misspent childhood training in a Keep, cried for all the hardships she had ever endured, cried for all the lost opportunities.

On the other side of the building, Relena, too, returned to her room. She remained composed, though sad as she moved about her room. She too decided to shower before dinner. In the shower, the warm water washed away all her pent up emotions. She also began to cry, to cry for the life she would never again know, for the terrible fight she had been thrust into at the tender age of fifteen, for her friends the gundam pilots who had it so much worse than she did, and for losing Heero possibly forever.

Both eventually stopped crying. They wiped the salty water away and used nice smelling soaps to life their moods. Their thoughts turned towards their bold, brave new futures, and both emerged as new women.

Duo, Kyla, Trowa and Raisa found Heero still sitting on the lawn a little later. They had brought snacks out for a mini picnic despite knowing that dinner wasn’t that far away.

“Hey, what’s up?” Kyla said quietly so as not to startle him. She sat next to him and rubbed his back comfortingly. (AN: Don’t you dare even think that. I swear I wouldn’t do that. Kyla is DUO’S girl, got it?)

“I have no girlfriend at all,” Heero said softly.

“So what happened?” Raisa sat on the other side of him, setting out bowls and plates on a blanket.

“Andria thinks I’m with Relena. Relena thinks I should be with Andria. Neither understands. Hell, I don’t understand.” Heero told them.

“At least you weren’t dumped,” Duo suddenly remembered the pain of El leaving him. “I gotta say,” he said hoarsely. “That’s the worst.”

Heero glared at him. “Close enough.”

“Heero,” Trowa spoke. “Who do YOU want to be with?”

“I don’t know.” Heero stared at the grass. “Relena said that I have a kind heart. And that’s what’s causing my pain. But she said that it can bring happiness as well. But in return for the happiness, you risk pain. I don’t know how to deal with that.”

“Oh, Heero,” Kyla hugged him around the shoulders. (AN: again. Not what you might think.) “No one does. That’s part of life. We all learn to deal with things as they come. And we’re not perfect- we make mistakes. That’s life.”

Duo finally spoke. He had actually been sitting quietly, concerned for his friend. “She’s right, Heero. And no one makes more mistakes than me. But look- I’m still here.”

Heero looked at him. “How many times in the last week have I told you that you are not helping?” there was a twinkle in his eyes now though.

“That’s our Heero!” Duo said happily. “Cheese puffs?”

Quatre ran around frantically trying to make tea. He waved away the servants, wanting to make it himself. He spoke aloud, tending to babble. Estelle watched him curiously, following along.

“-Wufei can be very, very violent- I have to apologize for him. Actually, almost all of my friends are violent. And very quiet. They don’t talk much.”

“Really?” Estelle said, truly interested in this sweet, pale young boy who was obviously slowly becoming a man. “You couldn’t keep my friends from talking.”

Quatre turned to her briefly. “I noticed that. You’re all very… verbal. And really friendly with one another. You talk like normal people.”

“We are normal people. Aren’t you?”

Quatre tried to chuckle, but it came out more like a strangled, weak giggle. “Um, sure we are.” Running through his mind were memories of his friends screaming down into battle. “Water’s boiling!” He made the tea and then set it out on a tray (AN: yes, Quatre keeps tea trays. You got a problem with that? It’s obvious the boy isn’t gay! Not of course that that would be a bad thing- I happen to love Heero-Duo fics.) and took a seat across from her at one of the pleasant tables stationed in nooks of the massive kitchen.

Estelle savored the tea. “Congratulations- you pass inspection Mr. Winner!”

“Good tea is important, isn’t it?” he agreed, smiling and savoring his own. He had indeed outdone himself this time. “Please, call me Quatre.”

“As I am Estelle,” she reached her hand out and they shook. “I’m very sorry to say that I’ve had little information as to current events- what is it your family does?”

“The Winner family owns a major corporation- we do everything. But that’s really not interesting. How did you end up working for Relena?”

“We were… assigned, I suppose you could say,” she stared into her cup. “We believe firmly in everything Ms. Relena does, and so it’s our mission to help her succeed in her goals.” For some reason, she felt she could tell this boy anything. His blue eyes were so sincere. “I lost my family when I was seven years old.”

“That’s horrible,” Quatre said, really meaning it. He put a hand on her arm to comfort her. “I’m so sorry.”

“I-It’s alright. It was a long time ago. All of us have lost families, you know. Kyla’s parents died of a fever and then she went to live with her grandmother who was killed by ESA soldiers. Andria was separated from her parents on the Serengeti- she found them dead a few days later. Isabel lost her sister and parents to still more soldiers because of her family’s resistance. Raisa was kidnapped by rebels in Russia and was rescued. Reports have come trickling in over the years that her family is dead as well.”

“And yours?” he prompted, his heart going out to her. “If it’s not too-“

“No. I should tell this to someone who hasn’t had it happen to them,” Estelle pushed her hair out of her face. “My parents all died of a disease. My older brother tried to take care of me, but he was killed by soldiers when he had to steal food to feed us. I wandered those streets for days… Madam Anthony found me then. She took me in and that’s when I met the other girls.”

“I’m so sorry, Estelle…” Quatre said, his own eyes holding the beginnings of tears.

Estelle sniffed and wiped her eyes. “I’m alright. I mean- you have to move on, right? There’s no sense in dwelling on the past when there’s nothing you can do to change it. Learn your lesson and move on.” She slowly began to cry however.

“Estelle…” Quatre sympathized. He moved into a chair nearer to her and let her cry on his shoulder.

__________________________________

Wufei chased Isabel into the flower gardens of the residence. He looked for her frantically- which way had she gone? He couldn’t quite understand it, but he felt the wildest attraction to her. He had to know if she felt the same for him, or if that kiss had been a joke. No, that kiss could not have been a joke. No one kissed like that without meaning it.

“Over here, amante,” he heard her call softly.

He found her sitting beneath a rose bush. “I don’t even know your name.”

“Isabel,” she smiled. “Sit. And yours?”

“Wufei,” he replied, sitting as close to her as he dared.

“Interesting. Where have you come from, Wufei?” she asked him, looking at him with her luminous black eyes.

