Duo's Child

Chapter 6

Monday arrived pretty soon and both Duo and Uno were non-amazingly still asleep. As each opened their eyes to daze into the posters of Deathscythe on the ceiling, a knock was heard at the door. Duo looked over, also noting that Uno had just woken up, and began.

"Yeah?" Duo asked.

"Duo…how long are you two going to sleep?" The voice was Quatre's.

"We're just getting up. Give us about half an hour."

"Alright."

Duo looked down at Uno as she sat up. She rubbed her eyes and smiled at him. Duo smiled back and hugged her tightly. He then stood from his bed and began heading towards his dresser. He knew Quatre was anxious to begin teaching Uno, especially at—Duo glanced at the clock—one in the afternoon. He turned and tossed Uno some clothes as she began stepped up to him.

Quatre was sitting in the living room with Trowa as WuFei stormed into view. Quatre blinked.

"Hello WuFei."

"Hn, that baka up yet?"

"Duo? No, he's just now dressing." Quatre pondered. "Why?"

"Because he scratched my bike! I ought to go touch his damn vet if he thinks he can own the damn driveway." WuFei removed his sword from his belt.

"You better have not even come near to that thing." Duo entered with Uno on his back. "I swear I'll hurt you if you do."

"God." WuFei rolled his eyes and left the room. Duo faced Quatre and smiled.

"About time you two get up." Quatre spoke.

"Yeah well…I'm tired and Uno too I guess. So…what you gonna' teach our little devil?" Duo asked, mentioning Uno.

"The same thing I want you to join in on…" Quatre began walking towards the dining area. "Manners."

Duo froze. "What the…you don't think I got manners? Shit…some rudeness I get."

Quatre poked his head out from around the corner. "Watch your mouth Duo."

Duo sweat dropped. "Uh…heh heh…oops." He followed.

Once in the dining room, Duo found Quatre by the kitchen door with a plate of utensils on hand. Duo set Uno down on the ground and watched as Quatre began.

"Okay, Uno…setting the table is a big part of helping out for the family." Duo reddened some as he spoke of family and since everyone pretty much was the family combined.

"Okay." Uno nodded.

"Now, setting the table when told is good, but you should try and help out before you are told to do whatever the helping course of action is." Quatre moved to the table and set down the plate. "Now I will begin by teaching you the proper placements of table setting. Then after that, table manners; I think by then Duo will be paying attention."

Duo snapped out of his sudden daze at the sound of his name, "What?"

"Hm," Quatre smirked and looked back at Uno; Duo knew Quatre was dead serious, because the blonde looked unhappy right then. He sat up and began paying attention.

"Okay." Uno sat down on her knees on a chair besides Quatre.

"Okay, to begin, the plate sits in the center of all visual things. Like so…notice how there are two plates stacked together; this is because usually meals contain two courses and without having to get another plate or clean off the first, once the top, or place plate—which is usually the appetizer—is removed by the staff or host or whoever, the second plate—which is larger by an in all around—is used as the dinner plate. Now there is a difference in formal setting and informal setting. I will teach you both because formal is more important and informal is when you are just with one other person and no absolute…occurrence." Quatre watched his words to try and make better sense of his teachings.

"I'm watchin' ya too, don't worry. Formal and informal; I got ya," Duo winked.

"Good, because you will be taking the test as well, Duo." Quatre smirked some and faced Uno again. Duo swallowed the heavy load that was stuck in his throat because Quatre was acting like an actual parent to Uno and himself.

"Now…on both, formal and informal table setting, the place fork is set right besides the plate to your left with the salad fork directly after that." Quatre placed his utensils down and watched Uno follow her moves; Duo just watched.

"Wat's the difference between fowmal and infowmal?" Ask Uno.

"Formal has more objects; though many may not get used, it's still best to set them there," Quatre answered. "Now, on the right side of the plate is different for each setting. Informal and formal both have the place knife set to the right of the plate, but formal has a place spoon set just besides the knife. Now informal skips to the last utensil on the right side, which is the tea spoon."

