Disclaimer: Don't own it.

A.N. - Thanks to Aaries for giving me the idea for this chapter.

Last Chapter:

"I'd love to try your motorcycle," she replied, grabbing her own coat and saying a last goodbye to the other pilots. Once outside, she slid onto the bike behind Heero and grabbed his waist tightly as he started it. He handed her a helmet, and took off as soon as she had it on her head. The twisting ride through the streets was a bit faster than she would have liked, but she was with Heero, and she'd trusted him through far more dangerous things than that. Once she got used to the speed, she found she enjoyed the feeling of the wind in her face. They pulled up to her house far too soon for her. Heero pulled her into a tight hug before giving her back into the care of her bodyguards.

"Thanks for dinner, little sister."

"Thanks for the lift, big brother." They both grinned at each other, and headed back to their respective homes.

Chapter 24:

A few days after Relena was over, Duo found himself digging through the few treasured items he kept stored in his closet. Wufei's suggestion of making the garden out back a memorial garden had made him remember the memorial tablet he had to commemorate the people from the Maxwell Church.

He'd made it shortly after the church burned out of a relatively unharmed piece of wood he'd scavenged from its remains. It bore the names of all the orphans who'd been in the church at the time, along with Father Maxwell and Sister Helen. He had also added the names of his friends who'd died in the plague. It had survived the war unscathed because he'd left it with some Sweeper friends.

Just looking at it brought back memories of the destruction he'd arrived at and Sister Helen's final words. He hadn't seen her at first, there in the wreckage. He only realized she was there after she called out his name, calling his attention to her battered body. His eyes became misty as he got lost in the memories of that terrible day.

"D... Duo... I'm glad... you're safe."

"Sister!"

"Don't make us worry like that. Father was... worried about you... even to the end..."

"I-I'll got get a doctor!"

"Th-the Alliance came... and attacked. But we... couldn't leave... the church."

"W-was it my fault! Because I stole that mobile suit from the Alliance?"

"F-father was so noble. H-he kept... preaching peace..."

"That's not noble! That's just dumb! What's the point if he's dead now!"

"Duo... M-may you... have God's blessing." Were her final words before she died. She never thought of herself, just of those under her care. Maybe if she hadn't been like that, she could have survived. She could have left the church before the Alliance attacked. Even now he wondered if it had been all his fault. She'd never answered him when he asked if the church had been attacked because he stole the mobile suit.

Intellectually, he knew it wasn't his fault. The Alliance couldn't have known that the little boy on the base that day was from the Maxwell Church. But that didn't dismiss the guilty feeling that he should have been there. That if he had been, he could have done something, even if it was only to die with them. At least now he knew why he had survived the tragedies that had claimed the lives of those he cared about, both the plague and the attack on the church. He was an angel, and couldn't be allowed to die back then. It didn't make him feel any better about surviving, but now he didn't have to wonder anymore if he was cursed.

Thinking about being immortal gave him another good thought. Most of those he was closest with now were immortal as well. He'd finally found friends that would live as long as he did.

"And possibly a lover," a voice in the back of his head insisted on adding. He tried to block the thought out. He didn't even know if Heero was interested in guys, let alone interested in him. "You could try and find out...," the same voice insisted. He shook his head and stood abruptly, still holding tightly to his memorial tablet. Duo decided to go out and put it in the garden in an effort to distract his mind from naked Heero thoughts.

"And just how did I go from thinking about the Church to thinking about how to get Heero naked?" he thought ruefully to himself. "I guess the hormones of teenaged boys really do get out of control."

He didn't see any of the other pilots on his way outside, but as he approached the garden, he noticed Wufei sitting cross-legged on the gravel path, meditating. The Chinese pilot looked up as he approached, so Duo decided to keep going rather than waiting for another time.

"I'm sorry, I didn't disturb you, did I?" he asked.

"No, I was just finishing. Did you need to speak to me about something?"

