A/N: To all my peeps; you know what this is. One of the first GW stories I ever wrote back in like 1999/2000. And you guys were so supportive of my insanity. I know this will be so different from what you all read on crappy paper version *that some of you like for some odd reason; heh, go figure* but two-three years is a long time and it could use the 'paring down' somewhat. Enjoy! Doomo minna-san! ^^
Silent Dance
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'A circus? I could use the day off. Lord knows they've been pushing us far too hard now. Bastards. . .'
"Hey Sara! Whatcha looking at?" came a quiet but cheery voice as she was clapped on the back.
"Hi Hoshi." she smiled at her friend beside her. "What do you want to bug me about now?"
"Nothing." Hoshi smirked slightly as she spied the poster for the circus on the wall. "So that's what had your attention huh?"
"Yeah; it would be nice to go but I have so much crap to do." Sara sighed as she shouldered her bag more comfortably. "Do you know that idiot of a business teacher said the paper was due by the end of this week? He said a week Friday just two days ago!"
"I'll tell you what," Hoshi said as she started walking Sara down the hall, an arm over her shoulder. "Since I actually want to do work tonight, how about I write that paper for you? I mean I took the stupid course last year in summer school."
"Uh huh," Sara regarded her for a moment. 'No strings attached?"
Hoshi made a small motion and produced a ticket in her hand. "Fancy that. There's a ticket right here; I was going to go but I don't feel like going out tonight, I want peace and quiet for once. Here, you have it."
"Really?" Sara took the ticket. "Thanks Hoshi. I could use the time off tonight. Eat some horribly over-priced food, you know, enjoy myself for a bit."
"Exactly." Hoshi said as they down the stairs towards their biology class. "Now shall we go and goof off today?"
"No can do; today is dissection Hoshi. Enter the joys of a fetal pig and a teacher looking over as they analyze your sliced up animal."
Sara laughed as Hoshi immediately started grumbling about scalpels and the stink of formaldehyde. She started to feel better already.
The bright lights and swirl of balloons floating in the air, tethered to the ground by string, flowed past Sara as she made her way to the main tent, interspersed with clowns, children and parents. 'Maybe I should have asked one of the others to come with me. . .but they have enough to deal with themselves.' She walked up to a vendor and bought herself a pop, bag of caramel corn and a candy apple. Slipping through the crowd, she found herself a seat off to the side under the shelter of the performer's entrance flap. She took a sip of her drink as she watched the people finally start to come in and find their seats. 'Small crowd tonight. . .' So many seats still remained empty yet she couldn't complain; she didn't like being crammed cheek and jowl with people she didn't know. She put her food down beside her, noting that the swell of loud voice had died down to a murmur now as people started looking around for the show to start. Even now, she could see some of the performers peeking out of the curtains, anxious themselves. Suddenly the entire stage went dark before the lone spotlight lit up on the man in the center, his coat a vivid red to capture attention.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Lune Circus*!"
Sara found herself clapping as the performers came out into the ring to do their thing. 'On with the show.'
Seated in her corner, Sara finished off the rest of her candy apple before she placed her feet up on the seat before her; the show was over and there was a massive lump of people fighting to make it out of the tent first and get home. She turned her wrist over, the LCD display on her watch reading eleven ten in the night. With a shrug, she watched the exit absentmindedly. 'That's what I get for coming to a nine p.m. showing. Mom and Dad won't mind though; I rarely stay out this late.' With a sigh she turned her attention away from the mad shove at the door, playing with the hem of her shirt as her mind wandered. Overall, it was one of the better circuses that she had been to; especially with the knife throwing act. Even now she could remember as the duo had walked out and bowed to their audience before the act. The girl with the thick wavy hair and colourful costume skirt outfit had been a sharp contrast to her partner's. Hair that defied taming and the simple perriot pants with red suspenders and the mask that clothed an acrobat's figure.
"Man, you should be getting home Sara." she muttered to herself as she finally rose and started to make her way down.
Yet she couldn't quite push the image out of her mind. The mask had pierced into her eyes as he had stood calmly against the board as his partner threw those long silver bullets. A smile on the clown mask and nothing on his; those forest green eyes hadn't revealed the slightest trace for fear. Even when the knife had thudded right beside his face, nothing flickered in those eyes that seemed to be staring at her from across the distance.
Looking up, she saw the entire place was virtually empty, only a few lingering people around the entrance, talking to the friends that they knew. She looked around close to the curtains screening off backstage. A curiosity gripped her as she walked closer to the curtain and pulled it back. Crates greeted her vision as she looked around carefully before she darted behind and started walking around. Most of the people she saw were preoccupied with their animals, feeding and watering them after a long show. She had just rounded the corner when she found herself in front of a lion's cage, the animal inside, lying down and letting itself be petted. Sara paused for a minute as she saw the same person again, the mask lying beside him on the ground. Hesitantly she took a step forward.
