Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Wheel of Life ❯ Pull back ( Chapter 4 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Wheel of life
By: Haruka-chan

AN: Chapter 4! I have no notes so go on and read.

Pulled back...Chapter 4

Last Time...
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"Hope was the last thing to leave her box, what hope is there for me?" she asked looking at the picture of a young girl and a young boy. "My most precious possession" she whispered as she held it to her chest. He pulled out the picture of them together. "Hope is the last thing to leave the box…" he said as he held the picture. "My only solid memory" he said.
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Miliardo drove in front of a huge mansion. Yes, party planners made money, but not the kind of money that they could afford to live in huge mansion like the one before him. Miliardo rang the bell, and was greeted by a maid dressed in black dress with white apron mimicking those old French maid from the romance movies. "Is Miss Athena there?" asked Miliardo. "Oh, Yes Lady Athena is just up stairs you can sit, and I'll inform her that you are here" she said as she walked up the stairs. Milliard sat and looked around the large room and smiled, she had good taste. He heard rapid foot steps approaching him. Miliardo looked towards where the stairs where and saw a little girl of 5 years old emerge from there with a smile she had on a natural color hat with a white ribbon tied around it. Long silver hair fell around her face down to her shoulder, big ice blue eyes, she had on a sleeveless white sun dress with white sandals and a stuffed bunny in her arms. She stopped in front of him and looked up at him. "Hello" she said. Miliardo let out a small gasp her voice was so familiar, like he heard it before, no he knew where he heard it before. "Hello?" she asked again. Miliardo smiled and bent to look at her. "Hello" he said. "Who are you?" she asked. Before Miliardo had a chance to answer he heard another voice coming towards him. "Small Lady?" asked a young girl with brown red hair and violet eyes, she was in flare jeans and a lace muscle top, her hair was tied up, coming towards them. The little girl giggled and ran behind Miliardo. "Hide me" she said. Miliardo smiled and nodded. *So this is Small Lady* he thought. "Mr. Peacecraft good afternoon, by any chance did you see Small Lady here?" She asked. Miliardo shook his head and smiled. She gave him a blank stare before she heard some giggling coming from behind him.

She smiled and nodded. "Small Lady I know you there, come out" she said. The girl came out and hugged Miliardo's legs laughing, as Miliardo laughed also, but stopped when he heard a familiar voice call "Selene" Miliardo looked towards the stairs once more and saw Athena walking down. She looked beautiful as always in an antique beige sleeveless warp top, the side was shirred and had a flower pin, and a skirt in plaid antique taupe that came up to her knees with beige high heels. Her beautiful silver hair up in a bun with some lose hair framing her face, in fact he never seen her hair down since he met her and her eyes held surprise and pain rather then nothing at all as she walked towards them. "Selene why did you run away from Yuki?" asked Athena. The little girl name Selene looked towards Athena and giggled. Athena smiled down at her then turned towards Miliardo "Mr. Miliardo?" asked Athena. "Oh Lady Athena I was in search for you to inform you that Mr. Peacecraft was here" said a breathless maid behind her. "Thank you Helena" said Athena. The maid bowed and walked away. "I am sorry to come so unexpectedly but I wanted to talk to you" said Miliardo. Athena nodded. The little girl looked up at Miliardo in curiosity. "Selene go along with Yuki" said Athena. "Who is this man?" Selene asked. "This is Mr. Peacecraft, I am planning his engagement party" said Athena taking the young girl's hand. Selene continued to look at him before she turned towards Athena. "Are you leaving?" she asked. Miliardo saw the look of a small warning that Yuki gave Athena. "I will have to" she said. "But you said that Neko (The rabbit), you and I will go out today" said Selene. Athena sighed.

"Selene we will go out once I return" said Athena. "But you promised" said Selene at the verge of crying. "Small Lady come long, we will go to the beach" said Yuki. "No! I want go with 'mommy', she promised" said Selene. Miliardo looked from Selene to Athena. *Mommy?!?!* he thought. Athena shook her head. "Mr. Miliardo, I am sorry but I cannot go, I promised my 'daughter' that I would spend the day with her today" said Athena. "Miss. Athena I understand" said Miliardo. "Why don't you come with us, so you could talk to mommy and she could still be with me" said Selene thoughtfully. Athena looked down at her daughter and then up at Miliardo. "Sweetie I think Mr. Miliardo has other plans" said Athena. "No, I don't mind at all" said Miliardo. Athena looked up Miliardo with surprise, and then smiled at her cheering daughter. They walked out in to the beach. "I would like to thank you for coming out with us" said Athena. "Its no problem at all" said Miliardo. "Mommy come on" said Selene grabbing Athena's hand and running in to the beach with a laughing Athena. This was the first time he had heard her laugh, it sounded good and fit her face. "Look at Neko" said Selene as she held up the white bunny. "He looks happy" said Athena. Selene nodded "Yuki see if you can catch me" she yelled. "She's so full of energy" said Athena as Miliardo came to stand next to her. "I have noticed. You didn't tell us you had a daughter" he said. "I try to keep Selene out of my business life" said Athena. "So where is her father?" asked Miliardo with a small hurt expression. A painful look came over Athena. "She doesn't have one" said Athena. Miliardo like a little boy looked confused.

