A/N: Please please please please forgive me, even though this is inexcusably, horrendously late. It's entirely my fault; I suddenly turned into a perfectionist. I solemnly swear it'll never happen again…but this is the last chapter, so, eh, forget that. Did I say I was sorry? Yeah. Oodles of apologies to all you peoples.
So, since this chapter's absurdly long, I'm putting it up in two parts, with all the start author notes on this one and all the end author's notes on the other one. I'm sorry to say it'll probably take me a week to get that up here, but it WILL be worth it. Or, at least I think so. (No, it's NOT done yet, but please. Have patience. It'll be good.) And the Warnings apply for both parts. Part 1's mostly fluff and plot. BTW, no more Epilogue. Sorry, but this just clears out any need/basis for one.
(This chapter reads a bit like the Specials, by the way, so be prepared to leap hours in a single "x---x"!)
Non-Standard Warnings: MASSIVE LENGTH!! Look at that scroll bar! Fluff! Gore! THE END! WOOHOO! Also, Duo gets kind of freaky (AKA OOC for this fic), but don't worry, it's for good reasons.
Sea of Silence
Chapter 16
Finale (Part 1)
x---x
Her eyes were misty. The world was wrapped in a silver haze, coasting beneath her dark blue irises. How long had she been here on the wall?
Once again, her hazy eyes drifted to the weapons in her lap. A crossbow, a few throwing knives, a sword…was it enough? She couldn't remember. How many did she need to kill? Why did she need to kill them? It was all caught in the fog.
A flash of silken blonde hair, clear as day, flickered in her brain, and the mist thickened again, one name echoing clean in her world.
Dorothy.
They would pay for her death with their own. Flames lit beneath the fog. She wasn't Hilde. She was Atropos.
The Goddess of Death…
She wrapped the gray cloak around her again. Her entire outfit was gray, from the boots to the belt. She couldn't precisely remember where she'd gotten it, save a flash of honey hair intruding on her cell. It seemed fitting, though, to end others' lives and her own in such a simple, overlooked color. Neutral. Passionless. Remorseless. A cross between the white scars that littered her body, and the empty soul that now resided within.
She smiled.
It fit the Goddess of Death perfectly.
x---x
The field was simple. To the west, the ocean. To the north, a forest which shrouded Relena's Castle in a blanket of mottled shadows. To the south, the Algon army's much-neglected road back to Rayth.
Duo smirked. Not like they were even going to consider that option. Well, sure, everyone but Trowa had yet to come back, but hey. He trusted them. Besides, there was still a day until their big battle anyway, mostly because he was still barely able to sit on top of a horse without falling off.
He grinned. Not that he was going to complain about the treatment he got from it. Heero now HAD to be near him all the time. Right now, the bodyguard was behind him on Wing's saddle, arms wrapped tightly around Duo's waist.
Treize looked up at the prince and bodyguard from his station at the horse's side. "It'll do nicely," he stated, and Duo grinned.
"Damn right. Ships'll just slide right in there-" he motioned to the bay to his left. "-and Wu's forces can just glide in from the east. Relena's gonna be dead before dinner." Treize shifted uncomfortably, and Duo could feel Heero's glare. His own eyebrows rose a bit. "Is there a problem, Treize?"
"No, your highness. I'm merely concerned for our forces inside her castle already," Treize said, and frowned. "I have yet to receive word from them." Duo chuckled.
"Guess that means Dorothy really gets to go back in with her people, then," he said, and the blonde on the other side of Wing tossed a bit of hair behind her shoulder.
"It's what we should have been doing since the beginning, anyway," she said, barely keeping a tone of indifference in her voice. Everyone knew the bodyguard was out for blood, aside from herself. Her blue eyes turned to Duo. "My forces are ready to go whenever you wish." Duo nodded.
"Get moving." The blonde strode off, mounting her own gray mare and galloping towards Rayth and the Infiltration Team. Duo turned towards Treize again. "Field's yours. We have things to do, and the Troupe's already itching to get in position." Treize bowed slightly, and Duo rolled his eyes. "You do know you can stop doing that, right?" The ginger-haired man nodded minutely, clearly looking ticked off.
