Ten Years After- Between it All
Disclamer: Owns Yin, friends own Shin, Taisa, Hel and Kirsche, but not Gwing.
Ten Years After-Between Victorian Valentine and After
Taisa POV
The restaurant was quiet, except for a few hush tones coming from the tables. It wasn’t exactly a rowdy type of restaurant, like those with play pens and birthday parties and dancing men in bulky costumes, no. This was a fine-dining restaurant, one I haven’t been to in a while, mainly because it wasn’t my style. I always did prefer a quiet coffee shop to any of these high folluting places.
Hmmm, mental note: Look up the official meaning and spelling for high folluting.
I felt out of place. I received a text from Trowa that he wanted to meet me here. How he got my number was beyond me. My fingers often pointed to Shinri, Yin or Kirsche. I wouldn’t be surprised if they connived to get me here, or that they’re actually watching me from a distance.
My bag felt heavy at my side. I came from school after an afternoon of reading and research in the library. Trust me, I’ve had better peace in there than any other outside location. I just want to study as if the world was mine to own, where I didn’t have to compete with everyone else as to who read the most pages that afternoon. My three medical research books were tucked away in my bag and I didn’t dare leave them in the car. It never hurt to get a little reading in every now and then.
The waiter asked for my name, checked their list and ushered me inside. I watched as heads turned as I came in. Me, in my shirt, jeans and schoolbag; this was obviously not a place for me, and the stares and elevator eyes they were giving me spoke their silent protest of my intrusion into the place of the rich and wealthy. Nonetheless, the waiter treated me like any other customer, leading me towards the back, where the tables and guests were fewer.
We entered a hallway that had private function rooms in either side. The waiter stopped in front of the farthest room and opened the door for me.
The room overlooked the garden, which had quite a number of small footpaths with trellises hanging over them like a shield from the storm. Vines crept along the metal beams, the light fixtures illuminating the garden in a soft glow that felt good to the eyes. There was a bridge that crossed a small creek which led into a Koi pond in the middle of the garden. It was the perfect sight.
There, right in front of me, gazing out into the garden, dressed very formal I might add, was…
“Zechs?”
The blond-haired man turned and looked at me. “Taisa. So good to see you.” He said casually, taking a few strides towards me. We stood there awkwardly, his height casting a shadow against me and looking intimidating. I dropped my bag to the floor and gave him a salute.
“Commander. I apologize for the informality” I said in my strictest tone. The five-second surprise caught me off-guard, and I completely forgot that Zechs was my commanding officer not so long ago.
He shook my head at me, reaching out his hand to touch mine and brought it down. He smiled.
“That was a long time ago. You and I are no longer part of OZ. You don’t have to salute me.”
My gaze stayed. I wasn’t convinced by his act of chivalry. He was here for something. And he knew I knew.
He laughed, which unnerved me. I never saw Zechs laugh, despite being considered as an intimate part of his inner circle. I’m not saying we’re chums. It’s just that I had thought my position granted me certain privileges, so to speak.
Guess I wasn’t as chummy as I thought.
“I know what you’re thinking,” He began, stifling a laugh. “You think I have something up my sleeve, an ace in the hole. Just to let you know, no, I don’t have anything to discuss with you. I’m actually here because Barton is coming from the Preventer Office with Noin and told me to meet up with him here. He said traffic is terrible in this county.”
I chuckled with that comment. “Yep. It is terrible.”
The mood lightened. Zechs asked if we could sit and we did. He inquired about my life, about my friend’s life and how we were going about our ways. He commented that we have grown up from some scrawny adolescents (I eyed the steak knife but decided against it), to gorgeous women. He was inquiring about my medical studies when the door slid open.
Trowa stood there, his Preventer jacket gleaming in the low light. He was dressed in a pair of slacks and a green dress shirt underneath his jacket. He smirked as he stepped aside.
Lieutenant Noin came in, also with a Preventer Jacket. She beamed when she spotted me.
“Taisa! It’s you! How much you’ve grown! I can’t believe it’s been ten years! I suddenly realize I’m so old now.” She laughed, instilling more laughter from the Blond Preventer in front of me and a grin from the Uni-banged man beside her. Noin gave me a hug and a pat on the head.
“I’m fine Lieutenant.” “Pfft. I’m not your Lieutenant anymore. Just call me Ms. Noin.”
I decided to instigate.
“Noin huh? When will it become Merquise? Or better yet, Peacecraft?” I grinned, noticing the two adults blushing as I commented on an otherwise obvious crush the two have for one another. Any genius would see through their façade, and I was one for conspiracies. This was gonna be good.
“That’s enough Taisa.” I heard Trowa say from beside Noin, noticing their discomfort. I smiled at him and let it pass, deciding I can get back at him for spoiling my fun some other time. The two adults (I call them adults because they will always be older than me) made some excuse to leave and made a hasty retreat before I could even protest, but before they left I spied Zechs whisper something to Trowa which made him raise an eyebrow and for Noin to giggle like a school girl.
The door slid closed.
We were alone.
I gazed at the former Gundam pilot in front of me. Just a week ago my god-child Aida nearly sent him to the floor in a convenience store. Steve always told me she was a lot to handle but I considered her to be a regular growing child. If it weren’t for her, I would have just passed Trowa by just like I do on any other day.
He stood across me, standing tall and unfazed, smiling that lazy smile of his that can always soften expressions. I grinned at him, hiding my blush that was threatening to invade my face. He does look gorgeous.
“Would you like to sit?”
I didn’t realize that I had stood up. I was caught surprised and could feel that blush creep slowly to my cheeks. I turned away from him shook my head clear. I straightened up and turned to face him.
“Before anything, what is this ‘thing’ that I’m about to sit down to? Is it a meeting, a business proposal? A date?” I asked. I was not one to be caught unaware of the position I was in. I wanted to know what I was getting into.
It surprised me that Trowa blushed when I mentioned ‘date’. I figured a man of his looks wouldn’t be a stranger to the science of relationships.
“Call it whatever you want Taisa. It’s just dinner.” He said, walking towards the chair I vacated and ushered me to sit. I raised an eyebrow, partly annoyed that he didn’t answer me and partly amused at his behavior. He really was cute when you meddle with him this way. It was nice being at the upper hand of things.
I sat in the chair he offered me just as the waiter came in with a pre-ordered set.
Dinner was delicious. Of course, I don’t decline Japanese food considering my High School life consists mostly of burying myself into Japanese culture. I blame Kirsche and Shinri for that.
We ate silently, the clickety-clack of the cutlery on the dinnerware the only sound to escape the room. I would watch him out of the corner of my eye as he would gulp down a glass in seconds and order a refill some…ten times? I smiled inwardly, knowing fully well this was a setting for a confrontation.
I put my fork down. I reached for a glass of water and reached for the serving spoon of the soup, just as Trowa reached for it as well.
Our fingers touched.
There was a zap of electricity that cascaded through my veins, I jerked my hand away from the spoon and held it towards me. Looking up, I saw him looking at me as well, cradling his own hand.
We sat there silently, this time awkwardly. We both knew what we felt, but neither of us wanted to express it, to admit that there really was something more to this dinner thing.
I cleared my throat and laughed, hiding my discomfort. He grinned and gave a small chuckle as well.
