Note: I don't own Gundam Wing or its characters.
Waiting in the shuttle for his shuttle to the L-3 to join with Catherine and the rest of the circus crew Trowa reflected upon his last few days with Quatre. He didn't know why exactly but lately Quatre had been acting rather giddy, smiling like a fool, daydreaming during conferences, and just plain old spacing out.
It wasn't like Quatre really, it was more or less like Quatre when Relena had been around him…
That girl, Salimar, her words just made him think, what it would have been like to ever try to actually talk with Relena before she had ran off. She was always a fairly reasonable person when she wasn't stuck in her idealistic world, which he believed had shattered sometime during her time as Vice Foreign Minister.
As Trowa thought he actually realized that he held himself back from attempting to be on good terms with Relena because he was envious of her fortune, impossible as it seems. He was jealous that he held a part of Quatre that he could never touch and was a bit green that she had a past, memories of who she was. Yet, somehow he felt he could relate to her.
I wonder if she took off to find herself, find the person who she could or wants to be, thought Trowa as he stood up after hearing his shuttle being called for boarding. Whatever she is in search of I hope she finds it well.
*****
It was strange that the brothers were having this sort of meeting without the girls but it didn't concern them so much as it just concerned them. It was morning and Adam was slowly getting dressed into black waders and a white beater while Sage just sat, legs crossed, on his bed watching.
"I take it Jack has already told you," Sage spoke up seriously.
"As soon as he found out. So he found the damn photos, that's what Relena wanted though," shrugged Adam as though it were no concern of his.
"It's not over until the fat lady sings," sighed Sage as a grin took hold of his features. They were both too stubborn to give into anything that would go against a friend.
"And I don't see any fat lady around," grinned Adam checking himself out in the mirror. "Do you think he even knows Relena's full name or any other relative's names for that matter?"
To this Sage snorted, "No, if he did he wouldn't be here looking for her now would he?" It was stupid and yet the easiest name that Relena gave herself. "If anything I just think he is a bit on the blind side of things."
"Perhaps…" nodded Adam as he heard, from the downstairs, singing. "Sounds like the girls are practicing again."
"They have been at it for the last two hours, since five this morning," added Sage as he shook his head. "Those three are so determined to get this into an actual CD."
"Well, let's go join them," suggested Adam as he grabbed a black satin jacket.
How could he have overslept? He, the perfect soldier, soldier boy-as Relena had so "cutely" named him as, slept in late? Something in that sentence didn't make sense to him as he turned his head and read the clock once again to be certain of the time, even though he already judged it by the amount of sunlight in the room.
"Seven, who sleeps in until seven?" Heero muttered to himself as he stood up from the chair he had slept on and saw that the bed was empty. His eyes narrowed at the mere thought of the conversation he had the other night with Sylvia.
Deciding it best to ignore the whole incident Heero picked up his bag and opened it, pulling out the box full of photos. Placing the box on the bed he began rummaging through it, pulling out all the photos, ID bracelets, and tiny objects that must have meant something to Relena.
Looking through the little objects Heero observed a key chain of Rosemont, Illinois a place which he knew that Relena had never been to during her time as Vice Foreign Minister. There was a small action figure of Robin Hood, a small quote book, a treble clef necklace, and a drama club pin.
The ID bracelets Heero didn't even bother with for he already knew that they would be one for each friend. Instead he went straight for all the photographs. They were very happy photos often with three or more of the six clique members usually between Relena, Adam, and Sage. Though there was one picture between just Adam and Relena sharing a swing together and staring intensely at each other.
He didn't really know why but when Heero saw that picture it just mad him turn green, not with disgust but with some emotion that he couldn't quite place. Though he had experienced more emotions from the time he met Relena than what a normal person would learn in a lifetime, but he had yet to learn of this emotion or how to handle it.
Resisting the urge to tear up the photo, Heero decided to go seek out Adam and Sage to have a "talk" with them, more like pump them for information.
The moment he got out the door he ran right into the two he was looking for.
"Morning Heero," greeted Adam with a devilish grin.
"We know you would like to interrogate us about Relena, so let's just get it over with. What would you like to know?" Sage demanded not bothering to beat around the bush.
"Hn," nodded Heero opening the door more as to allow both men access into the room.
They made themselves cozy, Adam on the bed bouncing up and down, and Sage in the chair that Heero had previously occupied.
"Oh…lookie here Sage here's one of me, you, and Draca," grinned Adam as he went through the pictures that were set on the bed. "And here's one of me and Lena! Don't we look so cute?!"
"Where is Relena?" demanded Heero leaning against the closed door with a hand behind his back in case he would feel the need to reach for his gun and have his questions answered in a rather uncivilized fashion.
"You don't like to beat around the bush, do you?" Adam pouted. "Well, I don't know and I was the one that had helped her escape, Sage did nothing but sit back home and worry his little head off."
"Hey!"
"Where was the last place you saw her?" Heero inquired though he didn't believe all of that Adam had just told him.
"Shuttle port. That's where she wanted to be dropped off at, before she left the car she gave the box and told me to hide it somewhere for you to find," he shrugged as he looked down at his filthy nails. "Aw man, I need to clean these puppies."
"We had checked every space port and airport in England, none of them had any record of Relena leaving England," stated Heero.
"False name. Come on, you of all people should know about false names. Plus with the Preventers' technology and just simple technology today it's easy to make a fake passport, drivers' license-even though Relena never got hers since she was too busy being Vice Foreign Minister-, fake birth certificate, and a fake social security card," explained Sage. "Even someone like Relena is able to make such things."
Heero was about to respond to that when there was a knock on the door, causing Heero to step away from it, and then Draca entered the room carrying a tray with breakfast foods and orange juice on it. Her eyes widen at the sight of Heero awake and then they narrowed when she saw Adam and Sage there.
"Am I interrupting something?" she asked keeping her eyes on the twins.
"No, we're done here," answered Sage as he got up and dragged Adam off the bed, away from the box items. "Come on Adam…"
"Dude, come on I can walk! I got legs like you, so I can walk on them just like you!" complained Adam as he was dragged down the hallway.
Once alone with Heero, Draca set down the tray of food on Sylvia's dresser. "Your girlfriend thought that you may want something to eat," muttered Draca noticing the items on the bed. "I guess I'll leave you to figure out Relena's game." Draca was about to leave but Heero grabbed her by her shoulder.
"Game?"
"Don't tell me you never knew, Relena loves to play games. You see she never got the chance to play games like tag, duck-duck goose, or even ring around the rosy as a child since she didn't have any friends as a young child," Draca told him as she brushed his hand away. "Don't ever touch me again. Now good day!"
This time Draca got out of the room before Heero could even grab hold of her again.
This is all a game, is it? A game of elimination and a game of cat and mouse, observed Heero as a smile tugged at the ends of his lips.