DISCLAIMER: Gundam Wing doesn’t belong to me. Anyone that is familiar to you belong to the Sunrise and co. I’m not making any profits out of this, just the relief feeling that I finally get the story out of my mind before it haunt me to my insanity!

 

TIMELINE: The story takes place in the TV’s Gundam Wing, right after Heero disappeared into outer space and before Noin and Dorothy met at the grave and before Heero reappeared to give Relena her birthday present. And oh, after Treize’s Revenge I: Peace At Last.

 

SPECIAL NOTE: Special thanks to Starling for being such a great help with the grammar and all. I don’t really know what ‘beta readers’ are but if it means someone who proofread other people’s work, you would be it! You’re an angel, Starling!!!

 

 

TREIZE’S REVENGE II: THE LONE SOLDIER.

By Arayelle Lynn.

 

                Relena stared at the list of victims resulted from the assassin’s quest for revenge. So far, the families of the dead were all spared from his blind vengeance but Relena was more concerned about the number of victims that seemed to be piling up. In four weeks, the assassin had already killed twelve former Alliance, Romefeller and OZ officers and each of them had been quite close to the late Treize Khushraneda as well as the very same people that had betrayed him in the end.

 

                The assassinations were done in both broad daylight and at night. And they all happened at the victims’ residence, their offices as well as in public places. And in each assassination, they failed to even get a glimpse of the assassin’s profile. Miss Noin seriously thought that the assassin is a well-trained professional but some delegates, especially those who feared for their lives because of their betrayal to Treize, thought that the assassin might be Treize himself. They seriously thought that he had staged his own death in order to take revenge on all of them. Personally, Relena was inclined to agree with the former. She knew Treize well enough to know that he was not the type who seeks vengeance. But the ultimate problem was, they had to find out who the assassin was before he ruin the peace negotiations she was trying to hold.

 

                Thinking about the peace negotiations made Relena sighed in exhaustion. She had worked so hard to make the former leaders see the benefits of having world peace by disarmament but with the assassin lurking around, many of them had taken the drastic measure of recalling their military power. If they start to distrust one another, Relena was sure that another war would break out. Not only that, the guerillas was not helping with the situation either. Their numbers were growing and many military weapon storages were raided, resulting more fighting and more deaths.

 

                And recently, Relena just learned that the world leaders had requested that any future meetings should be postpone until the guerillas and most importantly, the assassin were found and arrested. But Relena can’t postpone the meetings. It was impartial for them to discuss new policies in order to maintain peace and officially formed the Earth Sphere Unified Nation she was proposing since the end of the last year’s war.

 

                But now, she’s running out of ideas on how to make them see the importance of the meetings to be held as soon as possible. And she found herself losing all hope to achieve her dream of a world of total pacifism.

 

                “Relena?” said a voice. She turned to see Noin, standing over her with a tray full of food. “You must eat.” She placed the tray before the young woman and sat next to her. “Are you still worried about the assassin and the guerillas?”

 

                When she didn’t answer, Noin smiled. “Don’t worry about it, Relena. Just leave them to me. I have people all over the world looking into it,” she said softly. “You just worry about the peace negotiations, that’s all.”

 

                “What did Sally has to report?” Relena asked. She found out a day earlier that Sally Po had been all over the world, searching for Lady Une and Dorothy Catalonia. She had been displeased at Noin’s secrecy but then agreed that if she had found out sooner, she would’ve been distracted.

 

                Noin shook her head. “Still nothing at the moment. It was as if both of them vanished into thin air right after the war. But Sally did promise that she will contact us tomorrow morning.”

 

                “Maybe you two should join the Intelligence,” Relena commented, half-heartedly. Noin smiled at that. “The leaders want to postpone the meeting this Friday until they feel safe enough to talk,” Relena told Noin of the latest news. Noin looked at her, concerned.

 

                “What are you going to do about it?” she prompted, gently.

 

                Relena looked out the window. “Let’s go to outer space,” she said. Noin raised an eyebrow. “Outer space?” she repeated.

 

                “Yes. The leaders in the outer space are least worry about the assassin since he seemed to be targeting those on Earth. And since we can’t make new policies without the attendance from both Earth and the colonies’ leaders, the colonists thought that I should go there and make a peace visit.” She looked at Noin. “Give talks to peace conference they’re planning to do. They thought it would be a good idea for the colonists to learn more about our ideas of total pacifism.”

 

                “But what about the guerillas in the outer space?” Miss Noin asked.

 

                Relena looked at her hand. “You said that they’re mostly those who served under my brother, Milliardo. I think they’re unlikely to pose any threat to me. On the contrary, I seriously think that my appearance in the colonies could actually convince them to stop this useless retaliation.”

 

                “Hmm… I see your point,” said Noin, thinking deeply. “But I must inform you that we heard rumors that the guerillas fighting for Treize are moving to outer space. I don’t think you would be influential enough to stop them from retaliating.”

 

                “I must try, Miss Noin,” said Relena. “There’s no one in this world who could stop this senseless retaliation but me. I must make them understand why the world is in need of peace right now.”

 

                Noin nodded and stood. “Alright. I’ll go and make some arrangement to take us to outer space.” As soon as she exited the room, she took out the cell phone to inform her valuable informant of the new development.

 

>>>@@<<<

 

                He stood over the burning car of the newly dead Admiral Gavison, former OZ soldier, the one who had led the arrest and detention of Treize Khushraneda. He knew this man very well. He had been there when Treize and the late admiral talked about Romefeller’s plan to take over the Alliance. And then, he worked for the admiral for a short time before he was sent to another duty.

 

                He could still remember the look on the late admiral’s face when he had finally realized who he was. But at that moment, he was standing in the middle of the road, a grenade in his hand. The once proud admiral had tried to put his car into reverse when he saw the grenade but a split second later, he was nothing but in flames.

 

                “I shall say no farewell to you, Gavison because of all the people I’ve killed, you certainly deserved this fate,” he said and walked away as the raindrops started to put out the fire.

 

                ‘Thirteen,’ he thought. ‘Where are you pilots? Do I have to kill everyone here until you show up.’

 

>>>@@<<<

 

                When he got to his temporary apartment, he knew immediately someone is there. Without even switching on the light, he raised his gun towards the wall near the window. “Ease off, soldier. I’m not your enemy,” the intruder said.

 

                His eyes watched the intruder skeptically. “You don’t trust people much, do you? Like I said, I’m not your enemy,” the intruder tried again. But still he kept his gun trained evenly on the intruder. “Are you mute or something?”

 

                “I am yet to determine you as an ally or an enemy,” he said, his voice cautious. “And I’m not a soldier anymore.”

 

                The intruder raised his hands. “Yeah, well, I guess you don’t want to start to be one now.”

 

                “Talk,” he simply said. The intruder sighed and lowered his hands. “I know you’re the one who have been killing the world leaders,” he began. He paused to see the other’s reaction but the man with the gun stood there, unwavering. But he did notice the finger on the trigger moved slightly. So, he decided to continue quickly. “Don’t worry. That is all I know about you. Your real identity and your prior life are all a mystery to us all.”

 

                “I am Colonel Hagan, of the Treize guerillas. We want to form an alliance with you. We need you to lead us to the late Treize’s ideal future,” he said.

 

                “Why me?”

 

                Hagan was startled to hear the question. “Why? Because you obviously are fighting for the late Colonel Treize. Don’t you think it would be better if we work together? With your superior training and techniques, we could certainly bring down this false peace.”

