Almost let this one get away from me.

This is dedicated to DaughterofDante who was most excited about this idea. Don't worry, though – there will be a bit more child Gundams in a later story, too. But for now, I give you these little nuggets.

Enjoy!

Oneshot 2 - Growing Up Gundams

01.) Heero

He was hungry again. He was always hungry. At least this time there was someone camping nearby, near enough that he could smell the food on the cookfire. Creeping forward, Heero didn't notice the man until he'd already closed a hand on a hunk of cooling meat.

"Hey!"

Heero reacted instinctively, curling the food against his abdomen and rolling away. He sensed motion and struck out blindly.

The man stumbled back more in surprise than defeat. How could a child, probably only four or five years old, already command the earth to protect him? He made a swift decision.

Heero cried out as the soft ground that had cradled him went hard and still, fastening his ankles and forcing him to sit.

"It's okay," the man said gently. "I'm not going to hurt you. If you're hungry, eat."

Heero glared at him, but did not waste the invitation and began cramming meat into his mouth.

"Good," the man approved. "You can eat all you want. Do you have a name, boy?"

"Heero," he said proudly, still glaring.

"Quite an earthbender, Heero. My name is Odin."

Heero regarded him shrewdly. "Can you teach me more earthbending?"

Odin smiled. "Yes, I can."

-==OOO==-

02.) Duo

"Kid, meet Howard."

"Since when do you have a kid?" the man with the pointed greyish beard blinked at the fierce, tiny form before him.

"Since he robbed me blind!" Solo laughed. "Got hold of your stuff, too, but he gave it back. Eventually."

"Well, for that you can have pretty much anything you want," Howard grinned at the boy. "Hungry?"

The kid glared. "Only if you got good stuff."

Howard laughed and clapped the boy on the shoulder. "Come on in, kiddo. We got the good stuff all right." He began to lead the way into the Mechanist stronghold.

"Careful," Solo laughed too. "Once you invite him in, he seems to hang around."

"That's okay," Howard said. "I like the look of him. Smart and scrappy."

"Like you, old man."

"No way," the boy jutted his chin forward. "I'm way more handsome. And smarter too."

"I believe you," Howard answered him seriously. "Take a look around. Anything you want to fix, go ahead. Break anything you want, too, but only if you can fix it again."

Food forgotten, the boy sped off into the world of Mechanist wonders.

"Sure that's a good idea?" Solo asked.

"Absolutely," Howard smiled knowingly.

-==OOO==-

03.) Trowa

There was nothing before the sky bison. There was nothing besides the sky bison.

He knew all about people – he'd seen them sailing around his island, and once or twice he'd ridden one of the bison to another part of land where people lived. He knew he was one of them and not a bison himself. Except he could fly, and he'd never seen any other people dance the air currents. So maybe he was a bison who just looked like a person?

It didn't matter. People didn't matter. Only the bison filled him with care and comfort and joy. High above the sea where the winds were strong and cool, that was the only place that had meaning. He was curious about people and their things and their lives, and the day he'd seen someone move the sea the way he moved the sky had filled him with a yearning to know.

But not enough to leave. The bison loved him, treated him as one of their calves. What out there could possibly be more than the warmth of a bison brother curled up at his side watching the clouds take their turn at sky dancing?

Until they came.

-==OOO==-

04.) Quatre

Quatre had been running for days. Omashu had been so loud, so chaotic, and his chest had felt like it was boiling in his skin from the onslaught of it all. He'd fled, face seared with hot tears and almost insensible from pain. But at some point, the running from Omashu had turned into running to something, though Quatre didn't know what drew him westward until his feet bled.

It was a burning noon when he reached a flat rock overlooking the ocean. Quatre stopped moving for the first time in days and stared at the vastness.

And promptly collapsed.

An eternity later, Quatre's eyes fluttered open. Before he even became aware of the looming face and the kind brown eyes, he recognized a warm, calm silence in his heart.

"Hello young one."

"Um, hello?"

"What is your name?"

"Q-Quatre."

"And how old are you, Quatre?"

"S-seven."

"I can see that your heart is open and brave," the deep voice intoned, "but perhaps too open. It takes strength to carry the cares of all. Just as it takes strength to carry all five elements in one soul. Young as you are, I have summoned you to prepare you for both."

-==OOO==-

05.) Wufei

Wufei stood stiffly beside his uncle, his face uncommonly blank for a child. The Sage regarded him closely.

"Wufei, do you know why you are here?"

"I was born when the Avatar died," he recited. "You will test me for his soul."

The Sage looked to Wufei's uncle questioningly.

"He is very bright," the man explained. "After the death of his parents, I took him in. He's a good, honorable boy."

"Wufei," the Sage said kindly, "please wait in there."

Wufei had only just stepped inside the anteroom when his hand was seized in a chubby grip.

"Are you maybe the Avatar too? Yay!" a girl grinned brightly. "It'll be more fun if there are two of us. I'm Meiran."

"Wufei."

"When were you born?"

"At the birds' first cry of dawn."

"I was born just before that! That makes me older!" she declared. "You'll be my little brother, then!"

"No I will not."

"Can you already firebend?"

"A little," Wufei admitted.

The girl preened smugly. "I can! I'm definitely your big sister, Wu-Wu!"

"My name is not Wu-Wu."

"It is now!"

"Children!" chided the Sage with a fond smile as he entered. "Enough. Come – it is time to begin."