Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Ice Blue Eyes ❯ And My Name Is... ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: Don't own GWing. Leah belongs to White Spirit Angel. An belongs to me.

Summary: Her past is locked away inside her, never to see the light of day again. Or at least, that's what she hoped. After that chance meeting on her shuttle to Earth, Anrui Shino has now come into contact with her brother and his friends again. Though it's what she meant to do, she didn't mean to fall in love with the one person she couldn't.

Recap ~ Questions and Answers

"But…how did...you know all that? The only person I know that could possibly even figure out all this is…is…"

"Heero Yuy?" I supplied, again taking pleasure in her wide open mouth. "Really, Lena, as a lady, I know you know it's rude to keep your mouth hanging out." She promptly closed her mouth and whispered fiercely into my ear, "How do know Heero Yuy?"

With a smirk I leaned back and closed my eyes, "Heero Yuy, my friend, is my brother."

Ice Blue Eyes

Chapter Two: And My Name Is…

I heard her gasp as I continued to smirk and relax in my chair. When I peeked at her a minute later, she was looking me over, trying to find the resemblance between us. At the moment, I knew she saw none, my hair was sleek and straight and jet black and the two streaks framing my face were a startling silver. Amused ice blue eyes looked back at her and my pale complexion was a stark contrast to Nii-chan's tan one.

"There isn't much resemblance, I know. I'm only half after all. But look at these eyes and tell me I'm not Heero Yuy's little sister," I said to her in a blasé tone. She did as she was told and I could see the recognition in her eyes.

"I knew you looked familiar, but…he never mentioned any siblings…"

"Yea, well, I like to keep it low. I have two older sisters, too. One is Heero's twin; the other is Heero's real younger sister." Looking out the window, I stared into the vastness of space and said, half to myself, half to my seat partner, "I'm the bastard child…"

Almost instantly, I could feel her grow sad and I glared at her, "Don't feel bad. I utterly loathe it when people feel sorry for me or pity me. I'm dealing with it just fine thank you very much!"

This earned me a smirk as she locked her emerald eyes [AN- contacts, remember] onto my pale blue ones, "I definitely know what you're saying," she said. "But I can't help it. So how 'bout we call it empathy and leave it at that."

I shrugged and once more turned to look out the window and closed my eyes, hoping that maybe sleep would come.

Before I even opened my eyes, I knew she was going to try and wake me so I decided to save her the trouble. Startled green eyes met my cloudy blue ones and I blinked back the initial tiredness and yawned and stretched.

"I'm almost starting to think you're psychic," she said, and I caught some undertones of awe.

With a smirk, I decided to reply. "Nah, not psychic, just an empath," I said, amusing myself with the feelings of shock and awe that she felt, though masked.

"Really? I only know one other person that's empathic," she said, smiling. The smile was genuine and amiable and I could feel no undertones of dishonesty. This caught me unawares. Usually when I told people I was an empath, they wanted to know more about being an empath right away. They never had intentions of getting to know me as, well, me. Her kindness was infectious, but I stopped myself before I smiled back. Instead, I checked my watch and spoke again.

"So we're going to eat now? I take it that's why you woke me?"

She nodded, "Yep, I didn't want to chance getting you something you didn't like so I decided to get you up yourself so you could decide."

Thinking that over, I decided that she really was trying to get me to like her. I didn't smile, but I was close. "Thanks. But I'm really not hungry."

At that she frowned, "C'mon now. When was your last meal?"

The seemingly simple question that one usually wouldn't hesitate to answer had an opposite effect on me, "Um…"

"Exactly," Relena said as though she had just proved her point. "If you don't even remember when your last meal was, you should seize every opportunity to eat, ne?" she asked, peeping her head out the aisle to check if the food cart was heading our way.

"Hm…well, you're right about that," I told her as I leaned over and pulled out my CD player from the lone duffel bag that contained everything I owned, "But I'm just not hungry." With that, I pressed the play button and closed my eyes, waiting patiently for the music to come.

Of course, I hadn't expected Relena to pull the plug on my headphones so that it never would. Glaring at her angrily I clenched my teeth and resisted the urge to grab the cord from her hand and do something drastic. '10…9…8…' By the time I mentally reached five she had still not replaced the plug, though she had spoken up.

"An, please eat. It's not healthy for you to skip meals."

