Chapter 21

The calm majesty of the cerulean sky was marred with laser fire, enemy suit carriers, and swarms of Aries doing threatening dances around the white Tauruses and Treize Faction suits trying with all their might to protect the Sanc Kingdom.

Lista felt the clamminess under her palms as she gripped the controls of her Taurus until her knuckles bled white and ached. Her jaw clenched tight as she dodged the oncoming fire from Romefeller's troops. And it seemed as though with every suit she managed to fell, another three appeared in its wake.

They were getting nowhere fast.

"There are just too many of them!" Noin's panicky voice echoed against the walls of her cockpit.

Lista scoffed. That was an understatement. "Just watch your back, Noin," she replied as she fired another round into the wall of suits in front of her. She switched over into flight mode and zipped past them just as they exploded into fire and debris. "We can't stop now." There's no way I'm stopping now.

Virgos dropped from the sky like bombs into the sea below, firing onto the defense line of Leos and tanks on the beach where Lista and Quatre had sat not a day earlier. Lista watched as the Virgos, with their doll precision, tore through the Leos and tanks as if they were made of plastic.

"Noin, the land defenses are being ripped to shreds," Lista said as, one by one, the suits and tanks exploded in an eruption of shrapnel.

Noin nodded numbly. "All units retreat to the defense line at once!"

Lista followed Noin to the beach, landing knee-deep in the water, and they fired heavily on the Virgos. But their shields were impenetrable, and they returned fire, sending waves of water up around them like geysers.

Alarms beeped in their cockpits, and marine missiles broke through the water, slammed into the beach, and threw water and sand into the air. Lista swallowed the hard lump in her throat as she watched Pisces and Cancer suits break through the surface of the water, waiting, taunting.

"Even more troops?!" Noin shouted in dismay. She turned her head; she and Lista were the only ones now defending the beach, and the Virgos in the water resumed their fire.

Lista's face popped up in her cockpit, and they locked eyes. Lista gave her a single, solid nod, and the Italian women smirked in silent understanding. They steadied their rifles and took aim, neither prepared to surrender, both ready to die protecting this land that stood for peace.

Another alarm rang, snapping Lista out of her reverie. Her eyes darted to the radar and noticed another set of troops had closed in on their position – from behind. Alerted and panicked, Lista spun around with her gun at the ready, knowing she was outmatched. And just as she was about to offer up a silent prayer for strength and a miracle, bullets and lasers smashed past her and slammed into the enemy suits in the sea.

A weight dragged from her shoulders as her eyes fell on the familiar brown and orange suits of the Maguanac Corps. And standing in the middle at the lead, proud and mighty, was Sandrock.

"I'm glad I'm not too late!" Quatre's voice echoed in both women's cockpits. "Are you two all right?"

Noin exhaled – she hadn't realized she was holding her breath – and smiled gratefully. "Quatre! Thank god!"

A chuckle vibrated in Lista's chest; a small flicker of hope licked deep in her stomach. "We're better now that you're here, and that you brought the Maguanacs with you." She pressed a couple buttons and opened her communications line. "Rashid, you said you hoped we could fight alongside each other one day."

The familiar deep chuckle of the Maguanac leader filled her cockpit. "That I did, Miss Lista. And I'm happy I'm able to fulfill that."

Lista spun back towards the line of enemy suits slowly closing in on the beach. "Suddenly I feel like we could have a chance to do this, as little of a chance that there is." Her Taurus kicked over a large piece of debris left over from a tank and used it as cover as she returned fire, aiming for the Pisces and Cancers that continued to send missiles onto the beach.

While the Maguanacs stayed further into the beach to provide backup fire, Quatre joined Noin and Lista where the ocean met the sand and sliced Sandrock's shotels through the Virgos. As he retreated back to the beach, another barrage of fire from the Virgos slammed into Sandrock. He lifted his shield, but he could feel the force pushing him back.

Through the smoke and kicked up debris, two sets of laser fire cut through towards the Virgos, interrupting their fire long enough for Sandrock to jump forward and slice through another two Virgos. Quatre turned and saw Lista's Taurus and Rashid's command suit move through the dissipating debris.

