-1Warnings: Slight 1+2/ 1/2, 5M, Treize/ Une, Zechs/Noin, and the slightest beginnings of 3+4. Also, next chapter will barely contain the Gundam Boys. It's a prequel of sorts, telling of the fall of Sanq and the Peacecrafts, as well as how The Devil's Claw began, how Treize became a vampire, and how Lady Une comes into this at all. Warnings, 13+6/ and slight13/6, future Noin/Milliardo, future Treize/Une, and slight unrequited 1R.
Disclaimer: See chapter one!
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Wufei punched the air, following through before he twisted into a kick. Holding the position momentarily, he corrected his form, sighing. He was far too distracted to practice his katas, meditate, or do anything else. Making sure there was no one else watching, he collapsed into a red and gold-garbed heap in the middle of the peaceful garden.
The only reason Treize had let him off so easily was that he had already used most of his magic to capture that meddling dragon, Middie. She was large, around a year old, though she was no match for both Wufei and his four-year-old dragon. Despite the fact that the differences between the two dragon's sizes looked the same from far away, Wufei's dragon was about two Meiran's longer than Middie, and her muscles were far more developed.
Once again, Wufei sighed. He had not asked for his dragon any more than he had asked for his marriage to that infuriating woman Meiran. Even after four years, he still had yet to name her. Nothing seemed to fit the lean, muscled dragon, not even Shenlong. His dragon had rejected each and every one of them, as though her name had to be just right. His dragon was patient with his naming process, but through the deep bond they had established, Wufei could feel her hurt.
"What are you just sitting there for? Shouldn't you be training?" The mocking, condescending tone belonged to his wife, Meiran.
He knew where this was going. They would argue, it would result in a fist fight, and he would win. It was an endless cycle, another desolate, never-ending feud that always resulted from arranged marriages between immortals.
"Meiran," he began, but her angry voice silenced him.
"My name is Nataku! Get it right Wufei!" She was always so angry. He did not want to be married to her either, but both their existences would be so much easier if they could just get along.
"You're not worthy of the title, Meiran." He stood to leave, but heard her fist just in time. Ducking, he spun around, catching her in the shoulder with a perfect kick. Meiran crashed into the ground, her face twisted in pain.
"How…?" She questioned, her eyes focused inwards, and Wufei turned to walk away.
"WHY?" She screamed at him, clutching her shoulder. "You almost never practice, and you always have your head stuck in those stupid books of yours!" A tear dripped down the side of her face, and Wufei was struck with the sudden need to wipe it away, and feel her smooth skin beneath his fingers.
"You're weak, along with your virtues. You have a lot of nerve, calling yourself Nataku." He walked away, and when she thought he was out of earshot, Wufei could hear her start on her katas, desperate to beat him one day. She didn't seem to realize that the same passion she put into everything kept her from beating him.
'You still have a lot to learn, Wufei.'
Wufei took his dragon's advice seriously. While they did not have the closest of bonds, she was, in all actuality, the only one who would understand him, just as he was the only one able to understand her.
The bond between rider and dragon stretched beyond love, beyond justice, beyond this Earth. Wufei sighed. It made all the things he fought for seem so irrelevant. In a way though, it was that understanding that allowed him to be so strong, while Meiran was so weak.
'Nothing you do in this life is irrelevant, Wufei, and Meiran is stronger than you think. Her spirit burns brightly. She is a powerful person.'
Wufei shrugged, choosing not to acknowledge her. Ever since Heero had left, Wufei's concentration had been off. Nobody at this compound could give him a challenge. He stared at the white gleam of his palm and wondered what would have become of him without his dragon. Four years was a long time, and he almost could not conceive life without her.
"Wufei!" He turned, not surprised to see his wife there. Her eyes glowed with passionate flames of anger, the air around him several degrees colder than it had been an instant ago. Meiran was unique, the only cross breed between an elf and an elemental spirit. "One day, I will beat you! I will prove to you that my weak virtues are stronger than you!"
Wufei turned away from her, giving her only a short "hn." However, deep in his secret heart, a part of him rejoiced. He would look forward to the next time she challenged him, and he looked forward to the day she finally beat him, and showed him the power of her weak virtues. Somehow, he wanted her to succeed, if only to see her angry glare transformed into a peaceful smile; something he had never been able to do, because of his accursed pride.
