Honorable Soldiers

H. L. Mencken: The difference between a moral man and a man of honor is that the latter regrets a discreditable act, even when it has worked and he has not been caught.

Lois McMaster Bujold: Reputation is what other people know about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.

Chang Wufei had learned a few very important lessons during the Dekim Barton uprising and right after it. He learned that people, especially civilians, never learn and as a whole they are slow to change and accept change. He learned that fighting a war for personal ideals or desires was wrong because it was nothing more than a slaughter, a way of seeking vengeance for wrongs you perceived.

He looked over at Trowa Barton, his comrade in arms, sensing somehow that the other teen wanted to say something to him but that he needed to be patient until he spoke. Wufei understood the silence now, without feeling like he had to atone for his actions.

"We shouldn't be heroes," The banged teen said to him.

"But we are," Wufei silently closed his eyes and pushed away the memories of his dead wife and her hopes. "They call us heroes and whether we like it or not we have a role to live up to. We have a mission to prove and live for."

Trowa glanced over at Wufei. He wondered if the Chinese youth felt any remorse at having joined Marimeia and Dekim Barton. Even though they had fought a war together Trowa still could not ask such a question. The only person who would even dare was missing, along with Heero Yuy. Trowa wondered if Wufei was thinking about that brief betrayal just then.

"They're so fickle," Wufei huffed. "We were terrorists during the war. Now we are saviors. But didn't we kill innocents? Somehow all the ceremonies and pomp make it worse to live with. I think that's part of what pushed me more firmly towards my ideals in the end."

"The people don't understand us Wufei," Trowa briefly met Wufei's eyes before lowering his to the floor once again. "They never will. They don't know what it means when you miscalculate and put too much explosives down and watch innocents die. For them it was remote, even if they lost someone, because we have the blood of thousands. We made the choices that led to deaths."

"I was wrong to join Marimeia," Wufei shook his head. "I could not see that it was nothing but a slaughter for a man who claimed to be furthering Treize's goals."

"We all have innocent blood on our hands," Quatre stepped in through the door, joining his two friends. "We can't change that, can't take back what we did. All we can do now is to remind the people of what we did and why we did it."

Wufei nodded in agreement. True peace was hard to obtain, an ideal that most people could dream about but it too was remote. They had not fought for nothing, they had fought to try and make that dream a reality. They would continue to work toward making that dream a reality.

"Are you two going to see Lady Une today?" Quatre asked after a brief pause. "Tomorrow she leaves to get relocated to an undisclosed base for security reasons while they finish up a few things around Preventer Headquarters."

"We may as well go and see her together Trowa," Wufei stood and watched as Trowa unfolded himself from the window seat. "I would be glad to have the company."

Trowa nodded. Together they left Quatre and headed outside.

Wufei grabbed his motorcycle, a gift from Duo just before he had disappeared. Trowa borrowed one from Quatre and they rode off towards their futures.

For Wufei, he had resolved to become a full-time Preventer. It was the only way that he felt he could make up for the mistake of fighting for Marimeia, for betraying his people. Also it was the only way he could regain his honor and wash the taint that he had put on himself and his family name. He had pledged to Meiran, his wife, while she was dying that he would fight for their people, the peace of the colonies and the world at large and also for the weak.

Unlike Wufei Trowa had decided to go back to the circus unless the Preventers needed him for special operations that would require a Gundam Pilots training. His home was with the circus and his sister; he owed it to her to spend some real time with her and to assure her that he was safe and doing fine.

They both came roaring into the main Preventer Headquarters, the guards on duty allowing them to pass through without ID because they were known on sight. They parked right outside the main building. Wufei led the way inside and people cleared out of his way, recognizing authority when they saw it.

"Chang Wufei and Trowa Barton," Zechs Merquise approached them with ease and a pleasant smile. "It's good to see you looking so well. Are you both here to see Lady Une?"

Trowa nodded in answer for both of them. Zechs smiled slightly at the familiar form of silent language.

