Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.
I wrote this a long time ago, and haven't have the time to look over it. If this is a really trashy fic, I apologize ahead of time. I'm going to revamp it sometime, maybe in the summer. Welcome to the wonderful world of laptops, right?
Listlessly, Relena sifted through stacks and stacks of paper. They all were ancient to her, from a war fought long ago whose distant memory brought bittersweet tears to her eyes. She flipped through a packet of papers with the OZ emblem emblazoned on each thick page. It had a curious appearance, not like the other files that were all full of charts, graphs, and dates. This one looked like an essay, then she turned a few more pages finding new information, all of it definitely coded. A derisive snort of annoyance disturbed the silence of the library as Relena puzzled at the papers, he sea blue eyes trying to take it apart and piece it together. In the middle of all the code, she spotted something abnormal. It looked like coordinates to somewhere but there was no indication to where it might apply. Deftly, Relena's free hand unclasped the bronze clips on her briefcase, there she deposited the ominous looking packet for further studying. Then, she turned back to the waiting volumes of war papers and continued on with the tedious task of separating the important documents from the trash.
Since the war, she'd decided upon an independent task of sorting war papers, which seemed more of a bother to her at times, but she found solace in the thought that it was a chore requiring only half of her thoughts. The Peacecraft family had year by year become a background murmur since the war was finished. Relena was now twenty-one years old wondering where she was and why.
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After weeks of deciphering the papers, Earth's council finally figured it out. OZ had discovered a colony that had not been marked upon maps. And according to the text, the colony was heavily armed and training for a war that had not been discussed, only mentioned. After sifting through all the information, the council was at a loss. The colony had enough firepower to decimate three galaxies, at least, ten years ago when the report was written. Something must be done.
The colony was a part of the Earth Sphere Alliance whether they would acknowledge it or not. And a resolution must be found on how to rid the colony of all their firepower. In this civilized day and age, weapons were not permitted or needed. Regrettably, the peace that had once made the government so strong in the first place was turning in on itself. Peace was no longer profitable. The Alliance was seeing a way out.
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Relena felt the burden of her formal name lift after all the pats on the back she received for making such a crucial discovery. Darlain and Peacecraft were once again going to be prominent names with good standing.
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The conference room was stagnant while everyone meditated over the new intelligence they had received making the air taste stale and heavy. What they'd received was all estimates and inference but enough to stand everyone's hair on edge. Relena looked over the information one more time frowning. Her gloved hands clasped together in an unconscious prayer for an idea on how to go about dealing with the covert colony. For some reason, Relena just felt the need to save the day, to prove something.
"I think we should send some people to investigate to look around and see if we might even dream of reaching an agreement," she said pensive, her brows furrowing.
"Funny I was just thinking of going in and napalming the hell out of them. Thank you Miss Peacecraft," the rep from L2 said with a hint of sarcasm. He was new, and only about five years older than her. He looked very lizard like with his very angular face and narrow brown eyes.
Relena flinched at the "miss," she couldn't help it that Heero didn't get the hint. She'd seen him a few times at the Preventer meetings she'd been able to attend. But the ex-pilot, Duo, was always around him though killing whatever courage she had to talk or even approach. She'd been after Heero even before the initial war, gaining more and more confidence as he became more and more like a normal boy. After the Marimeia incident, she?d even been able to hold him in her arms. Ofcourse, he was partially passed out, but that small period of bliss had sated her for a while. Then, after that, she'd gone to visit Heero when he was sick one time. However, she ended walking in on something she'd rather not have seen. The braided pilot was leaning over the hospital cot kissing her Heero on the lips. They looked like they'd been busy reading, because before Relena ran away, she spotted a book fallen on the floor with pages strewn about as if the literature had simply burst. They either didn?t hear her frantic escape or they didn't care. She couldn't face either pilot since. She stuffed her obsession with Heero far back in her mind only letting it resurface when she was alone. Lost in her thoughts, she barely heard the meeting progressing around her head until someone nudged her.
"Relena? Do you accept the plan?" the L2 rep frowned at her motioning to the screen at the front of the room. Fifteen pairs or eyes locked on her waiting. Relena gave everything a hurried glance feeling the expectant stares boring into her skin before nodding dumbly not fully comprehending what she was agreeing to.
The world was coming down around her head in waves.
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Later, after the sun had set, Relena sat at the small mahogany desk in her room reading the letter she'd received for the fourth time making sure to analyze each line. It was on the glossy, marble print paper reserved for important documents.
It wasn't very long. It stated plainly what was to be done and what Relena was to do. There was no mention of the other colony reps but the flustered girl paid that no mind. The way the plan fit together was far more important to her. Capable soldiers were to be sent to the secret colony, set up negotiation terms, then, they would strip the colony of all its weapons, and implement Alliance laws upon the citizenry. The way it was phrased made everything seem like a walk in the park.
….What have I agreed to?….This is all out war…She thought and then her heart stopped when she read over the names of the emissaries: Heero Yuy, Quatre Raberba Winner, Trowa Barton, Duo Maxwell, and Wufei Chang. It all became clear then. They wanted to neutralize the colony by force. The ex- pilots weren't exactly graced with good people skills. It was all coming down to: sending the pilots expecting a provocation, an invitation to conflict. Relena hoped to god that the pilots wouldn't accept the mission. She couldn't retract her vote now that it was in, but she could hope.
