Sea of Emotion 10/?

[Gundam Girl]

We?ve made it to chapter 10. This is probably going to be longer than the rest of my fics at this rate, so yay for length! (Or not? Who knows?) Thanks for keeping up, guys!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing.

Sea of Emotion ? Chapter Ten

By Gundam Girl

Zechs was holding a meeting in a rarely used conference room on the ship with higher members of the crew. Duo, Trowa, Wufei, and Quatre were all present, in addition to Noin and Sally Po. Heero, although a currently low officer, was particularly needed but he had managed to sit in on account of being the last person to be with Relena.

?How soon do you think we?ll be able to rendezvous with the Rosetta?? Zechs was asking Trowa. His shoulders were taught, his jaw firm, and his eyes hard as steel. Everything about him dared the world to lay another bad thing on him right now.

?If we keep this speed,? Trowa replied, using a little handheld digital device to see their current coordinates and the most probably location of Treize?s ship, ?we could catch up to them in another three or so hours.?

?That long??

?The Rosetta may be getting to old to still be used to its full advantage, but as long as it keep move with a speed to challenge ours ? which it obviously can ? it would be wishful thinking to believe we could rendezvous with such clear water around Italian land such as this.? Trowa light brown eyebrows were narrowed as he scanned the coordinates. Line patterns and dots of red light shone on his face from the device?s screen. His listeners waited patiently for him to continue. ?There?s a change that if we can cut them off if they take the peninsula between Italy and Germany northwest of Austria, by Bregenz. They?ll have to slow there; I saw in our last run-in that Treize can maneuver that well anymore.?

?That true,? Noin supplied. ?The whole ship?s on the verge of falling apart.?

?Why doesn?t he get rid of it?? Quatre queried.

?He?s sentimental to a dangerous degree. He doesn?t like that the ship he and Anne were married on is pretty much sea scrap.? She made a face. ?He?ll get repairs done, but with the Rosetta in its state, they can?t do enough raids to pay for them all. So it?s doomed to failure. Knowing him, he?ll meet his death the day it sinks.?

?Well,? Zechs put in, ?our goal is to get Relena the hell off of there before it does.? He frowned. ?We?ll need a team. Treize will want to strike a deal ? Relena for Noin, most likely. In that time, we?re going to have to get Relena onboard.?

?In broad daylight?? Duo spouted. ?That?s hardly gonna be easy.?

?I?m trusting you, Duo,? Zechs countered, ?to use that trusty stealth skill of yours. By far, we are the better crew.?

?We?re bounty hunters,? Wufei grumbled, ?not a rescue team. Do you have any idea at all on how to go about this? There?s no plan, no strategy other than catching up with them.?

?That?s vital, though. Chances are we?ll have to figure out the next step when we meet up with Treize.? Out of the corner of his eye, Zechs checked Heero?s figure. He was sitting straight, head bent forward, intently listening to every word that was said but making no sound himself.

Sally, a very mature, clear-thinking woman who was dating Wufei, pressed her lips together in worry. ?I understand that our options are limited, Zechs. We?ve never had an encounter like this before. And I know you?re upset because it?s Relena, but? We?re so low on positive outcome possibilities.?

?Let?s face it,? Duo said, brow creased. ?It sucks big-time dealing with crazy guys.?

They weren?t getting anything done, Heero thought, eyes sharp on every person in the room. Relena was being held captive on some stranger?s ship, and they were just sitting there throwing negatives back and forth.

?I?ll go,? he said.

Everyone turned to him, a question inside all of them.

?You said you needed a team,? Heero elaborated, his voice flat and concise. In his chest, his heart beat faster than it ever had in his life, not from nerves, but determination. ?You don?t. Whatever ends up happening, I?ll go. You won?t need anyone else.?

Zechs crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair speculatively. ?I don?t know whether to call you brave or simply arrogant.?

?I don?t care what you call me,? Heero told him readily. ?I?m going to get Colonel Darlian back for you. This is my fault. I shouldn?t have left her out there by herself.?

