Disclaimer: Do not own!

Hey everybody! Howya all these days? Well, anywho, here's an update! A big shoutout to all you wonderful people out there who take the time to review! I love you.

The launch screen on the Legged Ship was different. Jo couldn't help but notice it. She smiled slightly. Everywhere she looked, there were signs that she was no longer with her nation, and that the council saw her as a tratior. Everywhere, there were people who'd grown up hating and fearing her, the same way she'd felt about them. And now, they were putting their faith in her, as she was for them. They trusted her with their lives, and she trusted them.

Though she couldn't deny that she was scared of them still. Her smile faded as the signel came and the catapult propelled her out into the blackness of space.

Cpt Raimus' voice crackled through the speaker. 'Strike, Buster and Caliber, you three stay and cover the Archangel!' She scowled. Zala and Yamato got to go head on against the Dominion...while she was stuck back here? Shaking her head, she shouted:

'Zala! If you get a hit in on that ship, tell that racist son of a bitch, Azrail, that it's from me! I got an old score with that stupid bunch of racist bastards! And that goes for you too, Cpt. Raimus! You tell them it's from me!'

Murrue's face showed nothing but shock. Athrun merely nodded. She smiled at them, and then set about preparing for the battle.

Nicol stared around from his position among the Astray girls. He still felt slightly upset that the rest of his team were still in their old MS's while he was stuck in this mass production piece of crap. Athrun had even succeeded in getting a fancy new model, which he really didn't see as fair.

His job right now was to protect Orb's ship. He had also been transferred to that ship, where he didn't know anyone. Jo and Dearka were staying on the Legged Ship and Athrun was on the Eternal. He sighed and shook his head as Orb's princess started shouting out orders. And then he was trapped in the heat of battle, suddenly not caring what sort of weaponry he was in.

He sighed. Why did this feel so much safer here then on the ship? Why did this cockpit seem so much like a second home? And why couldn't he think of an answer to those questions that he liked?

Jo smiled, watching Nicol take command of a handful of M1's, turning what could have been a mess of unorganized attacks into something controled and formidable. And she'd never thought that Nicci had it in him. Her smile faltered, though, when a new wave of attacks fell on her, almost swamping her. Growling, she forced the EA's MS's back into Dearka and Mu, and between the three of them, they managed to reduce the numbers. A bead of sweat made its steady way down her nose, dripping off the end. There didn't seem to be an end to this...

Her muscles were begining to shake from the strain of the constant attacks, and she could guess from Dearka's voice that he was feeling the same. 'Hey Pops, where ya going!' the older pilot yelled.

Hang on, what was Dearka on about? Pops? Spinning the Caliber around, she saw that Mu was begining to fly off, back in the direction of the Mendal Colony. Confused, she headed after Dearka in persuit of the man. Nicci made to follow, but she ordered him to stay behind. Reducing their forces anymore wasn't good, particularly with those stupid MS's. Nicci looked vaguely hurt, but nodded.

Beads of sweat were almost obstructing her vision, when they flew past the Eternal. She could almost see Lacus' look of surprise when the girl saw them. She bit back a grin and allowed Dearka to explain what the heck was going on. She didn't have a clue at this point so there really wasn't much point in her trying to explain.

'He says ZAFT is here! Yeah, that guy. In any case, we're goin' over to check it out, this could be trouble if he's right!' Dearka explained over the com. Her breath hitched.

ZAFT? ...Onii-chan...? Could he be...?Butif Onii-chan was...then... She shook her head and followed the Strike down the twisting path through the colony.

Rau allowed himself a grim smile as he and Yzak drifted a few feet above the coloneys floor. The place was deserted, though it wouldn't be for long. Mu would most likely be here soon. And even as the thought made its lazy way across his mind, the man's presance flashed.

Glancing up, he saw that three machines were making their way over. The Strike, the Buster, and... NO! What the heck was that thing doing here? What was she doing here? She couldn't be here! She just couldn't be!

But she was. There was no mistaking that voice. Joffie Wheeler was standing on the opposite side of a battlefield, behind the man he'd grown to hate. She was currently telling the pilot of the Buster to talk to Yzak, and that she'd back up Flagga. It was that voice that had called him Onii-chan. That voice that had caused him to flush at the most arkward times. That voice, that face, that person that he'd come to love. The person that he'd sworn to protect.

Growling, he attempted to ignore her, to focus all his anger on Mu. But his "baby sister" was proving herself as useful backup. Everytime he tried to get a hit in on Mu, she was there, shield up and gun at the ready. If it was any other person, he would feel nothing but anger at her annoyingness, but all he felt was a growing ache building up in his chest. It stunned him, and it annoyed him. As long as she was here, he couldn't do anything. He couldn't bring himself to open fire on her cockpit, he doubted she'd let him anyway. And she was constantly there if Mu seemed to be in trouble.