Things didn’t calm down. We were avoiding eye contact. We both scooted each other’s hands, ergo, if I were to make a reach for the rice to my right, he would be taking some salad to my left and vice versa. We sat silently finishing our meal, this time with an air of tension that made eating a chore rather than a pleasure.
The waiter brought in the desert, which was a small ice cream sorbet. We ate out sorbet quietly, the tinkling of the spoons the only noise. The air inside the room was so thick that you could slice it in half. I swallowed, wondering what more did the night hold for the two of us.
“Excuse me” went a soft voice and I looked up just as Trowa stood up abruptly and exited the room. I watched his retreating back as he veered right towards the comfort room. I blinked, slightly relieved that I could breathe again, and also disappointed that the night wasn’t going to get any better at this rate. I rubbed my forehead in frustration and got up from my chair. This wasn’t going too well.
I knew the guy was quiet, reserved and a bit anti-social. I wouldn’t be surprised if he got wrangled into this mess by a man named Duo Maxwell or some other friend of his. It could also be Zechs and Noin who seemed so interested in the relationships my friends and I had with the pilots. They were forever finding ways to get us to connect and become more than just partners at war.
Those two. I should have a word with them. We’re not teenagers who didn’t know what to do anymore. We were grown women, and they should treat us that way.
Suddenly the image of Shinri, Yin and Kirsche all dressed up to go to a costume party flashed in my head.
Okay, we’re not ALL grown up. We love reliving old times and laughing until it hurts. It hurt to remember that not long ago we were the closest of friends.
But now,
We were apart, an empty shadow. Yin and Hell are no longer friends, and Hell is abroad now with the occasional call just to Kirsche. Shinri has work in the Commercial District, while Kirsche works in another city. I stopped working, and went back to school to study becoming a doctor. Yin works as a teacher and has the most lenient of schedules.
We live separate lives now.
The last time I saw them was months ago, during Yin’s birthday party, and even then, we weren’t complete.
My musings made me realize that, it was indeed a long time since that day when I stumbled upon these people who became my friends when nobody wouldn’t. How we grew apart was sad, and now that the past has been opened, it is hard to look back, and to smile. Because it only makes me feel lonely for what we have lost, a price we had to pay.
I left my bag and proceeded to the rest rooms. That man will stop acting like a ten year old and tell me what the hell is going on.
As I turned the corner, I bumped into him.
We both tumbled to the ground. We were both caught by surprise. I landed on my bottom and yelped loudly, reaching back to rub it lightly. I was slightly annoyed but I felt a blush creep to my cheeks as I realized this was the most awkward of awkward moments that could ever happen this evening. I winced and tried to stand up as a pair of hands gently touched me.
“Taisa are you okay?” Trowa asked, lifting me by my arms. I tried to hide my obvious embarrassment and faced the floor as he helped me to my feet.
“I’m fine Trowa. I’m sorry for the fuss.”
Trowa smiled. “No fuss at all. C’mon. Let’s head back so you can have desert.”
I felt defeated. This guy wasn’t going to let it slip that I could get one over him and find out what he’s been hiding all throughout dinner.
I silently thought of another plan over the cobbler.
Trowa POV
That was close. She almost caught me talking on the phone with Duo. That man. He, Heero and Quatre were at the Pioneer District just a few blocks away from here to attend some costume party that the three girls were attending. Duo told me in detail about how he had Shinri read him his fortune, how Heero managed to ‘score’ with Kirsche (I shall look out for that black eye later) and how Quatre, the gentleman that he is, danced with Yin with everyone watching.
It was a relief to see Taisa again. I’m glad she showed up. It wouldn’t be the first if she decided to ditch me. I wanted to see her again, sans the company.
I remembered how Zechs gave me the talk as if I wasn’t capable of handling my own relationships. He and Noin were in agreement that this charade should end now, and that the five of us weren’t getting any younger so we might as well settle down with the partner of our choice.
I wanted to throw that comment back at him. The guy’s four years older than us and he has the nerve to tell me we aren’t getting any younger? When the subject of marriage comes up, Zechs and Noin are always the first to leave the table. They always manage to escape our scrutiny, never mind that everyone in Preventer knows they’ve been dating since forever.
The image of Taisa in a virgin white wedding dress popped into my head. I shook my head of these thought because although she looked stunning in my mind, the creeping presence of Steve Brass wasn’t far from my imagination.
“Trowa, are you alright?”
I stared at Taisa who was looking at me curiously.
I smiled. “Of course Taisa. Why would you think otherwise?”
I thought I saw a raised eyebrow for a second. I probably imagined it.
“Just a thought” She said, then turned her back towards me and walked back to the private room I rented for the evening.
I stood rooted to my spot, organizing my thoughts before I had to go back in there and face someone who is just as stubborn as I am.
We were young back then.
Back then, we were enemies. I think she considered me a lesser threat considering I wasn’t hitting on any of her friends. She was very protective of them back then. I recall how she practically threw Heero halfway across a schoolyard and into the sea because he was about to interrupt some private time Duo had with Shinri. I saw that stony glare she gave Quatre when he attempted to take Yin’s hand. That guy admitted to me that she scares him sometimes.
And yet, why wasn’t I afraid?
Hmph, look who’s talking. I probably wasn’t years ago, back when I was some punk off the streets, but here I am, standing like some idiot who can’t seem to muster enough strength to ask.
“Are you and Brass together?”
Somewhere deep inside me, my heart wrenched.
Taisa POV
This was stupid.
“Trowa” I interrupted the silence. “What is going on? You barely spoke to me the entire night. Are you biding time for something? Because if this is some sort of trap, I can assure you I won’t come down so easily. ”
I eyed his reaction, to see if my assumption was correct.
He looked at me, blinked his eyes and said nothing. He returned his gaze back to his food. He swirled his spoon in the cup before he answered.
“What do you want me to say Taisa? Or what are you expecting me to say? Even if I prepare a thousand answers for you, I don’t think you’d be satisfied with any of them. So I’m doing my best to just simply enjoy this quiet evening with you.” He said, bringing the spoon to his mouth and inserting it into his mouth, along with the cold cream on it.
I could feel my face heat up, anger boiling inside of me. I hated being left out in the open. I hated it more that Trowa was being so difficult.
I stood up and slammed my palms on the table.
He didn’t even look up.
“Now look here!” I demanded, taking his wrists and forcing his attention on me. He looked at me with the same stoic face. “I have half a mind to leave you here, seeing as you’re just wasting my time. But I am not heartless that I won’t listen to reason. So just tell me what the heck we are waiting about for so we can get on with our lives.”
I stood in the silence of my aftermath, heaving and gasping for the life of me. He just looked at me and continued with his desert.
After what felt like a lifetime, he put his spoon down. He raised his eyes and looked at me with the same intense gaze he gave me back then.
Back in New Edwards when I was just a private and he was a renegade.
He sat silently, looking at my looming figure that cast a shadow over his frame. He put his hands together in front of him, placing them on the table. He slanted his eyebrows slightly, which made me wonder if he was…angry at me.
Then he said it.
“Are you and Brass dating?”
I blinked.
“EXCUSE ME?”
He repeated the question, his stance not faltering.
I stood gaping at him, shocked at his bold approach, and I could feel a blush begin to show on my cheeks. What would make him think that I would be dating Steve?
