Chapter Thirty-Two
The ground shook violently. Sylvia was building up her powers. Everything that was inside her, she would have to bring it out and secure herself in a brand new world that she had often dreamt about. I don't care if you have the Gundam tablets. I don't care if you are the Gundam Guardians. I don't care at all!!!
"Elements of Nature – Earth!" Noin called upon her magic. She shall be the first to strike against Sylvia.
" Noin, careful!" Zechs warned.
In front of them, the ground rose up in a clumsy pattern and formed a jagged line towards Sylvia. It damaged the steps leading to the throne chair. A sharp look from Sylvia and an explosion stopped Noin's spell.
" Up!" Sylvia commanded in a supreme voice.
The ground rose again. This time it built a wall around the five boys, Zechs, Treize, Noin and Lady Une. Relena and Sally were left outside. Sylvia smiled and flew inside it.
" Heero!" Relena shouted, running towards the huge mould of earth.
" Elements of Nature – Fire!" Relena cried, trying to break the mould. To her horror, her spell rebounded back. She ducked down as fast as she could. The fire hit a pillar, causing it to collapse.
" Miss Relena, are you okay?" Sally said, limping towards her.
" I'm…okay. I hope they are all right. My brother and Heero…" Relena said, looking very apprehensive and tensed.
" I'm sure they will be fine," Sally said. " We will wait here for them." Though she sounded very sure, her heart felt otherwise.
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Outside the building, the OZ soldiers were finally brought down. The good were busy rounding up the OZ soldiers, forcing them to throw down their weapons. The last of the MDs were destroyed too, thanks to the five professors. Howard gave a strong pat on Rasid's back.
" Well done," Howard said.
"The battle is not over yet," Rasid answered. " Until Master Quatre and the rest of the Gundam boys step out from that building, the battle is still going on."
" You are right. Right now, we can only pray."
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Sylvia landed in front of her nine opponents. Her evening gown was not suited for the battle at all. It was made for a night of dancing in the king's ballroom, with the girl resplendent in golden lights. She looked like an angel. As she landed, with her delicate feet touching the smooth, reflective floor and hands cupping her abdomen, the nine of them could not help admiring her beauty. One could imagine wings growing out of her back.
But reality proved otherwise. " Say your prayers," she said, mouth curling upwards. She held out her right hand, as if waiting for her Prince Charming to lead her away on a white horse. Rays of light formed around her and shot towards the nine like arrows.
They could not dodge. In fact, there was no way for them to dodge. The rays of light were everywhere. Treize held tightly onto Lady Une, trying to shield her. He was hit again and again.
" Treize, don't bother about me," Lady Une said shakily. She could feel her heart breaking.
" I let you down once. I am never going to do it again," he said, gritting his teeth in pain.
" Treize…"
" Gatling Guns," Trowa called out his powerful magical weapon. The red coloured gun formed in his hand and he shot it towards Sylvia.
With a wave of her other arm, Trowa's Heavyarms' spell dissolved into thin air. In one of those rare times, he showed amazement on his face. " How…" he asked himself.
Sylvia stopped shooting those rays of light. She put down her right hand and held out her left hand. " You have underestimated me. If you think I am only a woman, think again."
" When I said you shan't be playing such games, I mean it!" Wufei shouted at her and the green lines of his Dragon Fangs snaked towards her. It caught her wrists and Wufei pulled to tighten it.
" Flying Bats!" Duo thrust out his fists and opened it, fingertips pointing at Sylvia. Bat-like shapes flew at Sylvia.
Sylvia threw a sharp look at the Flying Bats and it dissolved like Trowa's spell. Duo clenched his fists in frustration. Next, she turned to look at Wufei. His body began to stiffen unnaturally. His hands moved unwillingly, calling back his Dragon Fangs and freeing Sylvia. She looked away from him and smiled in triumph at the rest of them. He stumbled back and gasped, as if he had been holding his breath for too long.
" That is not the right way for a guy to treat a girl you know," she said.
" Then I will show you how one girl treats another!" Noin replied and together with Lady Une, they threw her a spell.
"The light of all life, power of earth – Sunbeam!" both of them chanted in unison.
Their will was strong. But so was Sylvia's will.
" You can never beat me!" she yelled at them and threw a dark red-coloured spell to counter their Sunbeam. The two spells exploded. Lady Une and Noin stumbled back several steps to reduce the impact. Blood trickled down from Noin's mouth. She had bit her tongue by accident.
