Chapter 3

Sumeragi glared at the Irishman in front of her who had a smug look on his face as he adjusted his green jacket. He had just finished his treatment and was ready to get back to work.

"Take it easy Lockon," she said with a slight quiver in her voice, thinking of Neil.

Lyle glanced at her with a glint in his blue eyes, "I'm not my brother. I'm fully healed, I didn't bail out early."

"Ready to go, ready to go!" Haro chirped cheerfully and earned himself an affectionate pat from the meister.

"Good to see you little buddy," Lyle laughed.

Sumeragi gave him a small smile, "Let's get back to work then."

Lyle made his way to the mess hall to grab a bite to eat. His stomach grumbled and he scowled at the sound. He was starving after being stuck in that container for so long. Haro floated along after him and chirped happily at anyone who walked by. He was at the door when he stopped abruptly as he heard a raised female voice inside the room.

"I don't know what's going on, something feels off."

Lyle's eyebrows shot up as he recognized Feldt's voice. He then heard a deeper voice that was monotone and recognized that voice too.

"You seem distant."

"Me? Distant? That's a joke," Feldt said sarcastically, "You always push me away and then when I step back you immediately try to pull me back in like you're afraid of losing me."

"I don't want to lose you," Setsuna replied quietly.

"I think we need to take a breather from each other," Feldt spoke, her voice shaking.

"Feldt?"

"We both deserve to be happy," Feldt whispered where Lyle could barely hear her.

"Is this about Marina?" Setsuna asked, his voice getting slightly louder, "I've told you that we don't have that kind of relationship."

"Then why do you go off to see her so often and confide in her? Why can't you confide in me?" Feldt questioned.

"She understands me."

Lyle winced at Setsuna's poor choice of words. He swallowed dryly, he wanted to walk away, but also couldn't help himself to continue eavesdropping. Part of him was sickeningly thrilled with the direction of this conversation. His time in the healing container had led him to the unfortunate conclusion he was still very much in love with Feldt. He never thought he would love someone else after Anew, but the young pink haired girl had won his heart and he had no control. He desired her current relationship to fail and for her to come back to him. He hated himself for it, but after Setsuna killed Anew he had a deep desire to make the Krugis man suffer. He just so happened to be infatuated with Feldt and it would hurt Setsuna in the process, two birds with one stone.

"I clearly don't understand you," Feldt snapped, "I've tried for so many years, but I'm done trying. I can't keep doing this."

Lyle inhaled as he heard footsteps and looked left to right as he desperately wanted a place to hide. The halls were empty and there was nowhere to go. Just as he was about to decide to run or stay, Feldt came around the corner and her eyebrows shot up.

"Lockon listening, Lockon listening!" Haro chirped, flapping his ears with blinking eyes.

Lyle growled and grabbed the little ball roughly, "Haro!"

Tears welled at the corner of Feldt's eyes and she took off down the hall. Lyle watched her disappear around the corner and huffed.

"Way to go," he muttered to the little machine which let out a sad beep.

Setsuna appeared in the doorway and looked the Irishman up and down, "You look well."

"Yeah, all fixed up," Lyle nodded.

"Good," Setsuna replied as if the encounter that had just occurred never happened.

….

Mileina watched Feldt carefully as the pink haired girl solemnly typed on her workstation with a downcast expression.

"Feldt?"

Feldt looked up at the younger girl who frowned at her. Sumeragi also watched her with curiosity.

"My woman's intuition tells me you and Setsuna had a fight."

"Well, your intuition is right. We broke up," she replied shortly, going back to working on her computer.

"I'm so sorry, Feldt," Sumeragi said with a sympathetic smile.

Marie was sitting at the helm and she looked over her shoulder with a frown. She had watched the ups and downs between Setsuna and Feldt. She admired the girl so much for her loyalty to the Krugis meister. He seemed to be a hard person to love as he didn't appear to be the type to reciprocate affection. Her thoughts shifted as she also remembered how she had seen the ups and downs between Lockon and Feldt. She sighed and decided she would talk to Allelujah later. She hated seeing Feldt this way, she was a kind girl who deserved the world.

….

"We're headed back to space?" Allelujah asked.

Tieria nodded, "Yes, back where we belong."

Lyle scoffed, "Maybe you, I belong at a nice bar with a drink and a beautiful lady."

Tieria rolled his eyes, "You're ridiculous!"

Allelujah chuckled, "There's one of those right here."

"She's taken."

"Not from where I hear," Allelujah replied.

Lyle paused, "And what have you heard? Through your lady I assume."

"Marie told me Setsuna and Feldt broke up," Allelujah shrugged.

Tieria scoffed and stood up, "I'm not going to sit here and listen to this, we are fighting in a war, not some high school drama."

Allelujah and Lyle both smiled as Tieria stormed out of the room and laughed.

"He secretly likes it," Lyle said, "He's a softie."

"Agreed."

The two meisters sat in silence for a moment and then Lyle let out a sigh.

