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Chapter List
- 1
- 2
Chapter contributed by : Gigamouse

Chapter One

In which there might be clowns�
Looking at the pile of papers in his �out� box, a neat white stack that
towered over the black boundaries of the box, Wufei realized that he was finally
done. His head hurt, his eyes were sore, and the fingers of both hands were
cramped. The boy took off his glasses with a sigh and rubbed slow circles on
each side of the bridge of his nose. He set the thin wire frames down on the
desktop in front of him and slowly let himself setting back into the creaking,
generally uncomfortable chair that he�d been spending Monday through Friday
(and the occasional Saturday) in for quite nearly a year now. He loosened his
tie a little and peeked his eyes open at the black screen of his desktop
terminal. A single movement of his hand knocked against the computer mouse on
his desk and �woke� the monitor. The clock told him that it was exactly two
minutes until five, which meant that it would only be moments until his
worthless excuse of a �partner� showed up.
Wufei shot a murderous glare towards the stack of papers upon his desk, as
if by will alone they would burst into flames. It wasn�t the paperwork�s fault
that he was stuck doing it of course, and so the stack sat there, mockingly
snow white and pristine. At least they finally had procured a �file boy� who
would come by once the office had emptied a little and take all the paperwork
where it belonged. He didn�t envy that kid his job�but Wufei also understood it
was a part of the intern�s duties.
Leaning back a little further in his seat and ignoring the protest of the
chair Wufei looked through the open �door� space in his left cubicle wall so
that he could see into the corridor beyond. He had been given a cubicle
directly by one of the windows that ran along the outside wall, butted into the
far back-left corner of the spacious room that the field agents shared when
they were in the office. He�d have never thought that a field agent would be
stuck in an office as much as he was� but there was just far more paper work to
do than there were assignments which needed a personal touch. And, he noted
somewhat bitterly, there just weren�t enough agents to handle the legal tape
that the Preventers were hedged in with.
Most of a year had gone by before the world had begun to settle into the new
Alliance. There had still been some protestors, mostly among those who had
never once raised a hand in the war but now felt it safe to state their
opinions, whom had had to be dealt with peacefully and politely. After that had
come the political war, with politicians from all over the globe and the
colonies jostling for position within the new order. Some had been ousted, some
had been glorified, and some were cast into the gutter. Others still had
even been assassinated. It was the last which had fully underscored the need
for a group such as the Preventers. While they technically weren�t an army in
and of themselves, they were the closest thing which the Alliance would allow
to there being one. Which was how it should be, he supposed.
It had taken the Chinese boy a long to admit that he�d had a hard time settling
into this new order as well. He was a soldier, a warrior: what place had he in
an era of peace when his first instinct was to strike at whatever gave him
problems? When Lady Une had found him, lost and hopeless and searching for
something to do, she had offered him hope. Where would all the soldiers go?
They would come here.
True, Wufei wasn�t allowed to use a firearm for any reason other than in
strict, dire situations, and, true, he did not have as much freedom in his path
as he�d once had as a Gundam Pilot. This didn�t bother him as much as he�d
thought it might. Shortly after beginning work here, nine months ago, he�d
found himself settling with ease into the routine of things. Every so often he
would be sent across the globe or into one of the colonies in order to root up
some information or take in a bad guy, but for the most part he spent his life
as a nine-to-five office man. He was even beginning to like living on the
Earth.
As the clock hung over the door across the room struck five, heads began to
sprout like daisies above the cubicle walls. Wufei didn�t move. He watched as
his fellow Preventers collected their properties and began to make their way
for the office door. They were laughing and talking amongst themselves,
possibly even making plans for the weekend; the Chinese boy didn�t even know
half their names. All were faces that he felt familiar enough with and it
wasn�t merely for the fact that they�d been sharing an office for several
months. No, many of these faces he was certain he�d seen at one point or
another during the war�an Oz soldier here, a White Fang member there� possibly
even a Federation soldier once or twice, or a guerilla terrorist. He wasn�t the
only person to have sought refuge in the white-washed, yellow-taped organization
which housed the only military-style existence left in their known world, and
somehow that made Wufei feel a lot better about himself.
Now if only one person had been left out of this�
�Hey, �Fei!� Duo Maxwell had crept up to him in the blind-spot offered by
the right wall of his cubicle and was now leaning over the corner of the flimsy
wall-structure to grin down at its occupant. Wufei tried not to twitch at the
�nickname� he�d been assigned within a week of having known the other boy.
Well, no, that wasn�t quite fair. Technically, he�d known Duo a lot longer�it
had already been over a year since they�d met on one of the beginning
battlefields on Earth when the boy had been re-introduced to him by Lady Une as
his new work partner. Just thinking about that day made Wufei long for a
punching bag. �You ready or what?�
When he�d first joined the Preventers they�d only been a month into
operation. Things were rocky back then; there�d only been five of them, Une
included, and it had taken quite a lot of speeches (known in more uncouth
circles as �bitch fests�) from her, Ex-Lieutenant Noin and the new Vice Foreign
Minister Darlian before the funding for the Preventers had moved out of
Darlian�s pocketbook and into government paychecks. That had allowed them to hire
many more hands, secretaries, rent office space and eventually find a place to
actually train their agents. In those days none of them had had �official�
partners�you went with whoever was available for the mission, or you went
alone. Most of the time you went alone.
The good old days were over. Two months ago, Lady Une�or, as she was known
now, �Director General Une��had informed them that the days of solo missions
were over. Not that he blamed her entirely; many of the agents that they had
working for them were morons. They�d been hired before they could be properly
trained and the soldiers of the various organizations that had been in place
during the last war weren�t used to running solo operations. Because of this
there had been quite a few �accidents� in the field, especially during the
transitional period when they�d been busy trying to track down pockets of
rebellion and fleeing assassins. Yet Wufei couldn�t help but feel that certain
exceptions should have been made.
Before Maxwell could get antsy, Wufei surged from his chair to his feet and
pulled his jacket from the peg that held it on the wall in the same fluid
motion. He threw the coat around his shoulders, arms sliding easily into the
warm leather sleeves. At least they�d gotten better, and more protective,
uniforms from what they�d been wearing in the beginning. Without a word Wufei
retrieved his reading glasses from the desk and put them into their hard case
that he then slipped into his pocket.

