She was about to announce her less than satisfactory discovery, when her ears picked up the distinct whirr of a motor. She had a very nasty feeling about this base, but she had been known to be paranoid before, so she desperately tried to shake off the feeling of foreboding developing in the pit of her abdomen. That night the four of them ate the only thing available, the not so appetizing army rations. Quatre, Trowa, and Usagi seemed lost in their own little private conversations amongst themselves, while Mako felt like an outsider. She did take part in the conversations; she just didn't feel she was grasping whatever bonded the two men to Usagi so much. She supposed it was her commanding persona and confidence in herself and her abilities. They were several things Mako hesitated on, making Usagi the more conventional model for a leader. Mako was still battling to dispel her fears when she crawled into bed a few hours later. Mako was forced awake from her slumber by a loud defending boom.
"We're under attack!" She heard more than one voice chorus.
"Crap," Mako cursed as she struggled into regular clothes.
"It was a Coup De Aught by Oz! Those omitted !" Trowa cursed also under his breath as he scurried over to Heavyarms. Mako had barely suited up when the whole base was under full-blown attack. Mako had yet to name her Gundam, but had finally settled on Aquarius. It might sound a tad bit hippy, but it suited Mako, which was all that mattered. Mako began to fumble with her new Gundam, still a novice at the control panel. She was in the way of an oncoming missile.
"Mako get out of there!" Usagi shouted desperately as she battled with six Gemini suits. Mako was trying to maneuver out of the way, when a large green scythe sliced through the missile like it was no more than butter.
"I think you could use a hand pal." A very familiar voice chided in Mako's cockpit. "Duo?" She called questionably.
"Mako?" You could almost hear the happiness in his weary voice.
"Babe, are you okay?" He asked tenderly.
"Hai, thanks to you babe." She replied back softly.
"You can have your mushy little reunion later! We're right in the middle of a battle!" Another voice rang out, the voice of WuFei, whose sole emotion seemed to be anger. The battle kept getting thicker; more troops were being called to replace the ones the six Gundams were slicing through.
"It's no good, there's too many!" Quatre called in exasperation.
"Don't give up! They'll have to retreat at some point!" Usagi said in an encouraging voice.
"Looks like you all need my help as usual." An unknown voice to Mako said.
"Heero! It's about time you showed up! We're getting our butts kicked!" Duo had a touch of humor in his voice. So this was the suicidal pilot called Heero Yuy. He was very good, almost in a spooky sense. The tide seemed to miraculously turn in their favor after the arrival of Heero. They managed to fend off the invading troops, much to Mako's relief. She felt the sweat dripping off her brow. She tripped and expected to fall flat on her face onto the pavement. Instead, she was enveloped in strong masculine arms.
"You ought to be more careful Mako." She found herself nearly nose-to-nose with Duo Maxwell.
"Duo!" She cried happily and threw her arms around him. He laughed happily and held her closely to him. The rest of the fighters were emerging from their Gundams, some of them wearing looks of disgust at Mako and Duo's display of affection.
"They ought to get a room or they'll give me a cavity." Trowa replied bitterly.
"Jealous are we?" Quatre smirked.
"I'm just saying you shouldn't be so sickly sweet in front of the entire world." Trowa sneered. Usagi grabbed Trowa's arm. Quatre's eyes flared and he tried to distract Usagi's attention away from the more serious Gundam pilot. Mako, meanwhile, was too busy focusing all her energy on Duo to notice what else everyone thought.
"I missed you, babe" She told him gazing intently into his welcoming blue eyes.
"I missed you to baby." He smiled at her and they drew closer for a kiss. The rest decided to head for the bunks, as rain began to pour from the sky. Duo and Mako were oblivious and still stood there kissing as the rain fell upon them. Quatre insisted on walking Usagi to her room.
"Which one of do you really like?" He finally blurted out.
Usagi turned to him. "Nani?" She answered back.
"I mean as boyfriend potential, is it me or Trowa you want?" His eyes held an expectant gaze. 'Great now I'm up against a brick wall,' Usagi sighed inwardly. "I like you both, you're both very close friends."
