Several peaceful days of high school passed for the pilots. On the friday afternoon, the day before the holidays, Kitty stood outside the hall watching Duo prepare for his Gym exam. Currently he was shadow boxing. Kitty laughed silently. He looked like a right twit. Duo continued stretching and exercising until their gym teacher entered the hall.
"Are you ready?" she asked. Duo nodded slowly. The teacher sighed. "Good," she said, "begin!" And so he did. And with a blaze of somersaults, flips, cartwheels, rolls and leaps, Duo passed with an A.
The day passed quickly, and soon the evenign came. Heerol slowly landed his gundam on the pristeen lawn of Sunset house, spooking Pegasus completly. He paged Quatre to say he had arrived. Quatre was organising the coordination of the launches, so as not to be noticed. Wu-fei had his gundam hidden on the outskirts of the Winner estate, and was to launch as soon as Heero had left with Kitty. Heero had promised to try and be talkative to keep Kitty from looking out of the window of her jet. Following Wu-fei would be Duo and Trowa, stationed on the other side of the school. They would arrive shortly before Heero, but after Wu-fei. Quatre would be the last, taking both Sandrock and Wing to the rendevouz point. Then the pilots would proceed to the conference, meet and sort out any trouble there. It was a flawless operation, except for two factors. Kitty Anne Winner and Relena Peacecraft. Kitty had been asked to make a speech in parliament a few months ago, and her and Relena hadn't exactly seen eye to eye. To be honest, the loathed eachother. How were five gundam pilots, who were familiar and friendly in most cases with both parties, going to protect them both and the rest of the guests, yet keep the pair apart?
Heero stood in the reception hall, looking at the fabulous tapestry that hung beside him on the wall. Kitty was supposed to be ready by now, and she was still in her room. Heero spotted Miss Una, the old Nanny and now head maid dusting and attracted her attention. She trotted over and smiled.
"Master Yuy?"
"When will Kitty be ready? We're going to be very late if she isn't here soon."
"I'm sure Miss Kitty has a reason to be taking this long. I'm sure she will be along momentarily Mr Yuy, but in the meantime, would you care for a seat?" Heero shook his head.
"I'll stand."
"Oh, I see," said Una, unimpressed. "Well then, I best get on with my work. Good evening Mr Yuy." Heero nodded in response and Una hurried away up the stairs.
"I don't like this one bit," Quatre whined, flicking through Kitty's diary. Kitty walked over and snatched it away.
"Why not? You said I ought to get out more, and I am. You're just sour because you weren't invited to the International peace conference!"
"Was too!"
"Oh really?" Kitty raised her eyebrow whilst fitting on her skirt frame in the mirror.
"Yes really! I'm going along later. I have a history assignment to finish." Kitty looked at her brother and smiled at him.
"Baby, you have got to lighten up. It's Friday, and the end of term. You have all holiday! And this is the International peace conference for heavens sakes!" Quatre sighed.
"Alright, I'll go and get ready. But you better hurry it up too. I bet Mr 'mute' Yuy is waiting downstairs for you." Kitty smiled a crooked smile and pushed Quatre through the door that linked their rooms.
"Hop it, you! And I am hurrying!" Kitty walked swiftly to her wardrobe. Hung next to a dress wrapped up in a clothes bag hung a lilac, violet and gold dress, which Kitty promptly pulled out and pulled gently over her head. She straightened it out and looked in the mirror at how it hung around her. Una hurried into the room.
"Miss Kitty! Your accompaniment is waiting for you, we must make haste!" Kitty sat down on a chair and Una quickly put her hair up in fiddly ringlets and a pretty braided bun. Una quickly made the finishing touches to Kitty's apparel with a pair of lilac shoes and long lilac gloves. She added a little colour to Kitty's face and then headed for some new jewellery that lay on the table.
"No Una, I will wear my own jewellery, thank you," Kitty commanded. Una nodded gently and picked up her headpiece, the teardrop and the rhombus, and a silver pendant in the shape of a circle with a bottom of a triangle. It had patterns on it in gold and a large opal in the middle. Una looked at Kitty.
"I think we are ready, Miss Kitty, now hurry along!" Kitty snatched up her bag and headed out of her room. Quatre dashed up to her side as the hurried along the corridor, straightening up his tie.
"Have you got your scimitar?" he asked rashly.
"Of course not! It's a peace conference you numbskull, what use would I have for a weapon?" Quatre frowned.
"Can't you sense it in the air, something is going to happen tonight, and I'm positive it won't be in our favour." Kitty smiled.
