Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment.

Summer Camp- Chapter 13

First Day- Part Two

Noin and Zechs came to the office to find two very impatient women waiting for them. One was Lady Une, wearing her glasses in what the cadets liked to call "Colonel Une Mode". She didn't look happy, not that she every really did. She tapped her boot against the wooden floor, so hard and so frequently that it was a miracle she didn't stop a whole in it. The second woman was a bored-looking teenager, her bare arms folded across her ample chest.

Zechs gulped. Dorothy Catalonia. She was wearing a blue sleeveless dress and heeled sandals, hardly the clothes for hiking in the wilderness. She spotted him before he could run. Her mouth spread into an evil grin.

"Zechs Merquise, what a lovely surprise!" She exclaimed. She ran and threw her arms around the horrified man's neck.

"Uh, nice to see you too, Dorothy," he said awkwardly. He glanced at Noin, his eyes pleading for help, as he struggled to get clean air into his lungs and avoid the strong odor of her perfume. .

Noin glared at the girl. She felt an instant dislike for her. For a 13 year-old girl, Dorothy wore enough make-up for a 30 year-old newscaster. She was perfectly manicured, well kept (except for the oddest eyebrows she had ever seen). Already Noin could tell that she was probably a snob. Knowing what she did about Duke Dermail and the Romefeller Foundation, she was very rich and of a very high society background.

Imagine if she found out what Zechs really is, Noin wondered. If Dorothy were after him now, imagine if she knew he was a prince. Combined with her lust and seeming ambition, poor Zechs would never get a moment's peace. She must make sure she would never find out. Still, her status was far better than Noin's and in this case, she would make a better match for him. Though Noin herself wasn't poor in her own right, her family was pretty down to Earth, and didn't mix much with the upper class. Never in her life would she be able to pass for a lady. She was too much of a tomboy. But Dorothy, on the other hand, …

The perfect girl for a prince, she thought bitterly. Though she hated to admit it, her hatred was partly from jealously. Zechs and Dorothy looked like the perfect pair, their pale features and nice clothes (unlike the rest of the soldiers, who were clad in T-shirts and jeans, Zechs was in a white button down shirt and slacks). And the way Dorothy was draped all over him… Noin had the sudden urge to say, "Get your hands off my man." But what she did say was almost as bad and surprised even her.

Dorothy finally tore her eyes off Zechs for long enough to notice her. When she did, the look she gave her was clearly one of distaste. "Oh… and who is this… girl?"

Noin didn't know what came over her, but something, perhaps Dorothy's condescending tone, or the way Zechs was looking at her for help, or the way Dorothy was all over him like a bad suit, whatever it was made her reply, without a moment's hesitation, "I'm his girlfriend."

"W-w-what?" Dorothy's jaw dropped. Zechs' almost did too. Whatever he was expecting Noin to say it wasn't that. But he quickly recovered, and when the shock made her let go of him, he went over to Noin, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her to him.

"Yep. Dorothy, I'd like you to meet Lucrezia Noin. My girlfriend," he added, just in case she didn't get it the first time. Noin smiled sheepishly, but inside was dying.

Why on Earth did I say that? Oh my god! What was I thinking? Still, she had to admit it; it felt good to have him this close. He smells nice, she thought, with an inner giggle.

Zechs was thinking something along those lines. Or would have been, were he not paralyzed with fear a few moments before. He didn't know what on Earth had gotten into her. But he liked the idea. He liked it a lot. It was perfect. Absolutely fool proof. Or at least he hoped so.

Dorothy raised a forked eyebrow at him suspiciously, her pride not allowing her to believe this quite yet. "And when did this happen?"

"Um," Zechs scratched his head thoughtfully, "uh, how long has it been Noin?"
"It'll be a year next month," she said quickly. "You didn't forget our anniversary, did you honey?" she asked, digging her nails in his arm. If she was going to do this, she may as well have fun with it. And he may as well suffer for it.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, sure. I mean no. Of course I remember, er, Lucy." The brief glare she gave him was revenge enough for teasing him like that- she hated being called that.

Lady Une narrowed her eyes at them. "This is the first time that I've heard of it. But then, I don't pay attention to the personal affairs of cadets. If you'll excuse me, I have more important things to attend to." With a disgusted sigh, she stuck her nose in the air and pushed past them.

"Important things, yeah, right," Zechs snickered under his breath. "Giving Treize a bath, real important."

Noin chuckled, not because it seemed so preposterous, but because it was probably the truth. But Dorothy nearly rolled her eyes. "What an odd woman," she remarked. And that was the end of that.

"Zechs," she cooed, "could you help me carry my bags to my cabin? Please?" She smiled sickeningly.

