Disclaimer: AGGGHHH! Do I really need to say it over and over again?

I originally intended to write the whole battle scene in only one chapter but it's just too long so I broke it off. Sorry if I left you hanging the last time. For comments, suggestions, flames or reviews, you can email me at raizenheero@aol.com

Wing Zero, Neo-Deathscythe, Neo-Heavyarms, Neo-Sandrock, Neo-Altron and Neo-Tallgeese attacked the 1st checkpoint perimeter in 6 different sectors. They methodically destroyed one Suit after the other, not even bothering to look back at the wreckage they created nor talk to each other. They knew that they had to keep all distractions at bay in order to finish this mission as quickly as possible. They had all the time to feel guilty later, if they managed to successfully pull this off.

The 6 of them finished destroying all the Suits in their respective sectors. The whole 1st checkpoint perimeter, consisting of more or less 300 Suits, was completely wiped out in a matter of minutes. They were ready to move-in to the 2nd checkpoint perimeter when

Deity jumped back, making Deathscythe's buster shield miss her by just a quarter of an inch.

"Deity. It's been a while," Sean greeted in the commlink as he fired his vulcans.

Deity fired back. "Sean! Stop this madness!"

Deathscythe charged with his twin beam scythe, Deity blocking it with her own. "I'm sorry, Deity. I don't have the power to stop this."

They pulled apart. "So I guess I have no choice but to fight you then," Deity said gravely.

"Right," Sean answered before both of them charged at each other.

Trion did an acrobatic flip to dodge the micromissiles fired at him by Heavyarms. He then fired his machine cannons.

"Nice move, Trion," Dean commented, dodging Trion's attacks and firing Heavyarms' gattling cannon. "And what a nice Gundam you got there. Our Gundams really look alot alike. But I know for a fact that the original is always the best."

"Just like the original pilot is always the best. Like my father," Trion replied. Afterwards, he asked, "Dean, do we really have to do this?"

"I'm afraid so," Dean answered, as both of them fired their double gattling guns.

Kai used his shield flash to deflect Sandrock's missiles. "Ren, stop this. I don't want to fight you."

"Neither do I," Ren said, firing more missiles. Kai stood his ground and used his shield to protect himself. "But you know that we have to. This is one thing that couldn't be resolved by talking or diplomacy, Kai. You know that. You have the responsibility of taking back the power we stole, whereas I have the responsibility to prevent you from doing so. And we both know that we take our responsibilities very seriously. "

Kai sighed in defeat. He knew that Ren was right. He took out his heat shotels and attacked Sandrock.

Lee quickly moved out of the way of two dragon fangs. "The last time I checked we're friends," he told Colin, firing his vulcans.

Altron dodged. "We are friends, Lee. But my loyalty is, first and foremost, to my family. Just like I know that your loyalty to your family also comes first," Lee remarked.

"I understand," Lee replied. The two Suits continued fighting.

Rhys' heat rod collided with Tallgeese's heat rod in midair, causing sparks to fly. "Miles, why are you doing this?"

"Because I was ordered to do so," Miles answered, firing his vulcans.

Rhys protected himself with his vulcan shield. "Don't you know that what Raidon is ordering you to do is wrong? Open your eyes, Miles. It's not yet too late."

"You don't understand. The General is like a father to us. He might be wrong but we'll continue to stick by his side and follow him. I know that you'll do the same with your dad."

Rhys understood what he meant. Both of them took out their beam sabers and lunged at each other.

Jiiro sensed that Qintaro was flying towards him, even if Stygma was still far away. Zero told him so. He blasted off, deciding to meet him half-way. Both Stygma and Wing Zero stopped within a few meters away from each other. It really was a sight to behold. Wing Zero looked majestic, its wings unfurled like an angel. Stygma stood majestically as well, though its red coloring, the cross rifle attached on its back and its heat rod (which looked more like a tail) made it more sinister-looking, almost like the devil. To those who had seen the last battle between Wing Zero and Epyon during the Eve Wars, this would surely come as some sort of deja vu.

"Jiiro," Qintaro said as a form of a greeting.

"Qintaro," Jiiro acknowledged. No other words were necessary. Zero and Stygma already told them what they had to do and why. All what was left was to defeat the enemy.

So without further ado, they started battling.

Raidon was momentarily taken aback by what was happening. He knew that Heero would attack, but not this soon. And not with that kind of army. "Where on Earth did Heero Yuy get those Gundams?! And the people to pilot them?!" Raidon asked, exasperated. His gaze settled on Relena as he thought things over. It was possible that within these past 20 years, Heero and the other Gundam Pilots had built new Gundams. That would explain why Heero had in his possession 6 Gundams. But what about the pilots? Heero couldn't just ask anybody to become Gundam Pilots. No one in their right minds would willingly go against a much stronger army, unless they were as determined, strong-willed and as (everyone phrased it) 'noble and pure' as Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, Quatre Winner and Wufei Chang were when they battled OZ. Then again

"You have children, haven't you, Miss Relena?" Raidon asked in a pleasant voice.

