Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Fellowship of the Gundam ❯ Rivendell ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter 5: Rivendell

“Why is Aragorn making such a fuss?” Duo complained. “Can't you just fix Frodo, Roku?”

“He's poisoned.”

“Well, you can cure that right?”

“Maybe, but it's bad magic. He's turning kind of translucent, like he's phase-shifting, but I can't tell where he's shifting to. It feels creepy.”

Duo blinked. “You think it's creepy?”

“Yeah, kinda.”

“That's scary.”

“I'm not omniscient, you know.”

“But it didn't bother you to walk into Hel's lair and her place was chock full of dead people.”

“But they were normal dead people. That's not scary.”

“Now I'm getting creeped out.”

The entire party was dashing along after Aragorn, who was racing along with Frodo slung over his shoulder.

“We must hurry!” Aragorn said. “I don't know how long Frodo can hold out. He's strong, but…”

“We've been running since before dawn, Aragorn,” Treize said. He loped along easily, not even breathing hard. “We've only stopped once and it's getting too dark to see now. I think the hobbits are fading on us.”

Saying that the hobbits were fading was a rather generous way to describe the state they were in. Sam, Merry and Pippin were reeling along, their forward progress more of a controlled and prolonged fall rather than running, since the desperate act of putting one foot in front of the other was the only thing that appeared to be keeping them from pitching onto their faces.

Aragorn slowed to a halt reluctantly. “We can rest for a few hours,” he said, “but we should start moving again before midnight. The Nazgul are still following us.”

Merry and Pippin immediately collapsed, but Sam staggered over to where Aragorn was lowering Frodo to the ground.

“Hang in there, Mr. Frodo,” Sam said worriedly. He clasped Frodo's hand. “He feels so cold!”

Roku lay down next to Frodo and curled around him, so that Frodo was nestled tightly against his warm furry belly.

“Thank you!” Sam cuddled up next to them, still holding Frodo's hand.

“We may as well make a fire,” Zechs said. “It's unlikely the Nazgul don't know exactly where we are anyway and we could all use the warmth, along with some hot food.”

“I agree,” Treize said.

When the fire flared up, lighting the area around them, Trowa blinked thoughtfully. “Those are rather odd statues.”

Everyone looked up from what they were doing, which in Merry and Pippin's case was lying on their backs gasping for breath, to see what he was looking at.

“I say!” Pippin exclaimed between pants. “I know what those are! Frodo's uncle, Bilbo Baggins, used to tell a story about them. They're trolls who got caught in the sun and turned to stone.”

“Really?” Trowa walked closer to examine them, along with Quatre and Wu-Fei. “Interesting.” He rapped on the knee of one of the trolls. “I suppose I can understand the physiology of a living creature turning to stone, but why would their clothes also become stone?”

Wu-Fei rubbed his chin. “Maybe the conversion process bleeds out.”

“But the clothing material would be different from the flesh,” Quatre pointed out. “Even if the conversion process affected neighboring material, I wouldn't expect the cloth to necessarily become stone.”

“Good point,” Wu-Fei nodded, “but some of that looks like animal skin.”

“Ah, that's true.”

“Should I turn them back?” Roku asked casually.

“NO!” Merry and Pippin shouted together.

“They eat people,” Merry added in a more reasonable tone.

“That seems like a limited diet for this region,” Wu-Fei said thoughtfully. “There aren't a lot of people in this area.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” said Quatre. “Those trolls look like they would need a lot more protein than the occasional traveler would provide.”

“They have the teeth of an omnivore,” Trowa said, pointing up into the gloom where the creatures' heads were half-hidden in shadow. “They probably ate anything they could get their hands on.”

“Makes sense,” Wu-Fei nodded in agreement.

Merry put a hand over his face. “I didn't mean that they just ate people,” he said. “I meant that they would eat people if given the chance.”

“Well, there's nothing wrong with that if people are the best food available,” Duo said.

Everyone stared at him.

“I'm just saying,” Duo added quickly, “that in the absence of other, more appropriate food sources, the occasional dead person can always be pressed into service as a meal. If they're dead before you eat them, they usually don't mind.”

