Oh, I am so sorry. My memory is poor and randomly selective.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN (Sprinkles)

Quatre softly stroked Harry's now cool forehead. The boy had been excited when they first took off, asking questions about everything, but within a few minutes though, the young boy's eyes began drooping and he quickly fell asleep. They had been flying for a few hours when things started to take a bad turn. OZ troops were closely monitoring the air zones and questioning any and all aircrafts, using mobile suits to force pilots into submission.

Rather than risk being exposed or captured, Quatre decided to lay low for a couple of days at an abandoned airport on the island of Madagascar off of the coast of Africa. He hoped he could get a message to Heero and Trowa, but with the enemy monitoring the airwaves, he was forced to cut all communication.

Unfortunately, they ended up staying at the airport for four days when Harry became sick from the backlash caused by his special powers. Quatre recognized the cause because he had felt it many times as a child when he became overloaded from his space heart and unable to fully shield himself from the onslaught of emotions.

Quatre tended to Harry the entire time, and finally Harry's fever had broken the previous night. So now, Quatre was preparing for them to depart. As he flipped on his comm link for the first time in days, he found a message waiting from Heero left three days prior. The first part of the message was clear – Heero was headed to outer space to rescue Duo. However, the second part of the message was scrambled and laid over with a high-sounding pitch. Quatre understood something about Trowa and enemy. The blond interpreted the message as that Trowa had been delayed by the enemy and would meet them in space.

Warmed at the thought of seeing the green-eyed pilot again, Quatre hurried to wake Harry and leave, but again their luck did not hold. As he was completing the last checks before take-off, the radar beeped a warning for incoming suits – a patrolling squad of about five. Quatre cursed Allah for all the rotten luck he seemed to be having lately and thought fast.

If he didn't take care of his pursuers, they could follow and make trouble. On the other hand, if he fought them here, they could call for backup easier and there was a high chance that Harry would be hurt or killed. Quatre's brain worked at lightning speed to find a solution and his gaze fell on his Gundam.

Quatre swallowed as he forced his mind to think about this new solution. If he left his Gundam sitting out in plain sight, then the suits would target it first, leaving him to get away. Once they were a safe distance from the blast radius, he could activate Sandrock's self-detonation, taking out his enemies as well as protecting his machine.

It was the best plan that he could think of. Ordering Harry to stay put, Quatre quickly unloaded his Gundam and set it for remote detonation. The blond prayed to Allah that this would work as he sprinted back to the plane, as well as a small prayer of thanks and goodbye to his trusty Gundam.

"Quatre…" Harry started to speak as soon as Quatre returned, but fell silent when the teen sharply shook his head. "Now is not the time, Harry. Make sure you are properly buckled."

The child shrank back and did as he was told while Quatre launched the carrier. Thankfully, the plane was equipped to be flown either in space or within the Earth's atmosphere, but they would need to refuel as soon as they could in space since the launch into space would burn most of it up. Soon enough, they were rocketing upwards, towards the blue sky.

A quick glance out the side window confirmed Quatre's belief. The incoming suits had altered their route and were headed towards the lone Gundam still standing on the tarmac, already launching an assault on the machine. As soon as he judged them close enough, Quatre pushed a button. As he watched, there was a brilliant white light and then a massive explosion that engulfed the enemy. His Gundam was no more.

Quatre closed his eyes and turned away from the sight, swallowing down his pain and heartache at destroying his beloved machine. It was necessary to their escape. Had Quatre kept watching for a few seconds more, he would have seen a stray Aries survive the explosion.

In minutes, they were breaking through the Earth's atmosphere and floating in the darkness of space. Harry gasped in wonder beside him. True the small boy had been to space before, but he had been with the Dursley's at the time and he was too scared to take more than a peak.

Harry's awe brought a smile to Quatre's face. Setting a course for the nearest colony, Quatre unbuckled both himself and Harry. "Want to try on a space suit?" The question brought a resounding 'yes' from the boy, and Harry eagerly pushed himself towards the back, giggling and playing in the zero gravity. The light-hearted and warm feelings emanating from his young charge calmed Quatre's own troubled heart.

Their trip was quiet for a few hours. However, after they docked at the colony where Quatre hoped they could refuel things once more took a turn south. As soon as the door opened, Harry laughed and dashed forward, eager to explore. Quatre smiled and shook his head at the boy's energy. He only took two steps forward when he heard Harry scream in pure fright.

The blond immediately sprinted out of the ship, only to find himself surrounded by OZ troops. A flash of fear went through him, but when he saw the man holding a gun trained on the terrified Harry, his fury erupted.

"What is the meaning of this?" Quatre yelled. "That is a child. What do you hope to accomplish by scaring him to death?" Harry whimpered and lunged himself at the blond. Quatre caught him and quickly shielded him with his body. "Answer me right this second."

The soldier sneered, "I don't have to answer to you."

"No, but you do answer to me, Fawcett," a cool voice barked from behind the guards. "As for your question, you are being held on the grounds of being a terrorist and a suspected Gundam pilot."

Before, Quatre wanted to hit his head against the ship because he couldn't believe his bad luck, but when their captor's leader stepped forward, Quatre felt like crying.

There standing before him resplendent in an OZ soldier's uniform was none other than Trowa.

xx

Duo stared unaware at the ceiling, his long hair spread across the dirty floor beneath him. They had finally searched his hair after he got out of his handcuffs and cell by using the strategically hidden pick-pocketing kit. He almost made it out of the base, and would have if his body wasn't shutting down from all the torture.

