Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Circle of the Earth ❯ Chapter 7

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Standard Disclaimer #7: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters










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Standard Disclaimer #7: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. I wouldn't mind owning a few Gundam models though. I'm also not making money off this story. This is purely for fun.

Circle of the Earth
Chapter 7
Heero sat on a bench in the Institution gardens, reading a technical manual. He hardly noticed the birds twittering about on the ground beneath his feet or the cloudless blue sky above him. He had asked Arys about her Gundam's Shiv rifle and how it worked, so Arys had given him the technical manual on it. For Heero, this was fascinating reading.
Duo, Quatre, and Arys walked by, arguing about whose Gundam was the best. Heero looked up as the trio passed him.
"Arys," Heero said.
Arys glanced back at him. Then, she stopped and came over to the bench. Duo and Quatre continued down the sidewalk, still arguing. Arys gave Heero a hesitant smile. Apparently, she still remembered how he had yelled at her yesterday. "What is it?"
She noticed what he was reading and sat down next to him. "Oh, you're reading the technical manual on the Shiv rifle." She took it from his lap and flipped through it. "Have you gotten to...?"
Heero put his hand down on top of the manual. Arys glanced at him, surprised at the motion. "Arys, I didn't call you over here to talk about the Silverwind's Shiv rifle."
Arys looked back down at the manual. "Then, what..."
Heero took the manual from her and placed it beside him on the bench. "I owe you an apology." His voice was still emotionless, but the words were what surprised Arys.
"A...an apology? What for?"
"For getting angry with you yesterday."
Arys leaned back on her hands. "Oh that. I can understand why you got angry, Heero. What I said was uncalled for."
Heero looked away, his gaze on the trees across from them. "I should not have yelled at you."
Arys chuckled. "Well, if it's that important to you, Heero, I accept your apology. I'm just glad that you're not mad at me anymore." She stood up. "Quatre and Duo are probably wondering where I am. I'd better go."
Heero stopped her, putting a hand on her arm. She glanced down at his hand, surprised.
"There's something else I have to tell you, Arys."
Arys sat back down. "Something else?" She looked genuinely puzzled.
"I'm sorry I tried to kill you."
Arys clasped her hands in her lap and stared down at the ground. "I have to admit, Heero, that seeing you come after me in the Wing with the sole intention of killing me almost broke my heart." Arys looked up at him, tears sparkling in her eyes. "I'm glad that you didn't succeed."
"Yesterday, my mission was changed."
Arys involuntarily put a hand on his arm, making Heero turn and look at her. "Changed?"
Heero nodded, his blue eyes boring into her gray ones with wordless intensity. "I am to protect you at all costs."
Arys chuckled lightly. "Oh, so now you're my bodyguard." She frowned at him. "You know I don't need protecting, Heero."
"It is still my mission."
"True. Is it all right if I help you out on your new mission?" She teased him gently as she stood to her feet.
Heero nodded, looking up at her with that dispassionate gaze of his.
Arys began to walk away, paused, and glanced back at Heero. He had already taken up the manual again.
"Oh, and Heero?"
He looked up.
Arys smiled at him, a full-blown one. "Thanks." She left. Heero watched her until she disappeared around the corner.
He had gone back to reading his manual for a few minutes when another voice interrupted him.
"May I sit here?" Relena asked with a smile.
Heero barely glanced at her. "It's your country. You can sit wherever you want."
"I thought I'd find you out here." Relena sat down next to him. "What are you reading?" She looked down at the book, not recognizing any of the schematics inside it.
"The tech manual on the Silverwind's Shiv rifle."
Relena looked confused for a second and then smiled. "Oh."
Heero flipped a page in the manual. "What do you want, Relena?"
Relena turned and looked at him. "You've changed, Heero. Why?"
Heero finally glanced at her, his blue eyes hooded. "Changed? What do you mean?"
Relena spread out her hands. "I don't know. You just seem different somehow."
"Oh." Heero went back to his manual.
Relena sighed. "Heero, I feel like I hardly ever talk to you anymore. Ever since..." Her voice trailed off.
At that statement, Heero raised his head and looked at her. "Ever since what?"
Relena looked down at her clasped hands. "Well, ever since..."
Heero almost felt sorry for her, and he also realized what Relena was trying to say. "Relena..."
"Miss Relena?" Dorothy's voice interrupted them.
Relena tried to put a pleasant look on her face as Dorothy approached. She greeted the blonde-haired girl with a smile. "Yes, Dorothy?"
Heero sat with his head down, studying the cover of the manual with feigned interest. He trusted Dorothy as much as he would trust a snake.
Dorothy bowed slightly. "The Romefeller Foundation requests your presence at a summit meeting immediately."
Relena stood to her feet. "Right now?"
"Yes. Is Arys anywhere around?" Dorothy asked, her eyes keen with interest.
Heero spoke up. "She's walking with Duo and Quatre around the gardens." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Why?"
Dorothy gave him a fake smile. "The Romefeller Foundation requests her presence as well. They read her profile and wanted to introduce her to a civilized government. After all, she's been living in Antarctica."
Heero stood to his feet. "She's not going. I think neither of you should go."
"Heero, this is a summit meeting! I have to go!" Relena stared at him in shock.
Heero took Relena aside. Dorothy watched them, that fake smile still pasted on her face.
"Relena, this is some kind of trick. It's too dangerous," Heero whispered.
"This could be the first step toward peace, Heero. I have to take the chance."
Heero stepped away from her, his eyes hidden once again. "Fine." He walked off.
"Heero, wait!"
But the Gundam pilot did not stop. He took the path that went further into the gardens.
"He's probably going to find Arys and convince her not to go. But I think Arys will go." Dorothy sat down on the bench and primly placed her hands in her lap.
"What makes you say that?" Relena turned back to Dorothy once Heero had vanished behind a row of trees.
"If you tell her that you want her to go, then she will go."
"I suppose it would be nice if she could come," Relena wondered aloud.
"You could get to know her better."
Relena glanced at Dorothy, a puzzled look on her face. "Is that the real reason Romefeller wants her to come?"
Dorothy smiled. You don't know how close you've come to the truth, Miss Relena. "Yes."