"Of course I do Quatre, but I have learnt in my 14 years of life that sometimes it is more fun, and much better, to let the future play out its course without us interfering. Now call your taxi here. I have to go." Quatre looked at his little sister, possibly the most precious thing to him in the world and sighed. Tonight her life might be put in jeopardy and he knew it. He hugged her briefly and turned to the phone. Kitty clacked away down the corridor and towards the staircase. She paused at the top. Heero looked up. He almost let his jaw drop at the beautiful girl he was going to end up going to the Peace conference with. He instead formed his face into a sweet smile. Kitty jogged down the steps and walked up to him, now almost eye to eye with Heero in her shoes.
"So, do we have a transport?" Kitty asked to break Heero's silence. Heero paused and then nodded.
"It's a little cramped, I will admit, but it's the only thing I've got." Kitty smiled.
"If you like, you can borrow my jet?" she suggested. Heero frowned.
"I'd rather fly in my own vessel, but thinking of your comfort, we can take your jet." Kitty nodded and they headed out of the door. Parked on the lawn was a gundam. Kitty let her jaw drop.
"On second thoughts, let me fly that!" Kitty pleaded, almost running towards the thing. Heero grabbed her hand and dragged her back towards him.
"Not now. Tonight we fly in your jet, as you requested." Kitty almost squirmed to get another view of the amazing machine parked on her pristine lawn but failed as Heero was whisking her along with force.
"And besides, I don't want you under the effects of the zero system for the conference. Or ever, for that matter." Kitty blinked in shock.
"That's the thing with the zero system?" she asked, still amazed. Heero nodded.
"Why, have you heard of the system?"
"Not really," Kitty sighed, flushing slightly, "it's just I sensed pain in Quatre once, and 'The Zero System' had come up in conversation." Heero looked at Kitty.
"It causes pain to those who cannot control themselves enough to control it." Kitty looked up at Heero.
"You suffered too, didn't you?" she said, squinting a little. Heero could swear he saw another shade of blue in her eyes for a moment. He looked away.
"It's classified." He said sharply, and quickened the pace to the jet further. Kitty sighed and walked swiftly to keep up.
"You know you can tell me anything, Heero, as far as I'm concerned, you're my best friend, and I will be happy to help you with anything that's on you're mind." Heero halted and grabbed Kitty's shoulders. He stared into her eyes.
"Kitty, I would love to tell you everything on my troubled mind, but it would do you or I no favours. All I can say is that when a mind mourns in silence over things that have come to pass, it is often better if it is left to do so in peace." Kitty blinked at him and sighed.
"I said just the same thing to Quatre once," she whispered, her eyes glinting with tears. She blinked them back, pushing back painful memories of what came before and smiled, "oh well, come along, we've got to get going, the peace conference won't wait!"
Quatre sat in his room. He hadn't called the taxi at all. He didn't really want to go. He sighed.
"Why am I doing this?" he asked. The room didn't answer. Quatre pulled up a piece of paper and his favourite writing pen. It was carved from wood with tiny pictures chipped into the sides. Kitty had made it for him the birthday before he went away. He put the pen to paper with hands that shook with emotion, and wrote out his note. A few minutes later, he put down the pen, almost overcome and stood up. He mentally shook himself and sighed. He walked into Kitty's room and slotted the note and the pen into the arms of a note clip. He looked at the photo in the other stem. It showed himself riding Pegasus. The two most important things in the world to Kitty were together in one tiny Polaroid. He sighed. He looked around the room once more, coughed slightly, straightened his tie and walked out.
When Quatre walked out onto the lawn, he saw the immense Gundam parked there. He looked at it, and then at the fading engine fuel lines in the sky from Kitty's jet. Quatre jogged over the nearest hangar and pressed a few keys on the keypad. The hangar's roof slid open, revealing a shadowed large humanoid figure.
"I am glad you are still listening, My Sandrock," Quatre whispered, smiling weakly. He pulled out his pager, wrote a short message and sent it to the first number in his address book. Quatre had this all planned out. He jogged over to Heero's machine. He clambered into the cockpit and started the engine. It leapt into action, the frequency generator humming slightly with lack of use. Quatre inserted the small round disc into a slot, and thirteen red lights flicked off in succession. Quatre suddenly felt slightly light headed as a huge pressure lifted from his chest and his head, and a thousand dumb questions melted from his mind. He sighed a wiped a bead or two of sweat from his forehead.
"Here goes nothing," he sighed, pulling back a lever and pushing hard on the third foot pedal. The machine lifted off slowly, building enough momentum to change its configuration into a jet. Sandrock's arm was outstretched as Wing Zero glided slowly over; it caught one of the grip hooks and was pulled off by it. Quatre felt this happen and pushed down on the acceleration. The two Gundams shot off into the darkness, letting Quatre Raberba Winner only a short glimpse of his home, a place he was leaving once more, and this time, for good.
