Bel Niente nella Guerra
"Beautiful Nothing in the War"

A/N: Second chapter for this evening's update. Please enjoy.

AC 192, August 5
Lake Victoria Specials Academy
Northwestern Tanzania

The hangar was filled with the muttering noise of annoyed cadets working on their assessments. Half had their backs flat underneath whatever part of the mobile suit they were working on, and the other half were seated and instructing. Savoy and Noin had the air circulation unit on the rear of the Taurus unit they were working on. Beside them, Stangel lay crouched, flat on his back underneath a leg unit that needed diagnostics for the loss of power it was experiencing. Affe had been assigned to a different unit after the Leo assessment, and Zechs had taken his place.

There was little chatter among the four of them.

Zechs could not figure out how to get Lucrezia alone or to speak about something other than their assignments, and neither Savoy nor Stangel were happy that he had replaced their friend in the group. It was obvious that Zechs's assignment to the top unit was permanent, however, by the marks he was continuing to receive on the assessments and in the mobile suit drills.

Leo training had replaced morning PT exercises.

Savoy was becoming more and more annoyed as the months wore onward, though Zechs couldn't say why that was without speaking more to the young duke than he deemed neccessary.

"This is a stupid assessment," Savoy said, pressing his palms into his eye sockets where he was trying to review the manual to assist Lucrezia.

She was not asking him for any instructions, however.

"Third redundant circuit is where the short is," Stangel said with a note of triumph in his voice. He was warming to Zechs as a part of their unit much more readily than Savoy was, though there was still a layer of silence between the two of them.

Zechs had the manual open, but was perusing it after giving the instructions to the slender red headed cadet. He wagered that both he and Lucrezia had nearly memorized the manuals. It was the only explanation of why Savoy was being so useless in the assessment.

"Wire test against the primary breaker to see if bypassing the circuit will solve the problem," Zechs said. He'd completed this assessment on the first day, along with the non-critical system test, which was what Lucrezia was working on.

The reasoning behind it was sound. If a pilot could repair major problems, it could save their life. Treize seemed very firm about what knowledge was essential for the toolbox of his Specials soldiers. Where this laundry list of knowledge came from, no one was quite sure, and as part of the essentials was a rigid discipline and loyalty, none of the cadets questioned what they were being instructed in.

"I'm never going to use this," Savoy said, turning a page.

Lucrezia slid out from under the unit she was working on, the dolly moving with a quick jerk of one of her boot heels on the hangar floor. She kept her feet otherwise off the concrete, sliding until she reached the toolbox. Then she sat up to look for what she was missing.

Savoy's mood had him ignoring her.

Zechs found the economy of her motion fascinating. He watched her as best he could without turning his head too much. Something still wasn't right there. He couldn't figure out what it was, but she seemed angry.

He could laugh at himself, talking like that. She seemed angry. As though she had no right to be angry, and nothing could be bothering her. Right, he thought, nothing bothering her. Which is why she hasn't spoken to you in almost a week.

Thinking so hard, and with Savoy muttering under his breath about how stupid the assessment was, Zechs didn't hear the boot falls of Lieutenant Commander Chapdelaine as he approached the group of them. What he did notice was that Lucrezia slid out from under the unit and snapped a ready salute. He and Stangel followed her example, but it took a moment before Savoy was brought around to the proper attitude towards his superior.

"Cadet Savoy, report to the Officer in Charge for reassignment," Chapdelaine said. "Cadet Noin, progress?"

"Complete, sir," she replied, relaxing when Chapdelaine returned their salutes.

"And your partner?" Chapdelaine asked. Lucrezia looked straight ahead and did not offer any response. "I see," the instructor replied. "Come with me, Cadet."

Zechs did his best to keep his eyes wift as they left the small area. Stangel did not seem impressed with the same discipline. He watched his friend as he headed away, and shook his head. "I told Savoy he was on his way down to meet Affe," Stangel said softly.

