Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, I merely write Fan Fiction about it

Chapter 4: Sakura's Door

Aika looked up at the large mansion. It was about four stories high. There were large French windows on every floor decorated in white with intricate black pastels carved into designs along the windowsill. The house itself was gorgeous, and the estate was just breathtaking with its large amount of land in back and in front. Aika continued up the dirt path that she had turned onto from the main road. Since it was private property she had to drive a ways before the Mansion was even in plain view. Parking her car on the shoulder behind a tree, she exited the car with a duffel bag over her shoulder. Aika looked around for a few minutes, taking in the view. She noticed a gazebo off to the side of the mansion surrounded by water. A bridge connected the two pieces of land that had been cut through by the makeshift moat. Aika walked onto the small cobblestone pathway to the main gate. Two large letters were entwined on the front in a calligraphy styled font, MP. A small button on the right side of the stone pillar caught her attention. She quickly pressed it and waited for someone to answer.

"Name please." An old voice replied from the other side of the small black box. Aika pressed and held the button back down.

"Aika Orez, I'm here for Rikku Peacecraft's sleepover party." She let go of the small button and waited for a response again. It was only a few moments before the old voice answered again.

"Welcome Miss. Orez, Miss. Rikku has been expecting you." The black gates opened up slowly allowing her entrance into the estate.

"Please proceed down the road." Aika pressed the button down.

"Thank you." Aika walked through swiftly through the gates and up the paved road to the mansion doors. Aika lowered her backpack down to the ground and placed her hand around the large brass knocker. She knocked three times against the door but before she could lower her hand, the door opened to reveal an old man with a mustache, probably in his late 70's. He smiled and motioned politely for her to enter, stepping to the side.

"Welcome to Peacecraft Manor. Miss. Rikku is expecting you in the parlor. My name is Pagan; if you should need anything while you're here, please, feel free to call me. There are phones located throughout the house. All you need to do is dial zero." Aika nodded her head at the old man and walked through the doors. She was greeted with a grand staircase in the middle of the large foyer. The walls were a beautiful mahogany color, giving the place an elegant look. The only furniture that was present was a small table with a vase full of roses resting on an Oriental rug. Pagan held his arm out delicately to take the bag from Aika. Aika complied and Pagan smiled, he raised his right hand and pointed a finger to the left, indicating the parlor.

"The parlor is beyond the left door." Aika nodded her head in thanks and walked to the left. Her hair fell over her shoulders and her tight green tank top clung to her body as she sauntered over to the doorway. Aika stopped to make sure she was going the right way before walking past the door that Pagan had pointed out. The foyer was only a little farther down the hall way.

"AIKA! I'M SO GLAD YOU COULD COME!" Rikku came dashing out of the parlor and flung her arms around Aika. Aika watched as a girl she had hardly known for more than a day, latch onto her and hug her like an old friend. It was odd; she wasn't used to this kind of thing. Shaking it off, she greeted her overly gracious host.

"Hello Rikku." Rikku pulled back and smiled broadly up at the Japanese girl. Grabbing Aika's hand, she dragged her into the parlor to meet the rest of her friends. Nikki, Elise, Natalie, and Andrea were sitting on a couch in the parlor talking idly about some interesting topic. Aika could only guess what it could be about. Elsie was sitting on the floor as Nikki braided her long blond hair. She was reclined back, enjoying the attention she was receiving.

"Guys, Aika's here!" Nikki looked up and smiled at Aika, the sunlight from the large glass window glittered through casting rays of warm sunshine on her face. Andrea looked up, snorted, and continued conversing with Natalie while Elise merely glanced over and nodded her head in acknowledgment.

"Glad you could make it, now we can get to know you!" Aika nodded to each of the girls and walked over to sit down on the floor next to Elise. Natalie motioned for Aika to sit in front of her on the floor, seeing as all of a sudden Andrea's body mass took up the rest of the large, plush couch.

