11) Getting There

"The Shadow Walkers do not reside here on Earth. Their main base is a space station named Colony Twelve," a tall middle-aged woman named Sally Po told them.

The day had arrived. The entire group sat inside a large empty classroom. After the briefing everything would finally be explained to them and then the Gundam guys and girls would be off on their first mission together.

Cheyenne's stomach was full of butterflies as she listened to Professor Po, but deep inside her heart was confused. She stole a glance at Wufei who sat as far away from her as possible on the right side of the room. He didn't look back at her, just like he hadn't looked at her for the past week and a half. Training with him had gone from bad to worse. The tension in the room was always apparent and he did what she'd requested; he gave her no more special attention but simply trained her without the sarcastic remarks, the glares and the extra help. And when training was over she didn't see him for the rest of the day since he had a full proof way of avoiding her. It was like training with a funky ex-boyfriend but they had never even gone out!

She sighed and shook her head, wondering why things had to be that way. 'I just had to go and open my big mouth, didn't I?'

Trowa sat behind her watching her expression, and he shook his head as well. He didn't understand why she allowed herself to go through the torture when she could just have him. He looked over at Wufei and glared, wondering why he was still an obstacle in his path when he wasn't even doing anything.

Wufei's thoughts were his own as he stared straight ahead at the chalkboard, chewing calmly on a pencil.

Quatre and Yumi sat directly in the front with Heero in-between them. Yumi was nervous as well, knowing that the first part of the mission depended solely on her. This made Quatre nervous too and he constantly fretted over her, not that she minded at all.

Duo and Kaila sat behind them, side by side. Their relationship made a lot of students jealous because of the casualness of it, the laid-backness, and the way they just looked too darn good together! Duo, the most popular guy in school, and Kaila, the sexiest freshman by far...together! Most thought it wasn't fair...

Sally Po continued: "The Shadow Walker's goal is to rid the planet of all human life by taking us out with a single blow. This..." She placed her pointer on the chalkboard, "is a new Gundam they've made from the Blizzard-Cry prototype. They call it the Desert-Howl and it...is...deadly." She emphasized her last three words with a loud tap against the chalkboard, partly for emphasis, and partly to get Wufei's attention. He switched his glance to her immediately but kept chewing on his pencil.

"The situation here has become fairly critical," Sally continued. "Perhaps you've noticed that you have not seen the president's daughter around here lately-"

"Nope, we sure haven't seen Rolanda. What'd you do with her?" Kaila asked.

Sally closed her eyes at the misuse of Relena's name but then shook her head and let it slide. "We've hidden her," she replied. "The Shadow Walkers plan to strike very soon. That's why you eight are heading to Colony Twelve today."

"Today?" Cheyenne gasped.

"But we barely know our mission," Yumi added.

Sally shrugged her shoulders. "My job is mainly to answer any questions you may have about the Shadow Walkers. The mission itself will be explained to you en route. Are there any questions?"

"Who heads the Shadows?" Heero asked.

"Her name is Delia Stead. She's an heiress whose parents were millionaires. It is rumored that she killed them herself."

"Man…" Yumi whistled.

"After getting the money, she formed the Shadow Walkers: men and women trained in the way of espionage and mobile suits. They are something like ninjas. It is said that you will never know when you are attacked by the Shadows because you will never see them."

"Geez, how do we know that there isn't a Shadow Walker among us, then?" Cheyenne asked.

Sally gave her a look that clearly said, "Please". "Our technology is extremely advanced. There's no possible way that we could've recruited a Shadow Walker directly to Medora University."

"There's no way?" Cheyenne raised an eyebrow.

"None," Sally huffed. "Don't ask questions about things you clearly do not know or understand."

Cheyenne rolled her eyes and leant back in her chair. "Whatever..."

"Any other questions?" Sally asked, looking around the room. Her eyes lingered on Wufei for just a little longer than they should have in Cheyenne's opinion.

"Why do they want to rid the Earth of its inhabitants?" Yumi asked. "Isn't that kinda extreme?"

Sally nodded. "Undoubtedly. However, Delia feels that only her Shadows are pure and so they deserve to live on Earth by themselves, repopulating the planet with their own kind."

"Women can't leave well enough alone," Wufei mumbled.

Yumi nodded in agreement for once. "Yeah! Who up and told this Delia chick that the world was hers to own?"

"And how are her Shadows so pure if they go around killing people secretly?" Cheyenne added.

