Connections

Chapter Four

Diviana

~~~

[Chapter Flashback: Kami and Heero sneak out of the hospital and they all go back to the safehouse to have the Tickle War of Hell.]

***

"Sally! Uh... we didn't think, that you'd come by..." Quatre tried to speak without stuttering, his face bright red.

Duo finally managed to make Trowa fall, and was rewarded by ending up underneath him. "Itai (Ow)! Tro~wa!"

"..." The lanky brunette said nothing as he stood up and grabbed Duo's arm, pulling him up. Wufei was standing there, his mouth open, not knowing what to say when caught in such an embarressing position. Kami had stopped hitting Heero with the pillow and the two stared at Sally.

"Please tell me you have a key... oh, please, say you have a key..." Kami asked. Sally looked at her, confused.

"No... I picked it..." Kami and Heero leapt up and raced to the front door, where they knelt beside it and examined the knob.

"Kuso! Get out!" Kami ran back to the kitchen, grabbing Heero's arm and pushing Sally and Duo out the door. Trowa and Quatre followed them and Wufei had barely managed to get out the door when they all heard a loud click and the house went up in flames.

"Get down!" The seven of them pushed each other down to the ground as flaming pieces of metal flew at them. The bomb had caused all the computers in the office to malfunction, and because they too were on a security system, there were approximately six bombs going off.

"Megami tasukeru wareware o (Goddess help us)..." Kami whispered just loud enough for Heero to hear.

Yes, please do... he thought. After a few minutes, the fire had settled down just enough for them to get up. "I hear sirens." Trowa said, solemnly.

Heero cocked his head to the side and he took off to the garage, not saying a thing. They all followed him to the truck and everyone hopped in. The cab wasn't big enough for them all though, because they had Sally, and Kami wouldn't let Duo sit on the floor, so she sat on Heero's lap, next to Trowa, who peeled out onto the street before they were all buckled.

"Go to Main," Kami told him. "Turn left, on Seabury, then about three blocks down, there's a four-way intersection. Turn left and go until you see the dead-end sign. There's a road next to it, Cockell Drive. At the end of that street, turn right onto Falconway. It's the tall brick building with the pukey-green jeep in front."

"What's that?" Duo asked.

"My apartment." They were all silent as Trowa ran the stop sign at the intersection. They barely missed hitting the fire engine that was most likely going to the safehouse. The truck swerved and tilted several times before screeching to a halt in front of a tall building made of red brick. The seven of them rushed out and ran into the apartment.

"Troy, I don't have my key." Kami said to what looked like a bellboy.

"Yes ma'am." The boy saluted and leaned over the vacant desk. Tossing her a key, he asked, "Who're your friends?"

"Just that, Troy. Friends." Kami answered as she ran up the stairs, the double doors swinging behind her. The group made their way up three flights of stairs and down a hallway, and up five more floors. When they got to the end of the corridor, Kami quickly unlocked the door to one of the rooms and everyone filed in. Kami slammed the door shut behind her and leaned against it. She slid to the floor, listening, as Heero and Trowa looked out the windows. Duo and Wufei were going around making sure no one else was in the room.

Quatre and Sally were standing in the middle of the room, awed. "I... I don't understand..."

Kami looked at the blonde boy. "If the cops saw us there, they'd think we commited arson."

"Tell them we didn't start the fire."

"I can't." Kami got up and left. Heero followed her into the other room, where a computer was sitting on the desk. Kami had a laptop hooked up to it.

The girl sat down and typed in random codes. Window after window appeared before she finally found what she was looking for. She skimmed it quickly and sighed heavily. Before Heero could lean over her shoulder and read it, she exited it and the other windows. Disconnecting some of the multiple wires that ran across the desk, Kami picked up the laptop and went off into another room.

"Have fun." she said before closing the door. Heero looked down at the computer. It wasn't much, just a pulled-together makeshift mainframe. There wasn't even a cover. The mother-board laid on the floor, collecting dust, a pair of speakers sitting next to it, one on its side. The drives for compact discs, five and three-and-a-half inch floppies, and mp3s were scattered around the floor.

The room was cluttered with papers and computer equipment, boxes, and a couple of dirty dishes. He noticed a pair of sneakers in the corner, and a scuff mark on the wall above them. It was dark, with only a single lamp to light the room. The room was fairly small, but large enough to fulfill its duty. Heero flipped a switch on the wall and was rewarded by three floresant lights on the ceiling coming to life. He sat down and began typing.

***

"I'm bored..."

"Shut up, Maxwell, and scoot over." Wufei growled.

"I can't... Quatre's in the way." Duo whined. The blond looked up.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He slid down to sit on the floor and moved his queen a couple spaces to the right. Trowa barely noticed the bickering between the American and the Chinese boys as he thought of his next move.

Kami and Heero had disappeared somewhere as soon as they had arrived and Sally was attempting to cook dinner in the kitchenette, but was having trouble finding what she needed. "I need garlic... not linden, whatever that is..." she mumbled. The woman searched through the cabinets to find even more odd bottles of things she had never heard of. Holding up a vial of clear liquid, she asked, "What's witch hazel?"

Without looking up, Trowa answered, "Distilled, stops bleeding and helps with minor burns. Frozen, bites and bruises. Why?"

Sally shook her head. Rumaging through the bottles and jars, she mumbled the names on the labels. "Arnica... chickweed... echinacea... huang qi, ginseng, he shou wu, wu wei zi...? What are those?"

"Chinese plants." Wufei replied simply.

"Okay..." Sally gave up and sat down in one of the hard wooden chairs set at the matching wood table. All of a sudden, Duo got up and crossed the room.

"Uh..." he opened a door and two black forms leapt out from inside the room, jumping on top of him and knocking him to the ground. The three Gundam pilots stood up quickly, training their guns on the three figures rolling around on the rug.

Duo rolled over and pinned one of his attackers to the ground while Quatre grabbed the other one. "Roowr..."

"She has dogs?!" The two animals yipped in reply. Heero and Kami ran in, their guns out and safeties off.

"Sadira, Sahara, heel." Kami sighed. The two labradours panted. Quatre had grabbed the one by the scruff of its neck and it looked up at him with sad brown eyes. "Rowr?"

Quatre grinned and put his handgun away, kneeling on the floor. As he petted her, she laid down and licked his hand everytime it came close enough. Duo looked down at the one underneath him. "Rawr!" The dog lifted one of its huge paws and pushed his face away, towards the floor. The two began wrestling on the rug as the others watched.

"You have... dogs...?" Heero asked, putting away his gun.

"Yup. Sahara, be nice." she said as Duo tried to keep the claws coming towards him away from his face. "Where's Saree?" The black labradour that Quatre was petting got up and went back into the room they had just been in. She came back out with a bundle of gray fur in her mouth. Kami knelt and took the cat from the dog, who went back to the blonde haired soldier.

Wufei shook his head and mumbled something about women and sentimatality and sat back down on the couch. Kami glared at him but then grinned almost evilly. She tossed the cat at him, and it landed in his lap. Heero snickered as Wufei jumped up, yelling obcenities as the cat hung there from his pants, shreiking.

Trowa managed to hide a smile as Duo laughed. Quatre chuckled and got up to help the Chinese boy unhook the cat's claws. Sally was laughing so hard her face was red. "Woman," Wufei said, warningly, "I do not appreciate this one bit."

