GUNDAM ANGELS
-Written by Alania and Trinity
The name's Noin. Lieutenant Lucrezia Noin of the fifth pilot division of OZ. Of course, I know one person who would disagree with me. That would be the real Noin. You see, nothing about me is real. Nothing that I am is real. Nevertheless, this is my story. Or should I say...our story...
~~~~~
Angels: a being that has been thought to exist only in people's wildest dreams. Well thats a load of bull, and I'm living, breathing, flying proof. Sometimes you don't need wings to really be an angel, sometimes it's something much more. I myself had to figure that out... My name is Trinity Angelique Peacecraft, known to most by just Angel, or to some as the Angel of death. I later changed my middle name to Eryika to honor my departed mother, but to get into that would enter a totally different story...
~~~~~
Chapter 1 - DISCONNECT
Lucrezia Noin.
Identity/Background: Baronet, Officer of OZ
Age: 22
Nationality: Mediterranean
Gender: Female
Place of Birth: Italy
Height: 165cm
Weight: 47kg
Eyes Dark: Purple
Hair Platinum: Black
~~~~~
The Year: After Colony 175.
A young child was born off the coast of the Gulf of Venice, in a small house in Ravenna, Italy. The child of Mira and Antonio Noin, Lucrezia grew up with her mother in this place until she was 10. Her father had died early in her life as a war hero, and when she was ten, she was recruited to begin her training and follow in his footsteps. At the age of 15 she was shipped to America, and her life had begun. In more ways than one...
The Year: After Colony 179.
A girl of the age of 5 is found sitting in an abandoned alleyway surrounded by stray cats and dogs on the night of the seventeenth of December. A group of local volunteers found her and brought her in to a nearby shelter, where they soon learned that she had no ability to speak. They took care of her and taught her as best they can, until her 15th birthday. It was then she seemed to change...her speech patterns had blossomed and an accent had overtaken her voice. She seemed to know many things that were not taught to her, and she walked out of the shelter. Volunteers who had raised her had given her the nickname Noinahz, in honor of the pilot of OZ who she remarkably resembled. They called out her name and asked where she was going, and she simply replied...
"I'm going to work. OZ needs me and I'm not about to let them down. And don't call me Noinahz. My name is Lieutenant Lucrezia Noin. Take care, and thanks."
...and with that she walked out the door forever...
The Year: After Colony 192
Noin had been living her life as an OZ pilot ever since she had left the shelter. Strangely enough, she remembered her parents, her life in Italy, and her training at OZ. Yet, she also remembered her life growing up in America. The conflicting memories led her to believe the life in America had just been a dream, and she shut it out of her mind completely. All that mattered to her was her job. Every day she would wake up, and a new set of memories would be set into her mind, playing out the life of the actual Noin. She was able to come and go as she pleased, considering she contained within her memory every code and filename that Noin had. Around this time a young girl came into her life, by the name of Angel. She had been put under Noins care for the time being, as OZ had been training the small child for several years under top secret conditions. The child was parentless, and Noins heart went out to her, as her inhibited memories caused her to feel a connection with the girl. She asked for formal permission to adopt the child, and was given legal custody of her, under the condition that her training with OZ would not be hindered. Thus, Angel became her daughter. After several years of watching the child come back from training sore and physically as well as mentally abused, Noin decided that she needed to save the child from the hell and torture they put her through. When the child was 11, Noin took her and packed what little they owned, and ran far from all they knew...
The Year: After Colony 196
Noin and Angel had been refugees for quite sometime now, although the threat of OZ had long past, those who would wish to use Angel for their own purposes still hunted her down. The two lived in the outskirts of the kingdom where Relena Peacecraft had given up to the Alliance some years ago. Through Angels family contacts, the two came into contact with Relena herself after the last battle had been fought for freedom. Noins natural instinct to ally and protect Relena came into play, and Relena herself had no idea that this woman was not the real Noin that had been with her all this time. The true Noin, however, had left unannounced to work with Zechs. For over a year now, they had been living in what peace they had, without any notion as to who, or what, this woman protecting them actually was...
~~~~~
And thats pretty much how it went with me. All my life I was a shadow of someone who I didn't even know existed. I never questioned the conflicts. If I had, I probably would've gone crazy. The truth about me was unknown to anyone, even me, until this day. I lie here in a cocoon, completely transforming, and still I ask myself...what am I? What shall I become when I emerge? All I can hear in my head is the voice calling to me...and it says only one word in reply to all my questions. Disconnect...
~~~~~
Chapter 2 - SHINIGAMI'S TEMPLE
Trinity Angelique Eryika Peacecraft
Identity/Background: OZ Special Agent Assassins Soldier
Age: 15
Nationality: European
Gender: Female
Place of Birth: Wincraft Mansion, Australia
Height: 156cm
Weight: 40kg
Eyes: Indigo/Violet
Hair: Violet Black with Dark Brown Streaks
The Year: After Colony 182
Matthew Peacecraft and his wife, Eryika-Winner Peacecraft welcomed their second baby girl into the world. This child, though raised suspicion. Trinity Angelique Peacecraft was special, and not just because of the tiny, pure white wings on her back, but because she was black haired and violet eyed. To any other family this might have been completely normal, but seeing as her Father had the traditional white hair and ice blue eyes, and her mother blonde with green eyes. Even her older sister of 2 years had light brown hair and those ice blue eyes a known trait to the Peacecraft family. As Trinity, or Angel as they called her, grew older it became more and more obvious of the power she held. Even her mother, an Angel her self, had no idea what her child would be dealt all because of a gift she was given. This gift was the power to draw strength from the Goddess of death herself Shinomegumi.
The Year: After Colony 187
Angel, 5, witnessed her fathers assassination by OZ. She was trying to find him and using a secret compartment in the wall she peeked out only to see him shot. OZ then observed a taste of the power that the small child was beginning to use. An account from one of the soldiers on the scene is that the child screamed and a bright flash was seen. One step towards the child and a cold that felt like death it's self came over them. The only person that could calm her was her mother. Even her older sister who was an angel her self couldn't get close enough to console her younger sister. Angel stopped talking for 3 years. One day then out of the blue she began to speak again. Sadly though fate wasn't finished with her. Two days after she began to talk again Angel witnessed her last surviving parents assassination. Her mother was killed when an oz soldier shot Angel, her mother gave up her entire life source to revive her. Angel lost all will to live, but Shinomegumi wasn't finished with her...and neither was fate.
