Little Yuy

Trowa stretched as he stepped out of the cab in front of the house he and the other Gundam pilots were staying. After ten days of searching, the circus had finally found a new clown to replace the one they lost. Now it was only a matter of keeping this new clown from running off like the last one. It was tiring to say the least to convince the new clown that Catherine would not impale him with her knives. Slowly he walked up the stone steps leading to the front door. He put the key into the slot and turned. He felt comfortable the minute Trowa walked it. Everything had its place and was just like he left it. He could smell the cooking of food coming from the kitchen, which had to be Quatre since he could hear the typing of keys. That could only be Heero. He could hear the pounding of feet running in the hallway, no doubt Duo and Wufei after another prank. Yes, it was just like it always was. When Trowa got to the stairs he noticed that there were little white gates blocking the bottom and top of the stairs. The Heavyarms pilot shook his head, wondering what Duo had done now. Being as tall as he was, Trowa simply stepped over the gates and walked to his room. His door was closed, which was strange because he could recall that he didn't close the door when he left. Maybe Quatre did to keep Duo from doing something to his room?

Deciding it was pointless to ponder about it, Trowa dropped the bags in his room and left for the kitchen. If anyone could tell him what he had missed it was Quatre. As he walked into the spotless, white kitchen, Trowa looked expecting to see Quatre, instead he saw Relena there doing paperwork on the kitchen table. She looked up from her work to smile at the Heavyarms pilot.

"Welcome back Trowa," Relena greeted him.

Trowa nodded, "Relena… Did something happen while I was gone?"

"Well," Relena looked at him thoughtfully, "A lot's happened while you were gone… Where would you like me to start?"

Trowa was sorely tempted to ask why she was here. After all she normally wouldn't be here since she was so busy. That was unless there was another attempt on her life, well that was the only reason he could think of. If that was the case then it was better off he didn't ask.

"What have the others been up to?" Trowa asked.

It was a perfectly innocent question and it would tell him how long she had been here.

Relena slowly stacked her papers into a neat pile, "Duo is still out on that trip with Hilde, and Quatre is away on business. Wufei just got back from Preventers HQ three days ago and Heero…" she trailed off.

Trowa studied her; Relena seemed a bit hesitant in telling him what Heero had been up to. Relena sat back into her chair and looked at him. There was silence between them, that was until they heard more pounding of footsteps in the hallway again. Both of them turned their heads in the direction of the sound.

"And I still have work to do," Relena pushed her chair out and was about to get out of her seat.

Trowa shook his head, "I'll get it. I'm use to Duo and Wufei's…"

Now it was his turn to trail off. A thought had just occurred to Trowa has he was saying how he was use to Wufei and Duo's chases. Relena had just said that Duo was away with Hilde and had not come back yet. If that was so, then whom was Wufei chasing? There was no one else in the house that could or would get on Wufei's nerves.

Trowa turned to Relena, "Relena, I heard running when I came in, if Duo isn't home then who is Wufei chasing?"

"Oh dear…" Relena shook her head, "Heero and I have been so busy lately. I knew letting Wufei look after her was a bad idea. They get into things so easily at that age and Wufei has very little patience."

"What do you mean?" Trowa asked, but it was clear that Relena was a bit preoccupied at the moment.

Relena shook her head again, "Trowa could you do me a favor and get Hotaru before Wufei gets really stress?"

"Hmm… Okay," Trowa nodded.

What else could he do but agree, it seemed that Relena wasn't going to tell him until Wufei stopped chasing this 'Hotaru'. Still, Relena normally wasn't this cryptic about anything, it made him wonder if something really serious happened while he was gone. Did something happen to Heero? Did someone get hurt? And who in the hell was Hotaru?

Then there was the matter of Wufei. Wufei was chasing someone other than Duo? Who else in this house could he be chasing? Without a word Trowa went to the living room to see this 'Hotaru'. When he got there no one was there. Trowa stood in the living room for a few minutes pondering what was going on. Suddenly without warning a dark purple blur streaked pass him and dove under the coffee table. For a moment Trowa would have swore that there was a bit of brightly coloured straws with that dark blur too.

A minute later Wufei came running in, "LITTLE YUY GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!"

A giggle came from underneath the coffee table.

Trowa blinked.

Wufei knelt down beside the coffee table, "Get out here right now!"

"Wu-fi."

