A/N: Hello again people

A/N: Hello again people. Bardock's back! Fresh off of Gundam Evil I'm here to put out a new story. So what's this one revolve around? Trowa of course. So what about him? Well, this is going to be a… Oh, I won't spoil it for you. ^_^  Eh, what can I say? I'm a Trowa fan. //_^

UNAVOIDABLE DESTINY

++SSJ_Bardock++

           

            It was a hot summer night in the month of July. It was about twelve at night, with the moon shining high in the night sky and the stars shining along with it. The campgrounds of the circus were all ready packed up, ready to be moved for the long road trip to the next show. The cages of the animals were quiet as they slept, tired from their long days work. Various trailers were scattered around, belonging to the performers.

            A certain clown was sound asleep. Lying in his bed and for the tenth time that night, he was having a nightmare. The sounds of the war always came back to him during sleep. The screams of men dying lingered on his mind, terrorizing his soul. Then after every nightmare, he'd wake up and tell himself that it was necessary, necessary for peace. It didn't clear his conscious though, as the nightmares always came back.

            Tonight was one nightmare that had been coming back quite frequently for the young clown. It was too hazy to make sense of it all though. One minute he was riding in a wagon and the next it exploded, with him just barely escaping. Of course, had he not been so young, he would've remembered it as his mother and father's death, but because he had been too young, he didn't recognize it.

            Trowa Barton sprang up again, coming out of his nightmare. His breath came in ragged gasps and he looked around to make sure where he was. Sweat covered his body and the added heat of the night didn't help him at all. The sheets of his normally tidy bed were drenched in sweat and strewn about.

            "Just another nightmare," Trowa silently rationalized.

            Once again, Trowa followed the ritual that he had been doing since the nightmares started. Silently he got out of bed, not bothering to put a shirt on and headed toward the kitchen of his small trailer. As he walked through the small hallway, he shook his head, trying to get the cobwebs loose in his mind. Of more reflex than anything, he brought his hand up to his face and wiped the sweat off.

            Once he was at the kitchen, he withdrew a glass out of his small cabinet, and poured himself some water. He had always kept water with him, bottled so that he couldn't catch anything from the town's water supply. Not that he had anything against anyone, it's just that Trowa didn't like being sick.

            When he finished pouring himself his water, he put the bottle back in the refrigerator and walked outside. Quietly he opened the door to his trailer and stepped outside, taking in the fresh air. Just like always, it was cooler outside than in his trailer, which seemed to work as a large oven when it became hot out.

            In any case, Trowa leaned on the side of his trailer and slide down until he was sitting. Taking in the night sky, he sipped his water slightly, enjoying the refreshing taste in his dry mouth. As if to comfort Trowa, a small breeze passed through the campgrounds, cooling Trowa off. Trowa closed his eyes and reveled in the feeling of the breeze against his body.

            Just as quietly as he had come outside, Trowa stood up and walked back into his trailer. He set the glass in the sink and decided to wash it out later. For some strange reason tonight, Trowa didn't feel like going back to bed right away. So he walked back into his room and fetched a white t-shirt out of his closet and slipped it on. Putting on some sneakers, Trowa walked back outside.

            The beautiful night sky greeted him once again as he walked away from his trailer. In fact, he was walking away from the grounds completely. Where he was heading, not even he knew. All he knew is that he needed to clear his head.

            "I hope they don't find me missing and begin to worry. If that happened Catherine would most likely have the whole circus come looking for me," he thought with a slight smile playing across his features.

            That had been the first time that Trowa had smiled in a long time. When he reflected on his life he realized that the opportunity didn't show up often. In fact, the only time when he genuinely laughed was after Heero woke up from his near-death state. But now that Trowa reflected on it, the joke didn't seem that funny any more, well, for what type of joke it was anyway.

            "Maybe it has something to do with the war being over," Trowa silently figured.

            In any case, during his thoughts he now realized that he wasn't paying attention to where he was going. He shrugged it off; he'd have a whole night to find his way back. So, he continued walking into the city. The whole city seemed to shut down at night. No cars were going past, no children playing on the sidewalks, and no bright lights. It wasn't that Trowa liked all that, but more rather that it surprised him.

