Chapter 15: A New Dawn

Part 2: Letting Go of the Pain (Freedom: Mind, Body, and Soul)

"Is everything ready?" Quatre quietly asked from the cockpit of his carrier plane.

"Yeah, but Heero's not here yet," Duo replied over the com-link from his own carrier. "What's taking that guy so long anyway?"

"Don't worry about that," the blond calmly reassured, "he'll be joining us once the battle starts. He told Lady Une that he had to go get something first."

"Whad'ya suppose he went to get?" the Deathscythe pilot mused.

"I'd tell you," Quatre began, hearing Duo shuffle closer to the transmitter, "if I knew."

"Man, you really know how to shoot down a person's hopes, don't you, Quatre?" the other pilot wailed, feigning hurt. Hearing the Arabian chuckle in response he pouted, leaning back in his seat. The youth turned his head in the direction of the pilot, a Preventer agent assigned to transport him and his Gundam to the destined site. The man gave him a sympathetic look before turning his attention back to piloting the aircraft.

"How much longer?" the American asked, a bored expression adorning his handsome, youthful face.

"About another hour or so, I'm afraid," the man replied, trying to sound comforting, but failing. They'd left the Preventer base at 3:00 pm and had already been flying for an hour. At this rate, they would reach the Siberian area at 5:00 pm. Duo sighed and placed his chin in his hand and stared out the window. The terrain beneath them was nothing but greens and browns, yet it was peaceful and somehow satisfying.

In a strange, dark compartment, a lone figure in a black flight suit sat, strapped to the seat, waiting for something that only time would bring. Its face was hidden behind a darkened, black helmet, similar to the ones worn in space. Gloved hands gripped the controls of its mobile suit, unwilling to let go or loosen up. All power was turned off, blanketing the space in silence... like a tomb. There was nothing but the accursed silence yet even that was disturbed by the faint, metronomic sounds of a heartbeat.

*doki* *doki* *doki* *doki* *doki*

The suited figure's head budged slightly, facing the blank screen in front of it before lowering again. "Huff... huff... huff... huff..."

They managed to reach the area right when the OZ mobile suits, consisting of Tauruses, Virgos, and Geminis, were leaving the underground Siberian base. That was their cue to take action; the doors to the carriers flew open and the Gundams, Tallgeese III, and Maganacs plummeted to the inevitable battle. The suits descended with incredible speed, like angels come to deliver the final judgment upon the Earth. Activating their boosters and thrusters, they landed on the ground with a resounding thud and froze. The opposition stilled; OZ knew that the likelihood of the Gundams showing up was highly probable, but they thought that they'd get out in time. Damn, they hadn't. There was an eerie silence that loomed over the field, challenging both sides to make the first move.

"Well, I guess this is it," Captain Dereks remarked with a grin on his face. "So, Julian..." he swiveled his head to the picture on the screen, "you ready?" He queried lightly over the com-link before altering his face into a serious expression.

There was a moment of silence before the older man answered back in a determined voice, "Es ist Zeit."

With that, the first shot was fired from the beam rifle of Whitenburg's Gemini II, aimed at the menacing silhouette of Sandrock Kai. Within a fraction of a second the Preventer mobile suits dispersed into their respective teams and returned fire. A shower of bullets from the Gundam's vulcan guns made impact with a few enemy suits, throwing some of them off balance. Quatre and Duo quickly regrouped and flew off to the right while Wufei and Trowa rushed into a group in front of them. Wind was left to fend for himself, muttering curses at Heero for his lack of consideration by not showing up on time; however, those thoughts were quickly severed as he encountered a few Geminis heading in his general direction. The Maganacs were battling the Tauruses and Virgos knowing that they wouldn't stand long against the Geminis with their suits.

"Don't let any of them leave the area!" the blond Arabian pilot yelled to the others with a single-minded determination as more suits continued to fly out of an area a few hundred meters away. This didn't make matters any better, and soon the entire land began echoing the sounds of battle. The sky was a golden orange haze filled with haphazard clouds lazily strewn about. The sun would set in an hour or so and a battle at night wasn't going to be the easiest thing to deal with. It wasn't an option, and they weren't going to make it one.

Two women stood quietly in the forest of the Siberian land, hiding behind an enormous evergreen tree, monitoring the entrance to the enemy base. The last of the suits had left not more than five minutes earlier. They could hear the fighting, even from where they were standing, and it made them worry. Everything would be up to them and, in a way, that was what scared the two; no one likes having the fate of something, anything, riding on their shoulders. The wind was chilly and the woman with sandy blonde hair wondered if it would rain.

"Is it time yet?" she asked her partner who occasionally snuck glances at the clearing.

"We'll know when Lady Une cracks the code and opens that doorway for us," Noin replied, eyes never shifting from their target. "How deep is the drop going to be?"

"Heero said that it was at least fifty meters," Sally answered, walking closer to her comrade. "Do you have your grappling hook ready?" The other nodded a 'yes' in response.

*CLICK* *CLICK* *CLICK*

The locks on the hidden metal barrier could be heard and the two women prepared themselves for the plunge. With cat-like agility, they ran over to the opening portal, wary of the traps that may have been hidden nearby. Before the metal door was even a third of the way open, the Preventer agents leapt into the welcoming darkness that eagerly consumed them. Inside the vertical shaft they fell, motionless in their freefall. They wanted to make sure that they had enough cable line to make it all the way down; stopping early was out of the question. Of course, if they miscalculated their landing then they would end up as Preventer pancakes on the cold metal floor.

"Now!" Noin yelled pulling out the small device tucked in the back of her waistband. Positioning the thing in front of her, she took aim, shot, and hit the metal shaft. The sudden jerk threatened to make her lose her grip, but she managed to hold on and reel herself in with Sally following suit. They landed without much trouble, taking time to store away their equipment safely before they proceeded with their assigned tasks.

"I guess this is where we split up," Sally mused jokingly with a smile. "Be careful while you're looking for them."

"The same goes to you," the raven-haired woman replied with an equally hearty smile. With one last look at each other they parted, heading in opposite directions; Noin going left while Sally headed straight ahead.//Lets see if I remember this; the medical facilities are located in the northwestern sectors of this base. That means that I have to head 200 meters down this corridor then turn left, go another 125 meters, then right and go up another 75 meters. I'm going to get a real workout out of this; I hope that there aren't many soldiers left to monitor this place.//

Glancing down at her watch she estimated the time that she'd need to find her target, meet up with Water, and exit the base. If she made it through without any complications, then she'd only need thirty minutes at the most. Her grip on the gun tightened, ready to deal with any obstacle that chose to interfere with her mission. Hearing footsteps approach her, she unlatched the safety and held the firearm close to her body. Wanting to keep the upper hand, Fire pressed her body to the nearby wall, breath held to prevent detection.