"My name is Wufei! Not Wufie!"

"Wu-fi."

Wufei tried to stick his head underneath the table and the only thing he managed to do was hit his head when he tried to get up. As he rubbed his sore head Wufei swore vividly in Chinese and English.

Without warning a gunshot went off in the house, this was followed by Relena and Heero's voice shouted, "WUFEI DON'T SWEAR IN FRONT OF HOTARU!"

The child didn't cry, instead she giggled, again.

Oh yes… this was getting interesting. Trowa had to blink again, did Heero just tell Wufei not to swear? Of course, no one should swear in front of a child, but Heero would have been the last person he'd expect to enforce that rule. Now that he thought about it, didn't Wufei call her little Yuy? The child, now known as Hotaru shot out from under the table without warning. Only Trowa was quick enough to grab her before she could run out of the living room.

"Got you," Trowa murmured as he picked her up.

She gave him a cute pout, which didn't last longer than a minute and then she was smiling a bright smile.

Wufei growled, "Straws are not for playing with."

"WU-FI!" she squealed, clapping happily and mauling the straws at the same time.

Carefully Trowa pried the straws from her hands, "I don't think they'll do much good now."

"Naaaaaahhhhh!" she pouted again.

Wufei just glared at her, "That brat keeps getting into things!"

"Wufei, children always gets into things," Trowa couldn't help but smirk, "That's how they learn."

"She opened the small China cabinet," Wufei stated.

"…"

Wufei growled and explained.

~ Flashback ~

Wufei was stuck with looking after Hotaru. He couldn't believe he got roped into this, but Relena had told him that now he was her guardian and Heero said that Relena had to go to a meeting and he was called back to the Preventers to deal with a crisis of sorts. This left him with baby Hotaru Yuy, which he now called Little Yuy. It was noon and he was looking for her. She was in the living room a few minutes ago and then she was gone. Who knew that toddlers could run so fast?

"Where is she?" Wufei growled.

It had taken 24 hours for the hold thing to sink in. 24 hours to sink in Wufei's brain that Hotaru was for keeps. No way in hell was Heero going to let this child go. That was going to be a problem. It also took another 24 hours for it to sink in that Hotaru wasn't a normal child. She didn't act like a normal child most of the time and when she did there was hell to pay. The girl had grown bigger and understood some of the words she said. Like 'dada' and 'mama'.

He heard a giggle.

Wufei whirled around, "Little Yuy!"

Another giggle, this time it came from the dining room. Wufei started to run towards there. When he did get to the dining room he saw Hotaru there. She had opened the small China cabinet where Quatre kept some crystal figures. The baby girl had grabbed a small dragonfly crystal figure and was proceeding to stuff it in her mouth.

~ End Flashback ~

Trowa could help but give a small smile, "She was about to put it in her mouth?"

"Yes!" Wufei growled, "I barely kept her from slobbering over Winner's figurine."

Trowa lifted Hotaru up to eye level, "That's why you have to keep an eye on her at all times."

Wufei just threw up his hands, "Look, you tell Winner why there are baby fingerprints all over his crystal. That girl is a spawn from-"

Another gunshot went off, Hotaru covered her ears but otherwise she didn't think twice about it. Heero's voice could be heard shouting, "SAY IT CHANG AND I'LL WILL KILL YOU!"

"You know Yuy, most people would say they'd wash the person's mouth out with soap, not kill them!" Wufei shouted back.

"I'M NOT LIKE MOST PEOPLE CHANG. YOU KNOW THAT!"

Wufei grumbled under his breath, "Yuy has more patience for her than he does with Maxwell."

Trowa blinked, Heero having more patience in a baby than in Duo? Wufei noticed the confused look on Trowa's face. He had to admit; Trowa had been showing more facial expressions than he had seen in a long time.

"You have no idea what's going on do you Barton?" Wufei asked.

Trowa shook his head, "I'm afraid I've been caught off guard more times than I have in a lifetime."

"Well, you just figure out the things I've been saying about her," Wufei said, "Then you're really in for a headache."

Wufei shook his head wearily. Now that she was caught, Trowa got a good look at her. She was wearing a purple dress that matched her dark purple hair and dark eyes. The baby girl looked up at him with large eyes and smiled and shrieked happily. Wufei looked at Trowa, watching him. Trowa couldn't understand why Wufei was watching him like that. He tried to go over the conversation he had with Wufei to figure out why Wufei said he was in for a headache. All Wufei had told Trowa was about the trouble she was getting herself into. He had called her 'Little Yuy'.

