Chapter 17
"And no matter what, don't let him overdo it." Wufei nearly had his hands on his hips as he ordered Rashid and Abdule to become willing slaves for Quatre. Over the last week, Quatre had come to learn that Wufei enjoyed doing what Duo called, "giving the Sermon on the Mount." Quatre just thought it was too much trouble to be going through for someone as insignificant as himself.
"I assure you, Wufei, I have no intention of letting Quatre, 'overdo it'. I will bring him back tomorrow for his check-up and the next round of REHIV." Rashid tightened his grip about Quatre's body as he cradled the boy to his chest. Unlike Trowa who had been in decent physical shape before the coma, Quatre's body had been far from it. Under the two plus weeks of inactivity, his muscle tone had deteriorated drastically, and while he tried as much as he could, he simply could not yet hold himself up. It exhausted him some days to simply sit up, and so Rashid was now carrying him back to their apartment.
Learning that he couldn't hold his own weight had been a horrible experience for Quatre. A few days after waking up, Rashid had taken him from the bed and moved him to a corner of the hospital room.
"Quatre, I want you to support as much of your own weight as you can. Do not fear, I will catch you if you fall." Abdule had been standing next to them as well, and while his brother had not yet touched him, Quatre was unconcerned about the thought.
Abdule had touched him quite a bit since he'd awoken, and Quatre had had no bad reactions to the stimulus. But on this occasion and the ones that had since followed it, Quatre found he could not tolerate his brother's touch.
Rashid hadn't expected him to fall so quickly. His Teacher had barely let go before Quatre's body fell like a granite stone. Abdule was quicker, capturing Quatre under the shoulders and supporting his weight. But he'd been shirtless and the second Abdule's hands had made contact with his flesh, Quatre had completely lost all sense of reason.
He'd screamed, blood curdling cries for mercy as he struggled to detach himself from Abdule's grip. Neither had understood, both his Teacher and his brother had assumed he'd hurt himself. It had been Trowa who had streaked across the room to wrench Quatre's rapidly weakening body from Abdule's hold.
Quatre couldn't remember much of what happened after that, but Duo had told him Trowa had carried him back to the bed while telling Abdule that Quatre was not yet ready to be touched by him. His newest friend had said that it was so strange because once Trowa had placed Quatre into the bed, it had been as if the taller boy didn't know why he was standing protectively next to Quatre's huddled body. Trowa had finally just shrugged his shoulders and taken a nap when Rashid and Ralph's questions had become too annoying.
They'd tested his reaction to Abdule again since then with much the same result, and Quatre berated himself for what he was doing to his fellow Recruit. He didn't know why he reacted the way he did. He tried, like that night the three of them had lain on their bed and pressed their fingers to Quatre's shoulders. He'd tried to be strong, but the moment Abdule touched him the reaction was immediate and uncontrollable. He felt horrible sensing the misery rolling off of Abdule, but his brother's outward appearance was understanding and supportive, and Quatre didn't trust his newly encouraged empathic abilities to discern the truth.
The strange thing was that he didn't react violently when Abdule's skin did not touch his own, and now as his brother touched his cloth covered arm, he felt no reason to flee or beg.
"Abdule?" His brother turned to face Wufei. "Remember only light foods, soups and simple meals without much spices." Quatre couldn't help it, he blushed under the memory of his first morning awake. The food had been too heavy and as the morning had progressed he'd been terribly and violently sick. He didn't dare try to remember more of that episode of his life, no matter how good the food had tasted.
"I won't forget. And I'll remember that he needs at least four of those shakes everyday too. Not to mention that Mr. Pale here needs some sunlight."
"Yes, make sure he sits in the camps for a little while everyday. I understand that the experience isn't entire pleasant for you, Quatre, but you will need the UVB rays to help the REHIV combat the virus. You won't need too much sun, perhaps a half hour over the course of the day. If the emotions become too much for you in one half hour sitting then leave and come back."
The virus had been a horrible conversation. Rashid had become so mad. His Teacher had raved that they couldn't find a reason for him to have contracted the HIV virus, but Quatre could not think of a way and after a visit to Master Habsaba's quarters, Rashid had been oddly silent on the subject. For his part, Quatre cared little. He didn't feel sick, and Wufei promised that he and Trowa would be fine in a few months. Since he didn't feel sick, and it was only temporary, he felt little reason to dwell on it. It helped that the REHIV drug prevented him from spreading the virus through accident.or any other means.
Quatre nodded his head in understanding. Wufei had been so wonderful to him. The boy doctor had almost immediately set Quatre at ease. Forthright and gentle, Wufei had gained a measure of trust from Quatre, and he was willing to do as the slightly older boy instructed.
Wufei, Duo, and Heero had been constant companions in his and Trowa's hospital room. While Quatre had at first been wary of all three, he'd come to look forward to their visits, even Heero's--with his intense and penetrating eyes.