A shadow came into her field of vision, and she trained the weapon on it; it was a guard that looked to be no older than seventeen. She lowered the weapon and decided to let him pass, as long as he didn't see her. Luckily for him, he didn't catch sight of the woman who proceeded on to her destination.//If all they have left are children, then... dammit! I can't fight them, OZ or not. How can people as young as they are just throw away their lives like that? Guess I shouldn't talk; I was fighting when I was even younger than they. God, I feel sick now.//

Ten minutes later she arrived at a large complex, barred from the other side by a looming, metal doorway. She stepped closer, removing a terminal card stolen by Heero from her jacket's pocket. Sliding the small object into the slot above a panel, she waited and in a few seconds the panel began smoking and the door slid open. Taking another breath, she whipped her body into view and was greeted by the sight of four very startled doctors.

"Freeze!"

The Gundams, Tallgeese III, and the Maganacs were busy dealing with the endless numbers of mobile suits. They had been told to prevent any from leaving the base and although it had seemed easy at first, it was soon becoming a much harder task to accomplish. What made it worse was the fact that they were trying their best to prevent any casualties on both sides. All were exhausted, and they doubted that they could last much longer especially considering the fact that more than half the OZ troops were mobile dolls.

In a far corner of the field, Wind was mulling over how he had managed to let himself be surrounded by a mob of Geminis. They hadn't even been in battle for fifteen minutes and already he was cornered. His mind filled with curses as he fought with unbridled strength, fueled by his desire to get back the only family he had left. The young ruler lashed out with his heat rod daring the enemy suits to come closer and meet his wrath; they met that challenge with their beam sabres. Tallgeese took a hit to its right side and nearly stumbled as a metallic fist caught its left cheek. In less than a second he regained his composure and shot at the suits with his mega cannon. The OZ suits instinctively flew out of the pathway of the shot but one was unlucky and lost an arm as punishment for its sloppy maneuvering.

The suits backed off and Wind thought they had finally given up until an earth shattering blast caught him in the back. The force of the impact sent him down on one knee, and he bit his lip to prevent the sound of pain, at being tossed inside the cockpit, from escaping his lips. He cocked Tallgeese's head to the side and caught a glimpse of a Gemini II with a beam rifle. Before he was able to process this new information, the Gemini II's engines flared, and it descended upon the Preventer's mobile suit.

"Zechs Merquise," Whitenburg addressed the other pilot, "I thought that you had given up playing soldier to play prince in a pacifist kingdom."

"Whitenburg!" the younger man hissed, anger building by the second. "You have no idea how surprised I was when I found out that you were the one responsible for Operation ZERO and Relena's current state."

"Really now?" the General mused mockingly. "I would have never guessed that the great Zechs Merquise could ever be surprised or that he would care so much."

"I am no longer Zechs Merquise; that man died," he stated with an eerie calm, extracting his beam sabre from its hidden compartment at the same time.

"Different name, but the same man nonetheless," the other man countered as he whipped out his own beam sabre. "Do you can think that you can escape your past by just changing your identity? Nothing is ever that easy; everyone has a price to pay if they want peace."

"Hn. So what did you sell in order to gain your 'peace'?" Wind queried while they sparred.

"My soul," he answered emotionlessly, taking another hack at Tallgeese III. "Rei!"

Upon command, the terrifying figure of Neo Epyon shot out of its forest confines in a magnificent display of power and speed, trees and shrubbery the victims of such a violet outburst. The Preventer's eyes widened when he realized just who was in that monstrous beast, but it was too late. The creature was fast and before the young man could blink, the beast was only a Gundam's arm length away.

*CRASH*

"WingZERO!?!"

Like an avenger sent from heaven, the angelic WingZERO fell from the skies to intercept the devil sent from hell. The two suits tumbled on the ground, locked in a deadly embrace that neither was willing to relinquish. Rolling ëtil they were a good distance away from the two men, they broke apart simultaneously. Both drew their swords, beam sabre and finely tempered Gundanium, in one swift motion that mirrored the other. Both waited a moment or two, sizing up their opponent. Not wasting a second more, the two took off towards each other at a blinding pace.

"This is Water, have you acquired the targets?" She queried over her communicator. The Preventer had been wandering around the base for about twenty minutes now, and even though she was provided with a floor plan of the area, the facility proved to be more of a labyrinth than she could've imagined. She knew that the battle above ground had been going on for over half an hour now, and there wasn't a thing she could do to make things easier. They were depending on her, and she was very well aware of it.

"Target acquired," Fire reported to the blonde woman, a muffled protest was proof of that, "I'll meet up with you in about ten minutes, stay safe till then." She switched off leaving the other alone yet again.

Rounding the corner, she came upon a metal doorway and taking a closer look she located the control panel. With caution, she proceeded to extract the terminal card from her pocket and slipped it into the slot. With a resounding click, the door unlocked and slid open. Gun in tow, she swung around and was surprised to find only two soldiers at the control and communications terminal. "Freeze!" she shouted firmly, the two froze upon command and lifted their hands up, surrendering.

Their problem was that inhuman pilot of Neo Epyon; Rei Tamashii, the one who had no soul to call her own at the moment. It took all that they had to try to keep her at bay. The two who concentrated on containing her were Wind and Heero; both knew what to expect from a machine born from Epyon and were putting that knowledge to good use. As Heero fought Rei, Wind kept the Geminis, along with Whitenburg, from interfering or getting into their area. In battle there were no longer any hostilities between them and for that, the other Preventers were happy, not to mention relieved.

The fiery sky was going to darken in less than an hour, and it seemed as if the clouds were starting to gather; they had to hurry but they couldn't do much until Fire and Water finished their missions first. "Kisama!" Wufei cursed as he took the full brunt of a beam rifle from a Gemini II. Extending his left dragon fang, he disarmed the machine and proceeded to strategically disassemble it.

"Wufei, stay focused, you're going to overexert yourself if you keep this up," Trowa remarked to his partner.

"I wouldn't have to if those onnas would just hurry up and finish their missions," the furious Chinese youth retorted.

The stoic pilot smiled to himself and switched his communication to his comrades on the other side. "Quatre, Duo, how are you two handling your end of things?"

Over static and muffled groans of pain came a familiar laugh. "What do you think, Trowa?" the braided, maniac pilot responded as he swung his weapon at a mobile doll, "We're up to our necks in these things."

"Yeah," Quatre chimed in, agreeing with his partner, "Duo's right; if we continue on like this, we'll lose the battle before the sun even sets. How's Heero doing anyway?"

