'Please don't hate me for this.' The Heavyarms pilot pleaded silently with
his Arabic angel. He took a deep breath, calming himself, and hoping that
this wasn't going to confuse Quatre even more than he already was. On some
level he hoped it would help.
"I...I love you." Trowa stumbled over his words, eyes widening after realizing that he had actually said them. He looked at Quatre's back. He wasn't moving, no signs of response at all. He smacked himself internally, 'Why did I say that? What did I hope to accomplish with it?' He removed his hand and balled his fingers into fists, pressing the nails into the flesh. "G-gomen..." He turned around to leave the room, but was stopped by two small hands grabbing his wrist and uncurling his fingers, smoothing out the red crescent marks left on the palm. He turned to face him, staring down at his hand. Quatre looked up at him, and Trowa fixed his emerald eyes on the small boy's aqua ones. "Ai-Aishiteru." Quatre mumbled, then leaned up on his tipee toes and kissed Trowa lightly, much to his amazement.
Trowa smiled at Quatre once they had broken their first kiss for air. The Arabian rested his head on 03's shoulder; glad he finally got a chance to admit his feelings. Gently, Trowa started leading the blond over to the couch to sit down, hoping for all the world he would be able to help Quatre. The said blond smiled at the tall pilot of Heavyarms, and allowed himself to fall into what he hoped would be a peaceful sleep. He didn't think any nightmares could invade his dreams right now, when he felt so secure in Trowa's arms.
The smell of death was overwhelming. The sight of it was even worse. People were being carted away in wheelbarrows by the hundreds, new victims falling every day, every hour even. Women, children and men alike wondered the streets, pale shells of people, hanging by a thread onto life. Wounds and scabs cluttered their balmy skin, a most gruesome sight. Quatre blanched, eyes widening at the horrific scene before him. Suddenly the ground gave way and he sank into darkness. His eyes watered at the most horrible stench he had ever smelled. A tiny glow emitted from the band on his finger, but he paid it no attention, taking instead the opportunity to see where he was. He covered his mouth and bent over, heaving whatever was contained in his stomach forth. There were bodies. Millions of them. Decayed and rotting, some even fresh. He looked around him frantically, searching for a way out. He found nothing but brick walls. He looked onward, more walls. Catacombs. Suddenly something grabbed his ankles. He looked down to see hands covered in festering wounds pulling him downwards. Down into his grave of corpses...
His eyes snapped open. He found himself clinging to Trowa. Oddly enough he was shaking, and if he remembered correctly in his dream he had been shaking a great deal. Trowa silently wrapped his arms around Quatre's waist and sighed inwardly, he couldn't think of how to get rid of the ring and abolish Quatre's nightmares. Quatre shuddered visibly. "I...had another nightmare... Trowa, this ring's been around since possibly the beginning of time. But we can't let it make it though this generation...we can't!" Tears filled Quatre's eyes. "So many people were dead, Trowa..."
"I'm beginning to believe it can't be destroyed if it's been around for as long as you say it has." Quatre's eyes widened, not believing that Trowa was already giving up. Trowa looked down at Quatre; "I wasn't done. Maybe we can't destroy it, but what if we put it somewhere where it can never be found. Blast it into the sun or something."
Quatre shrugged. "That might work," he said thoughtfully. He would love to send the ring far away from him, but at the same time he wanted to hold on to it, for whatever insane reason he couldn't think of. The damned thing had already almost taken his life. So why did he still want to keep it? The answer to that he would probably never know.
He looked at his watch. The digital numbers read 6:23. His eyes widened, "We actually slept for quite a while. Seems you do well keeping me comfortable Trowa." He blushed slightly. Trowa smiled a little; "I guess so. For a while anywise." Quatre's smile faded, 'Yah, until the dreams.' He shuddered at the thought, then perked back up, "Well I slept better than I have since I found the damned thing, so you've got that going for you." Come to think of it, he'd had that cursed ring not even 24 hours. He blinked at the thought, "Damn...it works fast." Trowa raised an eyebrow, "Huh?"
