Quatre POV
The day Treize and I were to leave came much more quickly than I had imagined. I wasn't really excited about this trip, the group of mercenaries that I would be getting the weapons from had sold to us in the past and were... a rather unsavory group of characters. Besides, I was kind of enjoying watching Heero and Duo's relationship develop, it was, for lack of a better word, cute.
I knew from the very beginning that Heero was just what Duo needed. I mean, it was easy to see that Duo needed someone he could take care of, but also someone who could keep up with him, who was Duo's mental and physical match. It did surprise me a bit how fast Heero progressed in his training with Duo, he was already becoming quite a match for my friend when we left. I was happy for them, and it was adorable to watch them, always laughing and giving each other these loving looks. It was also funny to watch Duo, who was obviously in love with Heero, trying to keep it a secret from everyone around him. Meanwhile, it seemed that Heero was also obviously in love with Duo, but unsure of how to show it. I figured I'd let them try it out on their own for a bit, but if they weren't together by the time I came back I planned to give them a little nudge in the right direction.
I smiled to myself. It was good to see Duo so open with someone. Even though he and I had grown to be the best of friends, he still had problems opening up to me.
"What are you thinking about?" Treize asked from across the carrier. The maganacs had come to pick me up and, since it was on the way, Treize had decided to ride with me until we reached China's border, when he would take his own ship. The maganacs' vessel was a levi-ship, a ship powered by rock that had been spelled to float. The ships were much faster and more powerful than regular ships.
"Just how much of Duo's blossoming relationship I'll miss while I'm on this trip," I said, smiling at Treize, who sat on a couch across the room.
"Ah yes, they are rather entertaining, aren't they? Do you think they'll be together by the time we get back?"
"If they aren't I plan to give them a hand."
"Do you mean that literally?"
"You pervert!"
Treize laughed and got up to refill his drink at the bar. The room we were in was a type of lounge and was actually rather cozy. The floor had a large carpet on it and there was a window behind Treize. The rest of the ship was more rustic and I had a feeling these rooms had been furnished by one of my sisters. It wouldn't surprise me, really, since the maganacs had been working with my family for a very long time and had formed tight bonds with all my sisters and myself.
Treize took his drink, I was surprised to see that it was alcoholic, since Treize almost never dinks, and sat back down on the couch. He sighed and seemed to brood about something.
"What's the matter?" I asked him, feeling waves of anxiety coming off him.
"Oh? Um... Nothing. It's nothing, really."
"You know, if I were Duo, I'd slap you for lying like that."
Treize laughed, but I could still feel that he was anxious.
"It's just that... I really don't like going on these visits to China. I mean, it's a great country and they have the most beautiful gardens, but..."
"They don't place a whole lot of value on human life," I finished for him. I had known for a long time that this bothered Treize. In a country that had a population as low as Russia, even the lowliest scumbag's life had some value, but in a country where the population exceeded the country's supply of food... It just wasn't the same.
"You know the last time I was there they gave me a... well, a whore! Just put her in my room and told her that she was my property and she had to do whatever I told her to. I had to tell them I was gay so that the poor girl could be returned to her family."
"But you are bi, aren't you?"
"Well, yes, but that's not the point! How could they just do that to someone? It's not just! And they've started selling their people into slavery again! How could they?"
"Treize, you know China is having trouble feeding it's population. It's only the help of the dragons that keeps them from starvation. Any person out of the country is one less mouth to feed."
"I know, I just wish it could be different. If Haven could support more people right now I'd have them all shipped there."
"I think that's a little bit of an unrealistic goal."
"I suppose, I just wish there was something I could do."
"I know, but you have enough trouble running your own country, don't ask for more, not yet anyway."
"I guess you're right. I should head to bed, I'll be leaving you tomorrow."
"Don't remind me."
"Not eager to meet the mercenaries I see."
"It's just that... they're such a bunch of brutes. I feel like they're going to start... I don't know, eating bodies or something every time I'm around them."
