Well, this chapter explains a little more in depth the plotline for the whole story and the true menace and savior of the Gundam dimension. So, here we are, the time of true wonder.

Disclaimer: Do I have to keep doing this? I don't know, Sarah doesn't do one for each chapter, only at the beginning of the story. Oh, well. I don't own Gundam Wing. Oh, and I don't make any money from this. The only thing that fuels this is my pride.

Orbs of Emerald

Chapter 4: Of Soldiers and Demons

***

Heero walked down the stretch of beach that was part of Quatre's estate. He thought about the words that Jem had spoken so harshly to him. She had no idea how much those words had effected him.

Just because he's right does not mean that you should strike him. Think about your actions next time, Perfect Soldier.

"Think about my actions?" he muttered aloud. He'd never been asked to do such a thing. He always had just done what he'd been told, when he'd been told to do it. Was she right? Should he have thought about what he did before he'd done it?

Just because you're a soldier does not give you rights to stop being human.

Was he even human anymore? He couldn't know. He'd seen Jem laugh at Duo's jokes, though she tried not to. She tried to hide her feelings. She succeeded, most of the time. Her emotions still shone through in her bright green eyes, though. He wondered if his eyes betrayed his true emotions like hers did.

Why did he care what she said? That question ran fleetingly through his mind and was quickly answered. It was because he had been asking himself the same questions she'd implied. Was he truly only a puppet, meant only to fight and fight and fight forever until he was finally killed or forced to kill himself?

He looked out over the fake ocean that ended abruptly about thirty yards out, becoming a transparent dome looking out at the stars. He considered swimming out to the island Quatre had built for him, but thought against it.

"If that is so," he mused to himself quietly. "Then I should kill myself now and be done with it." He pulled out his gun and studied it. He'd done this many, many times before and each time he'd come to the shaky conclusion that he still had something to live for.

But with Peacecraft's death, he had been shot through with these thoughts and emotions tenfold. Why had he attacked Duo when the other boy had mentioned Peacecraft? Sure, she had been a friend to him, a very good friend, but why should he attack an even closer friend because of her death? Why?

These thoughts and others burned Heero Yuy's soul and questions pierced his heart. Time was not of the essence, not out here. But with each question and thought that went unanswered, he felt as if he was accepting blow after aching blow to his spirit. He hoped that he would heal soon, because despite how painful it had been to get shot himself, this pain, this emotional pain that became almost physical, was five times as worse.

Erasing the serene look upon his face and replacing it with the Perfect Soldier mask of indifference, he headed back to Quatre's mansion. But despite his attempts to sort out his feelings and emotions, he had only succeeded in making them run deeper. And that frightened him more than any gun in the world.

***

Dirken sat languidly on his throne, concealed in the shadows behind Admiral Kinde. He smirked to himself. This boy, Kinde, was so naive, and yet so very useful, especially without his memories. He ran a hand through his lavender hair, disgust written on his brow as he pulled it into his vision. He despised this hair because it reminded him of the boy who had helped Angel so much in his last dimension.

Trunks had been the boy's name. Yes...Dirken mused to himself. He would exact his revenge on all seven dimensions. They had locked him up in a seemingly-inescapable area of the HFIL, known better as the Dead Zone. But he had left his body behind and had gone to the first dimension he could find that was not one of the seven.

He ended up in the middle of a war zone. He took over a body and found out what all the fuss was about. The Gundams...Operation Meteor...five boys...this dimension was a splendid place. He hopped from body to body, fueling emotions and feelings to aid the ever-growing bonfire of a war. He initially caused nearly everything that happened now.

Then that stupid man, Zechs Marquese or Miliardo Peacecraft or whatever his name was, had killed himself. Dirken had started another, though. He fueled Mariemeia Khushrenada's feelings of following in her father, Treize's footsteps. Then those stupid Gundams, along with that stupid Peacecraft, both siblings, and that idiotic Dorothy and those stupid men had all come together and defeated Mariemeia and Dekim.

Dirken started one final battle in which the last of the Mobile Dolls fought. Among them was this pea-brained, but prophet-dreamer boy. Dirken had spared him, killing the rest with a Demon's Flare.

He had found what he was looking for. This world's power. This world's item that held the keys to all. You see, Dirken could not escape this world unless he had his original body, which was still caught up in the Dead Zone.