Is this love? Wufei wondered, placing a hand to his heart. It pulsed deep within him, longing to go back to her. His face scrunched up in a look of terrible confusion, and his hair, hanging down his back for ounce, swayed with the wind.
Allowing his hand to fall to his side, he ignored the aching from his heart. Love was something he had neither the time nor the patience to indulge.
'Wufei, I will cheer for Meiran on the day that she beats you.'
Wufei smiled, heading back to the castle.
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"You're lying." Heero was deadly serious, his eyes flat. "There are no Peacecrafts left. They were all killed off years ago."
Relena smiled, flicking a strand of her dark blonde hair behind a pointed, elf like ear. Duo was lost. Weren't the Peacecrafts the ancient leaders of Sanq, a country destroyed hundreds of years ago? That would make this chick how old? She didn't look a day older than Quatre!
"You can't be a Peacecraft!" Duo exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger in her direction. "You'd be older than that!"
Relena smiled, and Duo suddenly noticed something. Her pupils were slit, not elf-like, more like a cat.
"I'm not a creature susceptible to time. I'm a werecat, one of the only truly immortal species on this planet." She smiled, and turned to Heero.
"I thought fire spirits had died out as well. I can see that I'm mistaken." Relena had two thin braids tied behind her ears, and Duo thought it was a weird moment to notice them.
"What are the other immortal creatures?" Duo asked, curious to what Relena's reply would be.
"Dragons, elves, elemental spirits, and…" Heero paused, and his eyes met Duo's. "Riders," Heero finished stoically. Duo's eyes widened. He was immortal? He never knew. It was supposed to be impossible!
This was so freakin' cool!
Relena smiled at Heero, exposing canines that were slightly too long. "I can see you've done your homework."
Sally grinned. "Come on. I have a cabin not far from here. You two can clean up, and then we'll start your lessons."
Duo was jerked out of his merry thoughts of living forever. "Lessons?" He asked incredulously, his jaw dropping.
Relena nodded. "If you want to save your friends, you'll have to learn how to use and control yourself. We're here to teach you that."
"Vuele!" Sally shouted, lifting into the air. Relena transformed, leaping onto her shoulder. Iria took off, following them.
Solo lowered his head, and Duo hopped on. "Come on!" He called to Heero, holding out an arm to him.
"Fire spirits were never meant for flying," he warned the braided boy. Duo snorted.
"Says who?" Duo asked. "If god didn't want us to fly, he wouldn't have given us the means to make it happen."
"Hn." Duo took that as a Hn-I give up, you're impossible. Duo waved his arm in front of the stoic boy's face, pulling Heero's attention back to him.
Heero looked at his arm inquisitively, before grasping it in a strong grip and pulling himself up behind Duo.
Solo took off, racing into the sky after the retreating forms of Sally and Iria. Duo felt Heero tense up behind him before strong arms wrapped around his waist, almost clinging to him.
Heero didn't seem to be the type of person to cling to anything. It was a sign that something was seriously bothering him.
'It seems that he's scared of flying,' Solo remarked. Duo grinned. This was the only emotion Heero had ever expressed around him. He'd be damned if he didn't take advantage of it.
'Ready Solo?' Duo questioned, smirking. He received a mental smirk in return. Tightening his grip on Solo's neck with his thighs, Duo lifted his arms into the air. Solo sped up, twisting though the air, pulling them sideways and upside down, centrifugal force keeping them glued to his back.
Duo would be the first to admit that he was a serious trill seeker, and what could beat flying on a dragon!
On their first time upside down, Heero's buried his head uncharacteristically into Duo's back, and his arms tightened around Duo's waist.
"Whooohooo!" Duo shouted in excitement, enjoying the air as it flew past his face, flipping his braid in the wind. In the sky, he could forget all his problems. There were no troubles, no ghosts. It was only him and Solo up in the sky, Heero's strong arms wrapped around him.
On the third flip, Duo felt Heero smile into his back. It made the entire trip worth it.
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Heero resisted the urge to laugh as they rocketed through the air. Duo's scent intoxicated him, while trees flitted past, only the size of tiny green ants. He could feel Duo's muscular stomach through the other boy's shirt, and Duo's back pressed against his chest. Taking his head out of Duo's back, he rested on Duo's shoulder, almost struck by a renegade braid whipping through the air.
