CHAPTER SEVEN: MY DEMONS

[Duo]

He came across the field in strides. He was vaguely aware that the others were behind him and following but he ignored them, focusing his attention on the two figures up ahead. His gun was in his hand, all ready for use, but unfortunately the attack squad had already been taken care of.

Duo's violet eyes were burning. He considered breaking into a run, and then thought about how much one of the hybrids would benefit from being kicked down a hill in an iron maiden. He locked his gaze on the two figures at the edge of the shallow hill, and felt his jaw clench. He resolutely ignored the thoughts his mind threw at him as to why there were only two of them and not three.

Both girls had looked up at his call. They were standing close together, looking decidedly pissed off at each other. Xiran looked a little worse for the wear, and Relena looked, as always, impeccable. Duo noted with a sick feeling that the smiley face on Xiran shirt was distinctly reddish. It was white before...I know it was. It was Hilde's shirt. Not an omen, not an omen, he repeated to himself.

Xiran's face had changed from its state of irritation to one of blankness, and Relena's had done the same. Duo fought to keep his own countenance neutral. Oh sure, they just went and had a nice little squabble while Hilde was somewhere bleeding--that's just GREAT...

A sudden flare of understanding passed through Xiran's features as he approached and she turned and disappeared down the hill. Relena came forward to meet him, her blue eyes flashing under the grey sky. Duo looked beyond her to the shelter, and moved to go past her, but she caught his arm.

"Duo, she's going to be alright," she said. He stopped, for the first time truly meeting her eyes.

"Right," he said distractedly. "Where--"

"Here." It was Hilde's voice, tired but strong. He turned sharply, met her eyes as she came over the crest of the hill with Xiran supporting her. Her face was pale, her side bandaged. Duo felt his breath move out of his chest as he released a sigh he hadn't realized he'd held.

The gun hit the ground. Duo reached out and took her from Xiran, his face curiously unchanging.

The others stood slightly back. Duo held her gaze for a long moment. Then he put his arms around her, and an expression of relief touched his face. Hilde let her head rest against his shoulder, her expression weary.

When thought finally returned to him, it was simply, She's alright, she's okay.

"Ouch...not so hard, Duo." Her small smile was etched with pain, not all of it her own.

"Oh right, sorry," he said quietly. His eyes didn't leave her face as he drew back.

He thought, on the battlefield I am called Shinigami...

[Trowa]

He stood at the back, and watched.

Duo and Hilde's embrace was painful, in several ways. Duo's usually animated face was controlled as he looked at her, and the burning in his eyes was hard to understand. Yet the relief in him that Hilde was safe was evident in his features. Or had been. Within a few seconds it had passed, and whatever lay there now wasn't understandable to Trowa. It was as if Duo had put on a mask.

Relena Peacecraft was at the front of the group, and her eyes had found Heero, who was standing just to Trowa's right. Something had definitely happened between her and Xiran. Relena, who usually looked cool and composed at all times, appeared a little frayed at the edges. A gun lay near her in the dirt, and he wondered if she, the pacifist, had fired it. Her blue eyes were focused on Heero, and from what Trowa could see, Relena was trying to hide the yearning in her gaze.

Wufei had been in a sour mood of late, and some of it was in his dark eyes, but there was another thing there as well that Trowa couldn't place. He had masked it too well in his anger.

Heero was tense. Whether from Relena's scrutiny or something else, he couldn't tell. Heero's face often told as much as a cement slab, but he was a good man and every person here knew it, except the girl who called herself Xiran Ki'Era. Trowa saw Xiran's eyes flicker to Heero's for a moment, then away. Interesting...

Trowa'a green gaze traveled to Xiran, who stood a little off to the side. She was watching Duo, and her face was almost as unreadable. Trowa supposed that it was the weariness in her that had made that crack in her façade. There was faint pain in her dark eyes.

He had almost completed his observations of the group. There was only one more person left.

As for himself, well, there wasn't much to be said. And if there was, it had already been spoken.

"...For quite some time now my heart has been cold..."

Ah yes, old memories. All of this observation and reminiscing happening in the space of thirty seconds. Trowa supposed that Duo, if he knew what he was thinking, would remark, isn't it wonderful what the military can do to a guy?

Just then Duo lifted Hilde up as gently as he could and started walking back in the direction of the base. Trowa watched him go, seeing once more the unreadable emotions in his face.

Heero started towards the dead hybrids at the same time as Wufei. Relena moved in the direction of the base, and Quatre went to help Xiran, who was starting to head for the base as well. Suddenly Xiran's legs buckled in mid-stride and she started to fall. Heero, closest, caught her.

They didn't move for a long moment. She bent her head. "You guys are always catching me," Trowa heard her say softly. Heero said nothing. He slowly brought her to her feet, but didn't let go.

"Are you hurt?" His face was totally and deliberately blank.

"No." Xiran closed her eyes and drew in a breath. When she opened them again her face was as bare of emotion as Heero's was. They stared at each other for a moment longer.

Trowa heard Heero say softly, "Did you know any of them?"

Xiran's eyes changed imperceptibly. Finally she replied, "Yes. I knew them."

At length Heero said, "I'm sorry."

She smiled then, but it was bitter. "For what," she said, and began moving past him. He let her go. Heero stared after her for a moment. Trowa followed the general direction of his gaze and saw Relena. She was in front of Xiran and about a quarter of the way to the base. She was watching Heero.

Slowly Heero turned and went over to Wufei, who was examining the hybrid bodies.

Relena resumed walking.

Masks on masks, Trowa thought dispassionately. There are so many parts to a person, and so many no one sees. Even ourselves. The next question is, with so much hidden, how well do we really know one another? His gaze drifted from Wufei and Heero, who were calmly retrieving a knife from the chest of one hybrid, to Quatre. His blond head was bent over to one of the other dead soldiers, and with gentle fingers he closed the man's eyes. Trowa's gaze lingered on his face.

I have no masks because I have nothing to hide...

He looked away to the body of the other soldier and began moving towards it.

But even masks are something...

Trowa suddenly looked up, straight into Quatre's light eyes. Quatre smiled at him sadly, and Trowa wondered if his face had betrayed him. How do you see that in me, Quatre?

Quatre's blue gaze, as always, was honest and clear.

Trowa's lips curved in the smallest of smiles.

Everyone but you, Quatre. Everyone but you...

***

"Sally."

"Yes, Une? How have you been?" There was the slightest of pauses. "Something's wrong, isn't it. Has there been any new information about the Chameleon Case?"

"Yes. I assume you received the videotape. We've had some complications with the people Xiran Ki'Era identified as coming from the `Genesis' facilities. They attacked Relena, Hilde, and Xiran, in the process killing all the personnel inside the building."

Sally took her time responding.

"You have an ability with understatements, Une."

