Fitful Wishing, pt. 4: The Demon Suit
Sequel to 'Inside the Forbidden'
Prologue- Meeting of Fate
Everyone had gathered at Relina PeaceCraft's mansion. She was there, joined by Dorothy Catolina. To everyone's surprise(mainly everyone but the Gundam pilots) they had been the ones giving out the missions.
"They should be back from lunch soon," said Duo. He stopped to look out the window.
"Stop pacing," said Trowa. "They can take care of themselves." Duo sat down, not too far from the window. Something was wrong, he could sense it. But it wasn't nessacarily with Nicca. Just them in general.
Suddenly, he saw her car pull up, followed by Makaro's motorcycle. She got off and shook her hair loose from her helmet.
"You let her ride on that?" asked Quatre. Trowa shrugged.
"It's not an issue we've had an easy time with." Someone other Alex, Seneca, or Caia got out of Nicca's car with them.
"Oh, god," said Duo. "It can't be." He stood up. "It is. Holy shit, it is."
"What?" asked Heero. By the time he was at the window, they had made it inside. "Who was it, Duo?" Duo just kept shaking his head.
"I don't believe it," he muttered. Makaro came in, laughing, followed by Alex, who was staring at something in her hand, Nicca, who was laughing, Caia, still playing with her dagger, and Seneca talking to a tall man with long blonde hair and sharp blue eyes.
"Oh my god." Relina's hand flew to her mouth. "My brother!"
"Zechs?" Seneca stopped talking and stepped aside. She grabbed Makaro's arm and yanked her into the hallway.
"Lee's lost her mind, from what Miliardo was telling me," she said urgently. "Yelling at demons, saying she needed to die. We could be dealing with a full fledged mental case here, regardless of who's got Lee's body."
"That doesn't change a thing," said Makaro. "Lee's gotta be in there. For Alex's sake, and Uncle Sage and Aunt Houta, we're gonna free her from whatever internal hell Shisama's putting her through, got it?"
"Loud and clear, Maka-so." They both went back into the room and found Relina tearfully hugging her brother and the Gundam pilots having a distinct conversation with the others girls.
"Will you calm down already?" Nicca hissed to Duo. "Think of it this way: Shisama's goin' down. It doesn't matter whose part of it, as long as it happens. I will not let him win, but we need your cooperation." This time Trowa pulled Makaro out of the room.
"What's Alex's plan?" he asked. She sighed.
"To quote Nicca-so: "Half of us create a diversion, half of us do the leg work." We're turning our suits in first. That way, when you guys do it, we'll be there. She's still not sure which of us is diversation and which are the ones who are risking ourselves to save Lee."
"That's insane," he said. "It's Alex. But what does Zechs have to do with this?"
"Lee tried to kill herself. She would've succeeded, if he hadn't saved her. Now he wants to save her from Shisama with us. I wasn't about to tell him no."
"What does everybody else think?"
"Nicca's all for it because it makes no sense, Seneca's only gonna do it if she's sure Heero's not gonna get killed, Caia just wants a chance at running that bastard Shisama through, and Alex wants her sister back. Plain and simple."
"What about you?"
"You know me," she said with a forced chuckle. "I just want to get him for everything he's done in the past. I owe this world that much. It's in my blood." She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled. "So. Are you in?"
"Mara-ko, you know someone's gonna get killed," he said. "And I don't want it to be you." She sighed.
"Trowa, you know, I could kill you for being so damn nice," she said. "But it'll probably kill you in the end. Look, I'm not worried about dying: it's not an option on this mission. Anyone dies, we're screwed. We all have to stay alive to fight Shisama until he's gone." She leaned towards him. "Lucky for you, I skipped the garlic bread at lunch." He smiled gently and wrapped his arm around her waist. Just then, the door opened.
"Hey," said Nicca. "You wanna get in here? We've got some planning to do." She shut the door and Makaro made a noise in the back of her throat.
"We should probably go in there," said Trowa. She nodded and sighed.