The Year: After Colony 192
Five years after her father died, and two years after her mother's death, Angel's sister Trista was killed in one of the battles between the earth and the colonies leading up to the war where the gundam's were introduced. By this time though the soldier training had begun to take effect. This pushed Angel over the edge. Her emotions became locked away, but as she tried to lock her emotions away she locked away her memories. For about six months, Angel forgot everything except what she had learned as a soldier. All this changed when she met Noin. Noin took her in and slowly as her emotions returned, so did her memories. Not soon after Noin formally adopted Angel. This time it seems Shinomegumi approved of her happiness. Now that her emotions were back the training became brutal. Noin decided that it was time to go. Angel, now a girl of 11 fled with Noin to her only known family left, Relena Peacecraft. There they took refuge and stayed on the lands of the Cinq kingdom helping out wherever they could. It was here that Angel was also reminded of the family on her late mother's side, or more specifically the Winner family. Quatre taught her to pilot a mobile suit and with the help of him also piece together the missing pieces of her long gone past. Angel learned through self training how to control the powers she was given, like how to use her wings properly and how to gather energy for both destructive and healing purposes. As Angel grew so did her powers, and her hidden love for a certain gundam pilot....
~~~~~
People wonder how did I survive my childhood. Honestly, I'm not really sure myself, so I, even at 15, cannot answer that question. Another thing some wonder is how do I cope with the burden of my quote: 'gift'. The only way I get along with that is the thought that it is a gift, and not a curse. But it does have it's down sides. One being I'm always known as my title, not my name. I tried to brush it off but after some time though the thought of not being known as the name my mother gave me depressed me. Even now I have to admit that if it wasn't for my mother Noin's guidance, I wouldn't have lived to see 15. But there was also one other person that reminded me all the time, and still does, that I am special, or more importantly that I am just Trinity. If it wasn't for that one Gundam pilot that took a chance and gave me his heart.....without Duo Maxwell I would never have lived through this harsh fate......
~~~~~
Chapter 3 - SOLDIERS OF DESTINY
The wind was whipping through doorway of the old cafe as the three women walked in, Noin holding the door for Relena and Angel and then walking in herself. She closed the door and shook herself from the cold, and smiled a bit. The two girls looked to her for direction, and she pointed out a small table nearby. Her simple smile played along her face as she watched them sit down and take a look around inquisitively, then she walked up to the bar and waited for the keeper to approach her.
"Evenin' Ma'am what can I getcha?"
"Thanks, I'll take three hot chocolates, heavy on the whipped cream please. And a plate of your best Christmas cookies."
She winked and smiled, then the keeper went to fill her order and she turned to keep a watchful eye on the two girls she had taken care of for some time now. She felt her purpose in life was fulfilled simply by being a guardian angel over these two. She never could figure out why...
"Here ya go Ma'am, that'd be 10 credits please."
She paid the man with tip and carried the tray over to the girl, huddled up tight and conserving their warmth. Relena had been staring out of the window most of the time, and a faint outline of her breath was left to fade away on the glass. She turned her head once Noin had returned, and smiled up at her graciously. Noin handed each of the girls a glass, and laid the plate out in the middle of the table.
"Hope this is alright, I thought I'd get it, just to put us in a more festive mood."
She smiled mischievously and sat down next to Angel who laughed at the comment. Angel took her cup and sipped at it gently, then reached for a tree shaped cookie as she spoke.
"The snow alone has me in a holiday mood. I can't believe how much it's been snowing lately. It's beautiful, like a winter wonderland."
Angel smiled sweetly and brought the cup back to her mouth. Relena looked at the plate, and carefully chose a gingerbread shaped cookie, then brought it up to her face, studying it for a moment.
"I'm loving it. Although I could do without the freezing temperature. Now this cookie...I never did understand how its supposed to be festive to eat something in the shape of a person...*sighs*...nevertheless..."
She bites down on it headfirst as Noin and Angel begin to laugh. She takes a sip of her drink and cracks a smile at her own comment. The three sit there in comfortable silence, broken by the occasional comment or laughter, and enjoy the moment together. Suddenly the door is kicked open, as a man in black uniform storms in with a gun in hand. The keeper leaps from behind the bar to restrain him, but the man executes a backhand punch that lands squarely on his face, knocking him unconscious. Noin stands immediately and blocks the two, bringing her gun out from behind her back. She aims it point blank and the mans head, and narrows her eyes fiercely.
"Mister I don't know who you are but I've got a good feeling of what you want, so I suggest you turn around and walk back out of here slowly before I blow your brains out."
The man looked through her with a smirk, and then tilted his head a bit, confirming that Angel was behind her. He stared right into Angels eyes, his own cold ones piercing right into her soul, and she squeaked a bit in fright. Noin clicked the safety off the gun and spoke again.
"This is your last warning! Leave now or I shoot! She doesn't belong to you, not to any of you! Leave her alone already!!"
He walked up one step to Noin and she pushed the trigger. He tilted his head just a bit, but lightening quick, and the bullet passed right over his shoulder and hit the wall behind them. Noin pulled her gun back a bit and her eyes widened...
"What the..."
He took this opportunity to take her down while she was distracted, and he punched into her gut, knocking the wind out of her. She doubled over and fell to the ground in agonizing pain, the gun falling from her hands. Angel screamed and Relena stood to get her own gun, but to no avail, as the man grabbed Angel and held her in front of him as a shield.
"Now now Miss Relena, I thought you were a woman of peace..."
He cackled and put his hand on Angels head for the moment, just as she was about to give him the surprise of his life. But it seemed he knew all too well of her surprises, as a volt of electricity seared through his covered hand and knocked Angel unconscious before she could do anything.
"Now..unless there is any other business to attend to..I'll be leaving with my prize..."
(This is when I knew. It all came to me as a flash as I lay there on the floor gasping for air. I found myself not only aware of what I was, but more importantly, of why I was, and what I could do...)
