The Darlian family was not the only one to escape the alliance at the fall of Sanq. No, there were others. One change. How far can one change really make it all go? Really, what can one little girl change?

Meria Yrueland and her husband, Darien had been privileged to watch over the Peacecraft daughter during the Christmas party this year. Their small son, barely two months older than little Relena, was named Duarte. Meria was just kneeling down to pick them both up when an explosion rocked the building, causing her to stumble and fall near the two toddlers, one of whom was strangely calm, as the other started wailing. The calm one was the baby girl.

Relena moved closer to the little boy, babbling at him in a manner that seemed to calm him down, since his mother immediately got up, sweeping the two babe's into her arms and running, her husband at her heels. He didn't remain their long, a single bullet in the sudden hail of gunfire cutting the black haired man down. Meria couldn't stop though. There were greater things than her husband to take care of. The children in her arms were more important, much as she would miss him. Her devotion as a mother and retainer would allow her to think no less.

Meria finally managed to get out into the streets, but didn't contend her good luck; the soldiers had cut down many that had tried to flee. She didn't ever even make contact with the Darlian family, who fled another direction with the injured little Milliardo, no, she went back to her mother's colony. L2.

Duarte clapped as Relena blew out the candles on her birthday cake. "Yay! Rena you blew em all out. What'd you wish for?"

Rena, as the little violet-eyed boy called her, scowled. "If I tell you then it couldn' come true!"

"Children you have to run! I can't... I can't go with you. But Duarte, you take care of Relena. She's important... Please, go!" The voice was weak, and the sound of gunshots from just outside the direction she'd come from almost overrode her words. Then she slumped to the floor, unmoving.

Duarte was about to retaliate when he heard his mother, and he barely held Rena back from running to her. "No! We gots to go! Member what mummy said? Rena, we gots to go! She'll come find us if we play hide an seek. Less go hide, kay?"

Rena clearly didn't want to, but she saw no choice, her blue eyes holding tears as she decided that her mother was simply asleep, and that she'd hide with her brother. She turned and nodded seriously, both children going for the hiding place that their mother never checked, but she told them to go to if it was ever loud when they had to hide. They always won when they hid there. They yanked the little doorway open and slipped in, the space was below the level of the ground and tucked under the wall. The pair moved down the three feet to the small space just big enough to sit together in. Then they waited, hands clasping each other tight as they heard the shouts from above.

"Where's the princess? You found out this was where she'd been hidden away out, now where's the little brat?" The first voice was loud, and angry.

"I don't know sir, but the girl had to be here, look at the cake... well, the remainder of the cake. It has her name on it." The second voice held the hints of desperation.

"Fine, just keep looking, I'm certain we can find the brat." It was the first voice again, and then they were out of hearing range.

They waited for hours, as a loud crackling sound was heard overhead and their little hidey-hole had black dirty stuff fall on their heads. It was only after the black stuff started falling that it was all quiet outside. Duarte was the first to move. The soot stained his little hands as he crawled free of the tunnel, looking around to see if there was anyone left. There was no one there, but there was nothing else either. His home was gone.

"Rena!!" Duarte turned, his chestnut colored hair streaked with the black soot as he stood, tears running down his face. Immediately the little girl appeared beside him from the hole, her own countenance liberally streaked with the soot. Duarte gestured around the ash surrounding him. "I dun think mummy's comin back Rena..."

Rena wrapped her arms around her brother and they just stood like that together, two small children who suddenly only had each other, crying their eyes out. "D, 'm hungry. Can we please go get somethin'?"

D nodded, his name of Duarte lost into the abyss of death that no one can ever cross back. "Yeah Rena, I can help you find somethin to eat. Dere's nothing here, so lets go somewhere else, kay?"

Rena took the other little child's hand with a nod and they set out into the streets. They didn't look back, because both knew there was nothing to look back to.

"Let go of my brother!!" Rena was glaring at the taller blonde boy they had been looking up to the last couple months. "Make him let go of D!"

The boy shook his head, but saw the determination in her blue eyes. If he didn't charge to the rescue of the other child, then she would. He liked the twins, as the street kids were calling them, too much for her to get hurt and quickly jumped onto the man, startling him out of his grip on the long haired pretty boy he held. D was already running the second he was released, and not long after the other two ran behind him. He ducked around into the alley behind the other two once they were far enough away, wheezing badly. His chest hurt.

