Part Thirty-three;
*A Sad Night. A Final Good-bye Kiss to that Important Person*

         Paato Seruteisurii;
         *A Sad Night. Taisetsu na hito ni saigo no sayounara no kisu*

Yes, people go on acting like things are okay
   Never doubting when tragedy strikes
   Never sighing, just keeping quiet
   and looking up
         Sou, hito ga yosasou na kao de yatte kuru
            Totsuzen no higeki mo utakau koto wa naku
            Nageku koto sezu damatta mama de
            ue wo miagerunda

They go on acting out even the most ordinary scenes
   Before they even mention their dreams and hopes
   I'm sure it's the same for everyone
         Donna arifureta shiin mo enjitsuzukeru
            Yume toka kibou toka iu mae ni sa
            Kitto dare ni totte mo onaji koto darou

You must fight against yourself!

The sun sets and a new day comes
   Repeating is one change
   Don't avert eyes from differences
   Your nerve and soul to the limit
   Go Forward Now!

Along with the mounting pressure
   Side by side
   They laugh as boldly as they can
   I'm sure it's the same for everyone
         Haritsumeta puresshaa
            Tonari awase de
            Dare yori mo daitan futeki ni warau
            Kitto dare ni totte mo onaji koto darou

You must fight against yourself!

  [##]

" Vai-eight, online. " The voice of a young girl, barely his age. Her voice had a sharp edge to it, like she knew her ends but was uncomfortable with the means. What was her name again? Hilde...? Hilde something. He hated not remembering.

" Mercurious, online. " A boy his age, but with a voice that told of great wisdom and intelligence. He gave the name Trowa Barton, and they all accepted that. But was it really true? He hated not knowing.

" Aquarius, online. " His own voice, echoing the o-kay in typical monotone. The strange feeling in his chest - not unlike pain - had worsened since seeing the new Mobile Suit for the first time. He didn't know how to react. He hated the feeling that something was unequivocally wrong.

  [##]

Treize gently eased Nara into the plush chair behind the desk. Reaching over her shoulder he flicked on the computer and entered a code. When the screen glowed and displayed an image, he leaned back and gave her full view.

" This is the deciding point, Nara, " he said, stating her name in a tone of familiarity, " The lines have become blurred and chaos is starting to take over; which side will emerge at the end of the fog with their eyes? "

  [##]

" We'll head out in formation and approach the L5 cluster from point L3-38-2-C, " Trowa said blandly as they waited for the space docking doors to open. " Do not, I repeat, do not approach the Gundams until we've made a full on-site analysis. Judging by the current reports, it would be best to attempt to isolate Gundam Zero-Five from the Unknown Gundam. "

" Wufei is losing, " Hiiro commented distantly.

" You'd better not let that interfere, Yui, " Hilde interjected.

" From here on in we move in radio silence. Understood? " Trowa continued, unfazed by either remarks.

" Roukai. " " Roukai. "

The space docking doors opened and three stars shot out prematurely to dance.

  [##]

" Your attempts at poetic metaphors are boring Treize, " her voice was steady, empowered by a situation she had accepted as beyond her resistance, " Gundam Pilots are going out to fight Gundam Pilots, " she pointed to the glowing red dot that was the Vai-eight, " the only chaos is that. How are they going to resolve this with the fifth wheel? "

" Now who's making metaphors? "

  [##]

The control panel snapped and fired sparks again. His lips were cracked and bleeding, while heat, fire, and blood had stained his white clothing beyond all reclaim. Sweat ran into his eyes and made them sting. But he couldn't blink, couldn't for a moment look away. He was in duck and run tactics, desperately avoiding attacks while he could, looking for an opening. Any opening. He wasn't going to lose. He couldn't lose. He couldn't for a moment even consider the fact that it was Quatre in the other suit, and that Quatre did not sound like Quatre. He couldn't wonder why. He couldn't feel.

He'd closed up his heart long ago. There was nothing left for him to feel. Nothing left he wanted to feel. He clung to his anger and his angst like an anchor that kept him sane. But there were some things...

