[little.pieces.of.the.nothing.]







It took Zechs a long time to wake up. When he finally did, he immediately tried to sit up, but was pushed gently back down by Noin. Even the slight pressure of her fingers on his skin made pain ripple through him. He didn't need to move for the world to swim before his eyes, and his disoriented and pained mind felt as if it was being repeatedly struck with a hammer.

The face looming worriedly above him slowly came into focus.

"Noin?" He said, though it came out more like a whisper.

She smiled at him. "Hi. Are you feeling all right?"

He didn't answer her, just closed his eyes.

"Zechs?"

"What happened?" He asked.

"They broke you." Noin simply stated. "And threw you in here."

He opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling. "What's this?" One hand lightly tugged on one of the bandages that tightly bound his skin.

"Bed sheets."

"They gave you bed sheets.? They gave me a cold, dark room." he didn't finish the sentence, just closed his eyes again.

"They said we're too important to waste. They didn't want me to die. They don't want you to die either. We possess useful information."

Her to die.? He looked at her. Her skin was pale. Much, much paler than usual. There were bags under her eyes. bags the darkest shades they could be. And she was thinner than she had been. She was still beautiful, though.

"What did they do to you?" He asked, yearning to touch her.

"Nothing worse than what they did to you." She pointed out, and shifted her weight.

He was on the bed, he suddenly realized. She kneeled on the floor next to him, so that her face was closer to his. Her lips turned slightly upward in a smile, then her eyes closed, and she drifted.

And she fell asleep.

And he studied her face. He wanted to look at it more, look at it longer, but his eyelids drooped too.

And he fell asleep.