"Come on dobe, that be all you got," smirked Sasuke as he tried to control his breathing and ignore his aching muscles.

"You wish teme, I am just getting warmed up," grinned Naruto as his right arm hung limp at his side. The two had been sparring for the past hour and neither was willing to admit defeat to the other.

Sharingan red eyes stared into determined sky blue eyes and both boys had large smiles on their face as they stared each other down. They were more then rivals, they were brothers and pushed each other to their limits to help one another achieve their dreams. If one were to see them, they would never believe that in the future these two would become the greatest of enemies. It just went to show that one could never determine the future when the closest of friends could become the greatest of enemies.


'Hn, how pointless,' thought Naruto as he stared up at Epyon through narrowed eyes. He had just received a vision of his past, which was strange because Epyon never sent him any visions. Could it be that it was finally speaking to him other then its desire to battle? Or maybe, Wing Zero wasn't as gone as he believed it to be and was trying to reach out to him. Either way, he wasn't going to dwell on the past as he had more important things to deal with.

'Whether you sent it to me or Zero did it doesn't matter. I was not changed the first time and I won't be this time either. You waste your time,' thought Naruto as he turned his back on Epyon and left the hangar. He refused to admit that the vision was affecting him in anyway, but to the trained eye, one could easily see the slightly trouble look in his eyes.

Armory One

"Stay on course Luna," said Rey harshly, as they floated in space each in their own mobile suits. Rey was assigned a ZAKU phantom that he had painted white so that it stood out from others. This was common among aces, as they wanted to show that they were of higher skill by being allowed to have their own customized unit.

"Yeah I know, just calm down Rey," replied Luna through gritted teeth as she was started to become tired of his attitude. She knew this was just the way he was, but sometimes he could be so damn frustrating that she just wanted to punch him.

Lunamaria had been assigned a Gunner ZAKU, which is what she had requested before even graduating from the academy. She would have liked to have a Gundam like Shinn, but knew that even though she was better then most, she didn't have enough skill to warrant her being a Gundam pilot. That suited her fine because truthfully, she had been dying to be pilot of a Gunner ZAKU ever since she saw that training exercise about a year ago. Like Rey, her mobile suit was custom painted, but is in a reddish pink color.

"Found you two," smirked Shinn as he started to fire upon them with the Impulse's beam rifle.

"Stick to the plan," ordered Rey before they split up and started to return fire upon Shinn.

The Impulse showed off its amazing capabilities as it easily weaved in and out of the shots fired at it. One could easily tell that it was superior to the two ZAKU, but that didn't mean it had the complete advantage. It was still a two on one fight and that made all the difference. Luna and Rey may not get along all that well socially, but when it came to a fight they put there differences aside and were able to compliment each other perfectly.

'Damn, I forgot how well they work together,' cursed Shinn as he used his shield to block several shots from Rey before dodging to the side to avoid being hit by Luna's 'Ortho' beam cannon.

"Wow, you are getting better Shinn," grinned Luna as she started to take aim again.

"What is that supposed to mean?" glared Shinn before firing several more shots at Rey as he noticed his friend trying to close in on him.

Right in the middle of the fight, something went wrong, and all of their screens went black. Shinn and Luna both cursed angrily while Rey just sighed as he exited his cockpit.

"Damn it, what is up with the power lately?" demanded Luna angrily as there simulation was interrupted for the second time that day.

"I don't know, but I hope they fix it soon," said Shinn as he was lowered to the ground.

"They are working on the finishing touches of the Minerva so that it will be battle ready by the end of the week, which is why they are directing most of the power to its hangar," explained Rey before heading out of the hangar with Shinn and Luna following besides him.

"Guess we won't be getting any training done besides our shooting exercises then," pouted Luna, as she preferred the simulation exercises.

"Hey, doesn't that man look familiar?" asked Luna as she pointed at a Commander coming out of a hangar over by them.

"Yeah, but I can't remember who he is," frowned Shinn.

"His name is Commander Uzumaki and a member of FAITH. We met him that one day when we were taking a look at the first production Gunner type model mobile suit," said Rey as he watched the man through narrowed eyes.

"Oh my gosh, he is the pilot of the Gunner ZAKU that was used in that training exercise that we were allowed to watch in the academy," gasped Luna, causing Shinn and Rey to look at her curiously. She noticed the looks they were giving her and quickly composed herself as she didn't want them to know that she had a slight crush on the Commander.

