He had told her that she wouldn’t be harmed... Eliza cast a cautious glance at the boy sitting beside her. Just cooperate with us and you’ll be fine...well, she didn’t see what good lying would’ve done in this situation. But...why are they doing this? Her arm ached. She assumed that all they wanted was her father...but he couldn’t do anything now! It was all over...

She had only hesitated a bit when they asked her where her father was...only the blond boy had seemed surprised by how close they were to him. She was beginning to think that nothing would surprise the other two...especially not Trowa. Right now, he was staring at the road with blank eyes. He had told her to sit up front with him, while the others stayed in the back of the truck...if she didn’t know better, she would’ve thought he was purposely being gentle with her. Now...she didn’t know what to think.

I’m tired. I’m tired of running...but I’m still afraid. This isn’t fair...

But life wasn’t fair. Hadn’t her father told her that so many times...so many times that she had to believe him...? “People are selfish,” he had told her time and time again. “They’ve hurt me, and they’ll hurt you, Eliza. I only can hope you’ll have the strength to fight back.” Fight back...? Was that what you were trying to do, Father? And for what? You were going to kill everybody...how can you fight back against people who never fought you in the first place...?!

It was his fault. He had forced his ideas on her...he had made her afraid to live! But she had stopped him. Even though she had to sacrifice somebody in the process, she had stopped him... Even though she knew this, one thought remained in the back of her mind, nagging her. Now that it was over....and she was still afraid...how would she live...?

“It can’t be much longer...” Quatre said aloud, mostly to himself. It was just as well--Heero didn’t look up, and Duo wasn’t in any shape to respond. He had thought it was a bit uncharacteristic of Trowa to suggest such a straightforward plan...it was almost reckless. But he trusted him. He knew he wouldn’t attempt anything unless he was sure it had a chance of succeeding. And we can’t wait around any longer... Duo couldn’t hang on forever. Not like that.

Eliza had told them that her father was close by...which had taken him completely by surprise. Judging from what he could see, he had guessed earlier that she was probably an American, of Southern European ancestry...Italian, perhaps? But...what are the two of them doing in Japan...? Could there be a side to this that they hadn’t even considered...?

Heero had been even more detached than usual since they left--as soon as Trowa took charge, he just sat back and let him handle the mission. It was almost as if he didn’t care anymore...or that he didn’t trust himself...? Now that I think about it, he hasn’t really succeeded at anything in this entire mission... Quatre sighed. If that was truly hurting him...Quatre knew he probably would never understand how Heero thought, or what hurt him...but it was a possibility. If he was in pain over failure... What’s the point of being the perfect soldier when there’s nobody to kill? But that’s all he knows how to do...so what good is he now...?

As if he sensed his thoughts, Heero lifted his head then, looking directly at the other boy. Quatre let out a faint gasp. He looks so..tired.... He looked beaten, like he had fought for his life and lost just at the moment when he was sure he had made it. My God... He had to look away, to do something to break away from that wounded gaze.

Why? Isn’t that what I wanted to see...? Just a sign...any sign that he’s not an emotionless machine? Why don’t I want to see his pain? But what could he do about this....? To comfort him...that would hurt him even more...like forcing him to admit he was a failure! There was nothing he could do...

Quatre was startled out of this thought when he saw Duo move suddenly. He blinked, too shocked to do anything else as the boy tried to sit up, sweat running down his face. “D...dammit...” he said in a choked voice, trembling from the effort of supporting himself, even for such a short time. Quatre moved to help him, but Heero stopped him with one cold look.

“H...Heero...” Quatre faltered.

Heero regarded him solemnly. “This has nothing to do with you,” he said in a low voice.

What...?! Quatre tried to move again, but the look in Heero’s eyes stopped him dead before he had gotten anywhere. I can’t push him any further...

Between the two of them, Duo was supporting himself wearily with one arm, trying to catch his breath. He clutched his chest with his free hand, in obvious pain.

Heero didn’t seem too concerned by this. He stared at the other boy, completely calm. “Lie down.”

Duo returned the gaze, his eyes dimming rapidly. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but nothing followed. The Japanese pilot moved forward, placing his hands on the other boy’s shoulders and pushing him into a reclining position. There was no force in this action, no malice...from his spot on the other side of Duo, Quatre wasn’t sure what to think. He was about to say something when the forward motion of the truck suddenly stopped. They had arrived at their destination. It looks like this is it... He took a breath, slowly getting to his feet. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Heero rise as well. What’s he going to do...?

Eliza stood outside the truck, away from the others, shivering slightly as a cold breeze blew through her hair, tousling it even further. She knew she must’ve looked terrible, but decided that she didn’t really care. Such a silly thing... But just a little while ago, she had been in school...just like a normal person her age. Why did I have to do that, anyway...? Did I actually want to be normal? She could’ve just as easily stayed home...

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” a soft voice spoke up.

She turned, facing the person who had addressed her. It was the blond boy this time...Quatre? She heard them call him that... He didn’t look unkind. “You think so...?” she heard herself say vaguely. I’m not even sure what’s what anymore... She sighed, turning away. I just want this to be over...

When she finally looked up, she saw a slender figure walking toward them. Trowa...back here already... He had gone in there alone... She watched as he moved past her, stopping in front of Heero and Quatre.

Heero was the first to speak. “What happened?”

“There’s nothing we can do here,” was Trowa’s terse reply. “Dr. Cinque is dead.”

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