SunTzu woke up the next day, at the floor of his apartment's living room to loud banging on his door.
After Rei had told him to leave he had decked himself out with alcoholic spirits and continued where he had left off.
It was bordering a miracle that he could actually stumble to the door.
Not even able to think about who it could be he opened the door.
And looked into the face of a broadly smirking Haruka, that immediately after seeing him open the door ,turned around to someone.
"See, i told you he's still alive. This Kraut Is a though mother."
"Is he dressed? And is he drenched in his own vomit?" The voice that came from behind was Setsuna's.
"He's wearing pants. And he seems to be clean." And then she turned back to SunTzu. "Mate, you lost definition on your abs, you should workout more."
"Haruka, tell him to let us in."
SunTzu sighed and opened the door. The two women entered the apartment and while Haruka casually walked in like she owned the place, Setsuna was more cautious and her eyes were scanning the place. It was the first time she was there.
SunTzu had to sit down on his sofa and tried to keep his head from exploding.
"This is not some kind of weird intervention, where you guys tell me to get a grip of my of my life or something, right?" The German asked.
With another smug grin Haruka, standing next to the sofa, replied in an ironic voice.
"We looove you."
This sparked another huge, defeated sounding sigh from SunTzu who had his eyes closed now and massaged his temple.
"Ah, fuck."
A few meters afar Setsuna wasn't finished taking a look around. Functionally decorated apartment, definitely male resident. The scattered bottles and cans on the floor, on the kitchen counter and on the living room table seemed to be pretty fresh.
"Mind if I take a look around?" The dark green haired doctor asked the pilot.
"Knock yourself out." Was SunTzu's answer and Setsuna walked over into the bedroom.
"What's with all the bloody bottles? I thought you bought a house keeping droid?" Haruka asked as she looked around as well.
"It's loading, before you woke me I was peacefully sleeping my intoxication away." SunTzu answered and looked at Haruka with an annoyed look.
"Gotta admit I was expecting to find you in your own puke." Haruka stated nonchalant and SunTzu answered with some mumbling.
"What was that?"
"I said, I made it to the toilet in time."
"Real classy, as awaited from a Knight of the Crown."
"Oh, fuck off Haruka."
Setsuna appraised SunTzu's bedroom while banter between the two pilots came in from the living room.
It looked like the bed room hadn't been used at all lately. Everything was clean, the bed had been neatly made and nothing was out of order.
On one of the night stands stood a framed picture and Setsuna walked over to examine it. The picture showed SunTzu in a black tuxedo and Rei in a beautiful yellow dress. They seemed to be sitting at a fine dining table and both were smiling into the camera. Although they weren't holding hands or embracing each other one could tell about the chemistry going on between these two just from the picture.
Seeing the two so happy on that picture made Setsuna feel sorry for the state in which the couple's relationship was right now.
She guessed SunTzu had his reasons for drinking. Although she despised what he was doing to himself.
Don't be too hard with him Setsuna, you did worse when your heart had been broken.
"Why you have to hurt each other so much?"
Setsuna quietly mumbled as she sat the picture back down and then left the bedroom.
In the living room Haruka and SunTzu were still bickering with each other.
"Haruka, could you give the man a break for a minute?" The Senshi of Time asked her fellow Outer Senshi.
"Ugh, fine. But only because you're the older one of us."
Setsuna closed her eyes and took a deep breather. Haruka could be exhausting when she was nervous. And apparently seeing her best friend suffering like he had been lately made her nervous as Duat.
"Captain." She addressed SunTzu.
"I swear to God, if this really is an intervention I'll continue drinking right away again."
Setsuna shot him her darkest Ice Queen stare and SunTzu fell silent immediately.
"Listen, I know it's not easy for you but you need to sober up. We're leaving Earth tomorrow and we need you to be fit for combat."
SunTzu looked at her for a moment, before he snorted.
"Don't worry Doc. I'll be ready."
Setsuna nodded slowly.
"If you say so. And now take a shower and put on some fresh clothes, Michiru and Hotaru are preparing a brunch for us."
SunTzu had tried, actually he had tried real hard. And the Outers had tried their best as well.
But somehow he couldn't relax and enjoy himself.
Michiru and Hotaru had outdone themselves, Michiru even had baked fresh Baguette and the brunch had been delicious but neither Michiru's baguettes nor Hotaru's chocolate waffles could brighten up SunTzu's mood.
He really was very thankful that they tried to cheer him up, he was thankful that this unorthodox family shared it's table with him. As longer as he sat at the table and forcefully tried to make a happy impression the worse got his mood.
He had just finished his waffles, with fresh fruit and cream and Hotaru even had decorated his food with a smile made out of whipped cream, but he just felt so goddamn out of place on this table. This was a happy family enjoying a wonderful meal together and not a place for someone who had been drinking the last two days straight to numb the pain in his heart, after coming from a battelfield where thousands of souls had vanished.
