Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ❯ Part Sixteen ( Chapter 16 )

Part Sixteen

Quatre's hand slid a little closer to the invisible wall. He was laying on his stomach right next to it, his head turned to the side, his aquamarine eyes staring deep into Trowa's emerald ones. They had taken to laying this way for comfort, though Quatre wanted to reach through and grab Trowa's hand.

"I just realized something," Trowa murmured.

"Hmm?"

"They removed our Bands before They put us in here."

Quatre did feel his Art coursing through him unhindered, but he found that nothing to rejoice about.

"They want us to die, Trowa," he whispered, unable to control his fear.

"I don't think so, Quatre. I just don't think so," Trowa mused.

The three men weren't around at that particular moment, and though it was probably all fuzzy logic, he felt safer talking when they weren't around.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I think the Bands don't mean anything at all."

Quatre gasped. "What?"

"I think they only use them to control us. They keep our Talents in check, but that's about it. We've been here how long now?"

"At least a week."

"Exactly, and we've fallen to no illness and we haven't died yet."

There was sense and truth to Trowa's words, though Quatre didn't want to believe that They lied all that time.

"It's all been a bluff...."

"Seems that way.... Quatre? How strong are you?"

"Not very and you know that. If anyone picks a fight with me, I'm the one that will go down."

"No, no," Trowa shook his head slightly. "With your Art, I mean."

"Oh! I feel.... I feel like I am very strong and well knowledged in my Art. I can do a lot and control a lot more than other Spirit Artists on the grounds. At least, that is, if they tell the truth."

Trowa thought before he spoke his next words, for he didn't know how Quatre would take it and he didn't want to get his hopes up and then dash them upon the ground and have Quatre feel guilty.

"Maybe you would be able to unravel the threads."

Quatre's eyes grew as he stared at the other.

"You're right! The wall is made of Fire and Spirit! No wait," Quatre sighed. "Shukan's Third Wisdom...."

"Solitary tied threads will fall into their element? Quatre, my Talent is Water. I can quench it."

Quatre's eyes no filled with hopeful tears.

"What happens when they come back?"

"We'll play it by ear."

Then Quatre sat up and scooted away from the invisible wall, crossed his legs and began to 'feel' it with his Talent."

He giggled as Trowa got ready to put out the Fire threads.

"This is very sloppy. I could do soo much better," Quatre told his lover, very pleased with himself.

Trowa gave the other a small smile, proud of Quatre.

Almost immediately, fire began to fall and Trowa spun a quick web of threads and caught the falling Fire threads, squelching them immediately.