"Come with me then," Zechs waved a hand and turned around to head in the opposite direction. "I'll be able to get you through all the security around here, which is rather pointless since Une is about to leave this evening."

Wufei looked the blond man up and down, noting some changes in him. He was freer and more at ease with himself, a far cry from the former Lightning Count. It was a change, but this was peace and war machines had to adapt and change to fit the times.

Zechs walked them through several check points, all the guards waving him along. The Lightning Count, even in peace, was still well known and well remembered. Trowa had a feeling that he always would be. Zechs Merquise was not a man that one easily forgot just because the fighting was over. Wufei glanced over at Trowa and they both could tell that they were thinking the same thoughts.

"Well," Zechs said outside of an office where top Preventer agents worked. "Here we are, but first let me do a little something."

Both Pilots watched as he opened a small panel and disconnected a yellow wire from the bunch of multicolored wires. He smiled as he closed up the panel.

"Any time you want to get the drop on Lady Une just disconnect that wire," Zechs smirked. "It goes from her assistant's intercom into her office."

Trowa gave a half smile. Zechs' antics reminded him of Duo's only not nearly as outlandish. The three of them marched through the open hallway that opened into the offices and up to the flustered assistant.

"Merquise," She growled out with a slightly worried frown. "Did you disconnect the intercom again?"

"Perhaps," He smiled.

"I don't think I'm cut out for this," She sighed.

Zechs said nothing, leading the two Gundam Pilots straight into Une's office. Lady Une looked up and frowned slightly at Zechs but once the door was firmly shut behind the little group her frown disappeared. She looked between the three of them and merely shook her head, setting her dispatches aside.

"You're going to give Jennifer a nervous breakdown," Une looked straight at Zechs with a brief look of reproach. "Kindly stop or find me a new assistant to take her place when that happens."

"Yes Lady," Zechs said with a brief smirk.

"Would the two of you care to talk with me individually?" Une asked the two Pilots out of courtesy. "Or shall we conduct business all together?"

Trowa and Wufei shared a fleeting look. Wufei gave a tiny smile to his comrade and Une had a feeling that if it were just the two of them alone he might even give a tiny laugh. They were so different now that the conflicts were over, now that they had had time to relax.

"Why not together?" Trowa asked taking a seat next to Wufei.

"So it doesn't bother you to discuss your futures in front of each other and Zechs?" She asked gesturing to the tall ex-White Fang commander with a slight smile and twinkling brown eyes.

Trowa merely stared at her for a few moments. She sighed and motioned for Zechs to take a seat on the small couch. Obviously things were very different if the two Gundam Pilots were comfortable talking in front of two former enemies.

"So what are the two of you here for?" Une asked being straight forward with them.

"We came to first inform you that Duo Maxwell, along with Heero Yuy, has also gone missing," Wufei spoke in moderate tones. "We weren't absolutely sure until yesterday."

"We thought that he had just gone off because he was upset," Trowa elaborated once Wufei stopped speaking. "He does that from time to time. Even during the war. But it's been more than three days with no word to anyone. We think he's gone for good."

"Why didn't you report this right away?" Une demanded sourly, sore that she only knew where two out of five Pilots were.

"They're Gundam Pilots Lady," Zechs jumped in on their defense. "They aren't under anyone's official jurisdiction and can do as they please. If Yuy wanted to disappear and if he hadn't been able to break out of the hospital on his own he would have gotten help from Maxwell. As for Maxwell, we both know that he would be able to get away no matter what measures we took to keep track of him. If we were unsuccessful in OZ what makes you think it would be any different now?"

Une looked at her most trusted friend with some surprise. Silently she agreed but she still had to voice her displeasure. It was her responsibility to ensure that the peace stayed firm and with two of the Gundam Pilots missing it made her job that much harder. There was not so much of a visible symbol to dangle in front of the media and two missing Gundam Pilots was bound to stir up the gossip.

"I wish to join the Preventers full-time Lady," Wufei said breaking the silence. "Preferably in special operations if it is possible and you feel that I am qualified enough for the job."