These women were Sailor Senshi, some of the most powerful warriors in the Galaxy, not just an expendable asset that happened to pilot a magnificent piece of war machinery.
"SunTzu?" The soft voice of Michiru tore him from his dark thoughts.
"Sorry." He said and forced a smile.
"I asked if you want another coffee. Or Cappuccino or something." Michiru asked, empty plates in her hands.
"The way Fritz looks he could definitely use one." Haruka chimed in.
SunTzu waved his hand.
"No, thank you. I'm good." He politely declined.
"Really, you should try her Café au Lait." Haruka insisted.
"Leave him Haruka. Another time then, SunTzu." Michiru smiled at him and when their gazes briefly met, he immediately looked away.
SunTzu knew, that Michiru knew. She knew how bad he really felt. How hard it was for him to be at a table full with happy people and trying hard to fit in.
What SunTzu didn't know, was how sad Michiru felt for him. Even more, she knew what would happen, the Deep Aqua Mirror had shown it to her and it was breaking her heart.
She had kept it secret from everybody, even from Haruka. She loved Haruka with all her being but with the way Haruka handled things sometimes Michiru feared that she would just speed things up and make it worse.
Haruka didn't seem to see it coming which hurt Michiru even more. Michiru deeply valued her friendship with SunTzu, but he and Haruka were something completely else. Both would go to Hell and back for the other, they already had. On the other side she couldn't blame SunTzu, she probably would act the same way in his position.
Apart from Haruka she didn't even want to think about how Hotaru would take it. And how Setsuna would react. Open and deep down as well.
And then there was Rei. The two shared a special bond as the strongest psychics of the Senshi and her heart broke for Rei the same way as it was breaking for SunTzu.
Michiru put down the plates in her hand next to the sink in the kitchen. Thinking about what seemed inescapable hurt.
"Haruka, could you give me a hand here, please?" Michiru yelled out of the kitchen and with a overly dramatic sigh the blonde Tomboy got up and stomped into the kitchen.
SunTzu looked around the table.
Setsuna had become more and more quiet, SunTzu bet she knew that he was feeling really unwell right now. She was looking at him with her Ice Queen Stare in between sips from her green tea and this made him feel even worse, as he hoped he didn't make them feel like their hospitality wasn't deeply appreciated.
SunTzu was right, Setsuna could read in him like a open book. Thousands of years of human interaction and studies of psychology do that to you. And right now looking at him in this miserable state opened up a bimillenary old wound more than she hoped it would. Father Chronos, she knew how he was feeling. And she felt so sad for Rei as well. But on the other side she also felt real envious to Rei as well. Did she even understand how much it meant that another person felt this miserable because he was loosing her heart? Did Rei knew what she was causing, what kind of person she was about to loose here? Setsuna was instantly ashamed of herself for these thoughts. Rei was her dear friend, she was like a little sister to her. Not even in the time of Future Crystal Tokyo, when she had a crush on Future King Endymion, in her lonely role as Keeper of the Space-Time Door, when the King had been the only male that actually had visited her and had showed genuine friendliness towards her, stupid as it was as it was clear he only loved his Queen, she had not felt jealousy but now she did. Duat, she hadn't been that jealous towards any other individual ever since Octavia.
All those feelings made her feel uneasy and bad about herself and she needed to be alone, to think about those feelings.
She downed the rest of her tea.
"Excuse me, please." She said in a blank voice and left the table.
SunTzu thought it was his fault as his gaze followed the tall, tan beauty with the long dark green hair out of the room.
Great, you even banish the Ice Queen with your mood.
Only Hotaru was now at the table and she shot him a forced smile.
Of course she knew as well that her role model was feeling down. And she felt personally bad about that she couldn't make him feel better. Heartbreak was something that wasn't new to her as well. That damn age jump and the subsequent breakup with Shingo had left a scar. And although she was happy that this scar was healing now and she finally had realized that there were other boys worthy of receiving her feelings for them out there, she felt sad for SunTzu. And for Rei.
It had to be horrible for her Onee-San as well.
"The waffles were very good. I didn't know that you have a talent as pastry chef as well." SunTzu said, forcing himself to sound happy and to smile.
"Thanks, I'm glad you liked them. I only do them for special people." Hotaru said with a shy voice and another forced smile.
Special people? There is nothing special in being a goddamn wreck. God, I don't deserve an angel like Hotaru as protégé.
"Hey Hotaru, you're a great person, and I… I don't…"
Suddenly SunTzu's phone rang and he fell silent. The caller ID said it was Ada.
With a gesture he excused himself and took the call.
"Ada?"
"SunTzu, glad that I got you so fast. I need your help."
With what? Kill another group of people trying to make a living ? Argh, it doesn't matter anymore, i just let her make an asset out of me.
"I'm at your disposal." SunTzu stated coldly.
"Good. Don't worry, it's nothing morally dubious this time. But it's of upmost importance, we need everything we can muster for a special mission in the northwest. ASAP. Is AICA combat ready?"
