A soft sigh escaped Duo's lips as his gaze steadied itself upon a large bundle of flesh and tubes that had once resembled a friend. He ran a hand through his unkempt bangs. If he had been a minute faster maybe none of this would have happened, maybe Quatre wouldn't be lying in that hospital bed.

"Damn!"

His fist slammed downward into his thigh, leaving a decent welt in its wake but he didn't notice. His thoughts were occupied on the 'what ifs'. What if he had managed to talk Quatre out of it? What if he had been just a second faster?

Two deep blue eyes watched the saddened teen for a moment before turning their attention to the other boy, the one that had been gravely injured. The eyes belonged to a woman; a woman that Duo did not realize was there. Ami's lips curled into a frown. She completely understood how the young pilot felt.

Ever so slowly her ghostly body touched the floor as she crept down from her seat in the windowsill. Ami slowly padded across the tiles as she approached the bed. Her footsteps made no sound, at least not that human ears could detect. She gazed down at Quatre and rested her hand on his forehead. The boy shivered slightly but Ami knew that her touch would not wake him. She frowned at this but reluctantly admitted to herself that it was true.

Quatre was comatose.

Ami turned toward Duo and frowned. The boy should not have been blaming himself because this situation was not his fault. Her frown deepened. If this were anyone's fault it would be hers. After all, angels were supposed to protect their charges no matter what but she couldn't save him. She stroked his hair softly, mumbling an apology as she did.

"I'm so sorry Quatre."

Her mind skipped back to the week previous as a tear slid down her pale cheek.

Oz soldiers had apprehended Quatre's Gundam Sandrock while he was taking refuge in the Sanc Kingdom. Quatre was informed by Duo of the situation and the two went in search of the Gundam's location. They didn't want Oz to have a power such as that at their disposal.

But little did they know that Oz had no intention of using the Gundam as one of their own weapons. Treize Kushrenada was no simpleton and he realized just how dangerous a weapon such as a Gundam could be. He had no intention of allowing anyone to have it.

Sandrock was being stored in a secret military base located within the Peruvian mountains. The Gundam was set to self destruct, with a small mountain of explosives packed in for good measure. Quatre and Duo however were not aware of this when they arrived to reclaim the mech.

Quatre had gone inside for the Gundam while Duo remained behind on sentry duty. Ami had sensed something wrong from the beginning and had tried to sway Quatre away from this mission but she could not convince him to leave. Angels had only so much influence in the real world. Quatre was determined to reclaim the machine and use it to end the war.

Unfortunately the mission did not turn out as expected. Quatre had managed to shut down the self detonation sequence but the additional explosives had been primed elsewhere. He didn't have a chance to make it out in time. Duo had been forced to pulls his comrade out of the flaming wreckage.

Ami slowly wiped the tear from her face. If only she had been a bit more forceful. If only she had tried harder this may not have happened. She remembered Duo frantically digging through the wreckage and finding Quatre's mutilated body. God how she had prayed for his life that day, how she had wept, leaving herself empty of tears.

She knelt down and placed a gentle kiss upon Quatre's cheek before she approached Duo. The usually smiling teen sat with his head low, staring at the floor. She understood his pain and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder before turning and walking back to the window.

Duo's hair prickled on the back of his neck and he noticed a tingling sensation in his flesh. He looked up to see the curtains blow as if a small breeze had gusted in. He shook his head with a small chuckle. He must have been imagining things because the window was closed.

" Hey Blue, wait up! I have good news."

Ami stopped walking and turned. One of the newer boys was running up to her waving his hand in the air. She smiled and waved back, blushing slightly at the familiar nickname. Blue had been the name she received the day her wings grew in. They were beautiful with a light blue tint. She was still embarrassed by the amount of attention she received due to their unusual color. Colored wings were considered very unusual.

"And what news would that be?"

"I have someone here I thought you would want to see."

The boy smiled and shuffled to the side to allow his guest to step forward. Ami's eyes grew wide as they locked with a familiar set of cerulean orbs. Her lips trembled as she whispered,

"Quatre?"

He smiled and nodded as she threw her arms around him in a firm embrace.

"Oh Quatre I'm so sorry. I tried so hard to get your attention, to get you to stop." Tears spilled down her pale cheeks as she squeezed him tighter.

"Hush." He returned her embrace and pulled back, cupping her face in his hands and wiping away the salty tracks. "It was my decision to make."

"But I was your guardian. I was supposed to be there for you, to protect you."

He smiled and nodded. "And you were there for me. When I first met you in my dreams it was more than I could have ever imagined." He slid his hands down to her shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. "I thought I was losing my mind then, that I had gone over the deep end and was hallucinating such a beautiful and kind soul to watch over me."

She managed a weak smile. "You're too kind sometimes Quatre."

Four pairs of eyes were cast down at the freshly filled plot.

