Title: Cirque Blanc Aile
Author: Angst Faerie
Rating: T
Disclaimers: I don't own Gundam Wing
Notes: Trowa a starving retired soldier who has nothing left for him until one night when he stows away on a circus train and finds a home. When Trowa meets and falls for the blond dancer Quatre will he get more than he bargained for when he breaks the rules learning the dark secrets of Cirque Blanc Aile.
All major Gundam character will make an appearance as Trowa meets more of the bizarre circus folk.
Story takes place after the Great War, WWI, however events that take place in this story won't always match up with history. Try not to dwell too much on what is said in the history books because to make the story go the way I wish it too I need to change it a bit. As well as some of the layout for the railroad tracks in Europe I am not from there so I can only guess and go by what the internet tells me and sometimes I need to make them go a different route for the sake of making it work in my story. Just consider the story AU from the WWI we all know.
Also I in no way support animal abuse and I know that it takes place in training some of these animals for the circus. While my story does take place in a circus I am not planning on mentioning animal abuse as an animal lover it bothers me too. I plan to keep it completely out but all good literature has controversial topics inside them because we as humans experience it in everyday life. That is what makes up a great story, our experiences. If it seems even like it is hinting I will make sure I put up many warnings. You should be fine though because I doubt I can write about such a sensitive subject.
Chapter 1: Nowhere to Go
I have many wonderful memories from my childhood. My parents treated me well, they loved me and even though we didn't have a ton of money they made sure I was well taken care of. They took me to places that most children would enjoy but I would have to say my fondest memory comes from a trip we took to the circus.
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When I think back on my trip to the circus I can see the massive red and white striped tent with two points, one at each end. The door into the tent was two curtains pulled to the side, when you entered there were bleachers all around the sides of the tent. In the middle was a giant ring with two smaller rings on each side. I remember excitement building in me as I watched an older man stand in the center ring wearing a top hat and bright red overcoat with long tails. He was heavy set and balding but he spoke of the wonders we were about to see.
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I saw animals, the types I had only seen in picture books before; they were performing all sorts of tricks. Boys and girls of all ages in colorful costumes performed too, some swinging on bars way up in the air. Others walking on wires and playing with the dangerous animals. I remember the clowns making the audience laugh, my dad really enjoyed them. There was music and popcorn and bells. Or is the sound of bells, the ones that haunt my present mind, just clouding my memories. It was so very long ago that my memories are bleeding into more present ones, I blame the war. All I know was that I had a wondrous time at the circus so many years ago.
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I would have never believed that years later I would come to see a darker side of the joys of the circus. I, Trowa Barton, am now working in the circus and the present is quickly greying the colorful memories I had of it in the past. It might be hard to believe that life is hard in the circus that it's not all jokes and play as it seems. This is my story about my personal run in with a circus and how my life is now in danger because of it. I should probably start from the beginning, back when I was naïve and was not aware of a little blond dancer that would almost cost me my life. Back when I was a forgotten soldier trying his hardest just to get by another day.
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Life in Munich Germany around the time of the Great War was far from easy, during the war the Allies blockade on Germany led to food and fuel shortages. Many died from starvation and the economy dropped, just like the rest of Germany. Everywhere you looked in the city you were reminded of the tragedies that the war brought. In 1916 three bombs fell on Munich killing many innocents, parts of the city were still demolished from the attacks. In 1918 the Great War was over and Germany had lost. The city found itself the center of much political unrest.
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This was the city Trowa Barton used to feel was his home, before the war took from him everything he knew. He had a family and was an only child, Trowa was very much loved. Trowa even remembered his house in Munich, the one he grew up in before war and how safe he felt there. The house in which Trowa grew up in was long gone, destroyed in one of the air raids. It was believed that his parents were in the house when the bombs fell, they were never seen again after the bombing. Trowa knew they were dead.