"She should be."
"Good. How fast can you get going?"
He wasn't sober. He hadn't talked to Rei since ever she told him to leave the Shrine. He hadn't talked about his inner life with anyone although he knew he should have done so already.
"I can get going immediately."
"Then do so. I'll transmit everything you need over to AICA."
And then she hung up.
As SunTzu turned around he saw Haruka standing behind him.
"Where we going, mate?"
Special Missions lately had become an euphemism for suicide run in the GA. There was no way any of his friends was coming along to this.
"Me, Haruka. Me. You and the others stay here and get the Taskforce ready to move out."
Haruka was about to say something in protest but SunTzu shut her down with a gesture of his hand before he gave AICA a signal on his chronometer to pick him up. Then he turned back to Haruka.
"It's been a while since you have flown in combat. Use the extra time for training. I'm sorry Hotaru can't train on AICA but she needs to train with other ships as well anyways."
"I don't like it."
"It is what it is. I'm needed there, as my best friend don't take this last bit of purpose away from me."
"Last bit of purpose? What the bloody hell are you talking about?"
"I have to go. Do me a favor and let Command know what I'm up to. If they have a problem, tell them I have my orders directly from Coruscant. I'll catch up with you guys on the Far Side."
While he said that he already fetched his jacket and put on his shoes.
Haruka wanted to protest more but Michiru, who had appeared as well now, had put her hand on Haruka's shoulder, motioning her to let it slip.
Hotaru had appeared as well now and walked over to SunTzu, who just had finished putting on his shoes.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm needed. Orders from the top."
She looked at him with a questioning look on her face and SunTzu was already at the door when he turned around.
"Sorry about your training. I'll meet you later on the Far Side."
The German ruffled the Teenager's hair.
"Thanks for the waffles, Firefly."
And then he left and he didn't even bother to wait in front of the Meiou's house.
He lighted a cigarette and walked towards where AICA would come in from.
The next day the Taskforce was busy getting ready for take off.
Vehicles and supplies were brought on board the Far Side, troops boarded the ship, crew members were busy with their work, officers gave out orders. Everything ran flawless like one big well greased machine and soon the Gladiator-Class Star Destroyer Far-Side, the CR-70 Corvette Nomad's Luck, the CR-90 Corvette Companion and the CR-90M Corvette Starstruck, escorted by the six Z-95 Headhunters from Terra Squadron, lifted off from the Crystal Tokyo Military Base near the Crystal Palace.
On board was every Sailor Senshi, the Mau and the whole Royal Family as well as every member of the Taskforce. Except for two, one being an Artificial Intelligence and the other a Force-sensitive Pilot.
Nobody knew where SunTzu and AICA were exactly, not even the Royal Couple or Ami.
Taskforce Sol's order was to move to the Core and wait at a beacon on the Byss Run for further orders. Fleet Command was still amassing ships for a counter offensive. Or at least patrols, as the enemy had changed to hit-and-run-tactics.
Rei had spent the last two days at the shrine, she had told Izumi that she felt Ill and to not forward any calls and also had turned her phone off.
After making sure Yuichiro was unharmed except for the cut on his lip he had asked him to leave her alone. She had to think.
The Senshi turned Senator was at major odds with herself. She couldn't say that she stopped loving SunTzu, but she also had to admit that there still were feelings inside her for Yuichiro. When she saw SunTzu attacking Yuichiro it tore her apart inside.
This wasn't her SunTzu anymore, he had changed. This War had changed him. And although she loved him dearly and they shared a bond that she never shared with anyone else before, she couldn't stand what he had been and was becoming more and more.
She had filled most of the last two days with smoking weed and sleeping, just to not feel anything. Although she knew it wasn't the right thing to do, especially for a Galactic Senator, it at least brought her somehow through the days.
There were times she thought about SunTzu, actually much more times than she thought about Yuichiro, but she knew him well enough and saw enough of his recent development to rather not ask what he was doing or where he was.
Rei arrived as one of the last persons on the Far Side, a large coat and shades on and immediately headed for her quarters.
When she arrived at her room, she stopped in front of her door, next to her's was SunTzu's room. Was he there?
She pondered about it for a moment and then decided something.
After all they were still a couple officially. And she really wanted to know what was go with him. Maybe he wanted to see her as well.
She knocked on the door, but no answer came. After a few seconds she knocked again but still no answer.
Maybe he was at the hangar with AICA. Or already in the Mission Control Center, she thought.
Rei wandered around the ship some more but she couldn't find AICA in the hangar nor SunTzu somewhere else.
Soon after the jump to hyperspace a briefing for the Taskforce's leadership was scheduled.
As with boarding the Far Side Rei was one of the last to enter the room. Eyes followed her as she took a secluded seat in the last row.
Minako in the front row frowned, obviously Rei still wasn't in a mood to talk. Not that that Priestess has reacted to any of the text messages Minako had sent her. At least she was on board, when Izumi told Minako that her boss was feeling unwell, Minako had expected that Rei wouldn't come along at all.
