Ch 4 Duo Joins Disclaimer: I only own the original characters and the story line.

Author's Note: Thanks to the reader who pointed out I had switched around the last two letters of Wufei's name. I have made the needed changes to fix it. ^_^

So far this is my favorite chapter of the story. Hope you like it too.

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Off to Join the Circus!
Chapter 4 ~ Duo Joins
By West Wind

The circus performers were finishing setting up for their performance at their new location.

"That should do it," announced Wufei as he tied off the rope that secured the net beneath the trapeze.

Trowa nodded his agreement as the two teens stepped back to admire their work.

"I will check it again before practice," stated Wufei.

His companion gave a small grunt of assent. He knew Wufei always thoroughly checked over every rope and knot before any show or practice. He was very methodical in all he did. The two boys were soon pounced on by Catherine as she bounded up happily behind them.

"Done?" she asked as she through an arm around each of them.

"Yes!," an irritated Wufei snapped as he escaped from her grasp.

She knew her showing any unneeded physical contact annoyed him. That is why she took such pleasure in doing it. Her biological brother on the other hand was unfazed by anything. He had always been like that. He was hard to get a reaction out of. She wondered if that was part of the reason she loved to torment Wufei. He always reacted to this "annoying onna's" playful teasing.

"You two want to go check out town after cleaning up?" asked Catherine and added "Dad said we could go."

"Sure," answered Trowa for he knew how much his sister loved exploring new places.

Wufei glared at her but mumbled that he would go.

"Great. Meet you in half an hour," she stated as she took off to get cleaned up herself.

~@~

The three young circus performers had found a park in their exploring. Upon entering the park they discovered an ice-cream vender. They each purchased a sweet before venturing further. As they strolled down the pathways and ate their treats, they watched families and children play around them. Silence settled over them like darkness over the earth when the sun retreats beneath the horizon. None of them said anything, yet they could all guess what the other was thinking about - the family members they had lost. That loss was what brought them together and held them close. Catherine wondered if it was worse for Wufei since he had truly lost all but his aunt while she still had her brother, uncle and Jeff, even it he was not her biological father. They were suddenly jostled out of their private grief as a long haired brunet dressed in black barreled into Catherine from out of nowhere. The impact caused both of them to tumble to the graveled path below. The blur of black and brown swiftly stood murmuring a quick apology before trying to dash off. Wufei grabbed the arm shrouded in the black sleeve to keep the lowlife from escaping, while Trowa helped Catherine up.

"You should at least help her up after you plowed over her," growled Wufei indignantly.

The offending youth took a step back with hands raised.

"Sorry, but I am in a bit of a hurry," he said as he took a second step away from the Chinese boy and bumped into Trowa who towered over the fourteen year youth.

"There he is!" came a shout from a group of boys.

Their assailant's eyes widened in horror and fear. He started to bolt past Wufei but was brought up short by a tug on his hair.

"Ouch!," the brunet cried out before turning to see what had caught his hair.

The end of his long braid was firmly clutched in Trowa's hand. He glanced at the approaching bullies and knew he would not escape in time. Since he could not run, he would have to stand his ground and hope to only get beet to a pulp, if he was lucky. If he was unlucky, they would do things much worse to him. He shuttered at the though of what they might do to him if caught and hopped that they would leave these others out of it. He did not want others to get hurt because of his problems.

"Turn him over to us, and we will let you leave in one piece," demanded one boy from the group.

"If we turn him over to you, what are you going to do with him?" demanded Catherine in her most authoritative voice.

"We have some wonderfully fun activities planned for the little girly-boy," one of the group answered which was followed by snickering from the others.

"Find out if he acts like the girl he looks like with a real man," jeered another.

"Come on Duo. We won't hurt you much if you come willingly," promised the one who had spoken first.

They all could guess what kind of "fun" these ruffians were promising the black clad boy, and they now understood why he was in such a hurry. Catherine did not take her eyes off of the group of ruffians as the tension between the two groups thickened in the air around them. Catherine had already made up her mind, there was no way she would turn over the younger boy to them. Trowa and Wufei would back her on this, she knew. In fact, Wufei was already brisling at the injustice of the promised treatment of their new "acquaintance."

Duo looked up at the thug with fire and loathing in his eyes.

"I will NOT make it that easy for you to get you jollies, Troy," Duo spat out at him venomously and would have launched himself at Troy if Trowa had not still held him by the hair.

"Come and we won't hurt your friends," Troy cooed. "Although I wouldn't mind playing with this one," he added as he trailed a finger down the curves of Catherine's face.