And he had plenty of reason to be, as well. Searching for fifteen years for the rightful King of Algon, and the boy didn't want it. And then, he had the nerve to name Treize the rightful ruler after the battle! The thought nearly made him want to strangle the braided boy.
Instead of strangling Duo, Treize bowed again, this time deeply. "You will always be the prince, ruler or no," he said ceremonially, and Duo groaned.
"Make it stop, Heero, make it stop!" Heero smirked.
"Your highness," he teased, and Duo turned around just enough to give him a good whack on the shoulder.
"Get moving, already! All this nobility shit's making me woozy, and not in a fun way," Duo said, and with another smirk, Heero had Wing on her way back to Rayth. As soon as Treize was out of sight, Duo let himself relax into Heero's protective arms. "I don't feel good." Heero chuckled.
"I know. Where to?" Duo sighed. Heero always went straight to the important details. His violet eyes idly traced the placid clouds in the sky moving briskly with the breeze.
"This whole big fight thing's tomorrow, right?" Duo looked back to see Heero looking at him with that 'you're an idiot' stare firmly in place. In return, Duo grinned. "Riiiight?"
"Right." Heero barely kept from rolling his eyes, and Wing seemed to agree with him, snorting. But, Duo was uncharacteristically quiet suddenly. Heero frowned. "Duo?"
"So, tomorrow could be the day we die, making this the last day we're alive," he said softly, absentmindedly leaning further into Heero's arms. The blue-eyed boy frowned, and Wing slowed to a walk.
Heero scooped his injured lover up and hugged him tightly, kissing the top of his head. "I won't let you die, Duo." Duo buried his head in Heero's shirt, smiling softly.
"That's not what I'm worried about. I just don't want you to die- or any of the other guys. I'm so tired of everyone I love dying…" Duo sighed, but it quickly turned into a bitter chuckle. "Heh. This from Shinigami."
"You don't have to be the God of Death," Heero murmured, concerned for his pirate. Duo shifted.
"But I can't stop being Shinigami, either. I've been Death for so long, it seems stupid to try and change now," he shrugged. "Everyone I love dies." Now, Heero shifted uncomfortably for a bit, Wing trotting through the wood without a care. Finally, he sighed.
"Duo, before I met you, I was hollow. I was born and raised to kill, to be emotionless and efficient. You changed all that. You broke through eighteen years of instruction, and made me…alive, for the first time," Heero confessed. "I…" He paused, blushing deeply. Duo looked up at him, violet eyes glinting deviously.
"You…?" Heero tried to glare, but for once it just made him look helpless. Duo gushed at the sight. "Aww, c'mon, Heero! Say it!" Heero cleared his throat.
"I…" He was bright red, and even Wing and the trees seemed to be laughing at him. Duo was stuck giggling at the sight of his softening boyfriend being close to stuttering. "I…" With a growl, Heero gave up and just kissed Duo's heart into flip-flops. Actions spoke louder than words, after all.
When Duo's brain stopped spinning, he chuckled, repositioning himself in a decent position on the saddle (he'd been comfortably straddling his bodyguard). "I'll get you to say it. You just wait." Duo sounded so confident and devilish, Heero was almost scared.
x---x
Trowa sat uncomfortably in front of their smokeless fire, Catherine sharpening her massive pile of knives. Where was Quatre? True, his tribes were further away than Hell, but the blonde had assured him that they'd arrive at nearly the same time. And here it was, one day after he'd arrived, and sitting in his position for the assault with no word from Quatre. He was getting desperate.
Catherine sighed, and the knife she was sharpening fell into the pile. "Trowa, I know you're worried, but please. Try to relax. You're making the lions worry," she said, rubbing her temples. Trowa turned around to see his small army of lions staring at him and the heavy crossbow in his lap. He smiled softly.
"Sorry, Catherine. I'll try," he promised, and Catherine nodded in approval, brushing a bit of her bushy hair back. A large star earring hung from her left ear, and her clothing was made for flair and easy movement. Modesty was clearly rather far down the list…
Trowa didn't approve, but wasn't suicidal enough to tell his sister he though she dressed like a slut. Especially with a towering pile of knives next to her.