"Neither does Saree." Kami pointed out.

"Kisama (You)!" Wufei yelled.

"Hold still." Kami said as she went over and picked up the cat. "There. Are you happy now? Or are you still as grouchy as you were before?" she asked sarcastically.

"Woman..."

"I have a name. Use it."

"No."

Kami's arm moved so fast, Wufei didn't have time to react. He stood there with his hands clutched tightly next to his sides, a red mark on his cheek. "Woman, you are going to pay for that..." he growled.

"You can try to make my day," Kami said, putting the cat down on the floor. The two rushed at each other but Heero and Trowa reacted faster and grabbed the two, holding them back.

The two were swearing at each other in what sounded like Mandarin. Sally stood up and gapped at the two. "You don't really mean that, do you?" The two glared at her. Finally, Kami managed to get out of Heero's arms and walked off, giving Wufei one last glare.

"Omae o korosu (I will kill you)..." she said and slammed the door behind her, leaving everyone to stare at it.

***

Hands. Goddess, the hands were back again. With the needles. And the wires. The hands were always there, poking him, prodding him. The needles always appeared, taking and giving. The wires always made sure he was the Perfect Soldier, giving away every little secret his body told them.

He laid there on the cold, metal table, with the hands and the needles and the wires surrounding him. How many times had this happened before? Countless... innumerable... so full of pain... and yet, he couldn't see life without it...

The bright lights and the scratchy material of the restraints didn't seem so bright and scratchy anymore. Even the way the cold from the table seeped into his skin felt comfortable now. He had grown used to it all. All except the hands...

Goddess, the hands... not the hands again... he had accepted the needles, the syringes, the IV tubes... he had understood and forgiven the wires and the machines they were hooked up to... but never would he accept or forgive the hands that tortured him day and night...

They were cold, but warm from the blood cirulating inside them. They were hard and calloused, but soft as only human skin and flesh could be. They held him tightly, but gentle because they could not break his bones with their grip.

The hands touched him again. Gods... the way they touched him... it wasn't exactly wrong, but it wasn't right, either. He didn't want them to touch him the way they did, where they did, how they did... he didn't want the hands to be near him period. The hands brought pain. They brought more training, more blood to stain his own hands. The hands were part of the reason his best, and probably only, friend had left...

But as much as he hated the hands, the cruel, cold, unforgiving hands, he could do nothing to prevent them from coming again. He could not kill a pair of the hands, for that would only bring even more unfamilair hands and a punishment. He could not defy nor disobey the hands because the hands were what kept him alive.

He knew he could not harm the hands. The hands that hurt him so bad. The hands that brought him so much pain and suffering. He was the Perfect Soldier. He had to act like one. If he didn't, there would be hell to pay. So as the hate dwelled inside him like a fire, every time the hands touched him, the flames grew higher and brighter. Bigger and bigger until he couldn't keep it under control. And every time the fire within him grew so large that he thought he would break, the hands would come back once more and make sure he regained control over the ever growing fire of hate.

After all, he did not matter. The mission mattered. They had tried to take away his feelings, his humanity, but they hadn't succeeded as well as they thought they had. He was just another instrument in their war, another toy in their bloody game. He meant nothing to them. He was nothing. Nothing but a soldier with a duty to fulfill and a mission to complete. The hands did not care how he did it, they did not care how they made him do it. The hands didn't care...

The hands came back again. It was a new day, another test of skill, endurance, and tolerance. Just like every day before. With one difference. His only friend, his partner, roommate, had been gone a year now. He still didn't know if she was dead or alive, though he didn't know which would be worse for her.

The hands were there again, strapping him to the cold metal slab of a table, attaching the wires to his skin, inserting the needles wherever they felt like it. The hands poked, prodded, gave, took; they hurt him. They hurt him in ways they would never understand. He may be the Perfect Soldier, but that didn't mean he couldn't be human at the same time. And now, all he wanted was to be human.

He didn't care if he died. He didn't care if he was hurt, wounded, or punished so severely that he would have a hard time walking for days afterward. It would all happen eventually.

He pushed away the hands, the stupid, uncaring hands that he hated so much. He tore away the scratchy restraints and kicked away the metal table. He broke the lamps, cut the wires, crashed and short circuited the machines and computers. He bit, scratched, bruised, cut and even killed some of the hands. He didn't care any more. Let them come and kill him, he didn't give a fuck about any one of them any more. He didn't give a damn about anyone anymore. They could all go to hell.

Lights began blinking, sirens wailed and angry footsteps made their way to him. The soldiers grabbed him, hit him a couple times, and dragged him out to a room where they tied him securely to a chair in the center. He closed his eyes when they left, slamming the door behind them and most certainly leaving a few outside as guards.

This is it, he thought as he heard angry shouts from the hallway. Here it comes. Doctor Jay stormed into the room and yelled obcenities at him, throwing stuff across the room, at him, the soldiers watching and laughing from the hallway.

The professour grabbed his arm and pulled him up, commanding one of the young soldiers to untie the knots in the rope that binded him. He was led out of the room to the basement of the building. He sighed as he was thrown down onto the hard wooden table. Only once had he been here before, and it was because of a simple mistake. This was no mistake.

He stood, bent over the table, as two of the young soldiers were called down and they stood on either side of him, each holding an arm as the professour whipped him. Closing his eyes, he could only think of one thing. As the whip cracked loudly throughout the empty basement, he smiled silently. Mission... completed...

***

Heero turned over, wincing. Kami looked up at him. His face was scrunched up, his brows furrowing, and he moaned. Concerned, Kami put her hand on his shoulder.

"Nani (What)?! Nasu ja nai suru sore o... sore o ita ja nai watashi o (I didn't do it... it wasn't me)...!" Heero sat up panting.

Heero looked down to see Kami staring at him wide eyed. "Niichan...?" She sat up in the bed and brushed his sleeve off his shoulder. Multiple scars ran up and down his arms, she knew that, she knew all but the one on his shoulder that pained him when she touched it. "Niichan..." Kami turned him gently and lifted his shirt so she could see his back.

She gasped. Even she didn't have that many cuts and bruises. Heero's back was criss-crossed with scars. Gashes and burns, cuts and bruises. They were long and straight, short and ragged. She ran her fingers gently down his spine and tried not to notice that Heero flinched everytime the pad of her fingers touched one of the scars.

Heero had his head hung and was making intricate designs in the quilt with his fingers. "Are, are these all from..." Kami moved to sit in front of him. "Niichan..."

"Some." he replied softly, not looking at her.

Kami's eyes grew wide again and she threw herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck and sqeezing tightly. "Oh my gods, Niichan... I'm sorry..."

Duo burst through the door, his gun out, and his hair no longer pulled back into a braid. "What happened? Where is he? What's the mission? I heard someone yell..."

Kami and Heero stared at him. Blinking a few times, Kami turned back to face Heero and nuzzled his collarbone, still holding him. The former pilot of Wing Zero slowed his breathing back to normal and let his head drop down so his nose was in Kami's hair.

"Um..." Duo shifted his weight akwardly. "Should I be going now...?" Heero looked up and glared at him through his dark brown bangs. Duo chuckled nervously. "Uh... yeah... I'll be out here..." He closed the door hurriedly and went back to his spot on the couch where he began brushing his long chestnut hair.