"Hn, he doesn't look all that great to me," scoffed Shinn. Luna just sighed before smacking him upside the head.

"You can be such an idiot at times. He is one of the top pilots, if not the top pilot in ZAFT," said Luna as she shook her head at Shinn. Sometimes Shinn's arrogance just bordered on stupidity as he ended up saying things that he should have not said at all.

"She is right, it would not do to underestimate him. He was personally recruited to ZAFT by the Chairman, and he is a member of FAITH," agreed Rey.

"Fine, but enough talk. I am hungry so I am going to get something to eat. I'll catch up with you both later," said Shinn as he headed over to the market district.

"I am going to see how the finishing touches on the Minerva are going because word has it the Chairman will be visiting soon to overlook the final stages himself," said Rey before taking his leave.

"Hmm, I'll go see how Meyrin is doing," shrugged Luna.

Break

"Do you really think that is the proper thing to be wearing to a meeting like this?" asked Alex as he walked next to the current leader of ORB. If were one to look closely they would notice, he looked remarkably like the former pilot of the Justice, Athrun Zala.

"What is wrong with what I am wearing?" replied Cagalli angrily. She was wearing an expensive suit that made her look every inch of a serious business woman.

"I am just saying that you have an image to uphold and even though this is merely a visit with the Chairman. You still need to keep up appearances. Never forget that you are now the leader of a nation," explained Alex seriously.

"I know that," sighed Cagalli as they entered the elevator. Alex just smiled softly as he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder before changing the subject.

"How come you want to meet with the Chairman anyway? This meeting does seem kind of sudden," said Alex curiously.

"It was the only time that I could find to meet with him as he is always so busy. I want to talk about him with all the reports I have been getting about the building up of ZAFT military power during times of peace. I am afraid if this continues that it will shatter the peace we have worked so hard to create," said Cagalli as she clenched her fists tightly.

"I see," frowned Alex. He understood what she was trying to say, but didn't know if that was something she really had to criticize ZAFT about as ORB had been keeping their own updating their own forces with all the new technology that had come about in the past year and a half.

"The last thing we need is another war to start. So many were lost in the last one and we still haven't fully recovered from that. Another war would just cause more pointless deaths," said Cagalli grimly. She could still remember the look on her father's face as he pushed her into the shuttle while he stayed behind and burned down with ORB just to prevent the Earth Forces from obtaining their Mass Driver. ORB had been rebuilt, but there was still much work to be done and she would not watch as her nation was dragged into another war. No matter what, she would do whatever it took to keep her nation safe and not let it fall ever again.

The two couldn't say anything else as they reached the bottom floor and the doors opened. They exited the elevator and were surprised to see the Chairman had just entered the building and was walking straight towards them.

"Princess, it is an honor to finally meet you," smiled Durandal warmly. Alex noticed the Chairman glance at him and kept his face neutral so that no one would recognize him. He was dressed in some casual clothes and wearing some blue, see through shades so he wouldn't stand out and remain inconspicuous.

"Chairman, it is a pleasure to finally meet you as well and thank you for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice," bowed Cagalli, which Durandal mimicked.

"I would have met with you sooner, but I hope you understand that I have been increasingly busy as of lately. You can understand how hard it is to run a nation," said Durandal the smile never leaving his face.

"Of course," conceded Cagalli as they continued to make small talk.

"I take it this is your bodyguard?" asked Durandal as he glanced at Alex. He didn't miss the fact that he looked remarkably like the former Chairman's son and ZAFT pilot, Athrun Zala.

"Yes, his name is Alex," replied Cagalli before changing the subject. She didn't want Alex's true identity to be discovered so quickly went onto the main reason why she was here.

"Hmm, perhaps I can ease your mind if I show you around our facilities. I hope that I will be able to convince you as to why you have received the reports you have," gestured Durandal.

"Very well," agreed Cagalli as she started to walk besides the man and out of the building. Alex just walked silently behind them follow by several of the Chairman's own bodyguards.

Elsewhere

"Man this place is boring," complained Auel as he walked next to his fellow comrade Sting. Auel possessed short blue hair, hazel colored eyes, and looked to be around the age of seventeen or eighteen.

"Don't worry, once we are given the word, we will have some fun, and you can destroy this entire place," smirked Sting. He was around the same age as Auel, but possessed short green hair and light brown eyes that were half-lidded to show his boredom.

"Hehe, I can't wait until we can destroy this damn place," laughed Auel. His laughing was interrupted when he noticed his other comrade had started to dance.

