Cheyenne III - The Rebirth of Life

Zacha winced slightly as Deathscythe came into the Earth's atmosphere; it was the most awkward thing she'd ever felt, her insides shaking so violently that she thought they had shifted. She glanced to her side at Duo, who was smiling casually, humming "Miss American Pie." So far, Earth was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen, but it certainly hurt like hell getting in! Zacha raised an eyebrow and sighed, catching Duo's attention.

"What's wrong?" Duo asked, looking at the areas he knew still hurt. "Daijoubu ka. There's another dose of that medicine Wufei gave you in the box under your seat if you need it."

"No, I'm okay. Still hurts a little, but I'll live." Zacha smiled up warmly at him, then into the screen at Earth. That beautiful green and blue orb seemed to welcome her as they came down at a steady pace. Closer and closer. Zacha's eyes shut as they landed, bracing herself slightly. Suddenly, all was still. All lights inside Deathsythe's cockpit were off, and no sound came from the engine. She looked up at Duo, who was removing the spacesuit and punching a few last buttons. Duo walked over to the cockpit door latch and turned, but did not open yet.

Moving carefully around to Zacha, Duo helped to undo her suit and help her up. Guiding her by the hands, he walked her to the door. "Ready Zacha? Brace yourself." Duo smiled warmly as he pushed the door open.

Zacha's bandaged hands flew up in front of her eyes, the light was so brilliant. It was nothing like the monitored light on L2. Nothing. She winced again at her own sudden movements, but gave them little mind. As her eyes adjusted to the brightness of day, they widened in awe. Green... There was so much of it... And fresh air, far from smelling like the air on L2, where the scent of agony and despair and death clung to it like a disease. The trees; the sound of birds singing; the scent of life; Zacha stood silent and spellbound by the richness of Earth. She had always seen photos and dreamed of it, but now all fell short of the reality. She had made it to a utopia of life

All the while she had been still, Duo had been on the phone. He looked up and smiled at Zacha, bringing her back to reality. "Hey Zacha, good news. We're gonna fly to our safe house by New York City, and you're going to be staying with us until we can get you back on your feet. Quatre says you can stay in the study."

Zacha smiled brightly. "Thanks!"

Duo laughed as he reopened the hatch to the cockpit. "Believe it or not, it was Wufei's idea that you stay; he wants to keep an eye on you and those gashes. He said something along the lines of the medicine may still be working out the toxins, so he just wants to keep you monitored just in case." That one had actually thrown him quite a bit; Wufei had actually suggested that she stay. (Go figure, right?)

Flying around in the Gundam wasn't so bad on the Earth; less resistance than in the atmosphere. :) And the scenery was to die for. Trees, lakes, old empty cities and towns, dusty roads that now led to nowhere; it was actually quite a show for Zacha. Within the hour, they had arrived. NYC... The Big Apple... Zacha's new home. Her eyes widened as she saw all the buildings go by; it looked a lot like L2, only somehow had more appeal to her. Duo stopped Deathscythe a little ways out from the city and parked it in front of a large truck. He opened the hatch again.

"Gundam Airways has now arrived at the final stop. Please make sure that you have all of your personal belongings before exiting. Thank you for choosing Gundam Airlines and have a nice day." Zacha gave a light laugh as he helped her out and down once more. She looked around, loving the smell of trees around her. It was just so... invigorating.

"Zacha, I'd like you to meet another good friend of mine," Duo said with a smile as an older man came out of the truck. "Zacha, this is Howard. Howard, meet Zacha, the girl I told you about before."

The old man's eyebrow shot up a bit. Cuuuuuute, he thought, smirking inwardly. The kid sure knows how to pick 'em... "Hiya hon, I'm Howard," he said, trying his best not to stare at her chest. But as he took her hand gently to shake it, his attention averted quickly to the bandages on her wrists that went up her arm, and then followed them upward, now seeing the tips of the bandages on her chest area that were just visible above her shirt. "Oh my," he started, not quite knowing what to make of them. Zacha pulled back, her eyes on the ground and suddenly rather quiet.

"I'll explain later," Duo whispered to Howard, who immediately got the hint.

"So," Howard said, changing to topic quickly as the edgy silence was starting to get annoying. "What're you two planning on doing until the guys get back?"

"Er.. I dunno.. I kinda thought I'd take her out shopping, pick her up some clothes and supplies. You know - just the necessities." Howard smirked and leaned forward into Duo's ear.

