Eliza couldn’t move. She was frozen in place like a stone statue, staring at the weapon in Heero’s hand. Her body was still; her mind reeling. No...how could I let this happen? That boy...that Trowa...he had set her up! She had been so blindly stupid...she had trusted him...and he set her up! They’ll kill me...that’s what they wanted. They both wanted to kill me... As she stood there, even after all that had happened...Eliza suddenly realized that she did not want to die.

I don’t deserve to die. Not me. I never did anything wrong. It...it was ALWAYS them!

“You’re back already.” Even with the tension of the moment, Trowa’s voice was calm.

Heero said nothing in response. He began to walk toward them, keeping his gun raised. The door remained open behind him--he must’ve propped it open on something. Maybe he was planning on forcing her inside... He stopped, facing the two of them, not lowering his weapon.

“What are you doing?” Trowa said suddenly.

“You should know,” was the boy’s baffling response.

W...what’s going on...? Eliza watched as the two boys stared at each other, her heart pounding. What were they thinking...? Were they going to kill her now...? Or was something else happening...? They weren’t even looking at her... An opening? If she ran now, Heero could shoot her...but she would die as well if she didn’t. I’ve got to try...now!

As soon as Heero saw the girl move, he whirled around, his weapon drawn. A shot rang out, followed by silence. Heero lowered his gun, his eyes narrowing.

W...what was that? Eliza got to her knees, not even realizing until then that she was even on the ground. What happened...? A startling pain in her arm was her answer. She glanced at it, surprised to see blood seeping through the white cloth of her blouse. Her vision blurred slightly. He shot me... Biting her lower lip, she braced herself and tried to stand. The world swam around, and she squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to clear her senses. Voices...talking around her... What’s...going on...?

“Don’t move,” a distant voice told her. That was the last thing she heard.

Quatre sat down on the floor next to the bed, feeling utterly drained. He hadn’t even been in there for that long...only about 20 minutes had passed since Heero had told him to stay in Eliza’s room, but... He turned around, looking at the bed, at the person lying on it. His throat grew tight with anxiety, again... Duo...please hold on... He swallowed hard, wanting to look away but forcing himself to stay focused. The boy was breathing so fast...he sounded like he was suffocating. And he was shivering...Quatre had tried to cover him with a blanket, but he kept throwing it off. Nothing was helping...nothing! He’s not going to make it...not at this rate. He squeezed his eyes shut, his body aching with frustration. Why..why wouldn’t Heero let me take him to the hospital? He opened his eyes, gazing in despair at the pain etched in Duo’s flushed face. He couldn’t take this anymore. He’ll die. He’s going to die, and I have to sit here and watch!

But he wouldn’t. He couldn’t. Where’s Trowa?! I have to get Duo out of here... He stood up, intending to do just that, when the sound of a gunshot pierced the air.

Heero! His body moving more on reflex than conscious thought, Quatre ran for the door, throwing it open.

What he saw on the other side shocked him. The front door was open...and he could see Heero’s back, about three yards from the front step. And Trowa...? What’s going on? He started toward the open door, his heart pounding. “Trowa!” he called, his voice shaking from anxiety. “Trowa, did you--”

“It’s all right,” was his response. “Stay inside.”

Stay inside...? Why? But something in Trowa’s voice told him to obey--he took a few steps back, not taking his eyes off the two of them. What happened..? Was it Heero who fired that shot? As his gaze lowered, he noticed something lying on the ground at Trowa’s feet. Somebody. He gasped. It’s her...

“Go back,” Trowa told him, slightly louder than before. “She’s fine. The bullet just grazed her.”

Quatre nodded slowly. Of course. Heero wouldn’t have killed her...they needed her information, and for that they needed her alive. He should’ve known. But...she’s a little girl. What are we fighting for? There’s no peace in winning this battle!

But...one fact still lingered in his mind. She was a little girl...but she was responsible for what had happened to Duo. Hadn’t she planned on killing him? He glanced back at the open door, into the bedroom. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes. I don’t want him to die...

There had to be hope. There had to be. But there was no reason why...his father had died right in front of him and there was no miracle, no magical intervention to stop it. Good or not, nothing could save a person from death...nothing. But this can’t happen. It can’t. He clenched his hands into fists, forcing his tears away. I won’t believe it!

Trowa finished bandaging the girl’s arm and stood up, his back to the couch. She was still unconscious...she wasn’t injured badly, so she had probably fainted from either pain or shock. In that case, she would be able to talk once she was awake. That was what they needed.

His gaze shifted to Heero, who was sitting on the floor next to the couch, completely silent. He didn’t understand why he had shot at Eliza...judging from her size, he would’ve been able to catch up to her easily, had she succeeded in running away. It would be pointless to question him...he wouldn’t get an explanation out of him. Not yet.

From where he was standing, he could see inside the girl’s bedroom...the door had been left open. Taking a step closer, he could see Quatre leaning against the bed, completely motionless. Sleeping... He entered the room, not bothering to close the door behind him. He had been crying...he could tell from the tear-streaks that had dried on his face. He must’ve fallen asleep by accident...he knew Quatre would never leave Duo alone in such a state. He contemplated waking him up, but decided against it. It would be better to let him rest, even if it was only for a few minutes.

On the bed, Duo was asleep as well--but it clearly wasn’t a restful sleep. He had turned onto his side, and was shivering and coughing weakly into the mattress. With each cough, the pained expression on his face grew deeper... A strain of pneumonia, maybe... He wouldn’t have been surprised.

Suddenly, he looked away from the bed and at the open door. “Heero,” he said.

In the other room, Heero lifted his head slightly, looking as if he had just awakened from a deep sleep. He got to his feet, slowly making his way to the bedroom. “What?” was all he said.

Trowa fell silent then, leaning over the bed and covering Duo with the discarded blanket. Heero watched, unmoving, as he picked the boy up, blanket and all, and moved away from the bed. “Here,” he said, depositing him rather casually into Heero’s arms.

Heero stared at him, surprise finally registering on his face. “Trowa...” he started to say.

“We’re all leaving,” was his response. “We’re taking Eliza back to her father.”

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