"Exactly. In other words, the chick's insane," Kaila yawned and the girls nodded in agreement. "Are we going to be floating around in this Colony, Professor Po?" she added. Yumi had long since told the girls about Heero's strange answers and how he was from space and so was this Colony Twelve.

Sally nodded again. "Yes, but not until Yumi does away with the security system as will be explained later. And that's only in the base headquarters, by the way. The rest of Colony Twelve should be stable enough to walk around on the ground. Any more questions?" she asked quickly.

"Um...how do we get there?" Yumi asked. "To Colony Twelve?"

"Thought you'd never ask," Sally smiled and turned. "Dorothy?"

As the dismissed group stood up, a girl about their age walked slowly into the room. She had extremely long blonde hair way down to her ankles, bright blue eyes and…

"Ew! Look at her eyebrows!" Yumi whispered loudly. "They're like arrows!"

"Why the heck are they so long? They go past her forehead!" Kaila added. By that time the two were practically screeching with delight.

Cheyenne covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. "I'm not even going to add, you've said it all!"

Dorothy narrowed her eyes at them. "I can hear you, you know."

"Duh!" Yumi smirked. When Dorothy narrowed her eyes further, Yumi ducked. "What are you gonna do, take one off and cut me with it?"

Dorothy only glowered at her and gently snaked a hand to Quatre's waist. "Oh, Quatre! It's been so long since we've seen each other!" She hugged him tight.

"Er...um...Miss Dorothy, really you mustn't...you can't..." Quatre looked over Dorothy's shoulder to shudder at Yumi's glare.

"Well, of COURSE I can, Quatre? Who's stopping me?" Dorothy asked.

Yumi grabbed Dorothy's shoulder and whirled her roughly around to face her. "That would be me. I'm not scared of you, Blondie. Quatre's mine, so hands off." With that, Yumi huffed and followed Sally out the door.

"Man, you sure got punked," Duo told Dorothy with an arm around Kaila's shoulder. Dorothy simply left the room and Heero followed her out without a word. Kaila, Duo, Trowa, Wufei, Quatre and Cheyenne tarried in the classroom.

Kaila smirked. "Ew, Wufei, you've got a forty-something year old woman in love with you."

Wufei put his pencil behind his ear and narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you talking about, Woman?"

"Professor Po! She has her eye on you!"

"That's ridiculous!" Cheyenne and Wufei said at the same time. They stopped and stared at each other until Wufei abruptly turned and left.

"What an awful idea, Kaila." Cheyenne sighed and left the room with Trowa right behind her.

"Hey, Quatre, do you really let Yumi just claim you like that?" Duo asked the rich young man.

Quatre smiled and shrugged. "I...I kinda like it." Kaila and Duo rolled their eyes as they began to follow everyone else.

"Are there any little wanna-be girlfriends hanging around you that I should know about, Duo?" Kaila asked lightly.

Duo grinned and shook his head. "Nope."

"No?" Quatre wondered. "But what about Hilde? I think she-"

"What the-? Shut UP, Quatre!" Duo slapped the blonde on the back of his head and grinned helplessly at Kaila. "Honestly, I don't know where he gets this stuff."

"Mm-hmm," Kaila told him, walking ahead. When she had disappeared around the corner, Duo's face lost its grin.

"What are you tryin' to do huh?" he snapped at Quatre.

"Sorrrryyyy."

(*)

Dorothy led the group to a large black stealth fighter jet in the hangar reserved just for them. The only ones flying would be a couple of pilots to guide the jet, the eight of them, and their guide, Miss Une.

After Dorothy gave the girls death glares, she and Sally Po left the eight to board the jet by themselves. They stood in the entryway of the stealth fighter and it looked more like a small apartment complex inside. They waited on Miss Une to give them more information.

"I like her," Cheyenne said about Une. "Professor Une's really nice, like really, really nice. And very forgiving! One time, I forgot my homework and I told her Duo ate it, and she believed me!"

Duo paled. "Hey! I don't appreciate you using me for your alibis, Cuz."

"Sorry, Cuz, it was the first thing out of my mouth," Cheyenne grinned. "Anyway, you'll really, really like her. And she's soooo pretty. She has this beautiful long layered brown hair and deep brown eyes-"

"We know Miss Une," Heero interrupted from his place against the wall.

Cheyenne paused. "Huh? You do?"

"Yes..." Quatre began gently. "Miss Une is rather...how should I put it..?"