At this, I scoffed, "Tch, I stopped caring about my health ever since way before the wars," I murmured so that only she could her. "Do you know what living on the streets is like?" She slowly shook her head, and I kept mine level and my voice it's normal blasé 'I-could-care-less' tone. "Put it simply, it's like living through seven hells." At this I leaned back and smirked. "And to think-I was only at the mere age of 6." Again, her heart swelled for me and I glared. "No pity. None for me. Never for me." She nodded mutely and I turned my heated glare to the cold depths of space.

When the food tray arrived, I was again disturbed from my deep reverie.

"Eat something An," Relena insisted once again. I sighed, knowing she'd pester me to no ends about this if I didn't so I finally conceded to having a turkey sandwich. She clapped her hands and beamed at me and I couldn't help but be amused with her.

Shaking my head, I bit into sandwich. "You're a strange one Lena."

"I'm not going to live with you," I said, flat out refusing the act of charity. People filed past the two of us as I put a hand on my hip and scowled fiercely. She didn't back down and I had to give the girl some credit. By now, any normal person would have gotten so fed up with me they'd've learned to leave me the hell alone. 'Ah, but she isn't a normal person,' I thought, smiling inside, 'She did, after all, make the great Heero Yuy question himself. That alone is quite a feat.'

Relena sternly shook her head, "I will not stand by and let you live on the streets again. The idea is ludicrous! You said yourself it was hell!"

"Yes, but accepting charity is never something I'd ever do! I shall cannot accept your….help."

"Yes you can! You're my friend now and it's only right for me to help a friend in need!"

"Now who said I was in need?"

This silenced her.

"Exactly."

She sighed, "Well…you don't have to live there, but you could at least come home with me. I'm sure you'd like to freshen up at least."

Shrugging, I picked my duffel bag from off the ground and followed her. Her expression was duplicate of the one she wore when I conceded to eating. "Ok, you know what, let me make you a deal," I said, keenly aware of how her ears perked up at the word 'deal.' "If I can't find a decent apartment to live in before the end of the day, I'll stay at your house until I do."

Relena considered this for a second before nodding, "Alright. It's a deal then. You can live in one of the guest suites until you final an apartment for yourself."

I nodded and urged her to lead on. When we got the other bag from the luggage reclaim, we headed out to hail a taxi since she didn't inform anyone of her return. [I suspected that my brother already knew, but that's just something he would know.]

"Do you have a job here by the way?"

"N-" I caught the look she was giving me, "Oh no, I'm not taking a job from you as well!"

With a smirk, she uttered the words that I very much did not want to hear, "I've got an opening at the office for you!"

Groaning, I rolled my eyes and let my head fall back, "Lena, I can only take so much help!"

A giggle floated to my ears and I glared at her, "You. Don't. Have. To. Help. Me," I said, accenting every word.

She shook her head at that and patted my hand consoling me, "It's quite alright you know." She smirked and then laughed, "You really are your brother's sister!"

I blinked, shook my head and leaned back, "Of course. What would I have to gain in lying?"

With another kind smile, Relena replied. "I guess nothing." Silence reigned and personally, I welcomed it. All I wanted was a quick cat nap before the ride was over. Luckily, Relena must have sense this and left me alone to sleep. When I could feel her getting anxious, I reluctantly cracked open my eyes, wincing slightly at the brightness of the sun and the flashes of light glinting off windows and cars we passed by.

When we arrived, she paid the full fare as I grabbed her bag from the back. The driver left before I could protest and she looked smugly at me before leading the way up the drive.

"I don't believe I'd be a welcome sight in your servants' eyes Miss Relena," I called to the blonde before she got too far. In the first place, I never would win any awards for Miss Congeniality [not that I'd care], so that in itself would pose somewhat of a problem, and in the second place, I looked like a mess. I wasn't too far off the mark either because as I looked into the gleaming window and caught a glimpse of my reflection, I saw what anyone else would. Looking back at me, was a girl with cold ice colored eyes, dark hair with strange high lights mussed from two interrupted naps and a long flight from the colonies, clothes rumpled from sleeping in them for a day and a half. My clothes alone were enough to put people off for that matter. Though it was perfectly normal to see someone dressed in tight black jeans and a blood red tank top under a sheer black three-quarter length shirt, but to see them in this particular neighborhood just seemed, well, unnatural. They were, of course, at the heart of the Sanq Kingdom.

"Don't worry. I don't have very many, and the ones I do have are as open hearted as can be. They won't judge by appearance, I can assure you," she said, fiddling around with her purse for her house key.