Those eyes seemed to penetrate into his soul. He remembered a pair of eyes that had done that once… “Outer Space. My family’s from China.”

“I figured that,” she said drily. Wufei cursed himself for being so stupid. “But that’s not what I meant- where have you come from, Wufei?”

“What do you mean?”

She got a far away look in her eyes. “A long, long time ago, my family lived in what’s left of Spain. We were so happy. I was the happiest child you could ever wish to meet. But my parents resisted against the Alliance- Within a day, my entire family was destroyed. I became the saddest child, in return for being the happiest. Had I not been taken in and joined my friends, I would probably not be alive right now.”

Wufei didn’t know what to say. “That was injustice,” he croaked. “The Alliance was wrong. I’m sorry for you.”

“Thank you. So where have you come from, Wu-man?” she smiled at him. “That is what Kyla’s dingbat friend called you, isn’t it?”

“I… have never really been happy,” he cast his eyes down. “When I- I lost my wife- I turned all my anger on the Alliance, and towards protecting the colonys.” Why was he telling her this? He had never told anyone so much about himself.

“To lose someone so close to you is the ultimate pain, I know,” she put a hand on his arm. He looked up at her in surprise. He wasn’t a touchy-feely person like Duo, or even Quatre.

“Isabel- why did you do that?”

“Why did I do what? Why did I put my hand on your arm? Because human contact helps to lessen the pain. You haven’t had enough contact. Why did I kiss you? For the same reason. And because you are muy calinete,” she smiled.

“I don’t speak Spanish,” he apologized.

“Ask Heero. He will understand. He is a fast learner.”

“How did you come to meet Heero?”

“Andria dragged him in one day,” Isabel laughed at the memory. “He wouldn’t speak to me. He’s a tough one. He thinks he has so much to prove. Like he’s constantly being watched, our Heero.”

“Your Heero? Last I checked, none of us belonged to anyone,” Wufei couldn’t help saying.

“He’s your Heero, too” she looked at him. “He’s the braided dingbat’s as well. And he’s mine, and Kyla’s and Raisa’s and Estelle’s and especially Andria’s.”

“He’s Relena’s too,” Wufei said firmly.

“Mmm, I gathered that.”

They sat in silence for a while. Finally, Wufei couldn’t stand it anymore. “Why did you kiss me?”

“I told you already. You’re muy caliente, and you needed it. Wu-man, I can tell just by looking at you that you’ve denied yourself any kind of affection for god only knows how long. It’s time you get off your ass and start to live.” She said determinedly.

Wufei couldn’t help feeling chastened. “That’s not what I meant.”

“I know it’s not,” she smiled slyly. “You want to know if I kissed you because I want to do it again.” He stared at her. “Why don’t you come over here and find out, amante?”

__________________________________

Relena decided that they would stay for a few days. No one complained. They were all very interested in finding out more about the other gender. None of them had ever really gotten a chance to do that before… Well, maybe Duo had. Then again, everyone’s read Chp. 12, right?

Relena spent most of the time locked up in her office with a stressed out Hilde. Andria kept to her room as well. Heero was left to amuse himself or hang out with Trowa. The two messy-haired boys decided to just sit in one of the comfortable lounges. That was what they were there for, wasn’t it? They did that for several days without saying a single word to one another.

In the meantime, Estelle and Quatre enjoyed the finer things in life. Tea, civilized conversation, and more tea. Both being from upper-crust families, they completely bonded on that level. Estelle became extremely interested in Quatre’s work. He was becoming more and more involved in the workings of the family business, and it turned out Estelle had a knack for predicting what next would make it big.

A very reserved Raisa accompanied Wufei and Isabel into Sydney for an afternoon. She quickly decided that this was not a good idea and instead opted to stay home and read in the gardens for the next few days.

Kyla and Duo might as well have been one person. They went everywhere together. And they had fun while they did it. They never stayed at the residence all day- they usually went into Sydney for some city fun instead.

“So how long have you worn that braid?” Kyla asked, as they strolled through the sunny streets. They had bought ice cream from a street vendor and Kyla licked hers all the more delicately as Duo wolfed his down and threw the napkin in the trash before responding.

“Forever.”

“Ah. Then you won’t believe me when I tell you that I’ve never braided mine before,” she said from half-closed eyes.

“No way! I DON’T believe you!”

“It’s true,” she said, licking very delicately.

Something didn’t click. The tone of voice… the controlled look on her face… “You’re lying.”

“Yes, I am!” she laughed. “You’re good! I always get Estelle on those.”

“I always get all the guys,” Duo pouted. “They never get it.”

“They’re so quiet…” she murmured.

“Yeah, they don’t talk much.”

“Well you sure talk enough for the five of you,” she teased.

“Hey! Come here!” he grabbed her around her middle.

“Ah! Duo, stop that!” she laughed.

“Don’t you know what they do to bad little girls who lie?” he said teasingly.

“No, what?” she twisted so she could still see his face.

“They don’t get to finish their ice cream.” He neatly plucked it from her hands and took a big bite.

“Duo!” she exclaimed. “Give that back!”

“Uh uh-“ he managed to hold her and slowly eat the ice cream at the same time.

“C’mon, Duo! Is it my fault you ate yours in one bite?” she tried to reach for it but her arms were pinned.

“Mmm… I’m gonna take my time with this one, though. Mine was chocolate- this is strawberry, it’s better. You should really try it,” he chuckled, enjoying watching her struggle.

“Hah!” she got her hands free and grabbed the ice cream. In that one split second where she jumped up for the cone, Duo’s heart stopped beating. She was glorious. She really, really was. She skipped away a few paces and turned to look at him, eating her ice cream triumphantly. She paused. “Hey! You ate that big strawberry I was trying to save!”

“The God of Death strikes again,” he regained his cool and moved so they could walk side by side again.

“God of Death? Thanatos?” she asked.

“What’s Thanatos?”

“The God of Death.”

“Oh.”

“Why did you call yourself that?”

“Because I AM the God of Death, baby,” he said, forgetting for a moment just who he was talking to. In his mind’s eye he saw what he thought of as his glory days.

She looked at him oddly. “Alright, Thanatos. Whatever you say,” she finished the ice cream. ‘I know I’ve heard that ‘god of death’ thing somewhere before,’ she thought.

