Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is not mine.
Going Away- Dorothy
"No, I won't go!" The scream echoed throughout the halls and the four floors of the mansion. The servants exchanged glances and went about their business, pretending nothing was going on so they didn't have to get involved.
In the richly furnished dining room was the source of the ruckus. She was a teenager of about 13 years, though over the winter she had grown and filled out, as well as discovered make-up, which made her look much older. She had long blond hair pushed back in a black headband and blue eyes. She would have been pretty, were it not for her odd forked eyebrows and the scowl on her face.
Her grandfather, a wealthy noble by the name and title of Duke Dermail, sat at the head of the table and glared at her. His gray mustache twitched in anger. "You will go, and that's final, Dorothy. End of discussion. Now go to your room and start packing." Dorothy pouted at him. "Go! Now!" She fled from the room.
Duke Dermail groaned. "She's as stubborn as a mule. Just like her mother," he said to himself. He poured a cup of tea. "Treize had better watch her." Truth be told, he would have been lying if he said he wasn't glad her cousin would be taking her off his hands for six weeks. Since her father died a couple months before, she was now officially under his care, much to his dismay. Crafty and intelligent, as well as ambitious, she would be a perfect addition to the Romefeller Foundation, that was for sure. Perfect, that is, if she would do what he asked of her. So far, that wasn't happening.
Dorothy ran to her room, pushing past the braver servants who finally decided to come see what the fuss was about. She slammed the door behind her, making the family portraits in the hall shake. She threw herself on the bed. The sheets were a deep burgundy and made of velvet. The walls were clean and white, without a trace of a poster or any kind of decoration that could show a teenage girl lived there. The curtains were made out of silk and covered a large window seat. It was well furnished, but not very practical for a normal girl of her age. Then again, she wasn't very normal.
Dorothy reached under her pillow and took out a crumpled old photograph. A pretty blond woman was holding a baby wrapped in a pink blanket. A brown haired mustached man in a soldier's uniform had his arms around her. Both adults were smiling at the baby. She had a few wisps of blond hair and dark eyebrows that seemed to big for her tiny face. She was looking at them with wide eyes. Dorothy frowned. They all looked so happy. She couldn't remember the last time she saw her father smiling like that.
Dorothy stared at the photo for a long time. Then she crumpled it up and tossed it on the floor. She pulled out a suitcase from her closet and began throwing clothes in.
"Stupid Treize," she muttered. "It's all his fault." This never would have happened if her cousin hadn't opened his big mouth. He knew very well that she wouldn't want to go. Duke Dermail was thrilled of course. He didn't want her at all. If her father were alive, he wouldn't make her go. He always did what she wanted him to do, well, usually. Dorothy scooped up the picture from the floor and smoothed it out. She missed her father, even though she would never admit it. Admitting it would be showing her feelings, and she promised herself she would never do that. She couldn't let anyone know. She never cried, never really laughed and never smiled, only smirked. She didn't need other people's pity. She didn't want anything from them at all. Her parents both left her and her grandfather didn't want her either. The only person she'd thought she could trust was Treize, but he had let her down too. She was alone, with no friends. That was fine. She could rely on herself and herself alone.
Knock. Knock. Knock. "Miss Dorothy!" It was Louise, her family's old maid. She'd been with them since Dorothy was a child, and after her parents died, came with her here as was requested in their will. If Dorothy gave any thought to how she felt about the matter, she didn't care. As for herself, it didn't matter at all if the woman were with her or not.
Dorothy ignored her. "Miss Dorothy! Mr. Treize is here to see you."
Dorothy groaned inwardly. What does he want with me now? Hasn't he caused me enough trouble? Though she pretended she didn't, she used to enjoy Treize's visits. Out of all her relatives, he'd been her favorite. Her parents had been very close with him and invited him over frequently. He was also her mother's favorite cousin, although he was more than ten years younger than she was; and he served under General Catalonia in the Specials until he was killed. There were few men that General Catalonia had spoken of as highly as he did of Treize. He'd saved his life more than once before he died. But no on had been able to save him then.
* * * Flashback* * *
Dorothy lunged at her father with a fencing foil. In one swift movement, he blocked it with his own and twisted it around hers, knocking it out of her hands. He pointed it inches away from her neck, than dropped his hand to his side and removed his mask.
"Excellent, Dorothy. You've improved since I last saw you, daughter."
"Thank you, father." Dorothy flushed with the praise, keeping her own mask on to hide it. He rarely gave anyone a compliment, least of all her.
"I hope you've been behaving for your grandfather," he continued, removing his gloves.
Dorothy took her mask off and scowled at him. "I don't know why I have to live there. Grandfather is so boring. Can't I stay here with you?"
"No." General Catalonia looked at her sternly. "And I don't want to hear you complain about it either. A lot of my soldiers would love to have the opportunity you do over the conditions they have here. Sometimes they have to camp out for weeks at a time in the wilderness with little food and a chance they could be attacked any second. Consider yourself lucky to be fortunate enough to be spared of that."
"I don't care. I want to see it. I wish to seen them fight. I love war. Just like⦠well, just like you do, Father."
"Foolish child," he muttered. Dorothy opened her mouth to ask him what he meant, but he didn't get the opportunity to elaborate.
"General Catalonia, General Catalonia!" Treize rushed into the training are. There was urgency in his voice that Dorothy had never heard before. His handsome face was worried and drawn.
"What is it?" her father snapped. He, too, was irked by Treize's tone.
