Sea of Emotion 9/?

[Gundam Girl]

Here?s chapter nine! Thanks for liking and reviewing and everything, guys!

Disclaimer: I don?t own GW.

Sea of Emotion ? Chapter Nine

By Gundam Girl

An hour or so later, Heero found he uncharacteristically couldn?t stop smiling. An hour after parting with Relena, he was sitting at the desk in his room, penning a fast note to Dr. J.

?I?m learning new things here and I?m enjoying it. I?m on surveillance position, which is split between the captain, the colonel, and myself.?

Heero paused. In what way could he word this without seeming suspicious?

?I went to dinner with the colonel tonight. We discussed life on a ship and what may be required of me. The colonel has been to far more places than me.?

That sounded all right, he figured. ?The colonel?s? gender hadn?t been specified, after all.

?I am currently in Venice. We will be leaving port in a matter of hours, and every member of the crew must be awake. I don?t think that will be a problem for me. I?m considering returning to Panama when they give me my first break. If you need any help with the shop then, I can be there. --Heero?

No sentimentality was needed for Dr. J. The old man was hard as nails and had raised him partially as a soldier ? J had supposedly worked much with the US army back when he was young. He?d lost his arm then, Heero supposed, and had probably earned the title of ?Doctor? from that time as well.

Leaning the chair back on its hind legs, he looked up at the ceiling. Relena Darlian. Christ, even her name was interesting. She was Northern European, but somehow her surname didn?t quite fit well with her nationality. Perhaps her father had been of a different nationality and she just looked like her mother.

He?d kissed her. A couple of times. And, reasonably thinking, it wasn?t that important. He had kissed and been kissed before. And he couldn?t really describe it as a big step in getting to know each other better; they each knew the other?s basic back ground, Relena knowing more of his than he of hers.

But Heero wasn?t feeling exactly reasonable. As he rose from the desk and stuck the letter in a plain envelope, scribbling down the address, he recalled the indescribable feeling that had whirlpooled inside of him while kissing Relena. He had never cared much for the girls he had let this close to him in the past. But with this woman, Heero thought he just might start to care very much.

Leaving his room to get to the mailbox just outside the ship, he thought it was lucky he hadn?t run into Duo yet and had his mood spoiled. He was sure he?d be found by the braided snoop soon enough.

Speak of the devil. There were footsteps coming toward him in the parallel corridor ahead. Heero mentally resigned; he?d just have to tolerate the interrogation that Maxwell was sure to start in on him with.

The person that appeared out of the other corridor wasn?t Duo. It was Zechs. Heero halted immediately and saluted. Zechs turned to him and his face seemed to harden.

?Yuy,? he said, saluting back in an absent-minded way. ?Have you seen Colonel Darlian?? His pale eyebrows rose in expectancy, suspicion never leaving his features.

Heero dropped his hand from his forehead. ?Sir, I was with her about an hour ago.?

Curiosity fluttered over Zechs? face first, but it was closely followed by solemnity. ?Do you know where she is now??

?I know she was going to stand outside the ship for awhile,? Heero replied, voice calm but mind racing, ?and then she said she?d be in. Has she not reported to you??

?No.? Zechs had a both fists clenched at his side. ?I want you to come with me to take a look.?

Heero?s shoulders were tense as both men went to the submarine?s main entrance. Zechs punched in the code to unlock the door and they stepped outside.

Relena was not there. Heero cast a quick glance at the captain. His face was shining with sweat and his chest was rising and falling sporadically.

?Relena?? Zechs called out first. ?Relena!?

Heero didn?t know what to do. It seemed logical that Relena was inside the ship, but Zechs would have checked in her room first, surely. And if Relena wasn?t onboard then?

He saw it out of the corner of his eye. It was a wonder he noticed it at all, the dark purple color making it nearly invisible in the dark. Bending over, he picked up the small velvet purse. ?Relena,? he murmured.

Zechs whirled around and saw the object it his subordinate?s hands. Snatching it from him, he proceeded to tear into the small bag and pull out his colonel?s identification card. ?It?s hers,? he confirmed.

Heero had known that without the ID. ?Sir?? His own palms were clammy now, and he wiped them on his dress pants.

