Arys eyed the Gundam on her screen. For a few moments, she took the liberty of admiring the majestic angel wings, the hard lines of the Gundam’s metallic body, the green flash of its eyes. She knew that Gundam as well as she knew her own. She also knew that the Gundam’s pilot knew her Gundam as well as he knew his own. She closed her eyes, seeing what the opposite pilot was seeing. Silver sheen of angel wings, the same hard lines as the Zero’s body, and the silver glint of its eyes. She opened her eyes to see that the other Gundam now hovered closer, its wings beating a steady rhythm against the vacuum of space. She reached for the comm unit, but her screen blinked on with a hiss of static before she could touch a button.

"Are you ready, Arys?" Heero’s voice was slightly taunting, and she recognized that trademark smirk on his face.

"No Zero System?" Arys asked, sure that her face mirrored his. She knew that their friends were watching this exchange. What were they thinking as they watched?

Heero shook his head. "Maybe later."

"Understood," Arys replied. "Now, how am I supposed to get angry enough to fight with you?"

Heero shrugged. "Like this?"

Arys whipped her eyes from his face to the view of space, only to see the Zero coming down on her with a raised green saber. Arys reversed, managing to avoid the gleaming blade by a hair’s breadth. As her Gundam leaped back, she had it pull out one saber.

"Not bad, Arys. Not bad at all." His voice was mocking, but she detected a hint of approval beneath his words.

"I’m not that out of practice, Heero Yuy."

"I know you’re not, but you are holding back, love."

Arys frowned at him. "I thought we were going to keep this professional."

Heero just grinned at her roguishly. "Sorry, it slipped out."

And the Zero leaped at her again, taking advantage of her break in concentration. This time, blue clashed with green, and Arys could feel the weight of that one saber bearing down. She could pull her other saber, but she felt it wouldn’t be fair…

What are you thinking, Arys? Heero’s the perfect soldier; two sabers will be nothing for him!

So the Archangel pulled its other saber and Arys yanked on the controls to punch it into the Zero’s body. But the weight suddenly disappeared and the Zero leaped back to avoid the blow.

"Fighting dirty, Arys? I’m ashamed of you."

"Shut up and fight, Heero." Arys smiled as she pushed the controls forward to dive the Archangel at him.

A shield blocked one saber she had aimed at his shoulder, but the other slipped through his defenses to nick the Zero’s saber arm. Arys jerked her Gundam backwards.

"You let me through!" She could feel her anger rising. Heero was patronizing her! He knew she hated it when he did that.

Heero only raised one eyebrow at her. "Angry?"

"You jerk!" The words slipped from her mouth as she propelled her Gundam forward.

This time, the battle was in earnest. Arys could feel her well-honed battle instincts taking over. Block here, then parry, thrust; block up, swing low, dive back. It was like a well-choreographed dance as they fought. She and Heero often practiced physical combat in the gym, but this was the first time they had ever fought in a simulation using their Gundams. He had been the one to suggest it. Now, she watched as the Zero dove at her, saber raised, coming too quickly for her to block. Her Gundam was knocked back from the blow, the lights in her cockpit flickering.

Heero’s face on the comm screen was pained, as if remembering a disturbing memory. Arys watched the pain fade quickly and his face settled back to its normal somber expression. "Your arm."

Arys pulled back one control and realized that her Gundam’s right arm was indeed gone. She looked up to see it float by on her viewscreen, saber still clutched in hand. She forced a smile, acquiescing to Heero’s win.

"No stalemate this time, Heero," she said, referring to the conclusion of their first swordfight at the Sanc Kingdom Institution. "Your sword didn’t break."

"Arys, turn on the Zero System." Heero’s voice was quiet.

Arys looked up from her console, where she had been studying her damage readouts. "What?"

"Use the Zero System, Arys."

"Heero, I’m no soldier if I have to use the Zero System to defeat you."

"I’m not asking you to fight me, Arys. I’m asking you to dance with me."

Arys stared at him, saw that he was serious. "What are you talking about, Heero?"

"Just do it, Arys."

Arys continued to stare at him as she reached for the unit for Zero System activation. She watched as he reached off-screen at the same time. And then the link between them manifested and Arys jerked back in her seat in surprise.

"Can you feel it?" Heero asked, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

The very fact that she could feel anything was a surprise to her. Then, she remembered. Before Heero had blown up the Libra, she had been able to feel him, feel her emotions, communicate with him. Now, their feelings seemed to be magnified as they bounced between their connected minds.

"Mobile doll simulation. Number fifteen," Heero said into his mike, his eyes still on her face.

Arys watched with a strange detachment as red dots representing hundreds of mobile dolls filled her radar. Her fight instinct rose to the surface, pumping adrenaline through her blood.

"Dance with me, Arys," Heero said, his voice lowering to a whisper.

It was an unorthodox way of dancing together, but somehow, Arys understood. They were never meant to fight each other, but to fight together. To think that it was the Zero System that had shown them that was ironic.

Arys gave in to Heero’s request, and their two Gundams disappeared into the mass of enemy mobile dolls with sabers raised.