_.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:.
Conversion.
Software Version 7.0.
Looking at life through the eyes of a tire hub.
Eating seeds as a past time activity.
The toxicity of our city… Of our city.
_.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:.
Zechs' slender fingers punched in the code needed for him to enter. Immediately upon entry, about five soldiers came running, recognizing the code that only Zechs used.
"Colonel Zechs!" They shouted, each one of them standing to attention. Zechs waved one hand, weakly.
"Where is Noin?"
"This way, Sir." The soldier to the far left replied sharply, and then proceeded to lead him to the med bay.
Noin was tending to a fallen soldier, but her head immediately shot up when she heard a single footprint into the room. When she turned, she saw Zechs, weary looking, but seeming alright.
"Oh, Zechs!" She ran to him, about to place her arms around him when she noticed the other soldier. It would have seemed unprofessional, and so the soldier bowed his head and left in a hurry. As soon as the door closed behind him, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his chest. "I was so worried…"
"You know I am always alright," he replied sincerely, as he rubbed her back.
They stayed like this for some time, with Noin within his arms for comfort, and he with his eyes closed. The wound was painful, especially with her pressure on it, but he paid it no heed, until she did. The front of her uniform was white, and when she finally released him she noticed a circle of blood on her uniform, as well as a darker, more crimson circle on his shirt.
"Zechs!" She had genuine worry in her eyes, which was something that he admired about her. Loyalty.
"I'm… fine." He said, as he went to sit down on one of the beds.
"What happened to you?" Noin went to his side, taking off his shirt to examine the bandages. But she did not examine for long, because she ripped off the blood-stained cloth, and took the herbs away from the re-opened wound. It was not a sight for those with weak stomachs, the stitches had seemed to loosen, and so the skin was open in the breaks of the stitches, where the blood stayed collected, while some streamed down both sides of his abdomen. "Doctor!" She yelled.
The doctor, accompanied by the nurse, came running. Noin backed away to let them do their work. Zechs, however, was unfazed. He had been through worse, and the interior of the wound had already healed, so it was merely the skin and about a centimeter below. The doctor's hands were skilled, but nothing like the beautiful assassin's were. After he had finished, he had restitched the wound, then looked to Zechs in an expression of question.
"This looks like it was a stab wound."
"It was," came Zech's husky voice.
"It looks deep."
"It was."
"Well, let me get to the point here, Mr. Merquise. You could not have stitched and bandaged yourself."
"I didn't."
"Then who did?"
"Does it matter?"
The doctor went silent, giving a very skeptical look to the Lightning Count. They stayed like this for some time until Noin decided to intervene.
"The main thing is that he is alive, I think that should be enough."
Zechs closed his eyes for a moment, with his head very slightly bowed to Noin as if a silent 'thank you' for her understanding comment. The doctor looked to her, then back to Zechs, before he walked out the door.
Zechs rose from the bed, returning the red muscle shirt on his body. Noin opened her mouth to ask where he got it from, but he raised his hand to stop her question. "A gift."
It was then that the intelligent Lightning Count remembered that he had left his wallet, his sword, and his hidden gun in Suzuka's house. But he knew that it was already too late to retrieve them, and so he asked Noin to meet him for dinner later, before he retired to his chamber. He did receive a surprise, though, a surprise that almost caused him to raise the alarm. Almost.
There, lying on his bed was his possessions that he had left at Suzuka's house, along with a lit candle on the nightstand, and a note in front of it, where white wax was slowly beginning to drip on it. He grabbed the note away from the candle before the wax burnt away the lettering, where in fine calligraphy was written:
To Colonel Zechs Merquise of the Organization of the Zodiac,
I have returned your belongings so that you may have them with you for identification. By the hour of seven I will expect to meet you outside the gates, in which my contract states that you must be eliminated. However, if you do not meet me outside of the walls of your compound and decide to run like a coward, I will seek you out and kill you anyway. It is not only my contract, but it is my pride. I suggest that you get everything in order before you come. I will say that it was a pleasure to meet you, and that it will be a shame.
