Promise Pendant
by ChibiQuatre (3/20/01-4/6/01)


Yet another GW disclaimer: well, do you all REALLY want me to write a disclaimer?! We all know that I
don't own GW (though God KNOWS I wish I did!). The GW boyz r'nt mine, never were, never will b.
They are owned by their respective creators; Sunrise, There...happy!!! ((oh, and any trouble translating
the Japanese, I'll b happy to help!))

*A/N: heya Sailor Christmas! ^_^ everyone, meet SC ::smiles and waves cheerfully:: upon request, i've
granted my pal here a fic that follows her own heart (and mine too ^^)! this has an OC named Hito. and
it's REALLY important to me that you r&r on this fic cuz i spent forever on it and also it's my first fic that
has an OC and i want to see how i do. i don't usually like OCs, so i have no idea how to write them! i
should also warn you that this HAS shounen-ai, and of the most KAWAII kind--yes, it's Trowa/Quatre!
::applause all around:: yes, how kewt, but knowing there are some of you against that kind of ::ahem::
relationship, if u don't like, back out now! i'm warning you ::shakes finger:: no lemon, i guess it's a bit
limey at the end. if yaoi's not ur thing, don't stay. just lotsa fluff & very little 1x2 thrown in for some spice
^^ k, enough with that, on with the fic!


Sailor Christmas: hey, don't i have any say in this??!!
ChibiQuatre: uhhh...oh, ya i guess......
Sailor Christmas: k, well, nothing's wrong with your intro, but uh...::deep breath:: I LOVE YOU QUATRE!!!
ChibiQuatre: ......
Sailor Christmas: ::smiles sweetly:: i'm done! ^_^
ChibiQuatre: ::sweatdrops:: oook then...^^*
((Trowa and Quatre walk in, hand in hand))
Sailor Christmas: EEP! ::jumps up and down::
Trowa and Quatre: ... ::staring::
((Sailor Christmas runs and pushes Trowa over, latching onto Quatre's arm))
Trowa: -_-@#$%*&
Quatre: uhhh, Sailor Christmas-sama, uhm, could you...maybe...just get off my arm?
Sailor Christmas: ::rambles, ignoring Trowa:: i love you sooo much! ::squeezes tighter::
Quatre: ::does an anime-type pikuu:: ...Trowa?... ::big, blue eyes get teary::
Sailor Christmas: kawaii! ::squeezes even tighter::
ChibiQuatre: hey, well, uh---i WAS gonna read you guys this story i found...
Trowa: YES PLEASE! ::receives stares all around::
Sailor Christmas: ...you...uh, you......talked?
Trowa: ::glare:: -_-@#$%*&
Sailor Christmas: WHAT was that??
ChibiQuatre: ok!!! WHO wants to hear a story??
Quatre: ::jumps up:: ME!!! please, let's all hear a story! ::looks pointedly at Sailor Christmas::
ChibiQuatre: ok, so it's decided; i'll tell a story!
Sailor Christmas: Quatre....::drooling::
Quatre: meep! Trowa...hold me!
Trowa: ^-^

* * *

CHAPTER ONE: ACQUAINTANCES



"Strike one point for Shinigami, zero for OZ!"

Heero sighed through the com-link, annoyment obvious in his voice. "Duo."

"Okay, you guys." A tired but sweet voice from space rang out in the cockpit. "We've won. We should get
back to the base to refuel, check stats, and rest up."

"Roger," I answered eagerly. It was a unanimous vote, Duo still happily cheering himself on. Heero
grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, 'And the vain God of Death leads the damned into
his own, personal hell.' He flew off after the braided boy, and last to leave the battlefield, Wufei said
nothing, but followed in our wake. As soon as I set a course, I flipped the controls on autopilot and sat
back in my seat. From here on in, I could enjoy the ride.

It had been a tiring day. First, with the comings of dawn, Heero had received instructions from our
superiors. Of course, he had been thoughtful enough to bang on our motel-room doors and usher us out
in our underwear with an 'urgent' mission. As usual, this 'urgent' assignment turned out to be nothing
more than an ordinary seek-and-destroy attack, something that we had all become perfectionists at. So
we slacked off.

