Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Memory of a Lost Soldier ❯ CHAPTER 3 ( Chapter 8 )

Heero managed to steal a shuttle and escaped from the colony. He headed towards the same coordinates he gave to Duo earlier, to wait for the carrier that had his Gundam ZERO. When it finally came, he jumped out of the shuttle and onto the carrier. Once inside the cock-pit, he rapidly pushed a sequence of buttons, releasing ZERO from the carrier. ZERO opened its magnificent wings and sped off towards Earth. Only a shimmer was left in its wake.

"Do you really have to do this?" Sagi asked flying alongside ZERO.

"You know it's the only way I can get him to listen," he answered. "Just stay by my side like you've always done."

"I'll never leave you." She smiled in his direction, and Heero had a small smile across his lips. Very faint, but Sagi could tell it was there. It was simple gestures like those that warmed her heart.

"He's here," Heero said as a blinking light appeared on his screen.

The Altlong Gundam came at full speed with Nataku by its side ready to fight. Nataku had her weapon in hand which was a katana. Sagi saw it and imediately transformed her globe into her mirror. The fight began.

"Wufei!" called Heero. "Why must you continue on fighting this way? Treize is dead, you defeated him!"

"No! You're wrong!" shouted Wufei. "Treize still isn't gone because I still feel his presence!"

"Heero," said Sagi, "he's talking about Mariemea."

"Needle Pierce!" Nantaku sent her attack with needles coming out of her katana.

"White Reflection!" Sagi reflected the needles at Nataku, but she leaped out of the way.

"Soldiers like ourselves aren't needed anymore!" Heero persisted.

"Do you not find it invigorating to be ingaged in a fight?" Wufei asked. "You and I are just the same we only feel needed when we are in the battlefield!"

Both Gundams began to plumet to Earth through the atmosphere. Some scraps of Gundanium started to peal off, but not much harm done to them. Once able to gain control of flying, they resumed fighting.

Heero kept reasoning to Wufei. "Wufei, soldiers like ourselves aren't needed anymore. If this keeps on continuing the way it has been more soldiers like ourselves will be needed, and if that happens history will keep on repeating itself." Wufei stopped fighting and listened to Heero's words. "Tell me Wufei, how many more people must we kill?" He looked down so that Sagi couldn't see his eyes hidden behind his hair. He trembled as he grasped the controls. "How many times must I loose that little girl and her dog?" Wufei gasped. "ZERO won't tell me anything...tell me Wufei!" He made ZERO stop flying in the air and just dropped into the water. A huge wave was formed as it desended to the bottom.

"Heero no!" Sagi cried. She dove in after him.

Nataku and Wufei watched with awe and thought about Heero's words.

"He's right Wufei," said Nataku. "Don't you remember what happened to your clan?"

He saw in his mind's eye the explosion of a colony which had housed his clan. His clan no longer existed, no thanks to the enemy. "No more people should have to be ruthlessly sacrificed."

*

On Earth, Zechs and Noin were nearing Mariemea's fortress. Noin battled with a Taurus suit, while Zechs used Tall Geese.

"Noin," said Zechs, "are you sure you want to be here? You don't have to do this you know."

"I know," she answered. "But I promised you a year ago that I would never leave your side. Please don't make me leave."

Zechs paused for a moment, then said, "Very well then."

Then, two enemy suits were literally sliced in half. Both of them exploded leaving Zechs and Noin wondering what could have happened. When the smoke cleared they saw Quatre with his Sandrock Gundam.

"Quatre?" Noin asked. "Is that you?"

"Thought you could use a little help," he said with Tila by his side.

"Heads up!" called Nako's voice.

Deathscythe was in the light of the moon as it dove down with the glare of its scythe blazing through the enemy's mobile suits. Then, Adina and Trowa were found doing 360's for their entrance.

"Hey Nako," said Adina, "you're not the only one who can come in with a big entrance! Let's take care of these guys." She held out her globe, which then became into two swords. She linked the ends together and spun them in a circle. The swords turned into a bright red color as they floated in her hands. "Flame Cyclone!" A burst of fire came shooting out destroying many mobile suits.

Nako got out her yellow globe and it formed into its many globes. She held out her hands and the globes glowed with light. "Beam Strike!" Beams shot out and destroyed even more suits.

Tila, taking a hint, took her green globe and it formed into a sword. She held it up in the air and a bright green light formed. "Thunder Shock!" she jumped up and sliced the sword through a series of suits.

After a while they started to get outnumbered. They kept trying to hold off the enemy, but nothing they did seemed to be working.

"You pilots have done enough here," said Zechs. "Go now!"

"What? We can't go!" said Quatre.

"But you'll die in vain!" exclaimed Noin.