?That?s not necessarily true. Relena?s a very tough person.? However, Zechs though, a moment of weakness had gotten her into trouble in the past as well. ?So you?re asking me to let you go after her when we rendezvous??

?You don?t have to let me. I?m telling you.? Heero watched Zechs?s brow furrow and wasn?t effected by it. Nothing mattered to him at this point in time but Relena?s safety. ?I can be a reckless person. I may disobey orders. If I do, you can kick me off the crew later. But I will,? he said in a fierce growl, ?do what I know I have to do to return your sister.?

Zechs stared at the Japanese man with a considering gaze, noting how she had used the colonel?s first name. Heero met his stare with one of his own that was just as calculating. Everyone else in the room were silent for the duration of their analyzing of each other, and Zechs? mind raced. How in such a short time had this man come to be such an important part of his crew?

Finally, Zechs smirked a bit. ?I don?t think it will end up being necessary to kick you off, Mr. Yuy. I admire your sense of honor.? He stood up from his chair, face serious once again. ?Mr. Barton, make sure we stay on a direct course to Austria. When we rendezvous, Mr. Chang, be sure that the crew is prepared for indecisive action. That includes weapons, Mr. Maxwell, and an open medical ward, just in case, Mr. Winner.? He nodded to each of their salutes and turned back to Heero. ?And then we?ll see what we can do with you, Mr. Yuy.?

Heero exhaled largely but unnoticeably. He hoped he could live up to expectation.

---

Relena stared out the tiny, circular window at the dark ocean. From a place so full of hard feelings, it was difficult to get any joy out of watching the sea life live and the ocean pulse its unique heartbeat. Or maybe it was just knowing that Treize was always within nine hundred feet of her that made her gloomy.

Her head hurt like a bitch still from where he?d flung her against the wall in response to her sharp tongue. There was dried blood matted in her hair and she?d been given nothing to drink since her wine at the restaurant with Heero, and she was feeling dehydrated. More than that, she was obscenely tired.

But she was too worried to sleep, and, if truth be told, too nervous. Treize?s methods could never be trusted and she didn?t want to be caught offguard if he decided to visit her again. Also, the fit that she knew Zechs was likely to be having kept her awake.

Zechs? In one of her rare moments, Relena thought about the name and smiled a bit, knowing her expression was melancholy. It was amazing how she called him only that now. Back when he?d been?well, who he had been?he?d have laughed at her if she ever gave him a nickname. And although Zechs wasn?t a nickname, really, he had laughed at her for using it at first. Now he responded to it as though everyone had called him that since birth. They hadn?t.

It was difficult to believe that it was almost half a decade since she and Zechs had fist commissioned the Golden Wave to be built. Almost five years since they both had abandoned one life for another. So many things had happened that year?but she didn?t like to think about it often. She was Colonel Relena Darlian, a commanding, firm woman who knew what she wanted out of life. The girl she had been years ago was now left behind in Europe.

?Is there something very interesting about it??

If the voice had been Treize?s, Relena might have shot from her chair, prepared to defend herself. But it wasn?t and she turned slowly. ?Anne.? Her tone was flat, but she nodded her head in a form of greeting. ?I was just admiring the view.?

?You?ve still got a lot of nerve to call me by my first name,? Une told her, the side of her mouth quirked up in a bit of a sneer. ?I?d wondered if that was still there or not. As for the view, I don?t think I?ve ever liked it as much as you have.?

Relena didn?t know what to say to that, so she replied with, ?It?s been a very long time since I?ve seen you. You look?healthy,? she managed to say. It was the truth. Anne did look as fit as ever, but the color was gone from her cheeks and there was a vertical line between her eyes that looked as though someone had drawn it there with a permanent marker.

Anne?s eyes flashed. ?I don?t think it?s very appropriate for us to make small talk. Treize doesn?t like it, and neither do I.?

?What doesn?t Treize like?? Relena asked, feeling her blood temperature rise. ?That you have an issue talking to me or that I don?t give a damn?? Her fingers shot out to stop Une?s hand before it could make contact with her cheek. ?I?m getting really tired of you and your charming husband thinking I don?t mind it if you just decide to smack me around now and then.?

