Author's Note: How's it going everyone? I'm sorry that you have all had to tolerate only half of chapter two for so long, but I have had so little time (and sleep) in the past weeks that I have had no time for my fan fiction what so ever (and have ended up looking like a banshee from hell). I have played so many of them over in my mind, and now I finally have the opportunity to get at least one of them down on paper. My only hope is that they carry the impact that is intended and the effect implied. *Crosses fingers and prays real hard* The mood as well should hopefully come across precisely as planed…hopefully. However, I just wanted to thank all of you who are faithful readers and are constantly checking to see if I bother to continue writing. It's because of you that I write in the first place…thanks.

~Peg

Love and Betrayal:

Chapter Two

Midii gradually opened her eyes. Shadows swam amid her vision as her eyes slowly adjusted to the dim glow. Her head vibrated with the unremitting pounding that echoed inside of her head. The sound filled her ears, and for a while all she could hear was the constant hammering.

Steadily, she became able to see outlines of objects in the darkened room. Large cumbersome items cluttered the walls, stacked upon endless shelves.

The room was warm and humid; a bit stale but compared to that of a mobile suit cockpit she readily accepted it. She lay on the bed, motionless, her breath still coming in short, labored pants.

As the pounding began to cease, she could hear the beeping of monitors, the soft hum of machinery and faint voices from outside her door. They were foreign to her and set her on alert. She attempted to sit up, but an immense pain in her left side prevented her. She moaned in annoyance, not used to being bedridden do to such a small injury. She placed her head heavily against the pillow and made an effort to decipher what the figures outside her door were conversing about. Only fragments filtered through the massive doorway, and the figures were whispering softly among themselves, but she remained patient, listening suspiciously.

"I can't believe that she survived this long. It's completely amazing that you were able to get her here in time. If her wound had gone unattended to for much longer, she would have died of blood loss. That's not to mention the unbelievable infections which would indubitably ensue."

"She will be alright though, won't she...?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but she seems like a fighter. She's got a valiant spirit, one that I don't see in most victims. So far all the medications are taking effect, but things could change for the worse at any moment. I'd say that there's an undeniable possibility that she will live, but it's more recovery that I'm worried about. Almost anyone can be saved Trowa…It only matters what the person does with their life once they've been given the second chance."

A short pause followed. Midii sighed silently. She could tell that the two were talking about her, but there was something else that beset her tired mind. She translated that there was both a male and female voice, but one of them seemed so familiar. It seemed to have change slightly, the tone had become somewhat deeper, but it was still the same soft and concise voice that she remembered from so long ago. If only she could remember where the voice had come from…

Sleep tugged at her eyelids and her head once again began to swim. As she slowly began to drift into a quiet doze, she heard the voices begin to speak again. "Could I see her Sally?" There was a brief shuffle, and the massive door to Midii's room creaked open.

Midii was already halfway asleep, but she could still make out the figure that lined the door. The light from the back room silhouetted him slightly, but Midii could see intense green eyes peeking out from behind a sweep of brown hair. He was tall, lean and masculine, but possessed an impression of guilt. And then it clicked inside her mind.

As the figure silently turned to leave, she hoarsely whispered "Nan…ashi…" before falling back into a deep slumber.

Trowa stood transfixed in the doorway, the name still hanging dead among the stiff air, like the smell of death. His muscles tensed as his breath became caught in his chest. Slowly he turned, staring back at the figure that lay motionless, except for the occasional rise and fall of her chest.

He walked cautiously towards the hospital cot. As he gazed at the dismantled figure, flashes of the once naïve child blinded his vision. What had it been that she said to him so long ago? 'I longed to be like you. I can't even tell the person I love how I feel about him! Do you know why?! Because I'm not empty like you! I'm filled with things…my family! My job! My guilt! Always…' He shook his head, dismissing the painful memories. "This is not the Midii I left. No, she's no longer that innocent child I left behind."

He knelt next to the bed and ran his shaking fingers through the golden curls that spread out on the pillow like a fan. "Oh Midii," he whispered desperately. "How could you? I thought that you had suffered enough from war."

Trowa stood and grabbed a nearby chair, pulling it next to her bedside. He sat backwards, so he could still see her but was able to rest his arms on the back of the chair. It had been nearly eight, nine years since he had seen her last.

