Shards of Glass

By:

Disclaimer: I own nothing and all I want is Trowa . . . Quatre . . . Duo . . . Wufei . . . and Heero . . . Okay! I like them all! But can you blame me? Implied 2+5. Only implied. They don't even hold hands.

A/N: Very OOC, TWT and PWP. A bit of angst. Partially AU. This is after Endless Waltz. Trowa is looking for a reason to live. Poor Trowa; I torture him. I can't promise the ending will be very happy; depends on my mood. Thanks to ~Bang for her inspiring ideas and her helpful tips. And a cameo appearance from Weib Cruz's one and only Omi!

Scene or time change: *****
E-mail (beginning or end): ~*~
Flashback (beginning or end): ~*~*~*~

Trowa Barton stared up at the bleak gray sky. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he continued along the nearly empty sidewalk.
I wonder what the others are up to. I haven't seen them for . . . over 6 months since . . . Trowa shivered from the cold suddenly.
Someone jostled into him accidentally.
"Excuse me," he mumbled.
The other person muttered something under his breath.
What am I doing? Why do I even bother to live? I have no purpose, no reason. Trowa wandered through the street.
"Somebody help me! Please!" a young girl cried out.
Trowa turned into an alleyway. In the dark dead end, he distinguished two men surrounding a small child. One held her to the ground and the other was searching through an unconscious woman's pockets.
"Hey, why don't you two morons try me on for size?"
"Mario, this dumb kid wants to fight us," sneered the dirty-blond one.
Mario burst out laughing. "I'll let you handle him, Chris,"
"Gladly." Chris lunged for Trowa.
In one simple move, Trowa stepped to one side, swept out a foot and brought the punk to the ground. Chris brought out a small knife and brandished it with a smirk. Trowa disabled him easily and stole the weapon away. He twirled the blade experimentally. Mario pulled a gun out from an inside pocket. Trowa tossed the dagger into the air with one hand and caught it with effortlessly. He flicked his wrist and Mario let out a yell. His gun had been snatched from his hand by the knife and was currently pinned to a trashcan.
"Holy shit!"
"What the-" stammered Chris.
"Give back what you took,"
Mario chucked a purse at Trowa.
"Damn, let's get out of here!"
Trowa watched impassively as the two thieves scrambled away. He walked over the crying child.
"Are you alright?"
The little girl sniveled and rubbed her eyes. She looked up fearfully.
"They've gone. Are you okay?"
" . . . Is my mommy okay?"
Trowa carefully checked the woman over. She had a developing bruise on her temple but no other physical abrasion.
"She should be okay. She doesn't appear to be harmed."
"The-thank you, Mister."
"Yeah." Trowa helped her up. He then gently shook the woman and woke her up.
The woman slowly came to. When she noticed Trowa, she let out a piercing scream. She shoved Trowa aside and stumbled to her daughter.
"Molly! Are you okay? Get away from us!" she alternated between shouting at Trowa and talking to her daughter.
"Mommy, mommy, it's okay! He saved us from the bad men."
"What? Are you sure, Moll?"
"Yup. He took the bad man's knife and threw it at the person's gun. See it over there? It was amazing!" crowed Molly.
The woman raised an eyebrow. She took a moment to compose herself. "I'm sorry for yelling at you but I thought you were trying to attack me."
"It's no problem."
"I'm Mrs. Jefferson."
"Trowa Barton."
"Thank you for saving my daughter and me."
"Here's your purse." Trowa handed her her personal belonging and hauled her to her feet.
"Please, could you walk me and Molly back to our apartment? I feel a little unsteady."
"Sure. Where do you reside?"
"594 Brook Street."
"Mister Trowa, can I ride on your shoulders?" Molly jumped around.
He picked her up and swung her around before settling her on his shoulders. She giggled happily. He arrived at their doorstep and let Molly down. He waved good-bye after refusing a dinner offer.
"Thank you Mister Trowa!" shouted Molly, waving her arm energetically.
Trowa returned to his stroll. He ambled through the city, heading for nowhere in particular. He trudged along the sidewalk until he realized he was being tailed.