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As if to spite her, four gundam pilots made their appearance days later. One was on delay to finish a mission. Relena felt her insides twist with the news knowing she'd have to face them all. Her heart fluttered with the thought of seeing Heero but felt heavy thinking of all the pilots and her bad decision. She sat in her room staring at her reflection in the bureau mirror. She looked like a princess, capable of making some of the toughest decisions, but in reality, she was a fainting damsel with her hands in her lap wishing for everything to be over and done with.
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Wufei arrived a week after he accepted the mission. Earth looked very different from when he'd last seen it, probably because he was in blue blood territory. The lawn was neatly trimmed and the trees tailored to look symmetrical. It was boring. He sat in the back of an escort car bemusedly, his thoughts wandering. The other four gundam pilots had been tight knit since the war, and he'd drifted off and been severed from the group completely when he cut his hair. It was about as long as his chin and very professional looking. And he'd given up uniform for smart casuals. No one would recognize him without a photo ID card. His appearance was designed to be deceiving. He went to Preventer meetings unnoticed and the same went for his missions. Walked in and walked right back out. He'd been spending the past five years sharpening his martial arts skills no longer bound to the traditional image. He wondered why he couldn't have ridden to the Stargaze Complex on his own, but five years after the war, security was still very tight.
Staring blankly at his hands, he wondered what the other pilots would think when they saw him now, what they would say. It bothered him little, though. He was his own person and others opinions did not rule him. As funny as it might seem, his maturation hadn't taken effect until after the war. He grew taller, his face developed, and his mind flew in all directions. Realizing that for the first time he wasn't in control, he let his body and mind lead him until he was pieced back together. He learned to truly live. He bought a traditional house with a dojo and garden in seclusion near a small village. In turn, the village was near Shanghai. He loved his home.
A clicking sound outside of his thoughts brought him back to the car. The faux leather he sat on, the smell of cleaner, and the soft music playing from the front seat. He looked up to see the chauffeur's hand tapping the glass and motioning towards the window. He looked outside to see a big building in the distance. He'd last seen it in construction three years ago. It'd grown a dozen wings or so. From where the car was right then, the building looked like a big white blot on the green landscape. Easing himself in his seat, he decided to wait to see the building up close.
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Duo sat by the window looking outside lazily. They hadn't gotten any real information on their mission since arriving at the Stargaze Complex and there was nothing to do but wait for Wufei, the one who had mysteriously disappeared from the galaxy. He and Heero had arrived before anyone else at the Alliance mansion still on a short vacation from their Preventer missions and work in general. To say that the mission mail was unwanted was an understatement. They'd been living normally for once, it'd been going on for a week. After a day of shopping on L2, the couple had returned home to find a computer pad slipped under their door. Duo wished he'd stepped on it before Heero had gotten a chance to see it. Ever the perfect soldier, he couldn't reject it. Duo "hmphed" from the window ledge remembering pleading with Heero not the make them go. But they were packed by the next morning leaving their apartment in the hands of the landlord so they could travel to Earth.
Heero, Trowa, and Quatre were all sitting around doing various things. Heero and Trowa played mahjong, every now and then exchanging strange comments back and forth. Quatre sat in his own respective space reading a thick book. He sat with one knee brought up near his chest and his free arm draped lazily across it. The blond youth had grown to be about one hundred seventy-seven centimeters tall stunning most of his friends with his late growth spurt. But then Trowa grew taller than that, always doomed to look his part as seme. He had grown to be one hundred ninety centimeters tall. Everyone had grown to a good height and gone through belated puberty. It was unanimously decided that the cause of their delayed aging had been due to stress. Alongside the maturing of the body came the maturing of the mind, which the pilots had accepted more willingly.
Quatre had taken on the burden of business at his father's company. Then Trowa moved in with him after dealing with desolation in the circus and the need for emotional contact. Their relationship had always been very co- dependent and had developed to be even more so as they discovered hidden feelings they harbored for each other. And it became clear why Trowa had chosen to go where he had eventually gone. It was inevitable from the first moment the pilots had laid eyes on each other. Trowa now worked at an animal shelter on L4 to be close to the person he most treasured. Things for him and Quatre were going perfectly.
As far as things for Heero and Duo were concerned, everything had started when Duo visited him in the hospital. Heero had caught a minor illness, but he'd not treated it for so long that he ended up fainting at work and ended up needing to spend some days in a controlled environment recovering. After a short Preventer mission, Duo received a message that Heero had fallen ill. Taking the message as a hint, Duo packed his bags and left for L1 to visit his old war buddy. Heero was laid out on a sterile looking white bed with standard issue sheets, basically, standard issue everything that seemed to suit him just fine. Duo didn't know what to do, seeing him looking so vulnerable. He stumbled into the small hospital room and took a seat next to the less than enthusiastic patient. Then he whipped out an old book that he'd found which somehow reminded him of Heero. It was titled Raptor Red, written by Robert T. Bakker. The pages were yellowed and loose. Duo had been very lucky that none were missing. Even though the main character of the novel was female, the computer like thought patterns she displayed seemed uncannily similar to Heero's. They'd gotten to the part where the male raptor left when Heero asked out of the blue, "Duo, would you hold me or something? I'm cold and…" It might have been the drugs in his blood allowing him to be more open or a real show of his emotions.
