A Different Side
SariaSubi: Sorry I was in such a writer's block, minna-san! With all these other fics I'm putting up, it's hard to maintain my first and most original one. I put the second interruption up. I think it's so cool, the suspense. Suspense is my thing, I guess. I also have school, so it's also hard with the finals coming up. Just to tell the complete setting, it is the summer of A.C 197, just in case I didn't tell that (I can't remember!). Trowa and Quatre (and the rest of the Gundam pilots) are seventeen, while Alex and friends are sixteen.
Chapter 3
Camp time at Pierce was nearing into the beginning of August. Trowa and Quatre found that Noz was trying to take in as many people as they could. Soon, more than half of their age group were training to be Noz soldiers.
They figured that, since when Oz found out that they were around fifteen when they were Gundam pilots, Noz was taking in people of the same age. Noz seemed to be some sort of military and acted as an Army. The United States accepted it and let it become the main army of the country. Countries in Europe were soon doing the same thing, welcoming the change. One day, when Alex invited herself over to the boys' house, as the news came on, a Noz speaker told the world that Noz was a new form of stronger and more firm military that would change military action to the appeal and protection of the world.
"Bullshit," Alex spat.
"Why?" Quatre looked at her.
She gave him a leveled look. "Have you noticed that the only people in our age group at camp are the people who are extremely weak and my friends and I? Firmer military? The whole world will be enlisted in this Noz soon enough." Trowa and Quatre quite enjoyed her cooking, so she was over more often, and she usually told what she knew about Noz. She said that GG was thinking of joining Noz, but her parents would "let her go off to die." GG didn't want to join Noz because everyone else was, she said. She just wanted to know how to pilot a Leo. All that Alex really told was that Noz was a military system. A dumb and stupid military, but just one that was power hungry. But Trowa and Quatre still felt that Noz sounded too much like the evilness of Oz.
~~~~~a few days later~~~~~
By the time a huge moving truck that took up the whole block arrived in front of Alex's house, Quatre was in his living room, playing his violin beautifully. He let the sound encase his soul, enrapture him, as he felt himself drifting in the music. Anyone nearby would have been as well, but no one would be able to hear through the sound of the truck. He was slightly perturbed as the sound interrupted him.
He stepped outside. Trowa was probably checking for notice from Heero or the others or sleeping. Quatre's eyes fell upon a huge truck driving away. The driver, he could barely see to the side mirror, seemed familiar, but the picture wasn't clear. His attention turned to Alex, who was standing before an identical truck to the one that just drove away. He decided to go over to her and ask her what was going on.
"Huh? Quatre?"
"Alex, are you moving?"
She sighed and touched the side of the truck, looking up at her house. "Yes. I'm going to miss this house, miss calling it the Bloomfield residence. But I've got to move. I mean, it really isn't the Bloomfield home anymore, anyways, because my parents are long dead."
"I'm sorry," he lowered his head. He about her parents for a long time, but he couldn't help but feel remorse. His parents were dead as well. "Where are you moving?"
She stopped. All of a sudden, she turned to him, her expression changing rapidly. Quatre thought he saw Heero in her eyes. "I can't tell you," she said without emotion, as if she wanted to push him away. "It's, uh, business."
"Oh," he felt the tension. "Okay."
She looked into his eyes, seeing his persistence fading. "Sorry." There was an awkward silence. "But I'm glad I met you Quatre." He looked up into a hopeful smile. "Trowa as well. Just wish I could see the guy smile more." She shrugged and looked up.
Quatre watched her look at the sky. "Will I ever see you again?"
Alex eyed him from the corner of her eye. "We all will cross paths again, Quatre. I know it." She paused and took a step towards the truck. "When ya least expect it."
She climbed into the truck, looking out from the driver's window. She warned Quatre, "Tell Trowa not to follow me." His eyes widened, but she only let out a small laugh. "He has been suspecting me for the past few days. I really don't know what for," she seemed calm, almost like Duo, "but I don't want him to sneak into my personal business. See ya." The disturbing sound of the truck filled Quatre's ears again as the truck drove away, the sound of it becoming softer and softer.
"So she knows. Her instincts are better and sharper than I thought. Smarter, too. I'll have to be more careful next time with my suspicions." Quatre turned to the soft voice and looked at Trowa.
"Trowa, why didn't you tell me?"
Trowa gave a sigh and shrugged. "Wouldn't the suspicion be on us if both of us looked questioning? I know her behavior would change if she sensed both of us being suspicious. She was only acting a little different because she sensed my curiosity, but remained regular when you were present."