"Hmph," I said, unconvinced, though she had given me no reason not to trust her, I just couldn't let my cynical pessimistic side of me go completely. 'Besides, what did trusting people ever get me in the first place?' I asked myself. I watched as Relena unlocked the ornately decorated door and pushed it effortlessly open. Shouldering my duffel bag once again, I fell into step behind her.

When we finally entered her house, I was already busy soaking up all the details. Pagan soon came into view, his initial shock and happiness soon schooled to be his grandfatherly smile. He moved to embrace the young vice minister and she did the same.

"Wonderful to have you back miss, we missed you terribly here," he said in a tired voice. I could see his worry lines and the slight bags under his eyes and knew that she could too.

"Sorry about that Pagan. I had to take off for a while on that hiatus. Une knew where I was, so you had nothing to worry about," she smiled.

Pagan smiled back and he turned to acknowledge me, "And who is lovely young woman you brought back with you, may I ask, Miss Relena?"

Relena flashed me an I-told-you-so grin and waved her hand towards me, "This is Anrui Shino Pagan. She's Heero Yuy's half sister." I cringed inwardly, but reached over to shake the old butler's hand.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Anrui," he said.

I frowned, "Please Pagan, I go by An, Shi or nothing at all. I abhor formalities." Behind me, Relena laughed.

"An, I think you should just let it slide. Pagan's been more than a butler to me for as long as I've known him and he insists on calling me 'Miss Relena.'"

I shook my head, "Old habits die hard, huh?" I asked the elderly servant, eyes twinkling with amusement. He nodded and I smirked, "Fine then. It's alright if you call me 'Miss An.'"

He nodded and smiled, "I'm glad you understand Miss An. I hope you enjoy your stay here, and I'm sure I'll find having you around will make things more interesting, I dare say."

Again, I smirked and nodded as I grabbed the bag at my side, "Anyway, where's the library? Or the study? I need a Net connection so I can finish apartment hunting," I said, heading to the stairs.

I heard both Relena and Pagan follow me as I started to head upwards.

"It's in the North Wing An. The library that is. In the corner with all the tables, go to the ones with the computers. They had Net connection and you can use them if you want. If not, feel free to unplug one of them and use your own. But if you want, I can set you up with a room so you can have more privacy."

I shook my head confident that I would not be staying, "It's quite alright Rel, I'm sure I can find myself an apartment quite soon. You don't have to trouble yourself over me for much longer."

She smiled, "Fine, but feel free to use the bathrooms to freshen up if you want."

I nodded and acquiesced, "Fine, fine-I get the hint." I smirked as she blushed and tried to apologize. "Relax, Rel, I know you didn't mean it that way. Anyway, which bathroom can I use then? I really wouldn't mind a shower before this last burst of apartment hunting."

Relena smiled and led me to one of the guest bathrooms. "Here you are; you can use this bathroom. You have a change of clothes or do you want to borrow some?"

I shook my head, "I have a spare set in this thing believe it or not," I smirked, "And yes, I already have a towel so there is no need to lend me one." She nodded and left and I sighed. 'Geez…I wonder why the hell she wants to help me so much,' I wondered silently. After stripping down my clothes and letting the cool water run over my travel weary body, I sighed in relief. 'The funny thing is…I don't sense her trying to hide something. She genuinely seems to care about me and my well-being.' I shook my head again, 'She certainly is an odd one. Naïve though she is, she's also quite strong.' Squeezing out the last of the shampoo in my miniature bottle, I massaged the sweet-smelling liquid into my hair and let the water rinse the suds out. It was already past one when I stepped out. I had only six or so hours until I could come up with an apartment.

At around four-thirty I was starting to lose hope in actually finding one I could afford. "Gah…maybe living here won't be as horrible as I expect it to be," I said to myself.

"Oh, it has it's ups and downs," a voice behind me said. "But then again I don't live here full time-I was just visiting."

"Holy shit! Where the fuck did you come from and where do you get off sneaking up on me like that?!!" I asked, pointing my sleek black handgun at him. He smirked at me and started to walk towards me. I kept the gun level but didn't shoot. His emerald eyes-well, eyes, the other was obscured by his rather peculiar bangs-bore into my frosty glare and he kept smirking at me.

"Pardon my intrusion, miss, but my name is Trowa Barton. Who might you be?"

I quirked a brow at him, a little put off by his nonchalant matter until it registered in my mind that he was the one that took care of my brother after he tried to self-destruct himself. It was my turn to smirk at him, "Ah yes, I remember you now," I said, putting my gun back into it's holster under my loose shirt. Looking up at him, I could feel his confusion. "You took my brother in after he self-destructed himself that first time during the Eve Wars-you remember?" slowly, he looked at me.

