"TROWA! DUO, HEERO, AND WUFEI!" Catherine called up the stairwell, "YOU HAVE TO GET READY FOR SCHOOL!" This, needless to say, woke all of us up. "OK, how did you guys end up sleeping here? I didn't know I was having an all-nighter." Rubbing my eyes, my vision became a little clearer, and I saw that I wasn't the only one on my bed. "You mothball! Get!" I shouted, shoving Catherine's cat off of my chest. I really don't like 'Fluffy' one bit. That cat likes to claw my legs then sleep on either my chest or my head.

Yeah. Real cute.

"MEOW!" she squeaked out when she smacked into the floor. She then bolted, running over Duo in the process.

"Stupid cat." Duo said, rolling over and smacking Heero in the process.

"Guys, we gotta get up. School." I said, lifting Heero up from my floor.

"And if I don't want to go to school today?" He asked, glaring at me. I'd interrupted his little "snuggle session" with Duo.

"You aren't staying here then." I told them. "Now march." I said, still holding Heero by his collar.

"grumble mumble, must die…" He muttered under his breath. Yeah, the only words that I caught were "must die". No, I'm not scared. Heero'd never hurt me. He's too kind.

"Eh? Did you say something, Heero?"

"No." He grumbled, then went downstairs where Catherine had freshly made waffles waiting for us.

After shaking Wufei a little bit then dragging Duo around so that he could get changed into his uniform, the girls' uniform. I finally had a chance to eat after I dragged him downstairs. The waffles were cold. Yummy.

Duo didn't mind though, he just ate everything that was in front of him. Wufei, slightly more picky, but he still ate a lot. When we finished breakfast together about 10 minutes later, we all got our things ready for school then all climbed into Wufei's car, the "Blue Thunder Dragon". That's his name for it, and yes, he really loves dragons. On the way there, we all argued about what radio station to listen to.

"I want to hear the oldies station!" Wufei said, turning the knob to 100.7.

"I want to hear the latest song from Smash Mouth!" Duo yelled back, turning the knob the other way.

"And I personally don't care."

"Neither do I." I said, agreeing with Heero.

"I'm driving and it's my car and you're my little brother, so I get to pick." Wufei stated triumphantly.

Duo pouted.

Eventually we got to school, and the first place we went to was my homeroom. Mr. Daniel saw me walk in and smiled. "Good morning, Mr. Bloom! It's great to see you here today!"

"Good morning. How have things been while I was away?" I asked, missing school for 2 weeks, I had to see how things were. I really don't like missing school for anything, or at least missing homeroom.

"Not too bad, I guess. This year's valedictorian was expelled."

"Treize? Treize Khushrenada? Why would he be expelled?" I asked, stunned. He was the most popular, intelligent person at school!

"He got Anne Une pregnant." Mr. Daniel said, his face angry. "I don't see why he needed to be expelled."

"That's a helluva reason to be expelled."

"Yeah."

"Anyway, besides that, things have been pretty well. No major fights or things like that. And, our home room has decided to take a field trip."

Field trip? This was getting just as bad as the talent show.

"Where to?"

"The planetarium. It's just gotten finished, and Milliardo suggested it, along with the help of Lucrezia."

"The planetarium? Isn't that educational?" I asked…our school isn't known for educational things. The most educational thing the students do is dissect their lunch.

"Yeah, I guess it is." Mr. Daniel replied, smiling. "That's a first."

Homeroom started and attendance was taken. Routine. After that, basically, it was all talk about the planetarium and how good Treize did in shagging Anne.

Something happened today that made me and Wufei laugh. Some guys at lunch walked over to our table. A new kid to our school, I think his name was Verne [3] or something like that. A few other ones that I had no clue as to their identities.

"Hey there, pretty lady." He said, trying to be suave. Not succeeding.

Heero looked at Duo, Duo looked at Wufei, Wufei looked at me, and I looked at Heero. One thought raced though all of us. Pretty lady?

Duo looked down. He was wearing the girls' uniform today. Verne meant Duo.

Heero looked like was about to burst with anger.

