Once I knew for sure that Duo was safe and in the care of doctors who could help him, I let myself go. Perhaps it was not the best choice to let go while sitting up on the examining table, but I wasn't sure my strength would hold up long enough for me to lay down. Besides, I knew master would catch me.

When I next woke up I was in a hospital bed with an IV in my arm. Duo was in a bed next to mine, hooked up to several machines that seemed to be doing everything but sleeping for him, and he was probably only doing that because of the medicine in his IV. He was helpless, completely done in, and looked nearly dead. His eyes were sunken and his face was bruised, his long hair dirty and thrown into a haphazard ponytail to keep it away from the machinery. He was sleeping like the dead, which did less to comfort me than it should have.

"Finally awake, I see," someone said to my left, and I looked to find Dr. Hutch in the doorway. He was an understanding man, and I was glad that he had taken over my care and Duo's. Not that he was any more skilled than the other doctors, simply that he was less of a stickler for the rules than them. With a master like mine, there would have to be some exceptions, or he would drive himself crazy with worry.

"How long have I been out?" I asked, my voice scratchy and my throat dry.

"Several hours. We've been waking you every hour because of your concussion, but I don't think you were aware enough of your surroundings to remember."

"How is Shini?"

"Better. Still not quite stable, but he's doing better. The swelling in his throat he lessened somewhat and while he's not really showing improvement yet, he's not slipping away either. He needs rest right now, and time to heal."

"Where's Master?"

"I had to ask him to leave. He was upsetting the other slaves. However, Kitten asked if he could come see you they finished packing and I said it'd be alright."

"Packing? What day is it?"

"Tuesday."

"But... we have to be off of the satellite by tonight or it will be closed. How will we...?" I trailed, looking at Duo. It would be dangerous for him to travel, but he couldn't stay here. The satellite closed once the banquet was over and would open as a resort in a few weeks, once every room was carefully checked for signs of the station's true purpose.

"If he is not ready, we will keep him here until he is better, but your master will not be able to reclaim him until next year's banquet."

"And knowing Shinigami, he won't even be here by then," I said distastefully. If he didn't come with us now, we'd probably never see him again.

"Which is why if all goes well I will authorize him to leave with you as long as I am assured he will receive medical attention as soon as you get earthside. I'm not as crazy as your master, I don't want the responsibility for Shinigami on my shoulders, or the blame if he should happen to get away."

"I understand," I told him, relaxing against the pillows. "What are his chances of successfully making it to Earth?"

"About as good as his chances of surviving here, honestly. Maybe better, if he gets top notch care on the ground. We have a lot of good doctors here, but we're really not equipped to take care of this kind of beating. Broken bones and gashes, yes, but internal bleeding, punctured lungs, and a collapsed windpipe? No. It's rare to see a beating of this caliber, and rarer yet for the slave to survive."

"He'll survive," I assured him, a smirk on my face as I closed my eyes. "He is Shinigami."

"That he is. Now, why don't you go back to sleep? You're all clear of the concussion, so we won't have to wake you every hour, and I'm sure you could use some real rest," he said, then departed. I fell asleep again before he was even out the door.

The next time I awoke, it wasn't Quatre sitting with me, but Master.

"Isn't Quatre coming?" I wondered, in a nearly lucid manner.

"What kind of greeting is that?" Master asked playfully.

"Uh... I'm sorry," I mumbled, blushing. Master only laughed.

"Quatre was here earlier, but you slept right through his visit. It's alright, though, because he couldn't be here long anyway. We've been quite busy lately, trying to arrange transport for Duo and the rest of us," he told me, a tiny, goofy smile on his face. I thought, for a moment, that perhaps that I was seeing it wrong, but looking closer I found that the problem was not with myself, but with Master. His eyes were sunken with deep, dark bags under them, and his face was looking almost gaunt and haggard. I had watched the constant parties and social pressures of Collar wear at him, but never had I seen him this bad. It seemed that our hospital stay had caused him to worsen drastically over night, and I could only hope, as I had with the pressures of Collar, that being home would cure him. And now it was even more desperate that we get home, for I wasn't certain how much more of this Master could take.

"How will we transport Duo?" I wondered, glancing at the bed, where he seemed no better than he had been.

"I've chartered a private shuttle and purchased the same equipment that the hospital is using on him now. It's being installed, but should be finished by this evening. Once we land an ambulance will meet us to take Duo to an earthside hospital for proper treatment. The rest of you will be transported to a secure location."

"The house."

"Uh..."

"What is it?" I wondered, his hesitation causing me to become nervous. "Aren't we... aren't we all going to the same place?" I wondered. I didn't want to separate from any of the others, not when we were so close to being whole.

"No... That's not it... It's just that... the villa is so tiny. I've been thinking a lot about it and it's really not big enough for five teenage boys, and there's very little to keep all of you occupied."

"So what are you going to do?" I wondered tentatively.

"I... I mean... It's not like that's the only house I have. There's one farther to the west that's just had the house completely redone. The barn needs some work, but it's got lots of ground. And the house is state of the art, though the pool is a bit smaller than the last one. Of course, if we're looking for a bigger pool there's always the one in..."

"Master," I interrupted, trying to stay awake as he rambled on. "I don't really care about the house, as long as we're all together. The villa was nice, but it was only the people in it that made it nice. I'm sure whatever house you choose will be fine."

"The west house is closer to the hospital where Duo will be treated."

"Then we should go there," I said with a yawn. "How long until we leave?"

"A few hours. Go back to sleep while you can. I'm sure you'll be too sore to sleep once they take you off those painkillers," he said, and that brought me awake.

"Painkillers?"

"Mm-hm. I okayed them to let you sleep. They've been going into your IV since you got here, both to help you rest and to bring down the swelling."

"I... wish you would have told me," I said slowly. To have something put into my body that I was unaware of made me... unnerved. Suspicious. Scared.

"Why? I made sure it wasn't anything detrimental, there was no reason to concern you about it."

"Still..."

"Heero, I'm still your master," he said, his tone serious. "There may be times that I okay things like this without your permission. You'll simply have to accept that," he said, then smiled brightly, if only for my behalf. "So don't worry so much," he said as he rose from his chair and headed to the door. "I won't let anything happen to you. Never again."