The house was... homey. More so than any of the mansion I had lived in or the expensive cottages I had stayed at. Or, perhaps, I merely appreciated it more because I had been without a home for so long. Whatever the reason, I thought it was probably the best home I'd ever seen, though I had to admit I was probably bias.
It was old, ancient even, but not in any state of disrepair. It seemed like a sturdy oak, which only grew stronger with time. There were pillars in front of the door, and stairs leading up to it, giving the house a regal feeling. But the part that still struck me the most was its age. The house seemed almost... wise.
It was massive, too, three stories high with a balcony on the third story. I had yet to go inside, but it seemed almost as wide as it was tall. And the grounds were huge as well, from what I could see. The estate was surrounded in dense forest, so I could only assume that the cleared ground was yard. I wondered how far into the forest the grounds extended. It wasn't uncommon for a master to buy all the ground around their estate to keep nosey neighbors from moving in.
"Zechs has asked me to show you all to the house, and then you're on your own until he gets back," the driver informed. He was older than master, but still pretty young. He had a relaxed air about him, although it felt to me that he was also very serious about his duties. Still, he seemed genuinely nice. And, because I of my empathy, I was pretty sure of myself when it came to knowing people.
"Do you work for Master Zechs?" I wondered, causing the driver to look at me as he turned off the car.
"Not exactly. I work for Zechs'... business. He called ahead to tell us he would be moving to this location, so we made sure the house was up to code. It's a pretty neat place, I think you'll like it. We've installed some things to help you train for your... competition."
"I know you," Heero blurted suddenly as we all began to exit the van. "You're the same person who drove on the first day I came to master."
"Uh..." the man hesitated. "Yes, I am."
"But why did you come so far?"
"Well... Zechs is very particular about who knows about you boys, as I'm sure you can understand. You're not likely see many new faces around this place, except for maybe some teachers."
"Teachers?" Wufei wondered as he climbed out of the van.
"Zechs mentioned getting some tutors to train you for Collar once he found out what the tasks would be. Anyway, to your left will be the den, and to your right the kitchen. Now, your luggage will arrive once it's been unloaded from the plane, so until then you'll just have to entertain yourselves. Zechs will be back later this evening, and you can dial one on any phone if you need something."
"When will Duo come?" Heero asked, his face gloomy and pinched with worry, though if you didn't know him you wouldn't be able to tell.
"They'll be keeping him at the hospital until Sally releases him. Other than that, I couldn't say. All I can tell you is Sally's the best, and your friend is in good hands with her."
"What should we do in the mean time?" Wufei asked.
"Just explore, I guess. As long as you don't go outside of the grounds you can do whatever you want. Just don't break anything. Oh, and don't fight, either. I'm sure Zechs wouldn't be pleased if you did. Now, if there are no more questions, I'll be leaving. There's food in the kitchen and, as I said, if you need something just dial one on any phone."
And with that he got back into the car and drove away, leaving the four of us staring at the huge house in front of us and wondering what to do.
Wufei moved first, opening the front door and stepping inside. Heero followed next, then myself. Only Trowa hesitated on porch. I turned, wondering what was keeping him, only to find him looking upwards.
"Trowa?" I wondered.
"There's a balcony on the third floor," he answered cryptically. "I'm sure the view is beautiful. Do you think...?" he trailed, staring at it with longing.
"Well, the man did say to explore," I replied bravely. "Let's go find it."
The stairs were all the way in the back of the house. We tiptoed to them like thieves, as though the house was not our home. Wufei was in the kitchen preparing tea, and Heero was in the backyard already, looking for something or another, so Trowa and I were alone as we ascended the steps. The upstairs was ghostly silent, compiled of two halls that intersected in a slightly off center T. There was another set of stairs right across from the first. The one we were on led from the first floor to the second, while the other seemed to lead from the second to the third. We didn't stop to look at the many rooms on the second floor, too intent on our quest to find the balcony.