"Yes. Twins. A boy and a girl," she carefully replied.

"How old are they?"

"15."

"And I suppose your daughter looks just like you, hmm?"

"Everybody who knows us say so."

"And how old are the other pilots' firstborns?"

Relena carefully studied him. She didn't like where this interrogation was headed. "Why are you asking me all these questions? As I can remember, you have the pilots and their families in your custody so you should know. And didn't you make a background check on everyone first before proceeding with this operation?"

Raidon shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I didn't. So just humor me by telling how old they are. There's no harm in answering my question now, is there?"

Relena sighed. "Deity Maxwell is 15. Trion Barton and Lee Fei Chang are 14. Kai Dotre Winner is 16. And Rhys Illiard Peacecraft is 18."

"Hmm. Same ages as my kids. They're in highschool, right?"

Relena didn't answer him and instead said, "Speaking of your kids, I want to know how could you be so heartless as to turn those boys into hardened soldiers. You're a soldier yourself, are you not, so you know only too well that with every death they cause, a part of them also dies. Haven't you noticed the pain in their eyes? Can't you stop thinking of yourself for a moment and start thinking of what your kids want and need?"

"What are you talking about? They all became soldiers in their own volition. Dean, Miles, Ren and Colin told me themselves after I took them in and adopted them. Sean too. And Qintaro wanted to become a soldier just like me, he told me so himself when he was 7."

"Don't you think that maybe Qintaro was just trying to win your affection? All 7-yr olds worship their Dads and want to become just like them. As for the other kids, they might just want to please you, feeling indebted to you for adopting them. And they were just kids then. Do you honestly think that they knew what they were getting themselves into? They might be dazzled by the mere idea of becoming a soldier, seeing you and all. And they probably will do anything you ask them, even jump off a cliff if you tell them to. Can't you see that in satisfying your greed for power, you sacrificed those kids' souls and innocence?"

Raidon banged his hands on his desk and stood up, his eyes blazing angrily at Relena. "You know nothing of me or my sons so don't presume to lecture me on how I'm supposed to raise them. I raised them well. I'm proud of what they become. They're strong and skillful. And now, they are the rulers of the Earth Sphere. I did this not only for myself but also for them. I'll die in peace knowing that I have given them everything, that I made them the most influential and powerful people in the ESUN. And just for the record, I wouldn't order them to jump off a cliff." Raidon calmed himself and sat down again. "I think it's very hypocritical of you to accuse me of being heartless in training my kids to become soldiers and Gundam Pilots when you and your friends did the same to your kids."

Relena paled. "What are you talking about?"

"Do you mistake me for a fool as to not discover that the Gundams that are currently battling with my Gundams are being piloted by your kids? The ones whom I failed to capture? And that those kids and my kids are all friends?"

Relena remained looking at him defiantly.

Raidon chuckled. "You want to ask me how I've known, right? It's very simple, actually. When I asked the kids why Qintaro was so enamored by you, they said that you reminded him of someone, a close friend. Then I remembered seeing a picture from Qintaro's room showing all their friends from RECON. There was this girl who looked just like you, except for the eyes and hair. Then Qintaro pointed to his bestfriend, a boy that looked vaguely familiar, who was supposedly that girl's twin brother. The other kids there also looked familiar, as if I've seen them somewhere before. Only now did it cross my mind that they are the Gundam Pilots' kids. It all makes perfect sense. They were in RECON so I wasn't able to capture them. My kids probably have no clue about their friends' true identities since there are no surnames in RECON."

"Our kids were trained to protect, not to destroy. They were trained in case someone disrupts the peace and the Gundams are needed again. We felt bad about it but we had to, unlike you who trained your kids for the sole purpose of conquest and domination! I guess Heero and the rest were right to have prepared for this day," Relena told him. "Aren't you bothered, even a bit, knowing that our kids, who are all friends, are battling each other out there?"

"Why would I be bothered? My sons are trained soldiers. Friends or no friends, they know what they have to do. And I assure you that they'll win."

Their conversation was interrupted by loud explosions coming from outside. They turned to look at the window and saw Wing Zero and Stygma engaged in a fierce battle near the Palace.

Raidon looked at Relena, amused. "Does your husband honestly think that he'll defeat me and rescue you? He might have those Gundams but they'll never get near the Palace. They have to get pass my Gundams first then get through the 2nd checkpoint perimeter. And as it stands, that's very unlikely to happen. There are also more reinforcements on their way. How in the world will they defeat such a vast army? They might be well trained but there's always a limit to what they could do. Even the Perfect Soldier has his breaking point. So you see, this attack is pointless. Definitely just a waste of time, lives and vital military artillery. But at least you know how much he loves you. He'll rescue you even at the expense of the colonies."