Noin stood up, no longer affected by the blow, and her eyes turned searing red in anger. The man stared at her and narrowed his eyes, unsure if this was a trick. He was soon to find out it was not..and that would be the last thing he would know. She screamed as her hair stood on end and her body shivered in agony of what she was to become. Her hands balled up into fists, and she took a decisive step forward, as the aching sounds of the howling winds were soon changed into the agonizing screeches of the damned souls in hell. The man dropped Angel in morbid fear, and backed away slowly as she yelled out. Her screams endured for over a minute, until a black aura exploded around her and covered every inch of her body. The man froze in fear once he saw her, and then dropped to his knees in a plee.
"Look, I was just hired to capture her, I've got nothing against her or you..please..I'll go back and tell them to leave her alone..I swear...just don't..."
But she had dealt with his type one too many times. She knew if he was to leave alive, they would continue to hunt for not only Angel, but now her as well. No, she knew what she must do. She closed her eyes and stretched out her arms to the sky, and an outline of wings formed behind her. She opened her eyes and dropped her arms suddenly and forcefully as her physical wings erupted from her back, ignoring the agonizing pain of bones shifting and flesh reintegrating. Once her transformation was complete, she stood before him, her eyes now black and lifeless...the dark angel.
Relena was frozen where she stood watching Noin...her hand had slowly let the cup of hot chocolate spill outwards as she held it idly in her hand, and a puddle of hot liquid steamed from the floor next to her. She knew Angel was special...but Noin...she couldn't understand it...
Noin walked up to the begging man with merciless eyes, and leaned down to pick Angel up from the floor. She held Angel in one arm, and reached out to the man with another. A voice not her own spoke from her lips, cold and monotone..
"Take my hand now..."
He did as she asked, thinking he was to be forgiven. Instead, an unearthly force went through his body, shaking him horribly. He screamed in agony as every bone in his body broke, and he was torn apart limb from limb by an unseen force. Finally, when his corrupted body lay bleeding on the floor, she held his soul in her very hands, and she held it out as the sounds of moaning and wailing increased. Soon, his soul was pulled down into the depths of hell from wence it came, and he was gone...forever...
Noin walked over to the table and set Angel down gently, still covered in a blackened aura. Relena gasped as she came near, and Noin turned her lifeless eyes to her, then back to Angel. She placed her hand on Angels head, and let her energy flow through her, bringing Angel back to consciousness again. She then backed away, and kneeled down to the keeper, doing the same to him. Angel woke up just in time to see Noin stand once again, and look at the two girls she had shared her life with. Noin's eyes flooded with emotion, and her aura faded, with her wings shrinking slowly back into her body. She stared at them for a moment, their frightened eyes and silence slicing through her, and tears began to fall slowly from her face. She cried for a moment only, and then fell to her knees. She looked at them once more, but this time in terror. Angel rushed up to her mother, and held her in her arms. Relena also ran to her side, and knelt by the two.
"Mommah! Mommah whats wrong??"
"Noinahz? Say something!!"
But her energy was soon fading, and she looked to Angel for a brief moment and whispered. "Take care of me while I'm gone."
She then turned to Relena and smiled painfully, and closed her eyes, giving in to the pain. One last word emitted from her mouth. "Disconnect..."
CHAPTER 4 - REBIRTH
Angel cradled her unconscious mother softly in her strong arms. "Not like this...Not like this..." her soft voice echoed eerily through the cafe. "It wasn't supposed to be like this mother I'm sorry...but you shall return I know you will, and I shall teach you the ways that were taught to me. Although our powers are different I am determined to help you mother, just like you helped me..."
She felt a tingling on her skin where it rubbed against Noins, and she pulled back a bit, looking down at the woman in her arms. Shocks of electricity ran up and down her body, and Angel was forced to lay Noin down gently on the ground as the shocks began to sting at her own skin. She backed away a bit and watched in helplessness as her mothers body began to curl up into a ball and her wings once again emerged, surrounding her and continuing to grow until they completely covered the body in a shell. A wave of heat then permeated the wings, and they began to merge together, forming a cocoon that hardened every second. A shattering tremor shook the ground and knocked both Angel and Relena off her feet, as the cocoon continued to grow thicker and darker, until all that was left was a rock. The tremors soon stopped, and the stunned girls stood for the moment in silence, staring at the boulder before them. Relena was the first to move, and she walked up to the rock, and poked at it with her finger, revealing it to be solid. It teetered a little, and she held her breath in fear it may break. She looked up at Angel, and backed away a bit as she noticed Angel standing there with her wings completely unfurled, and a gentle white aura surrounding her. Her sad face still shone as the angel stood there in all her glory, and lifted her hand a bit. As she did, the cocoon raised up off the ground, and followed whichever direction she pointed. Angel turned her gentle eyes towards Relena for the moment.
"Stay here. I've got to find somewhere safe for her...I'll be back I promise."
And with that, she flew off, in search of a sanctuary for her cocooned mother.
~~~~~
The snow on the top of the mountain camouflaged Angel well as she landed there, and the boulder she brought with her also landed with a soft thump on the cold snow. She didn't know exactly why she was compelled to bring her here, all she knew was it felt right. She looked to the boulder, sticking out like a sore thumb, and wondered if she was to dig up a hole for it, when the boulder itself faded in color to a mimic of the snow, and it sank slowly down, until it was hidden completely from view.
"Well...that was easier than I expected...."
She knelt down next to the newly unearthed snow surrounding her mother and laid her hand on it gently.
"Please come back to me soon Mommah..."
She let a single tear fall from her face and melt what little snow it encountered, and she stood, her hair blowing roughly in the cold breeze that whipped against the mountain peak. She unfolded her wings again, and the wind took her straight up without even a flap, as she glided slowly away from the wintry tomb her mother was now encased in, for God knows how long...
CHAPTER 5: AWAKENINGS
The Year: After Colony 198
Deep within the mountain a rumbling shook the snow down into an avalanche, as the
boulder from within emerged slowly. The tremors continued until the boulder cracked,
right along its side, completely in half, but without breaking apart. The rumbling stopped,
and the snow began to find its new place and stay there, as a few aching moments of
silence passed. A hand reached out quickly and desperately from the cocoon, and a cry was
heard all the way down the mountaintop, and across the town...