He didn't need to continue as Duo completely forgot about the book letting it spill out onto the tile of the hospital floor and held Heero as best as he could without disturbing the various instruments in the room. After Heero was released from the hospital with no real life past being a Preventer so Duo asked him to join him on L2 which he meekly accepted. A bond and a hope blossomed that day.
The perfect soldier had soon become a computer specialist if there was any doubt of that. And Duo, after working as an aide at the L2 orphanage, would have to pry his beloved away from his laptop when he got home. Thoughts of exorcising or hexing the damned scrap of metal had crossed his mind on many an occasion.
In a daze born of boredom, Duo barely registered Quatre approach and sit beside him until he felt the Arabian's leg brush up against his own. They now shared the same window ledge facing each other waiting for something they both feared. In truth, they didn't fear Wufei, not at all. It was just the fear of seeing someone after such a long absence. The anticipation seemed to only weave itself around Quatre and Duo who glanced at their lovers who in turn seemed immune to such emotions. Mock annoyance graced Duo's face while Quatre sighed with acceptance and resignation.
Duo looked intently into the cerulean depths of his friend's eyes sifting through the myriad of colors and emotions he found there until he all but gave up and asked outright, "Scared? Worried? Need some tea?"
"Not in particularly…." Quatre smiled calmly shifting his weight around prodding Duo's leg with his. The chestnut haired boy frowned determinedly at the contact and lightly kicked his friend who willingly obliged him in kicking him back softly. They became so absorbed in their game of footsy that they didn't notice the sleek black car pull into the driveway.
Heero and Trowa looked at each other for only an instant talking through their eyes and then made ready to leave the room, they'd been camping out in the study for the past few days. They meticulously cleaned off the mahjong board and tidied up the spaces they'd been occupying. Trowa stole a look at Quatre who was playing Duo's game halfheartedly with a contented smile plastered upon his face. A small smile played on Trowa's own lips as he memorized that moment.
Since they'd met up at the Alliance mansion, he and Heero had been trying to hack the Alliance files, but the computer defense system found within was surprisingly impregnable. Both men decided to shut the mission out of their minds for a while, concentrating on the time they had left before obligation to their government was to be fulfilled. A good soldier awaits orders.
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Wufei stepped out of the car running his fingers through his hair and holding his duffel bag loosely by his side. He shut the door and turned curtly to the pearl colored structure looming seven stories above his head. Everything was well designed and elaborately carved into the building. The Alliance seemed to want to out do the Forbidden City in architecture. The flowery structure before him paled in comparison to the elegance of the imperial city.
He walked up the shallow steps between two rectangular columns to the large set of doors. It was such a dramatic image that Wufei had half a mind to graffiti it with something, anything. Instead, he pressed the comm button and stood patiently waiting for a response.
A fuzzy voice broke the silence, "Please insert ID."
Unimpressed, Wufei fished his wallet out of his duffel bag and slid it into the slit in the comm box. …What a waste of space…he thought contemplating the large structure before him. It was big, it was impressive, it was trash. The wiring in the building must've been hard to network in such a hulking structure. It would've been more prudent to build a less extravagant conference house, and settle for a practical space where around twenty-five people could meet, get work done, and further the development of the colonies. All the money gone into building one column could have gone to help hundreds of war refugees. It sickened Wufei to think of how unfair it was. Post-war life had really changed him. His only solace was found in the fact that he was directly helping the people with the Preventers, no wasting time in lofty battles of ethics and budget expenditures, just pure action.
"ID confirmed, please proceed," the fuzzy voice came again. The crackle of old technology burned in the slit of the door. And Wufei expelled a long breath with annoyance waiting for his ID card to be released.
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"Pilot 05 has arrived," the unisexual cracked voice of the comm flooded the room.
"Ah!" Quatre exclaimed easing off the sill but not before Duo who was out the door like a bullet. Heero left the room at a slower pace. Trowa waited for Quatre and held out his hand, which his lover took gratefully. They both exited the room casually in each other's safety all of a sudden in no rush to get anywhere.
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Wufei stood in the gaping hall waiting for someone, something to tell him what was expected of him now. He silently cursed the absentmindedness of the government and wondered whether he ought to go crash in a random room just to make something happen. Then he heard a voice that made him involuntarily cringe.
"Wu-man!!!" Duo cried running down a flight of stairs. He hadn't taken the time to look up, otherwise, he'd have been very confused.
The Chinese man watched the braided one coming his way raising a brow at the foolish pace he was running down the ridiculous amount of stairs.
