Hi there! I've been meaning to write down this story for eternity. It's the
sequel to Nanashi-The Untold Story, but don't worry, if you haven't read
Nanashi-The Untold Story, then don't worry about it. It really doesn't come
directly after my first story, even though I still call it a sequel. In
fact, it takes place after Endless Waltz, but my main, favorite character
is much older now. Mendel Noin, Trowa's savior, and guardian for three
years, will soon meet with him again. So, if you've read my first story and
you're wondering, what happens next? Will Mendel succumb to her gunshot
wound she got when defending Trowa? Will Trowa ever see her again? Then
this is the story for you!
Prologue
Mendel Noin is Lucrezia Noin's older sister. When she was 16, she was shot defending a little boy she called Nanashi. Her new friend, Naomi, nursed her back to perfect health, but she could never heal the scar Mendel got when she lost Nanashi. Mendel decided to leave for the colonies in the year AC 190, the same time Trowa left for the exact same reason. In the year AC 197, Mendel chose to work as a nurse helping out the Preventers. The Mariemaia Incident, as they now call it, forever changed Mendel.
"Those gundam pilots are so brave, so strong. I want to see them, I want to help them. So that I may be proud of myself."
Chapter 1 Peaceful Reunion
Mendel awoke the next morning feeling anxious. Something's going to happen. Something bad. She swung her legs over her cot and walked out into the hall. Her head swung from left to right, the long tangled hair swinging freely, in a breeze? Mendel slowly walked down the hall; there was an air of suspicion, treachery. She seized her gun from her belt; that was one thing she knew everyone carried, even the mere employees. In time of an attack, everyone would be needed. Only once had she seen everyone carrying a gun, that was during a terrorist attack on the building. She wound around the corner, then froze. Footsteps slowly approached from the opposite end. Mendel took a few steps back, then raised her gun. A man wearing black walked right in front of her, then stopped as he to drew a gun. He didn't hear her. She slowly approached. The man still didn't seem to hear her. Then at the same time, they both faced each other, guns pointed at the other's head. Mendel looked at the man's face and then exclaimed,
"Duo!"
"Mendel? Hey what are you doing here?"
Mendel rolled her eyes, "I live here."
"Oh.right."
"I woke up with a strange feeling this morning. I felt treachery in the air."
"Oh there's treachery all right. Sally Po relocated the kitchen facilities, and she won't tell me where they are."
Mendel laughed, "Is that why you're here?"
Duo smiled, "Yep. So are you going to help me or not?"
Mendel put her arm through his, "Of course."
Even though Mendel is twenty-eight, she still likes to hang out with Duo. But he's the only gundam pilot who she can talk to or see. She has spoke with Quatre a few times in the past, but only on the intercom or the phone. Only once has she seen Quatre Raberba Winner, and that was when the terrorist's had attacked; he was checking to see if she was all right. Instantly she thought of him as the best gundam pilot, and her personal favorite; of course she would never tell Duo that.
Mendel walked down the hall to the right wing with Duo beside her. A few employees walked by, but paid no real attention to them; of course with the exception of one Miss Naomi, who purposely ran straight into Duo. The gundam pilot did his best to avoid the oncoming assault, but Mendel pushed him right into the way of Naomi, as always, and Duo fell to the ground. Mendel and Naomi looked over him, then burst out laughing at his daily embarrassment.
"Got you again, Duo Maxwell!" said the happy Naomi.
"That's three months in a row!" Mendel shook hands with her friend and then gathered up the fallen gundam pilot.
"One day I'll get you back for this, I swear!" Duo glared at the two ladies, then he to burst out laughing. They all were so loud that many people in nearby offices peered out their windows and shook their heads. They knew the daily ritual. They had to be put through the same laughing fit every single morning. Mendel, Naomi, and Duo headed to the left wing, all still giggling from the morning's onslaught.
"You know, Duo, I know where the kitchen is." Naomi said slyly.
"Well then where is it?" Duo stared at her.
"Sally Po told me. It's on the west wing on the 17th floor. But the elevator's broken so you'll just have to walk up there."