____________________


Heero, Duo, and Quatre stood on the Institution's steps, waiting to say goodbye to Relena, Dorothy, and Arys. Heero had a dark frown on his face, and he was eyeing Arys with disapproval. Duo noticed Heero's gaze and smiled. He put a hand on Heero's shoulder.
"Don't worry about Arys, Heero." Duo tried to reassure him. "She's a tough girl."
"I can't stop her from going, Duo. I don't think she realizes the danger she's in."
"Danger? What are you talking about?" Duo's eyes widened in surprise.
Heero did not have a chance to answer as Relena and Arys came up the steps to talk to them. Arys went straight up to Heero and glared at him.
"Don't worry about me, you idiot." Arys nodded to Quatre and Duo and then walked back down the stairs to the car.
Relena looked at Heero and glared at him also. "Don't you dare leave before telling me first, Heero!"
The three boys watched as Relena swished her way down the stairs and into the car. Arys climbed in after her. Dorothy gave the boys that mocking grin of hers and got into the passenger seat. The car sped off, leaving behind a cloud of dust. Duo whistled softly.
"Whoa, Heero. You've got two girls mad at you. What did you do?"
Quatre sat down on the steps and glanced up at Heero. "Yeah, Heero. Arys seemed pretty upset."
Duo whistled again. "Arys was upset? I've seen her upset and that wasn't it! Relena was the one who was upset!"
Heero did not reply. He just turned away from the other two pilots and walked up the stairs into the Institution.
Duo plopped down next to Quatre as soon as Heero disappeared into the building. He scowled. "Hmph. You have a nice day too."
Quatre watched as Relena's car disappeared over the horizon. "Don't worry, Duo. Once they both come back safe and sound, Heero will be back to his normal self."
Duo rolled his eyes and made a face at Quatre. "Whatever that is."

_______________

Arys and Relena followed Dorothy into the Romefeller Foundation building. Arys hung back slightly, trying to take in everything at once. There were too many hiding places around here. Too many nicks and crannies perfect for an assassin to set up position. Up above her was a long balcony that seemed largely abandoned.
Dorothy stopped in front of a door. Arys hurried to catch up. The blonde girl motioned to the door. "Arys, this is where you'll be staying while Miss Relena is in her meeting. Someone will be in shortly to take you on a tour of the building."
Arys nodded and stood by the door until Arys and Relena had turned a corner out of sight. She was about to take her own personal tour of the building when hands from inside the room grabbed her and jerked her through the door. With a thump, she landed on the floor and felt her hands yanked behind her back and her head pressed to the cold hardwood planks below her.
"Hello, Miss Walker. So good of you to join us."
Arys rolled her eyes toward the speaker only to see the handle of a gun coming down at her. She felt a jolt run through her body, and the world faded to black.
_________________

