***___Chapter Eight___***

His parents died when he was very young. Orphaned at a young age, he was adopted by an assassin who killed a great and famous leader. At a tender age, he was taught all about battles and killings. In fact, he has learnt the art of murder. Then this great assassin died too. An eccentric scientist, a friend of the assassin, adopted him next. He became a guinea pig, a white rat which was taught how to be the prefect soldier, to show the human race the secret potential behind a mere mortal – how someone normal can be an invincible god. He was sent to his first battle. And he won. He was sent to another battle. And he won. And he kept on winning in all these bloody wars until one night when a lady in white called him. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She whispered something in his ears, willing him to follow her. Behind him, the scientist shouted for him but he did not care. He followed the lady, this floating ghost of his illusion, and arrived in another realm, the realm that was his true home – EverlastVille.

The boy with no childhood. He was Heero Yuy.

He has no recollection of his parents. He has never seen them. As far as his memories stretched back, he has always been wandering from place to place as a beggar and thief. A streetwise urchin, he met a benevolent priest one day. The priest took him in. So he lived in this huge church and grew fond of it and its people. But he did not grow fond of god. If that was such a thing as god, he thought, it would not allow any wars between people. So the only god he believed that exists is the God of Death and the only other realm he believed in other than earth was hell. There was no heaven, no Jesus. One fine day, a group of wounded soldiers came to the church, along with many other war refugees. The kind priest took them all in, even though the wounded soldiers were supposed to be enemies. He did not like it. He had a bad feeling.  He returned to the church one morning after an outing to find the building razed down and all the people dead. Every human being and animal that lived in it. Before he knew it, he was trapped in war. A weary and anguished soul, he met her. The lady in white. She had appeared out of nowhere and had smiled at him. A very lovely smile. No, a heavenly smile. She was an angel, the one the priest had often showed him. She spoke to him softly and led him away from the war torn place to a realm, a magical realm called EverlastVille.

The boy who called himself the God of Death. He was Duo Maxwell.

He did not believe he has parents. Since young, his only companions were animals. They were his family and he trusted them. He has a sister, a gentle sister who loved animals too. Then war came in and destroyed this brief happiness. The two were separated. He had stood alone, watching the war rendering before him. He did not cry. He just watched. From then on, he lost his smile. He did not know how to cry or smile anymore. He became an ice, a thick block of impenetrable ice. The war lasted a year and soon he found his sister again in a circus. Together both were taught and trained to perform in the circus. He was the star of the show and he never failed to draw in crowds. They travelled round the world and before long, another war set in and they had to flee. One night, during a brief rest, he saw her. He had thought it was a phantom but no, she was real. Or seemed real. She smiled at him, so sweetly and gently. This lady, dressed in white array, spoke to him and told him to follow her. He did and behind, his sister chased after him and he pleaded with the white lady to let his sister come with him. She nodded. So together both of them entered into EverlastvVille, one of the 22 magical realms.

The boy with an ugly clown mask. He was Trowa Barton.

He was born into one of the richest families in the world. His only regret was that not been able to see his mother, who had passed away at childbirth. He has 29 sisters who adored him. He was dubbed to be one of the world's luckiest people, and he will become one of the most eligible bachelors when he grows up. His life was surrounded with wealth and comfort. He has no worries until he saw war for the first time. He saw how people of the same country fought with each other, how his father was framed and murdered, how his family was ruined and slapped in the face with a bad reputation. He saw what some people would do for power; how they can betray their own friends, kill their own people. His gentle heart was wrenched in pain and he nearly went mad. How can anyone be so cruel? Humans, the supposedly noblest in the animal kingdom can actually be worst than a beast. Confused and shattered, he thought of ending his life. Then this lady, a mysterious lady in a soft, flowing white dress appeared. She spoke to him. She has the most beautiful voice he had ever heard and the most exquisite face he had ever seen. She was an angel. And so he followed her, followed her to this strange new realm – EverlastVille.

The boy with a tender heart. He was Quatre Raberba Winner.

He led the traditional life of a Chinese scholar and was married to a girl at 14. He did not like her and neither did she like him. Both were too young to be tied down. She harped on justice, so much so that subconsciously this virtue was instilled in him unknowingly. Then she died in a war. This merciless life-stealing battle had reached his hometown barely a year after their marriage and in order to protect the people she treasured, her life was sacrificed. He grieved genuinely over her death. Though he had never regarded her as his wife, she was nevertheless a good companion. His family and home was destroyed, along with thousands of peace-loving people. So he took up the sword and fought his way for justice. Leading others with the same vision, they managed to drive the enemies out, but only for a short while. They soon returned with twice the destruction. He had failed. Suddenly, he felt lost. He did not know what to do. He had no strength. He was weak. And he hated it. She appeared to him one night under a tree, this beautiful lady in a white robe. She soothed his soul and gave him strength again. She told him something, something important and asked him to follow her. And he did. She brought him to EverlastVille, his new home, and he vowed to protect it with his blood.

