Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Gundam Wing, I only own
the plot.
~+~ Chapter 6 To Soar Like an Eagle
Sighing, Quatre sat next to Heero's bedside, keeping a close eye on him the entire time. Heero had pulled through and now he was resting. With the help of a ventilator, he was able to breathe easier as a heart monitor beeped softly in the background. IV's were still in his arms, their contents slowly dripping into his weak body. He'd had a blood transfusion as well, for he wouldn't have made it without one with the internal bleeding that was happening. Surprisingly, the fear only increased the amount of blood that exited the youth's chest rapidly after he shot himself, and logically he shouldn't have lived. But Heero was never all that logical to begin with.
"We can't leave him alone guys." Quatre spoke softly, rubbing his eyes with his palms, feeling the other pilots tense in the room around him. "Whatever happened, he said he saw the OZ soldiers again and that he didn't want them to--hurt him again. Well, if he did it once, we don't know if he'll relive it again. If we leave him by himself, he might not be as lucky if it happens again."
Duo took this in, knowing that Quatre was right. "So, what do we do? Teach him to fight again and bring him back to battle?"
"No, I'm not sure, but I don't want to do that to him. We'd have to redo his gundam to it's original form which could take about a month or so, we'd have to get new gundanium since we're using steel to make his armor right now. Then we'd have to upload all of the programs and install all the combat data once more. After all this, we'd still have to teach him to fight, to kill, and to be who he was before all this. I won't do it to him, not again." Holding his friend's wrapped hand, he gave it a gentle squeeze and received nothing in return.
Wufei perked up. "You don't think that Relena can handle him, do you?"
Shaking his head, Quatre answered. "No, she wouldn't know how to, she hasn't dealt with this before or anything close to it. She might be able to help if it were one of us, but not Heero, not with the way she feels for him. She can't do it alone."
"So then what do we do buddy? None of us can stay with him, I understand that part of ya and he can't stay with only Relena to look after him. So who do we turn to?" Duo implored.
"I'm not sure. We can't leave him with Sally, with all the battles she gets herself into and the last minute moves. She wouldn't have time to watch over him and it'd be just as if he were in battle again, that, and he could always fall captive once more." Looking up, the confused aristocrat looked to Trowa, his silence sparking his curiosity. With a few moments hesitation, he received a nod from his friend and smiled back. It was an unspoken communication, but clear none the less. "We do have one other option."
"What's that?" Wufei knew that the two were thinking of something, it was just hard to tell what.
Trowa finally spoke at this, knowing of only one other person. "Cathy took care of me, I was in fairly close shape as to what Heero is now, in certain ways. When I lost my memory that is. She also knows who we are and is basically the only one that isn't a pilot such as us that I trust with the information. She'll know how to handle Heero, just like a big sister always does. I can ask her, Heero can stay hidden with the circus and he won't have to work for them, or not anything major, and he should be happy. Cathy can always get a hold of Relena if she needs to and she can keep the guy safe and happy, we can end the war, and then we figure out what to do then. The circus is peaceful, its people pacifist except for myself, and it's always moving, making it hard to locate." Looking at Heero, he gave a faint smile, knowing Cathy would care for his friend as she did for Trowa himself.
Duo thought it sounded like a good idea, but something else clicked in his mind. "He doesn't trust a lot of people, you've seen that. That circus is really popular and gets a lot of people, so wouldn't he be scared half to death?"
"No, he wouldn't have to interact with any except the other circus members. Cathy would be by his side until he's comfortable with everyone, he could keep Faith, and if he went out she'd be with him. All I have to do is make the arrangements." Pushing himself off of the wall, he looked at Quatre for a moment and at receiving a smile, headed off to find Sally to call his sister.
Wufei looked back at his friend, surprised. Any who knew Heero Yuy would tell you that you were mistaken if you said he looked fragile, weak, and scared. But at this time, that's exactly what he did look like, he'd suffered so much. "Rest, watashi no otoko, we will take care of you now." Sighing, he leaned against the wall, watching over his friend's resting form.
Duo looked at both Quatre and Wufei, then to Heero. He prayed that everything would be all right. "It's okay buddy, we're here for you know..."
~+~
Trowa opened the screen and typed in the location and number as quickly as he could left handed. He knew he was going to hear it from Cathy for the sling and his arm being wrapped up, but she'd understand later. Waiting silently, he only smiled when his sister, Cathrine Bloom, answered.
"Trowa! I'm glad to see you again and that you're... wait." Cathy was about to say, "that you're all right," but caught sight of his arm and frowned. "What happened now little brother?"
Shaking his head, he gave a faint smile. "It's nothing Sis, I just strained the muscles a little bit." Sighing, he spoke again before she could contradict his quick but accurate prognosis. "Cathy, I need a favor to ask of you."
Worried at the uncertain and reluctant gaze on her brother's face, along with the sadness in his eyes, she spoke softer. "Sure Trowa, what is it?"
Taking in a deep breath, he continued. "Cathy, you remember Heero right?"
"Yes." She wasn't certain as to where this was leading to.
"I need to find a place for him to stay and for someone to take care of him Cathy. With you and the circus is the only safe place for him that I know. Besides the fact that you're probably the only one that can handle him." He smirked slightly at this and watched her smile.
Sighing, Cathy implored him further, remembering Heero all too well. He'd nearly gotten Trowa killed, letting suicide thoughts enter his mind and urging him on. "How badly did he hurt himself this time?" Cathy thought he'd done something like self-detonate his gundam again, she wasn't ready for the hurt and pain that invaded her brother's eyes. "Trowa?"
Shaking his head, Trowa spoke again. "Cathy, it's not something that happened before, it should never have happened. I'll tell you what's wrong with him, but I don't want this to get past you, me, the others, not including Heero, and Sally. Please."
"Okay Trowa."
"When Heero was last captured, they did what they normally would to try and get information from him. They beat him, used him as a punching bag, whatever you want to call it." His eyes began to fill with a bitter hatred and anger. "Yet they did something else to him, he was there nearly a week until we found him and could get him out. When Duo found him, the guy was terrified of everyone and everything. Like he didn't even know any of us. We found out later why he was. Each night, the soldiers would claim it was his fault and that he could stop the torture, but they gagged him even when he wanted to give them the information. He couldn't do anything to stop them either..."
Cathy listened to her brother trail off, watching his eyes burn with a desire to take revenge, hate, anger, sadness, helplessness, and many other emotions mingling in his emerald depths. With a soft voice, she coaxed on. "Tell me what they did to him Trowa."