Zechs gulped; apparently he still wasn't safe. "Um, I'm sure Noin will help you. You know, my, er, girlfriend," he added, just in case she had forgotten. "She's your counselor after all."
Dorothy made a disgusted face. "She is my counselor? You have got to be kidding me." She was hoping to be rid of the woman. It was a mutual, not one-sided hatred, and now that she considered Noin a rival… Oh dear. Nothing would be safe.

"I wish," Noin grumbled. But she put on her best fake smile. "Of course, I will, but I'm sure Zechs will want to come with us anyway. Wouldn't you dear?" She glared at him behind Dorothy's back, daring him to refuse.

"Oh, um, I…" Zechs racked his brain trying to think up a believable excuse. So far he wasn't getting anything. Noin wasn't making this easy for him that was for sure. And if this could work, it wouldn't do for her to be angry. And so far that wouldn't be easy- something was pissing her off, and not just Dorothy herself either. Oh well, he'd figure it out eventually. But he wasn't going to make the situation any worse. He didn't have much of a chance in hell right then; he may as well do as she said.

"Yes, that's a wonderful idea!" Dorothy put in before he could reply. "We have so much to catch up on." She tucked her arm in the crook of his elbow, literally pulling him a way from Noin. She pressed herself close to him- too close to be considered legal. If only the counselors weren't allowed to carry their guns with them during the day. Zechs had at that moment what was a pleasant vision of a bullet going through his head.

"Carry my bags," she ordered over her shoulder, and then ushered him along.

Noin's blood was way past the boiling point. "Little brat. Spoiled bitch," she murmured under her breath. She picked up the suitcases, which possibly contained two elephants each inside, that was how heavy they were, in each hand, and followed. She sighed dejectedly. "This is going to be a long summer."

A shrill whistle broke through the stillness of the woods. Were there any wolves nearby, they would've been appalled at the cheap imitation of their calls. As appalled as the woman it was directed at was.

"Hey, good looking," a cadet crowed. "What's cooking?"
Sally frowned in disgust. At least the guys she'd worked with in the Alliance were sort of gentlemen. These guys had all acted like barn animals since she got there. "Excuse me, I don't have conversations with sexist ass holes," she replied and pushed past him.

"Men," she muttered. "Who needs them." That was the problem with soldiers. The lack of desirable women around made them so horny that they lost all self-respect. "It's hormones," she told herself. "Almost like a disease. Prescription: take one fist to the jaw and don't call me in the morning. Oy vey!" Were all men her age this immature? Or was it just soldiers? "And people wonder why I'm single. Maybe I met a guy who wasn't a sex-starved pig, who could actually carry on an intelligent conversation, I'd consider it, but no."
Sighing, she looked down at the paper in her hand and matched the number up with the building in front of her: Girls' Cabin #5. "This should be it." The cabin was small quaint, with a nice front porch and a great view. "Well, I guess this is going to be home for the next few weeks." She put her stuff down, and went back out to sit on the porch, shielding her eyes from the setting sun as she gazed at the forest and mountain landscape.

It was beautiful here; she was glad she had come. In the distance, she could see a pretty redhead walking down the path toward her, duffle bag in hand. She waved to Sally cheerfully. "Hi!" she called.

"Hello," Sally reluctantly got up from her relaxed position to greet her.

"I'm Catherine Bloom. Call me Cathy. I'm going to be your CIT."
"Oh!" Sally vaguely remembered Treize saying something about CITs. But she'd expected another cadet. Something told her, besides the lack of uniform, that this girl was just an ordinary civilian. She seemed bubbly and friendly, though not in a naïve way. And Sally had the distinct inclination that, behind her happy façade, there was something that troubled her deeply.

"I'm Sally, Sally Po," she replied, reaching out to shake her hand. "I'll be one of your counselors. I don't know where the other one is though. Maybe she-"

"Would you hurry up!" An angry voice once again destroyed the peacefulness of the forest. Catherine and Sally exchanged glances.

"What the hell was that?" Cathy wondered. Sally shrugged. They were about to find out.

Dorothy stomped down the path impatiently, dragging a depressed Zechs along with her. "You're so slow," she complained, glaring at Noin as she said it.

Noin glared back. "Would you like to carry one?" she asked through clenched teeth, resisting the urge to throw all three suitcases at her.

Dorothy looked from her to the suitcases as if she were shocked. "Me? I think not. I'm a lady. And I think you'd be pretty strong, being a common soldier and all," she sneered.

"Why I ought to-" Zechs popped out of his gloom to stand between them and attempt to prevent them from scratching each other's eyeballs out.

