The Last Sunrise

by Nyneve

It all starts with the disappearence of a young Preventor. From there, it escalates into a secret war between two powers thought dead. Humanity must once again take up arms, but this time, it's for the survival of the world as they know it.

15. Segment 15

Still own el zippo. LIME WARNING!!!!!!!!! READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION!!!!!!!!!!

Segment 15:

Gathering Days

Summary:

Trowa and Lady Une struggle to find more information on the Leute while Dahlia is at school. Rei tells Quatre about her reservations concerning her therapist, Dr. Parvati Sana. Later, Quatre talks to Haruka, who has decided to start leave and start searching for her old partner, Michiru Kaioh. Back in Italy, Trowa finds out about something called the Kentauros Institute, and, believing it is run by the Leute, sets off in the middle of the night to find it. Shortly after, he receives a phone call from Setsuna telling him that it was a trap and that Dahlia is making her move against Lady Une. He makes it back to find her unconscious and Dahlia armed. However, the Leute claims that she is not with Eljira ak Zhul, and asks that she be allowed to go in peace. After some deliberation, Trowa agrees and no one is harmed. On MO-III, Red Delta shows Setsuna the video of Serenity's abduction. Taken aback by the turn of events, she sends Duo and Mariemaia to find "everyone".

"Huh. Someone looks cold," Sally smirked as Wufei walked into the café. He wore a long heavy gray coat and a navy scarf, and his teeth were audibly chattering even ten feet away.

Wufei glared at his partner, but was secretly relieved. Even though she had sounded all right in her phone call, he was still worried about her safety. But now, she seemed just as cool and laid back as ever. "Hn. That happens when you're working in the field, as opposed to taking an extended coffee break while your partner freezes his ass off."

She clapped him on the back hard and laughed. "Good to have you back, Chang. You doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

"I'm not dead, am I?" she waved at a waiter and told him to get another cup of coffee, then led Wufei back to her table where "the suspect" sat reading a newspaper.

"Wufei, this is Alexander Venli. Alex, this is my partner, Chang Wufei," she introduced.

The maroon-haired man looked up and removed his reading glasses. Smiling congenially, he shook the Preventor's hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Chang," he said in his light Russian accent.

"The same," Wufei replied stiffly sitting down across from his partner. "Sally's told me a great deal about you."

Venli nodded. "I was hoping so. More than anything, Mr. Chang, I wish to find out the reasons my sister and brother-in-law died. When Sally explained that Lita Kino's death was a Leute assassination, I feared that my sister had somehow gotten involved."

"It's quite likely. But let me see if I understand this correctly. About two years ago, your sister, Anya Venli, married the Russian Ambassador Nikolai Karikov. They adopted a son, Aaron, about eight months after. That would be the first connection."

"What do you mean?"

"One of the main Leute assassins involved with this war is named Aethrin. A colleague of ours has encountered him several times, and claims that the civilian name he uses is "Aaron"," Sally explained. "It may just be a coincidence, but…"

"What can you tell us about your nephew?" Wufei cut off.

Venli shrugged. "I have only met him once or twice. He's eleven, I believe, but very intelligent for his age. I think he was entering his first year of high school last fall. Very reserved as well. He spends most of his time in his room."

"What does he look like?"

"Red hair, black eyes. Not sure of his nationality."

"Does he have any scars?"

The journalist thought hard. "Not that I can recall. But I haven't seen him since two months before Anya's death."

"Do you have any pictures of him?" Wufei asked.

"You know…" Venli's eyes lit up. "I think I do. That first Christmas after Anya adopted him, she sent a Christmas card with his picture in it. It should be at home. If you don't mind a quick walk."

"Of course not. You can explain along the way," Sally said as they stood up to leave. "Come on Wufei. We'll get you coffee later."

He muttered something that sounded like "this is hell frozen over", but followed anyways.

"So…where do we go first?" Duo asked as he and Mariemaia left MO-III.

She tapped her chin in thought. "Hm…well who's all on Earth? Trowa and Lady Une, Sally and Wufei, maybe the Marquises…"

"And maybe Heero," Duo finished. "Then Quatre, Rei, and Haruka are on L4, Relena's on L2, or do we even need Relena?"

Mariemaia nodded. "Yeah. We've still got to try and convince her to bend the policies for us. And we can pick up Dorothy on L4 too."

Duo blinked. "Whoa, back up. We need that psycho bitch?"

"Yep. She's been working with ESIA. Well, kind of. Didn't I mention that?"

"No!"

"Hm. Well, she's been with us ever since she divorced Quatre Winner. But we haven't heard from her for a while. That's why I want to go to L4 first."