It seemed routine enough, but when we arrived at the given coordinates, we found ourselves surrounded
by asteroids and a barrage of space mines. It was in that asteroid field where we were struck with a
surprise attack from OZ's space fleet. The results were devastating, mostly for their side but a little for us
too. It wasn't until we led them away from their asteroid field when we finally "cut loose," as Duo had put
it, and were able to "show them what Gundam pilots are made of."

* * *


"Pow! Wham! And then I jabbed him with my scythe, and it was all over for OZ!"

Heero glared his partner, a manic gleam in his eyes that spelled danger yet was filled with a somewhat
fascinated interest in Duo's words. And though reserved, he seemed almost as enthusiastic as the
bright-eyed pilot was.

Quatre poked me in the arm, caught my eye and winked as if to say, "Cute." I just as soon found myself
staring, fixated on him. In the night air, where the moonlight was powerful enough to outshine the dim,
dying streetlights, his face glowed with a pleasant sheen. The shadows shifted over all the right places,
making him seem younger, almost brownie-like.

But the most intriguing part of his face was his eyes. I was captivated by their depth, a deepness I never
thought possible for one of such youth and innocence. They held my gaze for what seemed like endless
moments but was really only a single second. However, a second proved too long still, as my mind
replayed the moment over and over again like a broken record player...

"Trowa!"

I blinked; the record player that was my mind kicked back into gear. "Yeah, Duo?"

"I asked where you thought we should go. You know, to celebrate." He looked at me intently, studying
me, as if he knew something I didn't.

I sighed. "Wherever."

Quatre piped up. "Let's go somewhere fun. Let's relax." His suggestion raised a cheer from Duo, who
whole-heartedly supported the blonde despite warning glances from both Heero and Wufei.  Well, if
that's where he wanted to go, I thought..."Sure, Quatre."

"Eh?" I turned to see Duo staring at me, mouth agape and eyes wide. Had I said that, or merely thought
it? The other pilots looked at me oddly as well, wondering if my answer had been sarcasm or honest
truth. Truth be told, I was as befuddled as the others.

Duo jumped and clapped his hands, satisfied at our plans. "Then it's settled. Thank you, Trowa." And
suddenly, I found myself transfixed by Duo's eyes, much the same way as I had been by Quatre's, but
this time it was unsettling--like he could read me even though I didn't want him to. That was the main
difference. I wanted Quatre to read me, and I'm quite sure he could: always had been able to and always
will. But when Duo did it, if such a thing was possible for him, it was unnerving.

I shifted my feet. Noticing my discomfort, Duo smiled, like he was confident in the future success of
whatever idea was brewing in his head. Or whoever...Inwardly, I shuddered.

We soon found our way to a diner, which turned out to be Duo's makeshift term for a bar: "Diner,
nightclub, they're all just different words for a bar!" The place, which was lit with garish orange and blue
neon lights on the outside, was even worse on the inside. Strobe lights bounced across the tiny
entertainment stage which was covered with a thin layer of artificial fog. The lights over the actual
seating area were dimmed, and many of the round tables were surrounded by a fine smoke that could
only have come from cigarettes.

Quatre coughed. "Duo," he said, pleasant voice a bit husky from smoke, "Could we find someplace a bit
more quiet?" For indeed, the club was already filling with shady strangers and cheap women. I was
surprised at how simple it was for five sixteen-year-old boys to gain admittance to this sort of club. The
noise level rose considerably each passing minute, and a band had approached the stage, preparing
their equipment and instruments for what promised to be utter discord. Again, I shuddered, this time
wondering why I had ever spoken aloud.

"Come on, guys! It's not that loud..." Duo's voice trailed off, although he seemed to be still talking. At that
moment, the band started playing. They apparently needed no introduction, for the audience immediately
broke into a cacophony of shouts and screams and loud applause. At our table, however, there were only
grimaces of mild disgust.