At the top of the next set of stairs we encountered a huge, gothic library. At the end of the library was a pair of french doors, and beyond them the balcony. Trowa set off immediately for the balcony, while I hesitated a moment to look around the library. I took a deep breath, smelling the dry, musty scent of books and knowledge. It had been a long time since I had been given the luxury of being in a library and not being naked, chained, in pain, or any combination of the three.
But I only spent a moment enjoying the library, because Trowa was waiting on the balcony and I was eager to join him. There was something kindred between us, something that attracted us to each other, but neither of us had been able to delve further into the relationship because of the others. Now, in this big house, almost completely alone, I hoped we could at least talk. I wanted to know more about the mysterious boy who had so captivated me.
Trowa was already outside on the balcony, leaning on the rail and letting the wind tousle his long bangs. His closed his vibrant green eyes as the wind caressed his face, the gentle summer breeze bringing a smile to his face. I paused at the sight, longing to see that smile more often. He sensed my presence and opened his eyes, turning that soft grin to me. It brought a smile to my own face as I stepped out beside him.
But, as I went to cross the threshold from the library, a sudden wave of vertigo overcame me and I nearly fell, managing just barely not to stumble. I reached out, my hand grabbed the rail in a strong grip, and the wave of vertigo passed. I quickly looked over at Trowa to see that he had looked away, luckily missing my slip. I took a deep breath and the vertigo quickly passed, and I could only wonder what had caused it.
Trowa and I spent a few moments in silence. He contemplated the surrounding grounds while I tried to get my bearings from that sudden onslaught of my senses. The vertigo was gone, but it had left me feeling queasy, lightheaded, and generally ill. But I didn't want to cause problems, not for Trowa, not for Master, and especially not so soon. Duo was in the hospital, and my pain certainly didn't compare to that.
"It's peaceful here, don't you think?" Trowa asked, his quiet voice ringing in the silence.
"Huh? Oh... uh, yeah, it's great," I replied, unable to focus through the scattered feeling in my head.
"Quatre? Are you alright?" he wondered, turning to me.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I said quickly, swallowing the bile that rose in my throat.
"Oh. Alright. When do you think Master will be back?" he wondered.
"Um... I don't know," I admitted, fighting not to pant. My stomach was rolling and I just wanted to sit down, but I didn't want Trowa to think I didn't want to be around him, so I took slow deliberate breaths and thanked my lucky stars that he wasn't looking at me.
"I hope we stay here for a long time," Trowa commented, staring out over the landscape.
Meanwhile, I was still feeling terrible. I held my breath and counted to ten, but all I managed to do was make myself dizzy. I took a slow breath and closed my eyes, leaning against the railing heavily. I thought, for a moment, that I might be okay, because my head began to clear, but my knees suddenly gave out and I knew I was done.
"Quatre!" Trowa gasped, hurrying over to kneel beside me. "What happened?"
"I don't feel so good," I admitted, biting my lip as tears came to my eyes.
"Alright," Trowa said, his voice forced calm though I could tell how upset he really was. "Do you think you can stand?" he asked. I nodded, biting my lip and hoping I didn't throw up. I grabbed the railing and tried to pull myself up, but it took Trowa helping on the other side to get me on my feet, and even then I was wobbly. I felt incredibly weak, so much so that I had to lean on Trowa while I walked.
"Here, sit down," Trowa said, propelling me to one of the couches in the library. I moaned in pain as I sat, the movement causing my stomach to lurch. "Alright, just stay here," Trowa said as he darted to the door and yelled for Wufei. I wanted to tell him to stop, but I was just too sick.
I leaned on the arm of the couch, putting my head down on my hands as I wished today had gone better. I heard the sound of approaching footsteps and looked up to see Wufei and Trowa returning, the former looking worried and the latter looking close to panic.
"What's wrong?" Wufei asked, his brown eyes looking over me and taking everything in.
"I think I'm sick," I told him sorrowfully.
"I can see that," he replied, smiling. "Can you tell me why?" he asked, reaching out to touch my forehead.
"No. I just suddenly got dizzy when I went out on the porch. I tried to ignore it, but then my stomach got upset and I got this terrible headache, and then I fell," I replied as he lowered his hand, a frown on his face.
