Silence is Golden ★ Gilded Surfaces ★ Silver and Gold
Silver Leaf ★ Gold Leaf ★ Fool's Gold

Gundam W Endless Waltz Book One Chapter 6

This is an excerpt I translated from New Mobile Suit Report Gundam W Endless Waltz (Magazine Novels Special) by Katsuyuki Sumizawa. It was released in the form of two books. The first book was released on April 9, 1997. Please keep in mind that I am not an expert in translating, therefore some areas may be lacking.

6

He was still using the name "Trowa Barton." It wasn't so much that he wanted to, but rather that everyone around him called him by that name. Catherine Bloom, the star of the circus troupe, was one of the colleagues who called him Trowa.
"What are you talking about? Trowa is Trowa," she would surely say if he talked about such things. "Anyway, you have no other name, right? Then just stay as Trowa."
She was always caring in various ways and spoke in a sisterly tone, as if she truly felt like his sister. He-Trowa, to be honest, sometimes felt as if he was with family when he was with Catherine. Even though he had never experienced such feelings before, there was a strange sensation of nostalgia for the warmth of family.

(I've had no family since the day I was born.) Trowa thought this repeatedly. (The nostalgia is definitely just a figment of my imagination.)
Trowa had lost his memory once. Now he is fully recovered, but he easily accepted that this "illusion" might be a side effect of that time.
Meanwhile, Catherine was also harboring a similar illusion. (Why it feels like I'm with that child when I'm with Trowa...) That child refers to Catherine's younger brother, who passed away when she was four years old.

This happened when the Bloom family was touring Eastern Europe.

(After Colony)
----AC-182----

The sound of a baby crying can be heard coming from the Bloom family's wagon traveling down the country road.
"Hey, Hey, don't cry now, Triton..."
Inside the canopy, it is four-year-old Catherine who is soothing the continuously crying baby.

"Catherine, why did you name that boy Triton?"
Her father, holding the reins in front, asked little Catherine.
"Your brother is the second child, not the third (Triton means 'third' in Greek)."
"Hmm..."
Although he didn't quite understand, her father was impressed, and her mother, sitting next to him, gently explained, "It was in the child's picture book."
"Is that so... but you know, I shouldn't have promised to let that girl name him. It feels like I've had my enjoyment as a father taken away..."
The Bloom couple made their living as trapeze artists in a circus. They were the stars of the troupe, and were well received wherever they went locally. Due to my mother's childbirth, they had temporarily left the troupe but were now headed towards a small provincial town in Eastern Europe with their family of four. This was to reunite with the rest of the troupe waiting there. However, this small cart would not make it to its destination...
Near the border, the Bloom family became caught up in a battle between the Earth Sphere Unified Forces and the opposing factions. At that time, mobile Suits were not yet mainstream, and the Federation's bombers were conducting airstrikes against the rebel forces.

Anti-aircraft artillery fire was a sight to be seen on that battlefield. The Allied forces carried out extensive carpet bombing with overwhelming military power, turning the area around the border, which were supposed to be safe zones, into a sea of fire.
"Papa."
"You..."
"It's okay... Take the children and escape to a building somewhere."
The crimson flames were drawing near.
"Hurry up."
When the frightened Catherine was unloaded from the wagon by her mother, a large projectile deviated from its trajectory and fell on the hood of the cargo bed. In front of Catherine's eyes, the wagon carrying her father, mother, and newborn brother exploded. The unbelievable sight burned into her young eyes.
"Papa, Mama... Triton."
The hood of a burning wagon.
Catherine had no choice but to shudder.
"..."

It wasn't known how much time Catherine had spent in that place. However, she was rescued by one of the vigilantes who appeared there and taken to a small park that served as a refuge. Catherine had no serious burns, but due to the shock, she couldn't speak for a while.
Being still a small child, she went back and forth many times between this park and the place where the wagon had burned down, to see if her father, mother, or young brother were alive. But she couldn't find even remains, let alone bones.
Eventually, the warfare subsided, and this area came under the control of the Allied forces. Catherine was able to get on a truck heading to the nearby town where the circus troupe was waiting. In search of her last remaining hope...
(Surely, everyone has gone ahead.)
It was a faint hope.
In that small town, the troupe members were waiting, but Catherine's family was not there.
"What is it, Catherine... you still have us, right?"
The current leader, who was like an older brother, tried to cheer her up by saying, "We're all family... everyone here is part of this circus."
It was supposed to be comforting words, but at that moment, all Catherine could do was nod.

Since then, Catherine would travel with this circus troupe.

It was thirteen years later when she met Trowa. Catherine couldn't help but feel that Trowa was like a younger brother, three years her junior. Even though she had met younger boys around that age before, only for Trowa did such a unique feeling bloom.

Well, currently---- it is the end of AC 196. The circus, where Catherine and Trowa were, was touring the L-3 colonies. Though they were well-received everywhere, this X18999 Colony was different. The number of spectators was less than a tenth of others.
"I can't believe how small the crowd is today..." Catherine murmured as she looked at the audience from behind the curtain in the wings.
"Hey, Trowa..."
Trowa had his back turned, dressed in a beast tamer's costume. As for the costume, the upper body was nearly bare, revealing his well-trained physique.