"Le Petite Café Europa," he whispered. "49th and Broad St." Duo smiled and nodded. Zacha didn't hear or notice - she crouched staring in amazement at a bunch of wild flowers and a squirrel.

New York City had to be the most amazing place Zacha had ever seen. So many people, free to do their own thing, so many sounds and colors.. She wanted to suffocate in all their uniqueness and magic. Zacha sat on the bed of the room she'd be staying in for the time being and looked around, adapting with a certain quiet grace. Her room was the spare that had been used for the study prior to her coming, and was now simply furnished. Nicest thing she'd stayed in for a while; for one thing, all four walls were there. It was just the right size, as Zacha had explained earlier, as she no longer had ten or fifteen kids sleeping with her all at once.

She and Duo had been out for a little while shopping, getting her some new clothes and things; just the necessities. Zacha peered out her window and hummed a little tune, something that she had learned a long time ago from Sister Helen. One of the few and only things she had learned to play on the piano. She hummed, and then began to sing it softly, her eyes closed and unnoticing of Duo, who stood at the doorway listening.

"When you're smiling, when you're smiling,

The whole world smiles with you.

When you're laughing, when you're laughing,

The sun comes shining through.

But when you're crying you bring on the rain,

So stop your sighing and be happy again.

Keep on smiling, cause' when you're smiling...

The whole world smiles with you..."

Duo laughed and clapped lightly, startling the daylights out of Zacha. "Wow... Been forever since I've heard that one sung." Zacha smiled brightly. That song had been very special, and was the reason Zacha had spent her teenage years singing wherever; because Sister Helen saw Zacha looking through antique music when she was six and decided to sit down and teach it to her. Zacha would sing it for Duo whenever he inwardly needed cheering up; they could always tell these things. It was also the song she used to sing for one of the babies she cared for before she died.

"Well, now that we have the basics, we can go have some fun!" Zacha blinked.

"...What did you have in mind?"

" I dunno... Dinner maybe? You know - let's just get you out of here before you get claustrophobic and out into the fresh air and sunshine! You need it right now." Duo smiled brightly. Don't worry, he thought. I'll take you to more exciting things as soon as you're fully recovered. Don't wanna do too much damage to you in one day.. "Well, let's go!"



The tailor smirked, admiring his handiwork. Duo had a hard time keeping his jaw up. Zacha was, for lack of a better word, simply sublime. They had gone into the heart of NYC that was still well populated and had a pretty decent selection of shopping stores. But when they went to several stores and couldn't find a dress that covered all of Zacha's bandages, some clerk had mentioned this elegant tailoring shop. Either the crew hadn't had any real work in a while, or they saw Zacha as something so exquisite that they simply had to give her the whole nine yards. Facial, make over, hairdresser fixed what was left of her hair, and the group of tailors and designers created a top-notch dress to die for.

Red silk hemmed with black velvet and black velvet roses running all over the pattern tastefully; high mandarin collar with silver ropes to tie with; silvery-blue silk lining the inside of the dress; no shoulders and long Chinese sleeves that attached to identical silver rings on her middle fingers. Elegant, yet not over dressed; simple yet breathtaking. Duo paid for the package deal, still having a slightly hard time speaking words more complex than simple structured. In all of his years of knowing Zacha and growing with Zacha, rarely had he ever mused of Zacha in such a getup.

Father Maxwell would've done pissed himself, he thought with a laugh as they headed out the door. Now, if only we could do something about her and not taking the stairs... "Wow.. Damn... You look fantastic!"

"Thanks," Zacha replied, looking herself over. "And they'll never even see the bandages. So. Ima doko ka."

Duo smiled. "A special restaurant. Le Petite Café Europa. It's a very nice European restaurant that serves food from all over Europe. We even have reservations!" The restaurant wasn't too far away, only a block or two.

"It's adorable," Zacha said as she looked around at the cute settings of the restaurant. Oil lamps at the table with a small bouquet of flowers, dim overhead lighting and incense burning somewhere to give a soothing air about it. But while she stared happily at her surroundings, several of the customers and waiters were staring at her until wives or working partners complained. Not only did Zacha look beautiful, but she and Duo were also the youngest couple in there. She was still fully enthralled with her surroundings while Duo ordered wine and appetizers.

"Well," Duo asked quietly over the table. "What do you think of it all? You know, the dress, the restaurant..."