"TROWA! Stop fidgeting," Catherine snapped, and he blinked. Had he already been fidgeting again? He let his back fall onto the ground, the lions quickly curling around him.
Any lesser man would have whimpered. He missed his Quatre. His nosy, beautiful, kind, cuddly Quatre. How long had it been since they'd parted? A year? Two? More like a couple millennia…
"TROWA! God, you've only been apart for four days! Relax already, and concentrate on tonight. We're going to need the rest, and –STOP THAT!" Catherine could swear Trowa was pouting, arms holding one of the huge felines tightly, his face buried in Sage's golden curls. "If I'd known you'd go into Quatre Withdrawal, we'd have sent you back to meet up with him." Marcus, one of the other Troupe members, walked over, but Trowa was too busy missing his little one to notice.
"I'm not in Quatre Withdrawal," Trowa said softly, and Catherine's eyes rolled up to Marcus'.
'Denial', she mouthed, and Marcus barely stifled a chuckle, grabbing a few of the knives in Catherine's pile. "You know, I don't think that a pouting lovesick pirate's going to scare the enemy much, Trowa."
"I'm not pouting." Catherine rolled her eyes. He was hopeless.
x---x
"Knives?"
"Check."
"Check."
"Check!"
"Shhhh!"
"…sorry."
Dorothy sighed. "Lockpicks?"
"Check."
"Check."
"Check."
She grinned. "Anything else to forgot?"
The three thieves looked blankly at the blonde currently dressed entirely in black, from headband to corset and boots. Even her rapier was wrapped in a black cloth, light seemingly consumed by the color. The other thieves were dressed the same shade, to varying degrees. One thief was swathed from head to foot in black fabric, while the bouncy, happy third thief barely wore anything. The second thief, somber, wore a shade of dark brown instead, and was giving her hair a reproachful glance.
"We don't forget things on missions," the second thief said disdainfully, and the other two nodded. Dorothy shrugged, eyes glinting in a way that made the scantily clad Thief Three shiver.
"Let's keep it that way, then. Number one objective?"
"Extricate Atropos Noin." Dorothy nodded.
"Second objective?"
"Protect Atropos Noin." Dorothy nodded again, and then gave each of them a fierce glare.
"And what is in no way an objective?"
"…Protect Dorothy Catalonia." It was the cloaked Thief One that spoke this time, in a muffled, masculine voice. Dorothy nodded, satisfied.
"Get going in an hour. There shouldn't be any difficulties," Dorothy said, and stood up to give them a quick, respectful bow from one warrior to another. She hated how short her skirt was, but it was the only way to have the maneuverability she needed. Thief Three stood up hesitantly, and suddenly hugged her tightly.
"I respect your courage and loyalty," she said hurriedly, a lilting yet firm accent on her words. Thief Two was already working on the castle's back entrance. "But, don't do something stupid. Your hair's too pretty to die so fast." The young thief gave Dorothy a quick kiss on the cheek, and glided towards where the other two thieves waited patiently. She grinned, waved at Dorothy, and coasted through the now-open door.
Dorothy was grumbling with the best of them in her head. She wasn't a lesbian! She was just an…an Atroposexual? That just sounded odd. It wasn't even her fault! She'd thought she was a he, and he was a she, and by the time the truth was out she'd already fallen!
The grumbling continued as she strode towards the castle's front gates. As soon as she strode out of the woods, a guard called down hurriedly.
"HEY! Lady! Wha' you think you're wearing?!" Dorothy smiled up at the panicked man. "You do know there's an ARMY coming, righ'?" Her smile turned vicious.
"I'm here to speak with Relena," she said coolly, her aristocratic tone chilling the air. The guard looked over at his partner on watch, who shrugged.
Fifteen minutes later, the girl in the black miniskirt and tights walked into Princess Relena Peacecraft's private audience chamber. Dorothy couldn't help but be impressed. Every single pink curtain had been replaced with red.
Relena herself wore her honey hair in a tight bun, her tiara resting on her head. Dorothy gaped; she was wearing a white corset with a red shirt underneath, with a far more decent red skirt on below it. Most surprisingly, a sword hung at her hip, and from the way Relena strode over with it on, the thing was clearly not just for show.