“Duo!” Wu-Fei groaned. “Please quit nauseating everyone with your perverse ideas of what constitutes food.”

“People are a good source of readily digestible protein,” Treize said, “but in decent societies, we tend to frown on consuming our own kind.”

Duo grinned. “I didn't grow up in decent society.”

“We know!” the other Gundam pilots exclaimed in unison.

“Anyway,” Duo continued. “I wasn't necessarily advocating the eating of people. I was just saying we shouldn't judge trolls harshly just because they do.”

“I'm sorry,” Merry grumbled, “but I'm going to judge anyone who tries to eat me harshly.”

Pippin nodded vigorously.

“Can't say I blame you,” Zechs murmured. Then he smiled at Treize. “Although it depends on what part of me is getting eaten.”

Treize grinned back.

Alexa rolled her eyes. “Here we go again! Can we eat before everyone starts talking smutty?”

“Of course, dear,” Zechs replied affectionately.

A meal was quickly prepared and everyone, except for Frodo, who just lay there moaning faintly, got down to the serious business of eating. After that, most people settled down to sleep, but Aragorn, Heero, Wu-Fei and Hadeya kept watch. Quatre also sat up, muttering to himself and making small balls of light between his palms and squishing them down into little sparkling pebbles.

Trowa sat up on one elbow. “What are you doing, Quatre?”

“I'm trying to make a light bomb.”

“A what?”

“A light bomb. It's a spell that will explode in a bright flash of light. I was thinking that since the Nazgul are sort of dead already, normal bombs may not affect them. But they don't seem to like light that much, so I thought a few booby-traps containing light bombs might put them off. But I'm having trouble making them small enough.” He held up one of his shiny pebbles. “See? It's kind of big.” He rolled it back and forth between his thumb and forefinger. “Oh, wait! I just thought of something.” He muttered some more and squeezed the pebble between his fingertips. After a moment, the pebble shrank down to the size of a small pea. “There! What do you think of that?”

“It's pretty small,” Trowa said. “What makes it explode?”

“Well, it should be pressure,” Quatre said, “but I think they might be a little…” The tiny pebble in his hand abruptly burst in a brilliant flash of white light. “Unstable,” he concluded.

Trowa rubbed his eyes. “I think I'm blind.”

“Oh, nonsense.” Quatre leaned over and tapped Trowa's forehead. “That better?”

Trowa blinked. “Much, thank you. That might not be the best spell to use.”

“Possibly.” Quatre picked up the handful of other pebbles he'd made. “Fire in the hole!” He flung the pebbles into the darkness and a series of flashes followed.

“What was that?!” Aragorn cried out.

“Nothing!” Quatre responded. “The light is harmless.”

Surprisingly enough, everyone who was asleep slept through this without stirring.

“Go to sleep, Quatre,” Heero grumbled out of the darkness outside the firelight. “I'm trying to keep watch here and it doesn't help when you destroy my night vision.”

“Sorry.” Quatre lay down next to Trowa. “I'm a little cold.” He snuggled up close to Trowa's side.

“That's funny,” Trowa whispered in his ear. “I thought you were a little blond.”

“Don't make bad jokes when I'm trying to sleep,” Quatre muttered.

Trowa chuckled. “Good night, Quatre.”

Quiet descended on the group, but not long after midnight, Aragorn roused everyone. “We should get moving,” he said.

“Lord!” Pippin groaned, rubbing his eyes with both fists. “I just closed my eyes.”

“Me, too,” Merry grumbled.

“How is Frodo?” Sam asked. He had spent the hours holding Frodo's hand. “He's still cold.”

“He's as well as he can be,” Aragorn said. “I gave him something for the poison, but it will only slow it down. Let's get moving.”

They broke camp and set out at a brisk trot. To keep the pace, Duo carried Jett, Zechs carried Alexa, Treize carried Pippin, Trowa carried Merry and Hadeya carried Sam. Frodo was still draped over Aragorn's shoulder. Quatre led the pony Bill, leaving Heero and Wu-Fei free to guard their flanks. Roku, of course, ranged all around the group as they traveled, sometimes ahead of them and sometimes bringing up the rear.

