Disclaimers: I don't own Gundam Wing, as much as I want to. I'm just borrowing them. I'm not making money.

AN: Another new idea. I don't think I want to continue the ideas unless I get reviews, because it'll be pointless if no one reads them...*sigh* is my writing THAT bad?!?!?! Chapter 7 now...more reviews!! YAY!!!
Oh, and 'blah blah' denotes thoughts

Crystal Clear
Part 7: Joining Forces


Crystle blinked sleepily when she woke up in the morning. Some of the light from the awakening dawn filtered into the room from the edges of the curtain that was thankfully closed. Her head pounded, and she groaned, closing her eyes again.

"Awake?"

Crystle's eyes shot open and she sat up quickly.

"Whoa, slow down Crystle." Two hands steadied her and she looked up to see Duo.

"Duo, you scared me."

"Sorry. How do you feel?"

"How long have I been sleeping?" She had a feeling she hadn't just slept for a night.

"Two days. It's just 6 now." Duo yawned. Crystle frowned.

"How long have you been awake here watching me?"

"Since 2, so 4 hours."

"You're afraid that I'll run, or steal?" Crystle asked. She looked at her hands, one of them playing with the bracelet on her left wrist.

"No! You had a fever, we just had to monitor you." Crystle looked up in surprise when Duo brushed back her bangs, feeling the temperature of her forehead.

"Yup. It's down now, but you're still slightly feverish."

Crystle blushed slightly and glanced down at her clothes. Black pants, black hoodie, and a t-shirt underneath. Her brow furrowed in confusion.

"I didn't know I was wearing black before."

"You weren't. Don't you remember?"

Crystle shook her head slowly. She only remembered snippets of the events of her first night at the house.. Duo sighed and sat down beside her on the bed, leaning against the headboard, his eyes closed. Crystle shifted over uneasily, giving him more space.

"You had another pain attack. Tried to dunk you, of course, in your clothes. Then, it didn't work and Quatre said to give you a drug anyway. Then, we had to get you changed out of the wet clothes, and Quatre grabbed my clothes for what he said was the best fit, and you got changed before you were too drowsy. And then you fell unconscious…or asleep. I couldn't tell."

"Your clothes…?"

"I'm the only one who wears black here normally, so yea."

Again, Crystle blushed. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine, as long as you don't mind." Duo yawned. "Listen, do you feel like getting up?"

"Uh…sure…"

"Good. Then we can get some breakfast in a few hours."

"Um…o.k."

"You'll stay here?"

"I have nowhere else to go."

"Well, could I take a nap?"

"Sure?" Crystle blinked stupidly at him, not that Duo noticed. He was already asleep.

Waiting a few minutes to make sure Duo was deeply asleep, Crystle got off the end of the bed and stood up, making sure Duo didn't awaken. The light from outside was brighter now as the sun awoke from its slumber. Deciding to go wash her face, Crystle glanced around and located the bathroom. The next second, she was on the ground. She cursed silently, glancing at her feet. The black pants were way too long. With a quiet sigh, Crystle stood, tugging the pants higher up so that she could walk, making a point to ask for a belt later.

Upon reaching the bathroom, she closed the door and locked it before turning to face the full-length mirror. She gawked at herself. For some reason, she almost didn't even recognize herself. Almost. Her hair was tangled and loose, but at least her face was clean. The larger clothes hid her body and she shivered, hugging herself. Turning to the sink, she switched on the water and splashed her face. Realizing she didn't have a towel, she prayed Duo wouldn't mind, and wiped her face with her sleeve. She frowned at her messy hair, and decided to at least try to comb it. She was raising her fingers to her hair when she heard a quiet knock. She turned and opened the door to see Quatre.

"Good morning." Quatre whispered. Crystle nodded. "Duo's asleep. You might want to use the brush. We don't have any extra clothes for you, but if you want, you can still take a shower." Quatre handed her three towels of three different sizes. "One for your hair, one for your face, and the other one for you."

"Thank you." She whispered. Upon reflection, Crystle realized that she hadn't had a shower for a while.

