Author's note: I'm sorry it took me so long to get this part out. The next one hopefully won't take so long. I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters.

By Your Side - Year Two

"Hey wait for me!" Noin called.

She hurried to reach Zechs, "Are you sure they're coming today?"

"It is the eighth, is it not?"

"Yes."

"That's the day the letters said."

The two of them were waiting for their friends Mac and Harm to arrive back form summer break. There was about a week before school started again, but Mac and Harm were the first of the flood of students who were beginning to trickle back.

In a way Noin regretted losing their isolation. With no one around, they were free to just be themselves without worrying about their secrets. Of course his was a little more life threatening than her own, but hers was still something she didn't want to be common knowledge.

But school was starting up again. At least this year she would have friends from the start. Last year school had just been an escape from her family. Now it had become home.

"There they are!" Zechs exclaimed.

Noin spotted their friends and waved. It didn't take long for them to weave through the other returning students and help with he luggage.

"Did you two have fun with the school to yourselves?" Harm asked.

Zechs and Noin shared a look. They had had fun, but that wasn't exactly their most memorable experience.

"You could say that," Noin replied.

"So have classes been assigned yet?" Mac asked.

"Nope, the schedules won't be available for another two days," Zechs told her.

"Bummer. And classes start in a week."

"Come on, let's enjoy our free time," Harm suggested.

After Harm and Mac had dumped their stuff in their rooms, the four of them stopped by the kitchen then took a picnic out to the lake.

"We should go swimming sometime," Mac suggested.

"sounds like fun," Noin replied.

It didn't take long for Harm and Mac to get back into the school routine. When the four of them got their schedules, they found that Zechs and Noin had all their classes together as did Mac and Harm. Three of their classes overlapped.

The night before classes started, Noin sat on Zechs' bed considering her next move. She just about had his king in check.

"Zechs?"

"Hm?"

"Checkmate."

"What?" He studied the board for a moment, "You're right."

"Of course I am."

There was silence for a minute then Noin said, "What do you plan to do once you have your revenge?"

"I'm not sure. To tell the truth, I'm not sure I'll get that far."

"You will. Well, at least I'm not the only one who doesn't have a clue about the future. I want to go to space someday, but other than that I'm not sure what I want to do."

It was the year of boredom. Their classes were fine, but not incredibly interesting. Christmas arrived in no time.

Zechs and Noin waved goodbye as the buses pulled away. As usual they had the school to themselves for the most part. It had been a cold winter so far, and there was already a foot of snow on the ground. But that didn't daunt the two of them. They bundled up in their warmest clothes and tromped out into the snow.

Their destination was a pond near the school. The lake was too dangerous to skate due to its thin ice, but one of the nearby ponds had frozen solid. The school had ice skates, so they both had borrowed a pair. Shakily at first, they began to skate. It soon became obvious that Noin was the better skater of the two, but by the end of the day she had taught Zechs to skate backwards. They headed back to the school with red noses and rosy cheeks.

This year they again joined the remaining staff for tree trimming and Christmas dinner. Christmas morning was fun. Harm had sent them both chess sets knowing their fondness of the game. Mac had sent Noin a pair of star earrings and Zechs a book titled The West Wing. Noin had given him a carving she had made of a horse. He'd had the portrait of her he'd done in art class framed for her.

For New Year's Eve they decided to have a M*A*S*H marathon. They had discovered copies of the old tv show by accident in the school library and had found it to be a rather interesting show to watch, not to mention funny. All too soon the break was over and school was starting again.

As winter began to melt away, Noin started to notice something. The first year students were coming to her when they had trouble with their schoolwork. They were more hesitant about approaching Zechs, but they coming him for help as well. Before long they had gathered quite a study group.

Zechs laughed when she mentioned this to him, "Have you ever considered that we're some of the few older students who take them seriously?"

Noin just shook her head, "No."

Zechs ruffled her hair, "We are; that's why they like us."

So the two of them continued to tutor their group of younger students. Finals were upon them before they knew it, and again Noin and Zechs tied for the top marks. They sent their friends off with smiles then turned to a more important task: figuring out what to do all summer.

They found a nearby ranch that would let ride the horses in exchange for stable work. So they would pack a picnic lunch then head out into the hills for the day. A couple of times the two of them camped out overnight. Everything was calm and peaceful, which rather bothered Noin.

"I keep expecting something bad to happen; everything seems to be too right. You realize we've been friends for about two years and we've never had a fight?"

"Do you want to have a fight?"

"Well, no, but it just seems strange." Noin sighed, "I'm going swimming, want to come?"

"No thanks."

"Zechs, why don't you ever go swimming? And don't tell me you're worried about someone discovering your identity; I'm the only one around."

He was silent for a moment, "I don't know how."

"I won't let you drowned."

So Noin taught Zechs how to swim. Their summer practically flew by, and Noin was pleased to find her nightmares had gone away for the most part. She had a bad night every once in a while, but Zechs always seemed to be on hand to talk once she woke up. Before they knew it, they were entering they're third and final year at the school.

Tsuzuku (to be continued)