After about five minutes more of this indescribable torture, we were relieved to find ourselves in the back
alley behind Duo's so-called 'diner.' Not surprisingly, the American was the only one to complain about
leaving. Where Wufei had mocked the unruly band as the worst rockers he had ever heard, Duo had
joined in the cheering for the band and had somehow even managed to bum a roach from "some hot
waitress." So it came to no big astonishment that he was disappointed at our reluctance to stay. "Well,"
Quatre had said, "At least someone had fun."

Now we were standing outside, waiting for Duo to finish his pot, for he had been adamant about keeping
it. The air was colder; it was wintertime on this colony, and the regulated weather certainly proved it. A
glance at my watch showed that it was near midnight. God, if only Duo would hurry up...why was he
smoking weed anyways? Since when did that happen? Jesus, was there anything Duo didn't do??

Suddenly, the employee back door flew open, and a young girl was pushed outside. She was in the
customary white blouse and red skirt of the waitresses who worked at the bar. The man was in normal
street clothes, and he looked rather like a customer to me. But instinct told me he was either a manager
or head waiter, and it was more likely the first. The girl was small and thin compared to the man, who
was big as a bear and held just as much authority about him. It was an abrupt change in the night; noise
level rose immediately, and I stared on as the two exchanged shouts and curses. Amidst all the yelling, I
could just barely pick out what they were saying:

"I didn't do it! Honestly! You think I would--"

"Hito, I'm fed up with your excuses!"

"But I didn't do it on purpose!"

The manager glared at her, mocking her audacity. "You gave the kid some grass! A kid, Hito!! This isn't
the first time either; how many times to I have to tell you that employees aren't allowed to provide that
kind of stuff to the guests, much less underage guests? How did you even get that stuff, huh?!"

The waitress shrank back. "I didn't know he was underage. I mean, he got into the club! And he looked at
least eighteen to me."

The manager stuttered, not having thought before that we had gotten into the club, despite our age. They
never even checked our IDs. "Well from now on, you won't have to worry about that. I can't put up with
this anymore. You've made so many mistakes Hito, I can't even remember why we hired you. We
must've been desperate! Well I can't handle this anymore, Hito, I can't. Your attitude, your behavior, it's
just...just so...you're fired!" At that, he slammed the door shut, the waitress' pleas falling upon deaf ears.

Duo looked at Quatre sheepishly. "Oh, Shinigami on high! I feel bad now..." He was looking at his
cigarette guiltily, Heero casting him a contemptuous look. Quatre, on the other hand, was looking at the
waitress. He felt pity for her, I'm sure, and remorse for what Duo had done.

The girl, I believed her name was Hito, trudged through the alleyway. Her head downcast, she was
almost upon our silent little group and would have surely run into one of us had she not looked up at that
moment. Suddenly, recognition reached her eyes, and tears of sorrow became tears of anger. "You!"

Quatre instinctively backed up, and I unconsciously moved towards him in a protective gesture although
he seemed in no apparent danger. Heero had likewise stepped in front of Duo. Wufei, the only pilot not
preoccupied with protecting someone, looked at her with an air of arrogance, "Were you addressing us?"

"I was addressing him." She gestured with a bright red, acrylic-nailed finger, indicating Duo. He seemed
also to recognize her and paled at her tone of voice, "Hey, listen, I can explain!"

Hito exploded into rage. "Explain?! How can you explain? I lost my job: my only means of supporting
myself. As if I wasn't bad enough off, you go and make me cry! Why were you in there to begin with?
You should have told me you were underage. Explain that!" She rambled on and on, reproaching Duo
but not appearing to notice that four more of us were standing there.

Had we been anyone else standing as a gang in a dark alleyway at midnight, she would have been dead.