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From first glance one might have guessed Trowa Barton was a very talented soldier from the German army. He was tall and lean, not the healthiest weight but well enough from being sickly. His body was smooth lacking any marks from the battlefield, the few scars he had were covered under his clothes. Trowa's face showed his youth but structure of his chin showed he was fully grown. His bright green eyes that had seen so much did not reappear to be dead or haunted. While they showed uncertainty there was still life in them. Eyes that showed Trowa was far from giving up no matter how hard the times were. One of his eyes was hidden behind his long bangs that he kept swept to one side, hiding half his face. The rest of his soft brown hair was short. His hair style was unusual and he knew it drew attention to him, but Trowa felt safe with the long hair in his face. It helped him mask his emotions and kept him protected from having others try and read him based on face value.
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Trowa was only fifteen years old when the war started, like many men from his country he felt the urge to fight. He lied about his age and was enrolled in the German army, it was then that he adopted the name Trowa Barton, the false name he gave when he signed up. The name originally belonged to a man he had met once before years ago a man he knew was dead. Up till that point Trowa was known as Triton Bloom, his birth name. For four years he fought with his fellow Germans only to end in failure. Those years changed Trowa, especially with the death of his family. Trowa grew distant hardly talking to anyone, he put up his guard and his urge to fight left him. He just wanted an end to all the madness.
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It wasn't just Trowa but the whole country of Germany suffered after the war. Severe inflation spread throughout the country and Germany found itself amidst in a revolution. Kaiser Wilhelm II, the Germen Emperor was surprised when uprisings in Berlin started and mutiny spread among the ranks of his beloved marine. With the uprising new leadership took control of the defeated nation. Germany once housed the most efficient army in the world but the Treaty of Versailles put an end to that by restricting the German Army to only 100,000 men. Trowa a trained German soldier now found himself unemployed. He worked odd jobs when he could find the work, but life was growing hard for the young man. He went hungry most days and slept in shelters or the remains of destroyed buildings during the nights.
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It was October 14th, 1919 and Trowa was nineteen years old soon to be twenty. He doubted he could survive another cold winter homeless, Trowa knew Munich wasn't going to offer him anything soon with the town still pretty much in disarray. He always knew after the war he would have to leave his hometown, looking at the damaged buildings and unhappy people he knew he didn't belong here anymore. Trowa was ready though, he had been working hard finding odd jobs around the town and saving as much money as he could, the money he received as a soldier was almost gone but he held onto as much as he could just for this day.
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Trowa left the grocery store hearing people outside still discussing the unfairness of the Treaty of Versailles, Trowa could care less, the war left him emotionless. His life was pretty much gone and instead of feeling anger like some of the other Germans he only felt numb. Trowa looked around one last time at his old hometown he was about to leave behind. Trowa made sure his pack was full of what little possessions he had before slipping it onto his back. Reaching his gloved hands into his ratty wool topcoat Trowa checked to make sure his most prized possession was still there.
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Feeling the Luger P08 pistol inside its holster on his hip made Trowa feel at ease, these post war times were not the always the safest to travel alone. The gun along with the military boots on Trowa's feet were the two items he received from the war that he was most grateful for. Trowa fixed the wool cap on top of his head and grabbed the bag full of food with his left hand.
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Trowa began to head east wanting to get out of Germany, he stuck close to the roads while he walked. Knowing it would be a long journey on foot he tried to hitch a ride from passing cars. As luck would have it he found a man who was heading for Augsburg and was willing to take Trowa with him.
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It was a relief to not have to walk for a while and the man didn't ask too many questions, it was a nice comfortable ride. Trowa kept his hand at ready just in case he needed to arm himself but the man that was giving him a ride was no threat. Reaching Augsberg the man even treated Trowa to breakfast before they separated ways.
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Trowa enjoyed the sites of Augsberg not knowing if he would ever return once he was out of Germany. Around midday Trowa found the Augsburg Hauptbahnhof, the main train station. Trowa knew it connected to Munich as well as Ulm a city northeast from here. It would have been so much easier to board the train for his journey but Trowa had limited funds and needed to save what he could. A train ticket was out of the question he would just have to continue on foot to France if possible.
