A/N: So what's this story 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. //_^
A/N II : This is the updated version. You'll notice it's a
little longer and I realized some basic mistakes and fixed them. My original
intention was to make this a one shot fic, but if enough people want me to
continue it (HINT, HINT)…
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 nothing but the occasional street 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, four 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 as he kicked Trowa in the stomach.
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 were 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,"
he said as he winced.
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, tigers and bears."
"Oh my,"
she said in response.
For the
first time in months, Trowa laughed. He didn't know if it was because it was
funny, or that his head was nearly caved in with a pipe. Finally Trowa asked
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,
there was no way. 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. The walk for the most part, was quiet after that.
She didn't say anything and Trowa didn't feel like starting a conversation.
Suddenly he
felt the terrain change from the hard cement to the softness of 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 so 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, his brain just didn't want to cooperate, "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 to her advantage.
"Hey, No-Name…" she said.
Trowa
didn't even realize what she had called him by, "What?" he asked; still not
realizing what she had just called him.
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 and then it came to him, "Wait a minute, what did you
call me?"
"Trowa.
That is your name isn't it?" she asked, trying to cover up her tracks. If he
knew what she had called him, then he might realize who she was and she wasn't
so sure she'd want that; at least, not now anyway.
"How did
you know?" Trowa asked. Yep, he was out of it all ready, completely forgetting
what he had said earlier.
"If you're
going to a trailer that belongs to 'Trowa Barton' then it must be your name
right?" she rationalized.
"Oh," Trowa
managed.
So
No-Name, or should I say Trowa Barton? You finally have a name and a home to go
back to. I'm happy for you, I truly am.
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 or this might
have been a little more difficult. 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. As they walked their, she scanned the
trailer, looking for nothing in particular. Everything was in its place, and
the whole place was spotless. Trowa took good care of his stuff, that's for
sure. They walked through the hallway in silence. 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
bleeding. She was in shock, but not like him. It was the type of shock you get
from seeing someone important to you that you haven't seen in years.
"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. She wouldn't know how he'd react in the morning to
seeing, of all people, her there. Oh, would that be fun. 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, finally. Everything else
would just have to wait for the morning.
Draft 5/4/01
Final 5/6/01