"I've had those dreams, and almost died because of it..." Trowa shuddered slightly. "And I've barely had it for a day, if even that." Quatre nuzzled his head against Trowa's shoulder. 03 responded by tightening his arms around Quatre's waist. "I won't let it get you, Quatre." He made a silent promise he would do whatever it took to keep Quatre safe. No matter what the cost.
Quatre smiled ruefully, "If only I had a nickel for every time I heard that today." Trowa rolled his eyes and shook his head, "How many times will it take before you believe it?" He laughed, "I believe you'll try. I know all of you will, there's no doubt in my mind you won't."
Later that day, everyone was assembled in various seats, though somehow it ended up with Duo next to Heero, Quatre beside Trowa, and WuFei sitting between the two couples on a stool he'd brought in from the kitchen. Currently, Quatre was going into detail about his experiences since the ring, none of the encounters he revealed receiving a warm welcome from the four pilots the blond was talking to. Heero was the first to speak once Quatre finished off the detail of his last dream. "Apparently this ring has been around for a while. If I remember correctly, Quatre, the Bubonic Plague which you described occurred somewhere in the timeline of the 1400's. If it's truly been the cause of all the devastation you mentioned, then we either have to destroy it or, like Trowa said, send it somewhere it will never be found." 01 finished off his small speech when he saw Duo eager to say something. "Yeah, but Heero, if it's still around it'll continue to cause damage, even if people can't find it. I mean, who's to say it wasn't not in someone's hands during all the things Q mentioned? It coud'a just been buried under some rock for all we know. I'm all for destroying it entirely. But now the question is how exactly to do that."
Quatre looked thoughtful for a second before speaking up, "Every time I had my dreams, it was though I was standing there myself, looking at it. But I've never seen it, how could I know? It was almost as though I were looking through someone else's eyes. When I looked down at my hand once, I didn't really pay attention at the time, but not that I think about it.... it wasn't MY hand. It was someone else's..."
Trowa blinked, then understanding dawned in his eyes, and he nodded. "I...see." He looked down, thinking for a few long moments. His eyebrows furrowed in timing with jade orbs narrowing. Slowly, he shifted his gaze from the carpeting to the angelic blond boy beside him. "Quatre. You say the hand you looked at in your dream was not your own?"
Quatre nodded, "It was tanner than mine, and dirty, older too. There were scars from working with rocks it looked like, maybe a stonemason? Something along those lines. But it was a male in his 30s or 40s I'd say. He was wearing the ring as well."
Duo blinked. "That's weird, Quatre. Really weird." he looked at Heero, who was drumming his fingers, deep in thought. "So, you're saying you were kinda...like, someone else in your dream, Q? Sounds suspicious to me." Duo peered at Quatre out of the corners of his violet eyes. Heero slung his arm around Duo's shoulders and pondered on his thoughts more. "I don't know, Quatre. I don't know." said 01.
Quatre chewed on his lip, searching for a way to explain it. "No Duo...I was still me, it was like I was looking through someone else's eyes. I couldn't control any movements, whoever the man was, he was the one controlling it all."
WuFei raised his eyebrow, and narrowed his eyes. "I've grown to dislike that ring. I'm sure we all have." he picked up the golden band which had been left on the table, and turned it round and round in his hands, narrowing his eyes. "Perhaps we can use our Gundams against it?" Heero looked at the Chinese pilot. "Maybe. There haven't been Gundams in the past to destroy it."
Quatre seemed to perk up at this thought, "That's true, I never really thought of it that way before. Maybe we can destroy it after all." Trowa smiled a little at the Arabic's new found hope. Now maybe he could sleep a little better. Everyone agreed that they could somehow use their Gundams to destroy it, or at least to try. Now the new problem was to figure out how...
"Yeah!" Duo said, "If we all blast at it or somethin' at the same time, I think we could destroy it. I mean, there can't have been Gundams any farther back in history than about...twenty, twenty-five years. Whaddya say, Q-man?" he turned to the blond, an excited grin on his face.
Quatre smiled back in return, "I think it's worth a try. I guess we'll never know unless we try something new right? I mean after all, amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic." Everyone stared at him blankly. He sighed, his history references once again lost on the group. Duo blinked, "Q-man...you really need to get a hobby dude."
