Disclaimer:
All Gundam Wing characters belong to Sotsu Agency Sunrise and Bandai. I do own this little
fanfic though.
The tall blond man detected the warning in the Chinese's phrase. He smirked and pulled Noin to him. "I'm never in your way, Wufei. As for Noin.. You're ok with me here, aren't you?" The latter part of his sentence was directed to Noin, who was embarrassed by his sudden gesture.
Everyone except those in the conspiracy was shocked by his action. Duo immediately stepped forward and snatched Noin away from Zechs. "You're already bothering him, Zechs." He winked at Noin, who returned him a grateful smile.
The Prince pretended not to notice other people's reactions and shrugged. "I was just being friendly."
"Why aren't you being friendly with me?" Duo said sarcastically.
"I've known you for too long to have the kind of fun, Duo." Zechs joked.
"Oh, whatever." Duo hugged the petit girl beside her. "At least I have Hilde to be friendly with."
Pargen observed the situation and sighed to himself. He didn't know what came to Zechs, but he hoped everything would turn out alright. "Well, let's move on with our schedule for today then." The old butler announced.
Throughout the day's activities, Zechs could always be found in the vicinity of Noin. Whenever he needed to tell her something, he would whisper it in her ear; whenever he needed someone to do something for him, he would call on Noin and patted her hand after she's done; whenever Noin emerged into his view, no matter what he was doing, he would let his gaze follow her. All these were done before the eyes of the candidates and Pargen of course, in order to convince them of his 'unusual preference'.
However, whenever Zechs wrapped his arm around Noin's shoulder or tried to do more, or even flirt with her, he would always found his Chinese friend growling at him and interfering. He was surprised to see Wufei being this protective over someone, and this only provoked his interest and curiosity in Noin. Near the end of the day, Zechs was stunned at the feeling he had toward the dark-haired guard. At one point, he even felt angry when Wufei called Noin away from him and took 'him' aside to converse in a low tone. Surely it couldn't be jealousy...?
The more Zechs learned about Noin, the more fascinated he was by her. He couldn't help it, but his attention would turn to her when she was nearby. Since he was bounded by her rules of conduct and could not really do anything to her, he approached her in another way and tried to please her with his witty comments and smart talks. His heart leapt at seeing her beautiful and unreserved smiles.
While a transformation was slowly taking place in Zechs' heart, another heart was also getting trapped in confusing and tangled feelings. Noin did this to help Zechs get his freedom at first, but as the day passed by, she became more aware of his presence around her, his little gestures, his smiles, his everything. She was rather strict with him at the beginning and went by the rules she gave him, but she was starting to see an image of the radiant man called Zechs Merquise being imprinted on her heart. She tried to resist those feelings, but she was finding Zechs' company rather enjoyable.
All these did not escape the observation of everyone in the lodge, as it was supposed to be staged thus. Some thought the Prince was just having some fun with the new guard, since he liked to make friends with people. Some were suspicious at his actions and attitudes toward Noin, but kept the doubts to themselves. Hilde, Duo, Heero, Dorothy and Pargen were of the latter type; Relena and Catherine were of the former type. Sylvia Noventa, on the other hand, took the situation in as Zechs had hoped people would, but with a twist. She realized that her biggest competitor was not any of the candidate girls, but the deep blue-eyed guard named Noin.
After a day of busy timetable, a delicious dinner was served, and people were ready to retire for the night. It was then the faithful Pargen asked His Highness which room would he like for the duration of his stay at the lodge.
"If it's possible, I'd like to stay in Noin's room." Zechs said casually, as if saying he would like to have a glass of water.
"WHAT?!" was the immediate response from everyone. Wufei, Duo, and Hilde were especially opposed at the idea. Things were getting out of control, and the atmosphere was tense.
"Hm." Noin started quietly after a long silence, every set of eyes were turned on her. "If His Highness so desires, he can take my room." Before anyone could utter a word, she held up her hand and continued. "Being a guard, I don't use my room very often anyway. If I really need a room, I can share with one of the guards."
"Yeah, you can share with me!" Duo quickly offered.
"Alright, then it's settled." Pargen wiped off the cold sweats on his forehead and announced, and everyone released their breath.
"Well, we're taking the first shift, so I guess we better get going." Wufei said, signalling Noin to go outside with him.
"Oh, wait!" Hilde suddenly called out and rushed into her room. She re-emerged thirty seconds later with two black hooded capes. "Take these, it's pouring outside."
Those who knew recognized the capes as Duo's. He was always possessive over his stuff, but he did not make any objection when Hilde offered the garments. Heero narrowed his eyes but said nothing.
"Thank you." Noin politely accepted the cape.
"I don't need it." Wufei snorted. "I am not that weak."
Before Hilde could say anything, a hand reached out to take the cape from her hand and thrusted it into Wufei's hands. Wufei was going to retort at this, but he was met with Sally's clear blue eyes when he looked up.
"Wufei, please." Sally decided to play the 'weakling' for the moment. "If you get sick or catch a cold, who is going to protect us?"
Wufei glared at the woman in front of him, then he reluctantly put on the cape while mumbling something under his breath. He walked out the building followed by Noin.
"That was fine acting, Sally." Hilde giggled.
The medical woman grinned. "He can't stand it if you play soft with him."