 

                “Like I told you before. I am not a soldier. I don’t have time to waste on the useless battle that you are fighting for. My only task is to avenge those who betrayed Treize Khushraneda.”

 

                Hagan felt his anger boiling when he heard the word useless but quickly kept it in check. It is not good to lose your temper while standing before a guy with a gun pointing straight at your head. And so, he decided to come clean. “You’re right. I’m here not to recruit you, though I was told to try by someone higher up.” He paused. “Actually, we want to help you.”

 

                “I work alone,” he simply said, putting the gun away. But Hagan knew this guy could kill him where he’s standing. Which was one reason why he had kept the room dark. He knew that if he saw the face of this assassin, he would not live long enough to say a thing.

 

                “We know you work alone but we also know you need help.”

 

                “I don’t need any help from you and your guerillas.”

 

                “What about information?” he tried again.

 

                The assassin looked at him, sharply. “I know how to get all the information I need, thank you.”

 

                “Weapon supply? Money?”

 

                “I know where I can get them.”

 

                “Not anymore,” he said, for the first time saw a look of surprise flashed in the assassin’s cold eyes. But it was over in a few milliseconds. “Not since the last hour, anyway.”

 

                The assassin looked interested. “What do you mean?”

 

                “While you were out killing Admiral Gavison, the news came in that the world leaders had decided to put extra precaution in guarding the weapon supplies and decided to control the issue of armaments to unauthorized military troops. One of the regulations they came out with to protect this false peace.” He looked at the assassin carefully. “And I know this would effect your quest for revenge immediately.”

 

                The assassin folded his arms. “Oh yeah, and how does it not effect you?”

 

                “We have plenty of armory from our last raid,” Hagan answered. “And besides, we have an even bigger supply in our new headquarter in outer space.” He then smiled at him. “If you work with us, we would be really glad to take you up to outer space with us. The person who really kill Colonel Treize is there.”

 

                “The Gundam pilots?”

 

                “More precisely, the Gundam Zero Five. Its pilot was the one who actually killed His Excellency.” He then added, “Besides, the outer space now has become the center stage of the political negotiations. We’ve just learned that Relena Darlian is heading there. And I know more Earth’s leaders would be heading to outer space in order to escape your wrath.”

 

                The assassin considered this new development for a few seconds. The world seemed to change while he was out on his vengeance quest. “Why do you need me so much?” he asked, carefully.

 

                Hagan was glad to hear him asked that question. It would mean that he was considering their proposal. “You’re a hero figure to many of our people. They looked up to you as someone who should lead them. And you understand Colonel Treize’s ideal future better than we do. We want you to be our Treize Khushraneda. The one who will lead the new world we’re fighting for.”

 

                “Sorry,” he said. “I have no intention of leading anybody or replacing Mr. Treize. As soon as my vengeance is over, I shall eliminate my existence from this world.”

 

                Hagan held up his hand. “Okay, so you won’t be our leader. But could you just work alongside us. It is better if we could work together in this.” He extended his hand.

 

                “Only if I could maintain my identity a secret. And do things my way.”

 

                “Agreed.”

 

                They then shook hands. “Alright.”

 

                “Now, shall we go to outer space?”

 

>>>@@<<<

 

                She watched as the firemen attempted to put off the fire that was burning the wreck of a car; and the police, trying to maintain the flow of traffic as well as the oncoming crowd. Because it’s raining, the fire was put out in a short time but that didn’t make the sickening feeling inside her at rest.

 

                Again, she arrived too late to stop the assassin. He was good enough to have always stayed two steps ahead of her. But then again, the person who had trained him had been one of the best soldier there was. If only she could find him and stop him from doing more harm to others and to himself.

 

                “Are you alright?” asked her companion, who was standing next to her. She casted a glance at her young companion before returning her gaze on the incident below.

 

                “Fine,” she simply said. “Not that I mourn for the admiral’s death. He was the worst kind of man and I definitely think that he deserved this kind of ending.”

 

                “And our assassin?”

 

                She turned away from the scene. “He’s long gone. But let’s keep our eyes open,” she said. “Oh, tell Simon I want him to tap into the police files once they’ve done their investigation. I want to know everything they’ve found in the wreckage. Maybe that would help us to at least narrow the gap between us and the assassin.”

 

                “I’ll get Simon on it.”

 

                As she walked away, she glanced back at the wreckage, regret and sadness played across her face. ‘Oh, Little Fire, what have we done to you.’

 

>>>@@<<<

 

                Relena looked out the window as her shuttle entered the landing bay. She had been in outer space for two weeks now. In that duration of time, she’d been attending conferences, meetings and friendly visits to almost all colonies in the outer space. And she was happy to learn that nothing bad had happen to any delegates that were traveling with her. But she knew things will not stay quiet for long.

 

                Her visit to this particular colony was actually personal, for a change. The person who was in charge of the colony had suggested to her and Noin that they should have the coming World Summit there. Noin thought it was the perfect place, strategically as well as in security. But Relena rather scouted over the place first before making any agreement. Not that she doesn’t trust the person, in fact, she trusted him with her life. But it’s just part of her nature to think things over before making any decision.

 

                “Miss Relena?” Pagan said, interrupted her thoughts. She then realized that they had landed and he and Noin were waiting for her at the exit. “We’re here.”

 

                “Of course, Pagan,” she said, rose to her feet. She walked over the door and down the stairs. At the bottom, stood the leader of the colony. “Long time no see,” she said, smiling at him.

 

                The leader, smiled back. He was as old as she was but the hardship of war reflected clearly in his beautiful blue eyes. But once he started to speak, his voice reflected a great kindness and innocence rarely found in any people. “It’s been long, yes. But it’s good to see you again.”

 

                “That goes double with me. How are you?”

 

                For a moment, Relena could see fatigue flashed across his face but only to have been replaced by a smile. “Fine. Been busy but fine. I guess you know how it feels to have people depending on you.”

 

                Relena nodded. “And you?” he asked, concerned. She raised her eyebrow, telling him that he knew the answer already. “Hello, Miss Noin, Pagan.” Relena turned to see Noin and Pagan making their way down.

 

                “Hello, Quatre. You look great.”

 

                “Hello, Master Quatre. I see they still couldn’t make you wear a proper attire,” Pagan said, which made the other three smiled. When Quatre and Heero were staying with them in the Sanc Kingdom, he had been fussing over Quatre’s choice of clothes. He thought that someone of Quatre’s status should not be dressing like Heero. And he won at one time when Quatre was forced to wear the institute’s uniform, which Pagan personally selected. That had nearly threw Heero over the roof when he saw the uniform and he blamed Quatre for it.

 

                Now, well, Quatre is still the same person as he was. Whether or not he’s the Winner’s family heir.

 

                Quatre chuckled, lightly. “I may own the resource satellite, Pagan but I’m still a Gundam pilot.” His face then turned serious. “With all the guerillas’ mad activities near Mars, we pilots have been putting extra hours to make sure their useless retaliation would never get near the colonies. So, consequently, my sister Erea is still the one who is running the show around here. As far as the colonists are concern, I’m handling all the foreign affairs.”

 

                Relena nodded in understanding. True, some people in the military knew who the Gundam pilots were but there were still a lot of people in outer space, especially in the resource satellite who didn’t know that their heir was a Gundam pilot. As far as they know, Quatre Winner ran away from home and then returned to help out with his father’s business. He gave his sisters full management over the resource satellite because the shareholders thought that he was too young to have full control over the business.