"Ugh. Oh well. Thanks Naomi. See ya later!" Duo yelled as he mounted the stairs leading to the 2nd floor. Mendel turned to her colleague,
"I thought the kitchen was on the third floor."
Naomi turned and a smile came across her face, "It is."
Mendel looked at her, and they both laughed until the got to the lobby of the building. The Preventers building used to be a hotel, so there is a swimming pool, rooms, and of course, a hot tub. Mendel always called the lobby the main room. Naomi always asked her why, but when she did, Mendel would simply cast her eyes away and say nothing. Naomi flopped down on the nearest couch while Mendel searched the large library shelf for something interesting to read. She returned to sit next to her friend, a large book sitting in her lap.
"What's that?" Naomi said, looking suspicious and curious all at once.
"A dictionary." Mendel said flatly as she began to flip the pages. One by one the pages flew, until Mendel stopped and looked at a page with an illustration of Super-Man.
"Ah yes, here we are. Hero: a man or boy admired for his bravery, great deeds, or noble qualities." Mendel looked up at Naomi.
"They say Heero Yuy is a hero."
"Yeah but he doesn't have noble qualities." Duo said behind the wide sofa.
"Duo! That was quick!" Naomi said looking at her watch.
"What do you mean, 'he doesn't have noble qualities'?" Mendel said, looking confused.
"Heero's a good guy, he's just not the nicest person on earth, or the colonies." Duo turned to Naomi. "Hey good one!"
"Thanks!" Naomi smiled. "But I couldn't have done it without my partner in crime!" Naomi said happily as she swung her arm around Mendel's shoulders. Mendel looked down at the book, trance-like.
"I wish I could meet him." She said.
"Who?" Naomi looked at her worriedly.
"Heero."
"Oh no you don't," Duo said looking at her. Mendel looked up at him pitifully. "Oh no, I'm not falling for that again." Mendel's bottom lip began to quiver and her eyes filled. "Oh, oh, okay! Okay! I'll introduce him to you as soon as he and Trowa get back from their recent mission."
"What do they have to do?" Naomi said.
"Just a few terrorists, that's all."
"Oh." Naomi got up and walked over to the window. "Hey, Mendel,"
Just then, the intercom sounded, "WILL MISS MENDEL PLEASE RESPORT TO THE WARD, I REPEAT, WILL MISS MENDEL PLEASE REPORT TO THE WARD."
Mendel turned to Duo and Naomi. "Gotta go." She said as she rushed out of the room.
She rushed down at top-speed all the way down one hall, then she took a sharp right, and headed down another hallway. By the time she got to the ward, she had successfully run into two other nurses, one janitor, and three employees.
"What have we got?" She said as she slipped on her white lab coat.
"Just one ma'am. A gundam pilot." Said a nearby nurse.
Mendel froze, "A gundam pilot is injured?"
"Yes." The nurse handed Mendel a roll of gauze.
"Name?" Mendel took the gauze and rushed into the room before the nurse could answer. She slammed the door behind her and saw, a child?
"You're the gundam pilot?" she said, looking puzzled.
"Yes," Was all the boy would say. He looked at her, "have we met?"
Mendel sat on the bed next to him. "Anything broken?" The young pilot shook his head. "Well at least tell me your name."
"Trowa Barton"
"Okay Trowa, well it seems that you're pretty banged up." Mendel went over to the table and picked up another roll of gauze.
"I can see that." Trowa said dryly.
"I'm afraid I don't treat smart alec patients." Mendel turned to him and thought, what the heck am I thinking? This is a gundam pilot! "Well, let's see what we're dealing with." Mendel walked over to him. "Please take off you're shirt."
"What?" Trowa looked at her in disbelief.
"Ugh, you're as stubborn as." Mendel stopped. She was about to say Nanashi, but no doubt Trowa would ask her all about it; then Mendel would have to tell the whole painful story all over again.
"As stubborn as who?" Trowa asked.
"No one. It seems to me that you have broken something. In fact you've broken a lot of things." She reached over to him and lifted up his arm. It gave off an awful scraping noise, and she set it back down. She expected to see pain, or at least discomfort in Trowa's eyes; instead she saw nothing. Astounding, it's like it doesn't even hurt him. That reminds me of Nanashi. He never complained when he would get hurt, he wouldn't even show it in his face. Trowa seemed to read her mind.
