Chapter17
Quatre stared at the cabinets in the private library. Raven was sat watching him. Serena and Hotaru were flicking through books they'd taken from the cabinets.
"Okay they should have left by now." Raven sighed, after looking at her watch, "Sorry Que-chan but this is a private business which only involves our family."
Quatre stared at her.
"What do you mean?" He asked, as Sere and Taru put their books down, "Is there a reason you dragged me in here before the others left?"
"Yes. There's also a reason we wouldn't let any of you see us or be with us whilst our backs were hurting." Hotaru answered, standing up, "Rave what info did you get for him?"
"His will be different to ours. But since we've already been through it we can take the pain out of his, as well as cut the time to wait down." Raven said, "We best head for the gym. More room."
Everyone got up and headed for the gym. Quatre felt unsure of what was happening. But he trusted them. They were his cousins after all.
Evan looked up as Raven walked into the gym, with Quatre, Serena and Hotaru. He turned the chair he had round so it was facing Quatre.
"I believe you may need this." He said, "I'll get Nancy to bring refreshments when you need them."
He then left closing the door. Serena locked it, whilst Hotaru locked the door leading to the outside pool.
"Quatre take a seat." Raven sighed, "We have some things to tell you that may come as a shock."
Quatre sat down, his eyes drifting to each of them in turn. Sere, Taru and Rave then lent against the wall nearest him. Raven then began to tell him about the hidden Hells Angels Gene that the Sohmara family and Sohmara family held. What it meant what it could do, and the fact he had it as well.
Two hours later, and after a few snacks and cool drinks, Quatre had been told everything about the Hells Angels Gene that the lasses knew.
"So the reason your backs were hurting, was because you hold the Pure Gene, and gained wings." Quatre checked, the information sinking in.
Raven moved away from the wall. She, Taru and Sere had all chosen to change into a halter neck top before talking to Quatre. All three of them unfurled their wings from their backs.
"As you can see, ours are black and have a taint of the colour that indicates our aura." Raven explained, "I have discovered that yours will be white. You hold more of the kindness spirit then the fighter. Hence you will be better skilled with the Angel side of the gene. Where as we will be better with the Hells part."
"The Private Library holds books that are filled with spells and odd tricks and other things you can use the power for. All are highly useful and not dangerous to others unless you direct them at others." Hotaru continued, "You start from the left side of the door. As your power level increases you will find yourself able to read books in the other cabinets. Sere has just started on the fourth cabinet. I am near the end of that cabinet. But still cannot read the books from the fifth cabinet. You can only read them once your level gets higher. Otherwise you only see blank pages."
"And you Raven?" Quatre asked, his eyes showing them all he believed them.
"I'm onto the sixth cabinet." She answered, "My level rose fairly quickly after my wings appeared. I also was told by Evan that the cabinet on the back wall holds the most powerful spells and ways of using our power in different ways. I have already found out I can read one of the twenty books in there. It also holds books on our ancestors and a few other things concerning our family."
Quatre nodded and looked down at the floor. Serena moved over to him and knelt down before him.
"Que-chan, we don't intend on using this power we've been gifted for revenge or evil purposes." She told him, taking his hands in hers, "Raven told Heero that we would use our GW skill to aid you five lads out at the base. Making sure you return whole and alive to us after any missions you go on. With this power we hold we can do those things better."
Quatre looked up at Raven and Hotaru. He noticed the looks in their eyes.
"You'll fight as well?" He checked, "I know full well you won't stay out the fight."
"Heero doesn't want me near the battles." Raven admitted, "That was what happened when he threatened Lady Une before. All because she'd asked for my aid. But I can't sit back letting him risk his life. Not whilst I have the power to do something about it."
"I agree with Raven." Hotaru sighed, "All three of us know how to fight and are highly skilled. The spells and talents we hold are enough to enable us to fight beside you. But the others will try to prevent us."
"Then don't let them know." Quatre smiled, "I know you don't want the guys knowing about all this, and I'm glad you've told me everything seeing as it will happen to me. Just when you fight beside us, make sure they won't be able to recognise you. I think I'll know you're there. Especially if you have your wings out."
All three lasses laughed.
"I think I can come up with some designs that will enable us to keep our identity hidden." Serena muttered, "A helmet or visor will hide our face. The clothes I can design to allow maximum mobility and flexibility. It will also have to be hard wearing, and no doubt tight fitting."
