Chapter Seven

The news of OZ spread like wildfire, an incandescent heat that created panic all over the realms. No one knows what to do. Military forces can do little to curb their voracious appetite. Many watched helplessly as their hometowns were destroyed by OZ. Suddenly, OZ was no longer a clandestine organization. It was alive and kicking. It was a disaster.

Mr J had called in his erstwhile friends, all professors like him – O, H, S and G. Years ago, the professors were once involved in a war between two magical realms and J, O, H, S and G were their code names. They had helped the military to deal with some tough problems regarding spells and potions.  Since then, they have never change back to their original names. The five professors sat in J's office solemnly.

" I'm sure you are aware why I called you here," J said, adjusting his spectacles.

His mushroom-headed friend, G, answered, " Of course, now tell us what you have in mind."

" Gundam Magic. That is the only way to stop OZ."

" Gundam Magic!?" all exclaimed aloud.

" Someone has mastered it?!" O asked. He was the tallest and toughest-looking professor of them all. Bald, he had once wished desperately for hair.

J said, " Yes, five boys from my school have mastered it, five very talented boys."

" Did you say boys?!" Professor H stared at him, incredulous. He twitched his thin, black moustache. " How can that be?"

" It is true. I have witnessed it myself. OZ is far too strong and merciless for our military forces to handle. Only Gundam Magic can stop them now. And we must act quickly before more damage are done!"

S, the one with the fake nose, sighed. " Unbelievable. But we believe you, J. You never lie. 3 realms have ceased to exist because of their unwillingness to join OZ. And we just received news this morning that one more realm has given in, and that makes it six of them! We now have 13 realms left to protect. They are quick."

" If there is no objection from any of you, we shall start the operation."

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Heero, Duo, Trowa, Wufei, Relena, Catherine and Hilde stood outside Magic Town. Quatre was running towards them, panting. " Guys!" he shouted.

" Quatre," Duo greeted him. " What did Mr J say?"

" We battle," the blond boy replied simply.

There was a deep silence as everyone absorbed the news in. " If anyone is afraid, you can stay behind," Heero told them flatly.

" Afraid!" Duo snorted. " Whatever gives you this crazy idea? We are with you! Right?" The other three boys nodded in agreement.

" We are going with you," Hilde said.

" You stay behind," Heero said.

" Why?"

" OZ might attack Magic Town, no our realm. We need some capable people here to protect it."

" But…You're right."

A honk sounded loud behind them. The group turned and saw a black expensive limousine heading in their direction. It stopped and the five professors stepped out.

" So these are the five talented boys," G remarked. " Very handsome fellows eh?"

" Indeed," H agreed.

" We are here to see you off," J said. " We received a very reliable news that OZ is going to attack Dragon Land soon. You five will head there."

 " Right," Duo said. "To think I thought OZ might have given up on us when we didn't hear anything from them for days. But then, they are actually attacking the realms! Those scoundrels." 

" They want to test us, I think that's partly the reason for the sudden attack of the realms," Trowa said thoughtfully.

" Hmm, no matter what, they are the bad guys here and we'll bring them down. This isn't the first time I'm going into war anyway," Wufei said.

" Neither am I," Quatre replied.

" Second time," Duo grinned.

" Same," Trowa joined in.

" We all have experience war before," Heero looked at his friends knowingly. " Let's go."

" Be careful! Good luck boys!" J called out as they began to walk away.

The girls were biting back their tears. " Must they really go to war?" Catherine mumbled.

" No choice," Hilde told her. " You know, I have known they were different when I first saw them. Call it woman's intuition."

" Heero…" Relena watched painfully. " Heero! All of you! Please come back soon! Heero!"

The five boys turned back to take one last look. " Be careful! Trowa!" Catherine shouted to her brother. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

" Bye!" Duo said on behalf of all of them. They have long prepared for today, ever since they first stepped into Magic Town.

The five formed a circle. " This is it," Qautre looked at his mates. They took a deep breath and closed their eyes. A dazzling light enveloped them and then, they were gone.

The professors and the girls stood in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts. " Any news of Miss Une?" Relena asked Mr J.