Somehow, this felt right; just him and Duo, up here in the sky. They were soaring, and Heero had never felt anything like it. He didn't know whether to appreciate it or push it way.
The wind pushed against Heero, threatening him. His messy hair was thrown away from his youthful face, and without shadows against his eyes, he actually looked like a teen instead of an ageless murderer.
A small smile on his face would most likely seem natural on his face, if one didn't know the ever frowning fire spirit.
Finally, they landed, and Duo leapt off Solo ecstatically, Heero following more calmly, erasing his smile before someone realized that it existed. Solo and Iria apparently had a discussion, because after a few 'words' to Duo they both left.
"Okay boys, the boys bathing area is over there." Heero looked over to the small building, realizing that it was probably built around a hot spring. His nose confirmed that thought, recognizing the smell of hot water.
Duo rushed forward, throwing open the door and quickly stripping. Heero turned his head, not realizing why he had a blush on his face. Duo undid his braid, running his hands through the crimped hair. Heero watched as he jumped into the water, splashing the poor fire spirit. Luckily, it was a hot spring, meaning the water wasn't freezing cold.
To say that Heero was a fire spirit and therefore allergic to water was incorrect. A better term to use would be heat. All of his power came from heat, which was frequently in the form of fire. He was not allergic to the water itself, only the lack of heat within it. To him, heated water was no problem.
Heero heard a sigh of contentment and turned to see Duo with his head tilted back, long, creamy neck exposed, slightly pink from the heat of the water. His eyes were lidded, his mouth open ever so slightly, exposing perfectly straight, white teeth.
Heero pulled his now wet clothes off, folding them neatly before setting them down. He climbed into the hot water, liking the feeling of heat surrounding him once again. Pulling down some shampoo from a shelf by the spring, Heero tried to ignore the sound of Duo humming while he shampooed his ridiculously long hair. Heero allowed himself to absorb the heat of the water, replenishing his previously exhausted magic stores.
Duo's voice wasn't horrible, like Heero expected it to be. His voice was smooth, and most of the notes were in-tune. He was humming what sounded like a church hymn, and Heero remembered the silver cross Duo always wore around his neck. Was he very religious? Why did he always wear that cross?
The sound of Duo's voice relaxed Heero, and he didn't realize Duo had moved until his naked arms brushed Heero's side. Heero paused, wondering how that simple movement caused him to collect more heat that the hottest flame.
"Sorry, Heero, but I needed to put the shampoo back," Duo explained, raising his hands in mock surrender. "I wasn't trying to force myself on you or anything." Duo paused, running a hand through his hair. "But if you want, you only have to ask." He lowered his eyelids mock seductively, his voice turning into a low purr.
"Hn," Heero turned away from him, and when he was certain Duo could not see, gulped. Stupid boy, playing tricks with his mind. Heero got out of the spring, keeping his back to Duo in order to hide a certain problem that had developed from the longhaired boy's taunting.
"Oh my!" Relena dropped the towels she had been carrying, turning away from Heero, a blush on her face. "I'm sorry to interrupt you. I though that you two were still in the spring when you didn't answer my knocking. I'm so sorry!"
Duo's sniggering echoed in the background, and Relena's blush spread to her pointed ears and delicate neck. "I'll just be leaving now! I'm so sorry!" And so, covering her eyes, she rushed out the door. Duo's laughter bubbled over, and Heero had the most childish urge to splash him. Instead, he picked up a towel, and wrapping it around his waist, he used his natural heat to dry himself before the water became too cool.
Pulling on his clothes, he attempted to ignore Duo as he grabbed three towels. Two were dedicated to wrapping his hair atop his head, the other one wrapped around his waist. "Hey, could you just dry me off a little with that cool little heat trick of yours. I mean, it takes forever and a day for my hair to dry."
"Hn." Heero had half a mind to leave him there and let him dry off himself, but then he remembered he owed this boy his life two times over.
Walking towards the boy, he placed a hand on his wet shoulder. Focusing, he drove a quick flash of heat over his body, drying Duo and leaving his hair just a bit damp.