"No, I thought I'd take you up on your suggestion of making this a memorial garden." He held up the wooden tablet as proof of his statement. Surveying the garden looking for a good place to put it, he decided to ask. "Do you have any suggestions as to where I should put this?"

Wufei looked momentarily surprised at the question, but paused thoughtfully before answering. "What would the person you're remembering have liked?"

"There are rather a lot of people on this tablet, so I can't give a specific answer."

"Well then, what are your hopes for them?"

Duo paused for a moment to consider that. "I hope that they've found peace. Some of them had to work hard just to survive, and others tried their best to help others."

"Put it next to the water then. Water represents life and renewal. It sounds like that's what you wish for them, an afterlife of peace and a chance to not have to work so hard to survive."

Duo considered that for a moment before stepping forward and placing his tablet next to the tiny waterfall.

"That's exactly what I want for them. Thank you, Wufei." Wufei inclined his head in acknowledgement. "If you don't mind me asking, who are you remembering in this garden?"

"My clan, who destroyed our home colony and died in the process so I wouldn't have to surrender to save them. And," his voice faltered, "my wife, Meiran, who died fighting for justice."

"You were married?" Duo asked. He normally would have teased Wufei about being married so young, but now was not the time for that.

"I am the heir of my clan, and the two of us were engaged at birth. It was by no means a love match. We fought bitterly in the brief time we were married. She prided herself on fighting for justice, and I thought there was no such thing. It wasn't until after she died fighting to stop OZ from destroying our colony that I began to understand her. It was then that I decided to become a Gundam pilot and carry on her ideal of fighting for justice."

There was a long pause as Duo took that all in. It was the most he'd ever heard Wufei say about his past, but then, he didn't really speak about his much either. None of them did. Too many bad memories he guessed. But he figured that he should share the dead he was commemorating as well, to be fair.

"I became a pilot by accident really. I was in a gang of street rats until the plague hit the colony I lived on. Most of them died, but those of us who survived were soon rounded up and sent to a church. Everyone but me got adopted, but I didn't really mind after awhile. It meant I got to stay with Father Maxwell and Sister Helen. They took care of me until a bunch of rebels decided to hole up in the church after a battle with the Alliance. They hurt the Father and Sister Helen, so I left to steal them a mobile suit so they'd leave. When I got back, the church had been attacked and was in flames. Everyone died except for me.

"After that, I wound up sneaking onto a Sweeper ship, which is where I met Dr. G. He taught me to pilot, and told me to 'steal' Deathscythe instead of participating in Operation Meteor."

"I took Nataku too, after Master O told me the full plans for Operation M. I didn't want to be part of a scheme that called for the deaths of that many innocents. I foolishly thought that I could defeat the Alliance all by myself, back then."

"Heero told me that he chose not to participate in Operation M as well. Dr. J actually gave him the choice, as odd as that seems. I don't think Quatre ever heard about the real operation. If he had, I don't think Instructor H could have gotten him to go near Sandrock. As for being able to defeat the Alliance by yourself, I think we all felt that way originally. We did come pretty close though. Five against the world isn't much better odds than one against the world."

"I suppose you're right. What does it say about the five of us though, that we were willing to take on those odds?"

"We're all completely insane, I think we've established that. Suicidally insane, some more than others." They both paused, remembering the horrible image of Heero self-destructing, bouncing off the ground before becoming so terribly still. They both shuddered in unison.

"Only Yuy would be crazy enough to self-destruct while inside his Gundam. But as much as I hate to admit it, you're right. We're all crazy."

"But a good kind of crazy, eh? After all, we won."

"Both times. I still do not understand why you all accepted me back so quickly, after what I tried to do."

"Probably because we all thought of doing the same thing, at one time or another. You were just confused, trying to figure out your place in the world."

"Thank you." Duo raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't ask what Wufei was grateful for. He had a feeling he knew. They had all found where they belonged, with Heero's announcement that they were angels. Everything they'd done had been leading up to that moment, and finally hearing that they were meant to be a team all along had just cemented the vague feelings they'd all been having since they met.