"I guess you'll want to know if that hurt. Well it did."
Mendel nodded absently, then got back to work. She steadily wound the gauze around Trowa's broken arm, as she did so she looked into Trowa's face. He was looking on, his face emotionless. Mendel almost forgot about his shirt. She got up and moved behind him. Mendel felt her hands. Good and cold. She bent down and lifted the shirt off before Trowa could even protest, and tossed it to the far end of the room. When Mendel met with his face again, she saw with satisfaction that it had indeed changed. It went from stiff neutrality, to an annoyed expression. He glared at Mendel as she pulled up a chair and looked at him.
"You remind me. of a little boy I once knew." Mendel turned away from Trowa's curious gaze.
"What was his name?" Trowa asked.
"He didn't have a name. I found him when he was only a baby." Mendel stood up and walked over to Trowa, then sat on the bed next to him. She slowly and lovingly wound the gauze around his bruised and beaten chest.
"You don't have a family," Trowa began, but Mendel cut him off.
"Yes I do. Lucrezia Noin is my younger sister, and Duo and Naomi are my best friends."
"Your Lucrezia Noin's sister?"
"Yes. For many years I thought she was dead. I have no other family, if that's what you mean." Mendel continued to wrap the gauze around Trowa. He looked up into her eyes and said,
"I have no family either, except Catherine and the other gundam pilots and Sally Po, and.Miss Noin." Trowa crossed off his long list of allies and friends in his head. Mendel never met his gaze until now. She looked deeply into Trowa's beautiful emerald green eyes, and saw a hidden kindness; a kindness that someone else has taught him, that someone, he will never forget. She pulled away from her slight trance and turned back to her work thinking, what if I could bring out that kindness once again. He seems to know Lucrezia, but I feel very comfortable in his presence, like I know him.
"Then you know Duo." Mendel slowly began to wrap the gauze more tightly.
"Yes."
"Naomi and I always play tricks on him every morning."
"So I've heard."
"Well did you know that Sally Po relocated the kitchen facilities?"
"Yes."
"She didn't tell Duo where they were. He went looking for it."
"That's Duo."
"We tricked him into walking seventeen flights of stairs."
Trowa said nothing, but just continued looking out the window.
"How did you get like this?" Mendel asked.
"Long story."
"Oh." Mendel could already tell that Trowa was not a talkative person at all. She was merely trying to make him laugh, but instead he seemed to just get more annoyed. Mendel almost jumped when someone knocked on the door. Mendel opened the door to a rugged looking man in a white lab coat.
"Mr. Toji! What are you doing here? I thought you were taking Naomi out to lunch!" Mendel said looking surprised. She and Naomi had both had their eyes on Mr. Toji for a long time, but then again, so did every other girl did who worked at Preventers HQ.
"I came to check up on you Miss. Noin." Mr. Toji said as he pulled a chair up from across the room.
"If you don't mind, Mr. Toji, I'm kind of in the middle of something right now." Mendel reached over to the table sitting next to her and pulled up another roll of gauze from the drawer. "Do you know Mr. Yuy?" Mendel began to roll the gauze around his broken arm once again.
"Who?" Mr. Toji and Trowa both asked at the same time.
"Oh you mean Heero!" Mr. Toji looked at Mendel and smiled.
"Huh? Heero? Yes I know him." Trowa looked behind him where Mendel was casually wrapping now the rest of his back.
"What's he like?" Mendel asked Trowa.
"He's hard to describe."
"Oh."
"Well I'll leave you two love birds alone." Mr. Toji said as he stood up and left the room. Mendel and Trowa both looked at each other. Mendel blushed and Trowa cleared his throat. Then both fell silent as they looked into each other's eyes.
"You remind me of Nanashi." Mendel said.
"You remind me of Mendel." Trowa said.