Heero and Kami rocked each other back and forth, still wrapped in each other's arms. "Gods, I'm sorry, Niichan..." Kami murmured into his shoulder. "I would never have left if I had known..."

"It's not your fault, imoto (little sister)... you couldn't have known..." Heero whispered back, his arms around her waist.

"But... they hurt you, Niichan... because of me..." Heero pulled back and pushed her away slightly. She looked down at the blanket, but he put his index finger under her chin and forced her to look straight into his face. "Niichan..."

Heero watched silently as she lost control of her hard, emotionless mask and let the tears make their way down her cheeks. She had always been so strong... Heero looked at her eyes. The defiant emerald eyes he once knew were lost in green orbs glazed with fear and laced with sorrow. "I waited... I hoped that you'd make it... I'm sorry..." Hot drops of saline water rolled down her cheeks and he flicked them away gently.

"I thought you were dead... When, when they told me..." She looked up at him, not believing what he had said. He did care... Kami gasped abit and hurriedly wiped away the teardrops with the back of her hands.

"Yameto (Stop)..." he said quietly.

"Nani (What)?" She looked up at him questioningly.

Heero said nothing but embraced her in his arms once again. Had he really been the one to make her lose control of her feelings, to break her mask? Not once had he ever seen her cry, and now, he felt so guilty. She was only fifteen, and had worried herself almost to death about him, because she thought all his troubles were because of her.

Did he really care so much for her? This girl that he had met so long ago? If he did, how come he let this happen? She obviously cared for him even though she seemed just as confused about her feelings as he was about his. Heero rocked her back and forth as she continued to cry silently. Had he really been the one to make her cry?

"Imoto (Little sister)..." He paused. They weren't related, they were just raised together. Grant, he was six, and she five, when they met, but they knew... so, why was it she called him oniichan and he her imoto?

//"I don't have any other name."

"Really? Oh, that's to bad. Could I call you Oniichan (Big brother), then?" she looked hopeful.

"Naze (Why)?"

"Well, you are older than me, right?" he nodded, "And, well, I used to have a brother, but, he might be dead. No one here tells me anything..." \\

That was why: she wanted, needed, someone to take care of her. To watch over her, be there for her when she needed it... and out of all the people on Earth and the colonies, she had picked him... Heero hugged Kami tighter. He would accept that mission. And he would complete it.

"Imoto (Little sister)... daijoubou desu ka (are you alright)...?" Heero ran his fingers through her long, dark hair.

"Hai (Yes)... Rippa na (I'm fine)..." she mumbled back, gripping his neck tighter. Hadn't this begun as her trying to comfort him? How did he manage to flip the roles? Heero moved his hands down and lifted her shirt in the back. Kami had stopped sobbing but was still breathing heavily. He ran his hands over the scars on her back, then kept one hand on her tatoo.

"Gomen nasai gozaimasu (I'm so sorry)..." Heero whispered as he traced the scars running up and down her back.

"For what?"

"This..." He fingered a long gash that made its way from her right shoulder to her left hip. He knew exactly where she had gotten it, though at the time, he thought her dead.

"It's not your fault, Niichan..." Kami sighed as the door opened. Trowa stepped inside and looked at the ground, blushing.

"I knocked..."

"It's alright." Kami said before Heero could glare at him, and moved over, wiping her tears away quickly.

"Uh... Sally needs your help with breakfast... and the dogs want to go out..." Trowa said.

"Okay. Give me ten minutes." Kami replied and got up off the bed, crossing the room to a dresser and threw open some of the drawers. Trowa blushed again as she tossed a brassiere onto the bed. Before Heero could glare at him, he left quickly, closing the door behind him.

"Ten minutes?"

"I need to shower." Kami said, stripping. "You should, too, Niichan."

Heero sat quietly. How had she gone so quickly from the broken little girl who needed him so bad to this strong young woman? She had put her mask back on, covered and buried her true feelings again, like they were trained to do, that was how. Heero sighed and got up.

"You wouldn't happen to--" Kami tossed a pile of clothing at him and he looked at it, then shrugged. "Okay, I guess you do." Heero took off his clothes and followed her into the adjoining bathroom to shower quickly.

***

"What'd you want for breakfast?" Kami asked.

"Pancakes!" Duo piped up loudly from in front of the television.

"Whatever's fine with me," Quatre said polietly.

"Rice."

Kami and Sally looked at Wufei. He was trying to pull his hair back into a ponytail, but couldn't seem to grab all of the strands. Sally smirked and went to help him, leaving Kami in the kitchen to cook. She sighed. "Trowa? What do you want?"

"Tea'll be fine."

"That's it?"

"Yes."

"Okay... Niichan?" Kami set the kettle on the stove top and went to get the rice from the cabinet. As she was pouring it into a pot, Heero siddled up behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Oh, no. We are not going to do that again. Understand?" Heero smirked and wiggled his fingers. "No! Don't!" Kami shreiked. She turned and slapped him playfully. "I'm cooking!"

"So?"

"..." Kami opened a drawer and pulled out a large bowed knife. Heero backed off abit.

"Ch'kusho!"

Everyone turned to look at Wufei. Sally was blushing as he jumped up from his spot on the floor, waving his hand and cursing.

"He snapped the rubber band..." Sally said.

"I did not, woman! You stretched it out too far!"

"You broke it, though!"

Duo giggled but stopped when Wufei glared at him. Quatre was trying to hide a smile behind his hand while Trowa and Heero just watched emotionlessly. Kami sighed and set down the pot she had in her hand. She walked over to where Wufei was standing and, grabbing his arm, pulled him into the bathroom. She shut the door behind them, but the five people in the living room could still hear Wufei cursing and Kami telling him to hold still.

After a few minutes, the two came back out, Wufei's hair pulled back in his usual ponytail. Trowa raised an eyebrow when he walked past, but Kami glared at him so he said nothing about the purple ribbon she had used to tie Wufei's hair back with.

Kami returned to the kitchenette where she began chopping something. Sally came to help her while Heero and Trowa left for a few minutes. By the time they came back, breakfast was ready and they all sat down at the short, Japanese style-table to eat.

***

"What's this?" Duo asked, holding up some long strangly things with his fork.

"Food." Kami said. Duo gave her a glare, intending to look at least somewhat angry, but on his face, it only looked comical. She giggled. "Noodles, Japanese style." she replied.

The braided boy still looked weary of the food, but ate it anyways. Heero shook his head and picked up his chopsticks. Duo and Trowa were the only ones using forks at the table, though Quatre probably would have, too, if he hadn't been eating soup. Sally had left awhile ago to report back to Une, leaving out a few things of course.

Wufei had turned on the radio awhile ago, and the station had a news break. The DJ was talking rapidly in Japanese, and everyone thought he was just rambling on about some band coming into town when they heard OZ. Everyone perked up, but only Kami and Heero could really follow it well enough to understand it.

The two had paused in the same exact position, their chopsticks held just inches away from their open mouths, and sat staring at the radio across the room.

"Hey, cool," Duo piped up. "You did that at the same time! Do it again!"

"Honto ni (Really)?!" Kami gasped, ignoring him. Heero turned briefly to glare at her and they went back to gaping at whatever the deejay was saying.

"Um... can someone please translate?" Duo asked loudly.

"Damare (Quiet)!" Heero and Kami hissed. He blushed and quickly stuffed his mouth with whatever was in the sukiyaki and soba Kami had made for lunch.