"I'll tell you nothing," Arys said softly. She wiggled her hands but they were fastened tight together behind the back of the chair in which she was sitting.
The man standing in front of her slapped her. Arys only gave him a half-smile.
"I can't feel pain."
The man stepped back slightly, a shocked look on his face. His dark eyes narrowed. "Then, we'll just have to break you another way."
He held out his hand and one of his assistants placed a syringe on his open palm. He shoved it in her face, a mocking grin stretching across his cruel features.
"This contains a dangerous drug that alters your brain's chemical balance. We use it as a last resort, but since you're such an unusual case, we'll have to give it to you right away. Are you ready?"
Before Arys could reply, he plunged the needle into her neck. Arys sat there indifferently, trying to set up the mental barriers she had been taught in the virtual world. She hoped they would work. In a few seconds, Arys felt a deathly cold begin to creep up her legs. She shivered uncontrollably. It was as if the warmth were being sucked right out of her body. Her gaze settled on her interrogator. He watched her reaction to the drug with a chilling smile.
"Good, it's working." He knelt down in front of her and put a hand on her cheek. "Now, tell me all that you know about the Cinq Kingdom, Arys."
She slowly shook her head. "No," She whispered. Her mind whirled. Her mind instantly traveled to her Gundam.
The interrogator held up a small device. "Look at this, Arys. This little device can read your thoughts. You don't have to tell us what you're thinking. We can take what we need right through that transmitter behind your ear."
Arys' eyes widened in horror. She jerked her head back, trying to keep away from the man's outstretched hand. Someone behind her grabbed her head in their hands and the interrogator placed the device on top of the transmitter. Arys growled low in her throat.
The interrogator cupped her chin in his hand and stared into her eyes. Arys could see that he was enjoying the questioning. His lips pulled into a feral smile.
"Now, Arys, tell me about the Cinq Kingdom."
Arys shook her head, but the information came unbidden to her mind. Schematics, data, and conversations raced through her mind in a blur of thought. The device hooked up to her transmitter beeped insistently.
"Very good, Arys."
"Sir! We've got everything here!" An assistant called from a nearby computer console. "It's incredible!"
The interrogator reached up behind Arys' ear and pulled the device free. He traced a finger down along the line of her chin. Arys cringed at his touch though she could not feel it, wishing she could slap him. "Thank you, Arys." He motioned to one of the assistants. "Untie her."
Arys barely felt the rope fall free from her wrists. Her whole body felt numb. She sat in her chair, feeling physically sick. She had just betrayed the Cinq Kingdom.
What do they want from me? Why are they using me this way? Arys closed her eyes, wondering why they did not just kill her right now. She deserved death for what she had just done.
Her interrogator tipped her chin up with one finger.
"Don't feel bad, my dear. You are, after all, working for the Romefeller Foundation."
She shook her head again. "I work for nobody." Her voice was raspy.
The man's gaze grew steely. "Arys, the Romefeller Foundation finds you extremely valuable. It would be much easier if you would join us willingly."
Arys raised her eyes to meet the interrogator's dark brown ones. Her gray eyes were cold, but the interrogator did not budge. "I said, 'I work for nobody.'"
The man snapped his fingers. An assistant appeared by his side. "I'm afraid you have no choice." He turned to the assistant. "Wipe her memory and send her back with Relena. We still need her in the Cinq Kingdom."
"What about the drug?"
The interrogator took Arys' hand and stood to his feet, pulling her with him. Arys could barely stand, so he put an arm around her waist to hold her up. He smiled down at her, but Arys refused to look at him. He jerked her head up with his free hand and placed a hand underneath her chin. He studied her features thoughtfully.
"You look pale, Arys. Are you feeling a little cold?" He laughed softly as he caressed her cheek. "I'm afraid the effects are permanent, my dear. Do you think you can live with it?"
Arys' only response was to tip her head away from his fingers defiantly. The interrogator let go of her and watched as she collapsed to the floor, her legs still unable to hold her up. He glowered at her, his eyes dark with rage.
"Leave it in her. It'll be a way for her body to remember what happened here. Unfortunately, her mind won't remember a thing."

