<html><head></head><body>Name: Kaze no Hoshi
E-mail: kazenohoshi@hotmail.com
Title: Eternal Dreams
Categories: Romance/AU

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Bandai and Sunrise. I'm just borrowing

the characters.

****She walk down the hall to her office and looks out the window. Yet

another dreary day, just like the feeling in her heart. Itâs been six

months since it happened, and she still feels that itâs all just a
nightmare.
He canât be gone. Not yet.

âMaâam,â a young aide asks, âAre you alright?â

She snaps back and sees the aide looking at her with a worried smile. âNo,

Iâm fine.â The aide nods and turns back to the pile of papers on the desk.

Iâve been too worried and well... Gods, if itâs so bad that my aide can
see
it... She stands in front of the picture window and stares out.

The clouds cover the city in thier gloom. Rain threatens to fall any minute

but holds back. She sees a young lgirl walking with a boy, both laughing

over a private joke. It hasnât been that long since we were acting like

that... Iâve got to get my mind out of the gutter, but I miss him so much.

Thereâs no way I would ever forget. I wish we could do that now. Just
walk
and enjoy each otherâs company. A crash of thunder jars her out of
her
trance. Down below, the young couple runs down the street, hoping
to get in
before the downpour. She continues her walk to her desk, though
her mind is
hardly on the matter at hand. Now I know how Lady Une feels.
At least I
know he loves me. I just wish we had more time together. She
looks the
pile of paperwork waiting for her with dismay. Itâll be a long
night of
work. At least itâll keep me busy.

When it rains, it pours! She dashes out into the storm, hold her jacket

over her head like a schoolgirl.

The sun had long set by the time she reached her apartment in the heart
of
the city. The spartan setting suits her well. She lays her briefcase
on
the counter and shrugs off the Preventer unifor in exchange for something

comfortable. This place is so empty, just like my heart.

Shaking her head, she walks into the bathroom and throws herself in the

shower as if to drown and wash away her troubles. Unfortunaltely, nothing

could erase her memories of that fateful day, nearly a year ago.

The space station Libra explodes into thousands of pieces, some
desintegrating
in the earthâs atmosphere, other drifitng aimlessly around
the hulks and
bits or ruined mobile suits. The largest peice of debris,
however, did
not break up and threatened to collide with the Earth. Within
the leviathan,
a duel to the death continues between a fallen prince and the
perfect soldier.
Gundams clashed with mobile dolls, creating beautiful
patterns of metal
and light.

Noin stood on the bridge of the Peacemillion; her heart pounding with
anxiety
and fear. Only hours ago, she had faced him down, his beam sabre
cutting
so close, yet missed by so much. He was there now, battling for his
life,
against Wing Zero and the consequences of his actions.
Her heart lept as she saw a growing ball of plasma where the wreck of Libra

had drifted. Those boys had done it. Libra would no longer threaten earth.

She scanned the are for any signs of the Gundams and Epyon. They were all

there, Wing Zero, Deathscythe Hell, Heavyarms, Sandrock, Altron, but what

happened to Eypon, and Zechs? Realization hit as she glanced over the

Gundams. All were in various stages of disrepair, and none had any ammo
or
weaponry left. The only way for anyone to destroy Libra would be to
... He
couldnât have. Dear God, he wouldnât have done that! The little
voice in
the back of her mind whispered. No matter what she thought, she
couldnât
ignore the truth. Zechs Merquise self destructed to destroy Libra
and
redeem himself in the eyes of earth.

Military training took over as wits and emotions failed her. She barked
out
order, carried on her duties, but all the while mourning for her fallen

angel.

***

Tears came to her eyes, and she could no longer restrain herself. The wave

of emotion that loomed over her all day, threatening to fall, finally
crashed
down on the battered shores of her heart. She collapsed on the sofa
and
buried her face in the pillow, her blue black hair tangled and messy,
sobbing
uncontrollably. The phone rings, jerking her out of her melancoly.

âHello, Noin speaking,â she tried to sound like the dignified military

personnel she was.

â......â Whoever called her hung up as soon as she answered.

