Starlight Sisters
Chapter 10: Rebuilding and the Correction of Past Mistakes
"Trowa just what in the hell do you think you are doing in bed with my sister!" Heero's livid voice brought her out of her pained filled sleep. She opened her heavy lids to see her brother holding a calm Trowa up against a wall by his neck. Duo was trying to calm Heero down but that wasn't possible. Seeing her brother act so hostile towards someone who had shown her such kindness infuriated her. Jade somersaulted off of the bed and had plowed through her brother causing the perfect soldier to fall flat on his perfect butt.
"Heero just what do you think you are doing to your friend! He saved your life when you self destructed and when he goes to show kindness to your own sister your going to hold his neck up against a wall! What's the matter with you; don't you think! If you haven't noticed I am fully clothed and nothing happened last night except for I went out of my mind and almost killed him with a knife." Her blue eyes flared. Her body had healed from the Nightmare Shade incident and there were no longer any visible wounds beside the gash on her arm from the night before. She was beautiful and angry. Her eyes softened and she held out her hand to her fallen brother much in the same way she had for Relena on the ship. "But get up and give your sister a hug. I missed you." Heero grabbed her hand and she brought him up. They wrapped their arms around each other and held each other tightly for a moment before they let go.
From behind them they could hear a snicker and Trowa, Jade, and Heero all looked towards the door. Kari was trying hard not to laugh as Duo stated, "It's a Kodak moment."
"Oh put a sock in it Duo." Jade had said but everyone even Heero smiled. Everyone made there way out of the room Trowa being the last to leave. Before he closed the door to Jade's room he caught the sight of his ripped pants. He watched as Jade laughed, joked, and smiled with everyone on their way down to the kitchen and wondered what demons harbored in her beautiful frame.
A few days later once everyone had returned.
"Every piece of scrap Gundamium has been found and brought to us. But we are facing a problem. There isn't enough Gundanium to rebuild all of the original Gundams. Which leaves us with a problem. Which Gundams do we rebuild?" Trowa said to start off the meeting. Everyone had been called and everyone was home. They were all seated in Quatre's very plush living room. They huddled around a table and some laptops. They were there to argue about the campaign against the A's so far.
"So why don't you just combine the old designs with each other and make new gundams out of scrap metal?" Poe asked.
"Because that would screw up the systems and the pilots way of fighting. Each pilot had their own suits and they developed their fighting styles to match the suit they used. It wouldn't be right to combine the Deathscythe with the Shenlong. It just wouldn't work for either Duo or Wufei." Noin said. Duo and Wufei visibly cringed with they thought of their beloved suits being combine with the other.
"Well then which suits are gonna be rebuilt?" Lily asked. Each pilot looked at the other apprehensively. All wanted their suits back but they didn't want to deny one of the other's wishes to have their suit back either. No one knew what to do.
"No offense Quatre and Trowa but I don't think Sandrock or Heavyarms should be rebuilt at this moment. We may find more Gundanium later and then we could rebuild Sandrock and Heavyarms then but I think either Deathscythe, Shenlong, or Zero should be rebuilt." Woo said flipping though the information.
Quatre visibly disappointed nodded his head. Trowa simply nodded not giving any emotion. "Ok then that argument is settled. But we have another problem. The original designs for most of the gundams have been lost. So how do we find them again." Duo said.
At that moment Hilde and Relena walked in. The pirates on the ship had injured Hilde badly in the attack and she had been healing in her room. Lately though it looked like she was getting better. She was carrying a bunch of papers and she handed them to Duo. "Those are the original designs Duo." Everyone turned around a looked at the two younger females.
"Don't look so surprised. We had help. Dorothy had copies of the originals." Relena said.
"That's not all. When was the last time any of you corresponded with Dorothy?" Everyone in the room shrugged. None of them had seen Dorothy for the longest time. "That's what I thought. Did you guys know she has been saving up stored gundanium?" Everyone looked shocked. Hilde just smirked at all of them. "She has enough Gundanium to create three new gundams."
"That's amazing," Quatre said. "But how are we going to get that metal from where she is to were we are. The amount of Gundanium won't just go unnoticed by the A's."
"She has agreed to build them in her facility. She said she would like for the pilots of the gundams she's building to go and help supervise the construction of them." Relena explained.
