Sapphire Eyes
Chapter 2: Explanation
By Liewe
Standard disclaimers apply, Yanisha is the only personality I claim to own, and even then she is based on my late Great Aunt.
“So she left you?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Zechs said through gritted teeth, a bottle of wild turkey cradled in his shaking hands.
“A sore spot then?”
“Leave it alone if you know what’s best,” Zechs replied as he took another swig of the cool amber liquid, his eye’s like shards of ice as they narrowed at the other occupant of the small bar.
“Well you asked for it,” the young man replied, his dark eyes shining with sick joy.
“I said leave it alone.”
“I can’t, I want to know why you did what you did, when you first came to this outpost you both idealized each other. And then one day, she was just a toy. I don’t care how fast you blow hot and cold, that just wasn’t human.”
“Maybe I’m not human then,” Zechs bit out.
“Maybe you’re not, but I think you are.”
“You’re damn persistent aren’t you?”
“Of course, it’s my trade,” the young man grinned, leaning back in his chair.
“What will it take for you to leave me in peace?”
“An explanation, and then, buddy, I’ll leave you alone for as long as you wish.”
“Fine, it’s a deal, I’ll tell you why I did what I did and you’ll leave me alone?”
“Right-o,” the young man affirmed as he slapped Zechs on the back heedless of the danger of his own situation.
“We came here, I had my fun, and I moved on, she didn’t catch my attention anymore,” Zechs said his voice emotionless as he stared ahead.
“No deal, that’s not the explanation, not the real one at least,” the young man said his smiling face suddenly serious.
“What do you want?” Zechs snarled in exasperation.
“The real reason,” the young man said once more, his patience wearing thin.
“That’s none of your business!”
“I’m afraid it is, this has effected your ability to function as an employee, and be it the fact that you work for me, it becomes my business,” the young man explained simply.
“Matt, you won’t let this rest will you?”
“Nope, you should know that by now,” Matt said with a smirk.
“I love Noin, I always have. When we got here I thought we could be happy together, live in peace. But she was restless here, the love she had for me it wasn’t enough. There was someone else in her heart, and I couldn’t be satisfied with only a piece of the pie, I wanted the whole thing. So the games began, I left her alone, I fooled around, and I made mistakes. I made those mistakes on purpose I wanted her to find out,” Zechs said with a defeated sigh, the bottle of Wild Turkey touching his lips.
“I saw what it did to her, did you think everything through?”
“Yes, god dammit I did,” Zechs growled, his eyes closed, the pain hidden from the questing eyes of his employer.
“You’re blinder than I thought,” Matt mumbled as he left the bar, not looking back at the pitiful sight of the once proud warrior.
Zechs continued to drink his sorrows away, his heart millions of miles away in the hands of Lucrezia Noin, the woman he had betrayed, for her own good, or so he thought.
“Quatre,” she whispered, her eyes glued to his, Yanisha’s hand on her arm as she checked the health of the young bodyguard.
“You two know each other?”
“We met during the war,” Quatre explained simply, his voice far away as he watched Noin, his eyes following her every move as his heart threatened to explode with joy.
“Oh you did?” Yanisha asked with a secretive smile.
“When I protected Princess Relena, Quatre and a friend of his came to the Sank Kingdom, we granted them asylum,” Noin said simply leaving out the part about the Gundams. She didn’t know how much Yanisha knew, she didn’t want to spill anyone’s secrets, that wasn’t her place.
“What a small world we live in,” Yanisha said with a bright smile as she pulled Noin towards the car, her silvery locks bouncing behind her.
“Yes, a small world,” Noin whispered.
“Master Quatre?”
“Yes Rashid?”
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine, I was only remembering the past,” Quatre whispered, the hot desert wind brushing his bangs from his forehead.
“I shall leave you to your thoughts then Master Quatre,” Rashid said stepping from the tent.
“Thank you Rashid,” Quatre said, his voice a whisper on the wind.
“Quatre, could you come with me?”
“Where to?”
“Outer Space.”
Quatre stared at the hues of blue in the dusk sky, his sapphire eyes clouded over, his mind floating through snatches of conversations, his mind relishing every detail.
“That’s wonderful. I didn’t know you had musical talent
too.”
“I have always liked music ever since I was a child. I feel calm when I’m playing.”
“Though I must say, it sounds very melancholy. You shouldn’t blame yourself anymore. There are some things that cannot be helped
during wartime.”
“No. This is life
we’re dealing with. I can’t just say,
“it can’t be helped.” If only I was stronger, Trowa wouldn’t have…”**
She had always been so kind and caring, always trying to be a shoulder for me to cry on.
“That can’t be, Zechs isn’t like that.”
“I can understand your desire to believe him, but he IS
the leader of the White Fang.”***
She always tried so hard, she always believed in those around her so much.
“Noin?”
“I’m sorry…but…I…”
Her heart was so big, always trying, never being able to hurt those she cared about, those she loved. Even if it was meant for the best, she always believed in them.
But now, he could feel her pain, deep into his soul her pain flew, calling to him, begging him. He could only reason that Zechs had hurt her, but how?
He wanted to hold her, comfort her, whisper sweet nothings to her in the middle of the night. Most of all he wanted to understand her.
“Lucrezia, what torments you so?”
He didn’t get an answer, but he wasn’t expecting one, he only wished that he could help her. He just wished that he could be of some use, and not feel so inadequate; he used to be so sure, so capable, but now…
“I only want to help,” he whispered to the dark desert sky, only the shadow of the moon, lighting his way.
-To Be Continued
* Ep 36 ** Ep 33
*** Ep 43
graciously found by Midii Une ****
Ep 47 graciously found by Midii Une