Who could have expected our lives to turn out the way it did? Certainly not me or you, I can say. Our relationship was based under strange circumstances but we never really cared. It never really made sense of what happened or why we did things, but I never regretted one moment of it and would do it all over again. Life has a strange way of trying to make sense of things and it must have had a field day when it came to people like us. Chapter 1: A lost friend returns My name is Delila Mason and I was only 13 years old when I lost all sense of life. I don't remember who my parents were or how I came to be in this world and neither did my best friend, Heero Yuy. For as long as we can remember, we have been trained to fight and act as killing machines. Even though we were trained to show no emotions or expressions, we felt a certain connection between us that no training could overcome or hope to beat. That was until our lives were torn apart during the first and only mission as a team or at least for Dakin Barton. The bombs were already in place so we decided to relax and play around for awhile in the nearby fields just like kids. We noticed a young girl and her dog were also playing in the fields and headed in her direction. "Hey Heero, how about a game of tag," I asked him. "Sure but you're it," he yelled before running off. "Hey do you want play," I asked the little. "Okay," she replied shyly, "my name is Mary, what's yours?" "I'm Delila and that's Heero," I answered, "okay I'll give you a ten second head start." She ran off in a different direction and I headed off to catch my targets. Together we played games for awhile but then she had to get home before dark and we had a job and duty to complete. "I'd better go before my mom gets worried," she replied. "Maybe we can play tomorrow." "That sounds like fun," I giggled. We bid our goodbyes and parted paths. But we would never see Mary again after that night. Something terribly went wrong with the operation and it would change our lives forever. During the explosions, a stray mobile suit blew out of the base and destroyed nearby buildings. The innocent civilians of the colony paid a terrible price and it was our fault. I don't know what happened to our new friend but I feared the worst. But nothing could compare to the matter that I lost site of my best friend in the mist of the chaos. "Heero where are you," I called out but received no answer. "Please come back." I looked around the rumble for hours but could find no trace of him. My only assumption was that he was dead and I was never going to see him again. My heart died that day and I was ready to let myself join it. I was found two days later by an old couple who noticed me hiding inside an old car shivering from the cold and I looked as though I was about to collapse. They took pity on me and decided to raise me as their own. They adopted me a week later and took me with them to earth. I decided after that day I lost Heero that I never let anyone get to close to me ever again. Because I don't believe I could bear to lose another person I cared about and that was how it was going to be. That was about a year ago and now I am back on the battlefield once more fighting without knowing why. I'm now 14 years old. I didn't really have a birthday so my foster parents, the Masons, decided to pick one for me. They enrolled me in school shortly after we settled on Earth but I was recruited by the Alliance to fight against the colonies when a bombing destroyed my home. My parents didn't want me to fight but they had no choice but to let me go. The leaders were certainly impressed with my skills and discipline, especially for one at a young age, that my age was never really an issue with anyone. I fit in well with the others and I show more progress than some at higher ranks. During my time at the academy, the leader of the Specials Unit, Treize Khushrenada, thought I would make a perfect addition to his squad and so I was later transferred out after only three months in the academy. There, under the command and direction of Lt. Noin and Colonel Zechs, my skills were finely tuned and perfected. "You've done well Miss Mason," Colonel Zechs commented. "I've never seen a cadet learn so quickly." "Thank you colonel," I replied. "It comes natural to me." "Lt. Noin wishes to speak with you as soon as we are through," he replied, "I want you to try the simulation one last time then you are dismissed for the day." "Yes sir," I answered and went back to work. I finished my training in less than an hour and reported to Lt. Noin. She greeted me warmly and directed me to sit down. "Colonel Zechs says you are doing quite well," she relied, "I have been given orders to promote you to pilot status, cadet." "I don't understand," I replied with confusion, "I haven't been here that long." "Commander Treize believes you are ready," she answered, "the colonel expects your to be ready to move out tomorrow so gets some rest." "Yes ma'am," I replied giving a proper salute and left to my quarters. I didn't sleep that much because I was trying to block the memories of my past. I never told anyone what happen in my early childhood and all I wanted was to forget what happen. But the images of those poor people kept haunting my dreams. Why won't they just leave me alone? Heero why did you leave me by myself? Months passed and the images seemed to fade away during battle. But I was never left alone, ever. I could still hear his laughter ringing in my ears but I now had a job to do. The Gundams were my enemy and my mission was to destroy them. I had no purpose in my life until I became a member of OZ and I didn't think anything would ever change my mind, or least I thought it wouldn't. My squadron had received word that a gundam had been spotted in an air field near base and we were to capture the mobile suit and its pilot. The battle rage on to what seemed a never-ending struggle but