"Quatre, must you do that?" Black eyes narrowing, the boy reigned in his
horse to narrowly miss the other.
"Wufei, it's all in fun." Throwing a smile to the Chinese boy, Quatre
shook his head. He closed his legs around the white stallion and urged it forward
and back into the trees lining the path. It wasn't often that he got an opportunity
to ride for pleasure, and he wasn't going to let the boy spoil his chance...or his mood.
A glance to the two boys riding behind Wufei showed that he wasn't the only one
enjoying himself as Trowa's green eyes glinted warmly.
An expert rider, the blonde boy dodged trees and bramble as he kept pace with the others.
He knew if he asked Trowa, the tall boy would join him, but he couldn't imagine the
other two doing anything that resembled play. Having grown up together, he'd always
been the youngest in spirit, even if their ages were nearly equal. Heero and Wufei
were simply too serious in nature to take pleasure in life and Trowa only seemed to take
pleasure in *his* pleasure. Smiling as he gazed at his tall lover, he spurred his
horse suddenly and veered back onto the trail as he took the lead.
Growling, Wufei pulled back on his reigns and glared as he barely missed hitting the boy.
But he wasn't really angry as it was nice to see the boy having fun. Since
his father died, Quatre had taken over his estate and Wufei had tired of seeing the blonde
boy's dedication. He was a dedicated person himself, and he worked diligently as the
blonde's advisor, but he couldn't forget their childhood. There was something wrong
with seeing light circles under the boy's pale blue-green eyes; evidence of his time spent
pouring over documents.
Things weren't as bad as they could have been, however, as the death of his father had
freed him from secrecy. Wufei knew the boy had been chastised for the rumors
regarding his and Trowa's relationship and it was a fine thing that they no longer had to
hide. Winner's death had also brought a change in positions for both Wufei and Heero
as they no longer acted as enforcers. Strong despite their age, the two had ensured
that taxes were paid on time and in full by the inhabitants of the Winner land.
Their age had actually worked in their favor as people didn't realize the threat.
But this too had changed as the gentle son had come to power and Quatre did his
best to compensate his people for the pain dealt by his father.
Now, Wufei was used for his wisdom, and he was proud to the point of vanity about his
ability to read people. Nothing got past him. Heero too was better used as the
head guard in charge of defense rather than the muscle-man behind complete dictatorship.
On the whole, they were content with their parts and while there were things each
would like to change about their lives, moments of freedom such as the ride they were
taking went far to remind them of how much they had.
"Quatre, don't get so far ahead." Ever watchful in the protection of his
lord and friend, Heero passed the others as he closed the lead the blonde boy had on them.
Despite the fact that the country was safer than it had ever been, his cobalt eyes
flew to each movement as he made certain they were animals and not attackers. While
confident in his strength, he gave a slight nod of gratitude when the two boys caught up
to them; saftey in numbers.
With a reluctant sigh, Quatre reigned in his horse and slowed a bit. It was mid-day
and he knew they would have to head back soon. That may have been the reason he was
so eager to play the young, reckless fool rather than dignified lord. Close to each
other, they continued down the path and had Fate not intervened, they would have turned at
the clearing and gone back. But Fate enjoys chaos and squirrels are not always as
agile as they seem. Missing the limb it had leaped for, one such furry creature fell
right onto the back of Quatre's horse and sent it into a panicked bolt as the small claws
scrambled for a hold.
Letting out a shocked cry, Quatre struggled to gain control as the path grew farther away.
The others were not far behind but it wasn't until the horse found itself out of
running ground that it halted, rearing. It nearly plunged into the river and the
others nearly ran into it, caught off guard by the sudden halt. It was as the
panicked moment slowly faded that the squirrel gave up its hold and scurried off, down the
river bank. Following its course, the boys spotted the body.
While distinguishable as human, it was covered in what proved to be a mass of hair, dark
and matted. Not wanting Quatre to see anything too gruesome, Heero waved the boy
back as he knelt on the grass, frowning when he was ignored. There was nothing to be
done about it, and the Japanese boy pressed two fingers to the clamy neck, cursing when he
found a pulse. Rolling the figure onto its back, he took the cloak Trowa handed him
and quickly wrapped it around the cold body. No alternative existed as he carried
what might have been a boy or a girl to his horse. Whether the injuries were severe
or not didn't matter as no help could come lying in the dirt. On the rush back, no
one spoke; the sound of animals in the forest like mocking laughter of their previously
carefree jaunt.
* * *
"It's been too long."
Stepping up behind the boy, Trowa slid his arms over Quatre's shoulders, hugging him
lightly as he pulled him away from the door. "There isn't anything we can do,
you know that." He sighed as the boy turned, raising wide eyes to him.
"All we can do is wait. Let the doctor do what he can."
Catching Quatre's hand, he led him across the room, pulling him onto the sofa as he
sat down.
Despite the fact that he didn't know the person, the thought of death was too painful to
imagine. Moving closer to Trowa's side, Quatre glanced at Heero and Wufei who stood
together near the door. They didn't seem especially bothered by the possibility, but
he knew they'd seen more than their share of pain. They'd grown numb and as much as
he hated not being able to change that, he wondered if they weren't luckier than him.
The doornob turned slowly and all eyes watched as the doctor stepped out. An old
man, he'd been on hand when Quatre was born and had never been tempted to leave his line
of work. But he looked like he could do so now, his blue-gray eyes lifting slowly as
he looked to Heero. His shoulders were slumped in a way the boy had never seen from
the man and he knew immediately that the person had died.
