All Shall Conquer
By Gomp

I don't own Gw.

Was she being pressured?

In her opinion yes, but in the eyes of others they saw it as her duty. To be one of the worlds most highly proclaimed leaders, she was supposed to act the part. To act the part it was considered appropriate to have a loving family life, even if it was a falsified lie. The family was seen as a support system. She almost saw it as a fashionable trend.

She sat alone in her garden, it was about mid-day. Her garden was filled with blooming daffodils, roses, tulips, and the like. It was colorful and had the aroma of the finest perfume, yet sitting there she had a rather hard time enjoying it.

Her hand was curved in a fist as her elbow was placed on the glass tabletop. She sat on a white metal lawn chair which was twisted in elegant designs. She delicately laid her chin against her balled up fist, looking blankly out to the pond that was only a few feet away. She watched as a dragonfly played against mother nature as it teased the fish below, gently flapping its wings just above the shallow water. A cod swam in a circle around the spot the dragonfly toyed with its life, she was curious who would win this play.

Strands of her fallen hair blew as a gentle wind swept by. Her rosy lips remained in a firm line as she just sat there, still as if she were a doll. She had her hair tucked back in a loose ponytail, a blue ribbon holding her golden locks. Her firmly pressed royal blue slacks fit nicely around the waste, her white blouse tucked in. A blue pendant dangled loosely around her neck, swaying every time the wind came.

She took a deep breath in and allowed it out slowly. Even though she tried to relax, years of etiquette had taught her to keep her back straight like a pin. So as she sat straight, she allowed her head to gently curve to the side for a rest.

Her porcelain cup was decorated with flowers. The colorful buds twisted in unnatural ways to try and give the piece more beauty. With her free hand, she lifted the cup to her lips and tasted the jasmine tea. It was an expensive taste, it lingered in her mouth for sometime. Her eyes darted to the light brown color of the drink she just sipped from, as always her tea was never disappointing.

Maybe for once she wanted some disappointment. With that she sighed.

To the side of her was her mansion of a home. It was a white old thing, freshly trimmed with a dark blue. People constantly gawked through her gates just to marvel at the architecture. However, when she came home after along day she saw her home as an empty hole. Sure she had guards, maids, and servants to fill the massive place, but that was all. Most would be willing to bask in how she elegantly lived, she looked at it with hallow eyes.

What others didn't know was this life style came with a price. Expectations were high.

Everyone wanted her to fall in love. For a woman her age and what she had accomplished, they encouraged her to fill that void in her life. Yet, at times she was not sure if it was a void. Love was a path at this rate she had chosen not to follow. She was turning 26 soon, she was able to make choices on her own.

Her brother recently had pulled her aside. He had whispered quietly in her ear so others could not hear. His comment came when he had embarrassingly caught her daydreaming with her eyes directed towards space. He had said "The past has long since disappeared, he is not in your reach. You lost this battle, it is time to take your wounds and just move forward."

A sudden splash from the pond caught her attention. She watched as the dragonfly flew slightly higher, small waves came from the spot the fish swam around. A small smile found its way on her lips. That turquoise dragonfly was such a tease to that poor fish.

For years he had been a tease to her. She stopped at that thought. Or was she mistaken, had he really? Or had she in her mind made him a tease to her. A frown formed on her small lips. It had been so long since she had seen him. She found it hard to remember his face or the way he walked. All she remembered was staring into the depths of those cobalt blue eyes of his. They always looked at her with a lack of any emotion, they were so empty and haunting. She had found it simply hypnotizing at the time.

She slowly allowed her eyes to drift close, remembering how it had felt the last time she had seen those eyes. She had always felt he had tried to silently tell her something that last time. However, she has never been able to decrypt those silent words. She was sure she never would.

After the war she had spent a year obsessed with the idea of him. She just wanted to talk to him, offer him an open invitation to her home.

She shook her head lightly with a smirk dancing over her lips. Who was she fooling? She wanted to grab that young man and crush him into a hug. She wanted to pour out emotions of love that to this day she was unsure of. However, these were her childish thoughts. After a year of no luck she had spent a long time just thinking through her feelings for him. She came to the conclusion that she was so young. He had been so young. They both had been mere children who thought they could play grown up.

Now, however, she was a grown up. The tip of her pointer finger ran slowly along the top of her teacup. Yes, she was an adult who had tons of responsibilities.

