Disclaimer: See initial chapters

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Xardion - Sorry for keeping you waiting. I just wanted to make sure I finished this right.

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Epilogue

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Three days after the final battle...

Lady Une looked out from the window of her office within Preventor Headquarters. The evil that had nearly engulfed the world was gone completely. So completely in fact, that it seemed as though none of it happened. Nanashi's invasion, the battles they found, and the damage as a result, all of it was absent.

The Preventor commander allowed herself a sigh. At least no one involved remembered any of the events that had taken place. It would be better for both the world and the colonies to not have to recall any of the horrors they may have experienced as the Dynasty's prisoners. As an extra bonus, she wouldn't have to explain any of this to the president. Mystic armor, otherworld creatures, battle between good and evil...

Yeah, that would be easy to explain...

Turning around, she sat down at her desk and checked over the reports. It was an odd thing, returning to her previous activities after all she had learned. Even more so than the Netherrealm and the battles, she had also learned a great deal about herself; about her heritage, even learned of a distant relative she never knew about, yet have fought bravely alongside of.

A sister-in-arms...

She remembered the day when Kayura, as well as the other Seasonals returned to the border of the Netherrealm and the mortal realm. Nanashi may have been vanquished, but ambitions demons of the Netherrealm would always be a danger and therefore the mortal realm would need guardians. A first line of defense. Kayura and her group were just such defenders.

Along with one other...

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Back, the day before...

-

"Are you certain you can not stay longer?"

The teams were all grouped together outside of the forest where the Cave of the Ancients resided. Everyone save for Zechs, Noin who had gone away on their original mission to Mars. Relena and Heero were absent as well, with Relena returning to her duties as Vice-Foreign Minister and Heero, well, disappearing altogether. Dorothy also was unavailable, but she had always been an elusive woman to begin with.

"I'm afraid not." Kayura answered, clothed in her priestess robes. "The border of realms will always be in need of defense and we have our duty to perform."

"We understand." Mia replied from the group. "We'll miss you."

"As will we." Her gaze soon roved over the Celestials and the Ronins. "You have all done us a great service for the world and we will always be grateful."

Ryo stepped forward. "We did what we had to do, just as you did."

"Just as you have your duty as Warlords, we have ours as Celestials and Ronins." Wufei added.

"Seasonals." Kale countered. When the others gave him a questioning glance, he replied. "The title 'Warlord' is a part of our past as a part of the Dynasty. We're better off putting it behind us for good."

All gave approving nods and Kayura turned around and stretched out her hand. A small ripple formed and distorted the space it occupied. The other Seasonals turned to it as well and nodded to each other.

"Well, Kay, we better get a move on it." Sekmet grinned.

Kayura gave him a short glare, but said nothing as she began to step toward the portal. However, Une stepped out of the group and toward her, the Staff of the Ancients in her grasp; its ring clattering lightly. As Kayura turned back to her, Une leveled the artifact sideways and held it out to her.

"I believe you will need this back then."

Kayura gave the staff a brief look before shaking her head. "No. You hold on to it. It is a part of you, of your heritage."

"I know. But it belongs to you just as much, perhaps more. Just as you need to defend the border of realms, I have my own world to protect. But I do not need the Staff in my case." Her eyes met Kayura's with sincerity as she finished. "You do."

Looking down at the staff in silence, Kayura slowly and tentatively took it into her own hands. Her hands closed around it and Une moved her hands away. She had held the Staff for a considerable amount of time and it had aided her in more than one occasion, even shielding her from Nanashi's assault. But she meant what she said. The Staff of the Ancients belonged with Kayura.

"...Thank you."

Une backed away as Kayura turned and entered the portal. Soon enough the three other Seasonals entered as well, with Yuli waving goodbye to them all. However, Une's gaze was solely on the last person to enter the portal. The Celestial of the Storms.

"Goodbye, Master Trieze." she whispered.