Lady Une laughed softly. Sally continued, "Do you know who they were really attacking? Did they track down Xiran, or were they making a move on Relena? It is even possible that Xiran contacted them, or that they were trying to cover her and make her more trustworthy in our eyes?"

"We don't know for sure. At this point any of them are possible. Xiran has her own theories, and so does Relena. All we have is the video-tapes of the encounter, and the accounts of Hilde and Relena. Xiran is still a wild card. If she's on our side, we've got a definite edge. If not...well, on both Hilde and Relena's accounts, she destroyed the majority of an elite attack squad. There were two still left in the building when the pilots came, and one of them was killed trying to get away. The other used some sort of lethal chemical and committed suicide."

"Ah...I see. Complications indeed. Has she mentioned anything else about the terrorists or the attack squad?"

"According to Relena, after she ripped through the last hybrid's lungs, she exchanged some words with him before she killed him. We don't know exactly what she said, but she's going to tell us after she gets some medical attention." Lady Une paused. "Hilde was injured in the fight."

"She's not hurt too badly is she?" Her voice was quiet, and she trailed off.

Lady Une heard another question in Sally's silence.

"She's fine. She will recover in a week or so...and he's alright."

She heard the relief in Sally's voice.

"Thanks, Une." Still she hesitated. "Do you want me to come?"

"Yes, Sally. The Kallam Republic can wait. I need you here."

"You know I'll be there." Sally paused again. "Une...it was so sudden, the relocation. I think it hurt him. We wanted to spend time with each other after the war ended, but I was moved to this Republic watch so soon..."

"I'm so sorry about that, Sally. Everything was happing very quickly, and I wasn't very well informed about it. The government personnel required that the best persons be moved, and you were one of those persons."

Sally sighed.

" Do you know if he's tried to contact me?"

Une heard the pain in her friend's voice. She made her voice gentle.

"Not that I know of."

"Is he doing okay?"

"I believe so."

"Alright then. I'll be there in a few days. And Une, don't tell him. I want this to be a surprise."

She heard the trace of bitterness in Sally's words.

"Are you sure, Sally? You know Wufei doesn't take well to surprises."

"He can deal with it."

Lady Une smiled at her end of the telephone, glad that it wasn't a video call.

"I will see you soon. Take care, Sally Po."

"Arigatou, Une. Watch yourself well."

***

[Duo]

One side of the room, other side of the room. One side of the room, to the other side of the room. Back again. Repeat. Keep walking, don't let yourself stop and think. Thinking is hard and could damage one's brain. Go from one side of the room to the other side...no! Stop thinking! One side to the other side...from side to side, wall to wall. Concentrate on the movement...yes, that's good. Step, step, step, step. Turn. Step, step, step...

Okay, he thought. This is so not working.

Duo Maxwell sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You know you have problems when you start having inner monologues," he said to himself. Then he sighed again and rubbed his eyes. "You KNOW you have problems when you have inner monologues and then start talking about your inner monologues to yourself..."

He returned to the chair he had vacated only minutes before, trying hard to keep his mind quiet. He sat.

He crossed his legs. He uncrossed his legs. He started drumming his fingers on his knee, then realized what he was doing and stopped. He closed his eyes and sighed.

The room was dim, full of shadows that played on the walls and lay beneath everything. A bedside lamp was the only light. Faintly illuminated in its glow was the clear plastic tubing of the IV.

Duo was glad there was no clock in this room. The incessant ticking would probably have driven him right off his rocker. As it was, he couldn't seem to stop fidgeting, and his inner monologues were beginning to seem like a good idea. Almost. If they would only distract him from the thoughts that lay like the shadows in the room, beneath the surface of his mind. He could almost see them, hear them, and it was beginning to make him wish he was like Heero, and he never did that. Well, almost never. There were those times when everyone kept remarking on how Heero had such strength and how he gave them hope. There were also some days when he wished for Heero's lack of emotion, so that he could function like a normal person.

"...sure, it's so easy for you to be normal..."

Duo uttered a tiny laugh. Well, at least Xiran thought he was still sane. But coming from a person who was probably isolated from society, it wasn't much of a compliment. Ah well. Xiran. Xiran...Warrior. Spy. Semi-isolate. Who knew what to think of her? Not him. Definitely not Heero. He's confused enough as it is, what with coming back from his self imposed journey into the depths of his own mind, right into a war situation with two girls as opposite as night and day around him. Really, the situation was rather amusing. Xi might be an interesting kink in the Relena obsession. Hopefully no more of that brainless saying each other's name into the empty air. At least Hilde and I don't do that. We're not quite at that stage yet...and hopefully we won't have to pass through it. Ever.

Duo cringed. You started into the inner monologue thing again! Okay, just sing a song, right, yeah, sing a nice little tune...

The would be song died on his lips. He leaned forward and took the listless hand resting on the bed in front of him. The figure beneath the white sheets stirred. As he watched, the blue eyes opened.

"Fancy meeting you here," she said with a tired smile. He squeezed her hand.

"Oh you know, I was just around, and I decided to stop by." He was surprised at how light his voice was.

Hilde stretched her legs. She wiggled her toes, sighed and relaxed.

"Well I'm glad you were in the neighborhood, braided wonder. This damsel was glad for the transportation." He was unusually quiet.

"Duo?"

He looked up at her slowly. His voice was low. "Sorry. I was just thinking."

*"One mobile suit is good enough, right?"

"What?"

"I'll steal one for you! In exchange for that, you guys get out of here! This is a place of peace!"*

She was watching him silently.

*"No it...it can't be..."

"...Duo...may God...bless you...and...keep you..."*

Finally she said softly, "Duo...thank you for coming. For being here, with me."

His violet eyes changed. He almost felt them heat up.

"Did you think I wouldn't come? That I didn't care? I thought--"

"Duo! I only meant...that I'm glad. I know it's hard for you sometimes!"

He shut his mouth.

There was a moment of silence. Duo ran a hand through his hair and resisted playing with his braid. "Sorry," he sighed. "I guess I'm just a little on edge. You know, what with the sudden news that my girlfriend and two others had been attacked by people hell-bent on killing things, and that there might be a new war rising..." he shrugged. "The usual."

She was still watching him.

"Yeah, but it's a little different now, isn't it?"

"Well I was kinda getting used to the idea that I might not die on specific days..."

Hilde laughed quietly.

"Ah, the elite soldiers. Xi wasn't afraid when the hybrid pointed a gun at her head, she wasn't afraid when she had to take on seven people, she barely even batted an eye. It's just like you...there just doesn't seem to be any fear." She trailed off, her eyes suddenly dark. "That's what scares me sometimes."

Duo resisted the urge to clench his hands in his lap. He couldn't look at her.

He took a breath, stopped, then began again. "I was afraid today."

He felt her blue eyes on him as silence swallowed his words. When she spoke, Hilde's voice was filled with pain. "Duo... I'm sorry..."

