Arys nonchalantly walked through the Romefeller Foundation headquarters. She had told Zechs that she needed to fulfill a personal mission, and he had given her permission to leave White Fang's newly-acquired lunar base without hearing any of the details. Arys was glad that he had not required her to explain herself. For some reason, Zechs trusted her completely. It was a nice feeling.

She heard a commotion going on by the Great Hall and she quickly headed in that direction.

"Queen Relena is going to make a speech." Arys heard people whispering as she joined the crowd milling around outside the Great Hall.

Arys filtered in with the rest of the people and took up a standing position at the back of the chamber. As Relena began to speak, Arys surveyed the balconies located near the top of the chamber. Her sharp eyes caught a whisper of movement along one of the pillars closer to the platform. Then, she saw him. A boy. Holding a gun. Arys smiled to herself.

"An assassin."

Arys quickly left the room and made her way over to the stairs. As soon as she found the stairs, she sprinted up them. When she got to the top, she leaned over to catch her breath. She still had not fully recovered from her close brush with death a little more than a month ago. Her ankle had healed quickly, but she had had some other injuries that had left her weakened. She hated the feeling of being weak. Even exercising every day had not built up her strength again.

She saw a hand raise a gun to point toward the platform and at Relena's head. Arys silently came up behind the pillar, peeked around it, and clapped a hand over the assassin's mouth before yanking him backwards toward the wall and away from the railing.

"Mph!"

"Shut your mouth and I won't kill you yet," Arys whispered in his ear.

The boy grabbed the arm she had around him, and Arys found herself on the floor, her midnight hair flung across her face. The boy straddled her, pinning her arms to the ground with one arm as she struggled to get away from him. He held a gun to her head.

"Talk, now." He said, shifting slightly and lifting his arm off her.

Arys felt a hand sweep across her face, removing the hair blocking her view of the boy and his view of her face. She glared up at a boy with tousled brown hair. When he saw her face, he gasped, and confusion filled his blue eyes. He looked like he had just seen a ghost. His face paled.

"Arys?" The confusion was replaced by remembered pain. "You're alive?"

Then, relief spread across his face and he smiled. "Duo was right."

Arys stared at him impassively. "How do you know my name? I don't think we've met."

The boy rolled to his feet and helped her up, his hands capturing hers in their strong grip. He took the gun from her hand and dropped it on the ground. Arys blushed. That look in his eyes. No one had ever looked at her like that before. It unnerved her.

"We were...," The boy's deep blue eyes traveled over her face, and Arys felt a warmth rising in her cheeks, "friends before you self-destructed." He stepped closer. "You don't remember me, Arys?" His voice lowered to a husky whisper.

His voice made her feel weak, and that countered one of the things Zechs had drilled into her over the past month - Never allow yourself to feel weak. Arys tried to slow her racing heart, to calm the quivering in her legs. She didn't understand her reaction to this boy. Who was he?

Arys shook her head, her gray eyes still steely in spite of the disturbing emotions roiling within her. "How did you know that I self-destructed?"

"I was there, Arys." He kept coming, backing Arys against the wall. "I watched your Gundam explode and when it did, I felt as if I had lost everything."

There was a look of absolute fright on her face. He knew who she was, what she was! But she had no idea where she had met him before. Zechs would have told her to eliminate him right then and there, but something inside kept her from doing so. Was it her heart? She felt as if it had frozen solid over the past month and was just beginning to melt. Did she actually feel compassion for this boy? The feeling was so foreign to her that she had no idea how to handle it.

"Who are you?" Her eyes darted back and forth, trying to find a way to escape.

He drew closer to her, her hands still clasped in his, until his face was only inches from hers. "My name is Heero Yuy, Arys Walker."

"Heero Yuy?" A scowl appeared on Arys' face. She shook her head. That name. It did sound familiar, but she could not recall his face anywhere in her memory. "I'm sorry. I don't remember you."

Heero put his hands on her shoulders. "Arys..."

Arys trembled at his touch. The emotions racing through her were too much for her to handle at once. She had to leave, get away, find a way to control these feelings. Zechs would be disappointed. He had tried so hard to drill emotion from her.

"Let go of me!" She darted away, stopping in the middle of the hallway to turn around and shout at him angrily. "I'm sorry, okay? I don't know who you are or how you know me, so just leave me alone!"

Arys disappeared down the stairs. Heero looked down at his hands. He clenched them into fists. He had been so close. He had seen her reaction to him. Somewhere underneath, the Arys he had known still existed and still had the same feelings for him that he had for her.

