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Children of War

By,

Luna Dragon

Author's Notes: Wow. I'm completely, and utterly, sorry for my lack of return and updating. Too much things started happening in my life, and I got incredibly side tracked, and never had time for writing. I still didn't, but then I got off my bum and came back to FF.Net, and low-and- behold, I had a lot of reviews asking me to return. @_@; Truly, LunaDragon didn't expect that! But alas, things have started to settle down, inspiration isn't kaput, and I. Am. Back! ^_^ Now, if you may, ignore this rambling authoress and continue reading the long awaited chapter of, Children of War. *bows and walks away*

Chapter 30: Panic Stricken

It was a breezeless, dreary night on the colony as a dark figure stood in boredom at the top of a grassy hill. Wild grass and weeds grew tall around her and stayed utterly still, just as the figure. Slowly, silently, a quartet of other silhouettes came up behind the figure, followed by a trio of others.

Akiko sighed and then plopped heavily on the ground. In front of her was a large hill, practically big enough to be called a mountain, filled with grass and weeds and trees, covering up the real identity of it as workers underneath it lurked, unnoticed by the colonists. Because in front of her and her friends, newly found and old ones, was the corporation that held the five newly designed Gundams, one for each of the girls. 'Goody, goody gumdrops,' Akiko thought sarcastically, 'I get to be a pilot of a Gundam when I don't even know how to use it. Damn it, that thing of mine better come with an instruction manual otherwise I'm gonna end up hurting someone.'

They had left the shuttle port just half an hour ago, having met up with Makoto, Usagi, and Minako outside the airport, giving Rei and Ami quite a surprise to say the least. Akiko could still picture their wide eyes as they realized that the three girls, friends from there past, showed up in front of them at the shuttle bay. They had left after brief introductions, and then gotten into an awaiting black car and drove here. Their time in the car was used for explaining everything they needed to know about what was in this base, where it was, and the safest and quickest way to get in and out with their Gundams.

Yet Akiko still did not know how Usagi and the others were going to escape. She didn't concern herself with those matters; Rei and Ami had great faith in them, and Akiko supposed she could to. They had to get out. They just had to.

"They're hidden here?" Kaiya asked uncertainly, staring at the giant grass covered hill before them, unlikely in this giant colony. Just what else were these people hiding besides the Gundam's that they wanted to maintain so secret?

"Yes, all five of them, and some more classified weapons as well." Makoto answered softly, green eyes clouding with slight anger at what the people she used to work for - and believed in - were doing. "They plan to unleash the mobile suits and dolls extremely soon. I wouldn't be surprised if they unleashed them before we got your Gundams."

"They are persistent; I'll give them that." Rei snorted, crossing her arms about her chest angrily. "So, we're supposed to get in and out with our Gundams. How, again?"

"It's simple," Usagi answered her question. "There's a hidden entrance that leads past this fake escapade and into the actual factory inside."

"Which is why this hill is so gigantic. They not only have to hold five Gundams, but herds of mobile suits and the like as well. Am I right?" Ami wondered aloud.

"On the dot, as usual." Minako said with a sigh.

"If they're already finished then why not just unleash their weapons of destruction now?" Hotaru suggested absentmindedly, going over the floor plan and statistics in her mind that were shown to her previously.

"Maybe they don't wanna rush the fun?" Akiko grinned upward at her standing companions. "I mean, why start the party early when all the fun begins after everyone arrives at the end?"

"Nice way of thinking," Minako grinned as well, earning a stern look from Rei. "But it must be because of some . . . unfortunate difficulties . . . ." Her voice trailed off as her grin widened. "Hey, we had to come prepared in case the flight got delayed or something," She shrugged at Kaiya and Hotaru's raised eyebrows.

"So, are we going to crash their party with our own or what? I'm getting sick and tired of all this waiting and I got Duo to get back to. Not only that, but my butt is asleep." Akiko rambled, jumping to her feet almost excitedly. Almost. Deep down, she was dreading what they would find, knowing that she'd be piloting something she never had, not even in simulations.

"I agree. We're wasting time," Ami added, turning to everyone. "Now, this hidden entrance . . .?"

"For once, a step in front of you Ami," Usagi grinned, taking out a black rectangular device with a red button directly in the center. Pressing down on it, the grass below began to move, low sounds of grinding metal erupting from the surface as the grass chunk sunk downward with a low but heavy thump as metal crashed into metal. Dust rose from the bottom surface and into the air. Where the grass and Akiko once sat, was a squared whole. "Just jump down. This entrance hasn't been used in years, so you don't have to worry about guards."