Without looking up he said, "Hilde, I never meant to complicate this. I never thought you'd get involved the way you did, but I didn't do anything to stop it. Don't apologize. What you did was brave. Stupid, but brave. If it had been anyone else, I would have applauded, but..."

"But it was me."

"Yeah."

"Duo, I think I know what you're trying to say...Duo, look at me." He slowly raised his violet eyes to hers. Her face was gentle, but her gaze was firm.

"We don't often talk of serious things. We often let what we know to be bothering us pass. It's not always the best thing to do, but we're usually okay. Right now, while I lay here in a slightly drugged state that has loosened my tongue, I will tell you this: It was my choice. I did what I did because I didn't want Xiran to die. I made that move knowing somehow, maybe not coherently, what the consequences would be. I don't understand why you seem to want to blame yourself for this hole in me. Duo, I may not be a Gundam pilot, but I am a soldier, and I know the finer points of action and reaction. I'm a part of this operation and I want to help find the people responsible for the terrorism, and who made Xiran the way she is. " Silence fell between them for a long moment.

Duo's voice was quiet.

" I don't want you to be involved in this."

Her eyes became flinty.

"So you think you have to protect me, that I'm too weak to defend myself? Is that--"

"No, Hilde! I never--"

"Don't you know how many times I thought you were dead, up there in space? How many times I looked up and wondered if you were being held at gunpoint, or bleeding to death? I would never know! You were a guerilla fighter, they'd never even tell me you were gone! I'd never know if at that very moment you needed me, but I wasn't there..."

"Hilde...I..."

"You can't tell me not to get involved, Duo. Not when you're a part of it too. I may not be as strong as you are, but I will not stand around and do nothing while you risk your life!"

Duo's mouth opened and closed, but no words came. He turned away from her, hands clenching at his sides.

You know there's no arguing with her in this state...face it, you've lost, Duo's mind snickered.

Goddamn it, Hilde!

"I just don't want to see you hurt!" His voice sounded harsher than he'd intended.

He heard her sigh.

"Well, I'd say that's on my priority list too, you know."

Duo turned back to her. Hilde's smile was wry. "But I don't want to see you hurt either, my braided wonder." She paused and her smile faded. "I don't know what I'd do."

He took her hand and traced her palm with his fingers. "Okay, obviously I can't prevent you from doing this, so I guess we'll have to reach some kind of agreement. Something that will somehow keep you--okay, both of us, in the line of fire and out of harm's way." He paused. "Well since that obviously can't be done, we'll talk to the rest of the pilots and assume that you're part of the force. But really, Hilde, if there is a big mission that involves mobile suits, I'd rather you stay behind. You know that mobile suits are more my strongpoint than yours, and I'm afraid if you're there I'll spend my time worrying instead of destroying. Please, Hilde, this is all I'll ask of you."

Hilde sighed, her blue eyes somewhat uncertain. "All right, Duo. I'll agree to that...but just because I'm agreeing doesn't mean I'm happy about it!"

Inwardly, he let out a sigh of relief. He smiled at her, as she lay beneath the white sheets, her hair sticking out all over her head, her eyes blue and slightly annoyed.

"Don't worry. Nothing will happen to me. I am Shinigami."

"Yeah well, you're my Shinigami and I have the same right to worry as you do."

He chuckled, leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose. "I know."

Hilde tried not to smile. "Would you stop trying to butter me up," she said.

Duo laughed. "Never."

They fell silent for a little while, and Hilde's eyes started to droop. Duo got up and tucked her in. She grinned at him girlishly and he mussed her hair. Her eyes closed.

When he went to remove his hand from hers several minutes later, thinking she was asleep, he was surprised when her eyes opened. They almost seemed to glow in the pale light.

"Were you really afraid today?" He voice was barely above a whisper. Duo bent his head.

"Let's just say that that last half hour after Heero verified you had been shot was a little difficult for me."

Hilde smiled at him, a small faintly melancholy smile. She squeezed his hand.

A little while later she fell asleep, her hand still in his. The shadows deepened and filled with darkness as the sun set, its light in the curtained window faintly red. Duo didn't move. Finally, he sighed and stood up, his face feeling strange. His violet eyes turned back to the bed.

Quiet in sleep she was. And still as the dead.

Duo turned sharply back to the halls and left, walked away from whatever lay in that room that brought the smell of charred wood to his nose, that made his face feel like a stranger's, that made him run from what he loved. Duo Maxwell didn't look back over his shoulder as he turned the corner, he kept his eyes straight ahead. When he got to his room he surrendered himself to the blackness and let his mind go blank. But still his closed eyes stared back at what he had done.

[Heero]

The night walked with the footsteps of the city outside of Onyx Five.

He sat in the silence. The semi-dark was lit only by the pale glow of the screen that he was in front of. The whitish light in the room flickered over wires and the edges of computer equipment. Halls and doorways reflected in Heero's eyes as he watched Relena, Hilde and Xiran run to the security center of the Preventer base. There was no sound, the cameras were meant only to watch, not to listen. Whatever audio information that had been locked in the base's security mainframe had been destroyed by the hybrid. The stores of data that had been automatically sent to his laptop were the only concrete evidence salvaged from the base.

Hilde was sleeping. The same doctor had returned and taken care of her (with a decidedly odd glance at the pilots, as if to say, again?) The wound was healing. Still, it had been a close call. Something Duo was definitely not happy about.

Relena had disappeared back into the city, with promises to return as soon as Xiran was ready. Her eyes had been strange. Heero watched as on screen Xiran told Hilde to keep Relena behind her as she went to check the security room.

Relena could have died easily, they all could have. How they had managed to stay alive was proof enough that there was something different at work here. Xiran had fought well, he had to admit that. But the key thing was that she had done it wounded, and with Relena, who was not a fighter.

On the screen, the camera caught the last vestiges of the short, nasty little skirmish with the giant soldier in the security center. The dark spatter of the hybrid's blood against the wall, complete with the grey flecks of brain matter was the final action. Xiran stood over the corpse with the gun in her hands.

He had questions. Not many of them, but enough.

Heero pictured her expression as the doctor checked her over. It had been predictably weary, but the look in her eyes was far from predictable. Still, beneath her lowered lashes he found anger, frustration, and a shadow of something like shame. He knew it in himself, that small measured part of him that despised what he was. Self-loathing, some called it. Hah.

Heero rubbed a hand over his eyes. The silent Xiran on the screen gave Relena a cold stare.

He remembered that look. It was a predator's glance that revealed nothing. Yet he also remembered the plain surprise in her eyes when she'd hit him.

He had, at the request of the other pilots, been the one to check up on her again after the doctor finished with her. (He suspected that they wanted to avoid a replay of the other night, with them being the ones with the mouthful of fist. But sure, it was okay for HIM to do it...)