"She's alive. That's all that matters."

______________

Arys sat at a console in a remote room in the Romefeller Foundation building. Her meeting with the mysterious would-be assassin was still in the forefront of her mind as she searched classified files on the Romefeller network. How did he know her? There had been something in his eyes that made Arys' emotions go haywire. Only now was she beginning to calm down from the encounter. Arys clenched a fist to her forehead, willing the thoughts to leave her mind.

"Don't think about him right now, Arys. Concentrate."

Arys tried to focus on the computer screen in front of her. She was searching for information about herself. Trying to regain her memory and in turn the life she had lost. Zechs had suggested she search the Romefeller computer system since she had once been under their organization. Apparently, he had known who she was long before he had met her on the beach. He had suggested using the Zero System as her search word. She typed it in.

An article on the Zero System came up on the screen. And her name was in the article. Arys slipped a disk into the drive and clicked SAVE. The drive whirred a bit, but Arys ignored it as she read the summary of the article at the top of the screen.

________

"Subject under experimental study: Arys Walker

Age: 10 years old

Experiment: Use of the Zero System as a virtual reality simulator with real-world effects

Goal: Reprogramming of the Zero System allows an outside source the ability to control what the subject experiences while under the control of the Zero System.

Experiment Results: Arys Walker has accepted the Zero System. She believes that she is fighting against Oz under the Zero System program. Total emotional detachment is possible. Due to the subject's complete immersion, she accomplished the mission of killing her own parents.

Experiment Conclusion: Successful."

__________

Arys drew back in horror. She had killed her own parents!

"Yes, Arys," A voice behind her said sympathetically.

Arys whirled in her chair and pulled out her gun in one smooth motion. She leveled the weapon at the speaker. She glared down the barrel of her gun and into eyes the color of a twilight sky. It was Heero. His gaze settled on her face, and Arys felt as if he were staring straight into her soul.

You don't want to see it, Heero Yuy. It's cold as death. I'm lost, and there's no way anyone can find me again.

"You caused the death of your own parents. You told me about it only a few months ago, the day I tried to kill you myself."

He had tried to kill her? But what about that look in his eyes? The caring, the... dare she think it?... love. How could he love her? She didn't even know him! Arys looked away from his eyes to stare out the door.

Arys' eyes narrowed. "Why are you following me?" She tightened her grip on the handle of the gun.

"I'm not. I need access to this terminal, but when I came in, you were already here."

Arys lowered her gun, turned around, and tapped a few buttons. She logged off the computer and ejected her disk. Then, she jumped out of the chair and waved Heero toward it.

"Here."

"Thanks." Heero slid into it. His gaze was piercing. "Arys..."

Arys met his gaze. She shook her head and made her way to the door. Just as she reached the doorway, Arys reached out for the doorjamb, suddenly feeling light-headed.

Heero leaped out of his chair to catch her in his arms. As he looked down at her pale face, he wondered how she had survived the destruction of her Gundam.

He sighed. "Arys, your strength is perhaps your greatest weakness."

_________________

Arys woke up to find herself lying on a couch. The pain in her head was gone, but the slight dizziness was still there. She should have known better than to push herself too hard. Another one of Zechs' lessons - Know your limitations.

"Hello."

Arys turned her head to see Heero sitting in a chair across from the couch, watching her. She scowled at him.

"Where am I?"

"That depends on you."

The cryptic answer caught Arys off-guard. She sat up easily. "How long was I out?"

"Two hours." Heero stood up and went off into the kitchen adjacent to the living room. He came back with a glass of water. "Here." He handed it to her.

Arys eyed it warily, then looked up at Heero. His eyes were unreadable, not cold, but she could tell he was trying to hide his emotions from her. She took the glass. "Thanks."

"Who are you working for?"

Arys downed the glass of water. "I can't tell you that."

"Who saved you?"

Arys deliberately placed the glass on the coffee table in front of her. She glared at him. "Take a wild guess."

"I need to know, Arys." Heero sat down across from her again.

"Why?"

"I need to know whether or not I can let you go."

Arys pursed her lips. "You don't have the right..."

Heero jumped to his feet, his eyes flashing blue fire. His voice rose a little. "You may not remember me, Arys. But I remember you. I can't just let you go. Not like this. Not after I've just found you again." Heero took his chair again when he saw the slight fear creeping into Arys' wide gray eyes. He swept a hand across his forehead, tousling his dark hair even more. "I thought you were dead, Arys, that I had lost you." Heero looked up at her. There was no pleading in his eyes, only hope that she would understand. "I loved you, Arys. I still do."