They stopped at dawn to eat, but later, as it got on toward midday and the hobbits were mumbling that it ought to be time for another meal, Aragorn abruptly stopped, holding up his hand to signal the others. “I sense something,” he said quietly.

Roku stepped up next to him. “I smell someone,” he replied softly. “But he's not close by.”

“But whatever I sense is close,” Aragorn said. He handed Frodo to Wu-Fei. “Wait here.” He jogged ahead with Roku beside him.

After a moment, Duo spoke up. “Roku says we can come ahead.”

They walked forward and came out from under the trees onto the side of a rocky gorge with a swift-flowing stream foaming at the bottom. A stone bridge crossed the gorge and Aragorn was crouched down in the middle, examining something on the muddy flagstones.

“It's an elven jewel,” Aragorn said, “but I don't understand why it's here.” He picked it up and examined it more closely.

Roku suddenly charged off the bridge with a growl and bounded into the trees. Moments later, there was a shout of surprise and a crash.

“Roku's caught someone,” Heero said and he raced off into the trees. The pair returned a moment later leading a disheveled but stunningly handsome blond man with pointed ears and bright green eyes.

Aragorn cried out in surprise. “Glorfindel! What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you,” Glorfindel replied in a deep, silky voice. “Elrond foresaw your present difficulties and sent me to help.”

“If he foresaw the present difficulties,” Duo muttered, “why didn't he send help in time to keep Frodo from getting poisoned?”

“Maybe he didn't foresee that part,” Trowa whispered back.

“That's mighty useless foreseeing,” Duo replied. “And why just one guy? I thought Rivendell was loaded with elves.”

Glorfindel inclined his head to Duo, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “Because elves seldom leave the comfortable confines of the river canyons. Rivendell is a beautiful place. But I should get Frodo there as quickly as possible.” He put his fingers to his lips and whistled. Almost immediately, a gray horse with a flowing white mane trotted out of the trees on the far side of the river. “I will take Frodo ahead and meet you there. Please hurry. The Nazgul are close behind you.” Glorfindel mounted his horse and took Frodo from Wu-Fei. “If you run hard, you can be across the river and safe on lands controlled by Elrond before sunset. The Nazgul will not follow you there. See you soon!” He turned the horse back across the bridge and nudged it to a gallop.

Sam grasped Aragorn's sleeve. “Should we be letting him just take Mr. Frodo like that?”

“He'll be fine, Sam,” Aragorn said. “Glorfindel is the most trustworthy elf alive, after Elrond. But we should take his advice and hurry.”

They broke into a run again, with the same people carrying the same hobbits and children.

“Wait a minute!” Pippin exclaimed. “Weren't we supposed to eat lunch just then?”

“Would you rather eat or get slaughtered by Nazgul?” Treize said.

Pippin swallowed. “Maybe I can wait a few more hours.”

“Good man.”

Quatre handed Bill's lead to Trowa. “You guys keep moving. I'll scout behind us and see if I can find the Nazgul.” He shimmered into the shape of a falcon and swooped away. The hobbits stared in surprise.

“He turned into a bird!” Pippin exclaimed.

“Yeah, he does that,” Trowa said.

“We would get to Rivendell sooner if we could all turn into birds,” Pippin said wistfully. “Then we could eat.”

“Quatre says flying is a lot harder than it looks. Now might not be the best time to learn.”

“Too bad.”

The group did stop after an hour or so to wolf down some bread, cheese and cold sausages. Quatre returned while they were eating, dropping down out of the sky and shifting back to his own form as soon as he landed.

“The Nazgul are ahead of us,” he announced. “They're trying to catch up with Glorfindel.”

Aragorn paled. “Did you see a large river?” he asked quickly. “How close was Glorfindel to it?”

“I saw it,” Quatre said, “and he's pretty close, but it's going to be tight. The Nazgul are right on his tail. But his horse runs nearly as fast as I can fly. I think he'll just make it. But it'll be past nightfall before we get there if we stop again, so I think we better push it.”