"I don't understand. I thought she was a friend of ours."
He eyed Quatre cautiously, not sure if her wanted top explain the rest. But he had already said to much, and what was he doing mistrusting his best friend? He decided to continue. "Who knows if she is? I saw something a few days ago. It was late, and you were asleep, but I saw something strange."
Quatre leaned forward. "Trowa, tell me, please!"
"Quatre, those trucks you saw couldn't possibly be carrying furniture." Quatre's eyes widened, but Trowa expected as much. "A few days ago, some charity and furniture store salesmen came over and looked at her house. They took a lot of furniture out. Those two trucks......even if they did carry furniture, you could fit that entire house's contents into half of one of those giants. Why need two?" Quatre saw it was a rhetorical question, and let Trowa continue. "Of all that was taken, only a few small things like a computer, television, etcetera, were left. And the driver in the first truck-no doubt in was Anshi Shuukaku." Quatre remembered. The small girl among Alex's friends. "She looked like she was ignoring Alex, however, which is unusual. You yourself know that every time the others come over, Anshi is the only one who doesn't seem to ignore Alex. But when those three have been over lately, they all grew more serious as this as this day drew nearer. And, call me spying, I never saw them in any regular rooms in that house. Only a room that seemed to have a computer. I know that's not that suspicious, it could just be Alex's room, but everything else is. Didn't you notice. Our GUNDAMS could fit in those trucks. Or any MSs like them."
We will cross paths again, Quatre.
He thought over her last words. Sooner than you think.
But what could she have been doing? What really was in the truck? He looked to where she had smiled goodbye.
"Well, no use standing outside. I'm going in. You coming? Quatre?" Quatre blinked and turned around.
"Yeah, sure," flashing a reassuring smile. As he walked back to the house, he had the strange feeling again. Why did it come up every time he thought of her? He shrugged it away. He would sleep on it and rethink this all in the morning.
~~~~meanwhile~~~~
A gigantic truck arrived in a forest that seemed distant from civilization. By the time it arrived, it was long past dark. The driver stepped out, looking up to the sky, birds flying out of the trees.
"Man, this place brings back horrible memories."
"Hey, you," a stern voice called to her. "Get over here."
"I know you all don't want to be here," she started.
"Shut up and get over here."
SariaSubi: Sorry I was in such a writer's block, minna-san! With all these other fics I'm putting up, it's hard to maintain my first and most original one. I put the second interruption up. I think it's so cool, the suspense. Suspense is my thing, I guess. I also have school, so it's also hard with the finals coming up. Just to tell the complete setting, it is the summer of A.C 197, just in case I didn't tell that (I can't remember!). Trowa and Quatre (and the rest of the Gundam pilots) are seventeen, while Alex and friends are sixteen.
Chapter 3
Camp time at Pierce was nearing into the beginning of August. Trowa and Quatre found that Noz was trying to take in as many people as they could. Soon, more than half of their age group were training to be Noz soldiers.
They figured that, since when Oz found out that they were around fifteen when they were Gundam pilots, Noz was taking in people of the same age. Noz seemed to be some sort of military and acted as an Army. The United States accepted it and let it become the main army of the country. Countries in Europe were soon doing the same thing, welcoming the change. One day, when Alex invited herself over to the boys' house, as the news came on, a Noz speaker told the world that Noz was a new form of stronger and more firm military that would change military action to the appeal and protection of the world.
"Bullshit," Alex spat.
"Why?" Quatre looked at her.
She gave him a leveled look. "Have you noticed that the only people in our age group at camp are the people who are extremely weak and my friends and I? Firmer military? The whole world will be enlisted in this Noz soon enough." Trowa and Quatre quite enjoyed her cooking, so she was over more often, and she usually told what she knew about Noz. She said that GG was thinking of joining Noz, but her parents would "let her go off to die." GG didn't want to join Noz because everyone else was, she said. She just wanted to know how to pilot a Leo. All that Alex really told was that Noz was a military system. A dumb and stupid military, but just one that was power hungry. But Trowa and Quatre still felt that Noz sounded too much like the evilness of Oz.
~~~~~a few days later~~~~~
By the time a huge moving truck that took up the whole block arrived in front of Alex's house, Quatre was in his living room, playing his violin beautifully. He let the sound encase his soul, enrapture him, as he felt himself drifting in the music. Anyone nearby would have been as well, but no one would be able to hear through the sound of the truck. He was slightly perturbed as the sound interrupted him.