�Maxwell.� Wufei dropped the other boy�s name like a statement as he spared him
the first look he�d given him that afternoon. To his credit the braided boy
didn�t even flinch at the fire Wufei was purposely attempting to throw into his
expression. Wufei knew that it was there, he�d practiced this look a hundred
times in the mirror to make certain that he was getting his point across, and
yet Duo never seemed to mind it. He just continued to smile that idiot smile of
his.
Wufei pointed at the stack of innocently stacked documents in his out-box,
�This is called paperwork.�
�Yes, typically.�
�You�re supposed to do it.�
�It seems you�ve beaten me to the punch there, buddy boy.�
Wufei�s left eye twitched. Once. Twice. Three times it twitched. Wufei�s eye
had never twitched before he�d met Duo. No, the boy corrected himself once
again, once he�d become re-acquainted with Duo. The difference that proximity
to the braided ex-pilot made was astounding. �When I arrived this morning
there was a stack of papers half this size on the desk in your cubicle,� he tried
to keep his voice as even as possible, �yet when I returned with my morning
coffee there were no papers on your desk.�
By this time the office had emptied, save the poor bedraggled head of Jake
The File Boy (it had taken Wufei three weeks to remember his name) who was
going around picking up and sorting out the files for the various agents. At
the sound of their voices, Jake The File Boy raised his head and then promptly
ducked it again upon seeing the expression on the Wufei�s face. Duo remained
unperturbed at this and simply tilted his head to one side of his broadened
shoulders. �I seem to remember something about that, yeah.�

�Do you remember how and why your stack of paperwork chose to migrate to my
in-box?� Wufei asked with the silkiest of tones that he could manage.
�That� would be a secret.� Duo stuck his tongue out at him, winking, and
flashed the boy a peace sign. Unable to help himself, Wufei growled, teeth
grinding slightly in frustration. He couldn�t hit Duo, no matter how much he
would want to. Hands forming into fists, Wufei fought to keep them at his sides
as he glared murder at his ever-cheerful partner. It would be severely
dishonorable, not to mention illegal, for him to assault Duo in any place other
than the sparing ring that had been set up in their training facility. Much to
his annoyance, Wufei had yet to talk Duo into meeting him on that
�battlefield.�
Finally, it seemed to break through to the braided man that Wufei was angry
about the entire thing. Duo gave a faint sigh, bottom lip jutting out in a pout
which would have made any woman weak in the knees. There was little denying
that even after a growth spurt and a seemingly late-arrived puberty that Duo
Maxwell was a beautiful man-child. The baby fat on his cheeks had
finally begun to slim down and there was the faintest red-brown trace of a
three-o�clock shadow along his jaw now that the day was almost half over.
Though they�d been similar in height a year ago, Duo now stood at least three
inches taller than him and more was likely to be added to that. That feat was
all the more amazing when Wufei took into account that he�d managed to spring
up a measly three inches himself, bringing Duo�s total up to six. Genetics told
Wufei that he wasn�t liable to get much taller than this or, were luck to fail
him completely, he�d stay this short for the rest of his life.
That pair of large baby blue eyes half-hidden under Duo�s wild tangle of
bangs were as sparkling and vibrant as ever; there were no few people who had
merely handed Duo the information he�d been after once encountered with those
eyes. The first time Wufei had witnessed this he�d been too shocked to register
it properly, and the time after that it had become funny� but by the time that
they were on the fifth or sixth instance of this (Wufei had begun to lose
count) it had just become sad. Had humanity sunk so low that no one could
resist the �puppy dog� eyes of a seventeen-year-old boy? Wufei was determined
that he wouldn�t give in.
�Ah come on, �Fei. I had other shit to do and you�re better than I am at
this mumbo-jumbo.� Duo cast a sullen look down at the pile of papers. His eyes
didn�t rise from the damning articles, and Wufei was happy to note that the
pout was also directed there. It seemed as if the braided idiot knew that it
wasn�t going to work on him.
�Better to do than your job?� Wufei snorted; typical.
�What? Oh, come on, man!� A frown. So, Wufei had touched a button? Duo�s
eyes suddenly jerked themselves away from the documents to meet Wufei�s full
force. �I was teaching the trainees. I�ve been on roster with them the past
week and there�s a few who need extra tutoring. The paperwork is for both of
us, so I just thought��
�Eh-e-excuse me,� a soft voice spoke up from behind them. Both Duo and Wufei
startled, and the taller boy turned to find Jake The File Boy was standing
right behind him. The sheepish-seeming excuse for a male had his head hung and
Wufei could just barely make out a pair of green eyes peeking out from under
his unkempt blond mop of hair. Just looking at this kid made Wufei wonder if he
really was just seventeen; according to the office birthday calendar (of which
neither he nor Duo had chosen to take part in, yet were fully aware of) and
coffee-pot gossip, Jake The File Boy was actually two months Wufei�s elder. The
boy could hardly bring himself to whisper more than ten words a day; it was a
rare day when he had the courage to actually interrupt a conversation.