"No fever... When's the last time you ate?"
"Um... On the plane, I think," I told him.
"No," Trowa contradicted, "You said you were too upset to eat on the plane, because of Duo. Remember?"
"Oh. Well, then it must have been the day before," I tried again.
"Neither of you ate the day before," Wufei cut in. "You were both too busy with packing to worry about eating," he reminded us as he tilted my head back to peer in my eyes.
"So what's wrong with him?" Trowa asked as Wufei finished.
"I'm not a doctor, but my best guess would be stress. I'll make some tea and toast, and with a little rest he should be fine. Just put him to bed in one of the guest rooms downstairs. If you can keep an eye on him tonight I'll be sure to tell Master Zechs what happened when he gets home, but I don't think it will be anything to worry about, alright?" he asked. We both nodded and Wufei turned to the stairs but halted just before he reached them. "Oh, and Trowa? You had better carry him down. We don't want him to get dizzy and fall going down the stairs," he said, then descended out of sight.
I glanced at Trowa, completely mortified. I couldn't ask him to carry me down the stairs like a child. And Trowa must have felt like a pack mule, being ordered to hall me around!
But, somehow, he really didn't look all that offended as he smiled and leaned down to pick me up. He gently scooped me into his arms as though I weighed nothing, then descended the stairs as lightly as a jungle cat. Wufei had opened one of the doors, and Trowa carried me into the room. Inside was a small bedroom with a pair of twin bed and two dressers. It was a normal bedroom, which was far above what most slaves were given.
Trowa placed me on the closest bed, then helped me change and tucked me under the covers. I was blushing brightly by the time I got settled, but it didn't faze Trowa. He simply pulled the covers up to my chin and knelt next to me.
"Are you feeling any better?" he asked.
"A little," I said truthfully. Laying down was helping me, although it was also making me sleepy.
"I brought some aspirin as well," Wufei said from the door as he entered with a tray a few minutes later. "I thought perhaps it would help."
"Thank you," I said, somewhat weakly. I just wanted to go to sleep, but I knew Wufei and Trowa wouldn't let me go to sleep without eating something. And, true to my belief, Wufei came over and plopped a tray of tea and toast in front of me, insisting that I take the pills and eat at least two pieces of toast before he would let me lay back down.
"I really think it's just stress and maybe a bit of jetlag, but it's best to keep an eye on him. You will, I suppose, be sleeping in here?" he asked Trowa, who nodded. They were both ignoring me, but as I was having terrible difficulty keeping my eyes open I wasn't at all offended. "Then you can keep an eye on him tonight, and be sure to wake me if he gets worse. I'll make sure to tell Master Zechs when he gets home, but otherwise I don't think we need to concern him."
"Alright," Trowa agreed, raising the covers to my chin. "Is there anything I should look for?"
"Fever, mainly, or any kind of sweating. Or, more likely, if he tells you he's feeling worse. Just stay close in case he feels ill again."
"I will," Trowa said, and his soft voice was the last thing I heard as I drifted into sleep.
It was morning before I woke again, and this time it was to the feel of someone sitting beside me, softly stroking my hair. I expected to open my eyes to see Trowa, but instead found Master sitting beside me, with Trowa no where to be found. Still, Master smiled at me so gently that I found it impossible to be disappointed.
"Master?" I wondered.
"Awake, finally?" he asked in response, smiling brighter. "Wufei tells me that you were feeling ill last night, so I let you sleep late. Wufei also tells me that you haven't been eating lately."
"I'm sorry, Master. It was just so busy that I guess I forgot."
"Well, don't let it happen again. I expect you to have a big breakfast this morning, then relax for the rest of the day. Come on then," he said, pulling me to stand beside the bed. "I believe the others have finished making breakfast, so let's go get something to eat."
Master helped me out into the hall, keeping a hand on my elbow. I could feel that he was worried I would fall even though I felt a million times better than I had last night. I could smell breakfast even from the stairs and my mouth began to water. I was glad to find breakfast already laid out when we reached the kitchen, because I was starving. The others probably thought it strange how eagerly I set into my bowl of porridge, but I was too hungry to care.