"Yeah probably." He let her go and they walked into the room. Makaro hit her friend upside the head as she moved to sit on the windowsill. "What's up?"
"We're going with Alex's plan," said Relina. "But instead of you going first, the guys are. My brother will accompany you when you go. The first priority is Lee. Second is your battle with Shisama."
"Sounds good," said Makaro. "If it works. One more thing: no one dies. I find out you're dead, I'll kill you again, do we have an understanding? That's not even a last resort. And it goes for everyone too, even those of us staying behind."
Chapter 1- The Beginning
Duo ducked under a bullet and ran down the hallway. Damn! He needed a gun!
Something grabbed his arm and yanked into a side alley. The soldiers ran past and he looked at the person who had saved him, but it was too dark. Until she pulled the hood back on her sweatshirt and revealed dark black hair pulled into a ponytail.
"Only you, Duo," said Nicca. "Could be the distraction and not have a gun. Didn't that thought ever occur to you?"
"Yeah," he said. "When they started shooting at me." She rolled her eyes and shifted around. The alley wasn't exactly big, but she managed to pull a gun from the holster on her leg. "What's that?"
"Colt Python," she said. "Make sure you get rid of the safety." Then she pulled another from her other leg and it clicked as the safety was removed.
"Geez," he said. "How much heat are you packing?"
"Three pythons and a machine gun I pulled off a soldier," she said. "And a detonator."
"To what?"
"It's connected to my suit. All else fails, I can take out my suit, and hopefully the other ones too. I won't let them fall into the wrong hands." There was the sound of more voices. The soldiers had doubled back. They would be seen this time.
"You look great," said Duo. Nicca grinned.
"Later, hon. We've got some ass to kick." She gave his hand a firm squeeze and ducked out of the alley. There were several shots before Duo moved and by then, she had gotten them all. "I'm still goin' after Lee. Get to the mobile suits and get ready for a battle of some major proportions."
"Be careful," he said. "Something's up."
"Duo, we're in the middle of the enemy's main base. Yeah, something's up." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Stay safe, love. We've got a battle to win." She dropped the empty cartridge and pulled out another one, then disappeared into the shadows. There was a definite click that echoed in the nothingness around him before he went down a separate hallway.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Get down, Heero!" yelled Seneca. She grabbed his arm and yanked him to the ground as the mine went off, killing the soldiers that had come in opposite him. "You've got great timing, you know? You could've been killed!"
"I didn't know you were in here," he said. "Just calm down. How did you get in here with mines? I barely got a gun past these guys."
"It wasn't easy. I had to hide them in my mobile suit and get them during the chaos. Nicca had an easier time with her load, but Makaro and Alex are the ones with the real heat. Are you alright?" She wiped blood from his cheek, but it wasn't his own. "I didn't think it would be like this, did you?" He didn't say anything. "Lee's not far from here. Alex and Makaro must've found her, because they went through that door." She indicated the one with the numerous bodies surrounding it.
"Are you going after them?" he asked. She nodded.
"But I wanted to clear the way first. Get to the hanger." She stood up and cocked her gun. "The other guys are going there, right? We're gonna do some major damage to this place. See ya'."
"Seneca-chan, wait." She faced him, a confused, but dangerous look in her eyes. "Don't get killed."
"Right. Like that's the first thing on my mind." She started to leave, but he grabbed her arm and kissed her warmly. She kissed him back immediately. "Flyboy," she said breathlessly when he broke off. "That took you long enough. Now be careful. You and I gotta talk when this is over." She ran off down the hallway, barely missing tripping over a dead body. The things you do to me, flyboy, she thought, shaking her head. And the things I'm gonna do to you if you don't make it out of here alive.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Makaro dropped the empty gun and pulled another one from the holster under her jacket. There were only a few soldiers left, but that was certainly a lot of guys for one room.
"Lex, get in there!" she yelled. A bullet whizzed by her head, barely missing her. "Go!"
"Got it covered!" Alex ducked into the room and shut the door behind her. "Whoa. Someone shoot the decorator." Black. Completely and totally. With pale light coming from tons of candles placed around the room. Sitting by the only true light, an almost dead fire, was Lee, her head bowed. "Lee-so!"