Arys drew back, startled at this sudden admission. She had not expected it. She bowed her head. She hated to say it, but his sincerity touched her heart. When she raised her eyes to meet his, a cynical smile touched her lips.

"All right, Heero Yuy. You want to know what happened to me? Fine, I'll tell you."

____________

Heero walked down the hallway to his room. He and Arys had talked long into the night. It was almost three in the morning. Heero remember another early morning they had spent together. When she had first admitted that she was in love with him. Heero shook his head. It still hurt to think of that moment. She remembered nothing of it, and Heero had thought she was dead. To him, it almost seemed as if Arys was still dead, even though she was fast asleep in his living room. Arys told him how she had been saved from death and the organization she had joined. Of her training under Zechs' tutelage. The man had been nothing short of brutal in what he had drilled into her. But she had accepted his lessons willingly, like a child who had found a forbidden cookie jar.

"She's so different from..." Heero began as he flopped onto his bed, too drained both emotionally and physically to bother with changing his clothes.

...the Arys I knew before.

"Zechs did this to her," Heero whispered.

He looked out the open door of his bedroom. The apartment was small and run-down. He could hear Arys' light breathing as well as anything else that was happening in the building. Somewhere a door slammed loudly, but Arys slept on peacefully, curled up on the couch. He had stood beside the couch for a long time after she had fallen asleep, watching her, wondering what filled her dreams.

Heero slowly fell asleep, his thoughts dwelling on how he could convince Arys not to return to White Fang.

He needn't have bothered. The next morning, Arys was gone.

____________________

Duo walked through the streets of the colony, keeping a lookout for any neo-Arabians with blond hair. He had already tried the other colonies, all with no luck at finding his fellow Gundam pilots. This colony was the last one on his list and the only one his friends could possibly be on. He'd been doing a lot of traveling around for one month. Hilde had lost track of the circus when he had left her to come back to the Cinq Kingdom.

"Only to find Heero half-mad with grief and Arys dead." Duo shook his head. The memory still stung.

"Duo!"

Duo sighed with relief as he turned around.

"Looks like Quatre found me."

He greeted Quatre with his trademark cocky grin. It didn't quite reach his eyes, but Quatre didn't even notice. "Hey, Quatre! Did you find Trowa?"

Quatre's smile faded a bit. "Yes, but he doesn't remember me."

"Aw, don't worry about it, Quatre. I'm sure it'll hit him sooner or later that you're his friend." Duo patted Quatre on the shoulder.

"And Catherine's being a regular prison guard! She won't let me talk to him!"

Duo, with a burst of unusual insight, said, "Maybe she just doesn't want to lose him again."

"But we need him, Duo!"

"We have to give him some time, Quatre. He's not going to remember everything in one day. Sometimes I even have trouble remembering what I ate for dinner yesterday." Duo tapped his chin thoughtfully. "You know, what did I have for dinner...?"

Quatre nudged Duo. "Come on, let's go see him. Maybe seeing two Gundam pilots at once will help jog his memory."

"I dunno, Quatre." Duo gave him a mischievous grin. "Many people probably want to forget us Gundam pilots."

Quatre rolled his eyes. "This is serious, Duo!" He almost looked irritated.

Duo shrugged. He supposed Quatre's worry was natural. After all, Quatre and Trowa were good friends. He would have felt the same way if something like that had happened to Heero. Thinking of Heero made Duo think of Arys, and he suddenly realized that he had forgotten to tell Quatre. He glanced at the blond-haired boy and knew that Quatre would want to know. He hated to ruin the guy's day even further. As they walked to the circus grounds, Duo tried to bring up the subject of Arys. Each time though, he choked on the words. Quatre finally brought up the subject of the sixth pilot himself.

He turned to Duo as they came upon Trowa's tent. He looked worried. "Have you seen Arys? Do you know how she's doing?"

Duo bowed his head. It was hard for him to even think about Arys. He could still remember how they had run through the hallways of the Institution, yelling at each other at the top of their lungs just to see how the students would react. Finally, he looked back up at Quatre. Quatre's eyes were now fastened on his face, wide-eyed.

"Is she all right?" He asked.

Duo shook his head sadly. "Quatre, Arys is dead."

"What?!" Quatre stepped forward, grabbing Duo's shirt and pulling him forward. His light blue eyes took on a slightly crazed look. "This isn't one of your jokes to make me angry, is it, Duo?"

