The Maze
By Mirror and Image

He ran. That was all his life was any more. Running away from the most terrible evil to appear on the planet. The past three years of his life had just been running. He was 18 now, but he still kept running.

Three years ago, he was an accomplished Gundam Pilot, the only one to ever control to Zero System. He completed missions for Dr. J with proffessional ease and quality. But that life was no more. Not since that one day. He had been on a mission and hid in a school. That was when he met the evil that chased him. Its name was Relena Peacecraft. She was brilliant when it came to uniting people, but as soon as she saw him, she claimed ownership of him. He completed his mission and left, but she followed. He had tried to kill her several times, but in every instance, she somehow cheated death and continued ot chase him. Sometimes, he thought he was finally safe and hidden, but she would always turn up, ready to plan weddings and pick out China patterns.

That was his life. Now Dr. J depended on someone else who mastered the Zero System. Someone named Zechs. All the while he kept running.

Heero Yuy was getting sick of running.

Heero flew through the hills at tremedous speed until he finally happened on a town. As was usual, he had run himself almost to exhastion and his body was ordering him to get some sleep. He walked quietly through the town coming across an inn. He checked his money and found he had enough for one meal and one night. Fine. That was all he needed. He went inside.

Sitting down at a table hidden in the shadows of a corner, Heero observed the common room. There was a decent sized crowd, given the hour, but it was not filled like it probably would be later that evening. Keeping his eye on everyone, a couple came over to take a table near him. They must not have noticed the dark haired youth as they sat down, for they started a conversation that was obviously meant for privacy.

"Are you sure, Lady Une?" said the young man.

"Yes, Treize-sama," the young woman replied. "The Maze of the Gift is located somewhere near here. The legend says that once you make it to the center of the maze, you are granted one wish."

Heero's ears perked up. There was one wish he definitely wanted granted. Who cared if it was just a legend? Heero was getting desperate.

"Thank you for your help, Lady Une."

"It was my plesure, Trieze-sama. You can have anything you heart desires now."

The young couple continued to talk quietly about private things and Heero decided to do some investigating. Leaving his table when he finished his meal, he went into town to talk to the people. His story was simple enough. His father was an archeologist who was wondering if their were any ruins around in the area. People bought it hook line and sinker. The ruins weren't all that far north. Good. In the morning, he'd get an early start. Right now, though, he wanted to obey his body and sleep. He went back to the inn.

The sun had just finished setting when Heero finally put head to pillow, sleeping in his clothes like he always did. After all, he never knew when that force of nature would come calling.

Sure enough, right around midnight, it came. "HEEEEEEEEEEEERROOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Heero got out of bed with well practiced speed, grabbed his things, ran out the hall down the stairs and into the suddenly very crowded common room. People where screaming in terror, mothers clutched their children closely while the men tried to get guns, pitchforks, torches, anything to fend off whatever gave that banshee like scream. Heero, of course, knew what it was but he wasn't going to tell them it was a young girl. He let the flow of the crowd pull him to the street and then out of town. Once out of town, he ran north, heading toward the ruins that lay buried in the hills.

When he reached the ruins, he slowed his pace, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Being a former Gundam Pilot helped him a great deal when it came to observing what was around him. He had had many missions that required knowing details and what was out of place. After a few minutes, he noticed a stone on the wall that was more worn than the rest. Placing his hand around it, it moved. Heero jumped back, reaching for his gun. But his gun wasn't there. Damn. He must have lost it in the crowd.

The wall in front of him opened up to some sort of passageway lit by torches. He crept down it carefully. Not surprisingly, the door shut behind him. He continued down the hall. It split in three directions. Yup, it was a maze. Picking a route, he started to follow it, making choices as he went through the maze. About an hour later, he came across something that cut a little to close for comfort. A trap. The maze was rigged. He slowed down even more, being careful to examine his surroundings so as not to set off any traps. "HEEEEEEEEEEEERROOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Scratch that idea. She had follwed her "Heero-Radar" again and now speed was more essential. He broke out at a run, dodgeing everything he could, ignoring the pain when he didn't. The scream faded behind him as he weaved through corridors. In what seemed like no time at all, he reached a gate. That confused him. The maze was supposed to be huge, but in merely 24 hours time, he had reached the end? No, it wasn't that simple. Something was wrong.