“Thanatos… I like it.”

“Isabel still calls you a dingbat.”

“What!? Why?”

“Because you are. Ooh- look!” she dragged away down the sidewalk. “Aren’t these just the coolest?” she stared at the outfit in the store window longingly.

“They’re clothes. So what?”

“So they’re COOL clothes! Look at the embroidery- they’re so pretty!”

“Let’s move on-“

“I want to go try them on!” she dragged him inside. He took a seat next to the counter, where the clerk gave him a knowing look. ‘You’re gonna be here for a while’ it said. He sighed while Kyla rushed around picking out clothes to try on. “I’ll be right out!” she called.

“Ok, Kyla,” he tried to sound encouraging. “Dammit… why am I being so nice? I’m a gundam pilot! I don’t go clothes shopping!” he glanced down at his tired-looking black jeans. If it weren’t for Quatre, he would probably never have realized that he had grown out of the old ones.

“Duo!” a voice exclaimed.

He glanced up sharply, old instincts returning. “Eleanor?”

“Hi, sugar,” she hugged him.

Duo pulled away from her touch. He didn’t want to see Eleanor. She had dumped him harshly. And he was here with Kyla- what if she saw him? ‘What am I thinking? It’s not like we’re dating…’ “What are you doing here, El?”

“Just doing some window shopping- and then I saw YOU in the window and I just had to come in!” she laughed. Her laugh grated on his nerves now.

“That’s nice, Eleanor.” He glanced at the changing room doors anxiously.

Eleanor too a seat on the arm of his chair, playing with his hair. “You know, I was thinking. Maybe you and I shouldn’t have broken it off. Why don’t you come around to my place sometime to discuss it? It’s much too- PERSONAL to talk about here.”

“No thanks, El. I’ve sworn off women,” Duo got up. He felt like glaring at her and telling her to leave.

Eleanor pouted. “Then who’s that?” she pointed.

Duo turned back to the dressing rooms behind him. A vision greeted him. “Kyla…” he breathed.

“Do you like it?” she asked, turning around slowly. The dress went to just above her knee and was form fitting but not tight. The deep blue contrasted with her paler eyes and little rhinestone shone from strategic places on its v-neck.

“Like it? I love it!” This was why he had come in here… Something in him had just known it… “You look beautiful, Kyla!”

She blushed. “Thanks.”

“I think she looks like a slut,” Eleanor said sharply.

“No one asked you,” Duo turned on her viciously.

“Duo,” Kyla came and put a hand on his shoulder, alarmed.

“So is she for rent, or what?” Eleanor sneered.

“Take a hike, El,” Duo sneered. Without realizing it, he slipped a protective arm around Kyla’s waist. “I think it’s almost time for your next appointment. Don’t want to keep big, unshaven and hairy waiting, now do we?”

Eleanor glared at Kyla. Kyla shot back a death glare of her own, unsettling Eleanor. “Fine then. Keep your new little hussie. She’ll never last. I hope you’re willing to keep putting out the dough for her- she’s got expensive taste.” She left, slamming the door of the shop behind her.

Duo had pulled Kyla still a little closer. She looked up at his face, concerned at the hard, cold lines there. “Duo?”

He shook his head, shaking off the grim mood. It had been too long since the last battle. “I’m ok. Don’t let her worry you. She’s just jealous.”

“Of what?” Kyla said very quietly. Her voice was low and husky and it sent shivers through him.

He cleared his throat. “You’re going to get the dress, right?” he released her so he could look at her again. Touching her was getting unbearable. She was too beautiful.

“I can’t. It’s way too expensive,” she shook her head.

“Don’t be silly- I’ll pay for it then.”

“But Duo-“

“With my own money too. You look beautiful. You should have the dress,” he said firmly.

Kyla studied his face again. “Alright then. But let me pay for half-“

“No. It’s my treat.”

“Expensive treat.”

“It’s my gift then.”

Kyla went to change back into her normal clothes, shaking her head and smiling. When she got inside the little stalls she leaned against one of the walls. What she had seen in his face and heard in his voice and felt in his touch. She sighed. No way. It wasn’t possible. Could she really love him that much in so short a time? Was it even dreamable that he felt the same way? She dismissed the thoughts as silliness and changed quickly.

__________________________________

Raisa sighed and closed her book. She looked up at the clouds. This was getting so boring. She looked back at the residence longingly. Trowa was in there. He had spoken to her today. Just a few sentences, but it was enough. Something stupid about not being able to find something, but it was enough.

She packed up her things and decided to go in. Casually, she strolled into the room where Heero and Duo had been sitting in silence, each doing his own thing. They glanced up at her as soon as they knew she wouldn’t easily notice. She took a seat and brought out her book again. “Mind if I join you?” Shrugs and grunts. Inwardly she sighed. It was enough.

That evening turned out to be beautiful. They all agreed to eat together spaced out on the lawn furniture. Everything was perfect, just the eleven of them.

“Mmmm… food…”

“You have such a one-track mind, Duo!”

“That is because Maxwell lacks discipline.”

Duo stuck his tongue out at Wufei.

“So tell me more about shopping!” Isabel said to Kyla.

“Well I found this awesome blue dress…”

“Hey, you guys are too quiet over there!” Estelle called to Heero and Trowa who had annexed themselves again. “cart your arses!”

Trowa sent a puzzled look to Heero, who shrugged. “Girls.” Was his only answer.

Over in another corner, Andria moved her food around her plate. She looked up when she felt someone’s prescence.

“May I join you?” Relena asked.

“Um, sure,” Andria was a little surprised. “But isn’t she…”

“I think you and I need to talk, don’t you?”

“I agree.”

At the other end of the group, Heero stiffened. They were talking to each other. He started to stand, but Trowa shook his head, holding him back. “What will be, will be. Let it go.”

“I’ve lost them both,” Heero sighed.

Andria studied Relena. What was it Heero found so special about her? Andria had to know- it hurt to lose him.

“I don’t want us to be enemies,” Relena said sincerely.

“Neither do I. We have a mission- we can’t let anything get in it’s way,” Andria agreed.

“Not just for the mission- I think it would hurt Heero,” Relena said softly.