"I see. Well, just don't let them smell your fear, I suppose. You've always been able to keep them in line before, I'm sure you'll have no trouble this time. Good night."
"Night," I said, then decided to turn in to bed also.
The next day I said goodbye to Treize as he went off to the emissaries of China and I headed to India with the maganacs.
I liked it on the ship with the maganacs; they were a little rough around the edges, but they were a nice bunch of guys. I missed them at the capitol, but I knew that they'd never be happy staying in one place for too long.
Everything was a bit boring after Treize left... Don't get me wrong, I mean, the maganacs were great, but everyone had something to do. Everyone, that is, except me. At least in Russia I had something to do, being one of Treize's most trusted advisors, I was given the job of helping him oversee the running of the country, mainly I met with foreign bureaucrats and discussed politics, but I was also helped Une with tactical maneuvers of the army. On the ship, I mainly just did whatever odd jobs were available, I spent a lot of time helping Akber in the kitchen.
Things did pick up a little once we made it to the meeting point; a small rural town in India. I was fairly busy, checking the cargo and bargaining the price, which, by the way, was a lot lower than Treize had allowed for. I also had to make sure none of the cargo was damaged in loading, which wasn't really even an aspect, since the maganacs were extremely careful. After that, since it was or final day in town, the some of the maganacs and the mercenaries went out to have "a night on the town" as it were. Rasid and I were just securing the last of the cargo when they came tottering by, drunk off their as-... butts. I frowned and Rasid must have caught my look.
"Don't worry, master Quatre, we leave tomorrow and I assure, the maganacs will not be drinking on the ship. They just need to... relax once in a while. And the Mercenaries are celebrating, though I'm not sure why. They've reunited with another section of their group that had went in search of some kind of wreck, or so I've heard."
"Well that certainly sounds like cause for celebration."
"Yes, however, they underestimated how many people would be getting on the ship and over estimated how much room they would have. They're having a hard time finding paces for everyone. The last I heard, they were trying to add another section to the ship."
"I see. That's a shame, but... I still can't say I care for the mercenaries, even if they are just celebrating."
"I feel the same, but I believe they are harmless. At least, they are when they're being paid. Don't worry, they are no match for the maganacs," he said, his tone showing pride in the band he had put together. I smiled at him.
"Of course not. Still, the further away they are the happier I'll be."
"We'll be gone by noon tomorrow," Rasid said as we walked back toward the ship. On the way, we passed the drunken group and I couldn't help but overhear what they were saying.
"Hey boys," hiccupped one of the mercenaries, "Wanna have some fun? We kin leave ou' the kid for ya!"
"Yeh, you kin have Nana-... Nanish-... Nanashi. 'E's a lot of fun, if'n ya know what I mean!"said another, they all started laughing uproariously, though I'm sure most of them couldn't tell what they were laughing at.
"Heh, we'll even put him out for ya..." another one said as the group disappeared around the corner. I shuddered. The sooner we left, the better.
The next day was a scorcher. I had forgotten just how hot India could be in the summer. Rasid made me put on sun block before he'd let me outside, but it was a bit understandable. With my fair skin I would have probably burned in about ten minutes in that sun.
It took a few hours to get the ship back in the air. Lots of valves needed checked and other procedures they had needed to be done, the maganacs were very careful about their ship and it was one of the best maintained in the country. I had a lot to do that day, helping with the checks, but I kept having this feeling that someone was in trouble, I just couldn't get a good sign of where it was coming from.
The very last checks had to be made from outside the ship, the gages were under a panel on the hull of the ship. I reminded myself, again, to thank Rasid for making me put on sun screen and giving me the water bottle. I was sweating so much I wasn't sure I'd be able to hold the rope when I climbed down. It didn't help when, midway through my climb, I finally got a good signal as to where the person in need was. When I got to the ground I turned in the direction I had felt the burst of pain. The only thing I could see in that direction was a large boulder.
