A malicious grin spread over Zechs' lips as his arm slipped
around Vanessa's slim waist. He easily pulled her closer to his body as the
walked along the dim hallway. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a slim, petite
figure standing in the shadows. His mind immediately recognized her as Noin. His
grin grew wider as he and Vanessa walked past her. His hand kept a tight hold on
her waist as he led her in to the main hall. ' This should keep her away' he
mused wickedly.
In truth, he had nothing against poor Noin. She was
beautiful, smart, and a brilliant soldier. It was just something about her that
stirred a feeling he had long since forgotten. IT was his own stupidity that he
mistook it as hate, and pushed her away from him. Slowly shattering his and her
heart.
~~
Noin's dark eyes shimmered with wet tears in the
shadows. Her deep eyes held the same color of the dress that adorned her small
body. A large tear rolled down her face, landing with a splash against the
exposed skin around her neck. She stood there for a moment, watching Zechs and
Vanessa disappear in to the main hall. She had taken all she could bare to see,
and quickly fled off in to the damp night. Her heals clicked on the hard ground
as she ran. Her teeth dug in to her lip as she fought off the tears that still
threatened to fall.
She abruptly stopped at the doorway. She stood
transfixed as rain poured down from the dark sky. Her mouth gaped slightly, her
head tilting to the side a bit. Just the site of the heavens opening up to bare
down on the earth made the tears trickle down her cheeks. With out a second
thought she stepped out in to the downpour. Her dark hair instantly plastered
down around her head. This in no way stopped her.
She kept moving through
the dark night. Her dress clung to her form, fully drenched. Every inch of her
body was dripping wet. Her eyes were too blurred from the tears and rain to see
as she stepped right in to a huge puddle. She cursed loudly as her heals sunk
deep in to the mud. In her struggle to get her self out of the mud she lost her
balance and fell with a splash in to the puddle. A giant wave of mud and water
came up around her. She did nothing to fight it, just sat back on to her heals,
letting her self sob as the rain poured down around her shivering form.
Her
hand wound them self's in to fists as she beat them in to the mud. In
retaliation to the beating the mud spattered up on to her pale skin. After many
minutes of beating the mud as best she could she rose up, slipping out of her
shoes. In her heart she no longer cared for them.. or any thing for that matter.
Slowly she ordered her shaking legs to move. She took a unsteady step forward,
her whole body trembling from the cold. She stopped soon after, the sound of
laughter and music reaching her frozen ears. Silently she cursed Zechs.
She
had been so happy. He had actually asked her to the annual Lake Victoria ball.
It started to look like her work had paid off. She had bought her self a
gorgeous dress, just for him. Just as she arrived she saw Zechs' entered the
place with her at his side. She heart crushed at the site. It remained that way
now.
~~
Zechs stood in the corner of the room, hidden in the dark
atmosphere. Vanessa had long since disserted him for " a date that was more
fun." He remained there, stalk still with his arms folded a cross his chest. His
silver mask hid the look of contempt that his eyes held as he watched Vanessa
Waltz around the room with many more soldiers.
He was taken completely off
guard as his mind flashed with images of Noin. His immediate reaction was one of
anger. But as the images kept coming, the anger was replaced with a deep
longing. His cerulean eyes glittered from under his mask as regret filled his
heart.
His head quickly swiveled around, looking for the quickest exit. His
feet hit the ground with a soft rhythmic beat as he moved along the wall towards
the door. His hand griped the handle, turning it and pushing the door forward to
gain his freedom. A dim empty hall way awaited the other side. A frown formed on
his brow from beneath the mask as he cursed at him self.
~~
Noin's numb feet moved stiffly over the slushy grounds. Her
whole body trembled as she trudged through the freezing rain. She was completely
chilled to the bone as she reached the door back in to the hallway. A shaky hand
went to grasp it.. then pulled back violently. In the dim light she saw a very
distinct silhouette through the window. Her teeth clattered softly as a breeze
swept around her. The thought of dieing out here in the cold was not an option
in her mind, and raised her hand to the handle once again. Slowly she pushed it
down, gaining access to the warm hall. As silently as she could she slipped in.