Duo had at first been overwhelming, but once the older boy had come to understand that he simply not could assimilate that much energy in one sitting, he'd calmed down, and Quatre had found he liked him very much. They played vid games on the Vidcom that had been installed in the hospital room, and Quatre had won nearly every game after the first few. Finally, Duo had insisted that Quatre had been cheating. Worried that he was insulting Duo somehow, Quatre had purposefully began to lose; it had been Heero who had discovered his duplicity, those cobalt blue eyes not missing anything.
In the end, Duo had apologized, and Quatre had lost every single game he and Heero played together.
Heero both intimidated him and piqued his interest. The boy was quiet like himself and Trowa, but Quatre could easily see the affection he held for his two lovers. It was perhaps that underlying affection that finally settled Heero in Quatre's mind. He'd been wary of the boy since Wufei had introduced him as Quatre's physical therapist, but Heero had proven gentle and compassionate, and Quatre found--that while he hated it when Heero had to touch him, he could at least tolerate it in short burst so long as no skin touched.
But skin on skin was no problem with Trowa. While the two did not talk overly much--neither one very talkative--they had forged a friendship stronger than with the others. It was more like they were at ease with each other, than friendly. If they were alone together, they didn't always talk, but the silence was comfortable, welcome even to the turbulence around them. They'd played some of the vid games together and were fairly evenly matched, and together they'd devoured yet another box of chocolates-- Trowa consuming all of the coconut one's, Quatre the caramel nut one's.
His coma partner--as Duo called him--had been released two days ago, but Trowa had come to see him at least once a day with the others, and Quatre had learned that he and Heero had been spending time together as well.
Now it was his turn to go home, and while the idea of calling the apartment he now resided in home was still foreign, it was not unpleasant.
Presently, Rashid shifted him again, drawing Quatre's attention back to the conversation with Wufei. "Make sure he goes to PT with Heero, and I'll make sure Duo's too busy to make inappropriate comments." Quatre knew that the things Duo had said to Heero had made the other boy increasingly uncomfortable and.sweaty, but he had no idea what the long hared boy had been talking about. The only thing he knew was that it ended with him having a shorter session than usual, and a very disheveled Duo who came in half an hour later to play a few games with him. The manic had apologized, but when he'd learned that Quatre had no idea what had been going on, he'd seemed to think that the situation was rather funny. Even Trowa had smiled at what he later called Quatre's "innocence." It was all so confusing really.
And then it happened. First Rashid nodded in acceptance, then Wufei nodded that he was finished, and then they nodded together in parting, and finally, they were leaving the infirmary and going home.
The walk was hard on Quatre. His shields were weaker than usual, and the happiness of the people they passed pressed heavily upon him. He kept his eyes closed through most of the walk, hiding himself in the darkness of his mind until the pressure of so many foreign minds relented. He heard Abdule press in the access code, and felt Rashid take that final step into their apartment.
"WELCOME HOME, QUATRE!!!" Startled, Quatre sat up in his Teacher's arms and looked about the room. There were quite a few people standing about the living room, most holding drinks or napkins with bits of food on them. Colorful streamers hung from the walls, while friendly music played on the hidden speakers. Food lay on the pulled out table, and the smells set Quatre's mouth instantly watering.
But it was all so overwhelming. Reeling from all the stimulus and emotions, Quatre's eyes settled on the first thing his mind recognized-- Trowa's lithe frame leaning against the wall next to his bedroom door. Trowa's eyes intensely watched Quatre's reaction to the events, and for a moment, Quatre could not look away, trapped by emeralds in the quarry stone. But a rush of black caught his attention, and Quatre barely had a chance to assimilate the dark form as Duo before the other boy was directly in front of him.
"This is a party, Quatre! It's a 'Welcome Home, Quatre' party. Here, let me introduce you to everyone. You've met most of them before, but reintroduction's are always good when you're new. Rashid, if you'll just follow me about the room, we're going to make the rounds." With a laugh, Duo shook his head before moving over to the left of the door.
"You already know, Trowa. He and Heero strung the banner." Duo pointed to a ream of paper that hung from two lamps that read, "Welcome Home".
"Next we have Heero. If you don't know him by now then your sleeping through PT and Wufei's gonna be really pissed. Heero made some of the food, and Wufei said you could probably eat it without too much trouble. It's all real Japanese food, and there's even some of this really yummy soup called Miso. I love it so much! Don't mind the green stuff, I'll tell you what that is later." Duo winked, and Quatre, who was still too stunned to properly react to the situation just stared dumbly.
Duo seemed to notice. "Hey, Q, you just let me know if I start to overwhelm you. Rashid made me promise that I'd break this thing up the moment you got tired, so you just let me know when you've had enough.
"Anyway, this tall blond guy is Zechs. He's Heero's Teacher, and Treize's number one bed buddy. You guys have the same hair color! Quatre! I bet you'd look great with long hair!"