“Right.” Aragorn sprinted away at full speed.

“I'll go keep an eye on Glorfindel.” Quatre changed back into a falcon and flew away.

“Damn, I wish I could do that!” Pippin muttered.

The rest of the party broke into a run, keeping pace with Aragorn easily. Roku galloped beside Aragorn for a while, but eventually he pulled ahead and took the lead.

“I didn't think tigers were sprinters, normally,” Wu-Fei remarked.

“Roku's not a normal tiger,” Duo replied.

“But even still,” Wu-Fei continued, “he's fairly heavy-bodied. You would think he would start to experience muscle fatigue. He seems more tired after a heavy meal than he does right now.”

“Well, eating can be exhausting.”

“Only the way you do it.”

It was getting close to sundown when Quatre reappeared above their heads, but he didn't land. He just banked over and flew along above them.

Duo squinted up at him. “Quatre says we're almost there. Glorfindel made it across the river and a sudden flood came down and washed the Nazgul away when they tried to cross after him. He says it looks like their horses might have been destroyed.”

“That's good,” Aragorn said. “Without their mounts, they will have to crawl back to Mordor. We should be safe from them for awhile.”

The track they were following eventually came out of the trees onto the bank of a wide, shallow river whose waters were still turbulent and flecked with foam. On the far side, they could see Glorfindel sitting on the bank next to his horse, cradling Frodo in his lap.

“Mr. Frodo!” Sam cried.

“He's ok,” Duo said. “His thoughts are a bit cloudy, but he's not dead.”

They forded the river without too much difficulty because the bottom was fairly sandy, giving them a mostly stable footing. On the far side, Sam immediately rushed to Frodo's side.

“Mr. Frodo! Are you all right?”

“He's alive,” Glorfindel said, “if only just. I must ride ahead with him now. The sooner I get him into Elrond's care, the better. I waited only to ensure you could cross the river safely.” He stood up, still holding Frodo, and remounted his horse. “There is a clearing just ahead where you can make camp. You should rest tonight. Elrond is aware you're here and his power will protect you in these lands. We will have beds, food and comfortable quarters awaiting you when you arrive tomorrow.” And with that, he heeled his horse back to a gallop and disappeared up the path.

“Let's take his advice,” Treize said. “I think everyone could use a good meal.”

“We can eat everything we have!” Merry immediately piped up. “We'll be in Rivendell tomorrow and they'll have more food.”

“That's an excellent idea!” Pippin agreed. “There's no point in wasting it.”

“I hardly think it would be wasted,” Wu-Fei said dryly.

But nevertheless, when they found the campsite Glorfindel mentioned, they set about preparing all the food remaining in Bill's pack, along with a few dozen items that Roku retrieved from his storage space. After that, everyone stretched out on the ground to sleep, and no one moved at all until the first streaks of morning sunlight leaked through the trees.

Trowa was the first to sit up and look around. Bill the pony stood on one side of the clearing munching on lush green grass. “How are you doing, Bill?” Trowa asked. “That was a rough bit of running yesterday.”

Bill flicked his tail. “It was not as bad as pulling a loaded wagon uphill, but I wouldn't say no to some oats right now.”

“We can probably get some in Rivendell.”

“That would be nice.”

Quatre sat up, rubbing his eyes. “Morning, Trowa.”

“Good morning, Quatre.” Trowa kissed him on the nose. “You look cute when you're rumpled.”

“I always look cute.”

“Not when you're spouting Latin and turning people into girls,” Duo grumbled. He pushed up onto one elbow. “Why are you up so early? Can't you think less loud?”

“It's time to get up,” Quatre said. “The sooner we get moving, the sooner we get to Rivendell, where there will be baths, real beds and better food.”

Duo immediately sat up with a grin. “Ok, I'm up. I just needed a little motivation.”

Everyone started waking up at that point; stretching, yawning and complaining about the hour. It was then that the hobbits realized the folly of eating everything the night before.

“There's no breakfast!” Pippin exclaimed, stricken. “I can't walk on an empty stomach!”