"Now Noin, don't do anything you would regret," he hissed in her ear. In a louder voice, he said, "Actually, Noin was the second in our graduating class. And she happens to be a baroness, actually."

Dorothy raised her forked eyebrows. "Really? I would've taken her for nouveau riche, if anything."

Noin felt like she was going to explode. There was truth to her words; she did earn her title through school. Her family was well off, but they'd earned that too. They were some of the most prominent merchants in Italy, and Noin had always been proud that they worked for their wealth. But Dorothy acted like that was something embarassing and she couldn't help telling the spoiled brat off a bit. "Well, unlike you, I take pride in knowing that we actually worked for what we have. What does your mother do for a living, paint her nails?"

Dorothy gaped at her, truly shocked this time. "Don't you ever talk about my mother!" She released Zechs and ran into the forest, leaving them there with her baggage.

"Um, Noin, I should've mentioned this before, but Dorothy's mother died a long time ago. Her dad and her grandfather raised her. Treize thinks that's why she's always so…" His voice trailed off, leaving the adjective out.

Noin gasped. "Oh no! I never would have said anything to her if I'd known." She smacked Zechs on the back of his head. "Why didn't you tell me this before? I've got to apologize to her." She took off after her, abandoning Dorothy's things.

Zechs thought for a moment. "I think I'll leave them alone now. Yes, that's a good idea." Leaving the bags that Noin had dropped behind (he could send someone to bring them later), he turned around and walked the other way, to get as far away from chaos as possible.

Sally and Catherine were stunned as a blonde teenager shot past them into their cabin. Though they only caught a glimpse of her face, she looked extremely upset. They were even more surprised when another, older, girl came running out of the forest.

Noin stopped at the steps for a moment to catch her breath. She pushed her long bangs out of her face. She finally noticed the two other girls, who were gazing at her in disbelief. "Hi, I'm Lucrezia Noin. Nice to meet you," she panted. "Gotta go." She jumped up and went into the cabin, closing the door behind her.

Cathy stared at it, scratching her head. "Um, who was that?"

"I believe that was the other counselor," Sally responded, equally perplexed and slightly amused.

"Should we go in?" The younger girl wondered. She had barely finished her sentence when they heard someone shouting, "Leave me alone" and the sound of a pillow making contact with flesh. A moment later, Noin came out of the cabin.

"Um, I think she wants to be alone for awhile," she said sheepishly. "So, this looks like a comfortable place to sleep, no?"

In other circumstances, Catherine would've told her she was nuts. But, judging from what she had just witnessed, now she simply said, "Um, yeah, that might be wise."

Sally rubbed her ears. "Talk about loud. Who was that girl?"

Noin sighed. "Dorothy Catalonia. Daughter of the late General Catalonia, granddaughter to Duke Dermail, head of the R-" She bit her tongue quickly. Treize had said that Sally was an Alliance member, and it wouldn't do to tell her, or a civilian for that matter, about the Romefeller Foundation. "And our first camper," she finished, hoping they wouldn't catch her mistake. They were both frowning slightly.

But then Sally said, "Something tells me she's not a very happy one."

The soldier nodded. "That was my fault," she admitted. "I said something that I shouldn't have said, but didn't know it. She's not a very pleasant person generally and I, er, lost my temper a bit. I shouldn't have said it to anyone, actually, but it turns out that she doesn't have one… It's a long story," she sighed.

"Well, we still have a day for you to tell us," Catherine said sensibly. "I'm Catherine, that's Sally, by the way. And, while we all get acquainted, I think it best we find some extra sleeping bags, and maybe some bug spray. It seems that we may be out here for the night. Any idea where we can find that stuff?"

Noin thought for a moment. She definitely did know where, or rather, whom she could get it from. In fact, it was that very person who had gotten her into this mess in the first place. Her face lit up in a grin. "I know just the person. And he just happens to owe me a favor. Possibly so much so that we don't have to sleep out here tonight after all."

Preview for Chapter 14- First Day- Part Three

The first boy to arrive was automatically Zechs' least favorite. He felt, if not hatred, then a strong animosity towards him. The teen glared at him with deep blue eyes, which were odd for his otherwise Asian features. Zechs stared back, not willing to let the sullen youth frighten him, though the look he was giving would have scared any other man.

"Hi and welcome!" Otto spoke up, clearly oblivious to what was going on between his charge and his partner. "I'm Otto, and he's Zechs. We're your counselors, obviously enough. What's your name?"

The boy turned to Otto, glaring at him now instead, though with not the same obvious dislike. The, slowly, as if he were unaccustomed to the words that came out of his mouth, he simply stated, "My name is Heero Yuy."