 

                But that’s fine with Quatre. He would had more time to stand guard over the colonies with the others. And in addition, he didn’t have any interest in taking over the business, never was.

 

                “So, shall we go?” asked Quatre. “My sister, Erea couldn’t wait to meet you.”

 

                “And I can’t wait to meet her.”

 

>>>@@<<<

 

                The crowd roared and was still chanting for more. But Amy and her band members politely said good-bye to their audience, promising to return someday. One or two of the screaming fans even managed to bolt up the stage and threw Jack a hug, nearly toppled him over. Another planted a big kiss on Kyle’s lips. A second later, two burly bodyguards tore them off the two startled boys and pulled the girls away, who were screaming and kicking.

 

                As they left the stage, Jack laughed, obviously love the attention. Kyle, meanwhile, was blushing and was wiping off the feel of the girl’s lips on his. He looked as if he was about to throw up. And seeing that expression on his face made Jack laughed even harder. “Boy, you got it bad tonight, alright. I just wish it was me she kissed.”

 

                “It’s not funny,” said Kyle, anger and embarrassment were clearly written on his face. Then, he stormed towards the dressing room as the other four watched his retreating form. “Kyle!” Amy called out.

 

                Jack looked at Paolo and Harry. “What’s his problem?” Amy stared at where he disappeared. “I don’t know,” she said. “I’ve never seen him like this before.” She started to go after him but Paolo stopped her.

 

                “Leave him alone. I think he needs a little time to cool off,” he said. “And besides, you have someone who is waiting for you.” Amy turned to see a guy looking at her, nervously. A bouquet of roses in his hand.

 

                “Hello,” she said, approaching him. The guy handed her the bouquet. “I’m your greatest fan, Amy. I love to hear you sing,” he blurted and then winced as the words tumbled out. Amy smiled to give him a little comfort. She then felt a tap on her shoulder as Harry handed her a photo of them and a pen.

 

                She looked at the nervous guy. “So, what’s your name?”

 

                “Martin,” he blurted. Amy signed the photo and handed it to him. “Here you go. Thanks for coming,” she said. Martin smiled happily and started to retreat, almost knocking over a spare speaker. Amy stifled a laugh and called out to him. “And thanks for the roses.” But the guy had already started running away, obviously mortified by his sudden klutziness.

 

                Amy and the others resumed their journey to the dressing room. As Jack was about to push it open, Kyle pulled the door, fully dressed. “Where are you going?” asked Jack, seeing him walking down the hallway. Kyle glanced at them before answering, “I need some fresh air. I’ll meet you guys at the hotel.”

 

                Jack was about to stop him but Paolo held him back. “Let him be, Jack. We’re on a colony station. He’s not going anywhere.”

 

                “Right, whatever.”

 

                Then, as they entered the room, Harry grabbed his old duffel bag. The one he usually brought with him like a lucky charm. He waved at them. “Speaking of bailing, I got to bail too. Catch ya guys later.”

 

                He left, leaving the others stared after him. “What’s with those two? Do they always have to bail out and not tell us where they’re heading?” Jack grumbled while Paolo shrugged. Amy’s thoughts were on the two most private member of their group.

 

>>>@@<<<

 

                It hadn’t been long when the nightmare started again. And this time, to Relena’s fear, it happened in the outer space. On a colony near the Winner’s resource satellite. A former minister of the Romefeller Foundation was killed in his hotel room after arriving from Earth. The reports still lack the description and clues to identify the assassin.

 

                “So, it’s starting again,” she said quietly, breaking the silence. Both Quatre and Noin looked at Relena, concerned. “It’s my fault. My being here brought the assassin to outer space.”

 

                “No, you can’t say that,” said Quatre. “When we heard about the assassin killing off the former leaders, we should have guess that sooner or later, he would come to outer space.” He paused. “Only this is a lot better.”

 

                Relena looked up, sharply. “A lot better? How?” she demanded. ‘How he could say that? People are dying here.’

 

                “I agree with Quatre,” said another voice. Trowa had arrived at the Winner’s two days ago, helping him out with the guerillas attack nearby. He was planning to return to the circus that day when they heard about the former minister’s death.

 

                “Well?” asked Relena for an explanation.

 

                Trowa kept his arms folded. “Well, since he has started to make his moves in outer space, we Gundam pilots could easily start our own hunt. From what I heard about this guy, he is a soldier. So, it would take a soldier to find another soldier.”

 

                “So, you seriously think that you could find this guy?” asked Noin. Quatre nodded. “I have no doubt about it. Besides, I’ve already got Duo looking into that particular matter right now. We were trained to protect the outer space. Now that he has infiltrate our domain, we will not let him off that easily.”

 

>>>@@<<<

 

                When Heero Yuy heard of the latest development, he decided to leave the Winner’s resource satellite, knowing that Relena is safe where she was. When he first heard of the assassin, he had been trying to track him down. But the assassin was good enough to have stayed a step ahead. And when Relena was almost killed in Sicily, he opted to stay close to her, knowing that sooner or later, the assassin would come after her. But now that Relena was with the people he trusted, he decided it’s time for him to resume his hunt. And kill him.

 

                So, he prepped his Gundam, Wing Zero and slipped into his black flight suit. As he piloted Wing Zero out of the hangar, he saw two figures watched him leave. Noin and Quatre. Noin tapped the cell phone in her hand, signaling that she would stay in touch while Quatre gave him a salute, wishing him luck. Heero saluted him back, thanking the two of them for the information and resources. And for the secrecy.

 

                Now, to find the loose cannon and destroy him.

 

>>>@@<<<

 

                Amy watched as the clown leapt over the charging lion and stood on it. The audience sucked in their breaths and then they all applauded as the brave clown jumped back after executing a triple somersault, landing on his feet. Then, he took a bow as a young lady walked to the center of the ring. Her hand was holding a set of daggers. The clown then leaned against a target board as she executed breath-taking throwing that made Amy gripped for Jack’s arm.

 

                “Ease off the arm, Amy. I need it to play the guitar,” he jokingly said. Amy stuck out her tongue and continued to watch. “Wow, the girl’s amazing!” he commented.

 

                “Yeah, I agree,” Harry added. Amy quickly shushed them. But Harry continued exchanging jokes with Paolo who laughed and so Amy forced herself to ignore them.

 

Since they’d started their space tour a few weeks ago, they’d little time for recreation. Now, for the first time, Morris seemed to be in a good enough mood to grant them a day off. And so, they decided to go to the circus they’d heard so much. Now, they finally understand why the circus act was famous during the war and now, after.

 

                Amy then glanced at Kyle, who seemed to be watching the clown closely. He was least disturb at the possibility that the girl with the knives might miss and actually hit the clown. “He’s good,” she heard him whispered.

 

                “Kyle?” she said. Kyle looked at her and raised his eyebrow, as if just broken from a trance. He looked at her, sheepishly. “Let’s go and see them after the show,” he suggested. “I’ve always wanted to meet people from a circus.”

 

                Happy that he finally showed interest at something, she nodded. “Yeah, why not?”

 

>>>@@<<<

 

                Trowa Barton was feeding the lion when he heard the voices. Catherine seemed to be talking to some people. And by the sound of it, she seemed to be as excited as they are. He was about to turn and see the newcomer when suddenly, the light was cut off from him. He stood and turned to see a silhouette of a boy standing before him.

