I, Jet would like to dedicate this chapter to three people who have been encouraging me through e-mail for a long time. Sunnyx, Mami-Sama, and Kometto Yuy!

Heero's breaths came short and ragged, thought they were evening out from the quick gasps he had been uttering the night before. Ralara looked at the boy, noting his very white face. He looked dead already, and they weren't even going to attempt surgery until that afternoon.

The pretty girl sighed, slipping out of Trowa grasp without waking him. He had watched over his girlfriend and her all night, and deserved a good rest. The boy was stretched out on a couch that they had brought in, Dakota pulled tightly to him, also sleeping.

Ralara stole a glance through the stained glass window and smiled sadly. Each one of her new friends had 'selected' a boyfriend. Wu Fei was cradling Ice in his arms, J'Amier was asleep not far from Quatre, and she was holding Quatre's hand like there was no tomorrow. Even Sky was with a boy - she was practically connected to Duo now. (Don't any of you DARE to take that in a bad way!)

She was deeply saddened that she was the last out of the five to be asked to go out, or shown that she was loved. It was sad that the only boy left to love her was dying. That fact alone made her want to cry for a long time.

Being very quiet so as to not wake the others, Ralara walked over to Heero's bed. She knelt down by his bed and reached for his warm body. The girl took his hand in hers. It was a large hand, well worn and callused, even though he was only about 17 years of age.

Heero's hands were almost twice as big as hers. He had a strong grip; even in the state of unconsciousness the pressure was firm. There was one strange thing about his hands though-they were cold. Not a normal temperature, but icy, like he was dead already.

Ralara put her other hand to his forehead. That was hot-burning in fact. She didn't know what his temp. was, but it was high.

"Heero, wake up. Please wake up." She said softly, leaning over and kissing his forehead. Where she kissed it seemed to cool - maybe he just needed some love. The girl sighed, slowly falling asleep on Heero's chest.

Heero's eyes fluttered open, feeling like blocks of cement over his eyes. You know that sick feeling you get when you've got a high fever? He had it. His lungs felt like there was s constricting band around them choking off his air supply. It was strange. He could breathe, yet he felt the desire to choke and cough and get rid of that burning sensation in his throat.

It was unbearable. He coughed, a long hacking cough that started at least to clear his lungs of the bloody mucus that had developed in their depths. Only after he had finished did he realize that there was something else on him. A girl; Ralara to be exact. She seemed to have fallen asleep on him.

The 17-year-old blushed, and wiggled, trying to get out from underneath her weight. Ralara wasn't overly heavy or anything, but at this point, any weight on his chest made him feel nauseous and sick and just plain awful. Heero started to panic when she didn't wake up. He wiggled more.

Finally, Ralara's eyes fluttered open. She looked around bewilderedly for awhile, then looked up into Heero's eyes. The girl started when she saw the pain in them. Thinking quickly, she was a smart girl, she lifted herself off him.

"Thank you." He said quietly. She hushed him.

"You need to rest. I'm going to get the others so they can talk to you and then they'll need to perform surgery." Ralara told him gently.

Normally the ex-pilot would have fought back, spoken back, protested, something. But he was too tired. Besides, having been confined to a wheelchair for six weeks had done something to his attitude. So instead, he nodded and leaned back on his pillows.

Sheer exhaustion took him over and he sighed, weary. It didn't take long before the boy was asleep again. He wasn't out again like he had been, just asleep.

It was then that the nurse came in. He awoke the minute that she stood by his bed - reflex he had picked up from the war. He looked up at the nurse and sighed. He tried to smile for her, but all he could do was turn away and cough.

"Shh…you need rest Mr. Yuy. Your body is already recovering from one surgery, now it needs to prepare for another."

He laid back obediently, realizing that she knew what she was talking about. He felt like crap, and they hadn't even performed the surgery yet. Sitting up a bit, he asked, "Do you know when the surgery will be?"

"Mr. Winner is filing out the application forms right now. Surgery will take place in an hour." She told him. "Until then, you need to get some rest."

