*One Headlight*
Part 2
AnimeCat: Thanks for the reviews, minna-san!! I hardly ever see TrowaxMidii fics, and I was worried I wouldn't get any readers because not many people know who she is! That's why there wasn't a pairing note in the summary last time…
I'm going to break up the song differently.
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~ Hey, come on try a little,
Nothin' is forever ~
AC 205
Slowly they lowered Midii Une into her grave, and Trowa tried to understand the deep hollow etched into his soul. You're finally free, I guess. He thought coldly. You still have your name, you still have your history, and now you've still got a home in this hallowed ground. And you're free.
Now it's the opposite, isn't it, Midii? He thought wonderingly, his attitude changing. Now it is different. I've got everything you had…but why am I still empty? I had nothing, not even a name-- and I was free. Then things change…I'm not longer free but I'm still empty. I always was.
But he was wrong and he knew it. There was a time…a few years where the hollow inside had gone away. When I had Midii…
~ There's got to be somethin' better than
In the middle ~
*
AC 202
Around the same date as last year, someone behind him was shouting, "Nanashi!!", but it was accompanied by the beeping of a car horn. Trowa turned around quickly, wondering.
A classic-looking dark blue car pulled up next to him on the sidewalk and the passenger door swung open. He peered inside and saw Midii in the drivers seat, her face bright and smiling.
"Get in!" She said eagerly. Trowa nodded and sat down. He'd hardly shut the door before Midii was zooming down the street. His eyes wide in surprise, he fumbled desperately for his seat belt.
"Midii…" He started.
"Yes?" She smiled at him.
"Can I drive?"
Midii grinned evilly and put more pressure on the gas. "Not this time, Nanashi." She teased playfully. Trowa whimpered dramatically and tried to relax enough to examine the car. He hardly recognized the design.
"This is an old car, Midii…where'd you get it?" He questioned.
"Not old," She corrected, "Classic."
"Okay…" He smiled, "This is a classic car, Midii, where'd you get it?"
"It's a Volkswagen Passat(1) from Earth…you have no idea how classic this car is." She ran her hand over the dashboard. "It's a few hundred years old…so old that this car is actually just a reproduction."
"Ahhh…" Trowa said. "Makes sense."
"You're not very informed on history, are you?" She teased, lifting up a flat silver disk that on one side had a blue and white star pattern. "Can you tell me what this is?"
"It's a disk." He said.
Midii groaned. "Not just a disk. These are impossible to find now days. It's called a CD," She slid it into something on the controls. "Music plays from them. My dad used to collect them when he could. Since hardly anyone has players for these anymore, he could get them from people who didn't know what the hell it was."
A slow musical tune vibrated softly from the speakers. He didn't recognize it. "What kind of music?"
"All kinds. This is one of my favorite songs."
"By who?"
"Some band called The Wallflowers."
Trowa blinked. "What the hell kind of name is that?!"
She laughed suddenly and loudly, and turned up the volume. As the music came into full, Trowa just watched Midii drive. He looked at her hands, her face…
~ But me and Cinderella
We put it all together ~
He turned his head as someone started singing.
"So long ago I don't remember when…"
"That's when they say I lost my only friend"
"That's a sad thing." Trowa commented. Somehow in the back of his mind it seemed vaguely familiar. Midii shrugged and began singing along.
"Well, they said she died easy of a broken heart disease," She sang softly, her voice clear and liquid. For the entire song, Trowa was transfixed on the sound of her voice.
Finally the song came to an end, and Midii switched off the player with a sigh. "I just love hearing that one song." She said, then looked at the player and blinked. "Come to think of it…I don't think I've even heard the whole CD yet…."
"Midii…" He suddenly said, looking around. "Where are we going?"
She blushed. "I want you to meet my family."
Trowa stared blankly at her for a moment. "What?"
"I'm taking you to meet my two brothers." She said. This didn't register in Trowa's memory.
"Wait, you had three." Trowa said pointedly. Her smile dropped, turning faint.
"Yes," She agreed quietly. "I had three. I also had my father. Now all I have is Yuuki and Risou(2)."
"I'm sorry, Midii." He said after a moment. "What happened?"
She didn't answer right away. "Unfortunately the sacrifice of my innocence only bought Shoukon Une another three years." She said coolly. "I raised my brothers by myself. At thirteen I was practically a mother. My youngest brother was five. The twins were eight."
Trowa stared at her numbly. "How did your other brother…" He trailed off, assuming it had been the youngest brother who had died. "How did you manage?"
"Well…I spent a lot of nights crying myself to sleep because I was so scared. But after that…I went to work. I worked every day for two years. I cleaned people's houses, I watched their children, and when I got a little older I was allowed to work regular jobs. My brothers and me lived like rats…but we lived. I made sure they never went hungry."
"Then what happened?"
"Nareru and Risou went to work when they were eleven. By the time they were twelve we were finally living an almost comfortable life. Nareru was almost thirteen when he came home and told me he was going to fight in the war." And Midii was quiet once again. "It was near the end…Treize Khusrenada was World Sovereign Leader…Milliardo Peacecraft was head of the White Fang." She continued a moment later, her voice tight. "I…I didn't know Nareru was fighting for the White Fang…."
Trowa's eyes widened. Oh God, No!!! He thought wildly.
"I wanted to die when I found out. I got a letter… He died in action… He was killed by a…" She choked on her voice. "He was killed by a Gundam."
Trowa's blood turned to ice. No…oh God………
"I don't know which one…I just know it was inside Libra."
That would have been Duo, Quatre or me. He thought harshly, It probably wasn't Quatre…God, it was probably me…I killed Midii's brother, I just know it.
"He was a little boy," She said softly, "Just thirteen…but he was so stupid…"
"No soldier is stupid, Midii…he fought to protect you…" Trowa said gently. Midii pulled over to the side of the road and burst into tears. She beat her fists against the steering wheel.
"Why, Nareru??" She screamed in agony, "Why did you have to go and do that??"
Instantly Trowa reached out for her and held Midii's trembling body to his own. For a while they sat there in silence, the only sounds were Midii crying and cars passing by. After a long time, Midii finally stopped shaking. She took a deep breath and looked up at Trowa, who was watching her, extremely concerned.
"Are you ok?" He asked gently. Her eyes quivering with tears but she nodded.
"I think I messed up your shirt." Midii said, studying the large dark stain in the center of his green shirt. Trowa chuckled.
"That's ok. I can wash it."
Midii nodded. "I don't think I want to go today, after all." She sat up straight in the driver's seat after kissing him in gratitude. "I know somewhere else near here."
"Ok," He agreed. "Are you sure you're ok? We could just go out to lunch."
She shook her head, smiling weakly. "As long as you're here, Nanashi, I'll always be ok."
~ We can drive it home
With one headlight ~
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1-AC's car of choice! ^_~
2-I had a bunch of French names for her brothers and father…but they sucked and I changed them back to Japanese words from White Reflection. I have no idea what they mean…
Review!!! At the moment this is like my favorite fic in the world!!