Prologue

Relena Peacecraft sat in her dressing room staring at herself in the mirror. It had been seven years since her reign of peace had begun and today she was to give her state of the universe address like she did semi-annually.

Wonderment was written on her face, her blues eyes flashing with amazement; she couldn't believe that it had been seven years of complete peace. Actually it had been three years of complete peace and four years of adoption to a new regime. Nevertheless, peace reigned throughout the colonies and on the earth.

She stared at her twenty-three year old self and winced. Though she was established as a famous world leader and had undoubtedly changed and sculpted the universe, she felt miserable. Peace was her main objective and she should have enjoyed her accomplishment, but the stress of maintaining peace was starting to show on her face. She was still beautiful, and never wanted for admirers, but her hair was prematurely graying, and there were frown lines starting to show on her forehead and around her mouth; she was only twenty-three.  She constantly thought about giving up her spot and allowing the Democratic representatives from the various colonies to take over her positions, but she'd worked too hard to allow them that easy of a victory. This move would relieve some of the stress in her life, but it was not worth the pain of separation from her position; she had nothing else. She was her career. Without serving the people she believed that she would waste away, and undoubtedly she would.

Then there was Heero. She closed her eyes as she thought of the boy, now man that she'd not seen in those seven years. He was sure to have grown to be handsome and strong and as mysterious as he was when he was sixteen. She was sure that his disposition hadn't changed much, but what she loved about him was that he was unpredictable; he was the one excitement in her life, and he'd been gone for seven years. Yet, there was something that always told her that he was watching. There was always something that told her that he was close by and that he'd protect her whenever she needed him. She could just feel him she could feel his spirit.

Relena had been fine without him for the past seven years. Her and Millardo had come to be close and she'd taken his advice in many of her endeavors. She and her brother hadn't quite mended some of the broken bonds from the war, but after seven years they had an agreement. She'd even gone out with some of her many suitors. Millardo had insisted that she get away from work and out about with the people. The men that she'd been out with were nice. They were the upper-crust gentlemen that she was used to. The men were handsome and reliable and complemented her beauty, brains, and social strength to no avail, but no feeling ever compared to that she had when Heero was around, or when she felt his presence. She was stupid and she knew so, seven years was far too long to wait for someone, but she knew that he'd come back to her when he found what he was looking for. She knew that he'd always protected her; he'd promised her that.

The sound of the large clock in the hallway struck twelve noon and she stood from her seat in front of the mirror. It was time for her speech. As she opened the door she was greeted by the smile of her various bodyguards as they surrounded her, two in front and two in back. As she walked closer to the stage she could hear the roar of the crowd- the politicians, the people, the press. Everyone was waiting to scrutinize and criticize, nit-pick and mock. She was used to her political view being scoffed at and viewed as naïve, but her everlasting faith in humanity and in Pacifism was what pushed her to go on.

Upon reaching the stage her guards relented and stood guard two on each side of her. The crowd stood and music played in reverence of the fearless leader Relena Dorlian-Peacecraft. She stood in earnest and gave the signal for everyone to be seated, the crowd followed suit. The small murmurs died into nothing, the quietness filling up Relena's ears as she watched the anticipated stares from the faces of the crowd. She spoke:

"My fellow Pacifist, we, in this seventh year of complete peace must give thanks. We must give thanks to our leaders- colonial and earthling. We must give thanks to our military. But most of all, we must give thanks to ourselves." As Relena spoke about the meaning of thanks and thanks giving, a young, Democratic Representative from colony L6 listened to her drone on. True Roddy's political beliefs were opposed to Pacifism, thinking the concept naïve and outdated. She believed in Democracy, a world where Realism and Capitalistic tendencies prevailed. Democracy, unlike Pacifism evoked human nature and all the evil as well as good tendencies therein. Though for the past seven years Relena had been basically killing herself in order to maintain the very thing that she daftly believed in. Roddy Adelphia, though disapproving of Relena's beliefs truly admired that Relena would die for her cause; she knew for a fact that she'd already given up her social life for it. So, without complaint Roddy listened to the speech and took notes on some of the good points and tried not to focus on the differences between Democracy and Pacifism.

