Gundam Wing: The Second Chapter Part 2
The Night the Heavens Opened
The new pilots were working on their tactics in their suits in an open, abandoned field. Kumi stood before Excalibur, with her arms crossed and a stern look on her face as she watched her new comrades fight against Sette in Mason. Catherine made a swift attack in her suit to try and knock her off balance with Slither's long, thick whip. Mason's arm went up and caught the weapon as it wrapped around the extender appendage. Catherine growled in her cockpit as she tried to get her free arm to knock a swift fist into the opponent's side.
Again, she was stopped as Sette managed to catch the fist with her own suit's free hand. "Too slow, Delapan," Sette called brightly. She went on to kick Slither in the chest with her Gundam.
"Oh no!" the redhead cried as her suit fell backwards to the ground. Sette was laughing harder than ever as she watched Catherine struggle to get her suit up.
"I hope you perform better when we have to fight for real," the tomboy called down to her. Delapan's face turned as red as her short, curly hair while she growled to herself as the other pilot continued to laugh.
"That's enough, Sette," Kumi called to her.
Sette whined, "Aww! Come on, Kumi! Can't a girl have a little fun?"
Kumi shook her head as she stood between the two Gundam suits. "No," she simply stated in her usual, monotone voice. "This is the not the place, nor the time. You know that."
Sette whined again as she folder her arms behind her head and leaned back in her seat. "Killjoy," she sighed as her eyes closed. As Delapan got her Gundam to its feet, the other pilots came beside her in their own suits, Calvary and Rampage.
Kumi looked up to the three new suits. "Good work, all of you," she nodded. "We'll be heading back to the castle now."
"Okay, thank you," Relena replied. "Thank you, Kumi and Sette."
Dorothy smiled as their suits took off. "I'm sorry, Kumi,"
Trowa's sister sighed as she looked down to Heero's cousin. "You did fine, Delapan, we'll be at the castle soon. I need to have some words with Sette first." Sette gulped as her eyes widened when she heard this.
Catherine smiled and nodded, "Thank you." Slither took off as it followed the other girls home.
The pilot of Excalibur turned and looked up to Mason. "Sette," she growled as she crossed her arms, a cold look on her face.
Sette nervously giggled and played with her long ponytail. "Y-Yes, Kumi?" she asked.
"Get down here, now," her friend ordered.
"Sure, boss," the blue-haired pilot agreed as she got out of her seat. When she reached the ground and stood before her friend, she swallowed hard, "I was just having a little fun with Carnie over there. What's the big deal?" she tried to explain.
Kumi was not amused as she remarked, "What the hell are you trying to do? The war we'll be fighting will begin anytime now and you decide to have a little fun!?!"
Sette rubbed her hands, one of the things she would do when she was nervous. "Look, if it'll help, I'll apologize to the Queen of Knife-throwing when we get back."
The silver-haired pilot shook her head, "You still don't get it. Those girls are going to be fighting side-by-side with us on the battle field and in space. They need help, not their trainers laughing at them when they have trouble."
"I know, I know," the princess nodded. "Sorry... I'm just trying to keep from freaking out over this war. You and I know this is going to be like nothing any of us have been through."
Kumi closed her eyes, "I am aware of that."
The sound of thunder came to the sky as Wing Zero, Deathscythe, Sandrock, Heavyarms and Nataku came and hovered over them. Kumi smiled and waved to the other pilots. Heero went over his intercom and said, "All right, guys. Good work today. Kumi and I will be at the castle in a little bit. You should head back now."
Duo's voice called, "Yes, sir!" as Deathscythe took off first. The other suits followed close behind. Sette looked to her comrade as she sighed with relief.
"Well, I best be going, too!" the tomboy said with a wide smile. Before Kumi could stop her, Sette was back in her cockpit and taking off behind the others as she shouted, "Hold up, Quatre! I'm coming!"
Kumi shook her head, "Baka."
Wing Zero landed beside Excalibur and Heero joined his cousin on the ground as the sun began to set before them. The Wing Pilot asked gently, "How are they doing?"
The girl replied with assurance, "They're doing fine. Catherine is a little shaky, but I can tell she'll be fine when the real battle comes... Dorothy is extremely gifted with her piloting. She really didn't need any help. And for a Pacifist and the Queen of the World, Relena is holding her own very well."