"You shouldn't be back here."
She froze as his soft voice reached her ears; he actually spoke. "I-I know." she managed as her mind raced to think up a quick excuse. "I wanted to ask you for your autograph." she said in an evenly paced voice; it wouldn't do well to seem overeager or something.
He didn't say anything as he rose, taking his mask with him and placing it back on. "I don't do autographs." he stated before he started walking away.
Sara watched as he disappeared behind deeper into the tent. She had to admit his straightforward method was much better than some jerk skirting around the fact. With a heavy sigh she started towards the curtains again.
"Who were you kidding? Why would he waste his time on you? That's what you get for having hope."
She wandered back though the crates unknowing that an understanding expression came from the eyes of the clown in the shadow.
"Sara! My peep! Wazzup?!"
Sara looked up from her work to see Amber come into the classroom. She smiled as Amber took her seat in the desk in front of her. "Pretty good. Hoshi had me go to the circus last night.
"Oh. Was it any good?" Amber asked as she took out her own notebook. "Where is the teacher for that matter? She's later than us. Did you get the thing on the themes in the book?"
"You know. And yeah," Sara drummed her fingers against her book as her mind started to wander again. "The guy has issues. . .everyone has issues. . .sin, hatred, jealously. . .you know."
"Boo!"
Sara jumped, knocking the chair to the ground. Hearing chuckles from behind, she turned around to see Morgan behind her, snickering her head off.
"And that was funny?" Sara asked in a disgruntled voice as she righted her seat and sat back down.
"I'm sorry, but you were so out there. What's on your mind now? Another guy?"
"No." Sara said as her face started to flush immediately.
"Right." Amber said as she gave Sara a sly look. "Methinks you found something else interesting to look at while you were at the circus."
"Shut up Amber. For all you know, she could have met him outside the circus." Morgan said smugly as she opened her notebook and took out the book and pen, which she started spinning around in her hand.
"Uh. . .you guys just think whatever all right then?" Sara said as she buried her nose in the book.
"Sara," hissed Morgan. "Why don't you tell us?"
"No." she hissed back. "He made it perfectly clear last night all right? Leave me be." she 'glanced up at them. "But I was curious as to his name."
"You didn't ask what his name was?" Amber asked with a mild look of surprise.
"No. He just walked off. He must have been tired after that performance; it was nerve wracking man."
"Nerve wracking? The guy works at the circus?" Morgan asked.
"Yeah; knife throwing act."
Morgan's pen went flying from her hands as she started suddenly. "You mean him?!"
"What do you mean 'him'?" Sara asked as Amber and Morgan traded shaded looks. "Would you two mind filling me in?"
"Does he have green eyes?" Amber asked suddenly.
"And hair like out to here?" Morgan asked as Sara nodded her head.
"Yes. What the hell is wrong with the two of you? You look like you suddenly got stuck with a hatpin." Sara stopped as a new thought came to her. "You guys know something about him don't you?"
"Perhaps." Amber said before she promptly turned around and suddenly took great interest in her work.
"Fine; thanks Amber." Morgan muttered.
"It's your turn." came the muted reply.
Morgan gave a small growl as she smacked Amber on the head. ""We know his name; that's pretty much it."
Sara regarded Morgan for a few seconds; why did those words seem to be rather forced and hesitant. "Could you tell me his name then?"
Morgan nodded. "But don't go around saying it too much you know. Promise?"
"Promise; scout's honour. So what's his name?"
"His name is Trowa. Trowa Barton."
The breeze ruffled her hair slightly making her tuck it back behind her ear. 'Trowa Barton.' Why did the name sound so nice?
"Trowa Barton." she murmured, letting the wind carry it away.
She shook her head as she watched the kids play in the park. The sandbox, the jungle gym, it all seemed so very far away now at the time she was at. She took her book out of its bag and started reading, content for the moment. She didn't need guys again, not after all the jerks she had been through. Her fingers clenched the paper unconsciously as she recalled one who had put on good face to get her into bed.
"No Sara, you're here to read and relax, not waste your time remembering the losers that populate your dating history." she said as she took a deep breath.
Her cell phone rang, making her groan as she rooted around for it in her backpack to answer and stop the annoying ring. 'I have to figure out how to change that frigging thing.'
"Hey Sara."
"Hi Amber. You still coming over later on? Study for the bio test?"
"Yeah about that," Amber said as she made a low noise in her throat. "I won't be able to make it tonight."