Zechs chuckle, and Quatre found himself trapped by the man's eyes--they were so much like Heero's. "It takes quite a lot to pull off this hair, Duo, besides, with bangs like those," he pointed kindly to Quatre's wayward bangs. "Who needs long hair? It's good to see you again, Quatre. I'm glad to hear that you're feeling better." His voice. It was soft and gentle, warm and inviting. Against his common sense, Quatre found himself nodding back to the tall blond.
"And this is the other half to the matching set, Treize. Rumor has it he's some factious dictator, but I think he just plays the part 'cause Wufei likes him better that way. Speaking of which, Treize is Wufei's Teacher. I know, Zechs and Treize, Wufei and Heero, it's a strange, strange world we live in today." Duo mockingly shook his head as Treize stepped forward and offered a brilliant smile to Quatre.
"I am also glad to see that you are doing well, Quatre. I have heard that you are quite the strategists, and look forward to a game of chess when you feel up to it." His demeanor was sincere, and Quatre found his body now moved easier to nod once again. "Untill then," and Treize neatly offered a half bow. Instantly, Quatre remembered the hours of edict lesson's he hadn't thought about in nearly five years.
With an inclination of his chin, Quatre bowed back as much as his current position of being carried allowed. "Until next we met, Mr...Treize." He stumbled over the last part, his mind searching to provide his mouth with the man's proper family name. But his words had been powerfully spoken, the years of training making them strong with conviction and breeding. The room was silent as everyone stared at the waifish boy with the suddenly powerful voice.
Later he would ponder how strange he must have looked there, broke and yet proud, damaged and yet in control. It was a testament to his edict teacher, and a brief encounter with the type of man he might have grown into had he been brought up the heir to the Winner fortune. But Treize seemed to recognize what had just happened, and he laughed heartily even as Rashid looked on with confused eyes at them both.
"It would seem we've both had a few too many lessons in the proper way to issue and receive a challenge. My apologies, Quatre, it was not my intention to turn this into such a formal meeting." The man's smile set Quatre at ease, and he nodded once again, admitting the humor of the events.
Duo looked confused but finally shrugged his shoulders and moved on.
"And this pasty faced, wrinkly old coot is my Teacher, Howard. Don't mind his clothes, he always dresses like something from Before Colony. I do recommend you stay away from the facial hair though, he's old so he likes to come up behind you and give you whisker burns when you're not looking."
Quatre sensed it immediately, it cut through all the other emotions in the room. Duo loved his Teacher, adored the older man not like a lover as Abdule did Rashid, but as a grandfather, a true grandfather. It was in his eyes, in the way those violet orbs gazed into the dark sunglasses of the other. It was in the way that Quatre could sense the older man's love for his Recruit in the crooked smile, the way that his hand clasped one dark cloth covered shoulder, and the way that Howard looked first to acknowledge Duo's introduction before acknowledging Quatre. It was so perfect between them, so honest and pure that Quatre couldn't even find it in himself to be jealous, it just wouldn't be right.
"Hey, Quatre. This brat of mine hasn't been bothering you too much, now has he?" Quatre shook his head. "Good, he could overwhelm a Gundanium Mecha if he put his mind to it. Now don't be a stranger, understand? I expect to see you over at our place playing vid games once you're on your feet again, got it?" Overwhelmed by the man's kindness, Quatre nodded his head.
"Don't mind him, Quatre, he's always like that. Next we have Ralph, who you already know is Trowa's Teacher. And this is his best friend, Nikol. Nikol's the best non-Recruit pilot we have, but Heero runs circles around him in his sleep."
"Whatever you say, Duo. Hi, Quatre, it's nice to finally met you."
He sensed it immediately, something odd, something off about the man in front of him. Nikol seemed all right, he was smiling kindly to him, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But something about this man seemed familiar, some trait in him was similar to one Quatre had sensed in the past, he just didn't know what.
He must have been staring though, because Rashid looked down to check on him. "Quatre, are you getting tired?" He was, but didn't want Duo to be disappointed. He shook his head and then looked to Duo to continue, not daring to glance back at Nikol.
"If your sure, Quatre?" He nodded to his friend. "Ok well, this is Auda, he and Abdule are pretty good friends. They spent five years as Recruits together until Auda passed him. Auda's actually the guy that issues passing grades here, so I'm gonna shut up now." Duo winked at Quatre who was more confused now than ever. Grades?
Auda seemed to understand. "I teach. You and the others are still young enough to attend classes if you were on the outside, so it's only proper you get teaching on the inside. I'm not as bad as Duo makes me out to be. Besides, he, Wufei and Heero are mostly taking vid classes for university credits now. You and Trowa though are still in my domain of teaching, WHAHHHHHHHA!"
Startled by the wicked sound that suddenly issued from the man before him, Quatre reeled back until his head bumped into Rashid's shoulder. Abdule was the first to save him. "For the love of Allah! Auda, don't scare him like that! Geese, as if he's not already freaking about going back to school, now he's got your sick rendition of the B Movie bad guy laugh running though his head. Rashid and I will be lucky to get him to sleep tonight!"