When he'd reached the bottom, Duo lifted his head to catch his breath. It hitched in his throat when he saw the Chinese man looking his way. He looked nothing like the deadpan serious youth he'd known a few years back. He stood there staring for a minute to assess what he was looking at, then, he lunged at the now startled ex-pilot catching him in a very firm embrace, talking into Wufei's shirt very excitedly looking up once or twice to catch his breath. Nothing he said could be made out as it was muffled by Wufei's coat. When he'd had enough, about fifty-five seconds after being glomped, Wufei growled loudly, "Maxwell!"
This only served to encourage the braided youth who flailed one arm about to emphasize words lost in the fabric Wufei's clothes.
For lack of a better solution, Wufei prepared to pry Duo off of himself when a familiar voice echoed from the stairway, "Duo. Off. Now." Heero stood halfway in descent with his cobalt eyes boring into his lover's back. He was taller and now wore jeans and a t-shirt, much different than the soldier Wufei had known. Both Wufei and Heero regarded each other for a minute calculatingly before the room swung back into motion.
Duo unlatched himself from Wufei and began making exclamations about his appearance smacking his shoulders once or twice. He was talkative as ever and eyeing the Chinese ex-pilot critically asking about plastic surgery and other miscellany things that Wufei grunted a negative to.
"Wufei, it's nice to see you again," a sincere, soft-voice hailed him. He looked up into Quatre's azure eyes and then into Trowa's forest green ones. It was oddly thrilling to see them both still together but at the same time made Wufei feel sore to be the only one alone. His gaze dropped a little while Quatre and Trowa walked down the stairs.
"Winner. Barton," Wufei said respectfully above Duo's idle chatter.
He barely noticed Heero until he heard a surprised yelp issue from Duo. The ex-soldier had his lover's braid in his fist and was dragging him a good distance away. "Heero!" Duo whimpered until he got a glare from him.
"Poor Duo…" Quatre frowned watching the whole scene from the foot of the stairs. Then he felt long fingers weave through his hair and looked up at Trowa who radiated with understanding in his eyes. They exchanged brief smiles before turning to their long absent and missed Wufei.
"How have you been?" Quatre smiled warmly. His hair was longer and cut to frame his small angular face. Flaxen curls clinging to his neck. He looked like he'd stepped out of a painting. Wufei returned the smile watching as surprise flitted across the Arab's face but was soon gone.
"I've survived," Wufei replied dryly.
"I'm glad," Quatre grinned. "What have you been up to?"
Duo sat back and could no longer hold his curiosity when that one question was posed. He began to move uncomfortably against his boyfriend until he was released. "Yeah! Where have you been? Everyone has been looking for you at Preventer meetings but we never see you…actually…now that I've gotten a good look at you. We probably bumped into you once or twice…or actually, maybe a dozen times…Why didn't you ever come talk to us? We've missed you a lot! Are you married? Do you have a girlfriend? What's going on?"
Heero could have backhanded Duo for his tactlessness but stayed silent waiting for Wufei's response.
"…I am not involved with anyone for the time being. I have not been, ever. And I don't plan on it. For the past five years, I've been working as a preventer and living by myself. It's been better that way," Wufei frowned a little after finishing realizing that he'd lied somewhere in there, though he didn't care to think about it.
"Oh!" Duo said frowning but then he grinned. "..Hey…Do you have that katana with you? Can I see what you brought?" He began tugging at the black handle of the duffel bag in Wufei's hand.
"Duo, do you want to go get something to eat?" Quatre asked wanting to ease the stress on Wufei and was rewarded when he had his friend's full attention. "I'll make you something, and Trowa, would you show Wufei to his room?" The blonde looked imploringly at his lover who bowed his head in affirmation.
While Quatre pulled Duo in the direction of the dining halls, Trowa walked with Wufei in the opposite direction. Heero had disappeared into the shadows unnoticed by the others. He liked it that way.
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Trowa still talked very little even though he'd had plenty of time to develop his social skills with Quatre. Then it dawned upon Wufei that the couple probably read each other's minds. They had that kind of a bond. The type of bond that Wufei envied and feared at the same time.
They walked for a while to the far wing where the ex-pilots were staying.
"You seem to know your way around here…" Wufei commented after a while of going up and down dizzying flights of stairs and down dimly lit halls.
"I've had two days to look around," Trowa said in his soft voice pressing his ID card into a comm box.
"I thought you got here four days ago."
"I did."
"Then why only…" Wufei trailed off realizing where he'd end up. "Why are we so far in the building?"
"That's what we've been trying to figure out."
The green light flashed on the comm. of the door they were currently standing in front of followed by the click of locks unbolting. Trowa pushed the door open with a heavy clang of metal. Therein was a hallway with a plain green carpet, nothing like the elaborate rugs and draping in the rest of the house. Rooms were on either side of the walkway until the hall came to an abrupt end after five doors length.
"We're the only people occupying this wing," the green eyed man said quietly. "That door on the left leads to Quatre's room. The room next to that is mine. And across the hall from Quatre's room is Duo. And next to him…you already know by now. Any other rooms in this hall are free."
"Thanks," Wufei said walking down the hall. He chose the room on the end far from the other pilot's rooms. This was where he belonged. Walking purposefully, he opened the door to his temporary lodgings and closed the door after himself.
Trowa stood in the hallway for only a moment before taking his leave.
