Author's Notes: Ohaiyo, minna! Sorry it took so long to update the fic, but my comp crashed and I lost half the fics I was working on. But not to worry! I still intend to finish this fic no matter what! I don't know when the next chapter will be ready, but I'll try to have it done as soon as I can.
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Pheonix Rising
by Ratha

Part Seven:OZ' Trump Card

Duo peered over Id's shoulder, eating a sandwich and watching the older pilot typing on a laptop. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Go away," Id replied, not looking at him.

"Hmph. You're as friendly as Heero," Duo grumped. Then he grinned again. "Which means I have someone else to annoy."

Angrily, Id spun around, fist aimed at the braided pilot's head.

But after hanging around Heero and Wufei for so long, Duo easily evaded the blow, still grinning like an idiot. He laughed at the older man's startled expression. "Survival instinct. Gotta have it when hanging around Heero and Wu-man," he grinned.

Id sighed and shook his head, turning back to his laptop. "You are impossible. Just like Eiko. Are you sure you're not related to her or something?"

"Nah. I'm American. She's Chinese. I think. Her Japanese is pretty good, just as good as Heero's." Duo frowned and scratched his head thoughtfully. "Huh. Well that's weird."

"What is?"

"Whose voice was that that stopped Eiko from attacking you when she was the phoenix?"

Id shrugged. "I've never heard it before. Only Eiko would know who it was." He scowled suddenly at the younger pilot. "What is this? I thought I told you to go away, and yet I'm talking to you like you're a friend."

Duo looked at him innocently. "Well, aren't I?"

Id looked at him blankly, then let out a frustrated growl and covered his face with one hand. "I swear, if you don't get out of here right now, I am going to kill you."

Duo made a rude noise. "Heero says that all the time. The only time he's ever shot me was when Eiko gave him a water gun." He took a step back at the other pilot's glowing eyes. "Gotcha. I'm outta here." He retreated to the door, then paused. "Oh, one more thing. Be prepared for impromptu showers if Eiko decides to wake you up. She's gotten all of us except Quatre, you, and Ze- I mean Milliardo. Ja ne!" He waved cheerfully and ran off.

Id snorted and turned back to his computer, only to be interrupted again.

"Mr. Kushrenada?" Quatre's voice said hesitantly from the doorway.

Id groaned and dropped his head onto the desk. "Can't a person get any privacy here?"

Quatre smiled. "Not here. If you want privacy, you have to go to either heaven or hell. Idiots like Duo and Eiko seem to have an uncanny knack for finding the people they annoy the most no matter where they go." He paused. "But what I came to tell you was that Eiko has come back with someone who wants to see you."

Id looked up in confusion, then his face lit up as a familiar voice cried "Id!" and Mariemeia ran into the room. He caught the girl in his arms and hugged her. "'Meia! What are you doing here?"

The little girl smiled brightly. "I runned away! Daddy was so mad when you and Mr. Murky didn't come back and he yelled and screamed and scared Lady Ugh silly! I runned away when Daddy started yelling 'cause he scared me and I wanted to be with you and Miss Ryushi found me and took me here and Mr. Kitty was so nice and-"

Id laughed and put a hand over his sister's mouth to stop her excited babble. "Take a breath, squirt! Now run that last name by me again?"

"You mean Mr. Kitty?" she asked.

Quatre blushed slightly as Eiko elbowed him in the side.

"Kitty, eh?" the black-haired girl teased. "Murky, Ugh, and Kitty. Such is a small child's view of the stranger names: make them even stranger." She leaned against the door frame with a smile as she watched brother and sister conversing. "Maybe that'll get him to loosen up a bit more."

Quatre began to back away, but was halted by Eiko grabbing his shirtsleeve.

"Where's Zechs?" she asked quietly.

"He's in the library. Why?"

"I need to talk to him about something." Eiko left in search of Milliardo Peacecraft.

He was where Quatre had said he was, sitting at the desk and looking through some large books.

"Looking for clues of your sister's whereabouts?" Eiko asked quietly.

The blonde-haired man started in surprise at the unexpected voice and looked up at her. "Why?" he asked quietly.

She looked at him in confusion. "Why what?"

"Why did you show me the truth of Treize' deception?"

She shrugged. "Don't you think you deserved the truth, Milliardo?"

He sighed and lowered his head. "I don't even deserve that name. I've killed so many people for the man who killed my family. I don't deserve to be a Peacecraft."

She pulled up a chair to sit across from him. "Milliardo, look at me. Remember what you told Treize when you took the name of Zechs Marquise? You told him that Milliardo Peacecraft died in that fire with the rest of the Peacecraft family. In a sense, he did. But like the phoenix rises from the ashes of death, so can Milliardo Peacecraft. You told the other pilots that Zechs Marquise died in the battle with the phoenix. No one who is killed by a phoenix can come back. But those who have been wronged will always come back, in some form or another. You can take the name of Milliardo Peacecraft again and avenge your family. And the people Zechs killed."

"But I've killed so many people," he protested.

"That was Zechs that killed them. Not you. A Peacecraft would never kill anyone in cold blood. Zechs Marquise did. You are Milliardo Peacecraft, not Zechs Marquise. Can you accept that?" She captured his gaze until he silently nodded. "Then you can stop beating yourself up about it." She smiled at him as she stood up. "If you want information on Relena, talk to Heero. He's had several run-ins with her."

He nodded again and murmured a soft "thank you" before she left.
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Treize scowled darkly as he stood in front of the window in his office. "Any news of their whereabouts, Lady Une?" he asked the woman behind him curtly.

"No, Lord Treize," Lady Une said quietly. "The soldiers haven't found a trace of Zechs, Id, or Mariemeia. It appears they've vanished completely. What are your orders, sir?"

He was silent a moment, then his face hardened. "I think it's time to use our trump card. Have Control switch to plan B at once!"

"Yes, my lord," Lady Une said with a bow and left to obey.
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Eiko laughed and threw an arm around Heero's neck, giving the stoic pilot a noogie. "Lighten up, Soldier Boy! I told you no more guns in between missions! If you're so upset over not having a gun, you can have this one-"

"Not the water gun again."

"Why not? You get to shoot as much as you want and not have to worry about getting blood everywhere." She grinned at his irritated grunt and Duo's muffled laughter. "Ne, Duo-kun? Don't you think Heero-niichan would like a water gun better than a real one?"

"Whoa, wait a minute, Eiko-chan! Leave me out of this!" Duo laughed. "I've been on Heero's bad side once too often today!"

Eiko stuck her tongue out at him and grinned. "Spoilsport! You must be sick or something if you don't want to annoy Heero as much as possible..." She trailed off abruptly, her face going slack and her eyes becoming glassy as she slumped over like a toy robot that had just been switched off.

Startled, Heero caught her as she fell. "Eiko? Eiko! Answer me!"

She didn't respond, laying limp in his arms, her eyes staring sightlessly at the ceiling.

"Duo, go get Id and the others now! It looks like Treize has decided that since he can't have the Pheonix, no one can!"