"I can't believe it I just can't believe it! This is my fault. I should have gone in with him," Duo cursed and stamped his boot on the grass.

The burial had been the day before. It had been a discreet event. There was no family. They didn't want to be there. Only Iria and Quatre's father had been close to him and they had been taken from the world many months before.

Duo laid a single rose at the foot of the tombstone. "I should have gone in."

"And get yourself killed with him?" Heero walked out of the shadows to stand next to him. "What good would that have done?"

Duo simply put his hands in his pockets and turned away.

Wufei walked over to stand next to Heero. "He was strong. It's going to be harder to win the war now." Heero nodded. "True."

They stood in silence, eyes trained on the gray slab before them. They always knew it could come to this but you could never truly prepare.

Heero looked over at Trowa. He could see it in his eyes that he was taking it harder than the rest of them. Trowa wasn't one for words but his eyes conveyed much of what he was feeling.

Trowa stood before the tombstone unmoving until the others eventually left. His knees trembled sending him stumbling to the earth. He rested his forehead upon the cold marble.

"Damn you Quatre."

His fist slammed down, sinking into the freshly turned earth. "Why you?"

Slowly darkness crept over the cemetery, and the rain began to fall. Large droplets pelted him, stinging as if it weren't rain but bits of fire and yet the boy's eyes never left the inscription. Lightning streaked across the sky. Heaven seemed to be mocking him. And still the boy did not move.

"Was it worth it Quatre?"

"It's beautiful Ami."

Ami just smiled and continued her ascent. She was taking him on his first flight high above the pearly clouds that made up their world. She was slowly coming to terms with Quatre's death. She listened to his arguments on why she shouldn't feel guilty but he had been her responsibility and she just couldn't let it go that easily. For a moment or two though she would allow herself a bit of happiness at being able to spend this time with him directly. Communicating through dreams just couldn't be as satisfying.

Quatre closed his eyes and enjoyed the wind flowing through his hair. As long as Ami kept her arms around him nothing mattered. He smiled and opened his eyes. The view was absolutely breathtaking. He didn't think he could describe it for it was truly amazing and almost unrealistic in its beauty. He looked around as Ami settled into hovering. A pang of guilt hit him as he saw just the slightest curve of the earth below them. Was it fair for him to be happy while his friends and comrades were still struggling down there? He was no longer able to help them and they were just four teenagers practically against the world. A sigh escaped his lips.

"A penny for your thoughts Quatre?"

"I feel like I've abandoned them." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. "They needed my help and I made a stupid decision."

Ami held him a little tighter. "I understand what it's like to feel as if you let your friends down when they needed you the most. But all of our decisions branch out infinitely and you can never truly predict how they'll work out. You made your choice as you thought best and you can't dwell on that." He nodded.

"I suppose we just have to deal with our own demons in time." He paused for a moment in thought. "Although you sound like you have had a similar experience."

Ami frowned and slowly began to descend. As their feet touched the ground he turned toward her. "Ami may I ask how you died?"

Her lips parted, closed and parted again. What a loaded question that was. She had more history than he realized, thousands of years of history, multiple lives. She turned as a smokey smell caught her attention. Four identical women fanned out around them as they approached.

"May I ask what you need?"

Each of them had unnaturally dark hair and milky pale skin. Their eyes flickered with a strange red light. She shivered. They reminded her of the youma she had fought so many years ago.

"We have come for the boy."

"I'm sorry which boy are you referring to?"

"The boy named Quatre."

Ami pursed her lips as the hairs on her neck stood on end. Something was very wrong with this situation.

Quatre slipped around from her side. "I'm Quatre."

The closest of the women reached out for his arm. Ami grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer, just out of her reach.

"He must come with us." They slid closer eyes trained solely on him.

Something in the back of her mind told Ami that this was very wrong. She edged back pushing Quatre behind her. He stumbled slightly. "Ami what?"

One of the women appeared before her so suddenly Ami nearly tripped over herself. Her eyes flashed wide and fiery red. "He does not belong here!"

Another took Quatre by the hand. "You will come with us."

"No!" Ami exclaimed. She pulled Quatre violently out of the woman's grasp. "You must be mistaken."

Another slid around next to Quatre and sank her fingers into his shoulder. "He belongs to the dark winged one and you cannot resist us."

She shook her head in disbelief as Quatre's eyes widened in understanding. "Yes," he said. "I'm not surprised this was too good to be true." He cast his gaze downward as they pulled him from her grasp and began to lead him away. "I destroyed the lives of many people."

What happened next barely registered to Ami as she found herself rushing toward them. Her fingers dug into the woman's scalp, tangling into her hair and jerking until she fell to the ground with a howl. The others turned on her hissing as she snatched Quatre and dashed in the opposite direction. She half drug him as he stumbled behind her.

" You can't escape! There is nowhere for you to hide."