-

Frowning, Une suppressed another sigh that had threatened to voice from her throat, finding the sentiment a bit juvenile. Although it wasn't as hard as hearing about his death in the Eve War, seeing Trieze leave was hard for her. She was his most loyal compatriot and her feelings for him were strong even his supposed death. It would have to be, since that was the first time in years that she ever shed tears. She wouldn't say she was in love with him, but she wouldn't necessarily dismiss the notion either.

In either case, it wouldn't have changed his decision to leave the mortal realm and join Kayura to aid in defending the border. Initially, she had offered him a position as a Preventor. Like Zechs, he would be able to move about freely since the world at large believed he was dead. While he agreed with this, he decided to join the Seasonals instead, saying that his talents would be of better use there.

The thought of him leaving again didn't bode well for Une, but she understood his reason. He was a more recognized figure than Zechs and there weren't many fields he could be used for. The Preventors were best kept in small groups, to avoid the appearance of a militia. As much as she hated to admit it, he could do little in the world or the colonies.

But there was still his daughter...

Though this discussion left him silent a few times, Trieze still felt it best to disappear. Not that he didn't love Mariemaia; but he had been absent too many times in her life to be any real father. And in a world where he was believed dead, he wouldn't be able to be around her even if he wanted to (and he did want to). There was also another reason, one that silenced any further protests Une had.

-"She has you, my dear Une. And there is no one I trust more with her than you."-

Une just couldn't argue against that. The man she had the most respect and loyalty for, felt the same about her, so much so that he would bestow to her his most precious treasure. However, he did stay long enough to spend whole one day with her and although Mariemaia was nervous at first, she steadily drew close to her father. Une had tried to keep her distance to give the two more time together, but she found they would always drawn her in with them.

It made her...happy...

But as always, such moments were short lived and the following day, Trieze departed for the border. But not before taking with him a picture of her with him. And in return, he left her his word that he would visit her whenever he could.

And Trieze had always been true to his word...

This time, she let a sigh escape her lips and smiled as she opened her desk drawer and lifted up a picture frame. It was a duplicate of the picture that Trieze had left Mariemaia. In it, Mariemaia was station up front, wearing a cute little white dress. Behind her was Trieze, suited in a black and blue uniform, his hand lightly draped around Mariemaia's shoulders. And beside them was Une herself, wearing her Preventor uniform and with her hands draped together. She then understood why she always smiled upon seeing this picture. The three of them together, it was almost as if they were...

...a family.

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L3 colony

The massive tent stood out in the midst of the colony as many gathered for the upcoming show. Inside, Quatre sat on a long bench that was close to the lower portion of the stage. It wasn't directly up front, but just close enough the see everything. They were seats that many would want, but no one took. The reason?

They were reserved seats...

"These are some nice seats, Quatre."

Looking to his right, Quatre smiled as both Duo and Hilde came in beside him, their hands holding snack and drinks. Already, Duo had some popcorn stuffed in his mouth, which elicited a sharp glare from the young woman beside him.

"You should thank Trowa." Quatre answered as the two sat down. "He got them for us."

"Speaking of which, where is he?" Hilde asked, beginning to look around the stage.

Quatre pointed up toward the top. There on the platform, Trowa was busy working on the high wires that he and Catherine would be performing on.

"Hey Trowa." Duo yelled out. "Thanks for the seats."

Hearing Duo from below, Trowa turned his head and gave the group a simple nod, after which he returned back to work. Quatre smiled at his friend's usual silent response. It was hard to believe that just days ago, they were in the battle for their life and for the lives of everyone in the Earth and colonies (again). For various reasons, it was different from the battles in the past and that left a different sensation in the Celestial. To fight for the simple cause of good verses evil, with no guilt of killing an opponent, yet to give everything you had to stop the darkness.

It was somewhat... refreshing...

So into his thoughts was Quatre that he didn't notice another form take a seat beside him. The newcomer smiled as they looked at the young man's thoughtful (and spaced out) gaze and it took a light and familiar chuckle to break him out of his thoughts.