Seeing that Sylvia's concentration was on the two women, Heero silently held out his hands, fists touching each other. He mouthed something and the yellowish-gold light burst out from his hands. It travelled straight towards Sylvia.
Sensing something was wrong, Sylvia quickly turned sideways in Heero's direction. But she was not quick enough to dodge his Twin Beam Buster Rifle magic. So she took it on full force, sliding a few feet back as the spell pushed against her.
" All right, Heero!" Duo said happily.
Sylvia clutched her heart, panting. She was not really injured, but the sudden sneak attack by Heero had scared her a little. She could feel the potential and talent in Heero Yuy. He could be as ruthless as her, maybe even more. He was indeed a rare talent, especially in the battlefield.
" Scared now, Sylvia?" Duo taunted her.
Sylvia straightened her back and smiled at him. " Far from it, my dear Duo. Hilde died a very tragic death, didn't she?"
Duo stiffened. He could feel his blood boiling. " I vow that I will kill you today to appease her soul," he growled in a low voice.
Trowa stepped forward. " And my sister's soul too. "
Sylvia laughed. " Naïve boys. Duo, you think you can kill me so easily? Even if you study magic for a hundred more years, you are still not my match. How foolish can you be?"
Duo's blood boiled. He rushed forward at her, his Twin Beam Scythe glowing hotly.
" Duo, no!" Trowa shouted after him but it was too late.
" I'll kill you!!!" Duo declared and slashed at Sylvia, only to find her changing into Trowa. He could only watch in horror as his deadly weapon cut at his friend. And where Trowa had previously being standing, now stood Sylvia. Heero and the rest quick reflexes were still not capable of beating her. They exchanged blows of magic but Sylvia beat all of them, sending them sprawling in different directions.
Duo knelt down to help Trowa. " Trowa, are you all right? I'm so sorry. That evil girl tricked me." He glared at Sylvia. She tilted her head to a side innocently.
" Duo…" Trowa spoke slowly, painfully. The front of his black turtleneck shirt displayed a deep, diagonal cut across his chest. "She's tricky…be careful."
Duo faced her, his cobalt-blue eyes focusing only on her. His face was unusually serious and cold. Behind Sylvia, Lady Une, Treize and Heero had all stood up shakily to help Duo.
" You won't be able to give your best," Sylvia told them. " Because you don't know whose place I will appear next. Maybe it will be you, Duo, slashing Heero to death the next time round."
" She's playing on your fear, Duo. Don't listen to her," Treize said aloud.
Duo bit his lip. He could not afford to make another mistake.
Treize looked around at the five Gundam Guardians. He was getting more and more worried. Duo, Heero, Quatre, Wufei and Trowa are all afraid of her, he thought to himself. She's demoralizing them. If this goes on, none of them could display their best.
Lady Une glanced at Treize. He's worried for the boys. He's worried we might not beat this demoness. She held out her hand.
" Storm of Elements – Lightning Ice!" A trail of icy-blue coloured magic went for Sylvia.
Sylvia leapt into the air, avoiding the spell. She flew down and started attacking Lady Une. Both pitted against the other on their martial arts skills. Lady Une was amazed that she could fight so well.
The Lightning Ice missed Sylvia but went for Duo instead. The God of Death hastily blocked it with his Twin Beam Scythe. He was sweating a lot. How can I beat her?…Hilde, please give me strength.
Heero and Treize joined in the fight against Sylvia. Sylvia grinned knowingly at Treize. " Thinking of helping the boys to regain their confidence?"
Treize gave her a surprise look.
" I know you too well, my loyal one."
With a yell, she punched Treize and he flew backwards. Heero grabbed her wrist but Sylvia wiggled out of his grasp and hit him on the chest with her palm. He slid halfway across the floor, falling near Quatre.
" Heero…" Quatre breathed heavily as he made his way to him.
Une tried to strike Sylvia down. She jabbed at her with her elbow but Sylvia ducked her head aside and with a swift twist of her body, she seized Une's arms, twisted it behind her back and began absorbing her strength and energy.
Une fell to her knees, weak. She felt dizzy. Every part of her body went limp. " You freak…" she said weakly.
" Shut up!" Sylvia shouted and turned to Treize. " Your lady is dying, Treize. What are you going to do?"
