Dorothy woke up slowly, uncurling like a cat under the morning sun. The bed beside her was still warm, although now empty. The blonde was at first surprised. It didn't seem natural not to have someone beside her. She smiled in contented delight, as she remembered why sleeping alone now seemed strange. //Ahh, Relena.// Her fingers and toes gripped the sheets for a moment, curling in delightful memory. After they had returned from the beach, they had gone to the house, rented a few videos and curled up on the couch, alone. Dorothy didn't remember a single scene from any of the movies, barely remembered the way she and Relena stumbled down the hall to the bedroom, trying to move and kiss at the same time, never more than a few inches apart for the rest of the night. //Curious, eager. I never thought she would be quite that ready, and /so/ willing. She does know what she's doing, more than she thinks, anyway.// No, Relena Peacecraft was most definitely /not/ the innocent she appeared to be, and whatever the girl lacked in practical application, in hands-on practice, she more than made up with sheer enthusiasm. Dorothy remembered /that/ much all too well. //Mmm... but where is she now?// The blonde slowly rose, wrapping her black silk robe around her in a slow, easy motion, tying it loosely in hopes that Relena wasn't /too/ tired from the night before. She stepped silently into the hallway, heard the noise of quiet, tinny conversation in the kitchen, from the small television someone had stowed there. Dorothy paused for a moment at the edge of the kitchen doorway, staring at Relena. The long, unbound wave of light brown draped around her shoulders, the strong, smooth profile, the curve of her upper thigh visible under the short, satin blue nightgown she was wearing. //Strong, beautiful... and all mine.// Dorothy slid her arms around her lover's waist, realizing only then that something was wrong. The blonde had been fixed on only Relena, enjoying her beauty, and trying to think of new, even better ways to make her happy, to see her smile. It was only when she touched the brunette, when she realized Relena was horribly tense and completely focused on the TV, that Dorothy tuned in the rest of the world, started listening to what was the middle of a news broadcast. "...indicate three Gundam suits attacked the main munitions depot at around 3:20 this morning. Casualties were low, but the entire base was destroyed. While the Sank kingdom's pro tem leader has declined to make any statement, and the Sank has denounced the Gundam pilots responsible for the attack, the pilots returned to the country after the battle, and from our reports, have not received any disciplinary action. Comments from the other country have been brief, but strong." The Prime Minister Relena had been arguing with a week or so before suddenly appeared on the screen, glaring at the camera and speaking with every bit of power and fury he could conjure. "We now hope the world will see that the actions of the Sank kingdom are nothing less than a declaration of war, the vengeful, cowardly treatment of what has always been a hypocritical city-state!" The man was truly in his crowning glory, and looked as if he was going to bring hellfire down on the enemies of his kingdom all on his own. "This attack was unprovoked, and resulted in the deaths of twenty of our finest civilian technicians, teachers and innocent workers. If the Sank believes it can hide behind its Gundams forever, we will gladly be the first to stand up against their tyranny!" Dorothy's arms tightened protectively around Relena's waist as the brunette flinched, wincing when the Prime Minister slammed his hand on the podium. "By their actions today, it is undeniable that the Sank kingdom wants a war. We will not be the ones to deny them." ----------------------- Dorothy turned off the TV after the newscast switched to a commentary on the situation from other world leaders. There was no need to watch it, the opinion of one world leader was all she cared about. "Relena?" A small, bitter voice responded to her quiet query, hanging an answer in the air. "Well, Dorothy. I guess it was nice while it lasted." The brunette was frozen in place, staring down at the floor, a cup of coffee forgotten on the counter beside her. Dorothy had only time to take a single step toward her when the phone rang, smashing the uncomfortable silence surrounding them. "Now what?!" The blonde snapped. Dorothy quickly, angrily crossed the distance between her and the ringing nuisance, and it was only as she picked up the receiver that she realized that there was just one person who could be on the other end. A remarkably cheerful male voice did not wait for her to speak. "Well, well. I think it's safe to say we got her done just in time, don't you think, Dorothy?" ------------------------- //How could you, Zechs.? How, HOW!!!???// The Sank kingdom could never carry the banner of war. The whole idea ran so counter to /everything/ she had struggled for, to all that she held dear. Relena could barely think, didn't really notice when Dorothy entered the room, or when she turned off the television, didn't know what the blonde said, only that she answered, and a far off bell took the girl out of her sight. //I can't. I can't fix this. I don't know what to do. Why, Zechs? Why did you do this?!// Even as a part of her was pleading to God, begging for some way out, absolutely certain there was no hope to win, Relena's analytical side was already in high gear, looking for any opportunity, any chance for reconciliation, refusing to lose hope as the options narrowed and narrowed. //Even if I come back now... Even if I reassume command of the Sank, it won't change the fact that he struck first, and we'll still be at war. Oh, Zechs, /why/?!