A gang of four people were following him at an indiscreet pace. Glancing in a car side mirror, he recognized Chris and Mario from earlier.
"Hey, you!" Mario called.
Trowa came to a halt and waited for them to catch up.
"I'm Jay, the leader. So I hear ya roughed up my boys a bit. Ain't no one hurts my boys, ya hear me?"
One of them grabbed Trowa by the back of his shirt and tried to push him. Trowa nimbly extricated himself and shoved the fool aside.
Jay reached into his pocket and withdrew a knife. He played with the blade and ran his finger along the sharp edge.
"See this knife? It's gonna be stuck in your back when we're done with you."
"You're gonna get it now," snickered Chris.
"Who wants to go first?"
"Let me, boss!" the fourth gang member insisted as he pulled a gun from within his jacket.
"Okay. Go ahead, Vince."
Trowa effortlessly disarmed Vince with a small kick. His instincts screamed at him and he whipped around. A silver blur caught his eye and he reacted, bringing his arm up. Jay's dagger slashed down on his arm. Trowa flinched even as he swept a foot out and knocked the leader to the ground. His arm burned fiercely as he felt his warm blood soak into his dark green sweater. He managed to disable another gangster before he escaped.
"Get him!" Jay shouted.
Trowa hit the asphalt at a dead run. He quickly sprinted down the street and rounded a corner. He crashed into someone but was able to keep from falling.
"Watch where you're-Trowa!"
"Hello, Wufei," Trowa casually conversed as if they'd met at a party or something.
"Is something wrong? You're bleeding!"
"It's nothing." Trowa lied nonchalantly just as his blood ran down his hand, dripping onto the sidewalk, bright red, shining like a ruby.
"Chris, kill him!"
Trowa turned to face the gang.
"What is going on, Trowa?"
"Nothing. Go away."
Wufei snorted. "Right. Like I'm going to let you get injured anymore than you already are." He stepped in front of the slender, tall boy and faced the group of bullies.
"Outta our way!"
"I suggest you leave."
"Like hell!" scorned Vince.
Wufei rapidly took down Mario with a simple hit. He struck Chris in the back of his head and Chris crumpled to the ground. Wufei smiled wickedly at Jay and Vince.
"Boss. Let's go!"
Vince and Jay took off. Wufei turned back to Trowa only to find the brown-haired boy clutching his arm, breathing shallowly. His face was pale and he swayed slightly.
"Trowa!"
"I'm fine." Trowa waved Wufei off but nearly keeled over. He dropped to his knees, gasping for breath as fire consumed his arm.
The Chinese boy carefully hauled Trowa to his feet. He helped him walk into an apartment. He coaxed Trowa into an elevator and they got out on the ninth floor. Wufei unlocked a door and led Trowa in. He sat Trowa down on his couch, turned on a small table lamp and went to retrieve a towel and some bandages.
Trowa's mind swam. His vision spun wildly and he fell against the sofa.
"Trowa! Damn!" Wufei hurried to Trowa's side and pushed up the bloody sleeve. He tried not to curse at the sight of the long, jagged wound Trowa sported. He gingerly wiped away the blood. The gash looked raw, deep and infected. He applied some ointment and sealed the injury shut but blood seeped through rapidly. Wufei applied two more layers of bandages. He gently pulled off Trowa's ruined pullover and tossed it out. He entered his room and rummaged through his closet for a long shirt. He found an old sweater and dressed Trowa. Wufei propped Trowa up with a couple of pillows and carted a couple of blankets into the living room. He covered Trowa up and closed the blinds.
Trowa woke up from a flaring pain from his left arm. He sucked in a quick breath and peered at his swathed arm. Hm, whoever did this is pretty good at dressing wounds.
"You're awake." Wufei entered the living room with a tray.
"Wufei?" Trowa sat up in surprise.
"Yes. Don't you remember what happened yesterday?"
"Well . . . there was these gangsters after me and then . . . you fought them and . . . I can't remember much else."
"I'm not surprised. You were pretty out of it by the time the fight was over."
"So I'm . . . at your apartment?"
"Yes. I made you breakfast."
Wufei can cook? "Thanks." Trowa inspected the food for a moment. Waffles and orange juice. He took a tentative bite. It tasted rather good. Trowa dug into his food with a bit more enthusiasm.
