Quatre sat at the dining table with his 'friends.' Everyone was trying to act as normally as possible. The girl, Sylvia, kept smiling and adding more food to his plate of rice. " I…can't finish," he said.
" Yes, you can. You must be hungry after lying in bed for so many days. Eat more," she encouraged.
Duo was stuffing food into his mouth at a frightening speed. " Ee!…Ee!" he said through a mouthful of rice.
Wufei ate more leisurely, keeping his head down. Rashid had to force his meal down his throat. He stole glances at his young master. Quatre put his spoon down.
Everyone stopped eating. " I know you are all putting on an act all for me," Quatre told them. " I understand that you are my friends, but I really cannot remember a thing. Whenever I try to recall, my head hurts a lot. You are all upset because we were such good friends. I'm really sorry. Please stop doing this. It accomplishes nothing for you and me. Sorry." He got up and left the table, heading outside.
The group was silent. Sylvia got up to go after him, only to be stopped by Wufei. " Let him be, he needs time alone."
The owner of the house, Mr Benson, came in. He had overheard their dinner conversation. " Is there anything you need?"
" No, thank you," Duo answered.
" I couldn't help but overhear what he had said just now. I have a friend, a doctor friend in Magic Kingdom. He had since retired from the medical world but if you tell him my name, he will try to help you. He's a very good doctor. His name is Doctor Dermail."
" How can we thank you?" Rasid got up and shook hands with him.
Mr Benson only shook his head. " I see no harm in helping good people. He's an excellent doctor. Oh, I'll go find his address for you."
Rays of hope shone on their faces. " We'll set off tomorrow!" Duo proclaimed.
Sylvia smiled happily. No doctor will ever cure him. He's lucky to survive but he will not ever recover his memory. I shall see to that. She looked around the table. So… who's next?
" I'll go and pack up now!" she said and excused herself from the table.
" She's a very nice girl." Duo grinned at Wufei. The latter frowned.
" What?"
" Don't you agree?"
" If you are interested in her, say so."
" Are you dumb or do I have to spell it out for you? Think Wufei, why would she stick to you? She has no reason to do that."
Wufei kept his silent.
" Hey! Are you listening to me? Wufei!"
" Shut up or you'll be sorry."
They set off early the next day. They travelled half on foot, half by magic. It was evening when they reached the main city of Magic Kingdom. They were all surprised to find a celebration going on.
Duo stopped an elderly man. " Excuse me. Can you tell me why are the people here celebrating?"
" We are celebrating the return of our prince and princess!"
" The prince and princess?" Duo blinked. " Relena and Zechs?…"
The man was surprised. " You know Prince Millardo and Princess Relena?"
" Yeah," he replied grimly. " And boy, are we on good terms with your prince."
The man cried, " Friends of the Prince and Princess! Escort them to the palace at once!"
All the people in the city stopped their activities at once and formed a tight confluent round them, guiding the five strangers all the way to the palace. Everyone was so overcome by the sudden and unexpected cordiality that no one was sure how to react. Quatre tripped and stumbled. Sylvia grabbed his elbows and steadied him.
" You okay?" she asked, concerned.
Quatre turned pink and mumbled a soft thank you. Sylvia smiled in relief.
The group stared. " Wow…This is amazing." Duo gaped.
" Close it, it's not polite," Rasid told him.
None of them had ever step inside a palace before. The silk curtains were enough to make any ordinary man go weak in the knees. Not to mention the echo their footsteps made on the hard, gleaming floor. They followed an old man, Pargon, in. He pushed open a door and led them in. Relena, Zechs, Noin and Heero were all seated in the library, discussing something. They stood up abruptly upon seeing the group.
" Quatre! Duo! Wufei!" Relena exclaimed.
" Greetings to the Princess Relena," Duo bowed mischievously at her.
She laughed. " You are still the same, Duo. How are all of you? What are you doing here? Are they your friends?"
Heero came up behind her. " Heero!" Duo greeted him cheerfully. " My buddy!" He went pass Relena to give his buddy a good hug.
" Let me go!" Heero demanded and pushed at his over-enthusiastic chum. Everyone laughed. Even Zechs and Noin. The greetings went around, along with the explanations for Noin and Zechs. Wufei and Duo was skeptical at first but feeling Heero's trust in them, they relaxed. Quatre stayed at the back, confused and a little fearful. Rasid stayed with him.
" Hello Quatre," Relena said and extended a hand. He cringed away from her. The greetings stopped and their attention was focused on him.
