Author's Notes:  Ooookkkiiieee  I REALLY hope that you peeps like this chapter!!  I worked very hard on it. * grins proudly * I got kinda bored (okay, desperate) one day, but I was stranded in my car.  Sooooo… I located a pen, shoebox, and some old bank receipts, and I was in business.  * beams *

Special Notes: We have a new WarGoddess!  Yup yup!  Everyone say hello to Marika Webster!  * everyone cheers *  She's helped us a ton with this fic so far, and now, she'll be writing with us!  Expect to see a chapter from her next!  ^^

Kudos: OMG… to everyone… just… everyone… the wrists are hurting a lot now… so… read previous kudos… those go for this chapter too.  I am so awful… -_-

Dedication: To Kattie, my onee-chan, who sent me a LOVELY CD today, and a tape of her musical, which I have yet to watch, once I get access to the TV.  ^^*  She also wrote a beautiful song for me! * wipes away a tear * She's too good to me. 

And… without further adieu…

~*~*~*~*~

Tainted Dream

Chapter Six

~*~*~*~*~

Duo's eyes hardened as they fixed on the image on the screen before him.  Hiiro continued on, emotions forsaken as the monotone words spilled from his tongue.  "There was no note, no message from the abductor.  All we know is that he's missing.  I want all of you back here immediately to help with the investigation."

"What about Collin Foster?"

Hiiro's eyes narrowed slightly at the very mention of any case that could be considered more important than his own son.  The very notion that anything could be put before his child's safety was utterly preposterous.  Of course, he was thinking as any father would.  But nevertheless, he stood firm.  "His case is no longer our concern, as we now know that Tensei wasn't even on the flight that went down."

Duo shrugged and lifted his hand to scratch the top of his head.  "I dunno, what about all the other people that died?  I mean… I'm sure that the families want some kind of closure…"

Hiiro did his best to keep his anger on a tight leash.  He knew that his obvious overreaction was purely a product of paternal instincts, mixed with his unrelenting sense of justice.  It wasn't that he didn't want justice for those who were killed in the plane crash, but the fresh tracks of his son's captor would be easier to follow than the stale ones of the murderer from two years ago.  This only happened to work out in his best interest.  "Duo, our job as Preventers is to do just like our name says – prevent.  What happened two years ago was tragic, but the kidnapping of Odin Yui can be crucial to the very peace that we exist to protect."

"You mean your son." Duo added dryly.

The former Wing pilot sighed.  "Duo, I can't say that I'm unbiased, but this is just the way that things are.  I want to see all of you back here by tomorrow morning.  No questions, just come."  That said, Hiiro cut the connection.

"Damn…" Duo sighed, shaking his head.  'Tomorrow morning… doesn't leave much time to say goodbye to-'  His thoughts stopped as he heard the distinct clicks of a door opening and closing.  'Speak of the devil…'

"Heya, sweetie!" Elizabeth smiled as she walked up to Duo and gave him a quick hug.  "How was your day?"

Duo shrugged, allowing one of his arms to fall loosely over her shoulders.  "I've got some bad news, Lizzy.  I have to go back to Sanq for a while.  Relena Yui's son has been kidnapped, and all Preventers have been called back to investigate it."

Elizabeth blinked in surprise.  "Odin Yui?!  But he's-"

"The son of the most powerful couple in the world," Duo finished for her, "which is why I have to go."

Biting down on her lip, Elizabeth paused for a moment before her eyes lit up.  "Take me with you!"

"What?!"

"It's not like I have anything better to do!  I don't have any projects this week!  Besides…" she grinned, "I want to be with you."

"Gaahh…" She knew his weaknesses!  He couldn't say no to that.  With a heavy sigh, Duo shook his head.  "You have no idea how careful you have to promise to be."

"I'll be careful!"

"And responsible!"

"That's me!"

"Why don't I believe you?"

The woman just laughed and gave Duo a quick kiss on the cheek.  "I love you so much!  I'll go pack!"  That said, she dashed outside.

Duo shook his head as she left the room.  What was it about that woman that almost seemed to unnerve him?  Sure, he loved her a lot, but there was just something about her.  Maybe it was that nightmare that he had the previous night.  Gods, that scared the hell out of him.  Either way, he didn't have to worry about it for now.  Right now, his job was to find Odin Yui.

~*~*~*~*~

Could you let down your hair

And be transparent for a while

Just a little while

See if you're human after all

~*~*~*~*~

One… two… three… four… one… two… three… four…  A gentle tapping of a foot, accompanied by the loud blare of a hair dryer was what distorted the sound of the music, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, which was blasting in the background.  Brown eyes focused hard on the reflection in the mirror.  Coppery-brown hair, now turned blonde once more was scattered about her head.

