Coach Maes spends the first ten minutes of their dryland warm-ups gushing over everyone's achievements in Friday's meet before he switches to going over where they could improve. His eyes land on Mariemaia while she's doing the burpees. "Still slow off the block, Khushrenada."

"I know, Coach," she replies.

She keeps her gaze focused on the office door across the room as she continues the exercise. "Good job on the relay," he says finally.

She glances over toward Kenzie when Coach Maes moves on to speak with another student. Kenzie is speaking in whispered tones with Julia as they work on lunges and stretches. Neither girl looks over and Mariemaia refocuses her attention on her own warm-up.

. . ... . .

During the course of the Eve Wars, new weapons and means of warfare were created and implemented. The most famous of these being the Mobile Dolls developed by Romefeller and OZ's Chief Engineer Tubarov Bilmon. Designed to be fully functional mobile suits that relied on artificial intelligence instead of pilots, the Mobile Dolls were created with the desire to limit battlefield bloodshed and the loss of human life during wartime. Despite the multiple advantages and benefits Mobile Dolls brought, not everyone involved in the Eve Wars were in support of the creation and use of them. One of the staunchest dissenters was Treize Khushrenada himself who directly opposed Romefeller's desire to wage wars that would not result in the loss of their soldiers. A warmonger, Colonel Khushrenada was quoted on more than one occasion saying that there was beauty in battles, particularly when soldiers gave their lives for their cause.

Mariemaia frowns at her textbook, rereading the paragraph over and over again. She taps her pen against her notebook and skims the rest of the passage. After a moment she raises her hand and looks up at where Dr. Arthav is writing notes on the front board. Slowly, the rustling and hushed whispering of her classmates stops as they notice her with her hand up. Dr. Arthav must notice the uneasy silence because he turns from the board and surveys them all. His eyes land on her.

"Miss Khushrenada?"

"Is there such a thing as impartial history?"

Dr. Arthav crosses his arms and regards her silently for several seconds. "An interesting question." He uncrosses his arms and clasps his hands behind his back. "Is anyone truly impartial?" he asks the class.

"The courts are supposed to be," one of the girls in class replies. "The judge and jury."

"Supposed to be," Dr. Arthav emphasizes, "but are they? How many times have judges been bought? Or juries swayed by their own beliefs and prejudices?"

"Reporters," one of the boys suggests. "They're just supposed to give facts."

"And how many do just that?" another boy counters.

"What of your teachers?" Dr. Arthav questions. He leans against his podium and surveys them all.

Mariemaia snorts but another student answers. "No, they definitely have favorites. Gregors had it out for me last year."

"That's because you superglued everything to her desk, Bayer."

"Semantics."

Dr. Arthav pushes off from the podium and begins to wander up and down the rows. "To answer your question, Miss Khushrenada, we are all formed by the experiences and events we face in life. In my opinion, no, there is no such thing as true impartiality." He raises his voice to be heard over the eruption of voices. "That is why you must question everything."

Mariemaia tilts her chin up, follows his progress around the room. "If the history books can't be trusted to present an unbiased overview then what's the point of studying them?"

Dr. Arthav pauses by her desk. "History books are written by the winners, Miss Khushrenada. They are already biased even if they don't intend to be. It is our job to sift through the information to determine the truth." He glances down at the page she had been taking notes on. "You are all still children. Your entire outlook on life has been influenced by your families and your academics. As you get older you will find that you need to critically examine everything you have learned and everything you have left to learn."

"It sounds exhausting," a boy comments.

Dr. Arthav glances behind Mariemaia. "Indeed, Mr. Drost, it can be exhausting." Dr. Arthav lingers by her desk as the class murmurs amongst themselves. "A very good question, Miss Khushrenada." He pauses, staring at her with his insect-like eyes. "Allow me to pose one to you, now. Can you tell me, how much of your own views on war are yours and not just the biased beliefs of your upbringing?"

The bell rings and Dr. Arthav looks away. "Dismissed!" he calls.

. . ... . .

She doesn't see Kenzie again until the end of the day. She wends her way between groups of students until she reaches the older girl. Kenzie gives her an appraising look, eyebrows raised curiously. "Khushrenada."

Mariemaia adjusts the strap of her school bag. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to blow you off Friday." She crosses her arms over her chest but that feels to defensive. She lets them drop to her sides again. "I…forgot."

Kenzie's eyebrows creep further up her forehead. "Forgot? In what, ten minutes?" She shakes her head. "Never mind, it's not a big deal."

"Stuff came up and I forgot about it until last night."

Kenzie's face softens slightly and she leans in, dropping her voice. "Did it have to do with the two Preventers agents?" Mariemaia must look confused because Kenzie continues, "I saw two guys near the door. They looked like military. Is everything okay?"

Mariemaia can see Henri's car making its way through the line. She nods. "Yes, everything is fine." She hesitates. "Minerva tried some intimidation tactic and then the agents were there to take me home."

