The boy gazed out the window. The kids were playing in the playground. He never went on the playground anymore… Or the computer lab. Mostly he just stayed in his room. It was easier to avoid Dakeem that way. Miss Celia too.
After the carnival, everything had changed. She seemed to avoid him as much as he did her. There was no more special between them. The boy didn't like the orphanage anymore. There was nothing here. It was like outer space. There were lots of stars…but he was still alone.
A car pulled around to the gate. The doors open and a bodyguard stepped out. Then another. Finally, Akemi Todai. Strangely, that was all. There were no other bodyguards. Then again, Todai probably felt safe on L-4.
The boy pointed his finger at the man. He could shoot him from right here. Get him right through the head. No one would ever know who did it. The boy turned from the window and snatched the teddy bear off the bed. The camel stared at him from the bed. With a frown, the boy pulled the covers over it. He didn't like it anymore. It hurt.
He held the teddy bear to him and left the room. The halls were empty. But downstairs it was a different story. The foyer was full, mostly with the older kids. Their voices were loud with excitement. Todai was rich. Better still, he was looking for an heir. They all wanted to try and get him.
The boy sat on the steps opposite the door. When Todai came in, the boy would be the first thing he saw. The boy couldn't let anyone else get adopted. He hugged the teddy bear under his chin. All he had to do was look cute and pathetic. There were so many other kids though. They were all cuter and even more pathetic. What if the boy didn't get adopted? Odin would get mad at him. Odin might even not like him anymore, like Miss Celia.
He glanced at her. She was helping Mrs. Azul keep order. Her voice, though gentle, kept a lot of control. No one wanted to anger Miss Celia. She was a truly nice person. Nice to people who deserved it anyway...
There was a polite knock at the door. A hush fell over the room. It seemed like Miss Celia was walking extra slow. She reached the door and turned the knob. The door swung open. Todai stood there. Light came in around him and splashed on the floor. As soon as he stepped inside, the talking started up again. The kids all rushed at him at once, trying to get his attention. The boy sat where he was. Watching.
At first it didn't seem like Todai would notice him. Then, the man's blue eyes met his. Todai stared for a long time. The boy stared back. The kids stopped talking and, almost as one, all turned to look at him.
"Wh…what's his name?" Todai finally asked.
"That's Hikari," Miss Celia said. The man's eyes widened and he took a step forward.
"Hi...Hikari?" The man stumbled over to him. Eyes wide. Hand outstretched. Todai knelt and his warm hand brushed across the boy's cheek. The boy's throat went dry. There was something inside him. Trying to get out. Something from long ago. He reached up and touched the old man's cheek.
"Booboo?" the words whispered out of his mouth. His heart was speaking again. A noise came from Todai that was somewhere between a gasp and a choke. The boy suddenly found himself wrapped in warm arms. This is home, his heart said. This is safe… The boy closed his eyes. No. He couldn't get attached. Odin told him not to get attached. The camel was painful enough.
"I finally found you. Finally…" Todai whispered. A thought chilled the boy's body. A thought that he knew was true as soon as it floated across his mind. Todai…was embracing his death.
----
The boy crossed his arms behind his head and stared up at the dark ceiling. In the bed opposite him, Nurse snored softly. Toys rose up around the room, looking like squishy mountains in the darkness. A nightlight shaped like a pony glowed beside the bed.
The room was so full of…stuff. Lot's of stuff. For the first few weeks, Todai did nothing but buy him things. Stuffed animals, coloring books, toy mobile suits. He even had his own TV. The boy hated it. There was so much…but it all seemed so…empty somehow. Now, Todai was away all the time.
What annoyed him the most, though, was that he couldn't do his mission. Everywhere he went, Nurse followed him. He did not like her. She was at least a thousand years old and very crabby. Despite her age, she managed to keep up with him. She made sure he kept to 'acceptable' parts of the house. She'd even convinced Todai that he was too little to be allowed on computers.