If Relena was a person who knew how to smirk, she already did so. Apparently, Raidon didn't know Heero that well. Heero wouldn't sacrifice peace nor the colonies for anything or anyone --- even for her. That only meant that Heero had something up his sleeve.

"What's taking those back-up troops so long? I want to end this right now," Raidon muttered, contacting the Dais Rogue HQ.

"Capt. Myers here."

Raidon frowned. "Why is the transmission audio only, Capt?"

"Umm, there's something wrong with the satellite feed, sir," Capt. Myers replied, somewhat nervously.

"Hn. Where are the reinforcements? I've been waiting for them."

"I, uhh, already dispatched them, sir. They're on their way."

"Good. Over and out." He then tried to contact MO-II. But somehow, the transmission always bounced back, as if its destination wasn't there at all. Why now of all times do the satellite feed chose to have problems? No matter, things were still under control.

He looked at the window again just in time to see a transport cargo and a shuttle fast approaching. "Finally," he remarked. 9 Serpent Suits and 2 armed shuttles came out of the transport cargo. But there was something wrong about this whole picture. It certainly looked like the transport cargo was heading straight in a collision course towards the 2nd checkpoint perimeter.

"What the ---" He wasn't able to finish his sentence when the transport cargo exploded near the Palace, destroying many Suits within its proximity.

The newly arrived 'reinforcements' then started attacking the Suits that were defending the Palace. The other shuttle flew away, but before doing so, something black emerged from it. Raidon and Relena walked to the window, wanting to take a closer look. And upon careful inspection, they saw what that black thing really was.

"THE HAVOC?!!!" they exclaimed in unison

The battling Gundams stopped on their tracks and looked at the 9 Serpent Suits and 2 armed shuttles that emerged from the transport cargo.

"The cavalry is here!" Duo announced in the commlink.

Suddenly, an explosion was heard as the transport cargo blew up upon colliding with the Serpent Suits surrounding the Palace.

"We're here to help you, kids," Quatre said.

"Right," Trowa, Wufei and Zechs added.

"Dad!" Deity, Trion, Lee, Kai and Rhys exclaimed.

"Hey, don't forget about us," Noin remarked.

"We're also here to help," Hilde amended.

"Us too," Sally, Midii, Dorothy and Cathy chorused from the armed shuttles.

"Well, let's start this show on the road," Lady Une suggested.

"Hn," Athena replied as they all started attacking the 2nd checkpoint perimeter.

Jiiro, Deity, Trion, Lee, Rhys and Kai smiled in spite of themselves. Things were proceeding as planned. Athena managed to free their families from the base, which implied that she was able to disengage the main array. They also hadn't seen any reinforcements coming from MO-II and the Preventers Base, leading to the conclusion that Reina and the 15 Sanc Kingdom guards were successful in their missions. 34 of the mission had already been completed. All that was left was for them to take back the Palace. And they would be damned if they would fail in this one.

Then they saw a black Gundam emerged from the other shuttle before the shuttle flew off in the opposite direction. The Gundam also started attacking the 2nd checkpoint perimeter.

Jiiro and the others weren't surprised to see the HAVOC. In fact, they were relieved to see Reina unharmed. But it was a different case with Dean, Miles, Ren, Sean, Colin and Qintaro. They were utterly shocked. Well, the HAVOC always had that effect on people.

"I've seen that Gundam before in the files I think," Colin stated in his commlink.

"It can't be.. It's the HAVOC!" Sean exclaimed.

Remembering what he knew about the HAVOC, Ren said, "But it supposed to have been destroyed 20 years ago!"

"I thought only one person has the ability to rebuild it," Dean voiced out.

"And only one person can pilot it too," Miles added. "So they were able to rebuild the HAVOC. But who's piloting it?"

Stygma whispered something to Qintaro. "Reina," he muttered.

"Reina?!" the 5 kids asked in unison. They should have known. With how strong Reina was, it only followed that she would also have her own Gundam. Recovering from their initial shock, they continued their interrupted battle.

Raidon smirked and turned his head to the right to regard his companion. "Well, well. Heero Yuy is more resourceful than I thought. Not only did he get hold of the HAVOC, he also found someone who can pilot it. But his ingenuity and resourcefulness wouldn't matter once my main array finished blasting all the colonies to oblivion. The souls of millions will lie heavily on both your souls."

"I don't think so," a voice said from the doorway.

In a flash, Raidon grabbed Relena, whirled around and aimed his gun at the source of the voice. Clad in black jeans and black tank top, Heero pointed his own gun at Raidon, carefully stepping inside the room.