"I was around during the last war," the man said slowly, voice so low Quatre and
Trowa stood and came closer so they could hear him. "I remember they brought
one of our men to me after he was rescued. He'd been tortured to an inch of his life
and when he saw me he cried." Dropping his eyes when Quatre's shimmered, he
shook his head. "He didn't want to live." He didn't look up for a
moment, then he folded his arms over his chest. "The reason I tell you is
because this is worse. The best thing you could do for that boy in there is let him
die."
"What?!"
Meeting Quatre's shocked gaze, he shook his head. "You could patch him up and
he might survive, but I don't think he'd want to."
"You can't know that," Quatre whispered, holding tight to Trowa. "You
don't know that at all..."
"It's your choice, Master Quatre. I've done what I can for him."
Dropping his eyes again, the man turned. "The rest is up to you.
But I warn you, I wash my hands of this."
"Wait!" Eyes wide, the blonde boy stared after the man.
"Trowa...?" The arm around him tightened lightly as he looked up.
"Can I see him?"
"Let us," Wufei said quickly, exchanging looks with Heero who nodded.
Entering the room, the first thing that hit them was the lack of light, it was very dark
for a room where a doctor had been working on a patient. There were plenty of
candles and they'd carried in three oil lamps, but none were lit. Then they neared
the bed and they could see why. Light would have made the boy look worse. His
features were obscured by swelling and dark bruises, and his arms were wrapped in
bandages. But the boy was breathing.
"Think we should let Quatre see this?" Wufei asked, voice low. He doubted
the boy would wake, but he couldn't quite bring himself to raise his voice.
"We can't stop him." Moving closer, Heero's eyes caught on a cut on the
boy's neck. It was a bite mark.
At the low curse, Wufei looked to Heero in surprise, then froze as the boy on the bed
moved. Glancing down, his breath caught as shockingly violet eyes opened. He didn't
move as he waited for the boy to look at him, but he didn't. Not knowing what to do,
he was about to get Quatre when Heero spoke roughly.
"Do you know who attacked you?"
Wincing at his friend's bluntness, he frowned when the boy didn't move. He blinked
slowly, but his eyes remained focused straight ahead as if he were staring at something
they couldn't see. Coldness settling over him, Wufei wondered if the boy were blind,
and he moved his hand in front of the bruised face. The eyes followed the movement,
but when they fell on him, he was startled by the glazed appearance, the dead way they
blinked at him. "Heero," Wufei said slowly, his voice sounding faint in
his ears. "Get Quatre."
Heero nodded sharply as he straightened, but when he moved, the boy's eyes snapped to him.
It was disconcerting. Even though the eyes were focused on him, he couldn't
see any sign of intelligence behind them, no fear or pain, nothing. Then he forced
himself to move again and he was at the door in seconds. Quatre took a quick step
forward when he opened the door, his pale eyes anxious. "He's conscious,"
Heero said slowly, "but...there's something wrong with him."
"I can help."
"He's pretty beaten-up, Quatre." Heero sighed when the blonde boy shook
his head and didn't try to stop him and Trowa from entering the room. For a gentle
looking boy, Quatre had a stubborn streak. Following them, he met Wufei's worried
gaze and stepped to the bed. The boy didn't look up, his head lifted an inch or two
as those violet eyes stared at his bandaged arms.
"Oh..." Eyes wide with concern, Quatre sank into the chair Wufei pushed
next to the bed. Leaning forward, his hand hovered over the boy's shoulder then
lowered so the tip of his fingers touched the sheet. The boy flinched and turned to
look at him, eyes narrowed so they glinted in the dim light. Then his swollen lips
parted in a toneless exhalation. "It's okay," Quatre said quickly.
"You're safe here. No one's going to hurt you."
The boy continued to stare at him for a minute, then he closed his eyes, face still turned
toward the blonde. Stepping forward, Trowa shook his head at the seated boy when
Quatre looked like he was going to say something. With a sigh, the pale boy nodded,
his gaze moving back to the boy in the bed as he slowly stood, letting his tall lover
steer him out of the room. The moment the door was closed, the boy sighed.
Meeting Wufei's gaze, Heero frowned and stepped to the bed. He raised an eyebrow
when the boy's eyes snapped open and looked at him. The boy didn't seem the least
bit startled to find him standing there and Heero wondered if he *had* thought himself
alone. He knew Quatre had left thinking the boy wanted to sleep, but Heero wasn't so
sure. Sitting in the chair so recently vacated, Heero leaned toward the boy,
watching closely so he could judge the reaction. There wasn't one.
"Did you understand what he said?" Heero could see Wufei's frown, but he
didn't let it bother him. He watched the boy, trying to tell if there was any
understanding in those wide violet eyes. "Do you understand anything?"
"Heero." Catching the boy's eyes, Wufei frowned and shook his head. Of all
of them, Heero tended to be the least subtle.
Heero didn't glance up, his eyes caught as the boy opened his mouth. Leaning closer,
he listened, but all he heard was another toneless breath and he saw the boy's eyes close.
The boy turned his head so he was facing the ceiling and Heeero stood slowly.
He didn't resist when Wufei nodded toward the door, but his eyes moved back to the
bed and he paused in the doorway when the boy turned to look at him for a moment before
closing his eyes again.
* * *