"Told him?" Zechs asked, turning his head to watch Noin follow Instructor Chapdelaine off through the hangar.

"Mooning over Noin isn't going to get him to pass his assessments. Some of the other cadets have been saying that the Leo training is because the Captain is going to take the top students to space to train on the Taurus units," Stangel said.

Zechs turned his attention back to the Leo they were repairing, and nodded. That was exactly correct, but not all of the cadets had made it to the meeting Treize held for the cadets with the highest marks. "We should get back to work then," he said to his partner for that afternoon.

AC 192, August 5, 1230
Lake Victoria Specials Academy
Northwestern Tanzania

Lucrezia followed in the hangar's observation room, her eyes trained straight ahead of her. The midday sunlight failed to filter into the hangar, but she could feel the warmth of it on the high-rib steel over her head. It warmed the room. The instructors and assistants viewing the assessment had their collars unbuttoned. All except for one.

Treize Kushrenada sat at one console. He was leaning on an elbow, watching through the one-way glass out onto the hangar floor. A clipboard graced the small counter that sat at the base of the consoles beside him. There was a private giving him a report, but as Chapdelaine lead Lucrezia toward him, the Captain waved the private away.

Snapping a crisp salute, Lucrezia clicked the heels of her boots together.

" 'When it comes to the electronic systems, the Taurus suit is more similar to that of the Aries model, however, if one considers weight distribution, the Leo unit is more similar,'" Treize read from a paper that was attached to the clipboard.

She recognized it immediately. Prior to Treize's arrival on the base, prior to Zechs showing up, there had been an examination on the various models of mobile suits that were utilized by the Specials. Each cadet was required to evaluate three of the suits and compare them. Being well versed in the manuals of the suits, even if she was still learning to be proficient in their maneuvering, Lucrezia's paper had focused on the similarities and differences in what were her strong points.

The paper had been awarded top marks. She had been placed at the top of the class. It was a dubious honor, being so singled out.

"I wonder if there is need of testing in the Aries unit to see how you fare," Treize said, resting the clipboard on his knee. He set it aside on the console after a moment and rose, heading for the rear doorway to the observation deck.

After a pause, Lucrezia followed him through the doorway, and was only somewhat surprised to find herself on an exterior observation deck. Treize took up a position near the railing, on the side of the lake…

Lucrezia watched him, standing at attention, waiting for whatever words he had that he did not want the other officers to hear.

There was a rather long pause. Lucrezia felt the breeze play with her hair for a moment. And then she noticed the beach… The birds' eye view of the beach that was visible from the observation deck of the hangar. A blush threatened to color her cheeks. She recognized that particular section of beach…

"Your marks in classroom examinations as well as practical assessments are exemplary, Cadet Noin," Treize said. He had his hands folded behind his back, and was looking at the base, rather than in the direction of the beach.

Maybe he hadn't seen anything… there would have been several of the commanders up on the deck that morning…

But an Aries unit had buzzed them. Someone had to have seen!

"Your behavior in the presence of your brother leads me to believe that there are other reasons for your enrollment at this facility than the rest of the cadets. The rest of the cadets, perhaps, but not my foster brother."

Here was this conversation again. Was Treize making some sort of a point?

She dared to turn her eyes to regard Treize's expression, but she found it unreadable. His eyes were far away from where they were truly standing, and his expression seemed fixed in one rife with sentimentality… or perhaps nostalgia. Lucrezia had seen that expression on his face before… in the limousine bringing them back from the transport.

Was the point Treize was making supposed to be about Zechs, or about herself… or did it have nothing whatsoever to do with the two of them? Was it something about someone that Treize remembered?

"A soldier cannot half-heartedly chose their path," Treize said. "Your friend Savoy will be leaving the Academy, much to everyone's disappointment, I am sure."