"Heero," Relena breathed, relieved to see her husband. He had come back for her, just like he promised. Then her eyes widened as realization dawned on her. If Heero was here, Jiiro must be piloting Wing Zero. And if the other kids were piloting the other 5 Gundams that only meant that HAVOC's pilot was

Their gazes met and Heero nodded at her, understanding her silent question. He turned his attention back to Raidon, his eyes hard and calculating. Relena's life was in that psycho's hands. He couldn't afford to make a single mistake.

"So, you left the fighting to your kids. And here's your wife, reprimanding me for turning my kids into soldiers when you did the same to yours. Talk about hypocrisy," Raidon taunted.

Heero inwardly flinched though his face remained blank. He knew that Raidon was right --- they did the same to their kids. They didn't want to, but they did it all the same. It was the hardest decision they had ever made. Sacrifices had to be made in order to ensure peace and it was just their luck to always be the ones who had to sacrifice their lives, souls and innocence for peace. And now, their children and their children's children would have to make and live with those sacrifices as well. "Let go of Relena."

Amusement was written on Raidon's face when he answered, "I don't think you're in the position to make any demands. I'm the one who has the upperhand here."

"I said let go of my wife."

"You're a cocky one, aren't you?" Raidon commented with a grin. "Barging in here, all alone, knowing too well that the place is heavily guarded and that I have your wife and the colonies at my mercy. I'm expecting more from the Perfect Soldier. Are you sure you're still him? Or maybe you're losing your touch, mellowing down in your old age?" He pressed the gun to Relena's head while dragging her to the desk. "Dial the number to the security room here. I know you know it," he ordered her. Relena looked at Heero first. Seeing Heero's assent, she made the call.

They heard the vidphone ringing from the other end, but no one answered. Raidon decided to talk anyways, hoping that his voice would frighten the soldiers stationed there in answering the call. "Torres! Do you copy? We have an intruder. Send men here at the office ASAP." Still no answer.

It was Heero's turn to smirk. "I don't think your soldiers can be of any use to you now."

Raidon tried to conceal his shock at Heero's statement by glaring at him defiantly. "I don't believe that you killed them all."

"I didn't. I only killed some of them, those whom had given me no choice. As for the rest, I just made sure that they wouldn't be able to rush to your aid. It's over, Raidon."

"I beg to differ. It's far from over. My troops outside are standing there ground. We have yet to see who'll be the victor," Raidon replied. "And I want to see the look in your face when you see your precious colonies be reduced to scrap metal." He urged Relena to get the TV remote on top of the desk and turn the TV on.

The TV flickered on, showing the morning news. "We have gathered reports that the Presidential Palace is, once again, being attacked by 6, no 7 Gundams, which we believe are all being led by Miss Relena's husband. But do not fear. Contrary to President Raidon Langley's threat, the colonies are safe. Not one had been destroyed. Although there were reports that MO-II was destroyed after a fierce battle there. And there are also reports that 15 Serpent Suits had taken over the Dais Rogue HQ in the Sanc Kingdom. We don't know how that was possible but" Raidon blasted the TV to pieces.

"What the hell is going on?!" Raidon yelled. He had to contact his base. He turned to Relena and ordered, "Dial the number written on the paper beside the vidphone. Now!"

Relena punched in Buena Park's number. No answer. "Try again!" Raidon yelled. Relena did what she was told. But still there was no answer.

Raidon gripped his gun tightly his knuckles almost turned white. He pressed the gun closer to Relena's temple as he looked at Heero with loathing. He knew that Heero caused all this though he didn't know how he did it. So I was wrong. He still hasn't lost his touch, he thought gravely.

Heero slowly inched closer, Raidon backing away, holding Relena in front of him as a shield. He stopped when he felt that his back was now pressed against the window. "As I said earlier, it's over," Heero told him evenly.

Trowa blasted three Serpent Suits with his bazooka. "This is proving to be one tough workout."

"You said it, Trowa. There's just too many of them," Hilde said, destroying the Suit in front of her.

The 2 armed shuttles hovered above them and continued firing at the enemy Suits. "We might be outnumbered but we already destroyed half of their forces," Sally remarked as she maneuvered the shuttle to dodge the blasts.

"We really make one hell of a team, Sally," Dorothy said, firing the shuttle's beam cannons.

"We're one great team too, aren't we, sis?" Cathy asked Midii.

"Yup. That will teach those buffoons not to mess with us," Midii replied as she made their shuttle dive near the Suits while Cathy launched the missiles.

Lady Une fired her double gattling gun. "If only the Maganacs are here, we could finish this faster."