// Relena had to believe, at the very center of her beliefs, that the total destruction of the Sank kingdom would be better than the preservation of it through war. No one, not even mild-mannered Quatre, truly shared her faith in that. //They're right, of course, that once the Sank is gone, all of its ideals, the hopes for the world go with it... but to preserve them with violence is to destroy them as well.// Relena frowned, biting her lip, still searching for an answer that wasn't there. //It's not an easy path, not an easy choice, but it's mine to make, it's the only decision I /can/ make.// The brunette grimaced. Making a stand, declaring her principles as unchangeable wasn't worth anything, it would do nothing to change the situation she was in now. Zechs had, for whatever reason, started a war under the Sank's name. Relena was still the rightful ruler, and no matter how much she didn't want to, no matter how impossible it seemed, she had to do her best to make peace. //This is impossible, this is totally /impossible/.// Relena looked up, to where Dorothy was speaking into the phone, a small smile playing across her lips. The brunette finally took a minute out for her own thoughts, noticing how stunning the blonde looked wrapped in only black silk, long legs barely covered by the glimmering sweep of fabric. Dorothy had tied the robe low, exposing the inside curve of one breast, sending Relena's head swimming for a moment, with vivid memories of the night before. //Well, Dorothy...// She thought wryly, strengthened and empowered by the knowledge that the blonde girl would be at her side. //You do say my ability to navigate mine fields is what you loved first about me, what will you think if I can beg, borrow and steal my way out of a war?// A sudden thought flashed into her mind, as Dorothy looked up and winked slyly at her, still speaking softly into the phone. Relena had been too preoccupied to consider it before, the fact was something typical enough to ignore, to overlook, especially because of how drastically the situation around them had changed, but still... //Dorothy kidnapped me. No one knows where we are. So who on Earth would have this number?// Relena waited patiently for the blonde to finish. It was quiet enough in the room to hear the phone click as it landed in the cradle, she could hear the black robe rustle as her lover turned to her. The brunette lifted one eyebrow, hands on her hips, trying for her best impersonation of Dorothy's sly, cool stare. "Relena?" Dorothy grinned, attempting total innocence, and failing on purpose. The brunette smiled back, trying to sound stern. "Don't you "Relena" me. I'm supposed to be kidnapped, hiding, completely vanished. Who on Earth would have the kidnapper's phone number?!" Relena didn't honestly expect a real answer, not with the size of the smile on Dorothy's face, the twinkling mischief in her eyes. "Come on, Relena. Let's go for a drive." With her signature snap-turn, and no explanation, Dorothy spun on her heels and quickly walked away. Completely confused, Relena ran to catch up with her, calling out questions the blonde refused to answer. -------------------- //Why are you even here? Why did you bother to return? What good will any of this do?// Wufei refused to dignify his thoughts with a response, focusing on the task at hand. Perhaps he hadn't made the right decision, perhaps it hadn't been right to break into the fight at the munitions depot, even though Quatre had been injured and Trowa couldn't have made to him in near enough time. Whether it had been prudent or not, he /had/ made a decision, and would just have to live with the changes it had caused. //Changes? You brought a war directly to the Sank kingdom's door.// The eyes Wufei sought out as he looked around the long table held a grudging respect for him, buried under a large amount of frustration and anger. He had saved Quatre's life, but at what cost? "We're not going to start laying blame here, or try to figure out how it could have happened differently. I was the one who sent you out...I accept the responsibility for all of this." Zechs sighed, shaking his head. "We made a gamble, I knew it was a gamble, and we got caught. Now that we have..." "/You've/ started a war." Wufei sighed to himself, staring at the brown-haired pilot out of the corner of his eye. //Ladies and Gentlemen, the land of undiplomatic, obtuse morons would like you to welcome their leader, Heero Yuy.// Zechs didn't rise to Heero's bait, simply glared at him for a moment before continuing his speech. "Now... we've got to make a plan of defense, of counterattack only to the point of protecting our borders. We've got to show the world that we never wanted a war here, that we're merely defending ourselves." "Relena wouldn't let you do that. She'd say violence, even in self-defense, would ultimately cost more than gain." Wufei was slightly surprised by the tone in Yuy's voice, the quiet vehemence of his statements. The usually silent Gundam pilot was very vocally taking the side of peace, and arguing against conflict? //There's more to this than that.// Wufei's eyes flicked around the table, trying to examine each individual. Zechs and Noin both looked tired and strained, pushed to the limits of their abilities, trying to be leaders they had never been trained to become. Quatre was pale, one arm in a sling, not broken but nearly so, with a few other scrapes and bruises marking the history of the previous night's battle on his delicate features. //He shouldn't have been involved, he was too weak to fight this battle. I probably should have let him die.// It amused Wufei to see the usually quiet, emotionless Trowa almost hovering over the blonde boy, always keeping his gaze half on Quatre, reaching out every few moments to touch his hand. His eyes traced the lines of the other boy's face, as if he could memorize every detail, somehow keep the other pilot safe by loving him enough. //He's fine, Trowa Barton. I kept him safe. This scare will be good for both of you, anyway. It will keep you sharp, and maybe you won't allow danger to come so close again, if you truly do care about him.