Chapter 24

The next few days were good ones for Quatre. A weight that seemed to have been pressing down on him for weeks was considerably lighter. School was easier, and working with Trowa afforded them both the time to talk and regain a little of their shaky self-confidence before facing the other Recruits and their Teachers on a daily basis.

Letters were coming easier now, and he'd even managed to write the entire alphabet from start to finish with only three mistakes. Math was a little more frustrating, but he was working with Trowa daily, and Quatre was fairly certain he'd finally caught on to the idea of the number zero--though he wasn't going to test his theory with Auda just yet.

His college courses were in a word--FUN! He'd never imagined there was so much out there to learn, and his literature class was nearly the best part of his day. School with Duo was another favorite, and Quatre was quickly warming up to the point where he could even crack a smile at some of the jokes Duo told; at least those he understood.

Wufei was even growing on him. The young doctor had taken to administering a low dose of surface numbing agent to the bottoms of Quatre's feet, enabling him to spend more time on them with less pain. The gesture had touched something in Quatre, and Wufei was often gifted with the first nod of the day. Quatre knew it wasn't much, but he also knew Wufei took it for what it was and was grateful all the same.

Heero was another story. Quatre was still wary of the silent warrior, though Duo insisted that Heero was a big pussycat, even going so far as to try to make him purr once by scratching him behind the ear. Heero had pulled a gun and then kissed his wayward partner silly before class started. Quatre easily sensed the underlying turbulent wave of violence Heero possessed, but he also sensed the layer of calm that kept that violence in check. Heero was no ticking time bomb; he was perhaps the most stable of them all--a mountain containing the force of a volcano that could direct the flow of destruction.

Mostly however, Heero took classes with Trowa and Wufei, while Duo and Quatre ended up in the same classes. It wasn't much fun being split from everyone, but since Quatre got to see them all at some point during the day, he felt satisfied. The fact of the mater was, he was getting to the point where he wanted to see the others. He looked forward to finishing breakfast in the morning and joining Trowa for reading, writing and math lessons. Then he bid Trowa farewell for a few hours while he went to class with Duo and Wufei. Later all five joined back together for weapons training, and then every other day they did flight simulations.

Weapons training was easily Quatre's worst class, even compared to math. His arms simply could not support the weight of the swords Zechs was training him with. Wufei, the brightest in the class when it came to melee weapons was often singled out to help Quatre, and it would have been utterly embarrassing if Wufei didn't treat him like he was an insolent child.

"Keep your head up, Quatre, how many times do I have to tell you?"

"Left foot! Left!"

"If you're going to drop the sword every time I hit it, you're not going to get anywhere."

"You're worse than a girl!"

For some reason, the fact that Wufei was not trying to coddle him was comforting, and even though some of the things he said made color rise in Quatre's cheeks, Quatre still felt reaffirmed. Duo often told Wufei to lighten up, but Quatre was grateful he didn't, it made him feel more a part of the group--less like a burden.

On the opposite end of the spectrum was flight training. To say he excelled would have been an understatement. Quatre was quick and agile in the Mecha simulators, and could easily run circles around Wufei and Duo. Trowa gave him a run for his money, but the taller pilot had a tendency to rely on ammunition more than maneuverability, and quickly found himself out of ammunition during combat training. Heero was the only one Quatre couldn't touch, but it worked as a bonding time for them as they both struggled to best the other. Heero always won, but Quatre felt no small measure of satisfaction when Heero stumbled out of the simulator covered in sweat.

Life was working out well for Quatre, no matter which way he looked at it. Nodding to himself, Quatre moved to the steam fogged mirror and used the towel to clear a circle. He looked down at his stomach and smiled. Abdule said he was gaining weight. His ribs weren't quite as visible anymore, and his skin wasn't quite so pale thanks to the time he spent everyday in the sun.

Glancing up, he studied his face. Smiling was still something he rarely did, though with Duo and Abdule he was finding it easier and easier to accomplish. Tipping his head to the right, he flexed his facial muscles and smiled, noting with consternation that his mouth remained closed when he did so. Duo almost always showed his teeth when he smiled. Quatre tried to copy and was startled by the change it made in his appearance. He looked less unhealthy this way, more like Duo even; even a little happy himself, though the gesture did not meet his eyes.

Shaking his head, the smile disappeared and Quatre slowly began to towel off his hair. It was getting long, he thought, as he brushed it out, careful to get his bangs going in the right direction, lest they stick up everywhere. The towel did a quick surface scrub of his body before he hung it back up on the rack next to Abdule's. He found the pants and vest Abdule had left out for him, and tried hard not to grimace at the colors--dark blue and light pink. Sometimes those eyes of Abdule's were more a hindrance than a help.