Almost two years ago she had been convinced to start dating. Previously her life had been so hectic the idea seemed ridiculous, however her brothers wife had convinced her to just try.

Noin was a very convincing woman.

Random dates with possible suitors became almost a hobby to her however. She would sit, boredom etched on her face, while silently humming a tune to herself as she waited for the always exquisite dinners. Some of these men were already prosperous and seen as the futures leaders, while others toyed with their inheritance like it was candy. She could easily compare most of her suitors to Colony 7's leader. The man always had a way of boring her from the moment he opened his mouth to the time he finally got on the shuttle to leave earth. That man would complain from things ranging from his lack of military funds to toilet paper always missing in the boys bathroom in the third corridor.

She had stopped her dating when a revelation had almost thrown her off life's course. She realized that she enjoyed it more to worry about the people in her kingdom then concentrate on her own personal life. She simply got much more out of it.

The only downside to that train of thought was when she had her Sundays off. She always found herself sitting alone in her garden.

Another splash in the water had caught her attention once more. This time the dragonfly had been caught. What a fool, she thought, playing with its precious life like that. The surprising thing was, the cod she had watch was not who had grabbed it. It was another fish that swam freely in her pond. How funny, it seemed both the fish and dragonfly had lost in their game. She frowned. How was it others seemed to see their lives as so worthless?

She took another sip of her tea. Her pinky was lifted in the air like any woman was expected to do. She finally removed her head from her fist, laying her arm down on the cold glass tabletop. The shade of the trees behind her blocked any rays of sun from evading her space.

Her eyes drifted back to that big house of hers. Under her breath she mumbled, "I should just move away from her. That house is just too big for me." It was an idea she had toyed with for some time now. She wanted something smaller, more personal. All that house did was entertained guests, it did not fulfill the feeling of home.

She leaned back into the stiff metal frame of the chair. Everything was silent around her. She already missed the buzzing sounds of phones, the constant clicking of doors, and mumbles of chatters that she surrounded herself with at work. She was a ruler of a Kingdom, how was it she always had her Sundays off?

She finally stood. She stretched her body, hearing bones pop. By the pond sat a small open woven bag. She knelt by the bag and reached her slender fingers into it. The bag was filled with a powdered like yellow colored substance, she threw it towards the pond. The fish suddenly rushed towards the food it was being supplied with. They pushed and shoved trying to reach their treat for the day.

Relena could not help but smile at the fish. Her smile reflected itself back at her from in the water. She leaned slightly over, looking at her reflection in the pond. The blush on her cheeks gave her face a slight rosy color, her eyes looked back at her with a permanent type of sincere form of friendliness that was always seemed to be present. However, if one was to look into the depths of her dark blue eyes, they would see a world that surpassed that surface charm. There was a girl who lost her family, saw a war, and rebuilt a nation behind those blue orbs. There was power in those eyes that could only be achieved by few. A weak smile was offered to her own reflection. She dipped her pointer finger into the water, ripples then distorting her face. She watched as slowly the ripples began to smooth out…

Her eyes suddenly widen as she saw a hand reaching out from behind her. She yelped as she suddenly went to turn around. Her foot slipped at the edge of the pond and she could feel the beginning of her decent. She reached in a pathetic attempt for help but all she grabbed was the bag full of fish food.

The water splashed loudly as she fell directly into it in an undignified heap. The bag full of food had landed all over the place, the fish did not seem to have a complaint at that.

Her hair was a wet heavy mass that shielded her eyes. She was blinded to the person who stood before her. She sat in the shallow water, her fingers digging into the muddy dirt of the ponds floor, slightly shocked. Her clothing was soaked. She suddenly blushed realizing she was wearing a white top, hoping her fear of transparence would not occur.

However, that was not her main concern. Slowly, cautiously, uncertainly, she lifted her wet fingers from the water and pushed her hair away from her face.

Her eyes opened slowly.

She blinked. Once, twice. She even shook her head. She squinted her eyes up to make sure she was seeing correctly.

Staring down at her were two observant eyes. The person towered over her blocked any light from her direct sight. The light surrounded him in an almost surreal fashion. It reminded her of a postcard of an angel she once received.

She shook her head again at her silly thoughts. This time she took time to actually look at the man before her. A gasp suddenly erupted from her mouth as she finally really saw the face of her intruder.