"All Pisces and Cancer suits have been destroyed," Lista announced. "There's no sign of Heero on my radar. I think he's left the capital."

"It can't be helped at this point," Noin replied. "This is our last line! We can't let them get past here!" No sooner did the words pass her lips, her radar signaled in alarm: carriers approaching from above. She looked to the skies and felt her heart drop to the bottom of her stomach. A fleet of suit carriers were dropping Virgos around them like acid rain. "Backup troops?!"

The remaining Virgos on the ground inched towards them, their fire growing more intense, more accurate. "Don't let up! It's far from over!" Rashid shouted to his men.

Lista bit back a curse and watched as the carriers flew over them, dropping Virgos by parachute into the trees far back behind them. "They've entered the city!" she exclaimed. A laser blasted into the back of her Taurus's shoulder, catapulting her face first into the sand.

Quatre shouted her name and quickly moved to her side, acting as a shield as Lista struggled to regain her suit's balance. "Are you all right?"

His face popped up in her cockpit, and she pushed her disheveled hair behind her shoulder. "I'm okay, Quatre." She swallowed loudly and hesitated. "Heero said they would go for overkill. What do we do? We're overrun."

Quatre's eyes softened; he knew what they had to do, but he didn't want to be the one to say it.

In her office, with the battle raging just outside her window, Relena felt her stomach tighten, her head grow heavy, her heartbeat quicken. She stared down Dorothy as another rumble erupted through the building, and the blonde-haired enigma could only smile.

"There's no place in the world for total pacifism; it's futile! You'll only fall prey to those fighting animals. This is the time to stand up and fight, Miss Relena."

Relena frowned. "Just because humans are made to fight doesn't make this right. I still believe people can find a way to establish peace without needing to fight."

Dorothy giggled and hugged her clasped hands to her chest in admiration. "You're so beautiful when you start talking of your ideas. If you asked for their assistance, the Treize Faction and other soldiers who despise OZ would come to your assistance!"

Relena said nothing. She turned to face her window and watched as Virgos infiltrated the capital, sending homes and buildings up in flames. She watched the fire spread and dance wildly, consuming everything in its path. Another rumble. Another loud burst of explosions.

She closed her eyes. She knew there was only one thing left for her to do. "If the Sanc Kingdom and my own existence are causing a devastating war, I'll start with what I can do. A new first step toward total pacifism."

Dorothy nodded eagerly. Victory. "Yes. It's important to act now, Miss Relena." She walked around the desk and, with one hand, began typing in a series of sequences onto Relena's computer. She looked to a forlorn Relena, her smile never faltering. "You're now connected to outer space and all private lines of the Foundation executives. But is there anyone within the Foundation now that can help you, Miss Relena?"

Relena didn't answer. Instead, she sat down at her desk – likely for the final time – and took a deep breath. "My name is Relena Peacecraft. I am the chief executive of the Sanc Kingdom. Our country is under attack after OZ declared war on us. Armed combat counters the beliefs of the Sanc Kingdom and its pacifism. But if we become a target for OZ to conduct battle, I shall renounce the nation's sovereignty and dissolve this nation."

She paused, the words leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. She could practically feel Dorothy's glowing smile on her. "Total pacifism should not be the cause of battle under any circumstances. I am therefore surrendering myself to OZ. This is to further my ideal of peace. Stop the fighting at once. You no longer have a reason to fight this battle."

Relena flipped the switch of her computer and lowered her head, sending out a silent apology to her people, her friends, and to those who lost their lives protecting her once-again-fallen country.

The Virgo mobile dolls had powered down, standing still as statues through the capital. Quatre, Noin, Lista, and Rashid stood together, silent, taking in the carnage of fallen mobile suits, destroyed homes, maddening fires that continued to blaze.

Lista pressed a hand against her face, the adrenaline of the battle crashing, leaving her fatigued. She knew deep down that their cause to defend the Sanc Kingdom was marred with slim odds and desperation, but a small part of her believed they could overcome Romefeller. The Gundams had done so many times in the past; she'd hoped this time would be no different.