"Lockon…" Allelujah trailed off, "Do you still like Feldt?"

Lyle let out a bitter laugh, "You've caught me red handed."

Allelujah smiled, "Then why don't you do something about it?"

"So you want me to scoop her up after a fresh breakup? I'm not a rebound."

"Isn't that what you used her for on our trip? After Anew?" Allelujah asked seriously.

Lyle paused and thought. It's true he started out with that intention and had no attachment to the girl. He just wanted to have some fun with a young, good looking girl. It evolved into something he had never expected and now he was in love with her. It was excruciating to watch her choose Setsuna over him. Setsuna couldn't give her what she needed and he hated it. He despised the way he treated her and wanted to give her so much better. She deserved to be treasured and treated like the most important thing in the world, but all Setsuna cared about was Celestial Being and his Gundam.

"Lockon?" Allelujah questioned as he watched the man in front of him look pensive in thought.

"I do love her," Lyle stated.

Allelujah smiled, "I think you need to tell her that."

Lyle sighed, "This really is a high school drama."

…..

Tieria liked space better. He was designed for space and felt more at home there. He hated the surface and couldn't wait to get away from it. When he felt the familiar shudder of the Ptolemy passing through the atmosphere he sighed in relief as the gravity in the ship changed and the water bottle he was holding began to float on its own as he let go of it.

"Tieria Erde."

The innovade glanced at the owner of the melancholy voice and dark eyes stared back at him.

"Setsuna."

The two stared at each other in the locker room where all of their pilot suits were located. Setsuna floated to his own locker and opened it, going through his belongings.

"Trouble in paradise?" Tieria asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"What do you mean?" Setsuna questioned, not taking his eye off his pilot suit he was pulling out.

"Dense as ever," Tieria rolled his eyes.

Setsuna paused and sent a glare at his comrade. He didn't speak and slammed his locker door shut. He left the room abruptly without a word.

Tieria went back to sipping his water bottle and enjoying the weightlessness of space.

…

Marie moved down the empty hall using the moving handrails on the ship. She found herself in front of Feldt's door and knocked lightly. A few moments passed and the door opened with a sleepy eyed girl facing her.

"Marie?"

"I'm sorry Feldt, is this a bad time?"

Feldt let out a yawn, "No, it's alright, what do you need?"

"I wanted to talk to you for a moment."

Feldt's blue eyes widened and she nodded, stepping aside as the super soldier entered. She sat down on Feldt's bed and patted the spot next to her.

"Is something wrong?" Feldt asked with a concerned expression.

"Not at all. I wanted to check on you. You've seemed down," Marie replied, her golden eyes narrowing.

Feldt's expression immediately changed, "A lot is going on."

"You can talk with me about it," Marie reassured and added, "Allelujah is worried about you too."

The systems engineer played with the edge of her baggy t-shirt she wore on top of her sleep shorts and she avoided eye contact. Marie had been there during tough times and she had been there for Feldt when they were in Ireland and she was struggling through so much.

"Setsuna and I broke up," Feldt stated, her voice cracking.

"Oh Feldt..." Marie trailed off softly and wrapped her arms around the girl next to her, squeezing tightly, "I'm so sorry, you had liked Setsuna for so long, why did he break up with you?"

Feldt pulled back and a sad smile crossed her lips, "I broke up with him."

"What?!" Marie's eyes widened in shock, "But you're crazy about Setsuna, what happened?"

The pink haired girl stared at the wall across the room, "Our trip."

Marie tilted her head and looked thoughtful, "Yes, the trip where you and Setsuna exchanged feelings and got together at the end…" she trailed off watching the girl in front of her.

Feldt didn't speak and Marie continued to stare at the girl. She didn't look devastated about a recent breakup, rather, she looked guilty. Marie pursed her lips and thought about the trip. A wave of realization then hit her and her lips parted in shock.

"Lyle?" Marie whispered out.

Feldt swallowed dryly and nodded shakily.

"Oh Feldt…" Marie spoke quietly, "Are you sure about this? He's a lot older than you and I know you two started off on a bad foot. The trip was special, but I thought that was just a fling for him."

"He's all I can think about," Feldt said quietly, "Everything was great when Setsuna and I started dating. He was the guy I had been waiting for. I knew he had issues with expressing himself and sees Celestial Being as the most important thing, but he was my most important thing so I was willing to give him a chance. At first, I thought it would work, but as time went on I found myself being pushed aside and forgotten. I would almost pine for attention from him and feel rejected when he didn't give it to me. Then he would go off and see Marina because they 'understood' each other."

Marie nodded in silence and listened intently, placing her hand on the girl's shoulder for support.

"I even threw myself at him one night because I was so desperate and he pushed me aside. I felt disgusted. Then I started thinking back to our trip when I was with Lyle and he made me feel like I was the only person in the world that mattered. He made me feel treasured and special. I missed that. I also missed his humor and how he makes everything fun. I feel relaxed with him," Feldt explained.

"Have you talked with him?"