Mendel's breath failed, she was speechless. A lump slowly developed in her throat. As for Trowa, he was feeling the exact same thing. Trowa bent over to her. A small tear crept down Mendel's cheek. Trowa wiped it away almost instinctively. She reached out and hugged him, and then there was an exchange of pure love. Mendel wept; and with every stuttering gasp Trowa would hug her more tightly. At last they parted. Mendel finally found her Nanashi.
"I thought you were dead." she said.
"I thought you were dead." Trowa looked straight into her face. "I'm glad your not."
"Me too."
"Are you finished?"
"Yes."
"Then let's go."
Mendel left the room first, then followed Trowa through the massive building. She never took her eyes off her Nanashi, and he only did when he was leading. Soon they both approached a large door. Trowa opened it and revealed a large control room, with spy cameras everywhere, and four young people sitting at large table in the middle of it all. One of those people was Duo.
"Duo!" Mendel cried happily as she ran toward him.
"Mendel? Hey what the heck are you doing here?" Duo looked surprised and annoyed at the same time. "Your not supposed to be here!"
Mendel looked around the table, two familiar faces, two not-so familiar faces. She turned around, and one I know very well. She smiled. Trowa smiled back. Quatre stood up,
"Mendel?"
"Yes? Oh! Hello Quatre!"
"Hello. Trowa what is she doing here?"
"She wanted to see Heero."
"What!?"
"Come on Mendel," Trowa motioned to her, and she followed. He pulled out a chair and Mendel sat down. In front of her two boys sat, the other two gundam pilots, she found out. The one on the right, with his hair pulled back, was Wufei Chang. He stretched out his hand and Mendel shook it courteously. Then Trowa introduced the other boy, Heero Yuy. Heero didn't outstretch his hand like Wufei, he only nodded. But it didn't bother Mendel at all; she didn't like shaking hands either.
"I've been wanting to meet you for some time, Heero." Mendel looked up, then straight at him. She found that it was hard to look at Heero in the eye, and yet, she couldn't pull herself away from the empty stare. Duo suddenly jumped up and got between them both.
"Hey Mendel, you're not supposed to be here. This is top secret." Duo stared hard at her. Mendel looked at him. Duo instantly turned his gaze away. She couldn't understand it. He never acted like this before.
"Duo?" Duo turned back to her, then shrugged and sat back down. Something's wrong. It had been wrong since this morning when Mendel woke up.
"What's up?" Mendel asked.
"We've got a problem." Quatre said, never meeting her gaze.
"And we need your help." Heero said.
***to be continued***
Prologue
Mendel Noin is Lucrezia Noin's older sister. When she was 16, she was shot defending a little boy she called Nanashi. Her new friend, Naomi, nursed her back to perfect health, but she could never heal the scar Mendel got when she lost Nanashi. Mendel decided to leave for the colonies in the year AC 190, the same time Trowa left for the exact same reason. In the year AC 197, Mendel chose to work as a nurse helping out the Preventers. The Mariemaia Incident, as they now call it, forever changed Mendel.
"Those gundam pilots are so brave, so strong. I want to see them, I want to help them. So that I may be proud of myself."
Chapter 1 Peaceful Reunion
Mendel awoke the next morning feeling anxious. Something's going to happen. Something bad. She swung her legs over her cot and walked out into the hall. Her head swung from left to right, the long tangled hair swinging freely, in a breeze? Mendel slowly walked down the hall; there was an air of suspicion, treachery. She seized her gun from her belt; that was one thing she knew everyone carried, even the mere employees. In time of an attack, everyone would be needed. Only once had she seen everyone carrying a gun, that was during a terrorist attack on the building. She wound around the corner, then froze. Footsteps slowly approached from the opposite end. Mendel took a few steps back, then raised her gun. A man wearing black walked right in front of her, then stopped as he to drew a gun. He didn't hear her. She slowly approached. The man still didn't seem to hear her. Then at the same time, they both faced each other, guns pointed at the other's head. Mendel looked at the man's face and then exclaimed,
"Duo!"
"Mendel? Hey what are you doing here?"
Mendel rolled her eyes, "I live here."
"Oh.right."
"I woke up with a strange feeling this morning. I felt treachery in the air."
"Oh there's treachery all right. Sally Po relocated the kitchen facilities, and she won't tell me where they are."