She rested her hands in her lap, her fingers bent and aching, and said nothing. No one made any move to talk, to do anything. What could be said after Relena's surrender?

"Master Quatre, there's a shuttle taking off from the Institute," Rashid spoke up.

Lista lifted her head and saw a shuttle lifting above the tree line. She released a heavy sigh, and a small frown twisted onto her face. "Dorothy is probably taking Relena to Romefeller headquarters to make the surrender official." She scoffed and folded her arms over her still-harnessed chest. "Duke Dermail is probably doing his victory dance."

"Master Quatre, let's go after it!" Rashid exclaimed.

Quatre shook his head. "No. That would spoil the move just taken by Relena."

Another wave of silence fell over the soldiers, until Lista could take it no longer. Her face popped up in their cockpits. "We can't stay here. What should we do now?"

"Quatre. Lista."

Said soldiers turned their attention to Noin, who'd been quiet and pensive since Relena's announcement. "Would you both come with me?"

Quatre and Lista exchanged glances with one another. "Where to?" Quatre asked.

Noin blinked once, hard, and lifted her head to gaze at the sky, quiet once more. "Outer space."

A small smile curled onto Lista's face. Finally a new direction. "I'm in."

Upon Lista's agreement, Quatre nodded, flashing his own relieved grin. "I'd be glad to."

A short time later, Noin, Quatre, and Lista were docked in the Sanc Kingdom's hangar, having decided to grab their personal effects and depart for space right away. The Maguanacs remained on the surface to watch for any intruders.

Noin moved towards the last remaining mobile suit carrier – the others having been taken by the remaining Imperial guard and Treize Faction members – to prepare it for launch towards the nearest neutral space port.

Lista and Quatre both cabled down from their cockpits, and they walked up to one another, saying nothing, the melancholy on their faces speaking for them. They stopped inches away from one another, pausing, searching the other's eyes for just a moment, and they reached for each other, pulling into a hug. And they stood there saying nothing for several long moments, Lista taking a deep breath while Quatre relished in the touch of her, the smell of her, again.

He was the first to pull away and speak up, although he kept his hands firm on her arms. "Are you all right? You're not hurt, are you?"

Lista's mouth curled into a grateful smile. "I'm okay," she replied. She looked up to his Gundam, comforted to be in its presence once more. "I'm glad you were able to get Sandrock back."

"I agree," Quatre said with a nod. "I'm only sorry I could not be more help to prevent Miss Relena from surrendering to Romefeller."

Lista's smile quickly melted into an unhappy scowl. "There could have been 20 of you, Quatre, and we still would have been outnumbered. Duke Dermail got exactly what he wanted. While he was able to crush the Sanc Kingdom, he was also able to send a message to anyone else wanting to take up arms against Romefeller. There's no way any of the Sanc Kingdom's allies are going to rally against them, not without Relena to unify them."

Quatre lowered his hands from her arms and nodded. "Unfortunately, that's true. We'll simply have to figure out a way to quell that power. There's nothing more we can do on Earth. Hopefully the answers we need lie in the Colonies."

"I sure hope so." Lista folded a lock of hair behind her ear and sighed, pressing her hand against her cheek. "I don't know what kind of a reception we're going to get up there. The last time, you and Heero were guinea pigs and my head was on the chopping block. Probably still is, I imagine."

Quatre shook his head, his expression serious, more serious than she was used to seeing him. "That won't happen. You have nothing to fear, Lista. I have no intention of either of us seeing the inside of the lunar base again, certainly not as prisoners."

Lista's expression brightened at the protective tone in his voice, and she extended her hand down his arm. "I appreciate that, but they don't scare me. I wouldn't make anything easy on them." She paused, letting her smile hang between them for a moment. "And besides, if it weren't for you and Heero, my stay there would have been much longer. I didn't get much of a chance to put down any roots in my cell. I'm grateful for that."

