The next day the cadets began their fencing lessons. Fencing was, of course, not directly linked to a soldier's life of combat in mobile suits. Therefore, it wasn't taken very seriously. But His Excellency insisted the new cadets be trained in the art of fencing, and his orders were always obeyed. They handled their new foils easily; most had already taken a few lessons from fencing masters back at their family estates before setting foot at Victoria Academy. All were dressed in the standard whites, with mask in place. Their Instructor had not arrived yet, so they took the rare liberty of doing as they wished.

Excited whispering filled the large room and snaked up to the high ceiling. Noin glanced at it. She was unfamiliar with architectural styles and decoration but a word flew out of the depths of her mind, so deep inside she hadn't known it was there. Frescoed. This was a frescoed ceiling. She blinked and stared harder. Where did that come from?

"Why are you staring at the ceiling? Are you about to die of shock?"

Noin recognized the drawling voice without turning around. Grey Sommers. He was from one of the richest families on the Earth and his family name was so respected and widely known she was sure he felt that fact alone would admit him to Heaven without further examination.

"She probably has never seen anything like it before, coming from the gutter as she did." said one of Grey's 'friends' spitefully, recalling Noin's ragged clothes on Registration Day.

Noin turned around slowly. Grey and his hirelings stood behind her. Don't get upset, she told herself. They are not worthy of your contempt. Don't get upset, don't get -

"Yeah," said another one, "I heard her parents had to declare bankruptcy to send her here, didn't they, Lucrezia?"

Noin's resolution not to get upset fell faster than a shooting star. She stepped forward, drawing her foil from the sheath at her side with such fluid ease it astonished the jeering cadets watching. They didn't know - how could they? That she'd fenced with her father on the rooftop. Their foils were old and slightly rusty, but they gleamed like new under the milky moonlight, clashing as he showed her the feint, the riposte, attack au fer, and many others.

She never questioned how he'd gotten them in the first place; they'd always been there, like the constant aching of her belly or the spidery cracks in the walls of their apartment. Her grip was firm as she pressed the blade under the throat of the boy that just spoke, just short of cutting off air.

"Don't you ever insult my family again!" she breathed fiercely. "And don't call me 'Lucrezia'. It's Noin."

Grey and his friends stood stunned for a moment. Reginald, whose pulse beat wildly under the pressure of Noin's foil, was round-eyed and short of breath. Noin had never spoken so many words at once in the whole time that they knew her, or reacted to their insults. So as not to appear cowardly, Grey drew his own foil. He wasn't from one of the wealthiest, most powerful families on Earth for nothing. He'd had fencing lessons since he was five.

"You'd better not hurt him, 'Noin,'" he said dangerously, speaking the last word in extreme sarcasm "Or else."

Noin turned slightly and met his eyes. Despite himself, sweat broke out on Grey's forehead from the effort of holding her intense gaze. She lowered her foil and Reginald slumped in relief.

"Is that a challenge?" she spoke very softly, voice belying the hard glitter in her eyes. Too many times she'd been silent while they baited her, teased her, insulted her. She raised her foil, knowing the button on its tip would render it useless in actually wounding him -

"All right, everyone, line up by this wall!" Instructor Velorn strode inside, clipboard in hand to take attendance. The cadets scrambled into place, Noin discreetly re-sheathing her foil. "Nitta...Noin...good..." His eyes scanned the row of cadets, occasionally barking at a student to straighten up. "Merquise? Where's Zechs Merquise?" the cadets stared straight ahead, not even blinking. He sighed. Of course no one knew. Velorn felt rather sorry for his top student. He didn't seem to get on well with the other cadets.

Just then the door opened and Zechs stepped inside. He saluted to Velorn smartly and said

"Forgive my tardiness, Sir. It won't happen again."

"It certainly won't. One more tardy, Zechs Merquise, and I'll have to give you a demerit." Instructor Velorn indicated the line with his pen. Zechs took his place next to Noin. "You may choose your partners for today, cadets. You've all been doing very well, and I commend you. Reginald, come here. Watch me closely, everyone."

He whipped out his foil and then proceeded to show them the correct way to hold it, and a few of the basic positions with Reginald as an opponent, traditionally presenting his foil. They began the exercise, with moves such as attack, counter-attack, lunge, cross, and parry. Reginald, who was still feeling pressure of Noin's foil at his throat, was less than a decent fencing partner.

After his brief instruction was over, Velorn ordered them to pair up and practice the moves he showed them. All the cadets chose their partners and began the exercise; all, that is, but Zechs and Noin. They stood by the wall, uncertain of what to do.

"What's this?" he barked. Both of them started. "Start practicing! That's an order!" The two cadets saluted him and presented their blades, vaguely surprised he was making them fight each other.

Zechs was stronger, but Noin was faster. Their foils flashed in the brightly lit practice chamber. Most of the cadets were carrying on avid conversations as they fenced, but this pair was silent. Zechs couldn't think of anything to say, and Noin, still smarting from the comment Reginald made, wasn't aware of their unnatural silence. Soon both of them were sweating, cheeks flushed, but still they fenced, unaware that they weren't doing to basic moves Velorn showed the class, unaware of the sudden silence around them as the other cadets stopped their efforts and watched.

Noin executed a stop thrust, extending arm and foil to their full length. Zechs was momentarily caught off balance in his haste to get out of harm's way, and with an ease that comes to most people only after years of fencing, Noin disarmed him with a flick of her wrist. His foil clattered loudly on the polished wooden floor.

They stood there panting, and suddenly realized the silence in the room. They looked up and saw everyone staring, the cadets with mingled expressions. Some were awed, some admired, some were even frankly jealous. Even Instructor Velorn was at a loss for what to say.

Zechs stood, his hand still feeling the reverberations of Noin's foil against his. I was defeated, he thought wryly, and truth be told, with some surprise. At least it was Noin.

Noin took off her mask and wiped her face. I did it, she realized, I beat Zechs. Strangely though, she didn't have any sense of triumph or accomplishment. She felt empty. Her right hand hung limply at her side, foil touching her leg. It was cold.

Instructor Velorn gathered his wits and settled them about his startled expression like the ceremonial cape he wore on special occasions.

"You two obviously don't need lessons from me," he said to them warmly. "I see that there is little more that I can teach you." He glanced at the clock to his left. "And our time is up. That will be all for today, cadets. You are excused."

The cadets left, a few glancing back at Zechs and Noin, and all of them talking.

"They must've had lessons before they came here."

"But Noin couldn't have ever held a foil before today!"

"How did she do it?"

Noin heard them. She didn't know how she did it, she just did it. It was natural. How could it not be, after all those late nights on the roof? Father beat her easily every time though; she didn't notice that her own skills were that advanced until she crossed swords with Zechs. She bent down and handed picked up Zechs's foil. He was very still, looking at her. When she straightened up she saw that he wasn't really looking at her; rather, he was staring through her, seeing something only he could see.

"Here." She held out his foil, hilt first.

"Hmm?" Zechs was startled out of his reverie. He took the foil from her confusedly. "Oh, thank you. And Noin...I --"

"You two were magnificent!" called Instructor Velorn from the doorway. "I need to see both of you tomorrow morning before mess, understood?"

"Sir!" both of the saluted and exited.