Auda had the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry, Quatre. Don't mind me, I'm really a pushover. I'll make you work, but I'm the last person in the world for you to worry about. I'll show you tomorrow. You and Trowa are scheduled for aptitude testing tomorrow. Don't worry about them." He wasn't worried. How could he be worried? He had no idea what an aptitude test was in the first place.
Then Duo was turning, and as Rashid moved to follow, Quatre felt every muscle in his Teachers frame tighten up. Concerned, he looked up into Rashid's face only to see a dark expression leveled at the person Duo was trying to introduce him too. Worried about Rashid's reaction, Quatre hesitantly turned back.
It was Master Habsaba.
"Quatre, you remember Master Habsaba; Great Hall, big throne, leader of the Maguanacs. You remember."
He did. He remembered the wizen man who had looked so frail and had turned out to be so strong against his father. He remembered the throne of precious gems and gold that this man had sat upon, his eyes dancing with command. He remembered one of those bony hands holding onto Abdule's shoulder as his brother had tried to save him from his father's wrath. He remembered that this man had been the first to reveal that he was an empath. He remembered so much about this man, he remembered.everything.
Even with a cane and hunched shoulders, Master Habsaba was still tall enough so that Quatre was looking at him now eye-level. The old eyes, once filled with power and compassion seemed nearly frightened now, and Quatre sensed the need for forgiveness like a pain in this man's entire being. Quatre blinked for a moment, and when his gaze once again rested on Master Habsaba's, the tears he saw gathered on wrinkles prompted him to react.
Slowly, cautious of his shift in weight, Quatre leaned across the twelve inches of space permeated with sorrow and self-hatred. Twelve inches that separated man from boy, Leader from Recruit, sinner from redeemer.
With gentle fingers, Quatre brought the pads of his fingers to the back of coarse salt and pepper hair. Minimal pressure guided the figure forward, until twelve inches was reduced to six, then three, and finally, none.
It was a long time before Quatre spoke as, listening to the weeping confessions of an old man. Tears soaked the shirt he wore, absorbing through the fabric to touch his skin, to touch his heart. A long time passed as he held Master Habsaba close, his hands resting against folds of skin dotted with age spots. His fingers occasionally shifted, causing the Arabic to flow more freely from the one in his arms. It was a long time before Quatre spoke, the confusion of everyone in the room registering in his mind; the dawning realization that none of them understood the ancient dialect being spoken by their Master or this small blond Recruit.
Carefully, Quatre pulled back. His eyes locked on those of puffy red, damp and foreboding as they waited. The room was silent, holding its breath as it noticed the change in Quatre was like the change Trowa had gone through only days before. When he finally spoke, his words was soft and gentle, compassionate and caring, powerful and commanding, and alien to all but Master Habsaba.
"I forgive you, Habsaba. Allah is most displeased, but if it brings you some measure of peace, I at least forgive for your trespasses against me." He paused, his back straightening, his posture shifting. With a viper like motion Quatre's hand found Habsaba's chin and forced it up, locking it in a grip as solid as his faith. "But Allah is most displeased, and my forgiveness does not cover what befell Trowa. Allah is forgiving and great, Habsaba. You disobeyed Him, now you must repair what you destroyed.
"Both require guidance, now more than ever, but both will rebel against it. Your task is to give without seeming to offer. Do this and you will be redeemed in the eyes of Allah; fail and you have chosen your own judgment.
"Know this however, in my eyes your sins against Trowa will never be forgiven, and my voice will rise up above all others on your judgment to condemn you. Do you understand, Habsaba, chosen Leader of the Maguanacs? Do you understand what task has been set before you, the enormity of it all?"
There was no pause for contemplation, with a shake of his head, Habsaba acknowledged he understood. With forceful gentleness, Quatre released his grip and sank back against Rashid's chest. "Keep silent on the cause, now is not the time for disclosure. The Teachers will demand answers but you now have Allah's command, do not think to defy Him again, Habsaba." A violent shake of his head was all Habsaba was capable of, before he sank to his knees before Quatre.
And then, with a blink of his eyes, Quatre looked up from Habsaba's fallen figure to the face of his stunned Teacher. He didn't take in the deathly silence of the room, the awed and fearful continents of those who had just witnessed the words of Allah. Quatre knew none of this as his small hands fisted into Rashid's vest and his head moved to rest tiredly against a powerful shoulder. His voice was small when he spoke in perfect Universal, the fatigue finally overwhelming his sickly body. With a yawn he barely covered, he turned beseeching eyes on his Teacher.
"Rashid, I'm sorry, but I'm really tired now." He didn't wait for an answer, trusting in Rashid to do what a Teacher must to care for his Recruit. With a sigh he closed his eyes to rest. As he felt Rashid move towards the bedroom Quatre called back in what he hoped was a loud enough voice. "Thank you, Duo. This is the best party I've ever been to."
He was asleep before Rashid placed him on the bed.