 

                “Hi, I’m Kyle,” he said, extending his hand. Though he seemed young, his grip was strong and firm. “I’m Trowa. You’re familiar,” he said.

 

                “That’s because they’re famous entertainers,” said Catherine, walking over them with the other four. “Trowa, this is Amy, Jack, Harry and Paolo. They’re The United.”

 

                “Musicians, right?” Trowa guessed. “I like your songs. There’s something dark in it.”

 

                “Kyle wrote them,” said Amy. Trowa glanced at the boy. “You’re that clown, right?” She clapped her hand. “You were amazing. I love your act.”

 

                “Funny. People always said the high wire act was amazing.”

 

                “You were amazing,” said Kyle, as if emphasizing it. Amy nodded. “You should listen to Kyle. He never gave compliment unless he means it.”

 

                Trowa turned to Kyle. “In that case, thank you.” Then he added. “And your songs are amazing too. Like you, I rarely give any compliment.”

 

                “Then coming from you, it’s the highest compliment.”

 

>>>@@<<<

 

                “Another assassination,” Noin reported. It was the third one in space and still they found nothing that could tell them about the assassin. Even Duo’s investigation on the first incident came out empty. Noin silently hope that Heero was doing a lot better wherever he was.

 

                Quatre reread the news report and the data he and Duo collected. Since Trowa had returned to the circus, Duo had been hanging around the resource satellite to help him out. And with Duo, came Hilde who seemed to be a lot of help in giving them moral support.

 

                “And we still have no lead,” said Noin, frustrated. “Who is this Treize’s Revenge, anyway?”

 

                Suddenly, the door to their conference room opened. And they saw Erea standing in the hallway. “Quatre, I think you and your friends have a visitor,” she said and stepped aside. A young woman with honey blond hair appeared at the doorway. Noin rose to her feet.

 

                “Sally! What’s wrong? Why haven’t you contacted us?” she asked as Sally stepped in. Quatre looked at his sister as she winked. “I know. I’ll have another room prepared.” She then left.

 

                “I’ve got news for a change,” said Sally, ignoring Noin’s questions. “I want to show it to you guys personally. Guess who have been lurking around the crime scenes,” she said, producing some pictures for them to see.

 

                “Lady Une!”

 

                “And Dorothy!”

 

                Sally nodded. “Yup. They appeared in every crime scene.”

 

                “So, what does this mean?” asked Hilde.

 

                “It means that the two are involve in this somehow,” said Relena. “If they’re not with the assassin, it means that they’re looking for him too.”

 

                “And if they’re looking for him, it means that they at least have an idea who he is,” Duo finished for her. “You were right all along, Relena.”

 

                Quatre looked at Noin. “We must find them. If what we saw in the photos are correct, that means they’re in outer space right now. I’m sure if we work together, we can find this assassin and stop him.”

 

                “I’m on it,” said Noin, exiting the room. She nearly collided with Pagan who was bringing in some refreshments. “Sorry, Pagan.”

 

                Pagan looked at Sally. “I heard from Miss Erea that we have a visitor. So I thought I bring in something.”

 

                “Thanks, Pagan. But you shouldn’t have,” said Quatre. “You’re a guest here, remember?”

 

                “Yes, but I figured you’d be too busy to act as a host.”

 

                “Uh, right,” said Quatre, feeling a little guilty. Then he went over to Pagan and put a hand on the older man’s arm. He looked at him in the eye. “Thanks again, Pagan,” he said, appreciatively.

 

                Then, he started to leave. “Where are you going?” asked Hilde.

 

                Quatre glanced back. “Uh, I’m going to contact the others,” he said, looking pointedly at Duo. The Deathscythe pilot immediately understood the message. And exactly whom he wanted to contact and why he didn’t want to do it there. “Well, hurry back or you’ll be seeing a plate minus the cookies.”

 

                “Be right back.”

 

>>>@@<<<

 

                Heero looked around the room carefully. The third victim was killed in his hotel room too. So, Heero posed himself as a hotel employee and snuck in, which had been pretty easy since he had been doing that his whole life, assuming identities that were not his own. He never wondered who he really was or what his real name. He only registered the name Dr. J had provided him with the first time he went into the mission.

 

                He looked around, his eyes wondered for any clues or abnormality that could help him find the assassin. Truthfully, he had nearly caught up with the assassin in the last incident. But even then he was too late to stop him or save the former OZ commander. All he saw was a figure in black jumped from a building to another as if he was a cat. They exchanged shots when he saw him. But when Heero almost caught up with him, an explosion occurred, its blast threw Heero, unconscious.

 

                He then located him on this colony but only to discover that he was too late. The former Alliance major was killed and the assassin was long gone. ‘He’s good, alright. But he’s bound to make a mistake sooner or later,’ he thought.

 

                Suddenly, his eyes caught on something he considered suspicious enough. He gently picked it up and held it to the light. “This could be very helpful,” he said to himself and dropped it, knowing that he had enough clue.

 

>>>@@<<<

 

                The news came just as they were about to have dinner. Quatre ran into the dining hall where they were all waiting for him. “Duo, there’s a report of an active combat in Sector D90. Treize’s guerilla group is engaging combat with the White Fang’s guerillas.”

 

                “Sector D90,” Duo repeated. “That’s near Trowa’s area.”

 

                “Yeah, he’s meeting us there. Come on!” Then the two boys ran out of the dining hall while Relena, Noin, Sally and Hilde watched them leave. Then Hilde sighed and sat down. “We better settle down and start with dinner. Knowing a Gundam pilot, they’re going to be at it for quite some time.”

 

>>>@@<<<

 

                Duo cried as a stray missile connected with his Deathscythe. He then swung his scythe at the mobile doll that fired at him and watched it exploded. He turned around to face another troop of the guerillas’ mobile suits.

 

                When he and Quatre reached the combat point, the battle was already in full swing, with Trowa in the middle of it all. As the guerillas from the Treize faction were shooting at the White Fang guerillas, some of them were even working together to try and destroy the Gundam Heavy Arms, one of the reason of their last year’s defeat. And from Duo’s perspective, Trowa was definitely having his hands full until he and Quatre joined in the battle.

 

                Deathscythe shook violently as he missed another shot. Duo cursed. “Man, when are they going to run out of that.” He cursed again as another shot hit Deathscythe.

 

                “Hey, ease off the words, Duo. I didn’t know you could even think of those words,” he heard Quatre said through the communicator. “Trowa, incoming guerillas at nine o’clock.”

 

                “Man!” Duo hissed as he swung his scythe. “What is going on here? Are they planning to make this their last stand?”

 

                “I don’t know,” said Trowa. “This seems to be the biggest combat yet.”

 

                Suddenly a mobile doll behind him exploded. “Maybe we should make this a reunion,” a new voice said. From the darkness of space, a green Gundam suit appeared.

 

                “Wu Fei!” Duo cried out. “Where have you been all this time?”

 

                “Nice to see you again, Wu Fei,” said Quatre.

 

                Then a mobile suit exploded from a blaster, near Quatre. “Watch your back, Quatre,” someone warned. Quatre turned to see…

 

                “Heero!”

 

                “Great, this is like a class reunion, Gundam style,” Duo said, mischievously.