"You thought I couldn't cook, didn't you?" accused Wufei.
"Er, yeah." Trowa gave him a sheepish smile.
"Well, I can't. Those are toaster waffles." Wufei smiled.
Trowa laughed. He took a sip of his juice. He swallowed a couple of painkillers Wufei had put on the tray. Just then, a yawning Duo came into living room. Trowa raised an eyebrow at Duo's shirtless state.
"Oh, hi, Trowa . . .Trowa? Uh-what are you doing here?"
"He got in a fight and got hurt. He lost some blood and blacked out. I just brought him back here because it was closer than a hospital. Besides, I hate hospitals, or at least the nearest one."
Trowa lifted an eyebrow.
"Sally Po works there, along with Nurse Noin," supplied Duo.
"Weak-" Wufei began.
"Onnas," finished Duo.
"Nurse Noin?"
"Yeah, surprised the hell out of us too. She said somethin' about wanting to save lives and not destroy them like in the past."
"Ah. Thanks for the breakfast and saving me last night." Trowa stood up and took his empty tray to the kitchen. He quickly washed the plate and glass and dried his hands on a towel.
"You didn't have to wash up."
"No big deal. I should go now."
"Are you sure you'll be okay?"
"Yes."
"Alright then. Bye." Wufei showed him to the door.
"Bye Trowa! See ya later! Come again! Visit us soon!" Hollered Duo-well, hollered as best he could with a mouthful of waffle in his mouth.
A smile twitched at the corners of Trowa's mouth. He shook his head. He noted a sign over the elevator buttons: 'Broken. Do not use.'
He let himself into the stairwell and peered over the railing. Hm, I'd say this is about nine floors up. Not too bad. Trowa jumped over the barrier and dropped straight down. He landed neatly on his feet and walked over to the door casually. He let himself into the reception area and left the building.
"Bye. Come back soon," winked a receptionist sitting at the front desk.
Trowa nodded to her.
"Mommy, it's Mister Trowa! Hi Mister Trowa!"
"Hello, Molly, Mrs. Jefferson."
"Trowa, how nice to bump into you. How are you?"
"Fine, thank you. I must be going. See you later. Bye Molly."
"'Bye bye Mister Trowa!"
"Good bye Trowa and thank you again."
Trowa trudged to his apartment. He took the elevator up to the fourteenth floor.
He let himself in and stared around his suite. His immaculate flat was nearly bare of any personal touches. The white walls were bare of pictures or paintings. The floor was either hard wood or plain gray carpeting.
Trowa entered his bedroom, which held just the barest hint of any personality. The walls were uncovered, the floor was partially covered with a simple blue and green rug; a present from a fellow ex-Gundam pilot. On a small night table, there was a black lamp and a single photograph.
Trowa strode over to the picture. He lifted up the framed photo and gently ran a hand over the smooth, cool glass. It was a group photograph with everyone in it. The war had just ended and Relena had thrown a party. She'd invited all the Gundam pilots, Treize, Zechs, Dorothy, Noin, Sally, Lady Une, Catherine, Hilde, Howard and the Maganacs. The doctors had declined with a vague excuse about work of some sort but everyone else had made it.
The shot was well-taken and everyone was caught unaware. Duo was happily munching on cake and pudding. Sally was looming over Duo, admonishing him about eating healthy foods. Wufei was glaring at Sally for trying to prevent Duo from eating cake and dessert. Treize and Lady Une were in the middle of a chess game against Zechs and Noin. Heero was using his laptop while Relena tried to vie for his attention. The computer, of course, won against the former Queen of the World. Dorothy was caught on film, doctoring the punch. The Maganac corps were hovering over Quatre who was sipping on (what else) tea. Catherine was trying to teach Hilde how to throw knives, with poor Hilde as the target. Howard was apparently the photographer since he wasn't seen in the picture.
Trowa smiled fondly at the dim memory. His eyes glimmered slightly with a hint of sorrow. His laptop's light blinked on and off. He set down the photo and cast his attention to his pc. Someone had sent him an e-mail.

