A/N: You're kidding me! I actually finished something?! Well, I must say I'm proud of myself. :) Thanks to all who read it through and all reviewers, past and future. But this isn't really the end. I loved the crossover of these two settings so much that I will be writing more. There will be a sequel after I play Metal Gear Solid 4, and other stories- epic and one-shot will take place in this universe as well. Let's get on with it!

Epilogue: Legacy

Heero stood, staring at the statue of Washington and watched the police come to investigate Solidus' corpse, his sword still impaled in Solidus' neck. He contemplated what he had just done- he had killed a son of Big Boss. As a warrior, perhaps there was no greater feat, but Heero wanted nothing to do with it. The footsteps of passers-by were slow echoes to his ears. He was startled by a deep voice.

"Hey kid."

Heero turned around as Snake put a hand on his shoulder. He watched as Snake looked at the corpse and nodded to him. "You did a good job."

"All I did was the Patriots' bidding."

"That doesn't matter; the fact was that he would have started a war to take them out. We could not let him cause that chaos to the entire world. This is our fight, only those who choose to join us should fight by our side, Solidus would have just replaced one type of coercion with another."

"Yes, I said to him as much."

Snake nodded.

"Snake..."

"I said not to worry about it." He called it before Heero could say a thing about the Patriots. "Heero, we've inherited freedom from all those who've fought for it." He motioned to the statue of Washington. "We all have the freedom to spread the word, even me."

"What about Olga's kid?"

"Don't worry, I'll find him, count on it."

Heero knew Snake would. "I'm not gonna even ask how you survived what happened with Liquid, I knew you'd make it out somehow. Do you know where he went?"

"I put a transmitter on the ZEUS."

"Did he head for the Patriots?"

"Yeah, but I have a feeling they gave Ocelot a bogus location to begin with."

"Hn..."

Snake chuckled. "Cheer up, we have a better lead."

Heero looked up questioningly at Snake as he brought out a familiar looking disc. "This contains the list of all the Patriots."

"But Ocelot took it!" Heero blurted out and reached for it.

Snake yanked it back. "The one I gave you wasn't the real thing."

"What?!"

"This virus is coded to destroy only a specific part of GW, namely the information about the Patriots' identity-"

"Which means there's a parameter in there that defines what that information is!" Heero cut Snake off.

Snake nodded as he put the disc back in his pocket and took a few steps away.

"Count me in!" Heero said in an excited monotone.

"No, not yet, there are still things you have to do first." Snake stated cryptically without turning back.

For a split second Heero wondered what Snake was talking about, but was soon interrupted by a voice he had been aching to hear, but feared he never would again.

"HEERO!"

Heero's Prussian orbs widened and he turned around. Standing about a block away from him was Relena. She was a sight for very sore eyes. She gave him a closed-mouth smile and Heero watched as her honey hair was now gleaming gold in the morning sunshine, the wind fanning it out. Heero was again startled out of his thoughts by Snake's deep voice.

"I'll tell you what I told Otacon a long time ago." Snake half-turned as Heero faced him.

The tails of Snake's bandana were being blown in the same direction as Relena's hair. "Consider this the start of your new life. I'll contact you again when you find out what that is."

Snake then steadily walked away. No sooner did Snake begin to walk away from Heero than Relena began to sprint toward him. One of Heero's eyes watched Snake's retreating form while the other focused on Relena's fast approaching one. And then Snake fell out of view as Relena toppled into his arms.

"Heero! I was so worried...I'm so glad you're ok!"

Heero took a good look at her. "You don't look hurt."

Relena looked up at him. "No...it was the weirdest thing. After they took me Ocelot put me in a luxurious apartment, they gave me everything I needed, I just wasn't allowed to leave."

"Hn..." Heero grunted as he tried to make sense of it.

Relena laughed. "You don't know how much I missed hearing that." She sighed and put the side of her head on his chest. "When I hear 'hn' I know you're nearby."

Heero smirked and looked down at her beaming up at him.

"Heero...I saw and heard everything that went on in there. The Patriots...I...I feel so...used. I almost feel like I've been raped..."

"Relena..."

"But I feel ok...because I know you're here, and we can get through it together." She smiled. "So...where did Snake go?"

Heero was about to relay his conversation with Snake but was interrupted.

"He went after the Patriots, didn't he?"

Heero nodded with a 'hn.'

"And he didn't take you with him? I'm surprised. I mean I know you'd want to be involved and-"

"I'd rather be here with you." He cut Relena off and kissed her on the forehead, eliciting tears of happiness from her.