The image of the convenience store episode appeared in my head, and as I processed it, it would make more sense to anyone who’s known me and Steve that we would be dating. Especially if that anyone is Trowa, who knew Steve more than I did.
I wanted to burst out laughing, but felt it was unfair on Trowa’s part. He just saw me, and the one thing he dreaded was the very scene he witnessed: Steve and me, with a little girl.
I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing, my insides were jiggling in an attempt to burst out of me. After a minute I stopped, heaving while grasping the top of my chair as I looked at him. His stance never wavered, but I saw what looked like a pinkish glow on his cheek.
Was he BLUSHING?
I looked at him seriously as he bent his head down, hiding his eyes with his clamped hands as he leaned his elbows on the table. He seemed uneasy as he tried to look up at me.
“Hey,” I started, silently kicking myself for embarrassing him. “for the record, he’s not my boyfriend and we’re not dating. A few months ago I stumbled upon him in school. He’s an alumni and needed to get some papers for his work. We got talking and we began connecting again. For a time, he never mentioned that he had a child. We began meeting on a regular basis, but he finally told me. I’ll admit I was excited that he was striking dates here and there, but the fact that he already had a previous marriage turned me off from any notions of a relationship with him. So now we just enjoy going out, with Aida this time of course.”
I finished my explanation and waited for a response from the Preventer.
He looked up at me after a few heart-stopping minutes.
He smiled.
“That’s good to hear.” He said, looking at me and grinning, which looked like it would explode into a full blown joker-like smirk in a few seconds. He cleared his throat and fidgeted for something in his pocket. It was beginning to scare me.
Then he laughed.
Okay, that was just creepy.
“Hey Duo. Yeah I’m doing great. Listen, about that favor you owe me for ditching me last Saturday…”
Saturday, that’s when I saw him at the convenience store.
“…yes, yes I know you’re sorry and justified for leaving me because you had a date with Shinri…”
She WHAT.
“…but listen, why don’t we meet in half an hour? I need to discuss the final report we need to submit on Friday.”
He turned his celphone off.
He looked at me, still with that cheeky grin on his face. That bastard. I’m going to kill him.
“What are you looking at Barton?” I growled. I can’t believe it, one moment he was all serious I thought he’d faint, the next he’s grinning like a sick clown from hell. Psycho bastard.
“Do I detect irritation and annoyance at my sudden change in reaction Taisa?”
I looked at him.
He lost the maniac grin but kept on smiling at me.
“Are things not going according to your plan Taisa Ayase?”
I was shocked at his declaration. I wanted to rebuke his answer
And yet…
He was right.
This entire evening was never my plan to begin with. How could he even think that this THING was within my control? I wasn’t the one so keen on meeting up that I’d make reservations in some fancy restaurant in the middle of town just to impress a girl. Who did he think I was?
I glared at him, then I smiled. “I’m not the one who’s flustered Mr. Barton. I came here under the impression that I was in for a heck of a ride. And you proved me right. I wonder if it’s actually you whose plans aren’t going according to plan. I have nothing to lose in this situation. I wonder if you do.”
We held each other’s gaze for a few minutes. I wanted to see his disappointed look, a shattered smile, a near-death frown.
Guess his years working in the circus taught him a thing or two about poker faces.
I shook my head. I was upset. I didn’t like how things were going and I wasn’t going to stick around to wait for this already-ruined night to explode into pieces. I didn’t want to hurt him anymore than I knew he was feeling.
On the bright side, I knew that he was still interested in me.
I made for my bag.
His hand beat me too it.
For a scrawny stick, he sure picked up my bag containing two medical books and a laptop with ease. He lifted it off the chair and held it high above my head.
I blinked, then I fumed.
Trowa POV
She wasn’t going to escape that easily.
I saw the way she shook her head. It was a defeated looking shake, followed by a sigh of fatigue. I’ve seen soldiers do that time and time again when I manage to gain the upper hand in the battlefield. It meant defeat, and she was about to make her escape.
It was a good thing I reached for her bag in an instant, because no sooner did she twitch her eyebrow at me did I find myself running head on out of the restaurant (I told the waiter beforehand to course the bill to Preventer), ignoring the glares from the other customers, while Taisa ran after me and her bag like there was no tomorrow.
“DAMN IT BARTON I SWEAR WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOUR PUNY LITTLE BODY I’LL TEAR IT LIMB FROM LIMB”
I know it mind sound crazy, but damn do I love this woman.
My worst fears were confirmed nonexistent, so my change in attitude probably irritated her. I was just more than happy to know that Brass wasn’t able to get his hands on her. I wanted to take Heavyarms for a spin and shoot a few round for the heck of it.
Okay, maybe that was a bit too much.
I ran for my life as Taisa chased behind me. I swear, for a woman in her twenties and years out of the battlefield she kept her fighting form. She threw anything that came within reach and shouted profanities and accusations as curious passers-by watched us in fascination.
“THIEF! MUGGER! JERK! PSYCHO! TURTLE! CHICKEN! BROOM!”
I wanted to laugh.
It felt like ten years ago all over again.
We were fifteen.
My thoughts went to the time we were all at home one day. The girls Shinri, Hell and Yin were out doing some shopping while Kirsche was attempting another go in the kitchen. Duo was making sure no fire hazards would take place while Wufei was in the garden meditating. Quatre had to attend some matters in his company while Heero was in the hangar working on Wing.
I sat in the living room, basking in the glory of the normal life. I was enjoying the supposed normality of the entire thing when Taisa entered, having just finished her bath.
She sat beside me, smiling as she did. She shook her hair free of any droplets of water, spraying a bit on me. She apologized and I smiled.
We just sat there for hours, taking in the noise from the kitchen and the hangar. Our peace was short-lived when the three girls returned and we had to help clear out the groceries.
They bought a giant watermelon which made me wonder how much strength they were actually hiding under their weak exteriors. Nonetheless it got everyone trying to mind their own business, to gather in the kitchen and help themselves to the fruit…or was it vegetable?
There was only one slice left and the other eight have had their fill. I eyed it greedily. I saw her giving it the same beady eyes I was, her fork ready to pierce.
“Taisa, did you change the oil in Speechaser recently?”
While she took a moment to think about it, I poked it out of reach and into my plate.
When she realized she was duped, she blinked, them fumed.
And I spent the next three hours running away from her clutches.
“THIEF! MUGGER! JERK! PSYCHO! TURTLE! CHICKEN! BROOM!”
I was smiling amidst the traffic, pedestrians and the faint voice of Duo coming from an oncoming car. I ran just like before, because I wanted to go back to those times when life wasn’t as burdened as it was for the past ten years.
Ten years of loneliness.
We all pined for them. Duo began this zombie-like obsession on Shinri that if he had his way, he’d put her picture up on every wall of our house. Wufei never admitted it but I would catch him hitting his frustration out on a cauldron full of flaming coal. Not a pretty sight, but it seemed to calm him down. Heero, always silent, would lock himself in the room for hours at time wherein I would hear snippets of some old song Shimei wrote back then. Quatre would look up every time a small girl with short brown hair would pass by. He frowned immediately afterwards when he realizes it wasn’t Yin.