~~~~~
Angel and Relena walked side by side down the path leading to the Cinq Kingdom labyrinth. The two used to go there all the time when they were younger and decided that they would visit it again just because. Their boots made crunching noises as they crushed the small layer of snow under foot and their breath made soft white puffs of smoke. Their cheeks were touched with pink and their hands were covered in mittens and stuffed in their pockets. They had been discussing the new defense plans when Angel suddenly stopped mid sentence as she heard a familiar voice calling to her.
"ANGEL!! HEY RELENA, ANGEL WAIT UP!"
The two turned to see Duo Maxwell running towards them and smiled. His cheeks were flushed and his trademark braid was swinging behind him. When he caught up he grinned and tucked one arm around Angel's waist.
"Afternoon ladies"
He made a gesture of tipping his hat at Relena and pressed his lips quickly to Angel's slightly chilled cheek. Relena shook her head at the two and was about to say something more when an ear piercing scream broke through the peaceful winter silence. Instantly Angel knew something was wrong. She pulled herself from Duo's arms and took off running back in the way they came. Suddenly in a bright flash of light Angel's form disappeared for a second. When it reappeared she was floating effortlessly with a pair of white angel wings adorning her back. She flew off with one swift movement of her wings. Neither Duo nor Relena knew where she was going...
~~~~~
As Angel reached the mountain, she saw the boulder plain as day, in its original color, but as she circled and neared it she realized it had been cracked wide open, and a horrible sinking feeling hit her. Someone had found her, and broken the cocoon. She landed and immediately as her feet touched the snow she ran to the cocoon and looked inside, confirming its emptiness. Not stopping to look around her, she broke down in tears and wept, leaning on the boulder for support. A soft voice spoke to her, and in her grief she failed to realize she was in a place no one could reach, so she spoke to it..
"Child, why do you cry?"
"My Mother...shes gone...someone stole her or killed her or worse..."
"No one stole her, the woman you seek will always be with you, her life is to protect you. Don't cry anymore child...she is with you even now as we speak.."
Angel turned then, towards the voice that soothed her and seemed so familiar, and blinked as she saw no one. She stood there, the wind whipping against her face and freezing her tears, and felt a presence behind her. She held her breath as she turned, and before her was an angel. She stood there, unaffected by the wind, her long black hair laid against her shoulders and reflecting the sun. It was Noin, Angel could tell, but in a way, it wasn't. The same facial features greeted her with a traditional grin, and her long bangs played along her face, but something was different, other than her long black hair. Noin moved up to her daughter, and extended her wings out, her long, feathered, midnight black wings that continued to stretch far, casting a long shadow across the mountainside. Her wings finally reach their length, and she raises her wingspan of 30 feet a bit. Angel stood shocked as her mothers evolved form drifted slowly towards her. Her body was devoid of clothing, but rather is covered by a cloth of energy that hugged at her body. She held her arms out and Angel began to cry, running into her mothers arms again. Noin held Angel in her arms and smiled, her eyes closed and her hand running down the back of Angels head in comfort.
"I'm never going to leave you again Angel. This I promise you."
"Mommah what happened? I don't understand...is it going to happen to me?"
(The change I had undergone had been more of a mental separation than a physical transformation. All that I had known was gone in the blink of an eye, as my true purpose was shown to me. I was a clone, created by the god of death himself. I was created all those years ago as a temple for shinigami. The gods put me on this earth as a child of five, cloned from the DNA of the child they had chosen. I was a shell of a person, empty and useless, and so I was connected with the one they had cloned me from. From that moment on, I lived her life. My own identity was lost in the shuffle, and soon the gods realized that shinigami's female counterpart needed her own physical temple. They watched as I lived the life of another, and came to the realization that the perfect angel was not the kind who was cloned, but instead one of original nature, one spawned from the angels themselves. They soon picked the purest soul they had found and blessed the child with the fate of being the temple for shinomegumi. Fate pulled these two together, as Noin was destined to be the protector of the angel before her. Soon after Noin had discovered her power, she was forced into transformation, in order to disconnect from her counterpart, the original Noin. She was now a separate being, whose purpose was to protect the Shinomegumi.)
"Child you will never have to go through my transformation, for you are already perfect. But without you, I am nothing. You alone hold my life in your hands. You, Angel, must give me a name."
Angel looked at her in confusion and found her voice once again.
"But Mommah, you have a name. Your Noinahz, Noin even...Lucre..."
Angel sentence faded away as Noin shook her head softly and smiled her. She let her wings fold back a bit and she pulled Angel away to look into her eyes.
"That is not my name anymore. I am disconnected from all that I have known before, and I live now simply to protect you. You are the one that I was meant to be, and my new destiny lies in your hands. Give me a new name, or I die..."
Angel looked at her mother as the meaning came to her. She reached out and touched her mothers cheek softly.
"To me you will always be mother...but if you must have a name it should be close to Noin yet...different...."
Angel bit her lip softly and looked closely. Something whispered softly to her soul and instantly she knew.
"Nina. To me it shows beauty, yet is full of strength, thats everything you are mother." She lets her hand fall to her sides and she smiles warmly, and her mother smiled back at her gently as a light descended upon her. Angel blinked and watched as she floated a bit back away from her, and opened her arms a bit.
"And so it shall be, shinigami, that your servant will be named Nina, and shall protect the temple of the shinomegumi for all time. Thank you Trinity."
Angel blinked, and looked with a bit of surprise as she was called by her first name, something she did not hear often. She knew then that the one who spoke to her was now the dark angel himself, and she bowed in respect graciously. Her mother returned to her, and lifted her up out of the bow with her hand at Angels chin. She kissed her child's forehead softly, and rose up from the ground, beckoning Angel to follow. The two flew off the mountain peak, and landed nearby the Cinq Kingdom Labyrinth's main entrance, away from plain sight. Angel landed on her feet silently, with Nina right behind, and the two let their wings disperse back into oblivion, appearing as mere mortals to those who saw them. Angel turned once more and gave her mother a hug, after having been away for her for so long. Nina looked down at her child and she was filled with purpose once again. This time, she had an identity. And now, she would protect her counterpart for all time. She took her daughters hand and walked forward a bit, pulling her onwards to begin their lives anew.
"C'mon Trin, lets go home."