"You shouldn't have come," said Lee. "You should've done what Lord Shisama said to." There was a click of a gun and cold metal pressed against her temple.
"Leave my sister, or I'll kill you both," whispered Alex darkly. "And don't call my bluff. Search Lee's memories. She knows how serious I can get when it comes to shit like this."
"No matter what she tells me, I will not believe that you'll kill her. She's your precious sister. You made such a daring raid on my lord's base to save her."
"Flattery will get you a hole in your head." Alex's finger pressed the trigger slowly. "Five."
"You're too weak to do it."
"Four."
"You'll never go through with it."
"Three."
"She's too important."
"Two."
"You're too weak!"
"Shut up, damn you!" Alex's wrist snapped and she pulled the trigger, but the bullet hit Lee's leg and lanced through to the floor. "Lee! Wake up, damn you! Only you can defeat this thing!"
"Alex?" Lee whispered hesitantly. "Where am I?"
"Just fight it, sis. I'll be right here." Lee tried to say something, but pain ripped through her, based at the mark on her arm. She jumped up and slammed a force of power into Alex's chest. The dark haired girl flew backwards and went through the door.
"Lex-chan!" yelled Makaro. "What the hell?"
"It's too strong," groaned Alex, pushing herself off the ground. "We have no choice. We've gotta find Nicca and the detonator. Plan A's failed. Time for Plan B."
"I don't think we liked this plan, did we?" Alex shook her head as the Lee demon started coming. She grabbed her friend's hand and ignored the pain in her chest. "Let's go."
Lee watched her sister and Makaro run from the demon that had taken over her body. God, she wanted to get out! But she didn't have the energy. The only thing she had were her memories. And somehow, they kept going back to the same person: the blonde guy who had saved her. And she hadn't even caught his name.
They run. They don't care about you. Lee ignored the voice and concentrated her thoughts. She felt warmth flow to the part of her that was trapped.
Wisdom I won't fail you. I will win.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"There's the hanger!"
"There's the guys!" Nicca and Seneca ducked. "Will you leave us alone already?!" yelled Nicca. She emptied another cartridge and dropped the gun. "I'm out of ammo. We had better hope Alex and Makaro got Lee."
"I think we'd be hoping to much." Alex and Makaro leapt over the edge of a catwalk and landed on the ground easily near everyone.
"Do we have everybody?" asked Makaro breathlessly. "'Cause we've got one hell of a problem. Lee can't win. She's fully gone. There's one choice left. Nicca, do you still have the detonator?"
"Yeah," said Nicca. "It's right... damn it. Duo, give it back!" Duo grinned sheepishly and tossed the detonator to her. "You idiot," she added handing it to Makaro. "Where's Lee?"
"She was right behind us-" There was an explosion and Lee lowered her hand, then walked into the hanger.
"You are all weak," she said, her voice hollow and resounding. "I will destroy you. In the name of darkness."
"Something's wrong," said Miliardo.
"She's possessed?" said Duo. Miliardo shook his head.
"The mark on her arm. It changed. It was the symbol of the Jackals last time." Alex shook her head.
"No," she said. "It hasn't changed. It's the birthmark she's had since she was a baby. The symbol of wisdom."
"She has a birthmark shaped like wisdom?" asked Duo. "Hey Nicca, do you have a birthmark like that?" She rolled her eyes and leveled the last round of her ammunition at Lee.
"One shot, I swear that's all it'll take," she said. "Just say the word, Makaro."
"No," said Makaro. "We go down, we go down together. One life. One mission." She lifted the detenator up and rested her finger on the trigger. "I hope you can hear me, Shisama! You're play toys are about to become scrap metal! Hope you're taking up a collection." She pressed the trigger.
Chapter 2- Tricked Into Hell
Debris and flame exploded from the wall just behind them: nowhere near the suits. Makaro went down hard, pulling Nicca with her.