"Hm?"

"Well, these are quite the seats, Mr. Winner."

Quatre blinked hard as he realized who was seated next to him. "Miss Dorothy?

"Now what kind of greeting is that?' She folded her arms and gave a fake sneer. "It sounds as though you're upset to see me."

"N-no. I... It's just..." Stopping himself from stuttering further, Quatre paused and tried again. "I'm just surprised to see you here."

"Yes, well. Someone has to keep you guys on your toes." Her glance became predatory. "Or at the very least, you."

"Well, if that's the case, then I'm sure you'll do your job well." he replied, turning to look forward.

"Of course." Following his action, she faced forward as well. "Especially since I owe you."

Blinking again, Quatre turned back to her. "Huh? What do you mean by that, Miss Dorothy?"

"That'll be my little secret." she replied with a slight smile. "And you don't need to be so formal with me...Quatre."

"Hey, here come the others."

Breaking away from his confusion from Dorothy, Quatre turned to where Hilde indicated. Coming up the step way, Rowen, Kento, Cye, Sage and Yuli all smiled at the others and filed into the seats.

"Hiya guys."

"Hey kiddo." Duo returned to Yuli. "You guys are just on time."

"That's good. I was hoping we wouldn't be too late." Rowen replied

"Yeah." Sage added. "Thanks for inviting us."

"No problem." Duo grinned. "Gotta have something between friends besides demons and battles to save the world."

Looking among the group, Hilde asked. "Speaking of which, where's Ryo and Mia?"

Cye answered. "Ryo's still recovering, so he couldn't make it."

With a sly grin, Kento added. "And Mia's looking after him."

"Oh." Now it was Duo's turn to grin. "Is that all?"

Not noticing the unspoken message between the two, Yuli went on to ask. "What about Heero and Miss Relena? And Wufei too?"

"Wufei was too busy to come." Hilde answered. "I think Relena's looking after Heero. I don't think he's woken up though."

Rowen blinked questioningly at this. "Really? But Ryo's already awake now. Shouldn't Heero be too?"

Duo's grin turned into a knowing smile. "Don't worry. He's probably faking it again."

"Again?"

"I'll tell you about it later."

"Hey everybody, the show's starting!" Yuli cheered.

With that, the group, along with the rest of the audience, turned their attention to the center stage to watch the show. The thoughts and pains of battle and war briefly forgotten in the moments of peace friendship.

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Preventor Transport

'That'll do it.'

Signing his name on the mission completion sheet, Wufei closed the pad and rested his head on the back of the seat, his thoughts drifting back to the battles of days past. Although he and Sally had resumed their missions almost immediately after the final battle, they felt tame in comparison to what they had endured, at least to him.

More than any of the others, Wufei was a warrior, and despite the pains and desperate moments that had taken place, Wufei couldn't help but remember the elation he felt from those moments. A part of him long to have such moments again and when the Trieze told them that he would be joining the Seasonals to guard the mortal realm from the border, Wufei had considered following his lead.

But in the end, he decided against it. There was no need for him to seek battle. He had found his place in the world. His purpose... He was a Preventor, with a mission to prevent the terrors and tragedies of war from resurfacing in this world.

As far as he was concerned, that would be enough...

"Hey, Wufei." Sally spoke as she entered in. "Commander Une just called. Looks like she has another assignment ready for us already."

"Alright." was the simple reply.

----------------------------

Koji residence

His face lifted to the sky, Ryo took in a good breath of fresh air. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was just beginning to set; its fading light leaving the sky in a mix of bright colors. 'Just like fire', Ryo mused thoughtfully as his hand adjusted to Whiteblaze's back. While it didn't look like it at first glance, Ryo was actually supporting himself on the tiger.

After the final battle, both he and Heero were left severely weakened from the fight, so much so that they couldn't so much as move for a good while, and that was after they had regained consciousness.