"By the looks of it, not well," Trowa replied grimly.

The Neo Epyon took another swing at ZERO with a savageness that almost bordered on desperation. That was how the Tamashii units worked, causing its wearer to fight as if their life were on the line, as if this would be the last battle, as if there would be no more tomorrow. Tomorrow. The WingZERO pilot was looking forward to that, very, very much: a tomorrow where OZ no longer existed, where he no longer had to fight. However, there were some things he had to take care of first before he could take another step into the future he was imagining; he had to take her down.

"Kuso!" the Japanese pilot cursed when he failed to dodge the heat rod of the red beast, taking the blow to WingZERO's head, causing him to shift violently in the cockpit. He was getting nowhere; the girl had the Tamashii units and the ZERO system on her side while he was still held back by human weariness and reflexes.//Why did I ask them to make the ZERO system's activation manual? Shimatta!// If he didn't activate the ZERO system to his own suit soon, he would lose the fight and everything else along with it.

*CLANG*

Their two swords came together; beam sabre against finely tempered Gundanium in a series of sparks and clashes. It was a strange dance that took place both on land and in air. WingZERO lashed forward with its familiar green blade only to have it deflected by that of Neo Epyon's. The angelic Gundam's wings flapped to gain more altitude in an attempt to put some distance between them; however, Epyon was fast and it tailed the other in a dangerous game of cat and mouse. As they soared through the glowing orange sky, the others glanced up now and again, keeping tabs on what passed between them.

Flying over a particular area of the land, the two soon attracted the attentions of about a dozen or so Taurus mobile dolls. They gave chase, a hail of gunfire the only thing acknowledging their presence. With the added threat the WingZERO pilot had no other choice but to seek assistance from the menacing and mentally hazardous program.//No other paths left open.// As the ZERO system came to life, it seemed as if time had slowed; mere moments became an expanded lifetime as the youth's mind was being connected to the machine. Once the process was complete, the Gundam took off in an unexpected burst of speed, spiraling in its flight to avoid another shower of bullets aimed in its direction. It was like a shooting star, bright, beautiful, and unknowingly dangerous. Personally, the Japanese pilot didn't need the system to accomplish such tasks, but the weariness was taking effect, and he didn't need that factor to drag him down.

Every single shot fired in his direction missed, and the now mechanical soldier fired a volley in response, destroying many on impact.//I have to be able to stay calm. I can't let this thing take hold of me. I have to keep her impressions at bay.// Doing a U-turn; he made his way back into the fray. Positioning his twin barrel buster rifle, the pilot took aim and unleashed oblivion onto the mobile dolls. Before he was able to confirm his hit, Neo Epyon collided into him, knocking the buster rifle out of ZERO's grip and interlocking their fingers together. In such a situation there was only one thing that the two could do: plummet and crash onto the Earth below them.

Down, down, down, they went, still in their dangerous hold. Sad thing was, neither felt the impact when they made contact with the ground, sending clouds of dust and pieces of the earth into the sky; both their minds wrapped within the confines of the destructive ZERO system. Shaking it off as if it were nothing but a mere scratch, the two were up again. Their swords had been replaced, and they assumed the dance once more. Inside WingZERO, Heero fought with all his might against the images of the crimson-eyed soldier that flooded his psyche. He saw her, dead eyes, pale skin, golden hair, and the small lips from which he wanted words to come. After being inside of the Neo Epyon for nine months, Heero knew that the ZERO system would acknowledge her as its rightful pilot. It would know which brainwaves belonged inside the suit and which ones didn't; there was nothing familiar about this pilot. To make up for that fact, the system barraged the current pilot with memories, or rather data collected during flights, to see if any would register. None did.

As their swords locked once more, WingZERO kicked Neo Epyon in the midsection, causing it to stagger back several meters. Before the other could recover, it let out a few rounds of fire from its vulcan guns, hitting the beast in many areas. The youth was about to charge again when a transmission interrupted his assault. "Heero?! Heero?!" this quickly snapped the pilot out of his trance, and he acknowledged the sender.

"Hn."

"Good," the feminine voice let out a sigh of relief, "this is Water, mission accomplished."

That was all Heero needed to hear; a smile, somewhat sadistic and menacing, crept its way on his face. Giving a sideways glance to the monitor he saw the mobile dolls deactivate and fall silent. It was now time to really put on the pressure; he had to make her go to her limits, and maybe even beyond. In one swift motion he lunged forward, the attack unexpected, and brought her to the ground. Neo Epyon attempted to get up but was brought down again by a hail of ammo from WingZERO's vulcan guns. The assault didn't last long and before Heero was able to close the gap, Neo Epyon burst into the air. The other gave chase, and they were once more resuming their dog fight.//You won't get away OZ; I'll follow you to the ends of the Earth if I have to. You're mine!//

What was wrong with her? Only moments ago she was in control. In the blink of an eye her mind had paused, and, for the briefest of seconds, everything stopped, only to come back to reality and find that the tables had turned in his favor. There was something wrong. Her mind, it was slower than before, and her reaction time had decreased about 5 percent from its original standings. Something definitely wasn't right, but she couldn't place a finger on it; she was too busy trying to dodge WingZERO's attacks. What added to the problem was a dull ache in the back of her head that steadily increased as she concentrated harder on maintaining control of the ZERO system.

She cocked her head to the side and caught a glimpse of the accursed Gundam a few meters away. With a quick flick of her wrist, her Gundam spun around and lashed out with the heat rod, catching WingZERO in the face. The opponent only staggered slightly and quickly recovered, opening its vulcan guns to deliver a volley of ammo. Rei was tossed violently inside her cockpit and upon checking the gauges, knew that she had been hit in critical areas. Balance had been lost, and, while she fought to regain it, she failed to notice that her opponent was dangerously close. Time seemed to have stopped as the two Gundams collided with one another once more.

Off in the distance, their comrades ceased in their attack to watch in silent awe the events that had just transpired. At this point they weren't sure who the victor would be anymore. With the mobile dolls out of service, the numbers became reasonable enough to deal with. The sound of the two Gundam's impact broke them out of their trance, and they resumed combat.

Back to where Heero and Rei landed, the two proceeded to get up, both their weapons lost in that atmospheric collision. Inside their respective cockpits, they were both breathing heavily, exhaustion finally setting in... maybe not. Both rushed forward and their hands locked together in a test of strength. Pushing against one another, hoping that the other would relent, both soon realized that they were evenly matched. In Heero's mind it was now or never.

"Relena." His deep, soft voice called out.

The name registered in her head, but she wasn't able to discern where she had heard it.