"Welcome." Quatre closed the door, and Crystle dropped the towels on the counter and turned on the water. With a sigh, she tugged off the warm hoodie, blinking at the black t-shirt.

"Everything black all right." She muttered before fully undressing and stepping into the shower.

30 minutes later, she emerged from the warm spray and began the task of drying herself. Once dressed again in the warm hoodie, Crystle set to work on her hair. It took another 15 minutes to be completely refreshed. She brushed her teeth and washed her face again before exiting the bathroom, feeling a lot cleaner. Duo was still asleep, and Crystle turned to the door of the balcony. Knowing she shouldn't go outside, she settled for pushing the curtains back a bit, and leaning against the balcony door. She crossed her arms in front of herself, and observed the sky. By now, the sun had completely risen, and shone brightly. The trees outside, mostly evergreens, were blanketed with snow. There were few clouds in the sky, and Crystle thought with relief that she was indoors, in the warmth.

She then sat down against the wall in thought. She had dreamt last night. She was a part of OZ. What was she doing here with the enemy? Surely, they too know that she was their enemy, didn't they? Out of habit, she ran through what she knew about each of the individual pilots.

Heero Yuy, code named, pilot 01 of Wing Zero, from L1. Good at computers and is the Perfect Soldier.

Duo Maxwell, pilot 02 of Deathscythe Hell, from L2. Orphan, lived on the streets, immune to the plague, lived in Maxwell Church. Master of stealth, and lock picking. Murderer of her father, mother and brother.

She paused at that. That was why she had to kill him. But in the back of her mind, she knew she had reason not to kill him yet. But she couldn't quite figure it out. She went on.

Trowa Barton, pilot 03 of Heavyarms, from L3. Only family is Catherine, and worked at the traveling circus as a clown. Flexible acrobat.

Quatre Raberba Winner, pilot 04 of Sandrock, from L4. Family of 29 sisters, father and mother both dead. Heir to the Winner fortune and the head of Winners Enterprise Inc, or WEI. Strategist.

Chang Wufei, pilot 05 of Shenlong, from L5. Destroyed clan in war, once married, lost all family. Sword specialist. Justice and honor is very important to him.

Wait a minute. For a moment, Crystle was confused. Since when did she 'habitually' run through stats like that, and how did she know that information? She tried to remember the night she arrived at the house. Being questioned, and then there was pain. She remembered a list of words she said after she took the aspirin-like drug in the water Wufei gave her. Roses, wine, swords, robots, long hair, mask, and doctors.

She looked up when the door opened. It was the tall one, Trowa, Crystle recalled. She stood, somewhat tense. He beckoned to her and after a moment, she followed. She didn't want to go somewhere without the presence of Duo, but knew she wouldn't have a choice. Besides, Quatre would still be there…or so she hoped. Trowa didn't say anything until the door was closed and she stood, barefooted on the carpet of the hall, the long pants covering her feet and warming them. She jammed her hands into the two-sided pocket at her stomach, and looked up at Trowa.

"Are you well enough to talk?" He asked, looking her over. Crystle nodded.

"Yes."

"Come with me then. We'll let Duo sleep a while. He'll be down later." He started down the hallway, then looked back to see Crystle following, lagging a bit.

"I won't hurt you. Despite what the others look like, they won't either. You may be the link to something that we need."

"Oz." She muttered. Trowa paused, then nodded.

"Don't worry. We won't hurt you."

"Doesn't look like I have a choice." She murmured to herself. Trowa heard, but gave no answer.

Before long, he turned down another hallway, and knocked on the door before entering.

"Good morning again, Crystle. Feel better after showering?" Quatre asked. He was sitting on a couch. Wufei was on the ground in the center, meditating, Heero at the desk, typing rapidly on a laptop. She gulped, seeing his gun beside him.

"Yes Quatre, thank you." She whispered, tugging at her loose, long pants unconsciously, suddenly very nervous.