"Master Quatre," I heard Arif's voice call, "Come out of the sun."
"Arif, could you do me a favor?" I asked.
"Of course."
"Go check around that boulder, I keep getting the funny feeling there's someone over there."
"Of course, Master Quatre," Arif said, though he didn't look very convinced. However, he did as I asked, the maganacs had been around me long enough to know about my empathic abilities.
I went to get my water bottle refilled, certain that Arif would be able to take care of whomever it was. Which is why I was so surprised when I came back out to find several of the maganacs grouped around the boulder, including Rasid.
"Rasid," I called, "What's the mat-..."
I stopped dead. The group had parted to let me through and, at the center, revealed a boy tied to the boulder. His long arms were stretched above his head with a piece of leather connected to the top of the rock. His legs were tied stretched apart, one piece of a coarse looking rope wrapped around each knee, then around the rock, pulling them up and apart. His outfit was also made of leather. It was just small pieces of black leather, the worst color to wear in a desert, tied together in a costume that left most of his chest and legs exposed and left little else to the imagination. The skin that wasn't covered was burned a deep red, and what worried me more was that he was sweating very little, a sure sign of dehydration. His hair covered half his face, so that only one green eye peaked out from beneath his bangs. I was glad to see that eye was open, meaning he was conscious, but he seemed lethargic, another bad sign.
"What the hell!" I growled, startling the others, "Cut him down!"
"Of course," Rasid said, seeming to come out of his startled state and pulling out a knife. The boy saw the gleam of the knife and began to struggle, tearing the skin of his wrists so that blood dribbled down his arm. Slowly, as not to startle him, I knelt beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. He was so hot!
"It's alright," I said slowly, hoping he could hear me, "We're not going to hurt you."
The boy looked at me and, though I'm not sure if it was because he trusted me or because he was simply too exhausted to resist anymore, he stopped struggling. When Rasid finally cut through his bonds, he slumped down and I barely caught him before he fell forward.
"Abu," I called, "Go get me some spiced water, no ice."
Abu immediately raced to the ship as I set the boy up. The others, however, were not nearly so helpful. They all began talking at once.
"Where did he come from?"
"How did he get here?"
"What was he doing dressed like that?"
"What should we do with him?"
"Think he has family in the village?"
"Could he have been with those mercs?"
"I bet he was!"
"Should we return him?"
"How? We can't just go racing off after them going, 'Here, you forget your whore.'"
"They probably left him, didn't they say they didn't have enough room for everyone?"
"We could just leave him here, I'm sure the village could..."
"Enough!" I shouted, startling everyone into silence. I was sick of hearing them guess who this boy was when he was obviously in need of help. My reaction was enough to startle them so that they were quiet when Abu returned with the water. I sat the boy back against the rock again, poured a bit of it into the top of the container, and held it to his lips.
"Here," I told him quietly, "Drink this."
The boy seemed to at least notice me as I held the cup up to his lips and gently poured a few drops into his mouth. He swallowed once, then turned his head away.
"Hey," I cooed, "Don't worry, it's spiced water, it won't make you sick. Take a little more." The boy turned his head back and stared at me a moment, both his green eyes were exposed at this angle and they bored into me like they were trying to read my soul. Then I tilted the cup back up and his attention went back to swallowing.
"Rasid, we need to get him to my room," I said, taking charge of the situation, "Abu, Abdul, go see if you can find the doctor and bring him to my room. Arif, go get some ice packs from the icebox, get some help if you need to, but bring them to my room as soon as you can. The rest of you, prepare the ship, our departure will not be delayed if we can help it."
The group broke up as everyone rushed off to their appointed task.
"Master Quatre, are you sure it's a good idea to put him in your room?" Rasid asked, frowning slightly. I sighed, I had been ready for this argument.