I wrote this a long time ago, and haven't have the time to look over it. If this is a really trashy fic, I apologize ahead of time. I'm going to revamp it sometime, maybe in the summer. Welcome to the wonderful world of laptops, right?
Listlessly, Relena sifted through stacks and stacks of paper. They all were ancient to her, from a war fought long ago whose distant memory brought bittersweet tears to her eyes. She flipped through a packet of papers with the OZ emblem emblazoned on each thick page. It had a curious appearance, not like the other files that were all full of charts, graphs, and dates. This one looked like an essay, then she turned a few more pages finding new information, all of it definitely coded. A derisive snort of annoyance disturbed the silence of the library as Relena puzzled at the papers, he sea blue eyes trying to take it apart and piece it together. In the middle of all the code, she spotted something abnormal. It looked like coordinates to somewhere but there was no indication to where it might apply. Deftly, Relena's free hand unclasped the bronze clips on her briefcase, there she deposited the ominous looking packet for further studying. Then, she turned back to the waiting volumes of war papers and continued on with the tedious task of separating the important documents from the trash.
Since the war, she'd decided upon an independent task of sorting war papers, which seemed more of a bother to her at times, but she found solace in the thought that it was a chore requiring only half of her thoughts. The Peacecraft family had year by year become a background murmur since the war was finished. Relena was now twenty-one years old wondering where she was and why.
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After weeks of deciphering the papers, Earth's council finally figured it out. OZ had discovered a colony that had not been marked upon maps. And according to the text, the colony was heavily armed and training for a war that had not been discussed, only mentioned. After sifting through all the information, the council was at a loss. The colony had enough firepower to decimate three galaxies, at least, ten years ago when the report was written. Something must be done.
The colony was a part of the Earth Sphere Alliance whether they would acknowledge it or not. And a resolution must be found on how to rid the colony of all their firepower. In this civilized day and age, weapons were not permitted or needed. Regrettably, the peace that had once made the government so strong in the first place was turning in on itself. Peace was no longer profitable. The Alliance was seeing a way out.
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Relena felt the burden of her formal name lift after all the pats on the back she received for making such a crucial discovery. Darlain and Peacecraft were once again going to be prominent names with good standing.
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The conference room was stagnant while everyone meditated over the new intelligence they had received making the air taste stale and heavy. What they'd received was all estimates and inference but enough to stand everyone's hair on edge. Relena looked over the information one more time frowning. Her gloved hands clasped together in an unconscious prayer for an idea on how to go about dealing with the covert colony. For some reason, Relena just felt the need to save the day, to prove something.
"I think we should send some people to investigate to look around and see if we might even dream of reaching an agreement," she said pensive, her brows furrowing.
"Funny I was just thinking of going in and napalming the hell out of them. Thank you Miss Peacecraft," the rep from L2 said with a hint of sarcasm. He was new, and only about five years older than her. He looked very lizard like with his very angular face and narrow brown eyes.
Relena flinched at the "miss," she couldn't help it that Heero didn't get the hint. She'd seen him a few times at the Preventer meetings she'd been able to attend. But the ex-pilot, Duo, was always around him though killing whatever courage she had to talk or even approach. She'd been after Heero even before the initial war, gaining more and more confidence as he became more and more like a normal boy. After the Marimeia incident, she?d even been able to hold him in her arms. Ofcourse, he was partially passed out, but that small period of bliss had sated her for a while. Then, after that, she'd gone to visit Heero when he was sick one time. However, she ended walking in on something she'd rather not have seen. The braided pilot was leaning over the hospital cot kissing her Heero on the lips. They looked like they'd been busy reading, because before Relena ran away, she spotted a book fallen on the floor with pages strewn about as if the literature had simply burst. They either didn?t hear her frantic escape or they didn't care. She couldn't face either pilot since. She stuffed her obsession with Heero far back in her mind only letting it resurface when she was alone. Lost in her thoughts, she barely heard the meeting progressing around her head until someone nudged her.
"Relena? Do you accept the plan?" the L2 rep frowned at her motioning to the screen at the front of the room. Fifteen pairs or eyes locked on her waiting. Relena gave everything a hurried glance feeling the expectant stares boring into her skin before nodding dumbly not fully comprehending what she was agreeing to.
The world was coming down around her head in waves.
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Later, after the sun had set, Relena sat at the small mahogany desk in her room reading the letter she'd received for the fourth time making sure to analyze each line. It was on the glossy, marble print paper reserved for important documents.
It wasn't very long. It stated plainly what was to be done and what Relena was to do. There was no mention of the other colony reps but the flustered girl paid that no mind. The way the plan fit together was far more important to her. Capable soldiers were to be sent to the secret colony, set up negotiation terms, then, they would strip the colony of all its weapons, and implement Alliance laws upon the citizenry. The way it was phrased made everything seem like a walk in the park.
….What have I agreed to?….This is all out war…She thought and then her heart stopped when she read over the names of the emissaries: Heero Yuy, Quatre Raberba Winner, Trowa Barton, Duo Maxwell, and Wufei Chang. It all became clear then. They wanted to neutralize the colony by force. The ex- pilots weren't exactly graced with good people skills. It was all coming down to: sending the pilots expecting a provocation, an invitation to conflict. Relena hoped to god that the pilots wouldn't accept the mission. She couldn't retract her vote now that it was in, but she could hope.