Heero turned his full attention on the screen and its flickering images as Xiran entered the room that the hybrids had chosen as a center of operations with a volley of bullets. Her technique was simple, but executed near perfectly. The quality of her fighting was top of the line. It was at least on par with his and the rest of the pilots. He quelled a sudden urge to challenge her to a spar.

One of the human soldiers fell. The next she stabbed. The last hybrid finally held her a gunpoint. Heero watched their mouths move. He thought, I wonder if this was one Xiran knew...

Beneath that thought his mind focused on the look on her face as the female hybrid pointed the gun at her head. She had been ready to welcome death with open arms. But then Hilde had stepped in the way.

The look on Xiran's face as the bullet slammed into Hilde's chest was so intense so seemed like a different person.

Why did I tell her what I did that night? he asked himself suddenly. He looked away from the screen as the girls vanished down the trap door. He sighed agitatedly.

I guess I knew she wouldn't give me something for nothing...

He looked up suddenly. Duo was silently leaning up against the doorframe, looking unusually flat. Heero knew better than to ask. Duo's violet eyes traveled from Heero to the screen, which showed only the empty room.

"So...what new and amazing information have you gleaned from those tapes?"

He shrugged. "Nothing much. What the girls have said is more or less accurate. The only problem is that once they leave the base, the video coverage stops, and we have no real way of confirming what happened."

Duo said nothing, and the silence stretched onwards.

"How's Hilde? Did she tell you what she saw?" Heero asked. Duo seemed to break out of his quiet mood and laughed. "Ah, she's alright. She's well enough to argue, at least." Duo moved into the room. "When I first brought her in she told me that she didn't see much. They got across the field without much problem, but once they reached the base, Xiran told her to stay inside. She passed out for a couple of minutes after Xiran left, and when she woke up, Relena was gone too."

"Ah," Heero said.

Duo paused. "It's going to be Relena's testimony against Xi's when it comes down to it," he said, and trailed off. Heero gave him a hard look. Duo put up his hands. "Look, I'm just saying that Xiran and Relena are not on the best of terms right now...as in, they're close to having an all out bitchfight. So I'm just saying that either or both of their stories may vary somewhat."

Heero said, "Right."

Silence fell once more, and Duo wandered over to the screen, where the tape had begun playing again. Heero stared off into space. In his mind was Xiran, looking angry and wild, and Relena, her blue eyes calm and full of an odd melancholy. Xiran was like the dark, Relena the light, totally opposite of each other. And yet...

Heero didn't see the tape footage roll to the place in the room where Xiran was pinned against the wall. Several seconds later, a dark blur went across the screen.

"Well," Duo said, turning away with a bright smile, "I guess I'll be getting back to Hilde, before she starts throwing things and yelling for vodka." He turned and nonchalantly wandered towards the door. He stopped at the doorframe. Without turning, he said, "Hilde trusts her. I don't know why. Maybe it's the morphine talking, but..."

Heero stared at him for several beats. He said quietly, "Goodnight, Duo."

"Yeah...'night."

He was gone.

Heero turned back to the tapes, his thoughts moving, flipping, and repeating like the frames before him. He leaned back and listened to the sounds of the building with his eyes closed.

[Xiran]

Agh, she was sore. Walking was more effort than it rightly should have been. The penthouse was nice, but her room was on the top floor, which was reached by the catwalk, and that thing was a bitch to climb. She'd spent approximately one fifth of the past hour and a half trying to sleep and failing. About five minutes ago she'd decided that she'd get up and wander. At this point she was regretting it, but it was too late to turn back now. The high ceiling soared into shadow above her head as she stepped onto the bottom floor. There seemed to be silence at first, but to her trained ears the movements of the others could be heard. But she wouldn't think of them now. She moved to the room that could be qualified as the penthouse's kitchen. A warm smell was coming from it.

Beneath the harsh light of the single fixture, Quatre's hair seemed almost white. He was sitting at the table, stirring the contents of a mug, his head bent as if in thought. She scuffed her heel at the doorway, loudly enough for him to hear, and he looked up.

"Quatre," she said in greeting. He smiled.

"How are you feeling?" he said as she sat down.

"Pretty good, all things accounted for." His eyes changed a little at that. Xiran cringed inwardly.

He stirred the contents of his mug for several moments. She looked down.

"Couldn't sleep?" Her voice was soft.

His shoulders shook with silent laughter. "No. There's too much on my mind. The fact that Wufei was having a session with the punching bag was probably a factor too, though."

Xiran grinned. "Probably."

The spoon clinked on the rim of the mug. "Want some?" He asked her, his light eyes gentle.

"What is it?"

"Tea. I like it more than the hot chocolate that's there."

"Hm. I'll give the chocolate a try." Minutes later, she had her own steaming mug. But she'd found something else in the cupboard. "This has a fair amount of hype too," she said, lifting a bottle of Bailey's.

"Don't get too carried away with that stuff," Quatre said. "It's pretty strong, from what I hear. Trowa's got a pretty good head for alcohol, but this got him a little tipsy." He smiled almost to himself.

Xiran watched his blue eyes. So gentle, Quatre. How did you survive, being what you were? A guerilla fighter, someone who came in the dark to destroy?

He seemed to feel her eyes on him, and looked up. His gaze was suddenly so clear, so honest, and so calmly intense, that she just stared into his eyes. She quickly looked away.

His voice was quiet. "It must be hard for you, going against those who were once your comrades."

She nodded wordlessly.

"Were some of them your brothers or sisters as well?"

"Yes, some."

"You know, I have twenty-nine sisters," he said. "The movement to space affected many pregnancies, so they were all born artificially. I thought I was the same for a long time. I believed that I was merely an experiment, and I didn't feel like my life had any real value." Xiran's face showed nothing, but Quatre still held her dark gaze. "I almost grew to resent my life, but then I encountered an extraordinary group of people called the Maganacs. They were all born artificially, and were very proud of that fact. They taught me many things, but one of the most important was how to be aware of my sense of self."

She was watching him intently.

"Xiran. There was something in your eyes that day in the base that said you didn't care about killing or dying. You keep your distance from us but sometimes you seem more alone with us than if you were by yourself. I know we can't do anything to help you, but we can still be here for company when, or if, you need it." He paused. "I just want you to understand that even if you are a test tube baby, it in no way diminishes who you are. It was just a beginning; it cannot define you. It doesn't make you any less significant, or any less worthy than anyone else. I made that assumption before, but you don't need to repeat my mistake. Okay?"

"Okay."

The silence stretched on, broken only by Xiran stirring her hot chocolate.

Quatre looked down at his cup, then directly into her eyes. "I can understand why you wouldn't have wanted to tell us what you really are, Xiran. Listen to me. You are not the enemy, and I know that. I'll respect your wishes for as long as you want me to."

She stared at him quietly. Finally, she said, "Thank you, Quatre."

"You're welcome."

She looked at him once more, as he sipped his tea, but her face didn't change. Then she slowly got up and left.