She had matured. Her figure was lean and trim, the delicate curves gently outlined in the sheets. Her hair wasn't quite as long as it had been before; it was now cropped to her shoulders, and her face had lost most of it's baby fat, revealing more defined cheeks.

A moan from the bed snapped him back to reality. Midii's head lay sunken in the pillow, drenched with perspiration. Her face twisted and contorted with pain as she began to cough uncontrollably. The numerous monitors began to sing as her vitals turned for the worst. Trowa's eyes widened as Midii's heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure began to plummet. As her temperature slowly ascended from a calm 99 to a deadly 104, he grabbed a nearby washcloth and began to wipe her soaked forehead.

"Sally!" he screamed urgently. Within seconds the physician came running through the door at a full sprint.

"What the…" she began, as she glanced at the monitors. "Oh my God…" she mouthed realizing the magnitude of the situation. "Trowa, hand me that needle, stat!"

He quickly grabbed the needle and handed it to Sally. Taking the needle, she filled it with a clear, crystal-like serine and quickly injected it into Midii's arm. Bit by bit her vitals began to return to their normal numbers. Sally glanced nervously at her patient as Trowa continued to mop the sweat from her brow.

"What happened?" he asked shakily, looking up at her hopefully. Sally Po looked at the Gundam pilot, her eyes slightly glazed but completely terrified. Trowa reverted his gaze from hers and set them upon the now peaceful patient.

"She's going to die, isn't she?" he inquired, hoping that he didn't already know the answer. The doctor sighed heavily and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I honestly don't know Trowa. It's as if her body suddenly and quite violently rejected all of the medication. It seems as if she has already created antibodies for all of the drugs that I gave her. They acted as a wall around her inner organs and didn't take effect until it was almost too late. It seems as if she's been issued these meds numerous times before; so after a while her body accepts them as part of her bloodstream. When they tied to act as a medication, it didn't work, because she's already subject to the chemicals. I've just given her something I've created myself to keep her vitals at a safe and normal level. I can't say that it will be the miracle solution, but it will give her a fighting chance." Noticing his distraught appearance on a usual expressionless face, she removed her hand and headed for the door to give him time alone.

"I won't say that she'll die. But I will say that it's now going to be much more difficult to save her." Sally whispered as she left the room. Outside, the remainder of the pilots, minus Heero, waited anxiously for news on the mysterious soldier.

"Well?!" Duo demanded as Sally walked past them without a word. "Who is she and why does she mean so much to Trowa?"

"Duo, don't pry," Quatre pleaded. "That's personal information." The braided pilot glanced at the petite Arabian and scowled.

"Don't act like you don't want to know either. We all know that Trowa had a mysterious past. Hell! We even know that his name isn't even Trowa. So why is this damn girl so important?"

"It's none of our business," Quatre said ruefully. "If Trowa wants us to know, he'll be the one to tell us."

As the two pilots began to quarrel, Wu Fei questioned the physician. Sally glared at him disappointedly. "I thought you would be one of the more sensible of the group." she joked, tossing one of her large braids over her shoulder in a taunting manner. Her eyes gleamed playfully. "But here you are, interrogating me like a criminal."

"Come on Sally." he pleaded, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Trowa is probably the most mysterious of the entire group. He's done plenty of things that none of us have understood, but we never questioned him. And in the end, they all played out perfectly well. But when he starts to bring home enemy soldiers, let alone female enemy soldiers, one can only ask why." Sally rested her head gently on the Chinese pilots shoulder.

"I don't know much," she whispered into his ear. "Only that somehow Trowa knows her, most likely from that dark past of his. She's definitely someone important; he's been at her side ever since the battle yesterday. He hasn't mentioned anything beyond that, but he doesn't have to. His eyes speak volumes. There's pain there, and a guilt like I've never seen him carry before…" she said, beginning to drift to sleep, worn from the day's excitement. Wu Fei led her over to the waiting room where he laid her carefully on the couch, her head resting gently in his lap.

"Whatever the connection," he said, wiping the wisps of hair from her face. "I think it's stronger than any of us, including Trowa, first imagined."

Trowa shifted slightly, changing his position in the chair so he would not become stiff. It had been a week since he had encountered Midii on the battlefield, and he had made sure not to leave her side, not once.