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As if to spite her, four gundam pilots made their appearance days later. One was on delay to finish a mission. Relena felt her insides twist with the news knowing she'd have to face them all. Her heart fluttered with the thought of seeing Heero but felt heavy thinking of all the pilots and her bad decision. She sat in her room staring at her reflection in the bureau mirror. She looked like a princess, capable of making some of the toughest decisions, but in reality, she was a fainting damsel with her hands in her lap wishing for everything to be over and done with.
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Wufei arrived a week after he accepted the mission. Earth looked very different from when he'd last seen it, probably because he was in blue blood territory. The lawn was neatly trimmed and the trees tailored to look symmetrical. It was boring. He sat in the back of an escort car bemusedly, his thoughts wandering. The other four gundam pilots had been tight knit since the war, and he'd drifted off and been severed from the group completely when he cut his hair. It was about as long as his chin and very professional looking. And he'd given up uniform for smart casuals. No one would recognize him without a photo ID card. His appearance was designed to be deceiving. He went to Preventer meetings unnoticed and the same went for his missions. Walked in and walked right back out. He'd been spending the past five years sharpening his martial arts skills no longer bound to the traditional image. He wondered why he couldn't have ridden to the Stargaze Complex on his own, but five years after the war, security was still very tight.
Staring blankly at his hands, he wondered what the other pilots would think when they saw him now, what they would say. It bothered him little, though. He was his own person and others opinions did not rule him. As funny as it might seem, his maturation hadn't taken effect until after the war. He grew taller, his face developed, and his mind flew in all directions. Realizing that for the first time he wasn't in control, he let his body and mind lead him until he was pieced back together. He learned to truly live. He bought a traditional house with a dojo and garden in seclusion near a small village. In turn, the village was near Shanghai. He loved his home.
A clicking sound outside of his thoughts brought him back to the car. The faux leather he sat on, the smell of cleaner, and the soft music playing from the front seat. He looked up to see the chauffeur's hand tapping the glass and motioning towards the window. He looked outside to see a big building in the distance. He'd last seen it in construction three years ago. It'd grown a dozen wings or so. From where the car was right then, the building looked like a big white blot on the green landscape. Easing himself in his seat, he decided to wait to see the building up close.
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Duo sat by the window looking outside lazily. They hadn't gotten any real information on their mission since arriving at the Stargaze Complex and there was nothing to do but wait for Wufei, the one who had mysteriously disappeared from the galaxy. He and Heero had arrived before anyone else at the Alliance mansion still on a short vacation from their Preventer missions and work in general. To say that the mission mail was unwanted was an understatement. They'd been living normally for once, it'd been going on for a week. After a day of shopping on L2, the couple had returned home to find a computer pad slipped under their door. Duo wished he'd stepped on it before Heero had gotten a chance to see it. Ever the perfect soldier, he couldn't reject it. Duo "hmphed" from the window ledge remembering pleading with Heero not the make them go. But they were packed by the next morning leaving their apartment in the hands of the landlord so they could travel to Earth.
Heero, Trowa, and Quatre were all sitting around doing various things. Heero and Trowa played mahjong, every now and then exchanging strange comments back and forth. Quatre sat in his own respective space reading a thick book. He sat with one knee brought up near his chest and his free arm draped lazily across it. The blond youth had grown to be about one hundred seventy-seven centimeters tall stunning most of his friends with his late growth spurt. But then Trowa grew taller than that, always doomed to look his part as seme. He had grown to be one hundred ninety centimeters tall. Everyone had grown to a good height and gone through belated puberty. It was unanimously decided that the cause of their delayed aging had been due to stress. Alongside the maturing of the body came the maturing of the mind, which the pilots had accepted more willingly.
Quatre had taken on the burden of business at his father's company. Then Trowa moved in with him after dealing with desolation in the circus and the need for emotional contact. Their relationship had always been very co- dependent and had developed to be even more so as they discovered hidden feelings they harbored for each other. And it became clear why Trowa had chosen to go where he had eventually gone. It was inevitable from the first moment the pilots had laid eyes on each other. Trowa now worked at an animal shelter on L4 to be close to the person he most treasured. Things for him and Quatre were going perfectly.
As far as things for Heero and Duo were concerned, everything had started when Duo visited him in the hospital. Heero had caught a minor illness, but he'd not treated it for so long that he ended up fainting at work and ended up needing to spend some days in a controlled environment recovering. After a short Preventer mission, Duo received a message that Heero had fallen ill. Taking the message as a hint, Duo packed his bags and left for L1 to visit his old war buddy. Heero was laid out on a sterile looking white bed with standard issue sheets, basically, standard issue everything that seemed to suit him just fine. Duo didn't know what to do, seeing him looking so vulnerable. He stumbled into the small hospital room and took a seat next to the less than enthusiastic patient. Then he whipped out an old book that he'd found which somehow reminded him of Heero. It was titled Raptor Red, written by Robert T. Bakker. The pages were yellowed and loose. Duo had been very lucky that none were missing. Even though the main character of the novel was female, the computer like thought patterns she displayed seemed uncannily similar to Heero's. They'd gotten to the part where the male raptor left when Heero asked out of the blue, "Duo, would you hold me or something? I'm cold and…" It might have been the drugs in his blood allowing him to be more open or a real show of his emotions.