Taking a calming breath, Trowa spoke just above a whisper. "They took their pleasure from him, using his body for their own psychotic needs. They raped him repeatedly Cathy, and it wasn't just one soldier either." Looking away, he closed his eyes and bit his tongue, listening to Cathy's disbelief. "And I couldn't be there to help him..."
Cathy stared at the screen, unsure if she heard him right. How could someone do such a thing?! "It wasn't you're fault, you did the best you could Trowa." With saddened and sympathetic eyes, she looked at her brother and then continued to implore. "That's not the only reason you're asking me little brother."
Trowa looked back, catching her slight smile. "No, he's learning to trust again, but he's not himself. He's more like a child again. We were going to have him stay with Relena, but she couldn't handle him. Today, he must have hallucinated or something, but he sat in the room and had taken a gun from one of Sally's men, training it on another woman who was also a rebel fighter. She tried to calm him, we all did, but he kept claiming that he wasn't going to be hurt again and that he'd kill us, he seemed to believe we were the soldiers, before he let us near him, or he'd rather die. Well, he changed his mind for some reason and pointed the barrel of the gun at himself, just above his heart. Quatre tried to get him to snap out of it, but he pulled the trigger and nearly died today. Relena couldn't handle him if it happened again. I know you can. Please Cathy, I need your help on this. We aren't going to take him back to war, he doesn't even remember how to use his gundam or even to fight. He can be happy with a second chance at life, we're not going to put him through that torture again. Please?"
"I don't know if I can talk the manager into it, if he's like you described him, then he won't be able to work and..."
"Please." Trowa implored once more.
Sighing, Cathy nodded. "I'll get the manager to say yes either way. Should we expect you anytime soon?" With a smile, she was surprised to see her brother's eyes light up, a large smile crossing his face. "I don't think I've truly seen you smile before Trowa." Laughing softly, she only watched him shake his head, his smile now a grin.
"They rub off on you, that's for sure. Heero needs a lot of rest, I'll go ahead and say in about a week. I'll tell you for sure later. Thank you sis." Trowa yawned but stifled it quickly and hid his grimace, forcing his hand to remain uncurled as his sore muscles stretched.
"What are you doing with his gundam?" The question popped into her mind.
"It'd be too much of a hassle to take along, and it is his but we're trying to keep him hidden so he doesn't get... hurt again. We can probably leave it here with Sally." Thinking, he decided they would teach Heero to fly it again, but he couldn't take it with him unless they really wanted to attract attention.
"Okay then, you go get some sleep and I truly hope Heero feels better, you are tired and looked like you've been to Hades and back." Smiling, she called her farewells and goodnights to her brother before disconnecting. With a soft groan, Cathy stood, heading from her trailer to find the manager.
Trowa disconnected, slowly making his way back to the room to find that Wufei had taken a seat and was close to falling asleep, Quatre was asleep, and Duo was sitting worriedly. At catching his weary gaze, the youth nodded. "Cathy understands. She's going to take care of him when we go back to the war, he'll be just fine."
~+~
Quatre raised his head, looking about into the bright morning sunlight. Yawning, he sat up and stretched, surprised to find it quiet and that everyone else was asleep. Smiling, he looked about to find that Heero was just beginning to awaken after the previous day's drama. "Hey Heero, are you okay?"
Looking about, he found that Quatre was in the new room, talking to him. "I-I'm alive?"
Nodding, he laughed quietly and stood. "Yes, you're very lucky. But you made it, there's nothing to be afraid of. We're here, and we're not going to let anything happen to you again." Taking Heero's hand in his, he gave it a gentle squeeze and smiled.
With tired eyes, he looked at Quatre with a smile. "I-I'm sorry..." He could see the worry in his friend's eyes as he forced his words.
"For what Heero?"
"For all the bad things that I did yesterday." With a sigh, he groaned softly in pain as agony raced through his chest.
"It wasn't your fault Heero, you didn't seem to know who we were at the time and you were scared. It's okay, it's all over now." Frowning at his soft cry, he only stood quietly. "Heero, there's been a little change in plans."
Curious, he watched Quatre as he forced himself to stay awake, and to keep calm seeing as how he was in another bed. This one didn't bother him though, not really. It didn't even feel like a bed, almost like the floor. "What's wrong?"
Gladdened that Heero wasn't panicking at the bed that he seemed to notice, he answered his question. "Well, after what happened yesterday, we knew we couldn't leave you with Relena. She wouldn't know what to do or how to handle it. We can't leave you with Sally, she still fights the war too and we don't want you to get hurt. I bet you didn't know Trowa had a sister, huh?" At seeing his shake of the head but small smile, the young Arabian continued. "He does, it's like you're my brother, not by blood, but through being there for each other. Her name is Cathrine, but she lets us call her Cathy. Well, Cathy lives and works in the circus, and she helped Trowa and took care of him. She knows how to deal with these types of things, and she said she'd love to take care of you and have you stay with her until the war is over. She works with all kinds of animals too, and Faith can stay. Do you like tigers, lions, and other animals like that?" Laughing softly at his somewhat saddened but quickly changed look to eagerness, he continued. "Well, she helps take care of them and you could help too. You'll have a lot of fun. I'm sure. Will you help us and try and see how you would like living with Cathy for a little while? If you don't like it, we can let you stay with Relena too, but we'll have to figure something out then. Okay?"
Heero didn't want them to leave, but he didn't to make them mad either. With a reluctant gaze, he turned back to Quatre. "Will you still... come visit me? I don't want you to go away forever. I want you all.... to come back. Please?"
Hanging his head and laughing softly, he met Heero's eyes with ones of confidence and a smile of assurance. "We'll come visit whenever we can, all of us. And we won't leave you forever, we could never do that. You're stuck with us. Besides, when the war's over, Trowa's going back to live with the circus, so he'd still be there with you if you wanted to stay and if it was okay. You're still tired Heero, go ahead and get some rest. We'll be here for you the entire time." Coaxing the Japanese youth to sleep, he watched him slip, then drift off into slumber. All the while, standing by his side and smiling in gratitude.
~+~ Only four days later, the boys welcomed their comrade out of the bed and into the hanger to see his gundam. It had been refitted with newly shaped armor, repainted so that it gleamed proudly and was the envy of all the other rebel fighters, and had been reprogrammed to fit its pilot's new needs.