// Wufei's eyes turned briefly to the only person who, surprisingly, had not spoken up. Duo was leaning back in his chair, watching the entire room silently, with an expression not unlike the cat that caught the canary. A tiny grin teased the corners of his mouth every few moments, disappearing before it could be permanently fixed there. //There's more here than I can see. I know it, but I also know that it's not my fight. Whatever's going on here, with Heero's sudden anger, and Duo's strange secrecy - none of that matters to me.// Zechs looked down the table with a level, serious gaze. "I need you all to fight on the front, along with Lt. Noin and every surplus suit and pilot we can find. We need all of you as a combined force, save Quatre, who can still look for Relena even if his arm is in bad shape." The blonde pilot started to protest, but Zechs shook his head slightly, and when he spoke, his voice was more somber, and haunted than before. "Quatre, we have to bring /everyone/ back for this fight. You'll be the only one left... still looking for my sister." It really didn't take long to come to a consensus after. Trowa nodded once, most likely relieved that his lover would not be returning to the battlefield. Quatre followed suit, agreeing silently. Duo shrugged, but of course, was unable to be silent about anything. "Count me in. The God of Death is back in action!" Heero didn't answer, staring off into his own personal universe, a place Wufei wondered if he ever really emerged from. "Heero," Noin said softly, "if we don't have your support, Relena won't have a country to return to." The Gundam pilot didn't turn, it was almost as if he hadn't heard her, but Wufei knew he was listening, and knew what his response would be before he said it. "I'll do it." The raven-haired pilot realized that all eyes were on him, everyone was waiting for his decision. //I do owe her, no matter what I said. She saved my life... and, I still /do/ owe her.// "Nataku and I will fight in this battle." Zechs folded his hands, and leaned back in his chair as Noin pressed a button, and the room went dark. An image of one edge of the Sank appeared, the front lines of the battle, with blue dots as Sank armaments, and red dots for enemy holdings. Wufei knew, even before he saw the screen, that they were hopelessly outnumbered. "I'll go through the primary weak points first, places we're going to need extra cover on." Noin's sharp voice broke through the air like a starting gun, setting a chain of events into motion that could only end in battle, and death. --------------------- "Dorothy?! I can't see a thing!" "That's the point!" The two girls moved slowly down the narrow path, the blonde's hands firmly over her lover's eyes, both of them giggling slightly each time one of them stumbled or tripped. "This is /impossible/. Why can't I just keep my eyes closed?" "I can't risk you peeking. I've waited much too long for this." Relena's smile faltered slightly, her voice lost its touch of humor as they continued down the path. "Dorothy, I really have to get back to the Sank. I don't know what might happen, I don't know if I can do anything, but I have to try." The blonde didn't answer her, and Relena soon noticed that her footsteps were audible, clicking down on a concrete floor, and the air around her was cold, with a metallic smell. "Dorothy?" She could feel the heat from the girl's breath, the blonde hair brushing against her neck as Dorothy whispered in her ear. "Trust me, Relena. Just trust me." "Well, well! I was starting to think you wouldn't make it." Relena startled at the sound of a strange man's voice, the way it seemed to echo loudly in the room around them. Dorothy took her hands away, and Relena was instantly shaking hands with a man in a bright pink shirt, with one of the most pointy beards she had ever seen. The man's name tickled at the edge of her memory... she didn't recall, out of the thousands of faces she encountered daily, if she had met him before. He seemed to sense her polite hesitation. "Howard, Ma'am, just Howard." He grinned. "Well now, this is very exciting, don't you think?" "Uh..." Ten years of diplomacy lessons all became lodged in a traffic jam somewhere between Relena's brain and her tongue, as she fought to create one coherent sentence to answer the man. "Uh, what is?" "Why... her, of course." The man stepped to the side, and Relena blinked, eyes going wide as she craned her neck back, looking far above her. //How did I not notice /that/ before?// They were standing inside of a massive hanger, just like some of the ones at the Sank that housed the Gundams and other mobile suits. Relena could see people moving in and out of doors, darting across catwalks, working quietly at computer terminals. Everything paled in comparison to what was standing, almost proudly, right in front of her. //Wow.// It was a Gundam suit, she knew that immediately, but it was strangely unlike any suit she had seen before. This suit was less bulky, more aerodynamic, seemingly without even one uncurved piece or surface anywhere on it. It glowed softly underneath the overhead lights, dark blue stripes around the joints only accentuating the curves and the white spaces in between. The dark hand and foot segments, and the cockpit were also carefully curved, almost artistically, but Relena could still see the power in the machine, existing in tandem along with its strange beauty. "It's..." "It's a masterpiece. A wonder. A technological marvel." Howard stuck his hands in his back pockets, leaning on his heels. "This is one bad puppy." "It's... a Gundam?" Relena was just starting to wonder what was going on, why she was in the hanger, staring up at the giant mecha suit, when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. Dorothy was beaming, and squeezed her tight. "Her name is Valkyrie, Relena. She's our Gundam suit. Yours and mine. Our secret weapon in this war."
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