"Alwight," Copied Uno.

"Well, now you're somewhat finished. Remove the place spoon," Quatre lifted up the spoon, "and it's informal. But place it back down and it's not. Formal setting also has utensils at the top of the plate. Directly at the top and aimed to the right, is a dessert fork. Just on top of that and aimed to the left is the dessert spoon."

"How do I know the diffewence?"

"At times you wouldn't, but some silverware has a different spoon for each. Okay, now on the top of those dessert utensils and just to the left a little is another plate—smaller—and placed sitting on top—not on the table before or after it—is the butter knife. Now remember the butter knife isn't placed in the center of the plate, but rather more towards the top."

"There's a lot to know just to set a table." Duo yawned.

"Duo…don't do that. That's lousy table manners." Quatre warned.

Duo froze and blinked, "Um…sorry."

"Hm…" Quatre looked back at Uno. "You think you understand so far?"

"Yes."

"Alright, then let's continue. I'm now going to explain to you in better terms that you may want to learn over the easy way; this will also explain anything you have question over…" Quatre faced Duo who was slumped on his arm. "When setting a table, designate each plate using either the dinner plate, the place plate, or a napkin. The plate determines the position of the silverware that will be used for the main course."

"Okay." Uno nodded.

"If a place plate is used, it serves as the perfect place for the napkin. Now remember, these rules I am teaching you are to be used only at dinners of the most formal occasions ever. For example, eating dinner with the Vice Foreign Minister, then you act like a princess. However, I'm sure she may teach you the proper ideals for that." Quatre smirked and looked at Duo; Duo blinked not knowing what Quatre was talking about with Relena teaching Uno anything.

"Alright, so…where were we? Place the bread plate, or roll plate, with the butter knife—the knife-edge will be to the outside—on top of it, to the left of the place plate. The different pieces of silverware are arranged from the inside out. The dinner knife is on the right side with the edge to the inside, the fork is on the left. Again, place the silverware in relation to either to the place plate or to the dinner plate. Now, if soup is served, place the soupspoon to the outside of the dinner knife, on the right. Then, place the silverware for dessert above the plate. The fork handle should point to the left while the spoon handle points to the right. You with me so far?" Quatre looked over and found Uno copying what he was doing.

"I think so," Uno looked at him.

"Alright, but these two knives are mixed up." Quatre fixed her placement of knives. "There, remember the butter knife has a more flattened edge to it than the dinner knife."

"Okay."

"Now assuming you're old enough to even drink whine—which you're no where near, but at balls and parties of formal occasions they will have it--place the glass for the wine that accompanies the main course directly above the tip of the dinner knife, on the right."

"Hey…would it be wrong to let her taste some? Just a thought," Duo asked.

"Duo…it's illegal. Though it is good to have at least a little whine each day to cleanse the body, it is very bad for a five-year-old to even taste a sip of it."

Duo sweat-dropped, "You're taking this to the extreme." Duo looked away and mumbled. Quatre eyed him and returned to Uno.

"So, this setting has been made for the following menu: a cold fish hors d'oeuvre, soup, a main course with meat, and cheese for dessert. The silverware for the cheese is above the plate; the knife handle points to the right; the cheese forks handle points to the left. The glass for the white wine—for the fish course—is to the right and below the glass for the red wine—for the main course. This was also the first setting I learned so that's why I feel more comfortable when you learn it sooner." Quatre sat leaned back in his chair and faced her again. "Okay, and to recap some things, position the stemware according to the sequence in which the different wines are to be served. The stemware is positioned after everything else, including the napkins, is in place. Position the glass for the wine served with the main course directly above the tip of the knife. This glass is sometimes called the "guide" glass. If a drink is served prior to the meal, that glass will be positioned in front of the "guide" glass. The after dinner drink will stand behind the "guide" glass. Position the glasses so that the guest will be able to reach each without having to maneuver around any of the other glasses at his place. Put no more than four glasses next to each setting. You may need some additional glasses. If two different white wine selections are offered, two different glasses are required. The guest should be able to enjoy each wine separately."