Her feet took her down the hall. Before she really knew where she was going she was standing in front of a door. She didn't want to go inside, but her hand was already turning the knob.

Hilde's blue hair was like a shadow on the plain white of the pillow. She was lying on her side, one hand curled close to her face.

Xiran shut the door silently behind her. She approached the bed on soundless feet. Her face was typically unreadable, but even though her eyes checked over the IV tube and the bandages in a businesslike manner, her gaze lingered on Hilde's sleeping face.

Hilde stirred suddenly. Xiran took a quick step back.

Hilde smiled with her eyes closed.

"Man that smells good. Oh, is that Bailey's I detect in there? Or a little Carolina cream?"

Xiran chuckled. Hilde opened her eyes.

"...Oh, hi Xi." Her smile brightened.

"Sorry I'm not Duo."

Hilde stretched. "Ah, that's okay. He's in worrying mode right now." Xiran grinned.

"And you know he shouldn't be worrying, because you are perfectly all right..." Hilde rolled her eyes as Xiran sat down.

"Oh shut up, you. And give me some of that!"

Xiran held the cup away from her grasping fingers. "No way. No alcohol for you...at least not until you tell me you're okay."

"I am!" Hilde snatched at the cup. Xiran pulled it away and took a luxurious sip, looking over the rim at her.

"So you're saying that didn't hurt at all when you did that just now."

Hilde's face had blanched slightly, but at her words the look vanished.

"It's nothing a little of that couldn't remedy."

Xiran laughed. "I'm sure." She handed her the cup. Hilde grinned.

"Success!"

"I know. I'm a softie. But really, are you okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Are you?"

"I recall having this conversation before."

"I don't think it got very far..."

"No. Not really."

"Maybe we should stop."

"Don't change the subject!"

"Sorry." Hilde grinned impishly.

"You know, Duo's really worried about you--"

Hilde groaned. "Don't I know it! We had a very interesting discussion about that not too long ago. He was freaking out..." Xiran suddenly put a hand on Hilde's wrist, her eyes dark. She started to open her mouth.

"No, Xi. Not you too! Jeez, I'm okay! It's not your fault, Duo's fault or even Relena's fault that I got shot! I did it! I threw myself in there and I knew what the consequences would be."

Xiran said quietly, "Why?"

Hilde became motionless. She said, "It really says something if you have to ask me that."

Xiran withdrew her hand. Hilde watched as her face became like Heero's, blank and cold.

"Look Xi," she said with unexpected fire, "You may not care enough to save yourself, but I care. You ask why? It's simple: I like you. Is that so hard to comprehend? It's a simple human notion. I like you enough to try and save you alright? Don't make this bullet worth nothing!"

Xiran sat back. Her expression slowly changed into a look of fond surprise. "Whoa, Hilde." Her voice was quiet. "You have such fire and passion... I haven't seen much of that before. Don't you get *tired*?"

Hilde suddenly laughed. "I'm incredibly talented, you know. I have amazing gifts no one knows about."

Xiran smiled. "No one...except Duo?" A faint flush came to Hilde cheeks.

"Maybe," she said loftily. They chuckled.

"Well, I think you should return to dreamland now..."

"Yah, those amazing and incomprehensible dreamscapes that occasionally contain people who talk out of their bellybuttons."

"...I won't ask."

"Good idea."

Xiran got up and moved to the door.

"Hey Xi! Maybe we can do this again sometime. You know, me, you, talking...some `stuff'...it was fun."

She smiled. "Sure. Anytime. You know where I live."

Xiran stepped outside and quietly closed the door. The smile faded off her face, and she ran a hand through her hair.

"Well, it appears you girls have reached an agreement: Hilde lays in bed and pretends to be sleeping, while you sneak into the kitchen and smuggle the alcohol out. Then you both sit down and have a girl talk and get wasted." Duo was leaning against the wall outside Hilde's door with his arms crossed in front of his chest. His violet eyes flashed in the dark. Xiran faced him squarely, not sure of what to say.

He suddenly grinned. "Personally, I think it's a great plan. You just need a little work on the secrecy. You left the bottle out on the counter."

"Where you conveniently found it?"

"Pretty much."

Duo burped. Xiran moved to go past him down the hall, but he stopped her.

"Xi. About today..." he began. She brushed away his hand, her face suddenly motionless.

"What part of today? The part where we killed that soldier, or the part where I killed twelve? Or maybe," her voice became quiet, "what happened on the field?"

Duo pushed away from the wall and stood in front of her. "No need to get your hackles up!" he said, throwing up his hands. "This mere mortal only wanted to know how you were feeling. Not physically, we all know you're really Superwoman."

She chuckled. "All right, I'm sorry. I'm just a little on edge."

"Heh. Aren't we all?"

"I suppose so. Well, I guess I'm feeling okay. It was a little stressful for a while though."

"That's an understatement. Xi, you protected two very important women out there today, and one of them is a bloody pacifist. That's a bit of an achievement."

"Ah yes, Relena." Xiran murmured. "We know each other well now, more than either of us would like, I think. Hilde had a hard time keeping our claws out of each other." She smiled, but it quickly changed to a grimace. "She paid for it. I let the hybrid get the best of me. A stupid mistake." She looked away. In doing so, she missed the look in Duo's eyes.

"Sure. One mistake. We could start calling you the Perfect Soldier In Training. Xi, you took out at least twelve well-equipped assassins, and you yourself only have a couple of bruises to show for it. If that's not top quality fighting, I don't know what is."

She still didn't meet his eyes. "I don't know. Will she forgive me...?"

"Or do you mean, will you forgive yourself? Hilde likes ya, and you know it. What is really in question here?"

"Don't cross examine me."

"Well if I don't, Wufei, Heero, Trowa, or even Relena, will. You're not the only one with questions. If you don't even know what you want, you may be in trouble."

"That's great. And I thought I was in trouble when 165 threatened me..." she suddenly bit her tongue.

"So you're saying you didn't enjoy it? Killing them, I mean."

She looked at him sharply, anger kindling in her eyes.

"Don't ever walk down those paths, Duo Maxwell," she hissed under her breath. "Don't ask that unless you want to face me!"

He said nothing, just held her gaze, and her eyes changed, becoming those of a predator. The silence pounded in the shadows, yet his gaze held firm. The sound of someone coughing from inside the room broke the standstill.

Xiran looked down, and her face twisted for a split second.

"No," Duo said softly. "On both counts. I don't want to face you, not in a fair fight, anyway, and I will not walk those paths with you. I know you didn't enjoy it, Xiran. I know it from the look in your eyes as you stand here, and when Hilde was hurt. But you, like so many of us, can hide yourself too well in what you want other people to see."

"So you were testing me, Duo?" She said, without looking up.

"Well I wasn't flirting, you know. But I am not the only one who has questions, I was merely the first moron to ask. Apparently I'm not very good at it."

"No. You're not."

"I didn't think so."