"So which gundams should we allow her to build?" Wufei asked.
"I think she should build Sandrock, Heavyarms, and Wing Zero. This way we have scrap metal here for spare parts. I will accompany you down to Earth and then once the originals have been built we can launch and counter offensive and make Dawnty fight a two front war." Jade said.
Une placed a hand on Jade's shoulder. "I will go with you. I left Mari Maya on Earth with Dorothy and I would like to see her if it's not to much trouble." Jade turned around and smiled at her nodding her head.
Step walked over to Lady Une and placed a couple of photos in her hand. Une looked at each one individually. "Those are for Mari Maya and Dorothy. I can't go with you. I need to stay here." She said sadly. One of the photo's were of Steph and Lily standing next to one another with flour caking their shirts and faces. Another one showed them all around a table while Kari passed out pieces of cake. Another one showed Jade with a sleeping Kari in her arms. The last one showed Jade stuffing and entire slice of cake down Woo's throat and the others were in the background laughing. Lady Une turned to look at Lily and she blushed a deep crimson. "It was Kari's birthday so we made her a cake. Things didn't really go as planned."
Lady Une smiled and placed the photos in her briefcase she carried. "I will make sure these get to them Lily." Lily smiled and nodded her thanks.
"Well I think that's the end of it. We can finalize these plans later but I think right now everyone is tired. We'll work more on it tomorrow and the one's who are leaving will leave by the end of the week." Heero said.
Duo stood up and stretched with his arms above his head and elongating his torso. Kari opened the door to the living room. She was in a long shirt that brushed the ground when she came walking into the room with the teddy bear Duo had bought for her on one of their excursions into the nearby town. Duo walked over to the little girl and picked her up. "So what is my little princess doing?" He said.
Kari's bottom lip quivered and she nuzzled her little head against Duo shoulder so no one could see her face "I just wanted the girls to sing the song to me." She said quietly almost miserably. All of the girls' eyes when wide and they exchanged glances at each other. Woo walked over to Duo and held her arms out to Kari. Kari wiggled out of Duo's arms and into hers. Woo cuddled Kari's body against hers and rocked back and forth.
The others quickly rushed to them. "We're so sorry Kari. I guess with everything going on I guess we completely forgot what night it was." Lily said. Kari nodded her small little head against Woo's shoulder to show that she understood and that it was all right. Woo turned towards the door and walked out of the room and Lily and Steph followed. Before Jade left she muttered, "I can't believe I forgot what night it was." Her bandaged arm closed the door behind her and their footsteps could be heard going up the stairs.
"What was that all about?" Duo asked. Heldi quietly sat down and took a deep breath before explaining.
"Do you guys know what night it is?" She asked. Everyone left in the room shook their heads. "Tonight was the night Kari's mother and father was assassinated. It's been a year now. Almost every night after they saved Kari they would sing this song her. But after a while they were gone and they couldn't sing the song to her. She told me while I was watching her, before you guys found us that she wished she could hear them sing again. It means a lot to her. And tonight it's more important than ever." Hilde quietly stood up and walked out the door tracing the footsteps that girls had just followed. Duo followed after her with Poe, Quatre, Relena and Une. Heero, Trowa, and Wufei looked at each other and followed behind them.
Trowa walked between Wufei and Heero and once they reached the top of the stairs they looked down the hall to see a soft glow light up the hallway and the door to Jade's room was open. The three warriors walked down the hall together and entered the room where the others were already inside waiting. Quatre handed Trowa his flute as soon as he entered the room. Trowa took it surprise written on his face. He looked at Jade who was standing next to the window and she nodded to him. Quatre picked up his violin and Trowa readied his flute. Then he realized something. He looked to Quatre and Quatre shrugged his shoulders. Neither of them knew any of the songs they were going to try to accompany with these girls. Lily walked next to them and whispered into their ears. Both boys smiled at the girl as she walked to Kari who was already laying her tired head down on Woo's lap. Everyone looked at Quatre as he pulled back his bow and the wood in his hands began to sing. Trowa lifted the flute to his lips and played the song he had only heard once maybe twice but remembered with accuracy.
Jade opened her mouth and the most beautiful harmony was made. With all the sadness she had ever known she began with, "How do I say good bye to what we had? The good times that made us laugh. I'll wave them back. I thought we'd get to see forever. But forever gone away. It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday."
