Duo watched helplessly as Hilde was wheeled away by Sally and the medical team. He sighed and delivered her message to Heero. " Relena Peacecraft is on Libra." he said, looking at the expressionless pilot's cobalt blue eyes.
"Hn." was Heero's only reply, and the oft-suicidal pilot of the Wing ZERO disappeared down toward the hangar where the five reunited Gundams were stored. Duo leaned against the wall and stared at the floor, and shut his eyes, until a hand touched his arm tentatively, he looked along the arm until he met the hand's owner's deep, intense sapphire blue eyes.
" Yeah Noin?" Duo inquired of the woman.
She sighed and shook her head, " I'm sorry about her Duo.....I can tell she means a lot to you...." Duo nodded, " Yeah......" Noin hugged the pilot of Deathscythe Hell and headed back toward the bridge. Duo glanced at the trauma room and shook his head before heading back toward the room where he had set up residence.
Duo grinned as he wheeled and slashed several dolls into oblivion. Quatre's use of the ZERO system in directing the gundams was top notch Duo thought as he turned and cut a manned Taurus from crotch out the top of the head. " Oh No....Libra's Beam Cannon.... it's about to fire! " Quatre shouted.
Duo turned and his eyes widened. " What? Peacemillion....." Duo watched as the huge space battleships collided, stopping the deadly Libra Cannon. Duo shook his surprise off as Deathscythe rocked from another blast. " Damn Dolls..." He whirled and slashed his way through the dolls, headed for Libra. He smashed his gundam through an airlock, and landed within. He quickly leaped out and ran inside. Sneaking up on a guard, he quickly knocked the poor man out and stole his assault rifle. Searching the rooms, he finally came across a room that had someone in it, as he opened the door he was immediately assaulted by gasps and moans. " Yeesh...not what I'm lookin for..." he blushed and shut the door and finally found what he was looking for, the doctors. He quickly led them to the hangar, planning on helping them escape.
" No....Duo... take us to Peacemillion... we'll destroy Libra..." Doctor G said, looking at Deathscythe Hell.
" You sure? " Duo asked, looking at them all. He met a chorus of "Yes." before he nodded. "All right guys... hang on..." he ignited his gundam's engines and cloak, and silently made his way with the doctors to Peacemillion, where he dropped off his passengers.
"Duo... good luck... don't get yourself killed." Doctor G said. Duo grinned, nodded, and blasted off to fight the overwhelming number of Mobile Dolls.
Soon after Duo dropped his cargo off, Peacemillion self-destructed, blowing apart most of Libra. He flew over to the part that was left, along with Quatre and the Maganac Corps. Slashing, blasting, and hacking wildly at the remains until he heard over the radio from Wufei. " I gave Heero back his Buster Rifle."
Duo grinned, "C'mon guys! We don't wanna get in the way of that thing! " He blasted a hole which the 42 mobile suit quickly made their way out.
Duo watched, helpless with the other three gundams and the Maganacs as the block fell toward earth, he watches the tiny glowing dot ahead of it that was Wing ZERO enter the atmosphere, " C'mon.... C'mon Heero... C'mon....." and then, just before it was too late, he saw a long line of yellow stretch out and obliterate the large chunk. " He did it! " Duo exclaimed.
" Was there ever any doubt? " Wufei asked sarcastically. Duo grinned as the Wing ZERO flew toward them in Neo Bird Mode.
The five gundams, forty Magunacs, and lone white Taurus landed on MO-II, where the entire crew of Peacemillion, MO-II, and the surviving Earth pilots met them with a huge round of applause and cheering. Heero looked annoyed, Duo was holding both arms high into the air, Quatre looked embarrassed, Trowa looked stoic as ever...but with one of his rare smiles, Wufei managed a pleased smirk, the Magunacs cheered with the crew, and Lucretzia Noin looked saddened, climbing down and making her way through the cheering crowd. Duo watched her and sighed, before jumping down and following her.
Noin sat in the deserted observation deck and looked out at the Earth with a soft sigh. ' Zechs..." she whispered.
" Hey beautiful. Why you in here all alone? " She turned quickly, and met the sparkling violet eyes of the smiling Duo Maxwell.
" I'm tired."
Duo shook his head and sat beside her. " C'mon... you can tell me... I won't tell anyone...."
Noin looked over at the braided pilot and sighed. " All right... it all started back in the Academy..." Noin went on to tell Duo the entire story, eventually crying herself to sleep, held protectively in his arms, her tears soaking the shoulder of his shirt.
" Duo..." Sally whispered as she kneeled beside him.
Duo looked at her and grinned. "It's not what it looks like." he whispered, and Sally managed a weak smile.
" Duo... that girl... Hilde... she..."
Duo's eyes widened as she said this. " Is she...? " he began, but Sally nodded.
" She didn't suffer."
Duo nodded and closed his eyes as they began to fill with tears. " Thanks Sally....." he said, and she nodded sympathetically and made her way back into the large party.
About 5 hours later, Duo woke up, and smiled at the beautiful young woman in his arms, and brushed her hair from her eyes gently. "Hey... Noin... time to get up sleepyhead..."
She grumbled as she opened her eyes and slowly sat up from where she was lying snuggled against him, "What time is it..." she mumbled, wiping her eyes.
" About 6.Noin."
She glanced at Duo, seemed to consider her options, and smiled slightly. " It's Lucretzia."
"Hm? "
She rolled her eyes at his inattentiveness. "My name. It's Lucretzia."
Duo grinned, " Pretty name."
Noin smiled, "Thanks Duo."