"Psycho?" Duo suggested.

"Um, she's schizophrenic," Quatre finished.

"Say what? This chick has different personalities?" Kaila asked.

Yumi's mind was also blown. "Our guide is a freaking schizo? Greeeat, just great."

Cheyenne looked at them like they were crazy. "No, no, Miss Une is really patient and kind and-"

"SHUT UP! I'm here!"

Cheyenne turned around to see Miss Une behind her, only not looking like she usually did. Miss Une had her hair in a tight bun with tiny little glasses on her face. She wore a large red overcoat with white tights and knee high black boots and held a whip in her hand; a very large, long and lethal whip.

"Miss…Une?" Cheyenne asked, incredulous.

"I'm not going to tell you again," Une warned in a low voice. She snapped her whip and Cheyenne leapt behind Trowa. Wufei actually snorted at Cheyenne and she glanced over at him in surprise. Trowa quietly blocked her view of Wufei with his body and abruptly placed his arm around her shoulder, making Wufei snort again.

"What are you snorting at young man?" Miss Une demanded to know.

Wufei glared at her. "I will not tell a woman."

Miss Une gave him a deadly stare. "I hate you and everything you stand for, you killer of what was most beautiful. If it weren't for you, I'd have babies. Babies! But no, because of you, I'm stuck with a copy and a step-brat and nothing out of my own loins!"

The girls gaped and turned to Wufei.

"Long story," he muttered, obviously used to her behavior.

Une seethed but turned and pointed to a door down the hallway behind them. "Down there to your left. Open that door and go down the stairs, then head to the right. Around the corner you will find two doors. On the left is where the LADIES sleep and on the right is where the GENTLEMEN sleep. Understand? That way you won't make babies!"

"We won't, not with the abstinence Quatre's practicing," Yumi giggled.

Quatre blushed. "Ah…Yumi…"

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

"Yes, Miss Une," most of the group replied immediately. Only Heero and Wufei kept their mouths shut.

"Good. Meet me here for briefing tomorrow morning at 0900!" she ordered.

The group filed out into the hallway but the girls trailed the boys before stopping completely as they reached the stairs.

"Something bugging you, Shy?" Kaila asked.

"It's…Wufei..." Cheyenne began helplessly.

Kaila shrugged. "No way. Forget him, girl. He is so old news. Go with your first instincts and stick with Trowa."

"Yeah, Trowa's so nice and sensitive, Shy-chan," Yumi added. "I don't even see what the problem is. Wufei's a jerk, you know?"

Cheyenne closed her eyes and nodded. "I know, I know. It's just that I-I don't feel that way about Trowa anymore. And Wufei-"

"Please. You're better off with Trowa," Yumi cut in. "He'll treat you right."

Cheyenne only sighed and Kaila finally noticed her friend's dilemma. She gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Okay, if you're having this much trouble deciding, Shy, then maybe…maybe your heart does belong to Wufei."

Cheyenne looked up at her, wide-eyed. "But that's impossible, right? I told him not to talk to me anymore. He doesn't even remember my name! He and I are...we're...all wrong for each other."

"Are you really?"

"Yes, they are," Yumi mumbled.

Kaila glared at her and then turned back to Cheyenne. "I'm not too sure, Shy, cuz you were happiest when you were around him and he was more social when he was with you. Now he's back to keeping to himself and you're all sour apples lately, you know?" Kaila shrugged. "You're good for him and he had a positive impact on you."

The girls were silent for a bit.

"I don't know why, but...he really did, Shy-chan. Kaila's right," Yumi admitted grudgingly.

"So you're saying..."

"We can't make the choice for you, Shy. Just go with what you feel is best," Kaila told her.

"Basically you two just need to kiss, make whoopie and get it over with," Yumi smirked.

"Yeah, you have way too much...er...body tension..." Kaila added.

"WHAT?" Cheyenne yelled and then laughed, partly because her friends were great and partly because they had no idea that she and Wufei had already kissed. The others laughed with her and the serious moment passed.

"Whew, glad I'm not in a love triangle," Yumi said.

Kaila nodded. "I actually miss you two arguing all the time, it was kinda funny."

Cheyenne smiled at that. "I...thanks guys, I feel better now."

"GROUP HUG!" Yumi crowed and they gathered into a huge hug.

"Ahem."