_________________

Noin barrelled through the doors of the dining hall, her eyes scanning the crowd for the three Gundam pilots. She finally found them in a corner of the room, sipping on soft drinks. She ignored the shocked stares of the girls in the room and headed straight for the boys' table with a grim expression on her face. She slammed her palm down on the table, startling Quatre and Duo. Heero only looked up at her, clearly unfazed.
"Boys, I've got some news for you."
The three Gundam pilots instantly shot out of their chairs and headed for the door with Noin in tow.
A few minutes later, they stood in the mobile suit storage chamber, peering over Noin's shoulder at a console screen.
"The Treize faction is based in Luxembourg." Noin pointed a slender finger at a blinking yellow area on the screen. "Romefeller is here." Her finger moved to a red area only a few inches away. "Judging from Romefeller's actions within the past few hours, it looks like they're about to attack Luxembourg."
"I'll go." Heero's impassive voice seemed to echo through the room.
Noin glanced up at him. "Will you be able to take..."
"I'm a Gundam pilot, Noin." Heero's tone seemed to say that it would be enough.
"Yes, but even a Gundam pilot couldn't take over fifty mobile suits on his own."
Duo spoke up. "I'll go with you, Heero."
Heero nodded. "Fine."
Noin tapped the console. The screen blinked off. "You Gundam pilots are the only way the Treize faction can survive this battle. Suit up and Godspeed."
Heero and Duo both headed for their Gundams. Quatre and Noin watched as the Deathscythe and the Wing hovered over to the lift. The platform rose and the cargo bay doors opened. The two Gundams simultaneously shot into the air, blowing wind through the storage chamber. Noin held back her hair with one hand and put the other on Quatre's shoulder.
"Now, we have our own mission to attend to, Quatre."
Quatre looked up at her.
"Relena's on her way back and there are enemy mobile suits moving to intercept her car. We have to stop them."
Quatre nodded. "Let's go."

_________________

Duo shoved an enemy mobile suit off his Gundam using his scythe. "Boy, this is definitely not a fair fight! Two Gundams versus fifty mobile suits. You guys are gonna lose big time!" He laughed as he chopped three more lumbering suits in half with a quick swipe of his deathscythe.
Duo was doing fine on his end of the battlefield, but Heero, on the other hand, was not faring so well. A well-placed shot had taken out the knee joint of the Wing, making the Gundam a hair short of useless. Heero was forced to use his hoverjets, but with the knee joint non-functioning, his balance was off so he was unable to get very far before having to land again.
"I could call Duo for help, but I would never hear the end of it." Heero quickly decided against that choice.
The Wing pulled out its buster rifle and began firing madly at the advancing mobile suits. The shots forced the frontline suits out of commission but there were still more coming.
The Wing stumbled backwards, trying to dodge the enemy fire. A few shots made it through and slammed into the Gundam's chest, knocking it to the ground.
Heero glared at the mobile suits coming toward him. "I won't give up." He raised his buster rifle to shoot again, but three flashes blew by him and rammed right into the three mobile suits that were almost on top of him.
"Huh?" Heero leaned forward, switching his screens as he struggled to get his Gundam back on its feet.
He saw a man lying on the ground a few hundred feet away from the Wing. Heero finally let the Wing sink back to the ground and he popped open the cockpit door. He leaped down to the ground and ran to the injured man. He cradled the man's head over one arm.
"Are you okay?"
The man's eyes opened. He swallowed with difficulty. "Protect Master Treize. He's..." He pointed to a castle in the distance. The man's voice trailed off and his eyes shut for the last time.
Heero stood to his feet and looked off in the direction the man had pointed.