Rei didn't really listen to what Artemis had to say, she was too busy asking herself where SunTzu was. The gazes from the other Senshi didn't make her feel any better as well. For a short moment Rei felt real guilty. She had treated Minako and Usagi so mean although they just had wanted to help.
The briefing was short as nobody knew where they were going next.
Which was convenient for Rei, she wanted to know where her boyfriend was.
So as soon as the briefing had ended she walked up to the first row. She had a feeling that a certain someone knew more, as the most times he had been missing was on her order. And if not she usually had knowledge about it.
"Ami, where is SunTzu?"
"Erm, he's on a special mission for Coruscant." The Blunette said, taken by surprise. How did Rei not know? Weren't they not talking anymore at all?
"Oh, nice that someone informed me about that. Let me guess, either one of those that make him a mental wreck or is it one of those that highly probable kill him? C'mon, tell me Ami, I'm curious." Rei remarked sarcastically.
"Rei, leave Ami alone. She said the orders came from Coruscant. It's not her fault he's not here." Makoto chimed in now, she was sitting next to Ami.
"Whatever. If he thinks he's better off on his own anyways."
That said, she stomped away, leaving the other Senshi looking unassured at each other behind.
SunTzu joined with the rest of the forces a few hours after the Taskforce had arrived at it's staging area.
The mission in the northwest had been a total mess. A middle sized enemy fleet had been smashing GA Forces for quite some time up there and couldn't be bested, it was as if the fleet fought like one single mind.
That, along with the Jedi and Sith that had been at the staging area waiting for further orders had given SunTzu the first idea with what they were dealing here.
He had landed on the Flotilla's flagship, the Harrow, an modified Victory Star Cruiser, and had been already bored shitless when a shuttle arrived and brought a group of Jedi. Two of them, Master and Padawan, were fixed on a stretcher, and also gagged, as they were screaming and moving without ceasing. A Togrutan Jedi was walking beside them and SunTzu concluded that this Jedi was a Healer. Seeing the two Jedi apparently out of their mind, gave SunTzu the rest of information he needed to know.
He immediately boarded AICA and called Ada up, while he ran the preflight checks. This had become something personal.
What happened then was Top Secret but some crewmembers on board of the GA's ships said, that they suddenly were called on Battlestations and the first ships of the fleet jumped to action immediately.
There were reports that a single, yellow glowing Starfighter crashed into the bridge of the enemy flagship, an Impstar One. But instead of exploding on the ISD's hull, it penetrated right through and sealed the Star Destroyer's faith with destroying it's bridge.
Further reports of eye witnesses claimed that the XJ-Wing Squadron of Force Users that accompanied the small fleet and arrived after the first wave of GA Ships, exclusively was searching for an escape pod or small craft that had left the Star Destroyer before it exploded.
After the Battle the black A-Wing, which had arrived alone, was immediately ordered back to Coruscant.
SunTzu had to make a small detour to Coruscant. Ada had wanted to see him but after taking a look at him on the landing platform and asking if he was alright she instantly dismissed him again.
Of course SunTzu knew what she had been trying to find out and he wondered what she had told the Jedi.
Since he had been on Coruscant anyways and knew that the off mission time on the Far Side would become long and boring he decided to make another quick detour to the nearest liquor store. Some Brandy would help him sleep at least.
As soon as he arrived on the Far Side he greeted Karlena and the rest of the ground crew, fetched his personal backpack and a crate, which was obviously filled with bottles and left for his quarters.
He arrived in front of his room and stopped. It hurted, behind the door next to his was his soulmate. Or was she even onboard?
He reached out with the Force.
Yes she was there and he could feel that she was hurting too.
He waited a moment in between the two doors, she would have felt him reaching out.
A minute passed and another one, but nothing happened.
His head slumped down and he walked over to his door and opened it, before he disappeared in his room. Within a minute the first bottle of Brandy was open as he tried to numb his senses telling him, that the woman he loved to death was just a room further but didn't even reacted to his presence anymore.
Rei a room was lying on her bed and stared at the ceiling. The potent Marijuana had the side effect that she didn't care anymore. Her feelings were numbed and everything was relative. In her intoxicated mind that wasn't the worst. At least she wasn't worrying anymore.
The Far Side was further kept on standby but without any orders to engage somewhere, so the whole Taskforce was in the middle of nowhere waiting for orders but not doing anything at all.
SunTzu couldn't take it and after a day he decided to act on his own.
He took AICA and headed for the closest battlefield. Since she was his starfighter there was nothing Control could do about it. Even more, when Stinger Jordan tried to scowl SunTzu for his solo efforts the German Pilot suggested the Commander could call up Coruscant and try to complain about him helping other units in battle.
SunTzu downright begged the Commander to do so.