Dirken had found the documents describing the gems. The Orbs of Emerald, as they were now called by Kinde's decision. Dirken had placed the idea in Kinde's head and found the two possible places they could be. Mars and some desert on Earth.

He grinned to himself, forgetting the lavender locks that framed his dark blue eyes. He would find them. And then he would rule over these eight worlds.

***

Rei Nani left the Admiral's chambers feeling tense. She was the Guardian of the Dimensional Gates and the Orbs, she wasn't some handmaiden! But of course, she was the only real one who could do the job. Protect the Orbs.

When Dirken the demon had pushed through the gates, she had been worried, sure. But when he'd discovered the existence of the Orbs, she'd panicked. She re-hid the Orbs separately, one inside a cave on the planet Mars, and one inside a young girl's heart. Jeminie Kinde was the Keeper of one of the Orbs, though she knew it not. Rei and the Keeper were connected through the Orb's aura.

The Orbs had special powers that Rei had to protect. One of them was the power to allow the wishes of their holder to come to pass, whether they be good or evil. Another was the power to rule over all of this world, regardless. There was no fighting the Orbs. That was why she had been made to protect them and the Gates.

"But I failed," Rei muttered aloud. "I failed to guard the gates. He still came through." She sighed and ran a delicate-looking hand through her cerulean hair.

And because of her poor insights on the reasoning behind guarding the Orbs, she had placed it within the one Keeper who wasn't a very good choice. If the Keeper died, so did the Orb. If the Keeper's heart remained unstable and on a roller-coaster of emotions, the Orb would lose its power and soon die out, taking the Keeper with it.
But not just the Keeper. If just one of the Orbs died, this dimension would vanish. Every possible outcome was inconceivable if that single gem was destroyed. If one or the other died, then the dimension would die with it.

In other words, this world was doomed if Jem's emotions didn't get set straight. She had a broken heart from her losses and she would need a miracle to mend it. But what kind of miracle could Rei give her? Rei was a goddess, for certain, but she couldn't give out miracles left and right without some sort of motivation and spirit behind the persons who received them.

And Jem was not motivated. In the least.

***

"You should go back to bed," Quatre suggested quietly. "Don't worry about Duo. He'll be fine."
"I'm not worried about him," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "I just don't want to be downstairs when Perfect Soldier and Wufei get back." It was a good excuse. But I was certain that he could see the worry in my eyes. I was worried about the stupid boy, I didn't know why. Maybe it was because he looked and acted so much like Jonathon...
"I'm with you on that one," Quatre chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Those two can be quite troublesome people." I laughed, too, my voice gravelly and rough.

Duo groaned softly.

"You think baka there's coming to?" I asked, repressing a grin as I jerked my thumb toward him.

"He could be just talking in his sleep," Quatre reversed. "Do you know Japanese?"

"I know tidbits of an array of different languages," I rolled my eyes. "Jonathon taught me. Mostly just insults and how to count and say hello and goodbye."

"In Japanese?"

"Yeah, and Spanish and just a tiny amount of German," I shrugged. "It was no big deal, our old house had a huge library all to itself."
"Tell me some, then," his voice sounded smug and I knew he was trying to get me to slip up.

"Okay, let's see here...Jap first. Konnichi Wa, Ohayo Gozaimasu, Ja Ne, Sayonara, Ichi, Ni, Son, Go. Can I stop anytime soon?"

"Yeah, there's good," he nodded. "What about the insult part?"

"I've promised myself and my family that I will never go beyond heck and hell," I grinned mischievously. "And that's Jigoku, I'm pretty sure."
I cocked my head gently, hearing a noise downstairs.

"They're back," I informed Quatre. "I should be getting to sleep. G'night."

"Pleasant dreams," he added a soft smile and a wave before turning his attention back on the sleeping Duo. (AN-That's one person, not two.)

***

Wufei walked back in the house, just behind Heero, who he'd found about a hundred yards from the house. The black-haired boy had thought long and hard over his standings and had come to a single conclusion that was shocking, even to him. The girl was strong. The others were right. As much as it was a dishonor on his pride, he knew that he had to make an apology to the others so as not to lose even more of it.

But he'd almost never apologized to anyone before, mostly because he was almost never wrong about something. Even though it was an injustice to his pride, he'd told Heero that he was sorry about the little comment on Peacecraft. Heero had simply nodded and walked past him into the living room of the house.