Duo waved his hands placatingly. "I'm not kidding, Quatre! She self-destructed and destroyed an entire sea assault force! She gave her life for the Cinq Kingdom."

Quatre let go of Duo's shirt. "Which no longer exists. Her sacrifice was wasted." His voice was flat, completely unlike the friendly tone Quatre usually used.

"Look, I'm sorry she's gone too, but there's nothing we can do to bring her back."

Quatre sighed. His voice returned to normal but still carried a hint of grief. "I can't believe it, but I guess you're right. How's Heero handling it?"

Duo shrugged. "At first, I thought he might lose control completely, but he's doing okay. He stayed back on Earth. Said something about having to conquer the Zero System."

"It must have hit him pretty hard though. Heero and Arys were really close."

Duo laughed softly. "And you and Arys weren't?"

Quatre flinched slightly. Duo's words hurt him. "Yes, we were close." Quatre raised his head to look at Duo. Duo drew back a bit when he saw the regret in the innocent sky-blue eyes. "I... I..." Quatre stopped, unable to continue. He forced a smile. "Let's go and see Trowa, Duo."

Duo eyed Quatre worriedly. "Sure."

____________

Catherine eyed Trowa as he washed off his clown makeup. Once again, Trowa had performed magnificently, and their acts had gone off without a hitch. She had to admit that she was proud of him.

"Trowa, that was probably the best performance yet! You did a great job!"

Trowa wiped off his face with a towel and looked up at the mirror. Catherine could see his reflection studying her thoughtfully.

"Catherine, that boy who came in earlier yesterday..." Trowa sat down on a nearby couch. "I remember him from somewhere."

Catherine frowned. "Just forget about him, Trowa. He won't be coming back."

"No, Catherine. I can't forget about him. He seemed... familiar. Like I knew him before... before this." Trowa waved a hand around to indicate the various props scattered around the tent.

Catherine sighed and then sat next to Trowa. "You have to put the past behind you, Trowa. And leave it there."

"I can't do that." Trowa shook his head. "I know you don't want me to get my memory back, Catherine, but..." He looked into Catherine's blue eyes affectionately, "I need to find out who I am."

Duo and Quatre burst into the tent. Catherine jumped to her feet, her eyes blazing with fury.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" She gritted her teeth together.

Duo made a face. "Kind of hard to knock on a tent flap, don't you think?"

"Ohhh!" Catherine threw up her hands in defeat and sat back down next to Trowa.

Trowa smiled at Catherine and stood up to greet Duo and Quatre. "Hi, I'm Trowa Barton."

"I'm Duo Maxwell. Don't ya remember me, Trowa?"

Trowa's smile was politely blank. "No, I'm sorry I don't."

Quatre's hopeful expression faded. "I should've known it wouldn't work."

"I wish you guys would just give it up. Trowa's happy here and trying to give him his memory back would only make him unhappy again," Catherine said from her position on the couch.

"We need your help, Trowa..." Duo was interrupted by ringing alarms outside. He put his hands over his ears. The sound was more annoying than loud.

"It's the raid siren. The colony's being attacked." Catherine's voice was flat. She glanced at Trowa.

"C'mon, Quatre." Duo motioned Quatre to the door. "We've gotta help."

"Right behind you, Duo."

Trowa trailed after them, a serious look on his face. "Let me come with you."

"Trowa!" Catherine's face gave away her distress.

Trowa put his hands on her shoulders. "Catherine, the colony is being attacked. I have to help protect it, and you."

Catherine's eyes filled with tears, but she nodded. "Okay, Trowa, but please come back to me in one piece."

Trowa nodded and then turned to Duo and Quatre. "Let's go."

Duo and Quatre both smiled at him. "Right."

Author's notes: Okay, you can all probably tell what's coming up in the next chapter. Fight! Fight! Fight! Yup, you're right. A little skirmish between Romefeller and White Fang. Wonder who'll win? I vote for neither. Can anyone say "Trowa in a Taurus suit"?

Anyway, sorry about all the jumping around here but the characters are scattered all over the place so I have to go find them once in a while. Besides, you all don't want to stay with Arys and Zechs all the time, do you? :-) And yes, I claim poetic license once again. Hey, this is an alternate universe fic, I can make drastic changes if I want, right? Also, I finally reveal in this chapter how Oz was able to fool Arys into thinking she had been living in a virtual world. Now, after that little explanation, I hope you all are enjoying the story so far.