This is my very first fic to be published, I was actually very hesitated, weather to publish it or not, but here we are! I hope you enjoy it, as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Just a little note: English is not my native language, but I LOVE writing and reading in it so please if there were any grammar or dictation mistakes, please, be kind enough to tell me, but please no flames!
And please review!
THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS WHAT THEY APPEAR
Une pressed her hand against the cold glass of the frozen December window, feeling the cold spreading through her white glove.
The sky was getting darker, and flecks of snow were falling turning everything they touched into white, it was Une's favorite time of year, when people everywhere got ready to go home to spend the holydays with their families, it was the most magical time of year, but not this year, not for her at least .
She thought about all that happened, about what she discovered in the past few days, she simply couldn't, she can't even believe it, how about accepting it?
"Ma'am? Are you OK?" a voice from behind called, she recognized it immediately, it was Nikol's, her second in command, the only one who knew her secret, or rather Trieze's secret for she just knew about it days ago .
"I'm fine, thanks" she replied realizing that the only one who could tell her about her double life was just behind her.
According to Trieze, Nikol was the one to help whenever one of her characters decides to appear; he always helped making it less shocking for her or for "both of them".
"Nikol ..." she said as she turned away from the window.
He paused, as he started to leave the room and turned back to face her.
He didn't say anything; he just looked at her with a puzzled excerption posted on his face.
She walked toward the nearest sofa, sat on it and nodded for him to set too, he did what he was told, as he realized that he had a pretty good idea about what she wanted, he heard roamers about what happened between her and treize, about the party they attended together and about her fainting there, he thought about the possibility that that happened because of her finding out the truth, but he tried to mistaken himself, and now it seems he was right, besides it's been a while sense Trieze asked him one of hisfavors .
Une wasn't sure what to say to the man that sat in front of her, she felt silly, she, one of the most powerful women in the world, can't ask a man who worked under her a question, how stupid! But it wasn't just a question, and she knew it, she knew it very well, and she wasscared, she was even terrified, but she had to, she had to know, as much as it might hurt, she had to know who she was; what she did.
"Nikol .." she said again cutting the silence, but she had no idea how to continue, "his Excellency told me everything", she finished looking at his eyes, watching his puzzled excerption turning in to an understanding one, not a shocked one, but understanding, which meant he knew what she was talking about.
He lowered his head, "Lady Une, ma'am, I'm so sorry, but I was just doing his Excellency's orders, I ..." he began explaining.
"Nikol, I don't want an apology from you nor an explanation" she said in a low, composed voice, "Master Trieze told me what you did, you practically saved my life countless times!" she said with half a smile, "but I really want to know what I was like, I have to..." her voice broke but she managed, "in those planking moments that I lost control, I have to, please..." her voice broke again, but this time she couldn't continue, so she just turned her head away, hiding her tears.
Nikol didn't move, though he knew he probably should, he used to calm her down all the time, at least her peaceful character was an easy crier, easy to break down, but this time he didn't, he knew that that was her now, she was whole again, she was herself .
"I'll tell you everything, anything you want to know" he said when she finally turned her head back in his direction.
She smiled at him, not a happy one, but it was enough to make him more positive that he was right, the hard colonel and the peaceful woman are together again, united in one incredible woman, he felt relived for her, she was an amazing woman, and she defiantly didn't deserve to be in such pain, if it was in his hands before he would have told her, but it wasn't, and for some reason, Trieze didn't want her to know anything.
"How did it start?" she said in a low toned voice, as she stood up and walked towards the window, if she cries again, he won't be able to see her tears.
"It started two years ago, we were at the colonies, there was a peace conference there, that master Trieze was invited to, and we were ordered to stay at the hotel" he begun.
Une remembered that very well, of course they were "ordered" means that for one reason or another Trieze didn't want a military force there, but she doesn't remember anything after that, is it possible … ?
"My room was next to yours", he continued, "I heard a sound, it was really late, but the conference was still on, apparently Mr. Darline was there", he added with a mocking smile.
"I went out to the corridor, I thought it was one of the repels, you know they hated our guts there", she nodded, he continued, "but then, I saw you; you were all dressed, an amazing dress you were wearing! And your hear was perfectly done, you ..." he paused looking for the right word, "you were gorgeous!" he finally said.