And from the way the princess' blue eyes were smoldering, Dorothy might get to see that first hand. This was NOT the Relena she knew.
"So, what brings you here in THAT outfit," Relena couldn't help but taunt, and Dorothy's chin rose up about an inch.
"You're one to talk," she snapped, and then sighed, her head dropping back down. "I…I'm sorry. I've been rather touchy, since…" Relena glared at her bodyguard.
"Since your…your…kitty was taken away from you," she seethed. What the hell…? Dorothy thought. KITTY?! She didn't even want to know what was going on in her ex-employer's thoughts.
"Although I do miss Atropos, I'm here for a different treason," Dorothy finally said coolly, noting Lady Une's sudden appearance from one of the side doors. Her long brown hair was done up in two buns tied back with red ribbon, and every glance and movement she made told Dorothy that was one truly unhappy lady. "Although I hate you with a murderous passion, I swore many years ago that I'd protect you." She gathered herself up, standing as tall as she could muster. "Dorothy Catalonia, however much she wants to, does not go against oaths." Sorry, Attie, she thought. The girl hated when she outright lied.
Relena gave her bodyguard an appraising look. She looked tired, and lonely, but honest. And Dorothy did have that strange sense of honor and nobility inherited from Treize…She tilted her head to the side. But was the rapier-wielding woman safe enough? Admittedly, Relena had missed her harsh wit, and random harsh advice…and Dorothy had always been harsh to everyone, but seemed to have a reserved soft spot for her mistress and that annoyance locked in the courtyard.
And when said annoyance was finally killed, Dorothy would return to her old self, untainted and be Relena's best friend again.
The princess smiled at her bodyguard. "Welcome back," she said.
Dorothy smiled. "Thank you."
x---x
He felt like a phantom, and hated it.
Boots clashing against the high-priced tile of the Peacecraft Castle, Zechs Marquis was glaring at damn near every moving thing. He felt naked without his helmet, and invisible with the near-neglectful respect Milliardo Peacecraft was treated with. Another glare lit the air on fire.
He hated being Milliardo. He was stuck in an expensive tailored suit that fit him so well it felt uncomfortable. For as long as he could remember, his clothes had been off by just a bit, and now that they actually fit, it felt…wrong.
Zechs missed his freedom, and his long platinum blonde hair swinging against his back. For Relena's sake, he had put it in a low, loose ponytail, but that didn't help his mood much. He didn't even have his hair to hide anymore.
And Lucrezia Noin sure as hell wasn't about to risk her sister's safety for him. It was almost embarrassing how much they loved each other, but with Noin, Atropos came first. Attie had always come first, anyway. Noin was humbly noble like that. She put her own desires behind the needs of her family, and since her family consisted of two- or, as it now were, three- people, she tended to put them far above herself.
Right now, she was speaking with Lady Une. The two had practically grown up together, so if anyone could convince the Treize-obsessed woman to turn on Relena, it would be Noin.
Which left Zechs alone to cruise the expensive, frivolous corridors in his tailored boots, left with the sound of his footsteps and the buzzing of his thoughts, constantly circling around one tragically shaking thought, touching and then retreating again.
He stopped in the middle of the hall, his gaze turning to the two forces outside the window, and finally let his conscience sit on the landmine.
WHOSE SIDE WAS HE ON?!
On one side was the entirety of his conscious life, with his friends, his home…or was his home here with Relena, his only living relative? How could he betray his own sister? Sure, all his life he'd known she existed –how could he not have?- but now when he'd spoken with her, learned her deepest fears (the whole of the world plunging into the same fickle war as Algon and Sanc), and greatest hopes (to marry some Hero boy and bring peace to the two countries), he wasn't sure if he really could betray her.
But, Treize was also with Algon. His brother in arms and ideals, the ginger-haired gentleman had taken a young Zechs under his wing and sculpted him into whatever the hell he was now. And apparently Attie's brother was in Algon, and the rest of her real family…and even though the scarred girl had done a great job hiding it, he knew that Dorothy being in Algon meant Atropos would be in Algon, which meant Noin would be in Algon…and being the love struck fool he was, Zechs would end up running at her heels.