"Sorry if Rikku seems a little…overzealous, she's just like that." Natalie leaned down to whisper in Aika's ear. Aika leaned against the back of the couch and grinned already having deduced that from what she had already seen from Rikku. Nikki looked up from Elise's hair to glance over at Aika, briefly wondering if she would be allowed near the blonde's tresses.

"You have the same hair color as Mrs. Yuy, only much lighter and brighter looking." Nikki tried making small talk, hoping internally that the flattery would be her ticket in.

"Mrs. Yuy?" Aika replied. Nikki blinked once. Did she not know who Mrs. Yuy was…? Mrs. Relena Yuy? Now that was strange.

"You've never heard of Mrs. Yuy? She's the Vice Foreign Minister." Nikki replied truthfully, like some secret that had been let out. Aika's eyes lit up, now recognizing the name.

"I know who the Vice Foreign Minister is; I just didn't know her actual name. I've only seen pictures and headlines. She lives here?" Nikki nodded while tying the end of Elise's braided hair in a scrunchie. She dusted her hands and smiled brightly down at Elise before returning her attention back to Aika.

"Mrs. Yuy is Reina's mother. Speaking of Reina, where is she?" Nikki scratched her head and looked around, trying to see if she was anywhere in sight.

"I believe she's at swimming practice, she should be back in about an hour." Andrea answered sourly. She really didn't like Aika, and she was making it very clear from the way she was acting. Aika looked over at Rikku who was just standing watching everyone.

"Rikku, if the Yuy family lives here, then why do you live here if you're not a 'Yuy'? Plus, Pagan said it was the Peacecraft Mansion, and they're not Peacecraft's. I'm a little confused." Rikku laughed lightly at Aika.

"Well, there are two families, or rather one BIG happy family that lives here. My father and mother are Milliardo and Noin Peacecraft. My father, Milliardo, is my Aunt Relena's brother. My Uncle is Heero Yuy, who is my Aunt Relena's Husband. They figured since there were twenty-five bedrooms that there was more than enough room for all of us to live. My family lives in the East Wing of the house and my Aunt's family lives in the West Wing. We share the Mansion basically."

"Well your family is big, but I'm not to sure about happy." Nikki laughed at her little joke. Rikku scowled and playfully hit her in the arm.

"Just because my father and my uncle don't get along well doesn't mean were not happy." Aika closed her eyes as she listened to the aimless chatter about families and a few inside jokes. It was strange, not only did she feel out of place but at the same time this felt…nice.

'They seem…so happy. Is it possible to feel this kind of happiness…? No, not for me at least.' She thought to herself.

"Aika?" Aika's eyes snapped open being caught off guard. All five girls were staring at her; they had been trying to get her attention for the last few minutes apparently. Rikku's finger was inches away from poking her in the arm. She looked curiously, waiting for an answer.

"Yes?"

"Well, I was wondering. Do you remember your parents at all?" Aika froze. Her jaw clenched as she tried to form an answer to this. No one had ever really asked her to elaborate about her life before. Normally she would just say her parent's were dead and that was the end of that, but they were asking something she had never truly thought about. Did she remember her parents?

"I don't know." She replied quietly, almost to herself.

"You don't know? How old were you when you were adopted?" Nikki asked, bypassing Rikku.

"I don't know." Rikku gaped and sat down next to Aika on the floor.

"That's horrible! So, you truly don't know?" Aika looked away and stared at one of the walls in the room trying to fix her gaze somewhere other than Rikku's face.

"Ever since I could remember, I was raised by one man. He wasn't related to me in any way is what he had told me when I was old enough to comprehend the meaning. He said that he had found me one day, and he took me in. I started living on my own when I turned fourteen. He takes care of my bills and makes sure that I have a place to stay, other than that I rarely have contact with him." Andrea looked apologetically at Aika, her burning hatred forgotten for the moment.

"Did he have a name, you never referred to him as your surrogate father or anything?" Aika took a breath before answering them, she was letting information slide that she rather had not, but if this is what it took… so be it.