"What's that in the background?" Sara asked as she strained her ears.
"Movie." came Amber's reply. "I have to watch it so I can write that review that the school paper has been bugging me for. I'm so sorry. I forgot completely about this and the deadline is tomorrow."
"It's all right man. You go and finish that movie of yours then. Sounds pretty loud. Is that gunshots? They sound so real; you're gonna have to lend me that tape one day."
"Yeah, I will. Later."
"Bye." Sara hung up and put her phone back. "Now I pretty much have a free evening."
With a wistful smile, she packed up her stuff and headed out of the park. 'How glad I am that I am inactive now. Stealth agent no more; I never liked sneaking around anyways.' Sara gave a mumble of exasperation as her hair blew back into her face. Sticking her hand into her pocket, she dug out a hair band and started to put her hair up into a messy bun.
"Blow this up, fine. Get this, no problem. Is it too much to ask that my hair does not fly into my eyes?!"
Now in a slightly less than pleased mood, she started down the walkway to the street. She turned the corner, the large red and yellow top of the circus in plain view now. She found herself turning away to head home through the park.
"But that's not the shorter way." Sara mumbled as she turned back around and headed down the street.
She watched as the crowds of people milled around the wicket booth, waiting patiently to buy their tickets. She couldn't help but smile as she watched the kids run around chasing each and playing with their balloon animals. 'So innocent in times of trouble. . .'
"Do you miss it?"
She turned around to see the same clown from last night, only he was wearing a pair of jeans and a green turtleneck. "You really know how to sneak up on a person." she looked back at the kids playing. "A bit; I'm just a lost soul."
Wordlessly he came and stood beside her watching also. After a few minutes Sara turned to leave. From the corner of her eye, she spied a flutter in his eyes. She shook her head, seeing the emotion.
"You made yourself perfectly clear last night Trowa Barton." she said quietly as she walked down the street; she never saw the look of wary shock on his face.
"And then there's the dinoflagellates. Oh God, my eyes are going to fall out." Sara finally rose and shot her book a disgusted look before she slammed it shut. "Be glad I have to return you at the end of the school year; otherwise I'd burn you right now."
She ambled into the kitchen getting herself a Coke from the fridge. 'Studying since I got back at six and nothing is sticking in my mind. And it's ten at night. One more hour and then it's time to call it quits' She headed for the back porch after grabbing her textbook, casting a glance up the stairs; hopefully tonight was one of the nights that her parents slept like logs. Opening the door, she took a deep breath of the air as she sat down on the plastic lawn chair. The backyard was rather dark looking especially in between the trees.
"Hm?" she placed her barely touched Coke down as she leaned forward; did she just see something rustle in the tree?
Her hand strayed down to the baseball bat as she grasped it firmly and walked forward onto the wet grass. Ignoring it, she slunk through the shadows, eyes darting around as she started to circle around a tree. A light thud reached her ears making her whirl around. Seeing a figure dart behind the tree, she headed the opposite way, trying to cut them off. She swung the bat as hard as she could, only to find it smack hard into someone's grip. She twisted it out, trying to force the person back into the porch light so she could get a clear look at them.
"I'm not going to hurt you."
Sara found herself speechless for a few moments at the sound of Trowa's voice. "You're not going to hurt me?! So you simply trespass onto my property and now you say you're not going to hurt me?! I oughta hurt you! Get off right now!"
"Sara," he started in a quiet voice.
"I did not tell you my name."
"Neither did I."
Sara paused as she let the bat drop to her side. "Touché. What did you come here for?"
"I came to talk." his eyes betrayed nothing like last time.
"So you hide in a tree and sneak around? Use the front door like a civilized person." she said as she went back to the porch.
Taking an old rag, she dried off her feet before she took her Coke and sipped it. Trowa came and sat in a seat, not saying anything.
"You're lucky that my parents are asleep." she finally said as she placed her Coke back down on the table, half empty. "Do you want anything?"
"Pardon?" he looked at her.
"Something to eat or drink?"
"No." he focused his attention back to the grass. "You were in Avalgreen Park today weren't you?"
"Yes." she replied slowly. "Were you there also?"
He nodded. "Going back to the circus."
Sara felt her anger start to melt a bit as she looked at him. He had made the effort to come all the way here; only why was what made her wonder. "How did you find out where I live?"
He simply shrugged. "How did you find out my name?"
Sara nodded understanding; they would have their secrets. "So how long have you been with the circus?"
"Awhile now."
"I suppose it's interesting."
He nodded still not saying much.
"How did you join? Or were you born into it? Not that I see that as a bad thing. Not that I'm one of those people for that matter."
He shrugged. "I was just there." his eyes flickered to the book. "Biology?"