Uno blinked.

"Make sense at all?" Quatre shrugged.

Uno shook her head and Duo just stared blankly at him. Quatre giggled.

"Well…I guess we can continue on to manners."

Both Duo and Uno nodded with eyes wide open and mouths ajar.

Heero stepped into the library and flexed his muscles against the cool air that attacked his skin. He looked over to see Trowa reading again, but this time sitting on the window seat. He sat down in a new Victorian armchair Quatre just purchased.

"Quatre teaching them?" Asked Trowa.

"Yeah. He's forcing Duo to learn with him," Heero smirked.

"Heh." Trowa smirked as well. "I think Uno's come a long way in these three months. So suddenly she learned how to read and she is just beginning to learn how to write. I believe she will be ready to attend school."

"I feel that as well; the only problem is, she will be in kindergarten unless she can pass the entry and skip level exam." Heero stated, loading his library laptop; he just happened to have one for each room it seemed.

"What's on it?" Trowa asked, looking over to rest his eyes from reading.

"Math that she hasn't yet learned." Heero typed in a few keys and turned to Trowa's direction.

"Hm…well, she may surprise us again. You never know." Trowa returned to his book.

"Is Duo planning on having the girls teach Uno?"

"I don't think so, but I know he should. I feel Hildie will at least, but I'm not so sure about Relena, Dorothy, Catherine, and anybody else."

"I thought he said he was going to look into it once we're finished teaching her," Heero thought for a moment. "And once Wufei does as well."

Both Trowa and Heero smirked.

"Alright Uno," Quatre began again, "table manners, 101."

Uno blinked and shrugged.

"Hm…I'll just list what you need to know; I'd say it's for children but Duo doesn't follow them as well."

"…" Duo glared Quatre and sat back in his chair, sluggishly.

"Duo…sit straight; posture is one manner," Quatre warned.

"Hn," Mocked Duo.

"Or no supper," Quatre smirked. Duo sat up and Uno looked at him; she then returned to Quatre. "Rule number one: wash your hands before eating any meal at the dinner table…better yet, before eating anything at all; you don't want to have dirty hands feeding you food."

Uno blinked, "But I grew up like that."

"Heh…can't fight that, Quatre. We both grew up like that…'cept me more." Duo grinned, rubbing Uno's back.

"…Like I was saying," Glared Quatre; this caused Duo to freeze. "Step two: leave toys, books, and pets behind. Mostly animals; it's not right to have an animal around food because you will have animal fur flying around as you eat. Step three: when you sit down, place the napkin down on your lap. Now we may not do that, but it is the right thing to do."

"Do I still have to do that?"

"No," Answered Duo; He received another glare from Quatre. "Because this weekend I'm putting you in a public school and acting like a proper rich snob will only get you beat up."

"Duo!" Uno giggled as Quatre stood and shouted.

"Look! It's true, alright?! And Uno's going to a public school because all the richy ones are stuck up and snobby!!! Just look at Relena if you don't believe me! Ask Heero, he would know—he went to school with her a few times!!!" Quatre sat down at Duo's sudden outburst of explanations and looked up at Heero who was slowly—due to Duo's remarks—walking by the room.

"Heero—"

"Duo's right, Quatre. Uno going to a posh school is all right but she won't get the friends she needs for her age. And being from Duo, she needs to have a childhood and not be forced to sit properly and talk correctly," Heero exited the room.

Duo smirked and Quatre frowned; he knew Heero was right. Uno just sat there, blinking away, being very confused.

"…I'm lost." Uno spoke. Duo chuckled and hugged her some; Uno still blinked in question as she was hugged.

"Well…it's the right thing to do anyways. But let's continue…um…where was I? Nevermind, let's just continue. Um…the next thing you need to remember is…sitting up straight and not to slouch!!!" Quatre raised his voice and sparked fright in Duo's eyes.

"Sorry!!!" Duo sweat-dropped.