-Written by Alania and Trinity
The name's Noin. Lieutenant Lucrezia Noin of the fifth pilot division of OZ. Of course, I know one person who would disagree with me. That would be the real Noin. You see, nothing about me is real. Nothing that I am is real. Nevertheless, this is my story. Or should I say...our story...
~~~~~
Angels: a being that has been thought to exist only in people's wildest dreams. Well thats a load of bull, and I'm living, breathing, flying proof. Sometimes you don't need wings to really be an angel, sometimes it's something much more. I myself had to figure that out... My name is Trinity Angelique Peacecraft, known to most by just Angel, or to some as the Angel of death. I later changed my middle name to Eryika to honor my departed mother, but to get into that would enter a totally different story...
~~~~~
Chapter 1 - DISCONNECT
Lucrezia Noin.
Identity/Background: Baronet, Officer of OZ
Age: 22
Nationality: Mediterranean
Gender: Female
Place of Birth: Italy
Height: 165cm
Weight: 47kg
Eyes Dark: Purple
Hair Platinum: Black
~~~~~
The Year: After Colony 175.
A young child was born off the coast of the Gulf of Venice, in a small house in Ravenna, Italy. The child of Mira and Antonio Noin, Lucrezia grew up with her mother in this place until she was 10. Her father had died early in her life as a war hero, and when she was ten, she was recruited to begin her training and follow in his footsteps. At the age of 15 she was shipped to America, and her life had begun. In more ways than one...
The Year: After Colony 179.
A girl of the age of 5 is found sitting in an abandoned alleyway surrounded by stray cats and dogs on the night of the seventeenth of December. A group of local volunteers found her and brought her in to a nearby shelter, where they soon learned that she had no ability to speak. They took care of her and taught her as best they can, until her 15th birthday. It was then she seemed to change...her speech patterns had blossomed and an accent had overtaken her voice. She seemed to know many things that were not taught to her, and she walked out of the shelter. Volunteers who had raised her had given her the nickname Noinahz, in honor of the pilot of OZ who she remarkably resembled. They called out her name and asked where she was going, and she simply replied...
"I'm going to work. OZ needs me and I'm not about to let them down. And don't call me Noinahz. My name is Lieutenant Lucrezia Noin. Take care, and thanks."
...and with that she walked out the door forever...
The Year: After Colony 192
Noin had been living her life as an OZ pilot ever since she had left the shelter. Strangely enough, she remembered her parents, her life in Italy, and her training at OZ. Yet, she also remembered her life growing up in America. The conflicting memories led her to believe the life in America had just been a dream, and she shut it out of her mind completely. All that mattered to her was her job. Every day she would wake up, and a new set of memories would be set into her mind, playing out the life of the actual Noin. She was able to come and go as she pleased, considering she contained within her memory every code and filename that Noin had. Around this time a young girl came into her life, by the name of Angel. She had been put under Noins care for the time being, as OZ had been training the small child for several years under top secret conditions. The child was parentless, and Noins heart went out to her, as her inhibited memories caused her to feel a connection with the girl. She asked for formal permission to adopt the child, and was given legal custody of her, under the condition that her training with OZ would not be hindered. Thus, Angel became her daughter. After several years of watching the child come back from training sore and physically as well as mentally abused, Noin decided that she needed to save the child from the hell and torture they put her through. When the child was 11, Noin took her and packed what little they owned, and ran far from all they knew...
The Year: After Colony 196
Noin and Angel had been refugees for quite sometime now, although the threat of OZ had long past, those who would wish to use Angel for their own purposes still hunted her down. The two lived in the outskirts of the kingdom where Relena Peacecraft had given up to the Alliance some years ago. Through Angels family contacts, the two came into contact with Relena herself after the last battle had been fought for freedom. Noins natural instinct to ally and protect Relena came into play, and Relena herself had no idea that this woman was not the real Noin that had been with her all this time. The true Noin, however, had left unannounced to work with Zechs. For over a year now, they had been living in what peace they had, without any notion as to who, or what, this woman protecting them actually was...
~~~~~
And thats pretty much how it went with me. All my life I was a shadow of someone who I didn't even know existed. I never questioned the conflicts. If I had, I probably would've gone crazy. The truth about me was unknown to anyone, even me, until this day. I lie here in a cocoon, completely transforming, and still I ask myself...what am I? What shall I become when I emerge? All I can hear in my head is the voice calling to me...and it says only one word in reply to all my questions. Disconnect...
~~~~~
Chapter 2 - SHINIGAMI'S TEMPLE
Trinity Angelique Eryika Peacecraft
Identity/Background: OZ Special Agent Assassins Soldier
Age: 15
Nationality: European
Gender: Female
Place of Birth: Wincraft Mansion, Australia
Height: 156cm
Weight: 40kg
Eyes: Indigo/Violet
Hair: Violet Black with Dark Brown Streaks
The Year: After Colony 182
Matthew Peacecraft and his wife, Eryika-Winner Peacecraft welcomed their second baby girl into the world. This child, though raised suspicion. Trinity Angelique Peacecraft was special, and not just because of the tiny, pure white wings on her back, but because she was black haired and violet eyed. To any other family this might have been completely normal, but seeing as her Father had the traditional white hair and ice blue eyes, and her mother blonde with green eyes. Even her older sister of 2 years had light brown hair and those ice blue eyes a known trait to the Peacecraft family. As Trinity, or Angel as they called her, grew older it became more and more obvious of the power she held. Even her mother, an Angel her self, had no idea what her child would be dealt all because of a gift she was given. This gift was the power to draw strength from the Goddess of death herself Shinomegumi.
The Year: After Colony 187
Angel, 5, witnessed her fathers assassination by OZ. She was trying to find him and using a secret compartment in the wall she peeked out only to see him shot. OZ then observed a taste of the power that the small child was beginning to use. An account from one of the soldiers on the scene is that the child screamed and a bright flash was seen. One step towards the child and a cold that felt like death it's self came over them. The only person that could calm her was her mother. Even her older sister who was an angel her self couldn't get close enough to console her younger sister. Angel stopped talking for 3 years. One day then out of the blue she began to speak again. Sadly though fate wasn't finished with her. Two days after she began to talk again Angel witnessed her last surviving parents assassination. Her mother was killed when an oz soldier shot Angel, her mother gave up her entire life source to revive her. Angel lost all will to live, but Shinomegumi wasn't finished with her...and neither was fate.
