Official Quote : They don't have Gundams, they have wings.
A/N : It is not much, but I think I am getting better.
It is very pleasing to know that there are people who appreciate my imperfect writing. (smiles happily) God, I never expect this many reviews to come to my fortune! I want to thank you all : dearest Illico (I've had Promnesia edited, thanks to you again), dear talkstoangels77 (hi again, my dear), dear Relwarcn (thanks, oh, and I am open to another advice), dear Miss Terra (I really owe you for fixing my errors), dear JasLine (wow, such accurate conjecture… am I that easy to be read?), dear islandgirlzee (such praise, thank you!) and dear Celanire Fitzgerald (thanks for adding me to your Favourite Authors list). Your appreciations have given me some pride!
Okay, now to the story. For you, my dear readers, who may feel discomfort reading my previous-damn-too-long chapters, I now return to my original five thousand words template. Hope you can enjoy it more!
Wings
-a Gundam Wing Fanfiction-
Chapter Seven : Shadow
~o~
shadow n 1 [C, U] shade or comparative darkness 2 [C] a hint or faint, indistinct image or idea 3 [U] instance of mistrust, doubt, dissension
~"So near… yet so far away, the heart of yours."~
Relena had to admit that this man had an excellent taste.
The duke's personal room, which was always locked during the days she stayed in the castle, was huge. And as deluxe as the way the duke presented himself, his room was as luxurious. The room's high ceiling was decorated with fine painting and coordinated carved border, a grand chandelier was placed in the center of a vault. Tall bookcases stood at the far sides of the room, filled with various kind of literature. A wide wooden desk was located in the center of the room, in front of the glass windows, which curtains were put at both sides of the windows, allowing enough sunlight to pass through. And behind the desk, below a vertical dark-navy banner with shining image of lion head and golden tassels at its lower side, there was the duke himself, sitting on his high throne.
She was not sure whether there was other man who could fit so comfortably with such extravagant environment. This man had such a strong presence that could stand up to the room's extreme abundance. She saw it now, when the man dropped his amiable pretence, staring at her with cold eyes.
This morning was the first time they met face-to-face after her secret leave yesterday. And from his dark expression, she could tell that he was not pleased with the event.
She knew that the man, as the lord of the castle, empowered her in every aspect. Yet, she had sworn herself not to let him rule her. And for that swear, she would not cower in front of him, in spite of anything.
So she looked up to him, countering his stare with one of her own. Heavy silence lasted for seconds until the man broke it with his greeting. "Princess."
"Sir Treize," she greeted back.
He stood from her seat, inviting her to come closer. With a gesture of his hand, a marble chair was moved to the front of his desk. "Please have a seat."
Relena took her place quietly, observing his expression. He just turned his back on her, his eyes wandering outside.
"I feel adequately disappointed, my princess," he spoke, still not looking at her, "…about yesterday."
"I can't understand why you ruminate over it so much, sire," she pressed down a chill which was caused by his icy tone, "Although I am deeply sorry for missing our appointment for lunch."
She prepared herself to deal with his rage. If this man is going to throw a fit, it was better now when she had prepared herself to defend.
As expected, he threw her a pointed look.
"It was my fault that I failed to tell you before, for that I beg your pardon," he walked around the desk, "The land outside the castle's walls is full of danger, and so was your little stroll, alone, yesterday."
"It could be dangerous," she corrected daringly, "Yet it wasn't, since I returned without facing any harm."
She let her words sink for some minutes. The proud lord seemed to notice the other meaning behind those words. Yes, she had come back to the castle. And so she showed that she had no intention to abscond, even when she had the chance.
The man's tight face slackened a bit after that.
"Set aside my dreadful worry then," he said after a while, a calm smirk graced his lips, "I think we should be grateful for your safe return."
Biting back a sharp reply, she forced a smile out.
"I actually don't mind our cancelled lunch at all, we can reschedule it anyway…," her smile stiffened at his words, "But I couldn't be that sure about the other people."
He moved closer, leaning to the desk, standing in front of her.
"The general and his men were searching for you, my princess, do you know that?"
"I wish I could tell them my compunction," she replied carefully, "I didn't mean to cause commotion."
Did they get punished because of me?
As if knowing her weakness, he continued. "And the poor maids too, they were scared to death when they found that you were missing."
Oh God.
She tried her best to feign ignorance, betraying the pressure of guilt in her heart. He might expect her to crack at his words, that heartless, malicious lord.
She swallowed her curse.
