Author: Arithion/Arithkenshin
Email: arithkenshin@yahoo.co.uk
Title: Delusions of Normalcy
Rating: R
Warnings: Continuation, language, introspective mild Angst,
Disclaimer: I don't own them; I don't get any money from this... just a time- sink
Set: End of GW
Summary: "If you use a tool in the wrong way, you can end up breaking more than you fix."
Notes: If you wish to Archive, please ask. Thanks to CYT and Sol for betaing. Thanks to Casey and Mal for letting me bounce, and Makoto for letting me rant. This chapter wouldn't have gotten done, if I didn't have my sounding boards. Heaps of thanks to all those who reviewed the last chapter: Wild Child, Enna, Misanagi, Shadows, Dulin, Karina, Kagi, Merellia, Asuka, Rurouni Triv, Merith and Raven. Makes it a little easier to write the next chapter!
Delusions of Normalcy:
Reconnaissance
Duo kept his smile fixed on his face, reaching his eyes. He'd never been one to apologise and he wasn't about to start now, but he didn't want the apartment to be full of a tension that he'd been the main cause of. So he waited, momentarily stemming his flow of chatter, trying to hide his expectation as he began to deposit the paper bags on the table.
"I know we haven't had much luck trying to make food for ourselves or anything more complex than sandwiches, so I thought I'd pick up some stuff for us to..." his voice trailed off as he felt a presence closer to him.
"Here, let me help." Quatre's voice was soft enough that Duo managed to fight his automatic reflexes and remain calm. The underlying tension lingered between them. It was constant, a silent reminder to them of just how much more comfortable they were around each other, as opposed to outsiders. Together they unpacked the contents, Duo's running commentary momentarily silenced.
He looked up as Wufei placed some plates on the table, and smiled. "Hey, Chang. Sleep well?"
Wufei looked at the American, onyx eyes intense. "I slept sufficiently, though it could have been better."
Duo barely managed to suppress his slight intake of breath, and his eyes wandered, almost involuntarily, to lock with Wufei's. The apologies that would never pass their lips, were silently spoken and accepted. Duo looked away, a small smile playing on his lips. Five glasses were placed on the table, and he looked up to see Trowa regarding him with the same intensity Wufei had. Duo let his smile become a grin. "So you haven't cut it off."
Trowa's expression softened slightly, and the corners of his mouth lifted into a semblance of a smile. "No, I resisted the heretical impulse after all." The tension eased a little more, and Duo felt his shoulders relaxing further.
Butter knives appeared at the corner of Duo's vision, and he looked up to see Heero standing next to the table, arms crossed. Duo resisted the urge to take a step back, and instead squared his shoulders, letting his grin spread.
Heero inclined his head, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You didn't recharge your batteries?"
Duo laughed. "Seems I forgot, but that's ok. I'm recharging them right now." He winked at Heero before returning to dividing the breakfast amongst the five plates.
The mood in the kitchen was lighter than it had been. They carried the food into the living room and placed it on the table. Every movement was calculated, each aware of where the others were and what they were doing. None of them touched another without first seeking permission. It made the tension in the room drop to a more comfortable level... almost a companionable one. At least, it was comfortable for the five former Gundam Pilots. Breakfast was eaten in the usual manner, the disagreement of the night before dealt with in the same manner with which they dealt with all things.
#*#
Heero stood at the window. He realised that he found the spot rather comfortable. It offered an excellent vantage point, even though the bottom of the building he was in was obscured from his view. He would look into setting up some more efficient surveillance equipment. His shopping trip the day before had afforded him with some essential items he'd always had on hand before. He was satisfied enough with the outlook he had at the moment, yet that didn't stop him from frowning down at the scene below with distinct annoyance.
A presence emerged behind him, just enough to let him know that someone was there. In the space of a heartbeat he classified the presence; softer than usual, more hesitant, if it could be called that, and he immediately accounted for each pilots whereabouts. Duo was in the shower, Chang was in his room, conceivably, it could be Trowa. The breathing patterns gave the rest away, and in the split second it had taken Heero to recognise the presence behind him, his defences lowered, giving the signal for Quatre to speak.
"Arrivals, Heero?" Quatre's voice was soft, as he drew abreast of Heero, physical distance the constant. The blond looked out the window too, hands held behind his back. "It is the day for it, after all." He ran a hand through his silky hair, but it fell in the same soft way, with the same flow as it did time after time.
Heero catalogued the movement, storing it as the norm. It made it easier for him to breath, made it easier for him to watch the scene below. He didn't need to answer Quatre, the blond didn't find it necessary, and so Heero chose to simply keep a silent vigil with the other pilot. The whole situation made Heero uncomfortable. People, /civilians/ ... were beginning to mill around the base of the building. He scowled, shifting his position, sensing Quatre tense and widen the gap between them.
Quatre's deeper breath was audible to Heero, and he could feel the blond adjusting his own stance, his own inclinations. It didn't surprise Heero when the other pilot spoke again.
"Do you think they're soldiers too?" There was hope in that voice.
Heero closed his eyes briefly before replying. "No. If they were soldiers, veterans of the wars, they would not be cadets. They would be amongst the agents already acquired." He tore his gaze from below and looked at Quatre thoughtfully. "Why do you ask?"
The voice that answered was clear, calm and confident, the voice that demanded and received respect. It was the Quatre that wasn't immediately obvious to outsiders. It almost made Heero smile.
"I ask, because then I might not have to take their responses to my reactions into consideration all the time. Because they would be fully capable of taking care of themselves." He raised a hand to the glass, stopping just short of touching it. "Those people down there still need protection. Though I wish it wasn't necessary to protect others from myself, I realise it is necessary." His hand fell from the glass, and he turned to look at Heero, cerulean eyes serious. "You do realise what they say is true? We have a responsibility not to harm innocents. Although I may not like this situation they have placed us in, I'll endure it as long as is needed, for me to learn the control I need in order to take part in society." He paused, shoulders sagging in partial defeat, though the tension remained, and looked down at the arrivals once more. His voice had softened when he spoke again. "After all, there isn't anywhere else for us to go..."
Heero watched as Quatre turned abruptly and left the room, closing his bedroom door behind him. Melancholy, Heero's brain supplied. Quatre was acting distinctly melancholy. The Japanese youth shrugged, storing the information away to peruse later. For the time being he had other things more immediately on his mind. His attention focused once more on the people hauling luggage and belongings out of the vehicles below. Heero scowled again, his annoyance returning tenfold.
"You know if the wind changes, your face will be stuck like that." Duo stood in front of the bathroom door, twisting his hair in a towel. He ignored Heero's glare, and sauntered smoothly into the room. His eyes darted around, taking stock of Trowa, who was standing in the kitchen, and the barely audible sounds coming from both Wufei and Quatre's bedrooms. Duo's shoulders relaxed, and he threw himself down on the couch, hands twisting the towel constantly in order to wring the excess water from his hair.
"What's playing, Heero?"
Heero wrenched his eyes away from the window and turned a questioning look on Duo. "Playing?"
Duo motioned his head in the direction of the window, hands still working diligently. "Outside. You're watching it like it's a movie, like there's something excellent going on down there. Am I missing something?"
Heero shrugged and turned back to the window. "Depends on what you mean by missing."
Duo stood up, securing the towel behind him, letting it soak up the rest of the moisture from his hair. He moved over to stand next to Heero, mindful not to touch the Wing pilot. Duo watched Heero's eyes tracking every movement below, and smiled. All he felt was adrenaline. It was a new challenge, a new set of circumstances, new tangents coming into play. Duo smiled.
"What are you smiling at?" Heero's voice sounded impatient.