We were lovestruck, hopeless romantics. We started out as shmucks who didn’t know the difference between a rose and a weed, and yet they stood by us at a time people wanted to stay away from us. To others, we were a disease, to them, we were just regular guys.
I stopped running to look behind and found an older Shinri, Shimei and Yin comforting a heaving Taisa who had her hands to her knees, gasping for breath. Duo, Quatre and Heero were looking my way, signaling me to come back. I walked slowly towards them and stopped out of reach from Taisa’s clutching hands.
Yin was scolding her. “Taisa, how many times do we have to remind you? You’re not fifteen anymore! You can’t run like that and come out fresh as a daisy! You could get killed!”
Shinri seconded the motion. “You already have a doctor’s appointment next week because of your recent accident. Do we have to run you over with a car to get you to sit still?”
I felt a creeping guilt crawl its way up my spine.
Kirsche nodded. “Yeah Taisa. If niichan and the others didn’t come by we wouldn’t get to see your world record attempt to catch a chicken. ”
My eyebrow twitched slightly at that.
I looked at her still heaving form hunched over the pavement. I could hear her breath escaping in rhythm. I walked towards her placed my hand on her shoulders.
“Hey…” I started, guilt attempting to break my dam of control. “…I’m sorry.”
Taisa POV
Dammit. I haven’t run that fast since I had to run for dear life. I guess you really can’t stay in shape on your own. I should hit the gym.
A soft hand touched my shoulders.
“Hey….I’m sorry”
I lifted my face to see Trowa’s looking down at me. His eyes were sad and he looked guilty as hell. I haven’t seen those blue eyes this way in a long time. The last time I gazed at it like this was when we got caught in a closet because we were playing poker…I shouldn’t have suggested that we bet on Wufei’s nose.
He offered his hand to me, which I took, swaying somewhat. He reached for my waist and caught me.
We touched.
We were still for a while, not daring to look at each other’s eyes. I was afraid of what I might see. In my mind, I was hoping he wore his nonchalant, vague expression as he would ask if I was okay and if I needed assistance then he would scold me carefully for something he knows I didn’t do on purpose.
I was also afraid of what else I might see, something I might not be prepared to see.
But I dared to look.
His hold never faltered.
I gasped my surprise.
Twin pink cheeks
An embarrassed smirk
Bashful eyes
Awkward blinking
Constant pursing of lips
A hard thump of a heart on my chest
Slight shiver in my spine
Fingers groping for anything
Soft gasps
A cold sweat
Rapid eye movement
Symptoms of that of fear, embarrassment, nervousness and fatigue
In short: STRESS
I couldn’t help it. This was too much.
It came out as a cross between a gurgle and an attempt to hold down your lunch. In my vain attempt to keep it in, the more it made my sides hurt.
I laughed.
I haven’t laughed that loud in a long time, not since that moment in time.
When it was just the two of us
I didn’t care if my friends were staring at me as if I lost my head. I damn must have, because if my conscience could detach itself from my body I could just slap myself and tell me off for being such an idiot.
But I was having too much fun guffawing and holding my sides as I continued laughing because of their looks.
The grip on my waist loosened
And I could hear what would be a faint sound of a chuckle.
Then two, then three
Soon enough, they were all laughing.
And that was it.
EPILOGUE
“What? You’ve been assigned to stay here?”
“Well, yes. That’s why we’re here in the first place.”
“Actually we were just meant to stay until the sub-base is up and operational. But we were able to get a longer leave.”
“And by leave you mean Preventer leave.”
“Yin, of course I’m staying. My branch company here has always wanted me to see their operations. What better time than now?”
“Alright, point taken, but where will you all be staying?”
“We already have a small apartment here. If Q wants to stay with us then the more the merrier.”
“Q’s gotta stay with us! It won’t be fun without our cashflo--- er, cashier watching our money matters. We need an accountant so we don’t run out. You know how much Heero spends on those Gunplas.”
“I can kill you you idiot. I don’t need the Preventer paycheck to pay for my hobbies. I have other means of income.”
“Okay, before you start brawling, do you have any stuff inside your place? I can take you guys in my car and we can take a drive to the mall.”
“Thanks Taisa, but Fei left us the keys to his car here. He bought it when he thought he’d have to sleep in it because of a mission. He said we can keep it. He got a position over at Preventer New York and I don’t think he’ll be leaving anytime soon, what with Hel over there. He sent pictures again by the way.”
“So what are we standing around here for? Let’s get moving, and nii-chan, mom called. She said you better show your face to her.”
“Can we ask your mom to take him back too?”
“Haha, very funny Heero. I could just knife you for that.”
So that’s how it was.
We helped them move in one weekend. Well, technically not move in since they’ve been staying there for a while. We got them settled, bought some furniture, including that couch Duo wouldn’t pry away from despite three men pulling at his legs. Kirsche, Shinri, Yin and I bought some cooking equipment which I broke in by baking some cookies which made the four men, who were tweaking Wufei’s car in the garage, to drop their equipment and proceed zombie-like to the kitchen. Rashid called and asked Quatre if he wanted some stuff brought over and if he should tell Samantha he would be away indefinitely. That got Quatre and Yin arguing so Duo took over and told Rashid to send the flat screen over. We ordered lunch and ate, watching Yin give Q the cold shoulder. Kirsche answered a phone call outside while Heero went to his room and arranged his Gunpla collection. Somewhere in the middle of desert, Duo and Shinri disappeared, and I just pretended that the sounds coming from upstairs were rats. Big rats that made the floor creak in a strange rhythm.
I sat down beside Trowa on the couch. He smiled at me. We watched the people go about. Kirsche came back in and shrieked when she saw Heero’s 1:60 scale of some Gunpla she wanted since she was seventeen. Yin and Quatre made up when Quatre explained, in a very calm voice, about Samantha’s business connections which forced him to date her. Yin, with her common sense, just arched her eyebrow at him but forgave him after he brought out a diamond ring. Yin practically squealed. That got our attention.
That night, as I stood out in the garden, I marveled at how great it was that we were given the chance to cross paths again. I always thought it was a mistake that we even met that time, in the middle of a war and fighting against, for, against and coming out of it alive. It was a miracle, and a blessing I never thought we would receive.
I felt a hand land on my shoulder. I turned at smiled at Trowa. He offered me a cup of tea. I thanked him.
“Are they still celebrating in there?” I asked, taking a sip. Mint, my favorite.
“Yes. Duo and Shinri finally came down. Shinri’s ecstatic with the news and Duo is asking if Q needs a minister because he can opt to do it.”
“Haha. As if Yin’s going to agree. She’d want a church wedding , the works. ”
Trowa let out a chuckle. “I guess. Then that would mean the Winner Corporation’s new home will be here in Nuna Payatt. This will bring investments up.”
“True. Let’s just hope things won’t change.” I took another sip.
Trowa moved to stand beside me. I looked at him. He was gazing up into the sky, probably thinking of long ago. I couldn’t help but smile at his image, still wondering if this dream of mine would disappear the moment I blink.
“Do you believe in miracles Taisa?” He asked, his eyes never leaving the stars.
This man. What a mind reader.
I inched closer to him, wrapping my arms around his thin waist. He placed his hand on my back. Finally, I could say exactly what I should have said back when he asked the same question almost ten years ago.
I leaned on him and smiled.