________________

Relena glanced at Arys in the backseat. The raven-haired girl was silent. Her head was bowed slightly, and her eyes were staring blankly at the floor of the car.
"Arys?"
The girl did not reply.
"Arys?" Relena reached back for the other girl's hand and found that it was cold as ice. She jerked her hand back and looked up at the girl's face. Her complexion was pale, and she was gritting her teeth together.
"Arys, are you feeling all right?"
Arys slowly raised her head and her blank gaze came to rest on Relena's worried face. "I'm fine" was all she said before she returned to staring at the floor.
"How was the..."
"Miss Relena, get down!" Pagan grabbed Relena's shoulder and pushed her into her seat just as the car went into a skid and slammed into the highway dividing wall. Relena shrieked as she bounced around in her seat.
"What's going on?" Relena asked, but there was no reply.
She sat up to find Pagan unconscious, lying on the wheel, bleeding from a cut in his forehead. Arys still sat in the backseat, her face impassive. Arys pointed out the window.
"We were just attacked by mobile suits." Arys' distant tone made it seem like it was an everyday occurrence.
"But we're still alive."
"Noin and Quatre are here."
Relena looked out the window to see two Taurus suits coming to a rest right beside her car.
"Romefeller just tried to kill us?"
Arys shook her head slowly. "They were not aiming to kill." Arys' eyes flashed briefly. "It was a warning."
Arys got out of the car and stood to her feet. She tapped her transmitter.
"Wait! Arys, what are you doing?"
Arys glanced at Relena, her gaze devoid of emotion. "I have to go."
"Go where?"
Arys looked up at the sky. "Heero and Duo are in trouble. I have to help them."
"You mean, Heero left without telling me?" Relena clenched her fists, but then she gave Arys a curious look. "Wait, how do you know they're in trouble?"
"I just do..." Arys' voice trailed off. Her eyes seemed to focus on something high above them. Relena lifted her eyes to see Arys' Gundam hovering above them.
Arys raised a hand and brought it down in a small arc in front of her. The Silverwind instantly responded by coming down to the ground right in front of Arys. It knelt and Arys jumped up onto its knee. Arys turned around once she got up to the cockpit and looked down at Relena.
"I promise to bring him back to you, Relena." Then, she was gone. The Silverwind flew upwards and transformed into fighter mode. In a moment, it had disappeared into the clouds.

____________

"Heero! Listen to me!" Duo parried the Epyon's saber with his scythe, trying to knock the saber out of the Gundam's hands.
This is crazy! I come to look for Heero and find out that not only is he piloting a new Gundam, but he's gone mad too!
Heero was too strong. Duo desperately hoped that Heero would not use the whip on him. He had just seen what it could do to a whole flock of enemies.
"You are the enemy." Heero's voice filtered through the comm system.
"Heero, don't let it control you!" Duo stumbled back as Heero leaped backwards and prepared to attack again.
There was no reply. It was like Duo was trying to talk to a brick wall. But that was the way it usually was anyway when he tried to talk to Heero.
"Why won't he listen to me?" Duo asked as he raised his scythe up in a defense position.
"Because he doesn't want to." A new voice popped up on the comm. Duo glanced down at the comm screen to see Arys. "Hey, Arys! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be..."
"Get out of here, Duo. I'll take care of Heero."
Duo snorted. "You can have him. I can't talk any sense into him!"
"Talking won't work, Duo. You have to think."
"Huh?" Duo was really confused now. "What do you mean?"
"Just go, Duo. Relena was attacked in her car today, and her chauffeur is unconscious. They might need your help."
"My help? What for? Do they want me to fix the car?"
"No. The attack was only a warning. The real attack could occur anytime now. You need to help defend the Institution."
"Fine by me." Duo fired his thrusters and the Deathscythe shot into the sky. "Good luck with that maniac."
Arys flickered off his comm screen.
"What happened to her?" Duo realized that Arys had been distant, totally different from the bubbly girl he had met only yesterday.

_______________

Arys' Gundam turned to meet the Epyon in a head-on collision. The Silverwind brandished its beam saber and managed to knock the Epyon back. The Silverwind straightened up and its eyes flashed silver.
Arys reached over and flicked the activation button for the Zero System. She closed her eyes as her emotions drained from her, leaving her even colder than she had been before. Her eyes flickered open, revealing a golden glow.
Defense only, Silverwind.
And with an incredible amount of effort, Arys closed her eyes again and reached out beyond the Silverwind's computer system, to the one housed in the Gundam standing before her. One part of her mind directed the Silverwind in its defense against the Epyon, another part snaked its way through the Epyon's Zero System, trying to find a connection to its pilot, and yet another part struggled to keep her from losing her mind as she performed the difficult task.
Heero.
The thought echoed through her mind like thunder.
Heero.
Arys finally found the connection to Heero's mind. With a burst of effort, she plunged into it and found herself in a cacophony of thoughts. A sense of despair loomed over her and she involuntarily crawled away from it. As she moved, the riot of noise seemed to fade into the background, replaced by a dense blackness.
Heero, can you hear me?
Surprise shot a shaft of light into the darkness. Arys? How did you...?
Arys stood up and sprinted toward the source of the light. She saw his form in front of her. He was looking at her, his eyes glowing yellow. Arys stopped in front of him. She began to plead with him.
Listen to me, Heero. Don't let the Zero System tell you who the enemy is. You know who the enemy is. The Zero System is only supposed to help you focus on the enemy. Don't let it control you.
Heero bowed his head. I don't know how.
Arys put a hand on his shoulder. She gave him a gentle smile. Search yourself, Heero. That is where you will find the strength to control the Zero System.
She stepped back and bowed slightly. You will always have a choice, Heero. Be sure to choose the right one.
Arys withdrew her mind from the Epyon's Zero System. She sucked in a deep breath as she opened her eyes to find the Silverwind's cockpit around her. An incredible weariness dropped over Arys like a blanket, and her eyes fluttered closed as she slipped into oblivion.

