Cri de Coeur

by PegasusAcc

When Trowa finds that Midii Une has died, he thinks he's at the end of his search for forgiveness. But a new partner and new mission show him that everything isn't what it always appears to be. In fact, most things are much more deadly...

2. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own it, so please don't sue. All characters and gundam related materials are strictly the property of Sunrise/Sotsu Agency and Bandai Entertainment.

Author's Note: All italic sections represent memories or flashbacks.

Cri de Coeur:

Chapter One

Another dream that will never come true

Just to compliment your sorrow

Another life that I've taken from you

A gift to add on to your pain and suffering

Another truth you can never believe

Has crippled you completely

All the cries you're beginning to hear

Trapped in your mind, and the sound is deafening

-"Prayer" Disturbed

Preventer headquarters was dimly lit, the faint glow from the florescent lights reflecting off the highly polished floorboards. It was still early, and few officers wandered through the hallways. Trowa turned the corner, stepping in front of the left-hand office. With a cautious glance over his shoulder, he entered the room and quickly clicked the door back into its frame.

Duo glared at him, perched from atop the desk shoved against the adjacent wall. His meter-long braid lay draped across his shoulder, and a deep scorn peeked from beneath his dark chestnut bangs. He leaned forward as Trowa shifted toward the small fridge in the corner in an attempt to avoid Duo's gaze.

"Ahem…might I inquire where you've been young man?" Duo coughed in a motherly tone, swinging from the desk. "Do you know that time it is?" Trowa glanced at his watch.

"Six fifty seven," he stated matter-of-factly, sidestepping Duo's attempt at early morning humor. He bent to find a bottle of water. It had only been six months, but Trowa already regretted having volunteered to share an office with the rambunctious pilot. Heero and Wufei, being full-time Preventers, shared a large and much more furnished office. Quatre, dueling with the duties of Preventer, Winner Industries and the occasional peace delegation meeting had an office upstairs. He and Duo had agreed to share an office in an attempt to cut down on expenses.

"Don't get smart with me, it's my job to be funny. You're in enough trouble as it is! Une is having a cow!" Duo let a grin replace the scorn. "Honestly, Trowa, I can't always cover for ya. An entire Preventer shuttle missing is a bit flashy, don't ya think? You didn't even try to cover your tracks. Didn't you think someone would notice?"

Trowa blinked back the images that had plagued his dreams the past two nights. He'd woken in a cold sweat, hand flying to his chest to finger the small crucifix and assuage all doubts that the escapade to Earth was real. Though he had managed a few hours of sleep, Trowa felt both refreshed and exhausted at the same time. He sighed as he noticed the bottle he had grabbed from the fridge.

"Duo, why is there milk in the fridge?" Duo arched his eyebrows, chuckled, then scratched his head.

"Have you not been listening ol' buddy? I told ya that Une was having a cow." Trowa blinked then tossing the bottle into the trash. Duo slid across the desktop and fell into the chair. He propped his feet onto the polished wood before grinning again and placing his hands leisurely behind his head. "Actually, those are only the bottles left from my mission in stocking Une's fridge. It took me a while to override the security system to her office, so I didn't have any time to find a decent hiding place for the leftovers."

Trowa grimaced and slammed the fridge door shut. "Honestly, Duo. How does Hilde put up with your antics?" Duo's nose wrinkled.

"She appreciates my attempts at humor at least. This place has become much too boring during peace. All I'm trying to do is, well, liven things up a bit." He spun and closed the blinds in a single fluid motion. The room suddenly became dark, and it took Trowa a few moments to see more than shady outlines.

"Duo, what the hell are you doing?"

Duo made a small peephole in the blinds before turning around again. "Okay, I gotta know man, where did you go?"

Trowa made his way cautiously toward the light switch. "First off, that's none of your business. And secondly," he said flicking the switch and shedding light into the room. "Why did you shut the blinds?"

Duo's eyes narrowed a bit before leaning back in his chair again, feet hanging on the corner of the desk. "Just trying to make the interrogation fun," he replied frankly. "But if you don't want to tell me where you went, I'll just have to let Une know about what really happened to her shuttle." He leaned back a little further, balancing his chair on the back two legs.

Trowa slid behind his own desk, sifting through the mounds of paper that had piled around the computer in his absence. "You wouldn't, Duo. You're not that kind of person." Duo's chair came crashing to the ground like a gunshot.