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It was getting colder and Trowa began to feel foolish, he didn't even have a clue as to what he was going to do once he arrived at France. He needed to find a place to hide out for the winter and get work; Trowa just hoped the war hadn't been as harsh on France like it was Germany. After stacking up on supplies in Augsburg Trowa continued east, once again on foot. He began to wonder if it would even be easy for him to cross the border, the war was over but that didn't mean everything was fine and dandy again. France had some issues with Germany during the war and it could become problematic, he was an ex-German soldier traveling without a passport. Trowa knew he had to come up with some sort of idea.
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As Trowa left the city he noticed the Augsburg Hauptbahnhof train tracks the ones he could be on if he could afford the train ticket. He then noticed that the tracks split, one heading northeast in the direction of Ulm the other head just straight east. He didn't know the tracks went in that direction and he found it odd.
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Trowa tried to think of where the tracks east went and the only town that crossed his mind was Freiburg on the other side of the Black Forest. Freiburg was close to the border and would be Trowa's best route. Rather than following the roads Trowa decided to stay along the tracks. It would be safer for him to stay off the main roads the closer he got to France anyway, not sure how the border patrols were like now that the war was over. Trowa also could not deny the strong feeling he had that this was the direction he needed to go.
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The weeks dragged on and Trowa began to realize this wasn't an easy journey on foot. A few trains passed but they weren't much help to him and his supplies were running low. He knew the tracks would have to lead back to civilizations eventually so he stuck to it and never left their side. He only hoped he would run into a little village before he reached the Black Forest, he would need his supplies replenished before he attempted crossing it on foot.
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One night as Trowa laid off to the side of the tracks in the shadows of a tree attempting to sleep he felt the ground shake. It was the tall tale vibrations of an approaching train. It woke him up and Trowa looked to the west and saw the bellowing steam coming from the locomotive. The train was moving extremely slow compared to the others he'd seen and this caught his attention. As the train came closer Trowa realized it wasn't like others he had seen before. The locomotive was bright red with gold and white accents something Trowa had never seen since he started traveling the tracks.
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As the first boxcar passed Trowa noticed a pair of angel wings painted on the sides and in between them in gold fancy letters read Cirque Blanc Aile. It was French but Trowa knew the language pretty well to know it said White Wing Circus. He was slightly amused, the train was a circus train he had never seen one before. He watched as a few more cars slowly moved past. However, as one car was going by Trowa noticed the door was slightly opened.
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Train hopping was something Trowa had never done before but as the cold seeped into his body he knew he had to. The train was probably heading back to France and it would save Trowa time also eliminating worry of crossing the Black Forest on foot. Not to mention allowing him to cross the border fairly easy. He knew getting inside the car and out of the winter air would warm him up quickly. A temptation he could not ignore and with the door ajar it was obvious there were no animals inside, and being a boxcar he felt it was probably just an equipment car.
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His feet were moving before Trowa was even aware of it, his bags snatched up in his hands. Trowa ran easily catching up to the car and tossing his bags inside. A bit more running his hand reached the handle to the boxcar door and he pulled with all his might lifting himself off the ground. As his other hand went inside the car to help pull himself in there was a terrifying moment where Trowa felt he was going to fall off and go under the train.
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Pulling with all his might Trowa slide himself on his stomach before managing to get his foot on the edge of the car and successfully entering. Sitting up Trowa tried to catch his breath but suddenly he was yanked from behind and found himself lying on the floor of the boxcar with a man's weight pressing on his chest. Trowa felt the cold steel of a knife on his throat and was looking up into cobalt eyes full of anger. The boxcar was not empty as he first thought and he feared he was facing a dangerous hobo who was also train hopping. Trowa slowly moved his hand down trying to get to his gun.
.o.o.o.o.o.
Duo Maxwell was staring at his 'friend' Heero Yuy in annoyance. He couldn't understand why they were sitting in this uncomfortable boxcar rather than in one of the passenger cars the rest of the circus performers were sleeping in. Duo supposed this was something he had to deal with being infatuated with the man known as Heero.