All three slowly turned around to face a dangerous looking Miss Une, with arms crossed and her foot tapping against the floor. She began with eyes closed and a smile on her face. "Didn't I tell you…" Suddenly her eyes burst open and her whip lashed out. "TO GO TO YOUR ROOMS!"

"AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!"

She didn't have to tell them a third time.

(*)

Kaila lay on her bed pad later that night, looking up at the ceiling with her eyes wide open. The rooms weren't exactly comfortable or anything. They were huge and empty with no windows and three separate bed pads on the floor. Yumi's was fuchsia, Cheyenne's gray and Kaila's violet. They knew whose beds were who's because their names had been sewn on top of their bed pads. Beside that lay new clothes, including black and violet leather-looking-Batman-things for the girls except for Cheyenne who had a velvet black pilot outfit. There were also bedtime clothes which merely consisted of tank tops in their separate colors and…spandex shorts.

After much griping and complaining about their bedtime outfits, Yumi and Cheyenne finally grumbled themselves to sleep. Kaila however, was wide-awake, completely excited about the day that was coming. She was going to hack. And she was going to hack directly into the Shadow Walker's computers, considering that Yumi got into the building and did away with the security alarms first.

She sighed. Everything in the plan made everyone completely dependent on one other. If one person messed up then there was little leeway for the other to get out alive. And Po had warned them about Wufei and Heero who had tendencies to go off and do their own thing.

A little troubled now about the mission, Kaila sat up in bed, running a hand through her long blue-violet hair. She wondered what Duo was doing and smiled at the thought of him. Never had she met anyone like him in her life! He was sooo right for her...and his braid was too cute. And his cute little grin and those big aquamarine eyes...even that all-black-and-red clothing style had become cute to her.

She stopped her inward gushing of Duo when music drifted to her ears. She cocked her head, sure that it was coming from the guy's room. Quickly she leant over and tapped Cheyenne who lashed out with an arm that she barely dodged. "Hey!" Kaila narrowed her eyes at her best friend and jabbing a finger in her arm.

"Owie!" Cheyenne cried, sitting up and rubbing her arm.

Yumi popped an eye open and yawned. "What's the deal, you guys?"

Cheyenne pouted. "Yeah, Kaye, what's with the abuse?"

"Do you hear that?" Kaila asked, motioning for them to be quiet.

After a few minutes of listening, Cheyenne perked up. "Music!"

"From the guy's room," Yumi added.

Kaila nodded. "What do you think they're doing in there?"

"Dunno, let's go check it out," Cheyenne got up to stretch and then the three snuck across the hall, slowly opened the door a crack and peeked inside. They were greeted with a strange sight.

"YEAH! Go Wufei, go Wufei!" Duo, dressed in a black tank top, chanted as he and Quatre in a tan one, did the Cabbage Patch. Heero, in his usual green tank top, was off in one corner doing the Running Man and Trowa in a red one, was raising the roof. Wufei, in a blue tank top, grabbed his pencil, put it to his mouth and began to rap.

"Hey...this...that...Chinese boy, Wufei

All you haters better get outta my way.

I'd like to tell my Gundam posse what's up,

'Cuz they know I'm the man, and I'm hooked up.

I got a motorcycle and it's a real pretty thang

If you don't have a ride, then you just can't hang.

One look at me and everybody says, "dang."

And by the way, my last name is Chang.

No, I don't wanna pass this mic,

Cuz my rhymes are smoooth and this flow is tyte.

Everything that comes out my mouth sounds so nice

And I could do this all freaking night.

So now you're asking what's the point of this song?

I dunno, everybody get your dance on!"

"Yeah!" Quatre cried, doing the Tootsie Roll. Duo fell onto his back in laughter as he watched the guys play around. Cheyenne had fallen on her own back with tears in her eyes at Wufei's rap. Kaila was holding her stomach, doubled over at Quatre's dancing and Yumi was grinning ear to ear but shaking her head in shock at the sight of Heero actually participating.

Suddenly, Cheyenne's foot hit the door and it slammed open, revealing the three girls to all the guys. Things got awkward for a minute and Quatre, Duo and Trowa grew red-faced at the sight of them. Wufei glared and turned to face a wall while Heero stopped his dancing and crossed his arms. But then with a sudden grin, Duo raced over to Kaila and pulled her into the room.

"Turn the music up, Q! Paaaaaaaaar-tay! Party ova here!" he yelled.