Noin dashed forward. " Let her go!"
" Don't you interrupt!" Sylvia sent a rapid fireball towards Noin, abruptly cutting off her rescue attempt.
Noin tried to get up but couldn't. " Bitch…" she hissed.
" One for one," Sylvia said to him. " If you would willingly give up your legs for your loved one, I would let her go."
" Don't listen to her!" Zechs said to his old friend. " She won't let Une go such easily."
" You better hurry," Sylvia reminded him by gripping Une's arms tighter.
Une was turning blue.
" I know I'm no match for you, and everyone of us here is injured," Treize said steadily.
" Wise choice," she answered.
Treize looked at Zechs expressionlessly. The latter gasped. He had seen this look before. He knew that his old chum would do it. Mentally, Treize passed him a message.
I will be diverting her. She will not let Une go. Once I have done it, you save my Lady.
Treize!
But it was no use. Treize knew he was no match for her. He raised his hand.
" Are you mad?!" Wufei yelled at him.
He stared at one of his leg.
" Don't do it!" Quatre begged with him.
He generated one of his best spells on his palm.
Lady Une gazed at him with watery eyes. She knew no one could stop him. Sylvia was smiling.
" Treize…"
His hand came down hard and fast on his left leg.
Outside the mould of earth, they heard his screams.
Relena turned to look at Sally with terrified eyes. " What happened?"
Sally looked at her, equally mystified. " I don't know…I think it was Treize."
Treize collapsed on the floor, propping himself up with his good leg. He was crippled for life.
" One more leg, Treize," Sylvia reminded him gently. She was observing him.
And Zechs charged at Sylvia with his whip.
" Epyon!!! Give me all your power!!!" he screamed in fury as he flung his whip at the shield that Sylvia had made.
The shield was strong to withstand any weapons and most magic spells. Sylvia shook her head at Zechs' stupidity.
Rays of bullet-like magic shot out to help Zechs. It was Trowa with his Gatling Gun. Wufei's Flamethrower joined his.
Duo appeared beside Zechs out of nowhere with his Twin Beam Scythe.
" I can't let you take all the credit, can I?" he said with a grin.
The shield was cracking. Sylvia could not believe it.
Zechs looked at the two boys. " I appreciate your help, but I would need you to help destroy her. After I break the shield, you help Une out of here, clear?"
" Aye, Lightning Count!" Duo replied.
" Epyon!!!" Zechs cut further into the shield, shattering it completely with his Gundam magic. His Heat Rod slapped onto Sylvia's hands, forcing her to release Lady Une. Duo moved in quickly and carried Lady Une away on his shoulder. He placed her beside the crippled Treize.
" Une, answer me. Are you all right? Une!" Treize cried frantically. Duo had never seen him like this before.
Une's eyelids fluttered. " I'm sorry…"
" I said I would protect you no matter what." He hugged her with whatever little strength that was left in him.
Zechs' Heat Rod circled Sylvia's neck. The Beam sword appeared in his hand and he pushed it into Sylvia's abdomen. There was a brief moment of silence.
Noin prayed hard.
Zechs was panting. He stared at Sylvia's shocked face. She was staring back at him, eyeball to eyeball. Sweat lined both their foreheads. Then, in slow motion, Zechs watched in horror as Sylvia's hands closed on his Beam Sword and pulled it out, despite him holding strongly onto it. She snatched the sword from his hand. It dropped onto the floor with a clear, ting sound and vanished.
" It's too early for me to die yet," she said, her eyes narrowing.
His Heat Rod vaporized, turning back into a tablet. Sylvia shoved him aside, as if he was nothing but a pesky little fly. Noin ran forward to help him up.
Heero looked at Sylvia, his legs shaking as he tried to stand up. Quatre helped him.
Must kill her…I must kill her…
The wound on Sylvia's abdomen started to heal by itself. Internally, she had already sustained some injuries from the powerful beam sword but she was not going to let it show.
Kill her…kill her…" Sally, it's taking them way too long," Relena said to her only companion outside the mould. The air around them was getting colder and denser.
" We must believe in them, Relena. They can do it," Sally said.
" But there must be something we can do…something…I wish I could see what's happening inside."
An idea struck Sally. " I know how we can do it. Why didn't I think of this earlier?" She wiped off some blood from her wound with her fingers and drew a rough circle on the floor. She put a hand inside the circle and began chanting.
