Snippet 7

"I can't believe it!" Relena fumed pacing the immaculate pastel sitting room her ankle length skirt swishing in agitation. "Green! He does this to spite me, I'm sure of it. It is only a matter of time before the press find out then where will we be?"

"Miss Relena calm down. Your brother is a big boy he can make his own decisions." Lucrezia tried to calm the agitated princess.

"Have you seen it? What am I saying you must have, you were at the party. He looks like a circus freak!"

"No, Trowa's the circus boy, his hair isn't any stranger than mine." Lu said reflected.

"Oh that doesn't matter. Dye fine for a girl and your navy hi-lights are subtle. But all over Green it is a travesty!" Relena still looked a bit sickly at the thought.

"Hello, you sound like WuFei." Noin scowled, "Even that dragon has seen the error of his ways. And, for your information, my hair color is completely natural. This particular trait has been passed along various branches of my family tree since the Cosmic Era and it was one very famous Commander, A. Zala who was responsible for it. A fact I happen to be rather proud of."

"Wow, I remember learning about him in pre-colonial history at St Gabriel's. Lady Lacus was my idol!" Relena gushed.

"Well THAT explains your infatuation with the color pink." The dark haired woman nodded.

"I wasn't infatuated; I only had a few suits that color." Relena defended.

"One must not forget the pearly pink limo." Noin smirked.

"It was a gift!" the princess exclaimed.

"R-i-g-h-t," Noin drew out the word unbelievingly. "Would you be less averse to the idea if your brother's hair was pink and not green?"

"I most certainly would not! What was he thinking?" She renewed her rant, "Doesn't he care about me at all? I've been trying so hard to get people to see he isn't a threat anymore. I tried to convince them he just wants the chance to be left alone and live quietly. They wouldn't have let him come back from Mars if they thought he was still of a mind to shake the sphere from its foundations."

"Now Miss Relena, don't you think you are being a tad over-dramatic? Surely you can't put green hair in the same class as dropping a colony, or saving earth from said colony. Besides even your Heero has highlights now and you can't say they don't look good on him."

"Again, subtle changes, only people who know what Heero looked like before would even notice, and there aren't many of us who do." She sighed, "My brother apparently, doesn't have a subtle bone in his body."

"Oh make no mistake Agent Wind isn't always gale force, he can do subtle when he wants to. Your problem seems to be his unpredictable nature. I probably know him better than anyone alive and he is constantly surprising me. The trick is not to let him know when he's done it. Take everything in stride."

I envy your relationship more than anything Lu. I want to get to know him outside of the controversy. Now it looks like that is not going to happen. He seems to crave drama." She shook her head, "He'll never settle down and be a proper prince."

"You are right in thinking he'll never make a proper prince. Trying to fit him into a set mold will only drive him away. And for the record, he doesn't crave controversy or drama; it is other people who seem intent on thrusting him into it. Green hair is only an issue if you make it one. Don't do it. Your brother loves you and THAT has been one of the few constants in his life. You've noticed the Gundam boys experiencing a bit of a fashion insurrection lately and Zechs is no different. This is peace time and they are warriors. My ancestor Athrun learned reinventing yourself takes as much courage as sitting in a mobile suit, more in fact. Try to be a little understanding and give the pilots some slack as they figure things out for themselves."

"I want to. I really want to, especially with Milliardo. I always dreamed I had a big brother. More than anything I wanted someone to look out for me. Now I learn I do have a brother and he has been looking out for me. He even stopped me from being kidnapped when I was a girl. Still he confounds me at every turn. He is a total stranger. And he keeps getting stranger and stranger." She frowned. "Honestly, who ever heard of a green haired prince?"

"Actually the green was Duo's doing - Green men from Mars. It was a prank. Then Zechs decided he liked it. Did you really dream you had a brother?"

"Sort-of." She looked a bit uncomfortable. "It's rather ironic when you think about it. Most girls pretend to be princesses in disguise. I never did. Most of my imaginary friends were farm animals."

"Don't tell me you pretended about short-duck and your 'brother' was a goose." Noin chuckled.

"How did you know?" Relena asked wide eyed. "I barely remember the stories myself. I know Rex Fox was always after Duck and Goose had to come rescue her. The rest is a bit fuzzy. I tried to find stories online with no luck. I searched kid's books and TV series too but couldn't find anything at all. I was beginning to think it was all in my mind."

"No the stories are as real as your brother is." Noin Chuckled. "You've just got to 'goose' him into telling you

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(If you don't know Lacus Clyne and Athrun Zala are from Gundam Seed)