Heero chuckled, "We have a pacifist of our own. Quatre's part of the Winner family."
The female pilot's eyes widened, "You're kidding." Heero shook his head with a smile and closed eyes. His cousin smirked, "I guess it takes all kinds."
The pair looked to the sunset as the sky changed into a rainbow of colors. In silence, they stood there as the wind played with their loose clothes and hair. "I knew that we weren't saying goodbye when Doctor J separated us for our missions years ago," the young woman whispered. Heero smiled warmly as he turned to face her.
"I knew it, too," he replied. "It'll be great fighting by your side for a change, sis." Kumi smiled at the word 'sis'. He explained, "As far as I'm concerned, you're my sister. We've been through training together as well as a lot of close calls."
Kumi nodded, "Good. I've always considered you more of a brother than a cousin as well."
They looked back to the sunset as the young man stated, "I've changed since the first war, Kumi."
The girl looked to him again with uncertainty this time. "Changed how?" she asked.
"Since the first war, something happened that I never thought would... I fell in love," Heero explained as he looked into her eyes.
"H-Heero?" she gasped. "Who? When? HOW?"
Heero smiled, "I'll explain later tonight... not now like this. The others are expecting us."
Still in complete shock, Kumi shook her head to break her daze. "Yea. You're right," she agreed as they walked back to their suits. She was still unable to break her look of shock as she turned to look at Heero.
She stopped just before the suits as she grabbed Heero's arm, causing him to stop his walk as well. They looked at each other, Kumi's eyes looking into those of her cousin's deeply with an uncertain expression on her face. Heero looked at her with concern.
After a pause of silence, Kumi smiled softly and ran a hand through Heero's unruly hair. "So my Heero's in love," she whispered gently. Heero smiled brightly as he nodded. "I hope that I like whoever it is," she said with a hint of warning, but a soft smile on her lips.
Heero kissed her cheek softly. Smiling as he covered her cheek with a hand, he assured her, "Don't worry... It's someone very special." Kumi nodded, "Good. Then let's get going." They climbed to their cockpits as they sped off to the castle.
* * * * * *
Out in the furthest reaches of space, an enormous fleet of ships soared through the endless ocean of stars. On the largest ship, soldiers were walking all around the corridors. In the communication room, countless men and women typed away at their computers. One man, of great height and build stood in the back of the room looking at the huge screen in the front of the room as it scanned images of countless colonies. His short, pitch black hair shimmered under the bight lights. A wicked smile crossed his face as he chuckled deeply. "Not much longer now."
He stepped out of the room and made his way to the center of the ship. Once there, he entered a large, dark room with a handful of uniformed men and women what sat at a round table in the center of the room. A man sat at what would have been considered the head of the table as he nodded to the man entering. His hair was a deep shade of red that almost looked black with blonde highlights. His eyes were a piercing green as they gazed at the soldier before him. He looked to be in his mid-twenties and very muscular under his business suit.
"Demetris, how are the preparations?" he asked.
The man called Demetris smiled, "All is going according to plan. We have undetected troops on Earth. We should be prepared to make the first hit in a matter of hours."
The man he answered to sneered, "Wonderful. And the Gundam pilots?"
Demetris answered, "Kumi and Sette must be reunited with the other Gundam pilots by now."
The man nodded, "Very well. So let Heero and Kumi Yuy have their little time together."
The very tall, built man's brown eyes widened, "Sir, you are aware that Heero Yuy is the Heart of Space while his cousin, Kumi is the Soul of Space. While we will defeat them, the battle will be difficult. The more time they have to prepare themselves-"
His words were cut off as the man held a hand up to stop him. "Do not worry, my friend. We can't lose this war," he said with great certainty. "As you said, we will make our first hit in a matter of hours. Let the rest play out as it happens. We won't be defeated."
Demetris nodded, "Yes, sir. I shall return to my post then."
"Good," his commander replied. "Thank you for your help, soldier."
"Sir," the tall man responded before turning and leaving the room.
The man looked to the people gathered with him, each one with a sinister grin on their faces. He nodded, "This is going to be a glorious victory... And a great amount of fun."