That's when Trowa froze, "Little Yuy?"

"Uh huh…" Wufei nodded slowly, "That's right Barton."

"So Heero found lost family?" Trowa asked.

Wufei shook his head, "Barton, do you have any idea what Yuy's been doing behind our backs?"

Trowa shook his head. As far as he knew, Heero would never do anything behind their backs unless it had to do with a mission and there were no missions he knew of so far. Hotaru looked from Trowa to Wufei and back again. Wufei gently took Hotaru from Trowa. Once again, like the first time he met her Hotaru started to gently swat his ponytail. The solitary pilot had to admit; when she wasn't being a little hellion she was kind of sweet. Not that he'd admit that to anyone. The only other reason why he agreed to this was because Wufei was outraged by the idea of scientists experimenting on a child.

"A colleague of Dr. J's gave Hotaru to Heero to take care of her until she physically reached the age of twelve," Wufei explained.

Trowa blinked, "Dr. J? Physically?"

"She grows fast. Ten days ago she was a newborn and Relena has to pictures to prove it," Wufei shook his head, "Just imagine, in a few days she'll be going through the Terrible Twos."

Trowa nodded, "So she's an experiment of sorts. A genetically created Perfect Soldier?"

"Probably…" Wufei shrugged.

Hotaru buried her head into Wufei's chest, "Gaaa, na. Paa, Yeee…"

Trowa stared at Hotaru, he many ways he felt sorry for the girl. After all, he had always said he was a soldier since the day he was born. Now here was Hotaru, an experiment of Dr. J's and child who was truly a soldier since the day she was born. Though Trowa had to wonder… he always thought the scientists preferred boys, why did Dr. J and his colleague create a girl?

"Wufei," Trowa turned his attention back to Wufei, "We can't let Heero give her back to Dr. J and this colleague of his."

"Who said he was going to give her back?" Wufei asked.

Trowa blinked, "You mean Lady Une found out?"

Wufei moved Hotaru up to his shoulder, "Trowa meet Hotaru Yuy. Hotaru meet your Uncle Trowa."

Hotaru reached out for Trowa opening and closing her tiny fist, "Tow-a, Tow-a!"

"That's right… Trowa," Wufei nodded, "She maybe a… brat at times, but she catches on fast."

Trowa frowned, "He's actually keeping her?"

"Believe or not," Wufei grunted, "Heero and Relena redecorated one of the rooms to suit her."

"So Relena helped," Trowa nodded, that made sense to him.

"Yea."

"I don't believe it," Trowa shook his head, "Heero struck me as the kind of person that rather boil in oil than bounce a baby on his lap."

"Maxwell will either think this is the funniest thing in the world or think Heero has gone crazy," Wufei muttered.

Trowa shook his head, "So Heero adopted her right?"

"Right."

So far everything made sense, Trowa wondered if he should be showing any emotion about this. For some reason he couldn't be really surprised and he didn't know why? Maybe it was because Heero saw a bit of himself in Hotaru or maybe it was so use to strange happenings around here that nothing could surprise him.

Suddenly at thought came to Trowa, "Wufei, if Heero adopted her, wouldn't that mean he'd need joint custody? If none of us were here at the time then who…"

Wufei looked over to where the kitchen was.

Trowa's visible eye widen, "No…"

"Yes."

"Milliardo is going to kill him," Trowa exclaimed softy.

"You mean 'try'," Wufei corrected his friend.

"Milli?" Hotaru asked.

Wufei nodded, "May you never meet your Uncle Milliardo, or else you might lack a father."

In the typical baby fashion, Hotaru tilted her head with baby confusion.

Author's Note: Okay I'm done this chapter! It turned out okay, it's probably not as funny as most people would like but… To be quite honest I had a lot of trouble with Trowa. You see, in typical Trowa fashion he doesn't wear his emotions on his sleeves so…

As you can also tell there's a lot of hinting that Milliardo's reaction will be the worst of the bunch. Also thank you to C. Queen, she has some good stories, but hasn't put them up yet. My next piece of thanks to baby Alexandra whom has been my model for baby Hotaru. Though I doubt you'll ever read this, may your mother never catch you the next time you steal the coloured straws.