Apparently the boy�s courage ended when he had two Preventers agents giving him
their full attention. For a long moment, as the time slowly ticked by on the
clock across the room, both ex-pilots merely watched as that glassy green gaze
descended back towards the Jake The File Boy�s unpolished and patched brown leather
shoes and his loud, raspy breathing became the only sound in the room. �Can I
help you?� Wufei was finally forced to ask.
One shaking hand bent its white knuckles from around the papers he was
already carrying and extended a single digit towards Wufei�s cubicle. �Uh��
Jake The File Boy replied helpfully.
It took Wufei a moment to register just what it was the boy was getting at
and much to his surprise Duo beat him to it. �Oh!� His (unwanted) partner
exclaimed and bent over the top of the cubicle wall to pick up the carefully
stacked pile of outgoing paperwork. Duo handed it to Jake The File Boy and
there was a terrifying moment when it seemed as if the boy was going to drop
the entire load as well as what he�d already collected. Then he seemed to right
himself, tucked the papers onto the back of his current stack, and shuffled
away towards the file room on the other side of the office.
Both Wufei and Duo watched him go, their fight pushed to the side in lieu of
the marvelous display of awkward they�d just witnessed. Then Wufei snorted,
shut his computer down for the night and grabbed his keys. It was time to head
home.
Ever since they�d been assigned to one another, Duo had insisted upon
walking the five blocks they had in the same direction when it came time to
leave. Just five blocks, Wufei kept telling himself as the braided idiot
continued to ramble beside him. To be perfectly honest, Wufei had little to no
idea what Duo was saying�after two months of torture, he was beginning to learn
to tune out the sound of Duo�s voice, no matter how close it was. If it weren�t
for the fact that this route was legitimately the shortest way to both their
apartments Wufei might have objected. As it was, it would have been foolish to
do so, and more than a little damning for their already jilted �work
relationship.� Still quite a bit angry over the fight they�d been having in the
office, Wufei was trying to pretend that Duo didn�t exist. He pulled out his
cell phone and checked for messages. There was something from Sally as well as
a few calls from her he�d missed. The boy doubted that it was anything
important; if she�d really wanted to reach him while he was at work she would
have called his work phone or else taken the time to take a quick trip to the
other side of the building. He�d probably hear enough about whatever it was in
the morning, anyway. There was nothing else, but he�d hadn�t been expecting
anything, either.
Just then, his idiot partner grabbed his shoulder and pointed at something
to Wufei�s left. It was hard to miss the pointing, really, what with Duo�s
finger being shoved underneath his nose. Wufei tried hard not to roll his eyes
as he turned towards the poster Duo was currently indicating. �� Barton.�

�I had no idea their circus was coming back to Earth!�
�Well it is,� Wufei said with a shrug of his shoulders. All in all, that
didn�t seem terribly important to him, but his partner was certainly excited.
Looking back up at Duo, Wufei was very aware of the slow, creeping horror
settling into his bones. Somehow he knew exactly where that maniacal grin was
going. He didn�t have to wait long.

�We should go see it.�
�No.�
Clearly that was not the reaction which Duo had expected. The boy�s grin
wavered and then faded, his face contorting into equal amounts of
disappointment and curiosity. It was truly amazing how much of an open book Duo
was; Wufei had to admit that the boy was an incredibly wonderful subject for
people watching. It took little more than a glance to know how he was feeling
about something or to realize that there was an exceedingly low amount of
thought going on behind those pretty blue eyes. �Ah, c�mon, �Fei.�
�No.� Not inclined to argue about it, Wufei turned from the boy and
continued his way down the street. He stopped at the corner where they had to
wait for traffic before crossing the street. The braided idiot caught up to him
soon enough, stopping to his left and not looking down at him. At least Duo had
dropped this subject faster than he had others in the past. For the life of him,
the Chinese boy didn�t even understand why Duo would care to go see the circus
Trowa Barton performed in anyway.
After crossing the next street their paths split in silence. Wufei turned
left and Duo continued on down the street in a strange silence.
Home was a tiny apartment over a noodle shop in the �Asian district� of the
city. It smelled constantly of food, often had steam leaking through the
floorboards, the walls were thin and the rooms cramped� but it was home and,
more importantly, it was his. Wufei closed the door on the noise of
the shop below, though the thin wood did little to muffle it, and hung his
jacket up on the peg beside the door. His shoes went below it and then he
crossed into his hole of a kitchen to set water to boil for tea.
When the beaten bronze kettle was settled above the flame of his gas stove,
he turned to slide open the window above the sink. It was built in something
resembling a Chinese fashion, though it wasn�t entirely accurate�like most
things in this part of town. Rather than a widow pane covering it, the shutter
was entirely wooden and slid to the side to reveal a bare hole in the wall. He
leaned his head out, arms resting upon the sill, and looked past the dangling
red banners that hung from the extended rafters to the busy street below.
Compared to the business district where he worked, the Asian district was
like living in a different world all together. Most of the people who lived in
this area, himself included, used bikes, vespas, or their own two feet for transportation,
and for good reason. Hardly any cars ever came down here, for the roads were so
crowded with people that the cops had long since given up on keeping them to
the sidewalks. Though the speed limit was thirty miles an hour, like any other
street in the city, cars were forced to crawl at five or ten in order to keep
from hitting the people.
Almost every building was both a business and a residence; restaurants had
apartments above them, like his own, people ran (illegal) laundry businesses
out of their homes, there were a few herbal clinics, massage parlors, all sorts
of clothing shops� no one really cared. So long as that business wasn�t drug or
weapon traffic Wufei wasn�t about to do anything about it. These people needed
their businesses to survive and they weren�t hurting anyone.
And, he had to admit, as different as this place was from his own colony,
there was still a certain amount of familiarity in it. The people around him
spoke a lot of Chinese, though Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese, and other Asian
languages were also mixed in. There was something about being able to find a
place where he didn�t have to mentally translate everything for himself which
helped to put his heart to rest. He could have stayed at the window listening
to that wonderful clamor for the rest of his life�
The tea kettle would have none of that. Soon enough it screamed until Wufei
turned around and took it from the stove. He poured the hot liquid into a cup
and added the leaves, then covered it and set it aside to steep. The window was
left open to the cold breeze from outside as he crossed the two paces it took
to reach the other side of his dining room and opened the door to the bathroom.
He stripped his clothes off and folded them neatly, leaving them on the floor
outside of the bathroom. There really wasn�t a single space to put them inside
of it without them getting soaked.
Wufei stepped into the ceramic tiled cubicle and closed the door behind him.
As usual, the entire place was damp from the steam and heat in the restaurant
below. He turned the water on, narrowly avoiding slamming his shin against the
toilet as his foot slipped a little. Not for the first time Wufei swore that he
was going to get one of those �non skid� mats for the floor of the bathroom. He
never remembered to do it.
Despite the general heat of his apartment, the hot water still felt good.
Winter was slowly receding form the city; the snows had finally stopped but had
been replaced with icy rain and impromptu sunlight. Eventually spring would
take over, but for now they were stuck with the broody battle between the
seasons. As such, one never knew which days would be freezing and which would
be moderately warm�today it had been fairly chilled.