Sara shuddered. "Please don't ask. It's too painful."
Trowa made a small laugh, dry and ironic. Sara smiled at that. 'I actually like biology compared to the work I did before.' They didn't say anything more, simply sitting outside and enjoying the night. Every once in awhile, Sara found her eyes straying to Trowa.; he looked as if he was debating something, small flickers passing over his face. Finally she placed her Coke on the table between them and looked at him.
"What's wrong Trowa? Do you want to talk about it?"
"You can't help." he replied.
"Are you sure about that? Maybe I'm more able to help than you realize."
He looked at her slowly before he shook his head and looked back; those brown eyes of hers were starting to get to him.
"All right then. I have to go to sleep now. If you want to talk, you know where I am." she said as she walked past him and opened the door.
Trowa didn't reply at all, simply falling deeper into thought. Sara sighed as she placed the empty Coke can in the recycling bin by the wall and came back out. She crouched in front of him, looking into his face intently.
"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it? It may help more than you care to admit."
Sara felt her breath catch as he looked at her with those eyes of his. The clear green showed the faintest hint of aches, pains and loneliness. She took his hand and held it gently, trying to comfort him in some small way. His hand rose up hesitantly as he touched her face as if he had never done something like it before. Sara drew back slightly as she rose, breaking the contact; his hand remained there for a moment before it fell back down.
"Get some sleep." she said in a slightly strained voice. "I'm sure you have a busy day tomorrow."
Not waiting for a response, she walked inside and went straight upstairs to her room. She slid right into bed and hugged her pillow; why did she suddenly feel lonelier than before?
"Sara! Wake up man!"
Sara forced her drooping eyelids open to see Morgan and Amber watching her with concerned looks. "Yeah?" she asked as she covered her yawn with her hand.
"How late were you up Sara?" Amber asked. "It must have been late; you shouldn't worry about bio that much. The test isn't for another week tops. Take your time and pace yourself."
Sara slowly shook her head as Morgan nodded to concur with Amber "It wasn't that; just some insomnia, that's all." she managed. 'If you count sleeplessness from that damn feeling inside a cause of insomnia.'
"Oh. Then why didn't you stay at home? You're falling asleep in your seat." Morgan said as she prodded her.
"Thanks." Sara mumbled as she forced her eyelids open again. "I figured I could make it through the day."
"Boy were you wrong." Amber snorted. "Once this class is over, I'll drive you home. Good thing I drove to school today huh?"
"Eh?" Sara looked at her. "What period is it?"
"Last period. Sara, go home and have a good nap." Morgan said, patting her on the back.
"Yeah yeah. Can I ask you guys something?"
"Shoot." Morgan said.
"Is it right for a guy to come sneaking into your backyard in the middle of the night and then he gives you no reason. But I didn't give him a reason so I guess it was justified. But you think he could use the front door like a normal person and not clamber around in trees and-"
"All right runaway train." Amber said as she cut off Sara. "First of all you tell what happened. Or maybe that should wait. You're half asleep."
"No, it's all right. Trowa came by my house last night."
"He did?" Morgan asked. "What on Earth for?"
Sara shrugged, unwilling to tell them about the strange exchange that had passed between him and her. "Why am I telling you guys this?" she rested her head against the desk.
"Up." Amber said as she poked her mercilessly with her pen end. "Look, class is almost over. I'll ask if we can take off early all right?"
Sara wasn't too sure if she nodded her head in response but she soon found herself drowsing off as the wind rushed in through a car window. Everything else seemed to be a blur as she made her way to the back yard and collapsed down into the hammock between the tree and the house. All she knew was the sun was shining when she closed her eyes. And when she opened them again, the sky was a dark indigo, the porch light on. She sat up suddenly, startled at finding herself in the backyard.
"Man, no more late nights for me." she muttered as she swung out and picked up her bag. "What's this?"
She removed the slim rectangle from the spot in which they were placed. She found herself looking at another ticket for the circus in her hand. 'It's for tonight.' She glanced down at her watch before looking back at the ticket. 'In the next half an hour. I didn't get any homework for tonight. . .' She looked at the ticket for a bit longer before she headed inside and grabbed her purse and walked out the front door, finding herself glad to see the yellow and red striped circus top once more.
Noise pounded all around as Sara studied her cards with detachment. 'The cafeteria is so damn loud. Not the best place to play cards sometimes.' She gazed down at her two, jack and three fives. 'I might as well fold; aside from a low three, I'm screwed big time.' Placing her cards down, she started picking at the edges.
"Sara. . .are you OK?"
She looked up to see Hoshi giving her a concerned look. 'I'm fine Hoshi. I fold; I have nothing but crap."