"I'm going back to the circus Commander," Trowa informed her with a slight bow of his head. "My sister needs me, but you can put me on stand-by for any missions that require a Gundam Pilot's specialty. I'd be happy to assist you when you need me and Wufei knows how to reach me."

"Can you take annual tests to prove your skills haven't slipped?" She asked the former Heavyarms Pilot.

He nodded.

It was all settled then. Une looked at Zechs and then over to Wufei. She smiled to herself and Trowa nearly smiled himself when he realized what she had planned.

"You're about to get yourself a new partner Wufei," He told his friend with no trace of mockery.

"Zechs and Wufei," Une smiled at Trowa. "Congratulations, you're now partners and both of you will share equal duties as team captains. I'll leave you two to talk things out for a moment while I get another cup of coffee."

The three of them watched as Lady Une, one of the most feared members of OZ, strolled out of her office for a mere cup of coffee. Zechs looked at Trowa and then turned to Wufei, his new partner.

"I have a request partner," Zechs ran a hand through his hair, a nervous gesture. "I'm having a problem with Lt. Noin. She's trying to convince me to let her move into my apartment and be my roommate. Things are already bad enough. I was wondering-" He trailed off.

"There are two bedrooms?" Wufei asked.

Zechs nodded looking hopeful. Trowa and Wufei could both tell that he was pretty desperate. Zechs was not the kind of man who wore his emotions so freely, especially not emotions that could be easily used against him. All of them were the same in that respect, trained so thoroughly that they were unlikely to drop that training even though it was no longer needed. Years of hardship had likely made it permanent and even though it was not needed old habits were hard to break.

"Very well Merquise," Wufei said after brief consideration. "I'll move into your spare bedroom. Rent and bills shared equally?"

"Of course," Zechs agreed with relief.

"Then it's settled," Wufei stood. "We have to get back to Quatre's for dinner. Will we need to do anything else here this afternoon?"

"No that should be it," Zechs moved and opened the door for Trowa and Wufei. "I'll walk you down to the main lobby."

The three moved in relative quite. Their futures were planned out now, there was no casual banter, and it was not needed. They were comfortable with each other and the choices they had made in Une's office that day. Each of them were soldiers and they still had their honor, however bruised and battered it was. They were no longer enemies, just comrades in arms.

Trowa and Wufei walked to their motorcycles after saying goodbye to Zechs. Wufei paused before his own motorcycle; taking a longer look at it, remembering the last gift Duo had ever given him.

"We never really knew him did we?" Wufei said into the microphone imbedded in his helmet as he gunned the machine to life.

"We did," Trowa said revving up his borrowed motorcycle and communicating to Wufei on the private comm.-channel. "But we each saw a different side of him. He was so much more complex than the rest of us and he showed different parts of himself to each of us."

"I never gave him anything in return," Wufei said passing cars in perfect tandem with Pilot 03. "I wonder if Duo will be upset about that."

"No," Trowa answered. "Duo will understand. He understands each of us individually and as a whole."

"How do you suddenly know so much about Duo?" Wufei asked.

"I've been thinking about him a lot over the past week," Trowa replied. "And remembering all the things that I observed but felt weren't important. He's out there somewhere Wufei and he will be keeping track on each of us whether we know it or not. And when he wants to he'll make contact with us again."

"You're sure then?" The Chinese youth turned into Quatre's driveway.

"More than I am about Relena's ideals," Trowa confirmed. "If I had to I'd follow Duo on whatever mission he had, even if he suddenly appears five years from now. I know he never lies so any important mission that Duo Maxwell has is just that, important."

Wufei nodded. He understood a little more about Duo. He understood that the Deathscythe Pilot had as much honor as a member of the Dragon Clan even though he was born a street rat. Birth did not matter; it was what a person chose to make of themselves that counted.

As the two teens put their motorcycles away they silently promised the other to keep that same trust between them as Maxwell had kept with them.