Duo pointed at the activity below them. "That, them. This could prove interesting."
A door opened softly behind them, from it's direction, obviously Wufei's. "Interesting, Maxwell?"
Duo smiled again, but knew that Wufei couldn't see him. "Yes, Chang. Interesting."
"Interesting or challenging?" The Chinese youth made his way over to the window, stopping short of them and crossing his arms.
Violet eyes shone with amusement. "Both." Duo turned away and headed to his room, to finish getting dressed from the shower.
Wufei allowed himself a small smile as he watched American go.
In his room, Duo wrung out his hair one final time before discarding the towel. It was very nearly dry, dry enough that brushing it wouldn't harm it. He wandered over to the window, brush in hand, and looked out of it as he absently brushed his hair. There were some days when he almost wanted to cut it, but it had been a part of him for so long that it just wouldn't feel right. It would almost be like betraying himself.
He remained at the window after he had finished brushing and braiding his hair. The braid was tighter than usual, but for some reason it felt better right then. His eyes followed the movements below, and he smiled. Yes, things were going to get very interesting.
Duo was startled out of his contemplations by a knock on their apartment door. He moved quickly, and was out of the room in time to see Heero flick on the screen he'd attached to the kitchen wall.
The chocolate-haired teen's shoulders lost their tension. "Une," was all he said. The anxiety level in the room dropped markedly.
Quatre approached the door, while Duo flopped himself onto the lounge with a scowl on his face. He felt a little sullen and moody. "This is ridiculous, we're just getting a visitor, it doesn't need to be a level five clearance incident for us."
Trowa snorted. "It's not, Duo. Stop exaggerating."
Duo grinned up at the taller youth. "Damn. You caught me out. How do you do it, Trowa?"
Green-eyes shone, and Trowa raised an eyebrow. "Talent, Duo. Pure talent."
Une walked into the main area to find Duo laughing loudly, and Trowa chuckling.
"To what do we owe this /pleasure/, Une." Wufei went straight to the heart of the matter.
The Director simply shot Wufei a look before speaking. "I came to bring you your other packages. They're outside the door, I had someone help me up with them."
Trowa leaned back against the wall and focused his eyes on her. "Don't you have subordinates to carry out deliveries? Or has so much changed?"
Une ignored the implications in Trowa's baited questions. "I thought it better to be the one to deliver them personally. I didn't want you to... overreact to someone you didn't know."
"We knew who it was before we opened the door, Une. You should have known that we won't let ourselves be at a disadvantage." Heero grunted and sat himself down on the other end of the couch, keeping enough space between himself and Duo, so as to avoid touching.
She sighed and nodded. "I expected as much." Her eyes followed Quatre as the blond moved into the room laden with packages. He deposited them on the lounge, apparently not caring that Duo and Heero were sitting on it. Duo shouted indignantly, while Heero just removed himself from his former seat.
Quatre grinned at the two. "Just wanted to thank you for helping me carry them in."
Duo grumbled and tore at the package with his name on it. It was soft and rather bulky, so he wasn't too sure what was inside. The contents fell out and he gaped, holding one of the items up. It was a shirt... a white polo shirt to be exact with a preventers logo embroidered where the chest would be on the left hand side. He blinked, and slowly laid it to one side before picking out the next four, which were exactly the same.
Paper rustled all around the room, but no one spoke, so Duo bit his tongue, for the time being. Next he pulled out a pair of slacks. Deep, green slacks, and he scowled, liking it less and less by the minute. Another two pairs followed. By now there were only a few things left in the package. The first that he pulled out were two white t-shirts, followed by two pair of training pants, which were green... again. The final item in his package was a jacket, which he pulled out and scowled at. Preventers uniforms were black, with khaki, and the emblem. Apparently cadets wore green with khaki.
Duo wasn't impressed. He scowled and his voice was low and angry when it came out. "No." Une looked at Duo, eyebrows raised. "What was that, Duo?"
Violet eyes flashed in her direction. "I said: /No/. There was never any damn mention of any fucking uniform."
Trowa leaned back against the wall, his package at his feet. "I actually don't mind them."
"That's because you're used to wearing whatever you want." Duo snapped. "I'm used to wearing whatever I have! And I've worn them for years now...It's...oh, you wouldn't understand." Duo stood up, his uniform falling to the ground.
Quatre approached him, stopping short, noting the tension in his comrades frame. "It's habit, isn't it? It's routine, safe?"
All the steam went out of Duo, and his shoulders sagged. He absently rubbed his nose and looked at Quatre ruefully. "Yeah...guess that's not really necessary anymore."
The blond smiled. "Apparently not, but it still makes us feel better."
Duo smiled. "Yeah."
Une suppressed a sigh of relief before speaking. "Those uniforms should fit you, they are made to your measurements. You will need to go and get fitted for shoes tomorrow morning before class at the latest. These are not all the uniforms you will get. You are entitled to more, especially more than one jacket, since you are expected to wear that on an almost constant basis over your shirts. However this will do you for the first week, and you can see to your own supplies during that." She paused, looking around. Heero was still eyeing his pile of clothing with slight distaste. Duo was pointedly ignoring his, although Quatre had picked them off the floor and deposited them on the couch. Trowa and Wufei were difficult to read, although Une was fairly certain they would comply simply because it was necessary. "There'll also only be token classes for the first week, in order to orientate students properly and give you the material you will need to work on the following week. However I still expect you to keep your appointments. Any questions?"
Duo started to shake his head, but then thought better of it. "Those arrivals that have started coming in...they'll be flowing through all day?"
Une nodded in response.
Duo grinned. "Interesting... I think I might take a walk." He stood up and stretched his legs. "Anyone want to come with me?"
Quatre smiled. "Actually, I could do with a little fresh air. Besides, I'm curious."
The American laughed and crossed his arms. "Excellent. Anyone else?"
Heero simply stood up and nodded. Wufei reappeared from his bedroom, having gone to get his jacket once Duo had asked. Trowa shrugged and headed to his bedroom to do the same.
"Well, I guess that's all set then! Want to come for a walk with us, Une?" Duo smirked. "Could be some fun, I'm a little curious about your newly enrolled cadets down there." He winked at her.
Une sighed. "Duo. Need I remind you to behave?"
"No point, but you can if it makes you feel better." Duo didn't bother to grab a jacket for himself, he rarely needed one. "Well, we're going now. So it's probably best if you go too." He ushered her out of the door in front of them and headed to the elevator.
They rode the elevator in silence; the tension palpable. Duo was so tightly wound he almost bounced on his toes. He knew there would very probably be people waiting at the bottom to get in and ride to whatever floor they had been assigned to. Quickly, he pulled Une to the forefront, grinning at her, and stepped behind her to join the others. "Just call it quick thinking, Une." He knew she would understand.
Duo was right. When the doors opened, there were three bag-laden people waiting to get into the lift. Although they parted well enough to let the occupants pass, Duo could see the strain in the way Heero held himself, and knew that to a lesser extent, he himself was just as bad. They all were. Une led them to the exit doors, and left them there after looking back to receive a tight nod from Heero.
They stood at the side of the steps and watched the commotion from their vantage point. Their formation was loose, yet effective. The semi-circle allowed each of them to have an overview of a different section, and thereby not leave anything unobserved. At the same time, they looked like five teenagers lounging around on the steps. It was effective, perhaps too effective.
A man approached them, probably in his mid 20's. They took in his appearance, from his physical status to the way he distributed his weight when he walked, to the way his eyes remained fixated on each of them in turn.
