Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Where Sunrays can't reach you ❯ Chapter 11 ( Chapter 11 )

Chapter 11.

About two and a half hours later he heard whispering nearby.

"I really felt sorry for you then Milliardo, it was so obvious you had no clue how to milk a cow." Otto said chuckling. Milliardo!?

"I know, but admit it: Emeralda wasn't one of the most pleasant ones to deal with," Milliardo responded smiling, while he opened the door. Treize had to admit that it stung, the carefree way in which they were talking, he and Milliardo had never done that.

He was about to say something else, but his mouth closed when he saw Treize sitting there with a stern expression on his face.

"Your Excellency!" Otto muttered.

"Good evening sergeant Hofenstach, lieutenant Merquise." Treize now smiled charmingly.

Milliardo's lips twitched a little. Good, he's nervous.

"Sergeant, I need to talk to the lieutenant in private, I hope that's no bother for you?" Treize said and he was impressed with the polite way in which he spoke to the man he would have kicked out much rather.

"No, sir of course not," Otto said. "Good evening, Your Excellency."

Treize didn't miss the worried look he shot at Milliardo when he turned for the door.

Once it was closed behind him, Treize's smile froze on his lips.

"Take it off," he hissed.

"What? Why?"

"Do it!"

Milliardo removed his mask. The look in his eyes was both defiant and defensive.

"Where have you been?" Treize demanded.

"Training. SIR."

Treize knew Milliardo emphasized the last word to communicate that he only answered because he was his superior. I hate you!

"Spying you mean."

Milliardo narrowed his eyes, but said nothing.

"Don't think I don't know what you are up to, you and that...man," Treize said angrily. "You found anything interesting in my computer tonight? Maybe something about Belladonna to dump in my wine?"

Still Milliardo didn't avert his glance. This infuriated Treize even more.

"How could you Milliardo? After everything that happened between us. I thought I could trust you, but you are nothing more than a traitorous coward. I am grateful your parents never got to know you like this."

Treize knew he had gone very far, too far maybe, but he needed to hurt as much as Milliardo had hurt him. The best way for this was by using his parents, he had learned that already. Still Milliardo's reaction was quite unexpected.

"I am traitorous? I...!? Do you really think you can manipulate me like that? Don't think I don't know what is going on, YOUR EXCELLENCY. I know what you and that bitch are up to, ruler of the world, you? Ha, anarchy would take over in a moment. And you wouldn't mind...NO as long as you can bathe in rose water and listen to opera's nothing matters to you. All those people who'll die and the children they'll leave behind, they don't matter to you. You don't hear their cries, you don't want to hear them!"

Treize was shocked; Milliardo was getting hysterical. He needed him to stop and find out what he was talking about. But Milliardo wasn't ready to listen.

"What did you need me for anyway? You wanted me to lead your Apocalypse? And then kill me once you didn't need me anymore? Or did you like fucking me to mock me afterwards? I bet Une had a lot of fun when you told her how easy I am or... did you let her watch as well? Bet she enjoyed th..."

Treize slapped his face with a flat hand. Milliardo's hand automatically went for the painful cheek and he shot him a furious look. But Treize just waited until he regained some of his senses before he spoke.

"What are you talking about?"

".... Don't give me that, I heard how you two were planning an all out war," Milliardo said as he rubbed his painful cheek. His eyes still flickered dangerously.

"So that's it. You overheard… no probably SPIED on one conversation and concluded I was planning to take over the world." Treize said. At least this explains some of his behavior. I should have told him sooner.

"Yes."

"Well you are right."

Milliardo looked at him suspiciously.

"I am going to take over the world and bring it all out war," Treize stated.

"You're mad!"

"Maybe I am. However it's not to satisfy my ambitions," Treize continued.

"I am going to make everyone see...no, feel the pain of war. Only then will they realize peace is the only possible solution".

Silence.

Milliardo looked at him, assessed him. Then he averted his eyes.

"I can't believe that."

Treize grabbed his shoulders and roughly pushed him against the wall.

"No!? Why not? Because you only met power-hungry people in your life? Or is it because you don't believe I can give it up once I have gained it? Because you wouldn't be able to give it up yourself?"

The prince looked up angrily, then down again. Treize released him and let him think for a moment about what he had said.

"But you are… no you can't really want that. You just want to sweep away all those who oppose you… for power," he said, trying to convince himself.

"If that were true would I not have gotten rid of you long ago?"

The blond sighed and rubbed his cheeks for a moment.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why didn't you ask me?"

Treize sighed and turned for the window. He didn't want Milliardo to see him hurt.

"No," he answered his own question. "Of course you didn't. Instead you avoided me and went spying. And you took a new lover. Tell me... do you scream his name when he lets you come?"

"Treize..."

But now it was he who was beyond reason, he felt too betrayed, even after he had found out what the blonde had thought about him. The pain of imagining his Milliardo with another drove him wild with rage and hurt.

"He's probably more gentle than I as well. When all comes down to it I am nothing more than a soldier while he is who knows what. He probably knows a lot more about how to please a prince than I, doesn't he?"

He squeezed the edge of the window to restrain the feelings inside and focused his gaze away from the blond.

Treize suddenly felt a hand on his cheek and he looked up. It was amazing how Milliardo's touch still managed to soothe him, even with all the anger he felt.

"He's not my lover, Treize."

"!!........Why else would he know your name!?"

Milliardo sighed.

"You leave me no choice but to tell you eh?" he said with a sad smile.

"He raised me."

"What…!?" Treize started.

"Well after…. One day he recognized me as he patrolled. Otto had been at the castle for a while when I was four. At the attack he was part of the evacuation troops in the northern cities .He was demoted and became a policeman after Sanc's fall," Milliardo explained.

