DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN GUNDAM WING, IF I DID I'D BE RICH AND ON A BEACH IN HAWAII (All so this'd be in Japanese)

Chapter 1- Short changed

The loud and angry clamor rose from the kitchen and Lucrezia Noin slammed down pots and pans in a fit of rage. She was surprised that her stove had held up under the months of abuse she that had dealt it in this very manner. Six months! Half a year had gone by and not a word from Zech, she thought bitterly. She had thought that maybe.after the war.he would.she hurriedly clamped a lid on that thought, no need to think something hopeful.

After the Mariemeia incident she had rented a small cabin in a remote northern remote region of Canada, made sure he could find her and settled down to wait for him. She had deluded herself, saying that he probably want to visit Relena first and then this battle field or that until finally it boiled down to one truth: he either wasn't coming to see her or she was about the last on his list, either choice stung.

She ripped open refrigerator and violently pulled the unsuspecting cheese from its resting-place and began rubbing it roughly up and down against the cheese grater. Her thumb caught on one of the wholes ripping the skin away from it. She yelped and instinctively stuck it in her mouth as if to protect it from any further attacks by the inanimate object. She slumped down against the kitchen cabinets and began to sob. She rocked back and forth slamming into the doors behind her so hard it was a miracle they didn't break. The blood which was still running from her injured finger was filling her mouth, the irony sweet taste mixing with the salt from the tears that she licked from her lips.

Long after her body had used up all the water it was willing to expend for tears she continued rocking, but finally around midnight she got to her feet. Her legs were cramped from disuse and pins and needles shot up them as she stood. No wonder Zech hasn't visited, he probably thinks I'm weak she thought in uncalled for self-disgust. The blood from her thumb had stopped but the wound hadn't clotted so she wrapped a bandage around it. She pulled her shirt over her head and surveyed the damage inflicted on her back, bruises ranging anywhere from black to a light purple marred her ivory skin where she had slammed back into the handle of the cabinet.

The rest of her clothes followed as she ran herself a bath and filled the hot water with enough fragrant soap to drown out almost any trouble. But even as she slipped into the warm and gentle hug of the water she was discontent, her body while more relaxed then it had been all day still carried an undertone of tension. Only when her head started to pound from dehydration did she immerge from her bath, towel off, re-clothe and fall into bed.

"Did I not pay a big enough price for you Zech?" She asked the enveloping darkness, but she knew no answer would be returned.

Shameful tears pricked her eyes and spilled onto her pillow and it was hours later when exhaustion dragged her into fitful sleep.

(AN: Well what did you think? More review = more story)