They would've run into each other's arms, but both were knocked out before they could.

~~~

"We've got to find a way out of here," Duo whispered in Heero's ear as they walked to the Garden. "We have to formulate a plan."

"This is true, but that will be dangerous."

"Fuck danger. I want *out*."

"Yes, but want is no excuse for lack of caution."

"Yes, but--"

Both stopped dead to see Quatre and Trowa in the middle of the garden wrapped around each other's seemingly lifeless forms.

"Are they--"

But before Heero could finish his question, Duo had dashed over, tears streaming down his cheeks, and threw himself upon Quatre's body, sobbing.

"Duo? What's wrong?" Quatre asked sleepily, turning over a little.

Duo blinked back in surprise, then laughed. "Oh, I'm sorry. I jumped to conclusions. I hadn't seen either of you in so long.... I thought you were dead."

"Exactly why we're going to have to plan this so carefully," Heero spoke, walking up. "We can't afford to jump to conclusions."

"The Bands mean nothing!" Quatre cried suddenly.

"Yes, so Wufei proved to us, not to mention Heero told me that in the beginning but I didn't believe him," Duo told them as Heero sat down behind him.

"They weaved a wall between us. We finally, okay so mostly Trowa, realized we weren't wearing the Bands and suggested I unbind the threads of the wall. I don't know if this was the best they could do or if they made it sloppy on purpose, but I knew immediately how to unbind it even through it was my first experience with such things. Somehow they set another trap and knocked us out as soon as the wall was gone. We woke up in our rooms with the Bands. Exhausted and certainly not going to class, Wufei told Trowa about this place and we came here. It was so beautiful and calm we fell asleep." Carefully Quatre lay back down and snuggled up against Trowa's still sleeping form.

"Yeah, Heero and I did it," Duo replied, shinning with pride. "Heero can take off Bands."

"That's right.... How did you get by Shukan's Second Wisdom?" Quatre asked, confusion in his voice.

"I didn't. No one can just 'ignore' one of Shukan's Wisdoms. I just happened to tap into one of my past lives in which someone did worship Evil," Heero replied.

"Really?"

Duo nodded. "Heero and I are both Incarnates."

Quatre nodded solemnly. "Things are going to get really scary, aren't they Duo?"

Duo nodded. "However, if that's the price I have to pay for freedom...."

"We have to get a plan together," Heero announced. "Here's what we have to work with. Two Incarnates, an Earth, Wind, Spirit, Water, and Fire Artist who are all very strong, no? Other than that.... Well, it has to be in the bounds of Shukan's Wisdoms."

"Yes.... But what about the first two? Good is created and destroyed by Good and Evil is created and destroyed by Evil. Isn't this whole Academy Evil? How are we to destroy it?"

They pondered this. It was true, they couldn't ignore the Wisdoms, but maybe they could get around them....

"Wait a minute...." Duo spoke suddenly, sitting up, eyes shinning. "Heero can tap into his past life, right? Well, why can't you just channel that, Quatre, into all of us? Spirit balances everything, does it not? You should be able to do that, no?"

"That's true," Trowa suddenly said, sitting up also and blinking at the sunlight, resting a hand on Quatre's.

"You've been listening this whole time?" Heero asked, amused.

"Most of it," he replied. "Should we not also be able to combine threads as we weave them? Essentially combine our Talents and almost making them one?"

A wide grin stretched across Heero's face, which surprised Duo most of all. Heero rarely ever smiled, but when he did.... He was radiant.

"This is going to take practice, with Wufei too, before we can attempt this, but this is going to be how we do it. Quatre is going to have to channel us together through my past life and essentially, at the same time, strengthen our threads as we weave them, adding a few of his own to make a more dramatic impact...."

"We're going to be free...." Duo breathed, then looked at his friends and smiled wickedly. "It's only right we pay Them back for everything They've done to us."

~~~

"Duo, I have to talk to you!" Quatre called a little while later, dragging him away from Heero, who said he'd just go back to the room as they parted.

"What's going on, Quatre?" Duo asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Well, I know we're planning this whole thing, but that doesn't mean that we can just completely ignore our private lives, now can we?"

Duo scratched his head, confused.

"Never mind. I was just observing.... You have a crush on Heero, don't you?" Quatre teased, eyes shinning as a smile tugged at his lips.

"Not at all!"

"Oh, so that's why you lay in his lap every chance you get?"

"No! It's an emotional thing! We understand each other. He knows that I need some strength and I know he needs something real to hold on to. That's all."

"Oh? And that's why you follow him everywhere?"

"We're friends!"

"And you flirt with him? Come on, Duo, you really don't have an excuse for coming up behind him and wrapping your arms around his neck or teasing him, do you?"

Duo sighed, looking at the granite beneath his feet. He didn't really want to admit that he had a crush on another boy, let alone someone like Heero. It just didn't fit him.

Not to mention he hadn't a chance.

Heero didn't look at him and think he was anything special. He would never see more than just a friend, of that Duo was sure.

"Aw, come on Duo. It's okay," Quatre comforted, resting a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay to like a boy. What other choice do you have? Besides, a man can protect you better than any woman can.... Plus they can understand you better than a woman can."

Duo still didn't like to give in, but he knew Quatre was right.

"But even if he looked at me and saw anything more than a stupid fuck-up with dull brown hair and hideously strange eyes, none of it would matter because he only likes girls," Duo spat, rubbing his eyes on the back of his arm before he would cry.

He didn't want to cry anymore.

He wanted to be strong.

"Now how do you know that?"

"Because anyone with eyes can see it!"

"Not all people who have eyes can see, Duo, maybe you can't. It looks to me like he likes you, too. He's always playing with your hair or dragging you down to lay with him. I don't know, but if he thought you were nothing, he probably wouldn't do any of that."

"You don't understand the situation," Duo replied haughtily, walking away.

Quatre sighed. "Fine then."

With that he turned in the opposite direction to go find Trowa.

~Til Then~