 

                Heero faced the incoming guerillas. “Well, let’s make sure it won’t be our last.”

 

                And for the first time since they’d all taken on their separate ways, they began to attack as a team once again. It took them a short time to convince the guerillas that today was not a good day to engage a battle with the Gundams. They retreated to their respective secret bases. Duo and Quatre moved to pursue them when Heero stopped them. “Let them leave. We can get them later.”

 

                For a moment, the five Gundam pilot stood there facing each other. Each was reminiscing the last time they worked together. “Hey, all,” said Duo in his usual easy-manner way.

 

                Heero ignored him and turned to Quatre. “Is there any place we could all talk?” he asked. Quatre blinked. “You don’t want to come back to my place?” When there was no answer, Trowa said quietly, “Follow me. I have some place we could talk easily.”

 

                They followed Trowa into the colony nearby. From the hangar, they were led into a series of hallways and corridors until they reached a dark room. To their surprise, Sally and Noin were waiting for them there. “How did you get here?” asked Duo, curiously.

 

                “I called them in,” Heero answered. But he was looking at Trowa who shrugged. “I saw their ship approaching and know something’s up. So, I sent them the address here,” he answered Heero’s questioning look.

 

                “We escaped from Relena easily. She thought we were still in the resource satellite,” said Sally. Then their faces were grim. “There was another assassination. It happened an hour ago,” Noin told them.

 

                “What!” Quatre cried. Then he was frowning. “Is it me or did the assassin wait until the fireworks started before he killed the victim?”

 

                Heero folded his arms. “It’s not you, alright,” he said. “I’ve seen enough to tell me that our assassin here have been killing the world leaders when the guerillas started to attack the colonies.”

 

                “But how? Why?”

 

                Trowa looked at Heero. “Was he using the guerillas to distract us?”

 

                “Exactly or more precisely to distract the authorities,” Heero said. He looked at his comrades. “Remember the attack on Sector G27?”

 

                Wu Fei nodded. “Of course. I was there engaged in a battle with the guerillas.”

 

                “Well, I was at a nearby colony. I tracked him down and almost caught up to him.”

 

                Sally leaned forward. “You did? What happened?”

 

                “He got away,” Heero said. When he didn’t elaborate, they decided not to ask any further. Noin noticed a small bump nearly visible on his temple.

 

                Then Quatre’s eyes lit up. “There’s another thought. What if this assassin is working with the guerillas?”

 

                “I don’t know,” said Duo. “If I were an assassin on a vengeance rampage, I would want to work alone. Makes the job easier.”

 

                “Yes but what if the guerillas, neither one, is helping him out by staging the attack. And providing him with armaments. I mean, since the world leaders has issue an order to control the flow of weapon issues, he would certainly need to get them from somewhere. Where better to get them than from the guerillas who have more than enough?”

 

                “You have a point there,” said Duo, surrendering. Heero nodded in acceptance. Quatre’s argument seemed valid enough. Trowa looked at Quatre proudly. His eyes saying, ‘Good theory.’

 

                Wu Fei turned to Noin and Sally, noticing that Noin was holding a manila folder in her hand. “Are you going to tell us about your information?” he asked. Noin nodded and placed the contents of the folder on a table. “I thought it was time for us to compare notes.”

 

                And for some time they worked on what all of them discovered, including the news about Lady Une’s involvement. Trowa spared a glance at Quatre when Sally mentioned Dorothy and saw his surrogate little brother stared back at him. They still had the funny feeling over the war-thirsty girl. Then, Noin finished the discussion by telling them that she had people looking out for Lady Une and Dorothy too.

 

                “Good call,” said Heero.

 

                Noin gritted her teeth. “It would be a lot better if my people could at least get a description of the assassin.” She turned to Heero. “Do you notice anything about him?”

 

                “Red,” he simply said. The others looked at him, curiously. “When he killed the Alliance major after we met, I went to the crime scene to investigate myself. I found something that could help narrow down our search.”

 

                The others waited for him to continue. Heero looked at them. “He has red hair.”

 

                “Hmm… that is useful,” said Noin. “Red heads are rare to find.”

 

                “And we could do a cross reference search, say, check every public transportation and find anyone with red hair who had been near the crime sites. From there, we could investigate anyone who has the potential to be the assassin,” Quatre suggested.

 

                Noin nodded. “That could help. It’s better that than nothing. I’ll get my people on it.”

 

                “In the meantime, I think we should keep in touch with each other,” said Heero. “If anyone find anything, we meet here.”

 

                Noin looked at Heero and sighed. ‘I guess he’s still hiding from Relena.’ But she nodded anyway. “Alright.”

 

>>>@@<<<

 

                Amy made her way along the hallway silently. She was a little bored after a day full of interviews and appearances that morning, now they were all taking a little break before having to perform that night. Jack and Paolo were doing what guys do best, playing video games and insulting each other.

 

And Harry, well, he disappeared right after they returned to the hotel. Amy had stopped by his room earlier but he wasn’t there. And since Harry shared his room with no one, Amy couldn’t ask anyone where he went. So, she opted to find another member of the group who also had his own room, expecting it to be empty.

 

                For once when Kyle did his disappearing acts, Amy found him in his room. He was strumming his guitar and humming to himself. Amy listened for a moment, watching him wrote something on a piece of paper and then continued to strum the guitar. In that fateful moment, Amy never saw Kyle looked so calm and relaxed.

 

                Amy shifted her feet but only to make a slight noise. She quickly stood still, hoping that she didn’t broke the tranquility of the room but it was too late. Kyle was looking at her, his calm and relax demeanor all gone. He waited for her to say something.

 

                “Hi,” she said, entering the room. “That was beautiful. You’re working on a new song already?”

 

                “Actually, this is the seventh one. I finished six while we were in the beginning of the tour.”

 

She stepped closer. “Do you mind?” she gestured toward the piece of paper. Kyle handed it to her and she read it. So far, the lyrics were only five lines long. When she was finished, she looked at him. “This is so sad.”

 

                “It’s not finish yet,” he said. He took the paper from her and folded it. “I’ve been working on this one since last week but I can’t seem to get it finished.”

 

                Amy threw her arms around his neck from his back. “Don’t worry. You’ll finish it soon. Just give yourself a little time.”

 

                For a moment, they stayed like that for a while. Then, Kyle said something that surprised Amy. “This would be my last song, Amy.”

 

                “What? What do you mean?” She tried to face Kyle but he looked away

 

                “I don’t think I will be here long enough to see our second album completed.” He looked at her. “I won’t be here any more.”

 

                Amy frowned, couldn’t understand what he’s saying. “Wha… what’s wrong with you?” she asked, anxiously. Then she put her hand on his forehead. It was warm. “You’re not well. It’s those headaches, right? There’s something wrong with you.” She had been worried about Kyle’s never-ending headaches, thinking that something was wrong. But when he seemed to have stop having them, she thought it was over. Now…

 

                He removed her hand. “Nothing’s wrong with me, Amy.” He stood and placed his guitar on the table. “Let’s drop this, okay?” he said, slipped on his jacket.

 

                “Where are you going?”

 

                “Some place,” he said. “Alone.”

 

                Then he was gone, leaving her alone to digest what had just transpired.

 

>>>@@<<<

 

                He walked, letting the cool air brushed his face. The city in the colony was as busy as ever, which was a common thing since it’s the rushing hour. The colonists, like the people on Earth no longer have any reason to fear for their life since peace was restored. They also have nothing to fear for the guerillas’ attacks because the Gundam pilots were working their way through to maintain the peace in outer space.

