Fifth chapter, dun dun dun! All I can say is, read on! And enjoy Preventors Talent and Pizza Night! Oh, review, too, when you're done...

Wakai Kyoushu

Young Assassins

Storm

When Une arrived with the legendary assassins later that evening, the Talent Night flew apart. Half the talents missed their turns, and no one was paying attention due to the five young boys sitting in their midst. It stopped completely and simply became a Pizza Night when an agent set a box of simple pepperoni pizza at the boys table. Agents gathered around, sitting on chairs and standing, waiting to see the outcome. All of them knew about the boys reclusive childhoods already.

"This is pizza?" Wufei grimaced, lifting up a floppy slice. "It's a grease pit!"

Duo was the first one to bite into his slice. His eyes grew wide as he chewed and swallowed. Everyone waited for the verdict, including the other boys. Duo took a deep breath. "Damn!" he yelled, and he bit off another huge chunk. "This stuff is awesome! Mmm," he closed his eyes and savored it. "I've never tasted anything so yummy or cheesy or good. Mmm," he picked up a slice and put it in Quatre's hand. "Quatre, you gotta taste this. You, too, Wufei!" He ended up putting a large slice in front of each of the boys. "I'm gonna eat pizza for the rest of my life!" Duo declared, to the great amusement of the agents gathered around. Quatre tried the pizza, and smiled while swallowing. Wufei made a face but took a bite as well, and soon he was scarfing it down as well. Trowa made no expression at all, eating slowly, and Heero outright refused it.

"Aw, come on, Heero!" Duo whined. "It's good!"

"The amount of grease on there could lubricate a car," Heero said. Someone instantly went to the snack table and brought back a large ham and cheese sandwich, placing it in front of Heero. He looked suspiciously at the agent, then 'hn-ed' and began to eat his non greasy meal. Duo soon discovered his love for chips and cookies and cake and soda as well. They had all finished eating, except for Duo who was on his third helping, when an agent made his way onto the stage and picked up the mike. He gave everyone a big surprise as he suggested that the boys perform some talents for the show. The boys protested, but soon the agents were chanting and insisting.

"Someone has to do something," Duo pleaded over the chant to the other four, crouching in his seat.

"Whose got a talent?" Heero asked but no one replied.

"I do," Trowa said finally.

"You do?" Duo chirped. "What is it?"

"Acrobatics."

"Hey, that's right!" Duo exclaimed. "I remember that about you."

"Knowing this crowd, I don't know if that will do," Wufei scowled.

"I can do something after Trowa," Quatre said softly.

"Great!"

"I have to go to our room to get something, though," Quatre said, mostly to Une. She nodded and they stood up together, leaving the room through the crowd.

"Okay, then," Duo grinned. "Let's clear a space down the aisle." The chanting faded off into cheers as the boys started to clear tables away to make a clear line. Trowa stood at the end, all eyes on him.

He vaulted head over heels, doing five simple backflips in a row, then moved onto something a bit more complicated. He did tuck and twists, one handed cartwheels, walked on his hands forwards and backwards, did one handed twisting flips in mid air, and then decided to finish off with a flourish. There were already cheers and whistles and hoots, but they increased double time when Trowa ended up backflipping off a table and landing right on the back of a chair. There was silence as the chair began to tilt, then loud applause as it balanced on its back legs, Trowa bowing on top of it.

"Go, Tro!" Duo whistled. The chair went back to all fours as Trowa jumped off. His timing for the ending had been perfect, as just then Quatre made his way onto the stage. No one had noticed him come in since Trowa was performing, but now a few did notice and pointed it out. Quatre leaned down and his black leather gloved hands opened the shining clasps of the black violin case. He opened it and gently lifted out his violin. It was made of a smooth, unmarred white wood, with golden edging and Q.R. inscribed at the base in gold letters. He brought out the matching bow and tucked the violin under his chin. Silence reigned over the room as Quatre's bow was poised on the strings.

The notes which were produced from the violin was mesmorizing. It seemed to float through the air, bringing calm and peace to everyone. Each note was better then the last, and there was a raging cheer for an encore from him. Quatre hesitated, but then raised the violin once more. Everyone expected another sweet slow song, and there were cheers as Quatre suddenly broke out into a fast, rythmic beat. Soon people were tapping their feet and a few even shoved aside more tables to start dancing in the middle. The Talent Night had turned into a dance. Funny how five strange boys can affect schedules and change things so much. When Quatre stopped and put away his violin, someone put music on so the dancing wouldn't stop.

By the time Une finally herded the five boys off to get some rest-she was feeling very maternal right about now-they had been introduced to dozens of agents and had tried to memorize dozens of names. Une told them not to worry about forgetting names when Duo mentioned it. She admitted that she herself forgot most of their names, which is why agents all wore nametags.

They arrived at their room and Une said goodnight before closing the door. Duo stared at the door for a second after she left, then slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door. He ran outside, looking down the hall.

"Lady!" He called to Une just before she turned the corner.

"Yes, what is it, Duo?" she asked.

"Aren't you going to lock the door?"

Une felt extremely saddened at this question, but she smiled. "No, Duo, I'm not. I see no reason why I should."

"Oh," Duo looked stumped.

"Good night."

"G'night Lady Une. Thanks for everything." And Duo went back into his room and shut the door. He stood with his hand on the doorknob for a moment, then tested it by turning it. Still unlocked. He turned and saw that everyone had already grabbed a bed and dragged their stuff over. Duo picked up his scythe and set it beside his bed, then unloaded all his weapons from his person. He looked up as a thunk sounded from the other side of his bed and saw that Quatre had taken the bed beside his. He grinned. He liked Night Wraith. Duo had an incredible curiousity as to what Quatre looked like. Was he darker haired like the rest of them? Probably. He wondered if Quatre would take off his protective cloak if they turned the light off.