Just as he was working the shampoo suds out of his hair he heard the phone
begin to ring from the other room. Wufei frowned, finished in a hurry and shut
the water off. He grabbed one of the (slightly damp) towels from the shelf
built almost at the top of the wall, quickly wrapped it around his waist and
managed to catch the phone before it hung up.
�Well, well, well� This is almost worth being ignored all day.� The screen
of the vid-comm clearly showed the woman on the other side of it, blond and
resplendent in her after-work clothing. Wufei�s lip twitched at the tone;
Sally�s teasing had been hard to get used to at first. A smirk lilted the
woman�s red-painted lips and she leaned her cheek upon one hand as she gazed
coolly at the half-naked agent, �You never returned my call.�

�I just walked in the door, what do you want from me, woman?� Wufei replied,
one dark brow arching in question. He then added, unable to help himself:
�Calls. Plural.�
A little laugh came from the vid-comm speaker, �Yes, calls. You
still didn�t return them. Did you check the voice mail at least?�

Wufei glanced to the side at the spot where he�d folded and stacked his pants
on top of the rest of his discarded clothing; the phone in question was still
in the pocket. �No, I didn�t.�
On her side of the line, Sally scoffed a little and shook her head. �What am
I going to do with you? It might have been something important you know!�
�It wasn�t,� the boy replied with a smirk as he returned his attention to
the woman. Wufei ran one hand through his wet hair to comb a few of the knots
out, �or we wouldn�t be having this conversation. What did you want, Sally?�
�I want you - or rather, we want you - to come to the Circus with
us tonight.�
More than a little surprised at the request, and the coincidence of having
been asked twice in the same day, Wufei couldn�t help but pause after her
request. What was it about people and circuses? �Who is �we�?�
�Une, Noin and I,�Sally replied without hesitation. Her smile broadened just
a little and Wufei knew she�d seen the roll of his eyes. He sighed, considering
it. Most of his time was spent alone these days, either in the office or holed
up in the library when he had free time. Tonight he�d planned on doing nothing
save read through a few more chapters of Xingshi Yinyuan Zhuan; he
still had to return the borrowed novel to his neighbor down the hall. Of
course, Chou Zhu wasn�t expecting it back any time soon as it was a hundred
chapters long�
As much as it went against his grain, Wufei nodded, �Fine. What time?�
�Eight,� the blond replied promptly and sat back in her chair. �I can pick
you up at seven-thirty?�
Nodding a second time, the boy suddenly felt the need to ask it, �You know
that this is the circus Trowa is performing with?�

�Of course!� Sally got a good laugh at that, �Why did you think we�re going?�

++//++
The shuttle from L4-RS01 entered the Earth�s atmosphere with the usual
fireworks and heat. Quatre could feel some of the heat even through the air
conditioning in the shuttle, but unlike the man three rows behind him he did
not consider it to be a life threatening issue. Then again, he�d likely been on
and off more shuttles, mobile suits, and various other space-worthy vehicles
than that fat business man had ever seen in his life. Regardless, it was
annoying and Quatre couldn�t help but feel the need to rub one of his temples
slowly to try to relieve some of the pressure.
The laptop placed on the small, fold-out table in front of him had the
current news RSS feed in a window directly in the middle of it. The boy�s
solemn blue eyes remained glued to that feed, despite the fact that his vision
had begun to swim. This wasn�t just any news that he was waiting for, but a
very specific article he knew would soon be published, though he hadn�t any
clue who the reporter would be or the source.

�Master Quatre.� A teacup appeared at Quatre�s elbow. The blond looked up with
a weary smile for his constant companion and assistant.
�Thank you, Rashid,� the boy replied faintly and took the cup from it. One
long draught was taken from the steaming liquid as his eyes immediately sought
the RSS feed once again. Yet another update ticked and it wasn�t the one that
he was
dreading.

