Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam 00 or any of these characters.

Warning: This is BL.

Ordinary Love

It was the middle of a battle field when I ran into him again. It was then when I realized that this boy was the pilot of the white Gundam. I had just gotten to the dispute area that had asked the Union for aid as one of the MSWAD's Gundam investigation unit. He seemed like he came to investigate for the next mission from Celestial Being to intervene in the dispute. He was still fighting as ever and his upright eyes had not changed a bit. The boy, who I thought would be fighting in Azadistan only, was standing there without a doubt, radiating and existing.

The red-colored eyes were reflecting me. Whether he had remembered me or forgotten about me, he looked at me silently and I passed him by as if I didn't know him either. I wondered why. I didn't want to share his identity with anyone. But our encounter was no accident; it was inevitable. I knew that I definitely would run into him again someday. And in this big and wide world, we did meet again.

A third meeting. The world calls it "fate".

...

Chapter Three

After getting away from the busy streets, I came back to my apartment in a hurry to grab the communication device with Ptolemaios. I didn't know when Graham would get here, so it wasn't a wise decision to stay any longer. I have to get away from this safe house and go to one of the island hide-outs before he gets here. Those were the directions given from my education at CB for a situation like this. After all Graham was an enemy and when you have been discovered by the enemy, you abandon the safe house ASAP and hide.

Yet…I could have abandoned everything in my apartment but I came back for some reason. What did I come back here for? I looked around the room after putting the communication device in my pocket. I have no more than the necessities here to begin with so it seems like there are no traces. If I don't need anything else, let's get out of here and go to Exia to send a code to Wan Ryumin. She will get rid of this place for me, contact Ptolemaios, then get me a new hide out or a new mission. I grabbed the door knob but turned around to see the place once more. It was because my eyes caught the glimpses of the red.

"…how foolish."

The roses were from the bouquet that Graham had gotten me the other day. There were so many that I had divided them among the place so you can see the glances of red flowers everywhere. I criticize myself for a moment as my hesitant hand reaches out to grab a red rose out of the bunch. It would be ruined if I put it in my pocket but I do it anyways. No matter how you see it, this was a foolish act. Have I been influenced by him? I turned around to leave when,

–BAM!

"Setsuna!"

The door was pounded at that moment. I was by the front door, about to leave, so I couldn't help but be startled by the sudden attack. I know who it is without looking. The voice belongs to Graham Aker. He seems to be trying to force the door open by violently turning the doorknobs, so I lock up the second and the third locks, even knowing that he has a key to this place. He pounds at the door again.

"Setsuna!"

"Go back!"

I reject his callings by shouting back at him. I wanted to speak in a more calm and cold manner, but my voice cracks as I shout because I'm agitated for some reason. My straight expressionless face, I can feel it distorting due to the unknown pain. Graham Aker, do you know what I look like with this door between us? Somehow I think I know what kind of face you're making. So please, stop looking like that and go back. That kind of expression does not suit you.

I can't tell him these words so I turn around and lean against the door. I want to avoid him. The rose in my pocket is bothering me. Within that instance, as if Graham read my mind, he no longer pounded on the door or shouted. But I haven't heard him walk away so he's still standing in front of the door. I take out the scrunched up rose from my pocket. Some petals are about to fall off from being crushed. It was emitting a pitiful redness.

"I don't care if you're the pilot of that white gundam or not."

Graham finally spoke. As if he had calmed himself down during the silence, he spoke in a monotone. I knew he wasn't telling himself but was talking to me. I listened to him without responding. We had the door between us but I could hear his voice clearly. It wasn't loud but it wasn't too soft.

"I don't doubt that it was because of that Gundam I took interest in you and I still am interested in that Gundam. But that's another story. Without being in my flag, I met you without your Gundam three times. And I fell in love with you, Setsuna. I love you as who you are, not because you're a Gundam pilot. I'm not Graham Aker the soldier either. I believe that you and I are tied by strings of strong fate."

Even in moment like this, his words are redundant.

I don't believe in fates so I can never relate to his words and I have bitterly laughed at him before because he was raised like a prince. But right now, I envy his mindset. I don't know who the adult is and who the kid is here- that's how innocent his heart is. I could never share the same ideas as Graham. We are very different from each other, so I cannot understand what he's saying. I am I, CB's Gundam meister, Setsuna F. Seiei, and a sinner. He is an enemy, and no matter how much he loves me, we exist in different worlds. Graham's unrealistic ideals of diving himself as a human being and a soldier with a gun on a battlefield, will come around a hurt him down the road. …triggered by me.

I feel like I'm smelling blood somewhere so I frown. There are no injuries around me and I'm not on a battlefield but something smells of blood around me again. I open my mouth to refute but I don't want unnecessary arguments so I stop. I just want to get away from here as fast as possible, away from the scent of blood. I was afraid that the smell would reach Graham.