~*~
Dear Trowa,
Hi! It's Quatre. How have you been lately? I've been busy these days and haven't been able to keep in touch. Sorry.
Christmas is near and I'm going to throw a party. It's December 20th, from 6:00 pm till about 10:00 pm.
Tomorrow, everyone is going to meet at Relena's mansion so we can play Secret Santa. Go to her place at four, okay?
Call my place or e-mail me to RVSP. I hope you can make it.
By the way, Relena will probably send you an e-mail soon about a New Years' party.
Your friend,
Quatre
~*~

Trowa immediately sent an e-mail to ensure he was going to Quatre's get-together. Just then, another e-mail was sent his way. True to Quatre's prediction, it was Relena with an invitation to her New Years' party. Somehow, she'd managed to make her e-mail backdrop a light pink hue. He heard the light, soft tune of "Auld Lang Sang" (I'm pretty sure I spelled this wrong) play in the background. Trowa could almost smell the sweet, flowery perfume she would've sprayed on if she could have.
He accepted her invite and sent an e-mail saying so. The painkillers were beginning to wear off. Trowa could feel his arm start to burn. He hunted out some sedative-painkillers and poured several small tablets out into his palm. He stared dully at the pills. The bottle said to only take a maximum of two but Trowa popped all six into his mouth and swallowed them with a mouthful of water.
What am I doing? I don't care. It doesn't matter if I live or die. It's not like anyone will give a damn. Before he could change his mind, Trowa tipped the rest of the contents of the bottle into his mouth.
At that moment, Quatre walked in.
Huh. I must be slipping if I forgot to do something as simple as locking the door.
"Trowa, what is that?" Quatre asked with a controlled calmness.
"Nothing." Trowa muttered. He threw the empty vessel into the trashcan.
Quatre walked in and pulled out the container. "Painkillers? Sedatives? How many did you take?"
"Does it matter?"
"Yes. Tell me."
"Four." Trowa lied without batting an eyelid.
"You're lying." Quatre accused.
"Let me guess. Your Space Heart told you."
"It's telling me that you're hurting, Trowa and that you took at least 12 pills."
"15," corrected Trowa unwittingly as he fell against the kitchen counter.
"Trowa, are you insane?! No, wait, let me tell you that after I get you to the hospital." Quatre hurried to the living room and grabbed the phone. He dialed quickly.
"9-1-1, how may I be of service to you?"
"My friend took 15 painkiller-sedatives. He's almost unconscious. I need help."
"Okay, help is on the way. I need you to try and keep him awake as long as possible."
"Thank you." Quatre hung up and returned to the Latin boy.
"Look . . . Quatre, I don't . . . need your help." Trowa was lying on the cool, tiled floor.
"Trowa, don't say that. You're going to be fine. Help is coming. Stay awake, okay?"
"Look, Quatre, I'm . . . not like you. I don't have a place in life . . . Don't have . . . an anchor to keep me down . . . and give me a reason to live." Trowa shut his eyes and fell unconscious.
"Trowa! Don't you do this to me!" Quatre shook the ex-Gundam pilot by the shoulders.

*****

Trowa slowly awakened. He gazed around the colourless room with mild interest. Hm, looks like Quatre got me to a hospital in time.
"Ah, my patient is finally awake."
"Sally Po, of course." Trowa murmured.
"Trowa Barton, of course," she mimicked.
"So I take it I'm . . . going to live?"
"Trowa Barton! You coward!"
"I'll just be leaving now," Sally wisely retreated.
"Wufei?"
"Suicides are for weak fools."
"'Fei, calm down."
"Duo?"
"Hey, Trowa. Heard from Quatre that you were in the hospital."
"You can't all just barge in! There's too many of you. You can't seriously be considering-"
At that moment Quatre and all 40 of the Maganacs surged into the hospital room. Trowa lifted an eyebrow. Sally rushed in.
"I have an ill patient here and he needs room to breathe. Out, all of you. Only four visitors at a time." Sally ushered more than half the people out.
"You could be the Queen of the World for all I care." another nurse could be heard saying. "He needs his rest."
"But I am Queen of the World," Relena objected. "Well . . . former Queen of the World but it's all relative."
Heero walked in while Relena kept on chattering.
"Well, I'll let you in only if there is no more than three other visitors."
Quatre, Duo, Heero and Wufei all exchanged glances quickly. Duo grabbed Wufei and pulled him away. He yanked a big curtain around to conceal him and Wufei.
"No, I'm not going to pretend to be in a comatose!" Wufei exclaimed.
"You're the one who actually looks like a patient, dressed in white! Ssh!"
A tall nurse strode in and inspected the room. "Hm, I could've sworn there was four of you."
Relena shot a glance toward the closed off half of the room. The nurse, whose nametag read "Laura Kennedy" frowned. She pulled aside the drapes only to find a young teenager in a coma with a young girl kneeling at the bed.
The young girl, who was quietly crying and sniffling, had a long braid down her back.
Nurse Kennedy pulled the blanket off the patient only to find him truly asleep. She grabbed the sobbing girl and brought her to her feet. The tears were all-too real. The girl's violet eyes were filled with grief and sorrow.
"I'm sorry, I thought . . . I have got to stop drinking all that coffee," muttered the nurse as she left.
Duo rolled out from under the hospital bed. Wufei climbed back in through the gaping window. Quatre stifled a laugh. Relena giggled as Duo and Wufei dusted themselves off.