"Duo!?"

The cocky grin of a youthful man was his greeting to the girl below him. He had to admit, it was rather humorous to see the display before him. He placed his hands on his hips as he looked down at the suffering girl. "Funny, I wasn't expecting to see your pretty face back here. I had figured I would need to break into that damn house of yours." He gave a low whistle. "Have you seen the size of that place!" His eyes looked in awe at the miniature castle before him.

Relena couldn't hold back a smile at the person she could almost refer to as an old friend. "Would you like a tour?"

Duo was tempted to nod, but shook his head instead. His long braid waved around with all of his movements. "No, even though I'm sure I should be honored." Without warning Duo knelt down. With a smirk on his face he held out his hand for the woman to take.

Relena hesitated at first, but finally placed her smooth hand into the contrasted callused one. Both of them looked into the eyes of the other. It suddenly felt like a overly awaited reunion. Standing straight Duo easily pulled Relene up with him. Water dripped from her clothing and hair as she tried to remove herself from the knee deep water. She almost slipped right back into the pond, but was quickly saved by Duo.

They both laughed when she finally freed herself from the trap she had placed herself in.

Duo's grin stretched across his face. "I didn't mean to startle you. The crappy guards at front wouldn't let me pass, so I figured I would take the back way."

Relena shook her head, water flying off the ends of her wet hair. "I should have known you would one day sneak into my house." Silently she praised him for getting past all the security systems that were in the back, but how could you expect less from an Ex- Gundam Pilot.

Duo lifted his eyebrow in amusement. "You know, I don't harass everyone. Only the ones that seemed to be bored with life." The long haired boy winked.

Relena looked at the boy surprised by his comment, but didn't respond.

Suddenly without warning Relena shook her head, getting her companion nice and wet. She smiled at the frowning boy. "You get what you deserve."

Duo's smile just burst onto his face. "Then malady, I shall take this penalty with the greatest gratitude."

Smacking Duo playfully on the shoulder, Relena turned and began to walk towards her house. "Come on, I know you came with a purpose. Let me change and we can sit for awhile and talk. I can get my butler to make us some tea."

The constant ticking of the antique grandfather clock echoed throughout the room they sat in. Duo relaxed himself on the couch that was probably worth more then his own life. He frowned at that thought as he looked down at the silk surface that was embroidered in gold, this was never really his style of living.

Relena looked at the boy, following his train of thought. "It was a gift I received years back. It's useful to please those I entertain."

Duo heard the almost flatness to her last sentence. He looked at the woman who sat across from him. She had changed more than he had imagined, the television never did her much justice. She wore loose black pants with a gray shirt. A towel hung over her shoulders. Her face had thinned , it was the first thing he had noticed. She had gotten taller, but not by much. Curves had formed where they were supposed to. She had turned out as a beautiful woman, but he never really expected any less.

She looked at him with the same observant eyes. His braid reached his lower hip, much lower then she remembered. He still had the same roundness to his face, but she felt like his nose had grown slightly longer and pointer. The boy looked at her with a relaxed calmness. Even though he still held his trademark sense of humor, there was an air of maturity that just was not there during his youth. It was the type of maturity that only came with age and experience.

There was respect between the both of them that could never be broken. They were not children anymore, they were two adults that had a past which ran very deep. No one could ever break those ties, not even the devil himself.

Duo threw his hands behind his head. His smile was warm. "This house seems cold." His eyes darted around the room for show.

Relena looked at him confused. "Do you want me to raise the heat?"

Duo shook his head. His eyes landed right back on her. "No, I mean there is no heart in this home of yours. Can I even call it a home? Everything I see in here is just… stuff. It all lacks meaning."

Relena placed her hands on her knee. Her eyes bore into the mans across from her. "It is expected of me."

Duo threw his head back with a laugh. His shoulders moved with his laughter as it just increased. As time passed he finally found control over his outbreak. "Expected? When has others expectations ever really influenced you? I'm sure there was plenty of disapproval in the actions you did during the war. However, I never saw it once stop you. Hell, you were always like a tank that blew through, just plowing everyone over till you..." He pointed an accusing finger at her "…the spoiled brat, got what you wanted." Duo couldn't help but give a toothy smile at the memories.