"I know. But even if they kept their Suits, most of the remaining Maganacs are too old to fight," Quatre said. Though old, he was certain that if he asked them, they would gladly help. But he didn't. They had done so much for him already, it was time that he fight his own battle and let them continue living their lives in peace. Like the rest of the citizens of the ESUN, when the Maganacs saw that peace was finally here to stay, they willingly discarded their Suits and tried to live normal, peaceful lives. And throughout the years, their ranks diminished, only about half of them were left. Quatre knew Heero well enough to know why he hadn't asked the remaining Maganacs for help. Heero believed that Quatre was the only person who had the right to order the Maganacs to battle. And though Kai could be a substitute for Quatre --- he was their Master Quatre's son afterall, Heero still found it inappropriate.

"At least we got Reina and the HAVOC on our side," Zechs voiced out. HAVOC had destroyed a big bulk of the enemy Suits.

Duo fired some missiles. "Damn! I need to finish this fast. I still have a score to settle with Raidon."

Wufei dodged a blast and fired his beam cannon. "Me too. I want to teach that psycho a lesson he'll never forget."

"Then go. We'll cover for you," Athena suggested.

"Are you nuts? There are still more or less 150 Suits remaining," Duo commented.

"Athena is right. Leave the fighting to us women. We can handle it. I really would like to give Raidon a piece of my mind too but we'll let you guys do that for us," Noin said.

"Don't worry about us. I'll take care of everything," Reina assured them.

"If you insist. Goodluck," Trowa remarked before flying towards the Palace roof.

"Be careful, ladies," Quatre said as he, Zechs, Duo and Wufei blasted their way towards the Palace.

Raidon chuckled evilly. "And as I also said earlier, this battle is far from over. It's unlike you to make unfounded assumptions. Are you forgetting something? I still have your wife. And I have a gun aimed at her head." As if to prove his point, he held Relena tighter and pressed the gun against her temple even more. Relena didn't flinch a bit. She continued looking at Heero, her eyes unafraid. It was like she was telling him, Do what you have to do. Don't think about me. "So if you value your wife's life, don't come any closer or I swear I'm going to blow her brains off."

Heero's face remained expressionless but he stopped on his tracks, his gun still aimed at Raidon. He locked gazes with Relena, as if silently communicating with her. He saw her bit her lip, telling him that she understood. Raidon smirked. "Good. Now tell me, why did you barge in here all alone, and through the door too, no less? Do you think that you can take me out singlehandedly? Or you're just becoming more and more stupid as you grow older?"

"I wanted to give you the chance to do the right thing," Heero replied, alternately shifting his glance between Raidon and Relena. He was directly in front of them, only a few feet away. If only he could make a clear shot

"You mean surrender? Never! You won't take me alive, if that's what you're thinking. I rather die or kill myself than surrender to you!" he spat out. "Seeing that I wouldn't do the right thing, I want to know how you're planning to defeat me now," Raidon sneered.

"Simple. We'll gang up on you," Zechs answered. Raidon turned his head to the left and saw Zechs and Duo standing by the bookshelf, their guns drawn.

"Missed us, Raidon, pal, hmm?" Duo added, his violet eyes glinting.

Raidon was shocked. "How--- Where---"

"The Presidential Palace had hidden passageways leading to and from the President's office. So in case of an attack, the President can escape safely," Quatre explained in a curt tone.

Raidon looked to his right and saw Quatre and Wufei standing by the fireplace, both aiming their guns at him.

"Why, Raidon, you don't know the hidden passageways in your own office? And you've been President for days. Tsk, tsk, tsk, the injustice of it all," Wufei taunted.

Raidon couldn't believe what was happening. He was so busy predicting Heero's moves that he didn't hear Zechs, Duo, Quatre and Wufei came in from the secret passageways. Well, he really didn't know where the hidden passageways were but he should have heard them!

"Can't guess where we came from huh, buddy? And here I thought you're a genius. Guess, I'm wrong," Duo remarked.

"Let my sister go, Raidon. And this will be over."

"And don't count on your vast armada that much. The Gundams you stole from us will be defeated by our kids soon," Wufei told him.

"Also, Athena, Reina and our wives are currently destroying the last of your defenses. It's only a matter of time before they get through and retake the Palace," Quatre amended. Relena's eyes widened when she heard Athena's name.

"Athena! She's alive?" Raidon then shook his head. "You Gundam Pilots really do have nine lives. No matter. Gang up on me all you want, but I'll never surrender. And if I'll lose, I'll take Relena with me."

He was about to pull the trigger when something came crashing through the window, knocking the gun from his hand and sending him and Relena to the floor, bits of broken glass falling on them. It was Trowa. And before Raidon could react, Trowa jumped to his feet, helped Relena up and took her to Heero. The 6 men now had Raidon surrounded. He slowly stood up.

Trowa pointed his gun at him. "Don't make this harder on everyone, Raidon. Surrender now."

Heero wrapped his left arm protectively around Relena's waist, his right hand still aiming at Raidon. "And this time, it's officially over."

Raidon glared at them defiantly, his face and hands bloody due to the broken glass. "Never!" he yelled before jumping out the window.

