Gundam Wing Style
Mizu-chan's Notes: Ta da! The fourth part! It's three years after the offer was made! This one was really rushed because I'm trying to get it done! And it's so hard for my fingers to keep pace with my mind! Hehe, enjoy!
"Hey.. hey.. did you hear? Colonel Lady Une testified that the POWs were still alive three years ago!"
"Three years? Not a good enough story. It's the 7th of December.. there are much better stories flying around. Take that old lady who tried to steal from the toy store." The elder man shook his head at the younger. "Not front page material."
"But.." The younger man twiddled his thumbs, looking away from his editor. He had been so excited when he had heard of the testimony. Sure it had been made a long ago but still..
"But still good to put in." The editor placed his hand on his assistants head. A warm smile spread over his face.
"Yes!" The assistant leaped into the air, joy spilling over his face. The story was going to be in the Alliance Times newspaper!
COLONEL LADY UNE TESTIFIES 0107 AND 1116 ARE STILL HOLDING AT LEAST 50-60 LIVE POWs!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Did you see today's newspaper, Relena?" Milliardo shoved the article under his sisters nose as she solemnly nodded.
"W.. why don't we just get the POWs? There's no more secret.." Relena sighed.
"The newspaper hasn't created that big of a stir. Lady Une is fired. She has reasons to lie." Milliardo grinned, crumpling the paper before tossing it nonchalantly into the fireplace.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Damnit.. we're running out of ideas for articles." The red-haired man cursed as he flung a batch of papers across the room.
His younger assistant creeped over to him. "Sir, do you remember that article we posted last year? The one about Lady Une's testimony?"
"Yes.. what of it, Tat?"
"It's the 28th of June.. no more old ladies stealing toys."
"You want to post it again?"
Tat nodded towards his editor. His lips twitched into a smile.
"Front page?"
"Yes.. front page."
COLONEL LADY UNE TESTIFIES 0107 AND 1116 ARE STILL HOLDING AT LEAST 50-60 LIVE POWs!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We've made a really big mess, Milliardo.." Relena rubbed at her temples, wanting so badly to cry.
"Indeed. We have.." Milliardo read the front page over and over again. Was this newspaper ever going to give up? "But it's too embarrassing now. Just keep denying it.."
"But.. Milliardo.." Relena's hands shook.
"Just deny it!"
"Yes, Milliardo.." She lowered her head, as soft tears splattered down onto the newspaper.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Noin slipped into the newspaper office, glancing around nervously. The woman slithered up to what appeared to be a worker. Clearing her throat, she poked the man gently on the shoulder, causing him to turn around staring at her quizzically.
"Hello, I'm Lt. Noin.." It felt funny to call herself Lt. again. She hadn't done so in such a long time. One war hadn't been enough for her to move up and she had just forgotten to add it all the time. "The Alliance Times.. you saw their articles, right?"
The man didn't answer for a second. He thought about what articles she meant until suddenly it clicked. She was a lieutenant after all. "The ones about Colonel Lady Une?"
"Yes, after it was pasted on the front page it created quite a stir. Well.." Noin looked down. It had taken her this long to gather the courage to go against the Peacecraft Dorlian family. But she couldn't deny she hadn't heard the phone call with Heero that night so long ago. "I can also testify." She slowly hung her head down. It was over. Milliardo would never forgive her now but she had to do what she felt was right.
"Oh, really? Come into my office. We'll discuss this."
LIEUTENANT NOIN BACKS UP LADY UNE SAYING 'LIVE ALLIANCE POWs REMAIN IN 0107 AND 1116'!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"How could you, Noin?!" Milliardo stared down at his wife, his face turning an odd shade of red.
"I had to! It's our friends over there!" Noin pleaded with him, her eyes brimming with tears. He had no right... no right at all!
"Milliardo.. please.. why can't we just admit our mistake and regain the POWs?" Relena poised the same question as before. She rubbed her temples, her eyes closed as though she were in pain.
"It's too big of a mistake! It would be too embarrassing!" Milliardo whirled on his sister but seeing she was not looking whirled back to his wife.
"We'd get over it!" Relena's eyes flashed open as she glared to her brother.
"They'd knock us out of power! If we don't admit it, there is still going to be one hint of doubt in the peoples mind!"
"But.. we're in anarchy. Relena is just a messenger. Isn't she?" Noin blinked a couple times, glancing between brother and sister.
"Oh, shut up, Noin." It was Relena this time. She rolled her eyes at her "naive" sister-in-law before standing up. "I'm going out." Without even letting her brother do the usual questions, Relena slid out the door. Once more she flew out without even bothering to care about what she left behind. Isn't it funny how naive birds always fly into the glass panes?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Relena! Relena!"