            The town was dead quiet. Not a voice to be heard for blocks. All that remained was silence, and Trowa wasn't complaining. In fact, Trowa was rather grateful that there was no noise to disturb his thoughts. That was what he had come out here for in the first place, to sort out his thoughts.

             Trowa continued his silent walk down the street, the heat not bothering him that much anymore. When he looked up, he spotted a light on a couple of blocks down the road. It looked like a small diner. "Well, I've got nothing else to do," he mused.

            It was a good thing for Trowa he had left his wallet in his jeans that night. He wouldn't bother walking back for it. Not now at least. The night was too peaceful than to trivialize it with his petty problems.  So the diner was finally coming up close and Trowa could now make out the sign; "Joe's Place" it read.

 "How original," Trowa mocked.

            As he entered the small diner he noticed the large man behind the counter. The man was wearing a cooking apron and a small hat. Ignoring the man's scrutiny, Trowa sat down at the table closest to the door. Trowa looked up at the man,

            "Coffee please, black."

            The man looked at him for a moment and then nodded. He turned around and walked over to the coffee pot. Taking a cup, he poured Trowa his coffee and didn't add anything to it (I'm not really good with describing it, since I don't drink the stuff myself). With an accusing look on his face, he walked over to Trowa and set his cup down.

            "Anything else?" he asked.

            "No, I'm fine," Trowa responded.

            The man grumbled something inaudible and walked back. Trowa picked up the cup and blew on it slightly. Slowly he brought it up to his lips and took a small sip…and nearly spit it out. It had to be the worst cup of coffee he had ever tasted in his life. Begrudgingly he swallowed it and set the cup down. Looking through the window, Trowa gazed over the scenery. It was a small town and it was very peaceful at this time of night. That would've held true, had Trowa not spotted several figures in an alleyway.

            Trowa managed to spot four men, standing over someone who was lying on the ground. The scene did not look good and immediately Trowa threw some money on the table and bolted out the door. As soon as Trowa was out the door though, he slowed down and began to walk casually. If he continued like this, the men probably wouldn't notice him until he had assessed the situation accurately.

            As he became closer, he could make out someone crying. It distinctly sounded like a woman to him. The men were throwing insults at her as she lay on the ground.

             "Come on ya little slut! Cry for daddy!" yelled one of them.

            Trowa quickly ran with determination toward them. He came up quietly from behind and spun the closest one around. As the man turned around, he was too shocked to do anything…well, anything except catch a fist on his jaw. The man stumbled backward and the other two turned toward him.

            "You little fuck! I'll kill you muthafucka!" screamed the man he hit.

            The man charged and Trowa landed an uppercut to the man's stomach. Trowa quickly threw the man back as the other two approached on either side of him. The darkness made it difficult to watch their movements accurately, so he'd have to guess. That's when a fist connected with his face. Trowa stumbled backward and was tackled to the ground. Quickly he kicked the man off of him and jumped back to his feet.

            Trowa began to reevaluate his current situation. He heard something from behind him and immediately turned toward it. Just as the figure lunged toward him, Trowa sidestepped him and brought a knee to the man's gut. Trowa quickly jumped back to avoid getting hit. Just as Trowa dodged he heard a loud clang on the spot where he was standing. That was the kind of clang that came with something metal against concrete.

            So they have a weapon, Trowa thought.

            He ducked just as he felt a rush of air come at him.

            So they have two weapons and I'm betting the last one does as well. Hmm, three on one, just my luck, Trowa thought with an ironic smirk.

            Trowa felt another rush of air and ducked again, only to have his face come in contact with a metal pipe. They had planned it out; one swung high, while another swung low. His face came in full contact with the metal pipe and he fell backward. Landing on the concrete, his hands immediately went up to his face. He could feel a wet substance, and it didn't take long to figure out it was blood; his blood.

            Trowa had enough sense to roll away though and he heard the loud sound of the metal pipes on concrete, where he had been laying. But he wouldn't be able to dodge forever. He learned that as soon as he felt another blow to his back. Soon it all snowballed and blow after blow struck him. They were hitting random spots, back, legs, arms, kidneys, and head. Suddenly the strikes stopped. Then he felt one of their feet give him a slight nudge.

            "Oh shit, I think we killed him!" said one of the voices.

            "I told your ass we was gonna kill you muthafucka! You didn't listen did ya?!" screamed another.