There was sarcasm in Treize's tone as he said it. Lucrezia… did not know how she truly felt about that particular turn of attendance. Savoy… was oftentimes unhelpful to her, more than that he was a countryman. They spoke the same language, or they could… and at times, when she had not expected it, he had been helpful or… just comforting. Smaller things than what she recalled of others, but…

The knowledge of his dismissal, as she was sure his withdrawal was a move to forego, made what good aspects of him she knew him to have much more poignant to her memory. Having known Antoni had a hand in placing Savoy at the Academy, it seemed… almost… as though he had been a suitor to her, in some manner. The dismissal was, then, more deeply to be considered than otherwise.

Giustino Savoy…

Was it Antoni dismissing him? Was it Savoy's withdrawal? Or was Treize having him removed? Whose hand was at work…?

"If you wish to tell him anything, you should say it this evening. He will be gone before the Aeries assessments tomorrow."

She did not think such a thing mattered… she had thought that revenge and duty alone filled her. Lucrezia had believed, or tried to believe, that such things were beneath her noticing… aside from her purpose. Affairs of the heart… the interlude with Zechs on the beach… they were distractions with no purpose to them.

Lucrezia snapped a salute to Treize.

It seemed her heart could be full of the one thing without being distracted from the other.

AC 192, August 5; 1800
Mess Hall
Lake Victoria Specials Academy
Northwestern Tanzania

Noin rejoined the unit for the midday meal, but she was quiet throughout it, and throughout the rest of the day. She was thinking, Zechs observed, about something that did not warrant large amounts of conversation. He wondered what it could be, but he had not been able to take the time to find her alone to ask her.

After dinner seemed to be the only time open to him to do so. He would have to catch her before they both felt the draw of their studies… though perhaps… this evening should be spent in rest before the morning's assessment. Through the lenses of his mask, he watched her across the table from where he was sitting. She was a few chairs over, having chosen to sit between two cadets Zechs himself did not know. The names on their jackets said Rufkhar and Doxsey.

Stangel sat beside Zechs himself, and the two were making moderate small talk… becoming better friends. Savoy sat on the other side of Zechs, across from Lucrezia. After being chastised for his outburst this morning, he, too, had been silent.

"You really aren't worried about tomorrow's assessment at all?" Stangel asked, looking towards Zechs with an incredulous expression on his face.

"Either I am adequately prepared for the assessment, or I am not. If the training has been sufficient, and I have paid proper attention to my instruction, there is no cause for alarm," Zechs said, setting his flatware across the top of his plate. The meal wasn't exciting. The mess hall food rarely was.

It simply reminded him why he appreciated the food whenever he was anywhere else. Military food was… unappetizing.

Savoy stood from his place, having similarly placed his flatware nearly ten minutes prior, and lifted his tray. Lucrezia was quick to follow. This caused Zechs to tilt his head slightly. It was an unaccustomed reaction on her part, to move to follow Savoy.

And his mask was not designed to catch someone's eye in, unless it was with the glare of light from it. He pressed his lips together, pondering that move as Lucrezia followed Savoy towards the tray return. "Lady Lu strikes again," a voice from across the table said.

Zechs returned his attention to the conversation at hand. Did one of the cadets notice the change of his expression? It was Doxsey who was speaking.

"Who'd she get this time?" Stangel asked with a conspiratorial grin on his lips.

Even being Lucrezia's friend, it seemed, did not exempt him from the uncharitable conversation about her. Zechs arched a brow that none of his peers could see. Doxsey thumbed over at Rufkahr, and the young man in question punched Doxsey in the arm.

"Now now, there are certainly worse examples of eye candy on base," Doxsey said in his own defense, rubbing his arm gently. "Lady Lu is quite accomplished… and very attractive, if you ask me."

"Did he?" Zechs asked.

The group that was talking all turned to look at Zechs with confused looks on their faces. Doxsey started to speak, but Stangel picked up on the point that Zechs was making. "Zechs has a point," he said with a guilty look at his plate, rubbing the back of his neck. "Noin's a good cadet, and a first rate pilot."