"And no matter what, don't let him overdo it." Wufei nearly had his hands on his hips as he ordered Rashid and Abdule to become willing slaves for Quatre. Over the last week, Quatre had come to learn that Wufei enjoyed doing what Duo called, "giving the Sermon on the Mount." Quatre just thought it was too much trouble to be going through for someone as insignificant as himself.
"I assure you, Wufei, I have no intention of letting Quatre, 'overdo it'. I will bring him back tomorrow for his check-up and the next round of REHIV." Rashid tightened his grip about Quatre's body as he cradled the boy to his chest. Unlike Trowa who had been in decent physical shape before the coma, Quatre's body had been far from it. Under the two plus weeks of inactivity, his muscle tone had deteriorated drastically, and while he tried as much as he could, he simply could not yet hold himself up. It exhausted him some days to simply sit up, and so Rashid was now carrying him back to their apartment.
Learning that he couldn't hold his own weight had been a horrible experience for Quatre. A few days after waking up, Rashid had taken him from the bed and moved him to a corner of the hospital room.
"Quatre, I want you to support as much of your own weight as you can. Do not fear, I will catch you if you fall." Abdule had been standing next to them as well, and while his brother had not yet touched him, Quatre was unconcerned about the thought.
Abdule had touched him quite a bit since he'd awoken, and Quatre had had no bad reactions to the stimulus. But on this occasion and the ones that had since followed it, Quatre found he could not tolerate his brother's touch.
Rashid hadn't expected him to fall so quickly. His Teacher had barely let go before Quatre's body fell like a granite stone. Abdule was quicker, capturing Quatre under the shoulders and supporting his weight. But he'd been shirtless and the second Abdule's hands had made contact with his flesh, Quatre had completely lost all sense of reason.
He'd screamed, blood curdling cries for mercy as he struggled to detach himself from Abdule's grip. Neither had understood, both his Teacher and his brother had assumed he'd hurt himself. It had been Trowa who had streaked across the room to wrench Quatre's rapidly weakening body from Abdule's hold.
Quatre couldn't remember much of what happened after that, but Duo had told him Trowa had carried him back to the bed while telling Abdule that Quatre was not yet ready to be touched by him. His newest friend had said that it was so strange because once Trowa had placed Quatre into the bed, it had been as if the taller boy didn't know why he was standing protectively next to Quatre's huddled body. Trowa had finally just shrugged his shoulders and taken a nap when Rashid and Ralph's questions had become too annoying.
They'd tested his reaction to Abdule again since then with much the same result, and Quatre berated himself for what he was doing to his fellow Recruit. He didn't know why he reacted the way he did. He tried, like that night the three of them had lain on their bed and pressed their fingers to Quatre's shoulders. He'd tried to be strong, but the moment Abdule touched him the reaction was immediate and uncontrollable. He felt horrible sensing the misery rolling off of Abdule, but his brother's outward appearance was understanding and supportive, and Quatre didn't trust his newly encouraged empathic abilities to discern the truth.
The strange thing was that he didn't react violently when Abdule's skin did not touch his own, and now as his brother touched his cloth covered arm, he felt no reason to flee or beg.
"Abdule?" His brother turned to face Wufei. "Remember only light foods, soups and simple meals without much spices." Quatre couldn't help it, he blushed under the memory of his first morning awake. The food had been too heavy and as the morning had progressed he'd been terribly and violently sick. He didn't dare try to remember more of that episode of his life, no matter how good the food had tasted.
"I won't forget. And I'll remember that he needs at least four of those shakes everyday too. Not to mention that Mr. Pale here needs some sunlight."
"Yes, make sure he sits in the camps for a little while everyday. I understand that the experience isn't entire pleasant for you, Quatre, but you will need the UVB rays to help the REHIV combat the virus. You won't need too much sun, perhaps a half hour over the course of the day. If the emotions become too much for you in one half hour sitting then leave and come back."
The virus had been a horrible conversation. Rashid had become so mad. His Teacher had raved that they couldn't find a reason for him to have contracted the HIV virus, but Quatre could not think of a way and after a visit to Master Habsaba's quarters, Rashid had been oddly silent on the subject. For his part, Quatre cared little. He didn't feel sick, and Wufei promised that he and Trowa would be fine in a few months. Since he didn't feel sick, and it was only temporary, he felt little reason to dwell on it. It helped that the REHIV drug prevented him from spreading the virus through accident.or any other means.
Quatre nodded his head in understanding. Wufei had been so wonderful to him. The boy doctor had almost immediately set Quatre at ease. Forthright and gentle, Wufei had gained a measure of trust from Quatre, and he was willing to do as the slightly older boy instructed.
Wufei, Duo, and Heero had been constant companions in his and Trowa's hospital room. While Quatre had at first been wary of all three, he'd come to look forward to their visits, even Heero's--with his intense and penetrating eyes.
