This was my very first Gundam Wing fic. I started writing it before I’d even watched the whole series. I paired the main characters up with a bunch of OCs. These OCs each had their own gundam–only better than the other gundams, for no defined reason. The OC I loved most fails the Mary Sue Litmus test to a degree that is shameful and embarrassing.

That said, I’m archiving the awful thing for the sake of posterity. It was fairly popular on FanFiction.Net for a while, and I was very proud of it. More the fool me.

If you dare read on, please be kind.

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

“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.

“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!

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.”