"Thanks!" Ignoring the boy, he followed the path Relena had taken only minutes earlier, wondering why his face felt hot and the feeling of Duo's cool skin imprinted itself in his mind.
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Lady Une grinned, no small amount of evil in her eyes. After discussing the "virtues" of working for the Devil's claw, Lord Treize had left, in order to give them time to think over their decisions. Lady Une already knew that they would not make the right choice.
The blonde probably wouldn't be able to stomach some of the missions the Claw needed to accomplish, and the tall brunette had looked upon Lord Treize with a mistrust instinctively ground into him by the elves.
The Lady frowned, bashing her closed fist against the table in anger. Couldn't they see that they were wrong? Couldn't they see that the only true way to happiness was to work for Lord Treize? Lord Treize was always right. He was a selfless, caring man, sacrificing his life to work for the benefit of others. Those two were worthless, if they could not see Lord Treize's brilliant plans for the future.
For Lord Treize, she would help him turn these ideals into a reality. For Lord Treize, she would rip out her own heart and hand it to him on a silver-no! - A gold platter. She lived for Lord Treize, and she would die for Lord Treize. She had given him her castles, a signal of her loyalty, and spent all her money making sure that people everywhere knew her Lord.
So entranced in her love, Lady Une failed to realize that maybe, just maybe, Lord Treize wasn't some sort of god, but a man, and a man cursed and corrupted by forces beyond his control. A man whose peaceful ideals would lead them all into an eternity of the darkness he suffered, day by day, night by night.
But Lady Une didn't realize any of this. All she could do was do her best to help him, all the while fingering her neck, imagining him marking her, pulling her into an eternity of darkness.
Beautiful, blissful, everlasting darkness; she would spend it all with him. Because love, while powerful, was also like a serpent, waiting to strike: Deadly and Dangerous.
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Quatre averted his eyes from the taller elf, focusing them on the floor. Honestly, he didn't know what to say. He knew he wouldn't join Treize; he could never forget the assassination attempt on his life, but at the same time, he now realized that he had more options available to him than going back to the elves to train.
With Iria and immortality on his side, the world was open to him. He could spend his entire life traveling, learning cultures and languages, experimenting with who he really was. He could continue teaching, sharing his wisdom with younger generations.
Heck, he could even become rich charging people for Dragon rides.
For a moment, he envied the elf. He knew what he wanted to do, and he had a path to follow. His life was like a river, constantly flowing in one direction, branching of occasionally, but always returning to his original path.
Quatre was like an ocean. Forever drifting, unsure of what direction it was moving in, not even sure if it was even moving at all.
Of course, a lot of his decision would have to come from Iria herself, but since the bracelet on his wrist prevented him from contacting her, he was all alone. Freedom was a powerful sensation, but responsibility was even more powerful. Quatre wasn't sure what, but he knew that something was going to happen soon, and he knew that he, Duo, Trowa, and any other rider out there was going to be drawn into it. His sense of responsibility wouldn't allow him to leave well enough alone.
"So, Trowa, you're going to go back to the elves after this, right?" Quatre asked, his eyes still focused on the ground, its grayish color was suddenly particularly intriguing.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught Trowa's small nod, before the duo retreated into an awkward, but easy silence. Quatre could hear Trowa's retreating footsteps, walking away from him. Still, Quatre's tongue was burning with the urge to say something, anything, but he didn't know what.
The door shut, leaving him in almost complete darkness, alone with the weak, flickering candles. Quatre still couldn't think of what he needed to see Trowa, but he had the feeling that this wasn't the only time the elf would walk out on him. Quatre only hoped he could figure out what he had to say before Trowa finally walked out of his life.
'Iria,' he reached out, grasping Iria's presence with his mind. He could still feel her, despite the collar and bracelet he wore. Zechs had put it on after he dressed, and Quatre could see no conceivable way of getting it off. There wasn't even a keyhole.
'Yes Quatre?' Iria replied, her voice relieved, buckets full of love washing over him because of their connection. The bracelets didn't work properly on him, for some reason.
'You're really here, in my head, Iria?' Quatre asked, happiness overwhelming him, forcing him to sit down on the chair that Treize had sat on during their last encounter.
'Yes! I've been trying to contact you for a day and a half now! Why were you tuning me out?' The last sentence was spoken in an accusative, hurt tone.