?It?s nothing less than you deserve,? she seethed. ?But I didn?t come in here to harm you. I came to tell you your precious sub is here to fetch you.? She yanked her wrist out of Relena?s grip and turned. ?Follow me and see what happens or stay here and wait for Treize. This is where I don?t give a damn.?

Relena, lips parted in surprise, watched Une stride out of the room with the air of a person used to being treated superiorly. She looked out the window again first and saw that the ship was indeed rising. A face-off? Was that was Treize wanted? Just what was Zechs planning?

Her brother was such an idiot when it came to bounties. There was a possibility he intended to both retrieve her and bring in Treize?s crew. She was fairly certain they couldn?t pull that off. They weren?t good, but it wasn?t proven that they were quite that good.

Nerves sizzling, she stood up, folding her arms across herself to keep the emotions in. If she admitted to anyone that she was afraid, it certainly wouldn?t be herself.

---

Noin watched the approaching ship they were quickly approaching with a feeling that made her feel both weak and strong. She didn?t like the idea of dying, if it came to that, but it would be better than returning to be Treize?s whore.

If she could, she?d try going back home and see if Tsubarov needed a servant. To think if she had maybe stayed with him, she?d be a rich wife in Russian society, planted firmly at a mansion, safer than she had in her whole life.

She had never wanted that for herself, but the way things had ended up with her aboard the Rosetta was far worse. Now, here she was on the Golden Wave, causing trouble and then getting Merquise?s colonel dragged into an affair she had nothing to do with.

?It isn?t your fault.?

Noin jumped, whirling around with her hand halfway to the gun that was usually on her belt but was nowhere to be grasped now. Her narrowed eyes relaxed when she saw Captain Merquise. When she realized what he?d said, she slackened completely and leaned against the side of the ship. ?You can say that, sir, if you believe it?s going to make me feel better.?

Zechs frowned at her for a moment. She was a very forward woman, when it came right down to it, but there was something strangely admirable about her honesty. ?I?m not saying it to make you feel better,? he said, looking out at the land on either side of them. ?I?ll telling you the truth. There has always been?history?between Treize, Relena, and myself.?

?Don?t you mean your sister??

Zechs? eyes snapped back to hers. ?What??

?I heard Heero Yuy say it in that meeting.? And she?d been very surprised, initially, Noin thought. However, now that she knew, it made much more sense than one would think. Siblings ran businesses together all of the time. And although this was probably one of the more eccentric partnerships, there was no reason it couldn?t work. But it was strange that someone as clearly protective as Zechs Merquise would invite his sister to run a crew of bounty hunters with him. And if they were siblings, why the separate last names? Was Zechs a Merquise or a Darlian? Was he either? There was so much Noin didn?t know about him.

?It?s better that way, Noin told herself even as she stared into those fascinating icy eyes. You?re going to be dying soon.?

Zechs could practically smell the worry coming off of her, and he placed a tense hand on her equally tense shoulder. ?Relax,? he said, though his voice was anything but soothing. ?I?m going to do everything I can for you.? He meant it. He wanted to, even if he didn?t know why.

Noin bit her lip. ?I should thank you??

?Thank me later,? he interrupted, forcing a smile, ?when we have both you and Relena safe on this ship.? With that, he withdrew his hand and stepped away, not turning back as he walked to the front of the ship?s outer deck.

Noin sighed, tremors still running through her, lightly but enough to keep her fingers shaking. As they neared ever closer to the Rosetta, people began to file onto the deck. Someone came to stand beside her, and she turned to look at the tautness of his jaw and the intensity in his eyes.

?You look surprisingly calm,? she commented to him.

Heero lifted one shoulder and let it fall after a beat. ?I?ve never been one to panic.?

?I saw the look on your face when Colonel Darlian was first reported missing,? Noin countered. ?You didn?t seem particularly collected just then. In fact, you were downright ashen.?