“Why? To see us fighting over him?” Andria couldn’t help sounding bitter. She was a little. “You can have him. I understand that you had a thing- it’s not my place to intrude.”

Relena frowned. “I’m not with Heero. He- he doesn’t love me. Not the way I want him to.”

Andria was shocked. “But- but- No, that’s not true. When you saw each other- it was screaming at me! What you were to each other- How can you say he doesn’t love you?”

“He doesn’t,” Relena looked into her lap. She had come to grips with herself. It would never happen and she knew it. She looked up again, determined. “If I ruined things for you and he-“

“No- Relena don’t think that!” Andria couldn’t believe this. This intelligent, strong, pretty young woman- ok, beautiful, she had to admit, despite any jealousy- was telling her that Heero didn’t love her, never had, never would. “You should be with him. It’s your destiny.”

“But he doesn’t see that…” Relena whispered, not aware that she had spoken aloud.

“Yes he does. And if he doesn’t, he’s a fool and I don’t want him anyway!” Andria said fervently.

“I think… that maybe we’ve outstayed our welcome,” Relena said carefully. Andria noticed the sparkles at the bottom of her eyes- Relena’s tears. “This is just too difficult for us to work out right now.” She stood to go. “Thank you for speaking with me, Andria. I’m going to go in now. We’ll leave as soon as possible.”

“Oh, Relena…” Andria’s mind was haunted by the sadness in Relena’s eyes.

Such a scene… Course, things were quite as gloomy on the other side of the patio…

Hilde finally came back from the city where she had been running an errand for Relena. A servant told her they were eating outside. Her heart soared. She hadn’t had the chance to speak with the pilots at all in the last few days. Quickly she rushed to her room to change into something lighter and fresher than her uniform and ran to join them.

She was pleased to see that Relena had chosen to speak with Andria, and so she left her alone. “Duo!” she said happily, grabbing a plate and a chair right next to him.

“Huh? Hilde?!” Duo blanched. Oh no… He had completely forgotten about her… that she was here at all… Thank god Kyla had gone to get more food for them both. He was screwed… First Eleanor and now this? His cheeks already burned with embarrassment.

Wufei gave him a knowing look. ‘This will be fun to watch’ it said. Duo glared at him. Wufei helped Isabel move into a better position to watch while whispering an explanantion.

If looks could kill… Isabel glared at Duo so hard he swore he would come out with two drill holes in his head. He gave her a weak, ‘eh heh’ sort of smile.

“So how have you been, Duo?” Hilde said conversationally, her eyes sparkling at seeing him again.

“Uh, good.” He tried to edge away a little and put a decent amount of space between them. Normally he would have replied with a joke, having a sparkle in his eye as well. He felt ill instead. Why? It’s not like he and Kyla were an item or anything… for all he knew he was just another guy-pal to her like Heero…

“What, no witty repartee?” Hilda asked flirtatiously.

“I like to be unpredictable. Don’t want to get in a rut, you know!” he laughed weakly. ‘I’m so screwed… I wonder if this is how Heero feels?’

“Is this another friend of yours, Duo?” Kyla said with an odd note in her voice, holding the plates.

‘Oh shit…’ Duo thought. “Uh, Kyla, this is Hilde. Hilde, Kyla. Shake,” He begged. Maybe if they started out on the right foot it wouldn’t be so bad…

Both gave him weird looks, but did shake. Kyla sat and gave the food to Duo. He quickly stuffed as much in his mouth as was possible cutting him out of the conversation.

“We’ve met,” Kyla told him.

Whoops…

“You haven’t changed,” Hilda smiled.

“Hilde, you never told me you knew Duo,” Kyla said.

“Oh, yeah, we’ve known each other for a while.”

Duo stopped chewing. He stared at Hilde in fear. She did remember the whole ‘let’s never tell anyone we’re gundam pilots so we don’t get killed’ promise, right?

“I knew the two of you would get along,” Hilde continued.

“Sounds about right to me,” Isabel couldn’t help it. Duo GLARED at her. Damn that girl… Isabel smirked. “He’s such a dingbat- what was it you said before, Raisa? About our Kyla always falling for the dumb ones?” she called over to where her friend was sitting.

“Hey, I got stuff thrown at me for that- leave me out of this,” Raisa waved her away.

Hilde’s eyes had shot up at Isabel’s choice of words. She chose to ignore it. Probably just coincidence. “Dingbat- I like it. It suits you, Duo.”

“Ahm mah a phigbah,” he mumbled around his food.

“Isabel called you a dingbat, therefore you are a dingbat,” Kyla declared, giggling at him. He glared at her.

Raisa was watching all this. Estelle saw what she was looking at and frowned. What was up over there? Quatre looked up. Oh no. His pale little face managed to get even paler.

“Hilde and Kyla? Duo’s doomed!” he cried.

“Why not look over there. Andria and Relena were talking,” Trowa said helpfully. This earned him a punch on the arm. If it were his style, he would have grinned broadly. Instead he just gave one of his half smiles.

Raisa melted.

“What’s so bad about Kyla?” Estelle asked.

“Duo and Hilde sorta had a thing,” Trowa supplied.

“That’s not good.”

“Really.”

“I hope Kyla can handle this…”

“I hope Duo makes it out alive.”

Duo made it through the meal. Barely. He thought he was going to have a heart attack every time one of them opened their mouths. When they all finally stood to go back inside, he stretched and said, “Ya know, I think I’m gonna turn in early tonight-“

“But you always stay up late,” both girls said in sync. They laughed at the joke.

Duo tried to calm his ever-thumping heart. This was too much for one day… Too many close calls… Look at the way the fading light shone of Kyla’s hair… “Um, right. I’m a- I’m not feeling too well, so I’m going to bed.”

“You’re sure?” Kyla looked concerned and reached up to feel is forehead. “You do feel a little hot.”

“I bet he he’s found some comic he wants to read or something,” Hilde laughed.

“Sleep tight then, Maxwell,” Wufei said too-happily.

“Si. C’mon, Kyla, I want to see that dress,” Isabel took her hand and they ran back in, talking happily.

“You want to practice again? The instruments are here,” Quatre said to Trowa.

“Sure. I feel like I’m getting out of practice.”