'I haven't been able to reach you, Iria. I have this bracelet, and it blocks my thoughts and magic.' He could feel Iria nodding in the back of his head, before the bracelet around his arm suddenly tightened, cutting off his circulation.
Pain erupted from the cold metal, quickly traveling up his arm. It was worse than the spell Dorothy had put on him before, mainly because the pain was all focused on one pat of his body.
His thoughts scrambled, destroying the little bit of magic that had started to wind its way around his mind, ready to help him.
'Quatre!' Iria screamed, but her voice seemed farther away, as if they were on opposite sides of a field. Her voice echoed, getting softer and softer, until it finally faded away.
"Iria…"
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Noin shook her head, completing her transformation. Catherine was a hard girl for Noin to imitate, and she had a feeling that Trowa was already suspicious. She really wasn't too good at the spunky, tomboyish, protective vibe that Catherine gave off, not that the elf would ever know that. She was safe and sound back at her familiar village.
It didn't really matter though. Keep Trowa distracted and stop him from attempting to escape. That was all Treize had told her to do. She sighed, working the stress slowly from her body.
Being a water spirit wasn't as glamorous as one would think. Sure, she had all sorts of cool abilities, like being able to reflect any person she had seen once before; just like a reflection in a body of water.
There were difficulties though. She had to stay near water at all times, as she drew her energy from moister in the air, and the farther away she was from water, the weaker she grew. Also, she had a weakness for extreme heat, and she had to watch her salt intake. It dried her up, seriously.
"Hello Noin, it's good to see you as yourself." Zechs set his mask down, and looked at her with exquisite, sky blue, slit eyes. His long hair flowed down his back, and Noin resisted the urge to grab him by his golden locks and drag him into a rough, hard, kiss.
She was also interested to see if he was a true blonde, but she kept those thoughts to herself. It would not do well for her to develop feelings for a superior officer. After all, wasn't she the one who told her that there was no use for different genders on the battlefield?
She could not allow her sex to define her. She was a better soldier than most of the men, and the only person to best her in hand-to-hand combat, besides the rider, was Zechs himself. She hadn't fought Treize since the unspeakable era, and she wondered how she would fare against him now.
Still, she wanted to do… Unspeakable things to the blonde-haired werecat, most of them involving handcuffs and other fun…Toys. Yes, sexual frustration was getting the best of her if she was having thoughts about handcuffs.
"How long do you think it will take for Treize to realize that no matter what we do, they can't help us?" Noin refused to believe that her gut instinct was wrong. It was never wrong.
"They might help us if we have the support of the Peacecrafts." Zechs sighed, rubbing his temples tiredly with a white gloved hand. Noin didn't know why he constantly brought the subject up if it was such a cause of stress.
"How long?" She asked, looking to her tired companion. He shrugged, his blonde hair shifting with the sudden movement.
"Treize says the stage still isn't set." He looked slightly worried, not that Noin could blame him.
Setting her hand on the table beside his mask, Noin faced away from him, a slight blush on her face. "Just remember, Milliardo, no matter what your battle is, I will always fight by your side." A blush covered her cheeks, and she felt glad that she was facing away from him.
His larger, firm hand covered hers in an embrace. "Why?" He asked her. She felt surprised. He had never questioned her loyalty before.
Because I love you…
"Because you are my captain."
She didn't expect him to pull her hand from the table, knocking his mask to the ground and forcing her to face him. She didn't expect him to cup her face tenderly in those white gloved hands. And when he kissed her, she wrapped her arms around his back, tangling her fingers in his hair, tugging him closer.
To Hell with protocol!
Zech's mask lay on the floor, forgotten.
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Duo focused on his opponent, violet eyes narrowed, his chest heaving. His braided hair was sweaty and had blades of grass stuck in it, and his shirt clung to his skin. Duo dodged Heero's next attack, pulling himself backwards to avoid getting a fist shoved into his stomach. His braid whipped forward, and before Duo could figure out what was happening, he felt a sharp tug on his braid, pain spiraling through his head, and Heero had pulled him against his chest, using the braid to pull his head to the side, leaving his neck bare.
"Treize is a vampire," Heero informed him, keeping a firm grip on his braid, tilting his head to an almost painful angle.