Quatre stepped forward slightly, taking the brunt of that concentration on himself. Although the rest didn't relax much, it was noticeable. Duo watched his blond comrade, noting the slow, deliberate breathes and the hands that clenched each other behind his back and he knew. He knew that Quatre was doing that, just because he could. Because he had dealt with people the most.
The man came to stop about two meters in front of Quatre, and to Duo's eyes, the Arabian visibly tensed. Their visitor spoke in a grating, almost irritating voice. "This is no place for kids."
Quatre smiled. "We're meant to be here. Sorry for the misunderstanding, but we are students here. Our classes start tomorrow."
The man looked at Quatre for a moment, as if trying to decide what to do. Duo had to admit that Quatre looked his seventeen years and not a day older, and although he had begun to fill out in the last month or so, it didn't seem to be enough to convince the man that he was telling the truth. "Seriously, kid. Clear out before we call your parents."
~Uh-oh~ Duo thought, but grinned. He was looking forward to this.
Quatre's eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms, drawing himself up to his full height. "That would be difficult. My parents are both dead, as are all of ours. If you wish to call them, then by all means, go right ahead. You're a more talented man than I am if you can. On the other hand, I did not lie. We are students here, and if you have a problem with that, then I suggest you take it up with Une."
The man's face reddened slightly and he opened his mouth to retort when one of the guys from the previous night came up and slapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, Storck. If you're asking these guys about the pool skills they displayed last night, you have to get in line." Blue eyes turned to look at the five youths standing at the side. "Hi, I'm Jason, Jason Harvey. We didn't get a chance to say hello last night."
Quatre nodded and smiled, opening his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Duo's bright voice. "I'm Duo. Talking is my hobby. Well actually, amongst other things, but I can't mention some of those, you know." He winked, before gesturing to the blond. "This is Quatre. Don't get yourself into discussions with this guy. He'll always win." Quatre laughed and Duo continued. "The Chinese guy over there is Wufei. Don't worry, his bark is worse than his bite." Wufei scowled, but Duo ignored him. "Trowa is the tall guy over there. He has hair issues, but we're currently getting him help for that. And the last guy, is Heero. He's a little... well... he's Heero." Duo laughed at his own joke, all the while making sure that the distance between himself and the others was not further confined. He could see the others still taking stock of their surroundings, and relaxed a little.
Jason smiled. "Well, this jerk is Storck. Mathew Storck, we went to high school together, but he's come from a police officer background, whereas I have a Criminal Justice degree."
Duo was immediately on guard. His experience with law enforcement so far had never been good, and it almost clouded him to the fact that he would soon become law enforcement himself. He ripped himself out of his reaction to listen to Jason more carefully.
The blue eyed man was still speaking, oblivious to the thoughts running through Duo's head. "So, yeah. We're on the 8th floor in this building. How about you guys?"
"Tenth." Duo grinned.
"All of you?" Jason seemed a little taken aback at Duo's nod. "And you all know each other already?"
"In a manner of speaking." Heero had spoken, his eyes still surveying the entire commotion they were in the middle of. He was feeling decidedly uncomfortable.
"You're lucky." Jason was unperturbed. "So, no offence, but you look really young. Prodigies of some sort?"
Trowa chuckled. "You could say that too."
Jason's face fell a little, but he barrelled on, determined to get to know a little about the five teenagers that had somehow made it into the preventers cadets. "So, how old are you, if you don't mind my asking."
Trowa's eyes narrowed and he pushed himself away from the wall, a silent sign that he was restless and wanting to move. The other four formed up loosely around him. "Age isn't always relevant. But I can tell you that we feel a hell of a lot older than we are."
Wufei was the last to turn to leave and paused. "Excuse us. We have a few things to do before tomorrow." He bowed his head slightly, before following his comrades.
They wove their way through the crowd, nimbly dodging the other students and their luggage. Skilfully keeping distance between each other. Their movements took each other into account, as well as the others around them. Eyes swept the area constantly, involuntarily taking in the details and storing them for later use, should the need arise.
When they reached the other side of the crowd, they visibly relaxed and turned around to observe them from that vantage point.
Heero leaned against a tree on the outskirts of the greenery. His eyes scanned the area, relieved when he couldn't see anyone else approaching them. "The next time we even see someone else approach us, we run. Understood?"
He received three nods in response and one level look from Quatre. "Heero, we need to get used to being a part of society instead of on the run from it."
"I know this. But not today, Quatre. My control is frayed enough for one day."
The blond nodded. "For today, I agree. Today we employ Duo's catchphrase, we run and hide."
Duo laughed. "See, I knew I'd rub off on you all."
#*#
"I told you it wouldn't be too hard." Duo chattered as they emerged from the uniform shop, having had a shoe fitting. "She said the shoes should be in in time to be sent over for tomorrow morning. So, we can start these stupid classes, completely in uniform." Duo punched a fist in the air and mock cheered. The others just looked at him.
"Oh, come on guys, I can't hear you."
"Shut up, Duo." Quatre's smile took the sting out of the words. They turned and made their way back across the compound. The blond looked down at the ground beneath him and sighed. "You know, grass makes things seem rather peaceful."
Trowa looked over at him, thoughtfully. "It is peaceful, Quatre."
"I know. It just seems so far-fetched. I keep waiting for it to break."
"It won't." Trowa's voice held unshakable certainty.
"But it has before!" Quatre kicked his foot against the soft ground. "It has before, what's to say it won't again?"
Although the question was largely rhetorical, Duo felt the need to answer it anyway. "It won't happen again, because they're more organised this time and not as delusional. I know that I, for one, refuse to let anyone destroy what we've all fought for. I'm pretty sure I can count on all of you to help me in that. So, really, there isn't a need to worry anymore, Quatre."
Quatre smiled. "I know...just sometimes... I doubt."
He didn't need to say anything else, they all knew exactly what he meant. They all felt exactly the same way. It was strange for them, to walk in an open area and not feel threatened. Cautionary habits died hard, but they fought them consciously when they realised they were reacting.
The silence was comfortable, each aware of the other, their pace and their surroundings. Each trusting the other to get their back should danger approach. They drew closer to their building until they stood beneath it, staring up at it from behind. The crowd outside the building had dwindled to a trickle, but still, avoiding it would be easier, it just depended on how.
Duo grinned, glad that the sun was behind him as he looked up at their floor. "Steel frame, concrete foundation and pillars. Exterior is stucco, for insulation." Heero nodded. "Standard then."
"Relatively."
Trowa flexed his hands, cracking a few knuckles, and began to stretch his arms. He grinned tightly up at the wall, and knew that he was doing exactly what the others were. Sizing the building and its surface up. There were windows, quite a few. It would definitely make it easier. "Grips?"
Duo's smile widened, as he watched the others limbering up, and he answered Trowa's question smugly. "Enough for me, not sure about you."
"Don't get so cocky, Duo." Trowa's eyes narrowed in concentration.
Quatre laughed. "I can't believe we're even contemplating this."
Wufei raised an eyebrow as he removed his jacket, tying it around his waist. "We're still young. We need to keep fit, or we'll go to waste."
"Plausable logic." Heero knelt to tuck his laces into his shoes, before standing with his hands on his hips, studying the building. "Row of windows each?"
"I'll take the bathroom ones." Duo's statement brooked no argument. It was, after all, his idea. He'd take the smaller windows.
"Rules?" Quatre's shirt was rolled up, clipped there to give him more room to move.
"Only one." Duo grinned. "Don't fall. First one to the top wins." His adrenaline started to pump.
Quatre laughed. "We are going to be so damn sore tomorrow."
Trowa grinned. "It'll be worth every strain."
"So true." Even Wufei was fired up.
They crouched, ready to push off. Heero looked to either side of him. Duo was on his left, Quatre, Trowa and Wufei on the other side. He grinned tightly. "On three..."
