Torment of Paradise

Chapter 6

~*~

Rubbing his eyes wearily, Quatre looked back to the computer screen, looking over the information Heero had sent to him. "Thought he would have cut out all of this. I only wanted to know if the pilot was coming here; not their entire background."

But he was sort of glad for all of it; since the person was coming here, the more they had on him the better. The report was thorough; name, age, birthplace, background, family, even blood type. Leaving off from the keyboard, he simply looked at the screen before shutting down the computer. He had had enough for the day. Just as he rose from his seat, the computer went back on again.

'Allah...' he sat back down as instructor H's face appeared with a smile. "Hello H. How are you doing?"

"I'm well. I'm sorry if I disturbed you; you look very tired."

"I'm fine. Just keeping track of things." he stifled a yawn. "Do I have another mission... finally?"

"Yes...not much. Simply destroy the base approximately eighty miles due west from where you are; they're developing something new and we're not too sure what it is...or will be."

"All right; eighty miles due west right?"

"Yes. Maybe you should get some sleep first Quatre. You really do look tired. How long were you keeping track of things?"

"I lost track of time. I started around five in the afternoon."

"And it's now three in the morning. Get some rest Quatre."

"I will...don't worry. I may as well get this mission done and over with. Good bye H."

"Bye Quatre." the screen went dark again.

Yawning loudly now he got up and left the room, making his way down to the kitchen to find something to eat. A few minutes later he sat down at the table with a cup of tea and a small sandwich. He didn't really feel hungry, but he nibbled at the sandwich and sipped his tea; he had felt a bit off lately. Maybe he had been doing far too much for his own good...it seemed that he was now suffering from insomnia; he hadn't really gotten a decent night's sleep in awhile now. Leaving the uneaten food at the table, he went down to the underground hangar, seeing half of the Maganacs up playing cards.

"Hey! Master Quatre; can't sleep again?"

He smiled a bit. "No Abdul. I'm feeling a bit restless, that's all. What are you guys playing?" he walked over, curious.

"Poker. Want in? We'll be nice."

"Yeah sure you will Abdul. You're cleaning us out nicely."

Abdul glared at his friend good-naturedly from over his shades. "That's because you're a terrible player. Master Quatre should learn from one of us who knows what he's doing."

"It's al right Abdul. I have a mission to do. When I get back, I'm going to try and get some sleep."

"You have a mission? You're leaving now? At three a.m.?" Abdul looked at him. "Are you sure you're OK? Normally you'd be fast asleep..."

"I'm fine Abdul. The sooner we get this done and over with the sooner I can try to sleep."

"All right then. Come on guys; we'll accompany Master Quatre. At least we know he's not on a date again." Abdul grinned.

"It wasn't a date. We just went to the mall and saw a movie. That's it Abdul; she's my friend."

"And the only other sane one among the other pilots according to Rashid; she doesn't have suicidal tendencies...doesn't go around calling herself death...she talks a lot...and she's not screaming something about injustice every five seconds. No offense to the others, but they could take some pointers from Jess in some respects."

"At least you like her then." he chuckled. "Come on I want to get back before six at least."

Still chuckling to himself he walked down to Sandrock, getting into the cockpit. As the door closed and the monitors came to life, he sighed heavily; he had always hated this.

~*~

Carefully, Quatre peered over the tops of the sand dunes. "You take half and circle around from the back Abdul. The other half will come with me and hit the front."

"Are you sure Master Quatre?" Abdul looked concerned. "I don't think you should be in a frontal assault."

"Then that means you'll move faster when you guys are supposed to come in then, won't you?"

Abdul grumbled a bit before moving off, half of the company behind him. Shaking his head, he looked back to the base; all the normal activity for early morning was going on, the few sentries moving around, small flecks on the monitor. 'Here we go.' Rising, he started forwards, the other Maganacs behind him. A few hundred meters left and they charged, causing mass scurrying around the base. Crashing in, they started destroying the main buildings as well as the nearby hangars. Then mobile suits started streaming in from the other end. Quatre and the other Maganacs simply stood there waiting until they drew closer.

"Now!!" he called out over the radio.

The left flank of the suits was smashed as the rest of the Maganacs ploughed into them, guns firing. The battle frenzied as each was doing their best to defeat the other. It was going well for them until a blip on Quatre's monitor made him look.