"Good," Quatre smiled; he was about to murder the poor baka. "Now, you ask politely for dishes to be served and never reach over the table, especially over somebody else who's eating; that's just rude. Before you do anything, you wait until everybody is seated and served before eating because eating before they have the right is rude as well. Now some families say grace before they eat and while doing so, you wait until the prayer is over to eat and you don't giggle or laugh or do anything else during it. Grace is a prayer to God—doesn't matter which—that thanks him—or her—for giving you the food you will be soon after eating."

"Okay." Uno nodded.

"You keep your elbows off the table," Quatre shoved Duo's arms off the table. "You never chew with your mouth open and you never talk with your mouth full of food; it's completely rude. And just because you see Duo doing it at times defiantly means not to do it."

Quatre giggled as Duo inner breathed, acting hurt and placing his hand over his chest.

"Don't bang your silverware and when you're not using them, place them nicely on the side of your plate. If using butter, slice butter with the butter knife and put it on your butter plate or another plate; never remove the butter knife from the butter plate and remain holding it, okay? Don't wave your utensils around…it's wrong. And even though Heero may put his knife in his mouth when he eats something, don't do that."

Quatre looked up as Heero stepped up to the table with an apple and took out his combat knife. He then cut a small portion of the apple with his knife and stuck it inside his mouth, knife as well. Heero then removed the knife from his mouth and ate the apple.

"Don't do that Uno…Heero's got a suicidal tendency…you don't want to die as much as he does." Duo spoke, smirking.

"…Good apple." Heero swallowed and looked at the apple. He then faced back to Uno and the others and licked the knife as he was returning to the hallway he emerged from long ago.

Uno giggled.

"Uno…don't do that…not unless you're a trained specialists like him." Duo rolled his eyes, yet a part of him was surprised Heero acted human just then.

Quatre giggled as well.

"Well…where were we?" Quatre cleared his throat and continued. "Never play with your food—I think I covered that already. Um, never grab food from people's plates. Now with you and Duo, it may be an exception, but not all the time and only you and him."

Duo and Uno nodded and grinned at each other as Quatre rolled his eyes and continued again. "If…and knowing you're being raised by Duo, you want seconds…or even thirds—"

"Or fourths!!!" Grinned Duo.

"…Or fourths," Smirked Quatre, "ask. Ask to be excused from the table before leaving and don't just get up and walk away. Even if you're going to return, you do that. And lastly, what you and Duo should both learn is clear your plate from the table and bring it to the kitchen. Usually it's best to clean it and put it away, but soaking it in the sink is good enough for even me."

"Oh my goodness!" Duo gasped, joking. "Hahaha…sorry Quatre!"

Quatre rolled his eyes. "Uh huh…if there's bones on the plate, leave the plate on the side of the sink to later be taken care of and cleaned. Got it?"

Uno and Duo nodded.

"Good…because we're still not through yet.

Heero returned to the library eating the apple with his knife. He sat down and smirked. Trowa questioned him.

"Heero?"

"I stepped by when Quatre was explaining not to eat with knives."

"Did you learn from it?" Trowa smirked.

"Hell no." Heero tossed the core of the finished apple into the garbage besides the table. Trowa shook his head chuckling slightly and returned to his book.

"I don't think Quatre's going to use the entire week to teach Uno." Trowa began.

"Why?"

"Well…most of what he's planned is by topics and is all marked down on certain days. He has the last two days empty I believe."

"Gives more time for Duo to be stupid then." Heero rebooted his computer. "Shit."

"Uno," Quatre began. "There are more table manners than that. Always eat with a fork unless your food if meant to be picked up by hand. Never stuff your mouth with food, it's gross and you could possible choke easier. Don't make rude comments about the food being served and if you must, say is to a whisper that nobody else can hear and only to another person you know has nothing to do with the host. Always be kind and say thank you when receiving your food. If the meal is not a buffet, then you must wait until everybody is served to begin eating. Eat slowly and even though Duo said that to you already—I presume—and even though in a war," Quatre faced Duo, "you don't have all the time you wish to eat, don't eat fast. You not only can make yourself choke, but you also make yourself full quicker and you get hungry sooner than normal."