“It's ok,” Roku said. “I saved some stuff.” And he proceeded to produce three loaves of bread, a quarter wheel of soft white cheese, several rashers of cooked bacon, a small ham, two jars of strawberry jam and two dozen little yellow apples.

Pippin's eyes went wide. “How much food have you got stashed away in this secret place of yours?”

Roku licked his whiskers. “Enough. Let's eat.”

After breakfast, they cleaned up the campsite and set out. The path they followed wound through beautiful woods past clear, swift flowing streams, through open meadows dotted with flowers, and finally crested a ridge to give them a panoramic view of Rivendell itself; a collection of elegant buildings nestled on ridges between several waterfalls.

“Wow!” Duo exclaimed. “That's gorgeous! How many people live there, Aragorn? It sounds crowded.”

“All of the Half-Elven reside in Rivendell,” Aragorn replied gravely. “Since the Half-Elven do not die unless they are killed or chose a mortal life, the centuries have led to a fairly significant population.”

A little farther along the trail, they came to a graceful stone bridge that led them across a gorge and into Rivendell itself. Almost immediately, they were surrounded by dozens of handsome people with long, elaborately braided hair decorated with golden clasps, ribbons and fine gold chains, hanging past their butts.

“Welcome back, Aragorn,” said one handsome elf. “I see you have brought many guests.” He eyed the newcomers excitedly. “Perhaps they have new stories to tell of the outside world?”

Aragorn sighed. “We have traveled a long way and are tired. Once we have rested and eaten, there will be time for stories.”

“Ah, of course,” The elf's shoulders slumped slightly and looks of disappointment flickered across the faces of the others. “Come this way. Elrond has had rooms prepared for you.”

“Thank you.” Aragorn leaned close to Treize and murmured, “If I did not cut them off now, they would have kept you standing here chattering about your travels. Elves are insatiable when it comes to the telling of tales. I fear it is an unfortunate trait of the long-lived.”

“Ah, thank you for looking out for us,” Treize replied softly.

As they made their way in amongst the buildings, several elves sidled close to Zechs, studying him excitedly and murmuring to each other in their own language. Finally, one of them leaned toward Zechs with an eager smile.

“Tell me, sir, are you perchance related to our cousin elves that live in Lothlorien? Your fair complexion and unmatched beauty gives us cause to wonder.”

Zechs smiled magnificently, eliciting excited gasps from the surrounding throng. “You are most kind to think so, but my heritage is purely human.”

“Indeed?” The elves exchanged amazed looks. “You are most remarkably handsome for a human,” the elf said. He eased a little closer and lowered his voice to an intimate purr. “Perhaps later, you will allow me to show you the wonders and beauties of Rivendell.”

Treize frowned and slipped his arm through Zechs' possessively. “I'm afraid we will be quite busy during our stay,” he said, “so my companion will have to unfortunately decline.”

“That is unfortunate,” the elf responded sadly.

“When can we see Mr. Frodo?” Sam demanded. “He was brought here last night and we've heard nothing about him.”

“Your companion is in the care of Master Elrond, little fellow,” the elf who was leading them said. “I'm sure Master Elrond will summon you when your friend is out of danger.”

“Can't we see him sooner?” Sam asked anxiously. “I'm not supposed to leave his side and it's been nearly a whole day now.”

“More like half a day,” Merry said to Pippin.

“I will ask Master Elrond.”

“Is it just me,” Duo muttered to Wu-Fei, “or is it hard to reliably pick out the males from the females here?”

Wu-Fei shrugged. “Does it matter?”

“That may be the only thing keeping their population down,” Trowa added. “If sexual partners of the opposite sex happen more by accident than design, the reproduction rate should be lower.”

“And it does lend a sort of mystery to the seduction when you're not entirely sure what you'll find underneath your paramour's robes,” Zechs added.

“That does sound like fun, now that you mention it,” Duo said with a grin.