"The Titanic was called the Unsinkable Ship, but in 1912 it sank when it struck an iceberg. Almost all the passengers on the ship were either drowned inside the ship because they couldn't get out, or froze in the icy waters of the Arctic. The ark was built way back when, I guess kinda near the beginning of time, when a massive flood destroyed all life on earth, because people weren't kind to one another, among other things. Like I said, professionals built the supposed Unsinkable Ship, but amateurs built the ark, which stayed afloat for 40 days and 40 nights, with all kinds of animals on it, as well as people." Quatre explained to the other pilots, amazed that he was the only one who knew anything about the past. He glanced at Trowa as he shrugged. Duo blinked again, and shook his head. "I'll never remember all these things, Q."
The blond shook his head, "Duo, you of all people show know about Noah's ark, you were raised in a church." Duo shrugged, "Yah, but I never listened to anything I was told. When they figured that out they stopped trying. Well, Father Maxwell did anyways." WuFei rolled his eyes, "A simple no would suffice Duo, we don't need to hear your life's story." Duo grinned broadly and flipped him the middle finger. The Chinese pilot in turn narrowed his eyes, starting to get an idea of what that gesture really meant, contrary to what he had been told.
Duo snickered at Shenlong's pilot before frowning and pointing at the fridge. "We like, lack food. When're we gonna go out food shopping?" 02 looked at Heero and pouted. Heero shrugged and replied, "Whenever." The Japanese youth saw Duo's frown spread more over his face. He motioned to speak, but was interrupted by Quatre. "I'll go get some food for you, Duo." The blond stood from his chair.
Everyone turned to look at him and he blushed, "What? I could really use something to get my mind off of things." He held his palm out flat, "Whose got the keys?" Duo covered his pocket with his hand, "Nuh uh, no way man." Quatre laughed, "Don't worry, there's no way I'd ever ride your motorcycle." The American visibly relaxed, which caused Heero to snort in amusement. Trowa took the set out of his pocket, "I have them." Quatre smiled, "Great! That makes you the designated driver."
"Bring back pizza!" Duo called to Trowa and Quatre as they started for the door. Quatre chuckled at Duo, "We will." With that, he smiled at the three remaining pilots and closed the door.
"I...I love you." Trowa stumbled over his words, eyes widening after realizing that he had actually said them. He looked at Quatre's back. He wasn't moving, no signs of response at all. He smacked himself internally, 'Why did I say that? What did I hope to accomplish with it?' He removed his hand and balled his fingers into fists, pressing the nails into the flesh. "G-gomen..." He turned around to leave the room, but was stopped by two small hands grabbing his wrist and uncurling his fingers, smoothing out the red crescent marks left on the palm. He turned to face him, staring down at his hand. Quatre looked up at him, and Trowa fixed his emerald eyes on the small boy's aqua ones. "Ai-Aishiteru." Quatre mumbled, then leaned up on his tipee toes and kissed Trowa lightly, much to his amazement.
Trowa smiled at Quatre once they had broken their first kiss for air. The Arabian rested his head on 03's shoulder; glad he finally got a chance to admit his feelings. Gently, Trowa started leading the blond over to the couch to sit down, hoping for all the world he would be able to help Quatre. The said blond smiled at the tall pilot of Heavyarms, and allowed himself to fall into what he hoped would be a peaceful sleep. He didn't think any nightmares could invade his dreams right now, when he felt so secure in Trowa's arms.
The smell of death was overwhelming. The sight of it was even worse. People were being carted away in wheelbarrows by the hundreds, new victims falling every day, every hour even. Women, children and men alike wondered the streets, pale shells of people, hanging by a thread onto life. Wounds and scabs cluttered their balmy skin, a most gruesome sight. Quatre blanched, eyes widening at the horrific scene before him. Suddenly the ground gave way and he sank into darkness. His eyes watered at the most horrible stench he had ever smelled. A tiny glow emitted from the band on his finger, but he paid it no attention, taking instead the opportunity to see where he was. He covered his mouth and bent over, heaving whatever was contained in his stomach forth. There were bodies. Millions of them. Decayed and rotting, some even fresh. He looked around him frantically, searching for a way out. He found nothing but brick walls. He looked onward, more walls. Catacombs. Suddenly something grabbed his ankles. He looked down to see hands covered in festering wounds pulling him downwards. Down into his grave of corpses...