Quatre laughed and turned the music up just as Janet Jackson's old Rhythm Nation song came on. Yumi giggled when Quatre came over to her and grabbed her hands, proceeding to do the robot with her. Cheyenne jumped up and raced into the room, not to be left behind, and shut the door behind her. Trowa came up and without a word began dancing with her. She grinned and danced right along with him, for once feeling all of her cares wash away.

"What are you guys doing?" Kaila laughed as she danced closely with Duo.

Her boyfriend shrugged. "We always hold a party right before we go into battle. Kinda like living the day like it's your last. It gets you completely relaxed and gets any goofy thoughts out of your head. It also allows you to focus completely on the mission," he recited as if taught.

"Thought that up all by yourself, huh?" she asked sarcastically.

Duo laughed, shook his head and spun her around. "Nope, this was all Heero's idea!"

"Heero?" Kaila asked in surprise, allowing herself to be spun and then ending up in Duo's arms. "Now THAT'S a surprise!"

As Yumi danced with Quatre, she noticed that everyone was having fun except for Wufei, who sat down against a wall, twirling his pencil in his hand. Although he tried to hide it, she saw where his gaze trailed every five seconds; to Trowa and Cheyenne. 'So he likes her after all?' Yumi wondered. She decided to do her good deed for the day and called to him. "Hey Wufei? Got another rap for us?" she asked.

He stared at her and then, totally out of character, nodded. "Quatre, change the song!" he called out. Quatre nodded and like a DJ, spun the CD to mix two songs together. Wufei closed his eyes and began to flow.

"It's the little dragon once again, with the mic in hand...

It appears that my rhymes are in demand…"

Everyone had stopped dancing to listen except for Heero who was steadily jamming and at the moment doing the Moonwalk. Cheyenne stared at Wufei and a small smile appeared on her face. 'Even if don't like me, Wufei, I'm glad you came along…'

When Wufei's second rap was over he simply bowed at his skill and abruptly left the room, giving a glance to Cheyenne as he went. She wondered what the glance meant but before she could respond, Trowa pulled her close to him and demanded that Quatre start up another song. Quatre did so and the party continued with a Soul Train line.

Trowa smiled at Cheyenne. "Your file says you can dance up a storm, so let's see it." He did his version of a grin which looked more like a flash of teeth.

Cheyenne laughed. "Okay! Let's get this party started right!" She was the first one down the Soul Train line.

Although the little "party" lasted well into the night, Wufei never returned.

(*)

The next morning was chaos when everyone overslept and then fought each other for the ONE bathroom with the ONLY mirror on the jet. Kaila brushed her teeth over Duo's shoulder as he methodically brushed his hair.

"Thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven," Duo counted each brushstroke.

"You've got to be kidding me," Kaila gurgled with a mouth full of toothpaste.

Meanwhile, Quatre washed his face, Yumi checked her makeup, Cheyenne combed her hair, Wufei tied his hair back and Heero gargled. When Heero finished, he nodded at the group and left the seven-person bathroom, allowing Trowa to come in.

Once he was gone, Yumi eyed the door curiously. "What's up with him lately?"

"Forty-two, forty-three, forty-four…what do you mean?" Duo asked.

"Heero," Yumi said. "He's been acting really...normal...lately."

"Yeah, like one of us. I noticed that too," Cheyenne agreed.

"Yeha, anioenroge..." Kaila added.

Duo tapped her nose with his hairbrush. "Don't say it 'til you spit it, dear," he smirked. Kaila grinned and continued to brush.

"Is he?" Trowa asked. He elbowed his way between Wufei and Cheyenne to check his hair. Wufei gave him a death glare and left the bathroom, muttering to himself.

"Yup, and when Heero starts acting normal, that means something's really wrong! I wonder what's goin' on in that brain of his?" Cheyenne asked, inwardly wondering where Wufei went. The other girls nodded in agreement.

Kaila spit out her toothpaste and wiped her mouth. "I said, "it's strange" before," she turned around to sit on the large counter. "And now that I think about it, it's scary."

"No kidding!" Yumi laughed. Finished with her hair she preceded to comb Quatre's who sat obediently still. "It's time to run for the hills!"

"Oh be nice," Quatre said which won him a warm hug from Yumi.

"Yes," Trowa agreed. "I think he acts strangely before every battle we go into. And strange for Heero is normal for us."

"Weird," Cheyenne mumbled. They all fell silent for awhile with the only sound being Duo's methodic counting.