Ignoring the burning blush in his cheeks, Quatre merely returned her smile and looked towards the remaining docked carrier. "Miss Noin could probably use some help preparing for our flight. We'll have to find the nearest space port that we can commandeer a shuttle from that's big enough for our suits."

Nodding, Lista folded her arms loosely under her breasts. "I think there's an old Alliance space port nearby, but I don't know if it's still equipped with what we need. I can look into that." Quatre nodded and turned towards the carrier, but Lista grabbed his arm, tugging him to a stop. "Wait. What about Heero? Should we wait for him?"

Quatre chuckled lightly and shook his head. "Heero has always gone his own path. If he feels it will take him to space, I'm sure we'll meet him up there eventually. But for now, we should let him do what he feels needs to be done, whether it be on the Earth or in the Colonies." His blush pinked again, and he scratched a finger across his cheek. "It seems as though our paths have converged for a longer term."

Lista gave him a playful shrug, a soft giggle vibrating her throat, and brushed her palm against the top of his shoulder. "Well, I did say I was here to help you and the other Gundam pilots. It's best to follow your lead. I'll stay with you for as long as you can stand me."

Quatre's middle flickered in warmth at her declaration. He'd keep her with him always if he could, although he feared the war would be the only thing keeping their paths intertwined, that, once the war ended, they would part ways. He pushed the doubt down deep, and he smiled at her with a firm shake of his head. "Nothing would make me happier than for you to remain by my side for the road ahead, Lista. You are an invaluable ally and friend." And I want to keep you safe.

Beaming, Lista nodded in finality and patted his back before pulling her hand to her side. "That settles it, then. You won't be getting rid of me anytime soon."

And she moved off towards the carrier, Quatre watching her go with a relieved smile and the comfort that he could watch over her, for he knew just how dark and perilous the road ahead would be.

Relena stood pensive at the window, trying to hide the slight tremble in her hands by keeping her fingers locked together and hugged against her stomach. She continued to inwardly tell herself to calm down; she didn't want Duke Dermail to see her obvious upset at the fall of her country as a result of her surrender. She knew how much he would likely enjoy that.

"Miss Relena, would you like milk and sugar with your tea?" the butler spoke up behind her. She turned over her shoulder to look at him, giving him a single nod, before returning her thoughtful gaze outside. She heard him pour the beverage into the fine porcelain cup and settle the pot back on the platter. "Duke Dermail should be here shortly." He bowed, although she didn't notice, and retired from the room.

After the door shut, she turned around, drawing in and releasing a long, deep breath. She watched the steam dancing from her cup and dissipating into nothingness. She hung her head, her shoulders slumping, as she wondered what would happen next.

"I see your thoughts are with your lost country, Princess Relena."

She snapped her head up, straightened her shoulders, at the refined, deep voice of Duke Dermail. He was closing the door behind him, and he moved up to the small table housing the tea. He reached for his cup, also poured by his butler, and took a small sip. "This tea was handpicked from my garden. It may not be to your liking, but try it and see what you think."

Frowning, Relena tightened her hands against her stomach. "Duke Dermail, there's no need to treat me with this hospitality. Don't forget - I surrendered to the Romefeller Foundation."

He studied her resilience for a moment, the corner of his mouth curling into an amused smirk. "Are you saying a prison would be more suitable?" He placed his cup back on its saucer and folded his arms behind him. "Well, you're mistaken. We're protecting, not imprisoning, you."

Eyes wide, Relena jerked her head back in disbelief. "Protecting?"

He nodded once and moved to her side at the window. "You've continued to push for your ideals of peace. That's why we've always supported you." He caught the soft scoff under her breath. "However, many OZ traitors and rebels from the Colonies have started to gather around you, disrespecting your efforts for a world of pacifism."

Growing impatient, Relena turned to him and lowered her arms stiffly to her sides. "What're you saying?"

Dermail towered over her, the lines in his aged face growing hard. "That we at the Romefeller Foundation have saved you from danger in order to protect your ideal." Relena's eyes widened, and she stifled a soft gasp of surprise. "That's how the public regards it and has come to terms with the recent dispute in the Sanc Kingdom."