"So he took care of you?" Treize asked.

"Well sort of, he took me to his parents farm for a few months. They were old and as he was part of the resistance against the Alliance he wasn't around much."

Treize nodded. They probably made him do all the work when Otto was away. But he had nowhere else to go.

"Later he gave me the opportunity to enter the Lake Victoria Academy. I am still not sure how he made that work, but he has connections with lower officers in the Alliance everywhere."

"So that's what happened to you, Milliardo."

"Yes"

He was not going to admit it but now that he knew that Milliardo hadn't been with another made life seem to be bearable again. Still he knew the prince was holding back something.

"One other thing: They took you in a year after the attack, what happened to you before that?" Treize said, already suspecting the answer.

Milliardo swallowed.

"I was...at...at...."

"You lived at the streets, right?" Treize stated.

Milliardo looked at him shocked.

"How did you know?"

Treize smiled sadly. "It's the words you use when you are angry; fuck... bitch... You didn't learn these as a prince. And even at the Lake Victoria Academy they discipline swearing like that."

Milliardo nodded thoughtfully.

"Was it hard?" Treize asked softly.

"…I was lucky and found an abandoned cellar, where I could sleep. I guess I was half-mad back then. I learned to fight there, to survive, but I was still grateful when Otto took me in." Treize noticed the sad expression on Milliardo's face. He's probably thinking of the other children he had seen there.

His sadness twisted Treize's heart and he laid his hands on the younger man's shoulders.

"It seems we both shouldn't have jumped to conclusions so soon, did we?"

Those beautiful, vulnerable eyes stared at him, begging for comfort. Treize drew him closer and embraced him.

"I am sorry about what I said about your parents, Milliardo," he whispered.

"I just couldn't stand it anymore, thinking about you and....another."

Milliardo stroked his back, comforting, as he was comforted himself. They were silent for a moment. Both were reluctant to stop the only person, who was able to soothe him from doing so.

Treize sighed his frustrations and anxiety of the last few weeks away against his shoulder. Feeling him against him again, made him realize why he put so much effort in his plans, sometimes almost at the cost of his sanity. He wanted…no NEEDED this to keep him together. Especially at the times all the people that had been killed because of him screamed in his mind for vengeance. The blond leaned in more and Treize felt how his body relaxed somewhat.

"So it wasn't you," Milliardo breathed on his shoulder.

Treize opened his eyes and drew away a little to look at him.

"It wasn't you… what?"

The young man bit his lip, probably cursing himself for voicing his thoughts.

"Who sabotaged my Mobile Suit."

Treize stared at him dumbfounded.

"What!??"

Milliardo now looked at the ground.

"I know, but at that moment, when I thought you were…I"

"You believed I wanted you dead." Treize said, still looking perplexed.

The lieutenant shrugged his shoulders. The colonel shook his head.

"How can you think that?" he said. But he knew it was possible. Milliardo will maybe, probably never trust anyone again ever in his life.

If only you could see…

Treize took the antique dagger hanging on his belt and held it in front of the prince. Milliardo stared at it, but didn't flinch. He shot a questioning look at Treize. The aristocrat removed a glove. Suddenly he made a deep cut in his hand. Blood dripped on the iron. He held the dagger up and pointed at his chest.

"I would sooner strike myself here, than ever harm you."

Milliardo grabbed the wounded hand and brought it to his face. He licked a little from the blood and kissed the inside. Treize didn't move as he memorized the tenderness in the young man's face.

"I think I will refrain from letting you get nailed for treachery then."

Milliardo said it like it was a joke, but Treize very well knew it was what the blond had been planning. Too many data about his activities had been accessed lately and it would have been a perfect thing to do. The blond was clever and knew very well what would happen in that case; Protests, debates over what should happen to me, suspicion between other high officers. Oh and I should not forget Lady Une rallying her forces to free me. Such a conflict would leave the Alliance greatly weakened and vulnerable for attacks from its enemies, the colonies in the first place.

It would have been a brilliant move and if he played it a little sneaky, no one would even realize it had been Zechs Merquise who was behind it. Treize didn't get angry about it, not with all he knew about Milliardo and what he had believed the last couple of weeks. If anything he was impressed that he wouldn't have gone for the more quick way and just assassinated him. A smile came to his lips. He was the only one close enough to have been able to do that to me.

The young man was looking at him sadly now and he realized he had been too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice.

"Is something the matter?"

"I am leaving the day after tomorrow."

"What!? Why?" Treize asked.

"I have asked for a permanent transfer three months ago."

"You did," Treize said more then asked. "You want to go?"

"...Not anymore," Milliardo replied. "But they won't allow me to cancel this late, they have already made divisions and arranged everything."

If only we hadn't busied ourselves with pride and mutual suspicion he wouldn't leave now.

"Where are you going?" Treize asked.

"Outer space."

Treize pulled him closer again.

"So we only have about 24 hours left, right?"

"Yes, but it's going to be day soon, we can't meet then," Milliardo said.

"Can't we? Watch me." Treize smirked. "You have to train this morning don't you?"

"Yes." Milliardo said, giving him a strange look.

"You see these woods there?" Treize said, pointing out of the window.

"You mean next to your eastern gardens?"

"No, those farther to the south." Treize said while pointing with his index finger.

"Wait for me after your training, at the second spot free of trees that you encounter. I will meet you there."

I am going to give you happiness, if only for a day. You were denied it as a child, but I will make up for it for a few hours.

Treize kissed Milliardo on his forehead and opened the window.

"What are you doing?" Milliardo asked startled.

"Why prince? You think you are the only one who can jump from a window without getting hurt?" He patted his cheek and let himself float to the ground.

To be Continued.

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