The Jasmine and the Pine

Chapter 1

By Destiny

Triniti stood in the surf and wiggled her toes in the wet sand. She loved being out in the ocean breeze, hearing the calming crash of the waves, especially when no one else was out on the beach. She started walking in the surf and allowed her thoughts to drift out with the tide. She often found herself wondering where her life was headed. She had never questioned her motives or her ethics until she had met a certain green-eyed, intense young man. True, even after Marimaia's army was disbanded, she could not shake the feeling that an eminent war was brewing in which she would play a part. Now she was even questioning that. The only thing that ever brought her any kind of peace was her class that she taught and the long walks on the beach. Looking back up the beach to see how far she had walked, she decided it would be best if she started back to her apartment.

"Hey!" someone called out on the beach. Triniti turned back around to see who was on the beach. She saw a man jogging towards her, waving. A tall, brown-haired man stepped out from behind one of the dunes after Triniti had turned around, the sand masking his footsteps as he crept up behind her.

"Hello?" she called back, wondering who this was. She never figured it out. The brown-haired man came up behind her and shot her with a tranq gun. The unidentified man was still running towards her when she hit the sand.

Trowa sat down at the computer console and just stared at the blank screen. Why did he do this? Why did he always wait until everyone else was asleep and then do the search? It was almost as if he was doing something wrong. Sometimes he felt that he was doing something that needed to be hidden, but why should caring for someone ever be something to hide? Did it matter that she was on the wrong side in the war? Well, come to think of it, so was he.

Shaking his head to clear the confusing thoughts, he typed in the name and clicked search. He had set the search engine to check all the latest reports that had been sent out for newspapers, military records, and other documents along those lines. Every night for the last six years he had the run the same search, and every night he was rewarded with nothing. Wearily propping up his head on his hand, he waited for the search to finish. All tiredness faded when the screen flashed the name: Barton, Triniti. He clicked on the link, surprised, and waited until the document came up. It was from a military newspaper, a small article which read:

Last night, after finishing her archery instruction class, Miss Triniti Barton

An icy fear gripped his heart as he re-read the article. Who would want an ex-engineer from six years ago? Triniti had kept a low profile, and had not been involved in the military since he disbanded from Marimaia's army. What could she possibly have that someone would want? He read the origin of the article: the New Cinq Kingdom. Trowa shut off the computer after erasing his search and headed for his room.

Catherine had just finished sewing up a small tear in her costume when she heard her partner's door close. Even though he was in the room next to her's, she rarely ever heard him close his door. His movements were as quiet as his voice. Figuring something was wrong, she went over to his room and knock quietly on the door.

"Come in."

She walked in to find him throwing clothes into a duffle bag.

"Trowa, where are you going?" she asked, slightly worried at the scene before her.

"I have to leave Catherine."

"Why? And what for?"

"I can't say."

"Trowa?" she questioned, as he packed two pistols before zipping up the bag and tucking another gun in the waistband of his jeans, concealing it with his jacket.

"Goodbye, Catherine," he said, before walking out the door.

"Trowa," she called running out into the hallway after him, "When will you be back?"

"Don't know," he replied, still walking.

"Please, tell me where you're going."

Finally, relenting a little, he stopped and turned to face his sister. "The New Cinq Kingdom. A friend of mine was kidnapped. I need to find out if they're alright."

"Was it another one of the pilots?"

"I can't tell you."

"Well, what can you tell me?" Catherine demanded, frustration breaking through her thin patience.

"Nothing," he responded, turning and walking away.

"You better come back." she yelled after his retreating form. "You'd think I would be used to this kind of behavior by now," she mumbled to herself.

Triniti woke up feeling very cold and with a very bad headache. Rubbing her temples as she sat up, she tried to figure out where she was. It was obvious she was in a holding cell, but where? She laid her ear to the wall and tried to listen to the sounds on the other side. Nothing, they were soundproof.

"Figures," she muttered to herself.

Once again a cold chill ran through her and she crossed her arms around her chest, trying to conserve warmth. She was still dressed in her button-down, fitted blouse and khaki shorts, which didn't offer much warmth. And it didn't help that she was barefoot on a cold, metal floor. Metal floor? Getting down on her hands and knees, she placed an ear to the floor and listened carefully. She could barely make out the grinding gears of the engines. She was on a shuttle. But headed for where? And what for? She wandered around the small room, rubbing her arms trying to get warm when the door to the cell opened. A slender man, around his forties, with chestnut brown hair smiled warmly at her.

"How do you do Miss Barton?"

"How do you do," she responded hesitantly, not sure how to answer this man.

"I do hope that you are doing well. You slept slightly longer than we expected. Do you feel well?" he asked, genuine concern written on his face.

"I feel fine," she answered, still unsure of her predicament. "Who are you?"

"Oh, please forgive me. My name is Kegan. I'm the head of the medical facilities on the ship. If you don't mind, I would like to take you down the medical bay and examine you just to make sure that you have no adverse side effects"

"I'm fine."