Suzuka.
"Suzuka…" He whispered silently as he put the note to the flame, allowing the letter and paper to fall into the hunger of the flame. He could not take any chances of Noin finding out his whereabouts. In truth, he had no grasp over anything anymore. It seemed apparent that his death would come with the twilight, but he could not think of anything to prevent it. Did he have a chance if he tried to fight her? Did he have a chance if he tried to reason with her? He knew she had a heart within the rough exterior, but she was a contract killer. Did he really stand a chance against her sword?
Zechs was broken from his thoughts when the flame licked his fingers, and it was then he set the remnants of the paper down on the glass table.
'Who are you?
I only can fight with my dream concealed.
Far Off Dawn…'
He was dressing into his full uniform when Noin knocked, then came into his room. She bore a soft smile when she saw him.
"You did not have to get so dressed up, Zechs…"
"I am sorry, Noin." He said as he fastened the buttons on his uniform, then the belt with his fencing sword. "I must cancel our appointment tonight."
"Where do you have to go?"
"Somewhere." He walked to the door. It was 6:50.
"Zechs!" She yelled aloud, as she blocked the doorway. "Please, tell me. I need to know!"
He looked down to her, her eyes were glistening with the tears he knew. She wanted him to be hers, more than any deep desire, far surpassing hate, anger, or pride. Deep within her, she knew that the small hope was lost, but she still pressed herself to hope.
"Noin. Please—" The Lightning Count was cut from his sentence when he felt something warm against his lips, moist and wanting. He felt his eyes slip closed almost involuntarily – she had kissed him. It was a sweet sensation, one that made a shiver run up his spine and warmth come to his body. When he opened his eyes, however, the clock told him. It was 6:55.
Gently, he put his hands on her shoulders to break the kiss enough to give him space to take a step back. Noin kept her eyes down and away from him, with a fierce blush upon her cheeks.
But he said nothing as he walked past her, moving towards the main compound gate after leaving the chambers.
It was 6:58, and a woman shrouded in the shadows waited for her exact time.
Conversion.
Software Version 7.0.
Looking at life through the eyes of a tire hub.
Eating seeds as a past time activity.
The toxicity of our city… Of our city.
_.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:._.:.
Zechs' slender fingers punched in the code needed for him to enter. Immediately upon entry, about five soldiers came running, recognizing the code that only Zechs used.
"Colonel Zechs!" They shouted, each one of them standing to attention. Zechs waved one hand, weakly.
"Where is Noin?"
"This way, Sir." The soldier to the far left replied sharply, and then proceeded to lead him to the med bay.
Noin was tending to a fallen soldier, but her head immediately shot up when she heard a single footprint into the room. When she turned, she saw Zechs, weary looking, but seeming alright.
"Oh, Zechs!" She ran to him, about to place her arms around him when she noticed the other soldier. It would have seemed unprofessional, and so the soldier bowed his head and left in a hurry. As soon as the door closed behind him, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his chest. "I was so worried…"
"You know I am always alright," he replied sincerely, as he rubbed her back.
They stayed like this for some time, with Noin within his arms for comfort, and he with his eyes closed. The wound was painful, especially with her pressure on it, but he paid it no heed, until she did. The front of her uniform was white, and when she finally released him she noticed a circle of blood on her uniform, as well as a darker, more crimson circle on his shirt.
"Zechs!" She had genuine worry in her eyes, which was something that he admired about her. Loyalty.
"I'm… fine." He said, as he went to sit down on one of the beds.
"What happened to you?" Noin went to his side, taking off his shirt to examine the bandages. But she did not examine for long, because she ripped off the blood-stained cloth, and took the herbs away from the re-opened wound. It was not a sight for those with weak stomachs, the stitches had seemed to loosen, and so the skin was open in the breaks of the stitches, where the blood stayed collected, while some streamed down both sides of his abdomen. "Doctor!" She yelled.