“Of course I do. I met you didn’t I?”
END…finally.XP
Ten Years After-Between Victorian Valentine and After
Taisa POV
The restaurant was quiet, except for a few hush tones coming from the tables. It wasn’t exactly a rowdy type of restaurant, like those with play pens and birthday parties and dancing men in bulky costumes, no. This was a fine-dining restaurant, one I haven’t been to in a while, mainly because it wasn’t my style. I always did prefer a quiet coffee shop to any of these high folluting places.
Hmmm, mental note: Look up the official meaning and spelling for high folluting.
I felt out of place. I received a text from Trowa that he wanted to meet me here. How he got my number was beyond me. My fingers often pointed to Shinri, Yin or Kirsche. I wouldn’t be surprised if they connived to get me here, or that they’re actually watching me from a distance.
My bag felt heavy at my side. I came from school after an afternoon of reading and research in the library. Trust me, I’ve had better peace in there than any other outside location. I just want to study as if the world was mine to own, where I didn’t have to compete with everyone else as to who read the most pages that afternoon. My three medical research books were tucked away in my bag and I didn’t dare leave them in the car. It never hurt to get a little reading in every now and then.
The waiter asked for my name, checked their list and ushered me inside. I watched as heads turned as I came in. Me, in my shirt, jeans and schoolbag; this was obviously not a place for me, and the stares and elevator eyes they were giving me spoke their silent protest of my intrusion into the place of the rich and wealthy. Nonetheless, the waiter treated me like any other customer, leading me towards the back, where the tables and guests were fewer.
We entered a hallway that had private function rooms in either side. The waiter stopped in front of the farthest room and opened the door for me.
The room overlooked the garden, which had quite a number of small footpaths with trellises hanging over them like a shield from the storm. Vines crept along the metal beams, the light fixtures illuminating the garden in a soft glow that felt good to the eyes. There was a bridge that crossed a small creek which led into a Koi pond in the middle of the garden. It was the perfect sight.
There, right in front of me, gazing out into the garden, dressed very formal I might add, was…
“Zechs?”
The blond-haired man turned and looked at me. “Taisa. So good to see you.” He said casually, taking a few strides towards me. We stood there awkwardly, his height casting a shadow against me and looking intimidating. I dropped my bag to the floor and gave him a salute.
“Commander. I apologize for the informality” I said in my strictest tone. The five-second surprise caught me off-guard, and I completely forgot that Zechs was my commanding officer not so long ago.
He shook my head at me, reaching out his hand to touch mine and brought it down. He smiled.
“That was a long time ago. You and I are no longer part of OZ. You don’t have to salute me.”
My gaze stayed. I wasn’t convinced by his act of chivalry. He was here for something. And he knew I knew.
He laughed, which unnerved me. I never saw Zechs laugh, despite being considered as an intimate part of his inner circle. I’m not saying we’re chums. It’s just that I had thought my position granted me certain privileges, so to speak.
Guess I wasn’t as chummy as I thought.
“I know what you’re thinking,” He began, stifling a laugh. “You think I have something up my sleeve, an ace in the hole. Just to let you know, no, I don’t have anything to discuss with you. I’m actually here because Barton is coming from the Preventer Office with Noin and told me to meet up with him here. He said traffic is terrible in this county.”
I chuckled with that comment. “Yep. It is terrible.”
The mood lightened. Zechs asked if we could sit and we did. He inquired about my life, about my friend’s life and how we were going about our ways. He commented that we have grown up from some scrawny adolescents (I eyed the steak knife but decided against it), to gorgeous women. He was inquiring about my medical studies when the door slid open.
Trowa stood there, his Preventer jacket gleaming in the low light. He was dressed in a pair of slacks and a green dress shirt underneath his jacket. He smirked as he stepped aside.
Lieutenant Noin came in, also with a Preventer Jacket. She beamed when she spotted me.
“Taisa! It’s you! How much you’ve grown! I can’t believe it’s been ten years! I suddenly realize I’m so old now.” She laughed, instilling more laughter from the Blond Preventer in front of me and a grin from the Uni-banged man beside her. Noin gave me a hug and a pat on the head.
“I’m fine Lieutenant.” “Pfft. I’m not your Lieutenant anymore. Just call me Ms. Noin.”
I decided to instigate.
“Noin huh? When will it become Merquise? Or better yet, Peacecraft?” I grinned, noticing the two adults blushing as I commented on an otherwise obvious crush the two have for one another. Any genius would see through their façade, and I was one for conspiracies. This was gonna be good.
“That’s enough Taisa.” I heard Trowa say from beside Noin, noticing their discomfort. I smiled at him and let it pass, deciding I can get back at him for spoiling my fun some other time. The two adults (I call them adults because they will always be older than me) made some excuse to leave and made a hasty retreat before I could even protest, but before they left I spied Zechs whisper something to Trowa which made him raise an eyebrow and for Noin to giggle like a school girl.
The door slid closed.
We were alone.
I gazed at the former Gundam pilot in front of me. Just a week ago my god-child Aida nearly sent him to the floor in a convenience store. Steve always told me she was a lot to handle but I considered her to be a regular growing child. If it weren’t for her, I would have just passed Trowa by just like I do on any other day.
He stood across me, standing tall and unfazed, smiling that lazy smile of his that can always soften expressions. I grinned at him, hiding my blush that was threatening to invade my face. He does look gorgeous.
“Would you like to sit?”
I didn’t realize that I had stood up. I was caught surprised and could feel that blush creep slowly to my cheeks. I turned away from him shook my head clear. I straightened up and turned to face him.
“Before anything, what is this ‘thing’ that I’m about to sit down to? Is it a meeting, a business proposal? A date?” I asked. I was not one to be caught unaware of the position I was in. I wanted to know what I was getting into.
It surprised me that Trowa blushed when I mentioned ‘date’. I figured a man of his looks wouldn’t be a stranger to the science of relationships.
“Call it whatever you want Taisa. It’s just dinner.” He said, walking towards the chair I vacated and ushered me to sit. I raised an eyebrow, partly annoyed that he didn’t answer me and partly amused at his behavior. He really was cute when you meddle with him this way. It was nice being at the upper hand of things.
I sat in the chair he offered me just as the waiter came in with a pre-ordered set.
Dinner was delicious. Of course, I don’t decline Japanese food considering my High School life consists mostly of burying myself into Japanese culture. I blame Kirsche and Shinri for that.
We ate silently, the clickety-clack of the cutlery on the dinnerware the only sound to escape the room. I would watch him out of the corner of my eye as he would gulp down a glass in seconds and order a refill some…ten times? I smiled inwardly, knowing fully well this was a setting for a confrontation.
I put my fork down. I reached for a glass of water and reached for the serving spoon of the soup, just as Trowa reached for it as well.
Our fingers touched.
There was a zap of electricity that cascaded through my veins, I jerked my hand away from the spoon and held it towards me. Looking up, I saw him looking at me as well, cradling his own hand.
We sat there silently, this time awkwardly. We both knew what we felt, but neither of us wanted to express it, to admit that there really was something more to this dinner thing.
I cleared my throat and laughed, hiding my discomfort. He grinned and gave a small chuckle as well.