            Laying still, Trowa decided to play the part of the dead. He kept his cries of pain silent.

            "Listen! We killed him! We gotta get the fuck outta here before the feds show!"

            Trowa could here some grumbling but then footsteps that sounded like running. Had he been able to, Trowa would've stood back up, but the ground seemed so inviting. Trowa didn't want to move from this spot; it hurt too much. That's when he heard more footsteps, but these lighter than the others.

            "Are you alive?" he heard the voice ask.

            From the sound of it, it was most definitely a woman. In response to her question, Trowa grumbled out something inaudible.

            "You're alive! Thank god, I thought they killed you!" she said.

            "Almost."

            Suddenly he felt her hands on him, trying to help him up.

            "Here, let me get you back home. Where do you live?"

            "The circus."

            "The circus?" she asked.

            "Yeah. I work there."

            "Really?" she said, trying to start a conversation.

            They had started moving now and Trowa was on his feet, walking as best he could. He realized now that he was leaning on her. Normally he would've pulled away, but he was too much pain to do so.

            "Yeah. I'm a clown," Trowa told her.

            "Anything else?"

            Trowa thought for a minute, "I can tame lions."

            He could hear her laugh lightly, but then immediately stop, "Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be laughing at a time like this."

            "Don't worry about it," Trowa told her, "How far?"

            "About ten minutes," she told him.

            Trowa silently nodded.

            The woman glanced over at him as they passed under a streetlight. Suddenly she almost dropped him.

            "What is it?" he asked.

            She froze. Was he really…? Could he be…? No, it wasn't possible. He couldn't be alive. Hurriedly she made up an excuse, "You're just more banged up than I realized." At least it wasn't a total lie. Trowa didn't give a reply, the darkness was so inviting. He realized he was going into shock and shook his head to keep himself awake.

            Suddenly he felt the terrain change from cement to grass and dirt. They must've made it to the circus grounds.

            "Where to?" she asked.

            Trowa paused for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts, "The one that has the name 'Trowa Barton' on it."

            Now it was her turn to pause.

            Why is that name familiar…? she inwardly questioned. Then it struck her, The Barton Foundation! Could he be working for them?

            "Something wrong?" Trowa asked groggily.

            "No. Just thinking. You didn't happen to work for the Barton Foundation did you?"

            Trowa paused, too confused and dazed, "No. I work at the circus. I've always worked at the circus."

            She realized that he was a little dazed, maybe she could use this. "Hey, No-Name…" she said.

            Trowa didn't even realize what she had called him, "What?"

            Immediately she froze again. It was him! After all this time she had finally found him, "Ah, nothing," she quickly answered.

            Trowa tried to gather his thoughts, "Wait a minute, what did you call me?"

            "Trowa. That is your name isn't it?" she asked, trying to cover up his tracks.

            "How did you know?" Trowa asked, yep, he was out of it all ready.

            "If you're going to a trailer that belongs to 'Trowa Barton' then it must be your name right?"

            "Oh," Trowa managed.

            Now he could feel himself walking up some small metal stairs, they had gotten to his trailer. It was a good thing he hadn't locked it after he left. She pushed open the door and walked inside. Trowa didn't even realize what was going on. All he knew is that he needed rest.

            "To your right, the door on the end," he instructed her.

            She slightly nodded and began that way. Once they entered the room, the woman looked around.

            So this is where he lives now huh? He must have been remembering then.  

            As she started to set him down, she tripped and landed in the bed alongside Trowa. Actually it was more like, he was holding onto her. It would be obvious to anyone that he had passed out. She knew this and searched around for a lamp of some sort. Right next to his bed she found one and clicked it on. The small light illuminated the room and she could see his features clearly. Of course, she could only see one side of his face and didn't think to check the other for blood. She was in shock, but not like him.

            "Oh it is you. After all this time, I've finally found you…My Nanashi," she said as she sighed contently.

            She reached over and turned out the light and closed her eyes. It was definitely him, of that she was certain. Had it been anyone else's room she would've removed herself and left, but for the moment she was happy to lay with him, in his grasp, even if it wasn't intentional. She moved herself closer to him and laid her head down right in front of his, nearly touching. Giving him a slight kiss she closed her eyes again and fell asleep, content in knowing that she was in his arms.