"Look, Maia. You can not expect me to go talk to that lady, let alone subject poor Quatre to her! He was married to her for years!" Duo protested.

"Well that's fine. I'll go talk to Dorothy, and you can talk to Quatre. It's not like we have to play taxi service or anything; all we've got to do is explain the situation and tell them to meet us in South Africa," Mariemaia smirked. "Don't worry Duo; when you do have to deal with Dorothy, it'll be in a nice big meeting, and I'll protect you, okay?"

His eyes sparkled mischievously. "You promise to go all "ninja-chick" if she tries to bite me?"
She laughed. "Anything you want."

"Puu? What are we doing here?" Rini asked as she, Hotaru, and Setsuna briskly walked through the busy Istanbul streets. Ever since she had seen the video of Serenity, the ESIA agent had been even more silent and reserved, telling them nothing other that they had to go to Earth. And now, here they were, walking through the busy midmorning traffic of the city.

As far as they knew, Setsuna and Rashid had lived in Istanbul for the past five years, although her job had allowed her only minimal time there. Although Mariemaia had once visited her apartment, none of the others had ever seen it. But that was not where they were headed now.

In a quieter part of the city, they came upon a neighborhood where there were neat, boxy houses with vine-covered front courtyards and children playing in the empty streets. Setsuna led them to one with a tan façade, where a boy and girl of about four and five were drawing on the courtyard bricks with chalk. They looked up solemnly when they noticed the three women.

But Setsuna smiled gently at them. "Hello Ahmed, Aleena."

They rose bowed slightly to her. "Good morning Miss Setsuna," they replied in unison.

The woman bowed back. "Is your mother home?"

They nodded. The boy, Ahmed, pointed to the door. "She said you were coming, and that you should come in."

"I see. Thank you very much," she smiled again, then motioned for Hotaru and Rini to follow her.

Setsuna knocked on the door, and then entered. They walked into a tiled corridor as a short woman with henna-colored hair and soft gold eyes entered.

"Lera," she said softly.

The short woman looked at her, then rushed forward and threw her arms about her. "Oh Setsuna…I'm so sorry about Rashid."

The younger women swore they saw their mentor wince at those words, but she shook it off and accepted Lera's comfort. "It's all right…I'm all right, Lera."

"The attack was so sudden! And when I heard he was among the casualties, it was all I could do not to gather up the children and come to see you right away," she said.

Setsuna shook her head. "No. That would not have been good for anyone. You understand how it is. Rashid…Rashid never wanted to be a burden to anyone."

Lera nodded in agreement. "Yes, you're right."

There was a pause before the tall woman turned to her companions. "Lera, these are two of the ESIA agents I supervise, Hotaru Tomoe and Serenity Chiba. Hotaru, Rini, this is Lera Abassi. She's a very good friend of mine who looks after my personal things for me here in Istanbul."

"Nice to meet you," Rini replied slowly, unsure of whether she should bow, as Setsuna had done, or shake hands. Luckily, Lera solved that problem by clasping her hand with both of her own and holding it gently.

"Allah bless you. Both of you. Setsuna tells me that you will help save us from this nightmare," she said.

"I sincerely hope so," Hotaru murmured.

"Lera…" Setsuna said. "Is…?"

The short woman gasped. "Of course. This way. He's been waiting for you."

Lera led them down the corridor to a living area where a small boy sat reading a thick book in Arabic. He was thin, but not sickly, with dark hair and skin and dark red eyes. It didn't take the two ESIA agents long to figure out where those came from.

"Jabreel," Setsuna said softly, going down on one knee.

The boy whipped his head up and looked at her. Slowly, he moved the book off his lap and walked to her. For a few seconds, he just stared at her. Then he let out a soft sob.
"Mama!" he cried, throwing his arms around her neck and burying his face in her shoulder. This time, Setsuna could not hold the tears back as she kissed her son's face and hugged him tight.

Hotaru tapped on Rini's shoulder. "Let's give her a couple of minutes," she whispered.

Rini nodded and took her hand as they walked out. Lera had gone to the kitchen and was fixing a pot of tea.

"We…we didn't know Setsuna had a child," she said.

Lera nodded. "Yes. Jabreel's five now, the same age as my Ahmed. Of course, Rashid is his father." She paused. "Was."

Hotaru put a hand on her shoulder. "It must be very difficult to tell your friend's child that his father is dead."

She nodded. "I…I couldn't…it took me hours just to think of the words. And then to take him aside after supper, and explain about the shuttle attack…"

"It was a terrible thing that happened that day. And we will not allow it to happen again!" Rini said fiercely.