A look of recognition passed his face, "Oh, so you were the grey-eyed girl that I saw spying on him every so often when we were still at the circus, right?"

I nodded, "I never was sure if you saw me or not. Hmph, looks like I gotta work on being more stealthy, huh?"

He shook his head, "Actually, I never would've seen you if the lions didn't detect your presence."

"Hm…still…a craftier person would find ways around that," I told him stoically, going back to my apartment hunt.

"But you don't need to hone your skills anymore. The wars are over and have been for three years," he replied, returning the book he had probably intended to return without knowing I'd be around. He selected another one from the shelf and I couldn't help but look at what he picked out. He sat himself beside me and looked at what I had on my screen.

I decided not to yell at him for looking at what I was working on. That was strange in itself since I usually wouldn't hesitate in chasing someone away just for standing too close to me while I had my laptop open. I was pretty anal about keeping what I did on my computer a mystery but I couldn't help but let him stay. Something about his presence made me feel…safe.

His deep chuckle snapped me out of my reverie. "What's so funny?" I asked, momentarily forfeiting my search to glare at him.

"Your brother didn't like it when people looked over his shoulder either," he said, leaning back in his seat to open his book. 'Ah, I saw the title now: Les Misérables. Long book…'

Smirking, I kept my gaze on the computer screen instead of towards him like I wanted to do, "What makes you say that, Barton?" 'Ah, finally, I've narrowed it down to five choices. I'll call the realtor in five minutes,' I thought.

"I saw that look in your eyes. It was that 'why-do-you-have-to-sit-here­-of-all-places' look that I've seen on your brother multiple times," he said, flipping through a few pages before finally settling on the first one.

"Mm-hmm…well, you are right Barton, I don't like having people look over my shoulder as I work. I don't like having people stare at me-it gets uncomfortable." 'Especially since I can sense it from a mile away,' I complete silently.

"Why's that?"

"Because, Barton, I'm an empath. I'd feel you staring at me from a mile away. It gets really uncomfortable." With that, I picked up my printing behind me and packed up my silver laptop. Before I could head out, though, he had a hand on my shoulder and I could feel my face getting hot. 'This is absurd. Why the hell am I blushing?!!' I fought to keep my voice even, "Yes, Barton?" Spinning me around, he brought my glaring face to meet his composed one and I could feel my cheeks burn.

"You look cute when you're blushing," he whispered, trailing a finger on my jaw line. "Like a kitsune." A shiver went down my spine as I contented myself with looking into his emerald eyes.

"Your point…Barton?" I whispered back.

"You never told me your name, Kit. I'll bet it's as interesting as you are," he murmured into my ear. His hot breath on my auricle sent chills down my spine and I could have le my knees buckle underneath me, but then again, I was definitely not that type of girl. Instead, I smirked and looked at him in the eyes.

"You can call me An," I whispered, the defiant smirk ever present on my lips. He laughed and let me go. I stumbled on the first step but caught myself before he could. Looking back, I 'graced' him with another smirk and walked downstairs and into the safety of the living room where I flipped open my cell phone from my duffel bag and called the realtor I had contacted prior to boarding the shuttle.

"Okay, I know you're going to like this last one An," the slim blonde before me assured. I cocked a brow and gave her an 'I-didn't-like-the-last-ones-so-why-the-hell-should-I-like-this-one' look. Most people would be intimidated by that look. Most people would probably crack a fake smile and drive one nervously. Most people would just stop talking and avoid looking at me at that point, but no. Oh no, not Dorothy Catalonia. She laughed and continued to tell me about the apartment I was "surely going to die for." Of course, this made me smirk. 'Dorothy, this is why I like you-you [unlike countless others] have a spine,' I thought, that smirk still residing on my lips.

"It's huge and nice and in your rent range," she said, as she unlocked the last door in the darkened hallway. The exit sign blinked just above them, marking the stairway to be used for emergencies or if you just didn't like elevators [they were on the 17th floor]. She let the grey door swing open to reveal a small passageway with a closet on the right side and a wall on the left. Steeping inside fully, I felt my eyes widen as I took in the large living room. Just beyond the wall was the kitchen that had a window above the sink overlooking the traffic below and opposite it stood an island that could seat four people for breakfast. 'Looks like I won't have to buy a table, at least,' I decided. Said island separated the living room from the kitchen. On the other side of the living room was a glass sliding door that let in the light from the setting sun.