Duo had at first been overwhelming, but once the older boy had come to understand that he simply not could assimilate that much energy in one sitting, he'd calmed down, and Quatre had found he liked him very much. They played vid games on the Vidcom that had been installed in the hospital room, and Quatre had won nearly every game after the first few. Finally, Duo had insisted that Quatre had been cheating. Worried that he was insulting Duo somehow, Quatre had purposefully began to lose; it had been Heero who had discovered his duplicity, those cobalt blue eyes not missing anything.
In the end, Duo had apologized, and Quatre had lost every single game he and Heero played together.
Heero both intimidated him and piqued his interest. The boy was quiet like himself and Trowa, but Quatre could easily see the affection he held for his two lovers. It was perhaps that underlying affection that finally settled Heero in Quatre's mind. He'd been wary of the boy since Wufei had introduced him as Quatre's physical therapist, but Heero had proven gentle and compassionate, and Quatre found--that while he hated it when Heero had to touch him, he could at least tolerate it in short burst so long as no skin touched.
But skin on skin was no problem with Trowa. While the two did not talk overly much--neither one very talkative--they had forged a friendship stronger than with the others. It was more like they were at ease with each other, than friendly. If they were alone together, they didn't always talk, but the silence was comfortable, welcome even to the turbulence around them. They'd played some of the vid games together and were fairly evenly matched, and together they'd devoured yet another box of chocolates-- Trowa consuming all of the coconut one's, Quatre the caramel nut one's.
His coma partner--as Duo called him--had been released two days ago, but Trowa had come to see him at least once a day with the others, and Quatre had learned that he and Heero had been spending time together as well.
Now it was his turn to go home, and while the idea of calling the apartment he now resided in home was still foreign, it was not unpleasant.
Presently, Rashid shifted him again, drawing Quatre's attention back to the conversation with Wufei. "Make sure he goes to PT with Heero, and I'll make sure Duo's too busy to make inappropriate comments." Quatre knew that the things Duo had said to Heero had made the other boy increasingly uncomfortable and.sweaty, but he had no idea what the long hared boy had been talking about. The only thing he knew was that it ended with him having a shorter session than usual, and a very disheveled Duo who came in half an hour later to play a few games with him. The manic had apologized, but when he'd learned that Quatre had no idea what had been going on, he'd seemed to think that the situation was rather funny. Even Trowa had smiled at what he later called Quatre's "innocence." It was all so confusing really.
And then it happened. First Rashid nodded in acceptance, then Wufei nodded that he was finished, and then they nodded together in parting, and finally, they were leaving the infirmary and going home.
The walk was hard on Quatre. His shields were weaker than usual, and the happiness of the people they passed pressed heavily upon him. He kept his eyes closed through most of the walk, hiding himself in the darkness of his mind until the pressure of so many foreign minds relented. He heard Abdule press in the access code, and felt Rashid take that final step into their apartment.
"WELCOME HOME, QUATRE!!!" Startled, Quatre sat up in his Teacher's arms and looked about the room. There were quite a few people standing about the living room, most holding drinks or napkins with bits of food on them. Colorful streamers hung from the walls, while friendly music played on the hidden speakers. Food lay on the pulled out table, and the smells set Quatre's mouth instantly watering.
But it was all so overwhelming. Reeling from all the stimulus and emotions, Quatre's eyes settled on the first thing his mind recognized-- Trowa's lithe frame leaning against the wall next to his bedroom door. Trowa's eyes intensely watched Quatre's reaction to the events, and for a moment, Quatre could not look away, trapped by emeralds in the quarry stone. But a rush of black caught his attention, and Quatre barely had a chance to assimilate the dark form as Duo before the other boy was directly in front of him.
"This is a party, Quatre! It's a 'Welcome Home, Quatre' party. Here, let me introduce you to everyone. You've met most of them before, but reintroduction's are always good when you're new. Rashid, if you'll just follow me about the room, we're going to make the rounds." With a laugh, Duo shook his head before moving over to the left of the door.
"You already know, Trowa. He and Heero strung the banner." Duo pointed to a ream of paper that hung from two lamps that read, "Welcome Home".
"Next we have Heero. If you don't know him by now then your sleeping through PT and Wufei's gonna be really pissed. Heero made some of the food, and Wufei said you could probably eat it without too much trouble. It's all real Japanese food, and there's even some of this really yummy soup called Miso. I love it so much! Don't mind the green stuff, I'll tell you what that is later." Duo winked, and Quatre, who was still too stunned to properly react to the situation just stared dumbly.
Duo seemed to notice. "Hey, Q, you just let me know if I start to overwhelm you. Rashid made me promise that I'd break this thing up the moment you got tired, so you just let me know when you've had enough.
"Anyway, this tall blond guy is Zechs. He's Heero's Teacher, and Treize's number one bed buddy. You guys have the same hair color! Quatre! I bet you'd look great with long hair!"