The Year: After Colony 192
Five years after her father died, and two years after her mother's death, Angel's sister Trista was killed in one of the battles between the earth and the colonies leading up to the war where the gundam's were introduced. By this time though the soldier training had begun to take effect. This pushed Angel over the edge. Her emotions became locked away, but as she tried to lock her emotions away she locked away her memories. For about six months, Angel forgot everything except what she had learned as a soldier. All this changed when she met Noin. Noin took her in and slowly as her emotions returned, so did her memories. Not soon after Noin formally adopted Angel. This time it seems Shinomegumi approved of her happiness. Now that her emotions were back the training became brutal. Noin decided that it was time to go. Angel, now a girl of 11 fled with Noin to her only known family left, Relena Peacecraft. There they took refuge and stayed on the lands of the Cinq kingdom helping out wherever they could. It was here that Angel was also reminded of the family on her late mother's side, or more specifically the Winner family. Quatre taught her to pilot a mobile suit and with the help of him also piece together the missing pieces of her long gone past. Angel learned through self training how to control the powers she was given, like how to use her wings properly and how to gather energy for both destructive and healing purposes. As Angel grew so did her powers, and her hidden love for a certain gundam pilot....
~~~~~
People wonder how did I survive my childhood. Honestly, I'm not really sure myself, so I, even at 15, cannot answer that question. Another thing some wonder is how do I cope with the burden of my quote: 'gift'. The only way I get along with that is the thought that it is a gift, and not a curse. But it does have it's down sides. One being I'm always known as my title, not my name. I tried to brush it off but after some time though the thought of not being known as the name my mother gave me depressed me. Even now I have to admit that if it wasn't for my mother Noin's guidance, I wouldn't have lived to see 15. But there was also one other person that reminded me all the time, and still does, that I am special, or more importantly that I am just Trinity. If it wasn't for that one Gundam pilot that took a chance and gave me his heart.....without Duo Maxwell I would never have lived through this harsh fate......
~~~~~
Chapter 3 - SOLDIERS OF DESTINY
The wind was whipping through doorway of the old cafe as the three women walked in, Noin holding the door for Relena and Angel and then walking in herself. She closed the door and shook herself from the cold, and smiled a bit. The two girls looked to her for direction, and she pointed out a small table nearby. Her simple smile played along her face as she watched them sit down and take a look around inquisitively, then she walked up to the bar and waited for the keeper to approach her.
"Evenin' Ma'am what can I getcha?"
"Thanks, I'll take three hot chocolates, heavy on the whipped cream please. And a plate of your best Christmas cookies."
She winked and smiled, then the keeper went to fill her order and she turned to keep a watchful eye on the two girls she had taken care of for some time now. She felt her purpose in life was fulfilled simply by being a guardian angel over these two. She never could figure out why...
"Here ya go Ma'am, that'd be 10 credits please."
She paid the man with tip and carried the tray over to the girl, huddled up tight and conserving their warmth. Relena had been staring out of the window most of the time, and a faint outline of her breath was left to fade away on the glass. She turned her head once Noin had returned, and smiled up at her graciously. Noin handed each of the girls a glass, and laid the plate out in the middle of the table.
"Hope this is alright, I thought I'd get it, just to put us in a more festive mood."
She smiled mischievously and sat down next to Angel who laughed at the comment. Angel took her cup and sipped at it gently, then reached for a tree shaped cookie as she spoke.
"The snow alone has me in a holiday mood. I can't believe how much it's been snowing lately. It's beautiful, like a winter wonderland."
Angel smiled sweetly and brought the cup back to her mouth. Relena looked at the plate, and carefully chose a gingerbread shaped cookie, then brought it up to her face, studying it for a moment.
"I'm loving it. Although I could do without the freezing temperature. Now this cookie...I never did understand how its supposed to be festive to eat something in the shape of a person...*sighs*...nevertheless..."
She bites down on it headfirst as Noin and Angel begin to laugh. She takes a sip of her drink and cracks a smile at her own comment. The three sit there in comfortable silence, broken by the occasional comment or laughter, and enjoy the moment together. Suddenly the door is kicked open, as a man in black uniform storms in with a gun in hand. The keeper leaps from behind the bar to restrain him, but the man executes a backhand punch that lands squarely on his face, knocking him unconscious. Noin stands immediately and blocks the two, bringing her gun out from behind her back. She aims it point blank and the mans head, and narrows her eyes fiercely.
"Mister I don't know who you are but I've got a good feeling of what you want, so I suggest you turn around and walk back out of here slowly before I blow your brains out."
The man looked through her with a smirk, and then tilted his head a bit, confirming that Angel was behind her. He stared right into Angels eyes, his own cold ones piercing right into her soul, and she squeaked a bit in fright. Noin clicked the safety off the gun and spoke again.
"This is your last warning! Leave now or I shoot! She doesn't belong to you, not to any of you! Leave her alone already!!"
He walked up one step to Noin and she pushed the trigger. He tilted his head just a bit, but lightening quick, and the bullet passed right over his shoulder and hit the wall behind them. Noin pulled her gun back a bit and her eyes widened...
"What the..."
He took this opportunity to take her down while she was distracted, and he punched into her gut, knocking the wind out of her. She doubled over and fell to the ground in agonizing pain, the gun falling from her hands. Angel screamed and Relena stood to get her own gun, but to no avail, as the man grabbed Angel and held her in front of him as a shield.
"Now now Miss Relena, I thought you were a woman of peace..."
He cackled and put his hand on Angels head for the moment, just as she was about to give him the surprise of his life. But it seemed he knew all too well of her surprises, as a volt of electricity seared through his covered hand and knocked Angel unconscious before she could do anything.
"Now..unless there is any other business to attend to..I'll be leaving with my prize..."
(This is when I knew. It all came to me as a flash as I lay there on the floor gasping for air. I found myself not only aware of what I was, but more importantly, of why I was, and what I could do...)