Heero gripped Faith's leash, the worried dog having nearly tackled her boy with built up energy and drowned him in puppy-kisses. Looking up, he gazed at *his* gundam, he knew about what was happening to it, but it never looked this wondrous. Tilting back his head, he stared with his mouth open slightly at the entire of the Wing Zero, it's golden armor having light brown, shaded areas to depict changes in color and shape, along with the feathers. The eyes to the mobile suit were a brilliant green, deep but bright. "Is this..."
Duo smile, feeling a slight annoyance in his right arm but he didn't really seem to notice. He'd healed fast, not much of a surprise. "Yep, Wing Zero. You're gundam. To tell ya the truth, I think he's missed you even more since you were back but not there, that and worried about you."
Heero looked at the others, curious and puzzled. "He was worried about me?"
"Yep, he's not just a machine, none of the Gundams are. They seem to have a bit of a mind of their own." Smirking, he nodded to the other three. "Great job guys, considering that it was just the three of you."
"It was a bit of a pain, but nothing. One of our gifts for you Heero." Sighing, Quatre let his friend give him a quick and energetic hug. Heero was healing rather fast from near death, but the others made sure he wasn't pushing it too far. Faith even seemed to notice and would take it easy when she knew she'd tired Heero enough.
"You guys are my best friends." He smiled and gave Duo a hug, then Trowa, and finally Wufei allowed him too. With a bright smile, he waited for the others to say he could go and see Wing Zero. HIS Wing Zero.
"Don't worry about it, you're welcome watashi no otoko." Wufei smirked, then added. "Well, what are you waiting for?"
Not needing to be told twice, Heero looked down at Faith before running toward the newly formed gundam, his eyes shining with life while he sprinted up the steps, heading toward the cockpit and stepping inside. It had been redone as well, it was emptier and had more room, but Heero loved it none the less. Looking up at the faces that appeared, he listened to Faith lay by his side.
"Well, what do you think?" Trowa laughed softly at his energetic face.
"It's perfect."
"Glad to hear it. You know, we've got a day or so to teach you to fly this. Think you can master it?" Quatre crossed his arms before his chest, chuckling softly when he watched Heero look in awe, then nod vigorously. "Good, but there's another change."
Confused and disheartened, he watched the others. "Again?" He was wondering if Cathy or Relena would let him stay, maybe he'd done something to upset them.
"Since the circus moves a lot, and we don't want anything to happen to Wing Zero, we asked Sally and she said that it he could stay here. She'd take really good care of it for you, but we just don't want anything to happen to your gundam." Trowa spoke quickly at seeing Heero's confusion.
Nodding, Heero was glad that he hadn't done anything wrong. Smiling again, he blurted out quickly. "When can we start?"
Laughing at this, Duo looked at the others before nodding. "As soon as you're ready buddy."
"I'm ready!"
"Okay buddy, settle down. Uh, who's doing the honors?" Duo looked at his three friends, smirking. "I've never really had much of a chance to control Wing Zero and it's been a while. That, and I don't want to like mess up and try and show him how to go into "Bryde Mode" and like-crash or something."
"Good point Duo..." Trowa spoke softly, but loud enough for him to hear.
"Hey! You're not supposed to agree with me!"
"Why not?"
"Okay guys, Heero's getting a little impatient with us. Quatre, you were the one that's ever piloted it the most, at least out of us. Plus, you had the plans and the entire thing built right before your eyes. You'd probably be the best." Wufei grinned and only laughed softly at Duo and his small argument with Trowa.
"Okay then, looks like I'll be your teacher Heero." Holding out his hand, he motioned toward Faith. "Sorry, but she can't come this time. The others will take care of her, but there won't be enough room in here with her. Okay?" Smiling, he watched Heero nod and apologize to Faith, then hand him the leash. Taking it and giving Faith to Duo, he stood by the side of Heero's chair and watched the others step off the cockpit platform. "Okay, now this board right here with all the keys and buttons, will let you tell Zero what to do. Do you remember which one was used to close the cockpit?"
Heero searched his memory, not really remembering from doing it himself like the others said he did all the time, but he had watched Quatre do it after his escape. Reaching with a hesitant hand, he pressed the key in the upper right corner of the keyboard and watched the door close, a smile on his face. The only problem was, when the door was closed, it was absolutely dark in the cockpit. "I can't see."
Reaching over, Quatre quickly typed a couple of keys and sat back, watching the monitors turn on. "Okay Heero, to get to see the outside, you have to hit a few buttons in the dark. But that's okay, once you learn them, you won't even have to think about it." Taking the youth's hand in his, he pointed to each of the keys, going in sequence. Then he let Heero try it on his own.
When Heero hit the keys that Quatre taught him too, the screens went black again and he was certain he'd messed up. Dropping his hands to his lap, he gave a sigh of defeat. He'd done what Quatre said. A hand on his shoulder told him that he was fine. "What'd I do wrong?"
Smiling, Quatre let a soft laugh escape his lips. "You didn't do anything wrong. That was supposed to happen. It turns the screens on and off. Just hit those buttons again and they'll come back on. You're doing fine."
Heero reached up, using his fingers to feel where the first one was. It was two up from the side, then one over. Hitting the button, he moved onto the second, one row over and one up, then the third, then fourth. Completing the sequence, he watched the screens flicker to life once more as a giant smile crossed his face. "I did it right!"
Smirking, he nodded. "You sure did, and all by yourself. Here, we'll let you go ahead and practice using the controls, but we need to get this outside first. Go ahead and stand up a minute, I'll take us out." Taking Heero's seat, he advised the other to hang onto the back of the chair as he gripped the controls, moving Zero out into the bright morning sunlight. Standing, he let Heero sit once more, showing him how to put on the somewhat different safety restraints. All Heero cared to know it by was the seat belt and make it simple. "Now, these controls right here, the ones in your hands, they're going to move you. If you move one forward or backward, you can move the arms, go ahead and try it." Watching the wonder and amazement return to Heero's face, Quatre stood by and instructed him. "Look, the others are watching you. See, just down there." He pointed out and watched Heero raise the arm of Zero, getting it to wave at the others and at Faith. Sally joined them and they all waved back.
Heero was enjoying himself so much, he felt comfortable in Zero and moving the controls and the others were proud of him. He was learning quickly. "I'm doing it!"
"You're learning fast. Okay, to get it to turn around, which way do you want to go?"
"That way.." he pointed to his left and spoke.