* * * * * *
Back at the castle, night had fallen and the pilots all had their fill of dinner. Standing on the front steps of the castle, Milliardo looked up to the stars and sighed deeply. "Penny for your thoughts," a soft voice came from behind him.
Turning, the long-haired man smiled to his wife. "Hello, my dear," he whispered as they kissed.
They wrapped their arms around each other as Noin looked into his eyes. "I know that you are aching to fight, Milliardo," she said gently. The pilot closed his eyes rested his forehead against hers. "I would love to fight in this war... If I had a suit to do so."
"I feel the same way... Well, I'd fight if I had a suit and I wasn't expecting," Noin giggled as she rubbed her belly.
Her husband chuckled as he rubbed the stomach as well. "How is the little one doing?" he asked.
Noin smiled, "Just fine. I know that they'll be as beautiful as you, boy or girl."
Milliardo lifted her chin up with a finger. "I think you have it backwards," he whispered. His wife blushed as she embraced her husband again. After a brief pause, she took a chance to ask something that she was not sure whether or not she had the courage to ask.
Looking up into his face, Noin inquired, "How do you feel... about Relena fighting in this war?"
The blonde pilot took a moment to think of how he would respond as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I've been watching her train with Kumi. She's doing very well out there and she has a great teacher. Kumi and Heero Yuy are two of the most amazing pilots I've ever known. They won't steer her wrong. And she's stubborn... she'll need that on the battlefield."
Noin chuckled, "I guess stubbornness is inherited. In that case, I'll have my hands full with you and this one in here." The couple laughed before kissing again.
* * * * * *
Inside the castle, in a room where a large piano lied, Quatre was playing a few songs on the instrument while Sette lied on a couch not far from him. She had a smile on her face with her eyes closed as she listened to the beautiful melodies that came from the piano. Kumi entered the room and looked down on her friend.
Sette looked up and smiled, "I should just stop my search for a man because I just found the sexiest man right here." No sooner had she said this than the sound of an abrupt pause in the song game as two pairs of eyes looked at the young woman in shock. Sette gasped immediately, "oh my God! Did I just say that out loud!?!" A hand came up and slapped over her mouth.
Quatre's face was beet red as he tried to act like he didn't hear anything. He went on playing his songs again. Kumi shook her head, "You're hopeless."
"Guilty," her friend grinned. "What's going on that brought you here?" the princess asked.
The 'Perfect Soldier's face tensed as a stern look came. "I have a bad feeling something's going to happen soon."
The Arabian stopped his playing again as he looked to the young pilot. "You feel the same way?" he asked softly.
Kumi nodded, "Just be on your guard, that's all."
Sette saluted, "Okay. Thanks, boss."
Quatre nodded back, "We'll make sure to stay on guard."
"Very well. I best return to the hanger," Kumi replied in monotone as she walked out of the room.
Quatre looked to the tomboy and questioned, "She really does believe something's coming soon?"
Sette sat up as she answered, "Yea. You know how Heero's the Heart of Space?"
"Yes I do," the blonde replied.
The long-haired girl pointed in the direction that her friend just left, "She's the Soul of Space."
Quatre's eyes widened. "That makes sense," he whispered. "They were both trained by Doctor J in the same manner. And they are related as well."
"Yep... She sometimes gets vibes about things that end up being true. Kind of freaky, but it helps when wartime comes," the girl smiled.
The Arabian looked to his chest. "It's almost like my Space Heart."
"Your what?" Sette gasped as she looked to him in amazement.
"My Space Heart... Oh! I never told you, I'm a Winner."
"Yes you are," the other pilot smiled warmly. The Arabian blushed again. "Oh my God! Did I do it again!?!" she gasped as she covered her mouth again.
Quatre smiled gently and shook his head, "It's all right... I forgot I never told you that I'm part of the Winner family."
Sette's eyes widened again, knowing all about the Winner family and their position. She jumped from the couch and sat beside the other pilot on the piano bench, pressing an ear to his chest as she listened to the heartbeat. She closed her eyes as a soft smile crossed her face. Just then, her eyes opened as she gasped, "Wow... It's like echoing... almost like it's echoing through space." Quatre laughed loudly at the overdramatic statement.