The handle of the door fell from her shaky hand, slamming behind her. Her whole
body stiffened, her eyes growing wide as Zechs' turned his head quickly in her
direction.
Noin remained frozen in her spot, trembles running through her
whole body from the bone chilling cold. Her dark eyes widened as Zechs neared
her. There was no escape from him now. It was face him, or.. freeze to death. So
she let him come. If he wanted to hurt her.. let him. He couldn't hurt her more
then he had already. Her waterlogged head fell to her chest, as he grew closer
still.
~~
Zechs quickened his pace towards her figure. His step
faltered a bit as he watched in horror as her head fell in to her chest. 'God
what have I done..' he thought bitterly to him self. ' this isn't Noin. Damn it
Zechs.. Damn you and your selfish ways.' He cursed to him self as he drew
nearer.
"Noin.." Zechs said in a hoarse whisper. His teeth found his lip
when she didn't even move in response.
"Please talk to me.. Lucrezia.." He
said softly, moving slightly closer to her trembling form.
"You don't
deserve my words Zechs.. " His whole body stiffened as her sharp words assaulted
him. Noin slowly pushed her way past him. No matter how much he wanted to, he
couldn't bring himself to stop her. He just stood there, speechless letting her
run away from him.
~~
Noin forced her feet to quicken as the
moved down the hallway. Hot tears warmed small paths down her face. Her numb
feet lead her down a hall to the left, towards the girl's dormitory. She pushed
her self on, longing for the sanctuary of her room.
With a quick turn of the
knob and a push the door of her quarters swung open. She moved in to the warm
sanctuary, her teeth still clattering from the cold. The door clicked behinds
her as she moved in to her small bathroom. As she stepped in, her dress found it
way to the floor. Goosebumps covered every inch of her bare skin. Noin's
hand gently turned the knobs on the bathtub. The warm water slashed down on to
the cool ceramic tub. Noin's dark eyes stayed fixed on the water as the tub
slowly filled with the warm liquid. Her fingers carefully tested it, idly
swirling around and around.
She shook her dark cold head as she came out of
her daze. Shakily she lowered her self in to the warm water. A shudder ran down
her spin as the warm water assaulted her frozen skin. Slowly she relaxed in to
the liquid, the mud slowly browning the water around her. Her lips parted as a
sigh escaped them, her eyes sliding closed.
~~
Two weeks later
~~
A tall dark figure crept down a long dim hallway. He stopped abruptly
at a corner that led in to the girl's dormitory. Soft blue eyes darted about
suspiciously, looking for any one who might see him. Once confident that the
coast was clear, he dove down the hallway of the girl dormitory. His feet
carried him down the dark hallway till he stopped at a specific door way. Beside
the doorframe it read 'Cadet Lucrezia Noin' in black letters.
'Its now or
never ' the dark figure thought to him self. His black-gloved hand rose to the
wooden door. With a flick of the wrist his fist hit it softly, causing a dull
thud to radiate through out the room in which it led.
With in the room a
dark hair head arose from a soft pillow. Her dark eyes blinked sleepily as she
threw her legs over the side of her bed. With a push off on her hands she was
standing. Slowly she stumbled to the door, wondering who the hell would wake her
at this hour of the morning. Her hand grasped the doorknob, yanking the door
open.
" I don't want any vacuums..don't you know its three.. " Her voice
trailed off as she saw a tall black clad figure in front over her. The only part
of him that held any color were pale blue eyes shinning down on her. Her lips
parted to scream, but a black-gloved hand had already found its way over her
mouth. In one fluid movement he pulled her back in to her room and closed the
door behind them. Her screams where easily muffled by his large hand, although
she still tried in vain to get a sound out. After many moments of futile trying,
she gave up and closed her mouth. Her chest rose and fell steadily as anger
surged through her.
" Please be calm.. I have not come to hurt you." a
masculine voice said softly in her ear. A chill ran down her spine.. the voice
was so cold, and so familiar.
"Can I move my hand with out you screaming?"
His hushed voice whispered in her ear. As she nodded he slowly eased his hand
from her lips. His hand stayed in mid air before her mouth, ready to snap back
over her lips if she dared to scream again. Fortunately she kept her word, and
did no such thing. A small smile spread across his lips but the black mask hid
it very well.