Rena moved forward to hug the tall boy, a smile on her face. "Thank you, Solo! He's getting better! He only got caught once in the entire time you've known us!"

D turned a glare on Relena playfully, but once Relena let go, Solo curled over into a coughing fit. "Solo? What's wrong?"

Solo shook his head. He knew what it was; he'd barely managed to avoid getting sick last time they did this to the kids. He also knew he wasn't the only one sick. "I'm sick. You know we can' trust the doctors. They'd kill me."

"No! Doctors make people better... Right?" Rena sat back on her heels, her tangled blonde hair looking brown.

D shook his head. "No, he's right. I saw what happened to the last person who got sick, they just killed em! Somebody with money was there and they gave him this stuff... He's been walkin around since then... Maybe I should get some of that stuff, so the kids won't get sick!"

Solo was looking between the pair as they shared a speaking glance, then Rena turned back to him. "I'll help Solo with the others, since he's sick. You go get the stuff D, you're better at stealin anyway."

D nodded, leaving the pair as the other kids found them, swarming around their ill leader. Rena just smiled a bit. D was the sneaky one, but she was the one that fought, they hadn't chosen Rena to stay for no reason.

D was successful, getting enough vaccine for everyone but himself. They hadn't had enough for all of them. He knew Rena could survive without him, and he could just hope he wouldn't get sick. D skidded into the area where the others were and started to give them the vaccine. They would be all right. He was starting to worry though... He'd been gone days... Where were Rena and Solo?

D finally found them. Rena wasn't sick, but she was holding Solo who was. The blonde boy looked so pale... D ducked down and gave Rena her dose, turning at last to Solo, only to see the boy give him a small smile.

"Sorry buddy, I think I'll have to pass. I'm kinda not gonna be able to use it..." The raspy, faint voice trailed off as D leaned forwards, Rena's sad eyes on her friend as she shook him.

"D... He's not waking up..." Rena looked to D, her blue eyes wide.

"Rena... Could you... Could you call me Duo? He always said D wasn't much of a name..." Duo ducked his head, picking up the dropped vaccine, and he injected the last dose into himself. There'd been enough for him after all.

Rena smiled slightly, though it was sad. "Alright... Duo."

"Duo, this is a bad idea!" Rena was running alongside her brother, her blue eyes wide in her face. "You know this is a bad idea!"

Duo stopped, turning his gaze on his sister. "Rena... What else am I supposed to do? I can't get em food anymore. This is our last option!"

Rena shook her head, eyes wide. "Then let me run in your place. You need to stay back in case something happens!"

Duo shook his head. "I'm the leader! I can't risk you... The last thing I remember about mummy was that she wanted me to watch over you... It's all I remember."

Rena scowled. "I'm not taking no for an answer! You protect me better doing what you do best. I fight and run, you hide and sneak, got it?"

Duo ducked his head, his tangled hair covering his face. "Fine! But if you get caught I'm commin after you!"

Rena smiled, moving to the other kids. "I know."

Duo watched as the raid went sour; his eyes wide as bullets started to fly. He did as he promised though. He never lied. He wouldn't start now by going down there. It was a relief though when he saw his sister turned over to some man for custody with the others. She wasn't hurt.

Duo followed behind at a distance as he saw where they were going. It was a church? Duo shook his head in mild confusion over the unexpected destination, but could only be grateful. Duo waited until it was dark before making his move. He managed to pry open the window, slipping over the sill to see Rena sitting in a corner staring down a priest and a nun. He was behind them.

"You can't! I want my brother! Don't either of you come near me!" It was only when Duo inched closer that he saw the scissors the nun had in hand. He didn't even wanna know what they were for. Unfortunately Rena gave Duo's position away by looking at him.

The second the priest turned, Duo found himself caught by the collar of his shirt and he kicked out, trying to get loose of the hold. "Lemme go!"

Rena shot forward in an instant, jumping up and launching onto the priest's arm, making him drop Duo before both backed away from him. "Don't you touch my brother!"

The priest looked at the nun with a small smile. "Well, now that's he's here, could you let us do something with your hair? Sister Helen only wanted to cut it a little. It wouldn't be so hard to keep the tangles out then."

Sister Helen moved forward, only to have the filthy pair retreat. With a sigh, she put the scissors away. "Really! Fine, you two need a bath first anyway. " She moved forwards carefully, realizing how very wild the two children were, and she gently managed to maneuver them towards the bathroom. The priest was slowly getting an idea what to do with their hair. Well, Rena's hair. He didn't yet know if Duo would let Sister Helen cut his.

