Disclaimer: I do not own the copyrights to Gundam Wing, Endless Waltz, Sailor Moon, X, Serial Experiments Lain, or any songs that are used in this story. All copyrights belong to their respective owners.

Readers Note: This is a re-post

Gundam Wing & Sailor Moon

X Pi

Episode 5:

The Duel of Fates

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This is what its come down to, a duel between two men to determine an outcome. The dictionary defines victory as an achievement or mastery of success in a struggle or endeavor against odds or difficulties. And this was definitely another one of those struggles, but what Johan didn't realize is that not only would this determine his own fate but the fate of those around him. The other Gundam Pilots, the Senshi and the very fabric between the two worlds of the Gundams and the Senshi.

The two duelists looked beyond the blades of their swords and into each other's eyes and waited for the other to make their move. Then Treize Kushrinada thought of something to throw into this duel.

"Let's make this more interesting." Treize uttered as he raised his sword under the chin of the limp Haruka Tenou that was tied to the wall. He lifted her so that Johan could see her face and her face looked pale and if her eye's weren't closed she would look like a starved orphan from Oliver Twist, "If you win," Treize laid out, "Then your dear Haruka lives. But, if you loose, then she dies."

Johan gritted his teeth looking at Treize bringing his sword away from Haruka's neck and letting her head drop to her chest. Johan felt such rage within him that all he wanted to do was plunge the sword right into Treize's cold black heart.

"Alright." Johan said, as he glanced down at the Outsider and thought of just grabbing the gun and shooting Treize where he stood. But he remembered his own honor as a Peacecraft and as a Gundam pilot. He knew that he couldn't do something as cowardly as shooting Treize where he stood.

Treize brought his sword in front of him as he looked at Johan, "Be afraid, little Gundam pilot." Treize spoke in a suturing voice, "Be very afraid."

Johan felt insulted, but at the same time he could feel that the phrase that Treize had uttered wasn't Treize himself. Then he thought of something to say to Treize that would really be a good comeback.

"I'll be scared later." Johan snarled, "right now, I'm just mad…"

Treize's eyebrows raised and then he made the first move as he brought his sword up to the air and dashed across the room towards Johan and brought the sword down to Johan. But Johan dashed away and quickly brought his katana back and attacked Treize but he blocked Johan and the fight continued.

Clang! Clang! Their swords bashed against each other.

To Johan this reminded him so much of the fight that Wufei had described when he fought Treize. And he lost, but this time there's more at steak than mere pride. Now this time there are lives on the line. Johan can't loose now, that was one thing that was going through his mind at 100 miles an hour. I can't lose, he kept thinking as he duct, bashed and slashed at Treize while he could feel the warmth within the sword, that same warmth of another person. From this Johan could almost feel as if the sword was saying something to him.

The fight seemed to last on and on, like some kind of bad movie that would seem to last for hours and hours. But in the back of his mind Johan was trying to listen to hear if the sword was talking to him. And it was, in the back of his mind like a little angel in his ear he could hear a voice speak to him.

"Don't rely on the sword Johan." The voice spoke

The voice, was it the voice of the Dream Watcher Lain? No, it was the voice of Haruka. How? But that was a question that Johan couldn't' concentrate on, Treize seemed to be fighting harder and harder.

With each thrust and slice it felt as if the sword had become a jackhammer with each attack against the blade.

"Who are you?" Johan asked in his mind voice

"Don't rely on the sword, Johan."

"Don't rely on the sword." Johan thought as these words conveyed into his actions. And he began to fight harder and harder against Treize. So much that it seemed as if Treize was starting to weaken under the onslaught of Johan.

Johan looked at Treize in the eyes as they fought, "She really is a distraction Johan."

"How can you say that?" Johan asked, "How about you and Lady Une? Her love for you made her a schizophrenic. I don't know why I saved you from Wufei. I should have let him kill you. But I took pity on you and I prevented him from killing you."

"You sound regretful Johan, it's not becoming of a Gundam pilot."
Their sword clashing continued and Johan became more enraged.

"Looks who's talking," Johan smiled, "you're the one who wanted to show people the road to peace and yet you took to a mobile suit and fought. That's not becoming of a man who wishes for peace."

"I say the same words to you Johan."

This was absolute déjà vu; Johan has gone through this sort of thing a number of times, with different people, Dorothy Catalonian, Miliardo Peacecraft and now Treize Kushrinada.

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Meanwhile in the courtyard, the battle was over. The battle has been lost and won. The Gundams and the Senshi sat upon the small stone benches that accommodated the courtyard while they were waiting for the office of Preventer to come help the wounded. What had happened is that after the battle had been lost and won Quatre contacted Preventer and asked them to send medical assistance to aid the wounded.

While they were waiting they simply sat, each team on each side of the small path between the stone benches. But there was only silence between them. The only sound was the wind that would brush through their hair. Then of course one of the Senshi had to ask something.

