I Am
By Mystical Star
A Kitty-Chan Production

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 08th MS Team, but I do own Ro, Micah, Marina, Gavin, and Captio. Thank you. And please leave a review and tell me what ya think. Arigatou!

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Chapter Two ~ Love, War, and Espionage

Ro was jarred awake to the sound of a shout from her parent's room. Her first thought was that there was someone in her parent's bedroom that shouldn't be, and her father had awoken to see him. She was about to run to the phone and call the police when she heard her mother's voice.

"Shiro, what is it?"

"It's nothingjust stupid dreams again,"

"About that pilot?"

"Yeah,"

"Shiro, she - "

"I shouldn't have done it, Aina, you should have seen the look on her face. I took her life"

"Shiro,"

Rosaline could hear the sound of her father holding back sobs, something that she'd only heard once before when they'd been separated at a fair for nearly a day. Shiro had thought that she'd been kidnapped.

"I should go check on Ro, I probably woke her up," Her father said, shaking off the tears. Rosaline flopped back down onto her bed and pulled the covers close to her head, turning away from the door so her father wouldn't be suspicious that she was awake.

Shiro came into his daughter's room. His heart softened when he saw her there, supposedly sleeping. Thankful that it appeared that he had not awoken her, Shiro kissed his daughter on the cheek and then went back to bed.

Rosaline was very confused. Dad killed someone? No, he couldn't have, buthe said it himselfMaybe it was a big misunderstanding. She thought. The young girl shook off her thoughts and tried to sleep. Even though she tried, sleep did not come until an hour or so later, after she had made at least three excuses for her father killing someone.

The next morning

Ro yawned as she took her geometry book out of her messenger bag and exchanged it for her history book at her locker. She suddenly felt as though someone had her eyes on her and she turned to see Captio Sahalin standing behind her. Ro jumped.

"Captio!" She exclaimed, surprised.

"Hey," He said smoothly in his deep voice. He said it so suavely that it made Ro nervous. Captio smiled smugly as he pushed her locker door open more so he could observe the pictures tacked on the inside of the door.

"Is this your mom?" He asked.

"Y – yes,"

"Her name's Aina, isn't it?"

"Why do you care?"

"I want to know more about you,"

"That's over, Captio. You know I don't have feelings for you,"

"What if I still have feelings for you?"

"Then deal with it." Ro said coldly. Somehow, she had always known that the only thing that Captio had wanted was her body. But today he wanted something else.

"That's not very nice,"

"I'm not a nice person to people who try to rape me," She hissed. "Don't think I haven't forgotten that, and if you don't leave me alone I'll go tell someone this time so help me," Ro warned. Captio smirked.

"Whatever you say," He said, backing away from her. Ro watched Captio until he had turned the corner to go to his first hour class before she slammed her locker door shut. Now, someone else was behind her, she could feel it. She turned to see Marina.

"Hey," Ro said, smiling.

"I thought you said not to talk to Captio," Marina said, giggling.

"Trust me, it's something I'd rather not have to do. He just came up to me and started talking to me like we were going out or something. It made me really nervous," Ro sighed.

"Do you think he's stalking you or something?"

"Nah, I told him I'd rat on him for harassing me if he didn't stop bothering me. I think he'll stop,"

"That's good," Marina said

The warning bell rang, calling the students to their classes.

"Well, see you later," Ro said as she began to walk to her history class.

"Okay, see you!" Marina waved as the two went their separate ways.

In class, Mrs. Bersina was beginning to talk about the incident at Mount St. Keiran. However interesting this was to her, Ro was so tired from her lack of sleep that she drifted off.

Suddenly, she heard a voice.

This is so boring, one said.

I wonder if I'd get detention for faking a seizure? Another voice mused. Ro snapped awake and looked around her. Mrs. Bersina was still lecturing on St. Keiran and everybody was still pretending to listen.

I must be hallucinating...Ro decided. Now awake and attentive, she listened to Mrs. Bersina and took notes over the lecture until the bell rang. After class, Rosaline was about to head to her physics class, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Hey, Ro,"

It was Gavin. The blue haired girl spun around and tried not to blush.

"Hi Gavin,"

"Our practice is tonight at my place, are you going to come?"

"Um, sure, what time?" Ro stuttered as the two rounded the corner towards the science department.

"Four, can you come?"

"Yeah, but I've never seen the music, I might not help a lot,"

"Oh, crap, I left that at home. Oh well, I know you can get it, it's pretty elementary," Gavin said as he and Ro made their way through the crowded hall. "You're a great violinist, this isn't anything you can't do,"

The blue-haired girl blushed profusely. "Thanks,"

"Hey, well, I have to get going. See you after class?" Gavin asked, starting to head towards the English department.

"Yeah! See you!" Ro said, waving before she headed to physics, her heart beating a million miles a minute. So far, Ro had spent almost three hours in school - the rest had all been spent in space dreaming dreams.

After School

Gavin found Rosaline at her locker, stuffing her books into her messenger bag while trying to keep her violin case propped against the locker next to her.