He shook his head. " None. It's as if she has disappeared into thin air. I wonder if OZ has…" he paused. " …Killed her. Anyway, you will be getting a new principal soon – Miss Sally Po. She's a brilliant woman. Young but capable, like Miss Une. Come, I'll send you all home."

Reluctantly, the group left in the limousine and drove away.

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A baby dragon has just hatched out of its egg. Its mother watched it tenderly and nuzzled it with warm love. The baby cried out, happy to be in this world with such a kind mother. It looked at its new world with innocent eyes, filled with adventurous interest.

The wet, green, scaly animal took a wobbling step, its very first step, and then fell. But it did not cry. The gentle grass cushioned its fall and instead, the baby laughed. The mother licked its small cheek, her tail wagging with love. She playfully poked her short white horns on her baby's buttocks so that it jumped up in surprise.

The baby looked at its mother and touched its head. How come it has horns? Nevermind, the mother told him. You will have horns too when you grow up. The baby laughed again and turned to examine the world. Big mountains and trees, little bees and flowers, other huge dragons, flying dragons, walking dragons, a shimmering lake, delicious fruits, blue sky…Wow! Such an exciting world! This is life!

A strange bright light appeared in front of the baby dragon suddenly. It yelped and ran to its mother for protection. The mother tensed, its body shaking with anticipation. Five weird-looking creatures appeared from the light…those kinds with two legs, what do you call them? Humans! Oh no, what do they want from them? Do they want to steal her baby, like those stupid kings in the past who made use of their dragon ancestors as slaves of transport and wealth to show off to their friends? No matter what, she must protect her baby! They can kill her but not her child! He must live!

Duo blinked. " Wow…A dragon."

His friends turned in his direction. None of them have ever seen a dragon before. The mother studied them with black fury.

" Do we run?" Duo asked his friends. " It looked unfriendly."

Trowa stepped forward and approached the dragon carefully. Mother Dragon tensed even more, ready to attack. " No need to fear us," he said gently. " We mean no harm. We are friends."

He touched her cheek and the adult dragon was surprised to find such a warm and loving touch. He is no enemy. She calmed down as Trowa stroked her, whispering in a language she could not understand yet somehow understand.

Her baby peeped out from behind. Seeing its mother in such a relaxed manner, it bounced forward to study the stranger better. Trowa picked him up and the two stared at each other face-to-face. The mother again pocked its bottom with her horns and the child jumped right into Trowa's shoulder. She laughed.

Trowa held the baby with great care. " Don't worry," he said to his partners. " The mother meant no harm. She just wanted to protect her baby. Besides, we are the aliens here."

The four joined Trowa cautiously. " Can I touch it?" Quatre whispered softly, fascinated.

The mother poked her head forward and Heero, Wufei and Duo leapt back immediately. She nuzzled Quatre, sniffing him and then let out a murmur. Trowa handed the baby dragon to Quatre. It nipped at his golden locks and then spit it out in disgust. What's that stuff? Quatre laughed, amused, and tickled its tummy. It squirmed in his arms and laughed, enjoying it.

" Let the experts handle it, we'll stay here," Wufei commented. Duo nodded vigorously.

" We need to so some exploring," Heero said. " OZ might attack any moment."

Quatre reluctantly put down the baby. " Bye."

" You're good," Duo praised. " How did you do that?"

Trowa shrugged. " I used to work in a circus."

" Or should I say animals know who are the gentle ones," Heero said.

The two dragons watched the five leave and the mother resumed to showing her baby its new world.

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The five had no idea how long they walked but soon night descended on them like a dark cloak. They settled down below a huge tree and Quatre offered to go find some food. Trowa volunteered to go with him and off they go.

" I told you no one lives here," grumbled Duo. " Only those dragons."

Neither Wufei nor Heero answer him. Duo began to hum, silently at first but as his stomach growled louder, so does his tuneless humming. Irritated, Wufei told him to shut up.

" But it keeps me from thinking about my hunger!" Duo protested.

Quatre and Trowa returned with an armful of juicy fruits and firewood. Duo gobbled down his dinner gratefully. The two had managed to find some strawberries, apples and pears. Wufei started a warm fire going.