*****

"Nurse! Nurse! I swear I saw someone on the ledge! He was gonna jump, I know it! He was Chinese and-"
"Neal Baxter, I know you hate shots but lying to distract me? Tsk tsk."
"But Nurse Noin-"
"Wait, Neal, did you say Chinese? Did this boy have his hair in a ponytail? Was he wearing white?"
"Uh-yeah. Are you saying you believe me?"
"Yes,"
"So I don't need a shot." Neal hopefully half-asked.
"Nice try,"
Neal resigned and held out his arm. He screwed his eyes shut and flinched as he felt the sharp, cold needle sink into his arm. He tried not to tense as pain flashed up his arm.
"All done. That wasn't so bad."
"Oh, yeah it was. You weren't the one whose life just flashed right before your eyes, all 14 years of it. All 5113 days of it. All 122, 712 hours of it. All 3, 762, 720 minutes of it." the teenager exaggerated. "Every single second just flew right across my mind. I'm too young to die! I can't even drive! Oh, the pain! The horror, the horror!"
"Neal, you had mono but you're not dying, okay?"
Neal flung a hand over his forehead dramatically. "Oh, save me!"
"I have to go check up on another patient. See you later, Neal."
"If I'm still here when you return." He sighed theatrically.
Noin had a hunch. There was a maximum of four visitors for anyone. Trowa was the patient so naturally his friends would be seeing him. Hm, Quatre, Heero, Duo, Wufei and Relena makes five. I bet someone was coming to enforce the rule and kick one of them out so Wufei climbed out onto the ledge. Ah, just as I thought.
"Uh, hi, Nurse Noin," greeted Quatre with a hint of guilt in his voice.
"Hello Quatre. How is everyone? I trust you had a fine time playing out on the ledge, Wufei."
"No-How did you know?"
"The walls have eyes and ears. Actually Neal saw you on the ledge. He thought you were going to jump but I know you; a three-floor jump would hardly faze you."
"I'm flattered," Wufei dryly muttered.
"If you five be quiet, I won't tell anyone about the breach of rules today."
"Thank you, Nurse Noin."
"Quatre, Wufei, may I talk to you two for a moment?" Noin cast a quick glance towards Heero and Duo as well.
"Sure."
"I'm-ah-hungry. Heero, you can help me find the café."
Trowa wasn't dumb. He knew Noin wanted to talk to the ex-pilots about him. He watched the others leave with a bored eye. After they'd gone, he shifted his gaze to Relena who was busily inspecting a bouquet of flowers in a vase, on his table.
"Relena, could you get me a drink?"
"Sure," she chirped and exited the room.
Trowa struggled to his feet as a wave of nausea hit him. He grabbed the side of the bed and steadied himself. After a minute of searching, he found his old clothes in the table drawer. He pulled the drape around him and quickly changed outfits. He tossed the hideous hospital gown on the bed. Changing his mind, he stuffed it in the empty drawer.
Trowa yanked the curtain in place, flicked off the lights and shut the door. Hit with another idea, he grabbed a 'Do-not-disturb" sign and hung it on the doorknob. He hurried to the small bathroom and turned on the faucet. He placed a towel underneath the stream of water to hide the consistency of the steady water's fall. Now it appeared that someone was in the bathroom. He locked the door and shut it behind him.
Trowa reached the door just as Noin rounded the corner, heading his way. He cursed silently and assessed his options. He started for the window and climbed out. He ducked out of view just as Noin entered the room. He stared at the ground and jumped. A few moments later, he was whistling casually as he walked away.

*****

Neal ogled at Trowa. First it was that Chinese person, and now this-this maniac jumps off the ledge, down three floors! I must be seeing things.
"Hi, Neal!"
"Casey!" Neal turned to his girlfriend with wide, blue eyes.
"See a ghost?" she teased.
"Close enough. This guy was standing on the ledge earlier, looking like he was gonna jump. Then, like three minutes ago, another guy did! He leaped straight to the ground from the third floor and just walked away without a scratch!"
"Neal, have you been sniffing glue again?"
"Casey, you know I don't do that!"
"Yeah, but jumping from the third floor? I always knew you were crazy; this just confirms that."
"And yet you still go out with me. That just shows how smart you are. You must be crazy too, to have the guts or insanity in this case, to date me."
"I know." She laughed. "Only someone insane would date you. Guess we're a match made in heaven."
"I know I'm from heaven but you . . . It's hard to tell." Neal grinned impishly.
"Ooh, Neal, you jerk!"

*****

Trowa took a bus back to his apartment. He pulled the bus buzzer and got off when the bus ground to a halt. He turned up to stare at the sky.
It's been over six months, Cathy. Do you miss me? You probably hate me right now. I should've been there for you. I should've done something. I'm, sorry, Sis. I just-I screwed up again. I always do.