Somewhere in the house the grandfather clock chimed. It was two o'clock. The boy slipped out of bed and quietly opened the door. He slipped into the soft carpet of the hall and eased the door shut behind him. Nurse was a light sleeper. Once free, he breathed a sigh of relief. The boy padded down the empty halls. He couldn't go on the computer. After nine, all computer operations were closely monitored. That was when the main security staff went to bed. Even so, the boy could explore the house.
In every hall he turned, red lights peered at him from shadowy corners. Video cameras. They all fed back to a surveillance room two floors below. Luckily for the boy, the nightshift didn't seem to care what he did. Sometimes they even invited him for a snack. The boy had learned much from them. Todai had become so rich, solely because of the Winner family. The Winner's backed whatever decision he made. The security was even provided by the Winner estate.
From what the boy had seen, Todai was not a stupid man. Whatever information he gave to the Alliance would not be from his own house. It seemed Todai was innocent. When Todai wasn't home, he was with the head of the Winner family. The news, security and Todai himself had said so.
The boy was glad about that. If that were true, then this mission was easy. All he had to do was tell Odin what he found out. Odin might even tell him he'd done a good job! Then maybe…maybe he could go back to live with Miss Celia. Then he'd tell her he was sorry and she'd like him again. He could be friends with Quatre too! And maybe…maybe Odin would turn good and maybe marry Miss Celia and then he would have a real family! The boy smiled to himself.
The boy yawned. His eyes got tired and he found himself stumbling a bit. He couldn't go back to bed yet. There was a door at the end of this hall. He'd never seen what was behind it. He'd always gotten sleepy and turned back. The boy rubbed his eyes and forced himself to keep walking. Finally, he reached the door.
Just then, a guard making his rounds came the other way. The guard grinned at him, touching the brim of his cap.
"Having your nightly stroll Master Hikari?"
"What's in here?"
"That's just Mr. Todai's study. Nothing to interest a kid like you."
"Can I see?" the boy asked. The guard shrugged and swung open the door. It was dark. There…was something missing. The guard turned on the lights to reveal a high desk, chairs and lots of bookcases.
"See? Nothing interesting." When the room was dark again…the boy realized what was missing. There were no red lights. For some reason, Todai's study didn't have cameras. A yawn made tears come to his eyes.
"You look bushed Master Hikari. Let's get you back to your bed," the guard said. The boy nodded. Bed seemed really nice right now.
---
The next morning, he was on his way to school. The boy was still sleepy and a little grumpy. He hated the clothes he had to wear. A white, button down shirt, blue vest with two big white stripes and blue pants. It was so uncomfortable and Nurse got mad when he got dirty.
At the moment, they were standing outside, waiting for the car to pull up. Nurse fidgeted over him, straightening his clothes.
"Now Master Hikari, Mr. Todai is going to be riding with us today, so I want you to be on your best behavior." She whipped a comb from her gigantic purse and began to brush his hair back. "That means no talking. Mr. Todai doesn't need to hear your childish talk. Understand?"
"Yes Ma'am."
"Good." She jammed the dark blue hat on his head. Then she took his chin in her pinching hands and turned his head from side to side. Her eyes narrowed and her thin lips were in a tight line.
"Acceptable," she said finally. "Now
stand up straight. Here comes Mr. Todai."
The boy purposely slumped his
shoulders. He didn't like Nurse. It was like this every morning. She always
told him to mind his manners. The way she said it made it seem like he'd been
really bad the day before and needed to do better.
"Good morning, Hikari," said Todai's bright voice. The man patted his head briefly. The boy looked up at him. A part of him really liked Todai. Even if he didn't get to see him much.
"Good morning, Nurse," Todai said, just as cheerfully.
"Hmph," Nurse said. Soon the car pulled up. It wasn't anything like the kind Odin usually got. This car had couches inside and even a TV. The boy, though, wasn't allowed to sit on the couches. Nurse said he would only get them dirty.
The boy sat cross-legged on the floor in front of Todai. As usual, the first thing the man did was turn on the TV. It was the news. The boy liked the news. It was interesting. Nurse made him watch cartoons all the time. She said they were 'age appropriate'. He didn't understand what that meant. All he knew was that cartoons bored him. Everyone was always so…happy. Life wasn't like that. It was stupid to make kids think life was like that.