As everyone jumped down stealthily, Akiko stayed behind, Makoto beside her. "What is it?" The tall brunette asked Akiko as a frown formed on her usually grinning face.

"When were you planning on telling me that I was sitting on the entrance?" Akiko asked with the frown still on her face as she realized if she would have stayed seated, she would've fallen along with the metal door.

It was Makoto who now held a grin. She placed a hand on Akiko's shoulder before jumping down. But as she fell, she called, "Eventually!"

"Yeah, after I fell, right?" Akiko muttered dryly, jumping down as well, knowing full and well seriousness would be expected of her from then on.

Landing on her knees in a crouching position, she turned to her assigned partner. Before they had arrived from the long and solitary drive here, each of them had been paired in either teams of twos or threes, each set up by what they specialized in, then given a floor plan to memorize. Kaiya and Akiko were together since they knew best how to work in a double team. Also because Akiko was stealthily and good with machines, while Kaiya would be able to wriggle her way through any surprising stunts, since the floor plan offered no assistance in what security was except for the usual cameras and guards.

Rei, Minako, and Usagi were put together because of their similar skills. Minako and Usagi knew the place left from right, yet weren't experts with disabling any unwanted security, unless by surprise, as Rei was.

Makoto would guide Hotaru and Ami around, and, if necessary, help fight off the overwhelming amount of security around here. Hotaru would be able to disengage the cameras with Ami's help before they reached the hanger where the Gundams were held, to keep casualties to the limit before they took off in their Gundams.

"Didn't think you'd wait," Akiko commented to her partner, Kaiya.

Through the shadows, Kaiya smiled. "You think so poorly of me after all these years?"

"Not you, just your way of thinking solo." Akiko responded. "I mean, you ditch me to kill a bunch a guys everyone of us falls in love with, you ditch me while I'm sleeping to go warn a bunch of people we don't know, and in the past, you even ditched me to train in Gundam simulations. See? I got stuck with Epyon, but you got the all mighty Heavyarms! Just my luck you waited." A grin was in place on her face as Akiko rambled in plain fun.

Kaiya shook her head slowly, a smile plaguing her lips. "Come on, we have Gundams to find." She said finally. "Or do you want me to leave you out in this too?" Kaiya smirked at her friend, who grinned back, before their faces hardened and they set to go about their task: finding and retrieving the Gundams.

~*^*^*~

She stared intently at the computer, frowning slightly at the information that was being given to her. "Is this right?" Haruka couldn't help but wonder aloud as she read and reread the information.

*Plans for the mobile suits and mobile dolls complete. Mobile suits ready. Mobile dolls 95% complete. Estimated time: twenty hours and fifty-one minutes until completion. Five newly designed Gundams complete. All completions will be released within next hour, due to technical difficulties. Cause: Sabotage. Reason: Unknown. Suspects: None.*

"Crap," Haruka mumbled, slamming her fist onto the table. "They weren't supposed to release them so early!"

"What's wrong, Haruka?" Michiru's soft voice from behind Haruka startled her slightly.

"They're releasing all of the mobile suits and the Gundams early. Since the mobile dolls aren't finished yet, they're holding off on those alone. Usagi and the others have an hour before they're all released." The blonde explained angrily.

Michiru didn't answer at first. An hour? She couldn't help but wonder if they had enough time to find and retrieve the Gundams between that limit. Time was of the greater essence now. If others got a hand on those Gundams...

"Then we better get prepared here if they're releasing so early."

Haruka nodded. "We'll have to round all the pilots up; given the fact they don't kill or break something once they find out the rest of the girls are gone."

~*^*^*~

Wufei stared at the rising sun, promising a new beginning, a new day. It was completely unaware that this could possibly be the end for them all as it shined its light upon the wooden roof on which he stood. His arms were crossed in front of his chest, eyes opened, staring onward, but not looking at all. When, in truth, his mind was in reliving last night's events. He could still remember the pain in Rei's eyes as she blurted out what she felt, the way her lips felt against his perfectly; he could see the determination of a real warrior spirit as she left, and he could even see her eyes were once again saddened. Though he'd never admit it to anyone else other than Rei, as he could barely admit it himself, he really did love her, despite her stubbornness and his, their differences, and despite their little time spent together. He couldn't explain it himself, how it happened, but deep down, as an old wound began closing up, he was glad it did.