As he regarded the gate, wondering how to get through, a young man, his own age, appeared, dressed in Chinese clothes and with black hair pulled back. The Chinamen took a fighting stance.

"Greetings," the young man said. He spoke in old Chinese. That dialect hadn't been used since long before the colonies were formed. "I am Chang Wu Fei, Guardian of the Fifth Gate, the Gate of Strength. In order to pass, you must prove your strength to me. Fight."

"May I ask a question first?"

"Yes."

"If this is the Fifth Gate, Where are the other four?"

"You will find that out if you get by me."

Heero said nothing, but took a fighting stance. He found respect for this Wu Fei character. He was actually a skilled fighter and it took longer than Heero anticipated to defeat him.

"Congratulations. You have passed the Fifth Test. You are strong enough to make it to the center."

"Right. By the way, there's this evil behind me that isn't supposed to be here. Can you stop it for me?"

"I am a Guardian. I can only do what I am ordered to do." Heero didn't argue the point. He understood orders all to well. "HEEEEEEEEEEEERROOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

The scream pearced his ears and Heero went off racing again.

Wu Fei watched the young Japanese run down the passageway leading to the maze. It was amazing. Wu Fei had actually been beaten. That had only happened three times before, and those battles were much longer than the one he had just finished, plus that young man was wounded from the traps.. That dark-haired man really did have what it took to make it to the center. Wu Fei found himself hoping that he would pass the other tests. Some sort of wail came to his ears. It must have been an animal dying, caught in the maze.

No, this wail sounded like a name. "HEEEEEEEEEEEERROOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

A burst of clouds appeared further down the maze, racing towards him with the speed of a hungry tiger. When the dust finally disappated, a young woman stood before him.

"Excuse me," she said politely. "I am Relena and I am looking for my fiancé, Heero Yuy, who I believe came down this way. Could you point him out to me?"

"Greetings," Wu Fei said.. "I am Chang Wu Fei, Guardian of the Fifth Gate, the Gate of Strength. In order to pass, you must prove your strength to me. But I don't fight women. You may pass."

"Why thank you very much." She walked through the gate then took of running.

Strange people.

Heero continued through the maze, cursing the fact that he was leaving an obvious trail for Relena the Evil to follow. Every trap he set off was like a siren shouting that someone had been there. Unfortunately, he could not let her get her hands on him. If she did, he would probably never be free. He was too close to a possible solution now to let her win.

The puzzle of reaching the Fifth Gate was still dominating his mind, however. If he had reached the Fifth Gate, how had he passed the other four? The had to be in order. It didn't make scense to number gates and then place them around out of order. He was about to wonder if the order was reversed when he came across another gate.

As Heero stood there, wondering if another "Guardian" would appear he saw something fly down. The small thing floated in front of his eyes, revealing itself to be some sort of blond, yet clothed cupid. Only instead of arrows, it weilded two little sycthes. (Think Sandrock's weapons.)

"Greetings," the Chibi said. He spoke in a heavy Arabic accent. Suddenly, in a puff of smoke, there stood a young man, his own age. He still had white wings on his back and deadly sycthes in his hands. "I am Quatre Raberba Winner, Guardian of the Fourth Gate, the Gate of Purity. In order to pass, you must prove you have love in your heart. Come here."

Heero raised an eyebrow, but stepped forward. The scythes disappeared into the white cloack the young Arab wore and the petite put his hands on Heero's temples. Something warm spread over him as he felt some sort of search going on. Gentle, yet firm, the warmth spread to his hear, unlocking memories he had closed away for some time. Memories of his beloved mother before she had died.

"Congratulations. You have passed the Fourth Test. You have a heart pure enough to make it to the center." The winged boy pulled his hands away and the gate opened. Looking down, Heero realized that he had also been healed.

"Before I go, there's something evil following me. Can you do something about it?"

"I'm sorry. As a Guardian, all I can do is test those who come before me. If it has passed Wu Fei's test, it will be worthy of facing my test. I'm sorry." "HEEEEEEEEEEEERROOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Heero didn't bother staying still and ran.

