Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Eyes Cold As Death ❯ Six ( Chapter 6 )

I taste salty tears every night as I cry myself to sleep. Every flinch tears more deeply into my heart. I can't even hold you for comfort. You are as lost as you were before.

Eyes Cold As Death

Chapter Six--Trust

"I'm sorry, Lady. But that is our latest estimate. I wish I had better news for you." Une dismissed the Private and turned to her desk, easing into her chair as though she was eighty. Almost forty-five thousand mobile dolls were currently being transported to Earth in a coup to destroy the Preventers, and there was nothing that could be done. She felt so helpless. She reached to her Comm and punched in the code for Relena.

"Une." Une nodded at Relena.

"I apologize for calling this late, but…" Relena sighed.

"I know. I've heard the reports, too." Une raised an eyebrow.

"About the forty-five thousand dolls?" Relena's eyes widened.

"Oh my God." Relena leaned forward. "Is this secure?"

"Yes. Heero and Noin checked it earlier." Relena nodded.

"Dorothy contacted Wufei before he left to find Trowa. She found out where Quatre may be. Wufei called her and told her that he had found him. He's alive, Lady. Alive." Une's eyes began stinging.

"Is he…is he…okay?" Relena shrugged.

"Wufei didn't elaborate, but…"

"Why you needed Sally."

"Exactly." Une pinched the bridge of her nose, wrinkling her forehead in thought.

"We need to keep this to you, me, Dorothy and Wufei until we are sure that Quatre's okay. We have a mole, Relena, and I can't find the leak anywhere. I've sent Heero after the bug in the phone, but he can't trace it. He'll keep trying, but… Relena," she leaned forward. "I need more freedom. Official, or…unofficial. It doesn't matter. But I need to be able to strike. I can't wait around for a slaughter." Relena nodded solemnly.

"I know, Lady, I know." Relena stared somewhere off-camera--silent. Une could hear the old-styled gear clock ticking in the background as it slowly passed it's second-hand to the next mark. "Unofficial. I can't do any better than that. Not yet." Une nodded in understanding. She would have to make sure any missions were tactfully done. She would need to let the pilots help her. She was now the Gundam and the Eagle Squadron was now Oz. "I am trying, Lady. I promise you that."

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The sky darkened in the window to a deep hue of night. Trowa felt his head nodding precariously on his neck. He blinked his eyes open and watched Wufei nodding himself asleep in the armchair. He let his gaze fall to Quatre resting peacefully in his lap. He stroked his fingers through Quatre's long hair, freezing when Quatre's eyes snapped open. Quatre sat up, his icy gaze centered on the door. They had long ago turned the lights out, so details were visible outside. Trowa turned to look, but could see nothing. He reached out to rest his hand on Quatre's shoulder when Quatre grabbed his hand and pulled him off of the couch. Quatre leaned above him.

"They're here." The rough whisper pulled Wufei from his nodding off.

"What's…" Wufei didn't get any further in his inquiry as Quatre's hand clamped over his mouth and pulled him to the floor along with Trowa.

"Its time we made a discrete exit…out of the back." Quatre reached over to where his bag and sword were waiting and crawled to the back window, slowly raising it. He gestured to Wufei who, without question, pulled himself through the window and dropped silently on the ground behind. Trowa followed with Quatre just behind. Quatre pushed them through the darkness toward the edge of the clearing. He turned to ask Quatre what the hell was going on, but Quatre was no longer there. He turned a questioning eye to Wufei.

"We should wait--in cover." Trowa nodded his silent agreement and slid into a crouch behind a stray tree. "What do you think?" Trowa shrugged, his danger senses prickling. He scanned the horizon up to his trailer, not seeing anything out of place. He must be feeling this way because of Quatre. Where the fuck is he anyway?

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"I want to know how much longer." Dangerous green eyes glittered in the darkness. Tyr wiped grimy sweat from his brow nervously. He hated talking to Jezebel--especially when she was pissed. She was pissed now.

"Milady, Jezebel, sir. The Package left home a week ago. They're coming much slower this time. I'm not quite sure, but I think, perhaps, no more than three more weeks." Jezebel narrowed her eyes. He started shaking.

"I hope you are not wrong. Things are heating up here, Tyr. They're getting closer. I NEED those Dolls." The line went dead and Tyr slumped to his knees, bringing a shaking hand to his forehead.

"These calls will be the death of me."