"I hope so. All of my heart hopes so," Lera murmured, taking the tea off the stove and pouring it into four cups. She looked into Rini's sharp eyes. "And I hope that you will never, ever have to tell a child you love, even one that is not yours, that his father is dead."

"So do I, Lera-san. So do I," she answered.

At that point, Setsuna and Jabreel walked into the kitchen, hand in hand. All traces of tears were gone from the ivy-haired woman, but the child still had streaks on his face.

"Well," she began, looking at them all. She turned to her son. "Jabreel, these are two of my friends, Serenity Chiba and Hotaru Tomoe."

He nodded and bowed to them both. "It is very nice to meet you, Miss Chiba, Miss Tomoe."

"You can call me Rini," the pink-haired girl smiled. "And this is just Hotaru."

Her friend looked seriously down at the boy. "You speak very well for someone so young, Jabreel. And you can read already?"

Jabreel nodded. "Mama and Papa and Lera taught me."

"They must be very good teachers," Hotaru smiled.

"They are."

Setsuna looked at Lera. "That tea smells wonderful."

The red haired woman handed her a cup. "For your health, Setsuna."

"Thank you," she drank deeply.

They spent the next couple of hours making small talk; odd, considering it had been centuries since either Hotaru or Rini heard Setsuna talk about normal things like the weather, books, music, and clothing. But it brought a strange sense of normalcy. That is, until she sent Jabreel from the room.

When he was gone, she looked back at Lera. "You have been so good to us, my friend. I am deeply in your debt as it is. But I must make another request."

"You wish me to continue looking after Jabreel."

She nodded. Lera sighed.

"Setsuna, I love him as though he were my own son, you know that. And of course I will continue to take care of him as long as necessary. But please understand this; I am not his mother. If something should happen to you, I cannot raise him. Oh, I could care for him; send him to school, feed him, clothe him. But we both know his destiny is far different from Ahmed's; he is not my child. He is yours. And you must be the one to—"

"That," Setsuna took her friend's hand has been taken care of. "I only as that you look after him until this Dawn War has ended. At that point…well, whatever happens, he will leave you to face his own destiny."

"But I didn't mean that I didn't want to take care of him! If he leaves—"

"Peace, Lera. You said so yourself, he is not your child, and his destiny is not Ahmed's destiny. This is how it must be. I know you understand that," she said.

Finally, Lera nodded. "Yes…yes, you're right. As usual."

Setsuna let out a little laugh and squeezed her shoulders. "You are a gift of Allah, Lera. A true gift."

She rose and looked at Rini and Hotaru. "But unfortunately…it is time we left."

"What? But surely we could feed you first!" Lera cried.

"No, no. Heaven knows we've imposed on you enough. No. I am going to say goodbye to Jabreel and explain to him what is happening, and then we must go," Setsuna replied.

"When will you be back?"

"Only Fate knows, Lera. Only Fate knows." With that, she left the room.

Rini smiled reassuringly at the small woman. "Don't worry Lera-san. We're keeping a close eye on her. Aren't we Taru-chan?"

Hotaru smiled as well. "Yes. We love Setsuna just as much as you do. We promise we won't let anything happen to her."

Lera's expression brightened. "Thank you. You are wonderful women. Allah bless you."

"Uh yeah…same to you…" Rini replied, causing Hotaru and Lera to giggle.

When Setsuna emerged, with Jabreel in tow, the two women smiled and said they hoped they'd see him again soon. He smiled at them, the first they'd seen.

He had his mother's smile.

It vanished when they walked out the door.

As they headed back into the city, Setsuna looked at Rini and Hotaru. "Do you understand now why I brought you here?"

"Um…no," Rini admitted. Hotaru sighed in exasperation.

Setsuna smiled. "That's all right. This will be your mission."

"What do you mean?"

The ivy-haired woman's face fell. "I've seen the future. This lifetime will not allow me a full life with my son."

"Setsuna!" Hotaru gasped. "That can't be right!"

"Nothing is set in stone," she replied. "But if this happens…you two need to raise him. You two, and no one else."

"Why us?" Rini asked softly.

She put an arm around her shoulder and squeezed. "Because Jabreel may be my biological son, but you have both always been my daughters in spirit. I know you will raise him to his destiny. And through your eyes, I will be able to watch it."

"Setsuna…"

"Sh," she hissed, then pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open. "Now, let's see when the next flight to Cape Town is."

Ami sat on the couch in Quatre's den, her face buried in a thick copy of War and Peace. She had not argued when Wufei told her to stay behind while he went to get Sally and Alexander Venli, but now she was starting to have doubts. The destruction of the passenger shuttle had been very disquieting. So had Rei's anxiety about her therapist. And Haruka's sudden departure.