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It's not like Duo wasn't accustomed to Heero's strange behaviors still he wished the man he fell for could be a bit more normal, well as normal as they come in the circus. Duo had joined Cirque Blanc Aile when he was just a teenager, it was pure chance that he even joined. Duo was an American orphan who lived in an orphanage most of his life. He didn't remember his family and hated it there. The orphanage was run by the Maxwell church and only took in boys. All the orphans were known as the Maxwell boys and had a very strict upbringing. Duo became close friends with another orphan known as Solo. Solo showed Duo a lot of tricks, they loved to scale buildings playing on the roof top and tight roping the clotheslines. These skills helped Duo in his profession, he was a thief and along with Solo they robbed a lot of homes without getting caught.
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Solo eventually succumbed to the disease of Tuberculosis and Duo found himself on his own but that didn't detour him. Duo continued to steal and hope for the day he would be able to leave the orphanage. One day Duo spotted an open window to one of the rooms of a local Inn, he scaled a nearby building and managed to get on a rope that connected it to the Inn. After successfully walking the rope Duo swung himself into the open window and looked around. It looked empty for now. He proceeded to the luggage sitting on the floor and began to look for the money. A strong clap of hands from behind startled Duo and he turned to see the other occupant in the room. . The man was older but not by much his dark blond hair was slicked back and sharp blue eyes focused on Duo. He had a slight smirk on his face and was dressed very well. He continued to clap his hands a few more times before praising Duo for his skill. He had been watching Duo from the window ever since he caught sight of him on the other building. He introduced himself to Duo as Treize Khushrenada he informed him that he was the owner of one of the best circuses in Europe. He was really impressed with Duo's skills and wasn't going to call the authorities on him. Treize also told Duo that he was visiting America looking for talent to join his circus and wanted Duo to go back to Europe with him. Duo thought about it and realized he had nothing to lose and went for it. If it wasn't for Treize's trip to America and finding Duo he would have still been stuck in that forsaken orphanage.
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Duo loved working for Treize in his circus, he lived the life he could only hope for. Even the start of the war couldn't bring Duo down. It was shortly after the Great War started that Heero joined the circus. Nothing is really known about him because Heero had kept to himself since he arrived, Duo only managed to learn was that Heero was a 19 year old from Japan with an extensive knowledge of many languages. Duo also guessed that Heero had some military training duo to his obsession with blades, fire, and guns. Pretty much anything that he could kill a person with, this tended to scare people away but it only made Duo curious about the exotic man.
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Heero was very smug and sarcastic but he was also very reserved. According to Treize he found Heero overseas working as a street performer, no one in the circus felt that was the whole truth but the real story seems to be a secret. Duo grew close to Heero, ignoring the man's threats to kill him if he didn't leave him alone, Heero soon accepted Duo's presence around him and non-stop jabber. Duo was one of the few people in the circus who could actually call himself Heero's friend.
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So here Duo was sitting in the cold boxcar because Heero trusted the swords he swallowed more than the people of the circus. Rather than letting Heero submerge himself in isolation Duo joined him in the drafty boxcar to keep him from going any further insane. As the train was luring them to sleep Duo was almost unaware of his surroundings snuggling more into his heavy blanket. The sounds of a struggle quickly snapped Duo out of his trance reaching for his lamp Duo quickly lit up the tiny car.
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In the light Duo could see Heero sitting atop of a man holding a knife to the intruder's throat. The stranger wasn't going down without a fight and was reaching for something inside of his coat. Heero must have felt the movement under him and with practiced ease Heero reached his free hand into the coat and pulled out the gun that was hidden first. Without moving the blade away from the strangers neck in the entire process, with the gun in his other hand Heero placed the barrel on the man's head. Duo heard Heero mutter something in Japanese, a phrase he heard all to much when he first met Heero knowing it simply meant 'I will kill you.'
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Duo moved quickly and in a matter of seconds he was pulling Heero off of the stranger knowing if he didn't the man would be as good as dead. As Duo struggled to control Heero another arm came around Heero and helped Duo pull him back. Duo locked eyes with the girl known as Relena's soft blue ones, he almost forgot she was in the boxcar with them.
