The weeks passed by quickly and soon, Trowa was learning more and more about the human ways. He had successfully secured a job at the circus, having the flexible, graceful body that most people were envious of. He had no trouble at all in convincing the head of the circus to take him in.

As time went on, his movements became more precise and absolutely magnificent. Most of the people that attended his performances would watch and gawk as the young man balanced himself and swung himself in different directions, landing gracefully on his intended spot. Indeed, he was a sight to behold.

In addition to his already perfected and elaborate movements was his ability to work with animals. Being an animal once himself, he was able to communicate with even the fiercest of lions. They would trust him completely, sensing that he truly understood their language.

These wonderful acquisitions, of course, were part of his added blessings. He was once a squirrel and therefore brought some of these unusual abilities with him. He would often think to himself that he was lucky enough to have had experience in these areas to actually function as well as he did.

But alas, he still had a few dilemmas to deal with. Even after attempting numerous facial exercises, he still had not been able to break through the first steps of expressing himself. His face would remain blank even if he were angry, scared, delighted or surprised. This stoic and unusually cold face would often drive people away until he was left alone, unable to cope with the loneliness that surrounded him. It wasn�t his fault after all. He was trying all that he could.

To add to the damage was his inability to communicate very well. Some people would say that a person could communicate wordlessly with his or her face, but that was already a difficulty for Trowa. Now, he had to deal with his unusual speaking patterns, or more clearly, the lack of one. It had been six months since his transformation and he had yet to say his own name.

Sure, those little six word sentences, three word phrases, or one word answers worked every now and then, but it still proved to be utterly hopeless. It had already been hopeless from the beginning when he couldn�t even say his own name. For now, he was condemned to carry the name �Nanashi�, simple in its own way, but certainly lacking in character.

Another barrier to his intended mission, which was of course to meet the blonde boy once again, was his failure to secure enough information about him. This new failure had stemmed from his inability to speak and express himself. How would one ask something if one couldn�t form the question?

Fortunately, he had been gaining some ground no matter how little it was. Although he did speak less than the others and nobody understood how he felt, closer associates would recognize the expression in his eyes. True, he was not able to contort his face in ways he desired, but he was definitely able to communicate clearly with those intense green orbs.

He thought it amusing that his eyes would express how he felt more than any other part of his body. After all, this was one of those qualities that he never had as a squirrel. Maybe these lovely, deep green eyes were a gift from Mother Nature.

To Trowa, all these trials were all in the days work and even as he struggled against simple yet demanding obstacles, he continued to dream about that blonde haired boy that used to brighten his days.

On a night of one of his performances, however, he was able to spot something or rather, someone in the crowd that seemed to resurrect his dying efforts.

Off to the far corner, to his surprise, was �his� blonde boy seated with a couple of friends. He was still as beautiful as ever although he had grown considerably since the last time he remembered and so did his friends. They were watching, awe struck, as Trowa moved across the tight rope with ease.

Willing the crowd to love him, Trowa included different tactics such as using bikes and poles, carrying his partner Catherine around and leaving the crowd breathless as they jumped around the ropes secured high above.

During a good deal of the performance, Trowa had diverted his attention to the familiar face to the far corner. Although his movements were precise and he moved as he had been trained, his eyes had been focused elsewhere. It was simply miraculous that he had not lost his footing while his attention was directed at the blonde boy.

After the end of his performance, Trowa walked out of the tent to enjoy the night air, holding a towel in one hand to dry off his sweat. He still had to muster enough courage to face the person he had been staring at since the beginning of his performance. He walked quietly into the dark and didn�t even notice when someone had put a hand on his shoulder.

�Excuse me.� the owner of the hand said. �I watched your performance tonight and I just wanted to tell you that you were great. I enjoy watching acrobatics and I just loved the way you moved. It reminds me of a good friend I had once. I�m glad that I decided to see to the circus this time around.� The voice was very enthusiastic.

Trowa�s eyes immediately widened as he turned around to face the speaker. Finally, it was �his� blonde boy, telling him that he was loved. Trowa was struck speechless. Usually, he�d have a ton of things to say and just couldn�t say it, but this time he did not know what to say both in speech and in mind.

�Ok,� he thought to himself. �Now�s your chance. Say hello and smile.�

He nudged his muscles until he felt the strain, but his face remained still.

�No.� he wailed to himself. �This can�t be happening. He�s going to think that I don�t approve of his presence then he�s just going to leave me here alone like I always am. Why does this have to happen to me? Why now of all times?�

While Trowa was filling his head with words of self loathing, the boy Quatre was staring expectantly at him. He had a smile plastered on his face that didn�t seem to fade. He was aware that he was somehow being ignored, but he continued to hold his gaze. He was quite peeved, but continued to hold his ground.

He was undoubtedly very persistent, just like the time when he had taken care of his squirrel. It was one feisty and naughty animal that he had to hold down the fuzzy being to effectively care for its wounds. Now was no different for him. He wanted to meet this mysterious boy and he wasn�t going to give up too easily.

He continued to stare and then, like a spark of hope, noticed that his companion was, indeed responding. Sure, he wasn�t saying a word, nor did he even begin to indicate that he wanted the other boy around him. In spite of this, there was something unusually vibrant and radiant in the performer�s eyes. Quatre read into the meaning behind those eyes and giggled.

�What?� Trowa was able to blurt out although he didn�t know exactly how. How was it that his mouth moved without consulting his brain first?

�You�re trying to say something.� the blonde boy said.

Trowa didn�t have anything to say to that. He was just shocked beyond belief that someone actually understood his quiet reverie.

�My name is Quatre Raberba Winner. What�s yours?�

Something suddenly clicked in Trowa and he realized that now was his chance to win the affection of this boy standing right in front of him. He opened his mouth and played around delicately with his facial muscles, beginning to voice out the name Trowa when suddenly, a female voice interrupted him.

�Nanashi.� it said.

�No, no, no!� Trowa�s head voiced out over and over again. This was his chance and Catherine suddenly appeared out of nowhere, disrupting his praiseworthy attempt. What angered him more was that she gave Quatre his temporary and very impersonal name. It was very rude and not to mention, embarrassing. He stared at the girl as if willing her to disappear, but she didn�t seem to notice anything.

�That�s not a name.� Quatre said incredulously.

�Well, it is for now. He�s never told anyone what his real name is. I�m beginning to doubt that he even has one.�

If Trowa weren�t trying to maintain his grace, he would have hit himself on the head repeatedly. It looked like things weren�t working out for him when he thought that all was going to be well.

�Oh well.� Trowa thought. �At least he�s here. I guess it�s time to work out my charm even if I still need some time to work on those facial muscles and vocal chords. This should be very interesting.�

It was only then that he noticed that �his� blonde boy was talking to Catherine and not to him. Jealousy seeped in his muddled brain as he tried to use some of his �brain power� to make her disappear. He soon found out that the �mind control� option wouldn�t work so he tried a different tactic.

He used his finger to call the attention of the blonde by nudging his back. He had the other boy face him. He then took a deep breath, preparing to start a conversation. His mind was completely focused on the task and this time, he was definitely going to say something.

�I...�

�Quatre! Where have you been? We�ve been looking for you all over the place!�

Quatre turned to the owner of the voice while Trowa began to curse himself.

The sounds of thunder were beginning to fill the sky, threatening to start another storm. It was only Trowa, however that noted the origin of the said disturbance. He looked up in the sky with unrestrained annoyance as Mother Nature laughed heartily at such a pathetic, but nevertheless amusing display.