The nurse, her tag named her Amy, helped Heero adjust the bed and tucked him in. she also rubbed an anesthetic into his hand where the IV would go later. It was a special therapeutic kind that had to be put in prior to surgery.

-1 hour later -

It seemed that he had just gotten to sleep when Amy nudged his shoulder. Heero woke, looking around the room. All nine of his friends, old and new, were there. The ones he was closest to, Duo and Ralara, were at his bedside, each holding one of his hands.

Amy came over and hooked in his IV. He didn't even feel it because of the anesthetic from before. She took a cotton ball and put some disinfectant on it. After swiping it across his vein, she took out a needle that was filled with a clear liquid and with one fluid motion, stuck it in his arm.

"Mr. Yuy, I'd like you to count backwards from one hundred for me." She directed.

"100…99…98…97…96…95…94…93…ninety….two…ninety…one….."

As soon as she was sure the boy was asleep, Amy directed, "You all need to go out into the waiting room. There are too many of you here, and you will only be in the way. Turning back to Heero, she acknowledged the man who would be operating. "Dr. J. I am at your assistance."

A familiar mad scientist who also happened to be able to operate winked at her through thick glasses. "How nice."

-Waiting room-

Ralara sat by herself in the corner. She had refused each offer her friends had made to sit with them. Right now, she just felt like being alone. She wanted to think.

Even tough Ralara had only met Heero a few weeks ago, she was attached. He was very nice, even though sometimes he seemed so cold. By taking to his friends, the other four boys he lived with, she had learned that before his accident, he had always been cold ad distant. Somehow his knock on the head had changed that.

Ralara's family had died when she was very young. Even now after ten years, she till remembered what had happened…

-Flashback-

There is a house on a pleasant little street in a small town. If you looked around, you would see many more small houses, all with threes in the yard and children out playing in them. If you looked up, you would see a huge, close moon, and a small earth, as was typical of the colonies.

In this house is a mother of seven, an apron around her middle at a stove, and two little ones at her side. The other children are running around outside.

"Brock! Brock!" She calls turning from the stove. A handsome boy about the age of 16, comes running to the door. "Yes mother?"

"Go find Ralara. I haven't seen her for awhile, and I've heard that soldiers might be in the area. I'm worried about her."

"Don't worry mama. I'll find her." He assured, running off.

-In the local park-

"Ralara! Ralara? Ralara!" The boy grinned when he spotted his sister swinging on one of the swings. Brock walked over and sat down on a swing next to his sister. "Hey Munchkin. How's it going?" He asked, grinning. When she didn't reply, his smile faded.

"Why'd you come here Munchkin? You know there are soldiers around, and mom was worried. I was worried too."

"I just wanted to be alone for a little while. Pray for dad and stuff." The small girl said.

"Oh. I understand." He said quietly, drawing his 7-year-old sister into his arms. " I pray for him too." Their father had been drafted a year ago, and they'd had no word from him for three weeks.

"I miss him Brock." She whispered.

"Me too." He smiled sadly. They sat far awhile, just holding each other. An explosion broke their peaceful reverie.

"Wha?!" Brock jumped to his feet pulling Ralara onto his back.

"MOMMY!" Ralara cried, seeing explosions in the direction of their home.

Brock ran as fast as he could. He reached home faster then ever before, but it had not been fast enough. All that was left of their home - their whole neighborhood, was a big hole in the ground.

Brock slid down to his knees, looking around, then up to the sky. He glared at the last few departing Fed mobile suits. "How could they do this? We didn't do anything to them!" He demanded.

"Brock." Ralara whispered from his back. "Why did they all die? Why?"

-End of Flashback-

Tears were running down Ralara's face and she was shaking. She was startled when she felt two strong arms wrap around her. It was Duo, coming to comfort her.

"What's wrong Ralara?" He asked.

"I...already lost my family sob I don't want to lost Heero too!" And she began to sob again.

Duo pulled her close, letting her take out her grief on his black cotton shirt. In his opinion, she was shedding the tears that were locked behind his own protective mask.

"Shh…" He soothed, stroking her. "It'll be alright. Everything will be alright."

Ehh….Sorry this took so long! Hope you enjoyed it!