"Sixty two, sixty-three, sixty-four..."

Kaila, fed up with Duo's hair, resisted the urge to grab the brush and run out the room screaming wildly. 'But what was it he said? Last night was supposed to get out any funny antics, now is the time to be serious.' And so she watched quietly as he finished.

"Seventy-three, seventy-four, seventy-five! Done!" Duo grinned and dropped the hairbrush onto the counter, then bent and looked in the drawer for a rubber band.

"Can I braid it?" Kaila asked.

Duo found a rubber band and nodded. "Sure, it has to be perfect though," he added, turning around in front of her.

Kaila rolled her eyes and separated his shiny brown hair into three parts. "I'm sure if I can work with Shy's nappy hair, then I can do yours, Duo."

"I heaaaaaard that!" Cheyenne snapped.

"I knoooow!" Kaila grinned.

Immediately afterwards, Trowa sprayed some hairspray that irritated Cheyenne's eyes and nose. She coughed and excused herself from the bathroom, standing outside the door in relief. "That stuff has got to be unhealthy for the planet," she muttered as she pulled uncomfortably at the silky-soft pilot's outfit. After a moment she decided to head to the mobile suit hangar to check on Blizzard-Cry.

(*)

Wufei sat in the cockpit of his mobile suit, Shen-Long. It was the same place he had spent the night before in meditation. He was trying to figure out what to do with himself and Cheyenne but he still hadn't come up with a valid conclusion.

"Nataku..." he sighed. Things had been easier when he'd been with her. Everything had been black and white but then she'd died with incredible injustice and he'd been longing for peace ever since. And now, SHE had come along, making him wonder and making him think about things he'd never cared about before, bringing something back to him that he had lost.

"Cheyenne..." he sighed as well. Then he frowned, remembering Trowa's rudeness to him as of late. "Ridiculous, over a woman?" Trowa could have her then if that's what he wanted. She would never be Wufei's anyway, no matter how much he thought about it. And he needed to STOP thinking about it, since longing for something he couldn't have only made him weak. And if there was anything Chang Wufei was, it wasn't WEAK.

He closed his eyes in sudden decision to give up on her and envisioned Nataku instead as he often did. However, something was different this time. This time she held a pained expression on his face...and this time she spoke to him.

"Wufei, why are you using me as a wall to hide behind? Why am I the bars that hold you back?"

Wufei sat straight up in his chair. Her words stung. "Meiran?" he spoke her real name in shock. She nodded and moved closer to him, extremely pale with her black hair sticking to her face as if wet. "What do you mean...?" he asked softly.

"Your emotions, Scholar Boy, did you ever think about showing them?" she asked in an affectionate teasing tone. Wufei's mouth dropped as she continued. "Oh Wufei, don't shut your emotions away like this. Emotions are not weak; they are a part of us. They allow people to accept you."

"I need no one to accept me-"

"To understand you..."

"Not needed."

"To love you."

"I...I..." he gulped painfully. 'Not needed, not needed!' his mind screamed, but something deep in his heart didn't quite believe it.

Meiran nodded, understanding. "She is quite strong...stronger in will than I was. A good fighter, too. She would have made an interesting opponent in my day."

"Meiran, she's no where near as strong as you."

"Well, perhaps not in battle, but her inner strength is what makes her special. I don't want you to push her away because of me, Wufei. She is good for you."

"But she-"

"Is a Gundam pilot as I was, yes I know."

"And you died," Wufei told her plainly.

Meiran closed her eyes. "Death is a part of life, Wufei," she answered gently. "But she is still there, she's an excellent pilot...and she is good for you."

"But you were-"

"We were both very young and too prideful for our own good. She is patient and can help you find your way back."

"Find my way back?"

"To your real strength and to other people as well. Don't shut them all away, Scholar Boy, don't fight the pain."

"But you saw what happened when I kissed her." He involuntarily winced at the memory.

Meiran smiled slightly. "She was surprised, Scholar Boy. That's not quite what she was expecting, neh?"

"Hai," Wufei muttered in agreement. He hadn't expected himself to do something so stupid either. "Well, it won't happen again."

"Because you don't want it to or because you're afraid she doesn't want to?" Meiran suddenly snapped.

Wufei narrowed his eyes. "Meiran, I am not weak, I am strong!"

"Do not be afraid of her."

"Nataku…" 'Or am I weak, simply striving to be strong...?'

"Do not be afraid to be vulnerable."