And just as quickly as her anger came, it left. She gasped as new tears sprang to her eyes, which for the
first time I noted, were nearly the same color as Quatre's, with a greenish tint. They were strong eyes,
and quite deep; but there was something sneaky about them, something slippery about this girl. She
could read people, I realized. Just like Quatre... She took a step back, taking note of each of us for the
first time. Her eyes passed right over Duo, did not want to see him. They flickered over Heero and Wufei
without stopping. But when they landed on myself and Quatre, they hovered on us far too long for
comfort; they passed over us again, this time lingering with an intense engrossment and looking us up
and down, approving every inch of us from head to toe. Quatre looked exactly how I felt: uneasy.

"Well you didn't have to give me a smoke," Duo muttered. I expected the moody girl to explode again,
but was surprised when suddenly she broke down in real tears, tears of helplessness and despair. From
my side, Quatre moved forward and took her by the shoulder.

"Shh," he cooed in a comforting manner. He glanced towards me, looking for support. He knew I could
not refuse him. In one step I had covered the distance between us but could not bring myself to say
anything to the shadowy girl. And though I wanted to kick myself, I still felt something odd about the girl.

Quatre looked disappointed, but seemed to understand. "It'll be okay," he said to her.

"How?" she sobbed, and wanted to say more but could not get the words through her short, ragged
gasps. By this time, her neatly tied hair had fallen in a layered cascade around her shoulders. I noticed
that apart from her eyes, her hair was also reminiscent of Quatre: fine and golden, the only difference
being its curliness.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Duo staring at her, a look of repentance now melted over his features.
"Well," Quatre stopped to think. His pause was more than bearable for Hito, who broke down completely.
No more words would get out of her mouth. Her situation seemed truly desperate to Quatre, but I didn't
completely trust the girl yet. I couldn't pinpoint it, but there was something just not right in this scenario.

In an instant, I knew Quatre was thinking the same thing. He continued his thought, unfazed by her
outburst although the rest of us were quite disturbed and anxious about what the girl would do next. Then
he put aside whatever it was that had been on his mind. "Hito, is it?" He smiled warmly, exciting only a
small, forced smile and a nod from her. "Well don't cry, Hito. It'll be alright. Hey, I've got an idea!" His
smile grew wider; I threw a confused glance at the other three pilots, who seemed just as lost as I was.
Wufei actually seemed a bit disgusted. I could just imagine the thoughts running through his mind:
'Weaklings'...'Women, why do they always cry?' And on and on.

"Why don't you come back to the motel with us, and tomorrow morning, we'll talk this all over, okay?"

She blinked. "What?" Her sobs had subsided enough for her to cast an incredulous stare at the blonde.
He just took things in step and laughed. "Sure! I mean, we've got three rooms between the five of us. I'll
be happy to share." I opened my mouth, but one glance at Quatre stopped me from saying anything. I
knew what he wanted to do. In all her despair, Hito had been turned into a fragile little creature,
incapable of making decisions for herself and too absorbed in her crisis to care. Quatre, being the good
saint I knew him to be, wanted to offer her a temporary shelter, perhaps even for only a night.

The other guys, however, thought differently. Wufei, who had long ceased the disgusted look in favor for
a more angry face, whispered something to Heero, who looked rather displeased himself. In contrast,
Duo had become jumpy. He seemed to want no part of Quatre's plan, for everyone knew that Duo and
Heero were together and sharing a motel room, just as they knew Quatre and I had been developing a
romantic relationship.

As if sensing the hostility from the other three pilots, Quatre turned around. A sudden, rare scowl from
him settled the matter: Hito was coming to the motel with us, and nothing even I could do would stop it.
Quatre had that determined set to his jaw that I had come to both love and fear. And knowing that neither
Wufei nor Heero would permit a strange woman in their rooms, I was trapped with the alternative. Hito
would share motel rooms with me and Quatre.

"Wufei, Duo, Heero, why don't you go on ahead to the motel first?" I asked, actually more of an order
than a question. Wufei looked at me with an accusing statement in his eyes: "We're Gundam pilots," they
seemed to say. Otherwise willing to oblige, they left wordlessly, a strange thing to be said for Duo, who
apparently must have felt the inopportune timing of his blunder. So I was left alone with Quatre and the
girl.