"Enough of this introspective shit. Feel up to sparring?" Duo asked. Wufei answered with a wolfish smile, and they moved into the grassy area of the yard to begin.

Fights between the two of them were always a study in opposites. Wufei was formally trained in a number of martial arts styles, while Duo was basically a street fighter who'd picked up what he knew about martial arts from anyone willing to teach him. Every time they sparred, each learned from the other and it was about an even chance who would win any given bout.

They traded blows smoothly, the majority blocked, but once in a while they landed one past the other's guard. Duo began to sweat, his black clothing absorbing the bright sunlight. Wufei had the advantage there, having removed his shirt earlier while meditating. His bare chest glistened with sweat as he dodged a kick from Duo. The other pilot spun quickly, his long braid swinging around him as he began a jumping spin kick. Wufei countered by dropping down and sweeping Duo's legs out from under him as he landed. Duo tucked smoothly into a roll to avoid the leg that would have hit him in the chest while he was down. The fight continued in that manner for awhile, neither gaining a real advantage over the other until Wufei decided to use one of the tricks he'd picked up from Duo and fight dirty. As the braided pilot spun to recover from a back kick, Wufei grabbed his braid and used it to pull him into a choke hold. Duo struggled, but he couldn't get out of it without seriously injuring Wufei, which he didn't want to do in a friendly match.

"Ok, ok, you win. Just let go of the hair, alright?" he conceded. As the Chinese pilot did so, he rubbed his abused scalp and muttered under his breath about cheaters. Wufei chose not to respond as he walked calmly towards the house, intending to have a shower.

He was thwarted in his intentions as the other pilot shot past him into the house, yelling, "you won by cheating. That means I get first shower!" Wufei sighed.

"I guess I'll let him win. His hair takes a lot longer to wash than mine anyways. Just as long as he doesn't use up all the hot water." In the interim, he decided to go back to the garden and meditate some more. He needed to centre himself again after all he had discussed with Duo anyways.

A.N. - Duo's flashback about Sister Helen is taken directly from Episode Zero. I do not own it. And I made up the stuff about water being a symbol of life and renewal for the purpose of this fic. I don't know if it's accurate in any form of symbolism, so don't quote me on it.

dk-joy - I'm glad you liked that chapter. I can't wait to see what their abilities will be either, because I don't know yet. If you have any suggestions, I'd be happy to consider them.

Mystical-Maiden - Relena has always annoyed me as well, but she seems to have good intentions. She just doesn't go about them the best way, but she got better in Endless Waltz, so I figured she just needed to grow up a bit. I'm glad you like the way I'm writing her. It was nice when the pilots took over her dinner plans, cause I still don't know if she can cook. The names were hard to think up for everyone, so I was hoping I didn't make them too cheesy. Although I guess all superhero names are a bit cheesy.

Clarobell - I'm so glad that you like this fic that much. It's nice to hear that all of my chapters are so enjoyable. It's getting easier to write them because I'm getting used to the characters.

Shinotenshi(at)shine/com - I'm glad it entertained you. This soonish enough for you? (Sorry about the mangling of your name, but Fanfiction/net hates email addresses and domain names)

Lady Frisselle - I had fun writing the superhero powers bit, so it's nice to hear you had fun reading it.

The Chaotic Ones:

Angel - Sorry, the puppy dog eyes don't work, but here's more Wufei anyways!

Aaries - This whole chapter was the idea because you suggested more Wufei and Duo, and it just worked so perfectly with the whole memorial garden idea. The whole superhero thing came out of left field for me, but Duo was just the perfect person to suggest it.

Jef - Here's your Wufei meditating bit. There isn't a whole lot of it, because there's really not much you can say about it. Wufei is meditating. He has his eyes closed. He's trying to not think about anything. His eyes are still closed. He is continuously thinking about nothing...and so on. It wound up being more of a bookend thing, starting and ending his part in the chapter.

Chaos - Soon enough for you?

PR - Sorry, I can't understand you through the gag.