"Relena." It was firmer this time, but still gentle as well.

Who was this pilot calling to? Was it her or was he addressing another one of his comrades?

"The name is Rei," she replied with the same amount of emotion that went into her everyday speech.

"Relena!" The pilot sounded almost as if he were pleading.

What was he trying to do?//Pain.// That dull ache that resided in her head had increased into a throbbing.//What's going on?// It was difficult keeping her mind on her enemy while trying to block out the pain at the same time.//Enemy! He must be the one causing all this pain.// Her mind conjured up his image, and she immediately honed onto his deep Prussian blue eyes. A chill ran up her spine, and she winced at the feeling. Feeling. It was a strange sense of recognition, like that time in the prisoner's cell. She was feeling him again, that odd sensation of trust, strength, and hope. His face appeared again, but this time it was smiling, or showing something that could possibly pass as a smile. From this she felt warmth, happiness, and a tinge of sadness.//What's... happening... to me?... Pain.// Again, her mind was barraged with that throbbing pain, but still she fought on for control. "Wha-Ahhh!"

*FLASHBACK*

There was an audience of what looked to be diplomats sitting in a large room, staring at a young girl in a formal white dress with a red sash across her chest and abdomen. It was silent, and her eyes shifted, on accident, to the balcony. She came face to face with HIM; he was wearing an OZ uniform and aiming a gun in her direction.//Heero.// Her mind acknowledged with regret and fear, her eyes almost pleading with his to shoot her.

*END FLASHBACK*

"Relena." The voice sounded concerned, but if this was the same person in that scene then it shouldn't have sounded so.

"What are you doing to-Unhhh!"

*FLASHBACK*

The two youths were walking down a dark corridor when the boy suddenly halted. His head moved to the left and right, sensing something. The girl asked him what was wrong, but before she could say anything more, he shouted, "Get down and cover your head! Peacemillion is about to crash into us!" Before the girl had time to react, the area shook violently and a body covered hers, acting as a shield. Minutes passed before the girl shifted, and the weight on top of her lifted. She turned around and her eyes took in the handsome and stern face of the boy, his concerned Prussian blue eyes, then darted to the wound on his arm.

*END FLASHBACK*

Her breathing was labored and the girl frantically tried to sort out the distorted images and feelings flooding her mind.

"Fight it." This time there was determination underlining his words.

"You are the enemy! Ugh!"

*FLASHBACK*

At the balcony to a school a boy stood with his back and arms against its stone rails. His face seemed to be staring off into space while a group of girls watched him from the side. One of the girls, a blonde one with blue-green eyes, walked up to him and handed him a piece of paper. The words that the girl spoke were unheard as he took the paper from her hand. Then suddenly with no warning whatsoever the boy ripped the paper in half. Tears started to form in the girl's eyes as she mouthed the word 'Why?'. Before a single drop could fall he reached out his hand towards her face and took the tear away.

"Omae o korosu."

*END FLASHBACK*

"Relena, please..." It was pleading again.

"Who are you talking t-Argh!"

"You're stronger than this. Fight it. Break free."

*FLASHBACK*

A youth with the unruly dark brown hair was typing away at a computer terminal, exchanging words with a blonde-haired girl sitting nearby. His concentration solely on his work but then his face tensed when the girl spoke a few words. Getting up, he turned to face her.

"Don't make me repeat it; I'm nothing compared to you."

*END FLASHBACK*

"What are you trying to d-Ahhh, my head!" Neo Epyon slumped a bit but desperately held its ground.

"Come back to us, Relena... Come back to me..." The last few words trailed off into a whisper.

*FLASHBACK*

WingZERO stood in the middle of a large and empty room. The only presence that could be seen there was that of a young boy and girl. They both stood in front of the Gundam's open cockpit, staring into each other's eyes as they exchanged words. The girl had a look of worry on her face while the boy had one of reassurance.

"If you live through this, there will be peace," the boy said as he brought his helmeted head closer to hers. If not for the helmets one could have sworn that their lips would touch, even if it were the slightest of butterfly touches.

The boy smiled once more and without warning he pushed the girl away. As she floated further from his presence he mouthed a few words that only she was able to hear.

*END FLASHBACK*

"Believe in me," the girl breathed out softly, recalling those words as if they were as clear as day.

"I do," Heero reassured in a soft tone like he had done when they were on Libra.

Rei's eyes widened then everything seemed to turn a blinding white. "AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"

Unknown to the two, their conversation had been tapped into by the Preventers, Whitenburg, and Dereks. When the blood-curdling scream pierced their com-links, everything seemed to stop. Sandrock Kai ceased in his attack and dropped the hands that held the heat shotels. Deathscythe Hell responded in kind and lowered his double beam scythe, pivoting its head in the direction of the scream. On the other side of the field, Heavyarms Kai turned its head towards the Altron, the other retracting its dragon arms in response. Yet again, in another area of the battlefield Tallgeese III and a Gemini II froze, their pilots were weld up with fear.

"Rei!" "Relena!" They shouted simultaneously, thrusters and jet engines flaring to reach the destination in time.

Heero sat quietly in his cockpit closely monitoring the Neo Epyon. He was afraid after he heard her death cry. His brows furrowed in deep concern, and he was about to call to her again when he caught sight of Neo Epyon's cockpit door opening. It wasn't a good idea for her to do that since Neo Epyon's chest was facing the ground rather than straight ahead. The Japanese pilot saw hand movements and the truth dawned on him. Quickly undoing his own straps with a frantic anxiety, he opened the cockpit door, but it was too late. The girl had managed to undo her safety straps before he had and tumbled out towards the ground. She desperately tried to shift her body in order to land on her feet, but failed miserably, her legs gave out beneath her, and she fell on her side, rolling a few feet away. With his cockpit door now open, Heero jumped down to join her on the ground, landing neatly like a cat. He ran towards the girl and saw that she was slowly getting up, staggering a bit as she did so. Her hand on her helmet, she was trying to push back the pain that continued to rack her psyche as she wobbled on unsteady legs. Then the rains came, unexpected and unwanted.

He tried to reach out for her, but she lashed out with a punch, which he dodged easily. She came back with a kick to his head but he just ducked to avoid it. Both her hands were now on her helmet, suppressing the images, the pain, the emotions that she was feeling from his presence. In anger, something that she shouldn't have felt, she threw another punch. He dodged it, but was unable to do so when she swung her arm backwards, giving him a harsh backhand that sent the both of them sprawling to the ground. As they got back up, both drew their guns from their waist holsters and trained them on each other. The two stood there, daring the other to shoot, to end it all. The silence was nerve-racking and Heero couldn't take it anymore.