"Shouldn't we go help Johan?" Venus asked

"No." Duo crossed his arms; "He has to settle this on his own."

"Why are you guys doing this?" Rei asked standing up

"What do you mean?" Heero asked

"You're leaving Johan alone so much!" Mars shouted, "He's your friend isn't he? You should be standing behind him, no matter what!"

"Just the thing a woman would say." Wufei smirked as he crossed his arms as well.

This comment angered Mars so much that she rose from the stone bench and walked over to the proud Wufei and raised her glove hand and smacked him across the left side of his face. Wufei opened his eyes within a flash while he reached up to the welt of his face.

"Fine." Mars said as she stated her own ultimatum, "Then Johan's blood will be on your hands."

Duo began to smile and laugh at this.

"Why are you laughing!" Mars demanded

"You think he'll die?" Duo laughed, "You really don't know Johan like we do. He won't die."

"How do you know that?" Uranus asked from the stone bench

"Because he's a Gundam pilot."

p

Meanwhile in the bowels of Treize's mansion the sword fight continued. The katana that chose Johan bashed and chipped microscopic metal fragments from Treize Shakespearean Rapier. From behind that Treize looked into Johan's green eyes that looked next door to evil at a fraction of time.

"There's a demon within you Treize." Johan huffed while trying to hold the Rapier away with his Katana.

"We all have demons within us Johan." Treize said pushing down even more with his sword, "I only had the courage to acknowledge its existence. You're still fighting the demon within you Johan with that question of whether to kill me or spare me."

"What about you're love Lady Une? And you're dear daughter Mariemaia?"

At the moment that Johan mentioned Mariemaia's name Treize's eyes widened and Johan could feel him lighten up from his pushing of the sword. He looked into his eyes and say that he looked nearly human, almost sane.

"My… daughter…" Treize spoke in fragments. Johan immediately knew that it was the demon within him that was speaking to him and making that philosophical debate all this time and the real Treize was trying to win control over his body. It was like watching Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho from the front row seat. Only this time, the victim is armed.

"Marie…maia." Treize stammered

This was a look that was extremely rare for anyone to see within Treize, fear an almost child-like fear. The conflict between whatever demon has possessed him and Treize was evident. Johan felt the sword pressing against his katana start to lighten up so much that he felt that this could be his chance. He just needed to take it, grab it with both hands and to hell with the consequences.

Johan drew back the katana while Treize was grasping the sides of his head and repeating his daughters' name.

"Mariemaia." He spoke dryly

Johan looked at the blade of the katana and saw it start to shine its blue hue again but it was changing. It was becoming whiter, brighter than before. It seemed that even the sword knew that this would be the only chance that they could get. The time had to be now; otherwise he would truly fail not the people of the colonies, earth, his friends or his wife but himself.

He found the open spot when Treize had his sword hanging at his side while his other hand was grabbing the side of his head like a bad headache Johan reared the katana up like a jousting stick and began to shuffle his way to Treize. He remembered his instructions from Lain.

"Plunge the sword into his heart." She had told him

But as the tip of the sword was at Treize's chest Treize brought the Rapier back up and knocked the katana out of his hands. Johan was now as defenseless as a cow on the way to the slaughter. Treize held the tip of his rapier at Johan's throat, this was déjà vu, and now Johan was in the same place as Wufei when he confronted Treize.

"Don't worry Johan." Treize spoke with that same calm, cool and cocky tone, "I won't kill you. Not yet, but I will kill your wife. That is the deal, if you lost this duel she would die. You've lost and I've won. But just to make sure that you won't try anything I'll make sure that you won't run but will watch."

Treize raised the sword and with a quick stroke brought it down to Johan's right calf, slicing it nearly to the bone like a steak. Johan cried out in pain and got down onto his knees and then to his side so that his vision could still see Treize's black boots and his still alive wife Haruka Tenou on the wall. As he did Treize drew back his boot and kicked Johan in the abdomen. Johan coughed up his own blood onto the dark carpet.

"No!" He shouted in his mind as Treize walked over with the sword at his side to the tied up Haruka Tenou.

Johan wasn't going to let his wife die not when he's this close. He dropped his honor and rolled over while Treize had his back to him. He looked over to where the sword had landed, it had landed on top of the small pile that was his Outsider handgun, his belts, and the gray trench coat. He knew that he couldn't just reach over to grab it, it was too far away. In that instant he felt complete hopelessness. Was there no way to prevent the inevitable?

In desperation, Johan reached out with his hand like Luke Skywalker reaching for his lightsaber from a distance. When Johan reached his hand out he was almost calling out in his mind, please fly to my hand! And Johan did see the katana move slightly on top of the small pile and it started to shake and shutter. Johan reached out even further but as he did the sword twitched and as it did it knocked the Outsider across the floor to Johan. And so did the sword, it slid across the smooth carpet to his hand.