Zechs chuckle, and Quatre found himself trapped by the man's eyes--they were so much like Heero's. "It takes quite a lot to pull off this hair, Duo, besides, with bangs like those," he pointed kindly to Quatre's wayward bangs. "Who needs long hair? It's good to see you again, Quatre. I'm glad to hear that you're feeling better." His voice. It was soft and gentle, warm and inviting. Against his common sense, Quatre found himself nodding back to the tall blond.
"And this is the other half to the matching set, Treize. Rumor has it he's some factious dictator, but I think he just plays the part 'cause Wufei likes him better that way. Speaking of which, Treize is Wufei's Teacher. I know, Zechs and Treize, Wufei and Heero, it's a strange, strange world we live in today." Duo mockingly shook his head as Treize stepped forward and offered a brilliant smile to Quatre.
"I am also glad to see that you are doing well, Quatre. I have heard that you are quite the strategists, and look forward to a game of chess when you feel up to it." His demeanor was sincere, and Quatre found his body now moved easier to nod once again. "Untill then," and Treize neatly offered a half bow. Instantly, Quatre remembered the hours of edict lesson's he hadn't thought about in nearly five years.
With an inclination of his chin, Quatre bowed back as much as his current position of being carried allowed. "Until next we met, Mr...Treize." He stumbled over the last part, his mind searching to provide his mouth with the man's proper family name. But his words had been powerfully spoken, the years of training making them strong with conviction and breeding. The room was silent as everyone stared at the waifish boy with the suddenly powerful voice.
Later he would ponder how strange he must have looked there, broke and yet proud, damaged and yet in control. It was a testament to his edict teacher, and a brief encounter with the type of man he might have grown into had he been brought up the heir to the Winner fortune. But Treize seemed to recognize what had just happened, and he laughed heartily even as Rashid looked on with confused eyes at them both.
"It would seem we've both had a few too many lessons in the proper way to issue and receive a challenge. My apologies, Quatre, it was not my intention to turn this into such a formal meeting." The man's smile set Quatre at ease, and he nodded once again, admitting the humor of the events.
Duo looked confused but finally shrugged his shoulders and moved on.
"And this pasty faced, wrinkly old coot is my Teacher, Howard. Don't mind his clothes, he always dresses like something from Before Colony. I do recommend you stay away from the facial hair though, he's old so he likes to come up behind you and give you whisker burns when you're not looking."
Quatre sensed it immediately, it cut through all the other emotions in the room. Duo loved his Teacher, adored the older man not like a lover as Abdule did Rashid, but as a grandfather, a true grandfather. It was in his eyes, in the way those violet orbs gazed into the dark sunglasses of the other. It was in the way that Quatre could sense the older man's love for his Recruit in the crooked smile, the way that his hand clasped one dark cloth covered shoulder, and the way that Howard looked first to acknowledge Duo's introduction before acknowledging Quatre. It was so perfect between them, so honest and pure that Quatre couldn't even find it in himself to be jealous, it just wouldn't be right.
"Hey, Quatre. This brat of mine hasn't been bothering you too much, now has he?" Quatre shook his head. "Good, he could overwhelm a Gundanium Mecha if he put his mind to it. Now don't be a stranger, understand? I expect to see you over at our place playing vid games once you're on your feet again, got it?" Overwhelmed by the man's kindness, Quatre nodded his head.
"Don't mind him, Quatre, he's always like that. Next we have Ralph, who you already know is Trowa's Teacher. And this is his best friend, Nikol. Nikol's the best non-Recruit pilot we have, but Heero runs circles around him in his sleep."
"Whatever you say, Duo. Hi, Quatre, it's nice to finally met you."
He sensed it immediately, something odd, something off about the man in front of him. Nikol seemed all right, he was smiling kindly to him, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But something about this man seemed familiar, some trait in him was similar to one Quatre had sensed in the past, he just didn't know what.
He must have been staring though, because Rashid looked down to check on him. "Quatre, are you getting tired?" He was, but didn't want Duo to be disappointed. He shook his head and then looked to Duo to continue, not daring to glance back at Nikol.
"If your sure, Quatre?" He nodded to his friend. "Ok well, this is Auda, he and Abdule are pretty good friends. They spent five years as Recruits together until Auda passed him. Auda's actually the guy that issues passing grades here, so I'm gonna shut up now." Duo winked at Quatre who was more confused now than ever. Grades?
Auda seemed to understand. "I teach. You and the others are still young enough to attend classes if you were on the outside, so it's only proper you get teaching on the inside. I'm not as bad as Duo makes me out to be. Besides, he, Wufei and Heero are mostly taking vid classes for university credits now. You and Trowa though are still in my domain of teaching, WHAHHHHHHHA!"
Startled by the wicked sound that suddenly issued from the man before him, Quatre reeled back until his head bumped into Rashid's shoulder. Abdule was the first to save him. "For the love of Allah! Auda, don't scare him like that! Geese, as if he's not already freaking about going back to school, now he's got your sick rendition of the B Movie bad guy laugh running though his head. Rashid and I will be lucky to get him to sleep tonight!"