Qintaro halted his attack on Wing Zero and turned his head just in time to see his father jumped from his office on the 3rd floor. "FATHER! NO!" he yelled. He immediately flew towards the Palace.

Sean, Dean, Ren, Miles and Colin heard Qintaro's yell in the commlink so they broke off from their fights and also flew towards the Palace, their respective rivals following them. They saw that the window in the President's office was shattered and there were 7 people peering down at something below them. They landed near Stygma and saw Raidon's body sprawled on the ground, bloodied and broken, his arms, legs and necks set at an unusual angle.

"Uncle, no" Sean whispered as tears began to fall from his face.

"The General I can't believe it" Colin muttered, his own tears falling on his face.

Miles, Ren and Dean were silently crying inside their Suits too. Deity, Lee, Trion, Kai and Rhys respected their friends' grief and remained silent.

"There's no use fighting anymore. He's gone," Miles said.

"Yeah. I think we should all surrender now. It'll be pointless to continue," Ren agreed.

"What do you say, Qintaro? What should we do now?" Dean asked.

They all waited for Qintaro's response. Inside his Suit, Qintaro wasn't crying at all. He was just staring at his father's corpse, but it seemed like he was listening to someone, having a silent conversation with whoever it was in his mind. He looked up and saw Wing Zero above them. "Yes, Stygma, I understand," he muttered. In his commlink, he said, "Do what you want to do. Surrender if you like. It doesn't matter to me."

"You're second-in-command remember? Only an order from you will be valid," Miles reminded him.

"Then spread the word that I'm ordering everyone to surrender."

"Consider it done, sir," Ren answered, opening a channel to every Suit within a 5 mile radius.

The battle in the 2nd checkpoint perimeter immediately halted upon hearing Ren's transmission. Lady Une and the rest began rounding up the pilots.

"I guess it's time for us to surrender too, huh," Dean remarked. He opened the cockpit and went out of Heavyarms. Miles, Colin, Sean and Ren did the same. Rhys, Kai, Lee, Trion and Deity also went out of their Gundams and approached their friends.

They looked at each other with slight apprehension. "Our condolences for the death of your General, the one whom you regard as your father," Rhys told them.

"Thanks. We appreciate it," Miles answered. Silence again.

"I'm glad that the battle is over though. That we don't have to fight each other anymore," Kai remarked.

"Me too," Ren answered.

"I think I speak for everyone when I say that we are all relieved that it's over," Colin said. Everyone nodded then looked at Stygma. Qintaro still hadn't come out of his Gundam. And it seemed like he was staring at Wing Zero hovering above them.

"Wait a sec," Sean said before climbing back to Deathscythe. "Hey, Qintaro, when are you coming out of there?" he asked in the commlink.

As a response, Stygma flew off and collided with Wing Zero full force. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Sean yelled. No answer. The 2 Gundams continued fighting. "Damn! He shut me off." He jumped out of Deathscythe.

"Sean, what happened? What has gotten into Qintaro?" Deity asked.

"I don't know. I think he's gone wacko, with Uncles's death and the Zero system in his brain."

"We've got to knock some sense into his head then," Dean said.

"Jiiro hasn't shown any indication of backing down either," Lee pointed out.

"So let's go and stop those two from killing each other," Trion suggested.

The 10 kids climbed back to their Suits and flew towards where Wing Zero and Stygma were fighting.

Recovering from the impact of Stygma colliding into him, Wing Zero pulled away. Stygma whipped out his heat rod and tried to hit him. Wing Zero used his shield to protect himself.

"Raidon is dead and all your troops already surrendered. Why are we still fighting?" Jiiro asked.

"Because I want to."

"Why?" Qintaro didn't answer. He just continued on attacking him. The cockpit lit up as Jiiro felt Zero answering his question.

"I'm so sorry, Qintaro. I didn't know... My condolences," he told him earnestly.

"Save your pity. I don't need them. Just fight me, Jiiro," Qintaro said, lunging at him with his beam saber.

Jiiro fended it off with his own beam saber. Neither of them would budge so they jumped apart. They were going to lunge at each other again when 10 Suits appeared between them, preventing them to do so. Sean, Miles, Ren, Dean and Colin faced Stygma, behind them, Lee, Trion, Deity, Rhys and Kai faced Wing Zero.

"What are you doing here? This isn't your fight. Get out of my way," Qintaro said in the commlink.

"Have you gone insane? I know that Uncle died and we're all grieving but fighting Jiiro won't bring him back. Nothing you do can ever bring him back," Sean told him.

"You don't understand anything. So just leave me alone."

"Why are you doing this Qintaro? What are you trying to accomplish?" Dean asked.

"I don't have to explain myself. It doesn't concern you."

"Come now, Qintaro. Let us help you. We've got to stick together and face this grief and ordeal together. We might have lost the General but we're still one family," Ren said.