"Two..."
"One..."
All five of them sprinted to the base of their building.
The first stage of the climb was a little difficult... they needed to jump high enough to gain a handhold above the glass walls of the rec room, and haul themselves up. Muscles burning, adrenaline pumping, they gave no consideration to anyone who might see them. This wasn't about stealth, it wasn't about training, it was about doing something because they wanted to, because they could.
They reached their first windows simultaneously. Exertion made them sweat as they made their way up to the next window. The sweat made their grips less sure, giving them that extra edge of danger. It was what they were used to, what they thrived on, and they revelled in it.
All five of them were still on level when they reached the third window. By then the sweat was running down them, and each stopped at that window to briefly try and rub their hands dry.
Trowa took a slight jump, barely grabbing a hold of what he wanted to, feet finding purchase on the top of the window ledge below him. Duo moved almost immediately after him, the move mimicked. Heero was a split second behind the American, in a dead heat with Quatre. Wufei's jump of was timed before Heero's but he lost his purchase above the window and had to start again. He cursed in Chinese, before regaining his hold and hauling himself up.
They reached the fourth window within seconds of each other. None of them paid any attention to whether or not people were in the rooms they were scaling past. Duo laughed, the tentative hold on sanity, momentarily escaping him, and he almost lost his balance. It only made him laugh harder. He was a split second behind Trowa again on the ascent to the fifth.
Heero and Quatre weren't too far behind, and Wufei had almost recovered the ground he'd lost. It was always going to be a close race. All of them had unusual upper body strength from having flown their Gundam's. No upper body strength meant no control. And no control in a beast like that, meant death.
The fifth set of windows was reached without incident. All five of them stopped briefly, catching a little breath, but no longer than a few seconds. More than that and their pulse would start to slow. Being caught outside the fifth floor, not able to move, wasn't on the to do list of any of them.
Trowa and Duo led the way yet again, followed closely by the other three. A thief and an acrobat were always going to have an advantage over other people, no matter how much upper body strength they possessed. They reached the sixth window, neck in neck, having put a little more distance between them and the others.
Quatre and Heero reached the sixth floor together, a split second ahead of Wufei. Duo was about to make his jump to continue the climb when he heard Quatre's exclamation.
"Kharba!" The curse cut across the air like a knife. Quatre, hung from the bottom of the window sill by one hand, and Duo heard the clatter of something hard hit the ground below them.
"Quatre?"
Suddenly it didn't seem like a game. Duo didn't want to lose anyone of his comrades. The war was over.
"I'm fine! Stupid ..." Quatre's breath was heaving. "...concrete windowsill... Had a crack..." Quatre now had a second hand on the sill, and slowly regained his footing before hauling himself back up. He rubbed his hands, neglecting the grazes on his fingers. "Well, keep going. I don't like winning if you /let/ me."
Duo laughed and yelled. "Fat chance, Quatre!" He jumped to catch his hold and hauled himself up, balancing precariously. His muscles were already screaming in protest and he knew there'd be all hell to pay tomorrow, but he didn't care. It was something he could control, something he had chosen to do, and it was something he could do.
After the seventh window, Duo refused to look back to see how he was going. His competitiveness kicked in, and all he wanted to do was reach the top first. It was still fun, but he liked to win; he liked to be the best. He reached their bathroom window and adrenaline kicked in tenfold knowing that the roof was but metres away.
His hands finally gripped the ledge of the roof, and he hauled himself up, muscles complaining. He finally got one knee up and twisted to sit on the edge, looking down at the others, only to see that Trowa was doing exactly the same thing. Duo grinned. "A tie. Damn. We need a rematch."
By that time, the others had reached the summit, and Heero hauled himself up with ease and twisted to sit, legs hanging over the edge. "Rematch. Definitely. There's no way you're beating me next time. Either of you."
Duo laughed, his pulse slowing and the adrenaline seeping out of his body. He knew he had to move before he started to seize up, so he stood up and jumped off the ledge, onto the roof. "We should probably stretch if we want to prevent the worst of it. Besides, it's getting dark."
The rest of them simply nodded in response and followed Duo downstairs, after he had picked the lock to the door. "Gotta keep in practice, you know." He winked before going inside.
Once in the apartment, they each began to stretch. Their fingers were scraped, some of their clothing worse for wear, but overall, the climb had done them a world of good.
Heero finished first and sat on the arm of the lounge. "So, where do we start?"
Duo sighed and walked into the kitchen to grab a soda before draping himself over the back of the couch. "I'll start at the top. We can work backwards. That lock up there, is too easy. I can pick it with a simple pick in no time flat. It's ridiculous and not safe at all."
Heero nodded, adding to his mental notes. It didn't even come into consideration that an intruder would need to reach the roof before the lock came into question. "Then?"
Quatre sighed, stretching his legs out in front of him on the floor. "The climb was too easy. Apart from the crumbling ledge, which I do not think was a brilliant strategy to keep out intruders, it was relatively simple."
Another nod from Heero, another addition mentally notated.
Wufei shifted on the far couch, legs drawn up to his chest, still stretching. "I don't like the fact that we don't know when someone is about to knock on the door."
Heero looked at him. "I was thinking that too. I'll figure something out."
Duo spoke through a yawn, "Trip laser...beam... whatever you wanna call it."
The Japanese youth nodded. "Exactly. Won't be too hard to rig. Next?"
Trowa leaned against the kitchen divider, arms crossed. "Those cadets aren't any threat. Not really. Nothing any of us couldn't handle. The only thing I see as being a problem is our age. We've seen one example of disbelief. I don't doubt there will be others." He shrugged. "I know we don't mind, but it's going to get tiresome clearing that up all the time."
Heero nodded and Duo looked up from where he'd buried his head in the couch. The American spoke around yet another yawn. "I get the feeling that not everyone is going to appreciate us being here."
Quatre stretched himself completely out on the floor, already able to feel a sample of what his muscles would act like tomorrow. "The ones that were watching us were suspicious. We're obviously a lot younger than them. Whether they feel threatened by us or not, we'll find out eventually. They don't know who we are yet. It was a good idea to introduce us with first names only, Duo. I almost gave myself away."
Wufei moved stiffly, standing to stretch once more. "You make it sound like we're on the run."
Trowa shrugged. "No, we're being cautious. We don't know how people are going to react. Remember not everyone is going to love us. We killed thousands of people. Some of /them/ are going to have relatives."
Heero glared at Trowa. "There is no need to remind us of what we've done, Trowa."
The green eyed youth shrugged again. "We fought in a war. It's what happens there. There are people out there, people we will have to deal with, people we will be attending classes with, who will paint it in a much more brutal light than I have."
"I know. We had no choice...there was no choice." Heero stood up, stretching his legs one last time.
Quatre's voice was barely audible, but its strength made them all feel better. "I know that... we know that. Keep that inside yourself and don't let go of it, Heero. We did what we had to do, and if the circumstances were the same, we'd do it again. No one owes us anything. But we can be safe in the knowledge that without us, everything would have been much much worse." Quatre stood up, suppressing a groan as his muscles protested. "I'm going to soak in a bath. And not one of you is going to stop me."
Duo chuckled softly. "I'm going to bed. I hardly slept last night. Wake me for dinner."
Trowa watched his comrades... no, his friends, though he wouldn't say that to them yet, go their separate ways. That feeling was still niggling at the back of his mind. There was something they weren't being told, something they didn't know and he frowned. He needed to be alone, because if there was one thing Trowa hated... it was being a puppet.
~~**~~ Kharba = Shit in Arabic
Hope you liked the chapter, tell me what you think!