"I would just like to make sure," he persisted, still keeping a smile on his face.

Triniti smiled sweetly back at him. "I'm fine. Really."

"Well, then, I guess it's time that you met the Commander. If you'll follow me, please."

Triniti followed the doctor out into the hallway where two uniformed officers flanked her as she walked. She had never seen their uniforms before, but they reminded her of OZ. Both guards had stoic faces and offered no clue whatsoever as to who they were.

Well, two can play at this game, she thought to herself, plastering a expressionless look on her own face.

Kegan lead her to two large, closed doors and motioned for the guards to open them. As they did, Triniti craned her neck over the white-clad shoulder in front of her to see who this commander was. There was a large desk straight in front of her, which Kegan walked towards, and she followed. A high-backed chair was facing the large bay window that showed the stars and Earth. Once she was inside the office, the doors closed behind her with an ominous bang. She didn't like this predicament one bit!

The chair slowly turned around to reveal a man slightly younger than the doctor, with black hair and cold blue eyes. He had a smile on his chiseled face, but it was not a genuine one like the doctor's.

"Greetings, Miss Barton. What a pleasure to finally meet you," he said, standing to his feet. His height was just as impressive as his eye color. He towered over her, most likely being around 6'5" from Triniti's guess.

"I'm glad it's a pleasure for you," she responded, keeping any emotion from showing.

"I see I'm not disappointed. You react the way I imagined you would."

"And who might you be?" she asked, ignoring his last comment.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Javin Lowe."

An alarm went off in Triniti's head. "Javin Lowe was announced dead over two years ago."

A sly smile spread over his features. "That's what I was hoping you would think. I was able to download everything from the wounded Gundanium body into this new one," he motioned to his present body.

Triniti couldn't help but be slightly interested in that fact, and it must have shown on her face because Javin immediately picked up on it. "That impresses you, Miss Barton?"

"I've only ever heard of the Gundaniam bodies. I've yet to see one."

Javin spread his arms out to the side and smiled. "Now you have."

Triniti nodded her head. "So what do you want?"

"I like your frankness." Javin said, sitting back down.

"I'd like to say the same about you. Why did you bring me here?"

Javin smiled again, sending shivers down her spine. "Do you know anything about mobile dolls, Miss Barton?"

"Why?"

"Answer my question, Triniti."

"Yes. Why?"

"How much do you know?"

"That's a little hard to put into words."

Javin nodded to her approvingly. "Do you know how to construct one?"

"Given the correct parts, perhaps, yes."

"I've heard a very interesting rumor," Javin said, leaning back in his chair casually. "You have been slowly collecting parts over the past few years and building your own Gundam. Now why would you, a mere engineer and archery instructor, need a Gundam?"

"As you said that is a very interesting rumor. From what little I know of you, Mr. Lowe, you do not seem to be the kind that buys into rumors."

"Normally I do not. But I found this one to be most interesting and worth investigating. So, are you building your own Gundam?"

"You have carefully avoided my question as to why I am here. I believe I deserve an answer before you."

"Fine. You were the engineer that was responsible for designing and overseeing Marimaia's mobile suits. I am in need of such a engineer. There is your answer. Now where's mine?"

"Despite what you have heard, I am not building a Gundam. I may use spare parts in my own personal experiments, but that is all that they are. What do you need mobile suits for?"

"What else, Miss Barton." he said, leaning forward in his chair. "There's a war coming."

Trowa had realized that there was no hope of finding Triniti in the New Cinq Kingdom. She was probably taken off the planet completely. But at least he could gather some kind of information about her from wandering around where she lived. The news article had given the district where she lived and since she had not changed her name since he last saw her, she was easy to find in a directory. Her apartment was the first place he checked.

She had an apartment a block away from the beach on a tree-lined sidewalk. It was a very nice neighborhood with friendly people. He walked through the doors of the building and up the stairs to the second floor and found her door. Quickly checking to make sure no one was in the hallway, he deftly picked the lock and slipped inside. The spartanic appearance of the apartment was the first thing that struck him. There was a table with a computer on it, and a chair in what was usually used as the living room. In one of the corners was a drafting board and light. No couch, table, television or other chairs. He made his way into the kitchen and found the food to be well stocked. She obviously hadn't planned to go anywhere, not with the amount of food left in the kitchen. He then checked her bedroom, which was just a sparse as the living room. The bed was against the farthest wall with one table next to it. On the table was a light, a book and a pair of glasses on the book. He checked her closets and found mostly khaki skirts and white blouses, along with a few white lab coats. The last place he investigated was the guest room, the only room in the apartment that held any kind of normalcy. She had hung various pictures, mostly of the sea, on the wall and had actually decorated the room, giving it a kind of coziness. Trowa put his bag on the bed; this was where he would sleep.

