[bleeding repetitiously]





Zechs was more careful this time. He woke her up periodically, made sure she ate and drank, even though he almost felt like he was wasting their precious food supply. After the pondered it over a bit more, though, he changed his mind. To keep her alive wasn't a waste. Saving her was something that made him feel something he hadn't felt in a long time. happiness, almost. He didn't know that soon the tables would be turned.

She'd asked him how his wrist was at one point. Truthfully, he'd forgotten about it since then. But now, when his mind was on it, it started to throb and ache in the cold.

But before he knew it, dark fell, and the weariness of the past days fell on his shoulders. He closed his eyes, and in seconds, he was asleep.

~*~

The heavy crunch of boots on snow, the loud voices of many men, and the flickering of flashlights shining through the trees woke Zechs with a start. Light flashed through a gap in the wall, and illuminated Noin's sleeping face.

"Hey, look over here!" a voice called, and Zechs froze. They were coming closer. He moved closer to Noin, trying to wake her up, get her to move. He pulled his hood over his face. There were some people he didn't want to see him.

They approached, shined their lights on him, signaled to their others. "We've found them!" a man yelled loudly, and Zechs flinched at it after the previous silence he had endured. The light continued to shine in his eyes. The man crept closer. Behind him, Noin stirred.

"Zechs?" she mumbled, trying to lift herself up. "What's. . ."

"Shhh." he said, reaching behind her and groping for her hand. When he found it, he took it in his own, and looked up at the men bearing down on them.

"Hello, sir. Would you like a cup of tea?" one of the men said, and the others roared in laughter. "We've made the mistake of discovering who you really are, you see, and we were wondering if you'd like the pleasure of warm drinks before we take you captive and imprison you in the middle of nowhere for a few decades."

"Or until you die." Someone interrupted. The men continued to laugh.

"Go to hell." Noin rasped weakly, but loud enough so they all could hear it.

"Aye, little girl, that may be your wish, but I've got different plans."

Noin didn't reply, but her eyes closed, and Zechs felt her hand go limp in his own.

"Come here, boy." The man reached out towards him. Zechs knocked his hand away. The man just laughed. "That's the way it's going to be, is it, now?" he declared. "Well, then, we'll just have to go about this the hard way." He reached forward again, but this time his hand wasn't knocked away as easily. Zechs moved away, pushing the man into a crumbling wall. This, of course, angered him, and he lashed back, striking Zechs in the chest. He stumbled backwards, but then attacked again, and the gruff soldier fell again.

This, in turn, angered the rest of the men, who pounced upon Zechs like a pack of starving lions, throwing themselves at him vigorously. Zechs fought back as best he could, but even the best is sometimes not enough. It wasn't long before a fist buried itself in his chest.

It all went downhill after that.