~Arith
Email: arithkenshin@yahoo.co.uk
Title: Delusions of Normalcy
Rating: R
Warnings: Continuation, language, introspective mild Angst,
Disclaimer: I don't own them; I don't get any money from this... just a time- sink
Set: End of GW
Summary: "If you use a tool in the wrong way, you can end up breaking more than you fix."
Notes: If you wish to Archive, please ask. Thanks to CYT and Sol for betaing. Thanks to Casey and Mal for letting me bounce, and Makoto for letting me rant. This chapter wouldn't have gotten done, if I didn't have my sounding boards. Heaps of thanks to all those who reviewed the last chapter: Wild Child, Enna, Misanagi, Shadows, Dulin, Karina, Kagi, Merellia, Asuka, Rurouni Triv, Merith and Raven. Makes it a little easier to write the next chapter!
Delusions of Normalcy:
Reconnaissance
Duo kept his smile fixed on his face, reaching his eyes. He'd never been one to apologise and he wasn't about to start now, but he didn't want the apartment to be full of a tension that he'd been the main cause of. So he waited, momentarily stemming his flow of chatter, trying to hide his expectation as he began to deposit the paper bags on the table.
"I know we haven't had much luck trying to make food for ourselves or anything more complex than sandwiches, so I thought I'd pick up some stuff for us to..." his voice trailed off as he felt a presence closer to him.
"Here, let me help." Quatre's voice was soft enough that Duo managed to fight his automatic reflexes and remain calm. The underlying tension lingered between them. It was constant, a silent reminder to them of just how much more comfortable they were around each other, as opposed to outsiders. Together they unpacked the contents, Duo's running commentary momentarily silenced.
He looked up as Wufei placed some plates on the table, and smiled. "Hey, Chang. Sleep well?"
Wufei looked at the American, onyx eyes intense. "I slept sufficiently, though it could have been better."
Duo barely managed to suppress his slight intake of breath, and his eyes wandered, almost involuntarily, to lock with Wufei's. The apologies that would never pass their lips, were silently spoken and accepted. Duo looked away, a small smile playing on his lips. Five glasses were placed on the table, and he looked up to see Trowa regarding him with the same intensity Wufei had. Duo let his smile become a grin. "So you haven't cut it off."
Trowa's expression softened slightly, and the corners of his mouth lifted into a semblance of a smile. "No, I resisted the heretical impulse after all." The tension eased a little more, and Duo felt his shoulders relaxing further.
Butter knives appeared at the corner of Duo's vision, and he looked up to see Heero standing next to the table, arms crossed. Duo resisted the urge to take a step back, and instead squared his shoulders, letting his grin spread.
Heero inclined his head, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You didn't recharge your batteries?"
Duo laughed. "Seems I forgot, but that's ok. I'm recharging them right now." He winked at Heero before returning to dividing the breakfast amongst the five plates.
The mood in the kitchen was lighter than it had been. They carried the food into the living room and placed it on the table. Every movement was calculated, each aware of where the others were and what they were doing. None of them touched another without first seeking permission. It made the tension in the room drop to a more comfortable level... almost a companionable one. At least, it was comfortable for the five former Gundam Pilots. Breakfast was eaten in the usual manner, the disagreement of the night before dealt with in the same manner with which they dealt with all things.
#*#
Heero stood at the window. He realised that he found the spot rather comfortable. It offered an excellent vantage point, even though the bottom of the building he was in was obscured from his view. He would look into setting up some more efficient surveillance equipment. His shopping trip the day before had afforded him with some essential items he'd always had on hand before. He was satisfied enough with the outlook he had at the moment, yet that didn't stop him from frowning down at the scene below with distinct annoyance.
A presence emerged behind him, just enough to let him know that someone was there. In the space of a heartbeat he classified the presence; softer than usual, more hesitant, if it could be called that, and he immediately accounted for each pilots whereabouts. Duo was in the shower, Chang was in his room, conceivably, it could be Trowa. The breathing patterns gave the rest away, and in the split second it had taken Heero to recognise the presence behind him, his defences lowered, giving the signal for Quatre to speak.
"Arrivals, Heero?" Quatre's voice was soft, as he drew abreast of Heero, physical distance the constant. The blond looked out the window too, hands held behind his back. "It is the day for it, after all." He ran a hand through his silky hair, but it fell in the same soft way, with the same flow as it did time after time.
Heero catalogued the movement, storing it as the norm. It made it easier for him to breath, made it easier for him to watch the scene below. He didn't need to answer Quatre, the blond didn't find it necessary, and so Heero chose to simply keep a silent vigil with the other pilot. The whole situation made Heero uncomfortable. People, /civilians/ ... were beginning to mill around the base of the building. He scowled, shifting his position, sensing Quatre tense and widen the gap between them.
Quatre's deeper breath was audible to Heero, and he could feel the blond adjusting his own stance, his own inclinations. It didn't surprise Heero when the other pilot spoke again.
"Do you think they're soldiers too?" There was hope in that voice.
Heero closed his eyes briefly before replying. "No. If they were soldiers, veterans of the wars, they would not be cadets. They would be amongst the agents already acquired." He tore his gaze from below and looked at Quatre thoughtfully. "Why do you ask?"
The voice that answered was clear, calm and confident, the voice that demanded and received respect. It was the Quatre that wasn't immediately obvious to outsiders. It almost made Heero smile.
"I ask, because then I might not have to take their responses to my reactions into consideration all the time. Because they would be fully capable of taking care of themselves." He raised a hand to the glass, stopping just short of touching it. "Those people down there still need protection. Though I wish it wasn't necessary to protect others from myself, I realise it is necessary." His hand fell from the glass, and he turned to look at Heero, cerulean eyes serious. "You do realise what they say is true? We have a responsibility not to harm innocents. Although I may not like this situation they have placed us in, I'll endure it as long as is needed, for me to learn the control I need in order to take part in society." He paused, shoulders sagging in partial defeat, though the tension remained, and looked down at the arrivals once more. His voice had softened when he spoke again. "After all, there isn't anywhere else for us to go..."
Heero watched as Quatre turned abruptly and left the room, closing his bedroom door behind him. Melancholy, Heero's brain supplied. Quatre was acting distinctly melancholy. The Japanese youth shrugged, storing the information away to peruse later. For the time being he had other things more immediately on his mind. His attention focused once more on the people hauling luggage and belongings out of the vehicles below. Heero scowled again, his annoyance returning tenfold.
"You know if the wind changes, your face will be stuck like that." Duo stood in front of the bathroom door, twisting his hair in a towel. He ignored Heero's glare, and sauntered smoothly into the room. His eyes darted around, taking stock of Trowa, who was standing in the kitchen, and the barely audible sounds coming from both Wufei and Quatre's bedrooms. Duo's shoulders relaxed, and he threw himself down on the couch, hands twisting the towel constantly in order to wring the excess water from his hair.
"What's playing, Heero?"
Heero wrenched his eyes away from the window and turned a questioning look on Duo. "Playing?"
Duo motioned his head in the direction of the window, hands still working diligently. "Outside. You're watching it like it's a movie, like there's something excellent going on down there. Am I missing something?"
Heero shrugged and turned back to the window. "Depends on what you mean by missing."
Duo stood up, securing the towel behind him, letting it soak up the rest of the moisture from his hair. He moved over to stand next to Heero, mindful not to touch the Wing pilot. Duo watched Heero's eyes tracking every movement below, and smiled. All he felt was adrenaline. It was a new challenge, a new set of circumstances, new tangents coming into play. Duo smiled.
"What are you smiling at?" Heero's voice sounded impatient.