"Hey!" Hito had composed herself. In a second, she was up on her feet, staring at us in outrage. "What
do you think you're doing? You want me to go home with you guys?!" She had lost some of the helpless
quality of earlier and seemed more aggressive now.

"We're not going to hurt you...we're rebels too," Quatre said calmly, as if our position was common
knowledge. I wondered how he knew she was a rebel; perhaps it was his intuition, or what he called
'uuchu no kokoro.' She stared through him for a second, seemed unbelieving. Then Quatre cast a forlorn
glance at me that made me want to hug him then and there, for he felt lost and anything but trusted. It
always hurt when people didn't believe him. Hito followed his glance to me and quickly looked back at
him, her expression softening as she took in his tired eyes that still desired to help her. She sighed in
defeat, "Okay, kid. You got me." I smirked at her naiveté. She was so willing to accept our handouts that
she hadn't even put up much of a fight. Of course, she could have just been tired.

Quatre looked pretty wiped out himself. There were dark shadows under his eyes, made puffy from the
all the poisonous smoke in the nightclub. It was almost one-thirty now. "You coming?" he asked, holding
out his left hand. He didn't seem a bit impatient.

Hito smiled brightly, her composure completely changed, and took the offered hand. I felt a pang of
jealousy. 'Quatre is mine,' I wanted to shout, but refrained myself from doing so at the moment. It would
do her no good, and Quatre would despise me for such shallow thoughts. I cleared my head.

The entire way home was filled with Quatre's bright chatter, made with much effort since he was so tired
already. Hito laughed on the sidelines and occasionally joined in; she seemed a moody girl alright: from
tears to anger, then doubtful hope and finally happiness. I, on the other hand, was left behind in their
conversation and only trailed along behind them mutely. When we arrived in the motel, Heero was
standing outside our door. Knowing him, he probably locked Duo in their room for possessive reasons,
and Wufei had to be pretty angry with such invitations as well. He was also nowhere to be found,
probably meditating in his room or something.

Heero cast a glance at the two chattering blondes, Quatre who winked at him before entering our room.
But he put a hand on my shoulder and restricted me from passing. For a minute, we just stared at each
other. Finally, he broke the silence. "Trowa. Be careful."

I knew from personal experience that it had taken a lot for Heero to be able to say that to me, or to
anyone. He never ever warned anyone else, except for Quatre just that once when he had had too much
to drink. He definitely never spoke words to me that he didn't think necessary.

I only nodded, knowing perfectly the meaning of his words. In the next moment of silence, we stood there
as friends, not Gundam pilots. We understood each other. He knew what fear I was facing: the fear of
losing Quatre. Hito was more than just a girl, she was downright attractive. The way she walked and how
her laughter just overflowed, how could anyone not notice her? I didn't know about Quatre's feelings
towards her, but I was set against letting her interfere with our relationship.

Heero knew that. He wanted me to be careful about Hito, about Quatre, about myself. I was glad to know
that Heero would be someone in whom I could confide in. He was trustworthy, but as far as I was
concerned, Quatre was too. I had no reason to doubt him; in fact, I knew him to be naturally cheerful and
always wanting to help out a fellow man in need. He'd never hurt a fly, much less a human being. The
people on the battlefield didn't count; he didn't attack them face to face. He was the only one of us five to
ever even ask for a peaceful surrender before he struck.

I love Quatre.

I felt Heero's eyes boring into my back as I stepped through the threshold and closed the door. Inside, I
heard Quatre's bubbly laughter, then silence, and more laughter, this time definitively feminine...Hito. A
chill bolted through me; I froze and gripped the doorknob tightly, clenching the muscles in my hand and
my jaw.

"Trowa?"

Quatre's delicate voice beckoned from behind me. I turned around, all muscles relaxed. The blonde was
standing behind me with a cup of hot coffee held out at arm's length. He looked a bit timid in offering me
the drink, as if he believed he was doing something wrong. I smiled, trying to comfort him, to which he
smiled back. "Come into the kitchen with us, Trowa."