 

                As he thought about the Gundam pilots, he was reminded of the person that he met in Sector G27 where he killed the old former Alliance officer. At first he didn’t have any idea of who he was and so he ran, fearing that he would be caught before reaching his goal. But now, he realized that that guy was one of them. One of the Gundam pilots. And he was sorry that he had ran away from him.

 

                ‘I have not much time,’ he thought. ‘I must meet these Gundam pilots and prepare for my final showdown.’ He then looked at the big screen on the above building. ‘It’s time to go for the heart.’

 

                He stared at the image. ‘It’s time to go after Relena Darlian.’

 

>>>@@<<<

 

                He walked over to the reception area and asked if there’s any message for him. The receptionist only handed him a yellow manila envelope. Curiously, he opened it and saw a small note. He read,

 

                ‘We want to see you, Treize’s Revenge. Rui’s Lounge. Room 5’

 

                He quickly destroyed the note and exited the hotel once more. He walked for a few blocks and found himself standing over a small motel. He entered and searched for Room 5. When he found it, he knocked. Someone opened the door and pulled him inside.

 

                The room was dark but he could tell a man was there. “So, you found out who I am after all,” he said, impressed. Hagan looked at him, carefully.

 

                “Sorry, we have to know all about you before we could trust you fully.”

 

                He raised his eyebrow. “So, we weren’t trusting each other after all.” But before Hagan could counter-argue, he continued. “No matter. My end is near anyway. I don’t care about my identity anymore.”

 

                “He wants to talk to you,” said Hagan.

 

                “That someone higher up you mentioned before?”

 

                “Yes. He was the one who discovered who you are.”

 

                “Alright. Lead on.”

 

                Hagan turned to him. “Oh, by the way. Good cover. We didn’t really suspect who you were until the Admiral recognized you. Don’t worry, besides the Admiral and I, no one knows who you really are. And I can guarantee that no one ever will.”

 

                He folded his arms. “Really. How did he recognized me?”

 

                “Because he was there when Treize trained you, though he still don’t know what so special about you. What makes Treize so interested in training you personally.”

 

                He could feel a question in Hagan’s statement but still he kept his real identity. “I’d like to keep that secret to my grave, thank you. Besides, it’s irrelevant now.” Then he whispered to himself. “Nothing is, except revenge.”

 

>>>@@<<<

 

                “No! I will attend the charity dinner as planned. Most world leaders are going to be there and I’m expected to say something about the policy meeting we are planning to hold,” Relena insisted.

 

                “But it’s too dangerous to have that dinner in the first place,” Duo argued. “The assassin is still on the loose.”

 

                Relena met his eyes evenly. “I will not let an assassin postpone the peace talks any longer. If we don’t meet right now, sooner or later, the fear that the world representatives have will tear Earth’s nations and the colonies apart. And then we will never have peace. And the Earth Sphere Unified Nation would be just an empty promise”

 

                Duo thrust his fist to the air angrily. “Man! Can’t anyone get through that thick skull of hers?” He looked at Quatre. “Why aren’t you helping me out?”

 

                “I know better than to argue with a politician,” he said, quietly.

 

                “So you rather face an angry and trigger-happy guy, huh?”

 

                Knowing whom Duo was referring to, Quatre nodded. “At least he didn’t give me a headache.”

 

                “Man! He’s going to flip his lid over this,” Duo said softly but there’s anger in his voice. Unlike Quatre, he had seen the cold and murderous look in Heero’s eyes the first time they met. After that incident, Duo promised to himself that he would never stand at the wrong side of Heero’s gun. But now, he might had to consider wearing bulletproof vest before meeting the guy. All because his girlfriend decided not to listen to reason!

 

                He then looked at Relena. “Fine! Do what you want to do. Just remember that it would be your fault if I ended up dead.”

 

                “Nobody ask you to protect me,” she shot back but a small smile played at the corner of her lips.

 

                “Unfortunately, I’m not referring to that,” he said softly. Quatre walked over to the exit.

 

                “Come on, Duo. We have to talk,” he said, reminding him of their secret meeting. Noin and Sally were waiting for them at the hangar. With an exasperated sigh, Duo left.

 

                “You tell him,” he hissed as Quatre shrugged, a smile threatened to form on his lips.

 

>>>@@<<<

 

                Duo waited to see Heero’s reaction as Quatre finished telling him about Relena’s decision. But to his surprise, Heero just folded his arms. “So, she’s tired of waiting, huh?”

 

                “She seemed to be,” said Quatre.

 

                “That’s fine,” he said.

 

                “What! That’s it?” Duo protested but Heero ignored him and continued. “We could use this to our advantage. We would wait until the assassin show himself up.”

 

                Wu Fei nodded. “Good plan. With five of us watching, we would surely spot him easily.”

 

                Trowa turned to Noin and Sally. “What about the cross reference? Found any possible suspect?”

 

                “At first, yes,” said Noin. “But as we did further checks on them, some were not even in outer space now. And the others, well, we ran a further investigations and found that they, say, don’t match our criteria as an assassin.”

 

                “Hmm… but I suggest we keep an eye on them anyway,” said Wu Fei. “An assassin could also have a normal life to act as his cover.”

 

                “It’s being done,” said Sally.

 

                Heero turned to Noin. “Can I see that cross reference list?” Noin handed him the list. A piece of paper fell to the floor. He picked it up. “What’s this?”

 

                Noin took the paper. “Oh, it’s a picture Amy Pierson sent to Relena.”

 

                “Amy Pierson?”

 

                “Yeah. She’s the singer for The United. A band we met in Sicily,” she said as Heero looked at the black and white picture of  five young people. “Relena kinda became friends with them ever since one of them saved her during that guerilla attack. And I heard that they are performing at the charity dinner.”

 

                “Really?” Heero voiced, frowning. “Are they here in outer space?”

 

                Noin nodded. “Of course. The United have been on tour since last year. Their songs promote peace and helped Relena a lot with her peace talks.” She then looked at him, alert. “What? You don’t think one of them could be the assassin, do you?”

 

                “Do any of them has red hair?”

 

                “Two. Harry and Kyle. But Harry is the sweetest guy in the group. He can’t be the assassin,” she said. “And Kyle saved Relena. Why would he do that if he wants to kill her. It doesn’t make any sense.”

 

                Heero looked at her. “Nothing makes any sense. And even the sweetest person could end up as an assassin given the right reason. But for Relena’s sake and for the peace, I’m willing to suspect anybody.”

 

                “I’ve met them too,” Trowa said as the others turned their attention to him. “From what I seen, this Kyle might be a little cold but he seemed okay enough. And the other one, Harry, he’s a little like Duo but I feel he’s hiding something.”

 

                “But what if the assassin had on a red wig when he went out to kill?” Noin suggested.

 

                He looked at her. “Like I said, I’m willing to suspect anybody.”

 

                “Still,” Quatre interrupted them. “Our best bet is to keep watch during the dinner. And for that we need to study the room structure thoroughly.”

 

                “I’ll get you guys the blue prints as soon as possible.”

 

                “What about the search for Lady Une?” asked Heero.

 

                Sally sighed. “Still continuing. They’re good at keeping themselves invisible.”