"It all ends here!" Heero seethed through his clenched teeth, but there was pain in his eyes, "One of us will not leave this battlefield alive! Whether or not you or I live, there will be a tomorrow! There will be an end to this bloodshed."

"Ryoukai," the girl replied emotionlessly. Her grip on the gun tightened and her finger moved to pull the trigger.//::NO!::// The voice inside her head screamed and, unconsciously, she threw the gun away from her, both hands now on the helmet. The girl staggered a few steps backwards and forwards and then she threw her helmet off violently, hands now directly on her head. Her fingers dug through hair and she let out a silent cry. Weak from the fight, arms fell to her sides and knees buckled once more, collapsing forward. Faster than one could have imagined, Heero ran and caught her before she could hit the ground. The girl shivered, and he whispered soothing words, brushing aside the golden strands of hair that stuck to her face.

They just sat there with her cradled in his arms, while the explosions and gunfire lit up the sky behind them. Slowly, the girl's eyes fluttered open, and Heero gasped at the sight. Although it was darker than before, there was still enough light to discern a few things. One of those things was the color of her eyes; no longer the empty blood red but a sad marine blue. "Relena," Heero choked out as he gripped her body tighter.

"He-Heero?" she responded in a confused tone; her eyes went wide as realization came upon her. "Oh God, w-what have I done?" She brought her hands up to look at them while tears flowed unbidden down her pale cheeks. "AAHHHHH!!!!" another scream tore from her throat, and she pushed the Japanese pilot away. She got up and tried to run away but only managed to stumble after a few steps. Then everything went black.

They were almost there, Wind and Whitenburg, ignoring the fighting that still continued on around them. Their minds solely focused on the Epyon pilot so that they were unconscious of the third party that joined them. It was a Gemini II that had broken from its fight with Sandrock Kai to trail the two in front of it. All three were pushing their mobile suits to the limits, engines blazing at full force, driven by fear, anxiety, desperation, anger, and need.

The first thing that came into her field of vision was a soft brown haze. Focusing more closely she was able to make out button eyes and a small red ribbon.//Where am I?// Her stomach twisted, and she feared that she would fall forward, unconscious. Surprisingly something held her back; looking down at her body she saw that she was strapped to the seat inside a mobile suit. Fear. She couldn't be back inside the Neo Epyon! Could she? Frantically looking to her left and her right, her gaze suddenly rested on the seat in front of her.//Wait a minute, mobile suit cockpits only have one seat inside of them.// Studying it more closely she made out chocolate brown spikes; she knew that she was inside WingZERO. "Heero?"

"Hn?"

"Why?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"You're still needed... and I can't control WingZERO with Neo Epyon's ZERO system in it. You'll neutralize the effects while I pilot it," he stated matter-of-factly.

"No," came the quick response, "the bear."

".... I thought it would help calm your mind."

"Oh... Thank you, Heero."

"....."

Somehow Whitenburg managed to get to the spot first, quickly taking in the scene before him. Next to him was Neo Epyon, cockpit door open, pilot absent, dead; to the left was WingZERO coming back to life as its green eyes flared. His jaws tightened and without a second thought, he opened Gemini II's entrance, unfastened himself and ran outside. In one amazing leap, he crossed the gap that lay between him and the sleeping red beast, taking no heed of the rain. In another minute the man was inside and everything was turned on; he'd awaken the monster. Unaccustomed to the feel of the ZERO system, he allowed the program to take over his mind. Seconds too late were Wind and Dereks who could do nothing but watch as the Neo Epyon moved towards them.

//What is he doing?// Heero wondered when he saw the older man's action.//There's no way he can control the ZERO system, especially since it's mine. He's going to get himself killed! What the hell is he thinking?// Taking a quick glance back to check on Relena, he moved to intercept the General. Unaware that the com-link between his Gundam and the other was still active, he was caught by surprise when the other man spoke.

"Where is she?!" Whitenburg demanded throwing a punch at the youth. WingZERO dodged but its pilot remained silent. "Give her back!" the OZ General ordered as he swung the heat rod at his opponent.

"She doesn't belong to you," Heero countered delivering a kick to Epyon's midsection and fired his vulcan guns.

"I need her to attain my future!" he shouted furiously, thrusters roaring, he rammed into WingZERO.

"AAHHHH!!" Relena's frightened scream caused the other man to stop in his actions.

"Rei?!"

"Why are you doing this?" Heero questioned in his dangerous voice, "What is making you do this?"

".... Anna," he whispered unknowingly, remembering the girl of his past.

"...." For the first time since the battle began, he recalled what Dorothy had said to him the previous night.

*FLASHBACK*

"He's a man still in mourning, Yuy," Dorothy said with a stern expression, "the Gundams took away from him the only thing that he had ever considered important."

"And what's that?" the youth sounded annoyed.

"His hope, Yuy," her voice contained some emotion, "Anna Weilheilm was his hope, the only thing that kept him going during his life. They'd been together since childhood, protecting and caring for one another. He loved her more than his own life and would have done anything to see her happy. When she died during the battle at New Edwards, the most important part of himself died as well."

"What does that have to do with me?" came the cold reply.

"...... When Mister Milliard delivered that speech on L1, he said something about not losing hope."

"So?" he was getting really impatient.

"Think about it, Yuy," she quickly snapped, "Miss Relena is hope, isn't she? What would you do if you lost her?" There was silence. "I thought as much."

*END FLASHBACK*

Heero felt his heart constrict as he reached that level of understanding for his enemy, and suddenly, he didn't want to fight anymore. There had been too much bloodshed already and he wanted to partake of it no more. Looking back at Relena, sad eyes smiling at the girl who was clutching the stuffed bear close to her form, he turned the Gundam off with the exception of the com-link.

"What are you doing?!" Wind yelled, "You're supposed to be protecting Relena!"

"I am," the Gundam pilot retorted but there was no edge to his voice.

"Fight me, Heero Yuy!" Whitenburg screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Are you going to risk losing her again?" Heero quickly interjected in a somber tone.

"... Unh!..." The images of the young Vice Foreign Minister cascaded into his mind. The smiling face of the young girl as she handed a card to the person in front of her, eyes shining with hope. Another one, sad, almost on the verge of tears, as she watched a scene in front of her. Many more appeared as well, all provided by the memories of the ZERO pilot. Whitenburg couldn't say anything as his knuckles turned white from gripping the controls too tightly. Soon her face was replaced with that of a similar one, but more mature with shorter hair; she was smiling.

"It has to end, Julian," Dereks voice joined in, "this has gone on for far too long. It's time to let go, before history repeats itself."

"......"