She noticed it first. It was a shiny speck of metal, gleaming in the steamy lights of the stage directly across and up from Relena. Roddy couldn't take her eyes off of it, wondering what it could be and why no one else seemed to notice that it was up there. She found herself not focusing on the speech and focusing all of her attention instead on the shiny object in the ceiling. She decided to excuse herself and try to figure out what it was; there had to be some explanation.

There was indeed an explanation. As Roddy began to walk towards the front of the stage, being careful as not seem as if she was about to attack the Vice Foreign Minister, she noticed a shuffle in the glimmering spot and also noticed a man standing tall behind it. Alarm sliced through her like a knife through butter and she began to rush towards Relena, distressing some of the crowd in her wake. However, as she barely made it towards Relena, jumping up and pushing her out of the way, a gunshot whizzed by the blonde Pacifist's ear. If Roddy hadn't been alert, they would have both gotten hit.

The auditorium was in disarray as both Roddy and Relena ducked behind the large wooden podium and watched as people were trampled, and Relena's bodyguards fell bloodied next to them. Both women knew that they needed to get out of the auditorium, but they weren't trained in escaping; it was only by a miracle that Relena was saved.

"We've got to get out of here." Roddy screamed to Relena over the chaos of the crowd.

"We should just wait, the police should be here any minute." Relena said calmly as she huddled closer to the oak podium. Roddy agreed; if they were to stay there, help would definitely come, especially for the Vice Foreign Minister. But, before the help could arrive, a large explosion could be heard and felt. The walls shattered and most of the ceiling came crashing down around the two women and a good portion of civilians and politicians were killed. Roddy looked over to Relena, hoping that she'd have a plan as to how to escape. It was obvious that someone wanted her head. The blonde woman was somber, as if it was her last day on earth. Relena was calm and collected, her eyes glassy as if she were about to weep for someone other than herself; she'd given up all hope and it was written all over her face. Roddy inadvertently gave up hope with her.

The auditorium, once a beautiful place of red velvet curtains and gold-plated box seats, was now a staunch reminder of how horrible things can be. The red velvet curtains were smudged with white dust from the crashed ceiling. Dead bodies abound the room, some with a visage of terror permanently embedded on their faces. The room was in a haze of gloom and filth and it was eerily quiet. It was the silence of the dead, the silence of pure and contrived evil. It was the calm before the storm.

Roddy watched in horror as a she saw a person move through the haze and fog of dust. The large cloud leaving a white haze as thick as London fog over the auditorium, her lungs were filled to capacity with the gunk and she coughed haggardly to dispose of the dust. Relena's face was even more somber and Roddy could see the beginnings of tears starting to form in her blue eyes. Roddy could also see a tall, lithe figure move closer and stealthily through the fog, making sure to not make a sound as it moved. Fear crept into Roddy's heart; she knew that this was it. She knew that this was the last time she'd see the beauties of the earth or the beauties of the colonies again. The fog-covered figure crept closer and reached out a hand to Relena's shoulder. She didn't even startle. She simply turned her head slowly and followed the arm up passed the shoulders to the face. Her expression changed. Hope refilled those eyes as her lips trembled as a single tear fell.

"Heero."

****

Quatre Winner strolled the small marketplace looking at the various goods and wares that people had to offer. His favorite was a melon stand and he was slowly heading towards it. He noticed a jewelry stand close by and stopped to admire a small turquoise beaded ankh that was placed upon a cotton cloth. He breathed in the smell of his native land-the smell that his ancestors smelled. The smell of sand dunes and salty air filled his lungs and he exhaled and inhaled, closing his eyes to make his olfactory senses more acute.