Heero inhaled slowly. It depressed him to be able to smell the salt of the sea Relena loved and not have her here to breath it in with him now. He flicked his gaze over to the older woman?s dark eyes. ?I?ve never been responsible for the loss of someone so important.? He?d never been responsible for the loss of anyone. He watched Noin shift her weight to one foot.

Noin contemplated Yuy?s words, finding it extraordinary ? and a little depressing ? that a boy so young and so seemingly inexperienced was so rational about such an event. Well, perhaps not so rational, she corrected, remembering the way he had so boldly offered to take any action regarding Relena?s safety.

He was a brave kid, she had to admit, and respected him for it. She and people like her might have considered youth a drawback. It wasn?t the people who went without proof of character and action who earned admiration. Heero hadn?t, as yet, done anything relative to the seafaring business that was deemed worthy of recognition. His attitude demanded that he be taken seriously. Noin certainly would.

?Whatever you decide to do, if you decide to do anything,? Noin found herself saying, ?I hope you come back, Yuy. You seem like a hell of a guy. In time, I wouldn?t hold back saying you could be a hell of a sailor, huh?? Saying so, she turned and watched with him as the Golden Wave and the Rosetta finally pulled together, side-by-side.

---

Treize smiled. So, here was the moment of truth. If men were to be separated from the boys today, he was going to make sure he was no boy.

From his place on the Rosetta?s outer deck, he could see Zechs. They were too far apart for him to discern a certain expression, but Treize knew he?d be wearing that incriminating scowl of his.

?The one I?ve been on the receiving end of so many times.? Something almost like sentimentality made him smile. He turned to a nearby crew member. ?Please escort Colonel Darlian up here onto the deck.?

?Yes, sir.? The member hurried away to the door that led down into the ship, but it opened just before he reached it. Une stood there with Relena just beyond her, and the two moved out onto the deck.

?It seems,? Une said with a slight smile of her own, ?that all of our friends have arrived for a party.? She turned her brown eyes onto Relena. ?Of course, there?s always the one who comes early.?

Relena?s eyes met hers strong gaze for strong gaze. ?I?m very glad, then, that they didn?t leave me here to have a good time alone.? She turned her head to look at the Golden Wave. Her brother was standing at the front of the group of people there, his long hair blowing and making him look like the dominating figure he was. Standing near him was Heero.

Relena?s breath caught in her throat and some odd feeling she couldn?t quite identify came forth inside her. Seeing him there, seeing him standing there with Zechs, his figure solid, and his eyes stern?it had an effect on her, and it made her nervous that she couldn?t decide just what it was. Thought whirled inside her as well as hundreds of feelings. It wasn?t? She couldn?t be?

Suddenly, Heero?s gaze went from where Treize was standing to her. Even at a distance, she could feel the power as their eyes met. For just a moment, his face went from consternated to?something Relena wasn?t sure about.

Her heart stopped beating in her chest. She could?ve sworn every drop of blood evaporated into steam, leaving her pale. She was burning, but she trembled, and Relena?s fists clenched at her sides. His eyes never left hers.

?Dear God!?

She was falling in love with him!

---

Review please!

[Morrighan]

Ooh!!! The suspense!! The set up is just perfect!! Now I can't wait to see the next chapter!!

Now Relena realizes it, ne??? Ooh-la-la... I wonder how you expand on this tangent....

Can't wait to see more, nessie!

[Gundam Girl]

Hehe, thanks, Morri!

[APerfectSoldier87]

Yeah goodness, I want more.

[Gundam Girl]

The next chapter will be good. But it's gonna be hard to write because it's action and it's been a while since I've done action. So look out.

[Aristale Wolf]

cant wait for the up date.....you've got me on the edge of my seat now!!!!!! GGGGGGGRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!BLAST U!!!!!!!!! :evil: but its a good "blast u"

[Gundam Girl]

I love those good blast yous. They keep me motivated. ^_^ Don't worry, chapter 11 is completely planned out; I just have to write it. But I've got some other fics to work on first. Thanks for being enthusiastic!