"Duo. If you have actual questions," she looked up at him with a flash of annoyance in her eyes, "please just ask. Don't do that again. I may be forced to chop off your precious braid."

"Oh so now you're threatening the braid..."

"Don't get off topic."

"Right. No beating around the bush this time. What happened out there on the field, after you left the little shelter thing?"

"Not much, really. There were five...and the field had some conveniently placed ditches. So eventually there were only two left. They'd thrown everything they could at me, and wasted their ammunition, so they only had one gun left. They were two of the top soldiers that arrived at the base, and they knew me, so it was harder. I went in, but they were two strong for me in my weakened state."

"What? That was your weak state?"

"Well I was recovering from a bullet, you know. Will you let me finish? So anyway, things could have gone badly, but Relena appeared and distracted them so I could free myself. Then she shot one, and I stabbed the last one. After that...we had a discussion about morals and what she thought of mine. It really wasn't all that pleasant. We eventually came to the conclusion that she didn't know what she was talking about but that pacifism has its values in society."

Duo ran a hand over his face. "Oookay...but I have this question: what was the main basis of the argument?"

"To put it as simply as possible, power. The power that some have to fight and kill, and what they do with it, and how it affects them."

"Hm. I suppose it wasn't a happy conversation after all. Heh, Heero sure would get a kick out of that. You were discussing power, were you? The power that you, me, and the other pilots have. There are lots of types of power, but we seem to have the one that is the most destructive. Of course, I don't mind that at all sometimes, but...still."

"What we have is a double edged blade. We have the power and the strength to fight, to strive for what we deem to be right, but we also have the power to kill. And it seems that we cannot do one without the other." She looked towards the empty hall and murmured, "I would throw it down if I could, but it...it is a part of me, and to forsake yourself is to step onto a path that leads to nowhere. Or rather, to a place where there is only yourself and your demons in the dark." She turned her blue gaze back on him. "I don't want this, not for you, not for Hilde. It's a terrible force, and it could destroy so much..."

"Some wouldn't say that. Power can be sweet, sweeter than anything else out there. It can consume and leave you with nothing but ruin, but until that day even the prick of your own blood pales in contrast to the feeling it gives you. I have seen corruption, and often the bastards have been on the side I thought I was fighting for, but still, the sad truth is that they were once just people fighting for a cause that got out of hand."

"I have seen it...in the faces of my comrades, in the commands of my superiors. I have seen it in those struggling to do only good and those willing to do harm. Even in myself I feel it..." She stopped short, as if she had not meant to speak her last words.

Duo smiled wryly and closed his eyes for a moment. "In that, you aren't alone, Xi. And don't forget, this war rising is not your fault, no matter what you think. I felt alone once too, but that's no reason to blame yourself for everything."

"What do you know about being alone? "

His eyes became almost dangerous. "I know quite a bit about that, thank you."

She stared at him for a few seconds longer than she should have, her eyes searching his. "I suppose you do, then. I didn't mean to sell you short, Duo. You just got me on the defensive."

He shrugged. "It happens. Especially when dealing with Shinigami such as myself."

Her dark eyes watched him. "But death is not the only enemy here."

His expression was deceptively calm. "No. It isn't."

Silence fell, and Duo almost seemed to sway on his feet. He looked very tired all of a sudden, but there was something more at work. He rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"Hilde trusts you, Xi, and that's a great first step, but there are people here that are much harder to win over. You'll really have to work at kissing ass to get through to them!" He grinned. "You've already made enemies with Relena though, and that'll make things difficult, even though you saved her today. Hilde's just an exception, I guess. She can see through people, sometimes...heh, but she can't see everything."

Xiran looked at him oddly. His eyes seemed unfocused and melancholy.

"I know how you feel about her, Duo. I wouldn't hurt her, or you, or any of you, for the world."

"That's good, 'cause you know you wouldn't want this Shinigami on your ass..." He stumbled slightly. Xiran reached out and steadied him. "Duo...why Shinigami? Why the God Of Death? You...you're one of the most amazing people I know. Why?"

"Heh, no one's really asked that before...but you--don't know what happened...ah, the church..." He leaned on her suddenly, off balance. Xiran saw the pain in his violet eyes, clouded as they were.

"So, she said softly. "It isn't true. The Gundam Pilots are not entirely made out of ice. Duo--how did you do it? You seem so happy. How have you kept your humanity?"

Duo straightened and ran a hand through his hair. "Well isn't that a whopper of a question! To tell you the truth...I..." he went off balance and almost fell. Xiran caught his arms.

"Duo! What's wrong?"

"Ah, what? Oh, yeah...maybe I had a little too much of that stuff..."

"What?! The Bailey's! How much did you have?"

"Oh I don't know...one, two, three..." he held his fingers up in front of his face, "seven mouthfuls?"

Xiran grabbed his shirt as he started to keel over backwards. "No wonder you're acting so weird," she muttered to herself.

"What? No I'm not stressed! I'm fine!"

"Duo, I didn't say anything."

"Oh."

Not knowing quite what to do, she grabbed him in a bear hug and tried to keep him upright. She was almost the same height. He murmured into her shoulder, his words slurred, "Hilde...I'm sorry..."

Xiran suddenly understood. "Oh Duo. She doesn't blame you. No one does. It's not your fault." Her voice was gentle. Duo uttered a small laugh.

"I think I'm tipsy."

"So do I."

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. You know, I'm here for you all the way. I just draw the line at cleaning up your vomit. You can do that yourself."

"Aw, thanks..."

"I know. I'm a real friend."

Duo leaned close. His violet eyes glowed in the shadows. "For what you did in the field today, Xi, for Hilde...thanks."

Her face shifted, surprise coming to the surface. Finally, she smiled. "You're a charming drunk, Duo. The only one I've met so far."

"That's because I'm special."

"Veeery special...now where's your room? I am NOT putting you in there with Hilde...Oh don't look at me that way..."

They moved down the hall until Xiran found his room, or what she hoped was his room, and tucked him in, making sure he was in the fetal position in case he puked. He was muttering incomprehensibly at that point, but by the time she reached the door, he was snoring. A smile crept onto her face, and quickly faded. She whispered, "I wish you a dreamless sleep, Duo Maxwell." She closed the door.

[Heero]

Xiran faded back into the shadows of the hallway, half supporting Duo. He watched the dark for a moment, his blue eyes thoughtful, and then moved away. He'd seen the whole thing through a sliver of doorway in the tech room, making sure he didn't make a sound. Now he moved towards the kitchen, to investigate the offending bottle, and make sure it was put out of Duo's reach for good.

He was just closing the cupboard in the unlit kitchen when he saw the glint of eyes in the shadows of the door. The eyes blinked, navy blue in colour.

"So..." she said. "How long were you listening for, anyway?"

He blinked. "Long enough. How did you know?"

"Your scent...you left it all over that hallway."

"How is he?"