He didn't need to continue as Duo completely forgot about the book letting it spill out onto the tile of the hospital floor and held Heero as best as he could without disturbing the various instruments in the room. After Heero was released from the hospital with no real life past being a Preventer so Duo asked him to join him on L2 which he meekly accepted. A bond and a hope blossomed that day.
The perfect soldier had soon become a computer specialist if there was any doubt of that. And Duo, after working as an aide at the L2 orphanage, would have to pry his beloved away from his laptop when he got home. Thoughts of exorcising or hexing the damned scrap of metal had crossed his mind on many an occasion.
In a daze born of boredom, Duo barely registered Quatre approach and sit beside him until he felt the Arabian's leg brush up against his own. They now shared the same window ledge facing each other waiting for something they both feared. In truth, they didn't fear Wufei, not at all. It was just the fear of seeing someone after such a long absence. The anticipation seemed to only weave itself around Quatre and Duo who glanced at their lovers who in turn seemed immune to such emotions. Mock annoyance graced Duo's face while Quatre sighed with acceptance and resignation.
Duo looked intently into the cerulean depths of his friend's eyes sifting through the myriad of colors and emotions he found there until he all but gave up and asked outright, "Scared? Worried? Need some tea?"
"Not in particularly…." Quatre smiled calmly shifting his weight around prodding Duo's leg with his. The chestnut haired boy frowned determinedly at the contact and lightly kicked his friend who willingly obliged him in kicking him back softly. They became so absorbed in their game of footsy that they didn't notice the sleek black car pull into the driveway.
Heero and Trowa looked at each other for only an instant talking through their eyes and then made ready to leave the room, they'd been camping out in the study for the past few days. They meticulously cleaned off the mahjong board and tidied up the spaces they'd been occupying. Trowa stole a look at Quatre who was playing Duo's game halfheartedly with a contented smile plastered upon his face. A small smile played on Trowa's own lips as he memorized that moment.
Since they'd met up at the Alliance mansion, he and Heero had been trying to hack the Alliance files, but the computer defense system found within was surprisingly impregnable. Both men decided to shut the mission out of their minds for a while, concentrating on the time they had left before obligation to their government was to be fulfilled. A good soldier awaits orders.
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Wufei stepped out of the car running his fingers through his hair and holding his duffel bag loosely by his side. He shut the door and turned curtly to the pearl colored structure looming seven stories above his head. Everything was well designed and elaborately carved into the building. The Alliance seemed to want to out do the Forbidden City in architecture. The flowery structure before him paled in comparison to the elegance of the imperial city.
He walked up the shallow steps between two rectangular columns to the large set of doors. It was such a dramatic image that Wufei had half a mind to graffiti it with something, anything. Instead, he pressed the comm button and stood patiently waiting for a response.
A fuzzy voice broke the silence, "Please insert ID."
Unimpressed, Wufei fished his wallet out of his duffel bag and slid it into the slit in the comm box. …What a waste of space…he thought contemplating the large structure before him. It was big, it was impressive, it was trash. The wiring in the building must've been hard to network in such a hulking structure. It would've been more prudent to build a less extravagant conference house, and settle for a practical space where around twenty-five people could meet, get work done, and further the development of the colonies. All the money gone into building one column could have gone to help hundreds of war refugees. It sickened Wufei to think of how unfair it was. Post-war life had really changed him. His only solace was found in the fact that he was directly helping the people with the Preventers, no wasting time in lofty battles of ethics and budget expenditures, just pure action.
"ID confirmed, please proceed," the fuzzy voice came again. The crackle of old technology burned in the slit of the door. And Wufei expelled a long breath with annoyance waiting for his ID card to be released.
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"Pilot 05 has arrived," the unisexual cracked voice of the comm flooded the room.
"Ah!" Quatre exclaimed easing off the sill but not before Duo who was out the door like a bullet. Heero left the room at a slower pace. Trowa waited for Quatre and held out his hand, which his lover took gratefully. They both exited the room casually in each other's safety all of a sudden in no rush to get anywhere.
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Wufei stood in the gaping hall waiting for someone, something to tell him what was expected of him now. He silently cursed the absentmindedness of the government and wondered whether he ought to go crash in a random room just to make something happen. Then he heard a voice that made him involuntarily cringe.
"Wu-man!!!" Duo cried running down a flight of stairs. He hadn't taken the time to look up, otherwise, he'd have been very confused.
The Chinese man watched the braided one coming his way raising a brow at the foolish pace he was running down the ridiculous amount of stairs.