~*~*~*~

Trowa was walking along a tightrope. No big deal; he could've done it in his sleep. He waited for a moment and jumped. The crowd gasped collectively. He flipped and somersaulted, landing on one hand. Behind him, a lion charged straight for him. With his one hand, he sprung through the air and executed a perfect spin and ended up on the lion's back, standing.
The crowd broke in cheers and applause.
But the feat wasn't over yet. From high above, Catherine stood on a small platform, engulfed in the limelight. She had a blindfold over her eyes. She leaped off and plunged down. Someone screamed and Cathy smiled. She fell straight into Trowa's arms.
She ripped off the blindfold and it transformed into two beautiful white doves with a single rose in their beaks. The doves fluttered off into the crowd and dropped the roses into the lap of a random person.
The crowd was awed and amazed-at least for moment. Suddenly part of the tent came crashing down.
The lion came to a halt. Screams rang out as people were crushed under and unseen giant force.
"What the-" Catherine started.
"What's going on?" Manager rushed over.
"Oh my god!"
"Raquel!"
"Mommy! Mommy!"
"Get everyone out, now!" Manager ordered.
Trowa let Cathy to the ground. He herded people away from the tent and led them out, keeping his cool the entire time.
"Barton! We need you to get the animals. They're in a frenzy and no one else can get near them."
"Understood."
Trowa calmly hurried to the caged beasts. "It's okay. We need to get you all out before this place goes down."
The tigers growled deeply.
"I know, I know. You're all going to be fine."
"It's a mobile suit!" a circus worker shouted.
"What?" Cathy turned to him, alarmed.
"Yeah, a suit and it's pilot is looking for Barton."
"Trowa? Why?" Catherine put a protective arm around Trowa's shoulders.
"They've taken several people hostage and are demanding that Barton go with them in exchange for the prisoners."
A young teenager overheard them.
"Save him! They have my little brother! You gotta save him, please!" she sobbed.
"No, I won't let you go again!" Cathy cried, clutching Trowa's arm.
"Cathy, my life is nothing compared to those of the hostages. One life to that of the many."
"Trowa, please!"
"Cathy, I have to go."
"They'll kill you!"
"Better me than them."
"No, I just found you, Trowa!"
"Cathy, it's alright." Trowa reassured her. He turned and walked out into the blazing sunlight.
Cathy turned to the young girl. "You may get your little brother back but remember this: you just cost me mine."
"I'm Trowa Barton. Now, let them all go."
Someone grabbed Trowa's arms and handcuffed him. The eight prisoners were released. They fell into the arms of their family and friends with relief and gratitude. Cathy held back bitter tears of sorrow.
"Hello, Trowa Barton,"
"Who are you?"
"I'm Nanashi, just like you. I used to be someone. I used to have someone. Then you came along, you destroyed my family. You ruined it all. You, Gundam pilots and OZ." He snarled and he unsheathed a tall blade.
"Leave Trowa alone!" Cathy demanded.
"Shut up, bitch!" Nanashi signaled to someone and a person seized Catherine.
"Hey, don't touch her!" Trowa commanded.
"Stay quiet, you!" Nanashi slammed a fist into Trowa's jaw.
Trowa reeled back. He tasted the metallic tang of his own blood in his mouth.
"Trowa!" Catherine screamed.
"Shut her up!" Nanashi yelled.
One of his followers slapped her violently.
"Don't touch her!"
Nanashi struck Trowa in the back of his head with the flat of his sword.
"What do you want with Trowa?" Catherine held a hand to her red cheek.
"We're gonna recruit him. He's a Gundam pilot, right? So, he can handle all kinds of danger. I figure we could use a guy with his skills."
"And what makes you think I'm gonna join you?"
"Well, see this bracelet? It's a mind-scrambler. We put it on, you do whatever I tell you to. The only problem is that after awhile, your brain gets scrambled permanently and you become useless, a vegetable. Then, we kill you."
"If you think I'm going to let you put that piece of junk on me, you got another thing coming."
"Well, see here, I don't think you have a choice. We gots a lot of hostages here and don't forget sweet Cathy. You wouldn't want any harm to come to her, now would you? I mean, look at all these nice knives and guns we have." Nanashi mocked.
Trowa's face was expressionless as he went through his options. He held out his wrist. Nanashi grinned just as a tiger gracefully ran out of the half-collapsed tent and leaped on top of him. His knife fell to the ground, forgotten. Yells were heard from underneath the Siberian tiger.
Chaos erupted.
"Aagh! Get it off me! Help!"
"Aaaahhhh!"
"Oh my god!"
More beasts disarmed the rogues. They grabbed the guns and weapons with their strong jaws and rounded up the bandits. Nanashi quickly drew out a gun from his boot and shot the animal in the stomach. She let out a roar of unrestrained anger and swiped her sinewy paw over Nanashi's face. She bound away as her blood seeped into the ground, staining it dark red.
Nanashi screamed in pain. Red lines of blood formed on his face. One moment later, he started firing wildly. Most of the crowd of hostages dropped to their stomachs. Trowa jumped through the air and kicked the gun into the air. He caught the weapon and silenced Nanashi once and for all with a single shot right in between the eyes.
A movement caught Trowa, from the corner of his eye. He spun around.
"Cathy!"
"Trowa,"
Blood soaked her blue top. She was the only one injured by Nanashi's crazed actions. Trowa cradled his sister to his chest.
"Someone call an ambulance!" he shouted.
"Trowa, don't. It's too late."
"No, Cathy!"
"Trowa, listen to me. I'm going to die but I'm not afraid; you know why? I finally found you."
"Cathy, please,"
"Oh, Trowa. It doesn't hurt. I know you, Trowa. Promise me this."
"You're not going to die."
"Trowa, my left lung has collapsed. I can't breathe well. Blood fills my lungs as I speak. Promise me, please."
"Anything."
"I know you and how you brood. You don't seem to know it but you do. I know you'll feel guilty about this and agonize over it. Promise me you'll live. You can't commit suicide. Trowa, my last wish is that you live for tomorrow. Promise?"
"I-I promise, Cathy."
"Thank you," she whispered with her final breath as she shut her eyes.
Trowa laid her gently on the ground. He picked up a gun off the ground and pointed it at Nanashi's corpse. He fired every round. The scent of gunpowder filled the air as blood gushed out from various bullet holes in Nanashi's body. Trowa threw the gun at Nanashi's dead body. His eyes were cold with feral anger. He stared at Nanashi's body, watching dispassionately as his ruby-red blood tarnished the earth.

