Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, etc., etc. I guess you know the
drill by know.
Dorothy awoke to the sound of violin music drifting lazily through the closed door. The tune was slow, befitting the early hour of the morning in which she had awoken. She lay in bed for several minutes, letting the soft melody envelop her and carry her away to some distant corner of her mind. She subconsciously heard the music slowly change frequency and pitch, shifting effortlessly from one octave to another. It was the work of a master. But it stopped, and she was brought back to the real world. She slowly stirred, eventually raising herself into a sitting position. She sat lazily for several minutes before the violin struck up another tune, this one more lively than the last. She had heard it before and hummed along as she placed her feet on the floor. She jumped up again. The floor was cold, so she clutched the blanket around herself, enveloping her body with its warmth. It was more tolerable as she stepped on the cold floor again. She shuffled to the door and opened it.and found herself face-to- face with Trowa, who was just emerging from the bathroom. She began to blush furiously and covered her eyes, embarrassed that she had come out at such an inopportune time. He obviously felt the same way, since he quickly grabbed a towel from the bathroom and wrapped it around his body, preventing any more embarrassing moments. She looked up timidly, seeing if he was gone. She found herself looking at his glare.
"Tell anyone and you die." He glared for several more seconds before stalking into his room, slamming the door behind him. At the sound the violin stopped its playing and another door opened. Quatre strolled out, holding a finely carved violin, dressed only in sweatpants and a T-shirt. He looked around and spotted her.
Smiling, he asked, "What was that?"
She could only stutter. Luckily, Trowa emerged from his room to answer for her. "She caught me at an inopportune time. I'm not used to having girls around."
Quatre turned pink. "I guess that's a bad thing. Guess you'll have to be more careful when you decide to come out of the bathroom with nothing on, eh, Trowa?"
He only glared before turning into the kitchen for some breakfast. When he was gone Dorothy looked at Quatre. "Was that you on the violin? It was beautiful playing. I've never heard anything quite like it," she admitted.
Quatre looked at his violin. "It wasn't THAT good," he answered modestly. "I try to keep in practice, though. It also helps me overcome my loneliness."
"Loneliness?"
"Sometimes I feel very alone. It's not pleasant, but something you have to live with in the real world."
Dorothy smiled shyly and averted her gaze. "But now you don't have to feel lonely anymore."
She didn't see him smile, since her face was hidden. "I don't? Are you going to get me a cat?"
She looked up, shocked. "No!" She was furious. And a little hurt, as well.
"I know what you mean, Dorothy. Come here." He spread his arms and she walked over, allowing herself to be wrapped in his arms. "It was a joke. I already have a cat, but she leaves me alone. All I ever see of her is when she comes and eats."
"Sometimes jokes hurt, though. Please don't do it again." She glanced at him, her cheeks a rosy color.
He smiled gently. "Don't worry. It won't. But right now, we have to get ready to go."
"Go? Where?"
"Duo's, of course. He's invited us over for the day. If I were you, I'd bring a change of clothes and a swimsuit. He's very fond of playing jokes on people and one of his favorites is throwing people in his backyard pool. If you're done fast enough, we can get there in time for breakfast. He's also a wonderful cook, even though he would never admit it."
"That sounds wonderful. I'll get some stuff. But I'm not really hungry right now." As she turned to go into her room, her stomach let out a growl. She turned and looked at Quatre again. "So I guess I am a little hungry."
She closed her door and began to rummage through her bags for a spare outfit. She pulled a T-shirt and a pair of pants out, deciding it would be adequate. She then began to look for her swimsuit. It took several minutes and a couple searches through the bags before she found it, but eventually she did. She then threw everything in a bag and looked for another outfit to wear for the day. She finally decided on a pale blue shirt and a pair of cream colored shorts. With them she grabbed a pair of sandals. Making sure the door was closed, she stripped out of her old clothes and put the new ones on. She then exited the room, finding she was the last one to be done. Her face fell.
Quatre took her hand. "Don't worry about it. We all just got done so a couple extra seconds isn't gonna matter. Now come on, we have places to go." With that he grabbed a duffel bag and began to hum a catchy tune. It was upbeat and seemed to dance through her mind, getting faster with each repetition before he stopped at the car and stopped humming. He took her hand and helped her climb in, gentle as not to hurt her. When she was comfortably seated in the back he got out and conversed for a second before climbing into the back with her, closing the door behind him. Trowa climbed into the driver's seat and Wu-fei got in the passenger side. The engine started and they were off, leaving the apartment complex to visit the countryside and their good friend Duo Maxwell.
En route to his house, Dorothy began to fill her curiosity about Quatre by asking him quiet questions about himself so the men in front would not hear. She started with the obvious, "Where are you from?"