"Do you feel up to talking?" Quatre glanced to Heero, and saw the gun that Crystle was eyeing warily. "Well, take a seat then." He gestured toward the sofas and armchairs as he walked to the desk. Reaching across it, he picked up the gun. Heero's hand shot out and caught it, glaring at the blond.

"Heero, you're making her uncomfortable. If we can get her to remember more, we can find the children that are missing, and know more about OZ. But we can't do that if she's uncomfortable."

"Hn." Heero took the gun from Quatre's slack hold, slipping it under the desk. His hand found the clasp there, and he put the gun in place, ready for him should he need it.

As told, Crystle sat down in an armchair. It looked too big to fit her, and she curled up, turning to face Quatre.

"We don't mean to push you Crystle…but-"

"You want to know. I remember a bit." Crystle continued when Quatre nodded. "The list I gave you last time, I remember it clearly: roses, wine, swords, robots, long hair, mask, and doctors. I think I figure out what applies to what, and it's helping me think."

"We have some ideas too, but, what to do think?" Quatre sat down across from her. Wufei stood, retreating to stand by the wall as Trowa took another armchair.

"Roses and wine apply to one person. I don't know who he is, at least I don't remember his name, but he's the influence of the whole situation. Swords apply to him and the guy with the long hair and mask, his left or right hand. Robots…I mean the Leos and Aries, mobile suits. Doctors…I'm struggling over that one. And I remember children." Crystle paused, pushing the nag at the back of her head away.

"Wufei?" She looked up at the Asian youth. "Remember the water you gave me with the pill?"

"Yes?"

"Can I get another one now?"

Wufei straightened, eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"It helps me think."

Nodding without another word, Wufei headed toward the kitchen.

"Crystle, are you sure that it's all right for you to take that drug? It isn't healthy."

"Quatre, I want to know as much as you guys. If it helps, then I'll do it."

"All right." Quatre murmured.

"Then there's Duo." Crystle continued.

"What about Duo?" Trowa asked.

"He…" Crystle trailed off as a rush of memories hit her. As quick as she could, she reeled them off. "He killed my family and I came to kill him. I'm an orphan, and I became a part of OZ to observe them. I'm in OZ against my will, but I stayed so I could kill Duo. Doctors, they do experiments. Silencer technique." Crystle fumbled for her bracelet. "It's what they did to me, what they experimented…" She trailed off, head tilted to the side, as if listening.

"What's wrong?" Quatre asked, alarmed.

Immediately, Crystle silenced him, running quickly to Heero.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Heero growled. Crystle didn't answer, pulling the laptop away from the working youth. Ignoring what was on the screen, she closed them, knowing they were automatically saved. She opened a new document, and typed up everything that she had said, and continued.

"I'm not speaking. Someone's listening in. There's a listener, somewhere." Out loud, she spoke now.

"Thank you Wufei." She drank the water quickly, and then continued to type. "I'm faking pain to get the listener to leave. He will when he thinks I pass out."

Without waiting, she dropped the glass with a cry of pain, falling over, clutching her head.

"Crystle!" Quatre caught on, leaning down over her. "Crystle, get up, there's a bathroom across the hall, for water!" He pulled the girl to his feet as she hissed in pain, following his lead to the bathroom. Once in there, he turned on the shower, looking slightly apologetic. She ignored him, kneeling down, head over in the tub. With a quick breath, she signaled, Quatre spraying the water over her. She screamed in real surprise as the water was cold, but ignored it. After a while, she closed her eyes and slumped down, signaling she had 'passed out'. Quatre turned off the spray, taking the towel from Trowa.

"She's out again." He said with a sigh, handing the towel to the girl. She took it, rubbing her cold head, wiping away the water.

"I'll take her to the next room. Duo's still sleeping in the room she was staying in." Trowa offered. That was all they said as Crystle stood silently, following them back to the study in the hall. She picked up the laptop again.