"Well, I think I should see them to say my personal apology," she said as casually as possible, "I hope they would accept it like you do, sire, who don't mind this event at all."
The man caught the hidden message favorably, his pleasant smirk grew wider. She gritted her teeth, hiding her annoyance beyond a smile. At least she was sure that he would not drag this issue any longer.
-.-.-
Impressive.
Sitting on his tall chair, Treize Kushrenada stared to the closed door to which the princess dismissed herself a while ago. He was all impressed by the intelligence of the young lady, amazed with her clever remarks. She turned his own words to him, not even a little looking intimidated by his power.
He chuckled to himself. The pretty princess whom he had brought to this land, unlike all the assumptions and guesses, was neither tame, nor meek, nor obedient.
And all the more interesting because of it.
-.-.-
In the darkness of the night, a secret conversation was held in low voices.
"I see… OZ has got hold of the princess."
"Yes."
"…Good job, Heero. Keep an eye on the situation."
A pair of cold Prussian blue eyes was set to the castle, to the glass windows of the castle's high balcony.
"Acknowledged."
-.-.-
Relena stood near her windows, facing the balcony, secretly watching the usual two maids served her breakfast on the table. The dishes were clattering a little as they put the silver tray down impetuously. She knew why the maids hurried like that.
They were scared.
It couldn't be helped, she thought. She couldn't expect them to be friendly to her, especially after her missing event. She suspected that they had taken most of the blame, who knew what the duke had done to them as punishment.
She had tried to talk with them, with no result. They were still afraid of her in spite of her words of comfort.
She decided to keep her contact with the two maids as low as she could. She couldn't bear to see them paled and trembled in front of her, as if she was a kind of horrifying monster. Moreover, they seemed so much at peace when she wasn't around them.
Actually, she was really sorry for them, and more than a little sad to lose the closeness she had felt with the two maids.
But if they were now prefer to take distance from her, then so be it.
-.-.-
The windows of the duke's room were all closed, except for one. And from the only opened window, a dark brown creature flew in, alighting itself on the golden edge of the duke's tall chair. The handsome noble who was sitting on the chair extended his gloved hand, and the creature obediently complied, floating to his palm.
With a pop sound, the magical creature melted down, leaving only a white envelope on his hand. An envelope which supported two sinister twin unicorns on its seal.
Seeing the crimson emblem, his eyes narrowed. It was the sign of the Romefeller's dreamseer.
-.-.-
She never felt this anxious before.
The two guards, who were assigned to watch over her by the duke's order, were positively confused with her. She purposely ignored them, continuing her quick steps through the hall, making them half-running in trailing her.
Heero, where are you?
She had checked every room in the castle, the basement, the garden, everywhere. Yet, he was nowhere to be found.
She pushed the library's doors open, only to find that he was not there either. Staring blankly into the room, to the dim light of the dusk which was fading outside the windows, she clutched the door's handle tightly.
When the men finally caught up to her, she lugged the doors to shut, then silently walked away from the room. She walked slowly this time – to the guards' surprise, her eyes trained on the floor.
Night was falling quickly as she went towards her chamber. The lights on the stone walls flamed up by itself, one by one around her. But she had no attention to the marvelous sight.
Why does he suddenly stop seeing her?
She glanced at the two men behind her.
Is it caused by the security?
She could understand that he didn't want to attract attention by seeing her, by appearing close with her. She had accepted that she probably wouldn't have any chance to talk to him with two soldiers following her everywhere.
She just wanted to see him.
Has he gone out of the castle?
It was the most likely possibility. Thinking it over, he never said how long he would be here. He might not intend to stay at all.
For a second, she wondered whether he left because of her nuisance, because of her missing event the day before, just like the maids, who were evading her because of it.
No, she said to herself. The last time she saw him he didn't look angry with her. Perhaps it was simply the time for him to leave.
Still, he had gone without saying good bye. He might not consider it important, they weren't that close anyway.
She entered her chamber without looking back, leaving the two guards outside her door. Leaning her head and shoulder on the locked door, she closed her eyes.
The thought made her feel hollow.
-.-.-
Behind the gate's iron bars, there were half a dozen soldiers guarding the entrance of the castle. Heero noticed the significant ascension in the number of the guards, yet his instinct told him to suspect more than the perceptible accretion.
He stretched his palm, holding it still to the direction of the castle's main gate.
The magical circles which were carved on the stone pillars of the gate and on the ground in the area glowed in fluorescent green light, contrast with the darkness of the night. Very neat trick, he thought, using invisible protection charm around the gate. Inexperienced trespassers would have fallen to the trap.