Mumbling for only her own ears, Relena said, "I didn't get everything." Sighing, Relena turned her eyes towards the large window that stretched from ceiling to floor. She saw the sun beginning to set, causing the sky to be a mixture of beautiful colors. She spoke up so he could hear. "That tank did not have the type of responsibilities that it does now." Her eyes returned to the curious man. "Duo, why are you here?"

Her question sounded so innocent to his ears. Her curiosity was apparent. He shrugged his shoulders slowly, trying to figure out the best way to approach this subject. He bit his lower lip while deep in thought. The words left his mouth slowly, his tone was serious. Relena had rarely ever heard him talk like that, it fascinated her. "We once had a dream, didn't we?" His gentle remembering eyes turned to the window in the room. The colors of the sky cast a glow onto the both of them. "We wanted to achieve impossible things, or so many had claimed them to be. We did what we were set out to do, yet when the war ended we were left with nothing. All we had was our own personal thoughts."

Relena's fingers looped between each other. She watched the boy eye the world beyond the window, however she knew he was not seeing what was outside. He was seeing something much farther beyond that. "A wounded soldier being left to pick up the pieces alone can be a harsh reality, don't you think?"

Relena slowly nodded her head. She was unsure the direction this topic was heading to, but none the less he had her full attention.

Duo's eyes slowly turned to look at her. "It's been a long time now. The path we followed after the war ended was for us to choose, and only us alone."

The moment of seriousness was broke by Duo smiling broadly. "And somehow along that path I got suckered in to come here and see you."

She wasn't sure if she should be offended or curious. Her curiosity always got the better of her. "And what brought you here?"
"Oh, lets just say I owe a noisy bird a favor." Without another word, Duo lifted his hips and shoved his hand deep into his front pocket. His fingers moved around until they grabbed what they were looking for. He pulled out a white folded piece of paper. Before handing it to her he brushed off a piece of lint.

Relena eyed the paper, unsure of what to make of it. She reached over and plucked it from between his thumb and pointer. After unfolding it with care, she read what it said on the card. It was an address which was written in pencil. There was no name to go with it.

"Duo?"

He placed his fingers to his lips to silence her. "Kinda close, isn't it?"

She read the address only to realize it was just across town. It was obvious the address lead to an apartment building. "Whose is this?"

Shaking his head, the boy grinned cheerfully. "You know, after the war we all ended up in strange places. Some of us hide from the world while one of us fell blindly under another's nose."

It sounded almost like a riddle. Her hands shook as she held the piece of paper tightly between her fingers. Could it be…? She shouldn't think such dangerous thoughts. While still looking at the paper, a thought had crossed her mind. She said her questioning thought out loud. "What about you?"

He was taken back by her question. He calmly looked at her as he answered, a smile stretching across his face. "I flew away and had the time of my life…" Then he suddenly frowned, his face becoming rather sour. "That was until I lost my Gundam." Duo pouted as Relena gave him a rather questioning look.

It was a week later since her bizarre encounter with Duo Maxwell. He had left shortly after she had been given the address. Their conversation had been rather short, and very odd. Why after all these years…

She shook her head. He was like that it seemed. A rather random guy who gave a good laugh. Ha, lost his Gundam? He had claimed he misplaced it almost a year ago. She gave a soft smile at the boys jokes.

However, his more serious words had haunted her. He was trying to tell her something, yet she found it hard to form opinion on things. She would be playing dumb to not say she was suspicious. She knew Duo had been a dear friend with…

She shook her head, saying his name hurt sometimes. How pathetic was that? A simple name could make her heart ache while reading about genocides never had quite the same effect. The human was such a strange thing.

She had kept the address close to her all week. She even took it to her office and placed it on her desk. She found herself constantly distracted by those numbers and short words. She could easily make a request to get information on the occupant, but that would be to easy… wouldn't it?

Or was she just scared? She had to admit, she found her hopes constantly rising and falling. Would he really do something like that? She never thought he would live in her Kingdom… she had searched for years…never once imagined to search her own lands. However, if she knew him as well as she thought she did, it just seemed so out of character of him. If it was not his address…then whose was it?

By the end of the week she found herself even staying up at night for she had placed the address on her bed stand. She would look at the paper as if she could find the answers just in the address itself. She desperately wanted to know who it was that the address would lead her to.