"What the hell happened?!" shouted Heero. Lee-demon laughed.
"You underestimate us," she said. "We knew what you were going to do. We knew about it the whole time. You're bombs were easy to remove."
"Damn it!" Dust clogged Makaro's lungs and she struggled to get up, but a large rocked pinned her legs. "Lee-so, listen to me! You have to fight!" She only laughed louder.
"The Lee you knew is dead!" she yelled. Light formed in her hand. "And you will all be too. Starting with you, Maka-so." Makaro collapsed, unable to get in a full breath to her lungs.
"Alliana." The demon stopped and turned around. Lee jerked from her trance. That voice... "You're life is worth more then this. Just like theirs are. Alliana, only you can beat what's taken over your mind. It's all up to you." Something flashed across the girl's eyes. Sanity, her soul, some combination of the two. Then it was gone and she screamed in rage.
"Miliardo PeaceCraft!" she yelled. "You should've died! This would be so much easier if you had just died in the explosion of the Libra's system..." She trailed off uncertainly, then a beam of light solidified in her hand, resembling a sword. "But I will kill you know and you will stay dead. Forever."
"Lee, listen to him!" hollered Alex, trying to free her lower body from the rock pile. Quatre stood up and tried to help her, but there was intense pain in his leg. "He's the only that's making sense to you! Lee, I know you can win! Don't leave us!" She passed out too, unable to breathe.
"Ale... Alexian?" Lee fell to her knees, the light sword disappearing. "My sister... what have I done?!" She screamed again, this time in pain. "Just leave me, demon! I have no use for you!" Miliardo knelt down and touched her arm gently. The instant his fingers brushed the mark, black light erupted from her body, then vanished completely and she lay on the ground, unmoving. The mark was wisdom again.
"It's gone," said Seneca. "Lee's finally free." She pushed a rock off her ankle and stood up. "Did we lose anyone?"
"Some blood and sanity, but I'm okay," said Caia. "Alex and Makaro need to get some fresh air. They've been at the bad end of this battle from the start." Between her, Trowa, and Heero, they managed to get the chunk of wall off her. She groaned and pushed herself up.
"We have got to get the hell out of here," she coughed. "Before Shisama sends more men. Where's Lee?"
"She's okay," said Trowa. "You said you weren't going to get hurt."
"No," she said. "I said I wouldn't get killed. There's a difference."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The house was deadly quiet. Caia was sitting on Wufei's legs and both of them were asleep, her head on his shoulder. Makaro and Alex were in the middle of a chess game that should've ended long before, but neither of them noticed or cared. Miliardo, Lee, and Relina were on the balcony with the door closed. Trowa, Quatre, and Dorothy were talking quietly in the kitchen. Nicca was laying on the couch, her head in Duo's lap, both of them half asleep. Seneca was across the table from Heero, her head resting on her hands, talking to him in whispers. He would nod occasionally and answer her, but the silence around them could not be broken.
"Checkmate," said Alex. Makaro nodded, but they kept playing. Both of them were lost in thought. Trowa walked inside and sat down by her. She snapped out of her trance and looked at him. Alex laid back on the floor and stared at the ceiling as the others came in. "Let's face it, guys. We screwed up big time. We barely managed to get out and now Shisama's gonna do something bad to the colonies and Earth."
"The only one who screwed this up is me," said Lee. "You risked your lives to save me, but if I had just fought from the beginning, Shisama never would've gotten to me."
"Lee-so, it's not your fault," said Makaro. "We weren't prepared enough for his strength. But we are now. And we'll win." She dropped her head into her hands. "But the costs are going to be high. Too high. There's gotta be another way."
"There isn't," said Alex. "We have no choice." Makaro nodded.
"Let's do it." They acted quickly and caught the guys off guard. "I wish we didn't have to do this," she said. She brushed Trowa's bangs out of his face. He was unconscious, like the rest of them. "I really do. But it's for their own good." There was a click of a gun and Nicca tossed it to her. Makaro stuck it in her back pocket and rose to her feet. "Shisama's going down."