"My bed is at least twice the size of everyone else's and there are no empty beds. And my room is the only one with its own bathroom, or did you think I didn't notice?" I asked and Rasid had the good graces to look abashed.
"Your sister... was very adamant that you have your own room. She payed for everything."
"I know that, or I would have protested it. Jade can be a bit pushy, can't she?" I asked smiling. Rasid smiled back weakly, then lifted the boy from my arms and began to walk toward the ship.
"Still, he could be some kind of assassin. I don't think you should be alone with him..."
"I can take care of myself, Rasid," I warned.
"Of course you can," he said, but I could tell he wasn't going to willingly leave me alone with the stranger; the maganacs are protective like that.
When we got to the room, Rasid put the boy into my bed. The first thing I noticed was that his outfit was biting into his skin, probably had been the entire time he was out there.
"Rasid, could you give me your knife. I've got to get him out of these clothes."
"If that's what you'd like to call them," Rasid mumbled as he handed me the knife.
"Could you get me some of Abu's clothes, too?" I asked, deciding that it might make the boy nervous to have someone as big as Rasid in the room while he was naked. "They look about the same size, right?"
Rasid frowned but nodded and headed for the door. I pushed back the boy's hair to check for fever. I was upset to find that, even though his forehead wasn't burnt, it was very hot.
Having decided that his clothes had to go, I knelt down beside the boy and pulled up one strap of the leather. The boy's hand shot out and grabbed my wrist with startling accuracy. When I looked at him his eyes were wild and frightened. Of course, I could understand why. He'd been tied to a rock, probably had heatstroke, and now a man was trying to cut off his clothes? It would be a bit much for anyone.
"Calm down," I told him softly, "I'm not going to hurt you, I just have to get these straps off you, they must hurt."
Slowly the boy let go of my wrist, but his eyes never left my hand as I cut away his clothes. His skin was still burning hot and the outfit had caused deep welts on the unburnt parts. There was dried sweat and sand all over him, but for the time being I was mainly worried about getting him cooled down, a shower would have to wait until later.
I reveled in how white the skin under the leather was; it was a milky white, lighter than mine even. I blushed as I pulled the rest of his costume off; he wasn't wearing anything underneath.
The loss of his costume also revealed how thin he really was. I mean, he had looked underfed before, but without the costume he looked down right skeletal. He was nothing but skin and bones; his hips, collar bone, and ribs all stuck out profusely.
Underneath my bedside table was a small jug of spiced water for just such an emergency, I pulled it out and poured some into a cup sitting on my table. Slowly, as not to make him dizzy, I lifted the boy, holding his head and pouring the liquid into his mouth. After he had taken a few sips, I leaned him back against the bed and put the glass aside.
Rasid came back with the clothes then and, after handing back his knife, I immediately sent him back out to see what was taking so long with the ice. I decided that the only thing I could put on the boy was a light cotton pair of Abu's short, since everything else would only add to the boy's fever. Trying to get the shorts on the unresponsive boy was difficult, not to mention embarrassing.
When I turned back to him, his eyes were closed and I couldn't tell if he was asleep or unconscious, but I decided that it would be best to keep him from doing either until the doctor arrived.
"Hey," I said, shaking him slightly, ever careful of the burns, "don't go to sleep yet."
I was relieved to see the boy's eyes open and move to my face.
"What's your name?" I asked, though I really didn't think he'd be able to answer me, so I wasn't too disappointed when he didn't. My main reason for speaking was to keep him from going to sleep, so it didn't really matter if he answered me or not.
"My name's Quatre. Quatre Rababera Winner. You're on the maganacs' ship, The Pride. Where are you from?" I asked and again, received no answer. I sighed, this was getting me no where and the boy seemed to be slipping back to sleep again.
"Do you think you can take some more water?" I asked and, this time, the boy nodded, acknowledgment that he heard me. I smiled and helped him sit up. This time, he managed to get his hand up and around the glass, but he couldn't hold it by himself and just that little motion left him shaking with exertion.