"Are you ready?" she asked. Duo nodded slowly. The teacher sighed. "Good," she said, "begin!" And so he did. And with a blaze of somersaults, flips, cartwheels, rolls and leaps, Duo passed with an A.
The day passed quickly, and soon the evenign came. Heerol slowly landed his gundam on the pristeen lawn of Sunset house, spooking Pegasus completly. He paged Quatre to say he had arrived. Quatre was organising the coordination of the launches, so as not to be noticed. Wu-fei had his gundam hidden on the outskirts of the Winner estate, and was to launch as soon as Heero had left with Kitty. Heero had promised to try and be talkative to keep Kitty from looking out of the window of her jet. Following Wu-fei would be Duo and Trowa, stationed on the other side of the school. They would arrive shortly before Heero, but after Wu-fei. Quatre would be the last, taking both Sandrock and Wing to the rendevouz point. Then the pilots would proceed to the conference, meet and sort out any trouble there. It was a flawless operation, except for two factors. Kitty Anne Winner and Relena Peacecraft. Kitty had been asked to make a speech in parliament a few months ago, and her and Relena hadn't exactly seen eye to eye. To be honest, the loathed eachother. How were five gundam pilots, who were familiar and friendly in most cases with both parties, going to protect them both and the rest of the guests, yet keep the pair apart?
Heero stood in the reception hall, looking at the fabulous tapestry that hung beside him on the wall. Kitty was supposed to be ready by now, and she was still in her room. Heero spotted Miss Una, the old Nanny and now head maid dusting and attracted her attention. She trotted over and smiled.
"Master Yuy?"
"When will Kitty be ready? We're going to be very late if she isn't here soon."
"I'm sure Miss Kitty has a reason to be taking this long. I'm sure she will be along momentarily Mr Yuy, but in the meantime, would you care for a seat?" Heero shook his head.
"I'll stand."
"Oh, I see," said Una, unimpressed. "Well then, I best get on with my work. Good evening Mr Yuy." Heero nodded in response and Una hurried away up the stairs.
"I don't like this one bit," Quatre whined, flicking through Kitty's diary. Kitty walked over and snatched it away.
"Why not? You said I ought to get out more, and I am. You're just sour because you weren't invited to the International peace conference!"
"Was too!"
"Oh really?" Kitty raised her eyebrow whilst fitting on her skirt frame in the mirror.
"Yes really! I'm going along later. I have a history assignment to finish." Kitty looked at her brother and smiled at him.
"Baby, you have got to lighten up. It's Friday, and the end of term. You have all holiday! And this is the International peace conference for heavens sakes!" Quatre sighed.
"Alright, I'll go and get ready. But you better hurry it up too. I bet Mr 'mute' Yuy is waiting downstairs for you." Kitty smiled a crooked smile and pushed Quatre through the door that linked their rooms.
"Hop it, you! And I am hurrying!" Kitty walked swiftly to her wardrobe. Hung next to a dress wrapped up in a clothes bag hung a lilac, violet and gold dress, which Kitty promptly pulled out and pulled gently over her head. She straightened it out and looked in the mirror at how it hung around her. Una hurried into the room.
"Miss Kitty! Your accompaniment is waiting for you, we must make haste!" Kitty sat down on a chair and Una quickly put her hair up in fiddly ringlets and a pretty braided bun. Una quickly made the finishing touches to Kitty's apparel with a pair of lilac shoes and long lilac gloves. She added a little colour to Kitty's face and then headed for some new jewellery that lay on the table.
"No Una, I will wear my own jewellery, thank you," Kitty commanded. Una nodded gently and picked up her headpiece, the teardrop and the rhombus, and a silver pendant in the shape of a circle with a bottom of a triangle. It had patterns on it in gold and a large opal in the middle. Una looked at Kitty.
"I think we are ready, Miss Kitty, now hurry along!" Kitty snatched up her bag and headed out of her room. Quatre dashed up to her side as the hurried along the corridor, straightening up his tie.
"Have you got your scimitar?" he asked rashly.
"Of course not! It's a peace conference you numbskull, what use would I have for a weapon?" Quatre frowned.
"Can't you sense it in the air, something is going to happen tonight, and I'm positive it won't be in our favour." Kitty smiled.