By Sunday, her day finally off, she had woken up early and dressed herself in a haste. She had, had enough! She was the damn leader of this nation, why was she left to ponder in a world of mystery? It was time for her to take responsibility for the situation!

But as she now stood in front of the forest green painted door, she found herself unable to knock. She eyed the hallway she stood alone in. Green trimmed the light tan walls. A carpet with various shades of green laid under her feet. It seemed like a nice place, something that would be rather homey, something she never expected to possibly find him-

She wore brown slacks with a matching brown jacket. Her clothing was rather comfortable, but still held a professional quality to it. It was in her character to always dress how she did. Yet, in the back of her mind she wondered if she was overly dressed or even underlie.

Who was behind that door?

Her fist was balled up, hanging to her side. Whoever lived there lived on the third floor in room 31. Why would Duo go out of his way just to give her this address. It had to be…

With determination she suddenly lifted her hand and pulled it back-

The door swung open as her fist hit the occupant right into their chest.

The person who had just been battered by the national leader looked at the intruding hand. "What the…?"

Both woman looked at each others face, both recognizing the other. The name slipped from Relena's lips. "Hilde…?"

Hilde suddenly threw her hands in the air. "Oh God Damnit!" Suddenly realizing her outburst, Hilde covered her mouth with wide eyes. "Oh I'm so sorry." Bowing her head she apologized once more. "I'm so sorry Ms. Relena, I wasn't expecting…"

Relena placed her hand on the apologizing woman's shoulder. Silently she found disappointment in who stood before her. It wasn't him after all. She frowned at that thought, but recovered quickly so she would not give Hilde the wrong impression. "I should have been paying more attention to what I was doing. Do you live here?"

Hilde's hair had grown much in length. She was a slender female that lacked curve, but it somehow complimented her. Her smile was as bright and warming as ever. It was hard to forget a smile like hers, Relena had always found it so inviting. Hilde suddenly shook her head. "No actually…"

"I do."

That…voice…

Relena froze as her heart missed a beat. It…couldn't be… As if she lacked choice, her body suddenly moved on its own accord. Her movements were slow and unsure. Her breathing had quickened as she found her voice catching in her throat. Her eyes finally found the man who now looked down at her. Those cobalt blue eyes….

"Hee…ro?"

Many Odd Months Later

In the stars there shined a bright light, yet this was not a ball of burning gas. It was the reflection of metal which could be seen thousands of miles away. It twinkled in the night sky and easily fooled those who looked at it.

Two plastic cups made a toast as if they were fine crystal. The couple smiled at each other as they placed their cups down on their TV trays.

"Happy Valentines day Sweetie."

Offering his wife a big grin, the long haired man nodded his head. "Yes, it is a rather good Valentines Day." The voice on the wide screen plasma television discussed the world news which ranged from tragedies, to heroism, to finally the honoring of love in respect of holiday.

"Another couple who shall be sharing the evening together is the leader of the Sanq Kingdom with her recent love affair with a man named Heero Yuy. Many may recognize the name Yuy from the late colonies leader who was assonated years ago, yet this Yuy has a much deeper history…"

The TV illuminated the two smiling faces. It was the girl who finally spoke first. "I can't believe you actually won that bet. Surprisingly Heero never killed you."

Duo leaned back in his chair with a slight smile. "Na, that guy had been living under her nose far too long. He was practically begging just to be caught. Besides, who would turn down a bet like that? Not my fault the other guys wussed out."

"Uhuh. I can't believe Quatra was willing to gamble so much money."

Duo laughed as he looked at his precious recently new television set. It shined as if it was perfection itself. "Thanks to him I am now supplied with the most ultimate system."

Hilde grumbled at that. She wanted him to invest his money in a much wiser decision then a surround sound flat screen television. "So…do you want to place another bet?"

Duo looked at his wife, his eyebrow lifted ever so eloquently.

"I bet you that you can't get those two hitched by next Valentines Day."

"Oh, and what do I get in return?"

"I'll tell you where I hid your Gundam."

Duo's mouth suddenly fell open. His eyes darted to his wife. His hand rose as he shot his pointer finger in an accusing fashion at her. "You…?!"

Hilde lifted her hands in defense. "Surprised? Do you know how damn annoying it got when you would rather polish that thing then spend time with me?"

"Oh God damn! Woman, you're on!"