Blood Test
Original Gundam W fic by: Ang
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I watched as the nurse drew a sample of deep red blood from the arm of Heero Yuy, as he didn't even blink an eye at the procedure. I would be next.
The nurse came over to me, preparing another syringe.
"Roll your sleeve." She commanded, as she affixed a sterile needle to the syringe.
I obeyed, and she swabbed my arms with an alcohol pad.
I felt the needle pierce my skin, my own blood being drawn out, and the needle being removed.
After nearly a year of war, the sight of blood, especially my own, no longer sickened me. The sting of the needle felt no different then the sting of a mesquito bite compared to what I have been through.
When the nurse left, I turned in the direction of Heero, who sat calmly to the right of me, arms crossed over his chest, slightly slouching, and eyes closed.
"Heero?"
"Hmm?" He opened one eye in my direction.
"How long do you figure this will take?"
"Forty-five minutes or so, maybe less." Was his reply.
"Hmm." I nodded and relaxed my head back on the hard wall behind the cold aluminum chair I sat on.
I felt uncomfortable for some reason, which is unusual for me. I rarely feel any emotions, and am never uneasy in any situation.
Today was an exception, today I felt as if my fate was being decided, as if we were being screened for some disease. It wasn't that serious, but it could be.
The ordeal began when Duo Maxwell noticed the resemblance.
I sat beside Heero that day, subconsciously in the same position as him, reading a book.
Duo stared at us from the side, tracing our profile silhouettes with his finger.
"Trowa," He said to me, "Did if ever occur to you how much you and Heero look alike from the side?"
"Huh?" I looked up, not entirely hearing what he had said.
"Seriously," Duo stated, "I wouldn't be surprised if you and Yuy were related."
That's when Heero looked, and the situation began.
Both Heero and I know very little about our pasts, or choose not to for that matter.
Why wallow in the past when we have the future to look forward to, let alone the past to take care of first.
Still, we agreed to have the genetics test done.
I had often wondered though, about my life, about all of our lives. How us five came to be who we are, the Gundam pilots.
My own past is extremely cloudy. Scarred by abuse and several bouts of amnesia, I knew about as much of myself as my records told me.
Heero, on the other hand, is supposibly related to Dr. J in some way, or he is told so. And he is said to be Japanese. That I don't see. If he were Japanese after all, wouldn't he resemble Wufei's featured more than mine? Very uncommon is one of Japanese or any Asian origin to portray fierce blue eyes, chestnut brown hair, and tanned skin.
In my opinion, he shows more of an European/Latin origin like myself.
But what about Cathrine? Cathrine Bloom, my so said "sister". Apparently, we were separated at young age and I was known as Triton Bloom, Then I took on the name of Trowa Barton when I began to pilot.
Cathy claims she remembers me, as I recall nothing.
I opened my eyes and found my fingers tapping nervously at the opposite arm it was crossed over.
I quickly stopped and glanced over at my comrade, who was twirling a pen through his fingers in growing impatience.
I couldn't help but ponder what was coursing through his mind at the time.
Were his thoughts similar to mine?
Was he just growing impatient and angered at the wait that could turn out with no results?
Or could he be thinking nothing at all?
I looked him over.
Brother? I thought. No, cousin, maybe.
Either way, the results of this test could fill in a gap in both of our lives.
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I looked over at Trowa. He was calm, as usual, with his arms crossed over his chest, head tilted back against the wall.
I stopped twirling the pen in my hand. I can't show that I'm nervous or excited. I can't show anything. I'm not permitted.
Soldiers are not to show any emotion. I must constantly remind myself of that.
Why must I continue to be the way I am? Why must I, Heero Yuy, no, Odin Lowe, continue to fight and lead my comrades?
I'm sick of fighting for a peace that will never last. I'm sick of turning around everyday to a new situation.
If the mouth known as Duo Maxwell didn't open and point out that Trowa and I look alike then I wouldn't be here in this cold lab getting stuck with needles and stared at by nurses who probably think I'm some kind of mutant.
I shouldn't have listened to him. If it weren't for Wufei actually talking me into it I wouldn't be in this mess.
But still, my past is so bleak. I've felt lost and confused, and trained like a machine for as long as I could remember.
I've learned of my name only by hacking my way into Dr. J's database. Like Trowa, my code of given name is deeper, and more meaningful than our true names.
Heero Yuy of course was the peaceful leader of the colonies who was assassinated several years ago, and Trowa Barton was a member of the powerful Barton Family, founders of the Barton Foundation, who had funded the building of several Gundams and helped plan out the first Operation Meteor.
The True Trowa was killed because he was strongly aiming to use the Gundams as tools of mass murder. Just as the original Operation Meteor had planned.
I can't believe my mind is coursing through thought like these in such short of a time. Am I really nervous about this? I've never truly understood my own emotions, and fear every time I experience a new one.
I looked over at Trowa. He was now sitting more upright with his legs crossed. He can't sit still either. The feelings were mutual. Then again, him and I are so much alike emotionally it would be hard to compare us to others.
How would the others behave?
I could see Duo fidgeting even more than normal, his mouth running a mile a minute, shooting of various colorful vocabularies.
Quatre wouldn't be as fidgety, but he would be talkative.
Wufei would be completely still and quiet, in a meditative way, keeping all of his thoughts to himself.
Or would they be no different than us? Sitting here in these cold aluminum chairs keeping to themselves with thoughts constantly running through their minds.
I heard Trowa sigh and I looked to him once more. He looked at me simultaneously and we sat there in an eye-contacted glance, exchanging our thoughts without saying a word.
They were the same, nearly exactly the same. Trowa's mind floated through the same emotional evaluations just as mine did.
For one brief moment, we both had the Uchuu no Kokoro like Quatre. Our thoughts and feelings completely linked.
Suddenly I felt frightened. Frightened In the sense that the world could turn in such a way that I could find a family member involved in the same cause and fight as myself. Frightened in the sense that if this test resulted in a positive way that the solo act I've felt involved in all my life would end. Frightened in the sense that after this test, both of our lives could change forever...
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Change, change is something I've been longing for these past few months. War is intolerably repetitious. Day in and day out of endless and meaningless battles.
I could sense Heero felt this. It is a scary feeling when one can fell and relate to another's emotions.
Quatre has this ability everyday of his life. How he handles this must be extraordinary. His heart is strong, I'm surprised with how sensitive he seems how courageous and strong he really is.
We are all soldiers in our own way. Whether related or not, or how we are trained, we are all still individuals.
The nurse entered the waiting room and both Heero and I stood anxiously for the results...
***Owari***