I nodded, for I could not often refuse his requests, if ever. Taking the warm mug, I followed him into the
kitchen. Hito was sitting on the counter, legs crossed and eyes closed, already sipping coffee. She was
the perfect image of bliss, striking another undesired wisp of anger within me. Not that I wanted her to be
unhappy. On the contrary, I too believed it awful what Duo had done. Hito was in the right and did not
deserve such treatment. It was Duo's mistake, not Quatre's, and my little one was not expected to put up
with it. But he was; and without a complaint, the Arabian had quickly made friends with the girl and
seemed on his way to making a new start for her. I listened to their conversation:

"So, Hito. Tell me more about yourself."

A giggle, then a thoughtful pause. "Well, I came to this colony when I was about...the same age you are
right now actually." She received a questioning glance from me but seemed not to notice. "I mean, I am
older than you by a few years. Not that it matters anyways; such trivialities don't matter at all where it's
really important..."

'Where it's really important?' Where would that be? I shifted, a bit uncomfortable here.

She continued. "My family is on earth somewhere. Actually, just my father; he works for some mining
industry, my mother passed on just after I was born. I never knew her, only my dad. And even without
siblings, he had a hard time earning enough for himself. So I left."

"...I'm so sorr--"

"It's okay. You don't have to apologize. I didn't mind it really. I mean, I wasn't doing any good staying, so
I figured, what the hell!" She smiled at Quatre, who seemed shocked at the idea of leaving one's family.
It was quite odd actually, considering that he had disowned himself, and his mother too had died after
childbirth. In fact, the similarities between Hito's story and Quatre's past were very close. This put me on
awares. "So tell me," I tried to keep all suspicion from my voice. "What did you do during the war?"

She blinked, as if seeing me for the first time. In all actuality, she had appeared to focus completely on
Quatre. "I..." she paused, "...Well, it took me a while to find someplace after I left earth. Believe me, it
hasn't gotten any easier. From colony to colony, I looked for someone to take me in. I just wanted a
place to call home again, you know?" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Quatre's sympathetic look. He
closed his eyes, sorrowfully sharing her pain.

Encouraged by Quatre's show of emotion, she boldly went on, louder this time: " Soon after I arrived
here, I found that job as a waitress. After weeks of living in sidestreets and old warehouses, I finally had
enough money to pay for my food! So I've been here for about a year and a half, and that warehouse
doesn't look so bad now. It's kinda decorated and not half as dark as it used to be. It was a lucky break
for me, actually." There she stopped, blushing, but not before looking more than a little proud of her
story. I still didn't buy her tricks.

Quatre, shaking himself out of reverie, said, "Again, I'm awfully sorry about that. Duo can be a bit--how
should I say--rowdy at times. I don't know what got into him." A chuckle. "That Duo...I didn't even know
he smoked pot."

"Nani," I said, as if it explained everything. I had reverted back to the few Japanese words I knew, as I
often did when I felt in the presence of good company. My voice rang out abruptly in the kitchen, finally
being heard tonight. If one didn't mind my saying so, I confess that it was a welcome disturbance in this
conversation. "Duo is Shinigami, of course."

At that, Quatre smiled and really looked at me for the first time that night. His eyes lingered on mine, and
I felt myself melting into the twin pools, blue like sapphires.

Immediately, I felt myself slipping into an alternate state of consciousness where Quatre and I were
together, and were to be this way for eternity. It was how we believed that fate had destined our future,
and I for one had no complaints. I could have looked at him all night and all day, and it still wouldn't have
been enough to satisfy me. Quatre was the one thing in the entire universe I knew I would never get
enough of; and judging by the way he was looking at me, he appeared to be just as transfixed, still as in
love as I was.

Unbeknownst to us, Hito had been staring at the scene, suddenly silent in thought. I did not actually
remember her presence until after a minute or two when she cleared her throat. "Okay, guys, what say
we hit the hay?"

* * *


what will happen next? TBC...