Written by: KLMeri
She slammed the folder closed in irritation. Who the hell does he think
he is? Noin leaned back in her chair as an unpleasant scowl crept over
her face. She had been confined to office work for two weeks now. Noin
rubbed her neck. If I read another one of those freaking reports, I gonna
go insane! Damn Zechs! I am certainly capable of handling field work, bullet
or no bullet.
Her office was right down the hall from Lady Une's, and many people passed
by everyday. Noin's comrades would stop by and talk to her. They were
usually coming back from getting an assignment from Lady Une, and would
tell her all about it. Her muscles twitched in longing everytime. How
she would love to be rid of this place! She could definitely live without
this paperwork.
Noin head was beginning to hurt just thinking about the filled "IN" box.
She sighed. What she wouldn't give to see Zechs! He hardly ever visited
her once dropping her off in Lady Une's care. It's almost like he was glad
to be rid of me, she thought sadly. Noin's expression happily changed to
anger. Well to hell with him! Who needs him anyway! Certainly not...
"Damn it all!" she yelled at the folder that she clutched feveriously.
Lord, who in the hell am I trying to kid? I do need him. She put her head
down on the desk in defeat.
He wondered through the hallways aimlessly. People rushed around him,
oblivious to anything that did not directly affect them. He watched the
lights play across the walls, streaking the faces of many souls. Some people
spared glances in his direction because his endless appearance temporarily
caught their ever present curiousity. One man stood to a distance behind
him, watching Zechs closely. In his hand, he held a small envelope with
Zechs's name upon it. He wondered why this silent man paced the hall so.
He wiped imaginary sweat from his brow, and moved towards the lone figure.
Zechs stiffened as he sensed a presence. He felt eyes boring into his
back. Shivering as a chill ran down his spine, he turned around to meet
this person. He attentively watched as what appeared to be another member
of the Preventers approached him at a cautious pace. He noticed that the
man was holding an envelope, and an uneasiness settled in the air.
Bad
news? Zechs silently questioned the man's eyes. He gave no reply, and handed
Zechs the letter. The man lowered his head, waiting for Zechs to read it.
Zechs held it up and stared at it. He recognized the handwriting as Lady
Une's. His name was neatly scrolled in a fine, almost delicate cursive
style.
Zechs sighed, and looked back at the messanger. "If you do not need a
reply, then you are dismissed," he spoke to him. With a slight nod, the
man walked away never saying a word to anyone. He left quickly, disappearing
among the sea of people.
Zechs ran his hand across the surface the envelope. A sense of dread rumbled
in his stomach. Carefully, he broke the seal and pulled out a thin piece
of paper. Zechs read it.
The blue of his eyes darkened like a storm
brewing over the ocean. A low growl escaped from his throat, and he crushed
the letter. Not satisfied, he walked outside, uncrumpled the paper, and
proceeded to shred it, letting the wind carry away each cursed piece.
Well, she had done it. It took a lot of courage, but Noin had made a decision
she felt was right and stuck by it. She was going to leave the Preventors.
Lady Une had been rather surprised, but she accepted Noin's resignation.
When Noin left the room, Lady Une had looked over the sheet, and put it
aside. She wanted to wait until Noin had told Zechs to be sure that Noin
would not change her mind. She knew just how influencial Zechs could be
on Noin. Trieze had had the same effect on her.
Knowing that if she told Zechs in person she would never leave the Preventers,
Noin wrote him a letter. She explained that she needed to find herself;
Noin needed to know just who she really was meant to be. Now that peace
was here, Noin wanted enjoy it. She wanted to run free knowing that no
matter where she ended up, that it was okay. She hated being aware of those
who hated this peace and wanted to destroy it. It took joy out of her life.
Being like all the carefree people, she wanted to be completely naive for
a change. The war had taken so much from Noin. It had taken her innocence.
He strode down the hall at a steady pace. His hands were clenched into
fists, his nails biting into the flesh of his palms. She can't do this,
he told himself. How can she do this? Why would she?
He reached her
office and practically took the door off in his haste to see Noin. Zechs
rushed inside and came face to face with an empty room. Everything had
been stripped down to nothing. The little room was desolate; it was dead.
He frowned in frustration. Where was Noin? Fear overwhelmed him. She's
gone, his conscience concluded. Gone. The word echoed throughout his head.
He released his grip on the doorknob, and lifted his head to stare out the
small window, slowly walking towards it. Watching the clouds that stained
the horizon, he leaned against the window sill. "Noin," he whispered, "I
don't know how to let you go."
END OF PART THREE
AN: What do you think? Should I quit?