* * * * * *
Trowa was overlooking Heavyarms when he heard the hanger door open. Kumi entered as she made her way to Excalibur. "Hi, Kumi," he called down as he waved.
She looked up and smiled, "Hi, Trowa. You got my warning, I see."
The other pilot nodded, "Just making sure everything's ready."
"We had the same idea, then," she replied as he came down the ground to join her.
"Need any help with Excalibur?" he offered as he wiped grease from his hands with an old cloth.
Kumi shook her head, "Thanks, but I don't like anyone touching my suit other than myself."
Trowa smiled, "Just like Heero. You have more in common that I thought you would."
"We should after all the training we went through," she shrugged.
"Maybe the two of you-" Trowa's words were cut off when the sound of a great explosion from outside came. The shockwaves of the blast shook the castle's foundations as everyone inside braced themselves.
Zes was with her husband as they held onto the railing of the stairway they were descending. Delapan and Novem were resting in a lounge when the blast came, causing them to run into the room's doorway as they clung onto the wall for support. Wufei was with Milliardo and Noin outside as they grabbed pillars to keep their balance. They saw a huge burst of flames shoot into the air a good thirty miles from the castle. Heero and Duo were in their room, the Wing pilot on the computer and Duo lying on the bed when the walls started shaking. The couple ran out of the room in spite of the violent quake.
Everyone managed to get to their bearings as they all ran to the hanger. The servants of the castle fled into the ships there as they went off. Brian, Milliardo and Noin got into a small shuttle craft as the Gundam pilots all rounded up together while the castle continued to shake.
Kumi hollered over the loud crashed from outside, "All right. Zes, Delapan, Novem, the three of you stay behind the rest of us. We'll take the brunt of the fighting for now. If you need help, call for us right away."
The girls nodded as they ran to their suits. The pilots did the same once Heero told them, "Once we find out what we're dealing with, break off and chip away at their defense."
Ten Gundam suits took off in the direction of the city not far from the castle. Once they arrived, Wufei looked at his monitors in shock. "Do all of you see this?" he gasped.
"My God," Sette whispered as she sat in her seat. Down below, where the huge, vastly populated city once stood, was nothing but flame and ruin as screams came from all around. The pilots watched in a state of shock.
"Where are they!?!" Novem cried as they looked for any signs of the enemy. The screams were growing as the city collapsed before their eyes, the quakes from the blast still shaking everything for miles.
"They're coming from above," Kumi stated clearly as she looked to the destruction.
Heero nodded, "She's right. Everyone brace yourselves. Zes, Novem and Delapan, stay low and remember what you were ordered in the castle."
"We'll see if we can save any of the people in the city while there might be a chance," Zes suggested as she flew Calvary towards the burning town. Novem and Delapan were right behind her. The remaining suits hovered as they had been, looking up and waiting for their foes to come.
After a long pause of tense silence, each pilot took a moment to get there thoughts together. "How could they have gone undetected like that?" Sette whispered.
"However they pulled it off, they did a great job," Quatre replied.
Duo growled, "Those bastards don't know what they're in for. We'll take care of every last one of them."
Wufei huffed, "I just want them to come from hiding. A true soldier would show themselves in battle."
"They're here!" Kumi shouted as the sky seemed to rain Virgos, Leos and Aires. The Gundam suits swooped through the air, Wing Zero and Excalibur in the lead, as they all sliced and plowed their way through the soldiers.
"You're mine!!!" a soldier yelled as he prepared to slice through Nataku. Using his suit's flamethrower, the Chinese pilot managed to end the attack. Duo was cutting through suits like paper as he shouted in rage. Quatre's blades were making quick work in the fight as well.
Kumi and Heero used their Buster Riffles and blades to destroy handfuls of soldiers at a time. "I'll head further up," Kumi called to her cousin.
Heero nodded in her monitor, "Good. I'll head down and see how the others are doing." The girl nodded as they split ways, taking soldiers lives as they did so.
Sette's stabbed a Virgo through the chest with the back of Mason's three-prong spear and spun him around the suit's head before hurling him into two other Virgos. The collision caused a great explosion as she watched from her cockpit. "Not bad if I may say so, myself," she smiled. Just then, an Aires came from behind and was about to fire when she spun Mason's arm back to slice through him with the massive weapon. She chuckled after the explosion, "Not bad at all."