"Yuy?" Wufei asked, shocked at what he saw. Was the Japanese boy really planning on it? Had he been just in time to stop him? "Why is the gun in your hand?"

Heero looked at his right hand and saw that he still held the gun in his hand from when he had been studying it. Replacing it in his pocket (AN-Nobody knows where he really puts it, so I'm guessing it's in his pocket. *shrugs*), he shook his head, showing mild bafflement on his face as he headed upstairs.

Shaking his head with a sigh, the Chinese boy headed up the stairs where he'd seen Winner and the girl take Maxwell. He had a small spark of hope that Yuy hadn't actually succeeded in killing the American, and was slightly relieved to see him resting peacefully in bed, though he did not reveal it to Winner (AN-Um...what nationality is Quatre and Trowa?).

"Hello, Wufei," Winner said as soon as he noticed the other boy. "What brings you here?"
"I...I suppose I just wanted to tell you guys that...um..." suddenly, the Chinese boy was at a loss for words. It wasn't normal, he knew, but things did not always go as he planned it. "I wanted to apologize. I am sorry for the trouble I have caused."
Winner smiled gently and nodded. "It's okay, Wufei. We all know what it's like to have to apologize. Maybe even Heero's had that pleasure once."
"I doubt Yuy has ever apologized," Wufei said, sinking into the chair, unbeknownst to him, that Jem had occupied minutes ago. "Where's the girl?"

"She went to bed right before you guys came in," Quatre smirked. "She's a lot better a person than what she's led on, though. And a lot smarter."
"I just hope she's strong enough," Wufei smirked. "With us for instructors, she'd better be."

***

The next morning, I awoke to the smell of bacon cooking in the kitchen. A knock on the door pulled me out of my half-asleep state and, sitting up, I called to whoever it was to come inside. I was greeted with Quatre's blue eyes and an armful of clothes.

"G-Good morning, Jem," he said reproachfully. "I brought you some fresh clothes." I cocked an eyebrow at his strange behavior and inquired on it.
"What happened to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're acting scared," I said, giving him a nudging look with my eyes.

"Oh..." he blushed. "Well, I'm sort of used to my sisters and well...they aren't exactly morning people."
"Not all girls are girls, if ya know what I mean," I said, smirking. "Unlike most people, I am a morning person. I have been since I stopped going to school." I shrugged, getting up and trying to smooth out my jeans. "I guess that without a priority to run with, I sort of...I don't know how to explain it."

"Oh," he nodded as if he completely understood, but I knew he didn't because he set the clothes down on the dresser. "D-Do you w-want m-me to ch-check? On your wound?" His stuttering voice sent me into a fit of giggles unlike anything I had ever expected out of myself. I was usually not a laughing person, but...the confused look on his face combined with the innocent and trying stammers was just too much.

"Of course," I said, taking a deep breath. "I have a brother, you have sisters, there's not really a big difference between me and them and you and...him." I bit my lip gently, then raised my eyebrows.

"Okay, if you're sure..." he nodded uncertainly. I rolled my eyes. Now it was just getting annoying. I lifted my loose T-shirt, leaving my sport's bra in place. I helped Quatre slowly and trying-my-patience carefully unravel the Ace bandage, followed by the roll gauze, and finally the non-stick gauze, revealing an almost-healed scrape along my side. His eyes went wide in shock and looked from my face to the scarred wound and back again.
"How did it heal so quickly?" he asked finally, realizing that my patience was wearing thin with him at the moment. "I mean...a wound like this on one of the others or myself would have taken a week just to scab, and a month to scar like this!"
"I told you before," I said with a tired sigh. My body wasn't weary, just my patience with reactions like this one. "My body heals very quickly, especially cuts and scrapes. I don't know why, it just...happens." I shrugged, sending a small shoot of pain down my side. My face grimaced lightly, but the dull, throbbing pain I'd felt earlier had vanished.

"Okay...whatever you say," he shook his head. "I'm going to check on Duo. Get dressed, breakfast is ready."

"I'll come with you to see Duo after I get dressed," I said grimly. "I do not want to face Perfect Soldier or Wufei after last night. Give them a chance to chill, know what I mean?"

"Do I," he laughed lightly, then closed the door, locking it on the way out. Studying my wound for the first time, I couldn't believe how quickly it had healed either, truth be told. A bullet wound like that couldn't have healed this quickly, it just wasn't possible. But impossible things happened every second of every day, so who was I to complain that I wasn't in absolute agony in bed for a month?