Mendel laughed, "Is that why you're here?"
Duo smiled, "Yep. So are you going to help me or not?"
Mendel put her arm through his, "Of course."
Even though Mendel is twenty-eight, she still likes to hang out with Duo. But he's the only gundam pilot who she can talk to or see. She has spoke with Quatre a few times in the past, but only on the intercom or the phone. Only once has she seen Quatre Raberba Winner, and that was when the terrorist's had attacked; he was checking to see if she was all right. Instantly she thought of him as the best gundam pilot, and her personal favorite; of course she would never tell Duo that.
Mendel walked down the hall to the right wing with Duo beside her. A few employees walked by, but paid no real attention to them; of course with the exception of one Miss Naomi, who purposely ran straight into Duo. The gundam pilot did his best to avoid the oncoming assault, but Mendel pushed him right into the way of Naomi, as always, and Duo fell to the ground. Mendel and Naomi looked over him, then burst out laughing at his daily embarrassment.
"Got you again, Duo Maxwell!" said the happy Naomi.
"That's three months in a row!" Mendel shook hands with her friend and then gathered up the fallen gundam pilot.
"One day I'll get you back for this, I swear!" Duo glared at the two ladies, then he to burst out laughing. They all were so loud that many people in nearby offices peered out their windows and shook their heads. They knew the daily ritual. They had to be put through the same laughing fit every single morning. Mendel, Naomi, and Duo headed to the left wing, all still giggling from the morning's onslaught.
"You know, Duo, I know where the kitchen is." Naomi said slyly.
"Well then where is it?" Duo stared at her.
"Sally Po told me. It's on the west wing on the 17th floor. But the elevator's broken so you'll just have to walk up there."
"Ugh. Oh well. Thanks Naomi. See ya later!" Duo yelled as he mounted the stairs leading to the 2nd floor. Mendel turned to her colleague,
"I thought the kitchen was on the third floor."
Naomi turned and a smile came across her face, "It is."
Mendel looked at her, and they both laughed until the got to the lobby of the building. The Preventers building used to be a hotel, so there is a swimming pool, rooms, and of course, a hot tub. Mendel always called the lobby the main room. Naomi always asked her why, but when she did, Mendel would simply cast her eyes away and say nothing. Naomi flopped down on the nearest couch while Mendel searched the large library shelf for something interesting to read. She returned to sit next to her friend, a large book sitting in her lap.
"What's that?" Naomi said, looking suspicious and curious all at once.
"A dictionary." Mendel said flatly as she began to flip the pages. One by one the pages flew, until Mendel stopped and looked at a page with an illustration of Super-Man.
"Ah yes, here we are. Hero: a man or boy admired for his bravery, great deeds, or noble qualities." Mendel looked up at Naomi.
"They say Heero Yuy is a hero."
"Yeah but he doesn't have noble qualities." Duo said behind the wide sofa.
"Duo! That was quick!" Naomi said looking at her watch.
"What do you mean, 'he doesn't have noble qualities'?" Mendel said, looking confused.
"Heero's a good guy, he's just not the nicest person on earth, or the colonies." Duo turned to Naomi. "Hey good one!"
"Thanks!" Naomi smiled. "But I couldn't have done it without my partner in crime!" Naomi said happily as she swung her arm around Mendel's shoulders. Mendel looked down at the book, trance-like.
"I wish I could meet him." She said.
"Who?" Naomi looked at her worriedly.
"Heero."
"Oh no you don't," Duo said looking at her. Mendel looked up at him pitifully. "Oh no, I'm not falling for that again." Mendel's bottom lip began to quiver and her eyes filled. "Oh, oh, okay! Okay! I'll introduce him to you as soon as he and Trowa get back from their recent mission."
"What do they have to do?" Naomi said.
"Just a few terrorists, that's all."
"Oh." Naomi got up and walked over to the window. "Hey, Mendel,"
Just then, the intercom sounded, "WILL MISS MENDEL PLEASE RESPORT TO THE WARD, I REPEAT, WILL MISS MENDEL PLEASE REPORT TO THE WARD."