"Trowa, you can't always be hiding from everyone and everything," Duo snapped, massaging his temples. "The war is over. You don't have to hide behind that mask of your anymore. You could learn to trust a little."

Trowa gazed at Duo from behind hooded eyelids. "What did you say?"

Duo stared. "What, you mean you have to learn to trust a little?"

Trowa shook his head. "No, before that."

"Oh, I said you don't have to hide behind that mask of yours anymore." Duo watched his friend across the office, noticing the slump in his shoulders and the worry etched into his face. "I know that you're trying to hide something. Hell, I do it all the time, and so does everyone else every once in awhile." He leaned back again, staring nostalgically at the soft blur of fan blades. "But ever since the war ended, I've come to realize that I really don't have to worry if people will think I'm weak or not. I don't have to put on airs and play the part dealt to me. I can just be me." Duo winked at Trowa. "Do you understand what it is I'm trying to tell ya?"

Trowa nodded heavily. He knew well enough that he continued to pose behind the façade he'd adopted.

"I went to Earth," he mumbled finally, placing his hands around his neck and leaning over the desk. "I was looking for someone. Or information about someone anyways." Duo arched an eyebrow quizzically, but didn't push him farther. "But she died a long time ago."

Duo nodded, grabbing a bottle of milk from the fridge. "An old case you needed to put to rest?" He opened the bottle and took a long gulp.

"I guess you could say that." Trowa undid that clasp, letting the small cross fall onto the desktop. He fingered the metal before sweeping it from the desk and tossing it at Duo.

Duo caught the trinket, gazing over the piece in the early light. His brow furrowed before he put the bottle down. "I didn't have you figured for a religious man." Duo snorted. "And I doubt you've suddenly converted. What's this?"

"It was hers-Midii's I mean. She gave it to me once when we were children. I'd met her a long time ago, before the gundams even existed. I was just a kid born into war; she was well," Trowa shuddered involuntarily at the memory. He suddenly felt very, very cold. "She was a spy," he finished. "She killed the commander…my comrades…everyone…"

"Everyone but you," Duo pointed out, taking another noisy sip and licking away the white mustache that had begun to form.

"Everyone but me," Trowa repeated as he ran his fingers through his hair. "And it was because of that," he said, pointing to the cross Duo still had draped across his palm. "Because of that transmitter that I was spared." Duo cleared his throat. He tossed the cross back to Trowa, who again fastened it around his neck.

"If you hated the chick, why didn't you-"

"Why didn't I just kill her?" Trowa supplied. He paused, staring absently in front of him. "Different reasons," he said finally, grabbing a file from the heap and beginning to flip through the contents. Duo watched him for a moment, then shrugged. Trowa obviously wasn't in a talkative mood.

"Whatever you say." He leaned back again, finishing off the final swig of milk. He gazed at his reflection upside down in the window. The mustache made him look older. He grinned, knowing for a fact that Hilde would kill him if he grew a real one. She was already fed up with the length of his hair as it was.

Someone outside rapped loudly on the door. "It's open," Duo called, stifling a yawn.

Lady Une walked sternly into the office, her heels clicking with each quick, fluid step. She was clean and pressed as had come to be expected, but today her expression was especially sour. As her gaze met Duo's and her eyes narrowed. "Is there something we could help you with?" Trowa asked quietly, peeking from beneath his bangs.

Lady Une turned swiftly. "As a matter of fact, there is." She strode in front of Trowa's desk, tossing him the folder she had tucked beneath her arm. "Officer Barton, I'm assigning you a new partner." Duo tried to restrain a cackle of laughter. Une turned a venomous glare toward him.

"Do you find something funny, Maxwell?" she quipped hotly. Duo waved his hands frantically.

"No, no! Of course not," he lied, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from breaking down. Une inhaled deeply and turned back to Trowa.

Trowa leafed through the documents, scanning the information. "I assume there are no problems?" she hissed, flipping back a strand of her hair past her shoulder.

"I don't see any," he said again quietly. "But if you don't mind me asking, why are you assigning me a partner? I've always been fine working alone before." A devious grin curled across Une's lips.

"Perhaps she'll be able to restrain you," she jeered. "It will be harder to pull a stunt like borrowing a Preventer shuttle without authorization when you have someone trailing you all the time." Une rested her hand on her hip, not bothering to go into details about how she had discovered the pilot's stunt. "And she's from Earth, so perhaps she can sustain your obvious obsession."