Something brushed against his leg, causing him to jump slightly. Looking down he saw a black and white cat rubbing against his leg and purring. Sighing inwardly at his jumpiness, he reached down and picked up the cat, who continued to purr happily, while Trowa checked his tags. He laughed to himself. At least Triniti hadn't lost her ironic sense of humor.

"Well, Bow," he said to the cat, "Let's get something to eat."

Catherine picked up the phone and dialed the Winner's phone number. By the second ring, someone picked up.

"Hello, this is Nari."

"Nari, this is Catherine Bloom."

"Hi, Catherine. Is something wrong?"

"I don't know. Has anything happened to any of the pilots?"

Nari paused before responding. "No, nothing that I've heard. Is something wrong with Trowa?"

"He took off last night and wouldn't tell me where he was going. He said that one of his friends had been kidnapped but he wouldn't say who."

Nari could hear the slight note of panic in Catherine's voice and tried to calm her down. "Catherine, let me call around and see if anything has happened that I don't know about. I'll get back to you as soon as possible."

"Okay, I would greatly appreciate that." Catherine answered, calming down slightly.

Nari hung up the phone and faced a confused Quatre. "Trowa's gone off without telling Catherine anything. No missions have come up, have they?"

Quatre shook his head thoughtfully. "No, not that I know of. You call Duo and Wufei. And I'll try to get a hold of Heero and Noin."

"I don't believe this!" Wufei said, practically slamming the newspaper down on the table. Mei jumped slightly, before taking another sip of her coffee. The noise her husband was making was just slightly too much for her still slumbering mind to take.

"Can you believe people can be so stupid," he continued to rant. "What happened to officers knowing how to do thier job and actually doing it! Do you know what happened yesterday?"

Mei rubbed her eyes. "No, but you're going to tell me anyway."

"I'll tell you what happened. A bank was robbed."

"That's shame."

"And the authorities still don't where the robber is."

"Pitiful."

"Are you even listening to me woman?"

"Absolutely horrendous."

Wufei just sat back in his chair, arms crossed. Mei looked over the rim of her mug. "What were you saying?" she asked, realizing she hadn't provided the correct answer.

"There was a bank that was robbed yesterday, and the robber escaped," Wufei told her, calmer than before.

"Oh, that," she responded. "Dear, that paper is a day old. If you read today's paper you would find out that they did catch thief."

"Where's the new paper?"

"Here," she said, handing him the paper that her coffee mug was sitting on.

"Do you always set your coffee mug on the new paper?"

"Yes."

"Women," he muttered, picking up the new paper.

"Men," Mei replied, smiling. Even though she could just see his eyes over the paper, she could tell he was smiling too. Hana bounded out of her room and ran over to her mother and kissed her on the cheek.

"Morning, Mommy," she greeted cheerfully.

"Morning."

Then Hana proceeded, as was custom, to torment Wufei as he attempted to read the up-to-date newspaper. She tried climbing up onto his lap, as he kept on reading. And when she managed to kiss him on the cheek, all she got was "Go away." But knowing that this was his way of teasing, Hana hugged him anyway.

"Good morning, Wu-Chan."

"I'm amazed I get anything read in this house," he complained as Hana climbed down and took her seat at the table and began eating her breakfast.

"Ready for your first day of school?" Mei asked her daughter. Hana enthusiastically nodded her head.

The phone rang and Wufei looked over at Mei and she looked back. Not too many people called them at 7:30 in the morning. Mei got up and answered the phone while Wufei listened to the conversation.

"Hello...Hi Nari, how are you?" Mei greeted.

"Why is Mrs. Winner calling?" Hana asked Wufei, who's nose was still buried in the paper.

"Am I on the phone with her?" he responded.

"No," Hana giggled.

"I'll ask him, but there's nothing that I know of," Mei said before turning to Wufei. "Has anything happened to other pilots that you know of?"

"Not unless Hilde managed to kill Duo yet, or vise versa," he answered.

"Trowa went off to rescue a friend that was kidnapped," Mei told him.

"Quatre?"

"I don't think Nari would be calling me wondering who was kidnapped."

Wufei shrugged his shoulders.

"We don't know anything," Mei answered. "Let us know if you find out."

Wufei watched his wife as she hung up the phone and sat back down at the table.

"So clown-boy ran off without an explanation, huh?" he asked, going back to his reading. He found that he was promptly hit with a rolled-up, day-old paper.

"Don't call him clown-boy," Mei told him. Hana laughed at the antics.

"Kiss Mommy, Wu-Chan!" she said. Wufei put down his paper with disgust.

"After what she just did to me? You go kiss her!"

"No," Hana laughed. "I want you to."

Wufei stood up from the table and started walking into the kitchen. As he pasted Mei's chair, he quickly grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, kissing her full on the lips.

"Wo ai ni, Mei," he told her.

"Wo ai ni," she answered. Mei felt a small tug on her robe. Both Wufei and her looked down to see Hana looking up at them with a bright smile.

"Wo ai ni."

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