"IF.. IF I let you go.. Will you run?" He inquired softly,
keeping his arms around her tightly for the moment. The only reply he got was a
small nod of her dark head. Slowly he realized his grip on her waist. As quickly
as his hands left her, she darted across the room, pressing her self back
against the wall, looking at her so called attacked fearfully.
A frown
formed under the mask of the attacker as he watched her dash away from him. Had
he scared her that much? With out a second thought for his safety as heir to the
Peacecraft family, he pulled the mask from his head. Soft golden locks fell
around him loosely, her blue eyes shinning in the dim moonlight that shone
through the window. The hair looked familiar to Noin.. a lot like Zechs'. But
the face utterly confused her.
"That was supposed to help?" Noin said
bitterly, her whole body plastered to the wall. A frown creased her brow as she
heard him chuckle softly at her. Why was he so familiar? Who was this? Why was
he here? Her mind raced, searching for answers where there were none.
"No..
But if you would let me explain.. Please.. I'm not going to hurt you.. Don't
look so scared." Zechs said softly, his eyes eye's softening as he gazed at her.
He was pleased to see she moved from the wall, settling her self in the upper
right hand corner of her bed. Zechs quickly moved to claim a seat on the lower
edge of her bed.
"Noin..Lucrezia..Please listen to me. This is important.
You have known me as Zechs Marquise for at least 2 years now.." As he spoke
those words Noin's eyes grew rapidly, her jaw going slack. 'So this is the true
Zechs' she thought sadly. 'He's come to rub it in. To show me what I can't have.
What just out of my reach.' Her mind told her miserably. Her chin sank to her
chest, her eyes drifted down to the very plan blanket covering her bed. But
Zechs went on still, not losing a beat.
" I hide behind that mask for many
reasons Lucrenzia. There are many a man out there who would give his arm to see
me dead. Why? Because I could bring about the revival of the Sank Kingdom. I am
the heir to the throne in that ancient kingdom, Milliardo Peacecraft. I feel I
can trust you with this Lucrezia, for you are my best friend. Even if you hate
me, you are that and more to me. Please don't make me wrong about that. That is
a great reason to hide if you ask me, but I have a better reason. To hide from
the one I truly love. To block my heart away from her, to try and protect my
self. But I have only ended up hurting her, and my self." His gaze came to fall
on her as he spoke softly, his eyes an open gate way to his heart. Noin's head
snapped up, her eyes large as she gazed at him, her jaw still very loose. Her
lips moved as it to speak, but no sound came out. She sat there silently, her
mind whirling wildly.
"I shouldn't have come. I know it's to late now, I'll
go. I'm sorry I disturbed your sleep.. Good-bye Lucrezia." Zechs quickly stood
to go, his pale eyes clearly watering with tears that refused to fall. Noin's
own eyes shimmered with tears as he stood. With out a second thought she sprang
forth like a cat, her arms finding there way around him. Noin just sat there on
her knees, still on her bed, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist. Her head
sat pressed to his stomach, her eyes closed tightly.
Zechs stood frozen for
a moment, wondering if it was truly her arms around him, or his imagination
running away with him, yet again. His eyes closed tight as he cautiously moved a
hand down to her shoulders. He gasped sharply as he felt a living breathing form
there. The gasp quickly turned to a sigh of relief, his hands resting behind her
shoulders, holding her to him.
"Don't go Zechs, Milliardo. Who ever you are,
just don't go." Noin pleaded with him softly. A smile spread across Zechs' lips,
a hand brushing over her soft hair.
" If you insist.." He said softly.
Reluctantly he dislodged her from his torso. She looked up at him with large
confused eyes, but just smiled in return. After a moment he was at her side,
kneeling before her on her small bed. His strong arms snaked there way around
her waist, pulling her in to a tight embrace. Noin was quick to wrap her arms
around him in return, holding her self close to him.
Since of course it was
three thirty on the morning, Noin fell fast asleep there in Zechs' arms. Zechs
made no effort to move her, or to keep her awake. He just fell asleep there with
her, his head on her shoulder. And there they slept till the sun rose.
