Owning absolutely nothing.

Segment 14:

A Flower, Red Like Blood

Summary:

On Earth, Sally meets with Alexander Venli to hear his story, then receives a phone call from Wufei explaining the situation with Quatre and Rei. He agrees to meet her in Russia to speak to Venli for himself. The Leute make another strike, this time against a civilian shuttle that happens to be carrying Rashid. Using a battleship called a Chimaera, they destroy the shuttle and everyone on board, then vanish. After seeing the attack on TV, Duo and Red Delta decide to steal a shuttle to get to MO-III to meet with Setsuna. During a skirmish with Aethrin in the hangar, Duo saves Mariemaia and they all manage to escape.

"Any luck?" Lady Une asked.

Trowa shook his head. With Dahlia now enrolled in the local private school, they could relax a little bit. Her absence provided them with eight full hours to research and investigate, though when the shuttle had gone down and she had come home early, their cover had almost been completely destroyed. However, they had seen the school's closing coming, and had managed to lock away everything they'd been doing.

Their main focus now was information on what Setsuna had called a "Chimaera". It was the large ship that the Leute had used against the passenger shuttle. Unfortunately, all they'd been able to locate was different video footage of the attack, and none of it very clear. Everything they looked at seemed exactly the same; a large black shadow that suddenly burst into illumination, then the shuttle explosion, and a rocket blast as the Chimaera vanished.

Now, Lady Une stood behind him and put her hands on his shoulders. "Then maybe you should take a break."

"She'll be home in two hours," he answered.

"So? Twenty minutes won't hurt you," her hands slowly began to move rhythmically, massaging his shoulder and upper back. "Trowa…you haven't slept in days. I'm worried about you."

He reached up and put on hand over her own. "Don't be. I'm fine."

"No, you're not," she said, pulling away and taking a few steps back. She turned towards the wall. "You're afraid of her, I und—"

"I'm not afraid of her. I just don't trust her," Trowa cut off.

"Don't be a goddamn idiot Trowa! You should be afraid of her!" Lady Une snapped. He stood up and turned to face her, his face as calm as ever.

"The only thing about her that worries me is what might happen if we let ourselves slip," he explained.

"That, and you're terrified of what could happen if she and I confronted each other," she added.

He was silent. Sighing, Lady Une went to him and slipped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulders. Still saying nothing, he held her close and breathed in the scent of her hair, closing his emerald eyes. It occurred to him that ever since Dahlia had come along, they'd had very little time for each other.

"Trowa…do you think I'm weak?" Une whispered.

"No," he answered softly. "You're the strongest person I know. You're not weak at all."

"Then don't be afraid for me Trowa. I'll do everything I can to protect myself. And you," she ran a hand down the side of his face.

"Don't ask me not to worry about you. I can't do that any easier than I can ask you not to worry about me," Trowa replied, kissing her palm. She could feel his hot breath against her skin as he whispered. "I love you."

"I love you too," she responded, pressing her lips to his and unbuttoning his shirt.

And twenty minutes later, they were back at the desks, checking for mail from Setsuna.

"She's really doing quite well, Mr. Winner. The medication is working wonders for her depression. However, she's still uncomfortable talking about herself. There's no problem trying to engage her in light conversation, but it's like rafting on a very strong river. If you go along with what she wants, the ride is easy. But if you try to go the other way, back to the way she came from, you're in for a bumpy time."

"I see," Quatre said. "Is there anything I can do?"

Dr. Parvati Sana, the Winner family's psychiatrist, smiled at him. "Just keep doing what you're doing, Mr. Winner. You know, I've asked her about you a few times. She likes you, and even more important, she trusts you. From what I've heard, you must have been the first person to show her kindness in quite a while. It's no surprise she has so much faith in you."

He smiled back. "That's reassuring."

At that point, Rei walked through the office door into the lobby. She had been receiving therapy ever since they had returned to L4. Although she still refused to speak to Haruka, she was more open with Quatre, the estate personnel, and his family. And after the first few days, she had been able to open up to him with the truth about what had happened to her.

But she had cried all the same.