Some things that he couldn't help himself. It was his curse. His weakness.

He blinked.

  [##]

" Urusai, " she said curtly.

  [##]

Trowa wasted no time assessing things as they arrived.

" Hiiro. Hilde. Flank the Unknown and try to draw attention. I'll intervene at the centre and pull Zero-Five out of there. " Without waiting for the 'roukai's Trowa shot forward and tried to beat the trigger on the Unknown's powerful double beam rifle.

Hiiro dove towards the Unknown suit and passed over the head to twist around and hang in space to its right. Lifting the beam rifle, he balanced it in both hands and fired. His attack was effective in some way, as the Unknown suit jerked back away from the beam and consequently didn't fire on Shenlon. First head, then body turned towards the Aquarius.

Aiming for a second shot, Hiiro flicked a switch and inquired, " Quatre? "

" Hiiro? " answered the shaky voice of the boy in question. The Unknown Gundam lifted its own double rifle and leveled it so the tip nearly reached that of the Aquarius. " This is a double beam rifle; it is more powerful than yours. Please... " the shaky voice fell to a faint whisper, " ... please just get away. "

" What are you doing Quatre? "

" ... get away... "

" Tell me! " Hiiro shouted, the pressure in his heart throbbing painfully with every word Quatre uttered, " Where did you get that suit?! "

" If You Won't Get Away Then I'll MAKE YOU GO AWAY!! "

" Shit! " Hilde cursed, throwing forward the energy disks towards the Unknown.

From over by Shenlon, the Mercurious turned and gave the pilot full view of the situation. " Quatre!! "

  [##]

Treize silently rubbed Nara's shoulders as she fought off another coughing fit. She was an ally now, not a prisoner. He had to do his best to make her comfortable. It was the only way she was going to regain her health in time.

  [##]

A pause.

Silence fell over the battlefield in the stars.

The Unknown Gundam turned fully to face the Mercurious. " T- " utter disbelief filled the voice that came over the open comlink, " Trowa? "

... and silence fell again.

Hilde blinked, the Vai-eight stopped in the middle of an attack. The energy disks surrounded the Unknown but didn't fire. Not yet. She slowly processed the implications of the exchange. " Chotto... you know each other?! "

Hiiro quickly ran through his mind the set up of the field and lowered his rifle. Dropping the support hand, he drew the beam sabre from his back and aimed to slice the double rifle. Quatre snapped to attention in that instant and knocked the sabre away, while firing its jet packs and heading straight through the Vai-eight's disks towards the Mercurious and Shenlon.

" I Don't Want To Hurt You Trowa!! " Quatre cried, while at the same time his actions stated a definite otherwise.

" You... You're all Gundam Pilots?! " Hilde shouted incredulously.

" Trowa! Get out of the way! " Hiiro shouted. He shot forward in the Aquarius and snatched the Shenlon out of the line of fire. But the Mercurious didn't move. Twisting around to view him, Hiiro shouted, " Trowa!! "

" I can't Hiiro, " Trowa's steady voice finally answered, even as the Unknown Gundam shot towards him, " This is the only way to stop him. "

  [##]

Nara lifted her head to watch, as the one red glowing dot collided with the other.

  [##]

Wufei's breathing was ragged, and much as he hated himself for it, he was too weak to lift his head. Relief, of all the gods-awful feelings he could be experiencing right now, relief was it. Hatred intermingled, but more than he hated them for saving him, he hated himself for needing to be saved.

Raising his head, he looked at the console and observed the terse tableau before him.

Quatre's Gundam was frozen in time against the red shoulder buried in its middle. The Mercurious hung behind the Vai-eight, suspended with the blade of the beam sabre piercing it just to the left of the cockpit. All that could be heard was Hilde's heavy breathing, and then her question after a seemingly interminable moment of more silence.

" Why... Why are you all fighting each other? "

" Get out of the way Hilde, " was her only answer. Trowa didn't make a move, never took his eyes off the Unknown. It was Quatre. What had happened?