Commotion down below made his mind return to the present as he jumped down to the roof door, wondering just what was causing such uproar. Silently, he slipped inside, staring at the five Gundams briefly before looking down at only the six people on the floor, since every worker had left earlier, completing the Gundams. "Chang, get down here, we've got some bad and worse news!" He could here Haruka's voice and he growled slightly, walking down the stairs provided for him.

"What is it, woman?" He snapped, crossing his arms defiantly.

"We're getting to that part, 'man'." Haruka snapped, just as angrily, emphasizing the 'man' part. Wufei scowled, taking a place next to Quatre. "Now that you're all here--"

"What about 'Kiko and the others?" Duo interrupted, curiosity getting the best of him as he wondered where she and the others were. "Or are they not included in this?"

"Oh, they're included in this all right," Michiru said with a sigh.

"Then . . . where are they?" Trowa asked, skepticism creeping into his voice. There was something the two women in front of him weren't telling them, and he wanted to know.

"Well, they're gone, to put it simply." Haruka stated bluntly. "We sent them on a mission to retrieve five new Gundams for their use in this upcoming battle, since you guys are going to need all the help you can get."

Trowa's eyes slightly widened, and he clenched his fist angrily before he could stop himself. Why hadn't they been told? Now he figured that was what their meeting had been about, but now that he knew, he wished he could've gone to help. Were Kaiya and the others strong enough to apprehend the Gundams? It was without a doubt that the place they went to was heavily guarded. Would they be all right? Would Kaiya be all right?

"What?" Duo shouted, taking a step back in disbelief.

"You heard them," Heero snorted, his arms crossed in front of his chest, eyes closed as his bangs fell to cover his face. He still remembered Hotaru having to leave, and the means she took for him to allow her to do so. If he hadn't been so confused with his emotions, he would have probably been able to stop her. But briefly he wondered if that was how Hotaru felt when he had to take measures into the extreme before he left to become a Gundam pilot. He could picture her angry face clearly when she had challenged him to a martial arts match before he left, claiming if she won he would stay. He knew that Hotaru was following her emotions then, and it got her no where but into a bed, unconscious for a while, unable to see him leave. And then history repeated itself with him as its puppet. Would his only love die before he saw her once again, just as Heero left and Hotaru never saw him until now?

Quatre remained quiet, as well as Wufei. They both had known this beforehand, Ami and Rei having told them before they were forced to leave. Though neither of the two were thrilled, there was nothing they could do but hope for their safety and the girls' and wait until they saw them once again. If they saw them again, that is.

Duo sighed exasperatedly as he turned to Heero. "What's your problem?" He accused angrily. "Akiko and the others could be in danger! They could be killed! Don't you care what happens to them? Or Hotaru?" He saw clearly as Heero tensed.

"We all care what happens to them Duo," Quatre reassured quietly. "They had their reasons for going."

Duo growled and turned his anger toward the blonde. "I'd expect you of all people not to agree with this! Was everyone told except for me? Damn it -- am I the only one who even cares?"

"Keep your mouth shut, Maxwell," Wufei snarled. "You know nothing of what we think. Just because no one informed that we do, it does not mean we do not care."

"Well you all do a hell of a job showing it!" Duo snapped back.

"Duo calm down," Trowa said, a hint of warning and annoyance in his voice.

"How the hell am I supposed to stay calm when Kiko's out their risking her life to obtain something she knows nothing about?" Duo yelled back.

Haruka took an angry step forward, but before she could do anything about their verbal fighting, another did. Heero growled, spinning around to face Duo, a punch flying straight at the braided teenager and knocking him to the ground. Everyone watched in shock as Heero clenched his fists together, panting slightly with anger. "Baka! Don't think you're the only one who can lose a person they care about right now!" He said menacingly.

"I don't think that, but you wouldn't expect me to would you? It's always me, Duo the baka, that doesn't think. Am I right?" Duo snarled back a cold reply as he rubbed the blood from his split lip. Everyone around him stared at him with either surprise or no readable emotion at the harshness and dread and coldness in his voice; the same voice he used to talk with in battle more than a year ago. The voice he masked as Death; the voice he used when acting like the God of Death, the Shinigami.