He laughed briefly. "While they still existed, I was born in the colonies. But after the failure of Operation Meteor, they destroyed the colonies so that a threat like that would never occur again. There was a saying as they dismantled the last of the colonies. It was something like, 'Only with the weight of gravity on their conscience will men ever act in a moral fashion.' It was very famous for a while, but then died out as life returned to normal. And you? Where're you from?"
"Honestly? I really don't know. All I remember is being raised in the military to be another soldier. Maybe that's where I found my love for the beauty of war. But I couldn't fight, so I became more of a diplomat, trying to solve problems without the shed of blood. That's why I was a supporter of the Mobile Doll system. It would help prevent the loss of human life."
"Mobile Dolls? You supported that?"
"I would support anything that would prevent the unnecessary loss of human life."
"But then why do you find war to be so beautiful?"
"War is beautiful because it is a form of art, a way to express your feelings of aggression and to a lesser extent, passion. Without war, there would be no healthy way to relieve the burdens of life in a way that helps the Earth."
"Healthy way to relieve the burdens of life?" Quatre snorted. "Why not sports? Or laughing? There is nothing healthier than a good laugh. It's good for the soul."
He became silent and stared out the window a second before looking at her again. "What was your impression of the fighting?"
"It always made me feel sick to my stomach. There was something oddly ironic about that, since I found it to be beautiful at the same time. But still, it was the loss of life that made me ill."
He agreed. "Life is fragile. Without anything to preserve it, it can only be extinguished since there is nothing to allow it to blossom, to grow. But have rigorous controls like war and disease, then it can only cease to exist as humans proceed to exterminate each other, often with little or no remorse. That's what I find the scariest about humans."
"Their lack of morals?"
"I wish it were that simple. It is more of their lack of souls. You can have a soul without morals and still feel pity and mercy. But without a soul, you are only an emotionless machine, destined to be controlled by the whims and ideals of others. The same goes for the lack of free will. Without it, you are only the tool of others, doing what they want and nothing else. But it is nowhere as serious as the lack of a soul. The soul is what makes a man himself."
"Do you think I have a soul?"
"That's only for you to decide. But to make it easier, I will ask you a couple of questions. First, have you ever been in a situation where you could have killed someone?"
"Yes. More often than one would think."
"And in any of those situations, did you hesitate, even a second, before you took their life?"
He looked when she did not answer. Startled to see her crying, he moved over and wrapped his arms around her and held her, letting her get rid of her grief. When she had finished, she just let herself be held until they pulled into the driveway at the Maxwell's house.
Dorothy awoke to the sound of violin music drifting lazily through the closed door. The tune was slow, befitting the early hour of the morning in which she had awoken. She lay in bed for several minutes, letting the soft melody envelop her and carry her away to some distant corner of her mind. She subconsciously heard the music slowly change frequency and pitch, shifting effortlessly from one octave to another. It was the work of a master. But it stopped, and she was brought back to the real world. She slowly stirred, eventually raising herself into a sitting position. She sat lazily for several minutes before the violin struck up another tune, this one more lively than the last. She had heard it before and hummed along as she placed her feet on the floor. She jumped up again. The floor was cold, so she clutched the blanket around herself, enveloping her body with its warmth. It was more tolerable as she stepped on the cold floor again. She shuffled to the door and opened it.and found herself face-to- face with Trowa, who was just emerging from the bathroom. She began to blush furiously and covered her eyes, embarrassed that she had come out at such an inopportune time. He obviously felt the same way, since he quickly grabbed a towel from the bathroom and wrapped it around his body, preventing any more embarrassing moments. She looked up timidly, seeing if he was gone. She found herself looking at his glare.
"Tell anyone and you die." He glared for several more seconds before stalking into his room, slamming the door behind him. At the sound the violin stopped its playing and another door opened. Quatre strolled out, holding a finely carved violin, dressed only in sweatpants and a T-shirt. He looked around and spotted her.
Smiling, he asked, "What was that?"
She could only stutter. Luckily, Trowa emerged from his room to answer for her. "She caught me at an inopportune time. I'm not used to having girls around."
Quatre turned pink. "I guess that's a bad thing. Guess you'll have to be more careful when you decide to come out of the bathroom with nothing on, eh, Trowa?"
He only glared before turning into the kitchen for some breakfast. When he was gone Dorothy looked at Quatre. "Was that you on the violin? It was beautiful playing. I've never heard anything quite like it," she admitted.
Quatre looked at his violin. "It wasn't THAT good," he answered modestly. "I try to keep in practice, though. It also helps me overcome my loneliness."
"Loneliness?"
"Sometimes I feel very alone. It's not pleasant, but something you have to live with in the real world."
Dorothy smiled shyly and averted her gaze. "But now you don't have to feel lonely anymore."
She didn't see him smile, since her face was hidden. "I don't? Are you going to get me a cat?"
She looked up, shocked. "No!" She was furious. And a little hurt, as well.