'Hair dye is an amazing thing.' Thought Tensei as she turned off the dryer and smoothed the brush through the now blonde locks.  Once the strands had been placed to her satisfaction, the woman studied her reflection and frowned.  This still wasn't her.  Everything about her was artificial now, even right down to the color of her hair.

"Who am I kidding?" she voiced to herself with a sigh.  "I have no identity…" Her identity… isn't that what she left to find in the first place?  Before Master U's death, Musha learned of her past as Samantha Ling.  Tensei had never told her life-long friend, but she was terribly jealous.  When the battle ended, there was no longer a need for Tensei Jiaino.  True, she went by the alias Hikari in the beginning of the adventure, but as a Preventer, she went by the name Tensei, a name that she desperately wanted to forget.

Why couldn't she forget?  She had, for a while… but he had to come along and make it confusing!  She was fine without him, right?  Perfectly fine!  So why did his words affect her so much?  So many emotions… Confusion, anger, hurt, and…

"No!" She shouted, shooting across the room and yanking the curtains shut as if they could shelter her from the outside world.  She leaned her back against the wall and slowly slid down.  Memories best forgotten… haunting her… and words best left unsaid…

He didn't even see her… She didn't even know if he had expected her to follow him out of the café.  But she did… and she heard him… those last few words, meant only for the wind, but she heard…

"I think, I even loved Tensei. But she's truly dead now, isn't she? Not in a plane crash, but because you let her die."

Loved… Loved?!  No!  NO!!  He couldn't, no…  Care for her, maybe, but love?!  She couldn't follow him any further after that.  She didn't feel like she had the right to.  Love was not for the guilty, the murderers and others who cause pain… love was meant for the innocent.

Innocent… what a foreign word that once held so much value in her eyes.  That was all she truly desired - a simple, peaceful life, and above all, innocence.  That is why she did what she did – that is why she ran away, to start over, to start clean.  But the blood that stained her hands went far deeper than she thought.  It was like an obscene tattoo that could not be taken off, as if she had been branded with the sins that she had committed, never to be forgiven.  And she would be the first to condemn herself.

Even as Renee Williams, the shy software developer from New York City, she was not safe from her shadows.  They followed her, even to this foreign country, and with new horrors to torture her with.  She could not remain as she… All she wanted was to find out who she was… before Hikari, before Tensei, before Renee… Who was she born as, who was her mother, her father?  What were her friends' names?  Where did she live?  Perhaps it was just a silly fantasy, clinging desperately to the childhood that she had never even had… But why?  Why couldn't she let go?

As the night wore on, and the thoughts and emotions wore on Tensei's spirit, she slowly allowed herself to slip into nothingness, her body surrendering to the exhaustion and finding the peace that her soul still longed for.  But it found none, as even her dreams were haunted by memories best forgotten.

~*~*~*~*~

Honesty is a hard attribute to find

When we all want to seem like

We've got it all figured out

~*~*~*~*~

Musha stared blankly out the window of the 767 airplane.  This machine, though primitive compared to her beloved Gundam that was destroyed so long ago would have to do for this trip back home.  She had spent a couple days in Canada in the province of Ontario.  A nice place, typical weather of that region, and friendly people, not that she made a point to go out and meet many anyway. 

Three days she spent there, alone, in solitude.  She didn't really mind it too much, she had too much to think about anyway; too much to sort out.  But the hours that she spent meditating were distracted by one stray thought.  Wufei.

Gods, she missed him already.  The bruise that he had given her was still there, but it was almost invisible to her.  She had honestly expected herself to stay mad for a lot longer, but right now, she wasn't mad. She had been beaten badly, not just physically, but emotionally.  She finally came to the realization that Wufei was right in all that he told her leading up to her leaving, and knowing that hurt like hell.

Though she did not boast, she had always prided her on her strength. She never thought for one moment that the life of a soldier was her ideal, but it brought her comfort to know that she hadn't been picked for no reason at all.  Master U chose her because of her incredible strength that must have been apparent even in her small body as a child.  It was that strength that carried her through these harsh times, and she decided that it would be that same strength that would carry her through this.

So, here she was, on a huge airplane, waiting for her takeoff back to Sanq.  It was going to be a long flight, but it would give her time to catch up on the sleep that her inner turmoil deprived her of for the last few days.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen." The cheery, and way-too-perky voice of the stewardess blares through the speakers.  "Thank you once again for choosing Omega Airlines."