"She doesn't have one?" asked Miliardo. Athena shook her head. "No, she doesn't. She is my daughter as you can she has my hair" said Athena. Miliardo nodded. "Yes, silver hair is very rare" he said. "So what happened to her father" he asked. "I don't know" she said. Miliardo didn't believe her but she just smiled. "The reason I came to talk to you today is about the same conversation we were having at the Cinq kingdom" said Miliardo. "Yes, I knew it was probably that" she said. "So tell me what is going on" he said turning to face her. "What do mean?" asked Athena. "Stop playing this game, and tell me the truth" he said. "There is no truth in this world and never will be. I have nothing that I want to say to you...you are right I am Athena...the same one" she said turning, giving her back to him. Miliardo placed a hand on her shoulder. "Athena..." he started. "There isn't anything between us, and there never was. You left your life and started a new one just as I have. So lets keep things the way they are" she said. "That's what you want not what I want...how could you think it's over?" asked Miliardo. "Because it is, I want to give Selene a normal life, a normal as it gets for her" she whispered. "Who is her father? What happened to him?" asked Miliardo. "Her father was a minute man...I made a mistake, but I don't regret having Selene, she made up for my loneliness, and she gave a different kind of love" said Athena. "But don't you feel something is missing if not from your life then hers?" he asked. "What could possibly be missing, she has me and all the others that surround her" she said. "What about her need for a father?" asked Miliardo.

Athena didn't say anything as she watched Selene run around with Yuki running after, her small form so alive and happy. "She doesn't need one" stated Athena softly. "Stop kidding your self...you need her father more then she needs him. Your afraid" said Miliardo. Athena chuckled and turned towards the ocean giving him her profile. "Your right I am afraid I have always been afraid, and I always will be, but I'm honest with myself that I am. But Selene isn't normal...she isn't just another child" said Athena. "What do you mean?" asked Miliardo. Athena shook her head and smiled at him. "I am happy, really...and like I said Selene is my happiness, I don't need anything else" said Athena. "Can you really be that selfish?" he asked turning to look at the ocean. "Selfish?" she asked. Miliardo looked intently in to the ocean as if to make the waters tremble with fear. "You know one day she will want to know" said Miliardo. "When she does I will tell her, but now she doesn't need anyone but me, and I feel the same way" said Athena.

"Selene is still young and doesn't understand much...but to her I am her whole world" whispered Athena. "What if others want to share her with you?" asked Miliardo. "I won't let them...she is all I have, and I made it my life to take care of her, and making her happy, she's my everything...I can't share her with anyone" said Athena. "You think that just gives you the right to keep her away from others?" asked Miliardo. "No! Of course not! I don't want her locked up, but she is mine isn't she?" asked Athena. "Half" he stated. "No, she is whole...she is completely mine, her father doesn't exist" said Athena. "Athena what happened to you? you have changed since I last saw you, when we were younger...you where never this way" he said. Athena gave a small cold laugh. "Miliardo are you the same?" she asked for the first time in 6 and a half years calling him by his name. "No, I suppose not" he said. "I don't deny that I have changed, but I can't say that I had a choice...our kingdom was destroyed and since that day we changed" she said now tears welling up in her eyes.

Miliardo felt pain just to see the pain that she beard all this time. "I don't have anyone other then Selene, Miliardo...she's the only person I have now that I matter to, I lost parents...my family" said Athena. "What about me? You matter to me" he said. "No, Miliardo...I don't, we left that life behind 16 years ago, and we ended it 6 years ago" she whispered. "Athena..." he whispered. "I'm not that 7 year old princess and your not that 9 year old prince, were no longer in those terms, we are nothing but acquittance" she said. "How could you say that?" he asked. "Because it's true Miliardo...because both you and I have moved on...you have Miss Noin, and Relena, and I have my daughter" she said. "What happened to our friendship?" he asked. "There is no friendship not any more Miliardo, we are nothing but strangers now" she said. "Athen" he said as if to stop her next thought. "Mommy" asked Selene looking up at Athena. "Hmm what is it baby?" she asked. Selene giggled and touched Athena's slim hands. "Your it" she said before running away. Athena smiled before she took of her shoes and run after her daughter on the sand. Miliardo watched from board walk and had to smile. *~She is my everything, I can't share her with anyone~* The words replayed in his mind causing him a sort of pain that he wasn't use to.