"Well, I'm liking it so far Dorothy," I confessed to the young woman. "Show me the rest of it."

"Right this way An," she said, turning right. The first door you came across was the guest bedroom to the left of you. It was about three quarters the size of the master bedroom and had no window, but did have an adjacent bathroom. The master bedroom had a walk-in closet and private bathroom. The second door on your right [after the master bedroom door] was the door to the study. It wasn't extremely large, but it was sufficient enough to hold a desk, a chair and some file cabinets. Opposite that door was the family room. 'I have no idea what I'm going to do with this room. Might as well use it for storage…or something,' I thought as Dorothy closed the door behind me.

"It's a nice apartment Dorothy. And I guess I do like it. What's the price on it?"

"Seven fifty." [AN: I don't know how much apartments usually go for. Correct me if I'm wrong on this okay?] she smirked when she saw my eyes go wide.

"Are you serious? I can so afford this!" I was beside myself with joy.

"So you'll take it?"

"Yes. Tell me about this building though-I don't want my new apartment to be burned down because of insufficient alarm systems."

"You'll be happy to know that everything is up to date. This building is quite new-built right after the wars. There's a fire escape-as I noticed you took note on-on your balcony, an emergency exit right outside your door and fire alarms in every other room in your apartment and every twenty feet in the hallways."

"Good. I'll get to work on the paperwork now, shall I? When can I word if I got it?"

"In two days-at the latest," Dorothy guaranteed smirking at my displeasure. "So you'll be living with Miss Relena for the time being."

"Hmph. I was hoping I wouldn't have to," I said with a sigh. "But then again…" I let the sentence trail. I didn't miss the glint in her eye or the curiosity that I felt well insode her, but I decided to not address it. "Thanks for your help Dorothy. Send Quatre my regards!"

Smiling, the cornflower blonde-haired young woman waved me off and promised me that she would in return for reassuring Relena that she and Quatre would visit for Christmas next month.

"I'll see you soon An. I'm pretty sure that that apartment is as good as yours."

"It had better be Dorothy. I don't know if I can take Relena's hospitality for much longer. I hate overstaying my welcome after all."

Laughed, Dorothy nodded her head, "Yea, I know what you mean. But you can't fight her. She's just like that."

With a final nod, I hailed a cab and directed it to Relena's mansion. It was dark by the time I arrived and I was surprised it wasn't dinner yet. 'Hmm…I should have Relena or someone give me a tour of this place…since I'm gonna be living here for a while,' with a final sigh, I proceeded to poke around for Relena or even Trowa. Eventually, I found my way to the kitchen. There, a pleasant Italian family greeted me and the one I identified as the mother settled me down into the kitchen table with a "quick" bite to eat.

"I really should save my appetite for dinner Signora-" my protests were cut short as the cheery, plump woman piled a plate with a roll and some pasta. The two teens, a girl and a boy, behind the counter rolled their eyes and I got the feeling that this wasn't the first time she did this.

"None-a sense girl! You-a need to eat-a more! You-a very bella, but you-a so thin-a! Eet is not-a hel-a thy! You-a eat and you-a drink-a something, eh?" Sighing again, I shrugged and polished off my plate and the sparkling cider she poured for me. I decided against making a fuss only because the woman was being so nice. The man stirring the boiling pot gave me a 'don't-worry-she-does-this-all-the-time-look' and the two aforementioned teens shook their heads and gave me a 'don't-come-back-here-unless-you-want-her-to-treat-you-like-this-again' look. I nodded in reply and smiled at the beaming Italian woman before me. The food was by no means bad-it was just about the best I've ever had before-but I wondered if I could eat anything for dinner. 'Oh well, nothing a pot of green tea can't cure I suppose.' As I left the kitchen, I bumped into something-rather, someone-that was quite well built and I heard a familiar chuckle.

"My, I didn't expect to see you 'till dinner. How did your apartment hunting go, Kit?" a voice asked.

"Wha-oh, Trowa. Um, yea, it was good. I found a good one, and Dorothy said she'd get back to me in no more than three days."

"Dorothy eh?" he raised his visible brow and I nodded. "So she's in real estate," he chuckled again. "How's she and Quatre doing?"

I shrugged, "Pretty good, I'd say," I said, turning to my left to get upstairs. "Where's Relena? I need to tell her she's won the deal. I found an apartment, but I can't just move there."