"You're making me question myself, Woman!"

"That is good," Meiran smiled as she began to fade. "Oh and Wufei? Just because I am deceased does not mean that all women are weak. I certainly was not, so stop that."

Wufei's eyes popped open and he stared around his cockpit in a daze. He brought both hands to his head and shook it back and forth. 'I don't believe it, I don't. It was just a dream, only a dream. Meiran wouldn't say those things. She doesn't know what I'm going through.' He was having a hard time convincing himself that he was right, though.

He heard a small sound and looked down to see someone walk into the hangar. She was wearing thick black boots, comfortable looking form-fitting black flight pants with a gun holster attached to one leg, a black turtleneck and a black vest with red and white stripes. The Gundam pilot uniform.

Soft reddish-brown hair tumbled down her back and she stood with her back to him, facing her Gundam. It was Cheyenne.

(*)

Cheyenne looked up at her Gundam with a wistful look. 'Today I'll fly you against an enemy with the sole purpose of destroying them.' She grabbed a lock of her hair and twisted it nervously around a finger. 'So please, please don't let me freak out in front of everybody, especially Wufei. I gotta show him how good I am.'

She stopped her thoughts when she felt an odd presence behind Blizzard-Cry. Her eyes narrowed, wondering who it could be. Only the eight of them were on the plane besides Miss Une and the pilots. She'd left everybody in the bathroom except for Wufei, but she didn't sense him anywhere near her Gundam. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, focusing her thoughts as Wufei had taught her in his Wicked Wack Workout.

No…the figure definitely wasn't anyone she knew well. It was a tad bit too hostile to be a friend. Then who-

"AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Cheyenne was suddenly knocked onto the ground on her back as a person dressed in black ninja clothing leapt atop of her with a dagger, aiming for her neck. Cheyenne lost all focus and didn't know what to do at all; she only knew that she wanted the person OFF. She grunted and flipped the person over her head as she had been taught in class, then leapt to her feet, took her gun out of the holster attached to her leg and pointed it straight at the person in black, who had landed on their feet.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Cheyenne growled.

The ninja stood up and turned to her slowly with blue eyes glinting. "I am your Shadow. You are to die," the ninja answered in a hoarse, yet feminine voice. Then without warning she flung the dagger at Cheyenne's gun, knocking the weapon out of her hand. "Guns are for the weak, Gundam scum," she spat.

Cheyenne rushed at the Shadow. "Then fight me the right way!"

The Shadow kept still, then ran towards her and leapt clear over her head, kicking the pilot in the noggin as she did so. Cheyenne hit the floor hard, landing on her stomach as the Shadow laughed and retrieved her dagger. "Please. A fight with you would be pointless." The Shadow aimed and threw the dagger straight at Cheyenne's heart when she slowly turned over. There was nothing Cheyenne could do but watch the dagger that was going to end her life hurtle straight towards her.

A figure unexpectedly landed in front of Cheyenne and knocked the dagger away with a sword.

"Wufei?" she asked in disbelief.

He glared at her. "I was just beginning to respect you, Woman and now you're getting beat by a worthless Shadow? Your rolls are still sloppy, your defense is nonexistent and why in the world is your reaction time so slow? Get up and beat the crap out of this weak woman!"

"How dare you!" the Shadow snarled. She grabbed Cheyenne's gun and fired it at the two.

Cheyenne rolled out of the way, reaching into her boot as she did so. "I thought guns were for the weak!" she snapped and flung a small knife at the Shadow's hand, knocking the gun away while Wufei jumped high in the air. He yelled something in Chinese and brought his sword down hard on the Shadow's shoulder. Cheyenne winced as blood splattered all over Blizzard-Cry and the Shadow screeched in pain.

Wufei stood menacingly over the Shadow for a moment and then cleaned and sheathed his sword. "I'm finished. I have no desire to fight with a weak woman." He turned his back on her and looked at Cheyenne with glittering black eyes. "Woman, make yourself useful. Interrogate her."

Cheyenne bit back a sharp reply but picked herself up and rushed over to the body. 'How embarrassing! He had to save my life! There's no way I'll get his respect now so why bother trying?' She took the mask off of the Shadow's face and gasped. "Dorothy? You're a Shadow?"

Dorothy looked up at her with eyes full of pain and hatred. "Congratulations on stating the obvious..." she spat. "War is beautiful and I'm always on the side of war!"