When he'd reached the bottom, Duo lifted his head to catch his breath. It hitched in his throat when he saw the Chinese man looking his way. He looked nothing like the deadpan serious youth he'd known a few years back. He stood there staring for a minute to assess what he was looking at, then, he lunged at the now startled ex-pilot catching him in a very firm embrace, talking into Wufei's shirt very excitedly looking up once or twice to catch his breath. Nothing he said could be made out as it was muffled by Wufei's coat. When he'd had enough, about fifty-five seconds after being glomped, Wufei growled loudly, "Maxwell!"
This only served to encourage the braided youth who flailed one arm about to emphasize words lost in the fabric Wufei's clothes.
For lack of a better solution, Wufei prepared to pry Duo off of himself when a familiar voice echoed from the stairway, "Duo. Off. Now." Heero stood halfway in descent with his cobalt eyes boring into his lover's back. He was taller and now wore jeans and a t-shirt, much different than the soldier Wufei had known. Both Wufei and Heero regarded each other for a minute calculatingly before the room swung back into motion.
Duo unlatched himself from Wufei and began making exclamations about his appearance smacking his shoulders once or twice. He was talkative as ever and eyeing the Chinese ex-pilot critically asking about plastic surgery and other miscellany things that Wufei grunted a negative to.
"Wufei, it's nice to see you again," a sincere, soft-voice hailed him. He looked up into Quatre's azure eyes and then into Trowa's forest green ones. It was oddly thrilling to see them both still together but at the same time made Wufei feel sore to be the only one alone. His gaze dropped a little while Quatre and Trowa walked down the stairs.
"Winner. Barton," Wufei said respectfully above Duo's idle chatter.
He barely noticed Heero until he heard a surprised yelp issue from Duo. The ex-soldier had his lover's braid in his fist and was dragging him a good distance away. "Heero!" Duo whimpered until he got a glare from him.
"Poor Duo…" Quatre frowned watching the whole scene from the foot of the stairs. Then he felt long fingers weave through his hair and looked up at Trowa who radiated with understanding in his eyes. They exchanged brief smiles before turning to their long absent and missed Wufei.
"How have you been?" Quatre smiled warmly. His hair was longer and cut to frame his small angular face. Flaxen curls clinging to his neck. He looked like he'd stepped out of a painting. Wufei returned the smile watching as surprise flitted across the Arab's face but was soon gone.
"I've survived," Wufei replied dryly.
"I'm glad," Quatre grinned. "What have you been up to?"
Duo sat back and could no longer hold his curiosity when that one question was posed. He began to move uncomfortably against his boyfriend until he was released. "Yeah! Where have you been? Everyone has been looking for you at Preventer meetings but we never see you…actually…now that I've gotten a good look at you. We probably bumped into you once or twice…or actually, maybe a dozen times…Why didn't you ever come talk to us? We've missed you a lot! Are you married? Do you have a girlfriend? What's going on?"
Heero could have backhanded Duo for his tactlessness but stayed silent waiting for Wufei's response.
"…I am not involved with anyone for the time being. I have not been, ever. And I don't plan on it. For the past five years, I've been working as a preventer and living by myself. It's been better that way," Wufei frowned a little after finishing realizing that he'd lied somewhere in there, though he didn't care to think about it.
"Oh!" Duo said frowning but then he grinned. "..Hey…Do you have that katana with you? Can I see what you brought?" He began tugging at the black handle of the duffel bag in Wufei's hand.
"Duo, do you want to go get something to eat?" Quatre asked wanting to ease the stress on Wufei and was rewarded when he had his friend's full attention. "I'll make you something, and Trowa, would you show Wufei to his room?" The blonde looked imploringly at his lover who bowed his head in affirmation.
While Quatre pulled Duo in the direction of the dining halls, Trowa walked with Wufei in the opposite direction. Heero had disappeared into the shadows unnoticed by the others. He liked it that way.
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Trowa still talked very little even though he'd had plenty of time to develop his social skills with Quatre. Then it dawned upon Wufei that the couple probably read each other's minds. They had that kind of a bond. The type of bond that Wufei envied and feared at the same time.
They walked for a while to the far wing where the ex-pilots were staying.
"You seem to know your way around here…" Wufei commented after a while of going up and down dizzying flights of stairs and down dimly lit halls.
"I've had two days to look around," Trowa said in his soft voice pressing his ID card into a comm box.
"I thought you got here four days ago."
"I did."
"Then why only…" Wufei trailed off realizing where he'd end up. "Why are we so far in the building?"
"That's what we've been trying to figure out."
The green light flashed on the comm. of the door they were currently standing in front of followed by the click of locks unbolting. Trowa pushed the door open with a heavy clang of metal. Therein was a hallway with a plain green carpet, nothing like the elaborate rugs and draping in the rest of the house. Rooms were on either side of the walkway until the hall came to an abrupt end after five doors length.
"We're the only people occupying this wing," the green eyed man said quietly. "That door on the left leads to Quatre's room. The room next to that is mine. And across the hall from Quatre's room is Duo. And next to him…you already know by now. Any other rooms in this hall are free."
"Thanks," Wufei said walking down the hall. He chose the room on the end far from the other pilot's rooms. This was where he belonged. Walking purposefully, he opened the door to his temporary lodgings and closed the door after himself.
Trowa stood in the hallway for only a moment before taking his leave.