About half way through breakfast the phone rang, and Master jumped up to get it. I was too focused on my food to notice the first half of the conversation, but everyone stopped to stare when Master's voice went from annoyed to irate.
"...What do you mean you already did it? Damn it Sally, you knew I'd want to be there!... No, I trust you... No, I know I wouldn't have been any help but... Damn it, that wasn't your call!... The other boys were fine... They're still fine... I'm coming down right now, and damn you, if you pull something like this again I'm going to kick your ass, woman or not. Where is he?... Yes, I know where recovery is. I'm not senile... What are his signs like?... Alright, I'll be there soon," he said, then hung up the phone and rushed to get his shoes.
Heero was the first to move, while all the rest of us sat frozen at the table. He jumped up from his seat, almost knocking over his chair in the process, and darted to where Master was heading out the door.
"Master, are you going to see Duo?"
"Huh? Oh, yes," Master said offhandedly, grabbing his keys from the counter.
"Can I come with you?"
"No, you stay here. I'll be back later," he said, opening the door and stepping out before turning, in a rushed way, back to the rest of us. "Behave yourselves while I'm gone. Order lunch if you need to. I'll be home later," he finished, then closed the door and was gone.
Heero remained standing, staring at the door in silence. Finally he sighed and his shoulders sagged, and he walked out of the kitchen.
I had expected him to be disappointed, but not to this extent. There was such hopeless ness, such disappointment, such failure radiating from his that I could only stare at his retreating back in wonder. Where was this longing coming from? Was he really that upset that Master was spending so much time with Duo? But that didn't make any sense, for I couldn't feel a hint of jealousy on him, only pain and sadness. But why?
It wasn't until after breakfast that I had a chance to speak with Heero. I convinced Wufei and Trowa that I was fine, so they decided to go explore the grounds a bit more. Heero, luckily, had decided to work off his excess emotions in the gym, so I didn't have to go far to find him.
"Heero? Can I talk to you?" I asked.
"Talk," he replied gruffly, never pausing in his repetition as he worked out his arms.
"Why were you so upset about Master leaving?" I asked, point blank. If he wanted to be a jerk than I could be insensitive too.
"That's none of your concern," he replied, stopped his repetitions, and moved to another machine.
"Fine," I huffed, "I'll just let Master know," I replied. Heero paused from changing the weight on his machine, stopping dead. He was still for a moment, then sighed and turned to me.
"What do you want?" he asked, his eyes smoldering with anger at me. I almost, for a second, backed down from the intensity of that glare, but my empathy told me that he wasn't violently angry, and the he didn't hate me, as his glare proclaimed. If I hadn't had my empathy, I probably would have apologized and left.
"I want to know why you were so upset that Master left."
"I wasn't upset that Master left," he said, turning from me again.
"You were upset that he wouldn't take you with him."
"No," he replied again. "I was upset I couldn't see Duo."
"But, you have to know that Master is taking care of Duo..."
"He's dead."
"W-what?" I could only gasp, wondering if I had heard him right.
"Duo. He's dead. I'm sure of it."
And suddenly it came into focus, what I had felt from Heero earlier. He was sure that Duo had died in the hospital, which was why Master wouldn't take him to see Duo. He was literally in mourning, trying to overcome the loss of his friend when no one else even knew he was gone. Alone and in pain, he had been dealing with this loss without the solace of another soul. Without even understanding.
"You're wrong," I told him. "Duo's not dead."
"How do you know?" Heero asked, turning on me with a vehement glare, but this time I was not moved. This time he wasn't really angry, just afraid to hope.
"If Duo had died, Master would be sad. He might not like Duo, but I know he would be upset it he had died. So far, I welt some anxiety from him when Duo has been mentioned, but nothing to imply that Duo is or could be dying. Duo is fine," I assured him, and felt the relief roll off of him.
Now, I could only hope that Master would prove me right.