Disclaimer: Don't own Gundam Wing, or cancer, or Black Hawk Down. *sniff*
Rated PG-13 for: (How does Hollywood say it?) Adult language and adult situations
AN: I wrote this to get rid of my angst demon. Shadow Phantom, writing a death fic? Yep, but there's humor in here. (Big surprise.)
Nirvana
Dec. 3rd 8:00 AM
He stalked into the school, as usual. He stuffed his flute in his locker, ignoring jeers, as usual. His eyes lingered on a picture Cathy had scrounged up of his parents, as usual. He pulled the Social Studies book from the bottom of his stack of books, causing the rest to tumble out, as usual.
Before closing the locker, he checked that his stocking cap was securely in place. Ignoring the greetings and waving slightly to his friends, he walked straight into Social Studies, and sat down hard, like he was testing the strength of the desks.
"Mr. Barton, you know school policy, get rid of the hat."
"I have-a pass." He shuffled through his binder, pulling out a folder. "It's right here. I thought the principal talked-to you." His voice had a post-cold sound to it, and slightly halted in the middle of sentences.
The teacher glanced at the pass. "Oh yes, how are you holding up?"
"Fine. Thanks." He sat back down, tucking the folder into his binder.
"Trow! What are you doing? Class doesn't start for ten minutes!"
"Shut up Duo. Welcome back Trowa!"
"Thanks." He looked up from the assignment he was copying from the board, and Duo jumped back.
"Dude, I can see both of your eyes. Weird."
His brown hair stuck out; still unruly even in the confines of the yellow cap, but it had gotten a major trim, revealing both of his startlingly green eyes.
"Cathy forced me to get it trimmed," He shrugged, and turned back to his work.
"Come girl scoping with us! Maybe they won't be scared of your hair now."
"Don't listen to this moron. He seems to think college is a place to get drunk at."
"Yeah, twice as much then here at this crummy high school." Duo moaned, going off on his list of 'Reasons High School Sucks'.
"I think I will-pass thanks anyway."
"Sure thing man." Duo punched him in the shoulder and sauntered out of the room.
"I'll beat him for you."
Trowa shook his head. "Not unless you-have to."
"I have to. Wufei come and help me."
"Gladly." Wufei smirked cracking his knuckles. The two exited the room in search of their prey.
The five-minute bell rang.
"Trowa, what's the matter?" Quatre bit his lip. "I feel something weird. You know me and my funky intuition."
Trowa set his pencil on the desk. "Do you know what's it's like to be afraid to take a shower?" He said finally.
"What?"
"To be afraid to take a shower, frightened to play a game of basketball, scared stiff to even come to school. To talk to your friends, to just-"
"Trow, what are you trying to get at?" Quatre asked, thoroughly confused.
He opened his mouth to reply, but the bell rang. Wufei, Heero, and Duo slid into the classroom just before the teacher started her lecture.
11:30 AM
"Guys, I think there's something wrong with Trowa," Quatre worried at the lunch table.
"Duh. The guy was just sick for two weeks. How fine did you think he would be?"
"He, just seems, not normal."
"You're right. He wasn't normal," Heero interjected.
Trowa walked into the lunchroom, dumping his books down at the other end of the table.
"Yo Tro-man!"
"Hey." He opened a book, and started writing.
"You okay man?"
"As fine as one can be-doing make up work from hell." He replied.
"Aren't you going to eat?"
"No. Not hungry."
Duo propped himself up on his elbows. "Does this have anything to do with being sick?"
Trowa nodded, and adjusted his ski cap. Duo reached over to snatch it off his head, but Trowa's reflexes were quicker, and he held the hat firmly on his head.
"Don't do that." He said seriously, his voice in a creepy tone. Grabbing his books, he walked quickly out of the lunchroom.
"Now that is not normal."
3:00 PM
"You were right Q, something is up."
"What happened?"
"English. It was fucking scary."
"Duo, just tell the story," Heero muttered.
"Right. See, we've been reading 'Catcher in the Rye' for like two weeks. Well, Trowa hadn't even started, so that boy was behind. But, at the beginning of class he went up and talked to the teacher, who hugged him and nodded. Then, she gave him a spiral and pencil. He was scribbling like mad for the rest of the hour. Like it was the last essay of his life."
The four pondered this silently for a few minutes.
"Give it back, jock strap." A growl cut through all conversations and thoughts. Everybody turned to see Trowa surrounded by a group of jocks.
"I don't think so pussy." The quarterback laughed, holding the hat just out of Trowa's reach. Normally, Trowa would have stood there calmly insulting the football player until he was punched in the face, causing the provoker to get in trouble. But not this time.
"Fine." He leaned back and slammed his flute case as hard as he could against the quarterback's face. The hat dropped to the ground and Trowa snatched it up, jamming it on his head, and glaring at the rest of the football team. The handle lay disconnected from the case on the ground. The quarterback spit out a few teeth and groaned about a broken nose, blood pouring down his face.
"Trowa? What's the-?"
"I have fucking cancer, ALRIGHT!?" He screamed at Quatre, picking up his mangled case and stomping off.
"Trow, you're house is five miles away!" Duo yelled.
"I'll manage!" Trowa called back.
"Wait Trowa!" Quatre shed his backpack and shoved his violin into Duo's hands. He was about to bolt, but Heero grabbed his shoulders.
"He needs to blow off some steam. Let him go."
"He's sick and needs help!" Quatre shouted at him.
