December 7, 2000
Sequel to 'Have You Ever...'
Winter 185AC
The seven-year-old held back for several minutes, watching the boy from behind another tree. She would have been content to stay there, watching him, if she hadn't seen his shoulders shake. She slipped out from behind the tree and approached him, holding out the jacket she had brought.
"Here," she said watching carefully as his head snapped up and his icy blue eyes glared at her.
"Whaddare you doin' here?" the nine-year-old's voice cracking as he gulped back angry tears.
"They were wrong to say that," she said, dropping the jacket in his lap. He stared at it for several seconds and then finally trudged it on. "Trieze was wrong."
"No," the boy countered. "They were right. *He* was right. I have to get a lot tougher if I'm going to--" His voice trailed off as he looked out past the horizon.
"Going to what?" she asked when she realized he wasn't going to finish.
He looked at her, as if startled she was still there. "Nothing," he mumbled. "Forget about it."
"Hey," she said, playfully, punching him lightly on the arm. "You know you can tell me anything! I won't tell nobody else, promise!"
He smiled, just the slightest lift to his lips. "Yeah, I know, thanks, Lu-lu."
The dark-haired girl scowled. "Don't call me that."
He did grin this time. "Okay, okay. Though I don't get why you wanna be called by your last name."
She shrugged, propping her arms on her knees and her chin on her arms. "I dunno. I just think it's a lot nicer than 'Lucrezia'." He hummed, but didn't say anything and silence fell around the two children as the day sky prepared for night. "You never answered me," she reminded him after a while.
He looked at her, thoughtfully, for a moment, and then looked back away towards the horizon. "There are some people... they... hurt me and my family real bad," he said, frowning. "I want to get them and hurt them, too. I wanna make them pay for killin' my parents."
When he looked at her, there were a number of emotions clouding her face, but, surprisingly, the one he expected to see--pity--was absent.
"I'd be real mad if someone tried to hurt my mom and dad," she said after a moment. And then, "If you want... I'll help you find these people."
He studied her for a moment, as if weighing her sincerity, and then he nodded. "Thanks, Noin."
She smiled. "No problem, Zechs. I'll always be here for you..."
Seventeen-year-old Lucrezia Noin was curled up in a window seat of the luxurious spaceship, the Peacemillion--which was really more of a space yacht than a battle ship, but a battle ship it was to become. She sat there, legs curled up to her chest, her arms cradling her knees, her head leaning up against the dark panel of glass, staring out into the galaxy. Somewhere out there was her long-time friend, her sometimes lover, her soul mate, her love.
Words from earlier, replayed in her mind, like they had a hundred times before.
'Zechs... Zechs... don't you recognize me?'
Zechs... what were you thinking?
'... I hear you...'
How could you...?
'Zechs... please explain to me your thoughts! Under Miss Relena's rule Earth is starting towards peace. Why are you opposing Miss Relena?'
Please... I don't understand... why? Why would you threaten your own sister? What were you thinking?
'My thoughts are as I declared. For Space, Earth is the origins of all conflict.'
But... What? How? Why, Zechs? Why?
'But--'
'And I will correct it.'
Zechs... Why...?
'No... Zechs! Zechs?'
Don't leave me behind, Zechs! Don't leave me in the dark!
'You are not necessary in Space!'
"Zechs...what the hell are you thinking?" she whispered to the star-studded view.
Somewhere behind her, a door slid open. "Here you are," Sally's voice penetrated her thoughts. Noin turned, quickly scrubbing her eyes free from any telling tears. "There's been mobile suit action in the L2 area again. Howard says from the looks of it, Gundam 02's back in space."
"What about the others?" Noin asked, pushing up from the window seat. "Any word from Quatre or Heero."
Sally shook her head, giving the younger woman a sad smile. "No, but it wouldn't hurt to give them a call and ask them when they're going to get their butts back here, now would it?" she said, grinning.
Noin laughed. "No, I guess it wouldn't. I'll give Quatre a call tonight. By then it should be morning Earth-side."
Sally nodded, still smiling. "How 'bout a drink," she offered, holding open the door before slipping back out.
"I could use a drink," Noin muttered, joining her.
"You look like it," Sally shot back before the door slid shut behind the two women.
End of Part 8: A Soul Torn in Two
Andrea Readwolf
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