"No," Feldt shook her head, "I don't want it to come across like I'm rebounding from Setsuna."

Marie sighed, "You definitely need to talk with him."

"I'm just some young fling he had, you said it yourself. He's probably forgotten. I'm sure he wants an older and more mature woman who knows what she wants. He was with Anew, she was gorgeous. I can't compare to that," Feldt muttered.

Marie frowned, "Don't talk that way about yourself. It sounds to me like you know what you want. I don't think he's forgotten and you're a beautiful girl. You and Anew are completely different people."

Feldt was silent and stared down at her hands where she twiddled her thumbs. Marie hugged the girl again and squeezed.

"Please talk with Lyle."

…..

"Haro, check the shield reserve," Lyle said as he sat in Cheridum's open cockpit in the flight hangar and typed on the computer system in the mobile suit.

"Roger, roger!" the little ball chirped.

Lyle huffed, "How about some simulation practice too."

"Targeted and firing, targeted and firing!" Haro said excitedly and the cockpit closed.

The screen in front of them lit up and the sight for Cheridum's sniper gun dropped down. Lyle grabbed ahold of it and started shooting at the mock enemy mobile suits. The system beeped realistically around him as he shot at enemy mobile suits. He gritted his teeth in frustration after the first round, seeing he was still below his brother with his score. He always felt second best and it made him very irritated. Second best to Neil and second best to Setsuna.

"Damn it," he growled out and slammed his fist on the keyboard, "I need to move on!"

The cockpit door opened and Lyle pulled himself out, floating out into the hangar, enjoying the lack of gravity. It was late and he needed to get some sleep. He sighed and decided to do his usual stop at the mess hall where his secret booze stash was for a nightcap. He entered the empty room and rifled around in the cabinet, finding a green glass bottle that made him smile.

"Just like home," he muttered and poured himself a straight glass of Irish whiskey.

He sipped on the drink, reveling in the slight burn as it made its way down his throat. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, imagining he was back home and could hear the bustle of the Temple Bar district with the scent of rain in the air on a chilly night.

"Lyle."

The meister's blue eyes shot open as he was torn from the blissful imagery and he found himself staring at Feldt Grace. Her chest was heaving like she had just been running and her cheeks were flushed. Lyle's mouth instantly became dry, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. His heart hammered in his chest and he hated how his body betrayed him. He was supposed to move past this girl, she was Setsuna's. He knew even if they had split up that they would end up back together. She was madly in love with Setsuna.

"I need to talk to you," Feldt said.

Lyle drank from his glass and spoke, "Not right now."

Feldt's eyes widened and a look of hurt covered her face. She said nothing for several agonized seconds and took a slow step backward. She blinked up at the Irishman with pleading eyes, but found herself unable to speak. She left the room quickly and Lyle sipped on his whiskey, staring at the door she had just exited.

"Move on," he mumbled and finished his drink.

….

Allelujah walked out of the bathroom after finishing his shower and saw Marie snuggled under the covers of the bed. He smiled and made his way over to her, throwing his towel over the back of a chair. He climbed into bed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to his chest. He put his chin on top of her head and inhaled with a smile.

"Sleep well," he said to her gently.

Marie was silent for a moment and then rolled so that she was facing Allelujah. His heterochromic eyes stared at her in surprise.

"I talked with Feldt."

Allelujah's eyebrows shot up, "About what?"

"You know she's been down, I wanted to see what was going on with her," Marie said, running her fingers through his silky hair.

"And?" Allelujah questioned as he leaned into her touch with a relaxed look on his face.

"She broke up with Setsuna."

Allelujah shrugged, "You had to know that wasn't going to work."

"Allelujah!" Marie cried and lightly hit his chest.

He let out a laugh, "Come on Marie, don't tell me you couldn't see that coming. Setsuna only cares about his Gundam and about his missions. Feldt is a sweet girl. He wasn't going to give her what she needed. It was some silly crush for her."

"I can't believe you right now," Marie said.

Allelujah chuckled, knowing that Hallelujah was responsible for some of this insight.

"There's something else," Marie said, narrowing her eyes.

"What? That she wants to go back to Lockon? They had a good thing going back in Ireland, I wouldn't be surprised," Allelujah mused.

Marie huffed, "Unbelievable."

….

Feldt sat alone in her room and tears ran freely down her face. She was foolish to believe that there was anything between her and Lyle Dylandy. He was older and they had a fling. She was immature and clinging to a relationship that never existed. She also had ruined the relationship with the second man she had ever loved. She was disgusted with herself. She always wanted what she couldn't have. First it was Neil when she was a young girl, then it was Setsuna when he had no interest in her and she had a fling with Lyle. Then she got Setsuna and wanted Lyle.

"Christina, what should I do?" Feldt said out loud into the silent room around her.

Christina would have eaten this drama up and told her exactly what to do and what to wear when she did it. She missed her outspoken friend and she gripped her pillow, squeezing it harshly as a sob shuddered through her.

"I need to move on," Feldt told herself after several moments and got up to wash the tears from her face.