Duo pointed at the activity below them. "That, them. This could prove interesting."
A door opened softly behind them, from it's direction, obviously Wufei's. "Interesting, Maxwell?"
Duo smiled again, but knew that Wufei couldn't see him. "Yes, Chang. Interesting."
"Interesting or challenging?" The Chinese youth made his way over to the window, stopping short of them and crossing his arms.
Violet eyes shone with amusement. "Both." Duo turned away and headed to his room, to finish getting dressed from the shower.
Wufei allowed himself a small smile as he watched American go.
In his room, Duo wrung out his hair one final time before discarding the towel. It was very nearly dry, dry enough that brushing it wouldn't harm it. He wandered over to the window, brush in hand, and looked out of it as he absently brushed his hair. There were some days when he almost wanted to cut it, but it had been a part of him for so long that it just wouldn't feel right. It would almost be like betraying himself.
He remained at the window after he had finished brushing and braiding his hair. The braid was tighter than usual, but for some reason it felt better right then. His eyes followed the movements below, and he smiled. Yes, things were going to get very interesting.
Duo was startled out of his contemplations by a knock on their apartment door. He moved quickly, and was out of the room in time to see Heero flick on the screen he'd attached to the kitchen wall.
The chocolate-haired teen's shoulders lost their tension. "Une," was all he said. The anxiety level in the room dropped markedly.
Quatre approached the door, while Duo flopped himself onto the lounge with a scowl on his face. He felt a little sullen and moody. "This is ridiculous, we're just getting a visitor, it doesn't need to be a level five clearance incident for us."
Trowa snorted. "It's not, Duo. Stop exaggerating."
Duo grinned up at the taller youth. "Damn. You caught me out. How do you do it, Trowa?"
Green-eyes shone, and Trowa raised an eyebrow. "Talent, Duo. Pure talent."
Une walked into the main area to find Duo laughing loudly, and Trowa chuckling.
"To what do we owe this /pleasure/, Une." Wufei went straight to the heart of the matter.
The Director simply shot Wufei a look before speaking. "I came to bring you your other packages. They're outside the door, I had someone help me up with them."
Trowa leaned back against the wall and focused his eyes on her. "Don't you have subordinates to carry out deliveries? Or has so much changed?"
Une ignored the implications in Trowa's baited questions. "I thought it better to be the one to deliver them personally. I didn't want you to... overreact to someone you didn't know."
"We knew who it was before we opened the door, Une. You should have known that we won't let ourselves be at a disadvantage." Heero grunted and sat himself down on the other end of the couch, keeping enough space between himself and Duo, so as to avoid touching.
She sighed and nodded. "I expected as much." Her eyes followed Quatre as the blond moved into the room laden with packages. He deposited them on the lounge, apparently not caring that Duo and Heero were sitting on it. Duo shouted indignantly, while Heero just removed himself from his former seat.
Quatre grinned at the two. "Just wanted to thank you for helping me carry them in."
Duo grumbled and tore at the package with his name on it. It was soft and rather bulky, so he wasn't too sure what was inside. The contents fell out and he gaped, holding one of the items up. It was a shirt... a white polo shirt to be exact with a preventers logo embroidered where the chest would be on the left hand side. He blinked, and slowly laid it to one side before picking out the next four, which were exactly the same.
Paper rustled all around the room, but no one spoke, so Duo bit his tongue, for the time being. Next he pulled out a pair of slacks. Deep, green slacks, and he scowled, liking it less and less by the minute. Another two pairs followed. By now there were only a few things left in the package. The first that he pulled out were two white t-shirts, followed by two pair of training pants, which were green... again. The final item in his package was a jacket, which he pulled out and scowled at. Preventers uniforms were black, with khaki, and the emblem. Apparently cadets wore green with khaki.
Duo wasn't impressed. He scowled and his voice was low and angry when it came out. "No." Une looked at Duo, eyebrows raised. "What was that, Duo?"
Violet eyes flashed in her direction. "I said: /No/. There was never any damn mention of any fucking uniform."
Trowa leaned back against the wall, his package at his feet. "I actually don't mind them."
"That's because you're used to wearing whatever you want." Duo snapped. "I'm used to wearing whatever I have! And I've worn them for years now...It's...oh, you wouldn't understand." Duo stood up, his uniform falling to the ground.
Quatre approached him, stopping short, noting the tension in his comrades frame. "It's habit, isn't it? It's routine, safe?"
All the steam went out of Duo, and his shoulders sagged. He absently rubbed his nose and looked at Quatre ruefully. "Yeah...guess that's not really necessary anymore."
The blond smiled. "Apparently not, but it still makes us feel better."
Duo smiled. "Yeah."
Une suppressed a sigh of relief before speaking. "Those uniforms should fit you, they are made to your measurements. You will need to go and get fitted for shoes tomorrow morning before class at the latest. These are not all the uniforms you will get. You are entitled to more, especially more than one jacket, since you are expected to wear that on an almost constant basis over your shirts. However this will do you for the first week, and you can see to your own supplies during that." She paused, looking around. Heero was still eyeing his pile of clothing with slight distaste. Duo was pointedly ignoring his, although Quatre had picked them off the floor and deposited them on the couch. Trowa and Wufei were difficult to read, although Une was fairly certain they would comply simply because it was necessary. "There'll also only be token classes for the first week, in order to orientate students properly and give you the material you will need to work on the following week. However I still expect you to keep your appointments. Any questions?"
Duo started to shake his head, but then thought better of it. "Those arrivals that have started coming in...they'll be flowing through all day?"
Une nodded in response.
Duo grinned. "Interesting... I think I might take a walk." He stood up and stretched his legs. "Anyone want to come with me?"
Quatre smiled. "Actually, I could do with a little fresh air. Besides, I'm curious."
The American laughed and crossed his arms. "Excellent. Anyone else?"
Heero simply stood up and nodded. Wufei reappeared from his bedroom, having gone to get his jacket once Duo had asked. Trowa shrugged and headed to his bedroom to do the same.
"Well, I guess that's all set then! Want to come for a walk with us, Une?" Duo smirked. "Could be some fun, I'm a little curious about your newly enrolled cadets down there." He winked at her.
Une sighed. "Duo. Need I remind you to behave?"
"No point, but you can if it makes you feel better." Duo didn't bother to grab a jacket for himself, he rarely needed one. "Well, we're going now. So it's probably best if you go too." He ushered her out of the door in front of them and headed to the elevator.
They rode the elevator in silence; the tension palpable. Duo was so tightly wound he almost bounced on his toes. He knew there would very probably be people waiting at the bottom to get in and ride to whatever floor they had been assigned to. Quickly, he pulled Une to the forefront, grinning at her, and stepped behind her to join the others. "Just call it quick thinking, Une." He knew she would understand.
Duo was right. When the doors opened, there were three bag-laden people waiting to get into the lift. Although they parted well enough to let the occupants pass, Duo could see the strain in the way Heero held himself, and knew that to a lesser extent, he himself was just as bad. They all were. Une led them to the exit doors, and left them there after looking back to receive a tight nod from Heero.
They stood at the side of the steps and watched the commotion from their vantage point. Their formation was loose, yet effective. The semi-circle allowed each of them to have an overview of a different section, and thereby not leave anything unobserved. At the same time, they looked like five teenagers lounging around on the steps. It was effective, perhaps too effective.
A man approached them, probably in his mid 20's. They took in his appearance, from his physical status to the way he distributed his weight when he walked, to the way his eyes remained fixated on each of them in turn.
Quatre stepped forward slightly, taking the brunt of that concentration on himself. Although the rest didn't relax much, it was noticeable. Duo watched his blond comrade, noting the slow, deliberate breathes and the hands that clenched each other behind his back and he knew. He knew that Quatre was doing that, just because he could. Because he had dealt with people the most.