His stomach growled in protest and his parched throat screamed for water. Trowa only swallowed hard and took a bite of the now stale biscuit Sally had brought him a few days before. His eyes longed for sleep and his body ached. But still he kept with is constant vigil, watching the sleeping bulk and listening intently to the monitors. He crossed his arms, lying them gently across his chest, and slowly let his eyelids drop over his bloodshot eyes. 'Just a few minutes,' he promised himself. 'I'm only letting my eyes rest.'

Two hours later a pair of strong arms shook him awake. "Come on you, wake up!" He moaned slightly, aggravated and still drowsy.

"Mid-" he began. But as his vision slowly came into focus, the playful face of Duo obstructed his view.

"Howdy buddy!" he greeted energetically, slapping Trowa on the back. "Hum, you don't look so great." Duo lifted Trowa's chin up, examining his face jokingly and murmuring things such as "Ahh, curious." and "Very peculiar." under his breath.

Trowa jerked his chin away angrily. "Stop that Duo." The pilot whined slightly, grabbing onto the end of his braid.

"Aw Trowa. I was only tryin' to have a little fun ya know? You've been cramped up in this stuffy room for nearly a week and," he said picking up one of Sally's biscuits and banging it against the wall, causing a loud clanging noise, "You can't tell me that you've eaten proper food if you've only had Sally's boulders to eat." Trowa rubbed his hands over his face tiredly.

"I'm fine Duo, don't worry about it. Honesty." Duo quirked an eyebrow skeptically.

"Uh huh," he said through a lopsided grin. "Look, buddy. I really don't think that by nearly starving and depriving yourself of all sleep is the way to help what's-her-face," he said gnawing on one of Sally's biscuits and motioning toward the bed. After a few futile attempts, he gave up and asked "What's her name anyways?"

Trowa took a deep breath, the heavy smell of rubbing alcohol no longer intoxicating. He fought to keep his emotions stable as the words "Midii Une…" slowly left his lips. Duo nodded in acknowledgement.

"Hey look, why don't you go get some decent food and rest? I think I can handle watching sleeping beauty for a couple of hours. And besides," he said humorously, rubbing the back of his neck. "After the last prank I pulled on Hilde, I don't think that she's too thrilled with me at the moment." Trowa shook his head.

"I want to be here, in case something happens or she wakes up." Duo blew air through his lips, causing a sputtering noise.

"Don't you get it?" he said. "If you don't take care of yourself, you'll end up on a bed next to her and it won't matter who wakes up first. Understand?! If anything bad happens, I'll be sure to call Sally. And if she wakes up I'll call you and stay hidden, that way you can even be the first person she sees." Trowa began to protest, but Duo held up his fists in an intimidating manner. "I swear Trowa Barton, if you don't get your ass down to that cafeteria, I'll send you to the hospital bed myself!"

Trowa smirked and rose reluctantly. Duo's face quickly returned to its lighthearted expression. "Thanks Duo." he mumbled as he left the room, his legs grateful for the chance to finally stretch. Duo only shooed him away.

"Now you take care!" he demanded. "I don't want to see you back here for at least another eight hours understand?" Trowa nodded as he walked down the long corridor towards the cafeteria. Duo waved mockingly from the doorway and Trowa could hear him shouting "Goodbye hunny! I'll miss youuu!"

As the smell of warm food wafted towards his nose, he was thankful he had friends like Duo. 'Besides,' he reassured himself. 'Duo's fairly sensible. And what could happen anyway?'

Eight hours later, stomach full and body somewhat rejuvenated, Trowa made his way back to the Med Ward. He stopped soon after he entered the room. The windows curtains flapped aimlessly in the cool night breeze and Duo lay unconscious on the floor. The instruments now no longer hummed and beeped; the room filled with a deathly silence. And the bed of Midii Une…was empty.

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A/N: Well did you like it? Then REVIEW it!!! I need to know if I should bother continuing. I already have the ending written, and I know what happens, so it doesn't matter either way to me…I hope you want me to finish though!

Next Chapter: We find out what happened to Midii Une. Why did she suddenly disappear from the Hospital Ward (leaving an unconscious Gundam Pilot in her wake) when only 8 hours earlier she was unconscious? Plus, why she was in an enemy Leo in the first place. The first scene of the 'betrayal' part will be set.