In all, Ami hated having to question everyone. She was sick of looking at people on the street, wondering if they were being controlled by the Leute. Children with short hair and black eyes terrified her. But more than anything, she was sick of being so helpless against it. What would she have given in exchange for her old powers? It wasn't fair. Haruka still had hers. And it was obvious Rei's psychic abilities had held up even if her fire power had been extinguished. And how many of the other Senshi out there still had their power? Did Mako still have hers when she died?

"Ami?"

The blue haired woman turned to see Rei standing in the doorway. To her relief, they had been able to reconcile. Rei said she did not blame her for what happened, not entirely anyways. There was probably still some resentment, but she was not openly hostile like she had been with Haruka. Ami and Rei were still far from being the friends they once were, but it was comforting to know at least there was no hatred between them.

"Oh, Rei. I didn't hear you come in," she stood up. "What's up?"

She shrugged. "Bored, I guess. Quatre's busy in a meeting with the colony's defense committee."

Ami nodded. She recalled the mention of it that morning. "He'll be home tonight though, won't he?"

"Yes. I know he will," Rei replied softly.

The two were quiet for a while before Ami spoke. "Something's wrong, isn't it Rei?"

She sighed. "I'm not ready to leave this place yet. I really like it here with Quatre and his sisters and everyone," her expression hardened. "Especially now that Haruka's gone."

"Rei…"

"Let's not get into that," Rei said, sitting down on the window seat and looking out at the cloudy afternoon. The colony's light source was trying to shine through, but the filter of vapor was too thick. It reminded her of winter, January. But spring was coming soon, and it was bringing war with it.

"How do you know we'll be leaving?" Ami asked, standing next to her.

"I saw it."

"Without the fire?"
She shook her head. "No. After…after what happened to Crystal Tokyo, when we went our own ways, I learned how to use my inner fire to see the future."

"But I thought…didn't the Leute…?" Ami was afraid to ask anymore.

Rei let out a soft, humorless laugh. "No. I don't think they actually put it out. They just contained it. I can look at it now to see things, but that's it. It can't get bigger, it can't spread to the outside of me. Not as far as I know, anyways." She paused. "I've tried to see so many times, Ami. Tried to see if maybe I could use it. That was how I made time pass, back in…back in that place where Quatre came for me. But I've never been able to do it. Not once. I wish…"

"Sh…" Ami put two fingers to her mouth to keep her from speaking. "Rei…we can't undo what's been done. I know exactly how you feel. It's like we were raped. Raped in the worst way possible. They took what was most precious to us, and no, we can't get it back. But we can't just give up! We still have our uses, Rei-chan. Don't ever forget that!"

"Uses…" she didn't sound convinced.

"Say it with me, Rei-chan," Ami said firmly. "We have our uses. We are not beaten. We have our uses. We are not beaten…"

"We are not beaten…"

"We are not beaten…"

"We are not beaten…"

"Damn this place is huge…" Mariemaia commented softly to herself as her jeep pulled up in front of the Catalonia Estate. She had rented it from the spaceport and dropped off Duo at Quatre's about an hour ago, but not without offering him a ride to her current location. But considering the resident, he had quickly declined, leaving her in a fit of laughter.

Slowly, she pulled up to the guardhouse where a burly looking man in a security guard's uniform was reading a magazine. She tapped her hand on the wheel as the jeep idled and waited to be noticed. Finally, losing her patience, she honked on the horn, startling the guard out of his chair.

"Shit…erm, excuse me. Hello?" he asked, attempting to regain his senses.

Mariemaia tried not to laugh. "Hi, I'm Marie Duma. I have an appointment with Miss Catalonia?"

"Hm…ah, yes. Go on in," he said, hitting a button. The gates opened and she pulled ahead, waving to him and bursting into hysterical giggles.

The drive to the main house was long and twisting. In fact, it took a good two minutes before she even caught sight of the house. But eventually, she made it up to the main loop in front of the door, where she parked. Climbing out, she straightened her long leather coat and knocked on the door.

When it opened, she gasped.

"Miss Relena?!?!?!"

The Vice President of Earth Sphere blinked in surprise. "Mariemaia? What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be on L2!"

"Oh, but I invited her here for a visit," Dorothy smiled, stepping out behind Relena. "After all, we are such good old friends. And it's good of you to join us too, Mariemaia."

"Don't give me that shit, Catalonia. What is she doing here?" Mariemaia demanded.

"I told you, she's visiting. And it's not my problem if Setsuna's other little spies haven't figured that out yet. Now then, would you like to come in? We were just about to have tea in the garden," Dorothy replied.