Things didn’t calm down. We were avoiding eye contact. We both scooted each other’s hands, ergo, if I were to make a reach for the rice to my right, he would be taking some salad to my left and vice versa. We sat silently finishing our meal, this time with an air of tension that made eating a chore rather than a pleasure.
The waiter brought in the desert, which was a small ice cream sorbet. We ate out sorbet quietly, the tinkling of the spoons the only noise. The air inside the room was so thick that you could slice it in half. I swallowed, wondering what more did the night hold for the two of us.
“Excuse me” went a soft voice and I looked up just as Trowa stood up abruptly and exited the room. I watched his retreating back as he veered right towards the comfort room. I blinked, slightly relieved that I could breathe again, and also disappointed that the night wasn’t going to get any better at this rate. I rubbed my forehead in frustration and got up from my chair. This wasn’t going too well.
I knew the guy was quiet, reserved and a bit anti-social. I wouldn’t be surprised if he got wrangled into this mess by a man named Duo Maxwell or some other friend of his. It could also be Zechs and Noin who seemed so interested in the relationships my friends and I had with the pilots. They were forever finding ways to get us to connect and become more than just partners at war.
Those two. I should have a word with them. We’re not teenagers who didn’t know what to do anymore. We were grown women, and they should treat us that way.
Suddenly the image of Shinri, Yin and Kirsche all dressed up to go to a costume party flashed in my head.
Okay, we’re not ALL grown up. We love reliving old times and laughing until it hurts. It hurt to remember that not long ago we were the closest of friends.
But now,
We were apart, an empty shadow. Yin and Hell are no longer friends, and Hell is abroad now with the occasional call just to Kirsche. Shinri has work in the Commercial District, while Kirsche works in another city. I stopped working, and went back to school to study becoming a doctor. Yin works as a teacher and has the most lenient of schedules.
We live separate lives now.
The last time I saw them was months ago, during Yin’s birthday party, and even then, we weren’t complete.
My musings made me realize that, it was indeed a long time since that day when I stumbled upon these people who became my friends when nobody wouldn’t. How we grew apart was sad, and now that the past has been opened, it is hard to look back, and to smile. Because it only makes me feel lonely for what we have lost, a price we had to pay.
I left my bag and proceeded to the rest rooms. That man will stop acting like a ten year old and tell me what the hell is going on.
As I turned the corner, I bumped into him.
We both tumbled to the ground. We were both caught by surprise. I landed on my bottom and yelped loudly, reaching back to rub it lightly. I was slightly annoyed but I felt a blush creep to my cheeks as I realized this was the most awkward of awkward moments that could ever happen this evening. I winced and tried to stand up as a pair of hands gently touched me.
“Taisa are you okay?” Trowa asked, lifting me by my arms. I tried to hide my obvious embarrassment and faced the floor as he helped me to my feet.
“I’m fine Trowa. I’m sorry for the fuss.”
Trowa smiled. “No fuss at all. C’mon. Let’s head back so you can have desert.”
I felt defeated. This guy wasn’t going to let it slip that I could get one over him and find out what he’s been hiding all throughout dinner.
I silently thought of another plan over the cobbler.
Trowa POV
That was close. She almost caught me talking on the phone with Duo. That man. He, Heero and Quatre were at the Pioneer District just a few blocks away from here to attend some costume party that the three girls were attending. Duo told me in detail about how he had Shinri read him his fortune, how Heero managed to ‘score’ with Kirsche (I shall look out for that black eye later) and how Quatre, the gentleman that he is, danced with Yin with everyone watching.
It was a relief to see Taisa again. I’m glad she showed up. It wouldn’t be the first if she decided to ditch me. I wanted to see her again, sans the company.
I remembered how Zechs gave me the talk as if I wasn’t capable of handling my own relationships. He and Noin were in agreement that this charade should end now, and that the five of us weren’t getting any younger so we might as well settle down with the partner of our choice.
I wanted to throw that comment back at him. The guy’s four years older than us and he has the nerve to tell me we aren’t getting any younger? When the subject of marriage comes up, Zechs and Noin are always the first to leave the table. They always manage to escape our scrutiny, never mind that everyone in Preventer knows they’ve been dating since forever.
The image of Taisa in a virgin white wedding dress popped into my head. I shook my head of these thought because although she looked stunning in my mind, the creeping presence of Steve Brass wasn’t far from my imagination.
“Trowa, are you alright?”
I stared at Taisa who was looking at me curiously.
I smiled. “Of course Taisa. Why would you think otherwise?”
I thought I saw a raised eyebrow for a second. I probably imagined it.
“Just a thought” She said, then turned her back towards me and walked back to the private room I rented for the evening.
I stood rooted to my spot, organizing my thoughts before I had to go back in there and face someone who is just as stubborn as I am.
We were young back then.
Back then, we were enemies. I think she considered me a lesser threat considering I wasn’t hitting on any of her friends. She was very protective of them back then. I recall how she practically threw Heero halfway across a schoolyard and into the sea because he was about to interrupt some private time Duo had with Shinri. I saw that stony glare she gave Quatre when he attempted to take Yin’s hand. That guy admitted to me that she scares him sometimes.
And yet, why wasn’t I afraid?
Hmph, look who’s talking. I probably wasn’t years ago, back when I was some punk off the streets, but here I am, standing like some idiot who can’t seem to muster enough strength to ask.
“Are you and Brass together?”
Somewhere deep inside me, my heart wrenched.
Taisa POV
This was stupid.
“Trowa” I interrupted the silence. “What is going on? You barely spoke to me the entire night. Are you biding time for something? Because if this is some sort of trap, I can assure you I won’t come down so easily. ”
I eyed his reaction, to see if my assumption was correct.
He looked at me, blinked his eyes and said nothing. He returned his gaze back to his food. He swirled his spoon in the cup before he answered.
“What do you want me to say Taisa? Or what are you expecting me to say? Even if I prepare a thousand answers for you, I don’t think you’d be satisfied with any of them. So I’m doing my best to just simply enjoy this quiet evening with you.” He said, bringing the spoon to his mouth and inserting it into his mouth, along with the cold cream on it.
I could feel my face heat up, anger boiling inside of me. I hated being left out in the open. I hated it more that Trowa was being so difficult.
I stood up and slammed my palms on the table.
He didn’t even look up.
“Now look here!” I demanded, taking his wrists and forcing his attention on me. He looked at me with the same stoic face. “I have half a mind to leave you here, seeing as you’re just wasting my time. But I am not heartless that I won’t listen to reason. So just tell me what the heck we are waiting about for so we can get on with our lives.”
I stood in the silence of my aftermath, heaving and gasping for the life of me. He just looked at me and continued with his desert.
After what felt like a lifetime, he put his spoon down. He raised his eyes and looked at me with the same intense gaze he gave me back then.
Back in New Edwards when I was just a private and he was a renegade.
He sat silently, looking at my looming figure that cast a shadow over his frame. He put his hands together in front of him, placing them on the table. He slanted his eyebrows slightly, which made me wonder if he was…angry at me.
Then he said it.
“Are you and Brass dating?”
I blinked.
“EXCUSE ME?”
He repeated the question, his stance not faltering.
I stood gaping at him, shocked at his bold approach, and I could feel a blush begin to show on my cheeks. What would make him think that I would be dating Steve?