"Anna never wanted you to end up this way.... I'm sorry to say that I never saw the light earlier, but now I have.... There... there has been too much heartache... too much pain... for all of us."

//Anna... Es tut mir leid... ich liebe dich...//

"... You're right... it will end... alles... I suggest that you all leave... unless you want to join me," the older man calmly stated.

"What are you talking about, Julian," Dereks voice wavered, "You couldn't mean... Mein Gott, Julian, no!"

"We have to get out of here!" a serious Wind commanded as he activated his engines and thrusters. Heero did the same, but said nothing as he departed.

"Julian, you don't have to do this!" the brown-eyed man pleaded. "Scheisse! Just walk away!"

".... I've tried," the man's voice choked out, "but all I've ever wanted was to be with her. Go, you need not be a part of this... this is my path... Please, Samuel, live."

"But I promised her that I'd make sure you'd stay alive until the end! I'm not going back on my word to her! Come on, just let go!" Samuel screamed in desperation, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"It's already the end... and I want... I want to thank you for accompanying me up ëtil this time. Now go, before your life is frivolously wasted," Whitenburg replied calmly.

"But-"

"I won't change my mind."

"....... Fine," he answered bitterly, remorsefully. Starting up the engines again, he flew away, still gazing upon the form of the Neo Epyon. The tears flowed down his cheeks, but he made no attempt to wipe them off, his face was set in stone. The man didn't even blink when the red monster glowed and then exploded, sending up fire and smoke that could me seen a mile away. A beautiful, smiling face with warm blue eyes and shoulder length, golden hair was the last thing the General saw before everything became white then black. The OZ suits became still, surrendering; the sun had set as well, bringing a close to the final chapter of a sad life.

"Auf Wiedersehen die Ewigkeit... mein freunde."

The sky was a dreary shade of gray, mixed in with the off whites of the clouds. The rain was relentless, however, the land gladly welcomed its arrival. There wasn't a living creature in sight, save for the few pedestrians running to seek shelter in anything they could find. Among them was a lone, lithe figure, dressed in a white blouse and Burgundy skirt that came to below the knee. The small form was unprotected from the assaulting wetness, having no umbrella in its possession.

A few sandy blonde tresses clung to her face while the rest hung at her back. Her clothes stuck to her body like a second skin and she received a few off-handed glances from passersby. She was definitely a strange sight to behold and even if it weren't for the lack of sunlight and the distorting effects of the rain, the people still wouldn't have been able to recognize their Vice Foreign Minister. Regardless, she continued on her unknown path, eyes downcast, seeming to ignore the cold that engulfed the area. She felt nothing; not the searing cold, not the pounding raindrops, not even the stinging wind that would have sent chills down a normal person's spine.

She was no longer the same person prior to the whole ordeal. This young leader had changed so much, both physically and mentally. Normally, she would be running about seeking sanctuary like the rest, but things were different now. Her body was now hard, toned, firm, well muscled, and impervious to almost all weather conditions. The training she unknowingly endured during the nine months of her captivity had paid off, to her liking or not. Although her body had become stronger, her mind was a different matter. The storm raging outside was nothing compared to the one that resided in her psyche. It was full of sorrow, despair, anxiety, fear, hopelessness, and all the other monsters that were released from Pandora's box.

The time she had lost was something that she could never regain. Time she could have used to further her cause in bringing peace, in strengthening the relationship with her brother, her friends, the time she could have used to organize her life... gone. If she could, she would have cried and let the tears roll down her face, but she couldn't; however, the rain was a sufficient enough substitute for the absent crystalline drops. They had stolen so much from her and had given her things that were so superficial.

As she continued in her slow and silent vigil, ignoring more sideway glances, a bench came into her field of vision. Even though she didn't feel tired, she decided that it was useless to go on with no destination in mind. The decision was made, and she resigned herself to sit down on the rain-drenched furnishing. Sitting in the middle, her form was still; hands held together in her lap, eyes still downcast.//Who am I? I don't even know anymore... Milliard and Noin say that everything will be alright and that I just need some time to re-adjust to this new situation... but it's not that simple. How can they still look at me that way when they know about all the people that I killed... all the lives that I've taken... all the pain that I've caused?... How can I still look at myself?// Unconsciously, her head turned to the side to stare at her reflection in a puddle beside her. Her face was somber, her lips were set in a frown, her eyes... marine blue... sad...

Six hours earlier at an E.S.U.N. conference...

The immense auditorium was filled to high capacity level, yet hushed. The people giving their full attention to the man behind the podium. When the members of the E.S.U.N., diplomats, representatives, and the press entered, they had no idea what to expect. They caught their breaths when the President of the E.S.U.N announced that their beloved Vice Foreign Minister Darlian had been found and was going to make a speech that very same night. He had been discreet on the details, probably because he was as unsure about the entire thing as the rest of them, and just said the usual introductions and greetings. After twenty minutes, the man's speech was finally coming to an end.

"I know that the past ten months has been a time filled with much tension and regrets. I'm sorry to say that it was a reflection of how we, as human beings, can sometimes lose control of our own senses and judgment," he paused to straighten his tie and shuffle the papers of his speech. "Before I let the Vice Foreign Minister take the lectern I would like to say a few words of advice. Although there has been much disagreement in the past, and many things have been done that cannot be easily forgiven or forgotten, I hope that all things can be settled. We no longer need to hold grudges over past disputes, so let's work together to forge a new future for humanity. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen."

As the audience clapped with approval, the President bowed and stepped away from the podium. He waited until a young woman dressed in a light blue Sank uniform appeared from the side curtains. The older man walked over to embrace her, giving her a peck on the cheek, like a father to his daughter. "I'm glad to have you back. Don't worry, you'll do fine." The man whispered those words of encouragement in her ears, unaware of all the turmoil that she had been through. She knew he meant well so the girl gave a forced smile in return. Her few, but heavily crammed, years in politics allowed her to mask her true feelings well. The girl wasn't proud of that fact, but she was glad of the useful purposes it served.

After they parted, the Vice Foreign Minister took her position behind the podium, giving a reassuring glance at the older man once she was there. Her eyes were downcast as she adjusted the microphone and tidied her papers. Giving a soft sigh, she forced her face into that of a stern politician and began.

*FLASHBACK*

"Relena, are you sure about this?" Milliard inquired with concerned eyes. "They don't have to know; it doesn't concern them, and their lives won't be affected in any way if you choose not to say." Both his hands were on her shoulders: firm, gentle, and comforting.