Without a thought for the Milliardo Peacecraft persona, or a care for who was around, Zechs started cursing like the sailor he was. Damn fucking emotions, and families, and motives, and politics. Why the hell couldn't they all just live in a big hole and blow everything else up? That's all he wanted…well, maybe a private hole for himself and Noin, but it was the principle of the matter! He'd easily die for Noin, but he couldn't just leave Relena to be betrayed again and again, until she finally fought and was killed…or worse.
He scowled. Everyone in Sanc had heard about the prince's threat to eat Relena's soul, and everyone in Algon knew his highness Duo Maxwell didn't lie. That combination couldn't help but awaken the overprotective brother inside.
An aggravated hand jerked forward and pulled his hair out of the ponytail. It was almost surprising how much better it made him feel. Stupid politics and secessions…if it was his choice, he'd kill whoever invented them and live happily the rest of his life.
A maid hurried past him, not even looking at the forgotten Crown Prince of Sanc. "Miss!" She didn't even look back, scurrying on her way.
That was it. Zechs Marquis strode to the nearest wall and banged his head firmly against it. Dear lord, he thought. Kill me now.
x---x
"Sandrock, if I may, we approach," the captain, a devout Quatre Worshipper, said with all due reverence, and the man in orange robes nodded, standing from his quiet counsel with men four times his own age. Out on the deck of the ship, it was dusk. The holy leader frowned. They were late. His cold blue eyes turned to the devout captain, who was shaking. "We made the best time we could, Master Sandrock."
A tense moment erupted between the two, until Sandrock nodded, and the captain nearly fell to his knees.
Quatre sighed. Duo's ship was so much better than this one. Plus it had Trowa on it.
That thought sent a painful twang through his heart. He missed him so much it was literally painful. The blonde had gotten far too used to the comforting presence of Trowa's warm, loving emotions blanketing him, and now the world seemed far harsher without it.
That eerie other sense began developing again, and Quatre barely noted the sudden swirling of the tide around his hired fleet. In his absence, his followers had increased, and only the fighters had gotten to follow in what they were terming the First Wave. Apparently, his followers thought there was some prophecy of him doing all this.
He held back a grimace. He hated those stupid prophecies. First throwing him into these stupid robes, and now sending him on some stupid cosmic exodus. Not that a strange sense of power didn't come from the Sandrock robes, or that he felt bad for leading his followers from the desert, but this was ridiculous. They were only there to help out Duo and Algon, and in the process cuddle with his Trowa.
His softening blue eyes stared out at the rising landmass, the turbulent sea around his fleet subsiding. Trowa was there somewhere, and he would see him again, and they'd live together for the rest of their lives, basking in the glow of each other's love. His eyes shut in the fantasy. There'd just be them, and a small lake, with a little house for them, and nearby would be a little house for Duo and Heero, and Wufei and Meiran would live across the lake (so as to avoid crashing objects), and everyone else would live nearby…
As the ships sailed even closer, he could hear the sound of random fighting within the castle. His fierce aqua eyes snapped to the captain, who whimpered. Quatre didn't even realize he'd picked the man off the deck in his anger.
"You will make ALL due haste to that continent," he whispered, and the tone was deadly. The devout captain began nodding his head vigorously, and with a sound of acceptance Quatre let the man fall back to the wooden floor. He scurried off, leaving Quatre to glare at the rest of the crew.
Inwardly, Quatre smiled. Trowa had been right; commanding sailors wasn't very hard at all.
x---x
"…And why are we here again," Heero asked, glancing over at the black-clad young man strolling next to him. Trowa's present, an inconspicuous silver tube, hung at Duo's belt in place of a sword, and a devious smirk seemed permanently ingrained on his face since he'd first attached it. His black coat had simple white trim today.
"I owe you a date still," Duo shrugged, smiling at his bodyguard. They were walking down another abandoned Rayth street, dressed in suspiciously fancy clothing. Heero himself wore black pants, a white shirt, and a green coat, all chosen by Duo. "I think you'll like where we're going." Heero frowned. "Awww, come on, Hee-babe! Don't gimme that look. After all this time, you don't trust me?"