The group dispersed and retired to their own rooms, each with a thought of their own. While the sensitive Heero was wondering about the relationship and connection between Duo and Noin, Zechs was having a hard time willing himself to sleep. He was a little annoyed that Noin would share a room with another guard, but she wouldn't share the room with him. It's not like he'd do anything to her. After all, they were both 'men', right? Then why was it that he was having these sensations and feelings he had never experienced before? He couldn't really be attracted to a man, could he? He was a normal man, like everyone else, right? He suddenly found that he was not certain of the answer.
Outside in the pouring shower, Wufei commented to Noin. "You are too soft, and Zechs is taking advantage of your softness. I can't be around you all day to keep him away, so you have to stand up and protect yourself. Tonight was a close call. I can't believe he even requested to stay in your room!" He was still angry that a lady's honour was almost compromised.
"It's ok, Wufei." Noin calmed the furious warrior down. "I think he got the message when I declined to share a room with him."
"Now you don't even have a room thanks to him." He pointed out.
"Oh, I can stay in Duo's room. We have different shifts so it won't be a problem."
"Shouldn't you tell him of the conspiracy first? He may be suspicious, since he does use his brain occasionally."
Noin nodded. "I'll tell him when we go back in."
"Make sure he keeps his mouth shut after hearing it. Your sacrifices would be wasted if the candidates learn of the truth." Wufei warned.
"Yeah." Noin agreed.
The night passed by without any further incidents, though not very many people had a good night's sleep. Duo and Heero returned to the building at seven in the morning, and another team of security guards went out for the day shift. Duo took a short nap on the couch in the lobby before other people got up, since Noin was sleeping in his room. By nine-thirty, a wholesome breakfast was served, and everyone was ready for the day's activities.
The fourth day of the conference had one of the most exciting event scheduled, a ball. A number of guests were invited for the occasion, including members of the Sanc Court. The candidates would be evaluated by their manners and how they interact with other court members and royalties. All ladies were required to wear a nightgown, while the men were to wear Victorian court coats. Everyone was busy preparing for the big event through the day. The ladies had maids helping them with their hair and make-ups, as well as adjustments to their dresses and other accessories.
Other then the guests, the four bride candidates and, of course, the Prince and the two Princesses, were to attend the ball. Duo was invited because he was also royalty, being a Baron of the Luce Kingdom. Heero, Wufei, and Noin would have been able to skip the ball while keeping guard outside, but Prince Miliardo asked that they attend it too, and ordered the court coats be brought to them. Not at all willing, the three obeyed the order of the future King of Sanc.
"Can I come in, Noin?" Duo asked after knocking on the door.
"Yup, come on in." Noin answered from within.
Duo opened the door and entered his room, only to find a handsome and charming Noin standing in front of the mirror in a dark blue coat. "Hey, you are almost as good looking as I am!" He smirked. "That sure beats wearing a gown."
"I just hope no one recognizes me tonight." Noin frowned slightly. "Pargen said there will be some courtiers from Sanc here."
"Don't worry, no one is going to suspect you. I look more like a girl with the braid." Duo winked. "Besides, you never appeared before anyone outside Luce formally, the Sanc people won't be able to notice the connection."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Noin smiled.
"Hey, Noin, can you do me a favour?" Duo asked.
"What is it?"
"I am attending the ball as Baron Duo Acrezia Eclair, so I won't be able to stay with Hilde all the time. Can you keep her company while I do these boring but mandatory talk with the courtiers?"
"Sure." Noin grinned. She knew Duo was possessive over Hilde, and he would not let any man near her without his consent.
Another knock on the door revealed Wufei in the same coat as Noin's. "You guys ready? It's almost time." He was very troubled by the fact that by wearing the coat, he was obliged to dance with every lady present at the ball at least once. Him, the great warrior, dancing with all these weaklings?
Duo tried to hold his laughter. "Come on, Wufei, it's not that bad. You get to dance with my Hilde!" Possessive as he was, he knew his friend well enough to know that Wufei would not touch his girl, and he was ok with that.
"Whatever." Wufei grunted, leading Noin and Duo out to the ballroom.
The big and elegantly decorated ballroom was already busy with people. Prince Miliardo was the brightest man in the room with his cascade of platinum blond hair and extreme good look. Princess Relena wore a mid-cut red silk gown and had her hair curled up. Princess Hilde wore a silver dress with sapphire necklace and earrings to match with Duo's white and dark blue coat. Sylvia Noventa wore a aquamarine gown in an attempt to match the colour of the Prince's coat. Catherine Bloom wore a light pink sleeveless dress and a pair of white gloves. Sally Po was wearing a mid-cut sable dress that showed a bit of her creamy shoulder. Dorothy Catalonia wore a bright orange gown with a matching scarf. Heero was wearing the same coat as Wufei and Noin.
Sally spotted the three and approached them with a smile on her face. "Ready for the big night?"
The three gave her a "Not really" look. Surprisingly, Wufei, out of the three, spoke. "You look good in that dress."
The other three blinked at first, not sure if they had heard right, then Sally beamed. "Thank you, Wufei. You are not bad yourself."
Duo and Noin exchanged a glance with each other and smiled. Before they could say anything to the pair, the grandfather wall clock called out seven times to announce the start of the ball. Sighing, Duo and Sally left their friends and joined the group that clustered at the centre of the room. Every royalty and courtier was introduced formally, then the four bride candidates. Heero sticked with his fellow guards Wufei and Noin while observing the scene. Neither of them wanted to dance, but their natural grace and handsome appearance soon attracted the guest ladies' attentions.
After Prince Miliardo danced with his two sisters, the ball had officially begun.