Duo continued to chuckle. Une suddenly turned on him savagely. "And don't think that you're getting off the hook so easily," she growled, walking toward his desk. She tossed a strand of hair over her shoulder and smiled smugly. "You have a mission of your own." She leaned forward, eyes narrowed. "You will clean out my fridge by the end of the day, lest suffer my wrath further."

Duo gawked, the smile suddenly gone from his face. Une had gained a nasty reputation for when her temper flared. He wasn't too excited about facing her head on. "But how'd you know? I'm sure that I overrode every security mechanism you had…"

"A thing that Heero is rectifying at this very moment."

"But then-"

Trowa cleared his throat, pointing to his upper lip as Duo looked past Une. Immediately Duo leaned over the back of his chair again, looking as his mustache. "Shit."

Une spun and made her way to the door. "I expect to see you, Barton, in my office this afternoon at 4:00. Until then, finish the grunt work that has been piling up in your absence. But you, Maxwell," she motioned with her finger for him to follow. "Come, Bessie."

As Duo got up to leave, he growled under his breath, "Who would have thought that Une had a sense of humor?" Then he winked and left, braid waving behind him.

Trowa massaged his shoulder as he trudged slowly down the hallway. He'd spent a good portion of the day reading up on files and cases that had indeed begun to stack around him during his brief disappearance. It was amazing how many fires Preventer was forced to extinguish every day. There had been at least seven attempted security break ins, and in turn, Heero had changed the security system settings just as many times. Then there were a few cases of officers gone bad, people threatening to sell secrets, and of course the question of the missing shuttle. Trowa sighed. At least there hadn't been a single mention of an unhappy faction vying for control and attempting to ignite another war.

Fighting an overwhelming urge to let his eyes close and fall asleep, he continued to Une's office.

The second half of the day he'd devoted to reading the files Une had given him that morning pertaining to his new partner. He recoiled slightly at the memory. He didn't completely understand why Une decided that due to his insubordination he merited the constant accompaniment of a partner. But he wasn't one to question direct orders given to him.

Her name was Eve Natire, and most of the information Trowa had been given were facts regarding her past cases and accomplishments. There hadn't been any facts about her as a person, except for the basic physical attributes; height, weight, eye and hair color. But what had intrigued him most was the absence of a photo. For as many details he had memorized, Trowa still felt as if he were meeting a complete stranger.

Before he realized, he was standing in front of Une's office. He hesitated a bit before knocking lightly.

"Come in."

Trowa opened the door and stepped lightly into the office. "Officer Barton, right on time, as is to be expected," Une said in a forced, sweet tone. She ushered him into the office with a wave of her hand. "I'm sure you've read up on the information I gave you this morning?" Trowa nodded, sure to keep his face expressionless. He let his eyes wander to the large tapestry of Trieze Kushrenada hanging in the corner of the room, trying to keep himself from feeling slightly unnerved by the dead man's constant stare.

"Yes, but I was surprised by the lack of information regarding her as an individual."

"What do you mean?" Une asked, sitting back in her chair. She cast a disapproving glance toward the ground before looking at Trowa expectantly.

"Ma'am, I don't' even know what my partner looks like, let alone what she's like as a person." Une's puzzled expression quickly cleared and smoothed.

"Oh, that. Don't worry about the picture. She was just inaugurated into the main branch of Preventer this past week, and she barely had time to send her files to me at all. She's been rather busy in terms of shutting down a still operational mobile doll factory in the ruins of a base on Sicily. But don't worry; her shuttle has just arrived, so you'll be meeting her soon enough, face to face."

Trowa shifted the weight from one foot to the other. "And regarding the background information?" Une's lips pursed together for a moment.

"I've made an exception and exempt her from that, just as I have for you Gundam pilots. Rest assured I've received a report on her past from various superiors, or at least the few that are still alive anyway. And although she's a bit sketchy in some areas, over all I have no doubt that she'll make a fine Preventer."

Trowa frowned. "Perhaps, but don't you think that I should be privileged to that information?" Une pondered a moment, weighing the possible outcomes.

"I suppose, in all rights, you should. But I'm not going to give them to you. You'll have to have her tell you herself." Trowa shuffled uncomfortably, his back stiff. "Trowa," she said softly, dropping her adopted act of superiority. "Everyone had done things in their pasts that they wish they could escape, that they could forget. Sometimes, the only way those people can deal with their demons are to keep them bottled up and keep them to themselves." Trowa lowered his head to stare at the carpeting. Had his trip to Earth not been along those same principles? His past was something he would rather keep to himself when possible. If it had taken him this many years to come to terms with what he'd done, how could he expect others to accept his actions if they found out?