?Relena isn?t dense enough to forget things.? Zechs grabbed a hunk of long hair and tugged on it. ?Shit. Shit!?

?What could have happened to her?? Heero asked softly, but deep down her had a feeling that he could guess and guess well.

?Mediterranean waters,? muttered Zechs. ?Goddamn, this is Treize?s territory.? Lifting the purse to his face, he sniffed at it. ?Chloroform. Some of it dripped onto here. That fucking bastard! Hey, you!? Stomping over, he snagged at the coat of a dock attendant. ?What did the last ship to pull out of here look like??

The attendant was a slight man and wore round-rimmed glasses that were sliding off his nose as Zechs shook him. ?There was one,? he said, ?at the dock on the opposite side of the city. It was dark, black I think.?

Zechs? eyes were wild as he continued to rattle the poor man. ?What was its name?! Tell me right now!?

?The Ros? The Rosetta!? blurted the attendant. ?The Rosetta from Costa Rica! An old tour ship.?

?Costa Rica and tour ship my ass,? seethed Zechs. He pushed the man away, for the attendant had no use to him. ?Yuy, we?re going inside. We?re diving now!?

?Yes, sir.? Heero knew it would be better to, but he couldn?t manage to keep his mouth shut. Relena wasn?t there. Relena was gone. ?Sir, is it Khushrenada??

?You bet your damn life it?s Khushrenada.? Zechs nearly destroyed the padlock as they stormed back onto the Golden Wave. ?And you can bet his life that he?s not going to get away with taking my sister!?

Heero?s shoes squeaked as his froze. Zechs didn?t notice and kept walking, shouting orders to anyone he saw. Sister?

She doesn?t like men, save her brother?

I believe you only wanted a dance. Singular. I best go make excuses to my brother.

Miss Darlian and her brother are unfortunately too far from each other.

Relena cared about her brother and even enjoyed his company, they said. Relena never left the ship, they said.

Heero understood. She wouldn?t have to leave this ship if her brother was on the ship. When he thought about it, there were physical similarities. Their eyes, their jaw lines, even the thickness of their hair? All were hints of a kinship and a close one at that. But how could he realize that??

?Yuy!? Zechs was turned and scowling at him. ?What the hell are you doing just standing there? Move!?

Heero sprang forward, mind-boggled. He told himself he couldn?t afford to ponder the mystery now.

Relena had been taken from them. And he would get her back.

---

She drifted awake as though she was drifting to sleep. For a few moments, it was difficult to determine what was reality and what wasn?t. When Relena was fairly certain she knew which was which, she found herself lying in a wide room atop a large, blue bed. Her bedclothes were blue, but darker than this sky color. And she didn?t have a hardwood floor, all the rooms on the Golden Wave had carpeting. This wasn?t her room at all.

Colonel Darlian?

God. She pressed a hand to her forehead as she sat up. She remembered it now. She?d been with Heero, then she had been alone thinking of Heero, and then?

Damn it! What the hell was wrong with her?! She?d never have been caught like this if her focus hadn?t been so skewed. One date and her entire nature tips off-kilter. And look what the bloody result was.

Relena took a deep breath and told herself to calm down. Being distracted had gotten her into this mess; organization would help her get out of it. Standing, she suffered from some minor dizziness and a left foot that had fallen asleep. Grasping one of the poles of the four-poster bed, she muttered a curse and analyzed her current position.

She was on a submarine. Or at least she was inside a submerged vehicle, she could tell by the slightly narrow pressure of the room. Turning, she saw the door just as it was opening. Relena recognized the voice before the face.

?Funny, I used to think this would never be how I?d get you into my bedroom.?

Relena swallowed gasp. ?Treize,? she said darkly, forcing her tone to remain unsurprised. ?I don?t find it funny in the least.?

Treize smirked as he entered the room. Relena didn?t so much as blink as he shut the door behind him. ?I should have suspected at first thought that you would pull the cheap tricks,? she continued.

His cool eyes flashed but did nothing else as he took a step toward her. Relena?s grip tightened on the pole. ?Be honest, Relena. You?re not really that unhappy to see me.?