He stepped outside. Trowa was probably checking for notice from Heero or the others or sleeping. Quatre's eyes fell upon a huge truck driving away. The driver, he could barely see to the side mirror, seemed familiar, but the picture wasn't clear. His attention turned to Alex, who was standing before an identical truck to the one that just drove away. He decided to go over to her and ask her what was going on.
"Huh? Quatre?"
"Alex, are you moving?"
She sighed and touched the side of the truck, looking up at her house. "Yes. I'm going to miss this house, miss calling it the Bloomfield residence. But I've got to move. I mean, it really isn't the Bloomfield home anymore, anyways, because my parents are long dead."
"I'm sorry," he lowered his head. He about her parents for a long time, but he couldn't help but feel remorse. His parents were dead as well. "Where are you moving?"
She stopped. All of a sudden, she turned to him, her expression changing rapidly. Quatre thought he saw Heero in her eyes. "I can't tell you," she said without emotion, as if she wanted to push him away. "It's, uh, business."
"Oh," he felt the tension. "Okay."
She looked into his eyes, seeing his persistence fading. "Sorry." There was an awkward silence. "But I'm glad I met you Quatre." He looked up into a hopeful smile. "Trowa as well. Just wish I could see the guy smile more." She shrugged and looked up.
Quatre watched her look at the sky. "Will I ever see you again?"
Alex eyed him from the corner of her eye. "We all will cross paths again, Quatre. I know it." She paused and took a step towards the truck. "When ya least expect it."
She climbed into the truck, looking out from the driver's window. She warned Quatre, "Tell Trowa not to follow me." His eyes widened, but she only let out a small laugh. "He has been suspecting me for the past few days. I really don't know what for," she seemed calm, almost like Duo, "but I don't want him to sneak into my personal business. See ya." The disturbing sound of the truck filled Quatre's ears again as the truck drove away, the sound of it becoming softer and softer.
"So she knows. Her instincts are better and sharper than I thought. Smarter, too. I'll have to be more careful next time with my suspicions." Quatre turned to the soft voice and looked at Trowa.
"Trowa, why didn't you tell me?"
Trowa gave a sigh and shrugged. "Wouldn't the suspicion be on us if both of us looked questioning? I know her behavior would change if she sensed both of us being suspicious. She was only acting a little different because she sensed my curiosity, but remained regular when you were present."
"I don't understand. I thought she was a friend of ours."
He eyed Quatre cautiously, not sure if her wanted top explain the rest. But he had already said to much, and what was he doing mistrusting his best friend? He decided to continue. "Who knows if she is? I saw something a few days ago. It was late, and you were asleep, but I saw something strange."
Quatre leaned forward. "Trowa, tell me, please!"
"Quatre, those trucks you saw couldn't possibly be carrying furniture." Quatre's eyes widened, but Trowa expected as much. "A few days ago, some charity and furniture store salesmen came over and looked at her house. They took a lot of furniture out. Those two trucks......even if they did carry furniture, you could fit that entire house's contents into half of one of those giants. Why need two?" Quatre saw it was a rhetorical question, and let Trowa continue. "Of all that was taken, only a few small things like a computer, television, etcetera, were left. And the driver in the first truck-no doubt in was Anshi Shuukaku." Quatre remembered. The small girl among Alex's friends. "She looked like she was ignoring Alex, however, which is unusual. You yourself know that every time the others come over, Anshi is the only one who doesn't seem to ignore Alex. But when those three have been over lately, they all grew more serious as this as this day drew nearer. And, call me spying, I never saw them in any regular rooms in that house. Only a room that seemed to have a computer. I know that's not that suspicious, it could just be Alex's room, but everything else is. Didn't you notice. Our GUNDAMS could fit in those trucks. Or any MSs like them."
We will cross paths again, Quatre.
He thought over her last words. Sooner than you think.
But what could she have been doing? What really was in the truck? He looked to where she had smiled goodbye.
"Well, no use standing outside. I'm going in. You coming? Quatre?" Quatre blinked and turned around.
"Yeah, sure," flashing a reassuring smile. As he walked back to the house, he had the strange feeling again. Why did it come up every time he thought of her? He shrugged it away. He would sleep on it and rethink this all in the morning.
~~~~meanwhile~~~~
A gigantic truck arrived in a forest that seemed distant from civilization. By the time it arrived, it was long past dark. The driver stepped out, looking up to the sky, birds flying out of the trees.
"Man, this place brings back horrible memories."
"Hey, you," a stern voice called to her. "Get over here."
"I know you all don't want to be here," she started.
"Shut up and get over here."