Musha groaned inwardly.  Not her again!  She was a bit too peppy and grated on her tender nerves.  She already had to listen to the entire safety instruction, now what?!

"I'd just like to inform you all that once we have reached a level altitude, we will be coming by with a beverage service.  That will be followed by another beverage service, followed by three more beverage services.  We will then serve dinner, where you will have the option of chicken or beef, or our vegetarian special.  Dinner will be followed by three more beverage services."

"Gee." A voice came from beside Musha.  She hadn't even taken notice of the woman sitting beside her.  "You'd think they'd know better than all of us that there are only two bathrooms on this thing…"

Musha blinked and looked over.  "Huh?"  The woman looked to be about her age, maybe a bit younger, with short, black hair that fell loosely on her shoulders. 

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she immediately smiled, "My name is Joyce." She said politely, "It's nice to meet you."

Musha couldn't help but smile.  It had been a long while since she had anyone to talk to.  "I'm Musha.  Nice to meet you."

~*~*~*~*~

I may be the first to say that I don't have a clue

I don't have all the answers

And God I pretend like I do

~*~*~*~*~

"What's different?"  The young Arab voiced to himself as he wandered the halls of this mansion that he called home.  Everything looked the same, but it felt different.  Same old walls, same old carpets, same old furniture.  Everything was exactly as he left it, but it was still significantly different.

"That's a ridiculous question." A deep voice sounded behind him.  Quatre immediately spun around and smiled at the sight of his Maguanac friend.  He was relieved to see him after all this time.  He had always looked at Rashid as something like an older brother, almost a father – well, some whacked out combination of the two, at least. 

"What's so ridiculous about it?" Quatre asked, a faint smile resting on his lips, despite the confusion that tormented him.

"You're wondering what's different." The older man answered him, crossing his arms over his chest, "When the answer is that everything is."

Quatre's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "I don't understand."

"When you left, this was the home of a man who had finally learned to live on, or at least learned to survive.  But now, this is the home of a man who is totally confused.  The home of a man whose world has been flipped upside down."

The younger man raised an eyebrow.  News traveled fast, he assumed.  He never remembered telling Rashid about what happened.  But still, his words made no sense.  "I don't quite understand."

"You see.  It is not the house that is different.  This is still the same old house, but you're seeing it through different eyes now.  You see everything as a different person.  People change, Master Quatre." The blonde was almost surprised at the significant increase in softness of the man's tone.  "People change, and you can't do anything about it but learn to live with the changes.  Don't force the old to come back, but embrace the new."  He turned to leave, but stopped and add one more thing: "The Tensei that you once knew is gone, Master Quatre, but there's a brand new Tensei that's just waiting for someone to embrace her, and she's not going to ask for it.  You have to present yourself to her as a friend, and see what she does from there.  It's the only thing that you can do."

~*~*~*~*~

Trying to find my way

Trying to find my way

The best that I know how

~*~*~*~*~

The foreboding presence of guilt impaired his sense of judgment as he struck, causing his katana to clash clumsily to the ground as it hit the metal pole in front of him.  Had it not been for the fact that this very pole was crucial to the structure of his home, he would have slashed away at it and probably even managed to destroy it out of his anger.  However, Wufei couldn't even do that, as in his eyes, this pole was innocent.  Why was he concentrating all of his anger on this long, metal object when it should rightfully be focused on himself? 

Weak.  Cowardly.  He struck the one woman that he thought he could ever truly love, and out of his own frustration.  He had been taught from childhood how to control his anger, so why couldn't he control it then?!  Of all times?!  Why had he done it?!

He knew why.  It was because he was scared.  More than scared, terrified.  Terrified of what?  He didn't even know.  He just couldn't stand to see her that way, grasping for answers in a whirlwind of confusion, and deciding that running away would be the only answer to her problems.  But instead of talking some sense into her, he threw away all of his and acted foolishly, breaking one of his strongest beliefs, and ultimately chasing Musha away for good.  He could only hope now that she would one day find it in her heart to forgive him.  Maybe not love him, but forgive him. 

Until then, he had work to do.  Maybe it would keep his mind off of what happened?  Not a chance.

~*~*~*~*~

Well I haven't memorized all the cute things to say

But I'm working on it

Maybe I'll master this art for today

~*~*~*~*~

"Well, here it is!  Home, sweet home!" Duo grinned as he pushed open the door for Elizabeth.  She raised an eyebrow at the braided man and watched him skeptically.

"This isn't your home." She accused, "This is a mansion!  I don't believe for one minute that this is yours!"