"You ready?" He asked as he neared her.

"Yup. Just one thing, none of the band smokes, do they? My parents will flip if I come home smelling like contraband." Rosaline said as she picked up her violin and slammed her locker shut. Gavin laughed.

"Nah, and we're practicing at my house anyway. My mom hates the stuff - she's a doctor. I've heard so many threats that if I come home smelling like smoke I'll be roasted alive in the oven. She even made my dad quit." Gavin explained. Ro laughed as the two began to walk out towards the school parking lot. Having already consulted her parents on the idea of going to a friends house to play for a band, she had the afternoon with Gavin - worry and Captio free. Just as she thought all of her troubles were out the window, none other than the talk, dark, young man appeared in front of she and Gavin, scaring her to death.

"Where are you going?" Captio asked, looking down on Ro with a malicious smile. Gavin gave Captio a confused look, and then shot Ro an even more puzzled one. The blue-haired girl looked up at the harrasser and shot him an icy look before quickening her pace.

"Come on, I just want to know -"

"Go away," Ro snapped, not looking back.

"Hey, man, I think you should back off," Gavin warned. Captio smirked.

"I just want to ask her a question,"

"Leave her alone. She obviously doesn't feel like talking to you," Gavin said. Captio sighed and reached out to touch Ro's shoulder. Gavin knocked his arm out of the way.

"Did you hear me?" Gavin demanded. Ro turned around, now concerned for Gavin, who had his fist poised for battle. Captio chuckled.

"Hit me," The aggressor said nonchalantly, as if he was amused.

"I won't hesitate," Gavin said.

"Gavin, stop this," Rosaline said, taking his fist in her hand. She felt his muscles relax at her touch, a surprising action to the young girl.

"Ro, he's -"

"Let's just go,"

Gavin looked at Captio and then at Ro and then lowered his fist and sighed.

"Leave her alone," He warned Captio, who smirked and turned away. Gavin shook his head and continued to lead Ro to his old red truck in the parking lot.

"What's he following you around for?" Gavin finally asked.

"I tried to be nice to him once. He ended up trying to rape me and I beat him up so I could escape. I told him if he ever tried anything again I wouldn't hesitate to make him sterile and then turn him in. So far he's stayed away, but something's changed. He doesn't want me anymorehe wants something else,"

"How can you tell?"

"Just something about him.I don't get the same feeling like I used to when I see him,"

Gavin raised an eyebrow as they reached his truck, but he didn't argue. After tossing his backpack into his truck's bed, he turned to Ro.

"Listen, if that guy ever lays a hand on you, let me know. I'll set him straight," Gavin said, looking her straight in the eye.

"I can take care of myself,"

Gavin looked frazzled as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Crazy women-folk," He muttered. Rosaline laughed.

"What?"

"Just something my dad says when my mom gets mad at him for something," Gavin chuckled, waving the thought away with his hand. "Well, if you can take care of yourself, at least humor me and take this," he said, taking a chain from around his neck and put it over her head. After it was on her, Ro lifted the charm and examined it. There was an engraving of a shield with a dove on it, wrapped in a banner that had forgein words on it.

"Amor et Protectus?" She asked.

"It means Love and Protection in Latin. I don't want to see you get hurt, Ro. If I can't be there in person, at least let me be there in spirit,"

Rosaline was humbled by his words. She looked up into his eyes and saw the concern for her.

"Gavin, thank you," she whispered.

After a few moments of silence, Gavin sighed and said, "Well, we'd better get going,"

Ro nodded and opened the passenger side door to the old red truck while Gavin got in on the drivers side. The two sped off towards his house in silence.

Meanwhile

Captio extracted a key from his jeans pocket and shoved it in the lock. He turned the lock until it clicked, and he walked in. The house was dark and quiet, meaning his mother was still at work. He strolled to his room and plopped down in the chair at his computer desk, turned on the computer, and waited for it to boot up. As he was waiting for his computer to awaken, he thought about his run-in with Ro in the parking lot. He smirked.

"Stupid. That's what they are." He said, chuckling. The computer screen flashed at him, signaling the end of the boot-up. The malicious young man clicked the mouse over an icon that read "Zeon Files". Information streamed across the screen, all about information recorded in the One-Year-War. He pulled up the file on the Apsalus and began his research. After a few minutes of skimming, he came across some information about the man who destroyed the Apsalus and his mobile suit team. Captio raised an eyebrow and smiled darkly.

"So, their parents know each other. Interesting," He chuckled.

"Perhaps mother would fancy a little reunion for the Kojima Battalion 08th Mobile Suit Team to witness the rebirth of Zeon,"

To Be Continued

Next Time: A week after chapter two, Ro has written off the idea of her father's involvment and Mt. St. Keiran and is working on a possible relationship with Gavin when they go out on their first date. Unfortunatly, Captio has something else up his sleeve for their first date and Marina and Micah find out. Things get interesting in Chapter Three: Black, Tangled Hearts