Noin growled and slammed the phone down. Right now she was in no mood for

prank calls. She glanced around her apartment and stopped when a shimmer
of
gold caught her eye. A brass picture frame sat on the bookself, next
to it
sat an old teddy bear, worn from years of handling. She grinned
weakly. It
was a collage of HIS pictures, pictures of life at the academy,
of the
Lightning Baron, of Millardo Peacecraft gathered from her albums
and
newspapers. She picked up the frame and returned to the sofa. What

treasures these were, her memories of times past.
How could she ever forget the time he tried to impress her with a mobile

suit stunt at the Academy, and ended up in the infirmary with a concussion.

Or their graduation, or.... her eyes landed on the teddy bear. Their

first date. With a sigh, she hugged the bear to her chest and stumbled
over
to her bedroom. Chances are, it would be another sleepless night,
or worse,
she would live that day over again.

She flopped onto her bed, exhausted, and soon drifted off to sleep; the

teddy bear still clutched in her arms.

***

Noin wandered through the wood, admiring the red and gold leaves of autumn.

A hint of chill in the air caused her to shiver as she wrapped the russet

cloak around her a bit tighter. The day would be perfect if he was here

with her, but heâs dead. The invading dark thoughts drove away the joy
of a
perfect fall day. She stared down at her feet and continued walking;
this
time to get away from everything.

The sound of running water jerked Noin out of her daze. But there shouldnât

be any streams around here. How deep into the woods am I? she asked
herself.
I should have paid more attention to where I was going. A gleam
of white
marble caught her eye. Pushing back branches and brambles, Noin
gasped
at the sight.

A small white temple stood in a clearing by the stream. White fluted marble

columns supported a dome of pure crystal that trapped and reflected the

sunlight into the glade. The temple was surrounded by delicate marble

statues and benches. Noin whispered a prayer to the Huntress. Surely this

must be a sacred site to Her. Someone stood in the temple with his back
to
her. All Noin could make out was a cascade of long pale hair.

Her heart lept up. It couldnât be. âZechs,â she whispered to the wind.

Gathering her courage, she called, louder this time, as she ran toward him,

âZechs Merquise!â

The figure turned. Long sweeping bangs fell into ice blue eyes. He replied

in the same tone, voice tinged with unexpected joy, âNoin!â

She ran to embrace him; her short dark hair blown back by the wind. She

gasped in amazement as her hand passed through the shadow that was Zech

Merquise. âZechs?â she gasped, âHow can this be? Whatâs happened to you?â

Zechs stepped back. A bitter smile appeared on his proud face. âMy dear

Luc, Iâm so very happy to see you. I cannot touch you, however much as
I
want to for my own carelessness and selfishness have caused me to be

captured by the Sadow Queen.â He reached out his hand as if to touch her

cheek, to brush away the tears that follow silently down her face.

âHow can I free you?â she asked, lavender eyes gazing directly into his.

âNoin, donât try to,â Zechs mumbled. âIf you should fail, the shadows
will
destroy your soul. Leave me here for my punishment.â

âZechs, I told you I wouldnât leave you.â Noin replied. âIt isnât any

diffent now, so tell me.â

âVery well, Noin,â he smiled weakly, without any of his usual confidence.

âTonight, they shall hold a ceremony to please the Dark Lord. As the
queenâs
favored, I will have no choice but to participate. Three courts
will ride
by tonight. The first upon horses of black; let them pass. The
second
upon horses of red; let them pass. The third shall ride upon horses
of
white, and I shall be at their head.â

âYou shall know me by...â Noin cut him off with a smile. âZechs, I can

always recognize you, as Milliardo Peacecraft or as Zechs Merquise.â

A spark of something akin to hope flashed in his eyes, but faded. âWhatever

you do, Noin, donât let me go....please.â The shadow of Zechs Merquise

whispered the last word before he faded into the mists of the river. Noin

stood, an understanding smile on her face. It would be up to her to free

him from the bonds placed on him by the Shadow Queen. Or by his guilt.
a
tiny mental voice prodded her. She nodded once to the fading figure,
and
sat down on a marble bench, waiting for sunset.

***

The sound of hoofbeats startled Noin. She jumped up, ready for anything.

From the shadows rode a group of ...the only word to describe them was

creatures. They were neither man nor beast, but a combination of both.