Mia took the responsibility of taking care of the exhausted Ronin (she helped the others too, but mostly Ryo). While that wasn't unusual for her, she did spend more time with him than usual. So it didn't surprise the others when she decided to stay with him while they traveled to the colonies.

"Ryo, you should be in bed resting."

Turning around, Ryo gave Mia an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I just needed some fresh air." His hand rubbed against the tiger's back. "Right boy?"

Whiteblaze let out a low growl as Mia moved up toward the two. Despite his appearance, she knew full well that he wasn't completely healed. Just the day before, she had to help him back in bed after he tried to get up and fell to the ground. She also remembered how her heart rate sped up as she did and she was almost certain that she was blushing. It was strange; she had been close contact with him before without such a reaction, but now...

Now her feelings were clear...

That moment was interrupted when Cye and Kento came in the room to tell them about the invitation to the colonies. Seeing the two together, Kento was ready to tease the two, but Cye cut in before Kento could say a word, telling them that they would be heading to the colonies. Seeing as how Ryo was still unable to move properly, he would be alone with Mia until they returned. To hear Cye say that was surprising, as if he was purposefully setting them up.

Not that she minded...

"Even still, I don't want you to push yourself too hard." she gently admonished him. "You've been through a lot."

"I know. But I'm better now, thanks to you."

Mia felt her face flush from the compliment, but managed to return. "It's the least I could do, after everything you've done."

"But that's the thing." His eyes turned away from her and lowered to the ground. "I...none of us would have made it if not for you. We owe you our lives."

"I couldn't help it. I wanted to be there to help you guys." Her hand slowly reached toward his and held onto it. "To be there...for you..."

This caused Ryo to blink and slowly look up at her, meeting her gaze with his own. "Mia..."

The young woman continued, her soft voice carrying into her ears and heart... "You've always protected us, Ryo. And you've always taken the punishment as a result. I just didn't want you to get hurt again." Her last words finished determinedly.

"Not if I could help it."

Ryo let this sink in with a moment of silence. It was difficult to believe that just days ago, Mia had actually been fighting alongside them. For the longest time, he had fought to protect his friends. It was his greatest drive as a Ronin Warrior. Mia was included in that protective net, so having her put herself in danger was unsettling for him at first. But she had proven herself capable as a warrior, saving their lives more than once and giving them the chance they needed to take down Nanashi. To know she had that kind of strength of will.

It endeared her to him all the more...

It was no secret now how he felt about her. Indeed, those feelings were made quite clear during the battles that took place; his near-desperate desire to be at her side made him act more reckless than usual. And such feelings were returned; otherwise she would not be here with him now.

"I know how you feel. I don't like seeing any of my friends getting hurt, not if I could do something to stop it. I don't think I could take it if... if anything had happened to you."

Unbeknownst to them, Whiteblaze listened in on the conversation of the two and, as hard as it was to imagine, was getting frustrated. More than anyone else, the white tiger had seen their interactions together, could sense their attraction to each other. Heck, the tiger was there watching when Mia kissed a sleeping Ryo some days earlier. But now, with the way they moved, it would take them years to make a move.

With a low growl, the tiger shifted his back slightly, causing Ryo's hand to slide away. The young man, who was too engaged in his conversation, lost his balance and slipped. Given his still weakened condition, he had no choice but to fall. On reflex, Mia moved in to catch him, but she wound up losing her balance as well and the two tumbled onto the grass below.

Giving a low groan, Ryo made ready to glare at the tiger, when he soon realized the position he was in. Both he and Mia were laying side by side on the grass, with Ryo's arm underneath Mia's, her body partly over his and their faces, just inches away from each other. Both parties were stunned for a moment, but their eyes never left each other. Ryo's face turned crimson and he began stuttering.

"S-sor-ry..."

Hearing his stuttered apology, Mia broke out of her trance and gazed at him. To see the leader of the Ronin Warriors, a man brave enough to take on hordes of Dynasty soldiers; not to mention the master of the Dynasty, reduced to blushing and stuttering simply because of her was amusing.

Amusing and flattering...