And to Relena's dismay, a low chuckle vibrated against his throat. She shook her head. "No."

Dermail walked past her, up against the window, as she lowered her head, biting her lip in anguish. "Your declaration of total pacifism to the world was dignified and beautiful and reached the hearts of many people. Therefore, we fought to protect your objectives."

She could feel her head beginning to throb as her frown turned into a scowl. "Nobody's going to believe that kind of garbage!"

"No, I'm sure they will," Dermail replied confidently. "And to prove it, we're going to make you the new chief representative of the Foundation, Relena Peacecraft."

Relena snapped her head up, sure she had misheard him. "What? The chief representative? Me?"

Dermail nodded. "That's right. And by having you stand out front and center, the Romefeller Foundation will win the world's support. Our ideal of a global nation will become a reality. Needless to say, our Foundation and you would need to agree on this."

He looked over his shoulder; her eyes burned with anger, and he reveled in it. He suppressed his triumphant smirk. "Can I assume you'll be our representative, Princess Relena?" He shook his head and turned to face her. "Oh, pardon me. You're no longer a princess. You'll reign over the entire world. So it'd be more appropriate to call you Queen Relena."

"I'll decline your offer," she replied quickly, firmly. "I can't afford to betray those who risked their lives to fight for me."

Dermail paused, searching her face, before continuing. "But don't you understand you have the highest rank on Earth within your grasp?"

She shook her head again and lifted her chin in defiance. "I don't need it! I couldn't trample on the masses suffering from oppression!"

"We're after the same goal as you: a world devoid of wars. We're just using a different method to achieve it," Dermail said, propping his knuckles on his waist.

Relena scoffed. "That's nonsense!"

Dermail's bushy white brows furrowed into his dark eyes, his impatience shining through his proper exterior. "Well, you'd better think it over thoroughly. There's still time to change your mind." He walked past her, leaving her troubled and quiet at the window. He opened the door, but he turned back to face her. "But please remember this. The longer it takes you to think this over, the longer people who want peace must fight, meaning many more people will get killed."

Relena slammed her eyes shut as she heard his footfalls depart the room, followed by the soft click of the door. And a single tear rolled down her reddened cheek. Just what could she do now?

Noin was quiet in the cockpit from the moment Quatre and Lista docked, and even so now that they were in flight and leaving the border of the now-defunct Sanc Kingdom. She sat with her arms crossed, her head lowered, her eyes closed, as Quatre piloted the carrier and Lista sat at the navigation computer.

The clack of Lista's typing stopped, leaving a fog of loud silence in the cockpit once more. Her eyes darted back and forth between Noin and Quatre, staring at their backs, waiting for one of them to speak.

And when they didn't, she pushed herself to her feet with a loud, purposeful sigh and moved in between them. "Okay, the silence is killing me, you two. I checked the database, and there's an abandoned Alliance space port to the northwest. There hasn't been any reported activity there for a while, so it should be safe."

Quatre peered over his shoulder at her, flashing her a small smile. "Thank you, Lista." He moved his gaze to Noin, who continued to remain stiff and silent. "Miss Noin, are you all right?"

She finally lifted her head and sighed, looking out through the misty clouds their carrier cut through. "I'm worried about Relena. I don't know how Duke Dermail is going to treat her." Her brows furrowed. "She shouldn't have had to surrender, not to them."

Lista and Quatre exchanged a worried glance with one another, and Lista placed her hand on Noin's shoulder. "Quatre and I feel the same way, Noin, but Relena is strong. And I don't see Dermail doing anything to hurt her." Her shoulders huffed with her scoff. "He wouldn't want the bad publicity." She waved her hand for emphasis. "Public image and all that."

Quatre nodded. "Lista's right. No one wanted this to happen to Miss Relena or the Sanc Kingdom. We're just going to have to look forward and hope that the answers we need to stop Romefeller are in space."

Noin straightened in her seat, loosening the arms from her chest. "I know exactly what we need to do in space. We need to gather all of the Gundam pilots together to take down OZ and Romefeller once and for all."

