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Max sighed, as he lay in bed in the small trailer he and Trowa had to share. It had taken him three weeks to get back to the Circus. His mind had been drifting back to his fallen comrade, Scarlet.

He closed his eyes, his mind wandering around his life. He wanted to poke at some of it, and wondered what the rest was exactly about.

He heard a commotion outside.

"She can't play! She's a girl!" floated the voice of the "strong man's" son, Chris into Max's window.

"And what the hell does THAT have to do with it? I bet I could beat your butt!"

That voice… annoying yet persistent and… red…

Red?

"SCARLET?" Max blinked, and lifted his head to look out the window.

There she was… well… someone who looked kinda like her.

She wore a blue T-shirt over an old pair of jeans that had faded to near white. Her glasses were the same style, and her hair - that was so long that she had to have help sometimes braiding it - was loped off into a ponytail now hanging just above her knees.

The Acrobat's son, his name was Matt, was holding the ball at his waist, Jon and Will, recovered from falling off something big - but now Scarlet was here Max had his doubts that they fell off anything - were standing to the side, arguing.

"C'mon Matt, she's a girl, she can't play worth beans." Jon said

"Yeah!" Will agreed, eyeing Scarlet hungrily.

The redhead rolled her eyes.

Max hurried up and out of bed to go tell Trowa what was going on, if it was Scarlet, there was a lot that needed to be done, like call Duo to tell him his charge was still alive!

*~*

The two Barton men and Matt stood to the side of the vicious argument, at this time Jon was nursing a bloody nose and Will had just been knocked on his rear end.

"Has she always been like this?" Max asked Matt.

Matt shrugged.

"Ah, she's just under a bit of pressure… she's the new trapeze artist."

"WHAT?" Max blinked trapeze artist?

"Yeah, she volunteered. She said she likes the feel of adrenaline."

Max looked at Trowa.

Matt sighed as the girl walked over; she didn't even cast another glance at Max and Trowa, but smirked at Matt.

"Raven, you know what mother said."

"They insulted my honor!"

"Raven…"

The girl sighed

"OK, so maybe I'm not the peaceful girl your mom wants me to be, but try all she likes she's not my mom." She said, and turned around, dismissing the whole ordeal with a wave of her hand. "I'm going to go practice. Catch you all later."

Max blinked…

"Oh boy."

Trowa's eyes narrowed. He tapped Max on the shoulder and motioned to the side.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Matthew. I hope that your family enjoys being at the circus."

The two Barton men walked off back toward the trailer.

*~*

The screen near Lyla blinked to life as she gazed thoughtfully at the stars beyond the main monitor of the Pod Hopper Two.

She pressed the ANSWER button

"Pod Hopper, Lyla here." She answered.

Trowa's face popped up on the monitor.

"We found her." He said.

Lyla blinked, and set her mug of tea down…

"Found who?"

"Scarlet's alive… but there's a slight problem…"

"She doesn't remember." Lyla said softly.

"How did you…"

"Error in programming that's all…"

"Wha…?"

"We'll be there tomorrow to pick her up, Trowa. Perhaps its time we made the assault on Scorpio."

"Lyla, I don't understand."

"You will." She answered, and clicked it off. She reached over, and typed in a few keys.

"Figures." She whispered, and picked up her mug of tea, sipping it.

And she could hear a voice somewhere in the distance rejoicing in silence. Just beyond in the shadows, stood a beast of a Gundam. Shoulder mounted laser machine gun, double bladed beam scythe shorters, titanium alloy reinforced gundanium gauntlet shields, Mega Beam Buster Bow… painted the deep black that shone the velvety violet of a raven feather.

Bran was ready to fight again.