I am so sorry. New job's got me all busy and distracted. I thought I'd already posted this.

CHAPTER TWELVE (Kit and Sprinkles)

Trowa sighed as he bandaged Heero's wounds again. This was the third time that they had had to be changed, and Trowa wasn't seeing any improvement in the other his condition. He was thinking over what Heero had done.

How could he have self-destructed like that? On one simple little word, and not show one ounce of emotion of what should have happened? His death? Mind you, they all knew what could happen on their missions, but Heero had literally sacrificed everything for the safety of the colonies. His life, the completion of the end mission, and the bonds that he had forged. Yes, he could see them. They were there, though well hidden. When he looked at Heero, he saw a child, one of the pilots, and an emotion of disregard for a girl in pink. He didn't know who that last one was, but he was sure that the first two were very important to Heero.

Once again, he sighed. It was time for lunch. He first had to check on the lions cages, it seemed as if one of the lionesses had become pregnant, and he wanted to make sure that she was okay before having anything to eat. As he made his way out, he cast one last glance to the pilot. He should wake up soon. If not, then things looked grim for his future. There was only so much time someone could stay in a coma before his body started to disintegrate. That would be detrimental to their overall mission.

All Heero saw was darkness. He felt the warmth of the sun on his face, but couldn't seem to get any other sensation. He recalled what had happened. He had self-destructed his Gundam, with him inside, in the hopes that the colonies would be saved. He remembered the sharp pain of all his bones being broken and his body being shredded in most places. He remembered the abrupt darkness.

Why wasn't he dead? He shouldn't have survived that explosion. J had made sure that the self-detonate was strong enough that if the pilot needed to, he could die with his Gundam instead of getting caught and interrogated.

Then he remembered. The kid...Harry...he had seen his face before the darkness had come over him. How had he been there? He knew that the kid should have been in the school, maintaining Duo's cover story as brothers in the school. He should have not been on that field. It was impossible! There was no way that the kid could have been in two places at once. As he thought of the kid, he felt more warmth enclose his body. He felt some of the soreness go away as his body healed more. He remembered when this had first happened when he saw the kid. Now he was determined to figure out what the kid was. There was no way that he was ordinary. He had to get an explanation for this. He would not leave it alone until all the mysteries were solved...Speaking of mysteries, the braided pilot came to mind. There was something different about him too. Not like the kid, but Duo had one of the best masks he had seen in a while. The facade of a joker. A player. It was different, interesting...and he had to admit, scary. What really lay behind his mask? Was he, as he called himself, a Shinigami? A God of Death? Or was he just as insane as the rest of them? Hmm...maybe even more so. But he was certainly... interesting.

'Never mind that now. Target objective – wake up, get the date, get mission success rate.'

Heero fought against the darkness surrounding him. He had had enough!

Slowly, more awareness started to poke through. He felt the soft cotton sheets against his body. The bandages wrapped snugly around his body, helping him in his healing. The smell of food and animals came next, as well as the noises they make. He had a brief feeling of wonderment. Where the heck was he that he could hear all sorts of animals at the same time?

Finally, he managed to open his eyes slightly. As he did, he took in his surroundings. He was in a mobile home it seemed, he was lying on the only bed, and the room was sparsely furnished...Just how he would have his room when he was on a mission. Everything ready to go at a moments notice.

He looked towards the door, and for one moment, he saw the kid again.

"Harry?"

And through his hazy mind, he saw the kid smile at him, raising a hand, tears falling from his green eyes as he looked at him, and then...he disappeared.

Trowa moved silently around his small kitchen, making breakfast. He was starting to worry about Heero. Although the pilot's injuries were healing at a remarkable rate and he had displayed signs of waking, Heero hadn't actually woken up yet. Trowa was worried that the other boy would be trapped within his nightmares – unable to wake up or even slip into the oblivious darkness of deep sleep. He considered calling Duo and asking him to bring Harry for a visit. Their familiar voices and their strong link to Heero could help bring him around.

Trowa had uncovered his hidden talent of seeing connections between people when he was very young, which helped him survive as an orphan, then later with the mercenaries. The bonds he could "see" were created based on how important the person was or how strong an emotion there person felt for someone else. At the time, his powers allowed him to be useful for the mercenaries; therefore, he wasn't killed. He provided them with the names of the target's precious people, and they would utterly destroy them. Though what he did would be considered heinous and cold, it was the way he grew up; it was the way he had to live. It was just another piece of the man he was shaping to becoming.