"Okay, take the left control, and pull it backwards. Push the other one forward." And in no time, Wing Zero was turning to the left and right, but its feet remained planted. Sitting back, he leaned against the chair and instructed Heero in everything he needed to know about using the mobile suit. He was getting back some memories of his piloting skills, because when testing things out, he was actually working as if it were second nature and maneuvering Wing Zero as a skilled pilot would. So to say, Quatre had to brace himself and be prepared for anything, the moves too far advanced and something that one would use in a battle.
Sally watched with interest, leaning against the warm metal of the hanger. "He learns fast."
"Or he's remembering what he once knew." Trowa smirked at the more experience maneuvers, knowing that if Quatre was controlling, he wouldn't do that with Heero in the cockpit.
Hours passed, the youth learning everything he needed, each command, and then some. He'd learned to hover and to change into "Byrde Mode", getting applause and cheers from his comrades and awe from Sally and Duo at the intricate paint design.
"You guys have really outdone yourselves." Duo laughed softly as Zero began to hover again, this time ready for flight
"We will when we end this war." Wufei yawned and stretched his arms high over his head. After moving somewhat to get more comfortable, the young warrior finally took one of the chairs that was set out for him. He'd been standing for nearly five hours and noon had come and gone, yet he watched his comrade and knew that Heero was probably having the time of his life.
"Finally get tired of standing or just going to be stubborn and not admit it?" Sally called.
"A little."
Trowa smirked, petting Faith who whined for Heero, her leash wrapped around his left wrist. "He'll be a natural just like everything else. I just hope that Quatre isn't letting him push himself too far." With a sigh, Trowa moved his arm, having gotten rid of the uncomfortable sling but his arm was still wrapped from the elbow down to his fingers. He didn't mind it much, he'd been sleeping better, or rather sleeping period. "He's bound to want to retell the story, Lord knows, and it'll last longer than the entire time he spent learning." Laughing softly, he watched Zero hover higher, then in a great blast, it sped off. He was somewhat astonished, considering that Heero was still learning and that he would normally be going a "bit" slower, but yet if he went any faster, he'd break the sound barrier. "Well, Quatre's in for a ride..."
Duo smirked in amusement, but at catching Trowa's cool tone he couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Poor guy..."
Heero took Zero soaring higher and higher into the clouds, flying faster and faster above them like an eagle. It was as if he'd done this before. Turning sharply, he circled around before taking a quick dive and pulling up mere yards from the ground, taking it straight back into the air, soaring higher and faster, all the while laughing in joy. He'd roll the gundam, loop it, take sharp and gradual turns, anything his heart desired. "I'm free!"
Quatre sat in the back of Zero on the floor, bracing himself by putting his foot on the bottom and back of the chair, hanging onto part of the frame work for dear life. He *would* love this, had he not been tossed about completely and that he had no belt to hold him in. "Whoa, Heero take it easy here! I'm still back here!" Gripping the bar, he prepared himself for another nose-dive, only this one was a rolling nose-dive. Taking a deep breath and swallowing the lump in his throat, he felt the mobile suit jerk sharply upwards, rolling again for a few more minutes before finally leveling out and going slower. None the less, he held on for all he was worth!
Heero looked back with an energetic smile, laughing at Quatre's face. He looked like he thought Heero was crazy. "I'm done. How do I land it?"
Quatre never thought he'd be glad to hear those words again. "Just go ahead and hover like I showed you how to, you remember how to lower and hover, right?"
"Uh huh." Turning around, he began to hover near the hangers, making sure he was far enough away that he didn't hit it, then took it down.
"Don't take it down fully, we need to change it to battle mode and then we can take him inside." Taking in a deep breath, the young aristocrat let go of the framework and let his upper body fall to the floor of the cockpit, his breathing still erratic.
Heero laughed softly to himself, knowing that he had fun but Quatre might not have as much. Turning it back to battle mode, he let go of the controls and undid his seat belt, walking over to Quatre and laughing some more. His friend only smiled and closed his eyes, still trying to calm down. "I'm sorry. Are you okay Quatre?"
Looking up as if to say, 'What were you seriously thinking?', he nodded. "I'll be fine. Did you transform it already?" Sitting up, he caught his friend's affirmation before taking the controls and a seat, walking the gundam inside the hanger and setting it in place. "Go ahead and open the cockpit, remember to shut off the monitors first."
Heero went about and did as he was told, knowing the commands by heart already. Opening the doors, he heard a thundering applause as he stepped onto the platform, the others greeting him and Faith running frantically to his side. "I missed you Faith."
"You were great out there man! Those were some awesome moves flying up there Heero." Duo listened to the others applaud below.
"Did they all watch?" He asked curiously.
"Everyone did, they're really impressed with your work." Wufei answered.
Trowa watched his friend shy away somewhat, but looked into the cockpit to find a somewhat pale and--tired Quatre. He sat on the floor, calming his breathing and he looked like he just gone through his worst nightmare. "Have fun did we?"
Quatre shot him a weary look, then laughed softly and took his offered hand and helped himself up. "There is no way Faith could survive in that unless he kept it level. Or had a special seat built for her." Chuckling softly, he stumbled onto the platform as Zero closed the cockpit door.
"Looks like you had the time of your life Heero. I'm sure Quatre did too." Duo smirked mischievously.
"The last time like that in my life is more like it." Quatre mumbled softly. He only grinned. "Unless there are safety belts or something put in there for a passenger, he knows how to fly and you guys are more than welcome to try your luck." He only caught Heero's soft but growing laughter as he tried to hide it this time. "Think that's funny Heero?"
He only nodded vigorously from his seat on the platform and tried to hide his laughter even harder, but it only became more visible.
"All right buddy!" Offering him a hand, he helped the Japanese youth from the platform floor to his feet. With a pat on the back, he joined Heero as he tried to calm himself.
"Your sister will have a fun time with him Trowa, that's all I can say." Shaking his head, he only collapsed to his knees and began to laugh softly.
Sally sat and listened the entire time, trying to hide her laughter as well but to no avail. "Come on guys, it's after lunch and you're probably all hungry. Let's go..." Giggling softly, she led the others toward the Mess Hall.
~+~
Author's Note:
Well, hope you liked this. In truth, I wasn't even sure if I should post this story, but I did with some encouragement from a friend. It is neither yaoi or shounen ai, just some insight. I've just got to revise the other chapters before I post them, and I do have a sequel too. Just so you know... the end of this story, the original before the sequel, is almost at an end. But I've got the sequel ready to go, it's just a matter of revising and posting when I have the time. Highschool keeps one busy! -_-z That and trying to find sleep with homework and major papers. Oh well.... look for the next chapter and please review!!!!