" Water, a reflection of life. Mirror, a reflection of soul. Pray you, let us see our mistakes, and let us see ourselves. From this, shall we learn."
Sally put her hand away. Immediately, the circle of blood that she made began to produce more blood. It filled up the circle and images started forming in this puddle of blood. It was not very clear, because everything was in red but the two can just made out who was who.
Relena gasped. " That's Treize! He's hurt!"
Sally looked in awe. " That's Sylvia Noventa."
" Have enough fun?" Sylvia asked them. " You still think you can kill me?"
" I'll kill you!!!" Wufei shouted, rushing at her with his Twin Beam Trident.
" How many times must I repeat myself?" Sylvia shouted back at him, pointing a finger at him. A ray of spell shot out. Wufei ducked the first one but the second one got him. He was sent flying back again.
Heero's breath hastened. Must kill her…But he did not feel confident enough to make a move.
Quatre was looking at Heero. He could feel his heart aching again, threatening to break into infinitesimal pieces like broken glasses. He had never seen Heero like this, and neither has he seen any of his friends so determined yet helpless before. Sylvia had frozen all of them. The only thing wrong, the only very thing that had gone wrong was that Sylvia had chosen to be on the wrong side.
" Sylvia!" Quatre called to her, his face twisted in anguish. " I believe you are not a bad person by nature. Why carry the burden of your mother? All that had happened was in the past, it's over. Your mother had not being able to get over it and she had you dragged into it. But now she's dead. Why are you so obsessed in conquering the whole world? What good will it bring you? Can it bring you love, friends and warmth? You will be living in fear for all your life, fighting to stay above everyone because someone might just kill you one day! No one should be a prisoner to herself. Sylvia, can't you see?"
Everyone stared at Quatre. Heero mouthed his name but no sound came out. They understand what he was saying, and what he had said was right. It touched them deeply.
Sylvia began to shake again, her whole body vibrating uncontrollably. " Enough, Quatre Raberba Winner," she hissed. " You cannot sway me with words alone…"
" Tell me which part I have said is wrong!" Quatre demanded. "You are not an evil person, Sylvia. You are still a girl. You have not grown up at all. You are actually very fragile."
" Shut up!" she screamed aloud and shot her magic spell at him with her palm. What he had said is right, she can feel it from that forbidden part in her. How dare you…How dare you tear my heart apart and look within it…
" Quatre!" Heero ran to his side. " Shield!" Together, the two boys held back the magic. It used up quite a big part of their strengths for her fury and grief was growing by the second. Quatre had touched on her raw spot and she did not like it at all.
" Kill her." Someone said this.
Heero turned to Treize. He was strangely at peace with himself. It was as if he was watching a movie instead of being in the middle of the battle. " She is beyond cure. When her mother died, she made sure she passed all her hatred to her too. How do you fight with a dead person, other than to be dead yourself first? Even if she lives, she would live in regret and remorse all her life. I agree with you, she is a good person by nature. But the more goodness there is in you, the more you would wish to die when you have done something as terrible as she had done. I am sure you understand that, Quatre."
" Treize…" Much as Quatre would want to save her, he knew that Treize was right. Even if she repents, which does not seem very possible, there would be people out there who would hate her, now that they all know who the Master of OZ really is.
Trowa and Duo were clenching their fists really hard. It was hard to forgive what she had done. Even if they forgive her, seeing her would just remind them of their grief again and again.
" Are you finished?" Sylvia asked them, her eyes ablaze with her own madness. " I presume those were your last words. You should be proud that you could make me display my best spells to you. Say hi to hell for me." She floated up into the air and began muttering something, her hands forming several hand signs repeatedly. A purple ball formed around her and a strong wind picked up.
Zechs and Treize widened their eyes at the same time. " She can't be thinking of using it," Zechs whispered.
" Using what?" Noin asked.
" I have only heard Master mentioned it once," Treize answered on Zechs' behalf. " One of the most powerful spell of all time, the Devil's Death. In fact, it is considered to be a spell on par with the Gundam magic. Remember WindSong's disciples, Black and Serena? The reason why Black could win against Serena, who are both on par with each other, was through this unorthodox spell. It almost killed Serena."
" Once she releases the spell, there is no way one can escape. It's like how an atomic bomb in the planet Earth works ______ it covers everything," Zechs added.