Still aghast, the redhead followed mutely as the two older women led her out to the back patio. They sat down at a table shaded beneath two large willow trees.

"So…Mariemaia…" Relena said softly, looking at her contemplatively. "It's been…well, it's been a really long time, hasn't it?"

"Yeah…I'm uh, eighteen now," she answered.

"With Earth Sphere Intelligence," Dorothy chimed in. "For the past…three years, Mariemaia? Four? She's the youngest recruit ever. And the rumors say…" she paused and smirked. "The very best ever in the history of ESIA."

"Hm…" an old housekeeper came and poured them each a cup of tea. Relena took a long drink. "I'd heard the rumors that's what you got involved with, but I didn't know if they were true."

"Well…they are," Mariemaia answered, glaring daggers at Dorothy.

"What about your schooling?"
"She was always exceptionally bright. After all, attempting to take over the world at age seven…"

"Dorothy!" she snapped.

"It's quite an accomplishment dear, you shouldn't be ashamed of it," the platinum blond woman smiled, then turned back to Relena. "But back to her academics, she finished college at age ten. Ten! It's quite—"

"Excuse me, Miss Relena. Dorothy, we need to talk," Mariemaia hissed icily.

"Why, of course," she answered, cheerful as ever. The two walked back into the house.

"What the hell are you doing?" the younger one cried. "For Christ's sake, I wasn't even here five fucking minutes and you have to start insulting me in front of the Vice President of the goddamn world?"

"You should watch your language, Mariemaia," Dorothy pointed out. "Considering the fact that you don't scare me, and you never have, there's really no reason to try to threaten me, is there?"

"What are you talking about?"

Dorothy laughed, a noise like fingernails on a chalkboard. "I know why you're here, Mariemaia. I've got my own excellent sources of information, and I know fully well that Setsuna wants both Relena and myself in South Africa by Thursday."

"If you're talking about those OZ-wannabe lackeys of yours, I'd hardly call them "excellent sources of information", Dorothy," Mariemaia said cynically.

"Oh really. So the fact that you stayed at the house of a one Michael Silver last September is a lie?"

"What the…how did you know about that?" she asked warily.

Dorothy ignored the question and went on. "Is it also a lie that you had sex with him all three nights you were there?"

Mariemaia stared at her, horrified.

"And is it also a lie, that on the morning you left, he was found dead in his bed, shot in the face at point-blank range?"

There was silence for several seconds. Finally, Mariemaia spoke. "There's nothing you can prove."

"Of course not. I still wonder why you did it though."

"Because he was the last supporter of my grandfather, Dekim. And he raped my best friend. He had to die, whether I was given the order to or not," she finished.

Dorothy smiled. "Well, I suppose now I do have enough evidence to convict you."

"But you won't."

"Won't I?"

"Of course not. I know you, Dorothy Catalonia. As unfortunate as that may be," Mariemaia said. "And I know that you don't hate me enough to send me to prison just to spite me. No, there's something you want from me, now what is it?"

She smirked and turned back for the door. "Get the hell out of here, Mariemaia Khushrenada. I'll be in South Africa for the meeting, and so will Relena, you have my word on that. But what's going on here is between her and myself, and we can't have any interference. And from now on, you stop pestering me for information. You and Setsuna. In exchange for that, September and Michael Silver remain a secret. And I've also got a little surprise for you all, but that will have to wait until South Africa. Do we have a deal?"

Mariemaia paused, know that to agree was probably to sign some random person's death warrant. Well…no one lives forever.

"Deal. Thursday, Dorothy. Be there, or I will hunt you down, Michael Silver or no. Is that clear?"

"Crystal, Maia. Crystal.

"Hm…I wonder if Dorothy's managed to crucify poor Maia yet?" Duo mused as he, Quatre, Ami and Rei ate dinner. The head of the Winner family had been surprised but pleased to see his friend, especially considering that no one other than Sally had heard from him since he went to L3. The two Senshi on the other hand…well, none could argue that he was an interesting character. But they just smiled and nodded and ignored his flirtatious comments.

Quatre had been surprised to hear that Mariemaia Khushrenada was Duo's unofficial partner in spreading Setsuna's message. He too had assumed she had just vanished among the people of Earth, hiding under a different name, in some crowded place where she would never be found. But as usual, Fate had other plans.

"She does know how to get here, right?" Quatre asked, looking at his braided friend.

Duo paused and swallowed a mouthful of curry rice. "I think so…but eh," he shrugged. "She's a spy. She'll probably burst in through the ceiling in S.W.A.T. gear or something."

"Or I might just walk through the door like a normal person," the girl's familiar, cynical voice answered.

"Speak of the devil," he grinned.

"Wouldn't that be you?"