~+~ Chapter 6 To Soar Like an Eagle
Sighing, Quatre sat next to Heero's bedside, keeping a close eye on him the entire time. Heero had pulled through and now he was resting. With the help of a ventilator, he was able to breathe easier as a heart monitor beeped softly in the background. IV's were still in his arms, their contents slowly dripping into his weak body. He'd had a blood transfusion as well, for he wouldn't have made it without one with the internal bleeding that was happening. Surprisingly, the fear only increased the amount of blood that exited the youth's chest rapidly after he shot himself, and logically he shouldn't have lived. But Heero was never all that logical to begin with.
"We can't leave him alone guys." Quatre spoke softly, rubbing his eyes with his palms, feeling the other pilots tense in the room around him. "Whatever happened, he said he saw the OZ soldiers again and that he didn't want them to--hurt him again. Well, if he did it once, we don't know if he'll relive it again. If we leave him by himself, he might not be as lucky if it happens again."
Duo took this in, knowing that Quatre was right. "So, what do we do? Teach him to fight again and bring him back to battle?"
"No, I'm not sure, but I don't want to do that to him. We'd have to redo his gundam to it's original form which could take about a month or so, we'd have to get new gundanium since we're using steel to make his armor right now. Then we'd have to upload all of the programs and install all the combat data once more. After all this, we'd still have to teach him to fight, to kill, and to be who he was before all this. I won't do it to him, not again." Holding his friend's wrapped hand, he gave it a gentle squeeze and received nothing in return.
Wufei perked up. "You don't think that Relena can handle him, do you?"
Shaking his head, Quatre answered. "No, she wouldn't know how to, she hasn't dealt with this before or anything close to it. She might be able to help if it were one of us, but not Heero, not with the way she feels for him. She can't do it alone."
"So then what do we do buddy? None of us can stay with him, I understand that part of ya and he can't stay with only Relena to look after him. So who do we turn to?" Duo implored.
"I'm not sure. We can't leave him with Sally, with all the battles she gets herself into and the last minute moves. She wouldn't have time to watch over him and it'd be just as if he were in battle again, that, and he could always fall captive once more." Looking up, the confused aristocrat looked to Trowa, his silence sparking his curiosity. With a few moments hesitation, he received a nod from his friend and smiled back. It was an unspoken communication, but clear none the less. "We do have one other option."
"What's that?" Wufei knew that the two were thinking of something, it was just hard to tell what.
Trowa finally spoke at this, knowing of only one other person. "Cathy took care of me, I was in fairly close shape as to what Heero is now, in certain ways. When I lost my memory that is. She also knows who we are and is basically the only one that isn't a pilot such as us that I trust with the information. She'll know how to handle Heero, just like a big sister always does. I can ask her, Heero can stay hidden with the circus and he won't have to work for them, or not anything major, and he should be happy. Cathy can always get a hold of Relena if she needs to and she can keep the guy safe and happy, we can end the war, and then we figure out what to do then. The circus is peaceful, its people pacifist except for myself, and it's always moving, making it hard to locate." Looking at Heero, he gave a faint smile, knowing Cathy would care for his friend as she did for Trowa himself.
Duo thought it sounded like a good idea, but something else clicked in his mind. "He doesn't trust a lot of people, you've seen that. That circus is really popular and gets a lot of people, so wouldn't he be scared half to death?"
"No, he wouldn't have to interact with any except the other circus members. Cathy would be by his side until he's comfortable with everyone, he could keep Faith, and if he went out she'd be with him. All I have to do is make the arrangements." Pushing himself off of the wall, he looked at Quatre for a moment and at receiving a smile, headed off to find Sally to call his sister.
Wufei looked back at his friend, surprised. Any who knew Heero Yuy would tell you that you were mistaken if you said he looked fragile, weak, and scared. But at this time, that's exactly what he did look like, he'd suffered so much. "Rest, watashi no otoko, we will take care of you now." Sighing, he leaned against the wall, watching over his friend's resting form.
Duo looked at both Quatre and Wufei, then to Heero. He prayed that everything would be all right. "It's okay buddy, we're here for you know..."
~+~
Trowa opened the screen and typed in the location and number as quickly as he could left handed. He knew he was going to hear it from Cathy for the sling and his arm being wrapped up, but she'd understand later. Waiting silently, he only smiled when his sister, Cathrine Bloom, answered.
"Trowa! I'm glad to see you again and that you're... wait." Cathy was about to say, "that you're all right," but caught sight of his arm and frowned. "What happened now little brother?"
Shaking his head, he gave a faint smile. "It's nothing Sis, I just strained the muscles a little bit." Sighing, he spoke again before she could contradict his quick but accurate prognosis. "Cathy, I need a favor to ask of you."
Worried at the uncertain and reluctant gaze on her brother's face, along with the sadness in his eyes, she spoke softer. "Sure Trowa, what is it?"
Taking in a deep breath, he continued. "Cathy, you remember Heero right?"
"Yes." She wasn't certain as to where this was leading to.
"I need to find a place for him to stay and for someone to take care of him Cathy. With you and the circus is the only safe place for him that I know. Besides the fact that you're probably the only one that can handle him." He smirked slightly at this and watched her smile.
Sighing, Cathy implored him further, remembering Heero all too well. He'd nearly gotten Trowa killed, letting suicide thoughts enter his mind and urging him on. "How badly did he hurt himself this time?" Cathy thought he'd done something like self-detonate his gundam again, she wasn't ready for the hurt and pain that invaded her brother's eyes. "Trowa?"
Shaking his head, Trowa spoke again. "Cathy, it's not something that happened before, it should never have happened. I'll tell you what's wrong with him, but I don't want this to get past you, me, the others, not including Heero, and Sally. Please."
"Okay Trowa."
"When Heero was last captured, they did what they normally would to try and get information from him. They beat him, used him as a punching bag, whatever you want to call it." His eyes began to fill with a bitter hatred and anger. "Yet they did something else to him, he was there nearly a week until we found him and could get him out. When Duo found him, the guy was terrified of everyone and everything. Like he didn't even know any of us. We found out later why he was. Each night, the soldiers would claim it was his fault and that he could stop the torture, but they gagged him even when he wanted to give them the information. He couldn't do anything to stop them either..."
Cathy listened to her brother trail off, watching his eyes burn with a desire to take revenge, hate, anger, sadness, helplessness, and many other emotions mingling in his emerald depths. With a soft voice, she coaxed on. "Tell me what they did to him Trowa."
