Once finished with arrangements for the collars and a quick phone call to Une to have her use her Preventer's authority to have the collars here by nightfall, I quietly slipped downstairs and ordered lunch for Heero and myself. As I was finishing up the phone call, Heero came tromping down the stairs, rubbing his eyes, yawning, and walking considerably stiffly.

"I suppose you're feeling that late night outing, along with our aquatic adventure?"

"Hn. It's nothing I can't handle."

"No, but I suppose you're rather sore."

Heero grunted an affirmative and I had to laugh as Heero contemplated one of the kitchen chairs, then thought better of it and remained standing.

"Unfortunately, you're probably going to be more sore instead of less before tonight's over," I said. Heero looked at me warily, his eyes full of suspicion. I guess I hadn't earned the kind of trust I had thought yet, but I wasn't discouraged. Heero had shown good progress so far, but I wasn't hoping for miracles.

"Why?" Heero asked, eyeing me. Before I could answer, the door bell rang, and I smirked and went to get it.

"I guess you'll just have to trust me on this. Now, set the table and I'll be back with lunch in a minute."

When I returned to the kitchen, Heero immediately bombarded me with questions about my comment, but I simply chuckled and refused to answer. Heero pouted, but there wasn't really anything he could do.

Once lunch was finished, I asked Heero to clean up the few dishes we had made while I went to change clothes. I knew that he was still anxious about what I had said, but I had decided to make him wait just a little bit longer. When I returned, Heero was finishing the last of the dishes and I handed him a pair of shorts. He took them, then stared at me.

"Put them on," I instructed, with a smile.

"Why?" he asked, while obeying my command.

"Because we don't want you weewee getting in the way for this."

Heero paused in pulling up his shorts and simply stared at the floor. After a moment, he finished pulling the shorts up and frowned at me.

"Did you just say what I think you said?" he asked.

"What?" I questioned, confused.

"You... Did you just say weewee?"

"Yes. Why? What's wrong with weewee?"

"I... It's not very... masculine..."

"I suppose not. What would you prefer it to be called?"

"I don't know. A dick?"

"But that sounds so crude. How about a thingey?"

"That's vague. What about penis?"

"That's unflattering. Cock?"

"How's that any better than dick?"

"I suppose your right. What about a wang? It's descriptive yet flattering."

"It's good enough, I suppose. Though I don't really see how that's flattering or descriptive."

"Well we could always call it a..."

"No, wang is fine," Heero commented with a smile. I could tell that he was just as amused by this conversation as I had been.

"Alright then, to the training room," I said. Heero's smile disappeared and his face lost some of its color. I was taken aback by the sudden change and took a hurried step to his side, afraid he was about to faint. "Heero? What's wrong?"

"No... I... I-it's nothing. I just..." he paused, turning his face to me, "What-what kind of training are we doing?"

I frowned in confusion. "Well, I was going to have you do some weight training today, but by the way you look right now that's out of the question. I suppose you could try some yoga or floor gymnastics, if you feel up to it, but I'd almost rather you went to lie down. You've only been here a day and..."

"That room you took me to last night when I... when you punished me," he said, his eyes almost feverish, "What was it called? Is it the training room?"

"No. I've been calling that room the playroom, though it's not a very good name."

Heero stared at me for a moment, his eyes trying to drill into my soul, then suddenly, as though the tension had spilled from his body, he suddenly sagged to the floor. I was not quick enough to hold him up, and could merely slow his descent to the floor, then drop beside him.

"What is it? What's wrong?" I asked, very close to panicking. If there was something wrong with him that I didn't know... a disease, an allergy, anything, his life could be in danger. I knew so little about him that, suddenly, I was afraid for him.

"It's nothing," he tried to sooth. "I was... scared."

"Scared?" I asked him, and reflecting I saw that it was not a total lie. He hadn't been scared, though, he had been damn near terrified to death. "Scared of what?"

"I thought... the training room... My other master had a training room. It's where he gave me these scars on my back. He got drunk and whipped me for losing an earing that he hadn't let me wear, then left me on the floor in the room. He left me there for three days. When he came back, I found out he had forgotten about me, and wouldn't have seen me if he hadn't tried to punish another slave. After that, he gave me to the rest of his slaves to care for, said it would seem weak if he sent for a doctor. The slaves didn't know what they were doing, and the wounds didn't heal right. He sold me in a month, but by then the damage was done. When you said training room... "

"You thought you were going to be punished. But why so much fear now, and so little last night?"

"I had expected it last night. It was a possible outcome of my actions, and I accepted it. I also knew that most trainers in your position would have returned me the next day, so any pain you inflicted would be short lived, as I would be dead within two days of being returned. But, now," he paused, "I wasn't sure of what I had done. I didn't know how bad the punishment would be, or how long I would have to suffer. I had trusted you, and I had thought..."

"You thought that I had broken that trust," I finished for him. He gave a small nod and leaned against me. Gently, I stroked his hair and patted his head.

"But you didn't," he whispered, "I was so scared, but you're not like them."