 

                “Don’t worry,” said Quatre. “I have a feeling that we’ll be meeting Lady Une and Dorothy soon.” He felt Trowa threw him a glance, knowing there’s a question playing in his mind. But even he had no answer to Trowa’s silent question.

 

                “Alright, then. Let’s get back to work.”

 

>>>@@<<<

 

                “We just received word that there will be a charity dinner held in colony 257. And most world leaders would be attending, including Miss Relena herself.”

 

                Lady Une listened, looking at the image on the screen. “That means, the Gundam pilots would be there as well, protecting her.”

 

                “What do you want to do about it?”

 

                “Be there and wait for the assassin. The dinner would be the perfect target for him.”

 

                Dorothy looked at her carefully. “Are we still going to remain invisible.”

 

                “Yes. We can’t let the assassin know we’re looking for him too. He knows me too well,” said Lady Une. “We have to let him think the Gundam pilots were the only ones looking for him.”

 

                “Alright,” said Dorothy. She looked at Lady Une who returned her gaze on the screen. “I’ll leave you now.”

 

                Lady Une kept her eyes on the image before her. “Little Fire, at last I found you.”

 

>>>@@<<<

 

                Jack and Paolo were chatting, each were excited that they would be performing before the world leaders in the charity dinner. Amy was helping Harry with his tux, he seemed to be more nervous than ever, as if waiting for something to happen. Amy tried to calm him down but that only made him more irritated. So, she kept her mouth shut and spared a glance at Kyle. He’s in the bathroom but Amy could see his reflection clearly in the mirror. He was swallowing some pills and gulped a glass of water. He then turned to the mirror and straightened his tux, before exiting the bathroom.

 

                Since the last time they talked, Kyle had been avoiding her. And Amy didn’t have the nerve to raise the subject, fearing he might draw further away from her. But now, for the first time, Amy saw him joking with Jack and Paolo as if they were old pals. At first, the two were surprised but then they began to accept his ‘good moods’.

 

                “Come on, girl and boys. Time to go,” said Morris, entering the room. He quickly ushered Amy and Harry out as Jack, Paolo and Kyle ran out, laughing over a joke Paolo told. But for a moment there, Amy saw a cold look crossed over Kyle’s eyes as he stepped out of the room. And then it was gone.

 

>>>@@<<<

 

                He watched as Relena Peacecraft or Darlian, at the moment, walked over to the podium. He saw her ever loyal bodyguard and advisor, Noin, tensed as if expecting trouble. But he knew it’s not the perfect time to strike. So, he relaxed and listened as the girl of his age talked about peace and her hopes for unity. He knew this would be the last speech he’s going to hear, if everything went smoothly.

 

 

                As she talked on, Noin looked around, looking for anyone who was pointing a rifle at Relena or at any world leaders. Sally was around here, secretly working with the security people as the Gundam pilots were all watching over things incognito. She waited and waited, ready to sprang into action but still there’s none. She looked over to The United’s table, particularly on Harry and Kyle. But she only saw a nervous Harry and an interested Kyle, who listened to Relena’s speech word by word.

 

 

                Then, Relena finished her speech and it was their turn to take the stage and perform. To Amy’s surprise, Kyle took the lead guitar as Jack took the bass. Somehow, they must have planned this earlier but she knew as well as the others knew that Kyle was capable of being the lead guitarist. He was as good as Jack was, maybe even better. But he chose to play the bass instead. And Jack seemed to be more than happy at the sudden change. Then, Paolo started the counting as Harry hit the soft melody of their first song.

 

 

                Relena watched as The United performed. She knew Noin was tensed ever since they arrived so she quickly threw her a reassuring smile. Sitting next to Noin was Quatre, having been invited as the representative of the Winner’s family. But Relena knew he only came because it was the only way he could be close enough to Relena. The other pilots, Relena knew, were close by. Including Heero.

 

 

                Heero watched The United carefully. He knew if the assassin was one of the two boys, he wouldn’t strike now, not when he’s still on the stage. But Heero was not about to take any chances. He knew that this was it. His gut feeling told him so and he always listened to what his guts said. And so, he kept on watching, expecting trouble that was creeping in.

 

 

                Quatre watched the band performed, but each time, his eyes kept on the other four people standing around the room. Though they’re inside, their Gundams were not far away. It was a precaution they took to make sure if the guerillas decided to attack, they would be well prepared. But so far nothing happened yet and so he told himself to relax a little and enjoy the show.

 

 

                Then, as The United was about to enter their fourth song, an explosion occurred from the outside. The guests jumped to their feet and were running around searching for the exit. In the midst of chaos, Quatre turned to Noin, “Get Relena out of here,” he shouted as they heard another explosion and a series of gunshot. They immediately guessed that a battle was taking place outside.

 

                Noin and Relena ran towards the back door, through the kitchen and a series of empty hallways. Relena wondered about the welfare of the other guests. She was about to stop and turn back when there was a series of running footsteps coming from behind them. Their first thought was the assassin had found them but then…

 

                “Amy! Paolo!” Relena cried out. Then Jack ran up from behind them. Amy looked at Relena and Noin, she was in distress. “Relena! Miss Noin! We can’t find Harry and Kyle anywhere!”

 

                “Don’t worry, I’m over here,” said a new voice, coming from behind Relena and Noin. When Amy saw who it was, she gasped.

 

                “Kyle! What are you doing here?”

 

                Kyle’s eyes were on Relena and Noin. “Doing the only thing a dead soldier like me could do,” he said, then raised a gun and pointed it at Relena.

 

                “It can’t be you,” Relena whispered, disbelief.

 

                “It is me.” Then he fired.

 

                As fast as lightning, Noin jumped right in front of Relena and took the bullet for her. She gasped in pain and felt her legs crumpled beneath her. Relena knelt beside Noin, holding her in her arms. Amy and the others were in shock but she quickly snapped out of it.

 

                “What are you doing, Kyle?! Stop!” she said when Kyle pointed the gun again at Relena.

 

                “I’m sorry you have to see this,” he said, addressing Amy but his eyes were on Relena. “But I won’t hesitate to kill you if I have to.”

 

                Amy drew in her breath when she heard the coldness in his voice. Never in the time they were together that Kyle used that tone on her. Now, it was as if she’s staring at a stranger. “You’re the assassin!” she said softly, surprised to hear how hollow her voice sounded.

 

                Jack and Paolo looked at her and then at Kyle. “What! We have an assassin in our band the whole time?” said Jack, incredulously.

 

                “It’s the only way I could travel without anyone suspecting.” His finger then tightened the hold on the trigger. “It’s time to die, Relena Peacecraft.”

 

                Suddenly something dropped from the above. Just as quickly, Kyle whipped the gun at it. Relena gasped. “Heero!” He stood between her and Kyle, a gun pointed straight at him. He glared at Kyle but said to Relena. “Get Noin and the others out of here.”

 

                Relena looked at Kyle, to see if he’s going to stop them. But to her surprise, Kyle had his eyes only on Heero, ignoring all others. So, she helped Noin up as Jack pulled Amy away. “No, I want to stay,” she protested. “Let go of me, Jack!”

 

                “Shut up and go!” Kyle snapped in an icy tone. Amy was surprised to hear that and saw Kyle spared a cold look at her. So, she let Jack led her back, away from the two.

 

                As soon as they were gone, Heero shifted his eyes back on the boy before him. “Heero Yuy,” Kyle said. “So, I finally get to meet the ever infamous Gundam pilot.”