The tall pilot cleaned up the dishes, then grabbed the tray with his food and the IV bag he needed to replace Heero's nearly empty one. Walking into the bedroom, Trowa's hand twitched, causing his oatmeal to spill slightly over the edge. It was the only outward physical sign of surprise and shock other than the slight widening of his green eyes. Sitting beside Heero on the bed was the faint outline of a small black-haired child, whose own startled and terrified green eyes swung up to meet Trowa's.

Setting aside his tray aside, he approached the bed slowly. Harry watched him, even as his hands never wavered from where they rested on the Japanese boy's chest. A quick glance confirmed that Harry's hands were surrounded by a pale blue light that seemed to be absorbed into Heero's body. Listening to the rattling of Heero's slowly even out and disappear, Trowa softly observed, "You're healing him, aren't you? No, don't," he added when he saw Harry's reaction to pull back at the question. Seeing the guilty look cross the small boy's face, Trowa smiled and said, "Thank you. I don't think he would have made it without your help."

Though the guilt faded at his words, Harry's body was still tense, and the dark-haired child looked down, biting his lip. Without thinking, Trowa reached out and tried to place a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder. Instantly, the pilot was sucked into a vortex of thoughts, emotions, and memories. Trowa saw a large walrus-like man striking a small child, a woman with a long neck ordering the child into the cupboard and laughing when he asked for food, a rather rotund child stomping on a smaller one's foot. He relived the night Duo saved the child, felt his fear of being returned, and his joy of finding a home. He could see how the child wanted to help Heero, his determination to heal him, even though he was only able to do so because he was a freak.

"Oh, child. You're not a freak," Trowa mumbled. Harry shook his head in denial. "You have a gift, a power that can help others. It's something to be celebrated, not punished. The ones from before were wrong. They were jealous of what you could do, that they did their best to hurt you."

Suddenly their connection seemed to lurch, and Trowa found himself looking into teal eyes. "Quatre…" he breathed the name in longing.

"Trowa?" The blond looked around in panic. "How? Where? I was just in Harry's room and–"

"Calm down, little one," Trowa soothed. "I think this is happening because of green-eyes here."

Harry's head whipped around to look at his blond-haired guardian. "I'm sorry!" He cried, "I'm so sorry, Quatre. I didn't mean to do it, I swear."

"Harry," Quatre sternly said. Once the boy fell silent, the blond continued, "Trowa didn't say that it was your fault. No, he didn't," he repeated when Harry started to protest. "What he meant is that this is possible because your power is acting as a conduit for us."

"I-I don't understand," Harry stammered.

"I think you have a power inside you that responded to your desire to help Heero, and your strong connection to him allowed you to, in a way, send yourself to him," Trowa tried to explain. "You've also been using your power to heal him."

"So, I am a freak," Harry declared.

"NO!" Quatre cried. "I want you to listen to me, Harry. You are NOT a freak! Whatever the Dursley's told you is a lie. You're special. You have a power that is amazing and extraordinary." Seeing his words weren't sinking in, Quatre paused then asked in a hurt tone, "Do you think I'm a freak?"

Harry's eyes widened and he echoed Quatre by shouting 'no'. "You're good and kind and wonderful and you can't be a freak because you fight for others so that they don't have to fight."

Quatre had to hide his smile and maintain a serious face. He saw Trowa turn away so Harry wouldn't see him laughing. "But I also have a special power," he continued, placing his hand over his heart. "I have something called a Space Heart. I can feel the emotions of others. Some think I'm a freak because of my ability. Some are angry they believe that I'm invading their privacy, and others fear me because they think I can do more with it."

"But you're not a freak, Quatre." Harry reassured.

"So, if I'm not a freak, then you can't be one either," Quatre reasoned. "Do you understand?"

"I… I'm not sure."

Quatre sighed. He knew that changing Harry's mind and erasing what the Dursley's told him for years would be a continuous fight. He made another small step tonight, but Duo and he would have to repeatedly remind Harry and to make sure the small boy knew he was wanted and loved. "I think this is enough for tonight. You're starting to tire."

Indeed it was true. Harry's eyes were fighting to stay awake. Quatre turned to look at Trowa, who had been quietly watching them for awhile. The auburn-haired pilot reached forward and stroked his fingers down the other's cheek. "I miss you," Trowa admitted.

Quatre leaned into the touch. "I miss you as well. I wish you could visit some time."