" So you mean our Gundam magic may not be a match against this Devil's Death magic?" Duo said.
Neither Treize nor Zechs said a word.
Duo shook his head. " I don't believe this!" He charged at Sylvia in the air with his weapon.
" Duo, no!" Zechs shouted after him.
Sylvia did not even lift a finger. The aura of her spell protected her and it automatically shot a ray of beam at Duo's Twin Beam Scythe, forcing him back on the ground again.
The beam hit his Twin Beam Scythe, and then against the mould, causing half of it to crumble down. It exposed the boys, Treize and the others to Sally and Relena. Both sides looked at the other in shock.
" Terrifying…" Sally mumbled to herself.
" Heero…" Relena looked at him.
He looked at her for a moment, before turning away. I have a person whom I must protect at all costs. " We must destroy her! Even if we have only 1% chance, we must still try! We won't give up so easily!" he called out to the rest.
" Right," Wufei agreed. " Let's give all we have."
Trowa nodded. " Gatling Cannon!" He went first but again, Sylvia's aura protected her from harm and blocked all his bullets.
Quatre generated heat into his Cross Crushers. " Heat Shooter!"
" Twin Beam Trident!" Wufei cried.
Duo picked up his Twin Beam Scythe and charged at her again.
" Twin Beam Buster Rifle!" Heero went last in their simultaneous attacks.
All failed.
Every one of them was getting more and more anxious by the second. They collapsed on the ground, panting, watching Sylvia growing more and more powerful.
In Heero's mind, the same words resounded: Must kill her…Must kill her…
Relena looked from Heero to Sylvia. She placed a hand on her heart. " This won't do…" she mumbled to herself.
" Relena?" Sally looked at her.
" The boys must come together to beat her. Do you know the words behind their tablets?"
" There are words behind the tablets?"
" Yes. Wing Zero's white tablet: The Heart of the Universe. Deathscythe's black tablet: Death, the Angel of Darkness. Heavyarms' red tablet: A Debt of Blood. Sandrock's yellow tablet: The Love of Elements. Shenlong's green tablet: God is as you see it. White – light, black – darkness, red – power, yellow – elements, green – hope…They are all inter-related. Quatre says all the Gundam Guardians must work together…" (Refer to chapter six for explanation on the tablets).
Relena spoke rapidly, ignoring Sally's bemused expression. Her heart burned with new revelation. The boys had forgotten about this. She must remind them. Quatre was right all along.
" Heero!" she screamed. " Unity! You must all work together! Remember the words on your tablet! Remember what it means! Quatre said you must all work together because all the tablets are inter-related and so be one! All five of you be one!"
Sylvia glared at her. " Whatever you say now is no use." She fired a spell at Relena but she and Sally dodged it.
The five boys looked at one another. They gazed down at their tablets. It was as if a tornado had hit them and they couldn't breathe.
I almost forgot about it. Thanks Relena, Quatre thought to himself with smile.
" Heero, Trowa, Wufei, Duo, remember what we had said at the balcony on that fateful night about these tablets?" he told them.
" How could I forget it?" Duo said with a grin. " Someone must have told all those to dear Relena. And bless him for that." He looked at Heero knowingly.
" Unity. We must all work together. You guys sure know how to torture this loner," Wufei said with a delightful glint in his eyes.
" Face it, Wufei. We are all in this together," Trowa said. He felt at peace. Even if today will be his last day, he is satisfied.
Heero turned his head to Relena. Her hands were clasped together at her chest. She was praying for them, giving them hope. She gave him a firm nod.
" Relena…" he whispered ever so softly. " You are wonderful." He turned back to his friends.
" Are we ready?"
" Ready!" they chorused.
" The Gundam tablets represent us. I have found it, have you?" he asked his partners.
" I don't think I know what you mean but I seem to understand the feeling," Duo said. " These tablets are not just tablets. It is us. It's like our soul, whatever we believe in. We ourselves see how we use it."
" This must be the most intelligent thing you have said today," Wufei declared.
Quatre chuckled. " Let's go."
They formed a horizontal line in front of the smiling Sylvia. Her spell is almost complete. A little bit more to go.
Heero held out his tablet in front of him. The rest followed. It began glowing.
Heero closed his eyes briefly. Please, Wing Zero. Please help all of us.
Each tablet began to vibrate. The boys opened their hands, letting the tablets fly high above them. It clicked against one another and started spinning, slow at fast.