Noin stood up, no longer affected by the blow, and her eyes turned searing red in anger. The man stared at her and narrowed his eyes, unsure if this was a trick. He was soon to find out it was not..and that would be the last thing he would know. She screamed as her hair stood on end and her body shivered in agony of what she was to become. Her hands balled up into fists, and she took a decisive step forward, as the aching sounds of the howling winds were soon changed into the agonizing screeches of the damned souls in hell. The man dropped Angel in morbid fear, and backed away slowly as she yelled out. Her screams endured for over a minute, until a black aura exploded around her and covered every inch of her body. The man froze in fear once he saw her, and then dropped to his knees in a plee.
"Look, I was just hired to capture her, I've got nothing against her or you..please..I'll go back and tell them to leave her alone..I swear...just don't..."
But she had dealt with his type one too many times. She knew if he was to leave alive, they would continue to hunt for not only Angel, but now her as well. No, she knew what she must do. She closed her eyes and stretched out her arms to the sky, and an outline of wings formed behind her. She opened her eyes and dropped her arms suddenly and forcefully as her physical wings erupted from her back, ignoring the agonizing pain of bones shifting and flesh reintegrating. Once her transformation was complete, she stood before him, her eyes now black and lifeless...the dark angel.
Relena was frozen where she stood watching Noin...her hand had slowly let the cup of hot chocolate spill outwards as she held it idly in her hand, and a puddle of hot liquid steamed from the floor next to her. She knew Angel was special...but Noin...she couldn't understand it...
Noin walked up to the begging man with merciless eyes, and leaned down to pick Angel up from the floor. She held Angel in one arm, and reached out to the man with another. A voice not her own spoke from her lips, cold and monotone..
"Take my hand now..."
He did as she asked, thinking he was to be forgiven. Instead, an unearthly force went through his body, shaking him horribly. He screamed in agony as every bone in his body broke, and he was torn apart limb from limb by an unseen force. Finally, when his corrupted body lay bleeding on the floor, she held his soul in her very hands, and she held it out as the sounds of moaning and wailing increased. Soon, his soul was pulled down into the depths of hell from wence it came, and he was gone...forever...
Noin walked over to the table and set Angel down gently, still covered in a blackened aura. Relena gasped as she came near, and Noin turned her lifeless eyes to her, then back to Angel. She placed her hand on Angels head, and let her energy flow through her, bringing Angel back to consciousness again. She then backed away, and kneeled down to the keeper, doing the same to him. Angel woke up just in time to see Noin stand once again, and look at the two girls she had shared her life with. Noin's eyes flooded with emotion, and her aura faded, with her wings shrinking slowly back into her body. She stared at them for a moment, their frightened eyes and silence slicing through her, and tears began to fall slowly from her face. She cried for a moment only, and then fell to her knees. She looked at them once more, but this time in terror. Angel rushed up to her mother, and held her in her arms. Relena also ran to her side, and knelt by the two.
"Mommah! Mommah whats wrong??"
"Noinahz? Say something!!"
But her energy was soon fading, and she looked to Angel for a brief moment and whispered. "Take care of me while I'm gone."
She then turned to Relena and smiled painfully, and closed her eyes, giving in to the pain. One last word emitted from her mouth. "Disconnect..."
CHAPTER 4 - REBIRTH
Angel cradled her unconscious mother softly in her strong arms. "Not like this...Not like this..." her soft voice echoed eerily through the cafe. "It wasn't supposed to be like this mother I'm sorry...but you shall return I know you will, and I shall teach you the ways that were taught to me. Although our powers are different I am determined to help you mother, just like you helped me..."
She felt a tingling on her skin where it rubbed against Noins, and she pulled back a bit, looking down at the woman in her arms. Shocks of electricity ran up and down her body, and Angel was forced to lay Noin down gently on the ground as the shocks began to sting at her own skin. She backed away a bit and watched in helplessness as her mothers body began to curl up into a ball and her wings once again emerged, surrounding her and continuing to grow until they completely covered the body in a shell. A wave of heat then permeated the wings, and they began to merge together, forming a cocoon that hardened every second. A shattering tremor shook the ground and knocked both Angel and Relena off her feet, as the cocoon continued to grow thicker and darker, until all that was left was a rock. The tremors soon stopped, and the stunned girls stood for the moment in silence, staring at the boulder before them. Relena was the first to move, and she walked up to the rock, and poked at it with her finger, revealing it to be solid. It teetered a little, and she held her breath in fear it may break. She looked up at Angel, and backed away a bit as she noticed Angel standing there with her wings completely unfurled, and a gentle white aura surrounding her. Her sad face still shone as the angel stood there in all her glory, and lifted her hand a bit. As she did, the cocoon raised up off the ground, and followed whichever direction she pointed. Angel turned her gentle eyes towards Relena for the moment.
"Stay here. I've got to find somewhere safe for her...I'll be back I promise."
And with that, she flew off, in search of a sanctuary for her cocooned mother.
~~~~~
The snow on the top of the mountain camouflaged Angel well as she landed there, and the boulder she brought with her also landed with a soft thump on the cold snow. She didn't know exactly why she was compelled to bring her here, all she knew was it felt right. She looked to the boulder, sticking out like a sore thumb, and wondered if she was to dig up a hole for it, when the boulder itself faded in color to a mimic of the snow, and it sank slowly down, until it was hidden completely from view.
"Well...that was easier than I expected...."
She knelt down next to the newly unearthed snow surrounding her mother and laid her hand on it gently.
"Please come back to me soon Mommah..."
She let a single tear fall from her face and melt what little snow it encountered, and she stood, her hair blowing roughly in the cold breeze that whipped against the mountain peak. She unfolded her wings again, and the wind took her straight up without even a flap, as she glided slowly away from the wintry tomb her mother was now encased in, for God knows how long...
CHAPTER 5: AWAKENINGS
The Year: After Colony 198
Deep within the mountain a rumbling shook the snow down into an avalanche, as the
boulder from within emerged slowly. The tremors continued until the boulder cracked,
right along its side, completely in half, but without breaking apart. The rumbling stopped,
and the snow began to find its new place and stay there, as a few aching moments of
silence passed. A hand reached out quickly and desperately from the cocoon, and a cry was
heard all the way down the mountaintop, and across the town...