"What the hell is she doing?" frowned Auel as he glanced at the only female member of the squad.

"Playing the role of a ditzy airhead," shrugged Sting as he continued to walk.

"Let's go Stella, you can play around later," yelled Auel with a scowl on his face.

Stella was a beautiful young woman with short blond hair and enticing chocolate brown eyes. Right now, she was standing in front of a shop window staring at a dress and picturing how it look on her. A large smile appeared on her face before she started to dance around without a care in the world. It would seem to most that she was strange, but the fact was she was mentally unstable, much like her comrades, except it was more prominent in her. This was a great advantage to her as it helped immensely with her job because people tended to underestimate her due to her condition and she was able to easily dispatch of them.

She was so focused on twirling around that she didn't watch where she was going and ended up bumping into someone, but they caught her before she fell.

"Whoa, you should watch where you are going," said Shinn as he dropped his groceries and held the girl in his arm. Stella looked up at him curious before an angry scowl appeared on her face. She quickly knocked Shinn to the ground then ran off to catch up with her two teammates.

Shinn watched her run off with a confused look on his face, but snapped out of it when he heard his friend laughing at him.

"Oh shut up," grumbled Shinn as he picked up his groceries.

Chairman & ORB representatives

"All this power isn't necessary, it will only lead to more suspicious from other nations, which could lead to another war," argued Cagalli as she glared at the Chairman.

"I mean no offense princess, but," started Durandal, but before he could finish several loud explosions occurred.

The chairman's bodyguards quickly ran to his side while Alex grabbed Cagalli and dragged her off somewhere safe. Alarms started to sound everywhere and soldiers raced to their stations to figure out exactly what was going on.

"Damn it, what is going on?" demanded Durandal.

"Hurry sir, we need to get you to safety," said one of the bodyguards as he gestured for the Chairman to follow him and his men. Durandal just nodded his head as more explosions started to occur throughout Armory One.

"Athrun, what is going on?" asked Cagalli as they ran to somewhere safe.

"I don't know, but we need to get you out of here or at least somewhere safe. I won't let you die in a place like this," replied Athrun as he looked around everywhere for a safe place to hide or something.

"If you are so anxious to leave then take this ZAKU," said an unfamiliar voice. Athrun and Cagalli both turned there heads quickly to see a man leaning against one of the hangar walls with his arms crossed across his chest.

'He looks familiar, but I don't know why,' thought Athrun as he studied the man carefully. He was wearing a Commander's uniform and had piercing sky blue eyes that were lifeless.

"It would be a shame if you were to die here Athrun Zala," said the man, causing both of their eyes to widen. Before they could say anything else, a loud explosion rocked the area, and the two were forced to use their arms to shield themselves from the dust. When it finally settled down, they looked up to see that the man had disappeared, and they were once again by themselves.

"Come on, we need to get to that mobile suit and escape before we get caught in whatever is happening," yelled Athrun as he dragged Cagalli over to the ZAKU.

"Ok," spluttered Cagalli as she tore her mind off the strange man they had just met.

Elsewhere

Naruto watched as the Gaia, Chaos, and Abyss started to destroy everything in Armory One through emotionless sky blue eyes. He would go out there to help, but first he had to make sure that boy made it out of here alive. Athrun Zala was one of the few people who could offer him a challenge in battle and maybe stood the chance of beating him, which would grant him his wish to die in battle like he so desperately wanted.

'So another war begins,' thought Naruto impassively, as the Impulse showed up and started to battle the three stolen Gundams. The sounds of battle reached his ears and his body started to relax. It was not surprising to see a man who had spent all his life fighting in pointless wars to feel most at comfort when a battle was going on, but it was sad. For a soul to find more comfort in warfare then in peace was just terrible and yet there stood Naruto, perfectly calm with his eyes closed, but still able to see everything that was going on.

'Your desire to fight is raising Epyon, and it seems I will be able to cage you no longer. I have no doubt together we will cause much destruction. I only hope someone is able to kill us before we both go too far,' thought Naruto as he slowly opened his eyes before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

So began the Second Bloody Valentine War, one that would just as horrible as the first, and cause the death of many more innocents.


Author's Note: Um, I may have made a mistake when describing Stella and Luna. I believe they both have a violet type color of eyes instead of blue, but I wasn't sure because my memory is a little foggy on that certain detail. If someone could let me know then it would help me in the future so I don't make the same mistake twice. Anyway, see y'all later, Peace!