"You can't possibly sit there and convince me that there aren't secrets in your past that you wouldn't rather stay hidden?" Une joked half-heartedly. "Everyone has them, the inexcusable and heinous crimes that you try to convince yourself you committed in a state where you weren't exactly stable. It's those devilish memories that give us the capability of guilty, regret, compassion and forgiveness. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" she finished softly, her voice a gentle coo. Trowa nodded somberly, lifting his head.

"Yes."

Une sighed, blinked and then smiled. "I'm glad."

A low groan rose from the floor and Une quickly spun, her face contorted in slight disgust. "What are you complaining about now?" she barked, walking tersely to the side of her desk. Trowa peered around the corner, spying Duo sprawled along the carpeting with dozens of empty milk bottles scattered about his body. Trowa had to force back the rare smile that threatened to crack his features.

Duo gazed at Trowa, his eyes misty. "All day," he complained, as if picking up from a previous conversation. "She's had me here all damn day."

"And you will be here all damn night until you finish," Une quipped, kicking the sole of his shoe. "You put those bottles there, and now you will finish them." Duo groaned again, craning his neck just far enough to look back into the small fridge that sat on the floor behind his head.

"But there are still at least two dozen left. Are you trying to make me sick?" Une arched an eyebrow, drumming her fingers impatiently on the desk, her nails clicking on the hard surface.

"Are you trying to test my patience?" she countered. Then she looked over her shoulder at Trowa. "You are dismissed. Her shuttle should be docked at port A-12. I expect you'll have no problems in finding her." As Trowa turned to leave, Duo grabbed his pant leg.

"Mommy," he whined pitifully. "Could I please at least have a cookie to go with my milk?" Trowa couldn't help but let the grin slide across his lips. Une quickly yanked hard on his braid, and set him back to work.

By the time Trowa arrived at the dock, the crowd leaving the shuttle had already thinned considerably. Une had known that for Trowa, picking Eve out of the crowd wouldn't be a difficult task. Though there was no picture, the physical attributes given in her file would be enough. That, and he already knew most of the officers there, by face if not by name or reputation.

The overhead lights blinked and flickered. Trowa stared at the ceiling. As wonderful and powerful Preventer was, it still had certain quirks. No matter how many times the buildings electricians had tried to fix that light, it never shone like it was meant to. The apparent shortage had elicited a few dozen "how many electricians does it take to screw in a light bulb" jokes from Duo, and in turn a few dozen smacks behind the head from Heero or Wufei, whomever was handy at the moment.

The woman standing in front of him snapped Trowa back to reality. "Excuse me," she said in a tone that implied it wasn't the first time she had said it. "Trowa Barton? Excuse me?" Her hair was a pale blonde, hanging low over her shoulders and down her back. Her extended hand was perfectly manicured, her fingers slim. She gazed expectantly at him with muted dove eyes. "Are you alright?"

Trowa's heart stopped, her name hanging on his lips.

"My name is-"

"Midii," he breathed, taking her hand and knowing as soon as the name left his lips that it couldn't be her.

The woman wrenched her hand away, her peaceful expression contorting into panic. And fear. "No, my name is Eve Natire. But tell me, how do you know the name of my dead partner?"

It took him a moment to fully return to his senses as he fumbled over her words. "Partner?"

Eve bent to pick up her bag that she had left at her feet. Her eyes were lowered as she forced her fingers not to shake. Then she stared at him, as if committing him to memory. Was this the man she had been so excited to see, to meet, and to work with? She had expected the same age, but with eyes older than they should be. Just like hers. She had wanted to meet him so badly, from the moment she'd seen his green eyes staring at her from his photo. Every nerve in her body had tingled, every fiber had ached… It was him. There was no mistaking it. Someone who would understand her and what hell she had been forced through as a child. If anyone knew her, it would be him. It would be a Gundam pilot. They were the same.

But the man in front of her was not at all what she expected. He seemed no more than an empty shell, with eyes filled with too much pain. It hurt to look at him.

She looked away, starting down the corridor. She didn't know where she was going, but her feet simply started walking. She would have run if it were possible. "She was my partner, before the war." She said flatly, tossing the comment over her shoulder.

