6stories2 i really don't know why i continued this story...boredom perhaps? anyway, i spent a lot of time on this, kinda. but uh...nothing weird happens, just how milliardo meets noin and all that stuff.
Disclaimer: GW belongs to the Sotsu Agency, not me. i only wrote the story, nothing else.

The Girl With Purple Hair

"So the then you label the parabola here, that should be a seven, not a one. So just put y=x2+4x-12 along the line or right next to it and don't forget…" the teacher rambled on about math.

Milliardo copied down the notes diligently, but he was bored. He stared out the window, at the leaves falling down and the birds resting on the branches. The sky was blue and clear of clouds with the sun at its zenith. He felt a breeze pass him, but the windows were closed. He looked to the other side and at the front where the teacher was. One of the students had gone up to answer the question on the board. He was sure it was a new student, he was there for almost seven years and practically knew everyone.

"Very good, Lucrezia. Just label the axis's next time." The teacher corrected it for her. "You may sit down now." She passed by Milliardo on her way back. Milliardo turned his head to see that she sat in the next row and four seats away. "Tonight, read the next chapter and do all the questions at the end. Class dismissed."

The classroom cleared out and headed towards the cafeteria. Milliardo sat with his friends but kept an eye on Lucrezia. He saw that she sat by herself and sympathized for he also knew the feeling.

"Hey guys, who's that girl over there?" Milliardo pointed to Lucrezia.

Everyone turned to see. "Oh her. She's some new transfer student from some place in Italy I think. She's been here for a few months, not very sociable. I heard she's a good pilot, but I have yet to see that for myself." One answered.

"Why? You like her or something?" The boy sitting next to Milliardo leaned towards him and nudged him with his elbow.

Milliardo pushed him away and answer hastily, "No, I just noticed her today in class. I didn't know who she was, so I'm just asking. Nothing wrong in that."

"He's probably gonna go befriend her." One started to say to another.

"Yeah, he's always so friendly to everyone and wants everyone to be his friend." The other responded.

"So I'm friendly! I don't want everyone to be alone or something." Milliardo defended himself. "Here, I'll go talk to her now." He got up and walked towards her empty table. "Hi, I'm Milliardo Peacecraft."

She looked up for a minute and back down at the book she was reading. "Hello."

He was taken back at the cold greeting but he wouldn't give up. "Mind if I sit here?" He started to pull out the chair across from her.

"No." She didn't bother to look up this time.

"So, what's your name?" Milliardo felt uncomfortable with the way she was handling the situation.

She stopped and examined his face. Milliardo didn't have much of an expression on but he didn't make a face when she looked at him. "Lucrezia Noin, but I'd rather be called Noin."

"I see. You like to be alone?" Milliardo stopped his sentence because he didn't want to sound too nosy, but it was too late. Either way, she didn't seem to mind to question.

"It makes no large difference to me. If I'm alone, I'm alone. I'm not going to make a big effort not to be. But like everyone else, I'd rather be with someone." She didn't look up and kept on reading.

"I'll be your friend then, if you don't mind." She let out a sigh as if she was annoyed.

"Go ahead."

Milliardo tried to keep her company when he could and make her less antisocial. It was hard and grueling work, but he noticed it was working, little by little. He found out she had a love for nature and found her reading outside under the shade of a tree once.

"So why are you doing this?" Noin asked him once outside and under the same tree.

"Doing what?" Milliardo stared at the sky. They were alone and a little far from the buildings.

"Keeping me company. I mean, you could be with your friends right now." Noin's book was on her lap and closed for once.

"Because I don't want you to be lonely." Milliardo started to look at other things. Most of the leaves had fallen already and gave them a nice cushiony feel but with bugs everywhere. But since this is in an anime, there are no bugs!

"Lonely? I doubt you would have noticed me if I hadn't gone up to the board that day in math." Noin closed her eyes and had a content feeling in her. "I might have been antisocial and quiet, but I observe."

"Hmph. Maybe, maybe not."

"Why me? There are so many people here, so why are you staying with me?"

Milliardo looked at her. Her eyes were still closed and they both leaned against the rough tree bark. He never did pay attention to the way she looked and he stared at her as if for the first time seeing her. Her hair was fine and had a purple tint to it. She kept it all to one side so it tended to cover part of her face and most of her large forehead. Her eyelashes brushed against the top of her pale cheeks.

"You're not gonna answer me?" Noin still didn't open her eyes. Milliardo was caught a bit off guard.

"What? Oh right. Well, I guess because I know the feeling of being alone like that. Everyone else has at least one friend, but you didn't seem to have anyone. It was the same with me the first time I was here, but then I got to be more sociable." Milliardo stared into space as he said this. A calm breeze pasted by that brushed some of him hair into his face. He started to grow it longer and was already at his shoulders.