He dropped his hand, the glowing light died down together with the move.
The castle was now very well-guarded. He was almost sure that the other ways to get inside were also safe-secured.
He sneered at the gate. Very funny, just a few days ago, the gate was practically left unguarded. Now, the entire castle was provided by a safety which could be compared to the palace's security. It supposed to be a wise act then, that he had discontinued his disguise before getting caught. The risk level was now too high to be afforded.
Such tight security might be related to the presence of infamous Treize Kushrenada in the castle. But somehow he got a presupposition that it was more caused by the message which was brought by the brown-winged messenger this afternoon.
He had failed to hack the message. The brown-winged creature, unexpectedly, was shielded by a strong magic. Anyone who had sent it must possess terrific power. If there was a way to know from where the message came from…
But not tonight, certainly not tonight.
Returning to his monitoring spot in the shades, he stared to the castle. Unconsciously, almost automatically, his eyes darted to the high balcony of the castle again.
He watched the light which was coming from the glass windows faded out, knowing that she was about to call the day off, that another day would pass without them seeing each other.
With this measure of surveillance, he wouldn't have any chance to be near her.
And maybe it was better like this.
-.-.-
This young lady never ceased to amaze him.
He smiled against his glass of wine, before wearing back his calm mask and giving his reply. "Pardon me, my princess, what did you ask just now?"
"I said," she repeated her question, "What is your intention of bringing me to this place?"
He put down his glass, looking to the seat which was placed across the long table. She was not smiling, the occupant of the seat, it was clear that his princess had been tired of their elusive conversation. Not that he hadn't thought of that, he was actually expecting her to initiate this kind of question during their lunch this afternoon. Yet, he hadn't expected her to be this straightforward.
"I remember I have told you before, princess, I wish to help you," he stepped aside, telling her the answer he had prepared, the one he had said when they first met.
Unsatisfied by his answer, she looked directly into his eyes, her gaze firm and demanding.
"What do you want from me?"
Too blunt, he appraised. Such way of talking would be hard to be accepted by Romefeller's high society. Very lamentable.
The corner of his lips turned up a little as he smirked.
-.-.-
The question was risky, she knew, yet she had to perceive the reason. She had to know the real reason, why she was brought to this world. And she didn't want some knotty excuses.
She had fed up with his abstruse reply.
Relena watched the man straightened his position, a slight smirk tugging at his lips. She waited, maintaining her patience, and before long he spoke up again.
"I want to help you to return to your birth land, the place where you should be," he began, "…regaining your right, the throne of your kingdom."
Cliché, she thought. Well, at least she got something. "What fortune do you get from that?"
"Nothing," he smiled wickedly, "I just hope we can maintain our good, friendly relationship."
She almost wrinkled her nose at that sentence. Telling herself to not get distracted, she thought over the sentence.
And she came to a conclusion.
"Our kingdom's relation isn't well, is it?"
"Not very good, indeed," he said off-handedly.
His tone was light, as if it wasn't too important. Yet, because she had learnt about his artful play, she was sure that it meant worse than that, far worse…
Something clicked in her head.
"So by helping me to gain rulership, you hope to get a commission from me," she might sound accusing, she didn't care. How dare him to get her into this kind of scheme!
Oddly, he stayed calm. "I only try to build a diplomatic bridge, by showing my hospitality to you."
"I don't owe you anything, you brought me here without my approval," she stated heatedly.
"Well, the people of Sanq may think differently, my princess," he reasoned, "Since it is me who brings you back to your kingdom."
She went silent at the retort. He did have a point.
"What if I refuse to go to Sanq?"
"Then you can stay here in this castle, or in the capital perhaps, until the emissary from Sanq come to fetch you," he offered generously, "Whichever you choose, my princess."
What if I elude all your choices?
She just about to say that, but apparently this man could read that thought. He smiled enigmatically.
Do you think that I will let you escape easily this time?
She gave him a glare, unwilling to bend before him. But she knew, as he also knew, that she didn't have that choice.
She had to think of something else.
"…I hardly believe that they will accept me."
His smile fell as he blinked. "Pardon me?"
"The people of Sanq," she said, "They probably won't accept me as their princess, don't you think? There is no proof, and for all they know, I can be an impostor."
Even she herself couldn't believe the statement until now. She wondered how this man could be so sure that she was the princess whom he looked for.
Yet instead of proofing the fact like she had expected him to do, he just looked at her.