"She can be that and still be attractive." Rufkahr spoke.

Zechs pressed his lips together to keep from commenting about this. Despite what he'd said to Stangel, he was just as concerned as the rest of the unit about his performance in the morning. He was also tense… Lucrezia hadn't said a word to him since… almost since the previous assessment. He'd been taking it out on the simulators… but it wasn't necessarily the right way to go about training.

"Do you respect her as a comrade?" Zechs asked.

The voice that came out of his mouth was surprisingly cold, even to his own ears. It sounded dangerous…

Rufkahr turned in his direction, perhaps trying to look intimidating. Whatever look he attempted, it failed. It bounced off of Zechs as though there were mirrors hanging around his head, rather than a helmet on top of it.

"Of course," Rufkahr replied.

"Then admire someone else."

Zechs pushed his chair back and stood in a single, fluid motion. He collected his tray and slid the chair back under the table with his foot. The motion of it was so sharp that the wooden chair back made a snapping noise as it made contact with the table. He carried his tray to the tray return and headed back towards the barracks, not bothering to even try to overhear what was said in the wake of his departure.

The sun was going down, or had gone down and left the dusky twilight in its wake, he couldn't be entirely sure. He headed down the path to the barracks, and was surprised to find that the only two occupants of it were Savoy and Lucrezia, when he arrived. A frown cut the corners of his lips into his cheek as he saw them, and he was not entirely sure why.

From the doorway, he could see that something was being said… perhaps something important, between the two of them. And he felt… jealousy? Anger? An emotion was all he could say for certain. It flared up in his chest, and for a moment, he wanted to move forward and strike Savoy. And then, after that moment had passed on its way, he felt detachment settle into its place.

Lucrezia was standing near the window, saying nothing. Savoy was closing his dufflebag. Whatever had been said… whatever had happened, was over. Savoy shouldered his bag and headed for the door.

It was only then that he noticed Zechs had entered the barrack.

A smile of grudging respect crossed his features, and he dipped his head slightly to the helmeted blond. As he stepped past Zechs, he murmured, "Look after her."

The emotion, whichever it was, flared up in him again, and Zechs balled his hands into fists at his sides. This was irrational. This was stupid. Zechs chanted the two phrases in his head. He did not want this to happen.

The noise of the closing door brought Lucrezia's attention back to the present, it seemed, and she turned to look, finding Zechs in the doorway. "Zechs," she said softly, sounding surprised.

He stood still in the doorway, unsure whether he wanted to speak to her or not.

She did not give him a choice, crossing the room to him. She was silent for a moment before she reached out and put a hand on his arm.

What was this? He thought, pulling back. No communication and now…?

"I'm sorry," she said softly, gripping the sleeve of his duty jacket, not letting him pull back. "I should have… it wasn't right… not speaking to you like that."

"You're right," he said. His voice sounded cold again.

"Savoy's leaving," she said, and he thought perhaps his tone had kept her from saying something more personal. "Treize told me this afternoon, and I… wanted to tell him goodbye."

"Alone in the barracks?"

Lucrezia's eyes flashed at him when he said that, and she let go of the grip she had on his jacket. Something told him he should stop, but whatever emotion was flaring up in his chest prodded him more firmly to continue.

"Other cadets have withdrawn… did you meet them like this as well?"

He wasn't really looking at her, which was why he didn't see the shift in her shoulders as she punched him in the face. The force of her blow snapped his head to one side, and nearly knocked the helmet from his head. He took half a step backwards, trying to keep it on. His cheekbone smarted, and it felt like his eye was loose in the socket.

The emotion flaring in his chest died as soon as he brought his eyes to rest on her. Chest heaving angrily, there was a hurt look on her face. She didn't give him a chance to respond, once she knew their eyes had met, she pushed past him, heading out of the barracks.

Suddenly, Zechs felt horrible.