"He'll be fine. But being fine does not mean he won't toss his dinner. I was going to check on him later."

"Ah."

A somewhat uncomfortable silence settled between them. Heero wondered what thoughts were running through her head.

(Flashback) *She was vicious. She didn't hate them, but she wasn't entirely cold either. I think she's withholding information from us. We can't put ourselves trustingly in her hands, Heero. We don't know what she is capable of. All we know is that she is powerful. But she revealed some things about herself to me on the field that showed a slight insight into her mind. She seems almost unstable. She has the same... cold fire you do. Be careful...Heero.*

(End flashback)

Relena.

If Xiran was in fact a spy, or a double agent, she was hiding it very well. She could easily have killed both Hilde and Relena out there in the field. She also could have disappeared to track down whomever she wished.

"...Are you wondering what the hybrid told me, Heero?"

He looked up.

"The thought had crossed my mind. But, contrary to popular opinion, war is not the only thing I think about."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really. But that doesn't mean I don't want to know what he said. Are you going to tell me?"

"I told you I would..." That night, he finished mentally. He waited. She sighed and sat down at the table.

"This is becoming a bad habit, me telling you earth shattering information. I should really stop it."

Heero sat down next to her. "You could, I suppose."

She turned her piercing gaze on him. "But that wouldn't solve anything, now would it? Okay...so to begin today's session, I will start out with straight facts. The two hybrids were among the leaders of their squad, and were first generation. They were fairly seasoned fighters, but not top rank. They were definitely sent to kill Relena, and possibly a pilot or two, if they could. I don't know why Relena was targeted first, but it may have something to do with a change of power in the hybrid ranks. Perhaps a new commander wanted to make a first successful job. Anyway, you already know what happened once we got out in the field. The hybrid told me this as he died: Grey Claw sent him, the Kallam would hail the cold, and that the time of the final revolution of the wheel had come. He also mumbled that the Raven was flying."

"Do you know what he meant?"

"Well, I can make conjectures. I think that the hybrids want to begin a cold war using terrorism as their tool to destroy...the human race? I don't know. The Raven one is easy, and the wheel reference is almost total gibberish to me. As for the Grey Claw...well, I'm not sure about it. There were rumours in the facility, that there were shadow rebels fighting to overthrow Arcon, but they were only rumours. I wouldn't make any assumptions."

"All right."

Silence fell again, but Xiran's eyes didn't leave his face. Suddenly she smiled at him, and said softly, "Thank you, Heero."

He was surprised, but he didn't show it. He stared into her eyes, his mind somehow not thinking. He was about to say, for what? when the Xiran glanced towards the kitchen door and the light flicked on in a blinding glare.

Relena stood with her hand on the switch, her blue eyes intently gazing into his. Her hair was done up in a bun, making her seem somehow severe. Heero moved away from Xiran and stood.

"I'll see you later tonight." He winced inwardly as the words left his lips. Xiran stood too, her gaze flickering over to Relena and back to him again. She smiled at him. "Of course. Will you call the rest of them together?" He nodded and she moved away from him to go out the door. Relena's gaze was cool, and Xiran's was dark, but somehow amused. Xiran moved to go past her and stopped.

"You feeling okay, Relena?"

"I'm fine, thank-you," she replied with a tight smile. Xiran moved away and melted into the shadows of the penthouse. Heero turned to Relena. She smiled wearily and said, "Quatre let me in a little while ago. I thought you might be asleep so I checked your room. Heero, why is Duo in your bed?"

"What?"

"Duo's sleeping in your bed, or he was, a couple of minutes ago."

"Oh. Uh, I don't really know." He wondered darkly if Duo was playing another one of his practical jokes. Then again, Xiran wouldn't know exactly which room was his...

Relena said, "You look tired. Are you feeling well?"

"I'm alright."

Silence fell. Heero stared into her eyes, not sure of what to do. Relena stepped forward and one hand came up, as if she was going to put her hand on his arm. He said quietly, "I'm going to call the meeting." Her hand fell. She said, "Okay."

[Duo]

"I feel somewhat sick."

"Well that's expected..."

"Of course I wasn't THAT drunk!"

"I'm sure..."

"No. I'm more devious than you think!"

"You didn't!"

"Oh didn't I? Sure I was pretty tipsy, and about five minutes ago I was positive I was going to blow chunks, but I wasn't as drunk as I seemed, thank you."

"And you did this why...?"

"Because I wasn't sure if I trusted her. Duh. I don't have the faith in others you do, Hilde, and I needed some interaction to get a better picture of her."

"And did she pass?"

"What do you think?"

[Relena]

She gazed across at Xiran as they sat in the comfy couches in the penthouse's main room. She looked totally normal, if a little tired. There was none of the fire and hostility she had shown on the field. Strange. It seemed so long ago, not just a few hours.

Lady Une sat gracefully next to her, one leg crossed over the other. She looked the same as always, neat, and calm. The gentle strength that she always seemed to radiate filled the room, making even Duo quiet.

Xiran began the discussion with Lady Une's approval. She explained what she could about the Grey Claw, and what else the hybrid had told her. At the end she said, "But I couldn't have done it without Relena. She helped me escape and shot one of the hybrids. Still, it was lucky that pilots came when they did."

And if they hadn't would you have made me a convenient casualty of battle? Relena thought, smiling pleasantly. Xiran smiled back, just as pleasantly. Duo made a small noise and Hilde, looking drained and pale, gave him an elbow in the side.

Lady Une sat, looking thoughtful. She said, "The Kallam Republic...it is a small country that has a surprising amount of power, and a fair amount of political dissension among its common folk. Unless Genesis is in league with Kallam, I don't see much connection, except for the fact that one of their ambassadors, Haldor, was assaulted. I have been to the Republic recently, however, and I didn't see any signs that they might be planning something. There are other, larger countries that would make better allies, so I don't know why the hybrids would choose Kallam..."

Wufei, sitting quietly near Trowa, said in a low voice, "Maybe they didn't mean the Kallam Republic itself. Maybe they meant the government building that was built when the Republic agreed to be in total Alliance with the Sanc, and consequentially the World Nation."

Lady Une nodded, but her eyes were questioning. "Yes, Wufei, you could be right. But we can't be sure."

"We can be sure that there's more of a connection there than with the Republic. That was where...some Preventer personnel were placed, but just before the terrorist attacks began, several of them were moved to watch over the Kallam Republic as a new political election was held."

"Wufei, why do you know so much?" Heero's voice was even. Wufei gave him a dark glance.

Lady Une sat forward. "You're right. I remember that now, I was very busy with the threats from the terrorists, and Sally and several others were sent to the Republic. The government center is a small organizations and communications point, called the Gahlfman Center. It has large communications and top secret abilities."

"It could be a focal point for Genesis communications," Trowa said. "We could learn the locations and intentions of the hybrid forces."