Heavyarms sped through the air as he fired round after round from the chest, leveling any and everything in his way. Trowa looked to his monitors and saw that the newest pilots were doing well. Wufei was even impressed that none of the girls had called and asked for assistance yet. Looking to his own monitors, he saw that their actions to save people had been paying off. "I'll be damned. Not bad for a trio of girls who never fought before," he whispered as he chuckled.
On the ground, Calvary was holding up a building that had been cut in half while Rampage and Slither were gathering people in their grasps to get them to safety. "Is that all of them?" Zes called.
"I think so," Delapan nodded. Zes let the building crash to the ground as she watched her comrades get the saved people to the ships that made it out of the castle. Just then, three Leos that broke through the defense line in the sky landed ahead of her and opened fire.
Zes gasped but quickly got her bearings as a stern look came across her face. "Invade my planet," she growled as she flew towards them at amazing speed. With her two sai blades, she cut through the middle Leo and knocked a second to the ground with a punch to the head.
The pilot inside struggled to get up as he looked to the suit from where he lied strapped in. "Damn you!!!" he shouted as he fired his gun at Calvary. Zes stabbed him as she plunged the blades into his check, choking off a curse he shot at her.
The third Leo was about to get her from behind when a thick whip wrapped around its legs, causing it to plummet to the ground. Slither stomped on the suit's head as it fell from the sky. The head was crushed as the suit exploded beneath the Gundam. "Delapan!" Zes smiled as she looked to her friend. The red-haired pilot smiled and nodded.
Novem came back with Rampage that same time as they were soon surrounded by mobile suits. "We were given these suits for a reason. Let's make our friends proud," she announced as she took her laser bow and arrow, cutting through three suits in a row.
Delapan took her whip and sliced through a handful of soldiers with the blades that came out from ever angle of the weapon. Zes threw a sai into another Virgo and retrieved it just before the suit blew up and used it to cut the head off a Leo. Together, the three pilots were making their mark.
In the sky, the battle also raged on. Quatre wiped sweat from his brow as he surveyed his reports. "There are so many of them, but I think the worst is over," he said as he radioed the others.
Duo smirked, "Aw. This was just starting to be fun."
"Don't get too comfortable," Trowa warned. "We're not out of the woods yet." There were still a good two hundred soldiers that they had to defeat.
Over the remainder of their group, Heero and Kumi looked up to see that no more troops were falling from the sky. "Once we have them taken care of, that should be the end of it," the silver-haired pilot stated.
Heero nodded, "Yea. Just stay on guard, everyone." No sooner had this been said than Something sparkled high above all of them.
Kumi looked up and whispered, "What the-" Whatever caused the glow was falling fast in their direction. The young woman's blue eyes widened as she realized what it was. "No!!! Everyone move! Now!!" she shouted to the others who looked up in shock.
Sette gasped and screamed, "Girls, get up here and away from that thing!!!" The female pilots on the ground heard the cries of their trainers and comrades as they took to the sky and joined the others as they soared from the device's path.
It was a metal ball, the size of a volleyball and it was screeching as it dropped past the suits. "What the hell is that thing!?!" Duo shouted as they watched it fall below them.
"You'll see in a minute," Sette answered grimly. "It's heading for the castle."
"No!" Zes cried as she tried to fly down to stop the ball.
"Miss Relena!" Novem hollered as she blocked her path with Rampage. "We can't do anything now," she frowned to her queen. Zes fought tears as she knew that her friend was right. She lowered her head as she looked to her monitors and watched the descent of the machine.
The sphere landed on the front steps of the castle, blinding light breaking through as the metal shattered. A huge explosion sent the castle crashing to the ground in a pile of rubble as the parts that remained standing burned in the inferno that was left. The light made its way up to the Gundam suits as the pilots covered their eyes. When the flash ended, there was little left of the castle and everything within a ten mile radius.
None of the pilots could breathe as they looked at the devastation. From their ship, Milliardo, Noin and King Weatherall watched in horror as they looked below to the fallen castle. "God help us," Brian whispered as he could barely breathe. Milliardo clenched his teeth as he growled. Noin held his hand tightly as she tried to comfort him. Everything that they held dear was in that castle... The pictures of their family that had been spared from the past. Now there was nothing left.