"We finished that round long ago. You just seemed so absorbed with whatever. What the hell is on your mind so much?"
"Guy." Morgan coughed
"What was that Morgan?" Amber asked as she perked an ear. "Did you say salad?"
"How do you get salad from guy?" Morgan asked with an amazed look.
"How did I get pickle from cookie?" Amber shot her a look. "You know what I'm talking about."
"All right. . .so what are we playing now?"
"Yeah, what are you guys playing?"
Sara turned around at the sound of the voice. "Trinity! Where on Earth have you been? I haven't seen you in the longest time!"
"Been working my ass off on that business paper; I got it done with time to spare thank you." she slid into the seat beside Sara. "So what's this I hear about a guy?"
"It's just some guy that works at the circus I went to earlier on in the week. Hoshi gave me a ticket to go."
"And I am to assume you met a guy there?"
"Uh, yeah. Not that you're going to see anything of it." Sara said as she picked up the deck and slid it towards her.
"Why not? Are you afraid to take a chance again?"
Sara simply shrugged as she started to bridge the cards; perhaps that was why she went to the show last night but didn't stick around afterwards.
"Look, if you're not going to talk to us about it, why not talk with him?" Trinity asked before she looked around at everyone else. "Has she been like this for long?"
"Uh. . .been almost a week now I think." Amber said. "She went to the circus on Monday and it's now Thursday. Hey Sara, why couldn't I get a hold of you last night?"
"I went to the circus." her entire face went bright red. "Why, were you trying to get a hold of me?"
"Yeah. I didn't work on my math assignment. You know the one were the teacher makes us tutor a student that needs help? I swear to God I got such a jackass. He doesn't even need the damn tutoring."
Sara repressed a smile as she watched a glower settle on Amber's face. "What on Earth is she talking about Morgan?"
Morgan threw her hands up. "Got me. She hasn't told me about this yet."
"All right then." Trinity said in an amused voice. "Sara, you don't have any classes afterwards right?"
"Yeah. Lunch is my last period for the day."
"So go and talk to him. I don't want to see you moping around like last time. Do something about it this time."
"You do have a point." she said reluctantly as she rose and shouldered her backpack. "So I'll catch you guys later all right? I should be home around seven, eight."
She walked out of the lunch room, her friends' voices following after her. A wave of relief passed over her once she was outside; not so noisy anymore. She walked down the street, her feet taking her to Avalgreen Park. Following the curving paths, she found herself a nice bench in the shade and seated herself down. She dragged her biology textbook out of her bag and started reading through it. Her mind actually started to pay attention to the information in the book, amoeba and cells becoming clear. She felt the bench creak slightly as someone sat down beside her.
"What are you reading there Sara?"
Her entire body froze as she recognized the voice. "What do you want Trevor?" she spoke with an icy tone.
"Just to see you; is that a crime?"
Sara slammed her book shut as his hand started to play with a strand of her hair. "After what you did, it is. I don't ever want to see you again."
"Come on, I made a mistake. Can't we move past that?"
"No I can't. How stupid must I have been to listen to your sickeningly sweet words? I'm not the same any more and so glad that I didn't sleep with you. Bugger off and leave me alone." she promptly grabbed her bag and started walking off.
"Come on Sara, what do you want me to say?" Trevor's voice followed after her as she headed down the path quickly.
She didn't bother to answer him, continuing to walk away rapidly. When she heard the sound of feet pounding against the pavement, she glanced back to see him running after her. 'Bastard.' She broke into a full run, cutting across the grass. Her feet picked up speed as she heard Trevor's voice coming closer behind her. Vaulting over the low hedge, she landed with a thud and whipped around to run to her house down the street only to find that she knocked over someone.
"I'm so sorry." she said in a rush as she made a motion for her biology textbook.
"What are you running from now?"
Sara looked up and found herself greeting Trowa Barton once again. She opened her mouth to say something but broke off as Trevor came to the hedge huffing and puffing.
"Who are you?" Trevor asked in a wary tone.
Trowa didn't say anything, his hand simply coming to rest on Sara's shoulder gently. She looked back to see a dead cold expression in his eyes; oddly, it comforted her in a strange sort of way, though she wasn't too fond of such tactics. Trevor backed away slowly, the point becoming painfully clear to him. As soon as he disappeared from sight, Sara let out a breath of relief.
"You didn't have to do that you know." she said in a slightly breathless voice.
"I know." he handed back her book. "You didn't stay."
Sara shook her head. "Work." she held up the biology textbook. "Do forgive me."
Trowa simply regarded her for a moment. "Who was that?"
"An ex-boyfriend." Sara said as she made a slight face. "I'd rather not dwell on it. . .the jackass. Where were you off to?"