When he wasn't out in combat SunTzu was in his quarters, getting drunk. He stayed on his own and declined, although politely, every attempt of his friends to do something with them. He wanted to be alone, knowing that Rei was just behind a wall from him and yet so far, their relationship so strained from what it used to be, killed him downright inside.
Rei basically did the same, only instead of fighting she was working solitarily in her office on the day and avoided any contact with people.
It hurted her the same as SunTzu that between her and SunTzu physically was just a wall but mentally worlds by now.
None of them even tried to do the first move to talk to the other anymore and soon it was that when SunTzu was fighting, Rei was getting high and then sleeping and when he came back and drank himself to sleep ,she was working. The couple, if they still were one, nobody, not even themselves, knew it by now anymore, lived complete against each other.
Of course their friends saw what was happening but nobody could manage to get through to them. Or catch them sober enough to talk. Both wouldn't even open their door anymore and just sent people away with excuses.
Day Four in Space came and the Senshi were sitting together, talking what they could do. The situation was affecting them as well.
This morning Michiru had managed that Rei at least had opened the door for her and she told what she witnessed to the group.
"Obviously the Senator of Sol is locking herself in while smoking weed all day now."
Haruka had tried the same with SunTzu but didn't come any further than a quick chat with him in the hangar, before he left for a combat mission.
"And he's either out fighting every battle he can participate in or locking him in as well."
Everyone felt horrible for the situation but the Senshi were out of ideas what else they could do, if Rei and SunTzu just wouldn't talk with each other.
It was night cycle on the ship and SunTzu came back from an especially long mission somewhere down the Byss Run. A small flotilla had been ambushed and SunTzu tried to help the Quick Reaction Force save the flotilla.
Unfortunately they came too late but at least they could take bloody revenge on the ambushers.
But no revenge could make up for the shame SunTzu felt when it became apparent that they were too late. Another loss in a long list of losses lately in his book. When he took the hyperspace jump back to the Taskforce his exhaustion finally overwhelmed him. He dreamt about Rei. It was a mixture of a best of of memories with her, like their trips around the world, their holidays on that island and in Italy, their craziest kisses like that night they fought the Yakuza in that club but there were also sequences that felt like memories but actually hadn't happened. Like a dance at a ball they had together but he surely couldn't dance that well or another one where they met the Chief of State in what seemed to be her office.
Somehow these memories alone were enough to make him feel better and when AICA softly woke him up after this one hour of sleep he felt more refreshed than he had in days, even if he had been sleeping out his intoxication.
SunTzu friendly said good night to AICA, greeted the ground crew and left the hangar and after he had a small dinner he went back to his room.
Like all the time in the last few days he sat down at the wall that separated him from Rei. Like a reflex he already grabbed for the nearest bottle, which wasn't empty yet.
And then he felt it. Or rather her.
Rei was sitting exactly on the spot he was located at, at her side of the wall.
SunTzu froze in his action.
He could feel her aura, as she could feel his. There was only the ship's durastell wall between them now.
Like they were one each other's hand touched the wall behind them, wishing they could feel the other's touch in person.
They stayed like that for a few moments and the estranged lovers' minds raced.
Should they talk now? Should they go over to the other? Should they let it be? Was there any sense left? Their insecurities ate away at them, while the pain of the heartbreak paralyzed them.
Rei was the first one to finally withdraw her hand.
Eroded by doubts she fetched one of the joints that were lying in front of her and lighted it up.
Behind her SunTzu grabbed for the bottle he had put down before and took a long sip.
And then he stopped again. After a moment, and another sip, he pulled out his phone.
He wasted long minutes considering calling her, while his mind sank into tipsiness.
When he finally called her, he had forgotten what he wanted to say and the alcohol had even broke the promise to boosten his ego enough to actually talk to her.
She took the call but didn't say a word, two joints, one after another, had made her mind slow and she couldn't think of anything to say just that he should be the one to say sorry. Even in her state, her ego was still prevalent.
For a moment Rei and SunTzu sat there in total silence.
And then Rei finished the call. None of them had said a single word.
The estranged lovers weren't able to talk a single word to each other but and now both let out their tears of frustration and heartbreak in solitude.
SunTzu had fallen asleep at his spot on the wall after half a bottle of Brandy to silence his mind later.
He was woken up by a vibration in his pilot's suit pants and with half opened eyes and the world still spinning around him he took the call.
It took a moment but then she said something.
"Talk to me." Rei requested from him.
But SunTzu was too ashamed in his pitiful current state to say something. Probably she wouldn't understand his drunken slurring anyway. And he didn't wanted to make things any worse.
"I can't. Not now." Was all he could press out.
And then he ended the call.
He pressed his lips together and then suddenly jumped up and ran into the bathroom as his stomach couldn't handle the burning amber liquid in it anymore.
SunTzu vomited until only bile came out. And then he fell into his bed. At least throwing up sobered him up enough to set an alarm.
He slept for a few hours before the alarm rang. At least he had managed to turn off the light last night, otherwise his head probably would have exploded now.