Trowa strained to understand what the rapid words coming out of the radio meant. Chi... strategy? Or wisdom? OZ had a good strategy? He couldn't think quickly enough to understand all of what the deejay had said.

"Doko ni arimasu ka (Where is it)?" Heero asked Kami.

"Downtown, near the restaraunt..." Her eyes grew wide as she realized she hadn't been to work in several days. She jumped up and moved towards the phone, but Heero grabbed her wrist. "Itai (That hurt)..."

"Shh... kiku (listen)." Heero whispered. She cocked her head to the side and listened to the rest of the report before sinking to her knees.

"Iie, iie... shinjitsu no ja nai (No, no... it's not true)... "

"Kami..." Heero started, but she had fled into the bedroom, her face in her hands. Heero sighed, and started to get up, but Wufei asked what the news report had been about before he could leave.

"OZ," he said, "The former OZ soldiers are regrouping and planning to attack soon. They took the blame for the safehouse..."

Trowa looked up. "But they said chi..."

"That word has many meanings... wisdom, strategy, intellect, blood... the new OZ group bombed a builing downtown; it was a massacre..."

No one said anything for a moment. "Who...?" Quate asked quietly, breaking the silence.

"Mostly children, it was a daycare." Heero replied, his Perfect Soldier persona taking over.

Once again, it was completely quiet. "Injustice!" Wufei yelled suddenly, getting up. "We destroyed OZ a long time ago! This shouldn't have happened!"

"The whole war shouldn't have happened, Wufei." Quatre said softly, stirring his soup. "Too many people were lost, and now, many more will, too. All because of this stupid war! We already fought! We've stained our hands with too much blood, and for what? For what?!" Quatre was crying now, his tears falling silently into his bowl, creating ripples in the liquid. "I don't want to fight again... there shouldn't be a reason to fight anymore... we created peace not two years ago, we can't go back into another war... not just yet..."

"But peace is the product of war, Quatre," came a voice from off to the side. They turned to see Kami standing there with a bag. "If we want to keep peace, we must keep fighting." She unzipped the bag and tossed it to the floor, then began pulling stuff out of it. The tears she had shed not two minutes before were gone, replaced with solid determination.

Trowa's eyes went wide as Kami pulled out an assortment of guns and other destuctive implements. Grenades, bombs, plastic explosives, handguns and high powered rifles; she even had more technical objects like lock picking sets and an H3 hacking component.

"I've got the map to their headquarters. I have floor plans, blueprints, security codes, anything we'll need to break in." she said, stuffing a few .22 bullets in a rifle.

"Where is it?" Heero asked before anyone could ask how she got all the stuff so fast or what she was doing with the semi-automatic machine gun that was laying on the floor at her feet.

"... L1..." Kami answered quietly, not as enthused as she was before.

***

"So, we'll go in through here," Wufei said, dragging his finger across the map they had spread out on the table. "Then Trowa, you, Quatre, and Kami can split up from the rest of us here..."

Quatre folded his arms. "No." he said stubbornly.

"What?"

"I said no. I'm not going."

"But... why?" Trowa asked. The blond hadn't said anything when they were figuring out the teams...

"Don't you see? This will only bring more sorrow! To us, to the soldiers we kill, their families. They haven't taken over anything, we're not on the verge of war yet!"

"Quatre," Kami interjected. She was standing at the sink, washing the dishes from lunch. "If we don't do this, there will be alot more sorrow in this world. You don't consider an entire daycare blown away in a split second much damage? That alone brings much more sadness and grief than what we'll cause going into a small military base like this one. Besides, if we don't do this, there will be more bombings like this. And all I can say about the soldiers... well, they should have thought about that before they joined the military and decided to be with OZ."

Quatre didn't say anything, instead he thought about what she said. "She's right, Quatre," Trowa said. "If we don't do this now, another war could break out."

The Arabian sat silent for a few more minutes, his bottom lip trembling. "Alright... but, no Gundams, or even suits for that matter."

"The Gundams were all destroyed, and we wouldn't be able to make one in the time we have," Duo said. "And we destroyed all of OZ's suits before that, so..." he trailed off, looking at Kami. She didn't know they were pilots, yet, did she?

"They probably don't have very many suits if they've just now started to regroup." she said simply, "We might be able to destroy them all when we destroy the base." She didn't say anything about the Gundam pilots. They took that as a good sign and went back to figuring out the routes they'd take.

***

Trowa watched Kami silently as Quatre took his turn at chess. She was still in the kitchenette, washing and cleaning. She wasn't meant to be soldier, he thought as Heero came back from wherever he had left to and began talking to her in hushed Japanese. She was shaking her head and mumbling, while still scrubbing the counter down. He was speaking softly, but harshly at the same time.

"Korose sono bakayaro (I'll kill that bastard)!" Kami said loudly. Heero said something else and she answered defiantly, "Jigoku oyaji nanka kankei naa (Who the hell cares about him)?!"

Trowa wondered what they were talking about; the two had so many secrets together. They were both clearly upset about something, most likely whatever they had heard on the radio, and Kami didn't seem to be taking it too well. She was cursing at Heero, something she hadn't done before, to his knowledge at least.

"Trowa, it's your turn," Quatre said politely, though he had been waiting for a few minutes.

"Yes, of course," he answered, absent-mindedly, and moved his queen a few places to the right before turning back towards the kitchen. Heero was rocking Kami back and forth gently, whispering in her ear. Heero looked up, and their eyes met for a split second before Heero went back to murmuring in Kami's ear. Trowa sighed and waited for Quatre to take his turn.

***

Heero walked into the bedroom. Everyone was sleeping out in the living room - Duo on the sofa, Wufei in the rocking chair, Quatre in the recliner, and Trowa on the floor. Kami and Heero had grabbed the bed again, and she was already sleeping by the time Heero came in.

She had kicked the sheets away, but managed to hold onto a corner. Kami was clutching that to her chest with both hands. As Heero went to crawl into bed, he noticed that she was sleeping away from the door. Lately, it had been he who slept away from the door.

At L1, she had always slept away from the door. Always. Since they had met up again, here on Earth, he was the one who had been sleeping away from the door. It was all another mystery of their past, only they would know why. Heero slipped in underneath the sheets and tried to fall asleep. He had a bad feeling about this, the new mission.

Kami turned over, still clutching the corner of the sheet. She was sweating and mumbling incoherent words. Heero sighed and got up. He walked to the other side of the bed and pushed her over so she was on the side he was just on. He crawled in and closed his eyes. Kami had stopped tossing and turning, but the foreboding feeling he had was still there.

***

"I'm bored!" Duo whined.

Kami sighed and picked up an apple off the table, and stuffed it in his mouth. She recieved a glare from the American, but threatened, "Next time, it'll be the braid."

Amazingly, Duo didn't comment. Satisfied, Kami went back to talking with Heero who was typing away on a laptop. The six of them had been on the Preventer shuttle for about an hour, with a few more still to go before they reached the L1 colony cluster. They had left the apartment and Kami's pets under Sally's care and had managed to gain access to a small cottage- type house on L1 in case something went wrong.

The cottage, Kami had explained, was a summer house for an elderly couple, the Namuris, so they couldn't wreck it. Duo had snickered at this, but shut up when everyone else glared.