She had had enough. No one touched her like that without retribution. With the speed and grace of a cat, she had Troy's arm behind his back with him facing his buddies. Once the shock of her fighting back wore off, the hand to hand combat began. Chaos followed. Troy's boys started swinging at the performers who efficiently evaded the blows. Catherine's group emerged the winners of the match even though they were slightly outnumbered. They had years of training as performers and in self-defense behind them. Catherine watched with pride as the ruffians slowly crawled away from the fight.

"That should take care of them for a while," she declared before turning to Duo. "I don't think we have been properly introduced. I'm Catherine."

He took her extended hand.

"Duo Maxwell, I may run, I may hide, but I never tell a lie."

"This is my brother Trowa, and that is Wufei," said Catherine as she finished the introductions.

The other two nodded their heads in greeting.

"Nice to meet you and thanks for helping me."

"Your hurt," noted Catherine. "Come let's get you cleaned up," she said in her no argument-from-you tone as she pulled Duo behind her. "You two, too."

"Mother Catherine strikes again," whispered Wufei to Trowa.

"Yep," he replied as a brief smile flickered across this lips before they followed.

They joined Catherine and Duo at the drinking fountain where she had pulled out her handkerchief and was washing out the cut above Duo's eye.

"Hay, that hurts," Duo exclaimed.

"If you would hold still, it would not be so bad," she barked back.

Wufei chuckled. It was nice to see someone besides him and Trowa being mothered by Catherine. He knew she had good intentions, but she acted like an old mother hen a majority of the time. A very over protective, bossy, older sister except when she was throwing knives at you. He was glad that Trowa was her target in that act. Trowa stood so still and calm as his sister hurled the sharp shiny knives at him. Wufei knew if it were him, she would through those knives as close to him as possible, probably even nicking him, just to watch him react. He would stick to the acts where he was in control.

Catherine finished with Duo and gave her attention to Wufei who would not let her touch him. She gave up and started cleaning Trowa's scrapes, which were not many. As she finished up with Trowa, he took her handkerchief from her.

"Now for you," he stated as he rinsed out the cloth and wiped away dirt and blood from her face.

"Will our actions make it worse for you?" asked Trowa as he worked.

"Only if they can catch me," Duo replied with a smile plastered across his face.

"They almost did today," pointed out Wufei.

"That they did," Duo said while scratching the back of his head and starring up at them. "I will just have to watch where I am going a bit better."

Wufei humphed at Duo's response.

"Hay, it has keep me safe for the past eight years," Duo pointed out. "That is the closest they have got to me."

Fear flickered briefly in his violate eyes as he thought about what could of happened. He had to admit to himself that they had been closer to catching him today than anytime before. One day his luck would run out and they would have him. He could move some place else, but he would find the same problems just with new faces and on unfamiliar territory. He discarded that option, but he would have to find someplace new to call home at night for a while so they would not find him.

The three teens watch Duo fall silent after his last statement. It was obvious he was lost in though.

"Do they know where you live?" asked Catherine.

Duo pulled himself from his pondering and looked at Catherine.

"Maybe, but it is time to move on and find a new place anyway," he shrugged.

"Just you? Don't you have a family?" Catherine pried.

Trowa and Wufei sat back and let Catherine ask all the questions.

"Well," started Duo as he glanced away from her with hands behind his head, "I kind of live alone. My family died long ago."

"I'm sorry," said Catherine.

"So'm I, but that is in the past. Not much I can do about it," Duo sighed. "Well, I should be finding a new place before nightfall," he announced as he stood up to leave.

"Wait," declared Catherine as she grabbed Duo's braid.

Duo yowled as his forward motion was once again stopped by his braid not moving with him.

"Will you stop that! You are going to pull it out if your not careful," growled Duo as he sat back down and cradled his braid protectively.

"Why don't you come with us?" asked Catherine.

Duo eyed them warily. He instinctively wondered what their ulterior motive was. Could he trust them. It had been a long time since he had trusted anyone. He looked from one face to the other. He really did not know anything about them other than their names. They did help him out of a tight corner, but would they lead him into something worse. He slowly shook his head from side to side in confusion.

Trowa watched Duo as he mentally asked himself questions he had no answers for.

"We are from the circus that just got in town," volunteered Trowa as if he read Duo's thoughts. "Cathy and I have grown up there. Wufei joined us about four years ago. You can leave any time you like."

"The circus, huh. I always wanted to see a circus. Lead the way," responded Duo upon deciding to trust the three.

~@~

The four youths walked back to the circus. Duo tried to take in everything at once. His eyes darted from one thing to another.

"You guys live her?"

"Yes," answered Wufei, "and work here."

"What do you do?" asked Duo as he peered into the animal cages as they passed.

"We help set up, tear down, practice and perform," summarized Cathy.

"Oh," Duo said.

A string of curses rang out from the tent as they neared. Catherine recognized her uncle's voice and the group entered the tent.

