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Gundam Wing is property of Sotsu Agency, Bandai Studios, and TV Asahi. Sainan no Kekka and all original characters and plot copyright 2000 by Quicksilver and Gerald Tarrant. Please ask permission before reposting. SAINAN NO KEKKA
MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD
"Battle formation Alpha!" Noin pulled back on the lever of the Aries, letting the gears adjust, then backed into formation, making sure she had enough room on either side to swing her gun in the clear, if she had to. Zechs' mobile suit was visible over the top of the fence, from the other side of the mobile suit yard where Group B was practicing maneuvers. She had purposely assigned him as commander of B, just so she wouldn't have to listen to his voice on the comm. She had been avoiding him. It was never a conscious decision on her part to slip into doorways when she saw him coming, or to turn her head away when she saw him looking at her, or forwarding his emails to someone else to answer when he did have a question. There was something inside her that just could not bear to talk to him. She was not angry at him. It was…she didn't know what it was. It made her angry. She was commander, and she was always in control. Zechs, no matter how hard he tried to disguise it, was an independent cadet. He always had been, and it didn't feel right for him to always be on her back about how she was running the wing. They might still be children, but she had enough of the self-control of an adult to know when she was being deliberately led along. And she would not be. Not by Zechs. The alarm on the top of the fence blared for sparring maneuvers to begin, and she held her breath as the remote-controlled gate on the far side opened to let Group B into the yard. This was partner sparring, and she already knew who her partner would be. Zechs' mobile suit was identifiable by the uneven patch of red near one shoulder, and she watched as he glided to a stop smoothly in front of her. The comm clicked on. "Shall we begin, ma'am?" he said. She didn't bother to reply, simply switched on her simulation controls and lowered the lens in front of her eyes, then leapt to one side as she saw the simulated laser blast headed her way. "Dammit!" she hissed into the comm, and she heard him laugh. "Situational awareness, commander." "Damn," she swore again, under her breath, and launched a series of shots his way, but he agilely dodged them. The floor of the arena was unpaved, and the dust kicked up by the moving feet of the mobile suits slowly drifted in front of her vision. She reached over and keyed the infrared sensor just as a beep signaled that she had been hit in the shoulder. She checked the readout. Five percent damage. It wasn't bad. "You won't get away with this, Merquise!" she spat, launching another wave, which he again dodged. He was so good. It wasn't fair. "Sorry, commander." "You-!" she began, lunging forward, at the same time realizing that somehow she had overbalanced, and was unable to stop her fall. "Noin!" She saw the ground coming up at her and wrenched the simulation glasses away from her face, rendering everything back into full color. The sand was pale yellow-silver, the color of his hair. There was no time to think. She jammed the emergency thruster control and the machine gave a whine, responded, just as something clamped onto her, pushing her back. Zechs. The Aries shuddered as it regained its upright position, and she could see all the other mobile suits in the yard stopped, watching. Great. This would go down well on her record. A face flashed on the screen. Silver helmet. Blond hair. "Noin, are you all right?" "Yes," she said curtly, pushing her hair back on her face. Keying the multi-channel frequency, she spoke into the comm. "Exercises are over. Return your suits to the flightline. Remember to do powerdown before you shut down systems." Zechs met her on the flightline coming down from the egress hatch. She didn't speak a word as she jumped down beside him, folding the ladder and pushing it away. "You all right?" he said. "I'm fine, Merquise," she said. "What do you want?" He was silent for a minute. "Why are you avoiding me, Noin?" She blinked at him. "Me?" "Don't look so innocent, commander." His tone was stinging. "You've been avoiding me and I want to know why." "I don't-" She tried to brush past him, but strong hands caught her shoulders. "I'm sorry…if I've done something wrong." That stopped her in her tracks. Zechs…apologizing? Zechs never apologized. To anyone. "It's…all right," she said cautiously, unsure of what to say. What could she say now? She wasn't even sure why she was avoiding him, herself, much less give him a reason. "Listen," he said quietly. "I…I'll stop messing in your business. You're the commander. I thought I was helping…but obviously I wasn't. If I'm doing something to make you uncomfortable, just tell me." "I do," she began, and was startled when he laid one finger on her lips. "I know. I've been stupid." The finger went away and he bowed slightly, watching her. "Forgive me." Her lips tingled where his finger had been, and she felt uncomfortable under his gaze. "I…all right." "But if you ever need my help…" he trailed off, and there was that secretive smile under the silver mask. "Let me know." "Zechs?" He was turning away from her, then stopped. "You know," he said wonderingly. "That's the first time you've ever called me by my first name." "Zechs," she said again, not sure why she did so, but when he turned back she could see he was smiling. "What?" "I-" she took a breath. "Thank you. For today, I mean." He bowed again. "My pleasure." "Though I could have done it on my own!" she yelled at his retreating back, uncomfortable with the something that had just passed between them. What was it? She wasn't sure it had a name. She touched the metal of the Aries again, pressing her palm into the metal, touching her lips with her other hand. That something… There was no use worrying about it. She tucked her helmet under her arm and headed for the hangar. She needed to log in her hours before she returned to quarters, and return her flightsuit…and maybe Zechs would be there. That made her feel a little better.
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