An immediate psychological hangover set in and the guilt and shame that he was too drunk to talk with Rei when she called.
But he would talk to her now.
Standing up sent pain through his head and his stomach was still letting him know that it wasn't happy with his drinking last night but he somehow managed to stumble into the bathroom and the refresher.
Thirty minutes, a shower, two pills of Alka Seltzer and one and a half liter of non-alcoholic liquid later and the mammoth task to get into a clean uniform and look somehow presentable later, he left his quarter.
And stopped right after his door.
On the minute as expected, and he imputed that to her with the amount of weed she apparently was smoking lately, the door next to his opened and Rei sneaked out, dressed in buisness clothing and making the appearance as she had her life under control right now.
"Rei." He said, leaning at his room's door as she headed left.
She jolted up and turned around, stopping in her tracks.
A look in her eyes told him, that she apparently was using eye drops to shadow her new favorite leisure activity as they weren't as red and glassy as he expected.
As she turned around she noticed that his voice wasn't as slurred as it was yesterday night. There was a moment yesterday where she seriously was worried that he would drink himself to death the way his voice sounded. But now he was looking presentable, in a fresh uniform, except for the huge, dark rings under his tired eyes.
"SunTzu."
"Can we talk?"
"I'm on the way to my office. You had your chance yesterday, but I guess you were too drunk for a serious conversation."
"I'm not gonna lie, I was. Listen, i wanted to talk with you while I'm sober enough to think. And while you're not high."
Rei raised her eyebrow and glared at him.
"Please, I don't want to fight. I want to talk to you. Talk about us, talk about you and me, and all that's wrong with us." SunTzu said and raised his hands defensively. "Rei, I want to at least know what I can do before I get back into the cockpit and head out today."
"See, and that's the problem. It's not you anymore. Everything that matters now is fighting. Instead of taking time to talk about us, you try to resolve things in passing so you can get back to combat, back to kill or be killed. The Man i fell in love with would have never attacked someone! I can't stand the person you are becoming." Rei said, her voice gave away her anger and frustration.
"It's all I can do. All that I know about." SunTzu stated bluntly and paused for a moment before he continued. "I don't have a past, I don't know about anything else but to fight. And I save people with this. The faster and the more violent I strike the less inhabitants and soldiers of this Galaxy die. It is important that I do so, it's the only way I can do something with purpose."
"Listen to yourself! Listen to what you say! Trying to making it sound like killing others and is desirable and the right thing to do! It's really like you became War itself!" Rei exploded, fists clenched.
"I became War for you, Rei!"
SunTzu yelled back as answer, pointing his finger at her.
"Every time I'm out there I'm out there for you, to end this War as fast as possible, so we can have a peaceful life together." He continued, more calm now.
"I don't know If the man I fell In love with still will exist by then at all." Rei stated calmly now, a sad tone in her voice. "And I can't stand this fear anymore. I don't want you to die. Not again. I can't go through this again and if you stay fighting like this it's just a matter of time until something will happen to you. Whenever I look at you now, I see you dying in my arms again. Just because you can't stop fighting." She said further, letting SunTzu know about her true fear. And then she shook her head and a single tear flew from her face. "I… I have to go! I can't stand this right now!"
She left. With big steps she left SunTzu standing alone, looking after her.
And in that moment SunTzu understood what he needed to do.
SunTzu walked to the hangar where AICA just had finished her maintenance.
He climbed into the cockpit and closed the canopy.
"Good morning beautiful. How are you doing today?"
"Not used to so much rest anymore but I'm good, all systems green and ready to go."
"Glad to hear that." SunTzu began to stroke over the frame on his side.
"Are you okay? You seem more talkative than the last few days."
SunTzu paused in his motion for a moment. He was visibly fighting to keep his composure.
"I'm trying my best I guess. Can you do me a favor and open a safe line to Ada for me."
"On it."
A few seconds later the Intelligence Service Officer took the call.
"SunTzu? What gives me the pleasure so early in the morning?"
"Ada, listen. I've been doing all your dirty work for the last nine months, right?"
"I wouldn't call it dirty work but yes, you did a lot for me in the last months. Why does that matter?"
"Listen, I need you to do me a favor."
"Let me know what it is and I can see what I can do."
"I'm officially deployed under the Forces of the Royal Kingdom, but you have the power to change my command, right?"
"SunTzu, what is this about?"
"I need a change of command. I can't stay here any more. Make me your official asset, sent me to the last backwater planet defense force, sent me over to Death Squadron, whatever. Just get me out of here."
"But… why? All of a sudden?"
"I have my reasons. And honestly expected that you knew already, as you usually know about everything anyways."
It took a moment for her to answer.
"I'm trying to give you at least some room for privacy so I don't know much. Please don't tell me it's because of you and Rei." Ada said, honestly surprised.
"Can you do me this favor or not?"
"Are you sure you want to leave?"
"I can't stay here anymore."