"Great job." She typed. "Now, onto the rest of it. They experimented on me; I was their first victim. There is an underground lab of the base I was staying at. There are disappearing children, for 5 days. They're trained in these 5 days and released without a memory of those 5 days. But once triggered, they'll return to OZ, and then there'll be no hope. I'm sure none of you Gundam Pilots want to kill children. I know that there's more to all of this than just my mission to kill Duo. I found out about something, and they needed to get rid of me." She looked up at them, head pounding. She continued typing, locking eyes with Quatre.

"There's a teleportation device, that I just need to remember how to make, that allows this person to appear and disappear at their will that I'm sure you know of."

"Like I said I'm in to kill Duo. I will once I gather why I have to kill him. I don't know about the doctors. What do you know?" Crystle turned to Wufei. He took the laptop.

"We know you mean Zechs and Treize." Wufei answered, scanning the document after he typed.

Crystle nodded when she typed again. "Treize is under Zechs?" She closed the laptop.

"It's all right to talk now." She murmured.

"How do you know?" Quatre asked, surprised. Crystle frowned. "I don't know. I just…feel."

"Are you sure?" Trowa whispered. She nodded.

"100%."

"Zech's is under Treize. Zech's has the mask and long white hair. Treize is the wine and rose." Wufei answered. "Both are good with the sword."

Crystle nodded. "Then Zech's is the one who continually reports to Treize about the lab. I wanted to go down and check it out, but then I was taken there, the next thing I know, I was sitting outside here." She sighed. "My head hurts, can I take a break?"

"Of course!" Quatre smiled. "Although most of the things you told us, we knew. The children, do you remember anything else?"

"No. I never figured out how it worked, where they were kept. I know I was one of them. But no report was filed on me, so they kept me. Found out I was an orphan." She sighed, curling up in the armchair again. "Can you tell me why I want to kill Duo? Do you know?" She asked.

"I do." Duo said as he entered the room. Crystle looked up, and then stood up, making her way to stand in front of Duo.

"Did you kill them?" She asked quietly. Duo paused, as if to firm his own thoughts before answering.

"No. The house was crushed under OZ's new suits, which were unstable. I had no choice. It was either get out of the way and let the house be crushed, or let the whole town burn. I couldn't risk the town over one house." He lowered his head. "I'm sorry." He whispered. He was surprised when arms wrapped around him.

"Thank you Duo." Crystle murmured, quickly stepping back. "I know you had no choice." She paused before nodding to herself. "You did the right thing." She turned to the others.

"If you allow, I want to join you, and help you bring peace, and bring the children back." She whispered. "Please, let me stay."

"Of course you can stay." Quatre said. "You can tell us more as you remember. You'll be a houseguest."

"Quatre!" Wufei barked. "We're-"

"We're pilots Wufei." Quatre cut him off. "She's not an enemy anymore. She's a girl who needs a home because she lost her family and was deceived by OZ. It will be our honor to take care of her with us, and her justice to rebel against OZ. She will achieve her justice. It is our honor to help her achieve it."

Wufei glared at Quatre before storming out of the room. Crystle glanced at Quatre.

"He'll be all right." Quatre smiled. Crystle smiled back, almost shyly.

"Thank you." She whispered. "I appreciate this."

"No problem." Duo said with a grin. "Now, let's get some breakfast!" Crystle returned the grin.

"But before that Duo…" She turned to all of them. "Anyone have a belt I can borrow? These pants are a bit loose…"

"Are you calling me fat?" Duo asked, mocking anger. Crystle looked surprised.

"Of course not Duo!" She bit her lip. "Sorry if it came out wrong."

"Chill, I'm joking. I've got a couple. Black, if you don't mind?"

Crystle grinned and held her arms out. "I'm beginning to like this outfit." She laughed.















Saori: FINALLY!!! I know that took long, but I wasn't sure how to continue...I got other ideas...and therefore..you know...got the first couple of chapters out on those first...and...yea....so..sorry...this isn't the best chapter..but...I tried...really!!! Please Review!!! Not beta read...sorry, my beta reader Jetonna is currently unavailable to use the computer...

Jet: T.T

Saori: Oh the injustice of it! Just the days I have the least hwk n more time to write!!