"I can deal with any communications. The helmet or visor could hold the communications." Raven added, "Or we could use earrings as our radios. I can also make up a few wrist computers. They'll enable us to get into places without carrying any extra equipment with us."
"And I can come up with a fair few gadgets that involve substances." Hotaru continued, "I know a few I can get on with. Some will enable us to get past lasers. I can also do all the gadgets. Except the high tech electronic ones, seeing as Rave is best at that sort of thing. But where would we store all this, and how do we keep it from the others?"
"The attic has been floored and made soundproof." Raven stated, "The door is DNA locked, allowing only those with the Hells Angels Gene through. It has still to be furnished, but I'm sure we can come up with a few things. Keeping it from the others will be hard. Especially on you Quatre! You are closer to them, than us after all."
"I think I'll find it fun." Quatre grinned, "Besides, I don't think I'm ready to tell Trowa what I've found out today. Not to mention you three need time and help pulling this all off. Will you be able to get supplies?"
"Evan can sort that out." Serena shrugged, "Now we best get you sorted out before the others get back."
"Shirt off, and turn round so the back of the chair is in front of you." Raven ordered, "We don't want the chair broken or your shirt ripped, when your wings come out."
Quatre did as he was told. All three lasses moved closer and placed their left hands on his shoulders. Sere and Taru one side. Raven the other. Their eyes changed to the coloured taint of their wings. Raven's were violet. Hotaru's scarlet. Serena's blue.
"So what happens now?" Quatre asked, starting to feel his back ache, and nervousness settle into his body.
"We'll draw the pain from you." Raven answered, her aura's light spreading over him, "We'll also be able to cut down the time your wings need to dry, without any problems."
"As a white wing, you don't have as much to go through, especially if we help you." Hotaru explained, "We had to face a hell of a lot of pain and had to remain still for twenty four hours just to let our wings dry before we could furl them in."
Scarlet and blue light spread round Quatre. He closed his eyes and got himself to relax. He felt his back blaze with pain and knew his wings had just burst out his back. Only the pain wasn't too bad. His cousins had made sure he didn't feel it too much. His Empathy skills would have had him seriously injured if he did. Now they only had to wait six hours, before he could furl them away.
Wufei eyed the gym door. They'd just got back and had been told by Nancy that Quatre was training with the lasses in the gym. And were not to be disturbed. It seemed odd to them all.
"Quatre must have been in there with them for ages." Duo muttered as they headed for the living room, after Nancy had told them she'd bring through their dinners, "He's not usually one for training."
"Everyone is sure to change." Trowa said, "Rave and the others probably want him protected when he goes on missions. Seeing as he's family to them."
The others nodded and sat down round the table. Nancy came in with a large tray. On it were eight plates. These she set out on the table, along with cutlery.
"Thanks Nancy." Serena smiled as she walked in with Hotaru, Raven and Quatre. All four of them seemed a little tired.
They joined the others and began eating.
"Lady Une wants to know why Quatre isn't heading into the base for the next three days." Heero told Raven, "Says he needs to get some work done on his Gundam. The Doctors have upgraded some of the programs and armaments."
"I'll have a word with her myself." Raven sighed, as Quatre smirked, "He may be older then me, but I am the Head of this house. And I will do all within my power to stop Quatre from going there till the three days are up. Besides he has a fair few things to do."
"Not to mention he's offered us some help with a few things." Hotaru added.
"Don't worry I'm not heading to the base till the days are up." Quatre laughed, "Which reminds me. You guys may want to take up temporary residence at the base. Things will be getting a little hectic here, and we need the run of the whole manor. A fair few changes are going to be going on."
Wufei, Trowa, Duo and Heero glanced at each other.
"Decorating." Wufei and Trowa guessed, "You normally get like this when it comes to decorating."
Quatre just smiled and carried on with his dinner. Raven, Serena and Hotaru followed suit.
"Only cousins for a day, and their already plotting behind our backs." Duo complained, "Guess we move out for a few days."
Silence fell as everyone carried on eating. The four lads trying hard not to think about what the others could be planning.
"Do you really think this is okay?" Serena asked, as she swung the sledge hammer into the wall.
"Now it occurs to you to check that." Hotaru teased, "But yes it will be fine. Besides, I think Quatre knows what he's doing."