Mendel turned to Duo and Naomi. "Gotta go." She said as she rushed out of the room.
She rushed down at top-speed all the way down one hall, then she took a sharp right, and headed down another hallway. By the time she got to the ward, she had successfully run into two other nurses, one janitor, and three employees.
"What have we got?" She said as she slipped on her white lab coat.
"Just one ma'am. A gundam pilot." Said a nearby nurse.
Mendel froze, "A gundam pilot is injured?"
"Yes." The nurse handed Mendel a roll of gauze.
"Name?" Mendel took the gauze and rushed into the room before the nurse could answer. She slammed the door behind her and saw, a child?
"You're the gundam pilot?" she said, looking puzzled.
"Yes," Was all the boy would say. He looked at her, "have we met?"
Mendel sat on the bed next to him. "Anything broken?" The young pilot shook his head. "Well at least tell me your name."
"Trowa Barton"
"Okay Trowa, well it seems that you're pretty banged up." Mendel went over to the table and picked up another roll of gauze.
"I can see that." Trowa said dryly.
"I'm afraid I don't treat smart alec patients." Mendel turned to him and thought, what the heck am I thinking? This is a gundam pilot! "Well, let's see what we're dealing with." Mendel walked over to him. "Please take off you're shirt."
"What?" Trowa looked at her in disbelief.
"Ugh, you're as stubborn as." Mendel stopped. She was about to say Nanashi, but no doubt Trowa would ask her all about it; then Mendel would have to tell the whole painful story all over again.
"As stubborn as who?" Trowa asked.
"No one. It seems to me that you have broken something. In fact you've broken a lot of things." She reached over to him and lifted up his arm. It gave off an awful scraping noise, and she set it back down. She expected to see pain, or at least discomfort in Trowa's eyes; instead she saw nothing. Astounding, it's like it doesn't even hurt him. That reminds me of Nanashi. He never complained when he would get hurt, he wouldn't even show it in his face. Trowa seemed to read her mind.
"I guess you'll want to know if that hurt. Well it did."
Mendel nodded absently, then got back to work. She steadily wound the gauze around Trowa's broken arm, as she did so she looked into Trowa's face. He was looking on, his face emotionless. Mendel almost forgot about his shirt. She got up and moved behind him. Mendel felt her hands. Good and cold. She bent down and lifted the shirt off before Trowa could even protest, and tossed it to the far end of the room. When Mendel met with his face again, she saw with satisfaction that it had indeed changed. It went from stiff neutrality, to an annoyed expression. He glared at Mendel as she pulled up a chair and looked at him.
"You remind me. of a little boy I once knew." Mendel turned away from Trowa's curious gaze.
"What was his name?" Trowa asked.
"He didn't have a name. I found him when he was only a baby." Mendel stood up and walked over to Trowa, then sat on the bed next to him. She slowly and lovingly wound the gauze around his bruised and beaten chest.
"You don't have a family," Trowa began, but Mendel cut him off.
"Yes I do. Lucrezia Noin is my younger sister, and Duo and Naomi are my best friends."
"Your Lucrezia Noin's sister?"
"Yes. For many years I thought she was dead. I have no other family, if that's what you mean." Mendel continued to wrap the gauze around Trowa. He looked up into her eyes and said,
"I have no family either, except Catherine and the other gundam pilots and Sally Po, and.Miss Noin." Trowa crossed off his long list of allies and friends in his head. Mendel never met his gaze until now. She looked deeply into Trowa's beautiful emerald green eyes, and saw a hidden kindness; a kindness that someone else has taught him, that someone, he will never forget. She pulled away from her slight trance and turned back to her work thinking, what if I could bring out that kindness once again. He seems to know Lucrezia, but I feel very comfortable in his presence, like I know him.
"Then you know Duo." Mendel slowly began to wrap the gauze more tightly.
"Yes."
"Naomi and I always play tricks on him every morning."
"So I've heard."
"Well did you know that Sally Po relocated the kitchen facilities?"
"Yes."
"She didn't tell Duo where they were. He went looking for it."
"That's Duo."
"We tricked him into walking seventeen flights of stairs."
Trowa said nothing, but just continued looking out the window.