"So, how are you enjoying the second grade?" Todai asked.
"Hmph," Nurse said. "They should have put him in kindergarten. He may be smart enough but he's not mature enough for the second grade. He's going to fail, mark my words."
"Mm," was all Todai said.
"…virus is sweeping through the L-2 cluster," the Newswoman was saying. "It's being speculated that the disease was planted by Earth Sphere Alliance in order to keep the colonies under control." She shifted a few papers on her desk and a smile pasted on her face.
"In other news, thousands of children
flocked to Katharine Memorial Recreational Center for the annual Young Musician's
contest. The contest, always greatly enjoyed throughout the colony, was made
extra special this year as Master Quatre opened the ceremonies."
The Newswoman disappeared and in
her place was Quatre playing a violin. His eyes were closed and there was a
gentle smile on his face. The boy wrapped his arms around his knees and
watched. He looked so happy when he played. The boy wished sometimes that he
could feel that happy.
"He plays really good," the boy said when the music faded.
"Hmph," Nurse said. "That's not him playing. That's just genetics. That child was machine created."
"There hasn't been a naturally created Winner in four generations," Todai said. The boy looked back at him. The expression on his face was like he'd smelled something bad.
"They shouldn't be allowed to do it," Nurse said. "It's not natural. God certainly disapproves of it."
"Well they've certainly gotten better at it. Quatre is the best freak they've created."
"Don't you like the Winner's?" the boy asked. "You're always on the news with Mr. Winner." Todai shook his head.
"Of course not. They're genetically enhanced…everyone knows it."
"But...then why do you be their friend?" the boy asked.
"Because sometimes, to get what you want, you have to pick the lesser of two evils," Todai said, patting his head. The boy blinked. That didn't make any sense. Quatre wasn't evil…and the boy didn't think his father was either. Why was Todai friends with someone if he didn't like them? That was just stupid. Grownups… He would never understand them.
---
"Get me off!" Abdul wailed, kicking his feet against the sides of the all ready nervous horse. The boy watched him, getting grumpier by the minute. Abdul was in all his classes and was always scared of something. The boy settled back in the saddle and absently petted his horse's neck. He wished he could go off by himself.
Riding a horse was a new experience and he rather liked it. In fact, the only thing that kept him from enjoying Equestrian Class was the fact that some little kid couldn't stop being scared. It wasn't as if there was anything to be scared about. Falling off a walking horse wasn't likely to hurt much.
"Listen Master Abdul," the instructor said. "The horse won't hurt you. If you could try and be brave, there's so much you can do. When a horse sees your fear, it will become frightened as well."
"I don' like iiit!" Abdul wailed. The boy took off his riding hat and ran a hand through his sweating hair. He hated the riding outfit even more then the school outfit. It was a dark blue coat and black pants that stuck out to the side near the top. The pants looked so stupid. Anyone who wore them on purpose had to be a real moron.
The boy gazed around the riding track. He wanted to do something. Sitting around was always so boring. Beyond the track was a little patch of grassy space and then the stone fence. The Instructor said that when they got really good, they could actually jump that fence.
Beyond the fence were a lot of trees and beyond them was the road. Something flashed in between the trees. At first, the boy thought it was just a car, but then it flashed again. There was a pause…and again it flashed twice. Someone was out there… At once the boy knew. Odin. He glanced back at the instructor. She had finally gotten Abdul off the horse. The boy tried to think what to do. He could ask to go to the bathroom, but they were on the other side of the school. Of course… He glanced back at the fence.
The boy nudged his horse into a walk. Then a trot. Finally a canter, heading straight toward the wall. He was still a beginner yet…but…he wasn't afraid.
"No Hikari! You can't!" the instructor screamed. Underneath him, the horse bunched up, like a coiled spring. The boy stared at the spot right between the horse's ears. He could. Unlike stupid Abdul, he wasn't afraid. For a second he was flying, then there was a jolt as four hooves hit the ground. The boy pulled back on the horse's reins, letting it come to a stop.