"What do you think they will do then?" he asked, examining her intently.
Slightly annoyed that he answered her question with another question, she shuffled up her reply. "They will discover that I am not their princess, and quickly get me out of the palace."
"That is one possibility," he agreed, "But it is not the only one. And considering the usual human way of thinking, there is another possibility which most likely to happen."
Now she was curious of his quizzical statement.
"They can gladly and trustingly welcome me back as their princess…, but it is not the possibility which you are talking about, is it?"
"It is a possibility which I wish to happen the most," he told her, "But no, it isn't."
She racked her mind harder. They could believe in her, they could reject her. What else would they possibly do?
She glanced at the man in front of him. What did she think when he told him that she was a princess?
She had doubted him.
-.-.-
The silence stretched long in the dining hall. He watched her expression changed as thoughts passing in her mind.
"If," her voice was low, "…some people accept me, but some others don't… what will happen?"
Another brilliant guess. This young princess was too bright, too observant for her own good.
Keeping the comment to himself, he crossed his hands.
"The usual plot which always takes place when the legitimacy of a throne inheritor is doubted, what do you think will happen?"
Her answer was short. "There will be riot, chaos."
"War."
Her eyes widened at his word.
Ah yes, he had forgotten that his princess came from a relatively peaceful world.
"…you have anticipated this possibility, haven't you?"
Her voice wavers, he mused thoughtfully, apparently this sharp-witted lady was still an innocent after all.
"I have thought of some ways to turn that situation to my advantage," he declared openly, "Although I am wishing that such tragic history has not to be repeated."
If she was intrigued by his offensive statement, she didn't show it. Instead, she stayed impassive, lost in her thought.
He could understand. The revelation was hard enough, and he was willing to give her time.
"Take your time to decide, my princess… as long as you are in my protection, I promise to take a very good care of you." he said, ending their discussion for today. Or so he had thought.
"I will go to Sanq."
His shock was doubled over her change of heart. He had truly not expected her to agree this soon. After a few persuasions, perhaps, or maybe a forceful command but…
But seemingly she hadn't run out of surprise.
He was still stunned when she faced him again, her eyes hard of resolution. Then she opened her mouth again and added, "As soon as possible."
Precisely the answer he wanted to hear. What could he do except acceded?
"I will arrange the needed preparation," he gave in.
She simply nodded, and him, unable to contain his curiousness, asked, "But why so sudden?"
"Like you've said before, sire, I am free to choose," she emphasized her words, maintaining her ground, looking all confident, "I do this because I want to, not because you tell me to do so."
Her verdict seemed compulsive and rushed, yet the even placidity he saw in her showed that she had been certain with her choice. In that short of time, she had made a decision. And a wise one nonetheless.
Really, he had more than just fascinated. He had begun to take interest in her.
"Whatever you want to do, my princess," he smiled pleasantly, "Whatever you wish."
-.-.-
A few days later, the castle got another visitor.
A cavalry, a legion of winged stallions with two short horns on its head, disembarked on the castle's front yard, causing loud flapping noise. A slender figure slid of the black creature, landing gracefully to the ground. The person signaled the other soldiers to wait with one hand, before walking towards the castle.
The guards quickly closed the entrance, barring the person to come in.
"State your identity!"
"I am the leader of Lake Victoria Cavalry," the dark-haired lieutenant smiled calmly, "Tell Lord Treize that Lucrezia Noin has come to see him."
-.-.-
The lord of the castle was visibly deflated hearing the news.
"I believe that I have told Lady Une to keep it a secret," he said.
She gave him a nod, "She does, but apparently rumors about Sanq kingdom's heiress have spread without our interference. The dreamseers of neighboring countries have also seen that she has returned to this land."
"The noblemen want some explanations, I guess?"
Again, she nodded.
"You should be back to the capital immediately, my lord," she told him, "The situation is getting harder to be controlled."
Intertwining his hands on the table, he sighed. "I can't leave the princess."
"You can take her to the capital with you," she said, not understanding his reluctance.
The lord lifted up his eyes. She watched him opened up a drawer, taking out a white envelope. Shoving the letter on the table, he said, "Read this."
As she took up the envelope, he stood up from his chair, turning to his tall windows. She observed the familiar emblem on its seal for a minute, recognizing where it came from, before unfolding the paper inside.
Her eyes bulged out reading its content.
"This… Is it about…?"
"Yes," he confirmed, still not facing her, "The princess."