The doctor, accompanied by the nurse, came running. Noin backed away to let them do their work. Zechs, however, was unfazed. He had been through worse, and the interior of the wound had already healed, so it was merely the skin and about a centimeter below. The doctor's hands were skilled, but nothing like the beautiful assassin's were. After he had finished, he had restitched the wound, then looked to Zechs in an expression of question.
"This looks like it was a stab wound."
"It was," came Zech's husky voice.
"It looks deep."
"It was."
"Well, let me get to the point here, Mr. Merquise. You could not have stitched and bandaged yourself."
"I didn't."
"Then who did?"
"Does it matter?"
The doctor went silent, giving a very skeptical look to the Lightning Count. They stayed like this for some time until Noin decided to intervene.
"The main thing is that he is alive, I think that should be enough."
Zechs closed his eyes for a moment, with his head very slightly bowed to Noin as if a silent 'thank you' for her understanding comment. The doctor looked to her, then back to Zechs, before he walked out the door.
Zechs rose from the bed, returning the red muscle shirt on his body. Noin opened her mouth to ask where he got it from, but he raised his hand to stop her question. "A gift."
It was then that the intelligent Lightning Count remembered that he had left his wallet, his sword, and his hidden gun in Suzuka's house. But he knew that it was already too late to retrieve them, and so he asked Noin to meet him for dinner later, before he retired to his chamber. He did receive a surprise, though, a surprise that almost caused him to raise the alarm. Almost.
There, lying on his bed was his possessions that he had left at Suzuka's house, along with a lit candle on the nightstand, and a note in front of it, where white wax was slowly beginning to drip on it. He grabbed the note away from the candle before the wax burnt away the lettering, where in fine calligraphy was written:
To Colonel Zechs Merquise of the Organization of the Zodiac,
I have returned your belongings so that you may have them with you for identification. By the hour of seven I will expect to meet you outside the gates, in which my contract states that you must be eliminated. However, if you do not meet me outside of the walls of your compound and decide to run like a coward, I will seek you out and kill you anyway. It is not only my contract, but it is my pride. I suggest that you get everything in order before you come. I will say that it was a pleasure to meet you, and that it will be a shame.
Suzuka.
"Suzuka…" He whispered silently as he put the note to the flame, allowing the letter and paper to fall into the hunger of the flame. He could not take any chances of Noin finding out his whereabouts. In truth, he had no grasp over anything anymore. It seemed apparent that his death would come with the twilight, but he could not think of anything to prevent it. Did he have a chance if he tried to fight her? Did he have a chance if he tried to reason with her? He knew she had a heart within the rough exterior, but she was a contract killer. Did he really stand a chance against her sword?
Zechs was broken from his thoughts when the flame licked his fingers, and it was then he set the remnants of the paper down on the glass table.
'Who are you?
I only can fight with my dream concealed.
Far Off Dawn…'
He was dressing into his full uniform when Noin knocked, then came into his room. She bore a soft smile when she saw him.
"You did not have to get so dressed up, Zechs…"
"I am sorry, Noin." He said as he fastened the buttons on his uniform, then the belt with his fencing sword. "I must cancel our appointment tonight."
"Where do you have to go?"
"Somewhere." He walked to the door. It was 6:50.
"Zechs!" She yelled aloud, as she blocked the doorway. "Please, tell me. I need to know!"
He looked down to her, her eyes were glistening with the tears he knew. She wanted him to be hers, more than any deep desire, far surpassing hate, anger, or pride. Deep within her, she knew that the small hope was lost, but she still pressed herself to hope.
"Noin. Please—" The Lightning Count was cut from his sentence when he felt something warm against his lips, moist and wanting. He felt his eyes slip closed almost involuntarily – she had kissed him. It was a sweet sensation, one that made a shiver run up his spine and warmth come to his body. When he opened his eyes, however, the clock told him. It was 6:55.
Gently, he put his hands on her shoulders to break the kiss enough to give him space to take a step back. Noin kept her eyes down and away from him, with a fierce blush upon her cheeks.
But he said nothing as he walked past her, moving towards the main compound gate after leaving the chambers.
It was 6:58, and a woman shrouded in the shadows waited for her exact time.