~~~~~
Angel and Relena walked side by side down the path leading to the Cinq Kingdom labyrinth. The two used to go there all the time when they were younger and decided that they would visit it again just because. Their boots made crunching noises as they crushed the small layer of snow under foot and their breath made soft white puffs of smoke. Their cheeks were touched with pink and their hands were covered in mittens and stuffed in their pockets. They had been discussing the new defense plans when Angel suddenly stopped mid sentence as she heard a familiar voice calling to her.
"ANGEL!! HEY RELENA, ANGEL WAIT UP!"
The two turned to see Duo Maxwell running towards them and smiled. His cheeks were flushed and his trademark braid was swinging behind him. When he caught up he grinned and tucked one arm around Angel's waist.
"Afternoon ladies"
He made a gesture of tipping his hat at Relena and pressed his lips quickly to Angel's slightly chilled cheek. Relena shook her head at the two and was about to say something more when an ear piercing scream broke through the peaceful winter silence. Instantly Angel knew something was wrong. She pulled herself from Duo's arms and took off running back in the way they came. Suddenly in a bright flash of light Angel's form disappeared for a second. When it reappeared she was floating effortlessly with a pair of white angel wings adorning her back. She flew off with one swift movement of her wings. Neither Duo nor Relena knew where she was going...
~~~~~
As Angel reached the mountain, she saw the boulder plain as day, in its original color, but as she circled and neared it she realized it had been cracked wide open, and a horrible sinking feeling hit her. Someone had found her, and broken the cocoon. She landed and immediately as her feet touched the snow she ran to the cocoon and looked inside, confirming its emptiness. Not stopping to look around her, she broke down in tears and wept, leaning on the boulder for support. A soft voice spoke to her, and in her grief she failed to realize she was in a place no one could reach, so she spoke to it..
"Child, why do you cry?"
"My Mother...shes gone...someone stole her or killed her or worse..."
"No one stole her, the woman you seek will always be with you, her life is to protect you. Don't cry anymore child...she is with you even now as we speak.."
Angel turned then, towards the voice that soothed her and seemed so familiar, and blinked as she saw no one. She stood there, the wind whipping against her face and freezing her tears, and felt a presence behind her. She held her breath as she turned, and before her was an angel. She stood there, unaffected by the wind, her long black hair laid against her shoulders and reflecting the sun. It was Noin, Angel could tell, but in a way, it wasn't. The same facial features greeted her with a traditional grin, and her long bangs played along her face, but something was different, other than her long black hair. Noin moved up to her daughter, and extended her wings out, her long, feathered, midnight black wings that continued to stretch far, casting a long shadow across the mountainside. Her wings finally reach their length, and she raises her wingspan of 30 feet a bit. Angel stood shocked as her mothers evolved form drifted slowly towards her. Her body was devoid of clothing, but rather is covered by a cloth of energy that hugged at her body. She held her arms out and Angel began to cry, running into her mothers arms again. Noin held Angel in her arms and smiled, her eyes closed and her hand running down the back of Angels head in comfort.
"I'm never going to leave you again Angel. This I promise you."
"Mommah what happened? I don't understand...is it going to happen to me?"
(The change I had undergone had been more of a mental separation than a physical transformation. All that I had known was gone in the blink of an eye, as my true purpose was shown to me. I was a clone, created by the god of death himself. I was created all those years ago as a temple for shinigami. The gods put me on this earth as a child of five, cloned from the DNA of the child they had chosen. I was a shell of a person, empty and useless, and so I was connected with the one they had cloned me from. From that moment on, I lived her life. My own identity was lost in the shuffle, and soon the gods realized that shinigami's female counterpart needed her own physical temple. They watched as I lived the life of another, and came to the realization that the perfect angel was not the kind who was cloned, but instead one of original nature, one spawned from the angels themselves. They soon picked the purest soul they had found and blessed the child with the fate of being the temple for shinomegumi. Fate pulled these two together, as Noin was destined to be the protector of the angel before her. Soon after Noin had discovered her power, she was forced into transformation, in order to disconnect from her counterpart, the original Noin. She was now a separate being, whose purpose was to protect the Shinomegumi.)
"Child you will never have to go through my transformation, for you are already perfect. But without you, I am nothing. You alone hold my life in your hands. You, Angel, must give me a name."
Angel looked at her in confusion and found her voice once again.
"But Mommah, you have a name. Your Noinahz, Noin even...Lucre..."
Angel sentence faded away as Noin shook her head softly and smiled her. She let her wings fold back a bit and she pulled Angel away to look into her eyes.
"That is not my name anymore. I am disconnected from all that I have known before, and I live now simply to protect you. You are the one that I was meant to be, and my new destiny lies in your hands. Give me a new name, or I die..."
Angel looked at her mother as the meaning came to her. She reached out and touched her mothers cheek softly.
"To me you will always be mother...but if you must have a name it should be close to Noin yet...different...."
Angel bit her lip softly and looked closely. Something whispered softly to her soul and instantly she knew.
"Nina. To me it shows beauty, yet is full of strength, thats everything you are mother." She lets her hand fall to her sides and she smiles warmly, and her mother smiled back at her gently as a light descended upon her. Angel blinked and watched as she floated a bit back away from her, and opened her arms a bit.
"And so it shall be, shinigami, that your servant will be named Nina, and shall protect the temple of the shinomegumi for all time. Thank you Trinity."
Angel blinked, and looked with a bit of surprise as she was called by her first name, something she did not hear often. She knew then that the one who spoke to her was now the dark angel himself, and she bowed in respect graciously. Her mother returned to her, and lifted her up out of the bow with her hand at Angels chin. She kissed her child's forehead softly, and rose up from the ground, beckoning Angel to follow. The two flew off the mountain peak, and landed nearby the Cinq Kingdom Labyrinth's main entrance, away from plain sight. Angel landed on her feet silently, with Nina right behind, and the two let their wings disperse back into oblivion, appearing as mere mortals to those who saw them. Angel turned once more and gave her mother a hug, after having been away for her for so long. Nina looked down at her child and she was filled with purpose once again. This time, she had an identity. And now, she would protect her counterpart for all time. She took her daughters hand and walked forward a bit, pulling her onwards to begin their lives anew.
"C'mon Trin, lets go home."