Wufei was pacing around in small circles, mumbling about the injustice of being there, though everyone doubted it had anything to do with fighting again. Duo had gotten on everyone's nerves in the past hour, but especially Wufei's.

Quatre was playing solitare with a set of marbles he had gotten at the airport. How he got them to stay and not roll around the chess board he had was something all of them wondered about. Trowa was just staring out into space through a small window. He had said next to nothing the whole time they were in the shuttle and it was clear that he probably wouldn't say anything for awhile.

"Damn it!" Heero slammed his fist on the table, causing everyone to jump.

"Oh, shit..." Kami said, cussing for the first time in English.

"What's wrong?" Quatre asked.

"That Peacecraft girl," Kami said, "Relena, she's there."

"Where?"

"On L1. She has a meeting with someone in a building across the street from the base."

"Oh, crap." Duo looked at the blond, amazed.

"Did you just swear?" he asked.

The blond looked confused for a moment. Then his eyes widened as he realized what he had just said. "No! No, I didn't... I said crud, I said crud...!"

Duo grinned and patted him on the shoulder. "Good job, buddy."

"Duo..." Heero and Kami said warningly. He sat back down and took a bite out of the apple. Wufei sighed and sat down, too.

"This whole thing smells fishy." he growled. "There being only one base, Relena, a small number of mobile suits. It sounds like a trap."

"I know," Trowa said in his quiet voice, still staring out the window. "But if it is, we still have to go. Otherwise another war will break out."

"Because of a handful of soldiers living in the past?" Wufei asked, standing up.

"Yes." Kami replied softly, looking up from the computer. "Because of the few soldiers living in the past, we must do this. We have to infiltrate the base, destroy it and any weapons in it or belonging to it, find the Peacecraft girl and get her out of there, and then..." she trailed off, looking at Heero. Her voice cracked, but she finished anyway, "Then we find and kill Drewmaud."

Everyone except Heero looked at her. "Drewmaud?" Quatre asked softly, still not believing he had just swore, but remembered the 'incident' concerning him, Kami and Drewmaud.

"Yes." Kami sat down next to him. "He, I knew him before... He's the only survivor of a bombing, in 192 on L1..."

"Yes, I remember hearing about that, though I had heard there were no survivors." Wufei said. "But what is your point, woman?"

"He was the reason the bombing occured... he survived and is now the leader of the regrouping OZ soldiers..."

Everyone stayed silent for a moment. "You know, no one ever found out who the bomber was..." Trowa replied quietly.

"Now you know..." Kami whispered. Everyone looked at her surprised. Heero got up and stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"If anyone has anything against my sister's judgement, you'll answer to me." he warned, glaring at everyone. Kami reached up and hugged him akwardly.

"Come on," she said cheerfully, getting up. "We only have two hours until we land. We best make good use of the time and rest. It's no good being tired when you're surrounded by soldiers with guns." The shuttle had been specially accomodated for long time traveling, and had tiny rooms with cots.

Kami and Heero left, followed by Duo, who still had the apple. Trowa sighed, and rose from his seat. "She's right. We should get some rest." he said. Quatre got up, too, putting his set of marbles back in the bag.

"A woman..." Wufei mumbled, "It was a woman who destroyed the government building... nonsense... it couldn't have been..." He looked up at Trowa, who was leaving as well. "Could it?"

Trowa paused, thinking for a moment. "Yes." he said finally. "I think that Kami-san could be the bomber, and I completely agree with whatever her reasons were for doing so." He turned and made his way to an empty room. Quatre stopped, though, before leaving Wufei alone.

"You know, Fei-kun, Miss Kami isn't all that bad," he said. "Sure, she has some secrets, but we all do, and I don't think it's fair to her if you doubt her skills because she's a girl. She's the same age as you are." With that said, Quatre left.

Wufei sighed. She was a woman, and would always be a woman. Therefore, she would be treated like a woman, he thought. Wufei got up and went to the only room left to get some sleep.

***

"Niichan..."

"Hmm?"

"Why did you call me your sister?" Kami asked as she sat on the cot.

Heero sat down next to her. Hesitating, he answered, "The same reason you call me your brother." Kami looked at him. "That's how I see you," he said and laid down. Kami smiled and put her head down next his his.

"Thank you..." she whispered before falling asleep.

***

"Alright, here we go..." Kami whispered. Duo kicked open the door and they filed in. A couple of soldiers were standing there, and were knocked out expertly by Wufei and Trowa.

Checking to make sure there weren't any other guards, the six split into two groups. Trowa, Quatre, and Kami headed off down a hallway to hack into the computer command files, to make sure there weren't any other bases, and Heero, Duo, and Wufei walked down the opposite corridor, placing bombs every so many yards. Their objective was to basically blow the place up.

The base seemed unusually deserted. Only a few unlucky soldiers came across the two groups and it was worrying all of them.

"There should be more soldiers, shouldn't there?" Quatre asked.

"It's a small base, maybe they only work here," Kami suggested.

***

"I don't like this, Heero..." Duo said.

"Will you shut up, Maxwell?" Wufei growled. "Why must you chatter incessantly with yourself?"

"I wasn't talking to myself. I was talking to Heero." Duo retorted, although talking to Heero was pretty much the same thing as talking to yourself. Or a wall.

Heero turned to face the soldier they had bound, gagged, and taken hostage on their rounds and was being held by Wufei. Ripping off the duct tape so the man could speak, Heero growled, "Where is everyone?"

The soldier, young and dark, answered shakily, "Across the street... at a meeting for the boss..."

"Drewmaud?" Heero asked, pointing his gun between the man's eyes.

"Lisantho? Yes, yes... and the one girl, Peacecraft, Relena Peacecraft. The boss is meeting with her this afternoon..." Before he could say more, Heero slapped the piece of tape back onto his mouth and jerked his head to the side. Wufei tossed the man to the side of the hallway, still tied and unable to speak.

"Let's go." Heero growled and started down the corridor.

***

"We've still got a couple bombs left," Duo said. They had all met up again a few moments ago and were discussing what to do since they couldn't carry out their plan. They had assumed Drewmaud would be there, and now with Relena to worry about...

"I'll stay and help Duo place the extra bombs," Quatre volunteered. "That way, Miss Kami and Heero could go and get Miss Relena, and Trowa and Wufei could back us both up if anything goes wrong."

Heero nodded. "I'll help get Relena." Trowa said suddenly. "The OZ personell should be there, so you'll need an extra hand." he explained.

"I think," Duo piped up, "That me 'n' Quatre can handle things by ourselves."

Wufei growled. "Must I be stuck with Maxwell again?"

"No," Kami said, sighing. "You can go and stay at the house for now. In case we need back up." She handed him a slip of paper and he looked at it. There was an address, a map, and a phone number written in Kami's sketchy handwriting. A small brass key was taped to the note as well.

"Alright then," Duo said cheerfully, "Let's go!" He grabbed Quatre by the arm and pulled the blond down the hallway.

Kami snorted. "A little trigger-happy?" Heero cocked his gun in reply. "Not as much as you or I, but still..." Kami added. This time, the Japanese boy smirked.

Trowa shook his head then saluted to Wufei and followed the two out the building. "The van's parked in the back." he said, reffering to the black eight passenger they had borrowed from a Preventer.

"I'll walk." Wufei started down the same hallway Duo and Quatre had gone.