His reverent praise of the smell of his homeland was shattered by the sounds of a commotion coming from his favorite melon stand in the far corner of the marketplace. He scampered quickly towards the stand and as he got closer the sounds of screaming in his native tongue filled his ears.

 There seemed to be a woman, completely covered in a long cloak from head to toe being held for stealing. Unfortunately this earthly land, which seemed so civilized, urbane, and refined still held customs that were as antiquated as some of the ruins that lay around the city. The penalty for stealing, as if had been for the past couple of millennia, was amputation of the arm you stole with. This poor woman, whether she liked it or not, was going to pay the highest penalty. Quatre couldn't allow this to take place and quickly went to interfere in the commotion that ensued.

"Ms. Rehman, please, I will pay for whatever it is that this woman stole." He said. Ms. Rehman was a kind woman, one that loved Quatre immensely and trusted him by his word. She also knew that the gentle blonde was richer than a sultan.

"She was being real nasty about it, Quatre my dear. But you are the Desert Prince, in manners, wealth, and looks. I couldn't ever resist your offers, my dear. But, hear this, if I ever see this woman anywhere near my melon stand again, I will cut off her hand just for smelling the sweetness of my honeydew." Ms. Rehman was serious. Quatre shook her hand and paid her the money and was given the three melons that the woman had tried to steal earlier. The woman quickly scampered away into an alley. Quatre followed her quickly passed the many homeless and over to the other side, the recently acquired melons in hand as he pursued her. She was quick to be so small, like a rabbit, and she jumped over fallen garbage cans and quickly cut corners. But Quatre was faster as he began to catch up with her, melons in hand and all. She, unfortunately, ran herself into a dead end and Quatre grabbed her by the hood of her cloak, pulling it off her head and revealing the longest, thickest blonde hair that he'd ever seen. He knew this woman, but she wouldn't turn around. She simply fell to her knees in submission.

"Why did you have to chase me?" she asked, her voice husky sounding exhausted.

"You stole from a very good friend of mine." He walked to the front of her. It had been seven years, but her features hadn't changed much. She'd fixed those awful eyebrows and her face had softened to be extremely attractive. He almost dropped the melons he was cradling in his hands as a sharp memory of pain shot to his side. He winced and inhaled sharply but pulled himself together before she even noticed that he'd just had a flashback. Yet, there was something different about her, his heart could feel it.

"I had no other choice. I am a lowly street rat after all." She said under her wave of golden hair. Their eyes hadn't met thus far.

"What are you doing here, Dorothy?" he finally asked, the tension too high in the alleyway to even breath.

"So you do remember me? I'm here because I have no other place to go. I'm stealing because I have no other means of eating. I'm running from the oncoming storm. A storm that threatens to bring the tempest of war." She was always eloquent and poetic in speech. Almost too poetic.

"What are you talking about?" his eyes narrowed as he glared at the top of her head.

"Marimeia Khushrenada." She said, her eye finally meeting his. Ice blue met aquamarine in a serious gaze. Memories flashed back to both of them as they stared at one another silently. After a few seconds, Quatre offered her a hand and helped her stand. They quietly made their way back to the marketplace where they met Rashid and he took them back to the mansion.

Upon reaching Quatre's residence, Dorothy was shown to one of the many guest rooms and allowed a time to relax and freshen up. She was then offered dinner where she and Quatre ate together quietly, barely speaking to one another.

"I never thought I'd see you again," she said finally breaking the uncomfortable silence. He looked up from his plate and allowed his eyes to briefly meet with her before they both swiftly found other focal points.

"It's been seven years hasn't it?"

"Longer."

"What is this about Marimeia?" Quatre asked, "the only thing that I know about is the assassination attempt on Relena and they are saying that it was a small group of Democratic Representatives that had a hand in that."