Woo opened her mouth and held Kari closer to her. She cried out in her light voice the words, "I don't know where this road is going to lead me. All I know is where is we've been. And what we've through. If we get to see tomorrow I hope it's worth the pain. It's so hard to say good bye to yesterday."
Lily and Steph sang together, "And I'll take with me the memories to be my sun shine after the rain. It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday."
They finally all sang together, "And I'll take with me the memories to be my sun shine after the rain. It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday." By the time the last note fell Kari was asleep for the long haul. Woo kissed her head softly and laid her softly on Jade's bed as she got up. Every one quietly walked out of the room. They all followed Duo down to the kitchen and Poe was nice enough to warm up some soup for everyone with Duo, Hilde, and Lily's help.
"Where did you learn to sing like that?" Trowa asked them. After everyone was more or less sitting down in the kitchen.
Jade who was sitting on the counter answered quietly. "I was trained to sing. Dr. J didn't know if it would be a talent I would need to know but he taught me anyway. The same reason he taught Heero and I to dance. He didn't know if I would be useful during a mission."
Woo who sat next to spoke next. "I wasn't trained like she was but I always singing with Merian. She had the voice of a nightingale and I always wanted to be like my sister."
Lily and Steph smiled at each other and Lily said, "Steph and I had the same voice master and had to take lessons together. We had to know it for our positions in society." Steph rolled her eyes clear annoyed that she would have to take something as useless as voice lessons. Lily yawned loudly and put her dishes into the sink leaving them for someone else to clear before walking out the door, "Going to bed. I've got lotsa work to do tomorrow on Moon. Night guys." Steph and Woo cleared their dishes and Lily's before leaving the room. Slowly one by one every one left the room.
Soon the only two left were Jade and Trowa. She smiled at him and picked up his empty bowl and took them over to the sink. She slowly cleaned them her graceful hands with a song humming in the back of her throat. Trowa watched her. She stopped for a second and turned around to look at him. "Why are you watching me?" She asked.
"Because you're the only thing around to look at." Trowa said easily. Jade shrugged and began stacking everyone's dry dishes into the cupboards. He watched her. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?" He said.
She didn't even turn around but answered him with a, "Sure," and continued her work.
"What where you hallucinating about the other night when you cut me." Trowa said carefully. He needed to know. Usually he wasn't one to question but this time his curiosity was too much for him.
Jade stopped stacking the dishes and turned around to look at him with a glint in her eyes. "What makes you think I was hallucinating about anything?" She said
"Because you were and any idiot who watched you dance like you did would know that you were hallucinating." He said with a twinge of sarcasm.
She looked shocked. "I was dancing?" Trowa nodded but she still couldn't believe it. She turned away from him and her hands gripped the counter.
Trowa sensed her change of mood but continued questioning her. "What were you hallucinating about?" he asked again.
Jade shook her head. "It's none of your business." She said storming out of the kitchen leaving a shocked Trowa in the wake of her anger. He could feel her anger but more importantly he saw the pain written across her eyes. He remained sitting in the kitchen for a long time asking himself why he wanted to know and why she wouldn't tell.
Few days later.
"Yeah all systems are operational and up to full power." Jade said into her communication link. She waved to all of them and closed down her screen. Heero, Trowa, Une, and were all seated a bit cramped in the hollows of Starlight's legs. She switched to flight mode and the gears once again shifted and they were racing off into space bound for Earth. For the longest time she didn't believe Earth had existed. It was too beautiful to exist. The enormity of the vast blue marble fascinated her and she was happy to go back down to the land where the first humans had sprung. She felt a call to Earth. An unexplainable calling to go back to where anything can happen, where storms weren't controlled, where the air was sweeter and most importantly there was the ocean, a wonder that couldn't be recreated onto a colony. She put the mobile suit on auto mode and opened a back hatch behind her seat and took the ladders down to the others. All were seated on the small floor space. "It's on auto flight," She said to anyone who cared and she rubbed her back against the wall and slid down to the floor and began to doze off seeing as she hadn't had much sleep thinking about what Trowa had told her and what she had allowed him to see. She dreamed of blue skies and the sea blue green of the ocean.