~*~*~*~

Trowa shook his head. Cathy.
"Trowa Barton!"
Oh, hell. Trowa turned to face Wufei. "If you're gonna lecture me-"
"No, I just want to tell you something about my past."
Trowa glanced at Wufei with surprise.
"I used to have a wife. It was an arranged marriage so I didn't have a choice. Her name was Meiran. At first I ignored her, I didn't love her; a stranger. Something happened and I grew to like her and eventually even love her . . . but she died. I was devastated. I thought there was no life without her and I wanted to end it all. I nearly did one night." Wufei began to walk.
Trowa kept silent.
"I tried to cut the artery in my wrist. Duo found me. He thought it was an accident because I was in the kitchen at the time, cooking. Remember, back at the safehouse? Heero and Quatre were on a mission. You were reading and Duo was just coming in to sneak some food. You heard him yell and you two got me to the hospital?"
"You mean it was intentional? I suspected but couldn't tell."
"Yes. I finally admitted to Duo and he blew a gasket. He completely told me off. He called me a weak fool and asked me why. He taught me life is something precious. Trowa, I know we've never really talked since we met but life is not worth throwing away. Especially yours. You have a big part of our lives. How do you think we'd feel if you died?"
"I don't know. I didn't think-"
"Please do think Trowa. You're important to us."
"I miss her, Wufei. She was my sister."
"She still is. She may be gone but she will always be your sister and she will always be in your heart."
Trowa let the words sink in. "You're right, Wufei."
"Of course. I'm always right," Wufei smirked slightly.
Trowa smiled with a little shake of his head. "I . . . I promised Cathy that I would never . . . never try to kill myself but I was so . . . I couldn't see why I had to keep my promise. There's no one to care about me, no reason to live . . . "
"Trowa Barton! Don't you ever say that again. What the hell did I just tell you? What, are you so blind? I can give you 50 reasons why you should live. One, Heero. Two, Duo. Three, Quatre. Four, me. Five, Rasid. Six, Auda. Seven-"
"Alright, alright. I get the idea."
"But none of those reasons matter. There are only two that truly matter. One, Cathy. Two, yourself. You owe it to her to live life to the fullest. You owe it to yourself. For every life you saved, for every person's family Cathy. Everyone has a Catherine somewhere. They never gave up. They went on living and they coped. They had their family and friends. You have us."
"Thank you, Wufei."
"Aw, I think I'm jealous," Duo grinned, leaning against a building wall. "Trying to cheat on me, 'Fei?"
"It's not cheating if I don't get caught." Wufei smirked.
"I'm hurt. How could you?" Duo gave a mock pout.
Trowa laughed.
"Will you be alright?"
"Yeah,"
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
"We'll see you later, then?"
"Yeah. At Quatre's party, I guess."
"'Bye, Trowa."
"See ya later!"
Trowa shuffled off. He ducked into a florist shop.
"Hi, can I help you?" asked a friendly voice.
"Yes, I'd like a dozen white roses, please." Trowa turned to the speaker.
"Sure thing."
Trowa studied the young teenager. He had brilliant sapphire eyes and brown-blond hair.
"For a girlfriend?" questioned the florist.
"No, a deceased sister."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"It's alright."
"How long has it been?"
"Six months. Her name was Cathy. It still is though. Just because she's gone it doesn't mean she isn't Cathy."
"You're right. Someone once told me he had four grandmothers. Then one died and he said he only had three but just because one's gone doesn't mean she's not his grandmother anymore. I'm Omi, by the way."
"Nice to meet you,"
"Do you have a name?"
"If you must call me something, call me Trowa."