�Perhaps it won�t leak,� Rashid offered helpfully as he retook his seat beside
the boy. Taking a commercial flight, even one that was first class, had been
something of a gamble but Quatre knew that they would attract more attention,
rather than less, if he�d opted for a private shuttle. He really didn�t want
anyone to know that he was going to be on Earth for a few days�that was what a
vacation was all about, really. Rashid had drawn the line at allowing Quatre to
take coach.
�Mhm,� he responded absently and tapped the touch-pad once to keep the
screen saver from going up. His back ached, but no matter how hard Quatre tried
to keep himself sitting upright it simply didn�t happen, not today. Instead he
rested his elbows on his knees as he continued to watch the feed and ignore the
bellows of the man three rows back who was now arguing with one of the poor
stewardesses. The news still ticked by. A new policy in Asia about chicken
feed, a power plant laying off employees, a new business deal between two major
corporations, a new study about the�Quatre�s eyes flickered down to the
business deal and he moved the cursor quickly to catch the rapidly disappearing
link. The laptop thought about it for a moment and then the browser jumped to
life.
He bit one thumbnail as he waited for the coding to load. The connection was
always slow in the atmosphere and they were still twenty minutes from touching
down. Finally the page righted itself and Quatre was able to skim the article
beneath it. He groaned faintly and let his tea cup settle upon his leg.
The merger being planned with Telecorp wasn�t something that was supposed to
have hit the airwaves yet; in fact, it wasn�t something that was even in its
final stages of development yet. When he�d allowed Rashid and his sisters to
talk him into taking a holiday it had been with the understanding that the deal
had gone in for a revision of terms and the next meeting would be put on hold
until he returned. That had remained true until he�d received a distressing
phone call at four that morning informing him that one of the copies of the old
contract which was supposed to have been shredded once the new draft had been
made had somehow gone �missing� before his lawyer�s aide had gone to shred
them. It wouldn�t have even been noticed except that the woman was in the habit
of double checking her counts.
All of that meant that someone who wasn�t supposed to had taken a copy of
the contract and, in turn, had taken that information directly to the press.
Just as he�d expected, �breaking news� was now informing the entire System that
Winner Corp was cutting out over two hundred thousand jobs.

�Rashid,� He began in a quiet tone.

�Master Quatre, this is not your fault,� the man interrupted before the boy
could get more than that single word out. The blond raised his head to look at
the man who had been protector, brother, and second-father to him for past
three years. From the scowl across Rashid�s face it was obvious that the man
wasn�t going to be argued with, �and if you insist that it is, I will insist
upon calling a limousine to pick you up at the terminal. Neither are you
canceling your vacation.�
The boy winced a little; he knew that Rashid would do it, too. Were he to
call a limo, Quatre�s little amount of cover would be effectively blown. He�d
managed to keep the paparazzi unaware of his departure from the colonies and
thus far it seemed as if they were entirely unaware that he was heading towards
the Earth. That was a relief. This past year had been taxing, and it wasn�t
only because he�d had to fight tooth and nail with the board of directors over
every single decision he�d been trying to make regarding the Winner Corp.
�You�re doing the best you can to see that this merger doesn�t drop anyone,�
Rashid said softly, to keep any prying ears from hearing, �They�ll see that in
the end.�

�I hope you�re right, Rashid,� Quatre replied with a faint smile. He picked his
tea up before he spilt it and sat back in his seat. The boy closed his eyes on
the headache that was still roaring in his left temple and sipped at his cup.
That man behind him had finally stopped complaining after being bribed with a
complementary wine. In the sudden quiet of the cabin he could now hear the
faint �tick� coming from his laptop at each new bulletin the RSS pulled up. He
knew he would have to deal with the repercussions of this sooner or later. For
the first time in his life, he chose later.
Quatre opened his eyes and reached out to dismiss the RSS feed. He got the
laptop shut down and tucked back into its case just in time to hear the pilot
announce that they would be landing in the next few minutes. Still sipping
quietly upon his drink, the Arabian resource prince turned to look outside the
window at the brilliant blue sky beyond. It would be nearing sunset, were he
grounded, but from up here the sky was still filled with light. It had been so
very long since he�d last seen the Earth; especially like this� he�d almost
forgotten how beautiful it was.
Their luck with the press continued after the shuttle landed. No one spotted
them coming out of the terminal and the employees who checked their passports
were intelligent and well trained enough to keep the identities to themselves.
Within a decent amount of time they had collected their baggage and a rental
car and made their way toward hotel.

Halfway there, Quatre�s cell began to ring. Digging into the pockets of his
slate-grey slacks, the boy almost missed a large billboard announcing the
arrival of the Three-Ring Circus. He twisted in his seat to get a better try
and get a better look at it even as he found his phone, flipped it open, and
pressed it to one ear. �Quatre Winner speaking.�

�Fluff ball!� A familiar, smile-inducing voice rang out from the other end.
Quatre felt his cheeks grow a little hot at the strange nickname he�d long
since been given; he wondered if Duo was ever going to forget about that
disastrous clothes dryer incident. Giving up on the billboard, Quatre dropped
back into the passenger seat. �I just got your e-mail. How long you going to be
in town for?�
�Mm, my itinerary has a week cleared.� Quatre couldn�t help a glance at his
assistant as he said that. Though Rashid�s eyes never left the road, he grunted
in response to indicate that �yes, Master Quatre, you are staying the entire
week if I have to steal your wallet and lock you out of your bank accounts to
enforce it.�
�That�s great! My weekend is pretty clear so we could hang out whenever you
want,� the voice replied. There was a strange sound beneath the voice and then
he heard Duo hiss, �Damnit, Rattrap��
�Duo? Are you ok?�
�Huh? Oh� uh� hold on.� There was a moment of fumbling and then the noise on
the other end of it grew distant. Quatre frowned and switched the phone to his
other ear so that he could lean against the window.
Rashid cleared his throat, �That billboard said that they�d be in town starting
tonight.�
�You caught that, huh?� Quatre couldn�t help but laugh. The corners of
Rashid�s lips twitched faintly, he was obviously amused by his Master�s obvious
interest in the group.
�Sorry about that!� Duo returned to the other line after some slight static.
Quatre chuckled, whatever Duo had been doing it had obviously been taxing, the
other boy was out of breath. Unable to help himself, Quatre risked being a
little rude and cut off whatever Duo was about to say:
�How would you like to go to the circus?�

++//++
�Trowaaaa,� Catherine sing-songed as she walked through the �back area� of
the circus set up, away from where the earliest of the customers and the crowd
that normally came to watch the set up would be allowed to enter. It was less
than half an hour to opening and she hadn�t seen the boy anywhere since they�d
pulled into the arena grounds earlier that afternoon. At first this hadn�t been
at all unusual; now that he was more experienced in their way of life, Trowa
was expected to help with assembling the big top as well as the lesser tents
which would house small shows and carnival booths. The last of those hadn�t
been involved in the circus a few years ago. While they�d had a vendor or two
of their own, it hadn�t been until after the war that they�d been able to
expand their business into games and offering a variety of other food stuffs.
As usual, there was already a small crowd gathered for these smaller
entertainments and it ensured a large audience under the big top tonight.
For that Catherine was glad, but it was all for naught if she couldn�t find
her fellow performer. �Trowa! Hm� where did that boy go off to?�
During the war Trowa had often disappeared entirely before performances; at
first they�d all been a little unsure as to why. The Ring Master had been
absolutely livid about it, when the boy had cut it too close to performance
time before he showed up. Yet, he had been so good at his job when he was
around that he�d never been fired. When his reason had finally been revealed,
Catherine had wished at the time that she had been shocked by it. Horrified,
yes, for war was a horrible thing and to see a boy fighting in one even more
so� but not shocked. She�d have had to have been entirely brainless not to have
realized that there was a pattern of destruction and terrorist attacks
following their circus wherever it moved, or that quiet, gentle Trowa was
toting a rather large package with him most of the way. It wasn�t something
that they had ever discussed, even after he�d begun to regain his memories of
it.
Losing him before a performance felt so familiar, though, in a surreal sort
of way.
Just as she passed one of the storage tents she thought she heard a familiar
voice. Catherine stopped, looking about for the speaker, and her eyes rested
upon the tent flap that had been pulled back just enough to offer a small
opening. �Trowa!� The woman put a laugh into her voice and pushed the tent flap
open further as she took a step through it, �are you talking to the animals
again��
Two boys looked up at her as she entered and one of them put his hand upon a
hard lump in his back pocket that could be mistaken for nothing but what it
was�a gun. The one she had been looking for was sitting on top of an empty cage
which normally held a few of the smaller poodles during transport. The dogs had
been let out now that they were stopped, but there was still a lion in the cage
beside them. Trowa turned his gaze from Catherine dismissively and shook his
head at the other boy.
She knew the boy, though she�d not seen him in a very long time. He�d grown
since the last time, in the way that most teenage boys did, and now stood a few
inches taller than her. The spandex he�d used to wear constantly had been
changed for jeans and though he still wore a tank top he�d thrown a denim
jacket over it. Yet the messy hair hadn�t changed and neither had those
eyes�those dangerous, damning eyes.
�Catherine, you know Heero Yuy,� Trowa spoke into the silence. Heero took
his hand off the gun and allowed his jacket to conceal it once more. The
Japanese boy nodded to her. Whatever the two had been discussing was obviously
over now.
�It�s� nice to see you again, Heero.� The woman knew that her smile didn�t
quite reach her eyes. She extended her hand to him and he shook it and none of
them thought that their meeting was pleasant. �Trowa,� she said, turning to
him, �I finally finished the work on your new costume. It�s lying on your bed,
so you don�t use the old one.�

�Alright Catherine, I�ll meet you at the tent in a few minutes.�
Catherine knew dismissal when she heard it. Heart racing and uneasy, she
threw them both another false smile and turned to exit the way that she�d come.
Whatever they had been discussing, Catherine couldn�t bring herself to believe
that it was show business.

++//++
The sun had disappeared behind the city skyline by the time that Quatre
found himself in a somewhat shabby apartment complex on the wrong side of the
river. The orange sky beyond the dark sky scrapers was an eerie sight and he
turned away from the open end of the hallway to face the door before him.
Apartment B210 had a green door whose paint was beginning to chip and peel
away. The numbers were tarnished metal fixed to the top of it, directly below a
peephole. He�d knocked but no one had answered; perhaps he�d gotten the wrong
apartment?
Just as he�d turned to walk away and call Duo there was a scrape of a chain
on the other side of the door. It swung open then and was pulled open to reveal
the smiling face of his friend, �Sorry about that, I was trying to dry off the
ingrate. Come in a minute? I need to find a better shirt��

Duo stepped aside without further ado and left the door open for Quatre. Though
a little nervous about entering the place, Quatre stepped in regardless and
closed the door behind him; it took a minute for his eyes to adjust to the
gloom beyond.
The first impression he got of Duo�s apartment was one he hadn�t expected at
all: it was clean. Meticulously so, in fact. Despite the unkempt appearance
of the apartment building and surrounding area, Duo had managed to create a
tranquil little haven for himself. The soft smell of cinnamon apples hung in
the air and if the furniture was a little shabby and well-used, Duo had gone
out of his way to make certain that the fabric was cleaned and surfaces well
polished. Quatre thought that if he got close enough he would be able to use
the coffee table as a mirror.