Slowly the chestnut haired teenager got up, staring at Heero with darkness in his eyes, so unlike him. For once, Duo let his barriers fall around his friend's as he stared at each one, panting slightly from holding in his anger. Clearly they saw the worry in his cobalt blue eyes. They saw his anger, his love; all of his emotions running through a confused and frustrated state and one emotion overlapping the rest and making them seem trivial. Pain. Pain at not wanting to lose his friend, his love. Pain that he held back for years and years to come, holding a cheerful facade after losing so much. Finally, he turned away from the surprised teenagers and two women. "Death follows me Heero. And I'm afraid 'Kiko's tinted with my luck . . ." With a sigh; he turned on his heel and walked away.

Heero's angered panting ceased, and he glared daggers at the Deathscythe's pilot's back. Turning away, Heero walked off as well.

"And you all wondered why we didn't tell you in the first place," Haruka mumbled as she stared at Duo then at Heero in surprise. The rest of the three pilots remained speechless at the antics the two other's had done. It was so unlike them both to lose control like the way they did. "Well, someone's going to have to tell them the bad news," Haruka then said.

"There's more?" Quatre asked meekly.

Michiru nodded sadly. "We've got at least and possibly at most, forty minutes before more than half of the fleets of the mobile suits are released."

Wufei shook his head in fury, a small growl escaping his lips. He couldn't believe that Dr. Tanaka and those other idiots were actually going to go through with the injustice of it all. Were they that desperate to start a war? Were they that desperate to turn everyone into bodies made completely up of Gundanium? "That doesn't give us much time," He muttered.

"No, it doesn't," Haruka agreed.

"We'll have to get ready by then," Quatre proclaimed, "since it isn't official when they're going to send their mobile suits to Earth."

"And the colonies as well." Trowa reminded.

Haruka nodded. "Right," She said, turning to Quatre. "Well, you seem to be the one who keeps the peace. Mind trying to go calm the two hotheads down and telling them what's going on?"

Quatre blinked twice at the remark and question, but nodded. "I cannot really promise anything, but I'll try." He warned, walking off in Heero's direction first.

Wufei shook his head and bowed slightly. Without a word, he walked off toward his beloved Nataku. Trowa held back a sigh as he walked to see the finished preparations of his Gundam as well. For whatever happened, if it turned in their favor or not, they'd have to be ready.

With a blank expression on her face, Michiru turned toward Haruka. "Now are you still sure we did the right thing?" The aqua-haired woman asked softly, her voice fighting to break.

The blonde said nothing this time. In truth, now she did not know.

~*^*^*~

The guard named Brad that had walked through the corridor calmly, swinging his dark hat in his hand, was now visibly tensed with his gun drawn. He had been bored all day! Normally with his shift that lasted three hours before switching to another was bad enough, but with building all the new material, they had all been on duty all day. With not one single stir in eighteen hours and thirty minutes, he was about ready to leave. But the sound in the other hallway stopped him short, just as he was about to take a break. He had called for backup, but no one had come; yet, anyway.

'Dumb ass bastards can't guard an entrance if some damn stupid ass decides to break in here! Leaving me to do all the fucking work . . .' Brad paused in his mental cursing when a bit of movement in the shadows of the corridor caught his eye. Blinking, he shook his head and looked again. Maybe he was just seeing things; he hadn't, after all, slept at all for two days. 'Wait a second,' He thought. There was a shadowed figure out there; skulking around the very place he had been scooping out! A few blinks of disbelief and the figure was gone. No doubt having used the door to get in that he was going to use to go out for his break! Who was this guy and how did he know the same things he did?

Not to be outdone by some faceless skulking figure, Brad was on his feet and sprinting towards the way the silhouette had went. His eyes scanning everything as he moved along, it didn't take Brad's keen and experienced eyes to notice the loose air vent on his side, which could only mean that either someone had entered previous, or had left. 'Where the hell are my reinforcements?' He thought angrily.

With a low growl, Brad contemplated his memory on where that air vent could lead. A janitor's closet, a few locker rooms... 'The first fucking floor! The Gundams are kept there damn it!' Whoever was his fellow interloper, Brad wanted to find them first before they became aware of him. If he or she managed to get passed outside security, that person must have some kind of extreme knowledge of this place, or sneaky stealth abilities. Taking out his access card, Brad ran to the nearest stairway and slipped the card in before running down to the first floor basement. Though it was almost pitch black in the stairway, and Brad dared not to turn on a light to see, he could tell that someone else had been down here just moments before by the brushed away cobwebs and dust. Just how many people had managed to get inside?