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As Heero was pulled off he kept the gun aimed at the stranger without even blinking. The stranger then tried to move into a sitting up position but Heero barked out in German for the man not to move. The stranger must have understood because he became completely still. "Fuck!" Duo cursed still trying to catch his breath and his heart racing from the moment of excitement. In the gas light Duo could see the man was fairly young probably around their age, he also didn't look like a typically train hopper.
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"The hell," he said still eying the man. "You speak English?" Duo asked. The banged stranger nodded his head in agreement.
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"I don't mean any harm." The stranger spoke to Duo. Something Duo was proud of was his ability to know if someone was lying to him and he knew this man was not. With a nod to the stranger Duo instructed for Heero to lower his gun. Heero listened but he did not return the gun to its owner just yet, instead Heero began to study the weapon.
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Duo approached the stranger and began to check him for any injuries; he had been on Heero's bad side a few times and knew what the Japanese man could do. Seeing nothing to serious Duo figured now would be the best time to get to the bottom of things.
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"So why are you hopping our train?" Duo asked. "Not trying to rob us are ya?"
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"No," came the soft response of the stranger. "I am just trying to get to France and its cold on foot."
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Before Duo could ask anything else Heero spoke up. "You are a German soldier are you not?" He held up Trowa's Luger P08 pistol as proof. A gun that was standard issue for all German soldiers. "What could you possibly want to do in France? You are not a deserter are you?" Heero smirked knowingly and Duo could hear Relena gasp. Duo himself had to agree it sounded logical.
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"No I am not a deserter, I was a soldier but the war is over. I was no longer needed. I just wanted to go to France to start over." The ex-soldier spoke calmly and kept his eyes focused on Heero who still held his gun. Duo judged him to be just as trusting as Heero when it came to someone else holding a weapon in his presence.
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Duo let out a laugh. "Well stranger, I don't know how to tell you this but them Frenchies aren't the nicest people when it comes to dealing with foreigners. And I am not sure they will welcome a German soldier, retired or not. Just ask Relena here, she's one of 'em." Relena scuffed at Duo's insult.
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"We just don't like stupid Americans such as yourself Maxwell." Relena sat back down on her makeshift bed on the floor of the boxcar and gave Duo a crossed look. In all honesty Relena was a nice person and the only reason Duo had such a hard time with her was because they were rivals in love.
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Relena claimed to be in love with Heero Yuy much like Duo and tended to follow him around like a lost puppy. Duo felt bad at times because Heero tended to treat her much worse them himself but Relena was a bit clingy. He blamed her upbringing, she grew up spoiled he was sure that had affected her brain. She just couldn't take no for an answer, not like Duo was much better but he wouldn't admit it.
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Much like Duo, Relena had come to the circus before Heero and they had no problems with each other back in the day. Relena was the talk of the circus when she arrived, some of the performers still refer to her as the Princess. Her body was built like a ballerina and her pretty blue eyes and long brunette hair gave her the image of innocence. Relena was only 17 years old when she was brought to the circus and though French she spoke only in a British accent.
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Relena Peacecraft was her birth name, born to the Peacecraft family almost royalty in the world of performers. They were known as the best preforming trapeze troupe in all of France. Each member held an exquisite beauty and was a wonder in all of France but a horrible incident put an end to their reign. During a performance a tampered trapeze bar snapped causing Relena's mother and father to fall to their deaths. Still only a baby Relena was taken in by a British family known as the Darlins. Mr. Darlin was part of the British Parliament and personally knew the Peacecrafts, he took Relena in knowing he could give her the life her real parents would have desired.
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As a child Relena loved gymnastics and preformed with a passion for it. She couldn't get enough of heights and Mr. Darlin knew she had the blood of a trapeze artist in her. Around her fifteenth birthday Mr. Darlin was fatally injured in an assassination attempt, before dying he told Relena about her real parents and also that she had a brother whom was still alive. With only his name to work with Relena set out to find her missing older brother Milliardo Peacecraft. All she had to work with was that he was still with the circus.