"Of course I do Quatre, but I have learnt in my 14 years of life that sometimes it is more fun, and much better, to let the future play out its course without us interfering. Now call your taxi here. I have to go." Quatre looked at his little sister, possibly the most precious thing to him in the world and sighed. Tonight her life might be put in jeopardy and he knew it. He hugged her briefly and turned to the phone. Kitty clacked away down the corridor and towards the staircase. She paused at the top. Heero looked up. He almost let his jaw drop at the beautiful girl he was going to end up going to the Peace conference with. He instead formed his face into a sweet smile. Kitty jogged down the steps and walked up to him, now almost eye to eye with Heero in her shoes.
"So, do we have a transport?" Kitty asked to break Heero's silence. Heero paused and then nodded.
"It's a little cramped, I will admit, but it's the only thing I've got." Kitty smiled.
"If you like, you can borrow my jet?" she suggested. Heero frowned.
"I'd rather fly in my own vessel, but thinking of your comfort, we can take your jet." Kitty nodded and they headed out of the door. Parked on the lawn was a gundam. Kitty let her jaw drop.
"On second thoughts, let me fly that!" Kitty pleaded, almost running towards the thing. Heero grabbed her hand and dragged her back towards him.
"Not now. Tonight we fly in your jet, as you requested." Kitty almost squirmed to get another view of the amazing machine parked on her pristine lawn but failed as Heero was whisking her along with force.
"And besides, I don't want you under the effects of the zero system for the conference. Or ever, for that matter." Kitty blinked in shock.
"That's the thing with the zero system?" she asked, still amazed. Heero nodded.
"Why, have you heard of the system?"
"Not really," Kitty sighed, flushing slightly, "it's just I sensed pain in Quatre once, and 'The Zero System' had come up in conversation." Heero looked at Kitty.
"It causes pain to those who cannot control themselves enough to control it." Kitty looked up at Heero.
"You suffered too, didn't you?" she said, squinting a little. Heero could swear he saw another shade of blue in her eyes for a moment. He looked away.
"It's classified." He said sharply, and quickened the pace to the jet further. Kitty sighed and walked swiftly to keep up.
"You know you can tell me anything, Heero, as far as I'm concerned, you're my best friend, and I will be happy to help you with anything that's on you're mind." Heero halted and grabbed Kitty's shoulders. He stared into her eyes.
"Kitty, I would love to tell you everything on my troubled mind, but it would do you or I no favours. All I can say is that when a mind mourns in silence over things that have come to pass, it is often better if it is left to do so in peace." Kitty blinked at him and sighed.
"I said just the same thing to Quatre once," she whispered, her eyes glinting with tears. She blinked them back, pushing back painful memories of what came before and smiled, "oh well, come along, we've got to get going, the peace conference won't wait!"
Quatre sat in his room. He hadn't called the taxi at all. He didn't really want to go. He sighed.
"Why am I doing this?" he asked. The room didn't answer. Quatre pulled up a piece of paper and his favourite writing pen. It was carved from wood with tiny pictures chipped into the sides. Kitty had made it for him the birthday before he went away. He put the pen to paper with hands that shook with emotion, and wrote out his note. A few minutes later, he put down the pen, almost overcome and stood up. He mentally shook himself and sighed. He walked into Kitty's room and slotted the note and the pen into the arms of a note clip. He looked at the photo in the other stem. It showed himself riding Pegasus. The two most important things in the world to Kitty were together in one tiny Polaroid. He sighed. He looked around the room once more, coughed slightly, straightened his tie and walked out.
When Quatre walked out onto the lawn, he saw the immense Gundam parked there. He looked at it, and then at the fading engine fuel lines in the sky from Kitty's jet. Quatre jogged over the nearest hangar and pressed a few keys on the keypad. The hangar's roof slid open, revealing a shadowed large humanoid figure.
"I am glad you are still listening, My Sandrock," Quatre whispered, smiling weakly. He pulled out his pager, wrote a short message and sent it to the first number in his address book. Quatre had this all planned out. He jogged over to Heero's machine. He clambered into the cockpit and started the engine. It leapt into action, the frequency generator humming slightly with lack of use. Quatre inserted the small round disc into a slot, and thirteen red lights flicked off in succession. Quatre suddenly felt slightly light headed as a huge pressure lifted from his chest and his head, and a thousand dumb questions melted from his mind. He sighed a wiped a bead or two of sweat from his forehead.
"Here goes nothing," he sighed, pulling back a lever and pushing hard on the third foot pedal. The machine lifted off slowly, building enough momentum to change its configuration into a jet. Sandrock's arm was outstretched as Wing Zero glided slowly over; it caught one of the grip hooks and was pulled off by it. Quatre felt this happen and pushed down on the acceleration. The two Gundams shot off into the darkness, letting Quatre Raberba Winner only a short glimpse of his home, a place he was leaving once more, and this time, for good.