Scratching a light itch on his shoulder Quatre stepped out of the bathroom and into the cool air of the bedroom. He could smell eggs and steak cooking for Rashid, and felt his stomach rumble with the prospects of food. With a few short steps he was in the living room, his head inclined towards the kitchen.

Duo was sitting at the table, a huge smile on his face.

"Geesh Quatre, what are you doing in there, washing an elephant! You took forever!"

"Hot water can be a luxury." Came a monotone reply from in front of Quatre, and he turned his head to see Heero, Wufei, and Trowa sitting on the couch. One by one, the three nodded to him, and a bit shakily, he returned the gesture.

"Quatre, come eat your breakfast. The others want to show you something today, and you'll need a full stomach for it." Abdule smiled at him, pushing a small portion of Rashid's eggs and steak onto a plate, Quatre's customary shake already in his place. They were trying more solid foods now, and though they usually didn't agree with him, Quatre was grateful for their substance.

Hesitantly, Quatre took a step towards the table and nodded. What could the others want to do today? They hadn't made any plans, and since it was Friday, there were no classes; by the holy law it was a day of rest.

Sitting down across from Duo, Quatre began to meticulously cut the four strips of steak into little bit size pieces. The room was silent as his fork and knife worked. Finally, as he was about to begin on the last piece, another fork suddenly materialized before his eyes and snatched the slice away. Looking up, he watched Duo eat it, an evil grin on his face. Quatre watched enviously as he chewed the meat and swallowed.

"If I let you cut it up and eat it, we'd be here all day. Now hurry up, we've got somewhere to be."

Abdule threw a rag at Duo, the cotton folding over the brunet's head. "Leave him alone Duo, let him eat. Quatre," he said, turning his eyes to his fellow Recruit, "You're going to have a blast, so just eat up, and I'll make the five of you some lunch to take with you."

That statement caused Duo to spin around in his chair, but it was Heero who spoke. "Really?"

Abdule just nodded and set to work, but Quatre could tell that Heero and the others were very pleased with the idea of an Abdule homemade lunch.

Twenty minutes later, and one changed vest courtesy of Duo's invasion of Quatre's limited closet--the five of them were making their way to the south end of the satellite. Heero was carrying Abdule's lunch, and was steadfastly guarding it from Duo's sneaky hands; though Quatre noted with a smile that the braided boy did manage to somehow steal a few of the dates.

Turning his head, Quatre looked back at Trowa and Wufei, who were talking quietly and walking a few steps behind them. The talk didn't seem particularly intense, but Quatre sensed there was a very important discussion going on back there. He considered slowing down to let them catch up with him, but thought it was too deliberate and instead continued to walk alongside Duo and Heero.

He was a bit startled when Duo seemed to take his hand, but when he looked down and saw the date, he couldn't help but smile shyly and lift his eyes in a silent thank you as he placed the sugared sweet into his mouth.

"You're probably wondering where we're going, aren't you?" Duo finally asked as they entered one of the darker corridors outside the main complex. The air was cooler here, and Quatre got the impression of the wide expanse of space not far from them.

At his nod, Duo continued. "Well, the colony is built for ten thousand, but the main complex covers an area built for about a thousand. So you have to ask yourself, where's the rest of the space? Well, we're gonna show you and Trowa today, isn't that right, Wufei?"

Quatre turned and watched Wufei nod. "The living part of the colony is actually situated in the middle of the station itself. Surrounding the living quarters the colony is sectioned into four parts, each with it's own form of climate control. To the north--"

Heero interrupted, a broad and uncharacteristic smile on his face. "Let's not spoil it for them. I want to see Trowa's face when we get there."

Surprised, Quatre stared at him, but Wufei only chuckled behind, and Duo latched onto Heero's arm and kissed him soundly as they continued their walk.

Twenty minutes later, they took a break, and Quatre sat down against the metal wall breathing deeply. He'd been working out everyday, but he'd never walked so much. Trowa moved to sit next to him, and Quatre gifted him with a rare smile as Wufei crouched down in front of him, the hyperspray in his hand.

"Please remove your shoes, Quatre."

He nodded, delicately removing the sandals he now wore daily. One of the men had made them for him, and they contained extra padding on the inside to make walking easier.

He felt Trowa shift a little closer to him when Wufei began to lightly spray the soles of his feet, and as Quatre curled his fingers against the near painful tickling sensation, he made eye contact with his friend to let him know he was alright. Trowa offered a silent nod before glancing over Wufei's should to watch Duo and Heero necking.

When Wufei was finished and had moved away, Trowa whispered, "Sometimes I think it can't be as bad as I think. Look at Heero and Duo. Heero would never hurt him, and Duo can take care of himself. It's like…like I'm missing a piece of the puzzle and I haven't found it yet."

Startled by Trowa's words, Quatre too looked over at the kissing couple, and watched silently as Wufei moved to sit next to Heero, only to have the Japanese boy reach back to take his hand.