Zacha snapped out of her dreamy trance. "Hm? Oh, yes. Thank you very much, Duo. This is all so wonderful... More than I ever dreamed of. I'm on Earth with you, the children are safe and happy, I'm alive and about to have wonderful food... What more could I want?" She smiled brightly. Surely she would be content on Earth, out and away from the battlefield and starting a new life in peace, near her best friend. More than her dreams had ever given her. Duo looked around the restaurant too as he waited on the appetizers to come.

Indeed, he and Zacha were the youngest couple there. They were also the best disguised; all of the people in the restaurant were much older and very rich. Duo and Zacha just looked like someone's children out on a date or something, spending their parent's money. But as long as they think of it that way, it's all cool, Duo thought, thanking the waiter aloud as wine and appetizers arrived.

Zacha hadn't noticed that as a news brief came on over a small radio. "As we all know, space colony cluster L2 was destroyed yesterday afternoon due to terrorist activity. Apparently bombs had been placed all over the colony and set off as the terrorists escaped, say OZ officials who are looking into the matter over the clock. There were hundreds in casualties, but thankfully a majority of the local residents escaped to another part of the cluster or to Earth. More on this tonight at eleven." The restaurant's chatter quieted a moment. Duo noticed that Zacha's merry eyes had suddenly softened. Baby, I'm sorry, she thought sadly. She shook it off quickly, turning her smiling gaze back to Duo.

"Such a pity," an older woman said to the young couple. The woman was plump, and well past forty, her curled gray hair set neatly to frame her face. She smiled softly at the two. "And isn't it ironic that we have young love blooming in the midst of all of this mess? My name is Talla Nisbet. I'm one of the New York Church and Charity officials." Talla extended her hand towards Zacha.

"How.. How do you do? I am Zacha, and this is my friend Duo. We're from L2."

"Oh, what a pity. I'm so sorry to hear that deary. What brings you to New York? Refuge?"

"Yes, actually. My friends are letting me stay with them until I can get my own place to live. I just arrived this morning."

"Well... wonderful for you. A whole new life! And what a handsome couple you two make! Indeed, I can see where this is headed..." Her husband and a few others chuckled slightly as Zacha gave a tiny blush. "What an occasion to celebrate, I'd say." Zacha smiled as Duo handed her a wine glass and stood up.

"Yeah, it is something to celebrate. Zacha and I grew up with the Maxwell Church, and when it was destroyed, we both survived the loss. I left to fight and help out in the war and she stayed behind, her home decaying and getting only worse. Yet her letters and calls to me gave me the support, reassurance and confidence to overcome obstacles. And now, after all these years of her helping me, I am helping her. This is Zacha, my best friend in the world. I brought her here; this is her first time to Earth and will be her new home. Here, she will be able to start all over again without fear or death concerning her. A toast to old friendships that last forever through all odds, to health and joy in a new environment and to the start of a new life!" Several tables had stopped their conversations to listen and raise their glasses, and then to applaud. Zacha laughed, quite happy for the first time in months.

Zacha lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Tonight was one of the most wonderful nights she'd ever had. Clothes, dinner, new friends with important social standings, and a new life. She recalled all of the 'poor babying', pitiful looks and glances and all of the inquiries after they had mentioned briefly (and with vague details) hers and Duo's past association with the Maxwell Church.

"Such kindness is rare," Mrs. Nisbet had said earlier. "For years I was an avid mission supporter and donator to war orphan funds. Now it's gone. All of my children are all grown up with families of their own or serving in the war. If only there were a fund here in New York that I could contribute to." Suddenly Zacha sat straight up in bed; lightning had struck her mind and given her a flash of inspiration.

Mrs. Nisbet had been donating to the church for years for all of the children. The rations Father and Sister gave me when I came around probably came out of her purse occasionally. And if there were one here too, that'd give her something to take her mind off of her boys, and I could go back to my old hobbies... Zacha, you're a genius! I'll re-build it.. Stone by stone, make it look as much like the original as I can... Modified, of course to have enough room for myself and the children and outside area large enough for them to play.. And voila! The New Maxwell Church and Children's Home!

With a sudden burst of energy, Zacha bounced from her bed to the small desk at the other end of the room and started drawing as soon as she had dug out a pencil and a few sheets of paper. She was no Monet, but Zacha had always enjoyed drawing. Either designing costumes for a show or whenever she left that Godforsaken rat's nest, sketching one of the children, or doodling up a dream house. Now, she may actually get another shot at what she loved best and had met people who would donate to building it. She would have another chance to save the children.

