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Never cared for what they do
Never cared for what they know
But I know

Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don't just say
And nothing else matters.
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Two ice-blue eyes opened to welcoming darkness. The only light that he could sense was the warmth from a fire in the hearth, and from the warmth on his side he could feel that it was not far to his left. Zechs' eyes drank in his surroundings. It seemed like a home, but it was not. By the walls it looked as if it had been abandoned for some time, but his sheets were clean and the floor seemed moderately clean, as if someone had been making this their home for some time. He groaned loudly, remembering that he had been stabbed, but now he realized that he was alive. He sat up slightly, the loss of blood making his head spin in ways he never knew his sight could go. When he looked down, he found that he had no shirt on, but his stomach was well bandaged and he could smell the faint scent of herbs, and when he turned to his right, on the table next to the bed was a steaming cup of tea.

"Drink," said the woman, who had seemed to come from everywhere, and yet come from nowhere. "It will help to ease your pain and heal your wound."

"Why are you… helping me?" Zechs asked, his voice deep and husky due to his dry throat.

"Drink," was all Suzuka said again, and so he did.

The tea was good; it warmed his throat and stomach and seemed to rejuvenate him from the loss of blood. He had no shirt on, and since the wound was in the lower region of his abdomen, Suzuka had rolled the waistline of his pants so that it only stopped to cover the essentials.

"What… time is it?" He asked, after he had finished the tea and put it on the table.

"You have been sleeping for a day since your wound was fresh, it is 11:00 in the morning."

"A day?!" He was surprised - thoroughly. He had had such wounds before and was up on his feet within a few hours, doing what he could. Noin would be worried, no less sending out soldiers already to search for him. "I need to go."

"I have given you sedatives, you will not be able to go anywhere for some time."

"You WHAT?" His voice was louder, more angry.

Suzuka did not even look up to him as she took a sip of her tea, holding the cup with both hands that were shrouded in red gloves.

Despite himself, Zechs tried to rise, but found it to no avail as to move his lower body was like trying to move a mountain. He cursed at her and lied down again. "Once again. Why did you bandage me?"

"I had to stitch the wound, first. You were losing far too much blood to simply have a bandage. That is why you still have sedatives in your system."

"Hmm…" He ran his fingers over the bandage, feeling the faint hardness of the stitches underneath. "Thank you… But why?"

"You were going to give the book to me. In doing so, you meant peace and were about to die for a cause you did not know of. I could do nothing else."

"You live here?" Zechs asked.

"Sometimes. I have as long as I have been in this city. But I move from time to time."

He nodded, and it was then he noticed that his possessions were on the main table, such as his sword, his wallet, and his hidden gun. "Why did you search my pockets?"

"For your I.D., Zechs Merquise. I contacted your organization to inform them that you were safe and in good hands, and that I would return you to them in the morrow."

"They probably think you have captured me."

"No, I think not. Your woman friend was quite angry to know that you had been injured, and wished to come and retrieve you herself. It seems that you are quite popular. Are you the leader of this organization?"

"No."

"Then I shall not ask any further." She took another sip of her tea, with her eyes closed on her pale, yet calm face.

"Regardless of your word, they will be here soon."

"No they will not. In your delusion you spoke to your womanfriend and informed her that you were quite alright, and that I smelled of cherry blossoms and juniper before you fell asleep." Sip.

"I did not say that!"

"Ask her when you return. She was fuming after you had given the phone back." Sip.

"You sedated me! What was I supposed to say?"

"Would you like me to tell you what else you said?" Pour and sip.

"What."

"Besides the cherry blossoms and juniper, you as well said that I wore far too much clothing for being a woman as well-" She paused as she took a sip. "…Endowed, as you said. The only comment I liked was the one you made on my fighting style." She said all this calmly, as if she was discussing the weather outside.

This was one of the first and very last times Zechs would blush. He had a red line running on his face, with something of an angry look as he watched her take another sip of the tea. It seemed to be what calmed her, or what stopped her from saying more of the words he did not want to hear.

"I am very sorry…"

"Do not be." Sip. "You were delusional. But now the paralyzing effect of the sedatives should be wearing off, I have found a shirt for you to wear. Your boots, however, were filled with blood and I do not suppose you would like to wear them. But I have no other shoes that you can possibly wear so I suppose you will have to do without. I should return you to your place, you are better off."

He rose, finding his legs in good working order as he went to the chair. Neatly folded was a red, loose muscle shirt, that when he put it on fit well with the tan color of his pants. However, the cold touched his bare feet like needles. It seemed that the floor was made of long-eroded marble. He cared not, because he knew that he had to get back as quickly as possible. He looked to her, his eyes asking where he could find the exit.

Suzuka reached out her hand, and with the flick of her wrist, Zechs had only time to see the silver of a needle coming for him, before he felt a sting in his neck, then he fell unconscious.

When Zechs awoke, he was standing in front of the OZ compound, with Suzuka standing beside him with her boken held at her side. He had to wonder how he got here, it was as if he was awake the entire time, but yet he was trapped within his mind. "What did you do?"

"None of your concern. You are here, and this is where I leave you." She turned, and began to walk away.

"Wait! What is your name?"

"Suzuka," she replied. "Twilight Suzuka."

He nodded slowly, and then turned back to the compound, reaching his hand out to type in the code needed for his entry.

"It will be a shame to have to kill you." Zechs heard Suzuka say.

When he turned to see her, he saw nothing but an empty field.