“You both play?” Estelle was surprised.

“Yeah. Violin and flute,” Quatre indicated who played which.

“I play keyboard!” Estelle said happily. “Could I join you?”

“Sure,” they shrugged.

“Raisa, why don’t you get your flute as well,” Estelle turned to her.

“Huh? Oh- no- I couldn’t. I’m not good enough,” Raisa went a little pink.

“Don’t be modest, Raisa!” Estelle said as they went inside. “I know how good you are! I wouldn’t have said anything if I thought you couldn’t handle it.”

“Um, I’m not exactly feeling up to it… I’ll catch you guys some other time, ok?” Raisa made her excuse and left. She headed back to her room and leant against the wall when they were out of sight. They played the same instrument… Resolutely she went to her room and pulled out her flute. Maybe she would join them.

Kyla changed behind the screen in her room and came out to show Isabel. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Si, Kyla! It is! Where’s this shop you found? Did they have one in red?”

“A style better suited to you, yes- long with a slit.”

“And you say the dingbat bought it for you?”

“Yes,” Kyla paused. “He said it was his gift.”

“Some gift,” Isabel whistled. She thought of Hilde.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Kyla frowned.

“I suggest you ask your dingbat about that,” Isabel couldn’t help saying.

“He’s not MY dingbat…” Kyla focused all her attention on cutting off the tags.

“So is he Hilde’s?” Isabel couldn’t help it.

“Well he’s not the Australian girl’s that’s for sure…” Kyla’s hands tightened just thinking about it.

“What Australian girl?” Isabel frowned.

“Today in the shop… she came in… I saw her hitting on him but he didn’t accept it. She acted like she knew him really well,” Kyla put a hand up to her mouth. “She called me a hussie and said I ‘wouldn’t last’. Duo- he-“ she blushed. “He put his arm around me and told her to go…”

“Kyla, he likes you!” Isabel cried happily.

“No… he couldn’t possibly… we’ve only known each other for a few days…”

“So what? Love at first sight, right? And remember the first time you saw him? Kyla, you fell for him on the spot! When he literally fell for you!”

“No… And what were you saying about Hilde? She’s obviously known him for a long time…” Kyla bit her lip. She had pretended not to notice how close to him Hilde has sat. Or the way she had looked at him and spoken to and about him.

“I suggest you talk to your dingbat about that,” Isabel repeated. “Come on, Kyla, why not go now? He’s alone, we know that.”

“Maybe he’s not though…” Kyla’s voice broke a little. “Maybe she got there first…”

“Stop that, muchacha! Your imagination is always worse- go talk to him or you’ll never know for sure. You’re a Dame! You can do this!”

“Thanks, Isa,” Kyla smiled weakly. “I’ll go now.” She left to do so.

“Good luck, amiga,” Isabel sighed.

__________________________________

Duo sat on his bed and put his head in his hands. What the hell was he going to do? He liked Hilde, he really did. He’d never want to hurt her. But he was pretty sure that he loved Kyla. But he wasn’t sure if she loved him back. Was it worth it to risk his relationship with Hilde to hope that Kyla liked him?

Someone knocked on the door. “Can I come in?” Hilde called.

“Uh, sure,” Duo pretended to look ill.

“You ok?” Hilde kept the door half-open and stood near it. “I’ve missed you, ya know.”

“Yeah, I’ve missed you too,” he stared at his hands.

“You don’t sound happy about it,” Hilde frowned.

He made a decision. “Hilde, we need to talk.”

“Isn’t that what we’re doing?” she smiled.

“No, seriously talk.” He gestured at a chair.

“Alright,” she sat, confused.

They chose the room Heero and Trowa had holed themselves up in for the last few days because it had a large electric piano for Estelle to play, as she hadn’t brought her keyboard with her. The three tuned their instruments and kept to a conclusion as to what key they would be in etc.

Heero, having no where else to go, took his seat on the couch. He had to admit, he had missed hearing Trowa and Quatre play. Wufei joined them as well. A few minutes later, Isabel came and sat next to him. Relena and Andria were no where to be found- probably both in their rooms. Heero tried not to think about it.

“You begin,” Trowa said to Quatre.

“Alright,” he put up his violin. The beautiful strains of a song came through. He played alone for quite a while before Trowa joined him. Estelle programmed the keyboard and a percussion part began to play. She let it go and joined them on the regular piano setting.

Their music penetrated heart and soul. Were Wufei and Heero not heavily trained soldiers, they would have had tears in their eyes, just as Isabel did.

“That’s beautiful!” she gasped. “Keep going!”

They looked at each other. Quatre and Trowa nodded. They began to play the first piece they had ever played together. (AN: I love that “Heart Throbbing Harmony”

Duo sighed and wandered through the halls of the house. He could hear Trowa, Quatre and someone else playing some haunting tune. He couldn’t help appreciating it.

“Duo?”

He turned. Why was her voice so insecure? “Hey,” he said to Kyla.

“Um, Duo, I-“ she bit her bottom lip. How the hell did you tell someone something like this? “I-“

“Can we- dance?” Duo asked pleadingly.

Kyla was surprised. She could hear the music as well. A beautiful duet now. “Sure,” they joined hands.

They danced together, their motions perfectly in sync. Thy both smiled happily. It had taken this contact to show them what they had known all along.

__________________________________

Raisa stood outside the living room, completely still. She could see everything perfectly. All her attention was on Trowa. He was spectacular. She couldn’t even find the right word for it. She became lost in the music and in the sight of him.

A sleazy little bar full of cut-throat types and some real rough&tumble Aussies, as well as the local yokels, who didn’t look like someone you wanted to mess with, either. Foster’s cans flowed freely (AN: Am I going for stereotypes or what? Sorry, it’s been a while since I saw Crocodile Dundee). In the corner, Duo spoke with a woman in very very tight clothing.

“You can’t be serious, Eleanor!” he exclaimed.

“I’m sorry, Duo, I just don’t think it’s working out,” she said, tilting her empty, platinum dyed head.

“Why not?!”

“Well… I really do like you, Duo,” she said, twisting her fingers together.

“But?” he prompted.

“But I don’t know if I LOVE you.”

Duo’s voice was hoarse when he spoke again. “That hurts, El.”