Quatre sighed. "Are you telling me you haven't made up your mind yet on either of us?" His eyes held disappointment and a twinge of rejection.
"What am I supposed to do Quatre? If I chose either one of you, the other I didn't chose gets hurt!" Usagi called.
"You'll make your decision when the time is right," was the last thing Quatre said before trudging off to bed. Usagi sighed, why did this all have to get so complicated? She liked both of them for different reasons, and she wished she'd never been thrown into this situation at all. Mako woke up sweaty, and clammy. That same dream she'd had about Lexi now haunted her this night. She reached over to turn on a lamp and take a swig of water when she noticed something that had not been there when she had first went to sleep. The object was a note written on pale almost transparent parchment. Mako swallowed hard and let her eyes move over the note to read its message:
Mako,
I have Lexi in my possession. I am surprised you managed to keep a thing like this from me. However, she will be most useful in helping me to take over what I want. If you think you can save her go ahead and try. I'd advise you to do this by yourself, because dragging others into this will force me to take desperate measures. You know who I am.
That was the end of the note and a large lump had lodged itself in Mako's throat. How had Treiz found out about Lexi? She knew he wasn't making empty threats. She had to save her daughter somehow. He said she shouldn't drag other people into this. She mournfully thought of how she'd tiptoe around this with Duo. Would he even want her if he found out this dark secret of her past? She bit her lip, a nervous habit she possessed, and decided it was a now or never situation. She got up and dressed herself, and managed to burn the wretched note into oblivion. She did not want a soul to know. This would be a battle between her and Treiz; she would not Lexi die at his blood-stained hands. She began to walk into the night, the stars shining beautifully above her. "
Why are you leaving?" She heard his voice and jumped.
"I, I can't say." She finally fumbled.
He turned her around to face him. "Daijoubu?" Duo asked as he stroked Mako's cheek in a loving fashion. This simple gesture nearly had her driven to tears. She clutched him to her. "I wish I could tell you babe, and even if I could you wouldn't like the answer."
His eyes were gentle as he ran a free hand through the loose strands of her hair. "Nothing about you could drive me away." She felt guilt swim bitterly in the pit of her stomach. She would have to do this by herself, and she could not turn him away, nor did she want him to find out where she was headed and follow her.
Duo noticed that she seemed reluctant to tell him her problem. "You can tell me anything."
She sighed, and looked once again into those eyes, the eyes of the man she was falling in love with. "I have to do this by myself or more than one person is going to get hurt in the process. Gomen-ne."
He grabbed her hand. "I don't care, I'm not letting you do this on your own. This has something to do with Treiz doesn't it?"
She gulped and nodded vigorously "Hai, baby it does."
Duo's eyes held a glint of anger. "What did he do? Did he threaten you? I'll kill him I swear!"
She leaned onto his chest. "He threatened more than me." Duo looked at her quizzically. "I need to tell you more about what happened to me in Siberia to understand what I'm saying babe." She took his hand and led him to a spot close to the bunks near the abandoned base. She then began to tell him how after she'd been wounded, Treiz had seduced her, and the pregnancy she'd had to go through.
He pulled her exceptionally close to him. "Mako, that's horrible, I'm so sorry."
She wrapped her arms around his neck. "It doesn't make you love me any less?" He smiled and kissed her passionately. "Nothing could ever make me love you any less."
She smiled. "I love you babe, and I always will." She held him tightly before rain began pounding the both of them unmercifully. "We better get inside before we're soaked entirely through." She smiled as he wrapped his hands around her waist and they walked through the doors together. "I better go dry off and get to my bed before Usagi-chan thinks we spent the whole night together." There was a slight glint of mischief in Mako's eyes.
Duo pretended to be shell-shocked. "Are you trying to tell me that wasn't your plan, I am hurt." Mako laughed. "You ought to have me in a bit higher regard than that."
He smiled. "I hold you in the highest regard of them all."
She blushed. "And I you, babe." She gave him a loving kiss before heading off to bed.