06-Mar-2005
Title: Without Remorse
Author: Mookie
Rating: PG
Warnings: spoilerish for series, drabble length
Notes: Written for Live Journal's GW Jeopardy community for category "Zechs Merquise: Academy Life"
Zechs Merquise drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair, the sound only slightly muted by the gloves he wore.
He knew it back then, and he regretted not having done everything he could to impress upon her the importance of teaching more than the technical skills. He wasn't being egomaniacal. He knew that Noin would have taken his words to heart. How she chose to exercise any advice he gave her would have been her choice, but he knew that she would have changed something.
The tempo of his drumming increased. Maybe he was expecting too much. Was it really up to Noin as their instructor to get inside their hearts and their souls?
He slammed the side of his fist against the arm of the chair. A good leader did more than train the body. She should have paid more attention to the things that couldn't be measured in terms of speed, agility, and strength.
She'd trained them well when it came to fighting, but as warriors, they'd lacked honor. Now they were dead.
And Zechs Merquise had killed them.
He got up from his chair. They'd chosen their own fates and engineered their own deaths.
The echo of his footsteps in the hallway sounded a staccato farewell to Alex and Mueller.
He had no regrets.
The End
(:./mookie/without)