“I’m sorry, Duo. You’re still really cute though. Maybe we can still get together sometime, huh?” she kissed him lightly on the cheek and left. Duo followed her with his eyes as he saw her sit on some burly guy’s lap. Dejected, he went back to the table where his friends were sitting, quite calmly, on the covered deck area. He sat and let his head fall forward and hit the table, making the glasses rattle. He didn’t bother to pick it back up.

“The Australian slut finally dump you for somewhere with a bigger beer can?” Wufei said.

“I don’t get it,” Duo put his head on his arms so he could see and talk. “I thought she really liked me.”

“Then you are a fool, Maxwell,” Wufei stated simply.

“Thanks a lot Wufei. You always know just how to mend a broken heart. You know- those Foster’s cans aren’t THAT much bigger.”

“Give it up, Duo. She wasn’t good for you anyway,” Trowa said, never looking away from his newspaper.

Heero sat quietly with his own glass (AN: they’re about 19 here. So yes, they’re allowed to drink, much to Heero’s obvious delight here…). Broken hearts… Was that what he had right now? Over Andria?

“Are you ok, Heero?” Quatre asked, putting down his own piece of the newspaper.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You’ve changed, man,” Duo said, looking at him oddly. “Time was, you would’a answered with one of those ‘Hn’ grunting noise things. What did they do to you there?”

‘They gave me the ability to feel real pain,’ Heero thought to himself, not answering Duo.

“I think it’s time to head home,” Quatre said, folding up the newspaper. The group agreed and they headed back to the residence.

Relena, Hilde, and the Dames arrived at the Winner residence and were welcomed by the staff. Ms. Darlian was always welcome in Quatre’s home. He was out with his friends right now, but would hopefully be returning soon if she cared to wait.

Relena dropped her things in the room given her and then went to pace in Quatre’s office. A very worried Hilde accompanied her, trying to get her lady to stop growling.

The Dames were left to amuse themselves. They spent several minutes staring at everything in the house. It was so HUGE. And so LAVISH. Kyla, who was just getting over a very small cold she had caught in Europe, went to lie down somewhere.

She couldn’t find anyone to help her find a place to do so, so she just stumbled in the general direction she had seen Relena go. She finally found a hallway that seemed to be lined with bedrooms and she chose one decorated in calming, dark colors with large windows that looked onto the garden. She completely didn’t notice the little wooden plaque hanging on the door featuring a chibi-style, braided little figure giving her the peace-sign.

The GW boys returned to the residence, Heero going straight to his teeny-weeny closet-sized office that Quatre had allowed him to use. It made him feel a little more ‘normal’ to be working in a small, bare area on his laptop. (AN: remember, this is Heero’s messed-up idea of normal, poor guy.) The other four decided to head for their rooms.

“My poor, poor, heart,” Duo moaned pitiably. “Will I ever find it possible to love another?”

“You are WEAK, Duo,” Wufei said irritably as they walked through the residence. “You are a Gundam Pilot. You do not need women in your life.”

“Ah, but my friend, then where am I to take solace in this cruel, cruel world we live?”

A maid tried to approach Quatre, but he waved her away. “Not today, Vivian, I want to relax today.”

“Yes, master Quatre,” she curtsied. “but-“

“it can wait.”

Duo and Wufei continued to bicker all the way to their rooms. Trowa simply pulled out the newspaper again. Quatre tried desperately to get them to stop.

They came to Duo’s room, a little plaque of a caricature of himself proclaiming it thusly. “-Well so there, Wufei!” Duo stuck his tongue out, not looking too much different from the plaque. He opened the door and froze.

“Duo? Duo are you ok?”

Lying on his bed, was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. She was like some sort of serene Greek goddess.

“Duo?”

“Sorry, guys, I have a date with destiny!” he proclaimed, shutting the door quickly. Once inside, he turned to the woman on the bed. She really was beautiful. And she was on HIS bed. He decided to casually pick up a magazine and sit on the other side of the double bed pretending to read so he’d be there when she woke up.

The noises woke her. She stirred. Kyla’s eyes opened briefly as she rolled over. She barely registered the figure dressed in black, hastily opening a magazine as she closed them again. Wait a minute. Her eyes flashed open. Instantly, she was in a defensive pose.

“Why, hello there, gorgeous,” Duo said smoothly.

One good kick launched him off the bed and into a chair. Kyla stayed in her ready position. “Who are you and what are you doing in the Winner residence?”

“Hey, was that really necessary,” Duo said, straightening himself out and rubbing his sore parts. “I’m not trying hurt you- and besides, you’re in MY room.”

Kyla froze. Uh oh… “I’m really terribly, terribly, sorry. I didn’t mean anything-“

“Hey, hey, it’s ok,” Duo went back to Casanova mode. “Why don’t you just relax?”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Yeah. Sure. I’ll just be going now-“

“hey! I don’t even know your name! And what are YOU doing here?” he grabbed her arm before she could go anywhere.

Kyla studied his face. “I know you.”

“You look familiar too,” Duo frowned, trying to remember.

“Hang on,” she pushed him backwards so he landed on the bed.

“Woah! Now this is more like it!”

“Shut up,” she climbed around behind him so she could look at him upside down. “It IS you!”

“Hey- you’re that girl!” Duo exclaimed.

“So you’re… Duplo… Duomo… umm…” Kyla tried to remember the name.

“Duo. Maxwell. I don’t believe we’ve ever been formally introduced.”

“Duo, then,” she said, shaking his hand. She liked the name. It was different. “I’m Kyla Addison.”

“Well it’s nice to meet you Kyla.”

“Likewise.”

“Has he got- a girl in there?!”

“But he just got dumped an hour ago!”

“Duo works fast.”

“That is because Duo has no honor. It is injustice!”

“Oh shut up, Wufei…”

“Make me, Barton.”

“Guys! I can’t hear!”

Estelle, toweling her hair after a shower, though fully dressed, walked past the hallway. She backed up to have a look. Three young guys her age trying to listen at someone’s door. “Can I help you?” she asked.

All three pilots froze. They turned slowly. Quatre’s heart began to thump. She was beautiful.

“It’s your house, Quatre,” Trowa and Wufei pushed him forward, Duo forgotten.