***

A gunshot rang out and the wood on the doorframe shattered. Kami leaned back to avoid being hit by one the the inch long splinters that flew up.

"You missed." she said sarcastically. Heero glared at her, and then kicked the soldier in the stomach. The uniformed man doubled over and crumpled to the floor when the butt of Heero's gun hit the back of his neck.

"Oh well." he answered. His gun was empty now, and he didn't have anymore bullets so he dropped it on the ground. Kami gave a wry smile and smacked another soldier in the shoulder. He stumbled back and and she side-kicked him in the chest. The soldier slid slowly down the wall to remain unmoving on the floor. Trowa backhanded the soldier who was aiming at Heero and then knocked her out.

"Hurry..." Kami said as she ran into the room she had just kicked-in the door to. Heero disposed of the last guard and ran in after her. Trowa went through another doorway, looking for Relena, since he knew that Kami and Heero weren't thinking about the princess just then.

***

Heero opened the door slowly and the two paused, waiting for a band of soldiers to attack. Instead came a hearty greeting from inside the room.

"Well, well, well... what do we have here?" Kami flinched visibly at the sound of Drewmaud's voice. "Come in, you two. Don't just stand there like fools."

The two stepped in the dark room that instantly lit up as they reached the middle of the room. Drewmaud was sitting in a brown folding chair facing Relena who was tied to another chair.

"Heero!" cried out the princess.

"Relena..." Kami would have looked between the two but she was too busy glaring at the sandy haired man.

"Aka! My, have you grown..." His smile was twisted and his eyes were still the ice blue daggers Kami remembered. She stormed over to stand in front of him.

"My name is not aka." She clipped him one good and he flipped over in the chair. Heero untied Relena as the two fought.

"Get out of here." he said, "Now."

"But Heero..."

"I said get out of here." he replied harshly. She paused for a moment before running towards the door, but found it locked. She struggled to get it open, but finally gave up. Relena turned to see Heero fighting with Drewmaud now.

Kami got off the floor and was startled to see Relena in front of her. "The door's locked," she said. "I can't get out."

Kami glanced at Heero who had managed to kick Drewmaud's gun away. She sighed, grabbed Relena's arm, and pulled her to the door. Kicking it in wouldn't work, she thought. She'd have to pick it.

After a few minutes, she got the tumblers to turn but there were two wires inside the lock that she didn't know what would do if she opened the door. So she tried cutting through them. "Hurry," Relena whispered. "I think I smell smoke."

Kami paused. The girl was right. Someone had started a fire. And she was sure it hadn't been Duo and Quatre, they should have gone to the house to wait with Wufei. Heero had the dentonator. She looked back and caught the Peacecraft girl before she fell.

"Miss Peacecraft?" The girl had blood trailing down her left arm from what looked like a bullet wound. Kami looked up. Heero and and Dremaud were still fighting. Drewmaud's gun was lying on the ground in a corner, smoking. Gently, she set the girl's body on the ground. Getting up, she heard a gasp. She turned.

Heero was doubled over, Drewmaud holding his shoulders so he wouldn't fall. The blond sneered and twisted the knife a full one-eighty degrees. Kami felt like she was going to be sick as he pulled the knife away from Heero's side and let go of his shoulders. The Japanese boy fell to the floor, blood streaming from the injury.

A switchblade in her hand, Kami leapt onto Drewmaud's back. He was so startled he dropped the knife. She wrapped on arm around his neck and pulled back, forcing him to walk backwards. "Aka, come on," he said. "He's dead now, you don't need to protect him."

"Don't call me aka, Drewmaud. I'm not your baby. Never was and never will." Drewmaud back up into a wall.

"It seems you're stuck, Aka, between a two hard places and a rock."

"I don't think so." She flipped open the switchblade and held it to his throat. "I told you I would kill you someday, Drewmaud. This is that day." She ran the blade across his neck, drawing a thin line of blood, but he rammed her against the wall before it could go too deep.

Kami went limp and he threw her off to the side. He went to get his knife, but Kami kicked him in the shin and managed to crawl over to the knife before he got to it. She held the two knives out like one would swords and got up carefully.

"Aka..." Drewmaud stood up, took his gun and pointed it at Relena, who was still unconscious. "I'd suggest putting those down if you want her to live."

Kami glared at him. "Damn you," she said as she dropped the knives. He smirked as they clattered to the ground.

"Thank you." He shifted his aim.

"Go ahead." Kami said. Drewmaud raised an eyebrow, still smirking, and then began walking towards Kami, the gun pointed at her.

"I think I will." He put the barrel up to her forehead and tightened his finger around the trigger. Kami dropped to the floor all of a sudden, grabbed her switchblade, and stood again, ramming the knife up into his stomach, the handle poking out just below his ribcage. Drewmaud dropped the gun.

Kami pulled the blade out and the blond fell to the floor. "Good night, Drewmaud." she said as she tossed the bloody knife down next to him. The door fell in, narrowly missing Relena. Then the ceiling started to cave in.

Kami grabbed Heero's unconscious body and dragged him towards the door. The fire was starting to demolish the whole building. A piece of the wall fell in, ontop of the three. Kami managed to dig her way out, pulling Heero from underneath the rubble as well.

Where was Relena? Kami searched, and found the princess, but the fire was starting to come in the room. The lights had already gone out, and she could hear the support beams whining, giving under the weight of the debris that kept falling. The smoke was making it even harder to see and breathe now.

Kami guessed she could make it out with a few seconds to spare before the building collasped, but she had to get Heero and Relena out, too. She didn't think she could carry both. Kami realized she would have to choose between them. She would have to choose who would live and who would die...

Kami looked between the two. Who should she save? The boy she had been raised with, or the former queen of Earth? Fortunately, she didn't have to decide because Trowa rushed in.

"Kami-san!"

"Help me, Trowa, please." He nodded and began unpiling the wooden beams ontop of Relena's unconcious body. Kami hoisted up Heero's body and half dragged him out of the room. The fire was out of control now, a raging inferno that leapt up in untimed intervals. The flames licked and sputtered around the clown. Trowa was burned several times lifting up the hot metal pieces obstructing him from taking Relena to safety.

Kami ran in, breathing heavily. "Hurry, Trowa, the fire... it's growing." She helped him move the last pillar and he gathered the Peaceraft girl in his arms.

"Where's Heero?"

"I left him at the top of the steps. I had trouble getting there, and because the fire isn't lessening, I thought you would have a harder time." Kami shouted over the roar of the sirens outside.

On their way to the decending staircase, they had to jump over some pools of flames, passing Relena's body back and forth to cross some of the debris. Once they got to the staircase, Kami picked up Heero's unconsious body and the two made their way carefully down the broken steps.

Fortunately, the fire hadn't yet gotten to the wooden stairs, but the heat and the weight of the debris that had fallen on it before had caused some of the steps to crack, break, and even fall from their position.

As soon as the two reached the bottom, Trowa paused. "Hang on a minute," he said, setting Relena down. Kami let Heero's limp body slid to the tile floor as well, taking a tiny break before they rushed out the flaming double doors and onto the front lawn where the other pilots and an ambulance were waiting.

As a paramedic took Relena from his arms, Trowa collapsed to his knees. Quatre rushed over to him, thankful he was alive. "I'm alright, Quatre," Trowa said quietly, "I just need to catch my breath."