Despite her own racing heart, Mia was able to calmly reach up to Ryo's face. As her hand touched Ryo's face, the young man ceased in his stuttering and simply looked back. Her caressing touch and gentle eyes held him in place and Ryo could nothing but breathe. And that soon became difficult as Mia slowly and steadily leaned in closer to him, their lips a mere inch away.

"No need to apologize...my Wildfire."

Without another word, Mia closed the gap between them. Ryo was frozen stiff, but he could feel himself being drawn in to softness of her lips. Mia broke away before he could fully act, but she didn't move that far away and remained close to him, a serene smile on her lips. Ryo found his breathing labored once again as he stared at the beautiful woman next to him.

A beautiful woman that he was in love with...

A beautiful woman that was in love with him...

His nervousness forgotten, a matching smile formed over his lips as he reached up to her. The pain and soreness in his body from the battles of the past dulled away into the dream-like present of her sweet lips against his. As their embrace deepened and their hands and arms tangled around one another, Whiteblaze strode away silently, his presence obviously unnecessary now.

But not before letting out a satisfied purr...

-----------------------------

Colony L3-E8005

In the docking bay of the satellite, a Preventor shuttle sat in wait. Onboard, Zechs was seated in the cockpit working on the controls. However, his mind seemed to be elsewhere at the moment. Pausing in his work, the silver-haired man glanced down at his armor orb. His thoughts took him back to everything that had taken place in the past couple of days. The battles themselves weren't what troubled him really. Battle was nothing new to him. Being on the side of darkness didn't bother him all that much either. That too wasn't new to him. In fact, the one thing on his mind wasn't new at all. And yet, at times like this, it came to his mind more often than not.

"Fuel and supplies are all set up." Noin spoke from behind him as she entered the cockpit. "We can head out anytime now."

"Okay."

Noin blinked as she sat down beside him. She had known him long enough to tell his moods by the tone of his voice. And right now, he was deep in thought about something.

"Is something wrong, Zechs?"

There was a long period of silence, but she patiently waited him out. Soon enough, he replied, with only one word.

"Why?"

"Hm?"

He continued to look forward, but she could see...something in his eyes. "For as long as I've known you Noin, you have always believed and trusted in me. Yet... with all that I've done. I just... I've never understood why you continue to believe in me."

Silence came up between them once again, as knew realized what she saw in his eyes. Guilt. Guilt for the times he had come up against her in battle. Without a word, Noin rose up from her seat and moved away. Zechs kept his gaze forward, although he was confused by Noin's action. That confusion deepened when a pair of slender arms came and settled around his neck from behind. .

"Faith, Zechs."

He didn't have to see her face to know that she was smiling. Her voice and answer told him as much. And if that wasn't enough, her head lowered down just beside his, their cheeks in light contact.

"And you haven't let me down yet.""

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Preventor HQ

'So he's gone again...'

With a sigh, Relena entered the recovery room in the medical wing of the Preventor Headquarters. She should have known he wouldn't be there when she returned. It was this thought alone that made her want stay in the room after he had awoken. But she felt she needed to get some fresh air and a moment to think. Like the rest of her compatriots, her mind was on the past events.

Initially, she had little memory of what took place. But that changed when she, Mia and Kayura went to the Cave of the Ancients to return the Starlight Swords. By doing that, somehow, the Starlight Swords cleared her memory. Unfortunately, that meant that she recalled her time as the Dynasty avatar, Lady Shiva. And with it, all the terrible things she had done in battle with the others. It took a lot of convincing from both Kayura and Mia to assure her that she couldn't help it, since she was under Nanashi's control. Kayura especially was sympathetic to the young woman, since she had been in the same position before.

Despite the reassurance from the two, Relena still felt a sense of unease about herself. With what she had done, could she continue to do her work of peace? Would it make her a hypocrite if she did? Though she didn't consider herself a Peacecraft, the ideals of peace and pacifism were always her goals. But could she, now that she knew... took part, in the fervor of battle?

