See what happens when everyone talks to me? Oh, and who ever "The Reader" is, I'd still like to talk to you even if you don't like Gaia. Please contact me through or E-mail me. Sorry about putting you on the spot, but I seem to do it to everyone.

Finally, I want to encourage everyone I can to go to Gaia. It's the only sure way to know I'll answer you questions and you can vote for what I should do (though I'll answer almost any review that leaves me a reply address as well.) Anyway, thanks, and keep reading!

When I awoke the next morning, I could feel master's eyes on me, and see his new slave sleeping on the other side of him, his back to us. He motioned for me to get up and we both got out of bed, leaving the newest addition to the household sleep.

Once out of the bedroom, master and I gravitated toward the kitchen, and ended up sitting on the bar stools facing one another. I kept my head down, afraid he would be disappointed with my behavior last night. I had not had a nightmare in a very long time, probably because even in the warehouse there were always slaves around me when I slept, usually within reach of my cage. It was only when I was alone that the nightmares hit, and I had felt so very alone last night.

My only consolation that night had been that master had again saved me, waking me from the nightmare and taking me back into the warmth. When master had taken me into his room I had been too grateful to refuse, too frightened to protest. I hadn't wanted the other slave there, for I had still felt that he was a threat, but I would not risk angering master by protesting.

I doubted the other slave would become close to any of us as Quatre and I had. Friendships were rare in Collar, as I well knew, and there was something in Trowa's eyes that told me he knew how to play games of betrayal and deceit. Quatre had been so quickly beaten by the games of the slaves of his last master that he had never really learned how to play, though I didn't doubt he knew how to lie, and I had yet to be forced to play the game in master's house. I didn't want to stoop back to that level, but to protect Quatre and myself I would not hesitate to do so.

There was a pregnant silence in the kitchen, and then master spoke.

"I meant what I said last night," he said, causing me to raise my head just the slightest. "The addition of Trowa does not take anything away from you or Quatre. I don't want his presence here to alarm you, and I don't want you to make him feel like an outcast."

"I understand," I said in monotone, resolved to do what was necessary to protect myself and Quatre, even if that meant lying to master.

"Heero, you must believe me, Trowa is not going to replace either you or Quatre. Do you understand? I need you to believe me," he said, staring intently at me. Under his harsh gaze, my resolve wilted. If I allowed my own actions to change because of the new slave, was I not changing the schematics of our household just as much as Trowa's actions would have? Lying to the only master who had ever treated me with any decency was not the solution to the problem. It would merely compound it.

"I... I am trying," I said honestly, and could see in master's face that he was happier with this honest answer than he could have been with any other.

"I know you are. Just... try to trust me. And be nice to Trowa. Do you remember how hard your and Quatre's first days with me were? He's going to need to know that he's not going to be isolated. Just... try to get to know him, alright? That's all I ask," he said. I nodded, and master kissed me, then went to order breakfast.

Trowa came out as I was bringing breakfast in. I set the tray down on the counter and approached him. He was taller than me by several inches, though still a couple inches shorter than master. Despite this he seemed to dwarf beside master, as many people did, because he kept his head down and his shoulders slumped. I didn't like having to look up at him, but I had long grown accustomed to my short stature and did not let it bother me. He was thin, as I had noticed last night, and had a hungry look to him that slaves get when they haven't eaten in a few days. Being that he was up for bets, there was a possibility his master had cut his rations, and I didn't want to have to clean up a mess in the kitchen.

"Are you going to vomit?" I asked him at point blank. I could feel master's eyes on me, watching to make sure we didn't fight. Trowa looked surprised by this question, his one visible green eye opening slightly in surprise before he shook his head in negative. I nodded an affirmative and turned around to meet master's questioning stare.

"Heero, what was that about?" he asked me, still naive to some aspects of a slave's life.

"He looked hungry. There was a good possibility he hadn't eaten in several days. I didn't want him to mess up the kitchen."

"Trowa?" he asked, trying to confirm what I had said. Again the boy merely nodded, confirming my information without words. "Well... don't go to bed hungry. You should have said something last night. Actually, don't go anywhere hungry. There's always food in the refrigerator. I don't want you to be afraid to eat. Just go and get something if you're hungry, no one's going to punish you," he said, but I could tell Trowa only half believed him. I think master could too, because he sighed before he sat down at the table. We followed quickly after.

Once at the table, Trowa and I sat on the same side, one chair away from the other, while master sat in the middle chair on the other side. There was oatmeal for breakfast, with maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, and fruit to go with it along with apple juice, orange juice, and milk. I served the table, giving Trowa a small portion after giving his pallor a suspicious glance.

"Heero," master remonstrated, and I sighed before looking him in the eye.

"I'm not being rude. He probably won't even eat that much, if he hasn't eaten in a few days. If he forces it, he'll just be sick."

"Ah," master said, I think recalling my first day with him, "I see. Well, Trowa, if you are still hungry feel free to get more, and make sure you snack throughout the day."

"Yes, master," he said demurely, but I wasn't convinced that it wasn't all an act. Once master had found submission in him, perhaps he thought master would be easier to manipulate against Quatre and I. I would keep a close eye on Trowa.

Breakfast was quiet, and Trowa proved me right by leaving a bit of his porridge uneaten, as I was fairly certain he would. Once my breakfast was eaten, I could not find it in me to stay in a room so filled with tension, and fled to the bath.