Noin stared out the window from the Preventer base. She could hear Lady Une walk up behind her. "Noin, how have you done it?" she asked quietly. Noin turned to look at the lady standing before her, a pain so deep in her eyes that Quatre would have been hurt withing a kilometre of her, and long brown hair that stood still despite the fact that her body was shaking. "I know that Trieze is dead, and everybody thinks that Zechs is dead, except for you, and possibly the Gundam Pilots. How could you have done it? For two years now, you've kept your head about you, never once giving into the impression that he may be dead, and you may never see him again. How?..."
She smiled, looking down at the ground several stories below her. "I know in my heart that he's alive. That's all I need to know." she paused. "And if you think that I never gave into the impression that he's dead, then you weren't looking hard enough. But those moments are fleeting, even if they seem like an eternity at the time. One day, Milliardo will come back to me." Noin looked up at the setting sun, smiling brightly. "He always does...."
Lady Une left without a sound, leaving Noin back in her thoughts. 'Milliardo, I miss you. Wherever you are, do you miss me too? I forgive you for everything you've done, you know that...'
A blond head walked by underneath the building. He barely looked up. "Noin..." Milliardo Peacecraft kept walking by, pausing only momentarily. 'I know you forgive me.' He told her, slipping deep down into his memories.
~~~~~
Zechs Marquise only had two real friends at the base. Noin, in his own grade, and Trieze, who was two years ahead of him. He was an acquaintance with Une, but Zechs didn't really know her that well. Although he usually spent most of his time with Noin, every once in awhile he would spend time with the guys.
He sat in Trieze's room, thinking, as the other guys around him laughed heartily, and armed themselves with cans of silly string, water balloons, squirt guns, and other such items. He didn't like the idea of playing tricks on the female members and the instructors, and he knew that Trieze didn't really approve either. He just wanted to see Une's room, no doubt.
"C'mon Zechs! You've gotta do it! Are you chicken?" One of Trieze's friends asked.
"My dear Zechs." Trieze started. "It's not a matter of wether you want to or not. Some things must be done, wether or not we feel like it. This is one of those things. Besides, it's also the first of April, a time of merriment and trick playing. Zechs, be brave, and join in those times."
Even though he still disapproved, Zechs nodded, and armed himself. Trieze's words seemed to almost have cast a spell on him. He knew that his older friend would be in great power one day, and that his words would be the cause of that power.
~~~~~~
Noin shook her head. "Une, I don't want to do it."
"Are you disobeying my orders, Cadet Noin?" Une asked angrily, shaking the bottle of silly string in front of Noin's face.
"No, Une."
"Then do it! Your mission is to spray Cadet Marquise's rooms!"
"I accept." Noin said, saluting. Une kinda scared her, and she knew one day she'd get her back. One day. Even if she was a bit power mad, she knew that it was mostly just something to get Trieze's attention. As if her looks weren't enough, let alone that knife sharp mind.
~~~~~
Zechs paused at the door. He had never actually seen Noin's quarters before. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bobby pin that had previously been in Une's hair, and started picking at the lock.
~~~~~
She reached for the lock and chewed her lip nervously. Une had told Noin that Zechs wouldn't be in his room, but how could she be sure? Noin turned the knob and heard it click. The door was unlocked. 'That must mean he's home! Zechs wouldn't leave the door unlocked! Would he? He's male, after all, as well as being secretive....'
Noin peeked into the room. She was a bit surprised to see how meticulous it was, but that figured. Zechs wouldn't be one to be messy. She really didn't want to mess up his rooms...
~~~~~
'Noin's a pig!' Zechs thought to himself, as he looked around at the clutter that covered everything. There was clothing all over the room, as well as empty chocolate bar wrappers, cans of pop, exercise equipment, and, to Zechs' horror and pleasure at the same time: Noin's bra had been carelessly thrown across the room unto the lampshade!
He picked up the bra, and rubbed it between his fingers. 'Cotton. That's sensible old Noin alright. Even if I use up this entire bottle of silly string, she wouldn't even notice.' Zechs absent mindedly shoved the bra into his pocket, before greedily rubbing his hands. 'Well, then, let's clean up!'
~~~~
Running a finger down Zech's headboard, Noin inspected it. Not a speck of dust. "I used to wonder what Zechs did in his spare time..." she though to herself out loud. "And now I know, and it's just plain sad." She sat down in Zech's bed, holding her chin in her hand, not realizing that sitting there made her blush a bit more. "Well now what am I supposed to do?"
~~~~
It didn't take Zechs long to clean up Noin's room, even if it was a mess. He watched the trash pile up, full of pop bottles and chocolate bar wrappers, as well as some pizza containers, with the crusts still in them. "So Noin doesn't like the crusts of pizza... and she has quite a sweet tooth. I wonder where she hides them all." He had quite an inkling for sugar right now as well.
