They were to be investigating a heavily Chinese financial group that was suspected of being a front for an anarchist military group, the Chinese language and cultural references being used to disguise any non-legal dealings.

"Wouldn't Preventor Sally Po be a better choice than me?" Meiran asked curiously, knowing the other woman by reputation.

WuFei looked up from where he'd been scrutinizing a computer print-out. He had been squinting at it and she watched the lines smooth at the corners of his eyes as he focused on her. "Sally is already undercover with the operation. This isn't merely a two person investigation." He turned his attention back to the print-out, squinting fiercely at it again.

"You forgot your glasses." She remarked absently, her own attention returned to the information before her.

She missed his startled glance. She should not have known he wore glasses but after a moment he shrugged it aside. Quite a few people had learned a great deal about him due to the publicity that came with being a Gundam pilot. He reached into a drawer and pulled out the glasses, setting them on the end of his nose. Meiran tried not to look but her hands were itching to shove those lenses higher, just as she'd always wanted to do.

He caught her look. "What?"

"Nothing." She knew her voice had a slight hint of bitter sadness. After a second she found she couldn't keep quiet as she'd meant to. "You just...look a lot like someone I used to know."

"Oh." He didn't ask anything. It was the sort of inquiry that didn't go well after a war where so many had died. She was glad he didn't ask, for she wouldn't have known what to say. Instead, she let her eyes fall back to the paper in front of her and the line of print that her eyes had passed over at least three times before without actually seeing it.

Silence fell between them, broken only by the sounds of the paper shuffling or when one of the memos posted to the wall finally gave up its tentative gluey hold and slid noisily down to the floor. Neither of them got up to replace it, although the sound of it falling had been so loud and disturbing in the quiet office. Somehow the sound of that paper hitting the floor seemed to echo through the air even when there was nothing but quiet again, the memory of the sound almost a tangible thing.

"Duo's found out about your birthday." The voice came without prelude or warning.

Both of them looked up, surprised, to meet the cool gaze of the green eyed man leaning against the door jam.

WuFei sighed in resignation. "I knew it wouldn't be long. Trowa, this is Mary Chin. Mary, this is Trowa Barton." She nodded her greeting and looked away from those too-clever eyes.

"Mary is not a Chinese name." he commented. But Trowa Barton never idely commented. His words always served a point, a purpose.

"Sally isn't a very Chinese name either, is it?" she retorted, hoping her voice was calm enough and that her eyes didn't reveal her untruths.

"What's Duo getting me this time?" WuFei asked, interrupting whatever Trowa might have said. His tone was one of amused affection and tolerance.

"A kitten. You're going to want to name it fast. He's already calling it Nataku for you." Without changing his expression any, somehow Trowa was smirking.

"Na-Nataku?" Meiran choked out before she could catch herself.

"Yes. Why?" WuFei's voice had gone hard and dangerous.

"It's...isn't it...I mean, it's a rather strong name for a cat, don't you think?" And she hoped her voice didn't tremble, that he wouldn't see the tears behind her eyes that he had thought so little of her that he would name a cat the name he had promised to her. But perhaps even a cat had deserved the name over her.

WuFei nodded decisively. "You are correct. I will have another name ready for when Duo "surprises" me. Thank you Trowa."

Trowa nodded once and, with one more searching look at Meiran, left his post at the doorjam.

After that, the silence resumed between the two agents except for one of them asking the other to pass a different set of documents or asking for confirmation on one piece of information or another. Finally the day came to a close and WuFei stood, indicating that she could leave.

"I will see you tomorrow Preventor Chin." He had gone back to being politely formal again.

She nodded and stacked her papers neatly, leaving the office but she knew she wasn't going home. She kept seeing some amorphous ideal of catness in her mind, a cute blue collar with a bell and a tag with her name. She found her feet leading her to the gym that Ardon had showed her that first day, that room where she had first seen the man she loved again. The man who had never felt that way for her.

Angrily she threw a quick roundhouse kick at the punching bag, following it with the sharp jabs of punches, feeling the bag bounce satisfyingly against her rage and despair. She liked the feeling of the sweat making its tickling way down between her eyes, stubbornly refusing to wipe it away.

Don't be weak. Don't be weak. It was a mantra she repeated to herself over and over. As if she somehow had the power to defy gravity and stop her broken heart from falling to the ground.

She had to stop though when her breath came harsh even in her own ears and the trembling of her hands from overwork became too much to ignore.

Trowa Barton was standing beside the bench, holding out her towel to her. She took it without a word and dried off her face, not saying anything. Instead she set the towel back down on the bench and finally looked up, meeting his cool observing gaze.

"Are you going to tell him?" she asked, deadly serious.

Silence stretched between them for a long tense moment. Or at least Meiran was tense. Trowa was calm and implacable as always.

"No."

She narrowed her eyes. "Why not?" The words came out harsh and demanding. Why would he keep her secret? Why keep this secret when he would tell his friend of such a small thing as a birthday present?

But he did not answer her. Instead he just turned and walked away, his shoes somehow noiseless even here in the wood floored, high ceiling-ed gym.

Scowl firmly in place, Meiran grabbed her towel and stormed away in the opposite direction. Men! She would never understand them!

Author's Note: So I still haven't figured out how to space these things so they're separate from the story (the spaces in my word document disappear online) but hopefully you'll forgive me. Anyway, thanks so much for the reviews! They really make my day. If you have any questions, comments, advice please review and let me know. And even if you don't really have much to say, review anyway! It makes me happy!