She ushered the two filthy kids into the bath and was stunned at what she found underneath the grime. The children were lovely! The little girl was even a blonde, something she had no reason to suspect before the grime was cleansed out of her hair. Helen found a smaller version of the clothes the priest was wearing and one of the larger black shirts and gave them to the kids. She even found a dark red sash to tie around Relena's waist so she wouldn't drown in the huge shirt that was big enough on her to be a dress. Duo remedied his own problem, rolling up the far too long pant legs and the cuffs on the arms before looking over at Relena in her makeshift dress. She ended up with a pair of pants rolled up like Duo's under the dress/shirt. Once the pair was dressed, Sister Helen dared to draw the scissors again.

Duo visibly bristled, and crossed his arms over his chest as he glared at the woman, Rena standing beside him in the same pose. "No way! You aren't gonna touch my hair with those!"

"But I need to do something with it... It isn't clean to keep it how you have it now." Sister Helen fretted, looking towards the door as the Priest entered. "Father Maxwell, could you help me with this?"

Father Maxwell smiled at the pair, then turned to Sister Helen with a brush. "You do know how to braid hair, don't you Sister? Maybe that would suit them."

Sister Helen slumped visibly in relief. "Yes I do."

Duo eyed the pair with suspicion. "I won't look girly will I?"

Rena grinned, looping an arm around her brother. "Nah, I wouldn't let em make you look even *more* like a girl."

Duo gave her a disgusted look before approaching Sister Helen. "Just one, right?"

The nun nodded, dealing with the pair for the next few minutes. Duo had a single braid down his spine at the end of it that reached the bottom of his back, and Relena had agreed to a braid on either side of her head, a single tie holding them together behind her. It took the two a while, but they finally got settled in.

It was months before Father Maxwell sat the pair down to try and understand their resiliency to the idea of God. "Would you please tell me why, no matter how hard you seem to be studying, you still don't believe in God?"

Duo smiled widely. "I do believe in god, I believe in Shinigami, the God of Death."

Rena was nodding as Duo spoke; her answer was more of an elaboration. "Right, and the Goddess of Death too, Shinimegami!"

Father Maxwell was taken aback. "But why do you only believe in deities of death?"

Duo was the one that gave the last answer then. "Because we've only ever seen death. I've never seen a miracle, and neither has Rena."

"Why don't you go somewhere else, we don't want you here!" Rena was glaring angrily at the people who'd taken over her home. She and Duo were still at the orphanage because no one wanted them both. They weren't what people considered "good children" and they refused to act like it. In that, their parents ended up being Father Maxwell and Sister Helen. All the rest of their gang had gone on, but these two considered the church their home. And now these horrible people were defiling it with their presence.

The man in the lead of the rebels advanced on the blonde girl then knocked her aside as Father Maxwell came into the room and saw what was going on. "You leave the children alone! This is a peaceful church. Please just leave, we want no trouble here! This place has no room for war!"

Another rebel entered the room with Sister Helen and shoved her into the room rudely. "Yeah, well we want to stay here anyway. We're in a war old man, it's pointless to be telling us to leave it at the door!"

Father Maxwell caught Sister Helen before she hit the floor, but it was only to cushion the fall when she landed on him. Rena was moving forward with a glare when Duo skidded out in front of them all, braid flying as he glared at the people who had tried to hurt the people he cared about.

"What'll it take to make you guys just leave?" Duo looked from one to another, his hands fisted as Rena came up beside him.

"Well, if you think you can do it, we need a Mobile Suit, then we'd have no reason to be here." One of the rebels moved up next to his leader.

"Fine, then I'll get you one!" Duo turned on his heel, "Then you can just leave!" Duo tried to transmit to Rena the idea of stay, but she followed him from the church. "Rena, what are you doing?"

"Coming with you. You need me there. They have Father Maxwell to defend them. You need me in case you have trouble." Rena kept her voice low as she moved in step with the other black dressed child.

"Fine, but don't you get in my way." Duo only conceded because he knew he wouldn't win that argument, and they fell silent.

The pair moved through the base like ghosts, their years on the streets allowing them to avoid the personnel before they finally reached the mobile suits. Duo looked around furtively, his attention seeking out anyone who could catch them as he scurried up the suit, Rena on his heels as they slid into the hatch.