"Somewhere." Trowa said as he turned down the street.
Sara couldn't help but smile as he glanced back at her and continued walking. She ran up and walked alongside him. A sadly happy look came to her eyes as she watched the scenery pass by, the simple quiet houses creeping into the small shops and restaurants. When he took a seat in one of the outdoor cafés, Sara hesitantly sat down beside him, her bag going down to the ground. She opened her textbook again and started to study it again. The clink of china greeted her ears as she looked up to see Trowa sliding a full cup towards her.
"Thank you." she murmured as she took a drink and returned to her book.
His hand came forward and closed the book gently. "You always study whenever I see you. Incidentally, the wolf's canines are what make the killing blow along with the force of the jaws."
"That's because I have a biology test in a few days. I'm not inclined to fail it. Thanks for answering the question for me." she took another drink.
"Are you avoiding me somehow?"
"I beg your pardon?"
Trowa didn't say anything as he simply watched her for a few moments. "Or should the question be why are you avoiding me."
"So now you want to play shrink?" she snorted as her feet started to fidget; he was hitting far too close to home for her taste.
He shook his head. "I want to figure you out."
"Why on Earth would you want to do that? Here, I'll help you. Boring old Sarah next door, plain and tall; just skip on the tall part and that's me."
"That's your perception; mine is much different." he stated quietly, a wry smile coming to his lips. "What kind of boys did you know to undervalue yourself so?"
"They weren't boys, they were. . ." she trailed off as she realized the accuracy of that. "Oh and what are you; a man?"
Trowa arched an eyebrow slightly. "This is a time of war Sara. In more than one way, the generation of that time grows up much faster than it should have. In many ways, this is a conversation between a man and a woman."
"What was that? A compliment?" she asked a bit startled.
"If you want to take it as such." he said with a shrug. "Why are you avoiding me?"
"You're doing the same thing as me Trowa. We dance around one another, the silent words saying what we don't wish to." Sara paused. "I could ask you plenty of questions Trowa Barton. "
"And I you Sara Hale."
She paused as she took another drink a smile coming to her lips. "Now that we understand one another better, where shall we start?"
"Why did you call him a jackass?" Trowa said after a few moments thought.
"I caught him in bed with another girl. All he wanted was sex. The catch was that I wanted a relationship. After failure number sixteen, I've just about given up."
"Sixteen? He was sixteen?" he seemed mildly surprised.
She nodded. "I had faith in the beginning. I thought that it must just be the guys. I don't give off a needy air or the vibe that I need someone to act like a lord over me, so why do I only get jerks and jackasses?"
"Maybe they think they can get a girl outside their league." he paused for a second. "I thought you wouldn't bother after the brush off I gave you."
"I almost didn't; you. . .intrigued me though. Your performance gave a small push in that direction as well."
Trowa didn't say anything for a few moments, simply taking another drink. "So you don't trust guys."
"How'd you guess?" she asked in an ironic voice; he simply drew it out of her and read between the lines. Clever; she rather liked that also.
"And now you're bitter about men in general."
"I am not bitter. I just can't find a good one who won't pull any stunts or gimmicks with me. All I want is honesty; is that really too much to ask for?" she paused as a brief flicker in his eyes caught her attention. "And it seems that you have some of your own things in the dark Trowa."
He watched her for a few moments. "I do. But you can never know them."
"And why not?"
"It would endanger you." he paused. "I do travel a lot also; it might be best if we left it at this and this alone. . ."
"Trowa, I really don't care about the travel bit. Or are you involved with something else? Is that it?"
"In a manner of speaking." he looked wistfully into his cup. "I can't endanger any civilians."
Sara closed her eyes as she traced her finger around the rim of the cup. "Your concern is admirable but I am a big girl and I can look out for myself."
"Not with these stakes. It endangers more than you could possibly know at the moment." Trowa paused for a moment as he contemplated his drink. "Don't go digging things up on me either. That will get you into even more trouble."
"All right." Sara said slowly as she watched him; there was something subtle that had changed that left her far from disagreeing. "I figure you'll tell me one day."
"What makes you so sure?"
"Women's intuition." she smiled over at him. "You can believe that or choose to believe what you want to believe."
"And what if I believe that you trust me? Would that be a fool's dream?" he reached for ward and took her hand in his.
Sara remained silent for a few minutes, hesitant to respond as she let her hand stay in his. "I want to say that it's not a fool's dream; I want to. . ."
"Aw, come on Sara." Morgan said as she tugged on her hand. "It won't be the same without you there!"
"Look Morgan, I just don't feel like going all right?" Sara said in a defeated voice.
