I always thought I'd only stick with Naruto, maybe Eureka Seven, but wow! :D I love Gundam 00! It's like amazing, I like it so much, Setsuna is my favorite, by far, with Alleljah right behind him. It's such a fantastic show, with the story line, characters, fighting scenes, and even talking, just superb, and I felt compelled to write a one shot with Setsuna and Marina, so I hope you all enjoy :D

I don't own Gundam 00, or any of the other Gundam ness,

Happy reading, ;)

Fighting, the only thing he knows.

"I have to fight." the man's voice was low and soft, letting himself sit up suddenly, startling the raven haired woman who sat next to him. "Gundam and I will end fighting. I can do it with my Gundam." there was a ferocity behind the softness in his voice. A rightness flowed through the man's blood as he said the words. 'My Gundam, I am a Gundam Meister, I am Gundam.' the words felt right.

"There are things out there beside your Gundam Setsuna," the woman said it almost as softly as the man spoke of his precious Gundam. "There are things out there besides fighting." His red eyes snapped up to the princess that sat next to him.

"I have to fight."

The words were simple, just four words that seemed to control every part of the young man's life, and the princess couldn't understand it. If they just stopped fighting, it would end. She couldn't wrap her innocent mind around the idea, of fighting and killing to gain peace, it seemed so backwards to her. Why couldn't everyone just get along? Why couldn't people listen to the precious children, and see what a terrible hell fighting broke over everyone.

"But why?" softly, softly, softly she spoke the words, practically whispered them as her blue eyes watched him, taking in his ruffled black hair, and looking into his red, red eyes.

"It's the only thing I have," his voice was thick as he said the words, his heart raced in his chest cavity as he stared down at the white sheets that lay over his body. "Gundam 00 is the only thing I have Marina," his crimson eyes refused to look up into the girl's calming blue orbs. "Fighting is the only thing I know."

He felt her hand on his shoulder and immediately he attempted to pull away. He didn't want to hurt her, though there was a part of his mind that silently told him he needed her hand on his skin to keep him calm. But the more feral, the scared side of his mind hissed at the contact, and his body recoiled slightly.

"Setsuna," her voice said softly. "You-"

"Soran."

The eighteen year old didn't need to look up at the girl to see her thin black eye brows furrow together on her forehead. Her blue eyes questioned him, "What?" he let himself glance up at her for a second.

"That's my real name." he didn't know what compelled him to say it. He didn't know why he wanted to tell her, or why there was a part of him that smiled that she would now know his true name. "Soran Ibrahim." the teenager dropped his red eyes from her once more. "I was born Soran."

The woman beside him nodded, "Soran," she started again, ignoring the way he shied from her touch and let her hand find his shoulder once more. "Soran, there is more to living than fighting to kill."

He shook his head gently. His mind was racing, and something was flooding through his blood at the contact of her hand on his shoulder. Such a simple touch made his heart flutter. Piloting the Gundam 00, killing multiple people, traveling extensively in space with Celestial Being, his life was constantly on the line, but none of it helped; his heart still jumped and pulsed oddly in his chest. He was so used to adrenaline, the feeling of his blood carrying the hormone as it ran wildly through his veins in regular intervals, it was normal. He was used to his life being close to ending, he was used to the panic and the terror.

But a simple touch of a woman's hand on his shoulder did wonders to his trained heart.

His red eyes jumped to the princess's face once more. "I don't know anything else but fighting."

"Of coarse you do," she said, once again her tone was delicate with him, as if it were too harsh he'd shatter. It was supposed to be the other way around. He was the man, he was supposed to be speaking gently to her, but she had to speak with him like he were breaking.

"No," Soran said quietly and lowly, "There is nothing else. I was raised to fight. I gave up everything to fight. I fought for god, and there is no god. I fought for me, and I didn't win yet. I know nothing but fighting Marina, I have to do it. I have nothing else."

He pushed himself away from her delicate form, he ripped the thin sheet from his waist and tried to get up from the hospital like bed. Marina's black hair was lustrous and her blue eyes were radiant as she grabbed his hands between her silkier ones, pulling him back down into a sitting position in front of her. A small amount of surprise flew past the man's blood red eyes as he looked into her sapphire ones.

"You might not have anything else now, but if you keep fighting, you will never have anything. I lost my country and my people as much as you have." her orbs were lit with a fire and as the man was stunned into staring into the depths of the blue pools, he saw it for the first time. The deep passion and caring she felt for all of her country, and with losing her country, he could tell that she knew the part of him that barely a soul could understand.