A tear threatened to fall down Qintaro's eyes but he hastily blinked it back. He was not going to cry. He would finish this, come hell or highwater. He had to. "Leave. Me Alone," he growled.

"We're not going to leave you alone unless you stop this madness, Qintaro," Miles told him.

"Don't try my patience. I'll force you to get the hell out of my way if I have to."

"Then give us your best shot coz we're not moving an inch," Colin said.

"If you insist." In a flash, Stygma managed to distance himself from the 5 Suits while the cross rifle attached on its back moved clockwise, making it looked like an X now instead of a cross. The upper part of the X bent over, now forming two cannons mounted on top of each of Stygma's shoulders. The same happened to the lower part of the X, forming into 2 cannons on the side of each of Stygma's legs.

"The war is over, Jiiro. We've won. Why are you still fighting Qintaro?" Deity asked.

"Because he's still fighting me. Anyone who fights me and endangers my life is my enemy. And I have to fight and defeat all my enemies."

"Stop talking like a Zero-enhanced junkie, Jiiro. Qintaro just lost his father, his purpose. It's understandable that he's acting a little crazy right now," Rhys told him.

"Try to help him get a grip of himself, Jiiro. Help him get through his grief. You're his bestfriend, are you not? If we can't get through to him, you certainly can," Kai added.

Jiiro would have answered back but Zero told him that something was wrong. He looked at Stygma and saw it fly away, the cross rifle at its back moving. "Qintaro, no!" he yelled. But Stygma already fired at the 5 Suits in front of him. Though the Gundams weren't hit in a critical area, the blasts not being in full strength, they were enough to catch Ren, Colin, Dean, Sean and Miles unaware and send them plummeting downwards.

The 5 remaining Gundams faced Stygma. "Now I know that you've completely gone bananas," Lee commented.

"Why did you fire at your own friends? Your own brothers?" Trion asked.

"They were in my way. Just like the rest of you," Qintaro answered. And before Jiiro could do anything, Qintaro fired at the 5 Neo Suits, also making them plummet to the ground. "I've blasted all of our friends, Jiiro. What are you going to do about it?"

"I've never seen you like this before. What's gotten into you? Why are you doing this?"

"Stop asking stupid questions and just fight me," Qintaro replied, lunging at him.

Qintaro just lost his father, his purpose. It's understandable that he's acting a little crazy right now.

Jiiro jumped back. "Is this your way of dealing with your grief?"

"Maybe. What is it to you?"

Try to help him get a grip of himself, Jiiro. Help him get through his grief. You're his bestfriend, are you not? If we can't get through to him, you certainly can.

"I'm your bestfriend, remember? I want to help you. Tell me how to help you, Qintaro," Jiiro said, slightly pleading.

"Fight me. That's the only way you can help me."

Jiiro was getting exasperated. Their conversation was getting nowhere. "What if I don't?"

"Then I'll force you to fight me. Just like I forced all of them out of my way." Stygma's X rifle moved again. The 2 cannons placed on the side of its legs moved up, combining with the cannons mounted on the shoulders, forming two bigger cannons.

Wing Zero didn't move. Qintaro fired at him, but the two beams went pass the sides of Wing Zero's head, not making any contact. Jiiro smiled. He knew that Qintaro would intentionally miss him. "I know that you don't really want to hurt anyone, Qintaro. You could have destroyed the other Suits, you have the means to do so. But you didn't. You just 'forced them out of your way'. And you could have hit me. So what's this all about? If you want to release some steam, let's get out of our Suits and do some combat exercises. Or go somewhere to talk."

"No! I want to fight here! I want to settle this once and for all! It was just a warning shot, Jiiro. I wouldn't miss this time." Qintaro fired at him again but Wing Zero still didn't move. If getting himself hit was the only thing that could knock sense into Qintaro, or at least satisfy him, so be it. Jiiro braced himself for the impact but it never came. His eyes widened when he saw the HAVOC standing between him and Stygma. HAVOC had deflected the blast for him.

"Reina!" Jiiro and Qintaro exclaimed. They saw HAVOC staggering, almost as if it was having a hard time keeping itself stand upright.

Reina's whole body was aching. She had been battling all morning and she was exhausted. Deflecting that blast took the last of her strength. She could feel her body get heavier, the darkness beckoning her. She shook her head and tried to get a grip on herself. Even piloting the HAVOC was a chore now.

"Reina, are you alright?" Jiiro asked his sister, his concern evident. He knew that piloting the HAVOC must be taking a toll on her, especially now that she decided to become heroic and stupid to shield him from that blast.

"I'm fine," Reina lied. " It's just a tiring day."

"Reina, I ---" Qintaro didn't finish his sentence.