Brad could see a light down at the bottom of the stairs and Brad tried to control his ragged, panting breath, making a mental note to work out more. Increasing his stealth, he slowed his pace as he neared the end of his journey, holding back a shudder as his hand rested on the doorknob. This was it . . .

Turning the doorknob and opening the door just slightly, Brad gazed out from the metal door, the dimly lit hallway before him looking outwardly empty. Holding in a breath, the man opened the door fully, his gun pointing to every shadow. But nothing moved other than himself, and everything was clean and spotless, much to his pleasure. That would leave little space for the person he was pursuing. With that in mind, the dark haired man steadied his gun and continued on.

Brad listened carefully and silently to the stillness of the place as he made sure to check his silencer; this was the most heavily guarded base out of the few that they had. It wouldn't be regular guns to attract attention if the person brought a few 'friends' along, it wouldn't be mere darts and simulations during shooting practice; this time it would be a life or death situation. That meant if the person that managed to infiltrate this base wanted to keep his or her life, it would mean his death. The situation didn't thrill Brad in any way, but he knew it quite well and was prepared to do whatever the outcome. This harrowing night wasn't over, and it could very well be his last.

A muffled and heavy sound caught his keen and trained ears and made Brad jump to attention. With a heart beat and a pounding reverberating in his head, Brad silently tiptoed towards the sound. His gun was ready when he peeked around the corner, fully aware that the person -- or people -- had to be incredibly skilled to get passed the guards outside the hill and inside. His brown eyes widened, as he wasn't prepared for what he beheld.

The crumpled body of one of the late night guardsmen -- one of his high ranking 'friends' -- lay limp on the yellowish floor at the foot of a silhouetted figure standing over him. The whole scene was mostly contained in the shadows, but the standing silhouette was tall, thin and . . . 'Female?' His mind shouted as he watched the young woman proceed to dress herself in the guard's uniform over her own. She moved into the light for a sparse moment, but her long black hair and bangs curtained her face as she looked down, obstructing Brad's view of it.

Steadily, Brad lifted his gun and aimed it at the fully dressed, strange young woman as she took one last precautionary look around . . . and spotted him. Brad cursed at his hesitation and jumped from behind the corner, aiming the gun at the violet eyed girl's smirking face. 'Smirking?' Brad thought as the woman held her hands over her head, still smirking.

"Don't you know it's not nice to watch a young lady as she dresses?" A humorous and feminine voice said into his ear, her breath running down his neck. He caught an arm heading towards his head and long golden hair, but before Brad had a chance to reply, or move to defend himself, his world went black.

~*^*^*~

It was almost time to unleash the Gundams and mobile suits; approximately thirty-seven minutes left, and then the preparations for the mobile dolls would be continued. Quatre wondered if he could talk some sense into Heero by then.

Sighing and feeling slightly depressed from not feeling Ami's comforting presence, and knowing that he might never feel it or see it again made his heart cringed and he didn't know if he could accomplish the task of breaking Heero's stone cold façade. He could probably understand what the Wing Zero pilot was going through; what Wufei had said was right. None of them were the only ones who had lost someone they cared about. Cringing slightly as Quatre realized he was referring to Ami in past tense, the blonde calmed himself and walked on calmly to find the solitary Heero Yuy, the pilot that, when he didn't want to be found, wouldn't be found.

But nonetheless, Quatre felt he had to help one of his friends. He heard shuffling in what was supposed to be Heero's room, and paused at the door. He hadn't realized he has walked thus far. Being too caught up in his thoughts, the Arabian thought he was going to head the wrong way and end up going to his room to contemplate all the raging feelings swelling up not only in his mind, but in his heart.

Forgetting about politeness and pleasantries, Quatre tested the doorknob and, to his satisfaction, found the door was opened. He put his hands in the pockets of his khaki pants and walked into the bedroom that Heero was currently shuffling through, too caught up in what he was doing, and thinking, to notice the blonde's presence.

"Um, Heero?" Quatre called out, feeling slightly uneasy that he had just barged into some one else's room. No response from the teen that was currently leaning against the wall, head rested on one arm as the other ran through his hair. "Heero?" He called again to the boy that seemed to be in deep thought.