Tsubarov took a deep sigh as he settled into his seat on the shuttle, preparing to buckle himself in. He peered out the cockpit window, noticing the space Leos floating about in the hangar. His nose crinkled in displeasure. "How come they're still using those manned suits? I thought I told you to send those people to work on the battleship!"

The copilot turned to the older man with a devious smirk. "Yeah. Really sorry about that. But we can't waste our strength." Tsubarov opened his mouth to protest when he noticed the scrap of white linen tied around his arm. "Not if we're gonna revolt."

He heard the click of the gun cocking before he saw the pistol now pointed at him. But Tsubarov shoved himself to his feet anyway, prepared to attack, defend, whichever was needed, when two soldiers rushed into the cockpit, armed.

"Please sit down, Colonel," one of the men ordered firmly.

There was hesitation as Tsubarov's eyes scoped the cockpit; all four men were now standing and pointing their guns at him. He begrudgingly took his seat, his hands now curled into tight fists. "Who are you people?"

"We used to be known as the Treize Faction," the soldier replied. "But now we're more like the Colonies' revolutionaries."

"Revolutionaries?" Tsubarov spat the word with disgust.

The soldier nodded. "You can call us White Fang." He clocked Tsubarov's scowl and couldn't stifle a small chuckle. "There's no need to worry. We don't have any intention of killing you, Colonel," the soldier continued, lowering his gun and holstering it. "The citizens of the Colonies don't want any bloodshed. Remorse for your oppression is enough."

Tsubarov bit back a curse as the soldier moved to the cockpit and clicked a button on the console. "This is Hot Dog. The sheep's in the pen. The Artemis Revolution can begin."

Lista sat at the helm of the shuttle, alone, enjoying the silence and the darkness of space. Noin had taken up rest as soon as they broke through Earth's atmosphere, while Quatre had decided to double-check his specs in the newly refurbished Sandrock.

She sat gazing out into the infinite black, the glints and slight reflections of colonies scattered about. And on one of those colonies were her mother and her sisters. Her father. Had he told her mother the truth? Or would he continue to deceive her?

A strange sense of calm blanketed her. She was no longer angry with him – just disappointed. Now a flicker of relief – perhaps their relationship would not become strained as a result of their confrontation. She closed her eyes and, for the first time, voluntarily replayed their short battle back in her mind.

She wanted to apologize. She wanted to fall into her father's chest and cry and beg for his forgiveness, whether he intended to offer her the same for his own mistakes. Because, in the end, she was still his daughter. He was still her father, the one who taught her self-reliance and strength, the one who taught her to ride a bicycle, who kissed her scraped knees and urged her to get back up.

And her eyes slowly opened, coming back into reality, with a soft smile on her face. Suddenly the good memories began to fade out the bad, and she could see the slightest sliver of hope on the horizon. And that was good enough for her.

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, snapping her from her still hazy reverie. "Where were you just now?" Quatre asked as he came to her side, a characteristically gentle smile stretching to his cheeks. He gave her shoulder a soft squeeze before sitting down next to her. "You looked rather thoughtful."

Lista scratched the side of her face with a chuckle. "I guess I was. I was thinking about my father."

Quatre's smile faded slightly. "Is that still bothering you, what he did?"

She relaxed against the backrest with a quick sigh. "Surprisingly, no. I don't feel angry at him anymore. I just want a real answer as to why he joined OZ willingly. And I just hope he's come clean to my mom. She deserves to know what happened." She paused, her near-fatal attack on her father flashing behind her eyes once more. "She deserves to know everything."

Quatre could see the wheels turning in her head. "From what I can glean of your father, he's a very prideful man. But he loves you dearly. I'm sure he will do the right thing. You deserve nothing less than that."

Lista's face flushed cherry, smiling, and rested her chin on her knuckles. "I can only hope there are good things coming for all of us, after everything that's happened so far." Her smile faded behind a darkened frown. "Romefeller is gaining momentum fast, Quatre. I'm not sure what we can do to stop it."

He offered her a comforting and almost playful smile. "That doesn't sound like you at all, Lista," he replied. "Surely you're not planning on giving up now."

