Beauty of Venus here!

Y'know what? I was thinking.. (I know. Blonds shouldn't do that too much)... I was thinking about combining Chapters one and two and then combining Chapters three and four and so forth… The reason why is because the chapters are pretty short and combining them would make them longer and easier for y'all to read. What do you think? Should I?

I'm also going to start posting my other fic, so if this one gets neglected, which it shouldn't, but if it does, please feel free to email me all the flames and "nice" messages you want.

Alrighties! On with the story!

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Chapter 6 – Chance Meetings

Mina watched as the polite boy next to her laughed. It wasn't a loud obnoxious laugh and nor was it a quiet chuckle. This laugh was more of a desperate one. Not the kind that you hear crazed lunatics cackle out when the realize they're cornered, but the kind of laugh that had been wanting to get be set free from the prison it was forced in. This, Quatre, must have either been through something horrible or he just doesn't like to laugh. Of course she knew that latter was incorrect. He seemed like the type of guy that would laugh or cry at the drop of the hat, but that didn't seem to classify him as feminine. Even though he was very acceptable to emotions, he had to be somewhat masculine in order to work for Lady Une. Any one and everyone that worked for the Lady had to have a rough side; had to have an edge that would carry out even the most unorthodox missions. A feminine guy could never find a job with the Lady, so Quatre should probably be considered sensitive rather than feminine. The sound of a throat being cleared brought her out of her revenue. He had stopped laughing and was looking at her intently. She felt her self start to blush. Without even realizing it, she had been staring at him the whole time she was lost in thought and he must have asked her a question because he seemed to be waiting for an answer. She let out a soft smile and hoped it looked sheepish. "I'm sorry, what did you ask?"

"I didn't ask a question, Miss… I mean Mina. I was letting you know that we are here." She let out a short laugh at his slip up with her name. Not that she didn't like being called Miss Aino or anything, she just didn't think it sounded right coming from him. He was a little older but only by a couple of years at most, so she wasn't his superior. She got out before he could make it around the car to open her door. She actually thought it was sweet that he was old fashioned in his manners, but she wasn't the old fashioned kind of gal. She caught the look he gave her as he walked up next to her. Barely even acknowledging it, she glanced up at the house. Well, if you could consider it a house because it made her whole apartment building seem like a doll house in comparison. She let out a whistle and looked at him. "You left this! My God, I could fit all my friends and their families in this place and then some." The smile he gave her in response was slight and never reached his eyes. He was nervous about something and whatever that something was had to do with this mansion, or rather the people in the mansion. "Shall we continue on our way?" He asked her kindly. Not even sparing him a look, she rushed up the steps to the front doors. "Sure!" She cried turning around to face him. His face showed panic for only a second before it was replaced with that polite smile. Yep. Whatever has been bothering him is definitely in this house. I wonder what or actually mainly who it is. She watched him as he slowly made his way up the steps toward her. When he finally reached her, she turned to knock, but her hand never collided with the door. Quatre had caught her hand just before it hit and pulled it back gently. "I still have a key." He offered when she gave him a curious stare. Shrugging her shoulders, she watched as he took at a key and placed it in the lock. A soft click was heard and he slowly opened the door. Not even a sound could be heard from the other side of the door. Curiosity getting the better of her, Mina pushed past him to look inside. The door opened into a vestibule that was lavishly furnished. She spared Quatre a glance to see what he was doing or possibly thinking. He had stepped back and was waiting for her to either step back and let him go in or go in herself. Smiling mischievously she opened the door a little more and bowed low for him to proceed in front of her. She watched his jaw tighten a little at her action as he took a step towards the door. "You don't have to bow Miss Aino; there are no royalty in this house."

"Yes your majesty. I am terribly sorry." She cooed back at him. He gave a sigh and only spared her a glance before stepping inside the front door. Not a sound was heard from his foot steps as he walked toward a staircase that was at the end of the entryway. She followed suit, not letting her boots make any noise as she made her way to him. He kept glancing to his left and right and every now and then up at the staircase. He seemed to be making sure that no one was home. Looking over his shoulder to make sure that she didn't wander off, Quatre started up the stairs. They made it to his room without incident, much to Mina's disappointment. She wanted to know why it was that he left this beautiful place. There had to be some really good reason or some horrible secret that he was hiding and her mind kept telling her to snoop and pry until she found it. Inside the room, he went to the dresser and started to take out his clothes. They were all mainly dress slacks and polo shirts. "Where are the boxes or bags you're going to throw them in?" Her voice sounded uncharacteristically loud in the silent room. "There are some under the bed folded up and more in the top of the closet." He answered not even looking at her. Bending down over the bed she got out the boxes and then sat next to him. She started putting everything that he took out into one of the boxes. They stayed that way for a while, only breaking the silence twice. Once, when Mina started picking at Quatre for having all dorky clothes and, once, for Quatre to stop her from snooping at the other clothes in the drawers. After finishing packing his clothes from the drawers, he asked her to get the clothes from the closest while he went to get his supplies from the bathroom. Busying herself with folding all the dress shirts neatly, she started to softly hum to herself. This wasn't so bad. Quatre was acting like a monster would jump out at them any minute. She went to the closest and got another suit outfit and laid it on the bed. "Man. The guy should really update his clothing." She said softly to herself. She turned to head back to the closest for more clothes when she came face to face with the barrel of a gun.