"Hi," he looked at her. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah. See you tomorrow, Dr. Sana?" Rei looked at the tall woman.

"Mm-hm. Take care Miss Hino!" she waved as they walked out.

As she climbed into his car, Rei looked at Quatre. "Did we keep you waiting?"

"No, of course not," he answered. "The session went all right?"

She nodded. "The doctor's a nice lady, but…"

"But what?"

"She reeks of bad vibes. I don't like it at all."

"What?"

"I'm serious," she closed her eyes. "Quatre…I know these things. Like I knew that the Leute were coming. It's like…like…"

"Rei," he grabbed her hand, and she blinked. Then she realized what was happening; Quatre was an empathy. She had suspected it, but now she was sure. He could feel her emotions. Not that they were that difficult to figure out anyways.

"Dr. Sana has looked after us for years. I'm not sure what it is you're picking up from her, but if you're worried, I'll look into it, okay?" his expression hardened. "We can't take any chances, not now."

She smiled and laughed a little. "Ah, maybe it's nothing. Maybe I'm having trouble making the crazy voices shut up."

"You're not crazy Rei!" Quatre cried.

Her eyebrow shot up. "Joking, Quatre-kun. Joking."

He colored slightly. "Sorry."

Rei laughed, heartier this time, and shook her head. "You're so serious. You know, the first thing Dr. Sana taught me was how to laugh again. Maybe we should make an appointment for you?"

Quatre chuckled. "Maybe. Maybe…"

Moonlight shone into the study where Trowa sat typing. He knew the risk he was running, what with Dahlia (hopefully) sleeping above him. But he had seen something. A file called "Kentauros Institute Contact Information". A file that he now saw (after much hacking) mentioned the names Aethrin and Eljira ak Zhul, among others. And now, he saw the map of the Institute in Rome.

All he had to do was go.

He would have to go now, before Dahlia had the chance to stop him. And he couldn't risk leaving her here alone. He knew he should tell Lady Une. Every bit of his common sense told him to. But he couldn't. The Leute could be watching him even now, and if he tipped her off, there would be a trap waiting for him in Rome. A trap, or nothing at all.

It was an hour and a half drive to the capital. And the late night traffic would be murder.

Haruka was staring out the window when Quatre knocked on her bedroom door.

"Come in," she said.

The young man walked in. "Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes. Are you eating with us?"

She shook her head. "No. I'll go grab something to eat later."

Quatre frowned. That's what she'd been saying for the last week. "No you won't. I talked to the security guards working at the gate. They say they haven't seen you."

Haruka didn't respond.

"Haruka, have you eaten anything at all in the past few days? Senshi or not, I don't believe that you can live for a long time without food," he said. He put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm worried about you."

"Isn't that a surprise," Haruka murmured, then sighed. "I'm sorry. I…I didn't really mean that…"

"I know you didn't," he answered unflinchingly.

She closed the curtains. "Seeing Rei is difficult. I wonder why I was able to shut her out for a century while she was being tormented, and now that she's healing, I feel so guilty."

"It wasn't your fault…"

"How can you say that?" Haruka cried. "How can you say it wasn't my fault when I left her there? I can try to put some of the blame on Ami, sure, but it wasn't her fault she was captured. She wanted to go back for Rei. But I told her we couldn't. That there wasn't enough time. We had a hundred goddamned years to go back for her Quatre! But instead, I let her rot in that place. I—"

"That's enough Haruka!" Quatre yelled, grabbing her shoulders. She took a few shuddery breaths as the fit of hysteria eased. It was the first one she had had ever since the fall of Crystal Tokyo.

Her nephew shushed her and hugged her. "It's okay, it's okay Haruka."

She swallowed and stood up. "No it's not Quatre. It won't be okay. I can't save Rei, you've already done that. So I have to make up for it in a different way. Rei isn't the only one who was lost in the darkness."

"Haruka?" he asked uncertainly.

She smiled sadly. "I'm going to go find Michiru."

"But you said…"

"If Rei can be found, then Michi can be too. And I'm going to find her even if I have to bring her back from the dead."

