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"I got it, Heero." Leighlei said softly, flipping the switch beside her head and pulling the lever above her down.

"No-you’re not gonna-" He began, but it was to late, the Psyche had already engaged in the Peridot storm, rocks whirled around him, flying into his ship and knocking him back. The Epyon and two mobile suits were caught in the wind. The two mobile suits dissentigrated, But the Epyon stood it’s ground. Then the Psyche did it’s flower cannon, knocking it back. Slowly, the bazooka cannon, then green wall attacks both weakened it, and finally, the beam riser knocked it to the ground. The psyche, as damaged as the Epyon, covered the opposing Gundam with it’s own body and a red light blinked on it’s head.

"And now for the grand finalle. Kids watch your hands, fireworks can be dangerous. Be sure to stand at least twenty meters away form the lights. Thank you for coming and hope you enjoyed the show!" Her voice, serene and almost mocking, blared over the comm system, then went into static, then failed.

"NOOOO!!!!!!" Heero screamed, feeling a tear run down his face. This was the second time he had cried in his entire life. The first had been when his parents were killed, but this was worse.

"You can’t-DO this!!" Milliardo grunted at the Psyche. Leighlei smiled.

"Go ahead and watch me." She whispered to herself, then pressed the little red button that even she had never planned on using.

The Epyon and the Psyche were both obliterated in a devastating explosion in that instant.

"AAAAAH! GODDAMMIT!!!" Wufei shouted, sheilding his face from the harsh light."What the hell did she do?!"

"SHIT! SHE DIDN’T JUST-!!" Duo yelled loudly.

"Gosh, genious you don’t have to yell, the mouthpeice is RIGHT NEXT TO YOUR GODDAM MOUTH!" Wufei retorted irratably, interupting him.

"She…she self-detonated?" Quatre said softly. Whoops. They all froze. Which one would answer him? They all knew the answer but did not know how to face it.

"Yes." Heero murmured. He felt sick. Opening his hatch and hopping out of the Wing Zero, he ran over to the huge crater that had been created by the massive explosion.

"Hello?!!" He shouted, thinking ‘Please oh please let she be in one piece, even if she’s dead don’t let her be scattered all over-‘

"I’m sorry, man. I know you two were…ah…well, you know." Duo came and stood beside him, patting Heero on the back. Heero glanced at him. Duo never had a problem wit sadness, he always held it in.

"…Yeah…" Heero muttered. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked into the wreckage. He caught a glimpse of something shiny and red behind a large, green piece of the Psyche. He climbed down into the pit and dodged the flaming pieces of the gundams to get to it. He shoved a large, torn piece of the flower cannon off of it to reveal Leighlei, laying on her side and covered with blood. She had her eyes closed and was smudged with dirt and ash, and covered in burns. Wounds were scattered over her body, tearing her clothes and seeping scarlet, many were deep, a few looked fatal. He bent over and gently laid her in his lap, holding her close for the last time.

"H……heer..o…." Her voice was almost inaudible. He almost dropped her. She had survived! Nobody had ever survived a self-detonation half as strong as the one that had just taken place. "Heero….." Her eyes opened a slit, one was covered in a film of blood, the other ran with bloodied tears.

"Shhhhh…it’s okay. You did it…" He whispered, rocking her back and forth. Oh, God, why couldn’t it have been him? "And I’m with you now, don’t worry."

"Heero….a-am I dead yet?" She asked, the tears seemed to fill her voice. He looked down at her bloody face and almost cried again himself. She looked so inocent, her hair was matted with blood, but he could still see some of the strawberry blonde in it.

"Yes." He said, brushing a strand of it out of her face. "Dead and in heaven, where you belong…"

PrOlOgUe

 

Leigh sat in the hospital bed, drawing in her notebook a picture of the bird outside her window. She wasn’t dead yet and neither was her enemy. The day after the explosion the Tallgeese, piloted by Zechs Merquise, had attacked some Oz mobile suits. All that for nothing. She sighed and glanced at the piece of Peridot on her table. She lifted it, toying with the green light in her palm. She thought about all the noble sacrifices made throughout the history of humankind. Hers had been minimal compared to other martydoms like Joan of Arc, she was burned at the stake for her beleifs and Leigh herself hadn’t even died. Leighlei put the green stone down and watched as the bird flew away. But she still had to believe that one day her efforts would earn her a place in heaven, a place in peace. She crossed out the word ‘nothing’ she had written in her notebook. It hadn’t been for nothing, it had been for everything she knew.

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