Mina gulped loudly and looked past the barrel at the person holding it. There stood a man that was a little older than her with beautiful blue eyes and messy brown hair. He was handsome but he would definitely be drop dead gorgeous if his eyes didn't tell you to drop dead first. His stare was cold and penetrating, as he tried to figure out her purpose in being in this house. "Um… hi?" She stated weakly. She watched his eyes narrow and his trigger finger tighten. "What are you doing here?" His voice was deep but there was a bored note to it. She raised her hands in surrender. "I'm just here helping a friend…" "Heero!" Mina almost collapsed with relief as the familiar voice rang out.

Quatre had been coming out of the bathroom because he heard Mina stop humming and was afraid she had started snooping again. When he came through the door, he was surprised to see Heero instead of Trowa there holding the gun to Mina's head. She was smiling nervously and was holding her hands up in surrender. When he cried out the other pilot's name, he walked swiftly up to them and placed himself beside Mina. "It's okay. She's a friend of mine." Heero let the gun stay put for another second before placing it behind him and under his shirt. Quatre glanced at the blond next to him in time to see her sigh in relief and look like she was going to fall back on the bed. Quatre smiled softly, Heero had that effect on people. "You're leaving." It was a statement, not a question, and Quatre knew that it was pretty obvious anyway because of all the boxes thrown everywhere. "Yes, Heero, I am" Quatre sighed. "I can't stay here anymore." Heero nodded his head and looked around the room again. "Heero?", Quatre had to clear his throat before he could continue, " Is everyone else here as well?" Quatre held his breathe as icy blue eyes fixed on him. Heero shook his head slowly and Quatre let out his breathe slowly. The icy blue eyes fixed on him once again. There was a hidden question in them that would never be asked. Quatre had always liked Heero mainly because he treated Quatre almost like a little brother. Nothing ever went unnoticed by Heero and so he was the best person to go to for advice. And the question that Heero's eyes wanted so bad to ask was what a lot o people had asked Quatre already, 'Why?'. At first not even Quatre knew the answer, he had acted out and followed his emotions, but now after thinking on it, he knew. This was something that had to be done. He couldn't throw his friend and loved one out on the streets just because they made him mad. They were the ones who had saved him plenty of times and helped him threw many of his obstacles. He loved them to much to do that, even if they did break his heart.

"Excuse me?"

A very meek sounding Mina was tugging on his arm sleeve. "Hey. Quatre? I finished the clothes. Should I take the boxes to the car now?" He stared at her for a minute before his mind registered what she had asked him. "Oh! Yes! Of course" , He shook his head and started towards the dresser where most of the boxes were. He grabbed one box and saw a paid of hands take it away from him. Heero had grabbed his box and was now walking out of the room with it. Quatre smiled softly. He could always count on Heero. He heard a soft thud and glanced over to see Mina pick up a box she had dropped. She was strong, but the box was a little too bulky for her slight frame. Quatre walked over to her and took the box from her. "Hey! I can do it myself. I don't need any help." She huffed righteously. He raised an eyebrow at her and smiled slowly. "I take this one down, but could you take the one that has my bathroom stuff in it?" She gave him a glare that was meant to be playful and grabbed the box he had indicated. "Will this do your majesty?" Quatre sighed and started out of the room. After letting out a short giggle, Mina followed him.

After what seemed like a couple hundred trips up and down the stairs, all of Quatre's stuff was loaded except for one box. Mina was the one who volunteered to go and retrieve it since Quatre was openly admitting his disgust for stairs. Heero had retired to the kitchen to either get himself something to eat or drink, Quatre wasn't quite sure. Standing in the vestibule, waiting on Mina, Quatre looked over his old home. It seemed foreign to him now. The floor was sparkly clean as always and the tables were dusted. But the flowers that he preferred to always be fresh were staring to show signs of wilting and the paintings he loved seemed a little boring now. The silence he loved now seemed foreboding and the unseen servants were as ghosts. The fact that this strange house used to be his home was shockingly scary. He heard another thud and figured Mina had dropped the box again. She was a very helpful, but when it came to holding large bulky objects, she could almost be labeled a hindrance. A soft click brought his attention around to the door behind him. The click he heard was the sound of a show hitting the clean floor. Quatre was frozen to the spot as he watched his ex-boyfriend stopped dead in his tracks as well.