Quatre stared into her eyes for a while, then stood up next to her. "I understand. Do whatever you have to Auntie."

Haruka ruffled his hair. "You're a good kid, Quatre. Take care of Rei, all right?"

"Of course."

"And since I can't be here, let her take care of you too, okay?" she paused a moment, then hugged him tight. "Love ya kid."

"I know."

Lady Une awoke when she felt a strange presence in her room. When she opened her eyes, she saw Dahlia standing next to the bed. She sat up quickly.

"Dahlia!"

"Are you all right, Mother?"

"I…yes. Yes, you just startled me."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

She stared suspiciously at the Leute. "Did you need something?"

Dahlia shook her head. "Oh no, quite the contrary. I came to bring you breakfast in bed."

"What do you—"

But she was cut off when she felt something jab into her shoulder. She groaned and everything went black.

Dahlia smiled and pulled Lady Une from the bed. All she had to do now was wait for the phone call.

BLEEEEEEEP! BLEEEEEEEEP! BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP!
Trowa pulled his cell phone out of his jacket pocket as the headlights cut through the darkness. He had been on the road for about forty-five minutes, halfway there. It was almost 4:00 AM.

"Hello?"

"Trowa."

"Meioh?" He blinked in surprise. How had Setsuna gotten his number?

"Where are you?" she asked insistently.

"I went through Terracina five minutes ago."

"Dahlia's making her move. Go back."

"What?"

But there was no answer.

Cursing, he made an illegal U-turn and floored it.

Five minutes after Setsuna had hung up on Trowa, four people appeared in her office.

"Late as usual, Mr. Maxwell," she commented.

"Hey, it wasn't his fault! Aethrin attacked us in the hangar. He saved my life!" Mariemaia defended, throwing her jacket on the desk.

"Did he?" she commented, turning on her computer. "You're all okay, I assume?"

"A little shaken, but generally all right. But," Rini produced the disk with Eljira's message on it. "We have some bad news."

Setsuna narrowed her eyes. "What is it?"

Duo's eyes widened. "You mean you don't know?"

"You haven't told me, have you?"

"Well…" he scratched his head. "I thought you knew everything."

"Not unless someone shares the information," she answered, taking the disk from Rini and putting it in the computer.

When the file played, the four were shocked at her response. Setsuna's face went pale and her eyes stared on in shock. Duo swore he could see unshed tears in them. When it finally ended, she was silent for a long time.

"I…was not aware of this," she said finally.

Rini gasped. "Puu! How could—"

Hotaru jabbed her in the ribs and motioned towards Duo. Her eyes said Watch it!

"Sorry," Rini whispered, and squeezed her hand.

Setsuna took a long drink of water from the bottle on her desk. When she set it down again, her businesslike demeanor returned. She looked at them.

"This calls for a change of plans. We need to get everyone here. Mariemaia, can I count on you and Mr. Maxwell to gather them?"

The spy nodded. "Of course, Setsuna."

"Mariemaia, you realize I do mean everyone. By the sound of it, we're running out of time. We'll meet in South Africa in three days. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Wait a minute…don't I get a say in this?" Duo protested.

Mariemaia looked at him confusedly. "Of course not. Now let's go!"

Rini, Hotaru, and Setsuna watched almost sympathetically as she dragged him out the door.

When they were gone, Hotaru looked at Setsuna. "So what about us?"

A shadow of sorrow crossed her face. "I have a different mission for you. It's small now, but important to me."

"What is it?"

She stood and grabbed her coat. "We need to go to Earth."

Trowa's car slammed to a stop in front of the house. When he reached for the door handle, he was ready to dash inside and start shooting the gun in his hand until a stray bullet just happened to kill Dahlia. But now as he saw the first hints of sunrise on the horizon, he realized that wasn't the greatest plan he'd ever thought of. So, even though he knew he was wasting precious seconds, he sat in the car until he was calm enough to proceed with the necessary caution.

He opened the door and closed it gently, making sure it didn't slam too loud. His steps up the front walk and stairs were carefully placed. His finger remained on the trigger as he opened the door.