The carpet had a few stains but was obviously vacuumed, and there wasn�t a
single spot of clutter left out. In fact, the room had something of a
�minimalist� look to it�a single shelf of books was on the mantle above a
soot-less fireplace, a single magazine was on the coffee table with a
television remote, and the TV itself on a stand. If he hadn�t known any
better, Quatre would have thought that the man hadn�t been living here more
than a few days.
Something grey darted across the living room and dived beneath the couch.
Duo came back into the room from what was probably his bedroom, grumbling
something under his breath and holding a damp towel. Finally able to get a good
look at his friend, Quatre finally noticed the red-welted scratches drawn along
his forearms and hands, �What happened?�

�That happened,� Duo pointed at a scraggly wet tail poking out from beneath the
couch.
�Is that a�� Quatre peered closer. He stepped off the square of hardwood
that defined the entrance way into the carpeted living room. Dipping onto one
knee the blond tried to look under the couch. A pair of wild green eyes glared
at him from the darkness and a low yowl kept him from reaching out to the cat.
�Oh.�

�Rattrap.� Duo sighed what appeared to be the cat�s name with no small amount
of agitation. �Rescued the damn thing from some kids a few days back. I was trying
to find another home for it, but when I found out the shelter was more inclined
to kill it��

�I don�t think cats like water, Duo,� Quatre couldn�t help but smile a little
as he realized why the cat looked so odd�it was soaking wet.
�Well, I�d have to agree with you there, buddy-boy.� A chuckle came from the
braided boy as he dried his hands off with the towel instead. �Alright, Rat,
just stay that way then�. I�ll turn the air off.� He headed back into the
bedroom and a moment later Quatre heard the sound of a dresser opening.
�Why did you try giving him a bath anyway? Don�t cats clean themselves?�

�Yeah, but he desperately needed a flea dip. I think I got rid of most of the
problem, though, and managed to apply the medication. I really don�t need an
infested apartment.�

Nodding in agreement to that, Quatre couldn�t help but cross into the small
alcove of a kitchen. There was a window through one wall of it that looked out
into the living room and a swinging half-door in the entrance. The kitchen would
have been cramped with two people in it, but a single person fit comfortably.
Just like the rest of the apartment, the place was spotless, and even the sink
smelled faintly of lemons, rather than garbage or mold. There were signs of
wear upon the pot holders, and the sheer amount of cooking paraphernalia seen
in the door-less cabinets indicated that Duo cooked� a lot.
He went back into the living room as Duo exited the bedroom, shutting the
door behind him. Now changed into a dry shirt and pants, the boy paused to shut
off the air-conditioner as he�d said he would. �Do you know where they set up?�

Quatre nodded, �I got directions for it before I left the hotel. I�m surprised
Rashid let me go anywhere on my own. He actually trusted me with my cell phone.�

Duo laughed at that and stopped at the door to wriggle his feet into their
shoes, rather than bother to re-lace them. Quatre crossed the living room and
opened the door, slipping out of it to wait on him. �He�s right on that point.
You�re too much of a workaholic sometimes.�
The blond rolled his eyes and smiled. Duo was another person who had been
after him to take a holiday for the past few months. Well, they had finally got
their wish. The braided boy slipped out the door and shut it behind him,
pausing to turn the key in the lock. He tested the door before they moved to
the downward stairwell. �Have you heard from Trowa at all lately?�
�No�� Quatre shook his head with a slight frown. �We had been e-mailing for
awhile but� you know how these things go. He�s busy with the circus, I have the
corporation.�

�Yeah,� Duo replied faintly, nodding. Of all the other Gundam pilots, Duo had
been the one who had been the easiest to keep in contact with. Of course, Duo
was the only one who also went out of his way to call or write at least once a
week, if not more. The camaraderie they�d had in the war had grown into an
actual friendship over time�one that hadn�t fallen away once the world was at
�rights� again. Quatre was more grateful for that than he could, or would,
express. Though he�d had the Maguanac Corp at his side for years now, he found
it was nice to have a friend outside of their organization. �Have you heard at
all from Heero?�
Duo actually laughed, shaking his head. �Who actually hears from that guy? Nah.
He�s shown up once or twice, usually out of the blue, but never for too
long.�
Quatre nodded. That sounded like his own experience with the Japanese boy.
They�d not had much contact during the war and had only worked in cooperation
for a short time before the end of it. Regardless, he�d gotten the distinct
impression that Heero was keeping �tabs� on him, for the boy seemed inclined to
show up at the oddest times and disappear again before you realized he�d even
been there. It was good to know that Duo had had the same thing happen. �I
heard the Preventers might be expanding again.�
�Mm. Wouldn�t know anything about that,� Duo shrugged, �but I wouldn�t doubt
it. Une is rather insistent that we get real offices set up elsewhere to back
up the local police forces, especially out in the colonies. Can�t really go
into why, but��

�I understand,� Quatre flashed him a smile to show that it was okay. They both
knew that Quatre could get whatever information he wanted from the
General-Director, but it was best that he went to her for it rather than get it
through Duo. The latter option would only spell trouble for the Preventer
agent. Quatre lead him towards the pewter Mercedes he�d rented for his stay.

Duo whistled a low, soft note, �You sure do know how to travel.�

�Rashid picked it out,� Quatre replied with a laugh and clicked the button on
his keys to unlock the doors.