Duo stared at the panel as the two of them strapped themselves into place. "This wasn't made for two people you know." Duo shook his head a little, starting to hit controls as his sharp mind figured out what everything was for. He hoped Relena would be all right in here...

"Yeah well, we're short. We fit. Aiee, but it's a little ouchie." Rena squirmed away from Duo's elbow where he sat in front of her. She'd hit her growth spurt before him so she was the taller of the two. Besides, she was only a little skilled in technology; she was better with person to person interaction... Usually. She usually left all the broken things in the orphanage to him, though she could do all right in a pinch.

"Then just lean back and lemme do this!" Duo had managed to get the suit off the ground, and it was taking all his strength to get the thing to obey him. It wasn't meant for someone who was as small as him. Rena moved her arms around him, helping him with the controls when there were people suddenly firing at them from other suits. She opened a line to see who it was even as Duo focused on fighting. She got a really good look at who it was.

"Don't think so brother." She closed out the line, then helped him to get out of there once he knocked out the lead fighter. What they returned to as they slowly got out of the Mobile Suit was devastation.

"No, not again!" Rena was the one that screamed this, her legs weak, but Duo stumbled as he hit the ground, eyes glued on the church. He caught sight of a blonde figure in a nun's habit and ran forward, Rena at his side as the two children fell beside the only woman they could remember being a mother figure. She wasn't dead yet.

Rena was shaking her head in denial as she grabbed up one of Sister Helen's hands, Duo leaning down with tears in his eyes as he whispered to her. "You'll be alright Sister, we just gotta get some help..."

Sister Helen gave the pair a small smile, her last, as she lifted her free hand, her cross dangling in it, and Father Maxwell's. One was a delicate gold, her own, and the other was a silver one, clearly made to be sturdy. "Please, keep smiling, don't cry... Take them. Don't be sad over me..." She drew a deep harsh breath, her words stealing away the last bit of her strength before blood flowed from her lips and her eyes glassed over.

Duo shook his head, clasping the pair of necklaces to his chest tightly. "I promise Sister Helen. I'll keep smiling for you..." Duo closed his eyes tight, a sad, forced smile on his face. "No tears."

Rena bowed her head. "I promise too Sister Helen. I won't let myself be sad." She kissed the back of Helen's hand, then set it gently on her chest. "C'mon D, we can't stay here... It isn't safe anymore."

Duo rose to his feet, dropping one cross around his own neck, and the other around his sister's. He never did figure out how Sister Helen had Father Maxwell's chain.

Duo wasn't sure weather to be amused or angry as Rena was found out, having tripped over something while following him. She was graceful, but not quite as good at keeping to the shadows as he. They'd been on the ship long enough there was no kicking them off... Duo brought himself short. No kicking them off if they cared if they lived! "Drop her!" Duo jumped out of hiding, tackling the person with a grip on his sibling.

It wasn't the wisest thing that he might have done, as all it did was get both youths detained. Rena chose to comment on this. "That was very helpful."

"Hey, you woulda done the same!" Duo looked at the people who had them fearfully as they started a conversation about weather to toss them out the airlock...

"I really don't think that would be needed." The person who spoke was a man who had rather bizarre hair, and he looked from one youth to the other. "How did you get onto the ship?" Another man, with a rather loud Hawaiian print theme moved up to stand next to the older man.

"We walked in, how else?" Rena lifted her chin as she made the haughty statement and Duo smirked.

"Yeah, what'd you expect us to have done? Fly?" Duo yanked on his arm again, and got it free, but the man had a hand on his braid, keeping him in place. "Let go of that!"

Rena looked over and jerked against her own holders as she heard the tone of Duo's voice. "Don't you mess with us!"

"Why, what are you two? A pair of demons?" This was from the strange haired man.

Duo was the one that answered, glaring death at the man that was speaking to them. "No, We're Shinigami and Shinimegami, the god and goddess of death! Now lemme go!"

The man who was holding Duo abruptly let go as he was bitten. "You little shit!"

The man with the strange hair studied the pair as the girl was released, her hair flipping back as she lifted her head proudly. "Well. Is that so? I'll just have to remember that. My name is Professor G, but you two... You can call me Pestilence. How would you both like to learn a few things?"

The man in the loud Hawaiian shirt stepped in. "Before you get to that, I'm Howard. Have any other names I can call you?"

Rena nodded. "We're Rena and Duo Maxwell."