Waking from her astonished state, she asked, "What will you do, milord?"
"Noin," he turned to her, "I want to ask you a favor."
-.-.-
After she agreed, the duke didn't waste any time to send for the princess. After a moment of waiting, a knock broke in, causing the duke to lift his head, and her to stand from her seat.
The princess had come.
A golden-haired girl opened the door quietly, and Noin watched in interest, focusing her attention in examining the girl.
The first thing she noticed about the princess is her youthful appearance. The princess looked younger, and much prettier, than she had imagined her to be.
"Sir Treize," she greeted formally, curtsying in one flowing movement. And the second thing Noin noted from the princess was her excellent manner. She wondered how this girl learnt them, since she had grown up in the other world, outside royal society.
Then she lifted her eyes, a pair of clear blue eyes, gazing at her for a moment.
The short moment, her stare, gave her anything she wanted to know. Her stare was full of strength, and coming from her very young visage, it looked almost stubborn. Her powerful stare betrayed the docile impression which was forming in Noin's mind.
She turned to the duke, still wearing the strong, undeterred gaze, and asked, "For what do you call me this time?"
"Princess," he answered after she had sat down, "I think we should delay our trip to Sanq, I need to return to the capital."
Noin stared at her lord blankly, didn't he just ask her to…?
"I don't see why it should be cancelled," the pointed reply made Noin turn her head to the princess, "I am fine by myself."
He countered her, "You can't possibly go alone."
"I am not a captive," she snapped, rising from her seat, "I don't need you to keep me secured all the time."
And all the remaining delicate illusions of the princess broke with that sharp sentence.
Noin thought she saw a smirk crossed on the duke's face before he looked at her direction again. She looked back at him, understanding her lord's intention.
"Will you let me accompany you in your travel to Sanq, milady?"
The princess blinked at her. "You are…?"
"Lucrezia Noin, lady, pleased to meet you," she lowered her head.
"Pleased to meet you too," she said politely, throwing suspicious glance towards the duke.
"She is a lieutenant of a strong cavalry, princess," he said with a smile, "And she is also a dear friend of mine. You will be safe with her."
"You arrange this, don't you?" her tone was cold.
"For both our good," he answered, "You don't want the trip to be canceled. And I certainly will not let you go by yourself."
She thought for a moment, and Noin, seeing her disliked expression, thought that she would argue again. But no, she didn't.
"Thank you for your offer," she said to her, "I hope we have a good companionship."
Accepting the arrangement, she was turning into the calm, compliant princess whom Noin had always imagined, radiating a sincere form of friendliness. She started to see a plain, hidden innocence beyond the rebelliousness, beyond the girl's sharp words.
She smiled to the princess.
Genuinely, she smiled back.
And with that, they somehow compromised an agreement.
"Very interesting princess, don't you think, Noin?" the duke commented amusedly after the princess had left.
Dully comparing her to the images of other princesses whom she had chance to meet, Noin found that this one princess was unusual indeed.
-.-.-
Relena smoothed her brown-coloured suit, folding up the excessive sleeves.
Since the duke didn't bring her any clothes beside dresses, she had found difficulty in packing her clothes for the journey. Of course she couldn't wear a skirt while travelling with a military corps, moreover while riding on dragonic Pegasus – whatever the name of the creature.
Miss Noin had been kind enough to offer her clothes, but unfortunately their size was too different. She had to borrow some shirts and pants from the maids in the end, and although it was still a little too big for her, the clothes were already the best she could have for this time.
She decided to leave most of the duke's gifts behind, the jewelry and the dresses, she didn't need them. Actually she had meant to leave all of them, but Miss Noin, who had helped her to pack, convinced her to bring at least some. A princess had to dress up appropriately in front of her people, she said. Considering her opinion, she put a pair of earrings and two dresses in her load at the last minutes, and left the rest lay on her bed.
Hovering above the pile of dresses, she put a white piece of paper, a message, on the top of the pile. She had thought about it, the good maids could have the dresses if they wanted them. After all, they had lent her the clothes she needed, and she wasn't sure whether she could return the clothing to them.
Because she didn't intend to come back.
Taking her pack and her cloak, she put them on the table in the corner of the room. She opened the door to the balcony and stepped outside. The orange sky was bright today. The wind played with her hair, and she stayed idle, letting her thought wander.
She didn't know whether she had made a right decision. After finding out the reason why she had been called to this world, apart from her home, she had been wavering.