It was no small thing that Trowa had mentioned it, and so Quatre silently watched the three of them as Duo broke away to sprawl himself across his lovers' laps, Wufei's hands going immediately to those long chestnut bangs.

Not bothering to lift his head, Quatre whispered quietly back, "Rashid told me it isn't bad and doesn't have to hurt; and you even told me the kiss with Ralph was nice. Maybe…maybe it's like Rashid said, you just have to be with someone who loves you." Absently Trowa nodded his head before turning to look at him and offering a truly rare smile, one that reached all the way to his eyes.

"Hey, what are you two whispering about over there?" Duo asked, turning his head, but not bothering to turn the rest of himself in their direction.

Blushing, Quatre shook his head to say nothing, but Trowa shrugged and answered in a flat monotone, "We were betting on how long it would take you to pass out from lack of oxygen."

It was a joke, as simple as that, but as it was the first one Trowa had ever told, it was greeted with a silence so empty Quatre thought everyone could hear his heart racing. For his part, Trowa's face remained void for nearly five seconds, before it took on a perturbed look, "It was a joke."

Heero nodded, Duo smiled, and Wufei chuckled a little, saying, "Sometimes I wonder the same thing myself. I've tried timing it, but I usually get dragged in before I can get an accurate count." That broke the tension, and the five friends smiled or laughed as they got up to continue their journey.

Legs more tired than they should have been, Quatre lagged behind for a while until Heero noticed and slowed the group down to match his pace. Flanked by Duo cracking jokes he barely understood on one side, and Trowa's tall sentinel presence on the other, Quatre felt safe and happy as they passed under florescent colony issued bulbs.

As Heero entered the pass code at one of the security doors, he took a glance at Trowa and then said. "About what happened the other night, about you trying to leave the colony." When Trowa didn't answer, and Quatre's heart began to beat wildly, he continued. "The Teachers are talking about it, Rashid called a meeting this morning with all of them to try and figure out this thing between you and Quatre." He paused again, turning this time to look at them directly. Wufei and Duo stood silently, Duo worrying the end of his long elegant braid. "Do either of you know what this is about? Do you know why you decided not to leave the colony without Quatre, or why you seem to split into two different personalities--"

"Heero, don't." Wufei said quietly, but Heero didn't listen.

"What about you, Quatre? When you spoke that ancient Arabic language, where did you learn it? What did you say to Master Habsaba?" There was no rushing in Heero's words, no urgency to answer, and it was almost as if he were holding a conversation about the weather. But the questions frightened Quatre, had them pulling his arms close to his chest, his hands covering his heart. He shook his head silently, looking immediately down at his feet to avoid their questioning eyes. He didn't know, in fact, he couldn't remember much of anything they were talking about; mostly he understood it from things Duo had mentioned, but he had no memory of the incident.

Heero shifted then, took a half step before a streak of green half filled Quatre's vision, and he looked up to see that Trowa has stepped in front of him at Heero's advance. His tall friend held a passive look on his face, but Quatre could see the tension in his muscles--his body ready to fight. Heero looked startled, his smaller Japanese eyes opening wide at Trowa's actions. The smaller man took a step back towards the door in retreat.

"I don't know, and neither does Quatre." Trowa said, not bothering to look at anyone but Heero. "All we know is that we're both new here, that should be enough." Quatre nodded, trying to reaffirm what Trowa had said, his hand moving to rest in the middle of Trowa's back.

From their left, Duo stepped forward. "It's no sweat Trowa, the three of us have just been wondering if you two had any idea what was going on, that's all. We thought you might know but didn't want the Teachers or the others to know, so Heero thought he'd ask. No biggie, see, no harm no foul. But personally, I'm glad Heero asked the question now instead of on the way back like he said he was going too, this way we can take the carts back and won't have to make that mile walk all the way out here. Geesh, I'm all for exercise, but give me a break!"

And once again, the tension was broken. Quatre's hand left Trowa's back and when it did, the tension fell away, and Trowa took a half step to the side, unsheilding Quatre from the others. Nodding once to Heero, Quatre looked at the basket. "I know I just ate, but if it's much further, maybe we could have a snack. The dates are good."

Wufei smiled at him. "It's good to hear you're hungry, your appetite should be increasing now that you're eating solid foods again." Quatre nodded, and then turned his attention to Duo, as the small bundle of energy came over to sling his arm about Quatre's shoulders.

"It's not much further, little buddy, in fact, we're here--well, basically. We'll make our selection from here and then continue. Ready to see something really amazing and one of a kind?"

The excitement he felt from Duo bled threw their light contact, and Quatre nodded eagerly as Duo smiled down at him. "Good, then without further ado, Heero, if you please, the door."