"Uh, hello." Duo replied in his best falsetto.

"What are you doing with these losers? Come with me, babe, and I'll turn your world upside down." Verne leered at Duo. That, if it weren't so pathetic, would have been funny, at the time I mean. Later, after he left, Wufei and I nearly pissed our pants.

"I don't think you'd like that." Duo said carefully, trying to speak softly, like a girl would in the situation.

This took our guest by surprise, "Why not, honey?"

This time, Heero took charge, "Because she's mine!"

This scared Verne. Heero had a reputation of taking care of Duo. Anyone that laid a hand on her…err… him got a nice visit from Heero's fist. No one tried anything with Duo twice. Ever. Verne ran away.

He talked to his lackeys and they pointed at Heero and Duo. Their faces turned white. I must say though, I don't think that the way that Heero deals with guys trying to hit on Duo is the best way. Violence isn't ever the way.

"Oh, my hero, Heero!" Duo cried, clinging to Heero's arm.

"Hush." He said, sitting back down.

Wufei and I looked at each other and laughed. We didn't really stop until we got out of school.

The guys decided that they were going to try to help Duo at his house tonight, and I told them I'd be there after I checked my mail and cleaned up a bit at my house.

"I'm home, Catherine." I stated, walking in the door.

"That's great, Trowa, you have some mail." She said, wiping her hand clean. She was making bread. "The circus is starting in a few weeks, it's almost summer you know."

"I know, Catherine, this year, can we have the guys come too?" I asked, hopeful. Things got lonely for a while when it was just me, Catherine, and the lions.

She looked at me, raising one eyebrow, "I'll think about it. Now open up that letter."

I complied, and saw that it was from the new planetarium. They wanted me to play at their official opening. Interesting. Should be fun.

"They want me to play for them."

"Who wants you to play?"

"They."

"Who are they?"

"The planetarium people."

"You need to learn to be more specific sometimes, Trowa."

"…?"

"Yes, Trowa, using nouns instead of pronouns. Doing that isn't all that difficult."

"Yes, Trowa knows. Trowa likes to speak in third person. Trowa likes to speak in third person to Catherine. Catherine wants Trowa to be more specific." She glared at me. Then she laughed. I was funny. No, Trowa was funny. Trowa made Catherine laugh. Trowa's sick of talking in third person.

I'm good now.

I went upstairs to my room, stepping over one of Duo's shoes. He left it there this morning…so he went all day with one shoe? And he didn't tell anyone? Odd. I logged onto AOHELL, and guess what. "You've got mail."

"Trowa, Comic shop? Where? I'd be more than happy to get together with you, but I have a conflict on Friday, which would have been my only day. You see, I go to a private academy and we rarely get days off. Friday, I get to be off campus, but I already have a pressing engagement. Sorry, and it'll take all day. I'll have another day off in a little while though. A comic shop? I've never been to one of those before… nor have I played Diplomacy. You have so many more experiences for going to a public school and living at home. I have to board here. I have one of my sisters here though. She's the principal. It's a boy's school. I get picked on a lot for being the principal's little brother. Mainly because the others think that I get a special break, or just because they're jealous of me. I not only get the best marks in the school (it's not because I'm smart or anything like that…I just work hard), I'm also first chair violin in the symphony, and I have a greater range than anyone else in the choir. Not only can I sing the bass parts with ease; I rival a first soprano with my upper register. Things come rather easily to me, but I'm really not anything special. Not anything like you…or from what I gather, your friends. I've led a pampered life, and I completely resent it. My father says that I have to learn how to deal with it, since I'm heir to the Winner fortune, so I have to be educated in a snooty-rich boy's school. Family tradition, you see. My future will be that I take over the Winner estate and I get to be a politician. Mayor, senator, president, it really doesn't matter to Father. Just as long as I'm "important". Ah well, I've rambled on enough, Ja ne! Quatre"

So Quatre is a little rich boy.

Interesting.

Is this sounding like your typical star-crossed lover-type story?

But no, I don't love Quatre.

Not in that way.

At least, not yet…

TBC