He watched the laughing Athena, and knew she was really laughing when she was with Selene, locking away all that was turning against her just to give her daughter something more. *How did we drift so far away...how did we become strangers?* he thought watching as her bun came lose revealing her long silver tresses. She was beautiful, she always was, even when they were children, she would always surprise him by how beautifully she mixed in. But now she was a different kind of beauty, one that would want to make an artist cut his eyes out for he could not match the beauty that was there. Yes, Noin was beautiful, but to his eyes nobody could come close to Athena's beauty, and Selene was to grow up just as beautiful as her mother. But he had his nagging feeling about what Athena said about her father. He knew that she loved him, but she seemed so pained talking about him, he wanted to know who he was, and why he left her. "Come play with us" said Selene pulling his hand. "Huh?" he asked. "Come play with mommy, Neko and Selene" she said referring to herself as a third person. Miliardo nodded and picked her up. Selene gave a surprised yelp before she started to giggle once more. "Selene" said Athena stopping in front of the two. "I want to be your friend" he said looking at her. Athena said nothing, just stared.

"Hey isn't that Miliardo?" asked Relena who was with the rest of the GW girls and guys. Noin looked towards where Athena, and Miliardo stood holding a small girl. "Whoa they all have the same color hair" said Duo. Hilde slapped him while everyone -_-; sweat dropped. "Isn't that Miss Athena, your engagement and wedding planner?" asked Relena. Noin looked trouble and nodded. "Let's go down there and say hi" said Hilde. Before Noin could stop them they were on their way down. Miliardo set Selene on the ground and she ran to her mother with a smile. "I can't" she said as the wind blew her hair in to her face covering the tears that welled in the corner of her eyes. Athena quickly pulled her hair back to it's bun and looked down at Selene who was playing with the rabbit's ears. "Miliardo" said Relena. He turned to see everyone coming towards them. Athena dusted her feet and put her shoes back on, and picked up Selene. "Miss Athena how are you? We haven't heard from you in a while" said Relena with a smile. Athena smiled and nodded "Yes, I was quite busy" she said. "Who is this cutie?" asked Duo. Selene giggled "This is my daughter Selene" she said. The girls gasped and smiled while the guys just looked confused and surprise, Noin most of all was surprised. "You didn't tell us of her" said Noin. "Selene is kept out of my business life, she and I were spending some time together" said Athena. "She is very beautiful, for a child" stated Trowa. Selene looked at him and then at Heero who seem to be staring at her. "Mama?" she asked. "Don't worry they are mommies 'friends' they aren't going to hurt you" whispered Athena. "I know, it's just, he thinks he knows me?" said Selene looking toward Heero. Athena chuckled and set her down.

The group watched as the mother and daughter shared their little moment. Noin turned to see the way Miliardo watched them. From up where they were moments ago, if she hadn't known any better she would have thought they were a family. Selene giggled and walked towards Heero. "Hello I am Selene" she said extending a hand. Heero looked surprised, but he nodded and took her hand. "I am Heero" he said. "Nice to meet you Mr. Heero" she said waving at him, flashing her five fingers. The girls had a look of awe as the guys just smiled, well most of them anyways. She then walked towards Wufei who looked like she just woke up and wasn't happy about it. "And you are?" she asked. Wufei looked down at her "I'm Wufei" He said. Selene giggled. "Hey don't you wanna know my name?" asked Duo. "Sure, what is your name?" she asked. "I'm Duo" he said with a wink. Selene giggled. "Your funny looking, isn't he Neko?" she asked the small rabbit. Duo grinned. "Do you want to play with me?" asked Selene pulling Trowa Towards her. Trowa gave a small chuckle. "Sure what do you want to play?" asked Trowa. "How about tag? Yuki could play with us" said Selene pointing to the girl standing behind Athena. "Come on we could all play" said Catharine. "Yeah!" said Selene. "Mama it's all right isn't it?" she asked. "Yes, be careful" said Athena looking towards Yuki. "Yes, Lady Athena" said Yuki. The group started towards the beach leaving Noin, Miliardo and Athena on their own. "I'm glad your all right Miss. Athena" said Noin. Athena gave a small smile. "Yes, I took the time off so I could spend some time with Selene" said Athena. Noin nodded while Miliardo looked at her with an accusing eyes.