My new clothes consisted of a pair of black jeans that fit loosely with it cinched around my waist by a brown leather belt and another loose T-shirt like the one before. Quatre had also been kind enough to give me a brush, which I quickly ran through my hair. My footsteps were silent as I headed toward Duo's bedroom. I was met by Quatre at the door.

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you," Quatre whispered, shutting the door. "He's awake."
"I'll set him straight. Come on, back me up," I grabbed Quatre's arm and marched into the room.

"So, you're up then, huh?" I asked, my composure nothing short of pure confidence as I crossed my arms over my chest. Quatre stood behind me, still baffled.

"Of course I'm up, where's Heero, I oughta-"
"You oughta shut your mouth once in a while," I interrupted, giving him a glare that meant for him to be seen and not heard. "It may save your life around these guys. Geez, you'd think that with the Perfect Soldier pointing his gun every which way and Chang in there talking about justice and honor that you'd learn to keep your big mouth shut when things get tense. You let your guard down and stepped over into dangerous territory by mentioning Peacecraft. Big no-no on trigger-happy folks, Maxwell." Duo stared at me, dumbfounded, and Quatre gaped, neither one thinking I'd ever say such things. But it was true, wasn't it? And it got Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky to shut his ever-running trap, didn't it?

"Now, why don't we look at that big head of yours?" I asked cheerfully, with them both still staring straight at me. It was unnerving, the least be told. He continued to stare, as did Quatre. I cleared my throat. "Okay, this is the part where you're supposed to nod and say, 'yes, ma'am'. Hello? Duo? Can you even hear me? You're not deaf, are you?" I waved my hand in front of his eyes and he nodded very slowly. Quatre walked over and nonchalantly began unwrapping the bandage, being extremely deft. Studying it, the dried blood and a small scab covering it revealed that it hadn't been very bad at all, more likely just give him a major headache these next couple days, but that was it.

"Okay, how many fingers am I holding up?" I asked sweetly, holding up two. He studied them closely and said four. I sighed. "Close enough, let's get downstairs. Breakfast and all. Can't wait to face those two raging bulls after what happened yesterday." Notice the supreme sarcasm. Duo gave a weak laugh, attempting not to because of his head. He winced, though, making me smile.
"Wimp," I teased him.
"I am not!" he cringed.

"Are so," I argued back playfully.

"Not!" Wince.

"So!"

"Not!" Wince

"How long is this going to continue?" Quatre moaned.

"Wimp!" I tempted him again.
"I am not!" He grimaced again.

"Are so!"

"Not!" Wince.

"Not!"
"So!" He winced again, and realized a split second what he had said, making the three of us laugh again. I smirked as this induced even more pain on the poor, helpless boy and ensued the temptation of causing more pain by jabbing him in the ribs. Jon and I used to play this game all the time...Duo was way too much like him. For some reason, however, this did not make me as sad as I had thought it would. It actually made me...happy.

I shrugged off this as soon as we reached the table, where two sullen faces glared at glasses of orange juice and plates of bacon, eggs, and buttered toast. I didn't know whether to consider this a funny situation or a serious one, because they looked mad at their toast, not at us. When Heero glanced up, however, his expression softened slightly, only reverting back to his indifferent Perfect Soldier mask instead of a stewing rage.

Wufei did not glance up until we were all seated at the table. He looked at me in particular and scowled. I scowled right back and fought the urge to childishly stick out my tongue at him. After all, it would only prove how "weak" I was.

"I wish to apologize for my actions yesterday," he said stiffly, sitting up in his chair with what could only be described as military grace. I could tell this apology hurt his pride immensely, but did not soak in satisfaction because of it. I was not one to wallow in the glory of overcoming another, no matter how rude they may be.

"Apology accepted," I said, a smirk on my face. "But only if we start training soon."
"We start tomorrow," Wufei answered, taking a quick sip of his orange juice. "At six AM sharp." I nodded decisively and smiled.

"Then it is good that you get a chance to cool first. I wouldn't want tempers flaring during training. It isn't very convenient."

"Believe me. It will not be convenient," the Chinese boy smirked, his dark eyes holding a malice so deep, I knew it right then and there that I had gotten myself onto some thin ice and only proving my strengths would I be able to get back to the salted and swept walkway.

***

This single idea took a lot longer than I anticipated, so the next chapter is going up.