Taking a calming breath, Trowa spoke just above a whisper. "They took their pleasure from him, using his body for their own psychotic needs. They raped him repeatedly Cathy, and it wasn't just one soldier either." Looking away, he closed his eyes and bit his tongue, listening to Cathy's disbelief. "And I couldn't be there to help him..."
Cathy stared at the screen, unsure if she heard him right. How could someone do such a thing?! "It wasn't you're fault, you did the best you could Trowa." With saddened and sympathetic eyes, she looked at her brother and then continued to implore. "That's not the only reason you're asking me little brother."
Trowa looked back, catching her slight smile. "No, he's learning to trust again, but he's not himself. He's more like a child again. We were going to have him stay with Relena, but she couldn't handle him. Today, he must have hallucinated or something, but he sat in the room and had taken a gun from one of Sally's men, training it on another woman who was also a rebel fighter. She tried to calm him, we all did, but he kept claiming that he wasn't going to be hurt again and that he'd kill us, he seemed to believe we were the soldiers, before he let us near him, or he'd rather die. Well, he changed his mind for some reason and pointed the barrel of the gun at himself, just above his heart. Quatre tried to get him to snap out of it, but he pulled the trigger and nearly died today. Relena couldn't handle him if it happened again. I know you can. Please Cathy, I need your help on this. We aren't going to take him back to war, he doesn't even remember how to use his gundam or even to fight. He can be happy with a second chance at life, we're not going to put him through that torture again. Please?"
"I don't know if I can talk the manager into it, if he's like you described him, then he won't be able to work and..."
"Please." Trowa implored once more.
Sighing, Cathy nodded. "I'll get the manager to say yes either way. Should we expect you anytime soon?" With a smile, she was surprised to see her brother's eyes light up, a large smile crossing his face. "I don't think I've truly seen you smile before Trowa." Laughing softly, she only watched him shake his head, his smile now a grin.
"They rub off on you, that's for sure. Heero needs a lot of rest, I'll go ahead and say in about a week. I'll tell you for sure later. Thank you sis." Trowa yawned but stifled it quickly and hid his grimace, forcing his hand to remain uncurled as his sore muscles stretched.
"What are you doing with his gundam?" The question popped into her mind.
"It'd be too much of a hassle to take along, and it is his but we're trying to keep him hidden so he doesn't get... hurt again. We can probably leave it here with Sally." Thinking, he decided they would teach Heero to fly it again, but he couldn't take it with him unless they really wanted to attract attention.
"Okay then, you go get some sleep and I truly hope Heero feels better, you are tired and looked like you've been to Hades and back." Smiling, she called her farewells and goodnights to her brother before disconnecting. With a soft groan, Cathy stood, heading from her trailer to find the manager.
Trowa disconnected, slowly making his way back to the room to find that Wufei had taken a seat and was close to falling asleep, Quatre was asleep, and Duo was sitting worriedly. At catching his weary gaze, the youth nodded. "Cathy understands. She's going to take care of him when we go back to the war, he'll be just fine."
~+~
Quatre raised his head, looking about into the bright morning sunlight. Yawning, he sat up and stretched, surprised to find it quiet and that everyone else was asleep. Smiling, he looked about to find that Heero was just beginning to awaken after the previous day's drama. "Hey Heero, are you okay?"
Looking about, he found that Quatre was in the new room, talking to him. "I-I'm alive?"
Nodding, he laughed quietly and stood. "Yes, you're very lucky. But you made it, there's nothing to be afraid of. We're here, and we're not going to let anything happen to you again." Taking Heero's hand in his, he gave it a gentle squeeze and smiled.
With tired eyes, he looked at Quatre with a smile. "I-I'm sorry..." He could see the worry in his friend's eyes as he forced his words.
"For what Heero?"
"For all the bad things that I did yesterday." With a sigh, he groaned softly in pain as agony raced through his chest.
"It wasn't your fault Heero, you didn't seem to know who we were at the time and you were scared. It's okay, it's all over now." Frowning at his soft cry, he only stood quietly. "Heero, there's been a little change in plans."
Curious, he watched Quatre as he forced himself to stay awake, and to keep calm seeing as how he was in another bed. This one didn't bother him though, not really. It didn't even feel like a bed, almost like the floor. "What's wrong?"
Gladdened that Heero wasn't panicking at the bed that he seemed to notice, he answered his question. "Well, after what happened yesterday, we knew we couldn't leave you with Relena. She wouldn't know what to do or how to handle it. We can't leave you with Sally, she still fights the war too and we don't want you to get hurt. I bet you didn't know Trowa had a sister, huh?" At seeing his shake of the head but small smile, the young Arabian continued. "He does, it's like you're my brother, not by blood, but through being there for each other. Her name is Cathrine, but she lets us call her Cathy. Well, Cathy lives and works in the circus, and she helped Trowa and took care of him. She knows how to deal with these types of things, and she said she'd love to take care of you and have you stay with her until the war is over. She works with all kinds of animals too, and Faith can stay. Do you like tigers, lions, and other animals like that?" Laughing softly at his somewhat saddened but quickly changed look to eagerness, he continued. "Well, she helps take care of them and you could help too. You'll have a lot of fun. I'm sure. Will you help us and try and see how you would like living with Cathy for a little while? If you don't like it, we can let you stay with Relena too, but we'll have to figure something out then. Okay?"
Heero didn't want them to leave, but he didn't to make them mad either. With a reluctant gaze, he turned back to Quatre. "Will you still... come visit me? I don't want you to go away forever. I want you all.... to come back. Please?"
Hanging his head and laughing softly, he met Heero's eyes with ones of confidence and a smile of assurance. "We'll come visit whenever we can, all of us. And we won't leave you forever, we could never do that. You're stuck with us. Besides, when the war's over, Trowa's going back to live with the circus, so he'd still be there with you if you wanted to stay and if it was okay. You're still tired Heero, go ahead and get some rest. We'll be here for you the entire time." Coaxing the Japanese youth to sleep, he watched him slip, then drift off into slumber. All the while, standing by his side and smiling in gratitude.
~+~ Only four days later, the boys welcomed their comrade out of the bed and into the hanger to see his gundam. It had been refitted with newly shaped armor, repainted so that it gleamed proudly and was the envy of all the other rebel fighters, and had been reprogrammed to fit its pilot's new needs.