Trowa walked briskly to catch up with her. "So you knew her?" he asked hopefully. If someone here, living so resembled Midii, perhaps the body they had dubbed hers didn't in fact belong to her at all.

Eve eyed him warily. "Yeah, I knew her. I was with her up until she put the pistol to her temple at least."

His shoulders instantly slumped. "So then she is dead," he said in a low whisper. Instinctively he grabbed the cross around his neck.

Eve stopped abruptly and turned on him. "Yes, and I would appreciate it if you didn't remind me. Now, how do you know about Midii? I've answered all your questions. It's your turn to answer mine." Her voice was acidic, the words crisp and biting.

Trowa pulled the necklace from underneath his shirt to show her. Perhaps she would understand at least. If anyone would, it would be her. He wondered in Lady Une knew that the partnership she had forced on him was turning out to be more of a blessing than a burden. Trowa's eyes regarded the woman across from him solemnly.

"Where did you get that?" she gasped, suddenly breathless. "You shouldn't have one of those unless you fought for the inner-workings of the Alliance…"

"I knew her when we were children," Trowa began. "She snuck into my camp with the intention to kill everyone there. But I guess she felt sorry for me, remorse for someone like her. Children who couldn't control their own futures. I told her once that we were the same. She told me once that she loved me." He tucked the trinket back underneath his cotton t-shirt. "But I didn't listen. I should have." He looked at Eve, about to ask another question. But he stopped. She was crying.

"Then you are him," she whispered, the tears she couldn't retrain sliding down her cheeks. "I thought you might be, from what Midii told me, but…you really are…really were…Nanashi…"

Trowa waited a moment, then nodded slowly. Eve shook her head. "Somehow I thought you might be alive after all this time, but I wanted to forget that I had ever heard about you." Trowa's face turned to a look of puzzlement. Wiping the tears away, Eve began to explain.

"I spent the night with Midii after she returned from that mission, the one inside your camp. It had been her first solo job, and I found her alone in her tent." Eve tried to crack a smile through the pain the memories brought her. "She was crying, and I remember thinking it was strange because she always tried not to." Another tear trickled down her cheek. "I used to worry about Midii sometimes. She bottled things inside of her and never let anyone help her." She took a deep breath, trying to collect herself. "In the end there was nothing I could do to help her. Not really."

"I'm sorry," Trowa said quietly. Eve finally forced a smile through.

"Don't be. It's not your fault." Trowa started down the hallway again.

"I meant I was sorry for bringing up something that was still so painful."

Eve waved her hand frivolously, finally having regained her composure. "It's not just you. With everything that's happened to me in the past few days, things have started to take me off guard and I just need to regain my bearings." She held out her hand again. "So let's restart, this time on a better footing. My name is Eve Natire. Nice to meet you."

Trowa smiled slightly and took her hand. The skin was warm, the hand steady. "Nice to meet you. My name is Trowa Barton," he said, thinking to himself how glad he was to introduce himself with a name, rather than a placeholder in her memory.

Eve entered the tent quietly, trying not to rustle the canvas. Midii sat hunched in the corner, her back turned toward her partner. Her shoulder shook.

Eve frowned, no longer caring about trying to sneak up on her. "Midii?" she asked quietly. She placed a hand on her quivering shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Midii turned toward her. Normally it would have been like looking into a mirror. Throughout the Alliance they were known as the twins, call name Gemini. They weren't related in any way, legally or by blood, but they looked so freakishly alike that few people could tell them apart. They had honed the gift, using it in their missions.

But tonight was different. Midii's eyes were red-rimmed and swollen from crying. She glanced at Eve, tears still clinging to her eyelashes. In her hands, she held a small knife.

"I can't do it anymore," she sobbed quietly, cautious that one of the other officers didn't hear her crying. "I can't keep on doing this." She held the knife closer to her.

Eve sat next to her and started to rub her back in small circles. "What are you talking about, Midii?"

She dropped her head, hair curtaining her face. "Killing people. I can't do it anymore." She lifted her face to look at her only friend. Tears were falling again. "And I can't keep on betraying people anymore."

Eve stopped rubbing Midii's back. Of all the things she had expected to hear, this was the last thing that had crossed her mind. "But Midii, your family…if you quit, the Alliance will-"

"I know what they'll do!" she screamed, suddenly hysterical. "My brothers will go hungry. My father will go without the medical help he needs. They'll die, Eve! Don't you think I know that better than anyone?!" As she punched the ground, Eve winced as she heard a sickening crack. Midii didn't seem to notice.