Relena looked up into his kind face, and her own frowned with sadness. "They need to know, Milliard. Those people trust me to ensure the peace, and they are the ones to decide for themselves whether or not to keep on trusting me. In order for that to happen, they have to know what kind of person I am; what I've been through and what I'm capable of," she stopped and averted her eyes when she felt the tears threatening to unleash themselves. The lithe girl looked back up, her eyes almost pleading with her brother's. "They deserve to know, Milliard. They put so much of their trust in me; I have to make sure that it's well placed. If I don't tell them, then it's the same as lying. They don't need that, not after all they've gone through."

"But what about everything you've been through?" the elder Peacecraft's question stung her, and pain entered her heart. Her head hung low, she no longer held any value or respect for her own life.

"One life, especially mine, does not matter compared to the lives of the many," it was said in such a quiet tone that the people around her weren't able to register it. "I've always been a puppet to peace, whatever they decide for me, I will comply. That's what's best for everyone..."

*END FLASHBACK*

"Ladies and gentlemen," she began firmly; setting all fears and doubts aside, "I know that you all have questions concerning my whereabouts during the last ten months. I will not lie to you, because I know that you deserve much more than that; however, what I have to tell you might cause you to hate me. I am willing to deal with that, but I hope that you can forgive me." Relena halted in her speech, taking a deep breath to calm and steady her body.

"As you all may have known, during the past month or so, there have been numerous reports of a Gundam attack at several military bases situated around the Earth," she raised her hand to quiet the audience when they erupted with gasps and whispers. "Please do not jump to conclusions as to who was behind the attack. They were not the actions of the Gundam pilots that took part in the Eve Wars and saved our lives when Libra threatened humanity."

"How do you know that?!" an unknown voice shouted from the seats in the auditorium.

"I can assure you that it was not them... because I was the one who carried out those attacks." Not surprisingly, the crowd gasped, shocked by what she had said, and started to converse about it. Relena waited awhile, knowing that they needed time to absorb the news. Once they had hushed a bit she continued, no matter how difficult it was to do so. "Ten months ago, I was kidnapped by an OZ faction that had yet to be disbanded. From then on my mind was taken over. I have already submitted the data on that to the members of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation, and I'm certain that they are eager to look at it, especially after what I have just said. I'm sorry for not being strong enough to prevent them from doing that to me, but I'm even sorrier for letting them capture me in the first place..." She stopped as another memory bombarded her mind.

*FLASHBACK*

"... you're too careless when you do things like this. If I were an assassin then you'd be dead by now."

*END FLASHBACK*

"A friend once told me that I was too careless with my actions, and I'm sorry to say that I only realized it after my capture," the younger Peacecraft tried to force another smile, but her eyes betrayed that false sentimentality. "I guess I was being selfish; I should correct that flaw of mine." It came out a bit sarcastically, and she hoped that they hadn't picked up on it.//Maybe I'm not as ready for this as I originally thought... I still harbor too much resentment and despair... they probably see through this false bravado... I still need time.//

"Vice Foreign Minister Darlian," it was the President of the E.S.U.N. who had spoken up from his seat in the front row, "I think that I speak for a majority of the people here by saying that it doesn't matter. To us you are still Vice Foreign Minister Darlian; you're the one who has given us hope and a future to look forward to. I'm sorry to say that we have been burdening you with responsibilities that a young woman your age should not be thinking of. We've unfairly placed the task of maintaining peace upon your young shoulders without real thought or consideration. Instead of worrying about the lives of those both in space and on Earth, you should be enjoying the peace that you've helped earn. We are ashamed to have done that to you and we are even more ashamed to have not seen it earlier." The sudden sounds of agreement made him stop for a moment.

"Whatever that OZ faction did to you, it doesn't change who you really are; we can see that in your eyes. If you had meant to cause any harm to people then your eyes wouldn't be showing the sadness, regret, and pain that we are seeing. You were obviously turned into something against your will, and we understand that you feel unworthy to hold your office because of that. Well, it doesn't matter to us, we would gladly let you hold the position of Vice Foreign Minister, if you like. We trust you to make the right decision about your position-"

"You shouldn't!" she quickly snapped at the old man. "You shouldn't trust me because I don't think that I can even trust myself... I am no longer certain of what I am capable of... the only thing I really know for sure is that I can kill..."//Why can't you people understand that?//

The rain had not ceased in its assault, but the figure remained stationary on the park bench. She'd lost track of the time that she'd spent there; she no longer knew how long it had been since she had changed out of her Sank uniform and left the hotel. Along with that she was unable to estimate the time based on the light of day because of the clouds that sprawled across the sky. She was lost. Once again becoming a child that had strayed off the path that had been set for her.//What am I going to do now? I'm still their Vice Foreign Minister, but not the same as the one ten months ago... How can they still trust me?... huh?// It had been several minutes before the girl realized that the wetness no longer collided against her body. Shifting her gaze from the hands she held in her lap to the pavement, she took in a pair of brown boots and light blue jeans. Looking slightly higher, she saw a familiar dark blue jacket covering a green tank top. Higher yet she saw HIM, holding an umbrella over her soaking form.

"It's dangerous to be out here alone."

//He's becoming too predictable for his own good... Oh Heero, how can you still protect me knowing what kind of person I've become?// Relena was silent and averted her gaze from his, but still chose to speak to him. "I know, but I just wanted to enjoy the rain." She lied; the girl wanted to get away from the people who'd bombarded her with endless questions.

"C'mon." He held out a hand to her and waited. Relena looked into his eyes and saw something that she had not previously seen before. Other than that, little change could be seen in the features of the grim youth. A minute passed before she hesitantly took his offered hand and was pulled off the bench. Once up, he looked deep into her eyes, searching for something, then started to walk in the direction the girl was previously headed in. She waited a second before following closely behind him.

"I don't need the umbrella, you know," it was a statement that held little emotion. "The cold and wetness aren't as profound as they used to be... I can barely feel anything, all thanks to OZ." Her voice became bitter and her face seemed set in stone. "Why are you here, Heero?" No emotion was present in that question.

"I'm more than capable of protecting myself nowadays; the training I endured guaranteed me that much."

"Just thought that you might like someone to talk to." Same cold, monotone voice he used for everything else. "I'm here if you're willing." A slight tinge of compassion.

"Are you really?"

"Yeah." His tone was softer this time.

The girl waited, contemplated, then resigned to confide in him. Despite what she had thought earlier that morning, she really needed someone to comfort her. "I really appreciate that." She received a grunt in reply. "I'm not sure of who I am anymore, Heero. After everything that's happened, I can no longer distinguish Relena from Rei. All that she went through, I went through; the fact that I am unable to remember much is irrelevant."

"Are you scared that Rei could become a hidden part of you? That she would stay dormant inside you and come out without warning and harm people? Or are you afraid that you, yourself, would be capable of harming others without Rei's influence? Or are you scared of the new abilities that you have acquired?" His questions seemed to touch at every corner of her brain and she nodded, a 'yes' to all of the above.