Jade at Heero's advice stopped little and because of that they made it to Earth in almost record time. A day later Heero was piloting Starlight into the Earth's atmosphere. He kept sensing a strange tension between Trowa and his sister. He also sensed it between Une and Jade also. He didn't understand and he learned a long time ago not to try and pry into her mind. If she wanted to tell him she would but it was still eating him up inside no understanding what was going on between his sister and his teammates. He piloted a course for Dorothy's residents.
Heero didn't know why but he had always like Dorothy. Her intelligence and strength reminded him so much of his sister except for the sly attitude. He respected Dorothy as a teammate and as his love's greatest supporter. Relena. Even her name made him shiver. He truly did love her. But he couldn't admit that to anyone but himself. He wanted her, needed her. But Heero wasn't worthy of someone like Relena. He told himself that over and over. Yet he dreamed of some day being able to love her, as he knew she should be.
And that is when Jade interrupted his thoughts. "We'll be landing soon. I'll take over the controls bro." He moved over and she smoothly sat down in the pilot's seat. She maneuvered the machine with more skill than she gave herself credit for. They landed at Dorothy's base with the blonde haired vixen waving to them. The hatch opened and Heero, Trowa, and Une stood tall and Jade took in a long breath of the sweet Earth. Deep in her mind she whispered Dearest Mother Earth. I have returned to you.
"I got your message." Dorothy said as they all entered her home, after the Gundam had been placed in the underground hanger. They all sat down in plush seats as Dorothy continued discussing plans. "The gundams Sandrock, Heavyarms, and Wing Zero are to be built here. But where is Quatre? Shouldn't he be here to oversee the building of Sandrock?" She questioned with a slight quirk of her eyebrow. "Quatre will be coming along later. He is bringing the Manqunacs." Heero told her. Dorothy nodded her head and stood up and extended a hand to Jade. "I am Dorothy Catalonia. I do not believe we have met." Jade stood and shook Dorothy's hand. "Jade Yuy. I have heard alot about you. It's a pleasure Ms. Catalonia." Dorothy smiled a true smile, not one of her usually sly ones. "Call me Dorothy please." Jade returned her smile. "Call me Jade."
Dorothy handed Jade two sealed envelopes. "These are for you. My cousin Trieze wrote one before he died and he entrusted it to me. The other was delivered just this morning by an unknown source. When you are finished please join the rest of us in the control room." Dorothy turned to Lady Une. "Mari Maya is upstairs and very anxious to see you. Heero, Trowa if you will follow me to the control room and give Jade her privacy, we will review the plans for upgrading HeavyArms and perhaps even Wing Zero." Dorothy turned and headed towards a door while Lady Une walked through a nearby doorway and up the steps. Trowa gave a long last look at Jade's turned back before closing the door and following Heero.
Jade opened the first envelope and read Zech's familiar handwriting.
Dear Jade,
Your past is sure to be brought up again in Dorothy's presence. Do not be afraid to tell Dorothy what you know. Behind her cynical attitude she is a caring, kind, lost, soul, which is trying to find her way in this world. She can be trusted. She also is in love. I will not tell you who for it will be reveal to you soon enough. I also hear of your failed attempt to control the Zero system. Dear Jade I figured you would have mastered that by now. Maybe you are not ready for the Zero system. Or maybe you were never meant to have it. Whatever the reason I suggest you master it soon, find a way around it, or not use it at all.
Forever your Friend and Spy,
Milliardo Peacecraft
Jade's hands shook with the feeling of failure and anger. "Maybe Zech's was right. Maybe I shouldn't be trifling with the Zero system." Jade said to herself. Jade looked out the window and down at the other envelope. She tore up Zech's note and stuffed the other one into her jacket. She proceeded to go through the door, down the hallway, and down a flight of stairs to the control room where the others were discussing the gundams and upgrades.