"Trusting your idea of fun is another thing than trusting you," Heero responded, glancing around the barren cobblestone street. Duo's grin widened, and he pulled the older boy into an abandoned doorway, curling his fingers around the other boy's lapels.
"I'm gonna get you to say it, you know," he whispered, drawing Heero towards him, violet eyes shining in the shadows. A finger traced down the blue-eyed boy's cheek and trailed down to his neck softly, only for Duo to kiss his guard on the lips with a hint of tongue teasing the other boy's lips open. Heero couldn't help it; he shivered, and Duo nearly purred.
At the sudden arrival of footsteps, Heero tried to pull away, only for Duo to pull him back harder. "Duo, someone-" His words were cut off by the prince's lips again, and he finally gave up, wrapping his arms tightly around the black-clad boy. When Duo finally did pull his mouth away, he was humming in appreciation.
"Come on, babe," he whispered. "Get over it and say those stupid little words." Heero tried to glare, but it just turned into a desperate plea. Duo chuckled. "It's not that hard, you know." Heero tried to jerk away, but Duo had a firm grip on his belt and tugged him back harshly, glaring. "What the hell's wrong with you?! We both know it! Who's around to hear you say it? Do you have a…Heero?" The blue-eyed boy was avoiding his gaze, and fear grabbed hold of the braided boy. "Heero? Babe? You okay?"
Heero finally nodded, and pulled Duo into a soft embrace. "I did tell you I love you. You just couldn't hear," he whispered, lips brushing the pirate's ear. "You were dead, Duo. I don't want to think about that when I think of me saying those words to you, but I do." Duo bit his lip as Heero's suddenly tender voice went on. "But I'll tell you I'd die to make you smile. I'm hopelessly, mind-numbingly enchanted by you. And that every moment I'm with you, it's the happiest moment of my life, because you are my life." He brushed a tender kiss on his lover's neck. "Does that work? I know it's not those specific words, but-"
Duo cut him off with a fiery kiss, and when they finally separated a few minutes afterwards, Duo was smiling ecstatically. "Of course that works," he chuckled, and Heero gave him one of the peaceful, loving smiles reserved only for the pirate prince.
"Good," Heero said, and pulled away, grabbing Duo's hand and holding it in a comfortably tight grip. "Don't die again." Duo grinned, and gave him a light kiss on the cheek as he began to lead the older boy back towards their destination, hands firmly clasped together.
"I wouldn't dream of it. Besides, if I died, you'd die too, and that'd just be a pain," Duo chuckled.
Fifteen minutes of walking, they arrived at their destination, and Heero's gaze immediately snapped to Duo. "You have to be joking," he stated, but Duo just grinned at him and pushed him into the rowboat.
"You said I could choose as long as I paid," he said indignantly.
"And it was safe. This is just asking to be boarded and killed." Duo chuckled again, rowing them towards the Deathscythe. A minute of silence passed between the two, and Duo expertly tied the black rowboat to the ship's side.
"The crew has the night off," the braided boy said conversationally. "Just if you were wondering."
"I wasn't. Do I need to ask who gave them the night off?"
"Nah. We both know." Heero smirked, and they both climbed off the rope ladder and onto the swaying deck. "Oh! Wait!" Duo scrambled back down to the rowboat and came back up with a bag in hand and a dangerous grin. At the bodyguard's hesitant look, the braided boy innocently pulled out a box of chocolate covered cherries. His grin widened although his eyes still tried to feign innocence. "Imports. I have a friend in the business."
Heero eyed the rest of the bag. "And what's the rest?" Duo's grin turned to a smirk.
"You just have to wait for that, don't- Shit! Put me down!" Heero grabbed the bag too, and slung it across his other shoulder. Duo whacked the other boy playfully. "Aren't we a bit forward on the first date?" Heero smirked, and carried him into the captain's room. After slinging him onto the bed and kicking the door shut, his blue eyes glinted.
And with a final motion, the door was locked.
x---x
"…Are you sure about this," Three asked, eying the still courtyard, only for One and Two to shush her. She glared back at them.