However, once more the brown haired teenager failed to offer a response, or even the notion that he was aware of someone else's presence. Deciding that he wasn't going to get anywhere by calling out, Quatre walked quietly up to the inwardly contemplating pilot and tapped him on the shoulder lightly.

To say the least, Quatre was not expecting the reaction he got.

~*^*^*~

Heero had stormed off as soon as he realized he'd punched Duo. His friend, his best, and probably his only, not that he'd admit it due to his Perfect Soldier façade. He had gone straight to the first place he could think of where he wouldn't be disturbed. His room. But in his hurry to escape the rush of emotions he was received with, he had completely forgotten to lock the door. Instead, he had briskly walked straight into his room in search of his laptop.

He was not going to let Hotaru get killed. He'd be damned to Hell and back then back to Hell again before letting the one person he truly and deeply loved be killed. He closed his eyes, leaning against the wall. Why was he letting these emotions get to him, now? Of all times, why did he have to feel the way he did right before a war?

"Hotaru . . ." Heero muttered, whether he had said it angrily, exasperated, lovingly or emotionlessly, he had no idea. He knew nothing at this point. Just a literal burning desire to go and see her. Make sure she was safe, not dead as he had thought so many times.

FLASHBACK

Odin Lowe Jr., now with the code name of the old Pacifist leader of the colonies, Heero Yuy, clicked away at his laptop. His face was void of any emotion, but opted an eerie glow from the light of the computer screen. To everyone else, he was a normal teenager working on possibly homework from school or something like that. But to the one person that stayed hidden from view, crouching low on the porch of his apartment on the ninth floor, knew otherwise. She could see the way his brow was frowned in the slightest expression of concentration. She would have noticed it even if she weren't pointedly staring at him.

Though she had no clue he knew where she was, in reality, the boy did. He could see the shadow the setting sun had cast for her. But he paid little attention at the sliding glass door he could hear, or the way her footsteps sounded as she walked quietly on the carpet toward him. He could hear her almost perfectly. After all, that's what Odin Lowe and Dr. J had trained him for.

He continued to type even as the teenage woman behind him whipped out a gun and placed the barrel at the back of his head. He heard the safety click off. "Tomoe." The boy said, his voice expressionless.

The girl's hand behind him wavered. "You haven't called me that in years." She spat out almost venomously. Almost. Even he could hear the pain in her voice. "Dr. J really has changed you. That fucking bastard! Why you, Odin Lowe Junior? Why. Must. You. Fight?"

"Because I'm fighting for the colonies." He answered almost absentmindedly. '...For you...' A part of his mind answered silently. His face remained set.

The girl bit her lip, lowering her gun. Immediately, knowing his cue, Heero jumped from his chair, grabbing Hotaru's gun and throwing it across the room. In the process, he grabbed her arms and threw her against the wall--

END FLASHBACK

Heero Yuy tensed abruptly when he felt the tap on his shoulder. His instincts worked faster than his mind, which was still in its flashback.

Lightning fast, Heero whirled around and grabbed his attacker, slamming him into the wall hard. Before he even saw whom the intruder was, Heero had their arms pinned over their head with one hand, as his other hand pressed hard against the intruder's throat. He was rewarded with a yelp of surprise from his victim and then a pained moan. But Heero's snarl disappeared when he saw who it was. The paranoid pilot took a step back and eyed the intruder skeptically.

Quatre smiled meekly, rubbing his now sore neck. "Sorry, Heero," He apologized quickly. "I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to see how you were," By the time Quatre finished talking, Heero's mind was back on the past, feeling a strange sense of daja vu.

FLASHBACK

--Threw Hotaru against the wall and clasped a hand on her throat. "You shouldn't be here, Tomoe," Heero grumbled, letting her fall weakly to the ground as he backed away. Hotaru looked up at him, tear filled eyes pleading him to stay.

"Answer my question!"

"I'm a soldier; it is what I do."

"You don't have to do it Odin! Listen to me!" By this time, Hotaru had leapt to her feet and was staring at him in his icy eyes. He stared back, meeting her gaze, until her hand raised in a preparation to hit him. Instincts and training kicking into gear; Heero grabbed her hand before it was an inch to his face.

"I am listening, Tomoe," He growled, almost threateningly, as he let go of her hand.

Hotaru clenched her fists and turned her back. "You don't have to go. My father's on Earth right now. I-I came her, to stop you. I don't want you to be a part of this cold-hearted war."

"What you want doesn't concern me."