Fangs dripped with blood ans saliva; all faces bore scrowls and snarls.

Noin ducked behind a bush as they approached, hoping to avoid their savage

wrath. Black armored figures on midnight horses, they passed her and rode

into the shadows of the night. The etherel moon highlighted the trees with

silver auras, causing the shadows to seem darker than ever.

Moments later, a second court passed, riding upon blood red horses. Noin

choked on the stench of rotting corpses and blood that surrounded the
mounted
figures. Skulls and bones hung from their saddles, clincking as
they rode
by.

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, the last court rode by. The

riders had a stunning beauty, yet their faces were cruel. At their head,

upon a milk white steed, rode a man she would know anywhere. Noin burst

from her concealment and rushed toward him. All movement stopped as the

shadow warriors noticed the woman. Without hesitation, she pulled Zechs
out
of the saddle. He smiled at her as she whispered in his ear, âDonât
worry,
I wonât let you go.â Then the magical energy knocked them both
off their
feet.

The Shadow Queen stood in front of them; her silver eyes blazing with hatred

and anger. âSo, you dare try to steal my consort, mortal?â Arcs of blue

lightning lanced from her fingertips striking Zechs. In an instant, he
was
gone. In his place was a large wolf, yet Noin still held him. His
form
changed each time the magic lightning hit him, but she kept her promise.

The Shadow Queen shook her head in amazement. Rare was the mortal maid
with
enough courage to face such a challenge. With a negilgant flip of
her hand,
she sent them both into the river. âVery well, mortal,â she
scrowled. âYou
win.â With that, she dissapeared in a puff of smoke.

Noin sat up. She blinked and shook the water out of her dark locks. Beside

her, she heard Zechs coughing and spluttering. She turned around, saw him

trying to get his bangs out his eyes, only half succeeding and smirked.

Serves him right for having such long hair, she thought. He looks so cute

like that. He met her gaze, blushed and stood up, salvaging what was left

of his dignity after such a night.

âNoin,â he started, unsure of what to say.

âYes Zechs?â Her voice held a teasing note.

âI wonât ever let you go either,â his voice husky with emotion. He leaned

over, hand caressing her cheek, and kissed her.

***

Lucretzia Noin woke to the buzzing of her alarm. She groaned, and slapped

the clock. âShut up already! Why did I have to wake up from such nice

dream?â she grumbled to no one in paticular. Bending over, she picked up

the teddy bear and placed it on top of her rumpled blankets. The storm
was
long over, and the sunshine was always welcoming after a storm. Birds
sang
outside her window. It would be a beautiful day.

Noin got up slowly, savoring the last moments of her dream. âIf only he

would come back. If only...â She walked to the kitchen and quickly made
a
cup of coffee, black, with two sugars. Caffine would help her wake up.
It
did when she was a student. The doorbell rang, once, twice. âComing!â
she
shouted, coffee mug in one hand. Now, who would visit me at 7:30 in
the
moring? This had better not be one of Maxwellâs jokes.

She open the door only to stare into a pair of ice blue eyes. The mug

dropped from her hand. âZechs?â she whispered, not daring to speak. âBut

how?â He looked the same. Tall, hair the same white gold, a bit longer

perhaps, and still the same eyes, like chips of blue ice. She reached out
a
hand to touch him, to make sure this wasnât an illusion.

âI found your number last night and called you, but I was too afraid to

speak,â he replied; his eyes a mixture of joy and grief. âNoin, Iâm sorry

for whatever pain I caused you. I wonât blame you if you want me to go.â

She embraced him. âNever leave me again, Merquise.â

He grinned. âI love you, Luc. And now that Iâve found you,â he kissed
her.
âIâm never letting you go.

***

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ

The harsh buzzing of the alarm jerked Noin from her first peaceful night
in
weeks. âZechs, donât go,â she murmured sleepily.

BUZZ BUZZ

Her eyes popped open. It had all been a dream. She would never see him

again because he died in battle, six months ago. Tears welled up, but she

dashed them away. It would do her no good to cry.

A curious sound caused her to leave her melancoly thoughts behind. The

doorbell rang, once, twice.

*****

This was my first fanfic. Comments greatly apprecitated.
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