Quatre couldn’t speak. How could they not be affected by her radiance? Wufei poked him. “I- I live here.”

“Oh, so you must be Quatre Winner,” Estelle smiled, extending her hand, both to help him up and to shake. “I’m Estelle Brownlow.”

“N- Nice to meet you, Estelle,” Quatre got up shakily.

Trowa and Wufei exchanged glances. What was wrong with Quatre?

“Do you make a habit of listening to people’s doors?”

“Pardon?” Quatre was lost looking into her brilliant green eyes.

“I said do you make it a habit of listenting at people’s doors?” she said again.

“Huh?” The question sunk in. Quatre’s cheeks turned pink. “Uh- uh- uh-“

“May I ask what you’re doing here, Miss?” Trowa said from the floor.

“I’m here with Ms. Relena- Oh, she’ll be so glad that you’re home,” Estelle said happily. Quatre detected a slight accent there… she spoke so well… and she carried herself so well… Wait a moment.

Three jaws dropped again. “R- Relena?”

“Yes, Ms. Darlian is here to speak with you, Mr. Winner-“

“please, call me Quatre,” Quatre was lost again, looking at goldenness of her hair…

Wufei stood and banged loudly on the door. “MAXWELL! WE HAVE A CRISIS!”

Dup angrily opened the door. “What, Wufei? Do you MIND? I was just-“

“Relena’s here!” Trowa told him.

Duo went a few shades paler than normal. “Where is he?”

“We don’t know. But we have to get to her before she finds him. We owe him that.” Trowa said, speaking quickly.

“So let’s go-“ Duo began.

Kyla peeked out around Duo. “Um, hi. Duo what’s-?”

“Kyla?” Estelle blinked.

“Estelle? Oh my god- it is SO not what it looks like! I swear I didn’t know!” Kyla could just imagine what her friends would say…

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Wufei cried, grabbing Quatre and heading out at a run.

“Bye, Estelle! See you later!” Quatre called back gleefully.

“Sorry, Kyla gotta run!” Duo and Trowa took off.

“Where do you think they’re going?”

“Let’s find out, shall we?”

At a main hallway, the pilots stopped. Quatre was still waving dumbly back the way they had come. The others looked at him in disgust.

“Alright, she wants to speak with Quatre, so I’ll take him to Relena,” Trowa said, taking charge. “Duo, you and Wufei go find Heero. We’ll make contact in twenty minutes give or take. Got it?” They split up.

Estelle and Kyla entered the hallway as they left. “Hey! Duo!” Kyla called.

“Oh, shit,” he muttered.

“New girlfriend?” Wufei said dryly.

“I can’t stop Kyla, I’m sorry!”

Kyla and Estelle overtook them. “What’s wrong? Maybe we can help.”

“You can help by staying out of our way, weak woman!” Wufei said, blocking Kyla and pushing her against the wall.

“how dare you!” she exclaimed. “No one calls any of US weak!”

Estelle blocked their path. “You’re going to apologize for that.”

“I do not need to apologize!” Wufei said angrily. “You are nothing but weak women. You cannot possibl- ee! Ow!” Estelle had him in some kind of complicated headlock that really did look painful.

“Woah,” Duo stopped, backing off a little. “Nice girlies…”

“What’s going on here?” Heero stood at the end of the hallway. The noise had disturbed him. “Kyla? Estelle?”

“Heero!” Kyla said joyfully, running to give him a friendly hug. For some reason, jealousy washed over Duo. He fought to swallow it. “How did you get here?”

“Heero!” Estelle loosened up on Wufei. “Wonderful to see you again! How are you?”

“Uh, I’m ok,” he said, still very startled.

“How do you weak wom- ow! I mean, uh, just, women, know Heero?” Wufei said hesitantly.

“They lived at the Keep,” Heero said. “They’re my friends. Have- have you found Relena yet?” he asked Kyla, not sure what he wanted the answer to be.

“Oh, she’s here,” Estelle said.

“That’s what we were coming to find you for,” Duo said less than helpfully. “Heero? Heero?”

Hilde had removed all sharp and pointy objects from Relena’s reach. She didn’t quite trust her mistress that much. Relena was still pacing, though she had a semblance of control now.

“I’ll kill Quatre… No, wait, I CAN’T kill him that would go against my morals… but what’s for my morals these days?… I’ll KILL Quatre for not telling me…”

A knock came at the door and Trowa entered, steering in a dreamy-eyed Quatre.

“QUATRE RABERBA WINNER!” Relena shouted.

Quatre’s little bubble burst very suddenly. “Uh, Relena?”

“WHY DID YOU NOT NOTIFY ME IMMEDIATELY?!”

“Huh? What?” Quatre cringed with each syllable.

“He’s all yours…” Trowa muttered, quickly slipping off to the side with Hilde.

“Relena what are you-“

“YOU KNOW PERFECTLY WELL WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!”

It dawned on Quatre. “You mean about Heero?”

“YES, I MEAN ABOUT HEERO!” Relena took a few deep breaths. Finally. She had been wanting to really yell at someone like that for months. It was very therapeutic. “I’m sorry for yelling, Quatre, thank you. But why didn’t you tell me when you found Heero?”

“Uh…” Quatre had no answer for this. He looked to Trowa and Hilde. They backed away, hands in the air. No help there. “Because… he… is… in… a coma,” he said slowly. ‘No! Stupid Quatre! Stupid!’ “Yes, he was injured when we found him and he’s been in a coma…” ‘Quatre, you fool!’

Trowa smacked himself in the forehead. ‘Quatre you are so bad at lying…’

But it worked. Relena gasped. “Oh no! Heero! Is he alright? Quatre is he ok? Can I see him?”

“Uh, no. He’s, um, in a very delicate state right now,” Quatre started making for the door. “In fact Trowa and I were just going to see about that- Bye!” he darted out, Trowa wasting no time in following. “We are so screwed!” he wailed as they ran.

“No, you are screwed,” Trowa said sensibly.

“Shut up.”

“What?” Heero was VERY confused.

“Quatre stupidly told Relena that you’re in a coma,” Trowa explained.

“Right…” Duo nodded and smiled. “Um, no. Heero, just go talk to her.”