Quatre blinked at the dust trail left behind the young man he had just tested. Though the man had love in his heart, it was buried down so far that the Japanese youth must not have felt it for a long time. The other two who had passed his test before were very similar. Both had love buried deep down, out of contact, but there. And as long as love was there, Quatre never had to worry about killing those who failed his test. "HEEEEEEEEEEEERROOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Quatre turned around to see another dust trail heading his way. When the smoke cleared, there was a young woman in front of him.

"Greetings," he said. "I am Quatre Raberba Winner, Guardian of the Fourth Gate, the Gate of Purity. In order to pass, you must prove you have love in your heart. Come here."

"Oh," the young woman said. "you needn't test me. I love Heero Yuy who just passed by here a few minutes ago. So I'll just be on my way." She made a move for the gate.

"Wait, miss," Quatre said firmly. Was this the evil that the young Japanese had talked about? "I must test you. It will not take long."

"Oh, very well."

Quatre placed his hands on her temples and let his kokoro no uchuu open up to engulf her. He gently prodded his way around her heart and mind. What he found was rather disturbing. This young woman didn't have a shred of love in her heart. She had respect and admiration for her brother, care and gratitude for her adoptive parents, but not a single ounce of love. And when it came to Heero…

Quatre pulled away in revulsion of the ugly obssessiion she had over that young man.

"May I go now?" she asked innocently. Quatre pulled out his sycthes.

"No. You have not passed the Fourth Test," he said firmly. "I, as Guardian of the Fourth Gate, must now kill you." He hated this part of the job, but after what he had seen in her heart, he was probably going to put her out of her misery.

"But I love my Heero!" she protested. "You can't let him get away from me."

Quatre started to attack, but found she was extremely agile at dodging him. He decided a different tactic might be in order. His Chibi form was not usually expected to attack people, so he shifted to that form. It tunred out that was a mistake, however.

No sooner had the mist cleared than did she grab him and shake him like a doll.

"Oh, how adorable! This is probably the most cutest thing I've ever seen! It must be placed on top of our wedding cake, right Heero? Heero?" "HEEEEEEEEEEEERROOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

She tossed Chibi Quatre back, and broke through the gate. As she ran off, the gate repaired itself, but Chibi Quatre, who was denied any air supply in her grasp, was thrown hard against a wall, reverting to his normal form. Before blacking out, he sent out a warning thought to all the Guardians. A demon was on the loose.

Heero continued to run through the maze. It had been two days since the fourth gate, a week since he had entered, but he was not about to stop. Everytime he did, that scream filled his ears and pushed him forward again. He ignored the pain from the wounds he received by all the close calls he ran through. He continued on, however. He was not going to let this chance of being rid of that evil slip away. Besides, the more Gates he was able to pass, the better chances he had of actually making it. Sliding down another passage way, he saw another Gate in the distance.

He skidded to a halt. "Hey Guardian!" he called. He didn't have time to wait.

A tall slender young man came out. His robes and the staff he carried screamed wise man, but his face was far to young for the part.

"Greetings," he said. "I am Trowa Barton, Guardian of the Third Gate, the Gate of Wisdom. In order to pass, you must prove your wisdom. Normally, I'd ask some sort of riddle, but this time, I'm going to borrow a page from Quatre's book and just scan you." Heero was pleased this young man actually had a normal accent to his speech. "That evil that's following you got past Quatre, which says just how strong it is."

"That Guardian didn't exactly look like he could defend that Gate," Heero pointed out.

"But he is a Guardian. We are given great power, but it still did something to him. I can't contact him at all. Now come here." Heero stepped up and Trowa put his hands on Heero's temples, just as Quatre had done. He felt a similar scan, though it wasn't as warm. Instead of feeling like the heart Quatre had, it felt like a mind was scanning him instead. Heero knew when not to ask questions.

"You have wisdom. Go on. I'll try to stop that evil. It never should have been allowed to get this far." "HEEEEEEEEEEEERROOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

"Good luck." Heero ran off, finding he suddenly had a knowledge of the maze and where to go without setting off the traps as well as his wounds being healed again.

"HEEEEEEEEEEEERROOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Trowa saw a young blond woman coming down the hall towards him. Discarding the staff he needed to weild, he pulled out a machine gun. His specialty had always been in long range weapons, so he started to fire. By all accounts, she should have died. But she dodged every bullet and ran all the way up to him. Trowa tried to shove her out of the way, wishing he was better at fighting hand to hand like Wu Fei was. She pushed back just as hard.