Quatre looked up to see Duo staring at him. "What?"

"Huh?" Duo blinked, then shook his head, his braid flying behind him. Quatre wondered why he had a braid..."Oh, nothing. Sorry, I was zoning out there. Thinking."

"Oh," Quatre had a feeling it was more than that, but he didn't press. Instead, he set his guns and knives on his bedside table and took off his cloak. It gave him extra protection against light, but he wasn't about to sleep in the bulky thing. He looked up and saw that everyone was staring at him now. "What?" he asked a bit harshly. Everyone quickly looked away. Quatre looked at his cloak and understood. They were curious about him. They had never seen him or what he looked like. He wasn't too sure he wanted them to see. He looked too weak without his cloak and goggles, in his opinion.

Heero already lay in his bed with a gun in his hand-he'd heard that Zero was paranoid somewhat. Wufei slipped on a pair of warm looking, snug Chinese slippers, then slid his feet under the covers and closed his eyes. Duo was standing a ways away from the end of his bed, a grin on his face. He suddenly ran and did a flying leap onto his bed, completely obliterating the neatness of it. The sheets lay crumpled and bunched, and Duo nodded at them, then lifted them up and flopped down, closing his eyes as he snuggled into the covers. Trowa was simply sitting on his bed with his eyes closed. Quatre wondered if he slept like that, then remembered how Nanashi was known to zone out into thought at times. Quatre himself slipped under his covers, then looked over at Duo as he swore. Duo was sitting up in bed, looking at them all nervously. He kept opening his mouth to speak, then closed it before any noise came out. He looked confused.

"What's wrong, Duo?" Wufei asked, peering open with one eye.

"I...," Duo faltered. "I'm just wondering...nevermind, 'Fei."

Wufei opened both eyes and glared at Duo. "My name is Wufei, not 'Fei."

"Yeah, okay," Duo mumbled. He waited for Wufei to close his eyes, then stared at his blankets for a moment longer. Quatre watched as Duo suddenly set his jaw and pulled his braid in front of him, pulling the band off the end. The band was black, just like Duo's outfit. He set it between his teeth and began to unbraid his hair.

"What are you doing, Duo?" Quatre asked as Duo sat on the end of his bed and began rummaging through his weapons. He crowed in victory a moment later, accompanied by a 'shut up' from Heero, which he ignored, and held up a small brush.

"I'm brushin' my hair, Quat," Duo said to the boy in the bed next to him, his voice hard. "I've never gone to sleep with a braid in my hair, and I'm not about to just because I've got roomates now." Duo wasn't going to change anything. He just really hoped Wufei or Heero wouldn't remark on it with any insults, or he would have to beat them up, despite the lecture he would get from Une. He began stroking the brush through his hair. Good, not that many tangles today.

"It's very long." Duo looked at Quatre. Quatre didn't sound insulting...he sounded interested.

"Yeah. I've never cut it." Quatre fell off into silence as Duo continued brushing. He finished and put the brush back among his weapons to pack back into his pockets and secret places tommorrow. He stood up and flicked off the light, then jumped back on his bed to mess it up a bit more and tucked himself in, sighing at the feel of a soft bed under him again.

Nanashi closed the eye he had opened briefly to look at Shinigami's hair and returned to thinking, a portion of his thoughts now occupied by the length of Shinigami's hair and wondering why it was that long. He wondered many things about all four of his assassin comrades.Wondered about how much of what he had heard about them was true. He had known he wasn't the only assassin, but meeting those he had only heard about was slightly unnerving. The whole damn situation was unnerving, what with S being arrested and him being brought here to have 'normal' life. Nanashi almost laughed at the thought. How could he ever have a normal life? He was silent and stoic. Social wasn't his forte. He would have been fine if he had stayed in his room the rest of his life. But Nanashi was glad he was out of there. While he knew he could never have a 'normal' life since he wasn't normal, at least he didn't have to kill anymore.

Nanashi opened his eyes and looked over as Night Wraith suddenly sat up. He watched the black clad boy, now almost blending in with the dark room until he vanished, pick up a book from his bedside table and open it. Nanashi watched him for a while, then saw that the boys head turned towards the opposite page, and then to the next page as he turned it. He was reading it, in the dark,a nd with pitch black goggles on! How could he do that? Nanashi himself had relatively good night sight, but he couldn't read in the dark.

"Trowa?" Nanashi's eyes focused and he noticed that Night Wraith's head was facing him. He blinked as he wondered who Night Wraith was talking to, then mentally berated himself. He was Trowa. He had to remember that, if he was ever going to try at a normal life. And Night Wraith was Quatre now.

"Yes? he replied.

Quatre stared at him for a moment longer before sitting forward. "You're staring at me again."

Trowa blinked. "Oh."

"Why?"

"I was just wondering...how you can read in the dark."

"Well I certainly can't read in the light?" Quatre said, chuckling, but it was weak. That fact wasn't funny to either of them. Quatre sighed. "I love to read. I've been in the dark so long...my night vision is as good as your day vision is. It's probably better."

"Did you ever wonder why you weren't allowed in the light?" Trowa asked. He puzzled over why he had asked that question. Normally he wouldn't talk this much, not even to S.

Quatre hesitated. "No...well, sometimes I'm curious what it feels like. H said the sunlight is warm and that I wouldn't like it, but...sometimes I just feel so cold." Quatre looked uncomfortable and he lifted his book again. Trowa knew not to pursue the conversation, so he slipped under the covers and closed his eyes, leaving the nighttime assassin to his book.

Say, woot! I think I'm in love...ahem, thank you for reading chappter five...uh, go on, please, to chapter six!

Storm