"Uncle Robert, were back," announced Catherine.

"Good," he answered from behind the generator he was working on. A few more choice words about the generator escaped his lips. "Why won't this thing run?" he demanded of no one in particular. "Would one of you hand me the 12 mm socket from the set?"

Duo picked up the desired item and handed it to him.

"What's the problem?" he asked.

Robert described the problem and answered Duo's inquires on what he had tried. Duo did a few things and tried to start it. It sputtered and began to die. Duo gave it a swift kick, and it purred like a kitten. The lights slowly came on as power was supplied.

"Sometimes it is a matter of knowing how to talk to it," stated Duo.

Robert laughed and extended a grease covered hand which Duo clasped with his own.

"Robert Bloom."

"Duo Maxwell."

Robert took in the scuffled and scrapped appearance of his charges and Duo and knew they had been in some sort of scuffle. He knew he could not keep them from such things, that is why he made sure they could defend themselves, especially Catherine. He did not want the same thing that happened to her mother to happen to Catherine. He knew Catherine could defend herself and Trowa and/or Wufei was usually with her. Even at their young age they could do a much better job of protecting her than Robert did his sister.

"Do you know much about machinery?" Robert asked.

"Enough to make most things work," Duo replied.

"We have to introduce Duo to Dad," said Catherine.

"Over dinner you will have to tell me how you meet," said Robert.

"We will," they agreed as they walked out.

Robert shook his head as they left and marveled at what his niece had brought home this time. At least he had a useful skill they needed if he stayed.

~@~

At dinner they were amazed at how much food Duo could pack away.

"Slow down there," said Jeff. "There is plenty. It won't run away."

"Sorry," offered Duo as he tried to slow down his eating. "It's not often I get such a lovely meal."

"From what you have told me, I doubt you do," said Robert.

"How do you get money for food?" asked Catherine.

"I will do a bit of this and a bit of that," answered Duo noncommittally. "Of late I usually fix thing for people and in return they give me a bit of money, food, or clothing. It beats steeling," he cheerfully added.

By the time dinner was over the new addition had discovered how to push Wufei's buttons and quit enjoyed in irritating the Chinese youth just to the verge of boiling. Robert shook his head. Between Catherine and Duo, Wufei was not going to have a moments peace for the next few days.

After dinner Jeff shooed his flock off to bed for it was getting late and they had to get up early to practice and do school work.

~@~

Duo slowly woke feeling warm and cozy. His sleep clouded mind pointed out that this was not normal and tried to remember where he was. Yesterday's details slowly filtered back to Duo's conscience. He rolled over and opened his eyes. The other bed was neatly made and showed no signs of being slept in. Duo knew better, he had seen Trowa wrapped up in the covers before drifting off to sleep himself. He disentangled an arm from the blankets and rotated the clock on the nightstand around to face him. It was 9:00.

"It was nice of them to let me sleep in," he mumbled to himself as he through back the covers, stood, and stretched his thin wire body causing joints to pop and crack.

Duo realized he felt the best he had felt in a long time. He had had a good meal and plenty of sleep. Both items he had been lacking for a while now and he observed by the reflection in the mirror it was beginning to show. The mirror showed him a very thin shirtless boy. He could count each individual rib on his counterpart. His stomach interrupted his contemplation by asking for breakfast. Duo smiled, grabbed his shirt, slipped it over his head, and headed to the kitchen. He found a note on the table addressed to him. He picked it up and looked at the neatly written script. Once again he was thankful that Sister Helen had taught him how to read and write. It was a skill that had come in very useful many times. He quickly pushed away the thoughts and guilty feelings that always came when he thought about the dead Sister.

Duo,

Hope you slept well. There is cereal in the cabinet by the frig, bread is by the toaster, and fruit in the frig. Help yourself to anything else that looks edible. We should be done practicing around 10:00.

Catherine

Duo rummaged through the cabinets and refrigerator. He enjoyed his two bowls of cereal, four pieces of toast, and an apple. He leaned back in his chair and patted his content stomach.

With breakfast out of the way, Duo wandered outside to find the others. He headed for the main tent to start his search there. People were scurrying around from one place to another and paid little attention to Duo as he passed. He entered the tent unchallenged. After walking in, Duo had to stop and let his eyes adjust from the bright sunlight outside to the dim lighting inside. A few seconds later he was accustom to the light and made his way around the edge of the tent while looking for his new friends. He soon spotted Wufei swinging on the trapeze. Wufei had on white pants with a blue tank top like the other performers up there with him but his jet back hair pulled back tightly into a ponytail made him stick out. Wufei was finally satisfied with the rate and the length of his swinging movement and slipped off the bar so he was hanging upside down with his legs wrapped around the ropes connected to bar. He nodded to the girl on the platform. She grabbed her bar and swung out to meet him. She released the bar and flew toward Wufei. He caught her by the wrists and she clamped down on his. They hit the apex of the swings arch and started moving in the opposite direction. Wufei tossed the girl back to the empty trapeze and she returned safely to the platform. The girl swung out a second time. This time she put a flip in before Wufei caught her. Duo let out the breath he did not know he was holding. He had never seen anything like this in person before.