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He gently shook Cathy's shoulder, his hand poised over her mouth to prevent any sounds that might unexpectedly come forth. She slowly opened her eyes, her forehead wrinkling in confusion. Quatre put his finger to his lips.

"I need you to trust me, Cathy." She drew her eyebrows together.

"Of course." She whispered, as if sensing his tenseness.

"Then come with me…no questions." She laid her hand in his and he helped her to the window he had entered by. He quickly eyed her sleepwear, and was grateful that she slept in a tank top and loose pants. He helped her out of the window, dropping to the ground beside her and dragged her across the circus grounds. He was glad that hers and Trowa's trailers were set apart from the rest of the circus. He hoped that none of the circus crew would be injured. Hopefully, the soldiers were just after him, Cathy, Trowa and Wufei. He glanced behind him, grateful that all of them were wearing dark colors. A white garment would have been the death of them. He led Cathy to where he could tell Trowa and Wufei were hiding. He tapped Trowa on the shoulder and beckoned for them to follow. As they began their trek to the small gathering of trees, the night lit up in an orange glow that cast angry shadows on the trees ahead of them. Quatre threw himself on Cathy as Trowa and Wufei hit the ground. Everyone turned to see where the explosion came from.

"My home…my home." Quatre turned Cathy's face to him.

"Your home is, and forever will be with me and Trowa." She closed her mouth and swallowed before nodding.

"Where ever you two may be." He smiled gently down at her feeling the pang of losing the only home he knew. Streets weren't home, somehow he had always known that, but Cathy's and Trowa's trailers had been home--even if only for two days. But he had had many firsts in those trailers: his first shower, his first decent meal, his first night sleeping without fear... He squeezed his eyes shut as another explosion lit up the night as Trowa's trailer burst into flames. Anger seized through his heart as he could hear the flames crackling behind him. He pulled Cathy to her feet, motioning for Trowa and Wufei to follow. He sprinted for the trees, hoping that they would be safe until dawn. At least he was used to this life, constantly running from deadly soldiers. His anger flared as he thought of Cathy and how she had never been in this situation before.

He was sure of it.

They collapsed in a heap at the other side of the tiny forest. Quatre took Seb from his bag and stroked the bear's fur. It soothed him to talk to Seb.

"What do you suggest?" Wufei opened his mouth to answer as Quatre continued. "Yeah, I figured that, too. They probably had Wufei targeted as soon as he stepped off the plane."

"What?" Wufei's question was lost on deaf ears.

"They were after Cathy, which means that they were after Trowa, too. Most likely they knew that I was there." A pause. Wufei quirked an eyebrow. "Nope. They'll have the roads blocked."

"Roads blocked? Targets? What's going on Quatre?" Wufei's voice finally cut through his thoughts. He glanced up at Wufei, hugging Seb tightly to his chest.

"Don't you know, Wufei? You've walked into a martial town."

"A martial town? Whose laws?"

"The Eagle Squadron's. They rule this town. I think they're headquartered here, but I can't be sure. All I know is that in the last two years, they've secured this town and placed it under martial law." He started to glance back at Seb when Trowa spoke.

"What did they do?"

"Wufei arrived in a uniform--not theirs. I'm assuming that he arrived off the plane like that." He paused, waiting for Wufei to confirm or deny. He confirmed. "They've probably been tracking him the whole time, which means they've seen me, you and Cathy. They have also probably been searching for you and Cathy since that night, if you remember."

"Yes I do."

"But why our homes?" Cathy asked.

"They want me dead. I'm too much of a threat to them. I don't even know how many of them I've hurt or killed, but obviously it's a lot to warrant a reward. Wufei's their enemy, so they're after him to destroy him so he can't report back. They may not know why he's here. You and Trowa are targets because you were associated with me and now, Wufei."

"So what do we do?" Trowa asked. "You yourself said that the roads will be blocked and it can be safely assumed that a flight out of here will be impossible to secure. Are there any bases we could break into?" Quatre shrugged.

"I don't know."

"How did you know they were there?" Wufei stared intently at Quatre.

"I've lived for three years avoiding them, waking at a moment's notice to hide in the shadows hoping to death that they wouldn't find me. I've grown sensitive to certain sounds. I heard them, woke up and got the hell out of there." Quatre glanced at Seb, an idea igniting in his head. "Take care of them for me, Seb." He handed Seb to Trowa. "I'll be right back. Stay here." And with that, he disappeared into the city.