"Rebels are attacking the Specials base in the L4 colony cluster. We need you to send one of your troops to space right away. You must come with me. I have a shuttle ready."
General Catalonia looked perplexed. "Don't we have soldiers there to defend it?"
"They went to take care a another attack in a different sector. All that is left are the cadets from Lake Victoria that came for training. Most of them aren't used to fighting in space yet. Zechs just contacted me an hour ago. I left him in charge, but even the Lighting Baron can't take out an army by himself. Not that he has much a choice in the matter if we don't get there."
Now Dorothy knew what was bothering him so much. Though he cared about all his soldiers, he'd always taken special interest in the cadets, particularly those in the Victoria Academy. It would hurt him deeply if something happened to them.
General Catalonia frowned. He had also worked closely with the cadets at some point in each of their training. They were all eager and talented, but lacked the advantage of age and experience that the rebels most likely possessed. "Very well. I'll go. Stay here, Dorothy, until I get back."
"But, father!" Dorothy protested. She'd only been there a day and he was leaving her again.
"No, buts. I'll come back for you later to bring you home."
"It's not fair. I want to go with you," she cried out. It wasn't so much the fighting, like he thought, that made her wish to go. She just wanted to be with him for a change.
"No!" He barked. "And that's final." He stormed out the door.
Treize gave her a sympathetic glance and followed. Dorothy heard the door lock from outside and their footsteps as they walked away, leaving her alone again.
* * *End Flashback * * *
That had been the last time Dorothy saw her father. Treize had been the one to break the news to her. After that, their relationship cooled. He knew she blamed him and did everything in his power to get her forgiveness. She refused to give it, particularly after this further betrayal. If he really did want to apologize, he would have taken her from Duke Dermail the moment her father died. But he didn't. He could afford a good lawyer to get her out of it, not that her grandfather would fight him. Instead, he left her there. She supposed he didn't want her either.
Dorothy heard banging on her door. "Open up now!" It was Treize. Despite her contempt for him, even she couldn't avoid the note of command in his voice. Dutifully, she let him in.
"What do you want?" she asked bluntly.
Treize chuckled. "Straight to the point, as always, my cousin." He patted her head as if she were a dog.
Dorothy jerked away from him. "Just answer the question."
"If that is what you wish," he said gravely. He sat on her bed, motioning for her to join him. She did, though reluctantly. "I've come to persuade you to attend my camp.
Dorothy was surprised. She hadn't expected that. But she kept it to herself. "I didn't think I had a choice in the matter," she replied flatly.
"I suppose that's what Duke Dermail has told you," Treize sighed. I cannot argue with him, then, but I would much prefer it if you came out of your own free will."
Dorothy reached for a pillow, slipping the photo under the sheets. She clutched it to her chest. She wasn't sure why. It wasn't as if she needed security, she thought. "Nothing you say will change my feelings on the matter. I'll only go because my grandfather wishes me to." Her face was cool and calm. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing how she felt.
"Very well." Treize betrayed no feelings on the surface either, but he was upset. Dorothy had never gotten the care she'd needed from her father, who was never there, or Duke Dermail, who was always cold to her. He believed it was because she was the spitting image of her mother (except for the eyebrows, which apparently skipped a generation) and they couldn't look at her without it causing them pain. Treize understood, but it didn't justify a thing. The Dorothy that stood before him now lacked her mother's sweet disposition that she'd shared as a child. As much as he respected both of the, these men had no right to raise her. He wanted her to get away from that for awhile, act like a normal teenager. He knew she had no friends of her own, not that her grandfather would allow them to visit anyway. Duke Dermail was not very good with children; though he'd doted on his own beloved daughter and was naturally devastated that she died. The woman was no longer spoken of this house, which was hardly healthy either. Treize pitied Dorothy. She had never deserved this fate and what it did to her.
"If you need me for anything, ask your counselors and they'll be able to find me. If not, my friend Zechs Merquise shall be available if you have any problems. Do you remember him? I used to bring him to visit you when you were a child."
Dorothy turned to him, suddenly curious. She remembered Zechs, though she'd heard Treize call him by a different name once. Milliardo, she believed it was. Though she'd conversed with him little, she recalled he was rather handsome, as well as an extremely skilled pilot. "Yes, I do. Now leave me, I must pack."
Treize nodded. "All right. I shall see you there, then." He stood up, bowed slightly and left, closing the door behind him.
Dorothy grinned devilishly. This could be interesting. Even more so if she remembered what she'd heard them talking about once. There was something mysterious about him. It would be amusing to find out what was under that mask of his. She definitely would have to do some research before she left. Yes, indeed, this could be fun.
Almost done! Just one more double chapter left and a single chapter. Boy, this is a long prologue. Here's what's coming next.
Going Away-Wufei
Wufei snorted. "Nataku? A weak name for a weak woman."
Meiran was enraged. "Me? Weak? I think not. You should be one to talk. You don't even fight. You're weak. Four eyes," she muttered rather childishly. Wufei ignored her and continued to read.
"Are you listening to me?" She knocked his glasses off.
He stood up. "Fight? What do I have to fight for?"
"Justice!" She proclaimed. "I fight for justice."
Going Away- Sally
"More junk, more bills, aha!" Sally nearly kissed the white envelope in her hand that she'd waited so long for. Finally, her test results were in. She tore it open and unfolded the paper inside. She scanned it quickly and screamed.
The cadets stopped what they were doing and stared at her curiously. Though they'd only known her for a few days, she was usually calm and collected. This must be big news indeed.