The shocked pilots couldn't stare in sadness for long. There was still a great amount of soldiers that needed to be taken care of as they came to take advantage of their state of shock. "YOU!" Zes shrieked as she soared to the oncoming forces.
"Zes!" Kumi shouted as she was the closest to her.
The other pilot was fighting as tears flowed from her eyes, "I hate all of you!!!" she shouted at the top of her lungs as she cut through every soldier in her way. Her rage almost caused her death as several Virgos came from nowhere and nearly sliced Calvary with their spray of lasers. Kumi blocked the rays with her laser blade and cut through the suits. "Zes! You cannot fight like this!" the 'Perfect Soldier' hollered.
The other pilots were fighting the soldiers that had been surrounding them. Zes continued to fight. "Damn it!"
Kumi shot as she tried to stop the other pilot from her careless attack. "Zes! Snap out of it! You'll get killed if you keep this up much longer," she tried to get through to her. Zes didn't care, she wanted all of these soldiers to feel the pain she was feeling at this time.
"I can't... I can't let them get away with what they've done!" Zes replied.
"Relena!" a male voice came over her intercom.
"B-Brian?" she whispered. In the ship, Brian nodded as he spoke into his headphone/microphone piece.
"Yes, honey, it's me. Please don't fight like this. You'll get killed. Listen to Kumi and the others," he said in a calm voice. Relena wiped her tears from her face though as she let Kumi take care of the soldiers around them. "Relena, I love you. Please don't be rash out there, love," he pleaded.
Relena nodded, "I love you too, Brian. I will take care. I promise," Milliardo and Noin sighed with relief as they saw Calvary moving with greater caution in the battle.
Brian closed his eyes and smiled, "I'm proud of you, sweetheart," he whispered.
Kumi was continuing to fight with everything she had for the two of them when Zes's voice patched through. "I'm ready now, Kumi," she said with certainty.
The Soul of Space nodded, "All right." The attack went on as all of the Gundams fought together.
There was still a countless amount of soldiers to get through as Trowa asked, "I don't get it... It's like we're not getting anywhere with them."
"I know. We've been killing them left and right and they're still not letting up," Wufei agreed.
"Their suits are much faster and more advanced than the ones we fought in the first war," Quatre remarked.
Heero wiped sweat from his face as he spotted something on his monitor. A smile came across his face as he sighed, "Don't worry. We have company."
Duo looked to his monitor as he shouted with a huge smile on his face, "Peacemillion!" The large craft came from above as a fleet of suits and small ships soared to their aid, shooting and cutting through the enemy.
The Chinese pilot looked to his monitor as a familiar face appeared on the screen. "It's been a while, Wufei," the woman smiled and winked.
"Sally Poe," he whispered with a warm smile. The pilots all breathed a sigh of relief as their support helped keep the enemy at bay and soon their numbers dropped.
"Retreat!" a man shouted in his Virgo suit as a good amount of the soldiers did just that behind him. Within minutes, the battle was over as the pilots fell in their seats from relief and exhaustion from the long fight.
Sally Poe came on all of the monitors as she chuckled, "You best get inside Peacemillion. The Earth isn't the safest place to be right now. And you all need to gather your strength."
The pilots nodded, to tire to say much as they soared to the ship along with Brian Weatherall, Milliardo and Noin. Once they were aboard, the pilots came out of their suits and met in a gathering lounge not far from the hanger. When they were all together, three of their allies entered. Sally Poe, Howard and Lady Une. They were all greeted warmly.
Wufei was the first to speak to Sally. They shook hands as he smiled, "Thanks for the help."
"Glad we made it when we did. You look well," she replied, tilting her head.
"As do you," he nodded.
Lady Une was greeted by Heero and Duo. The young woman looked at two of her best Preventers and smiled to each of them. "Good to see that you're both in one piece," she chuckled.
"We're going to need all the help we can get. I gather you'll have the Preventers in this fight?" Heero asked her.
The tall woman answered, "We will be giving all of you your missions during this war. There are hundreds of our ships throughout the galaxy that will be able to locate where and when we need to fight. I have a suits of my own that I will use. As far as the Preventers are concerned, they will do their best to find and destroy as much of the enemy as they can."