Kenzie gives her a crooked smile. "You should've had them arrest Minerva. It might've knocked some sense into her." Henri is only a few cars away when Kenzie nudges her with her elbow. "We were worried when you didn't show. Especially since you didn't text. You missed some awesome pizza. And Julia snorting soda through her nose."

Mariemaia's lips twitch into a smile. "What a pity."

Kenzie nods solemnly. "I'm sure she'll do an encore on Friday." Mariemaia glances over at Kenzie in surprise. Kenzie raises an eyebrow, head tilted. "Gonna blow us off again, Khushrenada?"

"I'll be there, Muir."

"You better." Kenzie nods toward the car line. "Looks like your ride's here."

. . ... . .

Mariemaia knows Trowa said he was going back undercover, but a part of her was still expecting to see him waiting in the Preventers sub-level. She wanders through the gym and checks the small room they'd been using to practice yoga, but it's empty. There isn't even a yoga mat on the floor.

She leaves the gym, ignoring the looks from a few of the junior Preventers agents. She could revert to her previous routine of swimming, but she doesn't feel up to it today. Instead, she makes her way upstairs again. Lady Une is in a meeting with Relena Darlian in the second floor conference room and Mariemaia figures she can camp out in Lady Une's office to study instead. She's sure Zoe will let her in.

However, when she steps into the elevator she finds that her finger hits the number 10 instead.

When the elevator comes to a stop and the doors slide open she makes her way down the polished wood floor until she reaches the door she wants. It's partially open, which she takes as an invitation, and slips in.

Wufei glances up as the door opens and sighs loudly. She ignores him. Wufei turns to where Heero is typing on a laptop. "This is your and Barton's fault," he announces. "She never used to show up before you two started moonlighting as swim coaches."

Heero shrugs. "Trowa started it."

Wufei's eyes narrow at her. "Stop hovering."

"I'm not hovering, I'm waiting," she snaps back.

Wufei fixes her with a pointed look, glancing between her and the doorway she's still standing in. "Clearly."

"What is it?" Heero interrupts.

Mariemaia shrugs. She feels ridiculous standing here now. "Nothing. I was looking for Noin," she lies.

Heero glances over at her. "She'd be in the meeting with Relena and Une. You know that." She wouldn't say that his expression necessarily softens, but she sees understanding in his eyes. "You can wait here."

Wufei makes a noise in his throat, but he doesn't say anything. Instead, he gestures to the empty chair near the window. Mariemaia hesitates a moment before closing the door behind her and crossing the room to curl up in the indicated chair. He levels a look at her. "Don't expect me to suddenly start coaching you in swimming or diving."

Mariemaia raises an eyebrow as she meets his gaze. "Can you even swim?"

Heero snorts loudly and she watches as Wufei throws a piece of crumpled paper at the other pilot's head. Heero neatly dodges the projectile.

They fall silent aside from the occasional clicking from Heero's typing or the rustle of paper as Wufei flips through a report. Mariemaia pulls out her notebook and history textbook to resume her notes on the chapter. She can't get Dr. Arthav's words out of her head though, and she sits there idly tapping her pen against her notebook as she stares at the words on the page.

"Stop." Mariemaia jumps at Wufei's voice and looks up to find him scowling at her. "You fidget as much as Maxwell does."

Mariemaia glances between the two former Gundam pilots. "Do you think my father was a warmonger?" she asks.

Heero frowns at her. "Why are you asking?"

She taps her pen against the passage in her book before she catches sight of Wufei's scowl. She pauses her tapping. "This book says he was one. That he disliked Mobile Dolls because they didn't allow for bloodshed."

Wufei tilts his head. "Your father was an honorable man in many ways, ruthless in many others." He pauses. "He knew the number and names of everyone who had died for his beliefs."

Mariemaia stares at him in surprise. "He did?"

"Yes," Wufei confirms. He returns his attention to the report in front of him. "Soldiers and civilians."

Heero had also turned to study Wufei. Now, he shifts so that he's facing Mariemaia again. "I spent time with your father during the war. Your textbook is right; he did dislike the Dolls because they didn't require bloodshed." She frowns, bites her lip. "Not because he necessarily wanted soldiers to die, but because without blood it was nothing more than old man playing chess. The people who would suffer would be the civilians caught in the crossfire. Without bloodshed there are no stakes."

Mariemaia glances back down at the book in her lap.

"For all his faults, he did try to live by his own honor," Wufei states.

"Do you regret killing him?"

She looks up, meeting Wufei's gaze and holding it. She can see Heero Yuy watching them out of the corner of her eye, but she ignores him. Wufei's gaze is hard and unreadable, like stone. She's never been good at figuring him out.

"Sometimes I regret his death," Wufei replies finally. "I would've liked to see how things would've turned out if he had lived."

Mariemaia feels her neck warm, her stomach clench. She nods and drops her gaze back to her notebook. A moment later she hears Heero resume his typing. It's another minute before Wufei turns a page on the report in front of him. Mariemaia allows herself to relax.