Heero gripped Faith's leash, the worried dog having nearly tackled her boy with built up energy and drowned him in puppy-kisses. Looking up, he gazed at *his* gundam, he knew about what was happening to it, but it never looked this wondrous. Tilting back his head, he stared with his mouth open slightly at the entire of the Wing Zero, it's golden armor having light brown, shaded areas to depict changes in color and shape, along with the feathers. The eyes to the mobile suit were a brilliant green, deep but bright. "Is this..."
Duo smile, feeling a slight annoyance in his right arm but he didn't really seem to notice. He'd healed fast, not much of a surprise. "Yep, Wing Zero. You're gundam. To tell ya the truth, I think he's missed you even more since you were back but not there, that and worried about you."
Heero looked at the others, curious and puzzled. "He was worried about me?"
"Yep, he's not just a machine, none of the Gundams are. They seem to have a bit of a mind of their own." Smirking, he nodded to the other three. "Great job guys, considering that it was just the three of you."
"It was a bit of a pain, but nothing. One of our gifts for you Heero." Sighing, Quatre let his friend give him a quick and energetic hug. Heero was healing rather fast from near death, but the others made sure he wasn't pushing it too far. Faith even seemed to notice and would take it easy when she knew she'd tired Heero enough.
"You guys are my best friends." He smiled and gave Duo a hug, then Trowa, and finally Wufei allowed him too. With a bright smile, he waited for the others to say he could go and see Wing Zero. HIS Wing Zero.
"Don't worry about it, you're welcome watashi no otoko." Wufei smirked, then added. "Well, what are you waiting for?"
Not needing to be told twice, Heero looked down at Faith before running toward the newly formed gundam, his eyes shining with life while he sprinted up the steps, heading toward the cockpit and stepping inside. It had been redone as well, it was emptier and had more room, but Heero loved it none the less. Looking up at the faces that appeared, he listened to Faith lay by his side.
"Well, what do you think?" Trowa laughed softly at his energetic face.
"It's perfect."
"Glad to hear it. You know, we've got a day or so to teach you to fly this. Think you can master it?" Quatre crossed his arms before his chest, chuckling softly when he watched Heero look in awe, then nod vigorously. "Good, but there's another change."
Confused and disheartened, he watched the others. "Again?" He was wondering if Cathy or Relena would let him stay, maybe he'd done something to upset them.
"Since the circus moves a lot, and we don't want anything to happen to Wing Zero, we asked Sally and she said that it he could stay here. She'd take really good care of it for you, but we just don't want anything to happen to your gundam." Trowa spoke quickly at seeing Heero's confusion.
Nodding, Heero was glad that he hadn't done anything wrong. Smiling again, he blurted out quickly. "When can we start?"
Laughing at this, Duo looked at the others before nodding. "As soon as you're ready buddy."
"I'm ready!"
"Okay buddy, settle down. Uh, who's doing the honors?" Duo looked at his three friends, smirking. "I've never really had much of a chance to control Wing Zero and it's been a while. That, and I don't want to like mess up and try and show him how to go into "Bryde Mode" and like-crash or something."
"Good point Duo..." Trowa spoke softly, but loud enough for him to hear.
"Hey! You're not supposed to agree with me!"
"Why not?"
"Okay guys, Heero's getting a little impatient with us. Quatre, you were the one that's ever piloted it the most, at least out of us. Plus, you had the plans and the entire thing built right before your eyes. You'd probably be the best." Wufei grinned and only laughed softly at Duo and his small argument with Trowa.
"Okay then, looks like I'll be your teacher Heero." Holding out his hand, he motioned toward Faith. "Sorry, but she can't come this time. The others will take care of her, but there won't be enough room in here with her. Okay?" Smiling, he watched Heero nod and apologize to Faith, then hand him the leash. Taking it and giving Faith to Duo, he stood by the side of Heero's chair and watched the others step off the cockpit platform. "Okay, now this board right here with all the keys and buttons, will let you tell Zero what to do. Do you remember which one was used to close the cockpit?"
Heero searched his memory, not really remembering from doing it himself like the others said he did all the time, but he had watched Quatre do it after his escape. Reaching with a hesitant hand, he pressed the key in the upper right corner of the keyboard and watched the door close, a smile on his face. The only problem was, when the door was closed, it was absolutely dark in the cockpit. "I can't see."
Reaching over, Quatre quickly typed a couple of keys and sat back, watching the monitors turn on. "Okay Heero, to get to see the outside, you have to hit a few buttons in the dark. But that's okay, once you learn them, you won't even have to think about it." Taking the youth's hand in his, he pointed to each of the keys, going in sequence. Then he let Heero try it on his own.
When Heero hit the keys that Quatre taught him too, the screens went black again and he was certain he'd messed up. Dropping his hands to his lap, he gave a sigh of defeat. He'd done what Quatre said. A hand on his shoulder told him that he was fine. "What'd I do wrong?"
Smiling, Quatre let a soft laugh escape his lips. "You didn't do anything wrong. That was supposed to happen. It turns the screens on and off. Just hit those buttons again and they'll come back on. You're doing fine."
Heero reached up, using his fingers to feel where the first one was. It was two up from the side, then one over. Hitting the button, he moved onto the second, one row over and one up, then the third, then fourth. Completing the sequence, he watched the screens flicker to life once more as a giant smile crossed his face. "I did it right!"
Smirking, he nodded. "You sure did, and all by yourself. Here, we'll let you go ahead and practice using the controls, but we need to get this outside first. Go ahead and stand up a minute, I'll take us out." Taking Heero's seat, he advised the other to hang onto the back of the chair as he gripped the controls, moving Zero out into the bright morning sunlight. Standing, he let Heero sit once more, showing him how to put on the somewhat different safety restraints. All Heero cared to know it by was the seat belt and make it simple. "Now, these controls right here, the ones in your hands, they're going to move you. If you move one forward or backward, you can move the arms, go ahead and try it." Watching the wonder and amazement return to Heero's face, Quatre stood by and instructed him. "Look, the others are watching you. See, just down there." He pointed out and watched Heero raise the arm of Zero, getting it to wave at the others and at Faith. Sally joined them and they all waved back.
Heero was enjoying himself so much, he felt comfortable in Zero and moving the controls and the others were proud of him. He was learning quickly. "I'm doing it!"
"You're learning fast. Okay, to get it to turn around, which way do you want to go?"
"That way.." he pointed to his left and spoke.