Midii leaned forward over her knees. "Is my killing so many people to save only a few really the right thing to do though?"

Eve stood suddenly. "What do you mean, is it the right thing to do? Of course it is! If it weren't for people like the rebels, there wouldn't be a war, and your family wouldn't need to worry about simple things like food and medicine. But right now, they need you!"

Midii hiccupped. "But isn't it selfish of me to think that way?" Eve bit her lip.

"Midii. You love your family more than anything don't you?" Midii nodded slowly, almost reluctantly. "Then you should know that you owe your loyalty to them more than you do to a bunch of strangers." She sat again and waited.

"But, Eve. They aren't strangers by the time I finally betray them."

Eve clenched her fists, knuckles turning white. "But they're still murderers."

"And we aren't?" Midii retorted, turning the blade over in her hands. Eve's face contorted into a twisted expression of pain and anger.

"But we're different! We're trying to get rid of them so that there won't have to be fighting anymore. They're trying to cause battles because they like the killing and the pain it brings. Why else would they want to fight against the Alliance?" Eve took a deep, rickety breath and turned around so that she was facing the wall. "I knew I shouldn't have given you this mission. I should have just taken it, since it was assigned to me anyway."

"But I'm glad that you gave it to me," Midii mumbled, her voice soft. "Because I needed the money." Eve looked over her shoulder and Midii stared back at her gratefully. "That, and if you hadn't I never would have met him."

Eve tilted her head and turned around again. "Met him?" Midii nodded, letting the remaining tears fall from her lashes and down her cheeks. "Nanashi. One of the rebel soldiers."

"Nanashi?" Eve scoffed, clicking her tongue. "What kind of name is that?" Midii bit her bottom lip, not sure if she should continue. She could get herself in a lot of trouble if she did.

"He didn't have a name, and so everyone called him that instead." She waited a moment, then reached into her pocket and pulled out the two transmitters. Eve gawked.

"Midii!" she hissed, snatching back the trinkets. "What happened to these? Do you know how upset the commander will be when he sees that you've ruined them?"

Midii closed her eyes, then continued with her story. She knew she could trust Eve with anything. "Nanashi shot them, before he let me go. It was after I had called in the bases coordinates. He knew that I was a spy, but instead of killing me like he should have, he shot those and let me go." Eve turned white.

"And you just let him go?" Midii nodded, taking back the pieces of the cross transmitter.

"Yes. I gave him this one, so the Alliance doesn't even know that a rebel is still alive. I brought them back because I wanted to remind myself of what he said to me." She looked at Eve, stark pain radiating in her eyes. "I broke the rules in more ways than one, Eve. Not only did I give him the transmitter and let him live, but I fell in love with him too!" She hiccupped again. "I'm so tired of betraying everyone. The rebels, the Alliance, Nanashi, and now even my own family!" She held up the knife. "If I just die I won't have to worry about it anymore." Midii's eyes shone wildly. If she killed herself now, her family would still be taken care of because everyone would have thought that it had been Eve that had killed herself. "This is the only way that I can make sure that I take care of them now." She began to sob again.

Eve stared at her, horrorstricken. She grabbed for the knife. "What are you doing?!" she cried angrily, snatching the blade away from Midii. "You're family wouldn't want you to kill yourself because of them! They don't want you to die at all! That's why you made me promise I would never tell them what it is you do, remember?" Midii fell lifeless to the ground, sobbing. Eve felt her own hot tears on her cheeks.

"Besides," she continued quietly. "All my family is gone except for you, Midii. Are you really going to leave me all alone?" Midii turned to her side.

"But it hurts so much."

"I know it does," Eve cooed. "But promise me, promise me that you won't leave me alone." She smiled through her own falling tears. "Promise me that you won't leave me by myself." Midii pulled herself into a ball for a moment, the lifted herself up onto her knees.

Midii wiped away her own tears with the back of her hand. "I promise. From now on, we really are family." Eve nodded, placed the knife next to her and threw her arms around her partner.

"From now on," Eve said quietly. "We never do anything alone." Midii nodded into her shoulder.

Outside the tent, a shadow grinned and toed the dirt. He had been waiting for something like this. But for now, he's just store it away for a later time. He wasn't in any rush.

Silently he crept away into the darkness.