Cheyenne narrowed her eyes. "Didn't you get over that in the movie?"

"What?"

"Sorry, brain fart. Nevermind."

Wufei came and stood behind her. "C'mon, Woman, we've got to tell everyone about this," he said.

"Wufei..." Cheyenne turned to him curiously. "Where'd you come from?"

"I was checking on my Gundam, am I allowed to DO that?" he snapped. Cheyenne blinked and then smiled at him. Abruptly her smile turned into a huge grin, taking Wufei by surprise. "What are you smiling about, huh?" he asked uncertainly. Her grin widened and she leapt onto him, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, almost causing him to topple over. "WOMAN!" he roared.

"You're talking to me again, Wu-Wu! It's about time! You even instructed me like you would've in class! I won't fail you again, Wu-Wu!"

"Wu-Wu?" Dorothy clutched her throbbing arm with pain. "Spare me."

Wufei gritted his teeth. "Woman, detach yourself!"

Cheyenne did, grinning at him all the while. "I'll tie Dorothy up!" she said and hopped up Blizzard-Cry to get some rope.

Wufei looked at her go with narrowed eyes, embarrassed that she was able to catch him off guard like that. As Cheyenne tied Dorothy up, he spent the whole time trying to convince himself that he hadn't enjoyed her hug, that Meiran was wrong, and that maybe…just maybe, if Meiran wasn't wrong, that he actually had a chance...

(*)

Not much later the eight sat in the control room discussing what had happened in the hangar. Trowa and Kaila stood close beside Cheyenne, making sure she wasn't hurt as she finished her story.

"OOOH, lemme get a shot at her! She'll be worse off than she is now!" Kaila slammed her fist into her hand.

"Heck yeah! I already owe her a cheap shot for Quatre!" Yumi added.

"Save your energy for the fight against the Shadows on Colony Twelve," Miss Une calmly replied. Her "peaceful" side appeared to be in control now and her brown hair flowed over her shoulders in layers. "She is not our concern."

"But why was she trying to kill her?" Duo asked.

Cheyenne bit her lip in thought. "Probably 'cause I'm the one flying the Blizzard- Cry Gundam. I don't think the Shadows want that out on the battlefield. Yay! Dangerous me!" She giggled like a little girl.

"Grow up," Wufei muttered. Cheyenne stuck her tongue out at him.

"So where's Dorothy now?" Yumi asked.

"In one of the holds. She won't be leaving anytime soon. Not with that injury," Miss Une explained.

"Good. Now what's our mission?" Heero asked, ready to get on with it at last.

Miss Une nodded seriously. "Your mission is broken down into five phases:

Phase 1: Getting Heero, Kaila and Yumi into the base. They will be aboard Quatre's Gundam, Sand-Rock. It should be fairly simple as Duo, Trowa, Wufei and Cheyenne will cover them, holding off any enemy fire.

Phase 2: Yumi slides in undetected and does away with the computer security systems, thus leading to Phase 3.

Phase 3: Kaila must hack into the Shadow's computer system, shutting down all fighter plane controls and getting any information we need. Heero will aid her and cover her back as well. Once Kaila's mission is complete, this leads to Phase 4.

Phase 4: Yumi will be able to move freely throughout the base and destroy anything she sees and then get out of there."

"Yes! I get to blow up stuff!" Yumi grinned.

"Best part of the job," Wufei mumbled.

Miss Une smiled at them and continued. "Phase 5: The Gundam pilots face off against the Blizzard-Cry prototype, Desert-Howl, and destroy it. If you are lucky, you will be able to destroy it before it gets off the ground since Kaila should be able to tap into some of its circuits as well. But more than likely, its circuits are wired to a different system and therefore Delia Stead herself will be piloting the prototype. Please try to keep her alive if at all possible."

"And after that's over, we get our happy butts outta there, right?" Kaila asked.

"Yes, that is your mission," Miss Une concluded.

The group of eight nodded with determined looks on their faces.

"Mission...accepted," Heero and Kaila uttered at the same time. They stared at one another.

"That's my line," Heero told her.

Kaila rolled her eyes. "So sue me."

"I should."

"You're messing up the moment!" Cheyenne yelled.

Quatre just sighed. "Let's go. Please, no fighting."

Wufei found himself trying not to smile at the group's antics although he wouldn't let them see it. For once, he was beginning to embrace the feeling of belonging. Just a little.

(Not like he'd give 'em a group hug though…)