Duo nodded, "Thank you. This fight is going to be a lot more difficult that even we thought."
Howard was speaking with Quatre, Trowa and Sette as they laughed and kept a light air after everything that had just happened. Novem, Deleapan and Zes were standing in the center of the room with Milliardo, Noin and King Weatherall. The young man wrapped his arms around his wife in a gently embrace as they held each other. "You were wonderful out there," he whispered in her ear.
"We lost everything," she sighed. Brian looked into her eyes and shook his head.
"The most important things in that castle were the people and the Gundams inside. They all made it out. We'll make up for what possessions we lost."
Zes's eyes lit up as she smiled, "You're always able to keep things in perspective. One of the things I love about you." The couple embraced again.
Delapan and Novem smiled as they watched them. "You all performed well out there today," Milliardo said to them.
Noin smiled, "He's right. You're doing a great job in those suits. I never would have thought that you only had three weeks of training."
Novem bowed to them, "Thank you for the compliments. It's always been a dream of mine to fight in a Gundam suit. I'm all ready looking forward to the next fight. Piloting Rampage is better than anything I could have imagined."
Delapan sighed, "While I don't share her enthusiasm, I thank you for the kind words. I know that I misjudged anyone who piloted those things, but I'm glad I have a chance to see thing in their light for a change."
Kumi walked before them. Her stern face softened a bit towards her newest comrades as a small smile came on her face. Sette stood behind her with a much brighter smile on her face, of course. "Congratulations, all of you," Kumi spoke. "There's going to be a lot more where that came from, and from what we can tell, the fights will grow in intensity. Get some rest. We'll all need it."
"I'm proud of you, girls. Even you, Monkey Girl," Sette beamed. Delapan's face began to grow red again. "Like she said, we'll be seeing a lot more fighting than what happened back there. But you're doing a great job."
Zes lowered her head, "I am sorry about my actions during the fight."
Kumi shook her head, "No need to apologize. Just be sure to put away all emotions when on the battlefield."
"What Miss 'Perfect Soldier', here, means is that you don't have to block out feelings, just keep them in tact," Sette added. The silver-haired pilot glanced to her friend at the title she had been given. With a wide yawn, the tomboy and turned to leave, saying, "Good night, everyone. It's been a long day." They all waved and said good night.
Delapan ran to catch up to Sette and asked, "Why do you insist on insulting me?"
Sette laughed, "It's poetic justice. You hated the Gundams more than anything you ever knew before, from what I've been told. And you kept Quatre from trying to bring Trowa back to the first war when his memory was lost. Now, you have to pilot a Gundam of your own and I won't make it easy on you. So you'd be best to take it like a true pilot."
Before she could retaliate, Delepan watched the tomboy leave after she adjusted her deep blue baseball cap. "Good night, all," she announced as she left the room.
Delepan growled silently. Sighing, she told herself, "The irony of it all."
* * * * * *
Soon, everyone was in their quarters. In their room, Heero and Duo lied in each other's arms after sleep had claimed them. The Wing pilot was moaning as his head tossed a little to the side. In his nightmare, he saw Colony after Colony being devoured in flames, the people living there screaming in agony and fear as they were engulfed in fire. He saw the Earth being attacked city-by-city the same way. There was nothing to stop the screaming or the destruction. He saw all of the Gundam suits do their best to stop a dark figure who stood there laughing before them. When nothing could stop him, he pointed to Deathscythe. The suit exploded just as he did this, leaving nothing of the Gundam or its pilot.
"Duo!!!" Heero screamed as he shot up in his bed, sweat dripping from his face and chest. Duo sat up just after his lover.
"Shhh. It's okay, Heero. I'm right here," the braided pilot soothed as he rubbed his back gently. Heero's eyes were wide and frightened as he panted lightly.
"Duo," he whispered breathlessly as he stroked his lover's cheek gently.
The American softly kissed his lips. "I'm here, love," he assured him. Heero rested his forehead on the other's and looked into his eyes as his face calmed a bit.
After a brief pause, Heero wrapped his arms tightly around Duo's waist and breathed in the scent of his loose hair. "I'm sorry I woke you, koi," he said softly.
"It's all right, koi. Are you okay?" Duo asked.