As the shoving match continued, Trowas quickly scanned her and was surprised. This young woman was extremely wise for her age. Wise enough to lead the world. But it was all corrupted by that..that.. whatever-it-was for Heero.

Trowa was finally getting her to move back when she clubbed him with her purse. Knocked aside, Trowa watched as she broke through the Gate and ran after Heero. Trowa was glad to see the Gate repair itself. He sent out a thought to the remaining Guardian.

She got by me. Be on guard.

She? What's a she doing in here?

Ask Wu Fei. I'm going to check on Quatre.

Hey! Wait a minute, if she got by all three of you, shouldn't you come to help me?

It's against the rules, remember? Guardians can't help each other in the tests. Quatre's still not answering my calls so he may need help now.

Fine, leave me alone. See if I care, Trowa. He broke of the link, teleporting to the Fourth Gate.

Heero ran through the maze with much more speed than he had before. His wounds were healed and he wasn't getting anymore because he had a knowledge of the rest of the maze. Both this part and the part after the Second Gate. He would have prefered it if Trowa had given him knowledge of what the last two gates were going to test him on, but he could understand why he didn't. Taking a left by instinct, Heero continued donw the hall. Up ahead was another Gate. Good. It was about time.

Standing before the Gate, he saw the Guardian was already there. The Guardian had long hair, pulled back to a braid. Just behind his bangs two tiny horns pointed up and over his shoulders, two bat-like wings folded over, covering his torso. The Guardian raised his head, opening violet eyes and raising his wings to reveal the cloths of a clergyman, but in his hands was a long staff with a scythe at the end.

"Greetings," he said. "I am Duo Maxwell, Guardian of the Second Gate, the Gate of Death. You can also call me Shinagami. In order to pass, you must die." Heero blinked.

"Fine."

Duo faltered. "What? Do you want to die or something?"

"It doesn't matter to me," Heero replied. "I am here in this maze to gain my freedom from that evil pursuing me. If I die, then I also gain freedome from her. Either way, I am free and I don't care if I gain my freedom by a wish or by death."

Duo smiled. "Congrats. You just passed the Second Test. You aren't afraid of dying. Now go on. That babe on your heels got past Trowa as well." "HEEEEEEEEEEEERROOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Heero didn't hesitate in running.

Duo watched the young Japanese go by with unquestionable speed. He started close the Gate when he saw the young woman come down the hall. Duo let out a string of curses. He didn't have time to shut the Gate. She came right at him. "HEEEEEEEEEEEERROOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Duo winced at the scream. Raising his scythe, he swung it in a low arch that would have chopped her head off. Would have, if not for the fact that she jumped neatly over him and through the Gate.

Damn it, she got by me! he shouted to the other Guardians.

That's because you're weak, Wu Fei snapped.

And what about you? Quatre asked. You let her get by.

I don't fight women, Wu Fei replied hotly.

Hey Quatre! Duo said. Good to have you back. What happened?

Let's not worry about that now. Heero has passed all of our tests, and I believe he will pass the final test. Right now we should get to the ceneter and prepare.

We got time, Duo drawled.

No, Trowa said. We don't. You saw how fast they both were.

Right. Come on then.

Heero ran through the last of the maze, amazed that Relena was actually gaining on him. And somehow he knew there wasn't a Guardian for the First Gate. So he was going to have to figure it out on his own. Damnit, he didn't have time for puzzles with that evil on his heels. Ducking down another corridor, he finally saw the last gate. "HEEEEEEEEEEEERROOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

He quickly examined the Gate, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. He pushed it, but it would not budge. He slammed his shoulder into it. Nothing. He pulled plastique out of his green tank top and set a detonation. Not even a scratch. "HEEEEEEEEEEEERROOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

He was running out of time. Maybe he should have let Duo kill him. Death was preferable to life as..as…he couldn't even think about it.

"Damn it," he cursed. "Let me in!" "HEEEEEEEEEEEERROOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

He turned, slamming his back to the Gate. She was coming down the hall towards him. No! It couldn't end like this! He had to get away!

He fell through the door.