the pilot was wearing down. The pilot refused to surrender and prepared for one final attack against his enemy. This was the first time we ever had a visual and I wanted to know my enemy's face before I made my move. His image came up on my screen and I turned pale. He was a teenage boy with dark brown hair and deep Prussian blue eyes. I couldn't believe it. This had to be some cruel joke some one was playing on me and it wasn't funny. This just wasn't happening. Somebody please wake me out of this. My enemy, the gundam, was none other then my best friend, Heero Yuy. It all happened so quickly. One moment he was standing there ready to fight and the next a huge explosion rumbled through the base. "No!" I screamed as I watched in horror and covered my eyes. When the worse was over, I jumped out of my mobile suit and headed down towards the remains of his gundam. The smoke screen covered my search for him and my squad was still in shock of the current chain of events. "Please be okay," I pleaded, "I can't lose you again." I finally found him under a pile of scrap metal. He was pretty beat up on the outside but he was at least still alive. He looked at me for a second and then fainted in my arms. I picked Heero up and carried him towards my machine. I place him inside my suit and prepared to leave the air field. I sent a message to Colonel Zechs requesting permission to return to base. He granted my request and I headed off. Normally I would to turn in a prisoner into command, but I just found him after thinking he was dead and was not about to let him go until I had answers. I had a small cabin in the mountains that my parents gave to me as a gift so I would have a place to relax away from battles. I never had a reason to use it before because I never felt the need to leave the base. I figured it was the best place to hide Heero until he was better because it was at least twenty miles from town and I never had visitors. I carried him to my room and went straight for my first aide. I cleaned and bound his wounds, and then began to prepare a room in the back where he would be safe. I didn't what to expect from him especially since we were now on different sides of the line now. I hoped he wouldn't try anything while I was gone and wouldn't be gone when I returned with some supplies from town. I hoped that no one had noticed me carrying him out of the wreckage or wondered why I left so quickly after battle. I headed to base to return my mobile suit and requested some time off to recuperate. "Lt. Noin," I replied when I came to her office. "Yes Mason, can I help you with something," she asked. "I was hoping I could take off some time to recuperate," I lied, "If that is okay with you Lieutenant Noin." "Of course," she answered, "Just make sure to report in." I left her office in a hurry and made my way towards town. I never noticed Colonel Zechs watching me from the roof or I would have been a little more cautious about my actions. I gathered some food and more medical supplies from a local grocery store, and then I figured I should buy some clothes for me and my guest to last for awhile in case something went wrong. With all my shopping completed, I quickly headed back toward my place and hoped he didn't decide to leave yet. I returned to find him still unconscious but doing much better then before. I let out a breath of relief and went to fetch my supplies. I changed the old bandages and stepped back to take a good long look at my old friend. Heero had changed so much since we were together and I did know how he would react to seeing me again or if he would even remember. I kept watch over him for another hour and decided I really needed to fix my place up. It took me nearly two hours to straighten everything, and I was covered in dirt by the time I was finally finished. I took a good look at my work and figured I needed a well deserved bath. But that was interrupted by a message coming through on my view screen. "Colonel," I cried, "To what do I owe this call?" "Miss Mason I was checking to see if you were okay," Colonel Zechs replied. "I hope that I didn't interrupt something." I finally realized I was out of uniform and wearing my robe. "Oh no sir," I stuttered. "I was just...going to clean the dirt off me from the battle today." He looked at me for a moment and replied, "I was also going to inform you that Noin and I were planning to drop in to make sure you are doing well.if that is fine with you." "Of course sir," I answered keeping my emotions in check. "I shall await your arrival." I saluted him and turned off the screen. What could I do? I decided I might as well finish my bath and work on it from there. The warm water seemed to relax my muscles and let my mind wander for a moment. I sat in there for a half hour and slowly rose out of the tube. I wrapped my robe around me and walked back to my room. I suddenly had this crazy feeling that someone was watching me but I couldn't tell exactly where. The clicking of a gun caused me to freeze in my step. "I see you are doing better," I replied. "Who are you and who do you work for?" a cold voice replied from behind. "You don't like to bother with formality, I guess," I answer refusing to turn around. "My name is Delila Mason and I am a pilot for the Specials Unit." "Why am I here?" He asked only a little shocked from hear my answer. "You were injured so I brought you here to fix you up," I said showing a monotone feel in my tone. "Now put down your gun?" He only paused for a moment but then returned to original stance. "Why should I trust a soldier for OZ?" He replied, "what is your motive?" He looked at me and then said, "why don't you look me in the face?" "Because if you haven't noticed I am not dress," I said, "and if I turned around you would take advantage of that." I pulled my robe close and decided it was now or never. "Besides I can not bear to look at the face of a friend whom I thought