The man came to stop about two meters in front of Quatre, and to Duo's eyes, the Arabian visibly tensed. Their visitor spoke in a grating, almost irritating voice. "This is no place for kids."
Quatre smiled. "We're meant to be here. Sorry for the misunderstanding, but we are students here. Our classes start tomorrow."
The man looked at Quatre for a moment, as if trying to decide what to do. Duo had to admit that Quatre looked his seventeen years and not a day older, and although he had begun to fill out in the last month or so, it didn't seem to be enough to convince the man that he was telling the truth. "Seriously, kid. Clear out before we call your parents."
~Uh-oh~ Duo thought, but grinned. He was looking forward to this.
Quatre's eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms, drawing himself up to his full height. "That would be difficult. My parents are both dead, as are all of ours. If you wish to call them, then by all means, go right ahead. You're a more talented man than I am if you can. On the other hand, I did not lie. We are students here, and if you have a problem with that, then I suggest you take it up with Une."
The man's face reddened slightly and he opened his mouth to retort when one of the guys from the previous night came up and slapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, Storck. If you're asking these guys about the pool skills they displayed last night, you have to get in line." Blue eyes turned to look at the five youths standing at the side. "Hi, I'm Jason, Jason Harvey. We didn't get a chance to say hello last night."
Quatre nodded and smiled, opening his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Duo's bright voice. "I'm Duo. Talking is my hobby. Well actually, amongst other things, but I can't mention some of those, you know." He winked, before gesturing to the blond. "This is Quatre. Don't get yourself into discussions with this guy. He'll always win." Quatre laughed and Duo continued. "The Chinese guy over there is Wufei. Don't worry, his bark is worse than his bite." Wufei scowled, but Duo ignored him. "Trowa is the tall guy over there. He has hair issues, but we're currently getting him help for that. And the last guy, is Heero. He's a little... well... he's Heero." Duo laughed at his own joke, all the while making sure that the distance between himself and the others was not further confined. He could see the others still taking stock of their surroundings, and relaxed a little.
Jason smiled. "Well, this jerk is Storck. Mathew Storck, we went to high school together, but he's come from a police officer background, whereas I have a Criminal Justice degree."
Duo was immediately on guard. His experience with law enforcement so far had never been good, and it almost clouded him to the fact that he would soon become law enforcement himself. He ripped himself out of his reaction to listen to Jason more carefully.
The blue eyed man was still speaking, oblivious to the thoughts running through Duo's head. "So, yeah. We're on the 8th floor in this building. How about you guys?"
"Tenth." Duo grinned.
"All of you?" Jason seemed a little taken aback at Duo's nod. "And you all know each other already?"
"In a manner of speaking." Heero had spoken, his eyes still surveying the entire commotion they were in the middle of. He was feeling decidedly uncomfortable.
"You're lucky." Jason was unperturbed. "So, no offence, but you look really young. Prodigies of some sort?"
Trowa chuckled. "You could say that too."
Jason's face fell a little, but he barrelled on, determined to get to know a little about the five teenagers that had somehow made it into the preventers cadets. "So, how old are you, if you don't mind my asking."
Trowa's eyes narrowed and he pushed himself away from the wall, a silent sign that he was restless and wanting to move. The other four formed up loosely around him. "Age isn't always relevant. But I can tell you that we feel a hell of a lot older than we are."
Wufei was the last to turn to leave and paused. "Excuse us. We have a few things to do before tomorrow." He bowed his head slightly, before following his comrades.
They wove their way through the crowd, nimbly dodging the other students and their luggage. Skilfully keeping distance between each other. Their movements took each other into account, as well as the others around them. Eyes swept the area constantly, involuntarily taking in the details and storing them for later use, should the need arise.
When they reached the other side of the crowd, they visibly relaxed and turned around to observe them from that vantage point.
Heero leaned against a tree on the outskirts of the greenery. His eyes scanned the area, relieved when he couldn't see anyone else approaching them. "The next time we even see someone else approach us, we run. Understood?"
He received three nods in response and one level look from Quatre. "Heero, we need to get used to being a part of society instead of on the run from it."
"I know this. But not today, Quatre. My control is frayed enough for one day."
The blond nodded. "For today, I agree. Today we employ Duo's catchphrase, we run and hide."
Duo laughed. "See, I knew I'd rub off on you all."
#*#
"I told you it wouldn't be too hard." Duo chattered as they emerged from the uniform shop, having had a shoe fitting. "She said the shoes should be in in time to be sent over for tomorrow morning. So, we can start these stupid classes, completely in uniform." Duo punched a fist in the air and mock cheered. The others just looked at him.
"Oh, come on guys, I can't hear you."
"Shut up, Duo." Quatre's smile took the sting out of the words. They turned and made their way back across the compound. The blond looked down at the ground beneath him and sighed. "You know, grass makes things seem rather peaceful."
Trowa looked over at him, thoughtfully. "It is peaceful, Quatre."
"I know. It just seems so far-fetched. I keep waiting for it to break."
"It won't." Trowa's voice held unshakable certainty.
"But it has before!" Quatre kicked his foot against the soft ground. "It has before, what's to say it won't again?"
Although the question was largely rhetorical, Duo felt the need to answer it anyway. "It won't happen again, because they're more organised this time and not as delusional. I know that I, for one, refuse to let anyone destroy what we've all fought for. I'm pretty sure I can count on all of you to help me in that. So, really, there isn't a need to worry anymore, Quatre."
Quatre smiled. "I know...just sometimes... I doubt."
He didn't need to say anything else, they all knew exactly what he meant. They all felt exactly the same way. It was strange for them, to walk in an open area and not feel threatened. Cautionary habits died hard, but they fought them consciously when they realised they were reacting.
The silence was comfortable, each aware of the other, their pace and their surroundings. Each trusting the other to get their back should danger approach. They drew closer to their building until they stood beneath it, staring up at it from behind. The crowd outside the building had dwindled to a trickle, but still, avoiding it would be easier, it just depended on how.
Duo grinned, glad that the sun was behind him as he looked up at their floor. "Steel frame, concrete foundation and pillars. Exterior is stucco, for insulation." Heero nodded. "Standard then."
"Relatively."
Trowa flexed his hands, cracking a few knuckles, and began to stretch his arms. He grinned tightly up at the wall, and knew that he was doing exactly what the others were. Sizing the building and its surface up. There were windows, quite a few. It would definitely make it easier. "Grips?"
Duo's smile widened, as he watched the others limbering up, and he answered Trowa's question smugly. "Enough for me, not sure about you."
"Don't get so cocky, Duo." Trowa's eyes narrowed in concentration.
Quatre laughed. "I can't believe we're even contemplating this."
Wufei raised an eyebrow as he removed his jacket, tying it around his waist. "We're still young. We need to keep fit, or we'll go to waste."
"Plausable logic." Heero knelt to tuck his laces into his shoes, before standing with his hands on his hips, studying the building. "Row of windows each?"
"I'll take the bathroom ones." Duo's statement brooked no argument. It was, after all, his idea. He'd take the smaller windows.
"Rules?" Quatre's shirt was rolled up, clipped there to give him more room to move.
"Only one." Duo grinned. "Don't fall. First one to the top wins." His adrenaline started to pump.
Quatre laughed. "We are going to be so damn sore tomorrow."
Trowa grinned. "It'll be worth every strain."
"So true." Even Wufei was fired up.
They crouched, ready to push off. Heero looked to either side of him. Duo was on his left, Quatre, Trowa and Wufei on the other side. He grinned tightly. "On three..."
