Chapter Nineteen: The Price of Vengeance

I stalked out of that room, my thoughts blood red.
(howcouldshehowcouldhehowcouldshehowcouldhe)
I reached the hangar and almost ripped the door open. The rest of the pilots were making maintenance repairs to their gundams.
Reaching SoulShriek, I climbed in. "I'm going on recon, I will be back in four hours. The door to the cockpit started to close, suddenly a slender hands caught it and lifted it back up.
"Duo, shut my door."
"I hope you aren't going to do anything foolish."
"I won't, now let me go. . .Don't make me have to push you." I clenched my fists.
"Fine, Ill let you go, but if you need help-"
"I won't, good-bye." Prying his fingers off the sides, I closed the cockpit, opened the over head door and took off.
Forty miles. . .thirty. . .I thought about this man, Trieze Khushrenada. Who is he? Whoever he is, he will be dead by tonight.
". . .there's a. . .gundam. . .Gundam 07. . .It seems alone. . .send the Leos"
Twenty Leos came at me, machine guns blaring. Unstrapping my glaive, I sliced my way through their front line, taking only minor damage, myself.
"Attention OZ! I am looking for you leader, Trieze Khushrenada. Show yourself, your I will tear through your base until I find you."
"I am here."
Centering the origin of that transmission, I look to the top of the building. He stood there, alone. Smug bastard.
I brought my gundam to the top of the roof and got out. My silver pistol was trained at him. My eyes narrowed.
"It is time you died, you have caused way too much war and destruction on earth and in space."
He just smiled. I smiled back. And fired.
A white flash streaked across my vision as I fired. Falling to the ground with a sickening thud was the Lightening Baron, Zechs Merquise, carrying with him, Trieze's bullet in his chest.
"DAMN! That bullet was not for you!" I spiked my pistol on the concrete rooftop.
Zechs lay in a growing pool of blood, his mask cracked and partially broken. He struggled to speak. "Are. . .are you safe, your Excellency?"
"Yes. . .yes I am, thanks to you. Please, let me take this off."
The mask slid off, and for the first time in my life, my eyes lain upon dying beauty. His platinum blonde hair was matted with blood, his ice blue eyes gazed sightlessly in Trieze's direction. He tried to speak once more.
A crystalline tear ran down Trieze's face. "Save your strength, my friend, help is on the way."
Zechs sadly shook his head. "Oh no, my battle's fought. Just remember. . ." He coughed, and blood spatter across his lips and on Trieze. "It was . . .an honor. . . to be your solider. . .your friend. . .your lover. Good-bye, Trieze. Never forget me."
His head lolled listlessly and the eyes closed softly one final time. The Lightening Count was dead.
"God damn it all." I muttered as I paced silently while Trieze gently took off the velvet blue coat he wore and made a pillow for Zechs's head.
I turned away tears clouding my vision temporarily. Then I heard a metallic click. Dashing around, I saw Trieze, rage and grief flashing across his face, alternating like the sun in a summer storm. He had an old fashioned pistol trained at me.
"How. . .could you?" Two more tears slid down his cheeks unchecked, chin quivering, his face on the point of collapsing only supreme effort and force of will holding him together.
"I meant to kill you, Trieze. Only because of his love for you, you are alive now. He is just one more life lost for the sake of you and the organization of OZ."
His eyes narrowed to slits of sapphire. "Yes, his life was lost. And you will pay for it, oh yes, my dear you are going to pay for it."
He pulled the trigger. I felt a swift jabbing pain in my right forearm. Wincing and sucking in a hiss, I pulled out the dart he fired. I turned and ran back to SoulShriek. A gray mist clouded my vision and my breathing grew shallow and rapid. I made it to my gundam and sat slowly in the still opened cockpit. I looked out and saw Trieze walk towards me in what seemed like slow motion. I moaned as consciousness lost it's hold on me, "Noooo, pleaaassssse. . ."
Trieze walked over to the unconscious pilot. Her brow was smooth, yet clammy with sweat. He glanced over her dark brown skin and absently ran a hand through her short dark red hair. He placed his hand on one side of her head, stroking her cheek and leaned forward, whispering in her ear. "Oh, no my dear. . .I will not harm you while you are unconscious, no. There is no honor in that. How ever, once you awaken, you're going to wish you were never born." He tenderly kissed her cheek. . .
Duo's eyes flew open. He sat up in his bed, the book he was reading fell to the floor. "Sweet gods of death, what has she done. . ."