Disclaimer:  Gundam Wing...?  Do I own them?  Of course not!  Don't be foolish, whatever gave you that idea?


Heart of Space, Dove of Peace


"Any new data on that mystery Gundam?" Leader asked. 
       "No, sir."an officer answered.           
"Then we can only assume that it is aiding the other Gundams." Leader replied.  "No matter. The Gundams have not yet been completed and Darlian has refused our terms for surrender.  We will attack them now while they are weak."
       "But how dowe know for sure that the Gundams aren't complete?" another officer asked.  "I say we should wait a little longer sir –aaghh!"  
       Leader grabbed the officer by the collar and threw him to the ground.  "Are you the leader of this organization or am I? Leader hissed.  "I will wait no longer.  The very thought of the Cinq Kingdom thriving and prospering as we speak sickens me to my very soul.  We must strike now, before the Gundams can.  Now deploy the mobile dolls.  Someone prepare my Scorpio for battle!"     
       "Yes, sir!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

       "Duo ~giggle~ stop that!  That tickles!  ~Hahahahah!~ Duo!"     
       Relena smiled back at the couple as they continued to pinch and poke at each other.        
      "They really make a cute couple, don't you think?" she asked.     
       Heero shrugged, looking straight ahead.  "If you say so." he answered.  He looked as though he had a lot on his mind.     
       Relena frowned.  'Were you expecting him to be an expert conversationalist now that he's lost all of his memories?' she asked herself. 
'Well I thought now that he's forgotten that 'Perfect Soldier' mentality he would lighten up a bit.'     
      'He's been through a lot.'      
      'Heero will always be Heero.'      
      'Be patient and give him some time.  He'll come around.'     
      Relena nodded to herself.  'You're right.'     
      'Oh, and one more thing… in the mean time, stop talking to yourself and find some way to communicate with him.  He wants you totalk to him.. he just doesn't know how to show it.'     
      Relena snapped out her daydream to talk to Heero only to find that he was no where to be seen.  "Heero?  Where'd you go?"  She found him standing on a bridge over looking the street below.  She smiled with relief and walked over to join him.    
      "They're having some sort of parade." he said, watching the trucks and floats go by.     
       Relena smiled at him.  He was so innocent, like a child, having forgotten the horrors of war.  Relena was willing to bet her old crown that this was the real Heero Dr. J had told her about, buried beneath all his years of training. If only she could show him how much she loved him, despite all that he had had to do in the past.  "Yes," she said.  "The Cinq kingdom is celebrating it five year anniversary since its restoration."      
      Hilde and Duo walked over to them.     
       "It certainly is something worth celebrating." Hilde said.  "They did a fine job rebuilding this place."      
      "Yeah," Duo added.  "This place sure was pretty beat up for a while" Hilde elbowed him in the ribs.     
       "However, this place is in danger of being destroyed again." Relena said, lowering her head.      
      Heero glanced at her while trying to think of something to say.  However, his thoughts were interrupted by screams.      
      "What's happening?" Duo asked.  "An attack?"     
       "No!" Hilde answered, horror clearly written on her face. "There's a little toddler down there in the street!"  She pointed to a small child who could have been no older than three, wandering into the path of one of the float trucks     
       "The truck driver doesn't see her!" Relena cried. "Duo, do something!"      
      Duo nodded and was about to react when Heero shoved passed him and jumped off of the bridge, landing nimbly on the street floor.     
       "Heero!" Relena exclaimed.      
      "Is he crazy?!" Duo screeched.  "What in space is trying to do?!"   
       After landing on the ground, Heero took off towards the child, taking her into his arms and narrowly diving out of the truck's path.     
       "Oh my goodness!" Hilde exclaimed.  "He just saved that child's life!"    
       "Heero!" Relena cried out, taking of down the steps two at a time, Duo and Hilde hot on her heels.     
       Heero, still cradling the toddler in his arms, looked up to see a crowd of awed and concerned townsfolk standing around him.
  "You okay, son?"
"Goodness gracious, you weren'thurt were ye, dearie?"
Heero looked down at the cooing toddler in his arms.  "You okay, kid?" he asked gently.  The little girl merely looked up at him and laughed, tugging at his hair.
"Oh, my baby!" A young man and woman desperately made their way through the crowd.
"Mama." the toddler called out, reaching for the woman. The woman took the toddler out of Heero's arms, hugging her tightly.
 "Thank God you're safe!" she sobbed. "I thought we'd lost you!"
Heero stared at her.  'That's her mother and father,' he thought numbly.  The man shaking his hand brought him back into reality.  "Thank you, sir," the man was saying. 
"Thank you so much for saving our child."The woman bowed to him.  "How can we ever repay you?"
"Don't mention it." Heero said, turning away.The crowd was in awe.
"That was so amazing!" a woman said.
"He saved that kid's life and wants no reward??"
"It was a miracle neither he or the babe were hurt I say, a real miracle!"
"That's for sure," Duo said from outside the crowd.  "Wouldn't you know it?  You can take the pilot out of the Gundam, but you can't take the Gundam out of the pilot."
Relena, who was standing next tohim, stared in awe.  "Heero…"
Duo gave her a sideward glance, and then turned to Hilde.  "Say, Hild', wanna go check out the bazaar?"
"Kay." Hilde answered.
"Hoi, ojousan," Duo replied.  "Wanna go fetch, Hero-boy (AN: 'I mustsucceed!' ^_*) and tag along?"
"You two go on ahead and have fun." Relena answered.  Hilde and Duo gave each other devilish grins.  Relena shook her head.  "I meant clean fun, now run along."
Duo grinned mischievously, throwing a salute.  "You got it!" With that heand Hilde took off, giggling all the way.