"True," Xiran murmured. "Or it could all be a ruse to make us think in that direction."

Duo laughed. "But who really cares? It won't hurt if we check it out. We may just end back up where we began, but we'll have some fun at least!"

Hilde leaned on his shoulder. "Ah, my pyromaniac boy, you just want to cause some destruction."

"So?"

"Point taken."

Heero calm voice cut across the sudden talk. "We have to go in."

"When?" Trowa asked. The rest were silent. Heero's eyes turned slowly to Quatre.

"We'll have to investigate all the security capabilities, structural layouts and general functions of the place," Quatre said. "That will take some time, and we'll have to prepare. I say two days, but that's only if I don't find some information that indicates we go later."

Heads nodded around the circle.

"Right now though," Quatre said with a small smile, "We should really get to bed."

There was a murmur of agreement. They all stood and began to leave.

Relena watched Xiran. Her face was just like Heero's, motionless, a mask. She wondered if she was going to go on this first mission with the rest. Just then Xiran's eyes lifted to meet ones of cobalt blue, as she caught Heero's glance in her direction.

Relena quickly moved to the door. She felt her cheeks heat up and she gritted her teeth. Suddenly she felt a light touch on her shoulder. She turned.

Heero said, "Goodnight, Relena."

"Thank you. The same to you." They didn't move for a long moment. Then Lady Une said politely, "Excuse me," and moved past them to go outside, to her waiting bodyguards. Relena smiled at him and left.

The meeting was adjourned.

[Wufei]

He sat in the middle of his room, meditating. Sweat still stood out on his brow from his rigorous training exercises. The much battered punching bag was back in the `workout room' next door. He let the silence fill him, as he chased vainly after peace and sleep.

Two days, he thought. More than enough time to prepare.

Beside him, the light on his personal phone blinked. He ignored it easily. After all, he had been doing that for almost two months.

Wufei's jaw clenched and he lay back. His dark brown eyes opened, staring at the shadows in the ceiling.

[Duo]

Duo got up, rearranged his twisted pajamas, and walked, or rather, staggered out into the hall. He passed the other's rooms and took a moment to look in blearily to confirm that all was well. One bed was empty, and the covers barely rumpled. Duo yawned, and moved out towards the door to the rooftop. The night was dark, with a bare sliver of moon gazing down like a cat's eye in the black. He made out a figure leaning on the wall made by the enclosure of the air vents, edged in faint starlight. I thought she'd be out here. Duo opened the door and made his way over.

"Duo," Xiran said without turning, "why are you out here? I thought you treasured your Z's."

He shrugged and came to stand beside her. "I could be asking you the same question."

She smiled at him then, but her eyes were shadowed. "The world never sleeps. The light comes and goes to mark the passage of time, but the world never rests. The stars still burn outside our little sphere. When we look up, we see into their pasts..."

Duo suppressed another yawn. "You know Xi, this discussion is way to deep for me and my mind at two thirty in the morning, so try not to be offended if I forget parts of it, okay?"

She laughed softly. "That's alright." There was a pause, and from below they could hear the muted noises of the city. She looked out over the skyscrapers. "So we make a move on the government building in two days." Duo nodded, suddenly serious. "Yeah, we'll try to see what their plans are, and then we'll stop them. I hope that this is their base of operations, so we can stop the conflicts. They've certainly done their homework. The world alliances are going to backfire on us sooner or later. Relena and Lady Une are doing all they can, but hackles and suspicions are up." He looked away to the cold blue stars. "Do the hybrids really want war on their hands?" He muttered quietly. Xiran said nothing for a long time. "I don't know," she said finally. "I'm not sure if their leader is crazy enough, and I don't know if the troops will fight. All I know is this: the fortresses up there were built for war, and they can pack a lot of firepower. If they want war, they will have it."

They stood and let the silence on the rooftop stretch onwards. He saw her return her gaze to the cat's eye moon.

"I have to leave," she said to him quietly. "It isn't safe for me to stay here any longer. It's an unnecessary risk to your lives." Duo looked at her. She avoided his gaze.

"We owe our lives to you, Xiran," he told her quietly. "The information you gave us has given us an edge, and you've proven yourself...to me, at least. We'll protect you from those chasing you. So don't worry," he said with a grin. "I've got your back."

She smiled at him fondly, but her dark eyes still seemed melancholy. Duo watched her with veiled concern. "It'll be alright," he told her softly. Her eyes finally caught the light, and glittered with stars. She smiled and impulsively took his hand. "Thank -you, Duo," she said. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Now go to sleep, you nighthawk. We have lots of boring stuff to do tomorrow that on a general basis makes my eyes droopy, so get to bed!" She rolled her eyes at him. "Alright, just give me a minute." He moved for the door. About halfway there her voice stopped him. "Duo, do you trust me?"

He paused for a moment. "Yes, as much as any of us can be trusted." He saw her watch him from her place near the wall. She was nearly obscured by the shadows. He could only see her outline in the light of the stars above and the faint glow of the streetlights below. He paused for a moment, yelled at her that her bed was lonely without her, then went inside.

She watched him go.
Her hand clenched hard into a fist. As the door closed she turned back to the darkness and the glacial blue stars. She looked up at the sliver of moon, and its pale colour reflected in her eyes. Blood dripped from her clenched palm to the floor below.

* * *

He looked through the window into glare of the shard of moon. The light reflected in his amber coloured eyes. Behind him, in the shadows stood another figure. It said, "You know the team didn't come back. But do you know why?"

Silence, as he continued to stare into the silver spotted dark.

"I suggest you find out. Contact your sources. I want to know exactly who did it." The figure moved towards the door, and stopped. "57."

He turned, keeping his yellow eyes neutral.

The voice was coldly even. "Don't fail me again." The door opened and closed with a mechanical hiss.

He turned his gaze back to the shadowy curve of the planet before him. A communicator broke the quiet. Thirty seconds later the door opened.

"Sir."

Without turning, he said, "Gather strike team A-5. Tell them to be ready for departure in a quarter-hour."

"Affirmative, sir." The soldier waited.

His gaze probed the blackness of the planet. Where are you, my little raven? Come to me...let me tear off your wings.

He said, "Your orders remain to search for the renegade. But the focus of this mission is to track down and kill the Gundam pilots." He turned, and his amber eyes flared.

" Make sure you leave no trace of them on Earth."

END

Ah yes. This is the first time you meet this char. I love to hate him. My friend Shinigami Concubine doesn't think so (she'd prefer to have him castrated) but he's my character and I gotta love him. He's my own creation, but really, don't hold me and my mind too accountable for his weirdness. He's only my spawn.

But back to this chap...well it took me almost a month! So much dialogue! Save me! But yeah, it's really long and I apologize. I'll try and restrain myself in the future. I also apologize for the minor editing...it hasn't passed through Shadowless's hands yet. Next chap is currently about one sentence, so give me time to get it up!

-Kywraith