"I never thought that I would be capable of harming people, but my time with OZ has set aside all doubts I ever had on that subject." She held her arm out in front of her, still walking, and slowly motioned her hand open and close. The muscles that moved in her limb showed through the material of her wet clothing, her mind aflame with anger.

"You just have to control yourself and be more careful about how you handle things now," he replied with his back still turned to her. "Of course, you never really had a problem with that before."

"What if I can't!" she screamed with distress.

"I'm able to do so; so I know that you can as well." Heero's voice was his same dispassionate one, even though he was trying to be sincere.

"I haven't had the years of experience that you have," she responded as she continued to follow a few inches behind him. "Besides, the experience that I have, I can't even recall. I'm lost, and the people think that it's nothing for them to worry about. They don't know the danger that I pose to them.... Maybe they do and they're just waiting for me to do something that will bring about my ruin. They're putting too much of their trust in me... they're doing it blindly... and I know that one day they'll regret it."

Heero didn't answer right away, instead he just kept up his pace, not bothering to look back to see if she was far behind or not. "I agree with them, Relena," he finally spoke, unable to see the look of surprise on her face. "If you don't remember what you did then it's not a part of you. You are still the same person that you were before OZ; the only difference is that you have been told of things that you can't even remember. If you were never told, then you wouldn't have suspected anything out of the ordinary."

"You're saying that you would have preferred that I remain ignorant about this?!"

"No, just that you wouldn't have pursued the matter any further if you had been denied that specific information."

"But I killed, Heero!" a soundless sob escaped her lips. "I killed so many people! I know because when my memory crossed with Rei's, I saw all the death and destruction that I wrought onto the world. Their screams still reverberate through my ears whenever I sleep. I can't get them out of my head, and I'm scared of them."

He whirled around without warning, surprising Relena. His eyes transfixed themselves on hers and held her gaze. "You didn't know that you killed!" He said firmly and a bit harshly. "You were unaware of anything that happened because of the Tamashii units."

"That doesn't make it justified! Killing is never justified!" she yelled in protest. "Killing is killing... and I killed many..." The young politician could no longer hold his gaze, deciding that it was better to look upon gray concrete instead of Prussian blue eyes. A warm hand grabbed hers and her head shot up in surprise, realizing that it was Heero doing that.

"Come with me." The Japanese pilot said with the gentlest of voices, tugging at her arm. She nodded her head and allowed herself to be led. The two proceeded to walk to a destination known only to the WingZERO pilot. It was a silent walk, neither one really having anything to say, but the youth still held the girl's hand. It was a long time before the young man decided to break the silence. "Are you disappointed in me... because I killed?"

Her eyes widened in shock, and she quickly protested his statement. "No! Of course not! Why would you think that I'd be disappointed in you? You killed because you had no other choice-"

"There is always a choice, Relena," he cut in, remembering Zechs' words. "I chose to fight; I chose to kill. Like you said before, killing is never justified."

"But... you did it because you wanted to help the colonies," her voice became quieter. "You've sacrificed so much for the people... you've done nothing but sacrifice yourself ever since you became a Gundam pilot and even before then as well."

"And you've done the same. You've practically sacrificed your own happiness in order to give the people theirs. How is my case different from yours?" He waited patiently for her answer.

"It just is..." It was a weak response, and she knew it.

"Relena, the hardest thing to do after a war is to let go. Healing is never easy but it's not impossible. Nothing is impossible, unless you make it seem that way. The people are more than willing to support you and so are the Preventers and pilots... and me.... We're here." His last words caught her by surprise and she looked up to see him leading her off the pavement and onto grassy grounds. The rain stopped half an hour earlier and the sky was beginning to clear up, still a hazy mixture of grays and lavender. It took some time, but she was able to distinguish the area as one of the hills that overlooked the Sank Kingdom. He continued to pull at her arm until they reached a spot near a tree that hung over the edge of the hill.

Setting down the umbrella he'd closed earlier, Heero then took off his jacket and neatly set it on the moist grass. With a slight gesture, Relena wordlessly moved to take a seat on the makeshift blanket, drawing her knees up and placing her hands on them. The Japanese pilot followed and sat right behind her, his legs one on each side of her. His right hand extended to cover her hands while the left was on the ground as a support for them. The girl felt a strange sense of comfort from this and leaned back into his form, feeling the warmth of his body; she hadn't realized how cold it had been until his body pressed close to hers, giving what little heat he had. Her mind, for the first time in days, was at ease and her fears remained at bay.

"Heero, I don't know what to do," she finally admitted. "For the first time in my life, I'm truly lost."

"People are never truly lost until they run out of choices," he responded gently. "Life was never easy for any of us; we both gave up so much to ensure that others wouldn't have to follow in our steps. At times that just caused more problems to arise, and I'd sometimes question whether it mattered or not that I fought." He paused briefly, memories cascading inside his mind, and he sighed.

"I always believed that I was lost, from the moment that I was born; however, during the war I realized that I was just following a path invisible to my eyes. That hidden path brought me to you, Relena.... Remember, back then in the garden, I told you that if you ever needed help, I would be there. I also said that I would do all I could to make your dreams and visions come true, and that when they did come true, I would do everything in my power to protect them as best I can. I meant it when I said those things. I believe in your abilities, Relena.... I always have. However long it takes, I'll be there for you, I promise."

The girl held her breath, strange feelings of comfort and safety starting to flow through her. Seconds passed before she was able to settle her thoughts. Now calm, the young politician assessed what the youth had said moments earlier.//Heero... I-if you're really willing to walk this path with me... then...// "Where do we go from here?"

He smiled and moved his right hand from hers to point forward towards the kingdom. She followed the length of his arm and gazed upon what he was seeing. Right there in front of them, the sun was beginning to rise from its nightly slumber, splashing them with its heavenly light: oranges, reds, yellows, and whites. The fiery orb lit the sky with blazing colors and with it, the city seemed to come to life; it was the signal for a new day, another chance at life. "To your dreams and visions," he replied with a smile on his lips.

Hearing that statement, she turned her head to face him. As she did so her lips accidentally brushed against his for the briefest of seconds. Surprised and embarrassed by that slightest of touches, she drew back with wide eyes, a light blush adorning her cheeks. He saw her reaction and smiled gently to reassure her that he hadn't minded. The smile on his lips caused one to form on her own. The girl then closed her eyes and shook her head; a confused look etched itself on his face. Opening her eyes once more she answered him. "No, Heero; to our dreams and visions."

-owari-