Her eyebrows lowered. ?Take an educational guess, Treize. I don?t think of being chloroformed and brought to you against my will as a good time. Besides.? She brought her hand, slightly trembling, down to her side. ?I can clearly recall telling you that I had no desire to see you ever again. Why do you think that has changed??

?It?s been years.?

?But aren?t we still in the same lifetime?? Relena let out a cold laugh. ?That?s how long I promised to hate you.? Even as she said this, she contemplated possible means of escape. It was unlikely that she could manage to swipe a single-person sub-vessel.

He laughed back at her, and his voice was no warmer. ?I?m sure you know that, for me, promises are things that matter very little.? He moved closer and Relena moved back. She wasn?t afraid of this man, she told herself. She was not afraid of Treize Khushrenada.

When her back hit the wall and his hands trapped her by going flat against the wall on either side of her, she bit her tongue. Shit, she was afraid of him.

His smile remained. ?It seems your feelings for me really haven?t changed over the years.?

?Damn you,? she replied angrily. ?What the hell do you want from me??

?What I wanted from you years ago isn?t worth having anymore. There?s better, I?m sure.? At the growl in her voice, she grinned. ?In fact, one of them is on your brother?s little yellow submarine right now.?

?Noin. She never wanted you, Treize.? She forced a sweet smile. ?Where?s Anne this evening?? When the back of his hand hit her cheek, his wedding ring, decorated with tens of tiny diamonds, nearly tore skin and she tasted blood. ?I forgot,? she snarled. ?The wife is never mentioned in these types of affairs, right??

?Still such a smart one,? Treize commented. For now, his temper was controlled again. ?I could say the brains attracted me first, but of course then I?d be lying.? His gaze dipped and rose again.

?I don?t remember that ever bothering you before, you freak bastard.? Relena wiped blood from the corner of her lips with her thumb. ?Treize Khushrenada ? thief of the sea. And to think you actually enjoy that title.?

?Relena Darlian ? hunter of the sea. The same goes to you,? Trieze told her. ?Let?s not even start on Zechs.?

?He?s always been a better man than you. I bet Anne wishes she was the one Zechs took onto the Wave instead of Noin.? The words were meant to strike him, and strike they did. Trieze visibly flinched.

He suddenly gripped her chin, digging his fingers into it and threatening to crush the bones in her jaw. ?I?m going to enjoy watching Zechs suffer at the loss of you,? Treize whispered. ?God knows I?ll love that. Maybe when I?m bored with him I?ll take up interest in you again.?

She managed to mumble around his fingers, ?Go back to your bottle, Trieze. Surely you?ve mastered crawling inside of it by now.?

Shaken, Treize forcefully pushed her away, and this time when she hit the wall it was harder. Her spine met the wood first, and then she thought she heard her skull crack against it. As she crumpled to the floor and back to darkness, she heard footsteps move out of the room.

---

?I want to do this. Please, tell me you?ll join me. There?s no other I?d rather have at my side in this than you.?

Zechs could hear his own words, ones he?d spoken nearly five years ago. They were as true now as they had been when he had said them to Relena. His sister had always been everything to him, especially after their parents had died.

He?d never really pictured Relena, or himself for that matter, as a bounty hunter. But, after much thinking it through, he had thought it would be good for a restless spirit like himself. Relena had done as much thinking, if not more, as him and had agreed to his plan a week a half later. She had not been the least bit keen on the idea when he first brought it up, but she had come. There had been situations that would have kept her, and to this day, Zechs didn?t know what had transpired to change them. He hadn?t honestly cared that much as long as she had stayed with him.

It was a selfish feeling, he knew. But ever since the death of their parents, Zechs had felt very alone and hadn?t been able to shake that from his heart. Relena almost did, and he hadn?t wanted that; he hadn?t wanted to be the only one that was by himself.

But tonight?well, last night, she had been with Yuy. Perhaps, Zechs sighed, it had really only been a matter of time. Relena was an attractive person, and he wasn?t surprised that a stiff like Heero had been taken in by her. That man seemed to need closure desperately. In a way, it seemed that everyone on the Golden Wave did. They were, after all, bounty hunters.