His eyes snapped open. He found himself clinging to Trowa. Oddly enough he was shaking, and if he remembered correctly in his dream he had been shaking a great deal. Trowa silently wrapped his arms around Quatre's waist and sighed inwardly, he couldn't think of how to get rid of the ring and abolish Quatre's nightmares. Quatre shuddered visibly. "I...had another nightmare... Trowa, this ring's been around since possibly the beginning of time. But we can't let it make it though this generation...we can't!" Tears filled Quatre's eyes. "So many people were dead, Trowa..."
"I'm beginning to believe it can't be destroyed if it's been around for as long as you say it has." Quatre's eyes widened, not believing that Trowa was already giving up. Trowa looked down at Quatre; "I wasn't done. Maybe we can't destroy it, but what if we put it somewhere where it can never be found. Blast it into the sun or something."
Quatre shrugged. "That might work," he said thoughtfully. He would love to send the ring far away from him, but at the same time he wanted to hold on to it, for whatever insane reason he couldn't think of. The damned thing had already almost taken his life. So why did he still want to keep it? The answer to that he would probably never know.
He looked at his watch. The digital numbers read 6:23. His eyes widened, "We actually slept for quite a while. Seems you do well keeping me comfortable Trowa." He blushed slightly. Trowa smiled a little; "I guess so. For a while anywise." Quatre's smile faded, 'Yah, until the dreams.' He shuddered at the thought, then perked back up, "Well I slept better than I have since I found the damned thing, so you've got that going for you." Come to think of it, he'd had that cursed ring not even 24 hours. He blinked at the thought, "Damn...it works fast." Trowa raised an eyebrow, "Huh?"
"I've had those dreams, and almost died because of it..." Trowa shuddered slightly. "And I've barely had it for a day, if even that." Quatre nuzzled his head against Trowa's shoulder. 03 responded by tightening his arms around Quatre's waist. "I won't let it get you, Quatre." He made a silent promise he would do whatever it took to keep Quatre safe. No matter what the cost.
Quatre smiled ruefully, "If only I had a nickel for every time I heard that today." Trowa rolled his eyes and shook his head, "How many times will it take before you believe it?" He laughed, "I believe you'll try. I know all of you will, there's no doubt in my mind you won't."
Later that day, everyone was assembled in various seats, though somehow it ended up with Duo next to Heero, Quatre beside Trowa, and WuFei sitting between the two couples on a stool he'd brought in from the kitchen. Currently, Quatre was going into detail about his experiences since the ring, none of the encounters he revealed receiving a warm welcome from the four pilots the blond was talking to. Heero was the first to speak once Quatre finished off the detail of his last dream. "Apparently this ring has been around for a while. If I remember correctly, Quatre, the Bubonic Plague which you described occurred somewhere in the timeline of the 1400's. If it's truly been the cause of all the devastation you mentioned, then we either have to destroy it or, like Trowa said, send it somewhere it will never be found." 01 finished off his small speech when he saw Duo eager to say something. "Yeah, but Heero, if it's still around it'll continue to cause damage, even if people can't find it. I mean, who's to say it wasn't not in someone's hands during all the things Q mentioned? It coud'a just been buried under some rock for all we know. I'm all for destroying it entirely. But now the question is how exactly to do that."
Quatre looked thoughtful for a second before speaking up, "Every time I had my dreams, it was though I was standing there myself, looking at it. But I've never seen it, how could I know? It was almost as though I were looking through someone else's eyes. When I looked down at my hand once, I didn't really pay attention at the time, but not that I think about it.... it wasn't MY hand. It was someone else's..."
Trowa blinked, then understanding dawned in his eyes, and he nodded. "I...see." He looked down, thinking for a few long moments. His eyebrows furrowed in timing with jade orbs narrowing. Slowly, he shifted his gaze from the carpeting to the angelic blond boy beside him. "Quatre. You say the hand you looked at in your dream was not your own?"