"Yea. I'm okay," The Wing pilot tried to convince him.
The pair looked back into each other's eyes for a moment before lying back on the bed, their arms wrapped around their lover. The American chuckled, "You're a terrible liar." Heero did not respond through words. He wrapped his arms around his lover tightly, burying his head in the nape of his neck. Duo did the same as they stayed in a tight embrace.
"Don't leave me, Duo," Heero whispered in his ear.
"I'm not going anywhere," the other pilot promised. They looked into their lover's face again.
"I mean don't die on me," Heero explained as he gently ran a hand through Duo's hair and bushed his bags from his eyes.
Duo smiled warmly, "Oh, Heero. I'd never do that to you. The same promise you made to me is the one I make to you. If anything happens, we go together."
Heero smiled as he kissed his partner's lips. "I love you... You know that, right?" Heero asked quietly.
His lover's smile grew and he replied, "I know. I love you, Heero." They kissed tenderly and deeply before relaxing in the soft embrace they held before the nightmare stirred the Wing pilot. The American kissed Heero's cheek as he whispered, "For sweeter dreams." With a whispered word of thanks, the Japanese pilot closed his eyes. Duo sighed as his eyes drifted shut and a smile crossed his face. The lovers soon were claimed by sleep once more that night.
* * * * * *
Demetris looked over some reports of the pervious battle with anger in his face. "Don't worry, Demetris," a male voice came. The man calling the shots stepped out from the hallway and stood beside the soldier. His black business suit matched the darkness of his hair.
"Sir, we lose three hundred soldiers, and over fifty retreated," the taller of the men growled.
"Stacy will take care of those who retreated. As for the Gundams?"
Demetris shook his head, "There are three new suits we did not know existed."
"Well, well," the man chuckled as he rubbed his chin. "This is interesting." He looked to the tall man. "No need to worry, my friend. We will learn their identities before too long. And they will perish just the same as the Magnificent Seven, as our old friend would call them."
The subordinate nodded, "Yes, sir."
"The castle of the King and Queen of the world is destroyed. The people of Earth will lose hope before too long as we invade every city one-by-one. The Colonies will fall the same way. We have a lot on our side, soldier. Don't forget that."
"I won't, sir," Demetris replied.
"Good. Make plans for the next hit," the man ordered as he walked down the hallway. To himself, he sneered, "Those Gundams will curse the day they challenged OZ."
* * * * * *
The next day, Milliardo was standing in a hallway of Peacemillion gazing out a window as he looked to the Earth. "We've been looking for you," a young woman's voice suddenly came. The pilot looked beside him to see Heero and Kumi Yuy.
The woman was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed as her cousin stood just beside her with his hands in the pockets of his loose, black pants. They both had soft smiles on their faces as they looked to the man once known as Zechs. "Why would you be looking for me?" Milliardo asked.
"There's something that we've been meaning to show you," Heero answered.
Together, they walked to the hanger. They entered a darkened corner of the huge room as they walked to a dark suit. Heero switched the lights on as Milliardo looked up to see an impressive Gundam suit unlike the others. The structure and details were as good, if not better than the suits that already existed. The sight of the suit shaded in deep gold caused the man's eyes to widen and his jaw to open. "W-What...?" he gasped, unable to speak as he stared on.
"This is Euphoria," Kumi answered.
"Euphoria?" Milliardo echoed.
Heero nodded, "Kumi and I designed this suit when we were eleven. Luckily, Sette was able to get the resources to have the suit built, being the princess of her Colony."
"It's amazing," the long-haired pilot said, still in awe. Finally, he looked back to the other pilots.
When their eyes met, Heero smirked, "We want you to pilot it."
Milliardo was taken back as he looked back up to the suit. "You really want me to pilot this?" he asked, almost not believing his ears.
Kumi replied, "You're the best pilot either of us have come across. We both would be honored if you would accept this favor."
The young man looked to his friends and smiled warmly as he gave a nod, "The honor is mine. Thank you for allowing me to pilot Euphoria." The cousins nodded as they shook hands.
"We know you'll take good care of him," Heero stated.
"You don't need to worry about that," the older pilot vowed. Euphoria's golden metal glistened in the lights that glowed brightly overhead.
TBC...
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