After a sigh of content, she spoke. "Speaking of Snake, he gave this to me." She pulled a folded piece of paper out of her pocket. "But he said we had to be together before I read it."

"And did you read it?"

"Would you want to cross Snake?" She answered with a question.

"Bad idea."

She laughed. "Shall I?"

He smirked. "Hn." He nodded.

Relena unfolded the paper and she and Heero began to read.

Heero and Relena,

I wish I could have said this all to you in person, but unfortunately, time is short.

After this whole escapade, the two of you must be asking the question 'who am I?'

No one really knows who or what they are. The memories you have, and the respective roles you were assigned, are burdens you had to carry. It doesn't matter if they were real or not, that's never the point... There's no such thing in the world as absolute reality, most of what they call real is actually fiction. What you think you see is only as real as your brain tells you it is.

What are you supposed to believe in? What are you going to leave behind when you're through?

We can tell other people about- having faith. What we had faith in. What we found important enough to fight for. It's not whether you were right or wrong, but how much faith you were willing to have, that decides the future.

The Patriots are a kind of ongoing fiction too, come to think of it...

You're probably confused. Listen, don't obsess over words so much, find the meaning behind the words, then decide. I know you guys didn't have much in terms of choices for the past five years...but everything you've felt, thought about during that time is yours, and what you decide to do with your thoughts is your choice. You can find your own name, and your own future, and whatever you choose will be you. A new start, a clean slate, a new name, new memories. Choose your own legacy. It's for you to decide, it's up to you.

It's important to remember that we're all born free; we've inherited that right from all of those who've fought to give it to us. We will stand on their shoulders and fight, in various ways, to keep that right alive. That's what our lives always have been, and always will be, about.

Life isn't just about passing on your genes. We can leave behind much more than just DNA. Through speech, music, literature and movies...what we've seen, heard, felt...anger, joy, and sorrow. These are the things I will pass on. That's what I live for.

The two of you are a perfect microcosm for all of that. Helping to bring you together was a small, yet satisfying accomplishment that I will look back on with pride. Just like I said about having faith before, have faith in each other. The two of you always have. Keep that faith alive and you will be fine.

We need to pass the torch, and let our children read our messy and sad history by its light.

We have all the magic of the digital age to do that with.

Even with the colonies, and soon to be, Mars, the human race may come to an end some time, and new species may rule over this planet. Earth may not be forever...but we still have the responsibility to leave behind what traces of life we can. Building the future...and keeping the past alive are one and the same thing."

Relena smiled as she folded the piece of paper up and put it back in her pocket. "That was really thoughtful of him..."

"Hn." Heero nodded in agreement.

"I am going to have this laminated. I want to keep this forever." She smiled.

"Hn."

"Can't you say more than 'hn?'" Relena teased.

Heero gathered her in his arms again. "Let's start finding our own legacy right now."

Relena sighed in delight. "Heero...we're in New York."

"Wow. You're smart." He smirked.

She gave him a teasing smack. "I mean, we may as well stay for a week and enjoy it, what do you think?"

Heero gave a full-blown smile, one he would only give to her. "Sounds good, do you know your way around here?"

She smiled back. "I've been here a few times on business, but I never really got to do anything enjoyable. I'll make reservations at the hotel I stayed at."

"And you'll take even more time off from work?" He smirked.

"Heero, I've been cooped up underground for a month, watching you guys run around fighting, and then I was cooped up high above the ground for another month, watching the same thing. I hardly call that time off from work."

Heero smiled again.

"But it was all worth it in the end, because I was reunited with you. And truth be told, I'd go through all of the burdens of the Patriots' plan for the past five years again if it meant we found one another."

"Hn." He nodded. "I promise, I'll do my best for you, Relena."

"That's all I've ever wanted, Heero." She beamed.

He smiled and gave her a passionate kiss, then embraced her, one hand on the back of her head and the other around her tiny waist.

Relena again sighed in contentment.

Some time later…

"Snake, are you there?" Otacon asked. "It's me. I've finished going over that disc."

"Did you find the Patriots' list?"

"Of course. It contains the personal data of twelve people. There was a name on it. Snake- it was one of Philanthropy's biggest contributors."

"What's going on around here?"

"I don't know..."

"Anyway, where are they?"

"Well, we were right about them being on Manhattan, but..."

"But what?"

"They're already dead. All twelve of them."

"When did it happen?"

"Well, ah...about a hundred years ago."

"...What the hell...?"