 The boy who seek and activated his own sense of justice. He was Chang Wufei.

They were the Gundam boys.

And they never saw the lady again.

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The boys ran, like tantivy horses. Trowa caught up with them a while later.

" That was fast," Duo said

" She was careless," Trowa said.

The sound of battle between the dragons and their intruders got louder as louder as they drew closer and closer to it. With hearts thumping and heaving chests, they burst into the scene of crime. What greeted them at first sight was the freshly slaughtered head of a dragon. Qautre gasped. Duo fought back an urge to turn his back and throw up. Its eyes were wide open and blood gushed out from its wound like moving water in a pipe. The dragon's mouth hung open in shock. Trowa touched its skin. " It's warm," he commented quietly.

Heero clenched his fists and led the way round the dead animal. More dead dragons lay before them and further down, Treize and his troops were engaged in a fierce battle with some of the land's toughest dragons. The stench of blood was strong, especially those from his hands.

" Quatre, you take the north. Duo, you take the south. Wufei, you go to the east and Trowa, the west is yours. I'll take up the central position," Heero directed.

The five spilt. Treize's army was dressed in a navy blue uniform with a matching beret. Treize wore the same navy blue shirt with pure white pants and no beret. Their attacks were well organized and steady. It was as if they have been doing this all their lives. The green dragons were trying their very best to drive them away but it was futile. OZ was much stronger than them.

" Deathscythe – Twin-beam Scythe!" Duo shouted with gusto. A magical rod weapon with two scythe-like green beams at the tip of it appeared in his hands. " Meet your God of Death! Hell is here!" He sliced two OZ soldiers and they vaporized into thin air. " These guys aren't real," he realized and spun round to welcome a fresh group of charging soldiers.

" Shenlong – Dragon Fangs!" Wufei cried out as he rushed into the battle zone. He thrust out his arms and a green, eerie light shot out from his arms and travelled straight at six OZ soldiers who were the unlucky ones blocking his path. They vanished into thin air. Using his arms to guide the green light of Dragon Fangs, Wufei grabbed two of the soldiers and banged them hard against each other.

" Sandrock – Cross Crushers!" Quatre said, activating his Gundam Magic. Two magical scythe-like weapons appeared in his hands and using these, he chopped up his enemies swiftly. He generated red-hot heat into these dangerous weapons and threw behind his back at two soldiers who were planning on a sneak attack. It hit the two and sliced them into neat halves before they vaporized.

" Heavyarms – Gatling Cannon!" Trowa commanded. Instead of pointing at his enemy, like what he did to Lady Une, he held out his palms so more of these red bullet-like rays were released. Ten enemies went down at one go and thirteen more at another go.

While fighting, the boys also helped to direct the surviving dragons to safety. " Wing Zero – Shield!" Heero said as he threw a cover for himself and other dragons near him. These OZ soldiers were more adept at fire and lightning spells. 

" Run!" Heero shouted to the dragons. As if they understood human language, they turned their backs and fled. The more stubborn ones stayed to fight. And died.

" Twin-Beam Buster Rifle!" Heero held out his arms straight in front him, fists touching. A refulgent golden light spread through the ground, killing any enemies that stood in its path. He parted his arms to his sides and turned one full circle, eradicating everything near him. A small smile curled on the dark-haired boy's lips.

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" Heero," Relena sighed. She was seated in the school's library, staring blankly out of the window. She could not concentrate, and a test is due tomorrow. Relena sighed once more, helplessly. Her heart thumped furiously. Something was not right. She could not pinpoint exactly what but something just did not feel right. Hilde often teased her about having white hair before turning thirty. Relena just could not help worrying. She turned back to her book.

" Relena!" Hilde called out she ran to her. " Relena!"

" Hilde, what's the matter?"

" We're under attack!"

" What?"

" OZ is attacking us!"

" How can that be? Aren't they attacking Dragon Land?" Relena said in disbelief.

Hilde did not look as if she was lying. "Some minutes ago, our military force received a warning from them to surrender. Of course we won't surrender. So those pigs broke into our defenses an attack us! For all you know, that piece of so-called reliable news about attacking Dragon Land is rubbish! We've been tricked!"

Relena's heart stopped. Her palms began to sweat. " Where are they now?"

" North of EverlastVille. They will reach us soon. The North forces are trying their best to force them out but I don't think they can…"

" Where's Mr J?"

" He's announcing the news to the whole town. Miss Po wants us to help. Some of the girls are getting hysterical."

************************************************************

Hilde and Relena rushed to the school hall. There, hundreds of girls sat waiting for more news. Some sat silently. Some had fainted from the oppressive heat and were being carried out to the sick bay. Others were on the verge of breaking down.