The Vice Foreign Minister blinked, glancing to the blonde woman who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Just as security moved in to remove the woman, who had attached herself to Relena's arm, the former princess realized who it was.
"Charlene! Is that really you?" Relena, trying to be polite, shoved the woman from her under the guise of getting a better look at her. Indeed it was. It was Charlene, an old friend from St. Gabriel's.
"Yes, it's me. Relena, could I speak to you in private?" Charlene motioned towards the guards who still seemed abit uneasy.
"Oh, of course! Be gone!" Relena made a shooing motion with her hands and the guards obediently left. Heero.. Heero wouldn't have left though. Shuddering from the thought, Relena then turned back to her former friend. "What is it you wanted to speak with me about?"
"My husband." Charlene's face looked grave as she fixed her gaze upon the cold marble floor.
Relena grabbed her friends hand. "Oh, what of him? He doesn't beat you does he? Shall I tell Milliardo?!"
"Oh, no. It is nothing of that sort." Charlene glanced back up at her friend, tears brimming into her eyes. "He's a POW."
"Oh.." Relena nodded her head. "I'm sorry.. did you attend the memorial service?"
"No.. I know he is not dead. He.. he has called me several times."
"Wha... what? Oh, Charlene, I believe this grief has tipped you over the edge!" Relena giggled, trying to relieve the tension. But all the giggle did was serve as a memory trigger. She always giggled when she was in school. It was so easy. All she ever worried about were boys and schoolwork and both could be giggled at. When had she stopped giggling?
Charlene didn't giggle alongside her friend. "I know he's alive."
'Oh Brother, where do I go from here?' Relena wondered silently. But the answer was already with her. She trusted Charlene and there was nothing that would change that. Plus, she just had to tell someone. It would help. "You're right, Charlene. But there is no way I could get him out for you. The colonies are.. well, they are unwilling."
"Well, then you'll just have to make them willing."
The wicked, demonic grin on Charlene's heart shaped face took Relena completely by surprise. She backed up a few steps, getting as far away from that expression as she could. No.. it couldn't be. When.. when the giggles stopped.. the world became crueler.
"You better get him back or I'll tell the newspapers. How would that look, Relena? You just confessed! You confessed!" Charlene laughed her head off.
"Stop it. Stop laughing." When Charlene didn't obey her command, Relena slung a fist towards the woman forcing her to be silent. Charlene toppled to the ground, her cheek turning into an instant bruise as she blinked, letting the situation sink it. "You have nothing on me, you little wench! No one will believe a jealous, tainted woman like yourself! No one!"
"Oh yeah?" Charlene lifted up her shirt, revealing a recording device. The laughter restarted. "I'm always one step ahead of you! I was always ahead of you, even in school! Now, release my husband!" Charlene got back onto her feet, that grin staying. "Just because someone fell in love with me and not with you doesn't mean you have to be immature about it. Just because you're unappealing and no one loves you.. doesn't mean you have to be jealous! So jealous you'd keep all the husbands locked up!"
"What.. what are you talking about?!"
"Just release him, Relena. I have the tape."
"Follow me..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"And so we have to get him back.." Relena finished her story with a sigh. She tossed the remnants of a napkin to the floor and continued her pacing. Charlene remained sitting in a wooden chair, a satisfied smirk plastered to her face.
"All right, I see. And what was his name, Charlene?" Milliardo stared at the woman, masking the anger.
"Meteo Sabog."
Milliardo nodded, picking up the phone. His finger reluctantly dialed out the numbers as his eyes remained glued to Charlene and the tape she held tightly in her hands. The voice that flew into his ear the moment the phone was picked up on the other line caused him to rip his gaze away. "Hello, this is Milliardo Peacecraft. Yes.. I'm Relena's brother. Yes, I would like to speak to you about a POW. No no, just one. His name is Meteo Sabog. Yes, I'll hold."
END OF PART FOUR
Mizu-chan's Notes: Well, whadaya'll think? Charlene.. well, she is supposed to be the blonde girl from Relena's school. I dunno if they ever mentioned her name. But anyways! Really quick I'm going to clear up the years. I finally decided how old I wanted the pilots to be in the beginning.
War Time~ They were 19 so the year was 199. Eight years A.K.A. 207 A.K.A. Year Lady Une saw them makes them all 27. Three mores years, their 30 (Right? I'm bad at math..) and now one more year. Happy 31st birthday! Yay! Hope that wasn't confusing at all! I'm probably going to edit the first parts to add that into it. But right now I'm just trying to get this baby finished! Thanks so much for reading this and for all the nice reviews! I love you all!