"She's here alright," One whispered through his robes. "I can feel it. There's a bit of movement in the air." Two nodded, and Three was quick to follow.
Clapping erupted from the corner behind them, and a woman in gray strode out, hands elegantly meeting each other and withdrawing again tauntingly. The three thieves tensed, each with their weapons out the moment she'd started to clap. The woman smirked.
"Congratulations. You found me!" She pulled out a knife, and without another sound it seemed to disappear and then reform straight in Two's chest. He looked at her indignantly, and dropped to the tiled courtyard floor. "Want a prize?" One stepped forward.
"Atropos Noin, we are-or, were, at least-the Three Thieves. We've come to get you out of here, under orders of the Guildmaster and Do-" He was cut off by the glint of metal in the shadows. Atropos pulled the full-length sword. Three rolled her eyes.
"Attie, put the weapons down. Dorothy sent us," she snapped, and the sword clattered to the tile. Her now-clear eyes widened, and she ran forward, grabbing onto Three's skimpy outfit.
"Where is she? She's alive? When did you see her last? Is she okay," Atropos began, and Three barely kept from rolling her eyes.
"You just killed my brother, you know," Three accused, her accent firmly in place. "You're lucky you're cute, you know that?" The gray-clad girl blinked at her, head tilting to the side. After a moment, she smiled.
"I'm sorry, Three. I plead sorrow-ridden insanity. So, please tell me where Dorothy is," Hilde said, eyes widening into the Puppy Dog Look. Now, Three really did roll her eyes.
"She didn't say anything, other than to not try and save her. My bet's she went off for Relena," Three shrugged, and Hilde's expression began to mist over. "No no no no no! I'm sure she's okay, she was just getting herself in position for her own revenge." Hilde nodded, backing away and letting Three retain a bit of her modesty.
"I'll be joining her then. The battle starts tomorrow at dawn, right?" Three and One nodded, while Two twitched one final time on the floor. Hilde grinned. "Okay then. I'll be hiding out in the Castle. You take Two out of here and bury him, and if you'd like to I could use some backup." One immediately shook his head.
"We don't have that authority. We were told to save Atropos Noin, and that was it. We have to take you out of here," One said, voice muffled but intelligent. Hilde beamed at him.
"Well then, it's a good thing my name's Hilde then, isn't it?"
x---x
A/N: Okay, Finale Part Two will be out REALLY soon, I swear. If not, feel free to stone me to death. One week or less. I promise. Sorry this chapter's just about pure fluff and all that; it's Pre-Battle Fun. And I was going to try and write some 1x2 citrus, but…it just wouldn't write. Gosh, I apologize a LOT, don't I? Sorry. D
And you'll find out if it's the Happy Ending or the Cool Ending on Part 2. Heh. I'm so evil.
READER RESPONSES (huzzah!):
Magical-flyingdragon: Well. I'm so glad you think it's cool and original, but I'm also so sorry I didn't update soon and all that.
Silver Cateyes: Ahh, compliments (Basks in the glow). I sent you one of The Emails, and you responded, so...(Gives cookie). Eat voraciously.
Mlaine: IMPORT SNOW?! How the hell do you do THAT? And why would a school district spend money to do that, anyway? That's like exporting sand. Then again, my school's ridiculously cheap and I live in a rather frigid climate. (High altitude and all that.) OH! Thanks for the Email helping (gives cookie).
Windy River: Heh heh heh…Oops!
TrenchcoatMan: Demand a cookie, eh? (Gives yummy yummy cookie.) I'll definitely check out your story when I have the time; term papers and all that stuff.
Lost-Remembrance: Awww! You think my story's good! (hug!) Oh, LOTS of Heero in Part 2.
ZmajGoddess: I try to update with all due haste, but it never works. What can I say? Love/hate is just so much fun to write.
The Rogue Prince: It's so ironic that the one time you give me your email is the one time I can't read it and actually email people. Part 2's the thing for you. Hey! That rhymes!
Danilion: A NEW FAN! YAAAY! Thanks for reading! AND reviewing! You like me! You really like me! Hooray!!
THANKS FOR READING! PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! Part 2 in a week or so, I SWEAR!
Oh, and Koishii gets a cookie, too. ;)