"Wight." Uno nodded; Duo watched her.

"Now…if eating a roll, break off a piece to nibble off of or eat completely; if you eat it when it's whole, it looks tacky. Something for Duo, never pick food out of your teeth at the table. If you must, excuse yourself to the restroom and use a toothpick to remove the excess food. When the napkin is placed on your lap and you need to use it, do so but only to dap your mouth; if you want to wipe your face or blow your nose, excuse yourself to the restroom and do it there. If eating at somebody else's home, always thank them by saying how delicious the food was—even if it sucked; show appreciation."

"Haha! What if it was so bad it made you puke?!" Duo asked; Uno giggled.

"Then you use the excuse you have a cold." Quatre giggled. "Now being kind like that will go a long ways because if this is a friend's parents, you want to make excellent impressions towards them. Now…finally for the day I'll explain to you table manners for usual dinner meals. And to start, once you get to the table, you never sit until the host says you may or when he sits. These are just a few more for formal parties."

Uno and Duo nodded.

"Um…I may end up repeating myself, but it's good to be reminded." Quatre sweat-dropped. "Alright, Never begin eating until the rest of the people have their food or after you say grace with everybody; some families don't say grace so you may skip to begin eating."

"Sounds like me," Duo smirked.

"Usually, the food is passed to the right when handed at the beginning and you never keep the plate of food until the far right end and up to you have their food; then you may hold on to the plate. Here's something for Duo, never take a lot of food because you may not like it; always take little portions and return afterwards for more."

Duo grinned, "So now I can't pig out?"

"No."

"Damn," Duo dropped his head.

"Watch your mouth, Duo," Quatre warned; Duo sweat-dropped. "If you don't want a particular food item they have out, just pass it on without saying anything; you don't want to bring it up. If they ask you about it, just simply—and kindly—say that 'the food looks good but you don't think you'll have any" then finished by saying, "thank you anyways."

"Wow…pure kindness," Duo smirked. "Something Relena needs to be taught."

"Keep the table and table cloth as clean as possible by not placing bones or excess food on it; you place those on your plate. Never spit anything out that is in your mouth; if you dislike what you have tried, quietly use your napkin and hide it inside there. Never burp; it is a very rude thing."

"It is?" Duo blinked.

"Quite. Though in Japan, you burp after meals to express how decent the food was, but you never burp anyways else. I doubt even Heero does that, but go to Heero for Japanese table manners; not me."

Uno watched the conversation carry on between Duo and Quatre and slumped back in the chair.

"Uno," Uno bolted up and looked at Quatre; Quatre smirked. "Once you received your food, say your thanks. If you would like something that you cannot reach, you ask kindly for another to assist you; say if I wanted a bowl of peas but it was too far away from me, I would say "would you please pass the peas?"

"Okay," Remarked Uno.

"Hey Quatre…how you gonna' test her?"

"I'll test you both by eventually seeing if you improve over time…and if I ever have to attend another feast; I will then invite you—probably Uno."

Uno smirked and spat her tongue out at Duo. "Put that back inside before I yank it out," Duo glared. Uno giggled.

"Keeping up to pace with how others eat is a good thing to do. You don't want to eat too fast and you don't want to eat too slowly. Pay attention to how they eat; of course, if they didn't take as much as you, they may be finished sooner so don't rush to catch up with them. Never touch your nose, hair, teeth, or anything else that should be done in the restroom; like I said before, if you need to do one of these things, excuse yourself kindly and part your way to the bathroom." Quatre cleared his throat. "Well, you think you got it all down?"

"Yes!" Uno smiled.

"I think so," Duo shrugged. "Just the same shit Professor G tried to have me learn when I was younger."

"I take it you failed that?" Quatre asked, cleaning up the table.

"I don't know, really; all he did was roll his eyes and walk away from me," Duo thought for a moment.

Heero looked asleep in the library when Duo entered. His head was in his arms and resting on the table besides his laptop. Duo snickered and tiptoed over to the sleep boy. Just as he was about to poke Heero in the ear, something lashed out.