As expected, Odin was standing in the shadows of the trees. He was wearing his black jacket and dark sunglasses. Odin jerked his head and started to walk away. The boy slid off the horse and followed him to the road. A car was there. Without waiting to be told, the boy slipped into the passenger side.
"So how's it going?" Odin asked as he slid in behind the steering wheel. The boy told him all he could remember about the house. When the boy was done, Odin made a 'hmph' that made him sound almost exactly like Nurse.
"No camera's in his office, huh? I'm not surprised. Anyway, they're probably looking for you so we don't have much time." Odin reached into the glove box and pulled out a small disc player with a little earphone. "At six o'clock, put the earphone in. Don't forget. And be careful with it. It's worth more then you'll ever be."
The boy nodded and tucked it into his riding jacket. He got out of the car just as the instructor burst out of the trees. Odin drove off, tires screeching. The instructor walked up to the boy, looking in the direction of the car.
"Did you know that man, Master Hikari?" the woman asked. The boy shook his head.
"He just wanted directions."
The instructor put fisted her hands on her wide hips and glared down at him. The boy sighed inwardly. Yet again, he'd gotten into trouble at this school. He was probably going to be paddled again. Oh well.
"Master Hikari. One, you were not permitted to leave the training area. Two, school policy strictly forbids children talking to any strangers off the grounds during school hours. You know what this means of course."
"Hn," the boy said. The horse was still waiting patiently where he'd left it. He scrambled back onto its wide back. The instructor came over to him, nostrils flaring. Well…as long as he was in trouble anyway. The boy nudged a horse into a canter and jumped the wall again.
---
The boy sat on the window seat and stared outside. His stomach was growly, but Nurse said he couldn't have dinner. He'd acted inappropriately for a boy of his breeding. Delicious food smells filled the room. In the window's reflection, he could see Nurse eating. The boy looked down at his shoes. Just watching her eat made his stomach even more hungry. It was his favorite too. Steak and a baked potato, covered in gravy and lots and lots of corn.
Pleasant, low notes rolled faintly into the room as the grandfather clock announced the time. The boy counted the sounds to himself. Six. He pulled the small earphone from his pocket and put it in the ear away from Nurse. For a few minutes, there was nothing. Finally there was a burst of static, then Odin's voice.
\Sigh if you can hear me, kid.\
The boy obeyed, keeping a close eye on Nurse. She wasn't paying attention.
\Good. Now listen to me. Todai has cancelled all his meetings for tomorrow. It might be perfectly innocent, but they don't want to take any risks. Follow him, tomorrow. Don't leave his side for a second. I don't care if you have to handcuff yourself to his ankles. Understood?\
"Hn."
\Good. Keep the earphone in too. If you see him meet with anyone, no matter how innocent it seems, bring out the disc player. There's a little camera inside it that'll feed back to me.\
Whoever Odin was working for had a good information network… and good resources too. The boy couldn't help but wonder who they were. Odin never told him anything but what he needed to know. They must be bad people though. Who else but bad people would hire Odin to kill other people? But the Alliance was bad too because it also killed people. Weren't there any good guys?
Suddenly the door opened. Todai stood there, smiling. The boy's heart smiled too. A part of him wanted to hug the old man. To let Todai take care of him. To let Todai take care of everything. A part of him really wanted to be Todai's grandson. But another part knew that was impossible. He'd been something else for too long. Making Odin proud was more important to him. More important then anything in the world.
"Ahh, Hikari. I see you've eaten."
"No he hasn't," Nurse said with a sniff. "After the fiasco he pulled off in school today-"
"Ah good. Excellent," Todai said.
"Would you like to eat dinner with me then? Mr. Winner will be dining with us
and I think I'd like for you to meet him."
"Mr. Todai!" Nurse stood, red
spots growing on her withered cheeks. "I cannot allow you to give this boy
special treatment after he's behaved so badly."
The boy hopped down from the window seat and walked past her. She could speak all she wanted, but Todai had the final say. The man's warm hand came down on his shoulder and together they went from the room.
\What a witch.\ Odin's voice made the boy jump. He'd almost forgotten about the earphone.