A long pause followed.
"Okay. I'm sending the orders over. I'll order that you'll be under my direct command effective immediately. Give me a moment and I'll transfer them over."
"Thank you."
"SunTzu?"
"Hm?"
"I'm sorry."
Another pause followed before SunTzu responded.
"I'll report to duty when I'm done taking care of a few things here."
SunTzu left AICA's cockpit and got back into his quarters.
He sat down at the small desk in his room and wrote two letters.
When he had finished the letters he put each in an envelope, put one In his pocket and left his room again.
He stopped at Ami's office and knocked at the door.
"Come in." She ordered and he stepped inside.
As soon as he closed the door behind him he froze, a datacard in his hands and she looked up to him.
Ocean blue and green brown eyes met and even Ami, although the most intelligent human being in the Galaxy, still not an expert when it came to interpersonal affairs, understood that SunTzu was here for something that was afar from his duty.
"Hi Ami."
"SunTzu. You… looked better before."
"I know. Can you… can you take a look at that." He presented her the data card.
She looked at him for a moment and took the data card, plugged it into her work station.
"These are orders."
She looked up to him while he told her for what.
"For a transfer of command. My command."
For a few seconds she just stared at him and then she nodded slowly.
"I feared that it would come to this. Are you sure you want to do this?"
"She can't take me anymore... Rei can't stand being around me anymore. It reminds her too much on what happened on Pantolomin. And worrying about me kills her inside. I don't want her to suffer, so I made a decision. It's better for her if I go."
"And what about you?"
"Ami, it was never about me. I love Rei too much to let her suffer anymore. I want her to be happy again. Even if that means that I have to hurt myself."
"What about the rest of us? Haruka? Hotaru?"
"They'll be good without me. Hotaru is such an exceptional girl, she probably will be better without a total failure like me as role model anyway."
"I… I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything. Me and Rei missed the moments we should have talked and now it's too late for words. I made my decision. If it helps you, I promise I'll be there when you need me. Until I'll really die, I'm upholding my oath."
Ami's eyebrow rose up and she shook her head again.
"Please Ami, you were the first that offered me his sincere friendship. You don't have to like it, you don't have to understand but I need you to do me a favor."
For a long moment the blue haired genius struggled with herself.
"I can't believe I say this, but fine. But only because I owe you a favor for Glee Anselm."
SunTzu nodded and pulled out an envelope from his uniform jacket.
"Give this to Hotaru. And if you could give my transfer order to Mamoru I won't forget you that."
Ami took a deep breather and then took the envelope.
She looked at SunTzu and nodded.
"Since you'll be under Ada, expect to hear from me. She owes me and I'll make sure to know what you'll be doing and where you will be going."
SunTzu nodded.
"I'll get packing then. Thank you Ami, for everything."
Ami just looked at him with sad eyes. It hurted herself as well to see him go but she understood him, his heart must have been bleeding so badly.
SunTzu went back to his room on the Far Side for a last time. He packed his personal belongings into a large rucksack and furbished the room into how he had found it some nine months ago.
He fetched the clothes and other things which belonged to Rei and still were there and put them into another bag, on top he laid the second envelope.
Packed with backpack and the other one in his hand he walked to the door and turned around one last time.
Nothing gave witness that he once used to have been there.
A last time he thought about what he was about to do. He would miss his friends. He would miss Rei but he just couldn't stand to be reason she was feeling pain. It was better for him to go. For her, for him, for everyone. Her friends would catch her. And that damn Hippie Yuichiro was probably already waiting for SunTzu's departure as well.
SunTzu turned off the room's light and left.
He put the bag with Rei's stuff, the keys for his room and the letter for the woman he would forever love In front of her door and walked away, in the direction the lounge was located.
Why? He didn't know. Maybe deep down he hoped that seeing one of the Senshi there would make him feel regret. Would make him turn around and stay.
As he arrived at the Lounge, Minako, Setsuna and Hotaru were there and were enjoying a tea together.
Hotaru jumped up from the table when she saw him and with a beaming smile ran towards him, happy that he finally had left his quarter on the day.
Instead of smiling back he looked at her with sad eyes and she stopped in front of him, questioning look in her eyes.
SunTzu gently ruffled her hair.
"Never fall in Love, Firefly."
Hand still on Hotaru's head he turned around and quickly glanced at the table and his eyes met with the ruby eyes of Setsuna.
She understood in an instant and her curious look turned into an angry glare and SunTzu understood her in an instant as well.
Setsuna obviously understood his pain, too well actually, but leaving like that wasn't the right way. Rei was one thing, but what about Hotaru?
A second later SunTzu turned to Minako and nodded to her before his hand wandered onto Hotaru's shoulder and squeezed it gently. Even seeing these girls couldn't make him turn back. Not even the angry glare from the Ice Queen protecting her daughter helped in any way to change his decision.
Setsuna dropepd her gaze into her half raised cup while Minako and Hotaru watched SunTzu go.