"They've called in reinforcements!!" Abdul said beating him to the punch. "Fall back!! Protect Master Quatre!! Call Rashid!! Get him here!!"

"Guys, they're behind us as well!!" Quatre said seeing another blip appear on his screen that made him turn around to see the Leos lining the dune top. "They have us trapped."

Slowly the ring of mechas tightened around Quatre and the Maganacs until they were sure they were facing their deaths.

"We're giving you one chance to surrender here. Take it or leave it." came the arrogant words over the radio. "One chance."

Quatre was about to respond when a single blue streak flew across the screen before a mobile suit exploded, making all the others turn. The Maganacs took the opportunity, storming into the circle of suits with fury. Even as he entered the fray he saw flashes of another suit, but it moved far too fast to see it properly, much less identify it. Finally all the OZ suits lay in pieces, Quatre and the Maganacs triumphant.

"Who's that?" Abdul's puzzled voice came over the radio. "Never seen that suit before."

"Neither have I Abdul." he said softly, looking at the kneeling suit carefully. "I want to talk to this person."

"Master Quatre...I don't think that's such a good idea. I mean...what if they attack you?"

"Abdul if they were going to attack they would have done it already. Plus I don't think they would have helped us, do you?"

"Still I don't like it. You're far too nice for your own good sometimes you know. Go ahead."

Quatre opened the door, walking out slowly; he could see the Maganacs training their guns on the unknown suit. "If you can hear me, please come out. I want to talk to you."

Silence greeted him as he stood on the door. Then he heard the faint noise of a cockpit door opening. He could barely see the figure that fell out into the sand, not moving at all.

"Abdul...I think they're hurt." he said, taking the rope down. "I'm going to go see."

He didn't bother with Abdul's protestation as his feet hit the slippery sand and started across. The figure didn't stir once when he called as he approached, simply lying there. 'They must be badly hurt.' He picked up his pace hurrying over. 'Allah no...' He broke into a run as he recognized the prone figure. By now the Maganacs could see something was wrong and some of them left their suits and started coming over.

"Jess! Jess!" he picked her up, patting her face. "Can you hear me? Jess!!"

No response; she simply laid there in his arms. 'She's burning up.' His hands felt scorched almost with the heat coming off of her face.

"What's wrong Master Quatre?" Abdul asked walking up. "Who is it?"

"It's Jess. She's really sick Abdul. Feel her forehead."

"Sweet merciful Allah!" he jerked his hand back a second after touching Jess' skin. "She's still alive?!"

'I hope so.' "Jess...Jess..." he patted her face a bit harder. "Jess, answer me..."

"Mama...I'm so sorry. Gomen nasai. Gomen nasai..." the whisper was barely heard before she fell silent again.

"Come on." Abdul bent down and picked up Jess. "We'll get her looked after Master Quatre. Don't worry."

Quatre looked as Abdul took her off, heading for his suit; the Maganacs suits were a bit roomier and would make it easier to carry Jess back. Shaking off the slight daze that came over him he got back into Sandrock, following the Maganacs back. 'What happened to you Jess?'

~*~

Almost nervously, Quatre waited outside the room in a chair, hands clenching and unclenching. 'What could be taking so long? Iria's a good doctor. What if something went wrong? No no, that couldn't happen.' Clenching and unclenching, his knuckles started to pop from the strain. From time to time he would look up at the door before looking back down at his hands, trying to quell the worry inside...not that it was working much.

"Quatre..."

He stood up seeing Iria walk out of the bedroom. "How is she?"

"She's fine now. It's a good thing you guys found her when you did. And even luckier that I was able to come down so quickly. She would have died if she'd gone any longer with out medical attention."

Quatre breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you Iria; I owe you for this one."

"Think nothing of it little brother. Do you know what happened to her anyways? She wasn't in very good shape. Bullet wounds, fever, exhaustion, fractured humerus and femur......is she another pilot?"

"Yes." he paused. "I probably should have told you that before."

"You were worried; people tend to forget things when they're worried about family or friends." she smiled gently at him. "Just make sure she gets rest and takes it easy...though I think that last one might be impossible for a person like her."

"You have no idea." he laughed, relieved.

"Go and see her Quatre; I've never seen you so worried over someone before. Then I want you to get some sleep all right? You look like you haven't gotten much rest yourself."