Because there was only one ambulance there, Kami let them take the Peacecraft. She and Duo got Heero into the van and waited for Quatre and Trowa to appear before gunning the engine and racing to the safe house Kami had managed to get. Wufei was already there, and Quatre called him on the car phone to tell him what happened. Wufei swore when he heard about their predictament. Heero was unconcious and wounded, Trowa was in pretty bad shape, and Kami wasn't talking to anyone.

"Are you alright, Miss Kami?" Quatre asked shortly after he hung up with Wufei.

"Hn..." She brushed her black bangs out of her face and continued breaking every speed limit in the colony. Quatre was about to ask her again, but a soft no from Trowa silenced him. Duo managed to find the detonator on Heero's unconscious body and pressed the button. The base exploded and the streets were littered with sparks. Kami had no trouble steering the van away from the flying debris, but some of the nearby trees weren't so lucky and the branches were aflame within seconds.

The tires of the van squealed to a halt in front of the house where Wufei was waiting. He jumped off the porch step and ran towards them while Quatre threw open the door and jumped out. Duo passed him Heero's limp figure then crawled out himself and helped Trowa out. Duo had surprisingly not said very much since they had run out of the building. Wufei ushered them into the house, but paused as he realized Kami wasn't with them.

Wufei went back up to the truck and opened the driver's door. Kami had her head on her arms, which were crossed ontop of the steering wheel. "Come on, woman," he said, tugging at her shirt. It wasn't a command, instead, it was quiet and apologetic.

Kami sighed and got out, holding onto Wufei's shoulder tightly as she climbed down. Her legs felt like jelly and her vision was swimming around. Wufei helped her to the door, not saying anything except a few soft-spoken comments like 'watch your step'.

Kami slumped into the reclining chair and buried her face in her hands as Wufei ran into the bedroom where Quatre and Duo had taken Heero. The girl didn't even notice when the three of them rushed past her, looking for things. All she could think about was Drewmaud.

He wasn't dead, after all. He had made it out of the bombing alive, had taken Relena hostage, and stabbed Heero... she couldn't get the scene out of her head. The knife, all the blood... all that precious blood... Heero's body going limp, falling to the floor. The knife in her hand... It was all in slow motion. She had felt so helpless... her body had frozen, refused to move. It was too late now, the girl, Relena, was probably dead now, and Heero...

"Miss Kami..."

She looked up to see Quatre peering down at her, concerned. "Miss Kami, uh, you're sort of covered in blood..." He swallowed.

Kami looked down. Her knees were pulled up to her chest, and her jeans were torn and singed. Her shirt, too, was in tatters and stiff from all the drying blood that was on it. Kami sighed and allowed Quatre to help her sit up.

He ran a warm, wet washrag across her cuts and burns, and bandaged them all up as best as he could. Kami changed into a clean outfit in the bathroom while Quatre checked in on Trowa, who had fallen asleep on a bed in the other bedroom.

Kami snuck into the bedroom she had seen Wufei go into. She stood there in the doorway watching Duo and Wufei work diligently over the unconcious form on the bed. Heero's shirt was in the bathroom sink, soaking; she had seen it when she changed. The soapy water was pink from the blood.

Kami left the two trying to stop the excessive bleeding coming from Heero's side. She walked around the house, circling around aimlessly until Quatre came back out. He smiled sadly, giving her a quick but gentle hug.

"It's alright," he said, "It's all going to be okay."

"I hope you're right..." They sat on the sofa and stayed there, deciding silently that they would wait until Wufei or Duo came out. After a few minutes, they heard Duo yell.

"No, wait!" Kami and Quatre jumped up at the sound of something crashing. "Heero! It's just us, man!"

"Niichan..." Before Quatre could grab her arm, Kami rushed into the bedroom.

Wufei was trying hold down a thrashing Heero while Duo got up off the floor. Kami ran over to the bed and grabbed Heero's arms, sitting on the edge. "Niichan... Niichan... Damare... yoroshii... Anata daijoubou desu (Quiet... it's alright... You're okay)..." she whispered.

Heero stopped thrashing. He laid there, breathing heavily. "I-imoto (Little sister)?"

"I'm here." She leaned forward so he could see her without having to move. She could hear Quatre helping Duo up and asking him what had happened.

"I don't know," the braided boy replied, holding his head. "He just woke up suddenly and got this really wild look in his eyes and started flailing."

"Niichan..." Kami asked softly. He looked up at her.

"Nani desu ka (What is it)?"

"Daijoubou desu ka? Odoroki miru (Are you alright? You look scared)..." Kami whispered.

"... Gomen (Sorry)..." Kami smiled sadly and looked back at Wufei, who was watching quietly. She nodded and went back to talking to Heero.

"Kibun ga warui desu ka (Do you feel bad)?"

"Iie, jissai ni jai nai (No, not really)." Heero answered quietly. Wufei came up, and looked questioningly at Kami, who looked at Heero. He glanced at Wufei, "Sorry, I thought you were someone else..." Wufei nodded, accepting the apology, and wiped his arm with an alcohol-soaked cotton ball.

"Drewmaud?" Kami asked, "Ima iru shinde (He is dead now)," she said simply. Wufei slipped the needle into his arm, and emptied its contents before drawing it back out. "Hitsuyo anata nemutte... yo ni anata kenko dekiru (We need you asleep... so you can heal)..." she explained to him. She was trying to choose words one would use when talking to a small child because Heero didn't seem to be completely in reality. He looked out of it, and didn't seem to be understanding that much of what was going on.

Heero nodded dumbly, and closed his glazed-over eyes, waiting for the sedative to work. Kami sighed, and gripped his hand tightly as his breathing got deeper. Wufei immediately started cleaning out the gash in his stomach again, the deep one that Drewmaud had given to him. Quatre left suddenly, not even closing the door behind him. Duo closed it for him, though, and came over to help Wufei stitch up the wound.

The American had to run out to get clean warm water at least twice because the gash was so deep it kept bleeding. Kami sat and watched silently, helping out a little when she could, but mostly keeping to herself. She never let go of Heero's hand, even after Wufei and Duo finished wrapping the bandages around his waist.

Kami laid down next to Heero on the bed, not caring that the sheets were bloody. Wufei just sighed and mumbled something about sentimatility in women and left. Duo smirked at the two before leaving. "You're a lucky guy to have gal like that, Yuy." he whispered and shut the door quietly.

***

"C'mon, Kami..." Duo poked her gently in the shoulder. "It's time to eat..."

"Mmh..." Kami turned over. Duo sighed and sat back on his heels. She had fallen asleep on the couch right after bandaging Trowa up. It had been several hours now, and she hadn't moved from her sprawled out position on the sofa even for dinner.

"Kami... come on..."

"Go 'way..." came a muffled reply.

"No," he said stubbornly, "You gotta eat."

"No, I don't... go 'way."

"Kami..." Duo stopped when Quatre put his hand on his shoulder.

"Just leave her alone for a little while, Duo," the blond said. The American sighed and got up, following Quatre to the bedroom they were sharing. Wufei was already snoring lightly in the bed next to Heero's, and Trowa had fallen asleep on the porch swing outside.

***

Trowa woke up in the darkness. It was hard to believe that such a busy place like L1 would actually have such quiet nights. Only the kitchen light was on, so he figured everyone had already gone to bed.