Rolling back onto his feet, Heero got up and looked around. He appeared to be in some sort of courtyard with a large glowing orb in the center. Around the orb, the four Guardians he had faced over the past weeks were gathered in a circle around the glowing ball. All had their eyes closed, as if they were communicating with the orb.

Heero started to approach them, vary weary because the orb was magic, not the technology he was used to and weary of the Gate behind him that held back the pounding and screaming of Relena. As Heero approached the orb and circle, Duo and Wu Fei stepped aside, making room for him.

"Touch the Orb," they all said in unision. "Touch the Orb and have your heart's one desire fullfilled."

Stepping forward slowly, Heero felt a call to the Orb. It was like he was supposed to be here, and all the tests he had faced prepared him for it. He reached out and placed his hand on the Orb.

"I wish that Relena would leave me alone and die," he said.

Everything went white.

He floated. Calm and serene. He knew this place and didn't. It was everywhere and nowhere. It felt like outer space in a way. There was no Relena, Dr. J, Zechs, anything. Just him. His heart opened and he felt a desire from deep within exit into the whiteness. Something was lifted off of his shoulders. He was free.

When Heero opened his eyes again, the Orb was gone and the Guardians were staring at him. He understood. He had a mission now. One that would take until the end of time, but he would be among comrades of his caliber for a change. The first words he spoke would be the words of his mission and life.

"Greetings," he said. "I am Heero Yuy, Guardian of the First Gate, the Gate of Determination. In order to pass, you must prove how determined you are." Heero held up his blaster and beamsword, similar to what he had on his Gundam and lifted himself of the ground with the same wings his Gundam had.

"Congratulations!" Duo shouted. "You not only got your heart's desire, you even got to become a Guardian as well! Sugoi!"

"Welcome to our group," Wu Fei said. Heero understood why his speech was so differnet to him. All of these people came to make a wish at differnet points throughout history. Wu Fei from early China, Quatre from the Middle East during the Crusades, Trowa from just before the space colonies, and Duo from just after. Setting himself on the ground, Heero looked around his new home, understanding it a lot more than he had before.

"It's nice to finally have a Guardian for the First Gate," Quatre commented. "We've been without one since the beginning."

"It was his destiny, after all," Trowa added quietly. "Just like it was for all of us." "HEEEEEEEEEEEERROOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Heero whirled around, beamsword coming to life. He thought his wish had been fulfilled? Why was she still alive? How did she get in here? Running towards her, he got ready for the kill. Duo, however, stepped in front of him and blocked the beamsword with his scythe.

"Hey man!" Duo shouted. "I'm Shinigami here, not you!"

"She's supposed to be dead. That's what I wished for."

"Idiot," Wu Fei muttered.

"Heero, this Maze doesn't grant wishes, but your heart's desire," Trowa stated.

"That's right," Quatre expanded. "Very often our conscious thought is not in harmony with our hearts. You wished her dead so she could leave you alone. But in your heart, you knew that Relena would make a good leader and person if she only got rid of that obsession over you. Your heart wanted her to be free from that obsession while your mind wanted you to be free from her."

"I came to thank you, Heero," Relena said. "I know I have much to learn about what love really is, and I may never really know. But at least I am free to learn from that obsession. Who knows? Maybe someday, I'll rule the world and outer space so that we can all finally have peace."

"You won't be allowed to leave here with any memory of what happened," Trowa said. Going over to her, he placed his hands on her temples. Relena closed her eyes and collapsed into his arms before she disappeared. Somehow, Heero knew that Trowa had erased her memory, and sent her home.

"Glad that's finally over," Duo said, putting and arm around Heero's shoulder. "Now its time for you to know about your new comrades! Wu Fei has high honor and won't fight women. That's why Relena got in here in the first place. He and I have a bet going on. He thinks Trowa and Quatre are just friends. I think they're something more." Heero stared at the two in question, noticing movements and behavior. He realized what their relationship actuall was. It was…(insert what reader believes)… "So what do you think, buddy? Do you side with me or Wu Fei?"

"Neither. It's none of my buisiness."

"Huhph, you're no fun. Anyway, Quatre doesn't like to kill, but at his Gate, he almost never does. Trowa is conversationally challenged, and I am the most fun of the group. We like going to villiage to hang out, but you'll need to learn how to hide your wings and stuff. Oh, I gotta tell you this story. See one time….."

The End