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Kiyoshi sighed as he ran a hand through his hair; things were actually too quiet for him since Scarlet left. He had gotten occasional mails from the others, who had gone back to their respective colonies.

Heero and Kiyoshi remained on L1; Heero quietly plotted against the Scorpion while Kiyoshi whiled away the hours working on Raidon, trying to repair it. He could envision Scarlet standing behind him.

"Aw look at Kiyoshi trying to fix his toy, why duncha lemmie help ya?" as she handed him the right tool for the job - she was pretty handy with the Gundams.

Trowa and Max had returned to the Circus, Max a little sadder. Trowa silently understood, he too had watched comrades die. They had returned to their work without words of explanation, as was their way.

The Winner family had also returned, Basim and Quatre had gone back to managing the Winner fortune, though Basim was a little sorrowful over the loss of Scarlet. She had been a good friend… and since they lost… he probably wouldn't see his friends often.

Chen Lian and Chang Wufei had returned to the L5 colony grudgingly. He ran his hand over his hair as he sat in the abandoned Preventers precinct, at the desk of his trainer while Wufei gathered the belongings he had left in the office.

No one could believe that Scarlet was really gone, and that the war was over after the first battle…

*~*

The redhead with the neat French braid looked out the window, holding her purse in her lap. She wore a fine green velvet dress with long sleeves as she looked at the English countryside. Her glasses reflected the light over her freckled Irish face, pale and graceful.

The elder man with the cane opened his eyes as he looked at her, so innocent and so child-like… and so trusting of the man who had saved her life. He smiled softly.

"What are you looking at, Nicole?" he asked.

The girl he had called Nicole turned, and smiled as she leaned back against the seat.

"Admiring the country… I grew up in the city so I have never seen so much open space first hand. It's amazing, and it's so beautiful…" she turned back to the window, smiling.

"Besides, Grandfather Treize, I've never been to Earth before…"

*~*

Nicole and her grandfather came to the stop in London, Great Britain. They stepped off the train, Nicole marveling at the space and train port, glancing curiously around as she held her suitcase, her eyes stared in wonder through her glasses. She paused, looking around in awe at the grand station.

The grandfather turned, and raised one of his slightly forked eyebrows, then sighed.

"Nicole, really. If you must stop and look at everything, shouldn't we get to the hotel first?" Treize Kushrenada smiled slightly at the teenager, and chuckled.

Nicole turned and smiled, blushing a little

"Sorry, Grandfather, it's just that I've never…"

"Been to earth before, yes, yes I know, but Nicole, if you act like a tourist, that is what you will be treated as."

"But if I act like what I am, will I not be feared?" she smiled as she caught up to him. "Don't worry about me, 'Grandfather'. I can take care of myself… I'm a big girl now."

She walked beside him, still looking around in awe. Treize studied her expression, one of child-like wonder.

Yes, like all of the Gundam Pilots, she carries with her the innocence that comes with youth… by the end of this war; will she have lost it? Have it be shattered from the blood that might stain her hands?

Treize thought a long while, until he felt a small, shy hand on his arm

"Grandfather, the carriage is waiting…" the girl smiled slightly at him, and he smiled in return.

If this is how the Gundam Pilots feel with their grandchildren… let me keep her always.

*~*

Duo sighed as he dropped his bag in the empty apartment; he was lucky to get it back. He strode across the echoing living room, glancing to the two well-worn seats where he would often sit reading the paper and Scarlet would read to him from a little book when she was very young. As she aged, she would read the paper herself; she liked to keep up on things. She had only a few, passing relationships with people outside her "home".

The old man sighed as he ran a hand through his bangs, a habit that Scarlet herself had inherited. He looked around the living room, and picked up a picture from one of the tables, brushed it off and looked at it.

A recent picture of Scarlet, with her long braid and wild brows, she was at the helm of a speed boat they had rented to go on the reservoir. She was leaning against it, pretending to go fast, the wind in her hair helped that illusion. He closed his eyes.

"Hey, Mr. Maxwell! Check this out!" she had laughed as she got the water board onto her feet, and started hopping around on the dock

"Hey c'mon, save that for the water, Scarlet!" he grinned as he threw a hand full of iced tea powder at her, she laughed as she took off her glasses.

"Ooh you're mean Mr. Maxwell!"

"I'm a mean, mean person, but then again the God of Death has to be nice a couple times in his life…"

She rolled her eyes as she jumped into the water

"Mr. Maxwell we'd better hurry if we don't want to get caught by the pigs!"

"Scarlet, they are fine law enforcement officers of high caliber… until it comes to enforcing the law."

"Hey, Mr. Maxwell?"

"Yeah?"

She got a slightly scared look, the look of a child.

"Promise me you'll be there for me as long as I live, ok?"

Duo chuckled, then his face became a little sorrowful.

"I'm the God of Death, you kidding? I have to train my protégé, I can't leave until I've taught ya all I know."

"Is it very much? I thought you had a rather small brain Mr. Maxwell!"

He growled, and set the picture back on the table… he walked into his room, and lay down on the bed, closing his eyes…

"YOU GOT MAIL"

Duo blinked… he had left the computer on? Damn Wufei… he must have left the volume up…

He sighed as he sat up, he suddenly felt very, very old. He moved his hand to the mouse, and clicked…

Duo;

Scarlet OK may return home soon have bran is repaired love you bye

Duo smiled, he didn't have to have the signature, and he knew whom it was from.

Scarlet was safe… she would come home someday.

Duo smiled, and for the first time in what to him seemed like ages, he laughed.

*~*

"Mr. Winner, you have a video call." Quatre's secretary said over the intercom

"Yes, yes pull it up on the main screen." Quatre entered. He wasn't ashamed that Basim and James were playing with Flopsy on the floor of the office, he actually considered it quite cute…

Duo's face filled the screen- or rather part of Duo's face - namely his nostril.

"Duo, considering your age…" Quatre rolled his eyes. Duo laughed as he pulled away.

"Yeah, yeah Quatre. Anyway… oh hi James, Basim, any hoo, guess what?"

"You found us a good deal on interplanetary transport within the Sweepers again, Duo?"

"Nah, better… Scarlet's alive!"

Quatre looked sympathetic.

"Duo, really I think that being 'The God of Death' has gone to your head over the last fifty years…"

Duo now rolled her eyes.

"I got an E-mail from her." He interrupted. "She's alive, she's found some help and she says for yours and the others' boys to get off their duffs and get their Gundams repaired…"

"By who?"

There was a pause… Duo's eyes opened wide as he glanced over the video monitor… his mouth dropped.

"By me." Was a simple answer, and a face came into view. It took Quatre a moment to recognize the face… the icy blue eyes, the dark braid; it was no other than.

"LYLA!" Basim blurted… he knew the face from the message on the Pod Hopper II.

"Quatre, Basim, spread the word… return to the Pod Hopper II. I know where Scarlet is, I can send one or two of the boys to retrieve her and Bran, but there's going to be a problem…"

"What's that?"

"She's getting what she wants… one of your old enemies has become her grandfather. She's getting the attention from a real family, and I'm afraid from what I've seen… it's not good."