"Is something wrong?" Todai asked. The boy shook his head. They went downstairs into the huge entrance hall. Todai straightened and nodded. The butler opened the door. The head of the Winner family wasn't there. Instead, it was a boy. A boy with blond hair and cold blue eyes.
"Ah…Master Quatre," Todai said, clearly surprised. "I…eh…wasn't expecting you."
"My apologies," Quatre said with a smile that wasn't quite a smile. "Something came up and my father was unable to make it. He sent me in his stead… if that's all right."
"Of course, Master Quatre. Your company is always welcome." Todai pushed the boy forward a little. "This is my grandson, Hikari." Quatre looked at him, blue eyes growing even colder. The boy dropped his gaze to the floor. His heart was starting to hurt again.
Dinner was quiet for the most part. Todai sat at the head of a very long table with Quatre on his right side and the boy on his left. At least the quiet gave the boy time to think. How was he going to be able to follow Todai all day tomorrow? Nurse would never allow it. And usually he only spent time with the man in Nurse's company. He doubted Todai would do anything suspicious in front of Nurse. That old woman just kept getting in the way. The boy glanced up at Quatre and suddenly had an idea.
"What are you doing tomorrow?" he asked the man. Todai opened his mouth to speak, then glanced at Quatre and cleared his throat. Then he cleared his throat again and smiled nervously.
"Ah…well… nothing…particular."
"No meetings or anything? All you do is go to meetings."
"Er…no."
"Then can you play with me tomorrow? All day? Pleaasse?" the boy said, trying to sound as child like as possible. Todai seemed to become even more nervous.
"Well… I don't…"
"You should," Quatre said.
"Adults should spend some time with their kids. That's how we know you really
care."
"Of course. Of course."
"It'll be fun!" the boy said, trying to smile. "And I can tell you all about what we did, Quatre!"
/Ha! Good job, kid!/ Odin said in his ear. /Todai's stuck now!/ Normally, Odin's words would make him feel proud. Now, though, it was impossible. Quatre was looking at him. Giving him a cool, steady gaze. He knows I'm up to something¸ the boy thought. Inwardly, he was impressed. Quatre wasn't just another dumb little kid. The boy looked down and began to poke at his food, suddenly not hungry. Now that the first stage of his mission was complete, he just wanted to go to bed. He didn't think, though, that Todai would let him leave so soon.
"Well Master Quatre," Todai said after a while. "I can understand why you would want Hikari to spend time with me. Your father doesn't seem to have much time to spend with you, does he?"
"No," Quatre said, frowning a little.
"That's such a shame. You are his only son so it seems to me he would want to spend time with you. Though I suppose that he can create more sons. I think he just sees you as easily replaceable."
Quatre didn't say anything, but his frown deepened. The boy glared at his plate. It wasn't nice for Todai to say things like that! Even though Mr. Winner could make more sons, there was only one Quatre. No one could ever replace someone so nice.
"Don't look so sad, my boy," Todai said, patting Quatre's hand. "You know I care about you."
"You do?" Quatre asked, eyes hopeful. The boy stared at Todai. Why was he lying? It wasn't right to lie like that. It wasn't right to pretend. Because one day, Todai would be caught pretending and it would make Quatre even sadder."
"Of course I care about you," Todai said. "You're almost like a second grandson to me."
"Yeah," the boy said. "He really likes you. He said you were the best freak the Winner's ever created."
"Hikari!" Todai snapped.
\You little moron! Keep your damned mouth shut!\ Odin yelled. The boy winced.
"I…I see," Quatre said. He was sad. Really really sad. But it was better for him to be sad now then be really hurt later.
"It's not nice to lie, Hikari," Todai
said. "I never said anything like that. Now apologize to Master Quatre right
now."
The boy mumbled an apology. It
was too late though. Quatre would know the truth. As a friend, it was the only
thing the boy knew to do for him.
----
Notes: Aaah, these chapters are getting long. Don't worry though; the next chapter will be the last of Ice Blue Eyes. I promise. ^^; Otherwise this chapter is gonna run to like…twelve pages.
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing. Sadly, I do not own it. However, I do own the exclusive rights to obsessively glomp Wufei. *knod knod*
Night~Mare