"Don't you dare touch me, Duo," Heero warned.

Duo backed away, slowly. "How'd you know?"

"I could see your feet entering through the doors." Heero stated and Duo noticed him pointing at the door from under his arm. Heero raised his head and saw Uno behind Duo. The braids were terrifyingly the same.

"I think she passed for the day," Duo smiled.

"Let me guess…you failed." Heero smirked when Duo frowned and looked over to see Uno sitting up on a chair besides him.

Duo spun around and exited the room. Uno looked at what Heero rested his head on when he sat up. She picked up a few of the papers and looked at all the writing—not having a clue as to what it even said.

"Don't understand?" Asked Heero; Uno shook her head.

She placed the papers back down on the table and winced when apiece sliced her palm. Heero blinked and watched as she looked at the small dosages of blood trickle down. He smirked.

"Hn." He took her other hand and pressed her fingers against the wound. "Apply pressure to the cut and it'll stop the bleeding sooner."

"Okay." Uno pressed against her palm.

"So Duo's enrolling you in school this weekend. Are you ready?" Uno shrugged. "Alright."

Uno released her grasp and looked at the dry blood on her fingers. She rubbed it on her jeans and looked up at Heero as he handed her a pencil and paper. She looked at the paper and saw a bunch of numbers.

"It's called math. Do you know how to add?" Uno shook her head. "Subtract?" She shook her head again. Heero sighed and began.

That night, Duo looked around for Uno and gave up when he reached the living room again. Quatre faced him confused and lowered the volume of his television show. "Duo?" Quatre began.

"I—"

"Let me guess, you can't find your daughter." Wufei answered for him. Duo blinked and felt funny when Wufei called Uno his daughter.

"I…uh—"

"She act's just like you, I wouldn't be surprised if you really did do something wild during the battles and wound up having Uno as a child when you didn't know it." Wufei saw down in his corner and began lighting his candels.

"Um…shit…now that you mention it…" Duo began.

"Stop. Don't go on. She's in the library." Wufei stared at him, glaring and making sure Duo wouldn't think out loud. Duo left the room and headed towards the library.

"Wufei? It does make sense considering how she acts like him almost exactly and Duo is crazy to believe he may die the next day to have sex with some girl before it happens." Quatre pondered.

"Almost? She's identical to him precisely!" Wufei snapped.

Duo entered the library and froze in the doorway when he saw Uno working on a bunch of math problems Heero gave her. He calmly stepped up to her and looked over her shoulder.

"I taught her how to add and subtract simple numbers." Heero explained.

"Cool." Duo sat down besides them and watched.

When Tuesday arrived, Quatre was surprised to see Uno up already and watching television. He stepped up behind the couch and smiled at the cartoons she watched.

"Duo left?" Quatre asked.

"He said he'll be back latew." Uno replied.

"Well, let's begin then, Uno." Uno nodded and shut off the television set. She then stood and followed Quatre down the hallway.

"Whewe we going?" She asked.

Quatre entered his office and shut the door behind her, "Just my office. I'm going to explain to you what qualities you need to have to become a leader; leadership qualities for better defining."

Uno sat down in a chair and watched Quatre repeat the same.

"There are six basic steps to becoming a leader on your own; you need to listen very closely because these six will not only make you more mature as you grow up, but they will also allow others to look up to you, follow in your footsteps for anything needed."

"Alwight."

"Alright, I'm not going to explain all the way what the six steps are because you will later find out; you're a bit too young to know what they all mean already. But, commitment is one; it is the serious promise to press on, to get up no matter how many times you are knocked down. Now in a fight, it's called bravery, but they are all practically the same; you never back down from something you have your eye on. Communication is the next one; the goal of effective communication is action, not just what you saw and write, but also how well it is done and how well you are understood. Also focus mostly on the ability to listen and hear; in other words, speak bluntly."

Uno nodded.

"You get me so far? These are very important," Quatre asked.

"I think so."