Chapter 3- Trapped Forever
"What the hell is that?!" yelled Alex. She cut through three Aries and a Leo. "Tell me that's not what I think it is."
"Somehow, Shisama combined with the Tall Geese," said Seneca. She used the electricity lit end of her glaive to destroy a few Taurus dolls. "Let's go!"
"He's mine!" said Nicca. She dove at him, the beam sabre raised in her hand. She hit a shield that she hadn't seen and was thrown back. "Damn!"
"Nicca-so, chill," said Makaro. "We're gonna take this easy. We've got all the time in the world right now."
"Yup." Alex closed her eyes. "I wonder what death is like."
"It's gotta be better then this," said Seneca. "But I feel bad about leaving the guys behind. Maybe we should have said good bye."
"I'll say good bye in my own way," said Makaro. "I won't let them die."
"Whatever floats your boat," said Nicca. "But no matter what happens, Shisama has to be destroyed." The half demon half metal creature was moving towards them. "Let's surround and kill."
"Works for me," said Caia. She and Seneca fired their rockets and landed on the ground on his other side. "Re-"
"What is that?!" Nicca swore and sighed at the same time. "Ni-ko, you've got some explaining to do."
"No, I don't," she said. "You do. Didn't you get a clue that we didn't want you in this battle?"
"It's our battle as much as yours," said Heero. "You shouldn't have come out here on your own."
"I have a killer headache," said Wufei. "Where did you learn to hit that hard, Caia-so?"
"Does that matter?" she snapped. "We're going to beat him. Just stay out of our way."
"Darkness!" yelled Shisama. The ground shook and tore apart, leaving the girls with Shisama and the guys with the other dolls and suits. "You can't defeat me. You're parents tried and failed."
"Things are different," said Makaro. Her hand moved carefully to a red button surrounded by black and yellow lines. "Our parents taught us too much to let it go to waste. Your dead, Shisama!" She slammed her palm down onto the button. Time seemed to slow down. One by one, her friends followed suit, but the result was the same: self detonation.
"No!" yelled Trowa. "Makaro!"
"You can't do this!" said Duo. "Nicca!"
"Don't die!" shouted Quatre. "Alex!"
"Caia, stay strong."
"Seneca, live through this."
"Alliana, trust your friends." The light pulled back and from the flames, Shisama(unharmed) still stood. Only now, he was laughing.
"They were too weak. Their parents taught them nothing," he said. Suddenly, the flames twisted. They were scattered around light that was exactly where the girls had been.
"What the hell?" asked Duo. "Oh my god..."
"It can't be," said Trowa.
"Shisama!" said Makaro. "You will not win!"
"No!" cried Shisama. "It's those damned armors!"
"They look like their suits..." Wufei trailed off. "How is it possible?"
"Hundreds of years ago, you fought our parents," said Caia. Her dagger gleamed. "You were defeated, but not killed."
"You're reign of terror will end," said Alex. "Today." She unsheathed a dagger identical to Caia's, only with one symbol.
"I cannot be killed!" said Shisama with an insane laugh. "But you are mortal. You will be destroyed." He tried to slice Makaro with his beam sabre, but it was deflected. "No! What are you?!"
"We are everything you forced into us," she said. "You created our hatred, but you also gave us the one thing you thought you could use against us. The Gundam pilots have been our hope these last months. Nothing will take away what they have given us. What you gave us, indirectly. Now. Here is your just desserts. Phoenix... SCORCH!"
"Earth... SOAR!"
"Air... DIVINE!"
"Light... STRIKING!"
"Ice... SILENCE!"
"Infero... RAGE!" The six powers converged on him. Heero shielded his eyes from the light that exploded outward, but when it cleared, there was no Shisama. Only a dark light that twisted around the girls.
"Ancients!" cried Makaro as the black waves reached her. "Hear my blight. Release our light!" More energy shot from the ground and formed around them. Then it spread around the corruption and it all was gone, except them. The fissure closed and they fell to the ground, Makaro holding on the longest. The gate to Hell had to be closed! If it takes my last breath, she heard her mother's words in her mind as the ground loomed closer. I'll defeat that bastard. The world deserves so much more.