"Do you think everyone's okay?" Cathy's soft voice drifted to him, but he was too far away to hear the answer. If there were such thing as a good life, as peace, the other members of the circus troupe would be fine. He slipped through the sleeping city thinking about his feelings. He obviously felt something toward Trowa, it was too difficult to remain aloof and detached. Something was pulling him to Trowa and not letting go. If he could trust Trowa, then Trowa loved him, and he must love Trowa back. It would explain a lot if that were the case. But could he trust Trowa--a man? His heart told him yes, his soul told him yes, and even a part of his mind told him yes, but the other part of his mind--the part that had memories--told him no. He was torn, he wanted to trust Trowa, to follow what his heart wanted, but he was afraid as to the consequences. The last time he followed what his heart said, he ended up beaten and raped. Was it possible that he had found the connection to his lost life--yes. It was obvious. Too many people, Trowa, Cathy, Wufei. It would be too much of an elaborate plan, far too difficult if they were just trying to use him. But were they using him for, perhaps, a different use? Not sex, but something else? Whatever it was, he knew that he'd go along, he would follow Trowa to the ends of the Universe. Whatever it was inside him that yearned for Trowa was quickly overriding his fear. It frightened him to know that his survival skills could so quickly be thrown away, and he could be back at square one, but he couldn't deny how his body reacted to Trowa. If Trowa ever asked…

Quatre stood in front of a grocery store. Bingo. He quickly picked the lock and slipped inside. He didn't turn the lights on, he no longer had a need for lights as he had been fleeing in the night for far too long. He quickly made his way to the hair care isle. He slid his finger down the glossy dye boxes, looking for anything that said copper. Pulling his choice out, he silently ran to the check out lanes. He cracked into a cash drawer and quickly stuffed the paper bills into his pocket. He allowed himself a moment to raid one more drawer before taking off.

He ran down the street, hugging the shadows, and into an alley. He perched himself in the darkest shadow and took out the dye to mix. He gently applied the dye to his hair, rubbing it around, hoping to get all of the blonde covered. He massaged the wet dye down the length of his hair. The smell of ammonia drifted past his nose in the sifting air. Emptying the last of the dye onto his head, he tossed the package into a nearby trash bin and left the alley. Staying in one place for long was a sure way to get raped or killed. He flitted among the shadows while letting the dye in his hair work and settle in. When he judged it was time, he stopped in another alley and used a hose to wash the dye from his hair. He bound his wet hair into a loose ponytail and set out for the grove of trees by the fairgrounds. On the way he looked at all of the cars. If they were going to get out of there alive, they were going to need a car with a large trunk. He passed by a silver sedan, he didn't know the make or model, but it looked roomy--and fast. Pulling out his assortment of lock picks, he made quick work of the car, dismantling the alarm before it even had a chance to sound. It was all in the way you unlocked the door. The ignition, however, was different. He crawled under the steering column to dissect the alarm system before rigging the ignition. He had learned how to hotwire a car within the first four months of getting out of the hospital. He still didn't know why he had been in the hospital, but he attributed that to his blank memory. Looking the car over, he noticed that the backseat had a lot of luggage in it. Maybe that meant that the owner was a travelling man. Perhaps the owner had left their passport and papers in the car. Quatre performed a quick search, grinning in triumph when he opened the glove compartment. He looked over the passport--no photo--perfect. The papers were official and needed no form of picture ID. He had hit the jackpot. He pulled the car out into the street and toward his friends. Yeah, they were his friends.

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Duo woke up, for once, not crying. It was as if his date with Heero had helped heal his heart. He rubbed his chest, stretching into the warmth of his bed--his borrowed bed. Swinging his legs over the side, he yawned and pushed himself to his feet. Maybe today would be a good day. He shuffled into the bathroom and groped around for the faucet in the shower. He could feel the reflected spray misting his face and he finally opened his eyes, pulling his head out of the shower. He pulled his boxers off and stepped under the warm fountain. Instead of moving listlessly through the motions, like he had taken to, he leaned his head back under the spray until he could feel the water massaging his hairline. He let the hot water run in rivulets down his tense body, feeling them twist and turn on a whim. His hair slowly unknotted and straightened from the downpour of water as it soaked under the shower. He righted his head, quickly brushing back the water that threatened to fall into his eyes with his hands, brushing them over his scalp and down his neck before opening his eyes to stare at the not quite white tiles. He brushed his fingers over a tiled cheek that appeared as part of Quatre's face. He smiled at the image of Quatre in the tiles, ignoring the coldness of the hard tile.