The entrance hall was dark and empty. No sign of either Dahlia or Lady Une. But there was a light on in the kitchen. He walked in.

"Good morning Daddy."

He turned and pointed the gun at Dahlia, who was sitting at the table drinking tea and reading a book.

"Where is she?" he ordered.

"Oh, Mommy?" Dahlia walked around the corner to where Lady Une lay unconscious on the counter next to the sink. Trowa glared at her and stepped forward.

"Don't come too close Daddy," Dahlia replied, pulling a gun of her own and putting it next to Lady Une's head. "She's not dead right now; just sedated. But if you make this difficult, well, she might not wake up. So please put the gun down."

It pained him to answer. "No."

Dahlia narrowed her eyes and clicked off the safety. "I'm not joking Daddy."

"Neither am I. If you kill her, you'll be next, and I'll be right after that. We can all die like one big happy family. If that's what you want."

"Sorry, no," she replied.

"So then what are you trying to accomplish?"

"Tell you what," Dahlia said. "You've got questions, and I've got questions. So we'll take turns. If I refuse to answer a question of yours, then you can refuse one of mine. Deal?"

"For now."

"Then you can go first."

"All right," Trowa thought carefully. "What's your name? Your real name."

"Daara. Daara Mnymar. As you've probably figured out, I am a Leute."

"I knew that from the moment I saw you."

"I'm sure," Daara said. "My turn. Who are you working for?"

"Setsuna Meioh."

"The leader of the resistance movement?"

Trowa raised an eyebrow. "That's two questions. But yes, she is. Who are you working for?"

"You found the file, didn't you? I'm with the Kentauros Institute. It's a Leute operated science and history center."

"Science and history center?"

Dahlia smiled. "I know it must come a shock, the knowledge that you didn't manage to capture one of Eljira's flattery whores. But I'm afraid I'm just your average, run-of-the-mill anthropologist, working in the field. Now tell me, how much have you found out about us?"

""Us" as in the Leute, or "Us" as in your Institute?"

"The Institute."

"I never made it," Trowa answered. "Setsuna called me when I was halfway there."

"She did?" Dahlia looked puzzled. "I wonder why…"

"Unnecessary death, most likely," he suggested.

"Theirs or yours?" she smiled.

"No way to know that, is there?" Trowa looked hard at her. "So my next question is: why did you confront me?"

She laughed. And surprisingly, it wasn't unpleasant as he thought it would be. Sort of like a child's laugh, but a cynical and sarcastic child. "Ah, it's embarrassing, really. But the problem is, you're drawing far too much attention to yourself. There was an assassin here who I'm sure was looking for you. And whether you believe it or not, Eljira ak Zhul does not have the full support of all the Leute. And he doesn't like those who oppose him; he'll kill those who do. And that includes me."

"Eljira wants to kill you?"

"Not just me. He wants to kill everyone at the Institute. I've done a good job of hiding so far, but ever since I came to live with you, I've been living on the line. And I can't work like that. So this is what I want. I want out. You don't tell anyone about me, or what you know about the Institute."

"Some people already know," Trowa explained. "Setsuna, for example."

"If she's against Eljira, I guess that's all right. But if this gets out to the press…"

"It won't."

"Can I trust you?" Daara asked seriously, black eyes searching him. He didn't answer; he didn't have to. Because when it came down to it, Daara wasn't the one in control at all. Trowa was. The only moves Daara could make was to kill Lady Une, in which case Trowa would kill her, or to attempt to kill Trowa, which was impossible.

Suddenly, there was a clack as Trowa set his gun on the table. "You're right, Daara. It's time for you to go. I won't stop you; no one will."

"Hn," she blinked. "You're an interesting man. "Father"."

He smiled. "Not half as interesting as you."

Daara put her own gun next to his. "A little parting gift for you. Oh, and there's something on my computer that you might find useful. Just don't say where it came from, all right?"

He nodded, then walked to the counter and lifted Lady Une into his arms. Daara opened the door.

"Goodbye, Dahlia."

"Goodbye, Dad."