He got up, gingerly because he was still sore from his own injuries, and went back inside. Figuring the four beds were already taken, he slumped down on the couch. The blanket laying across the couch rustled a bit and he jumped up in surprise. Trowa realized it was Kami when she mumbled her nickname for Heero under her breath.

That's right, he thought, there's six of us now. Trowa sat back down at the end of the couch, right next to the arm, and crossed his arms over his chest. As he fell asleep, he felt Kami move closer towards him.

***

"Woman... get up..." Wufei poked the girl in the shoulder gingerly. She wasn't moving, save the motion of her chest telling him she was still breathing. "Woman..." he growled.

"Mmh?"

"Get up." Kami just rolled over. Wufei winced. He had been up for a few hours now, and when walking past, he had found Trowa and Kami sleeping on the couch. The clown was sitting straight up, his shoulders slouched, arms across his chest and head down. Kami, on the other hand, was laying across the whole couch, tightly wrapped in a blanket, and using Trowa's leg as a pillow. By turning over, she had managed to wedge her head between his stomach and his thigh.

"Woman..." he growled again. Trowa's head came up, and his shoulders went back.

"Wufei..."

The Chinese boy sighed heavily. He hadn't wanted to wake up the clown, just the girl. "She..." He waved at Kami, not knowing what to say.

Trowa looked down and almost smiled. "It's alright, Wufei," He unfolded his arms and placed a hand on Kami's shoulder. She curled up into a ball, still under the blanket, leaving room for Trowa to move. "What time is it?"

"Nine." Wufei replied, standing up. Trowa nodded and stood.

"Is anyone else up?"

"No."

"I'd better start breakfast anyway." Trowa said and walked to the kitchen. Wufei sighed, looking at the girl and followed him.

"I'm going to the Preventers building," he said, "We gotta get out of here as soon as possible." Trowa nodded.

"The keys are on the fireplace, I think." Wufei grumbled a thanks and left, making sure to slam to the door on his way out.

***

"I'll sleep on the couch again tonight," Trowa said.

"'Kay!" Duo bounded out of the room to grab a bed.

"I don't know, Trowa..." Quatre began. "I mean, you slept there already... I think we should take turns..."

"I'll be alright, Quatre." Trowa assured him. The blond nodded, still not completely giving up, and went off to see which bed Duo left open. Wufei glared at the tall boy.

"It's the girl, isn't it?" he asked.

Trowa stared straight back at him. "It was an offer that everyone accepted. Unless you would like to sleep on the couch tonight, I'll be in the living room." He stood up and went over to the couch, leaving Wufei sitting alone in the dining room slash kitchen. The Chinese boy sighed and headed to the bedroom he was sharing with Heero.

***

Kami was still wrapped up in the blanket on the couch. She hadn't gotten up for anything. She had barely moved except to reach out and throw something at Duo when he poked her too hard. Trowa sat down in the same position he had slept in the night before.

The blanket rustled and a black haired head popped out. "Trowa?" she called quietly.

"What is it, Kami-san?" he asked softly.

"Are you sleeping here again?" Kami's voice was quiet and muffled. He nodded.

"Would you prefer someone else?" She shook her head and moved back further down in the blanket. Trowa shook his head, a tiny smile on his face, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Goodnight, Kami-san." he said.

There was no immediate answer. After a few moments, though, he heard her whisper, "Oyasimi nasai (Good night)." Trowa closed his eyes and fell asleep, a small smile on his passive face.

***

Kami woke up in the dark. It was always so dark, so cold, when she woke up. She buried herself further underneath the blanket, curling into a ball. A gentle hand reached out and rested on her shoulder. Her muscles tensed but when the hand pulled her gently up to it's warm body, she relaxed a little.

Two arms wrapped themselves around her small, shivering form and hugged her tightly. "Don't leave me..." she whispered. The arms seemed to pause, but then gripped her more tightly. "It's so dark... so cold..." Kami felt one of the arms move away.

"Don't leave me alone... I don't want to be alone again..." The arm returned and she was pulled closer to the warm wall she was already up against.

***

Trowa looked down at the shivering bundle in his lap. Kami had been mumbling things under her breath and when he went to turn on the lamp on the nearby table, she had asked him to stay.

Trowa didn't know what to do, but remembered what Heero had done before. He gathered her shaking body in his lap and rocked gently. Kami went limp and her whispered nothings ceased. Trowa didn't know why, but he smiled. He ran his hand through her hair, gently untangling the knots as he did so. Even in the dark, he could see the green streak in the black mess.

Trowa sat that way for seemingly hours, his hand in Kami's hair, the other keeping her close to him. She seemed so small wrapped up in the blanket on his lap. During the time he spent there, sitting with the sleeping girl in his lap, Trowa thought about her. She seemed to reflect a trait from all of them. She had Quatre's kindness and generosity, Duo's out-going, cheerful personality. Like Wufei, she felt strongly about what she believed in, and her instincts and skills matched those of Heero's. Trowa cocked his head. What was it that made him have something in common with the fifteen year old girl? Eyes...

He realized they had the same eyes. Not only were the colours similar, but the way they looked at you were remarkably similar as well. Trowa thought about all the times he had stood in front of the mirror, staring at himself. His eyes seemed to stare back at him, in a deep, haunted looking way. Kami's were like that too. Like the one saying, their eyes reflected themselves; they were the windows to their pasts. Trowa wore many masks, trying to hide himself underneath them all. His eyes seemed to be the last and most important of all his masks. Nothing could get by his observant sight, and if it did... Trowa shook his head. He had cried once, and only once, because his masks had been penetrated.

Was Kami the same? Yes, Trowa thought. She hides behind her eyes. She buried her past, her true feelings, behind them, and yet, as hard as she tried, they would always betray her. Like himself. Trowa didn't smile that often, but one always knew he was happy by the glimmer in his eyes. He didn't need to turn up the sides of his mouth to show someone he was happy; his eyes said it clearly long before he would ever have to. Like Kami's.

She had tried so hard to keep to herself at first, but she was glad she now had people to talk to, people who understood. She wanted to protect them from her secrets, and had failed, but she wasn't exactly upset. He saw it in her eyes. They told him everything. When she got mad, they would narrow; sad, and they would glisten. Her eyes grew large if she was afraid or acting innocent, darken if she became grim. They would light up when Heero walked in the room, twinkle when she was happy. But there was always a sparkle in her eyes, a flame that would never burn out, and a passion that made it seem as if smiling was the only thing possible.

Trowa smiled again, a real one, and held her closer to him than before. Kami gave a tiny whimper and snuggled further within the blanket. Trowa closed his eyes. He could get use to this. He could get use to this very nicely.

***

[Chapter Four Finished]

[Chapter Five Teaser: "Stop being so damn stubborn! Even you can show a little weakness once in a while, you know." Trowa said. "Stop trying to be such a hero."]

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A/N: Someone, I'll not say who, suggested (well, more like requested, but okay...) that I pair Trowa with Kami. They seem like a cute couple, don'cha think? But I promise it's just going to be a close friendship. No hentai allowed, peeps.

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A/N: FHY, yes, I know and I don't watch Saint Seiya, so no...

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A/N: Mandarin is the Chinese language... in case you guys were wondering. I believe Sally grew up in China, so that's why she would probably know the language. As for Kami... well, you'll just have to find out ^^

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