"You know I can't, little one. And besides, I've been taking care of Heero."

"How is he?"

"Better. Hopefully he'll waken soon. I think Zechs is getting impatient."

"Oh?"

"I received a note a few days ago." Trowa allowed a small smirk to slip across his lips. "Apparently, he rebuilt Heero's Wing and is demanding a rematch."

Quatre laughed, "I don't think Heero would want to miss that. I'll have to tell Duo about this, though he might not believe half of it."

"How is he?" Trowa echoed Quatre's previous question.

"Bad," the blond replied in a low undertone, making sure Harry couldn't hear. "He's been taking more missions lately. He leaves for them after Harry's asleep, then returns in the morning in time to wake him up and plays with him during the day. I think he's trying not to let Heero's absence affect him, but he's slowly killing himself at the rate he's going. He barely sleeps and eats less. Even Harry has picked up on it. He's stopped asking Duo to teach him to swim, and instead has started asking for naps. It's the only time I know that Duo sleeps." Tears started to cloud teal eyes, "I just don't know what to do."

"I'm sorry," the taller boy offered. "I'm sure Duo can take care of himself, and he remembers that Harry is counting on him. Hopefully, that's enough to keep him out of trouble."

"Yes, hopefully," Quatre agreed. Looking down at the almost-asleep Harry, he remarked, "I think it's time for us to go."

Trowa opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a low moan from Heero. Three heads snapped around to look at him. Slowly, Prussian blue eyes opened and then focused on Harry."

"Harry…" A hoarse voice called. The boy smiled tiredly at Heero, and then he and Quatre disappeared. Trowa shook his head and leaned forward. "It's about time you woke up, Yuy."

xx

Quatre shook his head, trying to rid the feeling that he was underwater. Looking around, he found himself back at the mansion, in Harry's room. He had come to check on the young boy earlier, and found him lying on top of his covers. When he had touched the child, he had felt his body jerk, and then he was looking into the forest-green eyes of Trowa Barton. It seemed like something impossible had just occurred, yet he couldn't deny that it actually happened.

"Quatre?" The blond was startled out of his thoughts by the call. Looking down at the drowsy boy laying in his arms, he smiled and answered 'yes'. "Can I sleep with you tonight? I don't want to be alone."

Quatre's heart melted at the plea and he couldn't deny Harry his request. Scooping up the small child, he carried him to his room and tucked the black-haired boy into his large bed. "I have to work on a few things before I go to bed, so I'll be up a little bit longer. If you need me, I'll be at that desk right over there, okay?" Seeing Harry's tired nod, Quatre leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Goodnight."

"Nigh'." Harry was asleep before Quatre even took two steps.

Quatre worked on paperwork for the next few hours, the only sounds being Harry's rhythmic breathing and the scratching of Quatre's pen. It was nearing midnight, when a sudden scream split the air, startling the blond. Quatre had his gun in his hand and pointed at the source before his mind could catch up, and when it did, he dropped the weapon and sprinted to the bedside.

"Harry! Wake up, Harry!" Quatre implored, shaking the screaming and thrashing brunet's shoulders. It took a few minutes until emerald-green eyes suddenly snapped open. Harry immediately launched himself at Quatre, crying and mumbling. "What's wrong, Harry? Please tell me what's wrong."

"They've got him," Harry chocked on his words as soon as he said them. "They've taken him away. You have to do something. I can't lose him."

The child was close to hyperventilating at this point. "Calm down, Harry," Quatre ordered. "Deep breaths. That's it. Now what were you saying?"

"They've taken him away."

"Taken who?"

"Duo!"

Quatre's breath hitched in panic, but forced himself to calm down. "I'm sure it was just a bad dream, little one. You've had a long day, and you used a lot of your energy earlier. I'm sure Duo's–"

Quatre's reassurances were cut off by his mission computer beeping. Frowning, Quatre untangled himself from Harry, soothing the small child when he made whimpering noises. His computer wouldn't make noise at this time unless it was an emergency or a mission. For once, he hoped it was a mission. Opening the link, Quatre felt both surprise and dread when WuFei's grim face appeared on the screen.

"I have bad news," the Asian teen bluntly stated. "Duo's been captured by OZ soldiers and they are planning on executing him."

Quatre felt his heart stop for a moment, and the world suddenly became distant and muffled. He heard Harry cry Duo's name and then there was a loud pop. Whirling around, Quatre found himself in an empty room with a rumpled bed. Harry was no where in sight.