"Two..."
"One..."
All five of them sprinted to the base of their building.
The first stage of the climb was a little difficult... they needed to jump high enough to gain a handhold above the glass walls of the rec room, and haul themselves up. Muscles burning, adrenaline pumping, they gave no consideration to anyone who might see them. This wasn't about stealth, it wasn't about training, it was about doing something because they wanted to, because they could.
They reached their first windows simultaneously. Exertion made them sweat as they made their way up to the next window. The sweat made their grips less sure, giving them that extra edge of danger. It was what they were used to, what they thrived on, and they revelled in it.
All five of them were still on level when they reached the third window. By then the sweat was running down them, and each stopped at that window to briefly try and rub their hands dry.
Trowa took a slight jump, barely grabbing a hold of what he wanted to, feet finding purchase on the top of the window ledge below him. Duo moved almost immediately after him, the move mimicked. Heero was a split second behind the American, in a dead heat with Quatre. Wufei's jump of was timed before Heero's but he lost his purchase above the window and had to start again. He cursed in Chinese, before regaining his hold and hauling himself up.
They reached the fourth window within seconds of each other. None of them paid any attention to whether or not people were in the rooms they were scaling past. Duo laughed, the tentative hold on sanity, momentarily escaping him, and he almost lost his balance. It only made him laugh harder. He was a split second behind Trowa again on the ascent to the fifth.
Heero and Quatre weren't too far behind, and Wufei had almost recovered the ground he'd lost. It was always going to be a close race. All of them had unusual upper body strength from having flown their Gundam's. No upper body strength meant no control. And no control in a beast like that, meant death.
The fifth set of windows was reached without incident. All five of them stopped briefly, catching a little breath, but no longer than a few seconds. More than that and their pulse would start to slow. Being caught outside the fifth floor, not able to move, wasn't on the to do list of any of them.
Trowa and Duo led the way yet again, followed closely by the other three. A thief and an acrobat were always going to have an advantage over other people, no matter how much upper body strength they possessed. They reached the sixth window, neck in neck, having put a little more distance between them and the others.
Quatre and Heero reached the sixth floor together, a split second ahead of Wufei. Duo was about to make his jump to continue the climb when he heard Quatre's exclamation.
"Kharba!" The curse cut across the air like a knife. Quatre, hung from the bottom of the window sill by one hand, and Duo heard the clatter of something hard hit the ground below them.
"Quatre?"
Suddenly it didn't seem like a game. Duo didn't want to lose anyone of his comrades. The war was over.
"I'm fine! Stupid ..." Quatre's breath was heaving. "...concrete windowsill... Had a crack..." Quatre now had a second hand on the sill, and slowly regained his footing before hauling himself back up. He rubbed his hands, neglecting the grazes on his fingers. "Well, keep going. I don't like winning if you /let/ me."
Duo laughed and yelled. "Fat chance, Quatre!" He jumped to catch his hold and hauled himself up, balancing precariously. His muscles were already screaming in protest and he knew there'd be all hell to pay tomorrow, but he didn't care. It was something he could control, something he had chosen to do, and it was something he could do.
After the seventh window, Duo refused to look back to see how he was going. His competitiveness kicked in, and all he wanted to do was reach the top first. It was still fun, but he liked to win; he liked to be the best. He reached their bathroom window and adrenaline kicked in tenfold knowing that the roof was but metres away.
His hands finally gripped the ledge of the roof, and he hauled himself up, muscles complaining. He finally got one knee up and twisted to sit on the edge, looking down at the others, only to see that Trowa was doing exactly the same thing. Duo grinned. "A tie. Damn. We need a rematch."
By that time, the others had reached the summit, and Heero hauled himself up with ease and twisted to sit, legs hanging over the edge. "Rematch. Definitely. There's no way you're beating me next time. Either of you."
Duo laughed, his pulse slowing and the adrenaline seeping out of his body. He knew he had to move before he started to seize up, so he stood up and jumped off the ledge, onto the roof. "We should probably stretch if we want to prevent the worst of it. Besides, it's getting dark."
The rest of them simply nodded in response and followed Duo downstairs, after he had picked the lock to the door. "Gotta keep in practice, you know." He winked before going inside.
Once in the apartment, they each began to stretch. Their fingers were scraped, some of their clothing worse for wear, but overall, the climb had done them a world of good.
Heero finished first and sat on the arm of the lounge. "So, where do we start?"
Duo sighed and walked into the kitchen to grab a soda before draping himself over the back of the couch. "I'll start at the top. We can work backwards. That lock up there, is too easy. I can pick it with a simple pick in no time flat. It's ridiculous and not safe at all."
Heero nodded, adding to his mental notes. It didn't even come into consideration that an intruder would need to reach the roof before the lock came into question. "Then?"
Quatre sighed, stretching his legs out in front of him on the floor. "The climb was too easy. Apart from the crumbling ledge, which I do not think was a brilliant strategy to keep out intruders, it was relatively simple."
Another nod from Heero, another addition mentally notated.
Wufei shifted on the far couch, legs drawn up to his chest, still stretching. "I don't like the fact that we don't know when someone is about to knock on the door."
Heero looked at him. "I was thinking that too. I'll figure something out."
Duo spoke through a yawn, "Trip laser...beam... whatever you wanna call it."
The Japanese youth nodded. "Exactly. Won't be too hard to rig. Next?"
Trowa leaned against the kitchen divider, arms crossed. "Those cadets aren't any threat. Not really. Nothing any of us couldn't handle. The only thing I see as being a problem is our age. We've seen one example of disbelief. I don't doubt there will be others." He shrugged. "I know we don't mind, but it's going to get tiresome clearing that up all the time."
Heero nodded and Duo looked up from where he'd buried his head in the couch. The American spoke around yet another yawn. "I get the feeling that not everyone is going to appreciate us being here."
Quatre stretched himself completely out on the floor, already able to feel a sample of what his muscles would act like tomorrow. "The ones that were watching us were suspicious. We're obviously a lot younger than them. Whether they feel threatened by us or not, we'll find out eventually. They don't know who we are yet. It was a good idea to introduce us with first names only, Duo. I almost gave myself away."
Wufei moved stiffly, standing to stretch once more. "You make it sound like we're on the run."
Trowa shrugged. "No, we're being cautious. We don't know how people are going to react. Remember not everyone is going to love us. We killed thousands of people. Some of /them/ are going to have relatives."
Heero glared at Trowa. "There is no need to remind us of what we've done, Trowa."
The green eyed youth shrugged again. "We fought in a war. It's what happens there. There are people out there, people we will have to deal with, people we will be attending classes with, who will paint it in a much more brutal light than I have."
"I know. We had no choice...there was no choice." Heero stood up, stretching his legs one last time.
Quatre's voice was barely audible, but its strength made them all feel better. "I know that... we know that. Keep that inside yourself and don't let go of it, Heero. We did what we had to do, and if the circumstances were the same, we'd do it again. No one owes us anything. But we can be safe in the knowledge that without us, everything would have been much much worse." Quatre stood up, suppressing a groan as his muscles protested. "I'm going to soak in a bath. And not one of you is going to stop me."
Duo chuckled softly. "I'm going to bed. I hardly slept last night. Wake me for dinner."
Trowa watched his comrades... no, his friends, though he wouldn't say that to them yet, go their separate ways. That feeling was still niggling at the back of his mind. There was something they weren't being told, something they didn't know and he frowned. He needed to be alone, because if there was one thing Trowa hated... it was being a puppet.
~~**~~ Kharba = Shit in Arabic
Hope you liked the chapter, tell me what you think!
~Arith