Again, I let the boy fall back against the bed while I put aside the cup. This time, though, he didn't fall asleep while I was turned away. Instead, I turned back to find him staring at me, or, at least, in my general direction. A moment later, Arif and a few other maganacs came bustling into the room and he turned to look at them.
"Sorry about the wait, boss, but some of the cargo slipped in front of the icebox door and we had to move it before we could get in," Arif said as they all began putting ice in strategic places around the boy's body. Ice went around his neck, under his arms, and on his groin. The boy jumped when they stuck the ice between his legs, causing everyone to laugh, but otherwise was very sedate, though I could feel that he was uncomfortable about being surrounded like that.
Once they had finished, the maganacs hurried out of the room to finish preparing to leave. I pulled the sheet back over the boy's body, shielding it from the few rays of sun the sneaked in through my window. I then pulled a chair next to the bed and sat down, holding the boy's hand and talking to him in low tones, trying to keep him awake.
The doctor bustled in a few minutes later. He was an odd man, he always seemed to have three things going at once. He was kind and gentle, like most doctors, but he moved with purpose, like he always had something to do. Not to say that he rushed anything, he was infinitely patient, just to say that he always had something to do. Really, I didn't even know the man's name, everyone just called him Doc.
"Well, well, Master Quatre, picking up strays, now are we?" he said, slipping a thermometer into the boy's mouth, "I thought that was Duo's job."
"I assume you've heard about Heero then?" I asked, as the doctor picked up the boy's wrist to check his pulse, then peeled back one eyelid and examined his eye.
"Of course, how could I not? Everyone's talking about the, 'strange young man with beautiful blue eyes.' What do you think of him?" Doc asked, flipping up the blanket to make sure the ice was in the right place. The action startled the boy and he jumped, I could feel the anxiety flowing off him, so I moved and took the hand I had dropped to make room for Doc's examination.
"I think it's wonderful that Duo's found someone that can keep up with him. Heero's a lot more grounded than Duo is, maybe he can keep him out of trouble," I said as the doctor pulled the thermometer out of the boy's mouth and peered at it.
"104," he proclaimed, "Not too bad. I think, for right now, the best thing to do would be to keep him in bed and let him rest. Someone will have to watch him, I think you can do that, and make sure he gets plenty of fluid," Doc said, closing my blinds and shutting off the lights, "You have some spiced water, I see, that's good. He can have as much as he wants, but keep it room temperature, no ice. Nothing to eat, either, I don't want him vomiting and complicating things. Maybe tomorrow we can start him off with something light," he said, packing up his things and heading for the door, "Those burns also need dealt with, but that can wait until tomorrow, I'll make up a lotion for them. Oh! And a shower tomorrow morning, if he's up to it, though he'll need some help. I don't want him out of your sight, Quatre. I'll be back later to check on him, until then just keep him cool, calm, and quiet, but I think he should be alright as soon as he cools down. If his temperature goes up any more make sure you call me. I left a thermometer on the table. I'll be in my office if you need me."
And with that, he was gone and I was alone with the strange boy with those beautiful green eyes.
I sat down in the chair next to the bed. It was a plush chair and extremely comfortable, so I would have no problem sitting there for most of the night. Again, I found the boy's eyes on me. I reached out and took his hand in mine, running my thumb over his knuckles. I couldn't imagine how frightened he must be, sick and amongst strangers.
The boy's eyes slowly gravitated from my face down to our interlocked hands, then back to my face. I smiled at him, I could see that he was tired, but his eyes were open wide. I could feel that he was still upset by Doc's visit. It took a while for me to calm him by talking to him quietly and humming a bit, but eventually his eyes closed and his breathing evened out in sleep.
Once I was fairly certain he was asleep, I got a book to read and settled down in the chair, only moving to take his temperature, which he barely came awake for, and give him something to drink, after which he would fall right back to sleep.