After dinner, the five teenagers each find themselves a comfortable spot to sleep in. Duo argued with Wufei over who should take the spot near a bush. Heero climbed up a tree. He surveyed their dark surroundings. Except for the occasional low moan of a dragon or two, all was well. Below him, Trowa and Quatre talked about musical instruments.

" You know how to play the flute?" Quatre said softly. " Maybe we could play a duet sometime."

" But I lost my flute a while ago."

" It's ok, I've got one."

With all these assurances, Heero soon succumbed to his exhaustion.

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At dawn, Heero was awaken by something. He could not describe what it was. It was just a feeling. He glanced down. Trowa was up. " You felt it too?" Heero asked him.

" Yes, but I don't know what it is."

" Neither do I." 

One by one, the others woke up with the same impending intuition feeling. Their answer came when a flash of light streaked passed overhead, like a falling white star. The five followed the flash of light and came to a green clearing. Who shall greet them was none other than Miss Une from the Gundam Girls' School of Magic.

" Miss Une!" Duo said in disbelief. " What are you doing here? Where have you been?"

Lady Une slowly turned round. She had on her glasses and her hair was neatly tied in two buns. She narrowed her eyes at the approaching group. Heero caught the suspicious look and braked in his steps.

" Miss Une, the girls are very worried about you," said Qautre.

" Heero, what's wrong?" Duo asked when he noticed his friend stopping.

" You are not Miss Une," he said.

They turned to look at him carefully and back at Une. She smiled. " You're right, Heero Yuy. I am not Miss Une. I am Lady Une. Red Blood Force!!!" A red powerful magic force shot at the five and they dodged hastily. " I serve Treize only and forever! Red Blood Force!"

" Curse it! OZ got her!" Duo yelled.

" Shield!" Heero responded quickly and created a round ball of cover for his mates and himself. " Elements of Nature – Earth!" The ground trembled and rose up high, covering Une completely.

" Don't hurt her, Heero," Quatre said, placing a hand on his friend's arm. " She's not herself."

It took Une mere seconds to break free from her earthy prison. " You have to do better than that!" she shouted and released another spell.

" Dark lord of hell, hear my cries. I am your one and now I call upon your help in this destruction!" Duo chanted and held out his arms in the shape of a cross. It not only blocked Une's spell but also rebound it with twice the force back at her. Une blocked it off with a murmur and the ground between them exploded with thick smoke.

The smoke cleared and the six were standing exactly where they were before the explosion, unfazed by the impact. " You have improved tremendously," she told them.

" Thanks for the compliment," Duo said.

" But as you are here fighting with me, Treize and the others are out there declaring war on those stupid dragons."

" What?"

As soon as she finished her sentence, the sudden, anguished roars of the dragons reached their ears. Trowa clenched his hands. How can they hurt such gentle creatures?

" We've been tricked," Heero said.

" Yes," Lady Une continued to smile. " But you still have to get through me first."

" Leave her to me," Trowa said suddenly.

" Can you handle her?" Heero asked but he already knew the answer.

" Don't worry. We are the Gundam Guardians."

" Gundam Guardians," Wufei grinned. " I like the sound of it."

" Gundam…Guardians?" Lady Une said, a little ruffled. She had forgot that they held the Gundam tablets.

" As holders of the Gundam tablets, we vow to guard the universe from villains like OZ. That's what makes us guardians," Trowa said, his heart boiling with fury as the cries of the dragons for help rose higher.

" Show it to her, Trowa," Heero agreed. " And don't take too long. Come on."

" Be careful," Quatre said as he ran past him with the others.

Lady Une stared at him with cold, penetrating dark brown eyes. " Trowa Barton. Let's see what you've got."

" You will get it, believe me." He pointed a finger at her. " Heavyarms –" he fixed his target on her with an unflinching coolness. " – Gatling Cannon!" A cluster of rays shot from his finger towards Lady Une. She built a shield immediately but it failed to protect her from his power. She was dragged back by these bullet-like rays that stopped just before she hit a tree. Lady Une was wounded in her carelessness.

Trowa calmly strolled away from the scene.