So, feeling the ache in his chest intensify, he shot a leg of the Caliber. The massive war lord lurched forward and fell, causing a huge dust cloud to rise. Biting back the cry for her safety, he turned on Mu, who was lunging at him. Thrusting his saber at Strike's torso, he hit just above the cockpit. Strike crashed as well, to the left of the downed Caliber.

He could kill Mu now, and take Jo back with him. He could protect her from the council until the time came for him to make his move. And then he could save her, along with all of humanity. But, as if by some strange curse, it wasn't to be. Another flash came through his mind, and he turned.

The Freedom came sailing out of nowhere, guns blazing. Angrily, he heard Jo and Mu cry to the pilot. Though they only seemed confused as to what he was doing here. They were met with silence as the Freedom's artillery made short work of his mobile suit. He came down, missing Caliber's head by inches.

There was nothing else for it. He needed to bring Mu into the factory, he needed the man to understand the evils humanity, the evil of greed. And if Jo decided to follow, well there was nothing he could do about that. The ache in his chest was still there, not changing, just existing. It worried him. It had only appeared when Jo had. It had gotted worse when Jo had fallen by his hand. Was it something to do with the girl, or merely a side effect? He wanted it to be a side effect, for maybe the first time, he wanted this to be a side effect. But something told him it wasn't. Jo was causing this. Somehow, Jo was causing this.

Grabbing his gun, he leapt out of his cockpit and raced across the yard towards the factory.

Jo massaged her left hand. The sharp impact had caused her fingers to thrust forward across the control pannal, and something had definetly snapped. It didn't hurt that much, just ached. She sighed.

Then her ears perked as she heard an all-to-familer voice. 'Come with me, Mu. And I, myself shall deliever your requiem!' Her heart nearly stopped. The man in that suit, the one she'd fought against, the one to shoot her down was... Tears suddenly formed in her eye and slide down her face.

'Oh shit!' she screamed, grabbing her gun and practicly flying out of the Caliber.

Kira landed Freedom and watched in shock as Mu and Jo ran headlong towards and old building. He could just make out Rau le Creuset running a few feet ahead of them. All three of them had guns at the ready. He sighed and picked up his own, staring at it for a few seconds in fascination. And he suddenly wished that Jo or Mu had stayed back. He didn't have a bulls notion how to use this thing!

Tentivly, he closed his hand around the handle, index finger loose and hanging near the trigger. Yeah...that looked about right. And without a second thought, he tore after the others, who had already entered the building.

At the sound of footsteps behind him, Mu turned. ZAFT's Angel was just a few steps behind him, holding a gun ready. He glared at her, hoping she could make out his angry face in the dim light. She seemed to, as she lifted her scarred face and glared right back.

'What are you doing?' he barked, making sure his voice was low. She looked away. 'I got my reasons, you got yours.' Her words were clipped and defensieve, and she kept her face to the wall. He sighed, whatever reason she had, she wasn't going to tell him.

'Fine, just don't put one in my back and stay focused!' he whispered and turned. He could almost see her purple eyebrows raising.

'Are you suggesting that I'm a bad shot? Or that I can't handle a gun?' she asked, and he smiled. Her questions weren't meant as a challange, and the defensieve edge to her voice was gone. He was about to answer when Rau's voice cut through the air.

'Don't you remember this place Mu?' Rau's voice was full of surpressed laughter, though he could almost taste the tears. It angered him even more, but he was once again cut off from answering. ZAFT's angel took a step forward and yelled:

'What are you on about?'

Rau froze at the sound of her voice. He knew she'd follow, she wasn't the type to sit back and watch. Plus, she'd probably seen him. But her voice, her sweet, musical voice, in this place of sin. It was a crime for her to see what Mu would. It was a crime for the evil in these walls to ever hear or see something so beautiful. It was a crime for past sins to touch her, for her to see this horror, and thus become a part of it. It was a crime, but one he couldn't prevent. He had come to far.

'Come and see!' he yelled back, feeling a strange sensation in his eyes. Like they were filling up with fluid. And he realized that it was tears. Tears he would never let fall. Not in front of the man...and the boy who'd just joined them. And not in front of Jo, even though it was her that was causing them.

Well, that's it. Tell me what you think. And if Rau's OOC, then I'm very sorry. I just felt that the series showed nothing on him really during those episodes, even though they were about him, so yeah. Please R&R? Oh, and i'm sorry bout any spelling mistakes, spell checker's busted!