His musing was interrupted by a knock on his suite?s door. Annoyed because he was trying to think of a course that might lead them to the Rosetta, he half-growled out the ?Come in.?

Noin hurried inside the room, shut the door, and saluted to him crisply. ?Captain Merquise.?

?Officer Noin.? He?d almost forgotten about her completely. What an idiot. ?I?m sorry. I know this situation seems chaotic, but we do have a procedure for this. If you?re confused, I?m sure that Mr. Barton can inform you of??

Noin?s jaw tightened as she interrupted. ?With all due respect, sir, I?m very familiar with these kind of happenings. That?s sort of why I?m here.? She swallowed. She had never had to openly speak of her experiences on the Rosetta before. ?I believe I know where Treize could be heading.?

Zechs dropped the pen he?d been using onto the desk and stood up. Forcing himself to be professional, he only failed slightly at keeping the anxiousness out of his throat. ?Miss Noin, I understand this must be difficult for you. I wouldn?t suppose switching loyalties is an easy thing to do.?

She shook her head. ?I?m not very troubled, sir, honest. I am as upset by Colonel Darlian?s kidnapping as everyone else. I do know it was him, sir. This is the exact style he uses every time he uses ransom.?

?And by him you mean Treize.?

Noin nodded curtly. ?It?s possible that he?ll be going back toward Austria, sir. He prefers his home country when doing something despicable by even his standards.? Her teeth clenched subtly. ?You realize this is a trap, don?t you, sir??

?I do.? Zechs looked at her carefully. ?You realize that you?re the reason he set it, don?t you, Noin??

Her eyes never left his; she was not that weak. ?I would rather die than go back to that ship, Captain Merquise.?

Zechs? frown deepened. ?Noin, if you?re??

?Please, sir, listen.? Her dark eyes shimmered with indescribable energy. ?There is something I have to ask of you. You should know that I only came to serve Khushrenada because he saved my life. But I didn?t want him to. I was trying to kill myself.?

?Noin!?

?Please.? She held up a hand. ?If it becomes necessary to regaining Colonel Darlian, I would prefer that you are the one to kill me.? A tiny smile turned up the corners of her lips. ?I?ve known you for a very short time. But I do admire you, sir. If my life has to end, I can?t think of anyone else I would have do it.?

Zechs stared at her, shock evident all over his face, and not just by her words. Through everything she had just said, she had smiled as though it was no big deal. As though dying was nothing important.

Abuse was to be expected from a man like Treize. What else could possibly have happened to her? She had met Treize by trying to commit suicide? What in God?s name?

?Sir??

Zechs snapped out of his musings and turned away from her. He couldn?t watch that smile. Because behind it, he was certain, there was a great sadness he couldn?t begin to claim to share. ?Officer Noin, please tell the bridge to set a course for Austria. I trust you to give them details.?

There was silence for a few minutes, but then her quiet voice answered with a formal ?Yes, sir.? He heard the door open and close and footsteps echo down the empty corridor outside.

Zechs dropped into his desk chair again. He was Zechs Merquise, captain of the bounty-hunting submarine, the Golden Wave.

And he was in hell.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Please review!

[dragon agility]

Wow! I loved this chapter!

The Zexhs and Noin parts are very touching, but my favourite bit was

?Go back to your bottle, Trieze. Surely you?ve mastered crawling inside of it by now.?

Very good!

Keep it up!

[Gundam Girl]

Hehe, thanks!

[Aristale Wolf]

YEEEHAAAWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!! U UPDATED!!!! I'M SO HAPPY can't wait for the rest of it and i hope its soon becasue it is really gettin really good....BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

[Gundam Girl]

Thanks! This one's actually being really difficult, so I'm glad you think it turned out all right.

[Morrighan]

Trieze is eviler than I thought.... Scary. Me no like.

What happened to Noin before she met Trieze? I can only imagine that her situation became much worse when she was on the <i>Rosetta</i>.

Can't wait to see more, GG!!

[Gundam Girl]

I'll be getting to Noin next chapter. I've suddenly grown very fond of her character for this fic. ^_^ Thanks for being interested!