"That was strange." Hotaru remarked.
"Yeah." Minako stood up. "Guess I'll rush after him and ask what is… Owww!" Minako looked down to Setsuna which had put her hand around Minako's wrist to keep her in place.
Sestuna looked up to Minako and shook her head.
Minako sat down again, intimated by Setsuna's angry stare.
Michiru was at the Observation Deck and played her violin in front of the star filled space that surrounded the Far Side and her escort.
When she had woken up today she had known it would be the day.
Haruka had gone over to the Voyager for some maintenance on her cherished TIE-Fighter.
The Teal-haired's heart was breaking and her violin gave expression to this.
The observation deck was empty as Michiru played a requiem for the fading relationship of her two good friends.
Haruka was standing on the left wing of her modified TIE-Aggressor and was checking the starfighter's solar panel on this side for any visible defects.
Suddenly something unusual catched her eye and she saw SunTzu coming into the hangar, carrying a large backpack on his back.
Why the huge backpack? What is he up to now again? Camping on the battlefield?
Slowly her wingman walked up to his A-Wing.
Something had told Rei to get back to her room, it wasn't a full blown vision but her sixth sense tingled and she knew she had to get to her room.
Maybe it was her subconsciousness telling her to get back and talk to SunTzu again. Maybe now that both had a bit of time to think about what they had said, or rather spat, at each other, they could talk again, Like normal adults. She had felt his heartache and she was sure he had felt hers as well. Love wasn't their problem and that meant that they should at least try to fix it.
When Rei arrived in front of her door she was surprised to find a bag in front of it.
And on it's top was an envelope.
Rei just needed a millisecond of reaching out to feel that SunTzu wasn't in his room. And then she understood. Knowing what it would say but denying the truth until she had proof she opened the letter.
With in seconds she had read the few words on it, and while tears shot into her eyes she began to run.
Haruka was curiously observing SunTzu, who just had stowed the backpack into AICA and now was standing in front of Karlena, next to the A-Wing.
SunTzu seemed to say something very serious for him to Karlena.
And why the bear hug and the kiss on the Devaronian's forehead?
Oh no, you won't…
Haruka put down the flashlight she was inspecting the solar panels with.
Mamoru was on the bridge with Artemis to his right, the two leaders of the Taskforce were observing the busy activity on the bridge. They had new orders and by tonight they would make their way to the border of the Core Worlds and the Deep Core and then escort a supply convoy down the hyperspace routes. Finally a real task again.
Suddenly Ami appeared on Mamoru's left.
She held out a datapad to him but wasn't able to look him into the eyes.
Surprised but without saying a word he took the datapad and began to read.
Haruka jumped down the wing of the Voyager, not breaking sight with SunTzu who was climbing into AICA's cockpit now.
The canopy was closing when the two best friend's gazes locked and SunTzu nodded to Haruka and clapped his fist on his chest.
A second later the canopy was closed and AICA lifted off, while Haruka still tried to process what was happening right now.
Mamoru finished reading the orders and looked up, anger on his face.
"Flight Control, ground SunTzu immediately! Guard, bring the Captain to me!"
He ordered, yelling out.
Haruka still looked at AICA and how SunTzu steered her out of the Hangar.
In that moment a crying Rei bursted into the hangar.
SunTzu accelerated AICA out of the hangar.
"Find us the nearest battle AICA and prepare to jump." He ordered her, as he passed the shield that protected the hangar inside from space.
He piloted AICA upwards.
In the observation deck Michiru was playing one of the saddest melodies she ever had played while she watched how AICA and SunTzu departed from the Far Side and crossed past the observation window.
Tears were falling free across her face as she watched the inevitable leave of SunTzu. It hurted nonetheless. It hurted her for Haruka, who would loose her best friend, it hurted her for Hotaru, who would loose her father figure, it hurted her for Rei, who would loose her soulmate, grave misunderstandings or not. And it hurted her for herself. The wingman who would have given his life for her. The former stranger that had become like a brother for her.
With a last greeting in the shape of a flashing of AICA's lights and a wave with her wings to the Far Side's bridge SunTzu said his goodbye to the Taskforce that had been his home for the past nine months.
His face was cold and expressionless as he forced himself to do what he was doing right now.
On the bridge Mamoru swallowed hard on what he saw outside.
And as SunTzu and AICA jumped to hyperspace he took the datapad and threw it hard to the ground, the device bursting into a thousand pieces.
"FUCK!"
The whole bridge turned in shock towards the King as nobody ever saw such an outburst of anger from him.
Next to him Artemis stared out the window with a blank face and Ami still looked to the ground, a hand over her mouth.
Rei broke down and got down on her knees. She had been too late. SunTzu was gone.
The man that she still loved, the one man that had touched her soul like no person before, was gone.
"Rei!" Someone yelled suddenly and when she looked up she saw Haruka in front of her starfighter, her pilot helmet in hand and waving her over.