The world deserves so much more, Makaro agreed silently. I promise that. She hit the ground hard, but had no energy to move. The full effect of the self detonation was kicking in. The FireWing armor had kept the pain away, but it was gone. For good. It had to keep the seal on Shisama's prison, just like the other five. Hopefully the Ronins power was still somewhere and could help.
"Makaro, are you okay?" Her eyes flew open and she looked up at Trowa with death in her eyes. "Mara-ko..."
"Seneca!" Heero lifted her shoulders off the ground and she smiled at him gently. "What are you...?"
"Please, Alex," said Quatre, feeling tears. "Don't die. You can't..."
"Alliana," said Miliardo. Lee's body felt gone. It just didn't exist. "Don't leave..."
"Caia." Wufei knelt on the ground by her and she shifted her hand carefully. The dagger was blood stained. Her blood. "Caia, don't go..."
"What are you?" asked Duo softly. Nicca rested her head on his shoulder, but she wasn't able to speak. "Are you... an angel?" There was a soft chuckle and he felt her die in his arms. There was no way anyone could've survived what she had been through.
"I... I'm sorry," Makaro whispered to Trowa. "I lied. I promised you I wouldn't get killed..." Her breathing was shallow and harsh. He wrapped his hand around hers.
"You won't die," he said quietly. "You can't, Mara-ko."
"I won't die... I'll always be with you..." Her hand reached for the dagger that was laying on the ground and she touched it, but her strength left her completely and her last breath was wasted.
"I... want you to know..." Caia trailed off and took Wufei's hand. She wrapped his fingers around the hilt of her dagger. "Remember me..."
"Heero," said Seneca. She forced her voice to stay steady. "I was never... as strong as you. Don't let yourself die. For my sake..."
"I never... thanked you," said Lee. "For saving me. Twice... if you hadn't been there... Shisama would've won... thank you..."
"Just live, Alliana," said Miliardo. "Just live." She gave a small laugh.
"The one thing I can't do to repay your kindness..."
"Master Quatre... tell the Maganacs and Master Rasid that I owe them my life... I can never return what they've done for me..." Alex bit down a cry of pain.
"You've done more then anyone could've expected," said Quatre. She brushed his bangs from his face carefully and smiled weakly. "Don't die, Alex. We all love you too much to let you go. I love you."
"Quatre... everything will make sense... someday..." She took in one final breath of air and her body went limp. Her pain was over, just like her friends. Caia's eyes closed and her fingers loosened on the dagger. Seneca simply let go of her life and collapsed against Heero's chest. Lee closed her eyes too and lay on the ground, unmoving, her blood soaking into the dirt. Then, they vanished. Their bodies simply disappeared. The only thing left were the six daggers, blood stained and dulled...
Chapter 4- Alarms and Bells
BBBRRRIIINNNGGG! Makaro jerked up, entangled herself in her comforter and fell off her bed. She cursed herself and slammed her fist onto her alarm clock. The ringing stopped and she angrily threw her blanket back on her bed. A dream. A damn dream. But it had seemed so real... the pain, the feelings when she was around... damn! "Makaroan." She lifted her head and saw her mom standing in the doorway. "Is something wrong, honey?"
"Nothing," she said. Then she ran to her and hugged her tightly. "Oh, Mom!"
"Maka-so, what's happened to you?" asked her mother worriedly. "I thought you'd be happy to be back after so long."
"Back? Did I..." Makaro pulled back, confused. "Did I leave?"
"The FireWing armor knew your wish to come home and brought you back to us, my dearest daughter," answered her mother. "What happened to Shisama?" Makaro sat down on her bed, hard, and felt pain echo through her. Tears came and she buried her face in her pillow.
"He's gone," she sobbed. "But we lost... I don't know... if..." Her mother sat next to her and wrapped her arms around her daughter.
