The pilots return home safely, only to be faced with another conflict. Jin is broken on the inside, and it seems nothing can get through to him after he closes himself away from him comrades. How can he be brought back t his senses?

Don't own it. Would love to, but I don't. I'm going to go cry now...really, look away for a second so I can cry...thanks.

After Eve Gundam Wing: New Heero

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"I can't believe we got out of that mess alive," said Stephen, slumping on to Howard's leather couch and covering his eyes with his arm.

"Me neither," said Anita. "We were extremely lucky."

"Wing Zero's trashed," muttered Jin as he sat stewing on a wooden chair. "I destroyed it on its first mission."

"It can be easily repaired Jin," said Howard. "It'll really only take a few days."

"I couldn't beat him," said Jin, now talking more to himself than the others. "I couldn't even hold my own. His Scorpion, it's so big, yet still so fast and agile. It's an unbeatable mech."

"Stop Jin," said Stephen. "It's no big deal. Max would've absolutely killed any of us. You-

"No," said Jin as he stood up abruptly. "I failed...I screwed up in my first mission as a Gundam pilot." Jin began t walk away.

"Jin, it's no big deal," said Rachel. "Howard said he can easily repair Wing Zero."

"How can you all be so stupid!" yelled Jin as he stopped with his back to them. They all jumped in their seats, and Rachel even backed away a few steps.

"Jin?"

"You don't understand," continued Jin. "None of you do, and you never will. I'm fighting for more than peace here. My mission is personal. That miserable son of a bitch and his lackey killed my family!"

Nobody said a word.

"I promised my parents vengeance, and I couldn't even pilot Wing Zero to its full potential!" Jin turned to his left in a flash and punched the wall. It gave way with a crumble, leaving a good-sized hole in his fist's wake. "Today was a loss for me...They killed my parents, and they could've killed me...I'm too weak to do it..." Jin dashed up the steps and into his room.

The other pilots and Howard sat in absolute silence for a few seconds, until Rachel moved for the stairs. "Not a good idea Rachel," interrupted Howard. "Jin is having a great mental conflict right now, and there's nothing you or I or any of us can do about it."

"But I..." Rachel stopped and looked at the floor. "But...There's got to be some way of helping him."

"I'm afraid there isn't," said Howard.

"Jin's never acted this way before," said Stephen. "At least, not in front of me he hasn't. This side is completely new to me. This behavior isn't Jin at all. This is something much different...I wouldn't want to mess with him in his current state."

"Stephen's got a point," said Howard.

"We're better off, as is he, if we just leave him be," said Kreed, leaning up against the wall. "This is his battle to fight, even if it is with himself."

Rachel sank into a couch, defeated, and said nothing more.

Night fell, which proceeded into the next day. Jin didn't come downstairs for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or to even see the work being done on Wing Zero in the hangar below. It wasn't until three days after the incident that Jin was seen.

Jin emerged from the upstairs bathroom and turned to silently walk back into his room down the hall. Unfortunately for him, he was noticed. Rachel stepped directly between him and his door, and showed absolutely no signs of moving.

"Jin, I need to talk to you," she said.

Jin didn't reply and chose to look at the floor instead of meet her green eyes. "Jin, will you just listen to me a sec?"

"There's nothing to listen to," he said shortly. He tried to grab the door handle, but Rachel slapped his hand away hard, causing the back of his hand to redden. It hardly stung the skin, but it shot a bullet into his nerves. It obviously caught his attention, because he looked up to see anger, sadness, and a whole bunch of emotions in Rachel's eyes.

"If you want to go into your room, that's fine," said Rachel. "But you have to allow me in too, and you have to tell me just what the hell is going on with you." Jin looked at her hard, almost too confused and shocked at her slap to speak. A simple nod communicated to Rachel that he was okay with this arrangement, and she opened the door for him.

He sat down on his bed, which faced a large window right next to it as she closed the door. "Okay Jin," she said as she took a seat in a revolving chair in front of his laptop computer on his desk. She spun around to face him. "What's the matter? Why are you so upset?"

"I'd rather not have to talk about it," said Jin as he laid back and looked up at the ceiling.

"Not good enough," said Rachel loudly. Jin looked at the door, and Rachel, knowing what he was thinking, spoke quickly. "And the others are in the hangar, so they won't overhear us any. Speak."

"I failed," said Jin. "I failed myself, I failed my mother, my father, and I failed you guys."

"So?" asked Rachel. "What, are you just a sore loser or something? Because that would certainly be a shocker to me. You, Jin, are the last person I know who would run because he got beat once."

"I didn't just lose a battle," said Jin. "It's like I lost a part of my insides when I realized that I can't win. My whole life for the past couple of years has been training for the day I had three days ago, and I lost. It's like..."

"Like what Jin?" asked Rachel impatiently.

"You wouldn't understand." Said Jin as he sat up and stared out at the setting sun on the ocean's horizon."

"Oh, I wouldn't understand would I?" asked Rachel sarcastically. "Excuse me Jin, but how dare you even consider myself to be below you in understanding. You're being an awfully selfish little person right now."

Jin stared at her confusedly. "How do you think I feel right now? You have your battles? I have some things to deal with too you know? At least you'll forever have the memory of your parents as kind, compassionate people. My only remaining parent is the leader of OZ, and is the source of everyone's troubles today. How do think it feels to know that you're related to the one person everyone would love to destroy? Stephen, Anita, and Kreed all have their issues too Jin, and you're the only one with the nerve to throw yourself a little pity party."

Jin turned and faced Rachel, and the dim light was just enough to see a glistening tear fall from her eye. "You know Jin, most of us fall down, and we cry. We expect someone else to come and pick us up and make us feel better. There's a time for that sometimes. But we're different Jin. We are the only ones who can pick these people up off the ground. We all lose some, but we have to get back up. We have to be the ones who are strong. You have to get up and dust yourself off and try again. You don't lose Jin. You either win, or you don't and you learn from your mistakes. The only way you can lose is if you give up. And I've never heard of you giving up."

Jin sat motionless on the edge of his bed, facing Rachel only a few feet in front of him. Rachel stood up and sat next t him on his bed.

"Rachel, I-

"Shh," she said as she placed a finger to his lips. "You're the best pilot Jin," she said quietly and soothingly. "Nobody can beat you, and you know it. Max only derailed you a little. He and my father are both afraid of you. You only have to believe in yourself...Do you think that your father would back down just because of such a small little defeat?"

Jin sat silently.

"No, Jin, he wouldn't," answered Rachel. "Your father's blood runs in you Jin. So does your mother's. You have the capacity to accomplish anything when they are with you. You've got your father's warrior spirit, never stopping until the job gets done, and you've your mother's kindness and wisdom, which will guide you to making the right decision."

"Rachel, I'm sorry," said Jin. "You're exactly right. I'm so stupid for being such an arrogant, selfish jerk...I'll never fail you again."

"Don't apologize Jin," said Rachel quietly still. "Just return to us. Return to being the Jin we all know and love...the Jin that I know...and

." Rachel leaned into Jin slowly, and they both closed their eyes as their lips met in a passionate kiss...

End Chapter Twenty-Seven

Hope you liked this one? It's kinda my first attempt at writing a kissing scene, and as you can tell, I'm not very good with words when trying to describe it for the readers, so you kind of had to use you imagination.

Anyway, I'd love to get some feedback on this topic. If you have any recommendations for my afore mentioned problem, I'd appreciate them extremely.

Now excuse me while I go beat myself in the head with a stick. Why am I doin' this? I honestly have no idea.