"So exactly why are you here, Milliardo Peacecraft?" He didn't bother to ask what she meant since it was explained by mentioning his name.

"Trieze asked me to join. I wasn't supposed to, but people change. I was thinking about changing my name, but I don't know to what." Milliardo shifted uneasily because of the acorns he was sitting on. They were silent for a moment until Noin spoke up.

"How about… Zechs Merquise?" She opened her eyes and looked at him. Milliardo said the name over and over again.

"It has a nice ring to it. All right then! Tomorrow, or when I have time, I'll go change it to Zechs Merquise!" He seemed overly enthusiastic about it. She didn't seem to find anything enthusiastic about the name. The moment was interrupted by an announcement made.

"All students report to the mobile suit battle grounds at 1500 hours."

Milliardo looked at his watch to check the time. "1500 hours, huh? Well, there's still an hour left." Noin started to stand up and brush debris off her uniform. "You wanna walk there and kill an hour?" She shrugged and started to walk, no bothering to wait for him.

They took one of the more deserted routes there. They passed by a few people, but not as many as they usually would. "So why did you join the Academy?" Milliardo asked. Noin kept silent, as if he hadn't said anything at all. He was about to ask it again until she opened her mouth.

"Why? Well, I heard the Academy trained people to go into outer space and fight or research up there. That's why I wanted to join, I want to be one of those people going to space. Ever since I was little, I always liked to look at the stars," she looked up at the sky, "and imagine what it would be like to be out there.. To be away from earth, from all the fighting and wars and competition. I don't like wars." She looked down at the path.

Millardo smiled at how much she revealed. "You don't like wars? But the Academy is more of a place for fighting then going out to space. You coulda joined some research team that goes out to space of become an engineer and built space colonies. You're just learning how to fight here."

Noin gave it a moments thought. "But if I fight, it could end the fighting earlier. I'm not saying I'm a good pilot, but one more person on the battlefield could make a difference."

At the mobile suit battle grounds, all the students stood in the field while one of the captains were talking on a podium in front.

"Starting next week," the captain was practically shouting into the microphone, "we will be having our annual mobile suit tournament. It is mandatory to enter unless you can give us a good reason why not. A GOOD reason! Not a 'I-can't-play-in-gym-today-and-my-mommy-wrote-a-note-for-me' reason! Got it?!" The soldiers responded with a very serious 'yes sir.' The captain continued with the details of the battle ending with the classical 'any questions' question.

The next week, all the students assembled by their mobile suits and waited for instructions. Different students went to different battle grounds and multiple combats occurred at once. In one day, all soldiers have fought in one battle at least. And for the next 5 days, Noin and Milliardo have beat everyone of their opponents. The 6th day was the last day of the tournament. The semi-finalists would battle to determine the finalists who would then battle to declare the best pilot.

"Lets see who I'm fight against now." Milliardo was in his Leo, waiting for his opponent. Those that were fighting weren't allowed to find out who they were fight against until they were defeated. The other Leo came up in front of him and waited for the captain to commence the fight.

Noin was patiently waiting in her Leo. "Never thought I would make it this far. I wonder who I'm fighting. Stupid people, won't let us find out until we lose ..but if did find out, we might be kinder in our fighting." The sound of the captain's voice filled the cockpit of everyone's Leo since even those that lost were told to stay in their Leos to prevent injuries and give them a better view of the fight.

"All fighters! Get ready to begin!" The sound of the buzzer bell thing that you hear at the Olympics swimming in real life. The battles began along with the cheering that the fighters didn't hear.

Milliardo charged at the other Leo and tried to slash off its left arm, but it was blocked easily enough. He quickly slid his beam saber down the side to slice off its legs, but the other started to go for his shoulder.

Noin charged in and pushed her opponent away with her elbow while trying to cut off part of its arm but she got grazed by the other beam saber. She was only able to damage the shield.

Milliardo backed away from his opponent and immediately started to run forward. The battle was pretty much a tie until he caught the Leo off guard. The Leo's severed arm fell to the ground while Milliardo proceeded to attack further. He knocked the beam saber out and cornered it with his saber at its neck. The captain's voice declared victory for Milliardo.

"Hey Noin! Noin!" Milliardo was running towards the skinny Italian. She turned around. "Did you win?" She shook her head. "Oh, well you made it pretty far."

"The person I was fighting against just kept attacking, gosh, doesn't know when to stop!" Noin complained. Milliardo laughed and headed back towards his suit at the sound of the captain's voice.

"Wish me luck, kay?!" Milliardo called back. Noin only smiled. She looked down at the paper she was handed a moment before. It had all the competitions and the names. She looked at where she lost and saw who she fought against.

"Hmph, he just doesn't know when to stop." Noin pocketed the paper and climbed into her Leo.
***
what did you think? good? yeah, the ending isn't that great, but i didn't want to expand on it. thanx for reading, review if you'd like, etc. ja