"Sara, you've been living like a hermit for the past few days. It's Sunday now and you are leaving this house." Amber said as she tugged on the other hand.
She sighed heavily. "Can't I have one day to myself where I mope around?"
"No. If I can't have one then you can't either." Amber said as she tugged again, half pulling Sara out. "All we want is to spend the afternoon at the carnival with you."
"Carnival?"
"Yeah." Morgan sat down on the bed beside her. "The circus is leaving in a few and the carnival came in last night. Come on Sara, would you please stop being such a pain in the ass and come?"
"I really am not in the mood you guys."
"Look, spend some time with us and if you still feel like moping around and hiding from the rest of the world, we'll let you do so in peace." Amber said as she plopped down beside her. "We're just worried about you, that's all."
"If it will get you guys off of my back. . ." Sara rose reluctantly as she started to put her shoes on. "Be glad that my parents are gone for awhile now. They won't be back for a month; I get to fend for myself."
"Come on then, we'll keep you company." Morgan said as they headed down the front door.
Sara simply nodded her head as they headed towards the mall, the sounds of delight and music coming closer and closer. Pink cotton candy and bright stuffed animals passed by as they walked through the walkways, Amber and Morgan trying to decide what to do next. Sara sighed as she spotted the large grey wolf hanging from the toss game. After digging around for a bit, she produced the three dollars needed to play from her pocket. She weighed the balls in her hand as she sized up the distance and hammered home three shots. A few minutes later, she walked away with the large animal, a small enigmatic smirk on her face.
"There you are." Morgan said as she came up behind her. "Thought we'd lost you for a minute there. Hey, cool prize. You won it?"
"Yeah." Sara hugged it a bit closer. "What are you guys up to?"
"I wanna go play Whack-a-mole!! Whack-a-mole!! Whack-a-mole!! Whack-a-mole!!" Amber said as she hopped around.
"What are you on now?" Sara asked giving her a strange look.
"She only ate five candy apples and I don't know how much cotton candy. And we haven't even been here for twenty minutes." Morgan groaned. "Still want to take it easy?"
"Yeah; I'll take a Ferris wheel ride and then go home afterwards." Sara said. "I'm really not in the mood."
"All right, we just wanted you to get fresh air. You know, that thing that recycled air conditioned air comes from at one point." Morgan said as she nudged Sara with her elbow gently. "You go have your Ferris ride and I'll deal with the child here."
Sara couldn't help but laugh somewhat as Morgan was promptly dragged off by a sugar hyper Amber. 'Those two are like an old married couple sometimes.' She walked towards the deserted Ferris wheel and soon found herself perched at the top, the town stretching out beneath her.
"Now this is a nice view" she murmured as she placed the wolf on the seat beside her and looked out, resting her hands on the wires.
The tops of the building created a multicolored patchwork that blanketed the houses that stretched on for a bit. The line cut abruptly as the stark buildings of restaurants and other businesses existed and plied their trade. She felt some of the melancholy lift from inside as she gazed around admired this town that she lived in. She leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes peacefully; this was like a small oasis away from the world. The sun shined down on her skin, warming her gently, a breeze playing through her hair. When the first scream broke into her blissfully drifting mind, her eyes snapped open and looked down to see throngs of people, fleeing past the Ferris wheel in a mad rush.
"What the hell?" she twisted and turned to see why people were fleeing for their lives.
Off in the distance was a full fledged battle; and it was steadily creeping closer towards the town. Sara stood there for a minute, disbelieving of what she saw before another fact hit her; she was still at the top of the Ferris wheel. She started to tug at the latch, cursing the piece of metal as it stubbornly refused to give. Leos and Aries fell to the ground with explosions as the battle drew closer and closer.
"Bloody fucking hell." she hissed as the door swung open, a sharp metal edge sliced into her hand.
Not bothering with it, she took a step out onto the small platform out, the cage starting to rock unsteadily from side to side. 'Whoa. . .' She braced herself against the doorway, looking for a foothold. Suddenly the wheel gave a lurch, nearly tumbling her out of the wire cage. 'I have to get out of here now. Christ, here I go. . .' She grabbed hold of the top of the cage and pulled herself up slowly; if she could reach the main infrastructure then she could shimmy her way down in no time at all. She dropped and clutched at the cage roof as the wheel lurched again, the battle even closer than before. Definite uneasiness settling in her stomach, she started to make her way towards the main steel beam a few feet away. Another shudder made her cling once more to the metal. 'All right then, I'll crawl.'
