The four other pilots were there to welcome them upon their return. Duo was trying hard not to show how happy he was at Duet's return, but a warning glance from Heero told him to back off for a while. Duet helped herself out her Gundam, ignoring Quatre's warnings, and went straight to her room.

"What happened?" Duo asked Heero once Duet had left.

"She found out that I disarmed her self-destruct," Heero replied angrily and brushed him off.

"That's not all, is it?"

"We couldn't destroy the base because they threatened to drop Colony X 9847 onto Earth. If we're going to destroy it, we'll need a crew up in space to keep them from dropping the colony while the others destroy the base," Heero said and headed inside also. "He's angry because he can't do it all by himself," Trowa remarked and they followed him inside.

Duet stripped off her black gloves and threw them onto her dresser. She balanced on the west-facing window and stretched out, looking across the vast lake outside her room. "Can I come in?" Duo asked outside her door. He opened it a crack and peeked in. "I heard what happened," he said and stepped inside.

"I was willing to die. It was the only option I could choose, and it was taken away from me. My life is worth more to you than it is to myself," Duet sighed and hugged her knees. Duo let her vent until she cooled off and wilted against him. They stayed like that for a while, just watching the sun set and not saying anything.

Eventually a knock came at the door and Wufei stepped inside. "Have you heard the plans yet?" he asked and would come in no further.

"What plans?" Duet asked and stood up, flinching as her right foot touched the floor.

"I'll tell her," Duo said when Wufei opened his mouth to explain. He nodded and shut the door behind him as he left.

"What's going on?" Duet asked and stumbled towards her bed.

"We'll need two groups of pilots to complete the mission: one to destroy the base and one to prevent the colony from being dropped," Duo answered and sat down next to her. Duet pulled a tee-shirt and a pair of baggy pants from a bedside drawer that once belonged to one of Quatre's sisters. Duo blushed and turned away when Duet undid her belt. She rolled her eyes and changed as quickly and conservatively as possible.

"So, which group am I in?" Duet asked and Duo turned around.

"You're coming with me and Trowa to the Colony. Heero, Wufei, and Quatre are going to the base. Get plenty of rest tonight. You'll need it," he replied and went to the door.

"Good night, long-haired boy," Duet teased, invoking his nick-name from Maxwell Church. Duo smiled, turned out the lights, and shut the door behind him.

Heero was waiting for him in the hall. Duo mouthed a silent 'thank you' and Heero smirked.

"Did she say anything?" Heero asked as they headed towards the balcony upstairs where the other boys were.

"Besides shameless self-demotion? Not really. Why?" Duo asked.

"We had a little fight," he whispered back.

"What kind of fight?" Duo pressed as he opened the door to the balcony.

"It's not important."

"Why? Did she beat you?" Trowa teased and sat on the balcony railing.

"Actually, yes," Heero stated, ending the conversation.

Wufei snickered. "Don't you think it's odd that we've never even heard of her before," he asked and hooked his leg over the arm of his chair.

"We never knew each other until Operation Meteor," Quatre countered in Duet's defense.

"And she did start later than us," Trowa added.

"She certainly fights like a Gundam pilot, eh Heero?" Duo grinned and elbowed him in the ribs. Heero ignored him.

"But can we trust her enough to be part of this mission?" Wufei asked sternly.

"I'd trust her with my life," Quatre said and clutched his heart.

"But not her own."

Duet retreated from her windowsill and crawled back into bed. "Fine, don't trust me," she whispered to herself, "No skin off my nose."

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A/N: Kind of short, I know, but I think I've found a way to get this posted in a readable format!