As if they were puppets with someone pulling their strings, the boys held hands. Heero was standing in the middle. To his right were Trowa and Quatre. To his left stood Duo and Wufei.
" Angel of Death," Duo said. He is the angel of death. He had always believed he is one. (Refer to chapter eight for their histories)
The tablets picked up speed and turned black in colour.
" Fools," Sylvia said from her position above them. Her aura naturally shot out a beam of blue light at the tablets. To her surprise, it was absorbed by the dark aura of Duo's. She furrowed her brows in concentration. I will win, I will win, she thought to herself. She shut her eyes.
" Rain of Blood," Trowa said steadily. He can never forget the blood shed. The first time he saw war, he hated it. He can forgive but he cannot forget the shower of blood. And here he is, fighting to make this war end, to stop more innocent blood from spilling.
The spinning tablets went even faster and turned blood red in colour. Treize and the others looked at it in wonder.
" Sun of Desert," Quatre said in a gentle tone. He used to live in the desert, and he never forgot the light from the sun. It was there where he had one of the most wonderful times in his life. It was also there where his heart was deeply wounded for the first time. From then on, a whole new life began.
The speed of the five tablets picked up again and became golden yellow in colour. On Sylvia's side, the purple ball became darker. It no longer surrounds her. Instead, she now had it in her palms. It was like she had compressed all the massive energy that encircled her onto her palms. It was like the whole world is in her reach. The wind blew stronger.
Wufei blinked once. " Dragon of Justice," he said. He had always asked himself this question: What is justice? And to find the answer, he became justice. He will protect everyone that matters.
The tablets spun even more swiftly. It is now bright green in colour.
Sylvia opened her eyes and looked at him, this one person only. If only you know, if only you know of my feelings…She closed her eyes again.
Quatre looked at his friends. Finally, we are all together. We can all be at peace.
Heero stared straight ahead. There was neither anger nor hatred in his eyes, only sheer determination. Actually, he did not hate Sylvia. He only hated the circumstances that made her like this and her fate. And maybe…he hated himself too.
Sylvia opened her eyes, as sudden as the fall of snow on a sunny July. She thrust her arms out, yelling with all her might.
" Devil's Death!!!" The magic shot out at them at an alarmingly rate. The whole place shook violently, threatening to fall apart any moment, burying them alive.
" Feathers of Light!" Heero shouted out. He wants to free them all from this crazy era.
The tablets changed. In front of them it is no longer five magical tablets but a white, winged angel. She has no arms, only a pair of pure feathered wings that shone. She flew head-on against the evil magic, trying to envelop it with her wings. The two were equal. She looked vaguely familiar to the five boys.
It was hard to predict which side would win. Both sides gritted their teeth in pain, squeezing their sweaty hands hard. Neither was willing to back down, and neither looks as if they would lose.
Zechs clutched his Epyon tablet, his handsome face stained with blood. Noin turned to look at him, worried.
" Zechs," she said in a tiny voice.
He looked at her briefly, then he studied his dark red Gundam tablet. He flipped it over to look at the words behind it. There was only one word on it: Future. The future depends on them. With a deep breath, he hurled his tablet towards the winged angel.
" Create a new future for us, Gundams!!!" he hollered.
Epyon hit the white angel. There was a burst of light. Her wings grew longer and bigger. It covered the Devil's Death magic and enveloped Sylvia totally. Inside the angel, magical spells from the boys hit her repeatedly. She screamed in agony, unable to escape. She could feel herself shattering into nothingness but she could do nothing about it.
And the Devil's Death exploded within the white angel's ball of wings.
Everyone shielded their eyes from the incandescent glow of light. Debris rained down.
Then, there was no more. Everything was quiet.
Heero was the first to remove his hand from his eyes. Sylvia was lying on the floor motionless.
Duo placed a hand on Heero's shoulder. " We did it," he said, somewhat in incredulity. By now, everyone had already opened their eyes.
There was a sound of running feet and Heero felt Relena brushing past him, running towards Sylvia Noventa. She gently picked up Sylvia and lay her in the crook of her arm.
" Sylvia," she whispered.
Slowly, cautiously, the five boys, Zechs, Noin, Sally and Treize, with the help of Lady Une, approached the Master of OZ. Or perhaps, it would be more appropriate to call her the Lady of OZ. Lying in Relena's arms, she looked just like an ordinary girl-next-door. Every speck of her evil aura was gone.