"I'm sorry, Quat. I didn't want to go." He brushed tiled bangs from tiled eyes.

"It's not your fault, Duo. I told you to go. You did all you could. If you had stayed they would have had you, too."

"But…" Tiled hair swept over Quatre's shaking head.

"But nothing. No more arguing. I'll see you at Nallen's soon. I'll even drink Guinness for you." Duo chuckled and opened his mouth to say more, but the tile shook its head again. "Duo, if you keep blaming yourself, I'll make you drink a Carbomb." Tiled eyes narrowed. "You know I'll do it, too." Duo laughed openly and moved to take Quatre in his arms.

His fingers smashed against the cold tile, and his fingers twitched in pain as he brought them to his armpits. He cradled his protesting fingers in his armpits, willing the sharp pain to go away. He looked back at the bland tile wall.

"Fine, Quatre. You don't have to threaten me twice. But I don't have to say good-bye yet, do I?" He decided that he didn't have to. As he finished his shower, he realized that the day didn't seem so gray anymore.

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Trowa held Seb in his arms, unconsciously cradling the small bear to his chest. He never once moved his eyes from where Quatre had disappeared. He had never felt so useless since his childhood as he did now. Seeing Quatre had been a shock to his system, but what was worse was finding that Quatre didn't remember him. His eyes began stinging and he knew that tears were close. Cathy moved in her sleep, but he didn't look down at her. She had fallen asleep with her head pillowed in his lap about a half an hour ago. Wufei was somewhere beyond his vision, probably meditating, he wasn't someone to just fall asleep in a tense situation.

He thought about Quatre, how he tensed up whenever he tried to touch him, even in a friendly manner. Oh, how he wanted to take Quatre into his arms and have him relax there. He wanted Quatre to feel safe with him, to love him again. He didn't know how to prove to Quatre that he was trustworthy. He didn't know how to show Quatre that he wouldn't take advantage of him like the apparent others did. At that thought, Trowa felt the blood red boiling of anger flooding his senses. How dare they force Quatre. How dare they hurt his love.

He could feel hot tears rolling down his cheeks, stinging his eyes. He struggled with himself to remain silent, this was not the time. Why did he feel so helpless?

"He'll remember, eventually." Wufei's voice was soft, drifting on the nightwind. It carried no hint of displeasure or disappointment at Trowa's tears, but its timing was as if Wufei knew. Trowa nodded his head, not trusting his voice. A bright light swung around to center on the grove. Trowa heard Wufei leap to his feet. Cathy stirred, silently moving behind him. He slowly stood as well, facing whatever had found them. The light clicked off, but the sound of an engine continued. Trowa identified it as a car engine. The door opened and closed, and someone could be heard moving toward them.

"Trowa?" Quatre's voice came from the car's direction. Soon Trowa could see Quatre moving toward him.

"Quatre." Quatre threw himself into his arms--completely relaxed. He noticed the change, but just held onto Quatre.

"I've figured a way out of here." Trowa buried his face in Quatre's wet hair noticing that Quatre's hair was no longer bound in its braid. He tangled his fingers in the loose hair not wanting to let go. This was the first time Quatre had ever been completely relaxed in a touch, much less in an embrace, and he was still relaxing. Trowa's fingers felt a low vibration from Quatre's back; it was almost like a cat's purr. Quatre shifted. "I found a car."

"But aren't the roads blocked?" Wufei asked moving closer. Quatre pulled away.

"Yes, but they won't recognize me, and there's enough shit in that car," Quatre gestured behind him, "that we can hide all of you. It'll be tight for an hour, but we'll get out."

"How won't they recognize you, Quatre?" Cathy asked softly.

"I dyed my hair red. Plus, there's official papers in the car."

"Papers?" Trowa reached for Quatre's hair.

"You have to have papers to leave the city, regardless."

"Where did you get these papers?" Trowa wasn't sure he wanted to know the reason.

"They were already in the car."

"How'd you get the car?"

"I stole it." Trowa's jaw dropped open, echoed by Wufei's teeth snapping shut and Cathy's gasp of surprise.

"You stole a car?" He was sure that even during the war, Quatre had never stolen anything, hell, he'd even paid for his hotel rooms. "You stole a car?" He knew that he was repeating himself, but he was too much in shock to say anything else. This was really a different Quatre.

"If it's our asses or stealing a car, I'll steal a car. It's not the worst thing I've done." Trowa shook his head.

"I don't want to know." Quatre cocked his head in confusion. "I don't want to know."