Duo laughed nervously and yanked her suitcase inside.  "Yeah, well… Hilde held true to her promise and evicted my butt, so we'll be rooming with Quatre for a while.  Besides, it's not like he doesn't have the space!"

"True.  And either way, it's an improvement over the hotel, it's more… friendly."

"Good morning." A tired voice came from around the corner as a smiling blonde made himself present, but the dark circles under his eyes exposed the lie behind his smile.  Sure, he stood straight, smiled brightly, and had every appearance of a normal, happy man, but he lacked that cheery air, that infecting joyfulness that always seemed to be leaking from his very pores.

"Q-man!" Duo shouted, "You look awful!  What happened?"

"Huh?" the blonde blinked and shook his head, his polite smile never faltering.  "Oh, I'm fine.  Just a bit tired." He waved a dismissing hand and continued, "God morning, Miss Elizabeth.  It's nice to see you again."

She just nodded politely and smiled.  "Nice to see you too, but please, just call me Elizabeth.  No miss."

Quatre's eyes seemed to darken at that comment, but he nodded his head nonetheless.  "Alright, Elizabeth.  If you'll excuse me, I have some things to take care of before our meeting this noon, but Abdul will show you to your rooms." He gestured to the man behind him.

"Room.  That's singular." Duo corrected him.

Quatre just nodded.  "Yes, yes, of course.  Just… make yourselves comfortable.  Duo, I'll see you at noon, right?"

"You betcha!"

~*~*~*~*~

I'd I quote all the line off the top of my head

And you'd be

I don't understand all of these things I've read

~*~*~*~*~

Joyce sighed and relaxed further into her seat.  The woman was obviously bored, though who wouldn't be with the promise of twelve straight hours of solitude?  The seat to her left was vacant, leaving the only that blonde woman to talk to – but she didn't seem to be in much of a talking mood.  No matter, she would find some way to break the ice that blocked her from socializing – Joyce was not about to spend the next twelve hours twiddling her thumbs.

"So," she began casually, tracing a lazy pattern on the plastic board, makeshift table in front of her, "What are you going to Sanq for?"

Violet eyes glanced leftward, the golden head refusing to so much as turn, not even out of common courtesy.  "I live there."

Joyce's face lit up with a pleasant smile.  "Oh, really?  How nice!  Do you like it there?"

Musha just shrugged.  "I don't know anymore… things are going to be different than how I left them."  She blinked, unsure of why she just said that, just opened a tiny little crack into her soul, allowing this stranger a peek at what she was feeling.  She bit down on her lip, silently praying that the most likely, and seemingly inevitable response would never come.

"Oh?  What do you mean by that?"  No such luck.

"Nothing…"

The dark haired woman just nodded and folded her hands in her lap, not wanting to press the matter.  After about ten minutes of uncomfortable silence, she allowed her eyes to wander around her surroundings, when she caught sight of Musha's reflection in the window.  That was when she saw it, and gasped.  "What happened to your cheek?"  Had she allowed her mind to finish processing her thoughts before her mouth so hastily made the decision to say something, she would have considered the fact that Musha hid that side of her face for a reason. 

The blonde woman just sighed, almost in defeat.  "This," she tenderly traced the outline of her bruise, closing her eyes in pain at the memory, "Is the reason that everything will be different when I return."

Joyce could not help but continue, too concerned for this stranger to think about being considerate.  "Did someone hurt you?  You're not going back to him, are you?"

"What makes you think that the person that hurt me is a man?" Musha snapped suddenly.

Joyce apologized immediately and calmed her voice, "I'm sorry.  I just assumed that… well, you don't look like the type to let a woman hurt you in that way." She laughed quietly, "Even I'd be too afraid to hit you.  I'm sorry, it was just speculation…"

Musha sighed and allowed herself to cool off, feeling her muscles relax as she convinced herself that there was no reason to be tense.  "You're right…" she muttered.  Joyce didn't speak, she was probably afraid now.  Great, she scared her.  Musha shook her head and continued.  "A friend of mine did this… he was… angry at me."

"That was wrong of him." Joyce commented, a bit apprehensively.

"No." Musha corrected her, "I was wrong. I made a foolish decision, and this is what came of it."

"Still-"

"No, it was my fault, and now, I must bear the consequence."

"You love him, don't you?"  It was more of a statement than a question, and bold of her to even dare say.  Musha sensed a certain quality in this woman, she cared so much.

"I do love him, but I screwed up."

"Well," Joyce added, almost timidly, "If you think that you screwed up, why are you going back?"

Silence.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be prying into this.  It's really none of my business, I just-"

She was cut off by Musha.  "I'm going back… to beg for his forgiveness."