Two days later in the hanger
Piercing icy blue eyes looked over the control system looking for a familiar figure. She saw his wild brown hair and his eyes narrowing in concentration. Mari Maya had escaped her piano lessons to come down to see her hero. She had only spoken to Heero for a few brief minutes, but those words had saved her life and the lives of millions. She walked as quietly as she could with a glass of cold water in her hand. It hurt to walk but thanks to revolutionary technology she was able to walk without a limp. She was almost to the open cockpit when she tripped over a stray wire and went falling onto the hanger's iron floor. The glass flew from her hand and crashed to the floor breaking into a million little pieces. The young red head pick herself up and rubbed her hurt face and looked up to see a strong, soldier towering above her. Her face turned bright red and she looked down horrified at what had just happened. Heero, the perfect soldier, was looking down at her without an expression on his face. He probably thought she was a complete klutz. She looked up again and he was offering a hand to her. She shyly took it and, with his help, picked herself up. She quickly hurried over to the glass she had dropped and tried to pick up the piece only managing to injure herself further by cutting her hands badly.
Little Mari Maya was close to tears, but she refused to let her hero see her cry. He had, after all, fought in numerous battles and been injured several times, but not once had she heard of her great soldier crying. Mari Maya felt a hand on the small of her back and she couldn't contain herself any longer. Her tears welled up and fell from her eyes rolling down her cheeks. All she had wanted was to show her hero that she was useful. That she could help him. But she was such a complete idiot. She was never going to become a great pilot like her hero. He would never like someone who cried. He would never be her friend now. She made no noise, only let her tears roll down her cheeks.
Heero didn't know what he was supposed to do. He felt awkward. Then, scared as saw the tears flow from out of her eyes. He saw the blood on her hands from where she had cut herself. He grabbed her shoulders and lifted her into a standing position. Then he slipped his arm under her knees and moved his other arm to her back and picked her up. He carried her past the control room and up the stairs. He took a left into one of the many kitchens and sitting the girl on the table, he quietly searched around for a towel. He found one and a first aid kit and, after wetting the towel, returned to Mari Maya.
The little girl's blood shot eyes looked at him confused. The tear streaks had made her face feel tight and her nose was as bright as a cherry. Heero looked into those eyes and saw a beautiful little girl. He took the towel and gently washed the salt from her face whispering comforting words in his native Japanese. Then, he took tweezers out of the kit and gently pulled out the pieces of glass. Mari Maya didn't make a single sound while all of this happened. The gundam pilot gently washed and bandaged the little girl's hand and asked in a smooth voice. "Just what do you think you were doing down in the hanger with a glass Ms. Mari Maya." The little girl looked down at her bandaged hands. "I was bringing you water Mr. Yuy. I-I-I thought you might be thirsty. A-A-And I wanted to see the gundams. A-And I thought that maybe I could see the new gundam and the lady who pilots it. And I wanted to get away from my piano lessons. And I wanted to see Trowa the pilot of HeavyArms. And I" the girl continued to ramble on gaining more speed and energy, forgetting the earlier shame she had felt and becoming a normal 12 year old child. Heero listen intently while washing his hands and when she finally ran out of breathe Heero said, "Would you like to see the new cockpit of Wing Zero. I'm afraid that's the only thing that has been started on so far." Mari Maya's eyes went wide. She practically jumped out of her skin. Her eyes shone as she said breathlessly, "Really? Could I?" Heero shrugged and nodded his head. She leaped down from the counter and followed Heero back down to the hanger. She walked past the glass without looking down, and leaped up to the edge of the heart of the new gundam. She touched the cool controls gently, but didn't go inside.
"Why don't you go ahead and sit inside." Her heart thumped. She couldn't believe it could be this true. She sat inside and put her hands on the steering controls lightly. She looked around and knew now that her dream might come true. She may someday sit inside a mobile suit like this and fight beside her hero. That is if there was ever a war. Mari Maya didn't like war, but she knew that warriors were needed. She wanted to grow up to be a Preventor when this war ended. Heero looked at this little Mari Maya and remembered the little girl with the dog that he had accidentally killed. The memory still pained him. But seeing Mari Maya like this and after having met Kari, he knew that a part of that little girl was in them and that he would make it up to them somehow. Mari Maya turned to Heero with wide scared eyes and asked quietly, "Mr. Yuy? Would you be my friend?" Heero smile and nodded knowing finally how to make it up to the little girl he had killed so long ago. "Yes I will be your friend." Mari Maya smiled. "Would you show me what this button would do?"
"That button will allow for the gundam to morph into a flyer." And as Mari Maya sat in the Wing Zero's cockpit Relena, who had come down to see Heero, smiled and turned around and walked the other way.