Quatre nodded, "It was tanner than mine, and dirty, older too. There were scars from working with rocks it looked like, maybe a stonemason? Something along those lines. But it was a male in his 30s or 40s I'd say. He was wearing the ring as well."
Duo blinked. "That's weird, Quatre. Really weird." he looked at Heero, who was drumming his fingers, deep in thought. "So, you're saying you were kinda...like, someone else in your dream, Q? Sounds suspicious to me." Duo peered at Quatre out of the corners of his violet eyes. Heero slung his arm around Duo's shoulders and pondered on his thoughts more. "I don't know, Quatre. I don't know." said 01.
Quatre chewed on his lip, searching for a way to explain it. "No Duo...I was still me, it was like I was looking through someone else's eyes. I couldn't control any movements, whoever the man was, he was the one controlling it all."
WuFei raised his eyebrow, and narrowed his eyes. "I've grown to dislike that ring. I'm sure we all have." he picked up the golden band which had been left on the table, and turned it round and round in his hands, narrowing his eyes. "Perhaps we can use our Gundams against it?" Heero looked at the Chinese pilot. "Maybe. There haven't been Gundams in the past to destroy it."
Quatre seemed to perk up at this thought, "That's true, I never really thought of it that way before. Maybe we can destroy it after all." Trowa smiled a little at the Arabic's new found hope. Now maybe he could sleep a little better. Everyone agreed that they could somehow use their Gundams to destroy it, or at least to try. Now the new problem was to figure out how...
"Yeah!" Duo said, "If we all blast at it or somethin' at the same time, I think we could destroy it. I mean, there can't have been Gundams any farther back in history than about...twenty, twenty-five years. Whaddya say, Q-man?" he turned to the blond, an excited grin on his face.
Quatre smiled back in return, "I think it's worth a try. I guess we'll never know unless we try something new right? I mean after all, amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic." Everyone stared at him blankly. He sighed, his history references once again lost on the group. Duo blinked, "Q-man...you really need to get a hobby dude."
"The Titanic was called the Unsinkable Ship, but in 1912 it sank when it struck an iceberg. Almost all the passengers on the ship were either drowned inside the ship because they couldn't get out, or froze in the icy waters of the Arctic. The ark was built way back when, I guess kinda near the beginning of time, when a massive flood destroyed all life on earth, because people weren't kind to one another, among other things. Like I said, professionals built the supposed Unsinkable Ship, but amateurs built the ark, which stayed afloat for 40 days and 40 nights, with all kinds of animals on it, as well as people." Quatre explained to the other pilots, amazed that he was the only one who knew anything about the past. He glanced at Trowa as he shrugged. Duo blinked again, and shook his head. "I'll never remember all these things, Q."
The blond shook his head, "Duo, you of all people show know about Noah's ark, you were raised in a church." Duo shrugged, "Yah, but I never listened to anything I was told. When they figured that out they stopped trying. Well, Father Maxwell did anyways." WuFei rolled his eyes, "A simple no would suffice Duo, we don't need to hear your life's story." Duo grinned broadly and flipped him the middle finger. The Chinese pilot in turn narrowed his eyes, starting to get an idea of what that gesture really meant, contrary to what he had been told.
Duo snickered at Shenlong's pilot before frowning and pointing at the fridge. "We like, lack food. When're we gonna go out food shopping?" 02 looked at Heero and pouted. Heero shrugged and replied, "Whenever." The Japanese youth saw Duo's frown spread more over his face. He motioned to speak, but was interrupted by Quatre. "I'll go get some food for you, Duo." The blond stood from his chair.
Everyone turned to look at him and he blushed, "What? I could really use something to get my mind off of things." He held his palm out flat, "Whose got the keys?" Duo covered his pocket with his hand, "Nuh uh, no way man." Quatre laughed, "Don't worry, there's no way I'd ever ride your motorcycle." The American visibly relaxed, which caused Heero to snort in amusement. Trowa took the set out of his pocket, "I have them." Quatre smiled, "Great! That makes you the designated driver."
"Bring back pizza!" Duo called to Trowa and Quatre as they started for the door. Quatre chuckled at Duo, "We will." With that, he smiled at the three remaining pilots and closed the door.