"He will use this to his advantage." Heero's breath was warm on Duo's skin, and he could feel the muscles tensing in Heero's stomach, and his eyes began to flutter close.
Heero shoved him forward, releasing his hair, and Duo stumbled. What was he doing fantasizing about Heero when Quatre's life was in danger. And besides, he still hadn't forgiven Heero! The only reason that he was still alive was because of their bond. Duo could somehow feel that it was real. He was sure that Heero couldn't be lying about that, or the black, smooth lines etched into his skin in the place of scars, couldn't be possible without magic.
Waiting for Heero to attack, he was surprised when the brunette leapt into the air, twisting like a humanoid pretzel. Duo sidestepped his attack, landing a firm kick to the underside of his knees. Heero crumpled to the ground, and Duo tackled him from behind, twisting his arms behind his back to limit his mobility. His legs were intertwined with Heero's, pinning them to the ground, and his hips were pressed into Heero, using the entirety of his body weight to keep the more muscular boy down.
"Oh my! I seem to always seem to be walking in on you two at the wrong time. Please don't allow me to interrupt your… activities, I just wanted to tell you that dinner was ready!" Bowing, she turned and ran, but not before Duo heard one last comment.
"Duo on top! That's a surprise!" Duo blushed a bright red, the same shade as Solo's eyes. Before he could blink, Heero had flipped them, reversing their positions. Heero held Duo's arms above his head, pinning him down with his legs.
"There will be plenty of distractions on the battlefield. You need to learn to ignore them."
Duo heard a snort, and a sudden, "Relena told me that you two were going at it like rabbits, but I just had to see for myself."
Duo knocked Heero off him, turning to Sally. His face once again bright red, and Sally gave him an arrogant smirk.
"You look like you need a little cooling off," Sally stated, raising a hand. "Agua."
Duo shivered as the freezing water fell all over him. That was cold (on so many levels!) What was it and people deciding that they needed to get him hopelessly wet? Once again, he was drenched. "Ah man," he sighed, holding up a soggy braid. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Heero smirk, and Duo huffed. Throwing his braid over his shoulder, he "accidentally" splashed Heero.
"Sorry man," Duo grinned, twisting his soaked braid in an effort to ring it out. When Heero glared at him with fiery blue eyes, Duo stuck his tongue out at him.
"Ah well, now I don't have to take another shower! Bet you feel sorry for feeling me up now, don't you Heero? No free views tonight." Duo snickered, happy when he got a slight widening of Heero's eyes in response.
It had been over a day since the two of them got there, and Duo quickly learned that despite all of his emotional covers, Heero was amazingly easy to read. Honestly, he should create a 'hn' dictionary, labeling what Heero meant whenever he actually responded to anything.
Quatre would get a kick out of that. Feeling suddenly depressed, Duo turned to Sally, a fake, overly cheery smile pasted on his face. "So, where's that dinner you told us about?" Duo joked. His stomach growled, and Duo rubbed it, placing an embarrassed look on his face.
"It's inside, when you're ready," Sally told them, walking back inside to her rather large cabin.
Duo started to follow her when a strong hand caught his arm, and Duo felt callused fingers griping the sensitive skin on the underside of his upper arm. Heero stared at him, his eyes intense, with an unknown emotion running through them. The sunset was behind him, casting his figure in darkness, his shadow thrown over Duo. The wind was blowing gently, a warm breeze, and Duo found himself caught in those mystifying eyes.
"Don't smile when you don't mean it." Duo blinked, and for the first time in his life he couldn't find anything to say. His fake smiles had always fooled everyone, while the real him lay hidden in a world only he knew about. He felt naked, emotionally vulnerable, and unraveled in front of Heero.
Struck between the urge to pull Heero into a hug and slap him, Duo shrugged his arm away, walking back towards Sally's cabin. Finally finding words, he spoke to Heero in barely a whisper, not really caring if the fire spirit heard. "If I don't smile and have fun, then what do I have left to live for?"
This time, Heero was the one left speechless, standing in the setting sun.
Neither of them noticed a figure hiding in the shadows, a black hood pulled over his head to hide him from the sun.
"Noin, Zechs, my dear old friends. The stage is almost set, and I can only hope that everyone plays their part."