"I know what you mean, Dorothy. Come here." He spread his arms and she walked over, allowing herself to be wrapped in his arms. "It was a joke. I already have a cat, but she leaves me alone. All I ever see of her is when she comes and eats."
"Sometimes jokes hurt, though. Please don't do it again." She glanced at him, her cheeks a rosy color.
He smiled gently. "Don't worry. It won't. But right now, we have to get ready to go."
"Go? Where?"
"Duo's, of course. He's invited us over for the day. If I were you, I'd bring a change of clothes and a swimsuit. He's very fond of playing jokes on people and one of his favorites is throwing people in his backyard pool. If you're done fast enough, we can get there in time for breakfast. He's also a wonderful cook, even though he would never admit it."
"That sounds wonderful. I'll get some stuff. But I'm not really hungry right now." As she turned to go into her room, her stomach let out a growl. She turned and looked at Quatre again. "So I guess I am a little hungry."
She closed her door and began to rummage through her bags for a spare outfit. She pulled a T-shirt and a pair of pants out, deciding it would be adequate. She then began to look for her swimsuit. It took several minutes and a couple searches through the bags before she found it, but eventually she did. She then threw everything in a bag and looked for another outfit to wear for the day. She finally decided on a pale blue shirt and a pair of cream colored shorts. With them she grabbed a pair of sandals. Making sure the door was closed, she stripped out of her old clothes and put the new ones on. She then exited the room, finding she was the last one to be done. Her face fell.
Quatre took her hand. "Don't worry about it. We all just got done so a couple extra seconds isn't gonna matter. Now come on, we have places to go." With that he grabbed a duffel bag and began to hum a catchy tune. It was upbeat and seemed to dance through her mind, getting faster with each repetition before he stopped at the car and stopped humming. He took her hand and helped her climb in, gentle as not to hurt her. When she was comfortably seated in the back he got out and conversed for a second before climbing into the back with her, closing the door behind him. Trowa climbed into the driver's seat and Wu-fei got in the passenger side. The engine started and they were off, leaving the apartment complex to visit the countryside and their good friend Duo Maxwell.
En route to his house, Dorothy began to fill her curiosity about Quatre by asking him quiet questions about himself so the men in front would not hear. She started with the obvious, "Where are you from?"
He laughed briefly. "While they still existed, I was born in the colonies. But after the failure of Operation Meteor, they destroyed the colonies so that a threat like that would never occur again. There was a saying as they dismantled the last of the colonies. It was something like, 'Only with the weight of gravity on their conscience will men ever act in a moral fashion.' It was very famous for a while, but then died out as life returned to normal. And you? Where're you from?"
"Honestly? I really don't know. All I remember is being raised in the military to be another soldier. Maybe that's where I found my love for the beauty of war. But I couldn't fight, so I became more of a diplomat, trying to solve problems without the shed of blood. That's why I was a supporter of the Mobile Doll system. It would help prevent the loss of human life."
"Mobile Dolls? You supported that?"
"I would support anything that would prevent the unnecessary loss of human life."
"But then why do you find war to be so beautiful?"
"War is beautiful because it is a form of art, a way to express your feelings of aggression and to a lesser extent, passion. Without war, there would be no healthy way to relieve the burdens of life in a way that helps the Earth."
"Healthy way to relieve the burdens of life?" Quatre snorted. "Why not sports? Or laughing? There is nothing healthier than a good laugh. It's good for the soul."
He became silent and stared out the window a second before looking at her again. "What was your impression of the fighting?"
"It always made me feel sick to my stomach. There was something oddly ironic about that, since I found it to be beautiful at the same time. But still, it was the loss of life that made me ill."
He agreed. "Life is fragile. Without anything to preserve it, it can only be extinguished since there is nothing to allow it to blossom, to grow. But have rigorous controls like war and disease, then it can only cease to exist as humans proceed to exterminate each other, often with little or no remorse. That's what I find the scariest about humans."
"Their lack of morals?"
"I wish it were that simple. It is more of their lack of souls. You can have a soul without morals and still feel pity and mercy. But without a soul, you are only an emotionless machine, destined to be controlled by the whims and ideals of others. The same goes for the lack of free will. Without it, you are only the tool of others, doing what they want and nothing else. But it is nowhere as serious as the lack of a soul. The soul is what makes a man himself."
"Do you think I have a soul?"
"That's only for you to decide. But to make it easier, I will ask you a couple of questions. First, have you ever been in a situation where you could have killed someone?"
"Yes. More often than one would think."
"And in any of those situations, did you hesitate, even a second, before you took their life?"
He looked when she did not answer. Startled to see her crying, he moved over and wrapped his arms around her and held her, letting her get rid of her grief. When she had finished, she just let herself be held until they pulled into the driveway at the Maxwell's house.