" Quatre?" Relena repeated his name.
His eyes were wild.
" What happened to him?" Heero asked Wufei. He lowered his head, along with Duo, Rasid and Sylvia. " Tell me, Wufei."
" Heero, Quatre he…he lost his memory. We found him at the bottom of the cliff. We have no idea who did it to him. We come here to find him a doctor. Have any of you heard of Doctor Dermail?"
There was a stunned silence. It was Pargon who finally answer. " I know Doctor Dermail. I shall summon him here tomorrow."
" Thank you, Pargon," Relena said.
" Don't be afraid, Master Quatre. They are all your friends," Rashid said gently.
" Yeah," Duo dragged him to the front. " This is Heero and Zechs, Relena and Noin. Remember them?"
He shook his head. The headache struck him again. Duo, Rashid, Wufei and Sylvia immediately surrounded him.
" Call for Doctor Dermail now!" Zechs ordered Pargon who nodded and hurried away.
They waited outside. The males were all at one side, discussing everything that had happened. The ladies were at the other side.
" Sylvia, right?" Relena began.
" Yes. I heard a little about you from Duo."
" A little only?"
They chuckled. Noin leaned against the wall, comfortable to be only a listener.
The door opened and Doctor Dermail came out. He closed the door behind him. Everyone pounced on him. " How is he Doctor?"
" Physically, he's well. Amnesia this kind of thing is very tricky. It can take from a few days to 10, 20 years. I can only give him some medicine and the rest is up to you and him. You can try stimulating his memories by doing something he likes, for example, playing his favourite music, cooking his favourite dish and so on. I'll come twice a week to personally give him a head massage. Hopefully, this can speed up his recovery."
" 10, 20 years?" Duo said after Pargon led the doctor out. " This can't be."
" Let's be optimistic. Maybe it will only take a week," Zechs said.
" I hope so," Wufei said.
" I'll go see him," said Heero.
" Me too," Rasid said quickly.
" No. Too many of us will only frighten him. One at a time is better."
Heero went in. Quatre was sitting at the edge of the bed. He looked up when Heero came in. The two boys kept a distant from each other.
" Can you remember me, Quatre?" Heero asked. His friend slowly shook his head.
" I'm sorry. I have caused you trouble."
" Don't say this. I believe you will recover. It takes time."
Quatre stood up and approached him. " Funny but I don't feel frightened anymore. It was the same with Wufei, Duo and Rasid. In fact, I feel at peace." He stopped. He had talked too much.
Heero walked forward and put a hand on his shoulder. " Because we are friends. That's why. You have not forgotten that, at least, not your heart."
" Do you think you can tell me more about myself and my life?"
" Yes, we will all help you."
" First, can you tell me your name?"
" Heero Yuy."
" Are you a prince?"
" No. Why do you ask?"
" I don't know. You just feel like one."
" I protect the princess. That's part of my job."
*************************************************************
Catherine inserted the key to her apartment. It feels so darn good to be home again! She removed her shoes and placed it neatly by the door. She went into the kitchen and filled a kettle with water. Next, she opened the curtains and windows. She was about to change when the door knocked. It sounded dire.
" Who is it?"
" Open the door, Catherine Bloom! Open in the name of OZ!"
Her heart thumped. What do they want? She calmed herself down and answered the door, putting on a nonchalant face. " Can I help you?"
Five soldiers examined her from head to toe. " Are you the sister of Trowa Barton?" one of them said gruffly.
Catherine paused. Her hands were moist. " Who? Who is this Trowa Barton?"
" Don't play games with us. We know you are his sister and we want him. Tell us where he is!"
" I have never heard of this person. So how can I be his sister?" You want to catch Trowa? In your dreams!
" Is it?" He shoved her aside and barged in. " Search the house!"
" You can't do this!" Catherine protested. " You barbarians!"
One of the soldiers, the one with a beard, held up a photo frame. " Sir! We have evidence!" Catherine gasped. In it, was a photograph of Trowa, herself and the other four boys.
" So…you know them all," the leader of the five grinned. " Arrest her!"
She ran, as fast as her legs could carry her. She put her acrobatic skills to good use but still it was no match for magic. A magic ball hit her as she ran out into the street. The five soldiers besieged her. " No use trying to escape. You better be good and come with us or else."
Blood trickled out of the corner of her mouth. " I will do everything to protect my brother. Go to hell!" She fired her best fireball at him and ran, all the while shooting magical arrows at them.
" After her!"