Zechs went straight to the night stand. "If I was Noin, I'd put them right here. That way, they would be there right when I woke up." he told himself, opening up the drawer. Behold, before him lay a small fortune in brown gold. "Success!" he picked up a chocolate bar, and ripped into it eagerly. The chocolate was melting in his mouth when Zech's eyes fell upon something else. A gold lock, complete with the key beside it.
"What the hell? Noin locks her room, and then leaves her key to her diary right beside it? She must believe that nobody would be able to get past her door." he mused, picking it up. "I really shouldn't.... I mean, that's an invasion of privacy, but I did already break into her room." Zechs paused a moment more, before picking up the diary.
Flipping to the last entry in the book, Zechs started reading.
April First,
Yeah April Fool's day. I know that Une is going to try to make me do something today, and I know that is going to involve Zechs. I'm definitely worried about it. I mean, I don't want to have to do anything to Zechs, but I don't want to be rejected by the older girls at the school.
I should have suspected that Une would choose Zechs for me to pick on today. Is it really that obvious? I suppose that it's obvious to everyone except Zechs how much I admire him, but that's just the way life goes, isn't it?
There is one thing I should say, though. That voice of his. Oh, I could listen to his voice forever! Yesterday he had to give his speech to the class, and I wished that period could have gone on forever! It's so deep, and there's so much intelligence in there.... But that makes sense, he's the best in our class! And besides, he's my best friend. I mean, what would a best friend be if she couldn't even stand listening to their friends talk?
Zechs stopped reading, when he heard the door bang open. He looked up, to see Noin in the hallway, looking pissed off and glowering at him. "Did you *pick* my *lock* Zechs Marquise?"
He suddenly realized how he must look. He was laying down on her bed, relaxing comfortably, a chocolate bar stuffed in his mouth as he gnawed on it with his teeth, and her diary in his hands. He hastily put the book down, and took the chocolate bar out of his mouth. "Um.. Yes, Noin, I did."
"Well why the hell did you...." she paused, letting her anger fly away as she looked around her room. "Did you clean my room?"
"Yes, I did that too. Really, Noin, I was quite surprised. I thought you'd be more neater."
"It's called organized chaos, Zechs. You cleaned my room. I don't believe it." she pointed down to the floor and spoke with what Zechs hoped was mock enthusiasm. "Hey, look! I have a carpet! And it's blue! Anyway, why did you come in my room?"
"Because I was supposed to cover it in silly string." he told her, handing her the can.
She graciously took the can, wheels turning in her head. "I see... so, you were supposed to cover my room in silly string, and instead, because you found my room so repulsive, you took it upon yourself to clean it. After that, you had worked up an appetite, and seeing as how you saw how much candy I have, you went snooping for it. Obviously finding it." she added wiping some chocolate away from his mouth. "There, you also found my diary, and read it. That was just despicable, Zechs, truly pathetic and dishonourable. So, the question is, what am I going to do with you?"
"Let me go?" he suggested shyly.
"Go? No!" Noin looked horrified. "I have you in my quarters, Zechs, and I'm not going to let you leave." She ran to the door and locked it, before turning back to Zechs. "How far did you get in my diary? What did you see? What did you read?"
"I read half of the last entry you wrote." Zechs answered truthfully. He suddenly had pictures pop up of Noin making him strip naked for punishment. Or making him stay the night in her bed. Maybe she would keep him tied to the bed for the rest of his life. On the other hand, maybe she'd dress him up in the bra he stole. Now that would be uncomfortable!
"What was in there?"
"Nothing, really."
"Fine then. I forgive you for breaking into my room, and I forgive you for reading my diary, or for organizing my organized chaos. However, there is one thing I can't forgive you for." she narrowed her eyes. "Get back on the bed, Zechs."
"Excuse me!??" he yelled, his glass eye slits in his mask suddenly fogging up at her unexpected command.
"I said, get back on the bed Zechs." She looked down at his, waist adding with a wave. "I also forgive you for abducting my favourite bra, Zechs. Now, on the bed." behind her back, she shook up the can of silly string.
Zechs sat back on the bed, looking up at Noin curiously. "Now what?"
Noin smiled seductively. "Now..." she pulled out her weapon and sprayed it point blank at Zechs. "String fight!"
He laughed, backing away, holding up his hands to defend himself as blue silly string wound itself around his front. "But I'm not armed!" he protested.
She threw him her own bottle of blue silly string. "Happy? Good! Always remember, that I forgive you for anything you may do, Zechs, and I hope you'll do the same." she told him in a rush, as she pulled on his black sweat pants' string, squirting the silly string straight down.