"He never loved me like I was his child. I was merely a lost soul needing guidance is how he put it. He felt that until I was old enough to take care of myself, I would live with him and then I would live by myself when the time came. His name is Jack, that's all I ever really referred to him as." Elise slid over to Aika and placed a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes were filled to the brim with tears that she was keeping back.

"To be so alone, to never know whom your parents were or feel their love. I could never understand the hardships you've faced in your life. You must be very strong to be able to handle all of that." Elise slowly enveloped Aika into a hug. Aika stiffened. What was this feeling? This person was a complete stranger yet she was hugging me…? How strange. Aika didn't know what to do so she slowly raised her hands to place on Elise's shoulders. Rikku, Natalie, Nikki, and Andrea left their positions and leaned down to give Aika a big group hug. Utterly perplexed, she just sat there unmoving.

'What's this feeling?'

"OK NO MORE MUSHY STUFF!" Andrea jumped up and flattened her shirt against her stomach trying to remove the creases. The others let go much slower and went back to their original seats. Rikku stood up and giggled. She skipped back wards before grinning at the group of teenagers.

"I've got a real treat up my sleeve!" Nikki rubbed her hands together in expectancy while Natalie and Elise eyed each other warily.

"Goody, I hope its fun!" Natalie shook her head knowing where this was about to go. She slowly tried to stand up so she could escape while she had the chance.

"Oh no, please don't say-"

"KARAOKE!" Rikku shouted, punching the air with her fist. Nikki squealed and jumped up to join in Rikku's dance. They both skipped over a closet and pulled out a large Karaoke machine. It was relatively small with two microphones strapped to either side of the machine. Aika stared, not understanding the sudden cheeriness.

"I don't do karaoke," was all Andrea replied while she tried to escape with Natalie.

"Me too." Natalie chimed in meekly. Rikku put her hands on her hips and glared at the two escapees. She pointed menacingly down at the couch. Natalie and Andrea sat down half-heartedly.

"Oh come on you two, stop being such spoil-sports!"

"You HAVE to do karaoke! Everyone in here! Got it?"

"IM HOME!" Someone called from the Foyer. Natalie laughed and jumped up.

"Saved by the banshee!" A young girl with short brown hair and brown eyes walked into the room. She looked around the small group and smiled sweetly.

"I heard that Natalie!" Reina frowned. She turned to get a better look at Aika. This was someone she hadn't seen before so she looked to Rikku for an explanation.

"You have a new friend?" Reina asked Rikku. Not waiting for a reply, she walked over to Aika and held out her hand.

"Hi! I'm Reina Yuy; it's nice to meet you Miss…?"

"Orez, Aika Orez" Aika took her hand lightly in her own grasp and shook.

"Reina how was the swim meet?" Nikki went over to Reina and hugged her around the middle. Reina giggled and returned the gesture.

"It was pretty good. I have the lead spot for the diving contest. My coach said that out of all the other team members there, I was the best diver she'd seen when it came to performing." Nikki smiled and patted her on the back, proud of her achievement.

"Way to go! I bet your mom and dad will be really proud of you!" Natalie also congratulated her in her feat. Rikku turned to look back at everyone, glad that all the introductions were done with.

"Well, what do you guys want to do?"

"Nothing that has to do with Karaoke please," Andrea and Natalie muttered. Reina smiled knowing full well that they hated the activity. Rikku's face was crestfallen and she slumped forward. Aika watched silently from her position on the floor.

"Fine!" Natalie, Andrea, and Elsie all smiled. They were saved! Rikku looked to Aika hoping that she would side with her.

"Sorry but I don't want to do Karaoke either." Aika replied to Rikku. She sighed heavily and threw her hands up in the air.

"Well, that's four to two, looks like Karaoke is out of the question." Reina plopped down onto the couch next to Andrea.

"So, now what?" Natalie tapped her fingers against her chin absentmindedly, trying to come up with an alternative plane.

"Want to play a board game?"

"How about, 'Life'?"

Preventers HQ

"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! A GUNDAM? I THOUGHT ALL GUNDANIUM WAS DESTROYED YEARS AGO!?" Senator Kelly yelled to the other diplomats in the room. Relena Yuy rubbed her temples. The pain that this man was inflicting on her ears at the moment was excruciating, did he even realize how big of a mouth he had?