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The search brought her to a man named Treize Khushrenada. He informed her that her brother was indeed working for a circus, his to be exact. The reason why Relena was having such a hard time finding her brother was because he had changed his name to Zechs Merquise. She went to a show and watched him preform high up on the trapeze doing what her parents had loved. As she watched him, Relena knew this was where she belonged and joined Treize's circus that night.
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Relena was the first to meet Heero when he came to the circus and claims it was love at first site knowing they were meant together. While she believed it, Heero didn't and became easily annoyed with her. Duo and her got along for a while but when she sensed his affection for Heero as well it all changed. Their relationship now consisted of constant jabs and insults about the other.
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"American as in I am not afraid to speak my mind. You should be thankful I am honest Relena." Ignoring her smart reply Duo focused on the stranger again. "Duo Maxwell is the name and my companions are Heero Yuy and Relena Peacecraft. What's your name stranger?" he asked with his usual grin.
.o.o.o.o.o.
Trowa was still collecting himself after the surprise attack, he should be dead but luckily he was still breathing. He studied the three occupants of the boxcar while two of them bickered amongst each other. The one that had grabbed him was still watching him carefully and calculating. Sort of how Trowa was watching him. The one that had grabbed him was foreign, Asian for sure. His hair was short and messy and a dark brown color. He had piercing cobalt eyes, ones that Trowa were looking into fearing for his life not so long ago. He was dressed simply and didn't seem like the cold affected him in the slightest. The way he handled Trowa's gun alerted him that he had plenty of practice. Maybe an ex-soldier such as himself.
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The other man in the car was very much his opposite. He seemed loud and very laid back his hair was unusually long for a man, chestnut brown in color and braided. His cheerful eyes were deep in color looking almost violet in the poor lighting. He was dressed head to toe in black. Out of the three he was the one that seemed to trust Trowa the most.
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The girl didn't stand out to much and sat away from Trowa probably out of fear. She was beautiful but seemed guarded and unfazed by his presence even the clothes she was wearing to sleep in spoke of elegance. As Trowa gained his bearings, the braided one began to speak again and introduced himself as Duo and his comrades as well.
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Feeling a bit more comfortable being on a first name basis Trowa spoke up. "I am Trowa, Trowa Barton." He would have held his hand out for a shake if he wasn't worried the man named Heero would think of it as an attack. Trowa didn't give his real name, he never did Triton Bloom no longer existed once the war started. He was just Trowa Barton the ex-German soldier.
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"Well Trowa we won't kick you out you can sleep in here for the night. We don't have nothin worth stealing anyways." Duo said as he sat back down on his 'bed'. "I guess ya could rape Relena but we won't be stopping you, right Heero." Duo laughed at his joke while Heero just hmphed taking his eyes off Trowa for the first time since he arrived.
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"DUO!" Relena said mortified, not finding his joke very funny. She turned to Trowa and smiled. "We have extra blankets if your cold." Relena offered.
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"I still don't think letting you stay is a good idea so if you don't mind I will hold on to your gun till we part ways." Heero added as he leaned back on a crate with his arms crossed and eyes shut. Trowa's gun on the side of Heero meaning he would have to climb over him to get it.
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"Understandable." Trowa took the offered blankets and wrapped them around himself savoring the warmth.
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Duo gave off a large yawn, exhaustion was quickly catching up to him. "You can stay with us till our next stop but after that you will have to talk to Treize. He is the boss and won't appreciate you eating our food for free. He is a nice man and will help get you to where you want to go, but not without work."
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"That is fine, if you don't mind taking me to him the next time we stop." Trowa wasn't the type to take something for free he was always a hard worker. The light in the boxcar was extinguished as the occupants went back to sleep. Trowa struggled a bit trying to get used to the company around him, he was sure Heero wasn't sleeping much either. After a while sleep became unavoidable and Trowa drifted off. The only thoughts in his mind were how crazy his day had become because he decided to hop a train.
.o.o.o.o.o.
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I am trying a different writing style so try and be nice with your comments. I will be trying to update once a month until I figure out how to balance it with school and work. Quatre will be making an appearance sometime soon but I have to work up to it and introduce other people first.
- Angst Faerie