~*~*~*~*~*~

      "You're sure you weren't hurt, Heero?" Relena asked as she and Heero walked through the park.
      "I'm fine." Heero answered.    
      "That was a very rash thing you did back there." Relena frowned, worry etched across her features.  "You could've been seriously injured again…or…" She trailed off, trying nard not to think about that.     
      "That girl's parents would've been sad if something happened to her." Heero said, his mind flickering between reality and his dreams.  He stopped walking.  "My…my parents… I don't even remember them... or much else for that matter."  He looked at Relena, as if waiting for her to say something.      
      Finding that there was nothing she could say, she looked down at her hands.  Heero closed his eyes for a moment.
      "Heero?"     
      "Hn?"      
      "Why did you save that girl's life?"     
      Heero thought for a moment.  "She reminded me of someone," he answered quietly.     
      "Who?"     
      Heero thought back to his nightmares.  "A girl I met in a dream."  Relena remembered walking into his room to find him crying out to some mystery girl.  "Was she important to you?"     
      Heero looked at her hard.  "She wanted to help me… but she died because I didn't protect her. I protected that little girl today so she wouldn't have to die also… so her parents wouldn't be sad." He paused for a moment.  "Is that wrong?"     
      "No,"Relena answered.  "No, of course not." She took his hands.  "That was a noble thing you did.  I'm sure her parents will never forget you for it."      
      "You seemed angry about it."      
      Relena shook her head.  "I was just worried about you," she answered, lowering her eyes. "I didn't want anything to happen… I should have known you would have saved her.  You've always put your life on the line to protect others… even without realizing it.  You were and are a very kind person, HeeroYuy, even if you try hard to deny it." She looked back up at him.  "In fact, that's one of the things I love most about you."    
     Heero blinked.  "Relena…"    
      Realizing what she said, Relena covered her mouth, her face turning bright red.      
      "It's strange," Heero replied, looking up at the sky.  "I have no clue about my past, but right now… being here with you… it doesn't seem to matter."      
      Relena stared at him in wonder.  "Really…?"      
      Heero looked at her.  "You're the last thing I remember before everything went black." He closed his eyes.  "I remember hearing your voice calling out to me."     
      "Yes, that's right!" Relena said anxiously. "I was there.  I found you wounded in the forest.  I was scared to death that you might die… that you might leave me…"     
       Heero's brows raised in confusion, "Leave you…?"      
      'Great… I've said too much already…' Relena sighed and sat down in the grass. "I suppose I have to be honest with you, Heero…" she said.  "You were a soldier… the Perfect Soldier.  You made it your duty to fight losing battles.  While you fought with weapons, I fought with words.  I believed that weapons were the cause of conflicts." She looked at Heero, who looked as though he had heard this conversation before.  "So, you see, though we both fought to put an end to wars, we went about ending them in different ways."      
      As Relena spoke, different images flashed through Heero's mind.  He could see his nightmares along with images of him in his mobile suit laughing maniacally as he defeated an enemy.  Heero could also see himself pointing a gun at Relena.  "But you said we were friends…" Heero brought a hand to his head. "I don't understand…"     