Johan quickly hid the gun and the sword behind him as he rolled over again to look at Treize who still had his back turned against Johan. Treize was running the cold edge of the sword along Haruka's skin as if this was some kind of turn-on for him.

"If you're going to kill her Treize!" Johan dared, "Get it over with, cut the foreplay!"

Treize was about to turn but Johan took his hands away from his weapons to the searing heat in his left leg. In the acquisition of the sword and gun he had nearly forgotten about it, perhaps the natural endorphins had worn off. But it was also an act that Johan wanted to fool Treize, he just grabbed onto the bleeding welt in the right calf. He breathed heavily waiting for Treize to look at him.

Treize turned around completely to look at Johan, "Watch closely Johan and watch your love and your distraction die."

Treize turned around and raised his sword while Johan reached back as quickly as he could to reach for the Outsider. As Treize lifted the sword, he went back to his casual foreplay of touching Haruka. And watching Treize do this to his wife drove Johan even wilder but he knew that he couldn't loose control. Not now, using his thumb he quietly drew back the hammer of the gun, making sure to muffle the click. But he knew that in the silence it would be hard to muffle that click so Johan decided to bluff Treize while the gun would click into place. But he hoped to God that Treize wouldn't turn around.

"Treize." Johan called, "Why do you want to make me suffer like this?" As Johan asked the question the gun had already clicked into place.

"You should know the answer to that one Johan." Treize answered, but he didn't turn around. He simply raised the sword, "You have to suffer if you want to be happy."

"Oh yeah." Johan thought looking at the sword. All of reality seemed to slow down as Johan drew out the already cocked gun and aimed it at the sword but he made sure that it was nowhere near Haruka.

"I'll make you suffer." Johan thought in a matter of milliseconds, "I'll make you suffer dearly. This is for my beloved Haruka."

His finger was on the trigger and with the lightning reflexes of his Gundam pilot nerves he fired. And the bullet went fling out of the barrel and right to the sword, and it struck the sword right where the blade meets the hilt and it shattered the sword in two. This time Treize cried out in pain as he cupped his right hand. He looked back and saw Johan standing on his good leg with the gun in his hand.

"How dare you, Johan." Treize snarled, "You've dishonored yourself."

"So what?" Johan asked with a smile, "You can say what you like about me dishonoring anything. But the fact is that I've won and you've lost. So don't just standing there looking stupid grasping your hand in pain." Johan felt like Clevon Little as Sheriff Bart in Blazing Saddles, "How about a little applause."

Treize didn't move or did anything for that matter except stand and hold his hand in the blazing fire within it. While Johan limped over to get his sword, when he got the sword it resumed to shine its bright white color. And this time Johan walked up to Treize with the sword in his hand.

"This is for me." Johan stated

He drew back the sword and shoved it right into Treize's chest. One would expect that blood would spout from the wound like a sprinkler of blood in summer time but it didn't. The sword went right through it, no blood at all. As the sword passed through Treize, Johan saw what looked like steam rising from Treize's body, although at the same time it wasn't steam, because it was black, like smoke.

Johan knew now that the demon was now being exorcised back to the hell from where it came. At the same time Treize had fallen to his side and Johan limped to where Haruka was tied up.

"Haruka." He spoke softly as he stroked her face with his shaking fingers.

Haruka's face began to twitch. She opened her eyes and she became overjoyed in a weakened sort of way when she saw the face of Johan. She saw his face, beaten, bruised and blood that was crusting on his cheeks.

"Johan." She replied softly.

Johan went to Treize's limp body where the black steam was no longer rising from his body. He reached down and pulled the sword from his body and he went back to Haruka and cut her free from the straps that held her to the wall. She fell off of the wall and her weak arms fell around Johan's shoulders and she held as much as she could. But Johan held her by the waist.

While she was holding on as she could, Haruka suddenly felt something trickle down her back. It felt like tears, yes, it was tears. Johan was crying, she turned to look at Johan whose tears were nearly washing away the crusted blood on his face.

"Don't cry Johan." She whispered, "I'm here now."

"I know Haruka." Johan wept, "I just don't want to loose you. Ever again."

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The office of Preventer had dispatched its medical teams. Nearly 20 medial carries came down from the sky like mobile doll carries. Except angels of mercy were coming down from these carries. They had already taken away the wounded soldiers that Treize Kushrinada recruited. Although the Senshi and the Gundams only had some bruises and scratches they wanted to wait for Johan.

Just as the carriers were loading up with the hundreds wounded, Duo Maxwell caught something out of the corner of his eyes. He immediately turned his head to look at it and saw Johan limping out of the front doors with someone at his side. The person at Johan's side nearly sent shivers of disbelief up and down his spine. It was Haruka; he blinked twice and then three times to make sure that he wasn't dreaming. Haruka from Duo's point of view looked like a starved refugee.