Miss Sally Po was standing at the front, near a radio and amplifiers. She was a proud-looking woman with strong moral values. Her light brown hair lay limply at the front of her shoulders, eyes filled with anger and anxiety. Her eyelids flickered at the sight of the two girls and she smiled briefly before continuing her glum look. Dressed in a white blouse and dark green, plain knee-length skirt, both of which were cheap pieces of cloths, she hardly resembles a school principal. Like Miss Une, both were not cut out to be principals.

" Relena, Hilde," she acknowledged them.

" Miss Po," they both did likewise.

" Some of the girls over there are not handling the news too well. You go comfort them. I heard you are rather good at that Relena."

" Thanks for the compliment, Miss Po. How is the situation now?"

" The radio has been babbling non-stop with unimportant news. I know they are trying to reassure the citizens but…it's no use. By now, all of us are well aware of the cruelty of OZ."

Unable to find any words to comfort the principal, Relena moved away to a corner of the hall where some frightened girls sat. Catherine was trying to calm them down.

" Relena!" Catherine brightened up at her arrival. " Talk to them, I just can't knock any sense into them."

" We're all going to die," one of the distraught girls muttered and started rocking herself.

" We are not going to die," Relena shot back. " No matter how invincible OZ is, there has to be a weakness in them. If we stand together, we need not be afraid of them. Have you heard of Gundam Magic?"

" Gundam Magic?" one remarked. " It's one of the world's most powerful magic."

" Yes. And let me inform you that five boys, five special boys, are holding the Gundam tablets. They will show OZ their mistake. We need to have faith in them. So please, pray for them. Pray for their success."

One by one, the girls lowered their heads, clasping their hands tightly and prayed.

" You're great, Relena!" Catherine whispered to her.

" No. I'm not. I'm just as scared as they are."

Relena turned just in time to see Miss Sally Po leaving abruptly after talking to the vice-principal, who has now taken her place at the front. Relena was about to chase after her when the radio reported news of the invasion.

"…OZ has defeated the North military forces and are now marching towards Green Hills…"

" Green Hills? After Green Hills, they will come to Fair Fort, then Red Horizon, then Magic Town!" Catherine gasped in horror and realization.

Over the radio, came the voice of Mr J. " Please do not panic. I repeat, please do not panic. All women, children and old folks please head to the underground shelters for cover. All able-bodied and willing men please assemble at Gundam Boys' School of Magic. We have a town and people to protect…" Immediately, the vice-principal began to direct the school.

" Is there no other way?" Relena said to herself. " Must we really resort to violence? Maybe we can talk to them, find out the reason behind their attacks…"

" No use," Hilde interrupted. " OZ won't talk. And the reason behind their attacks is obvious. They want to be the sole ruler of the realms! After they have defeated us, they'll go for earth. After all, if they can beat us, earth is nothing to them."

" But how do you know – "

" I was in OZ!" Hilde blurted out unexpectedly. " I know!"

" What?" Both Relena and Catherine were shocked.

At this moment, one of the teachers came to them. " Girls! Follow me quick! What are you standing here for? Come!" She grabbed hold of Relena and Hilde and trotted to the exit. Catherine followed behind. Hilde bit her lower lip and looked away from Relena's questioning eyes.

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" Heero Yuy."

Heero whirled round upon hearing his name and ducked down fast when he saw an electrifying blue light travelling in his direction. It hit some OZ soldiers behind him and they vanished. Treize smiled.

" Hello there."

" Treize Khushrenada," Heero growled.

" I must say I am very, very surprised to see that you boys have mastered the Gundam Magic. It is an eye-opening experience for me."

" Is there you only? Where is Zechs?"

" I don't know."

" You don't know?"

" Why don't you make a guess?"

Heero frowned. And a thought struck him. No, it can't be…They were tricked!

" Figure it out, yes?" Treize said and he continued to smile in his own charming manner. This man can be rather sickening.

" Scoundrel," Heero hissed at him.

" So what are you going to do now?"

" Kill you!" someone shouted from Treize's back. Treize turned round to see Duo with his Twin-beam Scythe posed high above his head. Still, he continued to smile. Duo's spiritual weapon cut into him, or seemed to, because suddenly he was no longer there. An amused laughter rang out and the two boys shifted their attention to the right. Treize materialized out of nowhere with that smile still adhered to his smooth face.

" What are you standing around here for, Heero? Why didn't you kill him?" Duo demanded.

" EverlastVille is under attack," he answered.

" What?!"

" It is true," Treize cut in. " We call this killing-two-birds-with-one-stone. You boys have a lot to learn."

Duo boiled with hatred, his cobalt blue eyes flashed irefully at Treize, body trembling. His deadly scythe glowed even brighter as he clutched it tighter. He swallowed once, twice, but it did little to contain his anger.

"Duo," Heero said. " Take care of this guy for me."

" Where are you going?"

" Home."

" I'll go with you!"

" No! I can do it by myself."

" But – "

" Trust me."

" – Ok."

Heero turned and ran off. The other three were too absorbed in battle to notice his departure. Duo faced Treize. " Now where were we?"

" Trying to kill you," Treize answered and fired a spell.