"But I am, Heero," I whispered to him, sad and ashamed that I had to do it. "Once we get to Collar, I'll be just like them."

"No, you won't," Heero protested. "Even at Collar, most of the pain, most of the punishments are given out privately." Heero turned to me, staring at me intently, "I've had two masters who wanted to be in Collar for political reason. They were both kind, but neither was strong enough to stand that kind of torment for very long, and they sold me and left within a year. You're stronger. I know you can do it."

Heero didn't know it, but he had just given me the perfect alibi. If there were others in Collar who didn't want to hurt their slaves, then perhaps I would be able to use that as an excuse.

I smiled warmly and pulled his head against my shoulder, stroking his hair.

We sat on the floor like that for a long time, but finally my legs began to cramp and I had to stand up.

"Do you feel like doing some exercises?" I asked. Heero nodded and stretched. I noted that Heero had been sitting on his legs, Japanese style, so that his sore bottom would not touch the floor. I chuckled.

"Still sore, eh?" I asked. He nodded. "Well, it's your own fault, but I'm sure it will feel better by tomorrow. Now worries," I said, helping him up. "If not, I'll have Sally take a look at it when she comes over. She could prescribe something for it, unless you're just being a baby," I said with a wink, but this time Heero didn't take the teasing.

"Who's Sally?" he asked as I led him to what I had decided to call the mini-gym.

"She's one of my personal physicians. She'll be giving you a check-up the day after tomorrow."

"Why? I said I wasn't sick," he commented as I opened the door.

"I simply want to be sure. Now, no more arguing. Save your breath for your workout," I warned. Heero instantly heeded me, and the subject was closed. I failed to mention that, after my epiphany about his physical well-being in the kitchen, there was no way he was getting out of a checkup. I simply had to call Sally and arrange it.

I allowed Heero to do an hour of stretches, which I was present for most of. The only time I left him was when the doorbell rang, and he was under strict instructions not to try anything new while I was gone.

The doorbell turned out to be a package, one that I took with a heavy heart. I had grown fond of Heero in the short time he was with me, and I didn't cherish the thought of putting another collar on him.

Still, I didn't want to ruin the rest of his day with my sour mood, so I called him to quit once the package was safely stored away and offered that we should both relax in the hottub on the back porch.

Heero couldn't have been happier with my suggestion, as his muscles were not used to so much exercise and he could feel them preparing to cramp horribly. I think Heero would have allowed himself to boil in the hottub, had I not forced him out for dinner.

Dinner was a quiet affair, I think more because Heero is a quiet person and I was not feeling overly talkative myself. Still, it was a companionable silence, and I was content with it.

Once the food was finished and the dishes stored away, I asked Heero if he wanted to watch TV or play a board game.

"Could we..." he started, his eyes going wistfully toward the window.

"What?"

"It's been a long time since I've been outside. It's still warm tonight. Do you think we could go outside for a while?"

It was such a small request, but from the look in his eyes you would have thought he has asked me to pull down the moon and hand it to him. I could only nod and grab a blanket from the spare closet.

Heero was naked again, as he had no clothes of his own and the only spare pair of shorts that fit him were now dirty. But he seemed almost natural in only his skin, not self-conscious at all, and I couldn't reasonable complain about the view. I, on the other hand, was a little more modest, more because I knew that my soldiers were out in the forest than anything. I had dawned an old pair of shorts to at least cover my modesty.

When I opened the door to the yard, I knew I was right about grabbing the blankets. It wasn't cold outside yet, but it certainly wasn't warm enough for someone to be out naked either. In the failing light of dusk, I worked my way across the deck and into the yard. There I laid the blanket down and, pulling Heero down with me, wrapped the two of us in the blanket. We waited until the sun was gone and long after the stars had come out. Heero stared at the sky like it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and I was enjoying his slim, supple young body against my bare skin, knowing that I would claim it for my own before long.

It was a combination of hunger and cold that finally forced me back inside.

"Heero," I nudged gently, disturbing his gaze. "Heero, it's time to go back inside."

I could see, from the way his eyes fell a bit, that he also knew what that meant. I could tell now that he had not forgotten what was to come at the end of the night either, and was also dreading it. He did not complain, though, nor protest, but simply nodded his head softly and rose to go inside.

Once inside, I told Heero to order food, I didn't care what, then come to the bedroom. While he was doing that, I went to the room and, with a heavy heart, unpacked the collars.

"You know what must be done," I told him as he entered.

"Yes. I am grateful for what you have given me," he said, his face solemn, "I will not ask for more," he finished, and handed me his old, leather collar. I tossed it to the bed.

"You must wear a collar, but it will not be that one. Here," I said, slipping the new collar around his neck and fastening it with the lock.

Heero fingered it a bit before I pulled him to the mirror to look at it. After a thorough inspection, he turned to me.

"It... is not so bad. Thank you."

"I'm glad you like it. I thought that maybe the weight and size of the other one might have made you..."

"No," he interrupted, "I have had many collars, and they have all felt the same. It's not the collar, it's you. I trust you, so the collar is not such a great burden to bear."

I smiled and nodded, then led him out of the room.