"Trowa? Of the Barton Foundation?"
"In a way."
"So are you or are you not Trowa Barton of the Barton Foundation?"
"In name only."
"Ah-adopted?" guessed Omi.
"You could say that." I sort of adopted Trowa Barton's entire identity.
"I used to have another name: Triton Bloom. I haven't been called that for so long, it doesn't fit me anymore," murmured Trowa. "I haven't had a name or a home for a long time."
Omi wrapped the roses in white cellophane. He tied a green ribbon near the hilt. He rung up the price.
"It comes to $114."
Trowa pulled out his wallet and pinched a couple of bills. He handed the bills to Omi and picked up the bouquet. Omi turned around to the cash register and punched in a few buttons.
"Here's your change-"
Trowa was gone. Omi blinked. He returned to tending to his flowers.
I hope he's going to be okay.
Trowa made his way to the garden of remembrance where Cathy lay. Her tombstone was made of white marble. A picture of her was placed in the center. Trowa studied her wild hair and gentle smile. The gravestone was plain with no fancy design or decoration. Her name, DoB and DoD was carved into the stone. There was a simple message engraved onto the gravestone: Beloved sister, angels mourned the day you left us.
Leaning down, he placed the roses on the small platform on the ground. He stood with his head bowed, silent.
A couple of yards away, a teenaged girl knelt on the ground. She touched the picture on the gravestone with light fingers. No tears burned in her eyes; she'd lost the ability to cry a long time ago. She couldn't remember how to.
At another section of the cemetery, dozens of people were grieving the loss of a friend or family member. They surrounded a grave, crying and weeping over the corpse of a person.
A white casket was being lowered into the earth.
Trowa gazed up into the dreary, desolate sky. He watched as gray, unforgiving clouds swarmed the sky.
Cathy, please forgive me. This is one promise I can't keep. Trowa abruptly spun away from the grave. He arrived at his apartment around six in the evening. He flipped open his laptop and opened his email account.
Trowa retrieved the group photo from his bedroom, went into his kitchen, and rummaged around. He pulled out every bottle of pills he could find. He grabbed a bottle of wine from a cupboard and returned to his computer. He uncorked the wine and took a swig. He uncapped the small vials and tipped all the tablets into his mouth. He poured some wine down his throat. He emptied another bottle into his palm and popped every capsule. He swallowed it all with some wine.
Before long, several empty vials were scattered across the coffee table. He stroked the picture of his friends one last time. He quickly tapped out a message.

~*~
Everyone,
I hope you can forgive me for this. If you can't-well it's not like it will make a difference. I'm sorry for this. I should've been there for her. I should've done something but I let her die.
Don't bother stopping for me. By the time you figure out what is going to happen, it'll all be over. I've left everything I own in your hands. Please take care of my Gundam. That's all I ask.
I want to let you know that none of this is anyone's fault.
Good-bye.
Trowa
~*~

Trowa hit the 'send' button. His emerald eyes grew unfocused. His eyes fluttered shut. He fell onto the coffee table, crushing the photograph.

*****

Duo and Wufei were the first to arrive at Trowa's apartment. Wufei kicked the door in and it banged against the wall with a dull thud.
"Trowa? Trowa!" Wufei spotted him immediately. "Duo, call-"
"I'm on it."
Wufei pulled the ex-pilot away from the table. He froze when he saw the shot of the entire gang together. He slowly picked up the framed photo. The smooth glass protecting the picture had been smashed. Shards of glass fell to the floor, glittering like tears.

THE END