"Heero..."

She hadn't had to think of it much since she was here watching over Heero. He hadn't awoken since his battle against Nanashi, which was odd considering that she had heard that Ryo had awoken long before. But perhaps he was buying her time until he could disappear again. Like he had done so many times before in the past. Another sigh escaped her lips and she turned back to the door, only to be completely shocked by what she saw.

"Heero...! I-I thought you left."

"I did. But I came back. You haven't eaten much since you were here."

Her eyes lowering, she saw he was holding a tray of food in his hands. The fact that he hadn't disappeared and left like the previous times was enough of a surprise for her, but that he would get her food because he was concerned for her...

And how did he know she hadn't eaten much...?

Wordlessly, she accompanied Heero to the medical bed where he sat down. She initially thought to sit in the chair opposite of him, but somehow she found herself sitting next to him instead. In response, he handed her one of the trays and after she took it, began eating himself.

"Thank you, Heero."

"Hn."

It was amazing to see Heero up and about after his fight with Nanashi. It wasn't surprising, considering this was the same young man who survived and walked away from a fall from a building (with Duo's help) as well as a mobile suit explosion (twice), but it was still something to see. It was just a small part of that strength that she always saw in him. Strength that she had always believed in.

Strength...she felt she needed now.

"Heero?"

"Yes?"

Her eyes lowered to her uneaten food and her voice came out in a near whisper. "I'm sorry. For what I did to you and the others."

The young man made only a brief pause to reply. "You aren't to blame. You know that."

"I do. But still, the feelings remain." She paused to collect herself. "Even if I weren't in control of my actions, I still fought. And even after Miss Koji's help, I still fought. How can I be able to continue as though nothing happened?"

"You don't."

That wasn't the answer she expected and she gasped in response. Looking up at him, she saw that he was now looking over at her directly. Relena found herself completely stunned as Prussian eyes locked with aquamarine.

"You have always fought for peace and you always will. All that you have seen is a first-hand view of the battlefield and that will only serve to intensify your efforts. It will not change who you are."

His words were said with such certainty, yet it was his eyes that caught her attention the most. They were as intense as ever, filled with that strength of spirit she always associated him with. But there was also something else. Gentleness... She had seen this look in his eyes only once before.

The moment just before he took off to face Zechs...

That moment together in the cockpit of the Wing Zero...

"How can you be so sure?"

She didn't mean to sound uncertain still, but she just wanted reassurance. Not reassurance that she would still be able to act on the behalf of peace. Reassurance that this moment right now...was real.

"Because... just as you believed in me... I believe in you."

Heero soon turned back to his plate, but Relena was able to catch the ghost of a smile play on his lips. Turning back to her own tray, Relena smiled and began to eat as well. It was strange; she never understood why he believed in her so much when he was the strong one, but it seemed that he felt the same way about himself and her. But it was these feelings that allow them to help each other. And it guided her through her fears and doubts just as it guided him through the fighting and battles.

Allowing the peace of the moment to fill her, Relena found herself leaning over to the young man beside her. Heero blinked when he felt her head rest lightly on his shoulder and turned his head to look back at her. Her eyes were closed, but the look of serenity on her face as she continued eating was clear to see. Sensing that he had turned, Relena paused in eating and whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

"I still believe in you, Heero."

She didn't have to look to know he was smiling now and they resumed eating in contented silence...

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Peace.

The reward of those true who fought for it...

But despite this, those who would serve the darkness will return, to disrupt that peace with battle.

But we never need fear the loss of the light.

As long as the Seasonals Warriors guard the gates...

As long as the Ronin Warriors defend this world...

And as long as the Celestial Warriors protect the stars...

-------------

Thank you all for sticking with this story and especially thankful for the reviews. As every fanfic writer knows, they are the lifeblood of fanfiction and this story would have not been completed without them (Xardion: or it probably would have, but it wouldn't be as much fun. I'm just that stubborn).

Thanks again from both Wildfire Dreams and Xardion