Rei smiled slyly and glanced at Ami. "Oh yeah, she's a keeper," she murmured, causing her friend to giggle.

Mariemaia looked at the two women, then at the blond man sitting at the end of the table. "Oh…did I catch you in the middle of dinner? Sorry about that."

"No, it's really no trouble," Quatre began. He rose and walked over to her. "I'm Quatre Ra—"

"Quatre Raberba Winner. Of course. Sandrock, right?" she asked mildly. He turned the slightest shade of red, and she laughed gently. "No need to be so formal. We have met before. Remember my ninth birthday party?"

"Yes…you've…you've grown up quite a bit since then," Quatre commented. He turned to Ami and Rei. "Mariemaia, this is Rei Hino and Ami Mizuno. Ami, Rei, this is Mariemaia Khushrenada, the ESIA agent who works for Setsuna Meioh."

Each woman shook her hand. "Duo's said a lot about you," Ami replied.

"Rini and Hotaru have said a lot about you as well," Mariemaia nodded.

The Senshi froze. "Rini and Hotaru? You know them?"

"Yeah, they're my teammates on Red Delta. We're good friends," she answered, then frowned. "Didn't you know that?"

Rei barked out a cynical laugh. "Sorry. I just got back after sixty years in a psych ward and a century of torture courtesy of the Leute. I've got a little catching up to do."

Mariemaia's face fell. "That's right! God, I'm sorry. That was…that was really insensitive."

She shrugged. "Don't mention it."

The pink haired girl looked towards the blue haired one. "What about you? Haven't you been in contact with them?"

Ami shook her head. "No. The only others I've heard from in the past seventy years or so are Haruka, Setsuna, and Makoto."

Duo and Quatre looked at each other. Both Ami and Rei could easily pass for twenty three or twenty four years old. And yet to hear them speak in terms of decades, centuries. It had been over one hundred and fifty years since Rei had been free, and yet she was still beautiful, young, not quite pure, but still unjaded by the cruelty of the world. Then again, images were deceiving. And Ami…eternally the promising young doctor with so much potential never to be realized. A tragedy really.

"So…" Duo said, throwing an arm casually around Mariemaia's shoulders. "What'd she do to you?"

She shrugged. "Same old Dorothy. She'll be in South Africa. But…" her face grew serious. "Did you know Relena's with her?"

"What? I thought she was supposed to be on L2…?" Quatre frowned.

"So did we. Which makes me trust her all the less. But don't worry," she smiled wickedly and pulled out a small handheld video screen. "I bugged her hallways and garden on my way out. Slipped a tracking pill into both her and Relena's drinks too."

"Whoa…way to go Maia!" Duo smiled and hi-fived her.

She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear modestly. "Don't mention it," Mariemaia paused. "Um, literally. It was illegal. So don't tell anybody, okay?"

He smiled. "Secret's safe with me babe."

"Well, this is it. Not much, but for a single man who travels a lot, it's home," Venli said as he unlocked the door to his apartment. The walk from the café to the building had been cold and dark and filled with silent complaints coming from Wufei's direction. If Venli hadn't been there to pat her shoulder reassuringly, Sally probably would've gone insane.

The entrance hall was dim and narrow, but illuminated to a soft orange light when he flicked on the light switch. But that was about all that was soft and comforting. Sally gasped when her eyes laid upon the scene before her.

The living room was completely trashed. The screens of the television and computer monitors were shattered, the couch cushions slashed with the stuffing coming out, and written on the wall in what looked like blood was "YOU ARE FAR TOO BRAVE FOR A HUMAN".

Immediately, Venli began swearing in Russian as he looked around. But Sally and Wufei, who were trained to be calm in a crisis, merely looked at each other and shared the same thought.

The picture.

"Alex," Sally said, standing next to him. "Where did you keep the picture of your nephew?"

"I don't know, I don't remember! And tell me how I am to find anything in this mess!" he looked mournfully at his bent and broken keyboard. "I had articles from the war on there. I—what was that?"

Wufei narrowed his eyes and listened. Sally did the same. Silence.

And then a moan. And the sound of a gun going off.

Pulling firearms of their own, the two Preventors dashed around the corner of the hallway to the master bedroom. It was in a similar state as the living room; the bed was overturned, dresser drawer broken and clothing scattered about. And laying just beneath the broken window…

"Heero?" Wufei blinked.

The former pilot looked up, his blue eyes cold and hard. He was bleeding from a wound in his shoulder and his lips were swollen and bruised. Little shards of glass glittered in his hair and on his bare arms.

"What the…? Who the hell are you?" Venli asked, looking at him. "Did you do this to my house?"