"I will Iria. Is she asleep now?"

"Yes. But I got the feeling that you'd still want to see her. Go on...there's a chair in there if you want to have a seat."

"Thank you Iria, again. I really don't know what I would have done if you didn't-"

"Quatre...go and see her." she chuckled pushing him towards the slightly open door.

"But only for five...ten minutes the most OK?"

He nodded his head before entering the dim room. Light came from the single bedside lamp showing the still figure in the bed. Going to the seat he sat down looking at her serene features. The dirt was mostly gone now, showing the gentle curves of her cheekbones as well as the long lashes that rested there. Her chest barely moved beneath the purple blanket, the white bandage around her upper arm standing out. Reaching forward, he hesitantly smoothed back the bangs that rested against her brow; it didn't feel as hot now. His hand rested for a moment before he pulled it back; her hair had felt so soft beneath his palm. Sitting there he gazed at her wondering what she had gone through to reach Arabia in such a state. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier; he never even realized when there was only blissful darkness.

~*~

Blue and black greeted his eyes as he looked up to see the suit beside his. "So this is Anansi." he murmured.

"Pardon Master Quatre?" Rashid looked at him. "Did you say something?"

"No...how bad are the damages to her suit?"

Rashid looked at him curiously before he spoke. "Nothing extremely serious...but she really shouldn't have made it here; the suit's been through hell and back; that battle you guys got into yesterday didn't help much either."

"I thought so." he paused, looking at the mass of gundanium. "Do you think that we can get it fixed soon?"

"Yes. That shouldn't be problem. Have you checked on your friend?"

"She's still sleeping Rashid; Iria gave her a drug to help her sleep better before she left; it won't wear off for at least another hour or so."

"Very well then. We'll get started now." Rashid said before walking off. "Master Quatre, can I help you with anything else?" he asked seeing Quatre fall in step beside him.

"I'm going to help." he said simply. "I don't have anything else to do with my time really."

"Not even play your violin?"

"I did that an hour ago. As much as I love it, if you play too much, you may get tired of it."

Rashid chuckled. "Very well then. We would be very disappointed if you became bored of playing your violin."

Quatre smiled back as the headed for Jess' suit. He had also wanted to get a better look at the suit that she piloted; it seemed so different from theirs; smaller, sleeker...and that air about it...dangerous; a sharp contrast to the Jess he knew. Before long he was running a systems check to see what need repairs; the list wasn't that long, but it would take a good portion of the day to complete it.

"Some wires fried, a small system malfunction..." he murmured looking at the computer screen, taking mental inventory of the tasks.

Before long, he was working with the rest of the Maganacs in fixing Jess' suit. The hours seemed to melt into one another until he was standing with everyone else looking proudly at their work.

'It's like it's brand new.' He looked at Anansi again, admiring the gleaming paint that had been smeared with dirt and mud. Beside Sandrock it looked so small like it wasn't capable of much...but he knew better. 'Wouldn't want to fight her when she's in that.' He stifled a small yawn; the work had tired him out more than he thought.

"I'm going to go and take a nap guys." he yawned again. "I'll see you all later."

He left amidst a murmur of chuckles and 'Finally, he's himself again'. Slowly he made his way up to his room, ready to collapse. As he sank into the soft covers, the faint sound of music reached his ears. Tired, he got up and headed down the hall to see where it was coming from. It was beautiful really, smooth and flowing to hear and probably a wonder to play. The notes floated down the hall as he came but just as he put his hand on the door, it ended with a misplayed note. Puzzled he opened the door to see Jess seated at the piano, cradling her arm with tears running down her face.

"Jess?" he asked hesitantly waking into the room.

"Quatre!" she looked up startled as she wiped away her tears hastily. "So you are here...I wasn't dreaming then."

"Dreaming what?"

"I don't know...I'm still not too sure. How did I get here? How did you find me?"

"I think the question is how you found us. We weren't expecting you to show up. We didn't even know it was you at first." he paused. How did you even get so sick?" her form looked a bit too thin from where he was standing.

"Bullet wounds I guess. I was trying to make it here in one piece." she paused. "Looks like I succeeded."

"But you almost didn't. Jess you could have died. Why didn't you treat your wounds immediately?"

"If you were being hunted by Oz, wouldn't you run for your life even if you were injured? I couldn't hide anywhere; they were too through. So I headed here."