"I disagree. About a week ago, Mariemeia and her small army invaded my town. I lived amongst some of Sanq's old money in a small area called Aurora Heights. This is where most of the high officials of politics and world leaders reside. She quietly took it over, killing each leader one by one. I knew I had to leave before she killed us all. So, I headed for the desert. I couldn't believe I made it through, but I had little money because somehow Marimeia has seized all of my financial accounts. So, here I am, penniless, homeless, and hopeless." She looked down from the table, obviously choked up about losing her home and money. Quatre almost felt sorry for her like he'd felt on the Libra. Dorothy had always had a special place in his heart, because he could feel that she wasn't as hard, callous and cruel as she let on. She, in his mind was as gentle as he was maybe more.

Quatre stood up, picked up his food, and walked the long expanse to her side of the table. He sat down and placed a strong, supportive arm on her shoulder. The past Dorothy would have turned around and used her steak knife for a weapon. This Dorothy only sat there and allowed Quatre to comfort her.

"You can stay here for as long as you want, until everything with Marimeia blows over." She finally looked up into his eyes a look of thanks washing over the icy coldness that he'd received earlier.

"Why are you so nice to me?" she asked.

"Because that's just that way he is." A baritone voice sounded from the darkness of the room and both Dorothy and Quatre looked up in alarm. Out of the shadows emerged a taller, lither, handsomer Trowa. His hair was still auburn, but the ever-annoying bang was trimmed lower to reveal a handsome face and startling emerald green eyes.

"Trowa." Quatre said looking up from Dorothy and to his friend of old.

****

Duo Maxwell watched the utter commotion of the speech take place on the large vid-screen in the middle of downtown L2. People were standing around him and all, including him, were in shock at the assassination attempt on the Vice Foreign Minister. Duo lowered his head in disbelief. What did this mean for him? Did he have to return to the battlefield one more time? Or was this just a coup d'état that the Preventers would be able to sort out without the help of the former Gundam Pilots. It didn't help that the now peaceful Gundam Pilots were Gundam-less.

He shrugged and turned away from the vid-screen hoping above all hopes that this was just a small coup d'état and would quickly be squashed. He was a civilian now and could cower away and forget about the past if he wanted to. After seven years, he had a right to forget about his horrible adolescence and live in peace as a scrap dealer on L2.

He was carrying with him a small engine for a mini-cruiser to an old man that was rebuilding the earlier model and wanted a semi-new engine. He'd contacted Duo earlier that week and the scrap master had gotten quickly what the man wanted. Duo was now heading towards the man's car shop until he was stopped by a sight he hadn't seen in seven years.

It had to be her. She was almost the same height, a little taller maybe because she was wearing high heels. Her hair was longer down to her shoulders, but the same raven color, almost purple, and the eyes were the same crystal blue that he'd remembered. It had to be her, though she was dressed in a black skirt and a white shirt, something Duo had never seen her in. She was sitting in a café by herself reading a book that he couldn't discern. As soon as the waiter brought her the check, she paid and quickly left the establishment. It was cold today, cold enough for them both to be wearing jackets. As soon as she stepped out of the café, she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a single identifying object- the raspberry beret. Duo knew instantly that it had to be Hilde.

She was walking fast, her stride rushed as she hurried towards a large subway station. Duo followed her, lugging the heavy engine with him as he did. Lucky for him she was stopped, she'd missed her train and would have to wait the customary fifteen minutes for the next one. She looked down at her watch, and up to the sky in frustration. Her face had grown more beautiful in the past seven years. She no longer had the small tomboyish figure that he'd remembered. She was fully a woman. She sat down on the metal bench and waited patiently for the next train to come. She reached into her black bag and pulled out the same novel that she'd been reading in the café- Slaughterhouse Five.

"Is that a good book?" she'd been accosted by men in the subway station before and found it rather annoying. She also knew that the trick to getting them to go away was to ignore them at all cost. In turn her eyes didn't even budge from her novel as she tartly flipped the page and focused on the writing. Duo smiled at her and shook his head.

