Chapter Twenty-eight

Magic Kingdom gets ready to attack OZ in three days time. True, Magic Kingdom is a peaceful kingdom where people adopt peace as their very first discipline and fighting to them is a crime. But OZ does not want to talk; OZ has tried to kill them. So Magic Kingdom can only fight back.

Despite a little protest by Relena, they still went on ahead with their plan. There is no choice now, no second way out. But they promise the people: Unless something like this happens again, something like OZ surfaces again where peace talks are of no use, they will not fight again. They will not be as cruel as OZ. They will not kill any innocent people.

And the people cheered for them, for they know that they are in good hands.

Quatre and Rasid watched as the Maganac people marched into the kingdom, each wearing a happy smile on their rugged, sun-tanned, faces. Rasid called out names and they greeted him back with loud cheers. Quatre laughed as they lifted him up into their sturdy arms and paraded him.

" Long live Master Quatre!" they shouted. " Long live Master Quatre!"

  Heero watched these from a distance. The other boys were training with the soldiers. He had just finished a talk with Zechs when the Maganac people arrive. Quatre had returned to normal and he was glad. Trowa's brilliant plan had worked. The logic behind the plan was simple: No one can forget happy times.

And neither can anyone forget sad times, he added to himself. He turned round to see Relena behind him.

" Heero." She smiled at him.

" Relena." He showed no hint of surprise.

" You will be fighting OZ in three days time. How do you feel about it?"

Though her face wore a smile, he could sense the slight tremble in her voice. Heero noticed she was wearing a pink coloured dress similar to the school uniform of the Gundam Girls' School of Magic. Her face was showing signs of haggardness from all the hard work.

" I don't feel anything special," he replied.

" Is it?" She was looking at Quatre and his jubilant warriors. " It's so nice to have a family, people whom you can always turn to in times of need. Heero, I just want to tell you that I'll support you in anything that you do."

She had meant these as words of encouragement. " Thank you," he said after a pause.

" I'll set off with you too in three days time."

" You stay here," he said sternly.

" Why?"

" It's too dangerous. Magic Kingdom cannot lose a ruler."

Relena was comforted to hear his concerns for her. " Don't worry, I can look out for myself. I just…I just want to do something." Her voice was calm. " People are always rescuing me. I am forever the victim. Even now, this whole battle strategy, it has been you guys and my brother who has been planning it. I have never approved of wars because it is just plain brutal selfish killings. I feel that WindSong must have hated fighting too. I don't know why I feel this but somehow I just know. I am not as capable as her. After this, I intend to hand over the throne to my brother. I'm sure he can do a better job than me."

Heero was staring at her. "  Why do you have no confident in yourself? Intuition tells me you can make a good queen. If you have no faith in yourself, how can your people trust you? I guess this is our fate, so make it the best you can for yourself."

A few words from him and she felt better. " Will you go back to school after this?"

" Yes. Because that is where a student should be," he answered with no hesitation.

" I am a student too. I should return there. After that, I'll come back here. This is after all my home."

" Relena."

"Yes?"

" You gave yourself away."

" Huh?"

The wind blew his long, brown fringe away from his eyes. " I am grateful for your advice on how my future will be like but let me tell you ________ you don't have to worry about me. I am not as 'dead-brain' as you think. Don't believe what Duo say."

" I did not listen to Duo. It was just that when I overheard him talking about his future plans for himself, I started to think about you. " Her face was red. She pushed her hair behind her right ear. "Please forgive me."

He continued to look at her, but his expression now was much tender. " Relena, when I was considering my future just now, I did not think only about myself. I also had someone else in mind."

" Heero…"

The pair was barely two steps apart.

And the clock struck twelve.

" Lunch time!" Duo announced as he jumped into his seat at the table. " Where's Zechs and Noin?"

" They should be down soon," Relena replied.

Zechs came in with Noin ten minutes later. By then, Duo was already starved. His face lit up at their arrival and he picked up his spoon, ready to satisfy his ravenous appetite.

" Sally and Lady Une sent me telepathy news just minutes ago," he announced to the group. " Treize, Lady Une and Sally will try their best to help us gain access inside. Lady Une has already told me about the secret compartment that will lead us to OZ's brain himself. OZ soldiers are all training very hard for this battle. It will be a tough fight."

Noin added, " Zechs and I drew up another plan just now. Together with what we had came up at the meeting as a group yesterday, I believe we can combine these two to bring our prowess up to a new level."

  " I have every confident in a victory," Heero said.

  Duo waved his spoon. " We are the best, aren't we? So can we eat now?"

Wufei shook his head. He doesn't know much about tolerance.

Relena raised her glass. " May this lead to peace and a greater harmony between the different realms. You won't kill the innocent, would you?"

" Relena," Zechs gave a tired sigh. " For the thirteenth time, I assure you we won't kill any innocent people."

" And if that Master is willing to turn over a new leaf, you would give him a chance?"

" If he is sincere, we would let him go."

Dorothy spoke up, " Since you are so worried, why don't you go with us?"

" That's what I intend to do," she said. " It's not that I don't trust you but I just want to do something. I want to do something to achieve peace and peace will start once OZ goes down. You cannot change my mind, Brother."

" Relena…" He turned to look at Heero. " What do you have to say?"

" Nothing," was The Prefect Soldier's verdict.

" It's up to you Relena. Though I would have prefer you to stay here," The Lightning Count said to her.

" Would OZ take this chance to attack us?" Trowa said.

" They won't. This is the final battle between us that will decide the real victor to rule."

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Quatre laid the white lilies on Hilde's grave. Duo removed the weeds around it. " They grow fast don't they?"

" Even the plants know something is wrong," Quatre said.

" Why so sad, pal?"

" I'm just worried."

" About the upcoming battle? I'll destroy OZ no matter what it takes. I promise Hilde I would do that. And if he doesn't realize his mistake, I would kill him."

" Duo, after this whole thing, let's celebrate."

" Needless to say! Hey, I think someone suggest that before. Anyway, I'll take care of the champagne!"

" But it must be alcohol-free."

Quatre knelt beside Trowa and placed the lilies on Catherine's grave. " She was like a sister to all of us," he said.

Trowa kept quiet.

" I know you missed her a lot," he said softly. " At least, you have memories of your sister. My 29 sisters on planet earth…if I meet them on the streets one day, I won't be able to recognize most of them. I meet them only once a year and it's on my birthday. But they don't stay long. They have to take care of my father's businesses. And my mother…I remember once I asked my father about her and he slapped me. He said I was too inquisitive. All of my sisters were test-tube babies, my sister Iria had told me. I was the only one of natural birth. He loved her a lot and was devastated after her death. Since then he seldom smiles.

" The reason why my sister had told me this was that she wanted me to realize how precious I was to my father and the high hopes he had on me. I promised her I wouldn't disappoint him. I promise her I would be filial to him. But my father was murdered and my family was destroyed. After that, I came here and started life anew."

" Quatre." Trowa understood his feelings.

" Sorry," he tried to laugh. " I wanted to comfort you but it ended up in me almost crying."

" I'm fine. I know what I must do. I know how I should live. After everything is over, let's celebrate."

" That's what I said to Duo and he said he will take care of the champagne."

" And you trust him?"

" Why not?"

" He'll bring the alcoholic champagnes."

" He said he won't."

" Have you ever seen Duo do shopping? He just grabs things."

One day before the battle……

Author's note: Hee, this is one of the shortest chapter of this whole fanfic. I actually wanted to take this chapter out but my hands got itchy so I just typed this out. Take it that I'm just pulling a little of your nerves and excitement, preparing you for the next chapter when they go into battle!