Auda had the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry, Quatre. Don't mind me, I'm really a pushover. I'll make you work, but I'm the last person in the world for you to worry about. I'll show you tomorrow. You and Trowa are scheduled for aptitude testing tomorrow. Don't worry about them." He wasn't worried. How could he be worried? He had no idea what an aptitude test was in the first place.
Then Duo was turning, and as Rashid moved to follow, Quatre felt every muscle in his Teachers frame tighten up. Concerned, he looked up into Rashid's face only to see a dark expression leveled at the person Duo was trying to introduce him too. Worried about Rashid's reaction, Quatre hesitantly turned back.
It was Master Habsaba.
"Quatre, you remember Master Habsaba; Great Hall, big throne, leader of the Maguanacs. You remember."
He did. He remembered the wizen man who had looked so frail and had turned out to be so strong against his father. He remembered the throne of precious gems and gold that this man had sat upon, his eyes dancing with command. He remembered one of those bony hands holding onto Abdule's shoulder as his brother had tried to save him from his father's wrath. He remembered that this man had been the first to reveal that he was an empath. He remembered so much about this man, he remembered.everything.
Even with a cane and hunched shoulders, Master Habsaba was still tall enough so that Quatre was looking at him now eye-level. The old eyes, once filled with power and compassion seemed nearly frightened now, and Quatre sensed the need for forgiveness like a pain in this man's entire being. Quatre blinked for a moment, and when his gaze once again rested on Master Habsaba's, the tears he saw gathered on wrinkles prompted him to react.
Slowly, cautious of his shift in weight, Quatre leaned across the twelve inches of space permeated with sorrow and self-hatred. Twelve inches that separated man from boy, Leader from Recruit, sinner from redeemer.
With gentle fingers, Quatre brought the pads of his fingers to the back of coarse salt and pepper hair. Minimal pressure guided the figure forward, until twelve inches was reduced to six, then three, and finally, none.
It was a long time before Quatre spoke as, listening to the weeping confessions of an old man. Tears soaked the shirt he wore, absorbing through the fabric to touch his skin, to touch his heart. A long time passed as he held Master Habsaba close, his hands resting against folds of skin dotted with age spots. His fingers occasionally shifted, causing the Arabic to flow more freely from the one in his arms. It was a long time before Quatre spoke, the confusion of everyone in the room registering in his mind; the dawning realization that none of them understood the ancient dialect being spoken by their Master or this small blond Recruit.
Carefully, Quatre pulled back. His eyes locked on those of puffy red, damp and foreboding as they waited. The room was silent, holding its breath as it noticed the change in Quatre was like the change Trowa had gone through only days before. When he finally spoke, his words was soft and gentle, compassionate and caring, powerful and commanding, and alien to all but Master Habsaba.
"I forgive you, Habsaba. Allah is most displeased, but if it brings you some measure of peace, I at least forgive for your trespasses against me." He paused, his back straightening, his posture shifting. With a viper like motion Quatre's hand found Habsaba's chin and forced it up, locking it in a grip as solid as his faith. "But Allah is most displeased, and my forgiveness does not cover what befell Trowa. Allah is forgiving and great, Habsaba. You disobeyed Him, now you must repair what you destroyed.
"Both require guidance, now more than ever, but both will rebel against it. Your task is to give without seeming to offer. Do this and you will be redeemed in the eyes of Allah; fail and you have chosen your own judgment.
"Know this however, in my eyes your sins against Trowa will never be forgiven, and my voice will rise up above all others on your judgment to condemn you. Do you understand, Habsaba, chosen Leader of the Maguanacs? Do you understand what task has been set before you, the enormity of it all?"
There was no pause for contemplation, with a shake of his head, Habsaba acknowledged he understood. With forceful gentleness, Quatre released his grip and sank back against Rashid's chest. "Keep silent on the cause, now is not the time for disclosure. The Teachers will demand answers but you now have Allah's command, do not think to defy Him again, Habsaba." A violent shake of his head was all Habsaba was capable of, before he sank to his knees before Quatre.
And then, with a blink of his eyes, Quatre looked up from Habsaba's fallen figure to the face of his stunned Teacher. He didn't take in the deathly silence of the room, the awed and fearful continents of those who had just witnessed the words of Allah. Quatre knew none of this as his small hands fisted into Rashid's vest and his head moved to rest tiredly against a powerful shoulder. His voice was small when he spoke in perfect Universal, the fatigue finally overwhelming his sickly body. With a yawn he barely covered, he turned beseeching eyes on his Teacher.
"Rashid, I'm sorry, but I'm really tired now." He didn't wait for an answer, trusting in Rashid to do what a Teacher must to care for his Recruit. With a sigh he closed his eyes to rest. As he felt Rashid move towards the bedroom Quatre called back in what he hoped was a loud enough voice. "Thank you, Duo. This is the best party I've ever been to."
He was asleep before Rashid placed him on the bed.