"Hilde?" he said her name in such a way that it reminded her of someone. It couldn't be. She looked up from her book and almost dropped it. It was.

"Duo." He looked different after seven years. Of course he was taller, reaching six feet, but his violet eyes were bright and though his face was not as round and youthful as it had been, he'd grown to be more handsome than she'd imagined. He'd also grown to have more girth than she'd expected. His handsome features were clearly seen by the lack of the bushy bangs. He'd obviously chopped off the braid and left his thick, chestnut hair to flow about his shoulders.

"I'm sorry I was being so rude, I just…" she tried to apologize but he stopped her.

"Understandable. You're looking good kid," he quickly searched her hand for any sign of a wedding ring. None.

"What are you doing at the subway?"

"Chasing you. I thought I saw you sitting in a café a few blocks back. It was confirmed when I saw the beret. I'm not used to seeing you like this."

"Things change after seven years, Duo." She said lowering her head as if she was remembering something horrible.

"What are you doing at the subway?" he asked.

"I'm trying to get back to work at the law firm of Johnson and Smith. I'm a secretary for Mr. Johnson, it pays well but I'm thinking about moving to another colony. Or maybe earth."

"I wouldn't do that. Earth seems to be in turmoil again. There was an assassination attempt on Relena. She's disappeared…"

"What does that mean for you?" she asked, a little more concern showing through in her voice than she would have like. She scooted over and offered him a seat next to her on the bench.

"Me? I don't know. I can only wait to be contacted. I don't know what I'd do if I had to fight again." He said taking the seat next to her.

"You'll fight. You'll fight for whatever it is that you believe in." her hand inadvertently went to his and their eyes met for the first time in this conversation. Violet and blue pierced into each other's hearts and minds, as they couldn't tear their eyes away form one another.

"I don't think I want to go to work anymore." Hilde said squeezing Duo's hand harder.

"Yeah, maybe we can get something to eat together if you want."

"I'd like that."

****

Wufei Chang sat at his desk in his Preventer office looking for ways to get around the upcoming catastrophe that he was sure was going to happen. Relena and Democratic Representative Roddy Adelphia were missing ever since the assassination attempt and Marimeia had just sent a note to Lady Une saying that she would declare war within forty-eight hours. He was sure that he could stop this before the fourteen-year-old spoiled brat made her second attempt to take over the world. Unfortunately, Preventer Intelligence was stumped as to her whereabouts and as to the whereabouts of the Vice Foreign Minister.

"Wufei, there is only one thing that we can be sure of." The sultry voice of Sally came from behind him. He turned in his chair and looked at her.

"And what is that?"

"War." She walked over to him and sat down in a chair next to his desk. He took her hand in his and kissed it.

"Then I have to get them then?" Wufei asked.

"They are our last hope. Marimeia has already taken over Aurora Heights." Wufei closed his eyes in frustration. He ran his hands through his short, cut hair and exhaled violently.

"Then I have no choice. I will start with Duo."

****

Marimeia Khushrenada stood at the window staring at the beautiful sunset. She smiled at the large picture of her father that grazed the wall next to the expanse of window.

"Lady Khushrenada, we are ready for you." a servant peaked their head into her room and said. With a worldly stance and more than cockiness in her stride she flicked her ruby locks and walked to the room where she would make her statement. The camera's rolled and every television signal, every vid-phone signal, every piece of technology was tapped into so that the world would know her plan.

"My dear people of earth and the colonies- the reign of Relena Peacecraft has come to an end. Notice how she stays in hiding while her loyal followers wonder about her safety. She is less than a Pacifist she is a coward. I have come to say that in the past seven years no one has been beneficial under her tyrannical rule. I, Marimeia Khushrenada, stand here as the spokesperson for the Democratic Representatives and say that we declare war on Pacifism and all of it's autocracy."

The world watched as the words were spoken from her mouth, and five young men inhaled and exhaled together, knowing that they had another war to fight.