was dead." At these words, he dropped his gun and fell to the ground as though in shock. I guess that wasn't something he was used to hearing. "What do you mean friend?" he asked. "Heero Yuy, I never thought someone like you could be so forgetful," I replied, "especially when it came to someone about like me." After a long deep breath, I slowly turned around and met him eye to eye. I kept myself from bursting into tears and my guard up because we were on two different sides of the coin now. I could tell from the look in his eyes that something in him knew who I was, but I couldn't entirely trust him. There was a moment of silence before he spoke up and regained his senses. "Delila, but I don't understand?" he replied moving closer to me as if to see that I wasn't a ghost. "They told me you died in the explosion but they could never found your body." "No I survived," I replied while recalling that awful day so long ago, "but I almost did when I thought I lost the only friend I've ever known for good." Taking a moment to relax, I gently raised my hand to his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. I never noticed how beautiful his eyes were until this moment and I felt my cheeks beginning to flush. "I think. we both have much to discuss about and some questions that need to be answered." Then I motioned towards the table and asked him to please have a seat. "How about some food while we talk?" He nodded his head and I went back to the kitchen to prepare some food. We spent the next two hours telling our tales of the last year over the simple meal I prepared for us. Both of us were trying not to give so much in detail in our stories and avoiding certain questions. But in the end we couldn't hide our secrets since the other knew how to get the information, so we let it all out and talk like old time friends. "So how did you end up working for OZ?" he finally decided to ask. "When I was in the academy, I wanted some extra practice on the simulator and I forgot to erase my score after I was done," I answered trying to find the right way to explain my situation. "Then later that day I was called into Mr. Treize's office and asked if I would be interested in joining his elite squad." I looked down at the table and took a drink from my cup. "But I still don't understand why they choose me or why I am chosen to go a mission set aside for soldiers with more experience?" He took a long look at me and raised his glass to his lips. It seemed strange to have him here with me again but I knew that we couldn't stay like this forever. He cleaned the table and put the dishes in the sink. I sat there staring outside the window trying to figure out what to do. "So what are you going to do now?" He replied, "You can't hide me forever and you know it as well as I do." "Maybe you're right but I could." I started to say but the roar of plane engines broke my thought and I dashed to the window. "Colonel Zechs' plane is here!" I can't believe I forgot about his call. I knew I couldn't panic but I had to act fast. "Lt. Noin and the colonel were supposed to come by today and check on things." Heero went for his gun but I caught his hand half way there. "I got to hide you and fast." "What?" he started to say. "Sorry, but I have no time to explain anything right now," I replied. "Just trust me on this okay." I headed towards the backroom and knocked three times on the wall. The wall moved slowly away revealing a hidden room and I didn't really giving him a chance to react before I pushed him in. I turned to look back at him and then headed towards the front of my cabin. "Wait here until I return please Heero." He nodded and sat down on the bed. The wall moved back in to place just as my doorbell rang. I walked calmly towards the door and grabbed the knob. I opened it to find my two superior officers looking like they knew something was wrong. "Lieutenant, Colonel, come in please," I replied moving gesturing with my hand. "To what do I owe this visit today?" "The Colonel and I were concerned about your sudden departure from the base today and wanted to check to make sure there was no problem," Lt. Noin replied. "Well is there anything we should be concerned with, Miss Mason?" "No Ms. Noin," I answered showing no sign of defiance, "I just felt I needed a well deserved break after all our battles I've been in lately." I probably could have told them anything and still be able to hold my ground as I have been trained to in my youth. I turned to look back at Noin and then to Zechs. "Are you still in need of my services at base?" "Not at this time Ms. Mason," Colonel Zechs replied, "But I will expect you to report back in a week." "Yes sir," I said acknowledging my orders, "I will be prepare to return to my proper duties in a week" He took one last look at around and then headed out the door. I stood there while they boarded the craft and remained until the plane lifted off the ground. Then I returned to my friend. I found working on the computer. "So how did it go?" he asked. "Well I have a week to figure out what I'm going to do now," I replied, "But I don't think Colonel Zechs totally believes my story." "So what now?" he asked again. "Are we going to stay here or leave?" "I don't know anymore," I answered. "Do you have anywhere we could go?" He turned back towards the computer and typed something in. A minute or two later, his rely came back. He wrote down the instructions and turned the computer off. He told me to pack what I felt I needed and headed back to his room. About two hours later, he reappeared at my door with a pack on his back. "Are you ready?" he asked. I nodded and headed to the door. I took one more look at my home and shut the door. I locked it but for what reason I can't explain. I let him drive because I needed some time to think. It seems strange to me that in such a short time my whole life turns around and I don't think this will be the last time.