Ami didn't turn back. They were right. There was no where in heaven they could hide from the wrath of these she-devils. The fact that they were here at all meant their mission was just. She just couldn't believe that though and there was no way she was going to let Quatre down a second time.

Her chest heaved as they continued running. Her speed was supernatural and Quatre was having a hard time keeping up. She shouted back at him in the wind. "Do you trust me Quatre?"

He replied with a strong "Of course!" He could see that they were running out of room to escape. He knew he should go with the women but part of him wanted to put up one last stand for Ami's sake.

In one fluid motion Ami turned, pulling him toward her as she did. He fell into her and she wrapped her arms around him for the second time that day. The women rushed at them with fangs bared as they tumbled backward over the edge of heaven. The wind whistled around them as they picked up speed, hurtling toward the Earth. Quatre locked eyes with her. "Ami I."

She leaned her forehead against his cutting him off "No regrets?"

"No regrets," he replied.

A searing pain raced down Ami's spine. A word hissed to her ears and echoed between them.

"Forsaken"

The ground hurtled toward them at unbelievable speeds. The clouds became nothing but blurs. Quatre squeezed his eyes shut and pulled Ami closer as he began to hear the snapping of tree branches. A million thoughts were running through his head. Would they die? Could they die again? But the forest floor interrupted his thoughts. A sickening thud registered as he rolled along the ground.

He staggered to his feet, the scenery fading in and out of his vision. "Ami are you ok?" He heard a moan to his right and stumbled toward it. Her prone form faced him, blood trickling across her forehead. He knelt down and examined her cautiously being careful not to touch her.

Her eyes slowly opened taking in Quatre's worried face. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yes yes I'm fine. You took the worst of it. Can you feel your limbs? You could have a spinal injury."

He looked at her worriedly as she propped herself up on her elbows and began to stand up. He grabbed her shoulders to help steady her.

"Be careful."

She nodded and held his arms. She was covered in scrapes and cuts from the fall but didn't seem the worse for wear considering what had just happened. "I'm fine I promise. I'm a little sturdier than an average person."

He threw an arm behind her as she swooned slightly. "Sturdier than average huh?"

She caught her footing and smiled sheepishly. "Ami." He stopped as he shifted slightly and noticed the warm stickiness soaking into his shirt sleeve. He held her shoulder with his opposite hand as he pulled his arm back dripping red. "Ami your back."

She nodded and turned to the side steadying her stance. "I know." Where her wings had been were now two gaping holes in her pale flesh. Quatre's eyes widened in horror. He could see bits of broken bone embedded in the torn muscle. His hands reached for the bottom of his shirt to begin tearing it into strips for bandages. Her hand found his. "No time."

He was about to protest when he noticed movement in his peripheral vision.

"No escape for you." Their voices rang out from the trees. Shadows flitted around them always just out of direct sight. Ami's eyes darted back and forth, trying to take in their moving positions and formulate a plan of action.

"The dark angel requests this boy and so we shall acquire him. He is not meant to be among the treasures of heaven."

"We're not in heaven anymore!" Ami shouted back. Quatre's eyes went to her. If only he had a weapon. He wasn't sure how effective it would be but a gun would have been comforting just then.

Ami squeezed his hand as the temperature around them began to drop. He watched as a strange film seemed to cloud her eyes in a pale blue, obscuring the iris and pupil. "Get ready to run," she said. He nodded while creeping tendrils of fog began to envelop them. It slowly became thicker and he realized he couldn't see anything around them, the women, the trees, nothing. Suddenly they were off, Ami somehow leading them through the blinding fog without as much as a stumble. They ran for what felt like hours changing direction multiple times and eventually breaking free of the fog. They slowed to a brisk walk in a much less grown section of the forest.

Quatre stared at Ami's back as they walked. He could barely keep from cringing. The shattered bone and bits of torn flesh were so awful. He wondered how Ami could even stand to move.

She could feel Quatre's eyes upon her and she turned her head to meet his gaze. "Don't worry about it Quatre."

"But we have to find you some help. Those wounds are terrible. You'll bleed out."

"They are sacred wounds that will never truly heal." She continued between breaths. "They will eventually scar though as a reminder."

He frowned at her words. "This is my fault."

"No it isn't. They were going to take you and I made my decision. It was my choice and I stand by it with no regrets."

He nodded noticing how similar this was to their previous conversation. That felt years behind them.

"So what's our plan now?" he asked.

"I was hoping you could help with that." she replied. "I've watched over you in the world but I haven't lived in it for so long. I'm unfamiliar with how it works now."

"Our first goal should be to find a place to lay low while we get our bearings, preferably with a phone. I have contacts that can help us relocate quickly."

They continued on without talking until some familiar, unnatural sounds began to make themselves heard. Quatre's mind wandered to Ami's earlier display of magic? He wasn't sure what to classify it as. He was quickly distracted from those thoughts though as they emerged onto a patchy paved road. The gust of a passing car ruffled their clothes.

"Well, this is a good start."