Lista straightened quickly, shaking her head. "Absolutely not. I'll go down in flames fighting before I quit." Her shoulders slumped with a deep exhale. "But realistically, we're overpowered. There's little you, me, and Noin can do on our own. Who knows when Heero is going to decide to come up to space, if at all. There's no telling where Duo and Wufei are." She paused, nibbling on her bottom lip for a moment. "And we still don't know anything about Trowa."

She bit back a curse when Quatre lowered his head, his smile turning sad. "Yes, there is still much ahead of us before we can proceed against Romefeller." She was surprised when his eyes connected with hers, his smile brightening. "But I'm optimistic that we will find the others. I imagine they'll be keeping their ears to the ground. They know as well as we do that we can't go against Romefeller unless we're assembled as a team."

Lista nodded. "We have a little bit of time before we enter any colony airspace, so I'm going to start compiling a list of known colonies that the others have been seen in. We can hit those first. It's possible that Duo, Trowa, and Wufei would stay in one place and handle any OZ and Romefeller interference in the surrounding colonies."

Quatre didn't respond. He shifted his gaze to the expanse of darkness outside their shuttle. Lista studied him for a moment before leaning over, giving his arm a gentle, playful shove. He returned his attention to her; she was smiling. "Where were you just now? You look so serious."

His smile was gone; she didn't like it. "I'm afraid you and Miss Noin are going to have to look for the others without me, at least for a little while."

Her smile quickly turned down into a frown. "What? Why?"

Sighing, he said, "After my father's death, my family's company had suspended all operations. And I know it's because they're waiting for me to take it over, as my father willed. It's my responsibility as his heir to make sure his life's work doesn't falter." His resolute gaze burned through her. "I owe my father this, Lista."

She leaned over her armrest and took his hand without a second thought. He looked to their interlocked hand, back up to her, pleasantly surprised to find her bright smile had returned. "Quatre, you do what you need to do. Noin and I understand. You're more than just a Gundam pilot." She gave his hand a comforting squeeze. "You're a son who loves his father. And there isn't a soul in existence that can convince me that your father wasn't proud of you for what you're doing for the world and that he didn't love you with everything he had."

Quatre couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle. He slid his palm gently over their interlocked hands, grazing against the softness of her skin. He looked upon their hands, his cheeks warm with a crimson blush and his smile making his cheeks ache. "You seem to know just what it is that I need to hear," he said softly.

Lista leaned closer, resting her free arm on her knees. "I only speak the truth. And that it always makes you feel better just goes to show how wonderful of a person you really are, Quatre."

Blue slammed into green as he lifted his gaze to look upon her. He knew he was staring at her; he didn't care. Perhaps then she would see what was reflected behind his eyes, how his feelings for her grew every time she was in his presence, with every smile, every giggle, every gentle touch of her hand on his shoulder, his arm, and now, with her fingers now threaded through his.

Who knew something so wonderful and beautiful could be born through the blood and darkness of war?

Lista could feel the power and weight of his eyes on her. Her heartbeat grew louder in her ears as the silence held between them, as his thumb gently, softly stroked the top of her hand back and forth. She could feel the crumbling weakness in her knees; thank God she was sitting.

And it was there, holding the other's gaze, the other's hand, that the seed that had been planted deep within the confines of her heart, unbeknownst to her, had begun to bloom into something more powerful than she could have ever imagined.

A/N: So sorry for the late update. This past weekend was full of baby shower festivities, and I just didn't have the time to take a moment to post the chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it!

In addition, I've been battling some sickness, and there's been a lot of things going on for me (nothing bad, I assure you) that has caused a bit of a hindrance for me to sit down and write. I've been stuck on Chapter 24 now for a good while. As such, I'm going to take a break this week with updating and return next Saturday, May 14th, with the next chapter in the effort to try and rebuild my buffer into something a little more comfortable. I hope this will be the only time I have to do this, but I may have to go the whole month on a biweekly updating schedule. But I will have a better idea by the next update, and I'll be sure to let you know!

Thank you for reading! See you in two weeks!

~Halo