Sara started to make her way forward, the sound of bullets passing by overhead as she inched her way across the top. Reaching the joint, she took hold and pulled herself onto the metal girder, balancing her feet on the diagonal one heading for the center. She searched around for a new foothold as explosions came from all around it seemed. Glancing up she caught a glimpse of a red suit slicing into an Aries with an army knife attached to its arm. 'A Gundam. . .Gundam zero three.' Taking her eyes away from the fascinating sight, she kept looking for a secure foothold down, only to see small bolts sticking out from the metal. Easing herself down slightly, she braced the edge of her foot against it, seeking a new handhold. A loud grinding sound made her look up to see a massive Leo falling back towards the Ferris wheel. With a muttered curse, she scrambled her back up to the top, knowing that there wasn't much she could do to stop it.
Metal screamed as it scraped against one another, the entire wheel collapsing underneath the weight. The girder beneath Sara's feet bent before it snapped and pitched her into the air. The sound of thudding footsteps greeted her as she plummeted faster and faster. The last thing she saw was a thick cloud of dust that greeted and enveloped her before she landed on something hard.
Sara grimaced as Trowa inspected her head closely. "Could you shut the blinds maybe? The light is killing my head."
Reaching over, he obliged, slight slits allowing in the faintest of light. "You seem to be in perfect condition. Sprain and scrapes aside."
"Yeah. At least it's not my writing hand." Sara said as she watched him take her left hand and turn it over. "Was that really you or was it my imagination?"
"What did you see?" he asked quietly as he reached over for the bottle of peroxide.
"I saw you come out from that Gundam." she whispered as she watched him dab the swab and swipe it over her scrapes. An involuntary hiss came from between her teeth. "Was it you? Is that your secret?"
Trowa didn't reply for a few minutes as he went about disinfecting her cuts before her reached for the pressure bandage. Sara stilled his hand with her good one as she looked at him intently.
"Was it Trowa?"
"Do you remember that night when I came to your house? I came to see what you really knew."
"And if I knew too much? Would you have eliminated me Trowa?" she asked.
"I didn't know then. Now you are even more of a threat to me." he said as he held the bandage. "By all rights, I should eliminate you. But I can't."
"You can't?" she looked at him puzzled.
Trowa capitalized and took her hand, starting to wrap the bandage around the joint. "I can't. Ever since that night when I refused you, you have interested me also."
"Me? Boring old me?"
"Yes, boring old you." he said in a slightly amused voice before his face sobered up. "But I never wanted you to know about what I really did."
"Trowa, if it's because you're a Gundam pilot, I have no-"she stopped abruptly as he shook his head. "That's not it?"
"No. Just as the war started, there was someone else who knew I was a pilot. And he's dead now."
"Was it Oz?" she asked in hushed voice.
Trowa nodded. "He couldn't escape so he killed himself just so Oz wouldn't get control of a pilot."
"Trowa. . ." Sara said as she cupped his cheek. "That will never happen with me. Besides, there was a lot of dust. I'm not too sure what I saw."
Trowa didn't say anything else as he finished bandaging up her arm.
"Trowa, your friend's sacrifice wasn't in vain."
"I don't know why I worry about you the way I do." he said quietly as he held her hand in the bandage.
"Then try to stop it." she said with a smile. "I hate it when people fret over me so. Just write me every so often when you're on the road and I'll be fine."
"Sara. . .why did you really let me stay when I came to your backyard?"
"I don't know. Maybe it was those perriot pants I saw you in." she flashed him a mischievous smile. "I think you're the only person who makes clown pants look good Trowa."
His face went slightly red. "Just watch out for yourself all right? I'm going to be gone in a few days."
"Worrier." she said with a gentle smile. "I'll be fine. Besides, I still have the bio test to think about."
Trowa nodded his head as she stood up and walked to the RV door. "Maybe after the war. . ."
"I'll be in the same place Trowa. Or would you prefer to wait in a tree?"
"The seat will be fine." he said with a smile.
"Trowa?" Sara asked as she turned around.
"Yes Sara?"
"Thank you."
He smiled as she hugged him. "You think I'd let you down?"
"No." she looked up at him. "It's not a fool's dream Trowa. Not any more."
Trowa didn't say anything for a few minutes as he simply held her. "I don't want you to walk away like this."
"Like what? There's after the war Trowa. We just have to-" Sara found herself cut off as Trowa bent down and kissed her gently.
After a few seconds he broke off. He gave her a smile before he disappeared back into RV; he came out a few seconds later with the large stuffed wolf in his arms. "You can go now." he said with a small smirk.
Sara didn't say anything as she shot him a look with a smile. She hugged him again and walked down the steps and headed home, the wolf tucked under her arm, a smile on her face. 'And thus ends the dance.'
Note
*I have no clue as to what the circus where Trowa works/lives is called so I made a name up. Corny, ne? ^^