"I think I'll go join the others" said Noin quietly. "Selene finds your friends interesting" said Athena watching everyone run around the beach laughing. Even Heero, Wufei and Trowa were smiling a little for Selene. "Maybe we should join them" said Athena walking down the board walk. He watched her, her foot prints on the sand was like the foot prints that wouldn't erase from his heart. Selene ran towards her mother and hugged her middle. "Mama!" she laughed. "Are you having a good time baby?" she asked. "The best" she said as she looked towards the group. "It's about time she's happy" whispered Yuki, Wufei looked towards her then at Selene. "Come mama your 'it' come and catch us" said Selene. Athena smiled and nodded as Selene pulled away from her and started to run around, Athena smiled and started to run after her. The group watched with a smile as mother daughter played. Miliardo came and stood a few feet away from the group. Selene came behind him and grab hold on his leg. "Aahaha you can't get me now" said Selene. Athena stopped and waited for Selene, then she looked towards Miliardo and nodded, she stepped forward and tapped Miliardo, who then touched Selene. "There now your 'it' Selene" said Athena. "No fair you two cheated" said Selene. Noin smiled and looked down at her feet. *Yes they did cheat* she thought. After about half an hour of playing they finally slowly made their way back to the board walk. "Lady Athena" said Yuki walking forward. "Selene why don't you go on with Yuki and wait for mommy in the car, I will be right there" said Athena. "But I want to play more" she said looking at her mother. Athena's eyes soften as she kneeled and pulled her close. "If you go now, I will give you a surprise tonight when we go out" she whispered. "Really?" she asked. Athena nodded. "Ok mommy! It was nice to meet all of you" she said. "Bye Heero, Trowa, Wufei" she said waving bye, and surprising enough they smiled and waved bye as well. "Come along small lady" said Yuki leading the small giggling girl away as she moved her free hand around. "Is she the baby-sitter?" asked Relena. "Well, I suppose" said Athena watching Selene walk away.

"It's funny running in to you here" said Sally. "I come here often with Selene, she likes to run around" said Athena. "It must be wonderful to have her" said Noin. "Oh yes, she's my whole world" she said looking down. "Well, we better get going" said Hilde. The others nodded in agreement and slowly headed towards the car. Noin started to walk, but stopped when she saw that Miliardo stood at his spot. "You haven't answered my question" he said. "I think I answered enough, don't you?" Athena replied. "I will find out" he said. "If you truly call yourself my friend then you will leave things as they are 'Miliardo' don't pull out the past" said Athena starting to walk away. *Since when does she call him by his name without 'Mr'?* thought Noin. "It was never put away Athena, and I can't sit back and watch as you ruin yourself" he said. Noin watched as Athena stopped. "Miliardo I didn't ruin myself...I grew up and maybe you should too" she said. Miliardo walked towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Find him, for her sake..." he said. "I can't Miliardo, I told you he doesn't exist...not any more" said Athena. "Athena stop being stubborn" He said. Noin stood behind the shed that was right next to the board walk, she watched and listened, it was as if they didn't even notice she was there, and if they did they didn't care if she was taking a glimpse in to their world. "Miliardo leave it alone, I told you now were strangers. My daughter will know when I think she is ready to know. Our younger lives are over. I told you anything we had disappeared 16 years ago, and ended 6 years ago. I am tired Miliardo, tired of it all" she said now facing him. "So then stop running and face the truth, I have" he said. "Really have you? Because from where I'm standing you have been lying to yourself. Don't tell me about truth, because I faced that when Selene came in to life" said Athena.

"You tell me then what I am hiding from, how I am lying to myself" he said. "Miliardo what will make you understand were not in the Cinq kingdom, there is no magical castle with my prince waiting for me anymore, for you how ever there are wonderful people and a life" she said. "Stop shutting yourself in" he said. "I don't need anyone but Selene" she said ready to leave when Miliardo pulled her by the writs and pulled her close. "And what about me?" he asked. "Miliardo stop" she said. "What about our friendship? How could you just pretend that it doesn't exist" he said. Athena looked away. "Miliardo, let go...just let go" she whispered and pulled away. "I have to forget for Selene's sake, just as you should for Miss. Noin" she said. "Stop bringing in 'people' that has nothing to do with this" he said in a rush. Noin thought her heart jumped at his words. "She isn't people Miliardo. She is the woman who you love and you are going to marry, she is someone to think of, just as Selene is my daughter" said Athena with pained eyes. "I didn't mean it that way" he said. "Miliardo don't hurt her...most of all don't hurt yourself...she doesn't deserve it. You don't deserve it" said Athena and walked away. Miliardo stood there and watched her leave. "And you do?" he asked. It was then did Noin truly feel like she was coming in between something. That she changed fates plan and now this was the punishment she was getting for it. "Damn it Athen" she heard him say. *I am just 'people' to him? Does he really love me?* thought Noin as she quietly slipped away.

TBC
********************************************************************** AN: All right I think this story has about 4 more chapters to go before it's all over, not unless you guys want me to extend the plot. I know a lot of people like Zechs/Noin and I do too, but I don't see him paired with anyone else, so I write Zech/OC. Please excuse my spelling and grammar because God didn't make me perfect. Thanks to all that has review. ^_^