"It sounds that mutual apologies are in order.  He still hurt you."

"I have a feeling…" Musha said with a sigh, "That the blow hurt him more than it did me."

~*~*~*~*~

I'm just trying to find my way

Trying to find my way

Trying to find my way the best that I know how

~*~*~*~*~

"Anything?"

She shook her head, her fists clenching.  "Damnit!" the calm finally ceased and she let her true emotion show through.  "It's been twenty-four hours, and we still haven't found him!"

Trowa's unhidden green eye just watched the woman pace back and forth across the room.  She was tough, but her temper was about the length of a pinhead – if that.  After about ten minutes of stomping, cursing, and anything else you would expect from a hissy fit, Trowa decided to put a stop to this by placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down." He said levelly, "It's not worth getting this upset over."

"But what if we don't find him in time?!" she demanded angrily, "I can't let myself fail like that!!!  What would everyone else think?!"

"This isn't about you, Kashoku." Was his answer, his voice still smooth.  "It's about the Yuis, and Odin's safety.  Whatever happens, don't let your pride get in the way of this search.  You're my friend, but I won't hesitate to remove you from this investigation."

Kashoku blinked, clearly indignant.  "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I'm going to do my job as I have been instructed to.  I know that you have the right intentions, but you have to focus on doing this right.  You're new, and you still have a lot to learn, but I have no doubt that you CAN learn it, and learn it well.  You're good at your job, just don't let it get too personal."

Kashoku was at a loss for words.  Did he just insult her AND compliment her at the same time?  That just didn't register.  She shook her head and sighed.  "Fine."  Her voice showed no sincerity, but Trowa knew that deep down, she meant what she said.

~*~*~*~*~

Well I haven't drawn it or figured out quite yet

But even if it takes my whole life

To get to where I need to be

~*~*~*~*~

Tensei, or rather, a blonde version of Renee Williams stepped casually off of the elevator and into the familiar hallway where she was greeted by smiling faces, and cheery "Good mornings."  Renee reflected those smiles perfectly, giving the flawless impression of a normal, happy woman.

"Good morning, Miss Williams." A man called from down the hall.

"Good morning, Mr. Peterson." She replied with a sweetness that made her want to gag.  At this time, anything even remotely happy or cheery was poison, but she appeared to be the happiest of all.

"Say, I like your new hair color." He said with a smile.  Mark Peterson was a short, pudgy man with a permanent grin stuck to his face.  He was a kind employer, one appreciated by all of his workers.

Renee just smiled and nodded politely.  "Thank you.  I just wanted to try something new." She lied.

"It looks good on you." He complimented, "You should have been a natural blonde."

"Heh…" Renee didn't dare try to form words for a good sixty seconds before she finally excused herself – something about a project that was due soon, and hastily, but not at all suspiciously made her way to the third room on the right – her office, and shut the door behind her with a soft click.

"A natural blonde…" she sighed and shook her head, taking a seat at her desk.  She was bound and determined to get back into her daily routine and get over these memories that haunted her so mercilessly.

So why did she dye her hair blonde?

"Damnit…" she scolded herself, booting up her PC.  "Stop thinking about them.  You got over them once, you can do it again."

~*~*~*~*~

And if I should fall to the bottom of the end

I'll be one step back to you

I'm trying to find my way

Trying to find my way

~*~*~*~*~

The trees seemed to drift by as the small, yellow taxicab made its way through the streets of Sanq.  Musha used her last precious moments of solitude to contemplate once more her battle plan.  Or wasn't this her surrender?

No matter how many times she went over it in her head, Musha's plan still seemed so… small.  Simple.  She had expected having to come up with some long, detailed explanation as to why she acted the way she did, but every time she tried to start one, the words didn't come to her.  What little she did manage to fabricate was constantly replaced by two small words.

Two words.  He deserved more than that.  He deserved… well, a lot more than two words!

Next thing Musha knew, she was standing outside of the house that she and Wufei had been sharing for the last two years.  Two years… An eternity, and a moment, yet altogether the same.  "It's now or never." She told herself, her shoulder sagging as she did her best to relax her body.

Swiftly, but without obvious haste, she made her way into the house.  There, she found Wufei.  He was just standing there, as if he had been waiting for her this whole time.  There was a moment of uncomfortable silence before Musha just sighed, deciding that those two words would have to do.  Mustering up all of the strength that she thought she had left, she took a deep breath.  "I'm sorry."

~*~*~*~*~

Oh, I'm trying to find my way

Trying to find my way

~*~*~*~*~