"If we were planning on retreating," said Duo, "we would have done that a long time ago."

Then, another Gundam was detected in the sky. All looked up to see Heero inside ZERO. Heero was looking into the eyes of the person who had started all this mess, Mariemea.

"Is it true that your fortress is secured?" he asked.

"Of course it is," said Mariemea confidently. "Just see how powerless you are."

"Roger that."

Mariemea gasped. Heero fired upon the gates that secured the fortress. He used so much power that parts of the cock-pit were breaking and fizzing out at him and controls started sparking. He had to fire one more time to completely destroy the base.

"Stop!" called a man who was known as Dakem. "Do you not realize that Relena Peacecraft is down here?"

Heero looked at Relena as she also looked to him. He could hear him say to go ahead and to fire anyway, and not to care what happened to her. Sagi saw the intenseness in Heero's eyes as Relena spoke to him. A sharp pang struck through her. She did not know what had caused it. But she knew it had to do something with that girl called Relena.

"Heero," Sagi said, "don't do it. If you use the exact same force as before ZERO will explode!"

Heero paid no attention to her and fired anyway. Just as Sagi had warned, the suit started coming apart. The cock-pit caught fire and the entire suit exploded.

"HEERO NO!!!" Sagi cried.

*

All on the ground stood and watched in horror as ZERO exploded in mid-air. All wondered if Heero was okay. The girls felt sorry for Sagi and hoped she too was all right. Then, they noticed Wufei with his Gundam and Nataku with a whole crowd of people protesting against Mariemea's soldiers. The soldiers had no choice but to draw back.

"I knew that this would work," said Nataku.

"Battles like these aren't decided by the soldiers. These people have shown me that. This, Treize, is my good-bye."

"This is good," said Zechs, "we don't have to lose all hope."

"The self-detonation missed its point again," said Trowa.

*

Meanwhile, Heero had made it safely out of the wreckage and was now pointing a gun at the wounded Mariemea in Lady Une's arms. Relena was beside her telling her to hang in there.

"I'll relieve you of your pain," Heero said.

"I thank you," Mariemea sighed.

Heero pulled the trigger and Mariemea's head dropped. "I've killed Mariemea. I won't hurt anyone ever again...because...I don't have to anymore." He dropped the gun and started falling to the floor.

"Heero!" Relena cried with tears in her eyes. She caught him in her arms and held him close to her. Stroking his head she whispered softly, "Oh Heero, it's finally over."

Sagi watched in a darkened corner the whole sceene. The sharp pang came back to her as she saw Relena holding Heero. She wanted to be the one to comfort Heero when he needed it. She wanted to be by his side at every moment, to do more than just protect him. Clenching the mirror in her hand, silent tears ran down her face as she continued to watch. She couldn't stand it anymore so she just dissapeared, and headed home.

All the girls headed back home, except for Adina. She wanted to stay just for a while longer. The others understood and went back to ask Sagi why she had left so early. Adina watched as Trowa, Duo, and Quatre destroy their Gundams. After they had talked for a while, Duo and Quatre left leaving Trowa behind. Adina walked up beside him.

"Finally it's all over," she said. "There's no need for fighting anymore."

"Yes, it's over." He turned towards Adina. "So, will you stay with me?"

Adina looked back at him and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I can't."

"But you promised!"

"I know, I know! I really wish I could, Trowa, you know I do. But...I have to go."

He took her in his arms and held her against him in a firm grasp. "I won't let you go Adina. The only way I feel like living is if I'm in a battle. But if you stay here with me, there will be more meaning to life."

"Please don't make this any harder than it is," she said crying. "Please don't make it harder to say good-bye."

"No! It's not good-bye!" he said as he held her tighter. "I won't let you go! I won't say good-bye!"

"I'm...so...very sorry."

Trowa felt himself not holding her anymore. He looked and he was only holding her shadow. Her shadow rose up into the air higher and higher.

"Adina!" he called after her. "Adina come back!" She was almost out of sight and Trowa clenched his fists together in anger, saddness, and dissapointment. He fell to his knees and called out to the heavens, "DIANA!!!"

Adina heard him call out her real name, and she fled from Earth even faster to get away. She made it back to her dimension and managed to hold back her tears. Once she got to her room, however, she couldn't hold it in any longer. She burried her face in a pillow and cried. Her cries were heard by her friends, and they realized that she had said good-bye to Trowa.

Adina no longer left her room. Instead, she watched Trowa in her globe as he went back to the circus-life he had before. She longed to see him. She longed to be with him. She longed for him to hold her in his arms like that final time she was on Earth. But all those things were gone, and were now only a memories in the shadows...the shadows in her heart.

*****

~*~Lady Pheonix~*~