Title: "Always" *8/12*

Disclaimer: Lyrics belong to Bon Jovi,

and Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise, along with whoever else owns any of the rights to it.

Setting: Episodes 48 - Take off into confusion



Warnings: AU, Angst,

~...~ denotes Lyrics

*...* denotes emphasis or Italics

"..." speech

(Thoughts aren't really set apart but sort of run along in with the story.)



~When you say your prayers

try to understand I've made mistakes,

I'm just a man. ~

~Well, there ain't no love...

and it slowly dies,

Oh, baby...

if you give me one more try,

we could pack up our old dreams and our old lies...

we'll find a place where the sun still shines...~



Tallgeese II flew straight towards Gundam 05 firing once at it and then dodging the return fire. A tenor voice spoke over the radio. "Gotta do better, I'm over here."

It was answered at once by an angered, "Silence you!" The gundam swung its beam trident at the Tallgeese II. Tallgeese II blocked the attack with the shield on it's arm and pushed the gundam back in the same move.

The pilot of the Tallgeese paid no attention to the demand to be silent and spoke again. "There was a time when battles could be won and lost with the mere push of a button and the mobile dolls are the absolute root of that detestable and hateful spirit, and their extension is that Libra ship.. over there." The voice paused for a moment as if in thought, then continued. "When wars are dehumanized, both victory and defeat become miserable and God no longer lends a helping hand."

05 fired at the Tallgeese II again as it flew towards the other. The gundam pilot's anger filled voice coming over the channel. "Enough with the fancy speeches! To many people have died for nothing, because of you and the battles you fought!" The gundam swung its trident again at the other suit.

Tallgeese II dodged the attack and flew up and behind the gundam planting a foot on its back and shoving forwards. The gundam recovered and turned back around to face the blue and white suit. 05's pilot came over the channel again. "If you're going to fight anyone, then fight me and no one else!"

Tallgeese II stood still in front of the gundam and then the tenor came over the channel as the large suit detached the large Dobergun from it's arm. "You're absolutely right." The large suit drew its beam saber out from under the shield on it's arm and a long beam of red energy stretched out from it.

The gundam spun it's beam trident and then held it behind it's back, its pilot's voice came over the radio again. "Are you prepared for the worst Treize?"

The tenor answered immediately. "Of course I am, but this time I won't go easy on you."

"Enough talk." 05 launched itself at the Tallgeese II.

***

"Yes. We can enter Earth's atmosphere if we continue on present course. There's a 69% chance that we'll collide on land in the northern hemisphere continents. The energy that will be released is estimated at around 6, 000 megatons."

" Did you hear that information Commander Milliardo?"

Milliardo glanced at the image of Quinze that was on his screen. "That will be plenty Quinze. If the Peacemillion and Libra both crashed on that green planet, the seasons would cease to exist. and they would be plagued with an ever lasting winter."

Quinze came onto the screen again. "However Commander, this calculation is based on the assumption that the Peacemillion's drive system remains turned off."

"The Peacemillion used to be a ship of mine, I know it will understand my intentions." he responded. Quinze nodded and then left the screen again.

He then looked over to see Noin's Taurus come up beside him. "Can you say that about the Gundam Pilots, Zechs?" she asked.

"Of course, no doubt they'll do everything they can to try and stop me."

"So, you're waiting on them then huh?"

He turned to look back at the earth on his screen. "Those pilots don't act in a way perceived as predestined. That's what makes them professionals in combat.. like me Zechs Merquise."

*

Tallgeese II raised its beam saber blocking the lunge of the trident and once more the gundam retreated. Treize watched the other over his screen and then spoke calmly. "What's wrong? How come you don't use your dragon?" The reply was immediate.

"Because I want to fight you fair and square Treize, that's how come."

The two suits stood several feet a part facing each other. "That's not like you. Why the hesitation?" Treize asked.

"Look who's talking. Why didn't you kill me back there?"

That hurt.. some but it would all be over soon. He answered him calmly and honestly. "Well, I just couldn't kill one of the few people who understood me.. that's all."

The gundam launched itself at him, striking out with the trident. Wufei's angry voice screaming over the channel "You Loser! I can't stand the sight of you!" He blocked the first strike and the second one following it with the saber before speaking.

"Then come and get me now." He swung the beam saber at the gundam. It leapt up to avoid his strike and attacked again the trident raised high above its head and brought it down towards him. He blocked the strike with the shield on the Tallgeese II's arm and struck out at the gundam with the beam saber.

The gundam retreated again and once more Wufei's voice came over the channel. "You're only capable of looking down on other people like this. You're only fighting to satisfy your ego! How many people have died because of you! Huh!!"

"Do you really want to know?" he asked. He answered the question without waiting for Wufei's answer to his own. "As of yesterday, 99, 822 people."

Wufei's shocked sounding voice came back to him. "What?!"

He paid no mind to it instead opening a channel to MO-II and speaking to Une. "Lady.. How many people have died today?" he asked.

She appeared on the corner of his screen as she spoke. "So far, we have received confirmation of the death of 82 White Fang soldiers and 105 of own soldiers."

He closed his eyes. "I see. Give me their names later on today." he said not opening his eyes. He heard her quiet confirmation that she would and then the sound of the channel being closed. He then heard Wufei's curse over the other open channel.

He kept his eyes closed, and tried to gather his composure back as he spoke again to Wufei. "I remember everyone who sacrificed their lives in battle." he paused for a moment and then continued. "How could I forget them. Bente, Dorian, Walker, Otto, Bunt.. Their names are etched into my heart."

"How could you be such a..."

Such a.. what dragon..? What do you think I am..? It wouldn't matter now.. only one thing left and then he would wait for Milliard to finish his own part in this. He opened his eyes and looked at the gundam in front of him. "I can only grieve over the lives lost by those who fought. But I want you to at least try to understand this, not one of those people have died in vain."

*

Epyon was still hovering not far from Libra scanning the large battle field. Then its sensors locked onto a certain blue and white suit that was sparing with a white and green gundam that was armed with a beam trident. It took only a brief second before the recognized the gundam and knew who its pilot was. Milliardo frowned for a moment as he watched them stand there just facing each other for several minutes before briefly attacking each other.

Then they separated again for several more minutes. Something half- remembered ran through his mind as he watched them silently. *He left...for space...I'm not exactly sure, but I doubt we'll meet again on Earth.* He tried to recall what the phrase meant and then the realization came to him. Treize.. he had planned on seeing the pilot.. the one who had claimed him briefly while he had been in space. And judging by the way the duel between the suits was going, the general wasn't concerned about winning this duel.

He directed the Epyon towards the two suits. The struck out at each other once more before falling back again and as he went through the open channels he came across a very familiar tenor voice. "- Dorian, Walker, Otto, Bunt.. Their names are all etched into my heart." He closed his eyes for a moment as one of the names sent a sudden chill through him. Something wasn't right here.. He turned his attention back to the channel and looked back up at the gundam and large suit again. " – not one of those people have died in vain." he then heard the yell and saw the burners come to life as the Tallgeese II launched itself at the gundam.

Then he knew what would happen, if something did not interfere. Without another moments thought Epyon's whip-like heat rod rushed out wrapping itself around the beam trident and jerked it out of the Gundam's hand before it could strike the large suit. The move surprised the Tallgeese as it aborted its attack when it saw the trident snatched out of the Gundam's hands. He released the trident and the motion sent it sailing twirling end over end slicing several nearby Virgo's and a Leo before it came to a relative halt.

He then saw the flash of white, blue, red, and yellow and the bird like form of the gundam Wing Zero. He spun around to fly towards it. "He's here.." he said softly to himself.