"I have absolutely no intention of becoming a tragic couple. Your magic spell isn't broken yet, so my Juliet, please don't leave me."

And that's how he ended his words. What kind of childhood did he have that he speaks like that? As if giving me time to think, he said "Well.. I will wait a week, Setsuna." With that he walked and I felt weak so I sled down the door as I heard his footsteps fade. I replayed every single word that he had said and mocked ourselves thinking 'I was never under a magic spell'. I am not your lady. I killed my own mother, my family, countless number of people, and mocked my God- I am one hideous sinner.

"Exia…!"

To be honest, there was another name that I wanted to call out. But I can only call out Exia's name. I could not understand Graham, but I wanted to be with him. I felt very sad, but same as when I had killed my mother, tears would not come out.

After receiving a week of grace period from Graham, I moved myself to one of our island hide outs and wasted more than half of the week, spacing out in Exia. We had an intervening misson to AEU in the mean while but I couldn't focus well that I got yelled at by Lockon. Thankfully Tieria was already at Ptolemaios, so there was no quarrel with him, but if we were to meet for a mission any time soon, I'll be sure to hear naggings from him as well. But I don't care about that, my mind was somewhere else. Probably…because today was the day before this problematic week comes to an end.

"Setsuna. Oi, Setsuna. If you're gonna sleep, at least get out of there and come with me."

Lockon shakes me while I was in the cockpit with my eyes closed. I wasn't actually sleeping but I did sleep in here for a few days so I opened my eyes quietly. As expected, he was standing in front of my now opened cockpit, staring at me. Lockon's partner, Haro jumped his way over into my arms. I stared at this orange companion for a little before meeting Lockon's eyes.

"Lockon Stratos."

"Have you eaten? You have to eat well during your growth period, Setsuna."

I realize that I haven't eaten dinner. I knew that I was having very irregular days because I spent so much time in the cockpit, sleeping. I felt a bit tired and shook my head at Lockon to give him my answer. He sighs. He knew it as well. I pretended like I didn't hear his sigh but I was soon led out of Exia's cockpit by his hand. It was me that decided to be led out without a struggle but Lockon seemed to be taken aback the fact that I was dragged out so easily. He opened his mouth again, probably to give me a talk, so I handed Haro over to his arms. He frowned even further as he understood that I'm asking him to leave me alone. I know that he was worried about me, but right now it was so hard for me to even stand still or to speak at all. There was a silence between us.

"...If you stay still without doing anything, Setsuna, you eventually won't be able to do anything."

He broke the silence and spoke softly to advise me. 'Haro! Haro!' Haro jumps up again and lands in my arms. I looked at Haro who is now flapping his ears and spinning on my palms before looking back at Lockon. I thought he might be angry, but he sounded so calm. On top of that, I was a bit flustered because it seemed like Lockon had read my feelings.

"….I don't know..what I want to do."

I calmed myself down, and told him my real feelings that I've been hiding. This past week, every time I closed my eyes- I saw Graham. His voice, his gestures, his figure… Without realizing it, I was already accustomed to him. Now I was so filled up with him that I couldn't care just about Exia all the time like before. Graham's existence felt like a drug. Because it's so sweet, you become addicted without even realizing it, and no matter how much you want to forget about him, you cannot. I wanted to forget him even for a little bit so I did not let myself be apart from Exia almost at all times but it was no use. So now, I can't figure out what it is that I want to do or wish. To continue to ignore and forget him, who is waiting for me. Or to go see him. I can't read my own heart.

I looked into Lockon's eyes. They were green but a bit different from Graham's. It wasn't about color, his eyes felt different from Graham's.

"Only you know the answer."

Lockon stepped closer and gently caressed my head. I closed my eyes.

[I don't care if you're the pilot of that white gundam or not.] Graham's words ring through my thoughts.

I already know the answer? Thinking over what Lockon had just told me, I opened my eyes. When I came to my senses, I was already running to Exia. I could barely hear Lockon saying to Haro, "Well, should we go as well?"

In Exia's cockpit, a black withered rose was stubbornly keeping its place.

I apologize that it took so long to update... It was a very busy semester, I'm sorry (bow).

It also took a long time because I have been contemplating how to finish it, to add more chapters, to make a sequel, and etc.. But I decided to end it the way I wrote it originally a long time ago. I would really like to add onto the story with a sequel but I don't think I have the confidence yet. So I apologize again that there were only three chapters and I took so long to upload the last chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. It was my very first time (ever since I started writing BL fics 10 years ago, oh god) that I've shared my work so it's been special for me. :) Perhaps we'll meet again somwhere in a sequel, or not, hahaha.