"How did you get like this?" Mendel asked.
"Long story."
"Oh." Mendel could already tell that Trowa was not a talkative person at all. She was merely trying to make him laugh, but instead he seemed to just get more annoyed. Mendel almost jumped when someone knocked on the door. Mendel opened the door to a rugged looking man in a white lab coat.
"Mr. Toji! What are you doing here? I thought you were taking Naomi out to lunch!" Mendel said looking surprised. She and Naomi had both had their eyes on Mr. Toji for a long time, but then again, so did every other girl did who worked at Preventers HQ.
"I came to check up on you Miss. Noin." Mr. Toji said as he pulled a chair up from across the room.
"If you don't mind, Mr. Toji, I'm kind of in the middle of something right now." Mendel reached over to the table sitting next to her and pulled up another roll of gauze from the drawer. "Do you know Mr. Yuy?" Mendel began to roll the gauze around his broken arm once again.
"Who?" Mr. Toji and Trowa both asked at the same time.
"Oh you mean Heero!" Mr. Toji looked at Mendel and smiled.
"Huh? Heero? Yes I know him." Trowa looked behind him where Mendel was casually wrapping now the rest of his back.
"What's he like?" Mendel asked Trowa.
"He's hard to describe."
"Oh."
"Well I'll leave you two love birds alone." Mr. Toji said as he stood up and left the room. Mendel and Trowa both looked at each other. Mendel blushed and Trowa cleared his throat. Then both fell silent as they looked into each other's eyes.
"You remind me of Nanashi." Mendel said.
"You remind me of Mendel." Trowa said.
Mendel's breath failed, she was speechless. A lump slowly developed in her throat. As for Trowa, he was feeling the exact same thing. Trowa bent over to her. A small tear crept down Mendel's cheek. Trowa wiped it away almost instinctively. She reached out and hugged him, and then there was an exchange of pure love. Mendel wept; and with every stuttering gasp Trowa would hug her more tightly. At last they parted. Mendel finally found her Nanashi.
"I thought you were dead." she said.
"I thought you were dead." Trowa looked straight into her face. "I'm glad your not."
"Me too."
"Are you finished?"
"Yes."
"Then let's go."
Mendel left the room first, then followed Trowa through the massive building. She never took her eyes off her Nanashi, and he only did when he was leading. Soon they both approached a large door. Trowa opened it and revealed a large control room, with spy cameras everywhere, and four young people sitting at large table in the middle of it all. One of those people was Duo.
"Duo!" Mendel cried happily as she ran toward him.
"Mendel? Hey what the heck are you doing here?" Duo looked surprised and annoyed at the same time. "Your not supposed to be here!"
Mendel looked around the table, two familiar faces, two not-so familiar faces. She turned around, and one I know very well. She smiled. Trowa smiled back. Quatre stood up,
"Mendel?"
"Yes? Oh! Hello Quatre!"
"Hello. Trowa what is she doing here?"
"She wanted to see Heero."
"What!?"
"Come on Mendel," Trowa motioned to her, and she followed. He pulled out a chair and Mendel sat down. In front of her two boys sat, the other two gundam pilots, she found out. The one on the right, with his hair pulled back, was Wufei Chang. He stretched out his hand and Mendel shook it courteously. Then Trowa introduced the other boy, Heero Yuy. Heero didn't outstretch his hand like Wufei, he only nodded. But it didn't bother Mendel at all; she didn't like shaking hands either.
"I've been wanting to meet you for some time, Heero." Mendel looked up, then straight at him. She found that it was hard to look at Heero in the eye, and yet, she couldn't pull herself away from the empty stare. Duo suddenly jumped up and got between them both.
"Hey Mendel, you're not supposed to be here. This is top secret." Duo stared hard at her. Mendel looked at him. Duo instantly turned his gaze away. She couldn't understand it. He never acted like this before.
"Duo?" Duo turned back to her, then shrugged and sat back down. Something's wrong. It had been wrong since this morning when Mendel woke up.
"What's up?" Mendel asked.
"We've got a problem." Quatre said, never meeting her gaze.
"And we need your help." Heero said.
***to be continued***