"No. He'd just get angrier if you tried to help him. Besides, he's on the All Star Track Team. He could outrun you any day."
Quatre choked back a propensity of tears and nodded.
"Cathy's going to be mad."
4:10 PM
Trowa trudged up the front steps and pushed open the door. He braced himself for the verbal beating his was about to receive.
"Trowa! Are you alright? Quatre called and told me was happened. Did you run home? You feel warm."
"I ran part of the way, but not much," He lied. It amazed him how tired he got after such a short distance. He wanted to collapse on the ground and throw up.
"I hope so. God, I was worried! I ran some water in the tub for you, and ordered a pizza. But you can only have a slice."
He nodded dumbly. "Thanks."
"I'm so proud of you." She whispered, giving a tight hug. "You're really brave. I'm here for you, remember that."
"I will." He returned the hug, almost fiercely. "Thanks Cathy."
"You're the only family I have left. Now get your butt upstairs and take that bath."
"Okay." He slowly turned and headed up at the stairs, stopping a few times to cough and hold onto the rail for support. When he had disappeared into the bathroom, Catherine let out a low strangled cry. There were droplets of blood shining on the white carpet, and looking over, she saw some on the shoulder of her shirt.
"Oh God. Help me," She whispered, collapsing on the couch and dissolving into tears. "He's a good boy. He doesn't deserve this."
Dec. 4th 12:15 PM
"Man, did you see what happened at lunch?"
Wufei and Heero were in Science, working on their experiment, with the absence of Trowa. Gossip was spreading throughout the room.
"No. I was in the office. What happened?"
"Oh man, it was so gross! Trowa threw up this bloody crap everywhere and then passed out. It was the grodiest thing I ever saw!"
Wufei's frown deepened, and Heero snapped his pencil in half, his grip was so hard.
"Eww! The guy could have at least left the cafeteria, or not eaten, or something."
"Like he could help it." Wufei muttered.
"Yeah, I know. I think he did it, just so he could be pitied."
In an instant, Heero had leapt over the table, and was pinning the culprit against the wall; his knee positioned right in between the ribs. "You know if I broke your ribs you would be pitied more then Trowa. I'd like to see you run to the bathroom to throw up, when you're so sick you could hardly walk. I'd like to see you try to act normally while you were dying." He said in a soft dangerous tone.
"I just-" The gossiper squeaked.
"You just what?"
"I'm sorry."
"Sure you are. You're just a weasel, you know that?"
"Yuy, why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Heero turned around, facing a football player.
"Okay." In a second, Heero had dropped his victim, and punched the defense player in the face so that he fell backward in a dead faint.
The class was completely silent, save for Wufei's quiet chuckling. "Anybody else want to make fun of a kid with cancer?" He asked the class. Nobody said anything. With one punch, Heero had knocked out a kid, at least six inches taller then him.
The teacher walked into the room, and stared at the jock on the floor. "Can somebody tell me what happened?"
"I think the fumes got to him sir," The earlier victim spoke up quietly.
With a sigh, the teacher raised an eyebrow and looked over at Heero was writing with his half of a pencil. "Fine. I'll get the nurse."
2:30 PM
Trowa opened his eyes and slowly sat up, holding his head and groaning.
"Don't sit up. That's a nasty knock you got on the head." He looked dazedly at the nurse and leaned back against the pillow.
"What the-? What happened?"
"I'm not sure. Your friends will be able to tell you. They've been checking in all day." She handed him a glass of water. "Your sister wasn't home, so we left a message on the machine."
"She's at school." He told her, wincing slightly and shifting. "Why am I so sore?"
"Apparently, you fell over and hit your head. So, you probably hit the ground pretty hard."
"Tro-man! You're awake!" Duo bounded into the room, grinning.
"Why aren't you in class?"
"Seminar," He smiled, showing the nurse his Hall Pass. Then pulling up a chair next to the cot, his smile dissolved a bit. "How are ya feeling?"
"Like crap."
"Not a big surprise. You took a pretty nasty fall. Oh man! It was so cool! Heero knocked out this big football player with a punch. His whole Science class was talking about it! Where is he?"
"He's back in class." The nurse replied. "But he'll have a big lump on the side of his face for awhile."
Duo cackled, and Trowa closed his eyes, grimacing. "Could you turn it down a bit?"
"Oh, sorry."
"Is he awake?" Quatre walked in, handing the nurse his pass, and grabbing a chair of his own. "Hey Trowa, how are you?"
"Fine. I think."
"You didn't look to fine during lunch." Duo commented.
"What did I do?"
"Oh Allah. You decided to get a drink and a cookie or something like that to eat, because you said Cathy had been scolding you. Then after you ate it, you got this glazed look in your eyes, and threw up."
"It was EVERYWHERE man. Then you just kind of tumbled out of your chair and passed out." Duo cut in.
"Great. Guess I can't-go to school tomorrow."
"Hey, be happy. I wish I could get out of school."
"I'd rather go to school, then have cancer Duo," Trowa sighed, fiddling with the end of the sheets. "Did you get my stuff?"
"Yeah, I brought it here." Quatre leaned over and handed Trowa his spiral and few books.
"Thanks."
Duo opened his mouth to say something, but the nurse, cut in. "Leave. Trowa needs rest. You can talk to him on the bus."
"Oh come on lady, we've been here for like five minutes!"
"Don't talk to me like that Duo Maxwell. Leave. But before you do, take your Riddilin."
End of Part One, tbc…