Heero struggled to his feet; Wufei rushed over and helped him up. It was then he saw what had been a black-haired Leute curled up and bloody beneath the fallen nightstand.

Slowly, Sally walked over and knelt down next to it. Its small, childlike hand was clenched in a fist. And in the fist was a picture of a pretty green eyed woman hugging a red haired eleven year old boy with black eyes.

"Aaron," Venli whispered.

"Aethrin," she answered.

Duo looked up from his bible when he heard a knock on the door.

"Yeah? Come in," he said, setting it down. He assumed it would be either Quatre or Mariemaia. They were the only ones who would probably want to talk about things this late at night. As it turned out, it was the later.

"Hey," Mariemaia said, walking in. She was dressed in long flannel pants and a tight black t-shirt. "I couldn't sleep."

"Join the club," he smiled. "Mission anxiety?"
"Kinda," she said. "I'm pretty pissed at Dorothy."

"Again, join the club," Duo said. "Who's not pissed at her prissy-ass bitchiness?"

Mariemaia laughed. "Good point. We never really got on well. Rini and Hotaru neither. Makes me wonder how Setsuna can stand the woman."

"Setsuna is probably god," he answered matter-of-factly.

"It wouldn't surprise me," she agreed, and they both laughed. "But seriously, you're a vet when it comes to fighting a war. Tell me what to do."

"Maia, has anyone ever told you what to do?" he asked seriously.

"Yeah, of course. Why the hell do you think I tried to take over the world?"

"Okay, besides that."

"Still yeah."

"Have you ever listened?"

She sighed and flopped down on her back on his bed. "Sometimes. To be honest, ever since I was a kid and that whole Christmas Revolution happened, I've been terrified of authority. Responsibility, no problem. Risking my life, that's nothing. But…god. I just wonder, what would happen if Dekim had waited? What if the Christmas Revolution was today, Duo? If I knew what I know now, if I'm this old and my body is this trained to fight and spy and do whatever is necessary?"

"The world would be screwed."

She laughed again. He liked that; she had a great laugh. Sort of like Hilde's had been, but lighter; more like birds singing than a person singing.

Mariemaia sat up and looked at him. "You know Duo, I think it's a good thing I got to meet you. Now, I mean. Not when I was seven."

"Same here. You're something else, Maia. Even as a kid, everybody knew you were going to be something special," he answered.

She got up and walked towards him slowly. Sinuously. At that moment, Duo realized just how tight her shirt was, and how it was obvious now she was not wearing anything underneath. He started to get very warm.

And she knew it. Smiling slightly, she stopped a few inches away from him. "Tell me something Duo," she leaned up and whispered in his ear. "If you hadn't known who I was, and if I hadn't knocked you out, what do you think we would've ended up doing in that hotel room on L3?"

"Maia…no…" he answered, but his voice was shaky and weak. She placed her hands on his stomach and slid them up underneath his shirt. She laughed softly, and his resistance melted even more. "Maia…you're a minor…this…this is illegal…"

"I'm eighteen, I'll do what I damn well please," she replied, then kissed his mouth hard. He couldn't stop her when her probing tongue parted his lips and entered his mouth. And he couldn't stop himself when he did the same.

When she either got bored or needed air (Duo wasn't sure which), she pulled away and suddenly his shirt was lying on the floor.

"Maia…" he tried to plead one last time, but there was no hope now. His body was betraying him; with every touch from her hands, every movement of her body, he wanted her more and more. And the worst part was, she knew it. So she really had no problems suddenly spinning him around and tackling him onto the bed where she held him pinned.

"Don't tell me this isn't what you wanted Duo," she hissed, her breath hot as she pulled off her shirt. When she reached for her pajama bottoms, his hand had beat hers and were now finishing the job. And he was finished; she had worn nothing underneath. Which meant she had planned this from the very beginning.

He kissed her mouth, but finding that territory successfully claimed, began to wander down to her neck, her shoulders, and her breasts. She moaned as his tongue ran across her nipple and his hands gripped her buttocks hard. But with that single sound, her control of the situation vanished and she found herself lying beneath him as he divested himself of his sweatpants and boxers and entered her.

Neither of them really remembered what happened after that. There was a growing ecstasy, the release, and the strange, sweet relief and weariness when they finally finished. By then the sheets and bedspread were heaped around them, and they halfheartedly attempted to make some order of it. Finally, they gave up. Mariemaia fell asleep, her face buried in Duo's shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her slender frame.

But he lie awake, wondering what had just happened. He realized then that for the first time in his life, he had been seduced. Then again, the only other woman he had ever slept with had been Hilde. And she had been nothing like that. And Duo was the slightest bit offended at the fact that Mariemaia was no virgin. Not pulling of a stunt like that so effortlessly, she wasn't.