On his back, there were various small scars that seemed to have been received from various battlefields. Catherine suddenly noticed a large burn mark that covered all of Trowa's back. It was something so faint that one wouldn't notice it unless looking closely, almost blending in with the skin color. All the small old scars were formed over that faint burn.
"That burn on your back, where did you get it?"
"I've never been burned before." Trowa replied as he turned around. He was wearing a half clown mask on his face.
Today's performance was a clown handling wild beasts, a show that Trowa excelled at. Trowa continued without breaking his expression, just like his mask.
"It's been on my back since I can remember... It must be something like a bruise."
Catherine thought that was not the case.
(That is definitely a burn. Moreover, a very old one, as if it was gotten right after birth...)
Catherine felt something tugging at her heart, but she didn't think any more about it. Trowa stood next to Catherine and surveyed the audience. Indeed, there were only a handful of people present.

----
[IMAGE]
----

"It's really sparse..."
No, it's too sparse. It's almost abnormal. In the colonies, entertainment in the form of a circus show is rare and well-received wherever it was. In particular, the presence of fierce beasts like lions, tigers, and bears was fresh to the people of the colonies, and the tent would attract hundreds of people who gathered to catch a glimpse of the live creatures.
Trowa fixed his gaze on the entrance near the back upper section of the audience. There stood several men in suits. Despite the many empty seats, they did not even attempt to sit down. He had the feeling they were simply waiting for someone who was about to take the stage.
Trowa did not miss the dull glimmer of something black inside the suit of one of them. It was a handgun stored in a holster.
(I see...)
"It looks like this colony has other forms of entertainment..."
"Other forms of entertainment?" Catherine turned to him and asked back. "What do you mean?"
"I'm going to check it out..."

Trowa said those words and left the tent. The wind from outside brushed against Catherine's cheek.
"Trowa..."
She knew that calling out to him would be pointless. Glancing down, she saw the clown mask that Trowa had worn lying there.
(It's okay, Trowa will come back... after all, that child is part of this circus.)
Catherine whispered the words that had encouraged her many times in her heart.

Trowa was engaged in a brawl with the suited men outside the tent. It was at a speed that left no room for argument. The men were knocked out in no time, and in just a few minutes, only Trowa was left standing.
Trowa crouched next to one of the fallen and searched his inner pocket. Then, he took out an ID card and entered an eight-digit password. Suddenly, the blank ID card transformed into an identification card.
This password code was used by the former military intelligence departments, and it was a special code that could instantly unlock any secured lock and extract information.

The identification card was something a regular company employee would have. If a normal company employee were to carry a handgun, this would be quite a dangerous colony. "Barton Foundation..."
Trowa noticed the organization the man was behind. He was intrigued by the foundation called "Barton", that shared the same family name as him.
(I was careless...)
(I shouldn't have used this name in L-3, especially not in X18999...)
Speaking of the Barton Foundation, it was one of the most powerful foundations in the L-3 Colony cluster.
(But...)
Trowa thought.
"I guess he hasn't given up yet.... Or maybe it's Leia's daughter..."
The name of Leia's daughter resurfaced in Trowa's mind.
"I think her name was Mariemaia...."
A year ago, Trowa was looking at a photo of Marimeia. If she continued growing, she should be seven years old now. He couldn't believe a seven-year-old child could do anything, but he didn't take any possibilities lightly. It was a year ago, no, to be exact, it was nearly two years ago. At the beginning of AC 195, he was still not known as "Trowa Barton."

He was a maintenance worker for a mobile Suit being secretly developed in the L-3 colony. The model number of that mobile Suit was XXXG-01H.
----Gundam Heavy Arms----
He was fond of that heavily armored machine. He always carefully assembled and continued to make adjustments to each part.
There was a man who would casually approach him.
"Hey, No-name..."
At that time, he was quiet and did not exchange words with anyone. Other workers thought he couldn't speak he was so quiet. However, the pilot of the Gundam Heavy Arms was the only one who was persistent in speaking to him.
"I'll show you something good, just you."
He pulled out a photograph from his pilot suit. It showed a young girl around three years old and a beautiful woman in her twenties. The girl was smiling innocently.
"Her name is Mariemaia... she's my sister's daughter..." The one holding the young Mariemaia was her mother, named Leia.

If that's the case, the pilot would be Leia's brother...
"I thought she died with my sister, but she was found..."
The pilot pulled "No-name Guy" closer with his thick arm and said meaningfully. "After we seize the Earth, this girl will become the ruler..."
Indeed, the pilot had said that.

Trowa engrained the name "Mariemaia" in his mind.
(Perhaps what he said might become reality...)
Despite such thoughts, he put the ID card into the man's suit as if nothing had happened. Then, while pondering what to do next, he looked at the distant cityscape. There stood a line of unfinished skyscrapers. Facing the scenery that was already close to ruin, Trowa walked slowly towards it. He had already decided in his heart. Once again, he would return to the battlefield...

★ Main Page
★ Gold Leaf
★ Translated Excerpts