"Of course I know what I'm doing." Quatre said walking into the room, "Raven says she's getting in some extra help, or we won't have it done in time."
"How come it's only yours and Trowa's rooms getting changed?" Serena questioned, "I know you and Trowa are together. But why doesn't Rave and Taru change their rooms? Plus what is the spare room going to be used for?"
"So many questions." Raven complained walking over, "First off, Trowa and Quatre can't keep sneaking down the hallway at night if they want to stay together. Secondly, Heero hears them sometimes. As does Reba, Lela and Kane. Kolnu actually sleeps on the balcony. Thirdly, on no circumstances am I getting in the way of their relationship."
"Fourthly, seeing as I'm older then you, I'm not letting the guys sleep in the same room as you until there is a ring on your finger." Quatre stated seriously, "Fifthly, we have no idea what the spare room is going to be used for. Guess we'll use it when the time comes."
"Keeping them from sleeping in the same room won't stop them sleeping together." Serena muttered, "Come off it. I bet Heero has already slept with Raven a few times. Same goes for Hotaru and Wufei."
"Sere!" Hotaru gasped, "That's not the case. Que-chan just wants to make sure it's serious before we share a room with them. Can you imagine what it'd be like changing the rooms round and finding out it wasn't serious. It'd be a waste of time and money. It will also disturb the dogs. Reba already accepts Heero. If he moves into Raven's room, then Reba will know to accept him as his master. Things could become seriously dangerous if things didn't work out."
Quatre and Raven glanced at each other.
"But…" Serena began.
"Sere, you have to remember there isn't a proper way fully for guys to acknowledge their serious relationship with another guy." Raven cut her off, "I know this is because society hasn't accepted that guys would want to marry guys. Or lasses would want to marry lasses. Even if there was, Quatre would have to tell Trowa about his inheritance of the Hells Angels Gene beforehand. Same goes for us. It's not seen as a good omen to start a marriage with lies still hanging round you. Or secrets kept."
"Rave you found out something?" Hotaru checked, "I know you've been reading the family history books again. I found your bookmark in one."
"Seems one of our ancestors fell in love with a guy. Got intimate and they managed to perform a sort of marriage." Raven explained, "He told him about the gene, and they performed a marriage binding ceremony. Using the magic to bind them together as a couple. Our family accepted them. So I know Quatre can do the same with Trowa, if they so wish too. I also learnt a fair few other things. Which unfortunately for you three, only I can learn as Head of the family. They were all in a book containing information about this manor and land. Well a smaller book was slipped into it with the few details."
"And you won't tell us?" Serena whined.
"Nope. Oh I will say one thing Quatre." Raven smirked, "If you do end up wanting the ceremony done. Only the Head of the family can perform it, as the instructions were in the book."
Quatre rolled his eyes at her and picked up a few bits of rumble. The others fell silent and began clearing the rest of the rumble. Serena let Hotaru take over knocking the wall down.
Dread seeped into them as they approached the manor. All four of them carried a holdall and were waiting for the others to make the first move to the door. Yet no one was moving. Just then the door opened as Leon and Diego walked out.
"Well that was eventful." Diego muttered, "Never mind helpful."
"Just be thankful we managed to keep Sere from butting in all the time." Leon sighed, and spotted the lads, "So you're back. Head in. They're in the middle of preparing lunch. Quatre and Raven are, should I say. Serena and Hotaru are working in the study. No nasty surprises await you, so don't worry."
The lads relaxed slightly and walked into the house.
"Surprises wait for you though." Diego grinned, as he and Leon got in their car and drove off.
"I swear I'm going to kill you for this Quatre!" Serena's voice cried.
Heero, Trowa, Duo and Wufei glanced over at the kitchen where Quatre and Raven were cooking. Raven looked up and saw them.
"Just in time for lunch." She smiled, "We'll be done shortly. So have a seat. And don't mind Sere. She got caught out by Que-chan. Has to pay the price now."
The lads sat down, as Hotaru walked into the room.
"You're getting as bad as me for pranks Que-chan." She giggled, "Although I must say. Sere has never looked so er… what's the word…"
"Embarrassed?" Quatre offered, an innocent look on his face, as he brought over a few plates of sandwiches to the table.
Raven brought some drinks and they sat down with Hotaru and the lads.
"I think that would cover it." Hotaru giggled, picking up a sandwich, "Reckon she'll join us shortly?"