"It'll be alright," she said softly. "Destiny will do what it wants. If you're supposed to be together, then you will be. Your father and I learned that lesson the hard way."
"Oh, god, mom. I don't even know if he's alive. I didn't even tell him... he doesn't know..."
"He knows, honey. If it's truly what you think it is, he knows." She stood up and walked from the room. Makaro followed her and met the rest of her friends in the backyard. Nicca was angry to hell.
"I just left him!" she said. "I didn't even say good bye! After Hildi, god knows what he's gonna do! No, wait, I do. He's gonna do something stupid and get himself killed and I'm not there to stop him!"
"He was so kind to me," Lee muttered. "Such a wonderful person... there was just something in his eyes..."
"Hello? Lee-so, Earth to Lee-so," said Seneca. "It's gone. It's all gone. They won't exist for hundreds of years, maybe more. Oh. My. God. What am I saying? Have I gone insane? There's gotta be a way back there."
"Oh yeah. I'll just hop in my time machine," said Alex sarcastically. "Unless you have a better idea."
"Does anyone wanna mention that you all sound like three year olds?!" yelled Caia. Her anger had hit it's boiling point. "And that you're not thinking?!"
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Hmm?"
"Us?"
"Not thinking?"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Charei stood with Rowen, watching Makaro on the back porch, looking at the stars.
"She really does love that boy," he said. "We can't keep her back."
"I don't want to lose her. She's the only daughter I have," said Charei. "And she'd be so far away..."
"Charei, it's not our choice. It's hers. She won't leave us. She'll always be in our hearts." She hesitated, then nodded. "Let's go talk to her." They both walked outside. Makaro turned around before they could speak.
"Mom, dad," she said. "I've made a decision. I've got to go back." Charei smiled gently.
"And we've made a decision too, Maka-so," she said. Makaro's daughterly side took over.
"I'll come back, I promise," she said. "But I have to make sure that Trowa's alright. And that Shisama hasn't done anything truly bad to their world. I have to, mom, I have to."
"Shhh," said Charei. "Let me talk. We want you to do what you feel is right. If that means you go back to that boy, this Trowa, then that's what you have to do. We won't stop you. But remember. If I have grandkids, I want to see them, damn it." Makaro stood, her mouth open, before she realized what they were saying.
"So... you want me to leave?" she asked. Rowen chuckled.
"No, Makaro, that's not what we want. But we want you to be happy. If that means you leave, then that's what it means. But we'll always love you." She closed her mouth and hugged them both.
"Thank you," she said. "And I will come back." She gave her mother a small smile. "Although, it might not be with kids. Don't hold your breath, mom." She turned and started down the stairs into the darkness. "Mom, dad?"
"Yes, honey?"
"I love you," she said. "And I always will." She turned and ran into the darkness. Alex and Lee met up with her. "Are you coming to?"
"Let's just hope we can do it."
"Hey, don't forget us." Seneca, Nicca, and Caia met them on top of the hill. "You wouldn't leave us behind, would you?" added Seneca with a small smile.
"Can we just go?" asked Lee. "I have someone I need to talk to you."
"It's not like you haven't been going on non stop about him," said Alex. "It's always 'Miliardo this' and 'Miliardo tha- Ow! Damn you, Lee-so!"
"You're one to talk, Lex-chan. Who's name do I keep hearing? Quatre's?" Lee grinned slyly.
"I just hope I'm not too late," said Nicca. "Come on! Let's go!" They each took someone's hand and closed their eyes.
"We call upon the full powers of the universe," said Makaro. Her voice was hollow, but her body was electric. "Take us back to... where we belong."
Epilogue- The Rose
The wind drifted through the trees. Duo knelt down on the ground on Nicca's grave, near Hildi's. They had nothing to bury, but they wouldn't let the memory of the girls die. Not like that.
"I lost you both," he whispered. "I failed you. I'm sorry." The wind picked up and it carried a strange sound with it. It sounded like laughter.