"Senator Kelly, we too, had thought that the Gundanium was destroyed, however, just because there is a Gundam, does not mean that it was made out of Gundanium. This Gundam is a threat to peace and as we speak I am having Colonel Une herself investigate along with the Preventers unit. Now, as to why Mr. Moore was killed, I don't have any idea. The man was working on a treaty with the L1 Colony. He was actually departing from the colony the day he was shot down. I must adjourn this meeting now; I have some things to attend to. Good day." Relena rose from her seat and left the boardroom without so much as a second glance. Heero was waiting outside, leaning against the wall. Relena didn't like what was going on but if they kept yelling at each in there nothing was going to get done. War was not something she wanted to face again. She sighed and turned to look at Heero.

"I'm not liking this. If another attack occurs the leaders will take action and there is going to be a war, and I don't want you to fight." Relena slumped against the wall in defeat. She had absolutely no progress in trying to keep everyone calm during the meeting. After two and a half hours of rants and threats, they had gotten no where.

"Peace will shatter, and it took so long to obtain." Heero moved from his spot and embraced his wife. She had worked so hard for all those years to bring everyone the peace they had desired. Heero didn't want to go back to killing, but if he had to he would. He wasn't about to stand idly by and not defend his family from this threat.

"There will be no war, we'll find out what happened and how this person got a hold of Wing Zero." Relena hooked her arms around Heero's neck and leaned into his embrace. He was trying to comfort her and she appreciated it.

"Let's go home; it's been a long day."

Peacecraft/Yuy Manor

"NO!" Rikku ran around screaming frantically, tears pouring from her eyes. She jumped over the couch and plopped down, bawling her eyes out next to a confused Elise.

"THEY KILLED SCOTT! THEY KILLED SCOTT! WHY WOULD THEY KILL SCOTT!?" Rikku collapsed onto her side, seemingly dead. Nikki walked over and nudged Rikku's body with her toe. Elise had to hold back a chuckle at the sight. Rikku frowned and wiped a few tears away from her cheek.

"What in seven hells is she screaming about?" Andrea looked over from the table where Reina, Natalie and Nikki were playing "Life." Nikki shrugged and sighed, turning her attention back to the game. She spun the small spinner and moved her car a few spaces.

"They killed off Scott, a character from a soap opera Rikku watches." Rikku jumped up and walked over to stand in front of Nikki.

"HE IS NOT JUST A CHARACTER! HE'S THE MOST GORGEOUS, SINCERE, LOVING, CARING, SENTIMENTAL, ATTRACTIVE, SINGLE, COOL, MUSCLED, MAN IN THE WORLD!" Rikku clasped her hands together and stared out. Andrea quirked an eyebrow and returned back to the game.

"Exactly, a character. Not one guy in the world is like that." Rikku snapped out of her daydream and glared at Andrea.

"So?! A girl can dream can't she?" Andrea chuckled and picked up a card from the small pile to her left.

"Yea, but not when its 24/7." Rikku slammed her fists down on either side her body.

"UGH! YOU CAN BE SO OBNOXIOUS!" Rikku turned away and huffed, sticking her lip out in a pout. Aika was still sitting on the floor against the sofa couch. She couldn't help but smile a little; this girl's attitude was entertaining. She quickly stood up and dusted off her skirt and turned to Rikku.

"Where's the bathroom?" Rikku turned back around and smiled. She pointed to the door that led out of the parlor.

"Go through the door way, keep walking down the hall until you get to a large door with cherry blossoms carved on it. Turn to the right and go down the adjacent hallway. It's the 7th door on the right." Aika nodded and left the foyer. Walking down the hallway she took notice of all the picture frames that loitered the walls. Many of them held Rikku's family and pictures of Rikku when she was much younger. Aika finally came to the cherry blossom door and turned down the other hallway Rikku had mentioned.

"Sakura!"