++//++
The big top was packed with people, all happy and excited for the big
circus. Trowa could never get enough of watching them. From his place behind
the �stage� he watched the kids� faces through the gap in the curtain. Theirs
were always the best; they were always filled with such innocent wonder at the
world around them, for them everything was new, colourful and exciting. They
hadn�t yet learned to see the world in black and white, though it�d surely be
beaten into them over time� no matter how false that image was.
He settled his half-mask onto his face as the music signaled the end of the
current high-rise act. He and Catherine�s knife show would be up directly after
the trained poodles, and then he�d have his lion taming act. The others liked
to say that he must have been born into a circus, for he seemed to be perfectly
suited for just about any act they could come up with. Trowa occasionally
wondered if they were right.
A female cleared her throat behind him. He turned, expecting Catherine, to
instead be met with a blond in white. The changes in her since he�d last seen
her in person were expected�hers was a face that was plastered all over the air
waves and magazines, and all of her debates and speeches broadcast as special
reports. She was the sweetheart of the solar system� and she was standing
behind him with a small bouquet of flowers.
Relena Dorlian greeted him with a warm smile, the kind reserved for friends
and family. She was resplendent in white, with her hair done up as if she were
attending a formal function and not a lowly circus act. �Its customary, isn�t
it, to bring your favorite actor flowers?�
�In the theatre, perhaps,� Trowa replied with an equal smile. Regardless he
stepped forward to meet her and greeted her with a hug that was careful of her
gift. �But they�re appreciated.�
�I wanted a chance to see you in person,� Relena explained, returning his
hug briefly before they stepped apart. �Catherine would probably like these
more, wouldn�t she?�

�Probably,� Trowa couldn�t help but agree. �For what do I owe the pleasure?�
�I have to have a reason to visit?� Relena teased. She took a seat
upon one of the crates stacked nearby, despite the dress she wore. The flowers
she put down beside her and she crossed her legs before her. The girl gave him
a playful sort of look, legs swinging a little from her perch.

�I somehow doubt you came here just to admire my outfit,� Trowa replied as he
leaned against a similar stack of crates behind him.

�The bare-chested look does suit you. Did Catherine design that?�
�She did. I wonder about her, sometimes, parading me around like this.� They
both laughed at that and Trowa crossed his arms over his chest. It wasn�t that
he was embarrassed, he told himself, but that it was cold out. �Are you staying
for the performance?�

�No,� Relena replied with a regretful smile, �I�m actually on my way out of
town, I�m afraid. Some business has come up on L4 and its imperative that I am
there. I actually stopped to apologize; I know I told you��

Trowa shook his head, �Don�t, Relena. You know I understand. Have you spoken to
Quatre? I know he�d want to see you.�
�Actually I can�t seem to get a hold of him,� the girl frowned with a faint
sigh. �When I realized I�d be heading up there I tried to call his office, but
they told me that �Mr. Winner is not accepting any calls at the moment and his
schedule is booked for the next week. If you would like a meeting, I can pencil
you in two months from now.��
Trowa�s visible brow raised in response to that, more than a little
surprised to hear it. �They know who they�re talking to?�

�Yes; but that doesn�t matter, it seems. He�s not answered his personal
e-mails, yet, either� but I doubt that I�ll return to an empty inbox when I
next check it. Have you heard from him lately?�

The clown had to give her a wistful smile at that, �It isn�t often that I have
access to a computer these days. He�s been rather busy.�

�Yes,� She frowned, �There was this horrible article released earlier today��
Before she could go further, the girl�s pager beeped. Taking it from her
pocket, she sighed and hopped off the box. �I�m really sorry, Trowa. I�m glad
you�re in town� hopefully I�ll be back before you pack up.�
�We should be here for a week. We�re doing a long tour on Earth again, so
there should be another chance.�
Relena nodded and flashed her friend a smile. They�d seen one another off
and on over the past year, what with her constantly being on the move in order
to handle the political repercussions of the ESUN. The last time they�d met up,
she�s promised him that they�d go out for dinner or a movie when he returned to
Earth that spring. It seemed it would have to be put on hold now, but Trowa
didn�t mind. He stood up straight to give her another, farewell hug.

He couldn�t help but feel sorry for her at times; no matter how much she gave,
people always demanded more. Such was life, however. �I�ll tell Catherine you
brought her flowers,� He told Relena as he released her. She laughed, and he
was glad to see that she was still capable of doing so, despite the slight bags
he could see under her eyes from stress and lack of sleep.

�Thank you. I�ll catch you when I get back.�

Trowa watched as Relena left through the flap she�d come in through. Another
man might have offered her an escort, but by this point Trowa knew better. That
was a girl who could very well take care of herself� nor did he doubt that a
very specific sort of protection was following her every step of the way. Not a
minute after Relena had left, Catherine entered and stopped to look at the
bundle of flowers.

�Trowa?�

�Relena thought you�d like them,� He answered and returned to his observation
point to watch the hopping dogs and laughing children. Despite that, he didn�t
miss the happy smile that crossed his friend�s face.

++//++
He watched from the shadows as she left the circus tent. This stop had been
on her itinerary all day; he�d barely managed to catch the update in time to
circle back around to the brilliantly coloured tents he�d just left behind. His
eyes tracked her as she made her way through the back of the set-up unmolested.
By all appearances the circus staff knew her and her association with their
co-worker well enough that no one thought to question why she was back there.
He followed her at a distance.
It had been three months since he�d last seen her at a conference in Beijing
and he couldn�t help but note that as beautifully as she was dressed, there was
a certain strain upon her features that spoke of working too hard. The boy
frowned to himself; it was one thing to work hard and quite another to work
one�s self to sickness. Perhaps someone needed to teach her that.

++//++
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