"Johan!" He called

But before Duo could dash to him the medical workers of Preventer caught up to him and they had stretchers like paramedics on the scene of an accident. Duo saw Johan talking to the Preventer paramedics and he saw them lay Haruka down on one of the stretchers. As they lifted Haruka, Duo saw Johan lean down and kissed Haruka. And the paramedics took Haruka away while another team went into the mansion.

"Johan." Duo called again, and he saw Johan wearing his gray trench coat and carrying his gun and sword in one hand. But Duo saw one pant leg soaked with blood as Johan limped over to him. Johan came up to the Gundam pilots and the Senshi came up behind him because they too noticed his limping and the blood stained pant leg along with the spots of blood upon the gray pavement.

"Hey Duo." Johan smiled while the dried blood on his face began to crack off in flecks.

"Are you alright Johan?" Quatre asked looking at him with wide eyes

"I've been sliced by Treize." Johan explained, "That's why I'm limping."

"But you're bleeding." Venus pointed out.

Johan looked behind him to see the splotches of blood and he turned to look at Venus, "I've had worse." Johan's voice sounded dry, "But the important thing is that my dear, beautiful Haruka is now alive and now I can finally live in peace and with her at my side."

Uranus and Neptune smiled as they watched this Gundam pilot smile with the wounds of battle. It wasn't that they enjoyed watching him suffer, they suddenly had a higher respect for him, even Uranus who wasn't one that was particularly fond of men.

"You know something Johan?" Duo asked with a cocky smile

"Yeah?" Johan asked

"The Senshi over here were having doubts that you'd live through this." He pointed at Mars from his side, "As a matter of fact they wanted to go down there to help you."

Johan limped over to the Senshi; he laid his hand on the nearest one, which was Sailor Neptune. She felt the coolness of his sweat through her Fuku uniform as well as the warmth of his breath.

"I appreciate your concern." He smiled, "But you forgot that I'm a Gundam Pilot."

When Johan uttered these phrases he fell to the pavement and began to drift off into his own unconsciousness.

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Johan met Lain again in his dreams. He was in a different place this time; he was standing in the middle of space. But around him he could see the Earth in it's full sphere to his left while to his right he could see the moon as if he would from a space colony. And in the middle between Earth and the Moon he could see the various space colonies. The odd part that occurred to Johan was that he could no longer feel the heat within his right calf. He looked down and the blood stained leg was no longer there.

In confusion he looked to his front and there in front of him he saw Lain again in her pink nightgown, at least this time her pail skin and pink nightgown offset her from the blackness of space.

"Well done Johan." She smiled, "Well done."

Johan smiled, "I should really thank you Lain Iwakura."

"Now, the mission is done. The demon is gone, and now you have your wife is alive and back with you."

"Yeah, life is great now."

"I have to agree with you. And it's thanks to you."

There was a moment of silence the Johan told Lain something that was bugging him for a while.

"Lain." Johan spoke, "Lain is a bit of a strange name."
"I know." Lain said looking down at her feet, "I don't like it that much. As a matter of fact a girl once said that I'm probably gay because I have a guy's name."

Johan began to develop a disgusted look on his face.

"In that case why don't I give you a nickname that would sound a bit" Johan made quotation marks with his left and right middle and index fingers, "Feminine."

Johan cupped his chin in thought and then something came to his mind and he told it to Lain, "How about Penny Lain?" He asked

"Penny Lain." Lain responded, "I like it." She smiled like a calm version of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, "well Johan. Now that you have your mission done, I don't think that you'll have much need to worry anymore. And this will be our last meeting Johan."

"There's something I've been meaning to ask."

"What is it?" Lain asked stepping closer across the space between her and Johan

"Out of all the Gundam Pilots why was I picked?"

"I'm not sure. Anyone of the Senshi or Gundam Pilots would have rid Treize of the demon. I guess it was fate that took you to that battlefield."

"Perhaps. Although I'm not much into fate at least not that deeply. Because I'd like to have some idea that I can have some control over my own destiny."

"Don't we all? But there is one last thing you need to do."

Johan tried to figure out what else he needed to do. He had that nagging feeling in the back of his mind but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"What's that?"

"You'll know what it is when you wake up." Lain smiled as she faded out as did the moon, earth, the colonies and the stars faded to complete blackness.

To be continued…

Author's Notes: There were a lot of things I wanted to make fun of. Such as during the time that I was watching the series Serial Experiments Lain, a girl at my school said that Lain was a lesbian. I had asked her what her reason for that was and her reason what that Lain sounded more like a guys name. So while I was writing this I came up with the name Penny Lain after a Beatles song that I was listening to.

Come back for more chapters of this exciting story.