"Duo Maxwell," said a voice. Leaves twisted up and when they cleared, Nicca was standing over him, the light shining in her hair. "At least you didn't do anything stupid. Well, I don't think you did." She tossed her hair over her shoulder and knelt down in front of him. "Did you?"
"Ni-ko?" he asked. "You're alive... are you really...?"
"An angel?" She shook her head. "Sure. Why not?"
Heero brushed the dirt from his knees and turned to go. May you rest in peace, he thought. There was a cough behind him.
"Leaving, Heero?" asked Seneca quietly. "But I just got here."
"Alex, I'm sorry I failed you," whispered Quatre. He laid a yellow rose on the ground and closed his eyes. Something brushed his bangs back and chuckled when they fell again. He looked up and found himself staring directly into Alex's deep brown eyes. "Miss Alex?" She sat back on her heels and sighed.
"Quatre, don't call me that," she said. "It's Alex. Simply Alex. Otherwise, you might as well be one of the Maganacs." He smiled.
"Okay, Alex."
Wufei sat crossed legged on the ground and just looked at Caia's dagger in front of him. It had been cleaned and glittered in the sunlight that filtered through the trees, but it was still dull.
Where are you? he wondered. Caia, I miss you. Suddenly, the light was blocked. Familiar black boots stood just behind the dagger, flattening the soft grass.
"It almost looked better covered in blood," she said, picking up the knife and sliding it back in her sheath. "Well, are you gonna sit there all day? Come on, Wufei-chan. There's a whole life that's passing us by."
Miliardo laid the white flowers on the grass and stood up. The irony still churned in the back of his mind. His grave had become Lee's and she wasn't coming back. But Shisama's wrongs would be put right, before they did anymore damage.
"They're beautiful." He turned around and face Lee. Her blonde hair was shorter and loose, but her eyes still had the same light in them. "The flowers. Thank you, but they're not something I deserve. I did nothing of that much importance."
"You saved the world, Alliana," he said quietly. "As well as me. In many ways you will not know." She smiled gently.
"Not half as much as you saved me," she said. "I'd still be Shisama's pawn without you. I thank you, Miliardo PeaceCraft." She bowed partly. "From the bottom of my heart."
Trowa just stayed on his knees in the clearing far from everyone else and looked at the letters carved into the gravestone. None of it made any sense. Nothing could capture Makaro's memory. Not even her death.
"I love you..." he whispered. "And you never knew it..." A warm breeze ruffled his bangs as he laid the red rose a top the stone. "I won't forget you. I promise." Someone chuckled, but the wind carried it away. Then it came again. Familiar, and at the same time, wonderful. It was Makaro's laugh. He would never forget that either. Or her smile and the way her eyes danced everytime he came from the center ring. Suddenly, white sandals appeared in front of the lettering. Then the rest of her appeared. She lifted the rose carefully and closed her eyes as she smelled it.
"It's a nice thought, Trowa," she said. "But you know I like white roses better."
"Mara-ko?" he asked. "But... how? Where have you been?" She shrugged and slipped the rose into her ponytail.
"I went home," she said. "And I got to see my parents. They say hi."
"Your parents... but you came back. Why?" She jumped down and laced her fingers behind his head. She pulled him close to her.
"Why do you even ask?"
"You're beautiful," he said suddenly, his voice lost in the back of his throat. How often had he wanted to tell her that and never found a way?. She smiled.
"Coming from anyone else, I'd have to kill them," she said. "But for you... I can make an exception." He put his arm around her waist and-
"Hey! Maka-so! Where are you?!" said Nicca, coming through the trees. Makaro pulled back and threw her arms up in the air.
"Jesus Christ! Can we not get a moment of peace?!" she said.
"What'd I do?" asked Nicca. Makaro stopped, took a deep breath, and turned back to Trowa. She wrapped her arms around his neck and completely forgot that everyone was there simply by looking into his eyes.
"Screw it," she said. "Just forget it. I don't care anymore." Then she kissed him warmly. Nicca made a noise that sounded hurt.
"What is it?" asked Duo. She frowned and crossed her arms over her chest.
"I still don't know what I did!"
The End