He sighed. This little interlude was bound to have consequences. Hell, he knew that a long time ago. He could only hope they would come after the war was over.

The next morning, he awoke to Mariemaia opening the curtains and throwing a pillow at him.

"Get up!" she said cheerily. "Off to Earth we go!"

He groaned and looked at her. She was fully clothed in a violet sweater, jeans, boots, and fingerless knit black gloves. He wondered what could've made her so happy. Then the memory of last night came flooding back, and everything clicked. A small smirk spread along his face; she looked exactly like he did the first night he'd had sex with Hilde.

"Gee, did you sleep well, Maia?" he asked, putting his boxers and sweatpants back on.

She didn't answer, but her eyes sparkled mischievously. "Get dressed and get some food. I want to be in Volgograd by 10:00 tonight, okay?"

He blinked. "Wait a minute…didn't last night…?"

Mariemaia put her hands on his shoulder. "Duo, babe. What happens at Quatre's, stays at Quatre's. Capice?"

"But—"

"No buts. We got a lot of work to do and not much time to do it. Although," she kissed his cheek. "You're pretty damn good for an ex-Gundam pilot."

He smiled. "Thanks."

She tapped her watch. "You got two hours baby. Start hauling ass."

"So, Heero, how did you get here?" Sally asked as she held the compress to his shoulder. "I highly doubt you were pining after Wufei and me."

"I was tracking Aethrin. Or Aaron, as you called him. Venli, isn't it?" he looked towards the Russian man.

"Yes. Alexander Venli. He's my…er I thought he was my nephew. I see there's a lot of things I have confused," he said softly as he shoved couch stuffing into a plastic trash bag.

"Not really. Your sister and brother-in-law were chosen by the Leute to act as hosts. Aaron, or Aethrin, gained control over them and probably murdered your brother-in-law, then made your sister murder Lita Kino. He…well, it…is now on the run, didn't want us to make the connection, and came here for the photos," Wufei explained.

"You too," Heero added. "He wants you dead, Venli."

"What? Alex? Why?" Sally asked.

He sighed. "Because, I was getting too suspicious when it came to Anya's death. And once I contacted you, he knew I would be able to make enough connections," he smiled slightly and adjusted his glasses. "I may not look it, but Alex Venli is no fool."

"So how far do you think they're willing to go to kill you?" Wufei asked.

"I can hope that they'll only view me as one harmless person. Then again," he paused. "I am a writer. I don't know if anyone will believe me, but…"

"The citizens of Earth Sphere have seen a passenger shuttle blow up, have seen the public execution of a prominent politician, and are currently protesting the anti-weapons laws. No one's going to doubt your credibility," Heero answered.

"That's what I'm afraid of. But if they want me…well, they didn't find the pistol in the bookcase, did they?" Venli asked, walking over and showing them the gun for proof.

"I don't think that's going to help you, Mr. Venli," Wufei said, raising his eyebrow.

"Then you'll have to come with us," Sally resolved. "We'll head back to Brussels to check in with headquarters and—"

At that moment, her phone began to ring. Frowning, she pulled it out and opened it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sal."

"Duo? Where the hell have you been?" she cried. "You haven't contacted me in days!"

"Sorry about that. Got sidetracked. How's Russia?"

"Cold. And Alexander Venli is now being targeted by Leute. Oh, Heero's apparently here too. Nothing big."

"Good to hear. Got any plans for Thursday?" Duo asked.

"I've got a hair appointment," she answered sarcastically. "Quit fucking around Maxwell."

"My you're in a bad mood. Well, we're all meeting in South Africa then. You gonna bring the boys?"

"Who's "we"?" Sally pressed.

"You, me, whoever else shows up in Russia, Setsuna, Red Delta, the Senshi. Oh, and Dorothy and Relena, who, by the way, is on L4, not L2, so don't even go looking for her there."

"What?" Heero said, hearing the conversation. "What does he mean she's not on L2?"

"Sh!" Sally hissed. "Okay, yeah fine. We might be a little late if we run into Leute trouble."

"Whatever. But thanks anyways; you saved us the trouble of coming to Russia!" Duo replied. "Maia and I, we're not really winter people."

"Maia?"

"Oh, Mariemaia Khushrenada. Part of Red Delta. She's been helping out. Anyways, see ya in two days! Later!"

"What? Duo! Damn it!" Sally cursed. The three men looked at her. She smiled cynically. "Dress cool boys; looks like we're headed to South Africa."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Considering starting a Wing/Moon C2 Community. Good idea or no? Need feedback. Also may look for staff members.