Hilde pressed against the Gundam, " I wanna know! Why are you fighting each other? If you're all Gundam Pilots, why?
Why?! "

Quatre twisted the Gundam and pulled the beam sabre out of the Mercurious, taking a large portion of the suit with it. The cockpit exposed, Trowa could see Quatre without the aid of the machinery. He could watch the full impact of reality as the Vai-eight was violently shoved away and Quatre came straight at him.

  [##]

" What are you thinking? " inquired Treize.

" It's... "

  [##]

" Get Away Trowa! Get Away!! "

" No Quatre... I will not. "

  [##]

" It's...? " he prompted.

  [##]

Hilde turned and snapped at the Aquarius. " Aren't you going to do anything?! "

" It's true, we're all Gundam Pilots, " he stated evenly, answering instead her question from before. " At least we used to be. Oz has my suit and I don't know what Trowa's done with his. The pilot of the new suit is Quatre Rababa Winner-- "

" Winner?! " Hilde's heart stopped. She looked back as the Gundam and the Mercurious collided. " The heir to the Winner Corporation...? " She gasped. " He's the boy -- the boy who watched Winner die. "

Nothing answered her. She watched all the pieces fall together herself.

" It's our fault he's doing this. "

" Revenge. Quatre's lost himself. " Hiiro stated.

The Vai-eight leaped forward. " Yamete! "

Sharply, Hiiro's voice stopped her. " It's going to take Trowa's death to snap Quatre out of it. " She stopped dead at his words. " Whether he dies for that purpose or not is up to Trowa alone. The only blame falls on those who use wars for amusement. Those who fight without a reason are to blame. The Gundams were created for the colonies, and will fight for the colonies. You have no right to interfere. "

...fight for the colonies...

Hilde's eyes widened.

  [##]

" It's... " she said again.

  [##]

" So that's it, " he said candidly, leaning back in his chair and watching her with intense violet eyes from beneath a haphazard curtain of brown bangs. " I made a promise. I don't know how I'll keep it, that's entirely up to you.

" But I gotta wonder, you know, why are we fighting each other? If all we're doing is fighting for the colonies. "

" Why Oz? Tell me that, " she asked, her fist clenched at her side. Traitor, the word wouldn't leave her mind even after hearing the reasoning behind it. She couldn't let go of it. It gave her the will to fight with all her power.

" Why the Alliance? " he rebounded back at her easily. " Why anyone? Peace should be so much easier than this... "

" Oh, Duo... " Hilde's shoulders shuddered with the effort not to cry.

" Hey, " Hiiro interjected into her thoughts, his voice now subtly gentler, " can I get you to watch him? " He didn't have to indicate Shenlon to get the message across. Without waiting for an answer he fired the engines and moved past her.

" Wait- "

" He's a prisoner of Oz. I leave him in your care. "

  [##]

" ... beautiful... " she finally finished, the word escaping her breathlessly.

**

[Oh-hohohoho! So many things to watch for next chapter! Will Quatre kill Trowa? What's Hiiro up to? How is Hilde going to handle everything? What exactly is Treize doing with Nara? Will everyone escape the battle unscathed? Find out in Chapter 34 of Mugen no Dansu; the beginning of Section Four!! I've decided to extent DBZL's break and keep plowing on through this one. You know, technically, I wrote this chapter in one day. Yo~~ush'!!]

[Written by Inseiko, 2001]

[Song: "Tightrope" by Charcoal Filter - First ending theme for Gensoumaden Saiyuki
 [Lyrics taken directly from fansub]

Notes on Lyrics:
1) The middle part of the song is sung in English, hence the lack of romanji. At first it sounds like bad grammar and I was tempted to change it a little. But I decided to leave it as is. It's still okay, it could just be worded better. (IMO)
2) I would have prefered the line "Dare yori mo daitan futeki ni warau" to be translated as 'Laughing bolder than anyone' But again, decided to leave as is.

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