At first, she only thought how she could come back home, but now, her heart was torn in deciding. It might sound nuts, but when the duke told her the story about her origin, while a part of her denied his words, the other part accepted it. A part of her accepted his words as explanation of all her oddities, her strange ability, her wings, and the fact… the fact that her parents weren't blood-related with her.
When she started to believe it, her being at home with her caring parents seemed fake and false. Suddenly, the thought to go home seemed, she didn't know, it just felt… wrong.
But if she didn't belong to her home – or more exactly, a place which she had always thought as her home, where should she go? Where should she return?
She even didn't know who she really was. It was like losing the ground to stand on, it was frightening.
She needed to learn about herself, and this world, to know what she should do. She needed a proof, a confirmation.
And with this journey, she was going to find the answer.
-.-.-
Heero stayed in his secluded spot, watching the cavalry getting ready for their journey. All of the soldiers had set on their mounts, but they didn't embark, as if waiting for someone.
That someone walked out of the castle, a dark-haired lady in a military uniform – their leader, he supposed. A hooded figure followed right after her, covered in a green cloak. But he didn't need to see her visage to know who the person was.
It was her.
His eyes were adhered to the figure instantly, as if making sure that it was really her. When she climbed up her saddle, the hood disclosed, revealing golden hair which glistened in the sunlight. She put it on quickly, but not before he had seen her face, making his heart tightened in his chest.
He didn't understand why he kept seeing the flashes from the dream. Like now, he saw images of her younger form, when she was here, real and living in front of his eyes. He saw her wearing a white dress and a flower crown, smiling at him, while the real her was clad in an uninteresting brown suit which didn't fit her well, wearing a tight face, not noticing his presence at all.
Quietly he wondered why seeing her went with the corps, leaving the castle, made him feel aloof.
He waited some minutes after the group had flared to the sky, before he went to trail them. He remembered he did the same back then. Just like when he found her in the other world, he followed her without thinking.
Too many coincidences, he thought.
And now he had to stick with her, to keep watch upon her. For just a little bit longer.
-.-.-
A crystal ball on the duke's desk glittered, transmitting a fade light which transformed into a person's form.
"Lady," the duke nodded to the image.
"My lord," smiled the figure, "Have you heard of the situation?"
"Yes, Noin came to tell me," he said, "How bad is Dermail's rage?"
The lady coughed neatly, then whispered, "Actually, my lord, he is now here, behind my back."
Treize laughed, "Let me talk with him."
She complied, and the dim outline of a lady was replaced by a frame of a bearded man, which was wearing an outraged gaze.
"Treize, what have you done?"
"Well I think you should be happy, with the princess in our hands and all," he said calmly.
"You…," the man's face was red with anger, "Where is the princess now?"
He shrugged nonchalantly, "I've sent her to Sanq."
"What?" and a set of colourful words were flying afterwards. "…with all lecherous nations hunting her, you should have her secured in the capital!"
"I've talked to her, but she refused the offer."
"Who tells you to ask?" the man scolded, "She is our surety, fool!"
"She isn't," he said amusedly, "She told me so."
His reply sent the old man to explode. Closing one eye at the outburst, a flick of the duke's fingers sent the noisy complaint mute. But of course the bearded man, who continued his grudge, didn't notice it. It was only when the man had almost finished talking, he turned the speaker on again.
Skillfully hiding his smile behind his intertwined hands, he said, "Don't you have to worry, everything will take place as we've planned."
Then after a few calming sentences, he disconnected the contact.
The old man was such a gruff. No wonder the oracle never told him anything, but sent to him instead. Pulling his drawer, he took out the crimson-sealed envelope. He better kept this little message a secret.
He put the letter on his desk, and immediately, green flame blazed up, burning the papers without damaging the wooden desk.
The last words which could be read from the letter were formed as a phrase.
…beware of the darkness…
And without anyone knew, the foreordained prophet was burnt to ashes.
-.-.-
End of Chapter Seven
~o~
A/N : It is the imperfection which makes one's character beautiful.
If it is the whimsical complexity in the characters which forces many fans away, it is the one credit which pulled authors to fall in love with them. Me included. That's what I love most about Gundam Wing. Well, I want to make the characters in my story as "in-character" as possible, the way they acted, the way they reacted to the changing situation. I do try. So dear readers, what do you think about the way I picture the characters?
As the journey slowly reaches its end, there isn't much time left. The boy is leaving… yet the princess may not want to let him go.
"From the start, I know that you are a person who soon is going to leave."
(Chapter Eight : Barrier)
What lays ahead their journey?