She could lose them, she really can if she had not bumped into another group of soldiers on patrol. One girl against eleven soldiers…it's a tough fight. Left with no other alternatives, Catherine fought. But her powers were limited, too limited. They fired one spell after another at her. They kept on doing this till she fell onto the ground, eyes open and limbs cold. And still they did not stop, until she was bleeding all over. And they left her there and went away grumbling about how useless she was.
Trowa…Triton…Forgive me…I can't protect you anymore…"Catherine!" some of her classmates who were passing by ran up to her. " No!!!"
But she no longer hears them. And neither can she see or feel them anymore.
*************************************************************
Hilde dropped the glass of tomato juice she was holding. Sally tilted her head at her. " What's wrong?"
She stared at the mess on the floor, her heart heavy. This feeling…This intuition… " Something has happened…Something bad."
*************************************************************
Pargon opened the door to the palace. " Welcome, Mr Barton. We have been expecting you."
" Thank you. You are…"
" My name is Pargon, assistant to the Prince and Princess. This way please."
Trowa had barely step in when Duo jumped out from behind Pargon. " Hey Trowa! What took you so long?"
" I had to bypass some OZ soldiers," he replied.
Heero and the rest of the boys came up. Everyone, except Quatre, moved forward for a brief reunion. " You are here," Heero said.
" I come here as fast as I can. " Trowa's gaze fell on Quatre. The blond boy froze. " Quatre…" Trowa stared at him.
" Let's have a talk." Heero led all the Gundam Guardians in.
It was nearly seven in the evening. Heero, Duo, Trowa and Wufei sat in the library, drinking cups of tea and relating all their experiences and about Quatre's condition. Quatre's goal of reuniting the boys was achieved – at the expense of his memory.
" …I didn't expect this to happen at all," Duo said. " Maybe we should all just stick together from now on. For Quatre. If he never recovers from this…"
" He will!" Trowa said. " I believe he will."
There was a pause. Duo let out a short laugh. " Of course he will! Our Quatre is no weakling. Maybe tomorrow he will be okay! Who knows?"
Heero cut in. " You met your sister, Trowa?"
" Yes."
" She said that something bad is going to happen?"
" Yes, but I don't understand."
" If you remember, in school, Catherine has always emerge top in her class for her intuitive magic. Which means, her ability to predict danger is seldom wrong. If she says something is going to happen, it might just happen…to you," Heero analyzed.
Trowa leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. " I don't think so. My intuitive magic is on par with hers. Could it be something else?"
" Yeah," said Duo. " You, Trowa and Wufei always claim the top every year. Me and Quatre always take second place."
" But you are her brother. A sister knows best about her brother. I'm not saying something will really happen to you. It might concern you." Heero said.
" Or perhaps she means Quatre," said Wufei.
" But Quatre is not her brother and they aren't very close," Duo disagreed.
" Whatever it is, just be careful," said Heero. " Quatre is already like this, I don't wish for anything else to happen to any of us here or to the others."
" Others…like Relena?" Duo smiled innocently.
Heero shot him a glare.
" You want to go see Quatre?" Wufei asked.
" I want to understand him more," answered Trowa.
" Class dismissed!" Duo announced loudly.
The clock struck eleven. Lady Une made a quick reconnaissance of the palace area before muttering an incantation and slipped in through the wall like a ghost. She held the sword tightly in one hand. A servant girl was waiting nervously at a dark corner of the courtyard.
The servant jumped upon seeing her. " H-How did you get in? I didn't see you."
" I have my way," she replied curtly. " Are they asleep?"
" Y-Yes," she squeaked.
" Good. Here's your money. Don't tell anyone about what happened tonight. Is that clear?"
" Y-yes!" She skittered off.
Lady Une looked up at a building. " I'll get you."
Trowa and Quatre sat opposite each other in silence. Neither had spoken a word. Quatre was nervous and he tried to suppress the uncertainty in him. He knew Trowa is his friend, the others had told him that, but he just cannot remember no matter how hard he tried.
" Quatre," Trowa broke the ice. " Can you tell me how much you can remember?'
A pause. " I…I can't even recall my name. Duo had to tell me."
" You know, we used to have so much fun together back in school, back before the war started. On the first day of school, you were the one who approached me to be friends, together with Duo. I was skeptical. I thought it was some kind of trick. Seeing Duo, who won't be?"
Quatre laughed. " Yes, Duo is a very funny person."
Trowa smiled. " You finally laugh."
" Can you tell me more about our school days?"