You see baby, she thought as her hand moved a mile a minute, the dim lamp light the only light in the safe house. I'm not forgetting you; never. See? I'm starting all over, with you baby as my good luck charm; you are my little luck angel. As she drew, her thoughts focused to years ago, trying to place everything as it was then onto the paper now. How many steps led to the big church doors; those marble steps that she would fall asleep on occasionally, or jump from step to step for the fun of it. How many rows of pews there were that she would play hide and seek in. Where each beautiful statue and painting was that she would stare at for hours, trying to find personal meaning and solace in. The way the sunlight would stream through the stained glass windows and create a very distracting array of colors during mass that would dance across the floor. What color the tiles that she would play hopscotch on were... Father, Sister, everybody... you will live again now, through this new church in your honor. Everybody's name will be accounted for, and so will all of the contributor's names. This will be something for everybody.

Memories flowed from Zacha's mind to her hand with the least bit of difficulty. Also did memories of her little luck angel, Angela Helen. Of all of the children Zacha cared for, Angela meant the most to her, for Angela was hers. Slightly tan toned skin that lightened since her birth, strawberry hair, and the exact same fearless blue-green eyes her mother had. Angela was all of Zacha's joy in life. But as the war progressed, medicines were getting harder to steal. And when Angela came down with tuberculosis and Zacha couldn't get medicine to her, the most she could do for her was rock the baby to sleep to dream of a better life. Angela was only a year and a half old, and Zacha had just begun to recover from the loss when she was kidnaped by Oz.

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It was December 14th, and Zacha sat in the kitchen, half listening to a small radio, watching Quatre at the stove, making tons of blueberry pancakes. Christmas songs played over all stations non-stop; Zacha had determined that if she heard one more version of Little Drummer Boy she'd puke. "And coming up at the top of the hour we've got local news updates and weekly weather forecast, including that evil four-letter S word. Coming up on WNYC." Zacha's eyebrows furrowed, trying to figure out what the broadcaster was referring to, then looked over at Quatre.

"Hey, you need some help there? I know how Duo eats," she laughed. Of all of the pancakes Quatre flipped out, 40% of them would end up as Duo's take. Quatre gave out a light laugh, not really having any objections to a helping hand in the kitchen. Zacha hummed lightly as she pulled out more ingredients for another batch of pancakes. Quatre just kinda blinked when he saw how quickly the young bandit worked, her hands a tanned nonstop blur. He finally took his attention off of her hands to ask her something that had kept him wondering all night.

"Ne, Zacha? Last night I saw your light on for quite some time. Was there something wrong?" Zacha stopped whipping the batter for a moment, slightly thrown off by the question.

"No, nothing wrong at all. I just had flash of inspiration, that's all. But what were you doing up? Did I wake you?"

"Oh no, it was just a little insomnia. But what were you so inspired doing that kept you at it for over two hours?" Zacha smiled with eager anticipation.

"That I will show you all later, after I work out a few more knots and run it by Duo first. Or, just after we're all decently awake; too early for everyone to deal with funky plans with no coffee." She laughed at her own little joke, leaving Quatre rather puzzled when Duo and Wufei walked in.

Wufei's ponytail was just as tight as usual, just like his smile, while Duo's braid was still slightly lopsided with several bed-head straggling hairs, a still sleepy smile over his face. "Trowa's hogging the shower," he muttered under a yawn as Zacha placed a large stack of pancakes under his nose. Quatre backed up and sat down, astonished at how quickly the tiny girl moved, taking the liberty of serving everyone the steaming stacks and cup after cup of coffee. Even Zacha ate two fair sized cakes, after giving into Duo saying please just right over her habit of eating sparingly.

Soon after, everyone was seated, now resembling a group of teenagers that were almost awake and social (or something close to social) human beings. By almost 10:30, when everyone was dressed, awake and responsive, Zacha smiled to herself and drew in a deep breath as she pulled out a thin stack of papers and cleared her throat.

"Hey guys," Zacha said, inwardly embarrassed and surprised at hearing herself sound so meek around the pilots. "I was up last night working on something, and I wanted your opinions on it."

(Hooray! Chapter 3 of Cheyenne is FINALLY done! To the ppl who have so patiently waited for me finish, I apologize for the wait and hope y'all are still interested and enjoy it! And take my word for it, there is WAY more to come. One more chapter or so of Cheyenne, then a whole new section... Won't say what it's about; E-san and Akurei, don't say a word or else lol. PLEASE tell me ANY questions or comments to help me out! //_^ Also have a few holiday treats on the way.. Later peeps!)