The only reason they hadn't cut his hair was because of his last wish. Duo argued that since Treize had lost Harry, his previous wish was null and void; so, he should get another. Surprisingly, the aristocrat conceded. Duo smirked. It was probably because the man still couldn't figure out how Harry escaped. In the end, he was allowed could keep his long hair, but he just wouldn't be allowed to keep it in a braid until his execution in two days.

The echoing of steps snapped Duo out of his trance. He could barely find the energy to turn his head when the door to his cell opened, but when he did, he felt a fissure of shock slice through his body.

There standing in the doorway was Professor G. Another fellow that Duo recognized from Quatre's descriptions as Instructor H drew their guard away as G strode into the room.

"You screwed up, you damn street rat," G bluntly stated.

Duo couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up in his throat as he struggled to sit up, "Not my damn fault, you crack-pot. Your "the ultimate work of art" piece of shit couldn't function in space."

G's fist crashed into Duo's skull, "Maybe it was your shitty piloting skills. Then on top of everything, you can't even escape like a proper thief. How the hell did you even steal Deathscythe in the first place?"

Duo growled at the low blow, "What are you doing here, old man?"

G shrugged and made himself comfortable on the ground. "Well, once upon a time –"

"Cut the crap and get to the point, jackass," Duo snapped, though a smile threatened to break out.

"Fine, fine," G grumbled. "That Lady Une woman somehow caught all five of us doctors. She wants us to design and build mobiles suits superior to the Tallgeese and the Gundams."

Duo raised an eyebrow, "What's her threat?"

The professor leaned back on his hands and tilted his head up to the ceiling. He didn't answer for a few minutes, and just as Duo started to fidget, he sighed and said, "She has threatened to kill Quatre and Harry."

In a blink of an eye, Duo had surged to his feet and grabbed the front of G's coat. "How did that bitch get her claws on Harry?"

"Hmm, well I guess we should just hand over the designs to the Gundams then," G calmly replied.

"If it would save Harry, then yes!" Duo snarled. G's visible eye below his grey hair suddenly sharpened and before Duo could dodge, the professor had connected a resounding punch that sent Duo flying. "Shit!"

"Use your brain, you damn brat," G yelled. "I don't remember letting a sniveling, emotional idiot to pilot my greatest work!"

Duo lay where he had fallen, trying to get the room to stop spinning and his mind to settle. He knew what he said was irrational. If they handed over the designs of the Gundams, then the war would be forfeit. This thought fought against his desire to protect Harry. Duo had promised to protect his little brother; yet, the boy was now being used as a pawn. Duo internally whimpered at how useless he felt. If he hadn't been caught in the first place, then he could have been there to protect Harry, and maybe then he wouldn't have been used as a bargaining chip. "What are you going to do? Can you stall long enough for them to be rescued or what?"

"Don't count us out just yet, boy," a new, oily voice interrupted. The man in the doorway clicked his metal arm as the light reflected off his glasses. "We're more resourceful than you think. Besides, the boy has his own fate that he must meet."

Duo sat up quickly, "What do you mean?" Yes, he had recognized fate and death's hands on Harry, but it seemed the doctor knew more about it.

J looked at Duo's eager visage and commented, "G, your brat is pitiful."

"Back off, J," G warned. He rummaged through his pockets. "Let me see your cross, brat."

Duo fumbled to bring out the necklace that he kept hidden beneath his clothes. G reached over and clipped something metal to the pendant. When he withdrew, Duo tried to find what he did, but the cross looked the same and, though it was slightly heavier, there was no given seems or anything to give away that G did something.

"I merely put on something like an outer covering," G explained. Duo blinked as the professor's voice seemed to faintly echo from his necklace. "There's a slight give in the back that will turn off the transmitter. This is the source." In his hands he held another silver cross, though this one was smaller. "I want you to give this to young Harry when you meet him again.

Duo accepted the trinket, not even questioning that professor's words. The teen could feel a strange energy surrounding the necklace that made his hand tingle slightly before fading. "What does it do?"

"It will help with Harry's power. There's also a special type of transmitter and microphone on the inside that connects to your own. Otherwise, when Harry's power grows, it would interfere with the electronics."

"Harry's power," Duo softly repeated. "What power does he have? Is it like Quatre's space heart? He suddenly appeared here a couple days ago, kind of like teleportation or magic. Does he have magic?"

G shook his head, "I can't tell you that, but I can say that as Harry grows, so will his powers. He will be able to do amazing things when he's older, but the more he accepts it as a part of him, the better it will be for him later on."

Duo nodded, putting the necklace around his neck so that it joined his own. G stood and headed for the door. "Also, Duo, when it comes the time for Harry's turn to fight, you can't interfere." When Duo started to protest, G held up his hand, "You can help, just don't interfere."

Duo swallowed and nodded. Hadn't he already known this? Death and fate had both marked Harry, but mentally thinking it was definitely different than having someone else verify it out loud.

"Oh," Doctor J suddenly paused as the two doctors were leaving. "When the time comes, remember this piece of advice: beware of the bumblebee." With that last cryptic remark, the doctors were gone and Duo was left in his cell, alone except a multitude of thoughts.

Duo's mind contemplated the professor's comments and J's message, and then circled back to Harry and Quatre, and briefly he would think about his soon to be execution. He didn't know how long it was since the doctors left and he was left alone with his thoughts in the empty cell. He got so completely lost in his thoughts again that he didn't realize someone was coming to his cell until the door was wrenched right off their hinges.