"Oh I'm here!" Serena cried walking straight into the room.
She stopped dead when she saw the lads all sat with the others. She blushed a deep red. That's when the lads all noticed she was wearing a short skirted maid's outfit, which had frills and a couple of bows on it. She was also wearing the little cap and shoes to match. Leaving a lot of leg showing. The top was tight fitting and fairly low cut. Instead of the usual black and white, the outfit was black and pink. The lads stared at her blankly. Serena took a deep breath then sat down beside Trowa. Raven, Hotaru and Quatre were all giggling behind their hands.
"What's been going on?" Duo asked, not taking his eyes off Serena, "Or don't I want to know?"
Serena kept her eyes down as she ate in silence.
"Serena decided to play a little joke on Quatre the other day." Raven explained, "She removed all his clothing as well as all of yours and hid them. So once he'd finished in the shower he ended up with nothing to wear. Except for certain items of clothing that were left in his wardrobe."
"The only problem was, he had to go into town for a few bits. The clothing he was wearing gained him a fair few looks." Hotaru continued, "Considering it was all tight fitting black leather leaving little to the imagination. Not to mention the pants were low on the hip. And the top stopped short of his stomach, revealing it to all."
The lads stared at Quatre. He'd blushed slightly.
"You went out dressed like that?" Wufei checked, nearly choking on his sandwich.
"Unfortunately I had no choice. Neither Raven nor Hotaru were around. Evan was busy with the other members of the staff." Quatre answered, "So yes I went out dressed like that. Not to mention the only footwear I had left was a pair of black walking boots."
"Couldn't you wear a jacket?" Duo asked timidly.
"The jacket left for him was long black and leather." Raven smiled, "It was made not to fasten or reach round the body fully. Hence he couldn't hide his gear to anyone. Although Sere was a little nice about it. She'd placed some black shades in the pocket. So I doubt many people would have recognised him."
"And what Serena is wearing is his retort." Hotaru laughed, "All three of us dislike the colour pink. So Quatre did it on purpose. Plus all our gear, including yours has gone missing as well. So poor Sere has had to wonder the house dressed like that all day long."
"Doesn't help when there are strangers in doing work." Serena whined, "The looks they've been giving me! Never mind the sly winks and comments!"
"Yeah well you no doubt didn't hear anything like I heard, whilst wearing tight fitting black leather." Quatre argued, his blush not leaving his face, "Besides, I think my retort worked wonders."
"Will you tell me where my stuff is now?" Serena demanded, "I think I've got the point not to do that to you again."
Quatre smirked.
"I only removed the gear from the rooms for a little over two hours. After that it was replaced." He admitted, "You could have changed hours ago if you'd checked."
Hotaru and Raven glanced at Quatre, trying hard not to burst out laughing, at the shock on Serena's face. She ran out the room. Not realising that caused the skirt to flutter and show a little more leg to everyone.
"Where did you get that idea from?" Heero asked, as Raven and Hotaru managed to control their laughter.
"I spotted a new shop in town." Quatre shrugged, "It was selling allsorts of gear like that. As well as a few other things. So I picked up the idea there."
"I can't believe you went out wearing leather." Wufei sighed shaking his head, "I just can't seem to picture you dressed like that."
Quatre blushed and looked away. Raven and Hotaru pulled out a photo they both had in their pockets and showed them to the lads. They both showed Quatre in the leather. Hotaru's showed him with the shades and jacket on. Raven's showed him without the shades and jacket. Trowa stared at the pictures, his eyes wide. Quatre might have been embarrassed but he looked extremely handsome and sexy in the gear.
"You sure looked different." Duo commented.
Quatre looked up in time to see Raven and Hotaru slide the photo's down their tops. Out of reach to him.
"I can't believe you have photo's!" He cried, shocked.
"Well Sere took them and we got a copy." Hotaru smiled, "And no you are not going to get hold of them. We also have some of Serena to get developed. You can get some of them."
"What makes you think he won't get them off you?" Duo challenged.
"Because I'm not suicidal." Quatre stated, "I know full well both of them will hide the photos, and it would be extremely dangerous to try and get them."
"Enough now." Raven said, finishing her sandwiches, "I'm gonna carry on with the room. Still needs some painting doing."
Quatre and Hotaru nodded. And Raven left them alone.