The image of the convenience store episode appeared in my head, and as I processed it, it would make more sense to anyone who’s known me and Steve that we would be dating. Especially if that anyone is Trowa, who knew Steve more than I did.
I wanted to burst out laughing, but felt it was unfair on Trowa’s part. He just saw me, and the one thing he dreaded was the very scene he witnessed: Steve and me, with a little girl.
I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing, my insides were jiggling in an attempt to burst out of me. After a minute I stopped, heaving while grasping the top of my chair as I looked at him. His stance never wavered, but I saw what looked like a pinkish glow on his cheek.
Was he BLUSHING?
I looked at him seriously as he bent his head down, hiding his eyes with his clamped hands as he leaned his elbows on the table. He seemed uneasy as he tried to look up at me.
“Hey,” I started, silently kicking myself for embarrassing him. “for the record, he’s not my boyfriend and we’re not dating. A few months ago I stumbled upon him in school. He’s an alumni and needed to get some papers for his work. We got talking and we began connecting again. For a time, he never mentioned that he had a child. We began meeting on a regular basis, but he finally told me. I’ll admit I was excited that he was striking dates here and there, but the fact that he already had a previous marriage turned me off from any notions of a relationship with him. So now we just enjoy going out, with Aida this time of course.”
I finished my explanation and waited for a response from the Preventer.
He looked up at me after a few heart-stopping minutes.
He smiled.
“That’s good to hear.” He said, looking at me and grinning, which looked like it would explode into a full blown joker-like smirk in a few seconds. He cleared his throat and fidgeted for something in his pocket. It was beginning to scare me.
Then he laughed.
Okay, that was just creepy.
“Hey Duo. Yeah I’m doing great. Listen, about that favor you owe me for ditching me last Saturday…”
Saturday, that’s when I saw him at the convenience store.
“…yes, yes I know you’re sorry and justified for leaving me because you had a date with Shinri…”
She WHAT.
“…but listen, why don’t we meet in half an hour? I need to discuss the final report we need to submit on Friday.”
He turned his celphone off.
He looked at me, still with that cheeky grin on his face. That bastard. I’m going to kill him.
“What are you looking at Barton?” I growled. I can’t believe it, one moment he was all serious I thought he’d faint, the next he’s grinning like a sick clown from hell. Psycho bastard.
“Do I detect irritation and annoyance at my sudden change in reaction Taisa?”
I looked at him.
He lost the maniac grin but kept on smiling at me.
“Are things not going according to your plan Taisa Ayase?”
I was shocked at his declaration. I wanted to rebuke his answer
And yet…
He was right.
This entire evening was never my plan to begin with. How could he even think that this THING was within my control? I wasn’t the one so keen on meeting up that I’d make reservations in some fancy restaurant in the middle of town just to impress a girl. Who did he think I was?
I glared at him, then I smiled. “I’m not the one who’s flustered Mr. Barton. I came here under the impression that I was in for a heck of a ride. And you proved me right. I wonder if it’s actually you whose plans aren’t going according to plan. I have nothing to lose in this situation. I wonder if you do.”
We held each other’s gaze for a few minutes. I wanted to see his disappointed look, a shattered smile, a near-death frown.
Guess his years working in the circus taught him a thing or two about poker faces.
I shook my head. I was upset. I didn’t like how things were going and I wasn’t going to stick around to wait for this already-ruined night to explode into pieces. I didn’t want to hurt him anymore than I knew he was feeling.
On the bright side, I knew that he was still interested in me.
I made for my bag.
His hand beat me too it.
For a scrawny stick, he sure picked up my bag containing two medical books and a laptop with ease. He lifted it off the chair and held it high above my head.
I blinked, then I fumed.
Trowa POV
She wasn’t going to escape that easily.
I saw the way she shook her head. It was a defeated looking shake, followed by a sigh of fatigue. I’ve seen soldiers do that time and time again when I manage to gain the upper hand in the battlefield. It meant defeat, and she was about to make her escape.
It was a good thing I reached for her bag in an instant, because no sooner did she twitch her eyebrow at me did I find myself running head on out of the restaurant (I told the waiter beforehand to course the bill to Preventer), ignoring the glares from the other customers, while Taisa ran after me and her bag like there was no tomorrow.
“DAMN IT BARTON I SWEAR WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOUR PUNY LITTLE BODY I’LL TEAR IT LIMB FROM LIMB”
I know it mind sound crazy, but damn do I love this woman.
My worst fears were confirmed nonexistent, so my change in attitude probably irritated her. I was just more than happy to know that Brass wasn’t able to get his hands on her. I wanted to take Heavyarms for a spin and shoot a few round for the heck of it.
Okay, maybe that was a bit too much.
I ran for my life as Taisa chased behind me. I swear, for a woman in her twenties and years out of the battlefield she kept her fighting form. She threw anything that came within reach and shouted profanities and accusations as curious passers-by watched us in fascination.
“THIEF! MUGGER! JERK! PSYCHO! TURTLE! CHICKEN! BROOM!”
I wanted to laugh.
It felt like ten years ago all over again.
We were fifteen.
My thoughts went to the time we were all at home one day. The girls Shinri, Hell and Yin were out doing some shopping while Kirsche was attempting another go in the kitchen. Duo was making sure no fire hazards would take place while Wufei was in the garden meditating. Quatre had to attend some matters in his company while Heero was in the hangar working on Wing.
I sat in the living room, basking in the glory of the normal life. I was enjoying the supposed normality of the entire thing when Taisa entered, having just finished her bath.
She sat beside me, smiling as she did. She shook her hair free of any droplets of water, spraying a bit on me. She apologized and I smiled.
We just sat there for hours, taking in the noise from the kitchen and the hangar. Our peace was short-lived when the three girls returned and we had to help clear out the groceries.
They bought a giant watermelon which made me wonder how much strength they were actually hiding under their weak exteriors. Nonetheless it got everyone trying to mind their own business, to gather in the kitchen and help themselves to the fruit…or was it vegetable?
There was only one slice left and the other eight have had their fill. I eyed it greedily. I saw her giving it the same beady eyes I was, her fork ready to pierce.
“Taisa, did you change the oil in Speechaser recently?”
While she took a moment to think about it, I poked it out of reach and into my plate.
When she realized she was duped, she blinked, them fumed.
And I spent the next three hours running away from her clutches.
“THIEF! MUGGER! JERK! PSYCHO! TURTLE! CHICKEN! BROOM!”
I was smiling amidst the traffic, pedestrians and the faint voice of Duo coming from an oncoming car. I ran just like before, because I wanted to go back to those times when life wasn’t as burdened as it was for the past ten years.
Ten years of loneliness.
We all pined for them. Duo began this zombie-like obsession on Shinri that if he had his way, he’d put her picture up on every wall of our house. Wufei never admitted it but I would catch him hitting his frustration out on a cauldron full of flaming coal. Not a pretty sight, but it seemed to calm him down. Heero, always silent, would lock himself in the room for hours at time wherein I would hear snippets of some old song Shimei wrote back then. Quatre would look up every time a small girl with short brown hair would pass by. He frowned immediately afterwards when he realizes it wasn’t Yin.
We were lovestruck, hopeless romantics. We started out as shmucks who didn’t know the difference between a rose and a weed, and yet they stood by us at a time people wanted to stay away from us. To others, we were a disease, to them, we were just regular guys.