"Duo, over here," Catherine called breaking him out of his trance.

He looked over at her, smiled and returned her wave. He made his way to where she and Trowa were standing.

"Sleep well?" she inquired.

"Best sleep I have had in a while," he honestly replied.

"Good," she said satisfied. "You can sit on the bleachers and watch us practice if you like."

"I think I will do that."

Duo took his seat and wondered what the brother-sister team did. He soon found out. Trowa stood in front of a large bull's eye with arms outstretched while Catherine took up a position thirty feet from him. She showed Duo a handful of glistening knives. Duo felt a sinking in his stomach as he guessed what she was going to do with the sharp objects. He hoped Trowa made it out alive. She made a show of selecting the first knife and hurled it in Trowa's direction. It logged itself in the target board just below Trowa's left armpit. Catherine continued to work through her routine throwing knives at her brother. Duo was amazed Trowa did not flinch once, not even when one of the knives came very close to his head. Duo had seen a lock of hair tumble to the ground.

"A bit close there, Cathy," was all Trowa said.

Catherine retrieved her knives and started the act over again. Duo's attention soon wondered to the other performers as they practice.

A small hand touched his arm. Duo looked over and found a small boy looking up at him.

"Your new here," the blond haired boy stated.

"Yes," Duo answered.

"Catherine brought you," said the boy as a statement of fact rather than a question.

"Yes. Does she bring many people?"

"She always finds some one to befriend wherever we go. She is just friendly like that."

"Oh."

"Can you do any tricks?"

"I know a magic trick or two," said Duo.

"Will you show me one?" pleaded the boy.

"Let me see if I have the needed item," said Duo as he fished around in his pockets.

Duo pulled out a small ball and held it up for the boy to see.

"Now you see it. Now you don't," said Duo.

With a few hand movements the ball vanished from Duo's hands. The boy gasped in glee.

"Where did it go?" demanded the excited youth.

"I don't know," answered Duo. "Wait a minute. I think I see it."

Duo extended his hand to the boy's ear and moved it in front of the boy's face. In his hand was the ball.

"It was hiding in you ear."

The boy giggled at the ball being in his ear.

"I didn't feel it there," the boy protested.

"That is because it is a magic ball," answered Duo.

The boys mouth formed an "Oh" as if that explained it all. There was a light laugh from the railing. Duo and the boy looked at the source.

"He can do magic," the boy informed Trowa.

"I saw, Jeramy. Aren't you suppose to be working on your school work?"

Jeramy looked down at the ground avoiding Trowa's one visible green eye.

"I was just taking a break," Jeramy answered.

"Oh," was all Trowa said but there was a lot packed into the simple word.

"I am going back now," Jeramy informed Trowa before leaving.

Once the boy was out of sight Trowa looked at Duo, "I thought you never lied?"

"I don't."

"Magic ball…"

"Who's to say it is not magic. It came out of his ear, didn't it? A non-magical ball could not do that."

Trowa shook his head at Duo with amusement dancing in his green eyes.

~@~

Two nights later Duo got to watch the entire circus performance from the stands. He gasped and cheered with the rest of the crowd. It was amazing what the performers could do. He liked the clowns the best with their practical jokes and physical comedy - a pie in the face here, a chair pulled out from under you there. He laughed so hard his side hurt.

The performance ended and the crowd slowly made their way out of the tent. Duo sat where he was thinking about the past two days until Wufei came to get him.

"You just going to sit there all night?" he asked gruffly.

"Maybe," Duo replied.

"Fine," said Wufei flatly and turned to leave.

Duo swiftly moved beside the Chinese boy and flung an arm across his shoulders. Wufei growled at the braided boy, but Duo did not remove his arm.

"Wufei, how does one become a circus clown?"

"In your case, you are already a clown," retorted Wufei.

"Really?!" eagerly asked Duo.

Wufei shook his head as his insult did not provoke the desired response.

"Are you saying you want to stay with the circus?" asked Wufei.

"I think so," answered a bubbly Duo.

"Talk to Robert," said Wufei before walking away from the energetic youth.

That is exactly what Duo did. They discussed Duo's talents and skills that would be beneficial to the circus and came up with a duty list. He would help keep the machinery and vehicles repaired and working, he was to help set up and take down, and he was to perform in some way once trained and an act was worked up.