_____________

Heero watched in horror as Arys drifted away from him, her form fading into the blackness around him.
Arys! But she had already disappeared.
Search yourself, Heero. The words echoed through, around, and in him.
Heero bowed his head as Arys' departure brought back a whorl of images and sounds. They forced themselves into his mind, tempting him to cross the brink of insanity.
I must conquer this system. I choose the enemy, not you. I choose...
Heero raised his head to find himself shaking uncontrollably in the cockpit of the Epyon. He had finally broken free of the Zero System's influence. He looked at his screens and saw that the Silverwind stood in front of him, its eyes dark. He momentarily controlled his shaking to reach for the comm button.
"Arys?" Her image appeared on the comm screen. She was unconscious. Her head lolled to one side, and her face was unnaturally pale.
"Arys!" Heero leaned forward, as if doing so would make her hear his voice.
"Hmmm...?" Arys' eyes flickered open. For a few seconds, Heero saw into their gray depths and noticed that they were blank. Then, her eyes closed again and she remained still.
Heero swiped a hand across his eyes. "I'm sorry, Arys."
He sat back in his pilot's chair, watching her image on the comm screen while he tried to calm the shaking of his body.
Fifteen minutes later, Heero reached for the controls of the Epyon. He somehow managed to get a firm grip on the Silverwind. With a yank on the throttle, Heero turned the Epyon toward Treize's stronghold with the Silverwind in tow. By the time he made it to the front yard, Heero was shaking again. Treize waited for him on the ground with a slightly amused smile on his face. Heero opened the Epyon's cockpit and walked out onto the platform. The Silverwind's eyes flashed and with a hiss, the Silverwind's cockpit door opened.
She is still unconscious.
Startled, Heero realized that the Silverwind had opened the cockpit door and was actually talking to him in his mind. Heero walked across the joined platforms and into the Silverwind's cockpit. Arys was slouched in the pilot's seat, still dressed in the Institution's school uniform. Heero bent down till his face was level with hers.
"Arys?"
No response. Heero put a hand on her cheek but immediately pulled it away. Her skin was ice cold. He grabbed her upper arms, ignoring the way her icy skin seemed to bite into his hands, and shook her violently.
"Arys!"
After a few more shakes and no response, Heero picked her up in his arms and leaped out onto the platform. The Silverwind stuck out its haul line for him, and Heero held Arys close to him with one arm as he used the other hand to slide down the line. They both hit the ground with a jolt. Arys rolled out of Heero's arms and sprawled out on the grass. Heero stayed where he was, too tired to get to his feet.
Treize walked over to where the two pilots were lying on the ground. He cocked his head to look down at Heero. "I know that girl. Is she what Epyon showed to you?"
"No. She saved me from Epyon."


Author's Notes: I have a correction for Chapter 5. Hilde's eyes are blue not brown, so sorry to any Hilde fans out there. I don't know why I assumed that her eyes were brown.
Boy, this was a hard chapter to write. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because Relena's in it? :-) Anyway, if this chapter was boring, you're right.
Teaser for chapter 8: The beginning of Chapter 8 will take place the day after the last scene in this chapter, but then I'll be skipping to when the Cinq Kingdom collapses. You all probably already know what happens there. Oh, and this will probably be the last chapter of this story. I might write a sequel (I promise that these stories won't end up being a trilogy) but that'll only happen by popular demand. If you all do want a sequel, here's the gist of the plot: I'll be taking the last five episodes of the series and have Arys fight with the Gundam pilots (not Heero, since he has to go save Relena, but Trowa, Quatre, Duo, and Wufei).