“No- no- I can’t!”

“Why not?” Kyla said. She and Estelle were a little lost. “You know Relena? She’s nice. Why can’t you just talk to her?”

“Because Heero and Relena have- A PAST,” Duo said in a weird voice.

“A past?” Kyla blinked, looking at Heero.

“Long story,” he tried to fend her off.

“No, Heero, what is this? Is she an old girlfriend?” Kyla asked.

“not exactly…”

“You could have said something. You knew this whole time that we would someday meet her, didn’t you?” she accused. “Does Andria know?”

“No…”

Duo gave a whistle. “Heero you are so screwed.”

“You’re not helping again, Duo,” Heero glared at him.

“Come on,” Kyla Heero’s hand. “I can’t believe you’ve done this. You’re going to go talk to both of them right now.”

“no!” Heero tried to yank his hand away but couldn’t. Kyla was strong.

“yes! You can’t do this, Heero! It isn’t right!” she held firm.

Estelle finally let Wufei go. He fell to his knees, able to breath freely again. “You better do it, Heero. She’s good friends with both of them. She’ll kill you if you hurt either one.”

Heero looked at all the friends surrounding him. What else could he do? “Alright,” he gave in.

__________________________________

Isabel, Raisa and Andria were relaxing on the lawn.

“This is the life, eh, muchachas?” Isabel sighed.

“Si,” they agreed.

Loud noises came from inside. They turned to see what was up. “Sounds like someone’s dying in there.”

“Yeah, but who?”

“C’mon we better go check it out.”

They entered the building and immediately came upon our crew that’s been wandering the hallways for the last… 2, 3 chapters?

“Heero!” Andria cried happily. She pushed past everyone else to run to him. “Heero, how did you get here? I thought I’d never see you again!” she took his hands. He let her, refusing to look at her. She paused. “Heero? Heero, what’s wrong?”

“I’m… sorry, Andria.”

“Heero, look at me,” she tilted his face up with her finger. His eyes were so, so sad. “What’s wrong?”

Trowa nudged Duo, nodding his head to indicate that they should leave. Duo scowled but nodded agreement. He tapped Wufei on the shoulder. All three of them picked up Quatre and left. Kyla, Estelle, Raisa and Isabel quickly decided to follow.

In another room, far, far away from all explosions, the GW pilots put down Quatre. (AN: Hah hah. You thought I was going to let you see what happens between Heero and Andria. I love being the author- you get to be evil like this. I promise it’ll happen soon, don’t worry!”

“I just hope he comes out of that alive.” Duo said.

“Quatre?” Trowa noticed that Quatre was staring at something down that hallway. “Quatre are you- ok?” he stared, too.

“What are you doing here?” Duo exclaimed when he saw the girls entering the room.

“These are my friends,” Kyla said indicating the other three. “Looks like you have friends as well, Duo.”

“Was there ever any doubt?”

“I dounbt that fact every day,” Wufei said dryly.

“Shut up, Wufei!” Duo knocked him on the head.

“That is injustice, Maxwell!”

“Bite me.”

“INJUSTICE!”

“Woah, woah- muchachos, let’s calm down here!” Isabel stepped between them. “I don’t know about you, but where we come from, you fight your enemies only.”

“Get off me, weak woman!” Wufei raged.

Isabel wasted no time. She punched him in the jaw. He fell to the ground, not expecting it. “For such a muchacho caliente llameante, you’re incredibly stupid,” she said over his still form.

Kyla snorted. Duo looked up at the sound. She was absolutely beautiful. He even forgot to ask what that meant.

Quatre, too, was staring, but at Estelle. Now SHE was incredibly beautiful.

“Um…” Raisa looked around the group. Wasn’t anyone going to do anything but stare at each- oth- er- oh boy. She had just caught sight of a very, very handsome boy with very, very long bangs.

“Um is everyone feeling ok?” Kyla was getting some hectic hormone vibes. “Duo, um, who are your friends?”

Duo blinked rapidly. She was speaking to him. Why hadn’t he noticed the way her hair sparkled before? “Uh, well that’s Quatre looking like an idiot, and Bang Boy over there is Trowa,” Glare from Trowa. “And that’s Wu-man lying on the floor.”

Somehow, this new injustice (name-calling) roused Wufei. “INJUSTICE! I will kill you, Maxwell!”

Trowa moved to stop him, but Isabel got there first. She took Wufei’s face in her hands and kissed him. Deeply. And for quite a while. The others, every single one of them, stared. Duo grabbed Quatre’s wrist so he could read the watch.

When she finally released a stunned Wufei, Isabel looked very satisfied with herself. “You’re a good kisser, Wu-man. Maybe I’ll see you later, hmm?” she strode off happily.

Wufei blinked after her dazedly. “She knows my name…”

Duo did a double take. “Since when is it ok to call you Wu-man?”

“It’s not.” Wufei kicked Duo’s feet out from under him and ran after Isabel.

Kyla neatly caught Duo. “I’m sorry, she’s um, well,” she looked to her friends. “She IS like that, isn’t she?”

“Yes,” Estelle said dryly. “I think we’ve had enough of this for one afternoon. I crave tea.”

“Tea? We have tea!” Quatre piped up. “Lots of it! Anyway you want it! Here, let me get you some,” he took her arm and led her off.

“I think Quatre’s got a crush,” Duo remarked.

“A crush?” Trowa blinked.

“Yeh, you know. A crush. An initial infatuation.” Duo tried to explain. He was receiving a blank look. He sighed. Why did he have to be stuck with a bunch of guys who had spent their entire lives in battle and had no real sense of people? “He LIKES her.”

“Well that’s obvious.”

“No, he LIKES her, likes her.”

“I don’t understand you, Duo.”

Duo gave up. “Don’t worry about it.”

Kyla and Raisa had gone a little pink during this conversation. Eh heh… crushes? Who had crushes? Not them!

“I could go for some food, how about you girls?”

“Sure!” Kyla said immediately. He was so smooth… and that braid was sexy… she had TOUCHED him just now.

“I’ll come,” Trowa shrugged.

“me, too!” Raisa said quickly.

“It’s settled then,” Duo gave both girls an odd look. “Food it is.”