       "I wanted us to be friend, Heero." Relena replied. "But we were so different.  It seemed like you only wanted to protect me." She lowered her head.  "I think you felt that people like us shouldn't be together."      
      'Is that what I really think?' Heero thought to himself.  'There's too many things going through myhead… what do I really feel…?'  "I don't understand… people like us..?"     
       "No… that's not right." Relena sighed.  "Please forget what I said, Heero, just forget everything I said!  The past isn't important, it's how you live your life in the present that determines your future."      
      "My past…" Heero murmured.  "My future…" He closed his eyes, his mind still being bombarded with images of battles and faces he strained to recognize.  "Why… why can't I … why can't I remember?"      
       "Heero…?" Relena asked concerned, reaching out to him.         
       Heero, however, did not hear her call out to him. As darkness engulfed him, Heero could see those evil green eyes glaring down upon him.  Dropping to his knees, he began to shake uncontrollably.      
      "My body…I'm so cold…"      
      "Oh, myGod, Heero!" Relena gasped, rushing over to his side.     
       Heero hunched over, racked with sobs.  "…Don't go…"       
     "I'm right here, Heero," Relena said, trying her best to calm him down, trying to conceal her worry at the same time.  "I'll stay by your side… I promise…"     
       "Relena, gomen nasai…" Heero then passed out.      
      "Heero!" Relena called out to no avail.      
      "Relena!" Relena looked up to see Sally and Noin pulling up in a green jeep.            "Noin, Sally!" she exclaimed.  "Something's happened to Heero!"     
       "Sally!" Noin said worriedly.  The Chinese Doctor/ex-major hopped outof the vehicle and helped Relena bring Heero over.     
       "Come on, you two!" Noin said.  "We gotta move, now!"      
      "What's going on?" Relena asked.  "What are you two doing here?"      
      "We just got a transmission from the Dark Claw declaring war on Cinq Kingdom." Sally answered, securing Heero in the back.      
      "Nanda!" Relena cried out.      
      "It's true, I'm afraid." Noin answered gravely.  "We have reason to believe that their forces are one their way here as we speak."      
      "No!" Relena exclaimed.  "They can't come here, people will get killed!"      
      "We won't let that happen." Noin exclaimed.  "Your brother is ordering everyone to go to the nearest shelter." Just as she spoke,a warning siren went off and people took off in all directions.  "The boys are on their way out to meet the enemy now."       
     Relena clenched her fists.  "The Dark Claw…" she frowned darkly.  "They have to be stopped now."  With that, she took off running.     
       "Oi!  Matte!" Sally called out.      
      "Relena!" Noin yelled.       
       "Take Heero to a shelter!" Relena called over her shoulder.  "I'll be fine!"       
     'Famous last words…' Sally thought to herself, a worried frown on her face.  
      "Relena –ugh!" Noin cried out, starting to climb out of the jeep.  A loud explosion shook the ground her, throwing her back into the seat and causing everyone else around to panic.      
      "Relena, come back!" Sally called.  "Kuso… I've lost sight of her!"      
      "We've got to find her!" Noin exclaimed, starting the engine and tearing off down the street, barely giving Sally enough time to buckle her seatbelt.

~End of Chapter 9~