Une smiled to her reflection on the now black frozen window, she knew he couldn't see her face, but she managed to see herself in that gown and her hair, deep down she knew for whom exactly she wanted to look pretty.
"You were walking toward the stairs," he said interrupting her thoughts, "you passed me as if you didn't know me! I called after you, but you didn't answer, then I walked after you and caught your arm, you turned smiling and said:" Were you talking to me?" I nodded and you laughed, "I'm sorry but I have no idea why you just called me colonel! My name is lady Une!"
I couldn't speak, and thought I was seeing things, then I remembered the voice I heard, then I knew I wasn't imagining, but at the same time it wasn't you, I couldn't explain it.
So I ignored what you said and told you about master Trieze's orders, you laughed again saying that they -his orders- were for soldiers, and that you weren't one".
He stopped talking:" Then what?" Une asked, turning into his direction, giving her back to the window.
He looked at her "nothing, I couldn't prevent you, after all you were my commander and I had no power on you, I tried to explain what I saw, but I couldn't, so I left to my room".
"Did I make it to the conference? Did you tell ..."
"His Excellency?" he said interrupting, she nodded.
"No, I just thought I should wait, for after you left with a couple of hours, I heard
footsteps, so I went out to check again"
"Was it me?" she asked trying to control her voice, she couldn't remember any of that!
He nodded, "Yes, but you were kind of unconscious".
"Unconscious?"
"Yes, his Excellency was carrying you in his arms, you were murmuring something, and he was heading to his room, his face! God! I can remember his facial excerption till this second!" he paused for a while; she waited for him to talk for she didn't want to know, Trieze definitely was angry with her, "Heh! A crazy woman coming to impairs him, in a peace conference, Oh my God! What have I done there? How humiliating!" she thought.
"How was it? His face, I mean" Une couldn't pair the silence any longer.
"He was ... he was kind of hurt" he said in a surprised tune, as if she should know that already, but then added:" no not hurt... but in deep pain, it was like someone he loves had just died!" Une was surprised, Trieze wasn't angry with her?
"But he didn't say anything," Nikol added when she didn't comment, "he just walked directly to his room, and got out like minutes later, and summoned me, he asked what happened, I told him everything I saw, he didn't get angry on me, as I expected, but he ordered me to get some mades for you, he said that you were at his room, and ordered me to prevent anyone from getting in there, I obeyed, I got the mades almost immediately, and for days no one, not even me, was allowed to go into his Excellency's room, no one but the mades and himself".
At this point, Une was completely lost, she had no idea what he was talking about, it was as if he was talking about someone else's life, not hers, her? Unconscious for days? She had absolutely no memory whatsoever of what he was saying.
"Then what?" Une rushed him; she didn't want to think about it, she might get mad! She had to know everything first.
"Then we came back to earth, and afterwards, your attitude started to get a little strange"
"Strange?"
"Yes, you started to be like you didn't feel anything, like.." he stopped again, of fear this time she guessed, so she finished it for him :"like a killing machine?" she said smiling, but he didn't, he actually looked shocked, "don't worry, I didn't switch, it's still me" a weird laugh came out of her throat at his excerption, it was more of a choking voice, as if she had forgotten how to laugh, then added, "I can remember a few things I did," she lied, she already knew that, from treize.
He nodded still shocked of her reaction, "after a few months, his Excellency summoned me to his office again" he finished, "he..."
"He ordered you to watch me," she said, it was not a question, it was a fact, if she knew anything about Trieze, it would be this, he wouldn't let anyone, even her, destroy his plans.
"No," Nikol said, and this time it was her turn to get shocked, "he asked me watch overyou! He wanted to make sure were OK" He said as Une's mouth dropped open unbelieving, he actually did that for her?
"He was so worried, though trying not to show it, it was so obvious, he told me everything, about your two characters, about how I can tell if it wasn't you, how they could appear any second, and how that would hurt you, how it might even kill you, if one of them decides to appear in, let's say a fight or something!" his tune got less sharp as he continued, "of course, he ordered me not to tell a soul about it, especially not you," then he added after a minute :"he even told me to guard you with my life," even if the whole organization was at stake, put her life first" he said".
Une couldn't speak then, her voice disappeared; all this time she thought that he kept it away from her for his interest; he was actually trying to protect her!
...
Please, please, please review!
Tell me if you liked this fic because I might add a few chapters to it, it depends on your opinion; just tell me what you think.