"I'll be glad to tell you." Trowa stood up and walked to the window. His eyes were dreamy. " It seemed like an eternity ago…" He looked down at the courtyard.
Seeing his frown, Quatre rose. " What is it?"
" We have a visitor."
Sylvia was helping Relena comb her hair. " You have such nice and soft hair, Princess."
" Call me Relena."
" Sorry, I keep forgetting."
Relena smiled and turned around. Sylvia stopped combing. " Everyone is equal. You, me, Noin…we are all friends."
There was an abrupt knock on the door. Sylvia went to answer it. It was a servant girl.
" I'm sorry to disturb Princess Relena but I need to see her urgently," she said, obviously flustered.
" What is it?" Relena asked. Sylvia led the girl in.
" I…" she swallowed once to control her tears. " I wish to confess my misdeed."
Almost there, Lady Une thought silently. She flattened her back against the wall and slid to the door. I'll kill Noin first before I kill you, Zechs. She muttered her incantation and vanished into the door.
Inside, Lady Une waited for a few seconds to let her eyes adjust to the dark. She saw a small figure lying on the bed. Lucrezia Noin… She crept to the bed and raised her sword.
The sword plunged in. Something was wrong. Une pulled out her sword quickly. There was no blood. She threw aside the blanket. It was a bolster. The door flung open and someone switched on the light, blinding her. A group of people surrounded her.
" Hello Lady Une," Zechs greeted her. Noin was standing by his side unharmed. The five boys, Relena and Sylvia were all there.
" You…How…" Une was incensed.
Relena kept the servant's secret. " If Trowa had not seen you at the courtyard, you would have succeed."
" Relena informed us about you. I was in Zechs' room, discussing some matters with him since I couldn't sleep," Noin added.
" Oh?" said Duo. " You sure?"
Noin gave him a strange look. " Of course! What are you thinking?"
" I failed," Lady Une said. She aimed a fireball at Sylvia.
" Down!" Wufei shoved her to the floor to protect her. The ball went pass their heads and onto a wall. Lady Une escaped out of the room.
" You can't run away from here!" Zechs shouted and all of them chased after her.
" You okay?" Wufei asked.
" Yes…thank you," Sylvia replied.
Wufei turned a little red. " Come on, don't let her get away," he said and the two rushed out of the room.
Heero and Zechs caught up with her first. They cut off her escape route. They were now in the courtyard. Lady Une had no choice but to fight them. Zechs activated his Epyon tablet.
" Was it Master who sent you?" he asked as he attacked with his Heat Rod. Lady Une could not dodge and was injured. " Tell me."
She glowered at him. " Master sent Treize after you traitors but he was too soft. So I was given the task. You ought to die."
Zechs lowered his whip. " Lady Une, did you read the letter?"
" Treize told me about it."
" We are all victims here, you, me, Noin and Treize. Master is using you."
" You are lying."
" Une, you may find it hard to believe but it is the truth," said Noin. "Can you remember who you were before you join OZ? You were the principal of Gundam Girls' School of Magic. You were a good principal. Ask Relena. I believe you are under that Master's spell."
Relena nodded her head. " We all loved you. Come back, Miss Une."
Her head spun. Confusing thoughts whirled in her mind. " You are lying!" Lady Une screamed. " Lying!"
" Miss Une." Relena reached out her hand.
She slapped it aside. " Don't touch me!"
The ground shook and a wave of dark magic rippled out towards the group. Everyone leapt out of its way. When it stopped, Lady Une was gone.
" I'll go after her," Noin said.
Zechs stopped her. " Let her go. She stays in OZ because of Treize. If anything happens, she'll look after him. Meanwhile, we have to prove to them that Master is not what he seems to be. In other words, we have to bring down OZ."
" I agree," Heero said.
" So do all of us," Duo said on behalf of the other three.
Zechs looked at every one of them. " Quatre?"
" I…" He looked at the ground. " I don't know."
Noin landed a supporting touch on his shoulders. " If you want to join us, you are most welcome."
" Thanks."
They started to walk back. Quatre could not help but feel that he understood Lady Une. We are on the same boat. Both of us are lost in this vast universe, wandering about aimlessly, yearning to see some light .She lives because of this person, Treize. What do I live for?
" Rest early, Quatre. I'll tell you more tomorrow," Trowa told him.
" No, I'm not tired. Please tell me more."
Quatre smiled a little. I live…I live because of them. We are the same, the five of us. My mind may be a blank piece of paper but my heart remembers. My heart remembers.