Hotaru growled. "Don't you think I know that, Heero Yuy?" Inwardly, Heero flinched. He didn't like the venom in her voice, or how she called him by his code name. But she didn't understand. She was the reason he was fighting now. To protect her. So he could...

Before his train of thought could continue, Hotaru's voice cut him off. "Fight me."

"What?" He took a step back in shock, but shook his head and glared at her back.

"I said, fight me! I win you stay! If I lose you'll know what happens. You're smart Heero! Fight me!"

END FLASHBACK

"I'm fine." Heero muttered under his breath. "The fight will start soon; I want to check up on some information. Haruka or anyone else doesn't know how exactly how many mobile suits we'll fight or how strong they are. I, for one, don't plan to die by carelessness." With that, he walked out of his room and into the small living room where his computer sat on a desk.

In his hurry, he had forgotten where his laptop was. With it found, and something to keep his mind off the flashbacks he kept getting, he sat in front of it and turned it on. His mind didn't give him such bliss.

FLASHBACK

Heero dodged a punch from Hotaru and grabbed the other small fist that aimed at his face. Acting quickly, Heero flipped her over and pinned her arm behind her back. The black-haired girl gritted her teeth and kicked her leg backward, managing to hit the boy's back and causing him to loosen his grip on her arm.

That was all she needed. Throwing her head back, Hotaru's face was emotionless as she made contact with Heero's face. She rolled out from under him and flipped up to her feet, grabbing the gun that was on the floor and aiming it at Heero.

"I won," She coughed out.

Heero frowned, shaking his head. He ran forward, a bullet narrowly missing his arm as he tackled Hotaru to the ground, trying to wrestle the gun from her persistent hands. She shot the rest of the bullets out, but not before Heero had twisted the gun around. Hand squeezing the trigger by mistake, Hotaru screamed in pain as she felt a bullet pierced through her thigh. Her scream died out and she stopped wrestling, the gun falling to the floor, forgotten by both. Her hands felt cold in his tight grasp.

Heero's eyes widened as she smiled sadly, falling limp under him. 'She's never been shot before!' His rational mind realized, knowing that most pass out when they're first shot due to such new intense pain and shock.

"Firefly!"

END FLASHBACK

The red blinking and softly screeching screen in front of Heero brought him out of his past. Only then did he realize where he was and why, 'Fuck,' His mind summarized quickly as he snorted, quickly trying another password to hack into a base full of Mobile Dolls Michiru had told them about.

"You're thinking about her, aren't you?" Quatre's quiet and knowing voice reached Heero's ears. He didn't reply at first, but the blonde took silence as his answer. "Thinking too much won't help." He said softly, almost to himself. "You have to act, when we all fight...together...and when you fight, you'll protect each other, because you love her, right?"

Heero didn't answer as he continued to type. He didn't even acknowledge Quatre when he left, shutting the door behind him.

FLASHBACK

Slowly, gently, Heero carried the limp girl to his bed, ignoring the trail of blood he left on the carpet. With expert hands, a first aid kit with him, Heero spent over an hour taming Hotaru's wound.

When finished, he stared at his bloodied hands, as if in shock. Her blood. He hated having her blood on his hands. It wasn't new to him. His hands were already eternally stained with countless drops of blood. But her blood...the one he loved...

He wrenched his eyes away and stared at her breathing form. The wound hadn't been fatal, but it hadn't been minor either. She was breathing regularly, her face back to its original color. She didn't want him to leave. She was willing to fight him to protect him, to keep him from leaving, despite the obvious fact that he was trained and stronger.

"Just what else are you willing to do to a killer like me?" He spat, angry with himself. Shutting his eyes, he stood and grabbed his laptop. He had a mission, his first as a Gundam pilot, to protect the colonies.

'To protect you...Firefly...' His mind supplied as he walked out the door.

END FLASHBACK

~*^*^*~

Duo lay on his bed, (a/n and now Akiko's too, if you really think about it... ^_^º) arms behind his head and a pillow prop up in-between his shoulder and neck. He inhaled deeply, trying to calm his running emotions. He had lost control and snapped his beautiful façade that took years to make finally broken.

"And it's all Kiko's fault," The braided teen muttered absentmindedly, closing his eyes as he turned on his side, "because she doesn't know what the hell she does to me."

