I had mixed feelings about 'hanging out' with the three of them, but they seemed a nice enough sort and they were on my side. They understood. I'd never known anybody before who understood. It was... strange... knowing they fought as well, went through the same things. I wondered if they had families who didn't know, or if they did, and how things worked. For the first time in a long time, I found myself excited, almost happy, anticipating being with them and not having to fight alone any longer.

It was a burden getting through my afternoon classes; I wanted school to end so I could go with them, talk about things that no one else knew that I had never been able to talk about with anybody else before. Finally, the bell rang. I'd never been in a hurry to leave school before, because I had to go back to the church, or I went to fight—neither which I anticipated. I thought about Heero, and that slowed my pace a little. I didn't know what I was going to say to him, whether I should say yes and go out with him or say no. From what Quatre had said and what I had seen he seemed nice. I didn't know how it would work out, though; I didn't like it when people were too close. I didn't even like it when Sister Helen hugged me, but I never told her that for fear that she wouldn't understand and would be sad.

I didn't want to upset anyone, especially not knowing how we stood. Perhaps it would be better to accept; maybe I would even come to like it, and Heero, and everything would be all right. I wanted badly for everything to be 'all right' in the end, in this messed-up world that we lived in.

When I had made up my mind and stepped outside, the three of them were already waiting for me. It felt nice, to know that they really meant it. No one had ever waited for me before, except Sister Helen, and I didn't think that counted.

Together, the four of us walked across the parking lot to Trowa's car, and piled in.

I was put in the back with Heero, and Quatre sat up front with Trowa. I hadn't been in cars very often; the church couldn't afford one, nor could I afford to always take the bus. Sister Helen always took it into town alone, once a week, because they couldn't afford an extra ticket for me to tag along and help her shop.

We drove to a part of town that I knew well, for I had ended up there often while out hunting. It only made sense for them to live where they fought, although it was. None of them—well, really just Quatre—looked the type to be a fighter in this war. I suppose, though, that I didn't look it myself. Trowa and Heero, on the other hand, had a sort of air about them that said they weren't afraid to take on anyone or anything.

It surprised me when Trowa stopped the car outside a building that I had assumed to be abandoned. It was a run-down six story concrete rectangle that didn't look inhabited. I reserved my judgment, though, because I had taken refuge in similar places when I still lived on the streets. Maybe it was nicer on the inside, and the abandoned look was only a front for their operation. It was a big building to house just the three of them, and I wondered if there were others living there too—others who fought.

"I know it's not much, but... I think you'll like it." Quatre smiled at me as I stared up at the building; he looked a little embarrassed, and I realized he had no idea what kind of background I came from.

I shook my head. "I'm sure it can't be worse than anywhere I've lived before," I told him, and then he looked a little sad. Maybe now he thought I lived on the streets. Maybe they all had, at one time or another. I didn't know anything about them, and they knew nothing about me. It was fair, so far.

"Come on." Heero put his hand on my shoulder and propelled me forwards, towards the entrance. I followed Trowa and Quatre inside, where we were greeted by a young man who had been reading a book.

"A new recruit?" he asked, eying me.

"He's fine, Wufei. We'll take him to Zechs later," Quatre answered. Wufei nodded and went back to his book without another word. "Don't mind him," Quatre said to me. "He's in a bad mood. Nobody likes door duty."

"You guard the door?"

Quatre nodded. "We're right on the edge of a big demon territory. We can't just let them waltz in. You can meet everybody later, but for now let's just get to know each other," he suggested, changing the subject, and headed towards the stairwell. "Our rooms are on the second floor, and we've got our own living room where we can hang out."

"Are there many people here?"

"There are twenty-one of us," Heero responded matter-of-factly.

"Floors three, four, and five are mostly empty. Six is where our 'headquarters' are, and there's a lookout on the roof at all times as well. The girls are on the ground floor, and guys are the second," Quatre explained. He led us to the stairs, and we went up to the second floor. The building had been fixed up nicely on the inside, and repainted with murals. It reminded me a little of the stained glass windows in the chapel, only there was no light streaming in through them. It was dark in the hall; there was only one window, at the far end, and it didn't seem like there were any lights. I was used to the dark, so it didn't bother me; at the church we used candles for light as often as we could to keep the electricity bill down. Trowa noticed how I was looking at the walls, even in the faint light.

"I painted them."

It seemed strange, moving through the dark hallway with other people around me. I hadn't thought I was claustrophobic, but there was just something about the hall that made me think I was surrounded. I wanted to lash out, to fight, but I contained it—I contained the urge, keeping it inside.