 

                “And you finally get to die,” said Heero. “By my hand.”

 

                “No,” a new voice said. From behind Heero, Wu Fei appeared, unarmed. “If he were to die, it would be by my hand,” he said, surprising Heero and Kyle. He looked straight at Kyle. “My name is Wu Fei Chang. I’m the one who killed Treize Khushraneda. It is me you want not Heero, not anyone else.”

 

                Kyle turned his gun at him. “You’re the one,” he said, anger clearly written in his eyes but his face was calm. Before anyone of them could say a thing, there was a series of running footsteps and Trowa, Duo and Quatre appeared. Relena’s with them.

 

                “Why are you here?” said Heero, obviously displeased. Relena looked at Kyle.

 

                “I want to talk Kyle out of this.”

 

                “No,” said Wu Fei. “I want to fight him.”

 

                Kyle kept his eyes on Wu Fei and then at the newcomers but he address his words to Relena. “And I want to fight them. So, don’t waste your breath.”

 

                “Why do you want to fight us?” asked Quatre. “The war is over.”

 

                “My war is not.”

 

                Hearing that, Quatre was silent. He realized that there was no other way but to fight. Then, Heero stepped aside. “He’s all yours, Wu Fei.”

 

                Wu Fei looked at Kyle, who dropped the gun. From his back, he took out a blade. Wu Fei quickly recognized it. It was the same one Treize used to fight him a long time ago. And so, he drew out his own weapon and faced him. Then, as one, the two charged at each other.

 

                Duo, Quatre, Trowa and Heero watched in awe. They’ve seen Wu Fei in action before but they never saw the other. And from what they were seeing, Kyle was as good as Wu Fei and that they were evenly matched. Both definitely had skills and techniques, which were further amplified by their discipline and determination to raise over the other. And secretly, Heero knew that if the other pilots were to fight Kyle beside Wu Fei, they would all lose. And that included him too.

 

                ‘But if it were a fight in a mobile suit,’ he thought. ‘It would be different. Provided if Kyle could pilot a mobile suit.’ But Heero knew he could.

 

                Relena watched everything, her pacifist nature was telling her to stop the fight. She doesn’t want either boys to get hurt. Not Wu Fei, because he’s on her side and not Kyle because she owed him her life. Besides, she was beginning to like him. And whatever that drove him to do this cannot be the reason why he should die.

 

                And Wu Fei, well, she knew he felt guilty because his easy victory over Treize. It was the only reason why he disappeared on his own. He still couldn’t accept Treize’s action when he drove the Tall Geese straight into his trident. Now with Kyle, he had the chance to make it right, by defeating him fairly. But even so, Relena can’t let this continue. She won’t.

 

                She was about to move forward when a hand pushed her back. She turned to see Heero, his eyes telling her to leave them alone. Confused with him being near her, she could just looked on.

 

                Wu Fei looked at the assassin before him as he blocked another blow. He had to admit, this Kyle Rayden was as good as Treize Khushraneda. And there were moments where Wu Fei felt as if he were battling Treize again. After a series of blows and blocks, he managed to let out a statement. “You’re good.”

 

                “You should know,” said Kyle. “I was trained by Treize himself.”

 

                Wu Fei was surprised at the revelation and nearly missed a blow. He jumped away to look at Kyle. “Then, it was an honor to fight against you,” he said, nodded in respect.

 

                “The honor is all mine.”

 

                Then, Wu Fei and Kyle charged at each other. Suddenly, a voice shouted out from nowhere. “No, Kylie! Don’t!”

 

                Kyle was surprised to hear that voice so he halted. Standing behind the other Gundam pilots was Lady Une. He was so surprised to see her that he didn’t see Wu Fei’s blade coming down from above. In that split second, Kyle could only jumped back and felt the blade cut through his chest.

 

 

                The seconds after that was like a slow motion. The pilots were surprised at Lady Une’s unexpected appearance. They turned back to the combatants only to see Wu Fei swung his blade down on Kyle who was as surprised as they were that he lost sight of Wu Fei. Then, he jumped back but the blade didn’t missed him entirely. It cut through his shirt and the bandages under it. Bandages?!

 

 

                Duo’s eyes popped out of his socket at what was revealed before him and the others. “He’s a she!” he said, stating the obvious as Kyle held on to the ripped shirt to cover himself. Blood already seeping through.

 

                “You’re a girl!” said Wu Fei, surprised that he backened. The others, even Heero were surprised as well. All, except Lady Une.

 

                “Kylie, you’re hurt,” she said, stepped forward.

 

                “Stay back!” said Kyle or Kylie, now. She had somersaulted and picked up her gun and was pointing it at them. Seeing her, Relena finally understood why Kyle always seemed young and vulnerable. And why he had soft feature and the innocent boyish looks. The only thing that made them mistaken her for a boy was her hard, cold eyes.

 

                Now that the truth was revealed, they could finally see a girl standing before them. A girl that was about their own age, with long red hair that seemed to fell on her face whenever she looked down. She glared at all of them, obviously unhappy that Lady Une was there and that they saw the real person she was.

 

                Lady Une stepped forward, her hands up showing that she’s unarmed. “Little Fire, please listen to me.” The girl looked at her, expressionless and said, “That person is dead.”

 

                “Alright, Kylie,” Lady Une corrected herself. “Please listen to me. There’s no reason for you to continue to fight. The war is over when Mr. Treize died,” she said, painfully. “He died because he was protecting the peace we have today.” The Gundam pilots were surprised to hear that. “He died because he wants to have this peace. You of all should know this.”

 

                Kylie trained the gun at her, her eyes narrowed. “I’m not listening to you. You’re a traitor to both  Treize and me. And your words meant nothing to me.” She fingered the trigger. “I should destroy you right now.”

 

                Hearing her said that made Relena recalled the same way Heero once said that to her. Then, she felt Heero glanced at her way. She glanced back at him and then turned her attention to Lady Une. Treize’s personal assistant looked pained by Kylie’s words.

 

                “I never betray you, Kylie. Especially not Mr. Treize.”

 

                “You let him die.” At that, Lady Une almost felt tears threatening to come out but she quickly held it in check . Sure she failed to save Treize and that it was Treize’s decision to sacrifice himself, but Kylie’s words sliced through her heart.

 

                Suddenly, there were other people coming. Then, Sally and Dorothy appeared, telling them the guerillas had retreated. They then halted when they saw the girl with the gun. Seeing them, Kylie decided that the place was too crowded and so, she looked at Wu Fei and the other Gundam pilots. “We’ll finish this later,” she said.

 

Before any of them could say a thing, she threw something to the floor. There was a small explosion and a blinding light, followed by a thick smoke. Lady Une ran to where Kylie was standing only to find the girl had vanished.

 

                “Let her be,” said Heero, stopping Duo who was running toward where he suspected the assassin ran to. “It’s time for some answers,” he said, looking at Lady Une. She turned to him, looking a little drained. She then turned to Dorothy who was standing next to Quatre and Trowa.

 

                “Dorothy, secure the place. I want no one to come in here.”

 

                Dorothy nodded and left, after throwing a brief glance at Trowa and Quatre. Despite the war was over, the thing between them was still there and they need to talk it out soon. But not now.

 

                Lady Une looked at them all and sighed. “Settle down and let me tell you the story of Kylie Rayden Khushraneda. Treize’s adopted daughter.”

 

TO BE CONTINUED…