FLASHBACK

Duo sighed inwardly, gently stroking Akiko's black hair as she leaned on his chest, half asleep. She purred softly, leaning against his embrace as he wrapped both of his arms around her naked body, tugging the covers over them to keep them both warm. "You okay, Kiko?" Duo asked softly, bracing himself against hateful words just in case. He could still recall the tears that had streamed down her face when she let him take her innocence.

Akiko smiled softly, looking up at Duo with loving eyes. She raised her hand and let it intertwine in Duo's unbraided hair as she brought her face up to his. Her lips met his, and she just stayed that way until Duo tightened his embrace around her. Pulling apart, Akiko answered simply; "I've never felt more complete Duo."

The chestnut haired teen smiled down at the woman in his arms, turning and setting her down on the bed before sitting up. He reached around his neck and took off his cross for the first time in years. He hadn't even taken it off during their lovemaking.

Akiko looked at him with a confused expression as she sat up as well. "Duo . . ." She said uncertainly, looking at him with slightly wide brown eyes. But Duo silenced her with his lips, putting his silver necklace with a wooden cross on Akiko's neck.

"Sister Helen gave this to me before she died," Duo explained, "she said it'd protect me. I've managed to live this long without takin' it off, so I want you to have it."

Akiko looked at Duo's face, eyes slightly saddened as he revealed a bit of his past to her. "Oh, Duo, you can't give this to me!" She said weakly. "Sister Helen . . . she meant a lot to you . . . I . . . I can't take what she gave to you to protect you."

Duo smiled. "Kiko, I'd give you more than just that if I had more. I want you to be safe. We're fighting a war, ne? If I don't come back alive, you'll have my cross to protect you."

"Duo. . ." Akiko sighed, clasping the cross around her hand. "You're the one who's going to fight, not me . . . you need more protection than I do."

Duo shushed her and nuzzled his head in the crook of her neck. "Please Kiko. I... just have a bad feeling. I don't know what's going to happen to me, but I want you to be safe, you know?"

Akiko nodded. "Then I'll stay safe, for you, okay. But promise you'll stay alive?"

Duo had said nothing then. What could he say? He had to keep his promises. He never lied, right? So then, he said what he could; "I'll try Kiko."

END FLASHBACK

"I'll try," Duo sighed, clenching hid fist. "As long as you do to, babe."

~*^*^*~

Ami sat stiff in her chair, eyes slanted downward in a frown, lips pursed in a thin line. In front of her was a large computer, keyboard spread wide underneath it. The screen blared 'incorrect' at her as her hands danced speedily over the keys, never halting their pace. Behind her, Hotaru guarded the door, leaning against the wall rigidly, and the gun in her hand without its safety. Her face was hard and blank, ears straining for any misplaced sound, eyes watching the door and its knob as if it was going to attack her any second. Makoto, on the other hand, stood as calm as if she was in park. Her illusion was ruined only by her drawn gun and an air of readiness that seemed to surround her.

The three partners had barely gotten to the computer room, finding it desolate of their friends and filled with guards. It hadn't taken long before all five of them were knocked unconscious and thrown into a closet. That left Ami to deal with her task: finding out the password that unlocked the door to the Gundams.

"Finished yet, Ami?" Makoto asked softly. She brushed a strand of hair from her face and glanced out the large window that gave a perfect view of people who would pass by, yet also of the three girls inside.

"Whoever created this system obviously wanted no one to hack into it," Was the curt reply. "Hotaru, do you think you could give me a hand?"

The violet-eyed girl looked up from her post but said nothing. She was good in hacking, true, but what if someone were to come inside? She didn't want to be caught with a bullet in her back while trying to hack into a computer. Before she could offer any sort of retort, however, she heard the clicking of keys from the outside: someone was going to unlock the door. She glanced at the others; both stiff and ready for anything.

"Continue," Hotaru mouthed to Ami, and the blue-headed girl reluctantly complied; the sound of her fingers pounding along the keys mixed with the code being put into the lock outside. Makoto silently darted a bit away from the door's primary view, pointing her gun at where the person (or people) would be first visible, and Hotaru pressed herself rigidly against the wall.

The door opened.

~~---~~

Ok, don't murder me because I gave you a cliffy just after I finally updated. =P *evil little grin* I didn't mean to, honestly. I just have to get going now, and I thought, better late than never, right? Besides. ^_^ That will probably bring people back. Lol

Enjoy, and you'll get another chapter shortly, not to worry. Because, my readers, LunaDragon is back. *peace sign*