Aika turned around. She looked around to see where the voice had come from. Not seeing anything she shook her head and continued down the carpeted hallway.

"Sakura!"

Aika stopped. She had definitely heard that. She turned and walked back, trying to see if anyone was behind her or in the foyer. Not seeing anything she turned and came face to face with a door. She stood in front of a beautiful pink, black, and white door, the cherry blossom door. She inspected the door closer, it was faded looking as if it hadn't been used in a long time. Under the ornately painted Sakura tree on the door, she could make out the faint kanji that was there.

"Sakura." She traced the kanji with her fingertip lightly, feeling the inscription. She placed her hand on the gold handle and pulled it down lightly. A soft click resounded and she opened the door part way. She entered the room and looked around. The walls were decorated with sakura petals and trees. There were large sliding glass doors leading to a balcony with crimson drapes. A small baby crib was located in the back right of the room along with other small pieces of furniture. Aika walked over to the crib and looked at the stuffed animals inside of it. A small panda bear and a soft blanket adorned the crib. She fingered the soft fabric in her right hand.

"It feels so old, but there is no dust to indicate the age." Aika picked up the panda bear and traced the glass eyes. She turned it over in her hands inspecting it.

"17 years to be exact. It's been so long since anyone has lived in this room." Aika spun on her heel to see Pagan in the doorway. He smiled sadly and stepped closer.

"I'm sorry, I was just curious as to why the door said Sakura." Pagan's eyes widened at her remark.

"You were able to read the Japanese characters on the door?" Aika nodded her head briefly and turned back to examine the panda bear. She placed it back into the crib gently.

"I'm Japanese." Pagan nodded sighed heavily. He walked over to the balcony door and opened the drapes, letting in the last rays the sun had to offer before night fell.

"16 years ago, Mr. and Mrs. Yuy had their very first child." Aika watched the old man as he pulled open the large French doors and stepped out to breathe in the fresh air.

"But Reina is only 13." Pagan turned to Aika. She looked at him, not understanding what he was trying to convey.

"Indeed. But they had a child before Reina. Her name was Sakura. Sakura Yuy." Aika looked to the door, now it made sense.

"The kanji…so this is her room?" Pagan shook his head dejectedly.

"It was her room. 16 years ago, when the young mistress was about a year old, there was an attack. An organization was planning on kidnapping Ms. Relena, the Vice Foreign Minister. Mr. Yuy was fighting them off one by one, but they managed to make it to this room, where Mrs. Yuy and Mistress Sakura were hiding. They did not kidnap Mrs. Yuy, they took Sakura, and we are still not sure why. They searched for days, and days turned to months and months to years. They were both devastated. Finally, they were too heartbroken to keep on with the search. A few years later they had Reina." Aika stared at the panda bear she had placed back into the crib.

"They never searched for their daughter afterwards?" Pagan shook his head once again.

"They loved their daughter dearly, but after two years of searching, they lost hope and feared the worst. They did not want to dwell in the past, so they started over with Reina. Even to this day just speaking of the Mistress brings great sadness and guilt to them both. They have never set foot into this room after the incident, but Mr. Yuy had ordered me to keep this room like it was when she was here. Sort of like a monument to her existence, so they can never forget. Mistress Sakura would be about your age right now, you are 17, correct?" Aika nodded. Pagan sighed and shut the doors and lowered the drapes.

"A tragic story. I'm sure she would have been beautiful, like her mother. No one knows what happened to Sakura. Well, let's not talk about saddening things anymore, but while I'm on such a disheartening subject, Aika, since you have been here I have not seen you smile once, a true smile." Aika just stared at Pagan.

"You remind me of someone from very long ago." Pagan smiled half heartedly and turned to leave the room.

"I would suggest that you leave this room soon. No one has been in here and I would hate for you to be reprimanded for entering without permission." Pagan bowed and left Aika to her thoughts.

"Roger that." Aika turned to look once more at the small panda bear. She smiled lightly and exited the room.

"Sakura…" Aika mumbled to herself as she walked down the hallway and headed to the bathroom.