What was revealed was a control room. Four large monitors took up the entire wall, while a control panel rested before them, hundreds of buttons, lights, and displays flashing and blinking rapidly. On the monitors were four distinctly different pictures. One seemed to be of a snow covered tundra, large mountains in the background. The next was of a wide open, grassy plain, even though Quatre thought he could see trees in the background. A thick forest, like that of a rainforest came next, the rain falling in a soothing rhythm that seemed to fill the small room with tranquility. And finally, the last monitor showed a dry, wind swept desert filled with golden sand and the scorching sun. All four were vivid and vibrant, nearly alive in that way that made him gasp as he grabbed a hold of Trowa's arm and pointed to the last monitor just in time to see a young deer cross the camera's view.

Trowa's eyes were wide when he asked, "What is this place?"

Wufei, beat the others to the punch. "It's the Environmental Control Booth. From here, the normal environment of the colony is maintained. When it was built, it was decided that since the Maguanacs were needed to fight for the people of Islam, they would need a place to practice, and since not all battles happened in space, they would need room to maneuver both troops and Mechas. To do this, they built the central hub of the colony as the living quarters, with the port section as an offshoot from the center. Around the outer circle of the colony however, they built these--four simulated environments for combat training. At least that's what they were originally for. Training exercises are still held here of course, but mostly the environments are used to recreation. The North quadrant houses the snow filled tundra you see; the West is the flat meadows; to the South is the rainforest, and the East quadrant contains the desert. Each quadrant is approximately five miles wide in both directions, and five miles high. Each one also houses indigenous flora and fauna. In all, it's a wonderful place to come and relax, if you don't mind the walk."

"Or the drive. Usually it's a drive, but Heero wanted to be all mysterious." Duo piped up and he laughed and then moved towards the control panel. "We can go to any of the four quadrants from here. This room is built as a revolving inner circle around the quadrants, we pick one and the room takes us there. Thank god too, because I did NOT want to walk another two feet, no matter what kind of reward Heero promised me."

Quatre heard everything they said, but it seemed to settle somewhere in the back of his mind, hidden behind the all consuming wonder. That was snow. That was grass. Those were trees. Sand, that's what sand looked like, really looked like. Everything he'd ever wanted to experience was only a few buttons away and the euphoria that filled his heart brought tears to his eyes. More than ever before, he was finally home.

Heero broke the silence. "Not the Tundra, we're not dressed for snow."

Wufei too said, "Nor the desert, Ral still hasn't fixed the storm component, we'll get sand everywhere and we didn't bring sun block."

Then from slightly behind him, Trowa spoke in a very quite and distant voice. "Not the rainforest, I've spent enough time in rainforests."

Turning, Quatre locked eyes with his friend before returning to his side. He too was quite when he spoke, his eyes drifting to the image of the plains. "My family was very rich, and sometimes I can remember images of playing outside on the grass, underneath the sun, but…but I don't remember it like something I've done, only something I've seen myself do. I'd like to feel the grass under my feet, to smell it, and hear the sound of the wind. I know it makes a sound, I just can't remember what kind." His voice drifted off, but the message stayed the same.

Duo wasted no time setting the control room into motion towards the West quadrant.

The journey was short, about two minutes, and as they traveled in silence, Quatre closed his eyes and felt the subtle shift of speed around them. When the room finally slowed and stopped, Quatre watched the other three turn.

The door to their left, one Quatre hadn't seen coming in, opened slowly to show another room, this one with another door that led out into the West quadrant. He hesitated. Beyond that last door was a sight he couldn't remember seeing, one he hadn't seen for over ten years. He was scared, scared that all the sacrifices of his life leading up to this point would be too much, that it wouldn't be as breathtaking as he wanted it to be. But from behind he felt Trowa's hand rest on the small of his back, and Quatre turned to look at him before drawing a deep breath and moving with the others towards the door.

This second room was much more cramped than the first, and it was a struggle to squeeze all five of them inside. Wufei hit the switch, and the main door closed, leaving them trapped in a nearly claustrophobic situation.

After some shifting, Duo turned around. "You ready?"

Quatre didn't seem to have control of his body, but Trowa nodded and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Duo depressed the button.

The smell of wet soil filled the small room, overpowering for a moment in its freshness. As they moved from the confining room, Quatre remained where he stood, too frightened to move, too afraid it would all just disappear into another one of his half formed dreams.

Absently he saw Duo turn to look at him, Heero and Wufei doing the same. It was then he felt Trowa lean down to rest his chin against his shoulder. For a moment, their hair mingled and Quatre's vision was blurred by the color of burnt auburn bangs. The words fell quietly against his soul. "I know it's beautiful beloved, let's go together." Then two long, strong arms came to wrap him in a tight embrace, and Quatre felt his soul filled with awe inspiring love. Love for Heero, Duo and Wufei who had brought them here; love for the beauty before him, and love for the soul housed within the man behind him.

Trowa, slowly let him go.

And Quatre took three steps into paradise.