I stopped running to look behind and found an older Shinri, Shimei and Yin comforting a heaving Taisa who had her hands to her knees, gasping for breath. Duo, Quatre and Heero were looking my way, signaling me to come back. I walked slowly towards them and stopped out of reach from Taisa’s clutching hands.
Yin was scolding her. “Taisa, how many times do we have to remind you? You’re not fifteen anymore! You can’t run like that and come out fresh as a daisy! You could get killed!”
Shinri seconded the motion. “You already have a doctor’s appointment next week because of your recent accident. Do we have to run you over with a car to get you to sit still?”
I felt a creeping guilt crawl its way up my spine.
Kirsche nodded. “Yeah Taisa. If niichan and the others didn’t come by we wouldn’t get to see your world record attempt to catch a chicken. ”
My eyebrow twitched slightly at that.
I looked at her still heaving form hunched over the pavement. I could hear her breath escaping in rhythm. I walked towards her placed my hand on her shoulders.
“Hey…” I started, guilt attempting to break my dam of control. “…I’m sorry.”
Taisa POV
Dammit. I haven’t run that fast since I had to run for dear life. I guess you really can’t stay in shape on your own. I should hit the gym.
A soft hand touched my shoulders.
“Hey….I’m sorry”
I lifted my face to see Trowa’s looking down at me. His eyes were sad and he looked guilty as hell. I haven’t seen those blue eyes this way in a long time. The last time I gazed at it like this was when we got caught in a closet because we were playing poker…I shouldn’t have suggested that we bet on Wufei’s nose.
He offered his hand to me, which I took, swaying somewhat. He reached for my waist and caught me.
We touched.
We were still for a while, not daring to look at each other’s eyes. I was afraid of what I might see. In my mind, I was hoping he wore his nonchalant, vague expression as he would ask if I was okay and if I needed assistance then he would scold me carefully for something he knows I didn’t do on purpose.
I was also afraid of what else I might see, something I might not be prepared to see.
But I dared to look.
His hold never faltered.
I gasped my surprise.
Twin pink cheeks
An embarrassed smirk
Bashful eyes
Awkward blinking
Constant pursing of lips
A hard thump of a heart on my chest
Slight shiver in my spine
Fingers groping for anything
Soft gasps
A cold sweat
Rapid eye movement
Symptoms of that of fear, embarrassment, nervousness and fatigue
In short: STRESS
I couldn’t help it. This was too much.
It came out as a cross between a gurgle and an attempt to hold down your lunch. In my vain attempt to keep it in, the more it made my sides hurt.
I laughed.
I haven’t laughed that loud in a long time, not since that moment in time.
When it was just the two of us
I didn’t care if my friends were staring at me as if I lost my head. I damn must have, because if my conscience could detach itself from my body I could just slap myself and tell me off for being such an idiot.
But I was having too much fun guffawing and holding my sides as I continued laughing because of their looks.
The grip on my waist loosened
And I could hear what would be a faint sound of a chuckle.
Then two, then three
Soon enough, they were all laughing.
And that was it.
EPILOGUE
“What? You’ve been assigned to stay here?”
“Well, yes. That’s why we’re here in the first place.”
“Actually we were just meant to stay until the sub-base is up and operational. But we were able to get a longer leave.”
“And by leave you mean Preventer leave.”
“Yin, of course I’m staying. My branch company here has always wanted me to see their operations. What better time than now?”
“Alright, point taken, but where will you all be staying?”
“We already have a small apartment here. If Q wants to stay with us then the more the merrier.”
“Q’s gotta stay with us! It won’t be fun without our cashflo--- er, cashier watching our money matters. We need an accountant so we don’t run out. You know how much Heero spends on those Gunplas.”
“I can kill you you idiot. I don’t need the Preventer paycheck to pay for my hobbies. I have other means of income.”
“Okay, before you start brawling, do you have any stuff inside your place? I can take you guys in my car and we can take a drive to the mall.”
“Thanks Taisa, but Fei left us the keys to his car here. He bought it when he thought he’d have to sleep in it because of a mission. He said we can keep it. He got a position over at Preventer New York and I don’t think he’ll be leaving anytime soon, what with Hel over there. He sent pictures again by the way.”
“So what are we standing around here for? Let’s get moving, and nii-chan, mom called. She said you better show your face to her.”
“Can we ask your mom to take him back too?”
“Haha, very funny Heero. I could just knife you for that.”
So that’s how it was.
We helped them move in one weekend. Well, technically not move in since they’ve been staying there for a while. We got them settled, bought some furniture, including that couch Duo wouldn’t pry away from despite three men pulling at his legs. Kirsche, Shinri, Yin and I bought some cooking equipment which I broke in by baking some cookies which made the four men, who were tweaking Wufei’s car in the garage, to drop their equipment and proceed zombie-like to the kitchen. Rashid called and asked Quatre if he wanted some stuff brought over and if he should tell Samantha he would be away indefinitely. That got Quatre and Yin arguing so Duo took over and told Rashid to send the flat screen over. We ordered lunch and ate, watching Yin give Q the cold shoulder. Kirsche answered a phone call outside while Heero went to his room and arranged his Gunpla collection. Somewhere in the middle of desert, Duo and Shinri disappeared, and I just pretended that the sounds coming from upstairs were rats. Big rats that made the floor creak in a strange rhythm.
I sat down beside Trowa on the couch. He smiled at me. We watched the people go about. Kirsche came back in and shrieked when she saw Heero’s 1:60 scale of some Gunpla she wanted since she was seventeen. Yin and Quatre made up when Quatre explained, in a very calm voice, about Samantha’s business connections which forced him to date her. Yin, with her common sense, just arched her eyebrow at him but forgave him after he brought out a diamond ring. Yin practically squealed. That got our attention.
That night, as I stood out in the garden, I marveled at how great it was that we were given the chance to cross paths again. I always thought it was a mistake that we even met that time, in the middle of a war and fighting against, for, against and coming out of it alive. It was a miracle, and a blessing I never thought we would receive.
I felt a hand land on my shoulder. I turned at smiled at Trowa. He offered me a cup of tea. I thanked him.
“Are they still celebrating in there?” I asked, taking a sip. Mint, my favorite.
“Yes. Duo and Shinri finally came down. Shinri’s ecstatic with the news and Duo is asking if Q needs a minister because he can opt to do it.”
“Haha. As if Yin’s going to agree. She’d want a church wedding , the works. ”
Trowa let out a chuckle. “I guess. Then that would mean the Winner Corporation’s new home will be here in Nuna Payatt. This will bring investments up.”
“True. Let’s just hope things won’t change.” I took another sip.
Trowa moved to stand beside me. I looked at him. He was gazing up into the sky, probably thinking of long ago. I couldn’t help but smile at his image, still wondering if this dream of mine would disappear the moment I blink.
“Do you believe in miracles Taisa?” He asked, his eyes never leaving the stars.
This man. What a mind reader.
I inched closer to him, wrapping my arms around his thin waist. He placed his hand on my back. Finally, I could say exactly what I should have said back when he asked the same question almost ten years ago.
I leaned on him and smiled.
“Of course I do. I met you didn’t I?”
END…finally.XP