"Sylvia…" Relena spoke again. Her eyelids fluttered. She moved slightly, struggling to open her eyes to see who was calling her name.
" Relena…" Sylvia replied weakly. She looked around her. " Why?"
" You are not a bad person by nature," Treize answered. " We would have been great friends. Let bygones be bygones."
Her eyes brimmed with tears.
" …I have done so much…all wrong. Maybe…maybe my biggest mistake was to…fall in love."
Everyone was taken aback. No one had expected that. Through her watery world, she looked at the five boys. She sees him, then she moves her eyes to another. She sees him again, but she did not stop to study him more. She has no right to love him. She felt too ashamed.
" Who did you love?" Relena asked.
" I love…" She smiled and closed her eyes for the final time. A tear drop from her once sparkling eyes. Let the secret die with her.
She vaporized into thin air.
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Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre, Wufei, Relena, Sally, Treize, Lady Une, Zechs and Noin stepped out into the sunshine. Outside, the huge crowd cheered for their victory. Treize, with the help of Lady Une, rounded up the ex-OZ soldiers and gave them a talk on how they had been wrong in the past and how they should lead their lives from now on.
" Master Quatre!" Rasid shouted out in happiness and hoisted him up into the air. The Maganac people surrounded their young master, jumping and crying in joy. Quatre laughed, enjoying every second of it.
" Zechs, I have something to ask you," Noin said in a quiet tone.
" What is it?" He looked at her with a little smile.
" Previously, when you were fighting with Len, why did you kiss her?"
Zechs became flustered, his face turning red. " Noin, I…"
Duo butted in chirpily, " Not only that, he lifted her, I mean his skirt too!"
" It was Treize's idea!" he raised his voice at Duo. Then, he turned to Noin. " Believe me, he made me do it. He didn't dare do it because Lady Une was looking. He said that would let that transvestite weaken." He pointed in Treize's direction.
Instinctively, Treize looked up at Zechs' direction. He grinned. " I think we should move aside, Lady Une."
" What for?" she asked. Treize continued to grin.
" Hai, hai…With Zechs' pretty face, any girl, not to mention any transvestite, can go weak in the knees just by looking at him." Duo winked at Noin. She blushed, and so did Zechs. Duo laughed evilly.
" Don't you think it's time you two get married and settle down with a few kids?" he teased.
" Did I say I want to marry him?" Noin shouted in embarrassment.
" Watch your words, Maxwell!" Zechs shouted at him too.
Sally stepped beside Wufei. " So who did you think that Sylvia Noventa loved?"
" I don't know. I could have sworn it was Quatre," he said, folding his arms.
" Really?" Trowa said, overhearing their conversation. " I thought it was you."
Sally gave them a puzzled look. " I thought it was you, Trowa. I don't know, but the three of you were standing pretty close together."
From his high position, Quatre looked down. He could guess what they were talking about, though he couldn't hear them. And he saw who Sylvia was looking at. He smiled sadly at Wufei. Maybe, maybe he would tell him that someday.
Heero gazed at the scene. Everyone was celebrating. When they get back to Magic Town, EverlastVille, there would be more celebrating. In fact, there would be celebrations everywhere. He looked at Relena, who was happily chatting with the five professors and Dorothy.
" A penny for your thoughts," Zechs said from behind.
" I thought you were arguing with Duo and explaining your misdeed to Noin."
" He's off to disturb Treize and Une."
True enough, not far away from them, Treize and Une were both blushing. Noin looked as if she could strangle Duo any moment now.
" You Gundam Guardians are incredible," Zechs said. " You saved us all."
" You saved us too. You helped us create a future," Heero said.
" What are you going to do now?"
" I don't know. Maybe go back to school."
" You sure you don't want to settle down with my sister?"
Now it was Heero's turn to falter. " I don't know what you are talking about."
" Don't run away, Heero Yuy. We could get you two engaged first. As Relena's older brother, I give you full consent."
" Why don't we get you and Noin engaged first?" Heero countered back.
The two paused and began laughing.
" Let's go home, everyone!" Mr J yelled. To this, everyone cheered.
" Let's go home, Heero," Relena said with a smile.
He looked at the horizon. The sun was setting but the moon had already risen.
" Home," he whispered.
They marched forward and sealed the door of this other dimension and never looked back.