"Hehehe, she's in her study. Heero's here so my guess is they're not coming out for a while."

I shook my head. "Alrighy, you can stop there with the information. You know if she set up a room for me?"

He surprised me by nodding, "Yea, actually I think she did. While you were out, she and Cathy set up a room for you in one of the guest wings."

"Really? Great. Hm…" I looked down at my clothes and then back up at Trowa, "I really need to go shopping for new clothes," I confessed and Trowa laughed. His eyes swept over my tight black jeans and then up at my blood red shirt button up shirt with the three quarter length sleeves.

Chuckling, he raised an amused brow and said, "You look fine. Actually, you didn't strike me as the type of girl to care how she was viewed by others."

At that I crossed my arms and blew a stray strand of hair away from my face huffily. "I'm not," I said, "But after this outfit, I only have one more until I have to start mixing and matching the three sets I have."

This earned me another deep chuckle and his hand pulling mine to my room.

"Ah…"

"C'mon, you're room's this way," he said, gently tugging me to follow him.

We stopped in front of a dark polished mahogany door with Trowa's hand on the silver knob. "Albeit, it's probably nicer than what you're used to, if I may use my own experiences as reference, but hey, this is what all of her guest rooms look like. Relena spares no expense for her friends' comfort," he warned.

Nodding, I urged him to open the door. He held the door open as I stepped into the huge guest room. The walls were painted a dark maroon while the floor was soft underneath my slippered feet. Forest green carpeting met startling white moldings. The bed was covered with crimson sheets and a satin forest green over sheet. The fluffy pillows were covered with cotton pillowcases colored a rich shade of red. Mahogany nightstands stood on either side of the bed, which was right in the middle of the room. On the side near the door, there was a good sized closet and on the opposite wall, more towards the back corner, was a white door that an assumed lead to the bathroom. At the foot of the bed was a mahogany dresser, beside that an oval free-standing mirror. Sliding glass doors were present at the back wall where they led to a kind of balcony. An continued to look around, wondering why Relena would put her in such a nice room.

"Like it?" Trowa asked. An gasped. 'I'd forgotten you were there,' she thought.

"Like it?" An asked dumbly, a smirk soon found its way to her face, "Geez, how could I not? It's absolutely gorgeous-you weren't kidding when you said she spares no expense!"

Trowa chuckled and shrugged, "What can I say? Lenahas a big heart," he said smiling.

Nodding again, An made her way to the bed and sat down. Looking up at the tall Latin man before her, she smirked and patted the empty space beside her.

"I'm sure we have some time before dinner. Why don't we sit and talk for a while."

Shrugging again, Trowa inclined himself so that he's be able to look into my face and not the floor. "What do you want to talk about?"

I looked towards the door and shrugged, "I don't know. Why don't we start with this: What did you do after the coup-d'état? Go back to the circus? You and your sister had a wonderful act," I said smirking. "I've only seen it once, but I really liked it."

Trowa smiled, "Why don't I bring you up to see the show? But yea, I did go back to the circus. There were only a few missions I went on for the Preventers, but that was it. I liked living a normal life. How about you?"

Shrugging, I laid down on the bed and stared up at the white ceiling, "I went on hiatus. Disappeared for a while. I went colony hopping as I worked for Winner Corp."

I felt his gaze shift towards the door and smile. "Did you enjoy it?"

With another shrug and an accompanying smirk, I answered, "It was fun, but I had to come back. I felt I was needed-or at least I would be. I seriously hope I'm wrong. But anyway, I quit my job at the Corp.-I oversaw the affairs in other colonies, by the way-sold my apartment and all my stuff and came here. I didn't know why, but I just did."

Again, I felt his gaze travel up my body until it rested on my face. My lip twitched, as it usually did when I'm in an uncomfortable situation.

"Sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable," he apologized quietly. "Anyway, what say we round up the others? It's about dinner time and Signora Napoli doesn't like it when we're late to eat her wonderful meals."

This got a laugh out of me. "That's her name? She's a nice woman. Forceful, but nice."

Trowa chuckled. 'I could listen to his laugh all day,' I thought, before mentally shaking myself. 'Augh. Where'd that come from?!!' "You're right. She always thinks everyone's too thin. She enjoys feeding us."

Smirking, I got up from the bed, taking the hand Trowa offered, "Thanks," I muttered. He nodded in response and headed towards the door, again holding it open for me. "So, how much are you betting, my brother's in there banging the VFM?" I joked, the ever present smirk dancing on my lips.