Reina smiled. "It's ok, Qintaro." Then in a soft but determined voice she added, "Qintaro, Niichan, please stop this meaningless battle. If you won't do it for yourselves, can you at least do it for me?"

Qintaro and Jiiro were speechless. Finally, Qintaro said, "You don't understand," then flew off towards the Palace. Jiiro and Reina followed him.

Stygma stopped near the window where Relena, Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre, Zechs and Wufei were. Stygma aimed his cannons at them. "Jiiro, I like your mom and all but I swear I'm going to destroy the Palace and kill your mom, dad and the other pilots if you don't stop me now."

"Qintaro---" Reina began to say but Jiiro cut her off. "I'll handle this, Reina." Jiiro looked at Stygma. There was something about this situation that perplexed him. It was like he was missing an important clue. "This is our fight, Qintaro. Don't include my parents and my uncles here."

"The lives of those dearest to you are at stake here, dammit!" Qintaro cried out, almost in desperation. "Do something! Stop me!"

Jiiro couldn't make heads or tails of everything, but he knew one thing --- he had to stop Qintaro from making good his threat. He was about to aim his twin buster rifle at Stygma when he received a transmission. "Jiiro, son, don't fire at Qintaro," Relena told him.

"Kaasan? Why?"

"Qintaro will never hurt me. I'm certain of it."

"But he said so himself"

"Look deep in your heart. If you really are his bestfriend, you'll know that I'm right."

Jiiro lowered his weapon. His mom was right. "How can I stop you from doing something that I know you really have no intention of doing? This is sheer madness, Qintaro. I'm getting tired of this game."

Reina inched closer to Stygma. "Qintaro, stop this now. Let us help you."

"Sorry, Reina. But only Jiiro can help me," Stygma then flew towards her and grabbed HAVOC by the arm, his cannons aimed at her. "You better change your mind fast, Jiiro. I can kill Reina in an instant. I will kill her if you don't act now and stop me. I know that even with her planetary defensors, she wouldn't survive deflecting another shot, seeing that she's too exhausted. Now, choose. Me or Reina?"

"This is getting more ridiculous, Qintaro. If you don't have the guts to kill my mother, whom you have just known for a couple of days, how can you convince me that you could possibly kill Reina? You've been in love with her since the first time we've all met!"

"You don't believe I can hurt her? Then see for yourself." Stygma used his heat rod to hit HAVOC on the leg. Reina cried out in pain, her cries traveling through the commlink.

Jiiro was beginning to get angry. Qintaro was acting like a spoiled child who would do anything to get his way. "Are you really taunting me, Qintaro? You know that I hate being taunted, that I felt like killing someone when I'm angry. And hurting those whom I care for is a surefire thing to make me angry. Do you really want to die?" he asked in a cold voice. Then it hit him. "That's it. You want to die, don't you, Qintaro? That's why you're doing all of this, that's why you're making me angry. You wouldn't have hurt Reina otherwise. You want to die because you're father is dead," he said softly. Jiiro's voice then hardened. "And you're not brave enough to kill yourself so you want me to do it for you. That's really pathetic, Qintaro. Stop acting like a coward and face your grief like a man!"

"I don't care if you see me as a coward! I just can't stand this pain. I failed him. I'm the best soldier in his army, I even mastered the Zero system but I still couldn't save him! If you value your sister's life then kill me!" Qintaro hit HAVOC with his heat rod again.

Jiiro was at lost on what to do. He was still certain that Qintaro wouldn't kill Reina, but Qintaro would hurt her enough for him to want to kill his bestfriend. And Qintaro wanted Jiiro to kill him. He knew he had to stop him, but how? Did he really have no choice but to kill him?

"But how would I know when I don't need to kill and when I do need to kill in order to defeat an enemy?"

"If you really want to help me, if you really are my bestfriend, then you'll do this for me. I would rather die by your hands, Jiiro. If you don't act now, I'll have no choice but to continue on hurting Reina until you kill me," Qintaro said softly, almost pleadingly.

"You'll know. I always told you to act on your emotions, didn't I? Do whatever you feel is the right thing to do. Zero will guide you."

Finally, Jiiro chose one of the possible futures that Zero had shown him. He aimed his twin buster rifle at Stygma then fired. Qintaro pushed the HAVOC out of the way before the beam hit him, sending Stygma plummeting to the ground. Wing Zero stood unmoving for a moment before rushing to where Stygma fell, the HAVOC following behind him. They were still searching when they heard a loud explosion. They followed the sound and found Stygma's wreckage.

"No..." was all Jiiro managed to say. It wasn't suppose to happen this way! He chose... he made sure... didn't he?

Beside Wing Zero, Reina stared at what was left of Stygma, desperately trying to ward off the coldness that was threatening to swallow her. She was almost drained of strength and now this. She could feel her control slipping. "Qintaro" she muttered before succumbing to the darkness.