"But still..." he yawned. "you would have died if Iria hadn't made it here in time..." he trailed off, head nodding.

"Quatre...Quatre..."

"Hrm?" he opened his eyes again at the sound of her insistent voice. "Yes Jess?"

"I can't believe you sometimes. Here you are trying to get mad at me and you're falling asleep standing up." she chuckled rising from her seat and approaching him. "Come on; sleepy time for you."

He could only give half worded protests as she steered him down the hall, saying that she should be more careful in the future and to not act or do reckless things anymore. He didn't even know if she steered him to the right bedroom, but as soon as he hit a bed he was out like a light. He never even felt the blanket being settled over him gently.

~*~

With a yawn, Quatre opened his eyes to see the sun shining in merrily, showing off the vast expanse of desert outside. He rose, feeling hungry beyond words making him head down to the kitchen.

"Master Quatre, could you like dinner now?"

Looking up he saw the butler coming down the hall. "Yes please. Just some rice and vegetables if you don't mind." He paused. "Have you seen a girl anywhere around here? Dark hair, bandaged arm..."

"Yes Sir. She ate already I believe. Last that I saw of her, she was heading to the library."

"Thank you." he said hurrying off in the direction of the opposite side of the house.

Walking into the library, he looked around to see an empty room. With a heavy sigh, he went up to the window, looking down; there was Jess along with the Maganacs, playing what looked like cards. Shaking his head he headed down, hearing the commotion as he approached.

"What do you have Abdul?" came her voice.

"Four of a kind." moving into the crowd he saw Abdul lay down the cards to a sharp drawn breath from the spectators. "In clubs might I add. What did you get?"

Her face flushed as she laid down her cards. "I really didn't cheat at all. I haven't played poker in the longest time. Not in twelve years at least."

"You got a royal flush in spades. The odds of that are one in a million." Abdul grinned at her. "If you have that kind of luck, I'm glad you're on our side!"

This was met by a general amount of laughter going around the crowd. Even Jess laughed as she scooped up the cards and looked around smiling, noticing him as her eyes rested on him.

"Hi Quatre. Did you have a good rest?"

All the Maganacs looked at him; they were starting top wonder when Master Quatre would wake up. He just kind of looked at Jess, silent

"Did you have a good rest Master Quatre?" Rashid asked again quietly.

"Yes, I did thank you." he said snapping out of it. "How long was I asleep for? Eight hours?"

"Try a day and a half Quatre." Jess smiled up at him. "You were as tired as me, huh?"

"A bit I guess. Do you mind if I talk to you for a minute Jess?"

"No not at all...besides Abdul here has learned his lesson I would imagine..." she looked around innocently causing more laughter.

"Ah...get on out of here two..." he waved them away with his hand. "I seem to need more practice..."

"So...what's so important? Want to finish yelling at me for that night?" she chuckled.

"Well...I can see why you felt like you had to wait to get attention for your wounds...but Allah I was so worried when we found you like that. Please promise me that you won't do anything like that again."

"Quatre...I can't promise you anything...I'm a Gundam pilot, remember? We're Gundam pilots; promises are almost like dreams to us; always something fragile and not to be broken lightly...I don't want to break any promise I make to you Quatre." she paused before speaking quietly "I don't like to break promises to people I care about."

"Jess-"

"So does that answer your question? I won't promise, but I'll do my best to not get hurt if that will make you feel better...OK Quatre?"

"All right then Jess." he murmured with a slight pause. "Will you ever let me finish a sentence one day?"

She looked at him before breaking in to a silly smile. "I'm so sorry. I seem to have that as a bad habit. What were you going to say?"

"No it's nothing really..."

"Quatre...what was it?"

"I was going to ask you if you wanted to join me for dinner. Would you like to?" he looked at her once more.

"Sure." she smiled, eyes sparkled brightly. "I could use something to eat after a game like that one back there. What's on the menu?"

"Why don't we go and see?" he smiled back offering his arm to her good one.

"By all means." she chuckled as they headed inside.

Quatre smiled and laughed even more as they went to the dining room, making small conversation. He still couldn't explain the almost wild sense of panic that washed over him seeing her lying there unmoving in the sand; it went far beyond anything he had known. But he felt it all melt away looking into her eyes; those obsidian depths seemed to soothe his soul somehow.

~*~