"You cannot create if you only destroy, Soran." her hands wrapped themselves protectively around his larger ones, trying in vain to cover all of the skin on his hands, wishing that she could shield him from all the trying times he had gone through.

Tears pulled and poured over from her blue azure eyes as she looked up into his blood colored ones. "You cannot create if you only destroy," she repeated, her shoulder's sagged down from their previously straightened position. "And then what will you have when you finally win your battle? When you finally kill Ali Al-Saachez, when the A-LAWS have been defeated, and when Celestial Being finally brings peace to the world, and the fighting is over… What will you do then Soran? The Gundam 00 will no longer be needed, and there will be no more fighting. Please tell me what you will do then," she cried harder, and unintentionally the young man pulled his large hands from the woman's smaller ones and wrapped them protectively around her back as he took her, and cradled her into his bare chest as she cried.

"I will protect whoever needs protected, and I will be around with my Gundam to make sure the hostility will never break through again." the words fell lightly on Marina's ears as Soran murmured them through her shadow hair.

The princess's heartbeat picked up as she breathed in to ask her next question. It had popped into her mind, and though she was scared to know, she needed to know. Because though he was a fighter he held her with such soft gentleness, she knew he was meant for more than war. He was far too kind and gentle to fight for all of his life.

"What if I need you?" she barely breathed as the words fell past her lips. "What if I can't do any of this by myself and I need you after all of this?"

She felt his arms tense around her, and she wished she hadn't let the terrible words pass her lips. She felt herself choke harder on a sob when she realized what she had done.

She ruined everything, she broke the small bond of friendship and camaraderie, she broke it and now he would jump into his Gundam and take off away from her. Away from the awkward feelings and especially away from the stupid need the woman felt for him in her heart.

Marina felt herself against his chest and wished for the few moments to never cease, knowing in her head that it was a matter of seconds before the man in front of her would throw her off of his being before jumping up and away from her. Away from her, and the tears grow stronger with the thoughts.

"Marina," in her thoughtful haze she hadn't notice him trying to get her attention, and now when she opened her eyes she was staring directly into his crimson blood orbs. Her brows knitted on her forehead and she just wanted to hide. "I'd be there," his voice was so low and soft, the woman almost didn't catch the words.

"What?" her tears ceased for a handful of seconds, shock coloring her features as she watched him.

She saw a light pink of the almost untraceable blush creep forward onto his cheeks, "I'd be there with you…" his red eyes glanced down away from her. "I mean… if you'd want me to."

All of the negative thoughts previously dominating the woman's brain split and lit on fire, leaving nothing but traces of warmth inside of her. A small smile broke over her rose lips and she looked up at him as he turned back to her and recoiled his arms and reached up to wipe the last vestiges of her tears away from her eyes.

Soran left his hand on her cheek as he watched her for a few moments. Taking her in as much as he could, a feeling blossomed inside of him that he had never felt before. Gently he let his neck stretch, exposing the fleshy delicate skin of his throat as he placed his lips on the princess's forehead.

He fell back away from her, looking up into her eyes and gauging her reaction to the act he had just committed. Her smile remained in place as a blush crept up her skin as well.

"Thank you, Soran," the man nodded and gently tucked a piece of the woman's long shining hair behind her ear. His heart beat had continued to race and had barely begun to calm itself after his light kiss to her head, when she laid down beside him, starting the crazy pumping of his heart all over again. He swore to himself she heard and felt the crazily beating red thing in his chest.

After some moments, he felt Marina's breathing even out and he knew she had fallen quickly into sleep. Gently he turned onto his side, so that he was facing her, he watched her as his own red eyes grew heavy. The last thing he saw was her peaceful, beautiful face and felt her even breathing against his chest as he fell into a deep sleep of his own.

Yay, okay, so please review, other's who love these two together, and who love Gundam as much as I do! :D this was my first Gundam fic, so I hope it was okay, and that they weren't too out of character, it was based in the episode where he had gotten shot and Marina was healing/talking to him, I watched it like 3 days ago and I cant remember if this is exactly what happened or different, so if it is I'm sorry, :[

Setsuna reminds me of Sasuke, but in a… better way? Because he's fighting for the good of the world vs. the good of himself, and he has black hair and red eyes, which sorta made me laugh, but he's rad, and I love his voice in the american version of the anime too lol

Sorry for the side note, review please :]

peace,

.love