"Good. Now following one is competence; it's a leader's ability to think it, plan it, and do it. Courage, which sounds nifty, is the power to let go of the familiar and forge ahead into new territory. Also like bravery, but this is the guts for something like that. The next one you may not understand right away, being how young you are, but it is servant leadership. Put others before you, especially your friends, family, and teammates; it's putting others ahead of your own agenda and personal desires."

"I understand," Uno stated, seriously.

Quatre blinked. "You do?"

"Mmhm." Uno smiled some.

"Well…I guess living on the streets in a war helped." Quatre shrugged. "Okay, the final step is something you need to know so you don't turn out the way Duo dislikes you to—knowing everything. It's called life-long learning and it is a commitment to listening, reading, and maintaining a teachable attitude and the willingness to admit you don't know everything."

"Snob," Uno corrected.

Quatre smirked, "Yes…to be snobby is bad. Now there are dimensions of sustaining leadership and over time, some of these traits may dissolve."

"Dimensions?"

"You'll learn that eventually, but I mean levels or…erm…uh—things! I'm not going to talk about them much because you should know what they mean already, but they are having partnership—which you will want so you won't…be snobby and decide to go on your own; it also helps you put others before you—and voice. I'm not sure how to explain voice, but speaking up against things for what you believe in should do. Now vision and values are the next; vision—to allow you to view your future and see if you are worthy enough to live on like a legend or a rat—and value, which is if you believe you are worth dying for something so important or if you are worth something greater than…what the given option may be."

"Okay."

"Good, knowledge and daring; are you smart and brave enough to accomplish something outrageous? Now remember, just because you're brave doesn't mean you're smart; the same thing for being smart and not meaning you can be brave. Savvy and persistence, um…savvy means you understand and persistence is…kind of like forcing something to be done right then only because you need it soon or you feel it won't get done at all. It's like telling somebody over and over again to clean their car; you're being persistent in wanting their car cleaned."

"Okay."

"Okay, now personal qualities is the final one and doesn't mean funny or smart. Personal qualities; do they have passion, humor, wisdom? Are they patient, reliable, sensitive? Do they have empathy strength of character? Are they matured—generally through age that is—and do they have common sense. Can you trust them well enough; are they creative? Things like this are personal qualities that make up a leader. Now, if they have all the good sides to the list I just stated, then they more likely are leadership material; but if they don't, leave them alone."

Uno giggled. "Heero?"

"No…apparently he isn't really leadership quality. He may be now, since I've seen some more humane sides to him than I have during the war, but it takes time to develop these things." Quatre explained. "Hm…I believe you're finished already."

"For the day?" Uno blinked.

"Um…heh…kind of for the rest of the week. I don't really have anything else to teach to you. I explained to you anything and everything regarding manners and table settings, and just completed leadership references. What else can I do?" Quatre sweat-dropped. "Let's work on some math."

Duo returned home that night and slammed the door shut. He hadn't planned on staying at the junkyard all day, but he wound up doing just that when Hildie asked him to run a few errans; who knew she had a list of organizing to be completed. He walked into the living room and found Trowa watching the news.

"Tough day?" Trowa asked.

Duo replied with a sigh, "Where's Uno?"

"Working on more math with Quatre in the office. He said he finished for the week and has nothing else to explain." Duo blinked.

"Nani? I thought he was packed of ideas for her!" Duo shouted, dumbfounded.

"Same here, but he said Uno pretty much knows what to do on just about anything." Trowa rested his body and shut his eyes. "The public school began two weeks ago. You should enroll Uno soon."

"She's still learning." Duo sat down besides Trowa on the couch.

"She's five-years-old, Duo. What all can a child learn when her grade is in Kindergarten?"

Duo pondered, "Hey, you're right! Uno's smarter than the average five-year-old! I bet she'll ace the test and score enough to skip to grades!"

Duo ran out of the room to tell the news to Uno. Trowa opened his eyes and blinked.

"No…she's not smart enough to memorize basic math numbers and major words," Trowa thought a moment again. "Then again, I wasn't explained those until my later years and she's already past first grade reading levels within two months. She might have what it takes to skip two grades."