Leigh stepped off the simulator, her heart pounding, her body felt light, but her head as heavy as a sack of bricks. She felt sick, but energized, unstoppable. Heero took a step foreward and helped her down the steps. She glanced at him, a slight hint of gratitude crossing her eyes, then fell to her hands and knees on the cement floor. She knew that now she was a gundam pilot, the statistics at the end were incredible, but she was scared, too. She was afraid of what it might make of her, something that killed without living, and something that felt no feeling. A heartless soldier, the very thing she had wanted to escape was her destiny, after all. Heero knelt beside her, looking into her face.
"What is it?" He asked, a little concerned, he felt her shaking, and he felt the the muscles in her back give way a little when he put a hand on her shoulder and helped her up. She glanced at him, and walked away. He followed her with his eyes until she dissapeared around a corner, then went over and looked at the computer printouts. He almost dropped them. Her scores were off the charts! She had hit every single target and not missed or wasted one shot! She had maintained pretty much calm life functions, and didn't over-heat. But he noticed that she had been shaking slightly, and the computer said she had been crying. Why? Why would she cry over the lives of people she didn't even know? He was puzzled, but, never the less, took the statistics for the others to read.
"Heero." He looked up, Cat stood in the doorway, she walked over to her brother. "Let me see."
"Why?" He asked, pulling away, she smiled.
"She's my best friend, Heero, let me see her scores." She repeated calmly, he reluctantly handed them to her and she handed them back, stunned, when she finished.
"She's good." He commented, she nodded. Just then Leighlei walked back in.
"Give me those, Heero." She said solemnly, swiping them from his hands. "I will not let you destroy what I have been fighting for! I have come here to escape the life of a harsh, heartless soldier, and now you expect to turn me into one! How dare you!" She burst out, almost on the brink of tears. "I'm so sorry I'm not who you want me to be…but, I have been running forever, and will keep running until there is nothing left to run from. I can fight…but I will not assasinate one I don't know for reasons that have nothing to do with me! I kill for my reasons and mine alone!"
"Leighlei you can't keep running like this, you have to face the fact that you are the daughter of a great officer-"
"I don't care! I may be her daughter but I'm not her! Goodbye!" She turned and ran out of the room, brushing tears from her eyes. She bumped into Wufei, dropping the paper, but she kept running, she kept running until she got to the shuttle bay, then glanced at the huge white ships.
"I heard what you said." A voice said softly, she whirled as Quatre stepped out of the shadows. "It's very noble of you to think that way."
"Yeah? Doesn't seem that way to anyone else, not even me. But it doesn't matter, I'm leaving this place." She ran over to the suits hanging on the wall and grabbed one. She put on the helmet and wriggled into the space suit.
"But…where will you go?"
"Away, Quatre. Where I always go. Perhaps I will find peace in oblivion…" She trailed off, looking out a window at the stars. "I have many reasons to assasinate myself.."
"Don't, please." He ran over and grabbed her shoulders. "Promise me."
"Quatre…" She looked long into his beautiful, blue eyes. She knew she would remember them, and that, if she made it to hell, they would keep her safe and clean of blood. She would never forget those eyes. Blinking, she shoved him gently away. "I cannot make promises I don't intend to keep." She jumped into a shuttle and started it up. Quatre looked at her, tears welling in his eyes, those eyes she loved so much, then ran away from the bay. Leighlei blinked, then saluted her home, she only found it fitting as she rose into the sky, a soldier always salutes. It was only then she noticed the small red light blinking on the malfunction bar. There was a gas leak! She stood, preparing to go and fix it, but it was too late, the dull roar of the explosion had already begun. She saw it all in slow motion, the flames leaping toward her like a giant inferno. She opened the emergency hatch and hopped out just before they could reach her, but the explosion still expanded and the wave of energy knocked her farther away from her ship and the hangar. A piece of metal hit her in the head, and she lost conciousness.
*******
"Oh, God. And you say she left and then there was an explosion? You didn't find her?" Heero asked. Trowa shook his head.
"Not a trace."
"Aw, man!" Duo shook his head. "What a complete waste of time…"
"Shut up, Duo. Did you see those printouts?" Heero asked. Duo raised an eyebrow.
"You mean the ones from the simulator?"
"Yeah. Those, did you see them?"
"No." Duo shook his head again.
"Then shut up!" Heero ordered. Duo narrowed his eyes.
"Anyway, we have yet to find any evidence of where she is, she could have been blown to pieces.."
"Oh, please, Trowa! I just ate!" Duo whined. Heero slapped him.
"Shut UP! She was supossed to be your friend, do you even care?" Heero shrilled. Duo sighed.
"Yeah…"
"Then do us all a favor, go find something to do about it!" Heero commanded, Duo stood and left.