"Okay, take the left control, and pull it backwards. Push the other one forward." And in no time, Wing Zero was turning to the left and right, but its feet remained planted. Sitting back, he leaned against the chair and instructed Heero in everything he needed to know about using the mobile suit. He was getting back some memories of his piloting skills, because when testing things out, he was actually working as if it were second nature and maneuvering Wing Zero as a skilled pilot would. So to say, Quatre had to brace himself and be prepared for anything, the moves too far advanced and something that one would use in a battle.
Sally watched with interest, leaning against the warm metal of the hanger. "He learns fast."
"Or he's remembering what he once knew." Trowa smirked at the more experience maneuvers, knowing that if Quatre was controlling, he wouldn't do that with Heero in the cockpit.
Hours passed, the youth learning everything he needed, each command, and then some. He'd learned to hover and to change into "Byrde Mode", getting applause and cheers from his comrades and awe from Sally and Duo at the intricate paint design.
"You guys have really outdone yourselves." Duo laughed softly as Zero began to hover again, this time ready for flight
"We will when we end this war." Wufei yawned and stretched his arms high over his head. After moving somewhat to get more comfortable, the young warrior finally took one of the chairs that was set out for him. He'd been standing for nearly five hours and noon had come and gone, yet he watched his comrade and knew that Heero was probably having the time of his life.
"Finally get tired of standing or just going to be stubborn and not admit it?" Sally called.
"A little."
Trowa smirked, petting Faith who whined for Heero, her leash wrapped around his left wrist. "He'll be a natural just like everything else. I just hope that Quatre isn't letting him push himself too far." With a sigh, Trowa moved his arm, having gotten rid of the uncomfortable sling but his arm was still wrapped from the elbow down to his fingers. He didn't mind it much, he'd been sleeping better, or rather sleeping period. "He's bound to want to retell the story, Lord knows, and it'll last longer than the entire time he spent learning." Laughing softly, he watched Zero hover higher, then in a great blast, it sped off. He was somewhat astonished, considering that Heero was still learning and that he would normally be going a "bit" slower, but yet if he went any faster, he'd break the sound barrier. "Well, Quatre's in for a ride..."
Duo smirked in amusement, but at catching Trowa's cool tone he couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Poor guy..."
Heero took Zero soaring higher and higher into the clouds, flying faster and faster above them like an eagle. It was as if he'd done this before. Turning sharply, he circled around before taking a quick dive and pulling up mere yards from the ground, taking it straight back into the air, soaring higher and faster, all the while laughing in joy. He'd roll the gundam, loop it, take sharp and gradual turns, anything his heart desired. "I'm free!"
Quatre sat in the back of Zero on the floor, bracing himself by putting his foot on the bottom and back of the chair, hanging onto part of the frame work for dear life. He *would* love this, had he not been tossed about completely and that he had no belt to hold him in. "Whoa, Heero take it easy here! I'm still back here!" Gripping the bar, he prepared himself for another nose-dive, only this one was a rolling nose-dive. Taking a deep breath and swallowing the lump in his throat, he felt the mobile suit jerk sharply upwards, rolling again for a few more minutes before finally leveling out and going slower. None the less, he held on for all he was worth!
Heero looked back with an energetic smile, laughing at Quatre's face. He looked like he thought Heero was crazy. "I'm done. How do I land it?"
Quatre never thought he'd be glad to hear those words again. "Just go ahead and hover like I showed you how to, you remember how to lower and hover, right?"
"Uh huh." Turning around, he began to hover near the hangers, making sure he was far enough away that he didn't hit it, then took it down.
"Don't take it down fully, we need to change it to battle mode and then we can take him inside." Taking in a deep breath, the young aristocrat let go of the framework and let his upper body fall to the floor of the cockpit, his breathing still erratic.
Heero laughed softly to himself, knowing that he had fun but Quatre might not have as much. Turning it back to battle mode, he let go of the controls and undid his seat belt, walking over to Quatre and laughing some more. His friend only smiled and closed his eyes, still trying to calm down. "I'm sorry. Are you okay Quatre?"
Looking up as if to say, 'What were you seriously thinking?', he nodded. "I'll be fine. Did you transform it already?" Sitting up, he caught his friend's affirmation before taking the controls and a seat, walking the gundam inside the hanger and setting it in place. "Go ahead and open the cockpit, remember to shut off the monitors first."
Heero went about and did as he was told, knowing the commands by heart already. Opening the doors, he heard a thundering applause as he stepped onto the platform, the others greeting him and Faith running frantically to his side. "I missed you Faith."
"You were great out there man! Those were some awesome moves flying up there Heero." Duo listened to the others applaud below.
"Did they all watch?" He asked curiously.
"Everyone did, they're really impressed with your work." Wufei answered.
Trowa watched his friend shy away somewhat, but looked into the cockpit to find a somewhat pale and--tired Quatre. He sat on the floor, calming his breathing and he looked like he just gone through his worst nightmare. "Have fun did we?"
Quatre shot him a weary look, then laughed softly and took his offered hand and helped himself up. "There is no way Faith could survive in that unless he kept it level. Or had a special seat built for her." Chuckling softly, he stumbled onto the platform as Zero closed the cockpit door.
"Looks like you had the time of your life Heero. I'm sure Quatre did too." Duo smirked mischievously.
"The last time like that in my life is more like it." Quatre mumbled softly. He only grinned. "Unless there are safety belts or something put in there for a passenger, he knows how to fly and you guys are more than welcome to try your luck." He only caught Heero's soft but growing laughter as he tried to hide it this time. "Think that's funny Heero?"
He only nodded vigorously from his seat on the platform and tried to hide his laughter even harder, but it only became more visible.
"All right buddy!" Offering him a hand, he helped the Japanese youth from the platform floor to his feet. With a pat on the back, he joined Heero as he tried to calm himself.
"Your sister will have a fun time with him Trowa, that's all I can say." Shaking his head, he only collapsed to his knees and began to laugh softly.
Sally sat and listened the entire time, trying to hide her laughter as well but to no avail. "Come on guys, it's after lunch and you're probably all hungry. Let's go..." Giggling softly, she led the others toward the Mess Hall.
~+~
Author's Note:
Well, hope you liked this. In truth, I wasn't even sure if I should post this story, but I did with some encouragement from a friend. It is neither yaoi or shounen ai, just some insight. I've just got to revise the other chapters before I post them, and I do have a sequel too. Just so you know... the end of this story, the original before the sequel, is almost at an end. But I've got the sequel ready to go, it's just a matter of revising and posting when I have the time. Highschool keeps one busy! -_-z That and trying to find sleep with homework and major papers. Oh well.... look for the next chapter and please review!!!!