Their guide brought them to an airy building with wide windows and graceful arches that had carved filigree at the top and carvings of vines and flowers flowing down the sides. Soft linen drapes floated in the open windows, which had covered patios outside to shield them from the elements. A large sitting room filled with comfortable divans, chairs and tables in various sizes contained arched doorways leading to smaller rooms containing beds of exquisitely carved hardwoods covered with down stuffed mattresses, the finest linen sheets and finely woven cotton blankets. It all looked incredibly inviting.

“I want to take a bath!” Alexa immediately announced.

“There is a very fine bath just through that arch,” their guide responded. “You'll find everything you need there, including changes of clothing so that your own garments may be cleaned.”

“Yay! Come on Jett!” Alexa and Jett stripped on the way to the bathing chamber, leaving clothes wherever they happened to fall. Roku trotted after them, still in tiger form. Hadeya sighed and followed.

Aragorn spoke up. “If you will excuse me; there is someone I wish to speak to. I will see you again shortly.” He bowed and hurried away.

The bathing chamber contained a single large tiled pool filled with warm scented water. By the time the others arrived, Alexa, Jett and Roku were already playing in the water.

“It looks like there's room enough for all of us,” Treize said and, without any further ceremony, stripped naked and slid into the water. “Oh, that's nice!”

Taking his cue, everyone else stripped and hopped into the bath as well.

Trowa looked at the hobbits, who were hovering near the entrance blushing bright red. “Come on, you guys, get in. We all stink.”

“Oh, look!” Pippin cried suddenly. “Towels!” He grabbed three towels from a pile on a table by the entrance and handed them out. The three hobbits then stripped in concealment before sliding quickly into the water.

“All right, children!” Quatre said sternly. “Quit playing and start washing. I'm sure they'll feed us once we're out of the bath, so let's not dillydally.”

The promise of food did the trick. Soon enough, everyone was scrubbed squeaky clean and dressed in flowing elven robes. When they returned to the sitting room, they found a trio of elves waiting for them. These three elves might have been triplets, because they looked almost exactly alike, down to the way they waved their hands when they talked.

“Welcome! Welcome to Rivendell!” they chorused in voices just high enough to make everyone do a double-take at their flat chests. “We are Elrond's personal attendants, but as he is currently engaged in the care of your companion, he directed us to assist you in any way that we can.” The three of them closed in on Zechs. “Would you like us to do your hair?”

“You have such lovely hair,” said one.

“My brother Asa is right. It would be a shame not to adorn it befittingly,” said another.

“I agree with Asa and Aja!” said the third. “Perhaps braids at the temples.”

“And three smaller braids down the back as well, Ata?” said Aja.

“Yes, I agree.”

Zechs backed away slowly. “Thank you, but I don't need my hair braided right now.”

The three elves' shoulders fell. “As you wish.” Then their eyes lit on Duo. “What lovely hair you have!” Asa exclaimed. “And you already have it braided! Perhaps we could brush and re-braid it for you.”

Duo grinned. “Sure! That'd be great.”

“Wonderful! Sit here!” Aja gestured to a padded chair and Duo settled into it with a smile. Then all three elves produced an assortment of brushes and combs from underneath their robes. In a trice, they had Duo's long hair undone and were happily brushing it smooth.

“I think just a little lavender oil to smooth the tangles is needed,” Ata said. He produced a jar from under his robe and sprinkled it on their brushes. The three of them fussed and cooed over Duo until his hair was smooth and glistening like water running over a flat stone.

“Isn't that enough?” Heero complained. “We want to eat.”

Slumped comfortably in the softly padded chair, Duo sighed contentedly. “Start without me. I'll be along.”

“That is extremely un-Duo-like,” Quatre said. “We're talking about food here.”

“But you know how he gets about his hair,” Wu-Fei said. “Let's go.”

So everyone left Duo alone with the suspiciously androgynous hairdressers and went out to find food. They followed Roku, whose nose took them right to a large open hall where a lavish meal was just being set out. Many dozens of elves were already settling onto comfortable divans next to low tables where trays of food were being placed.

“This reminds me of Olympus,” Treize said.

“There is a strong resemblance,” Zechs agreed.

“My friends!” Aragorn greeted them. He had also bathed and changed into more comfortable clothing. “You look much refreshed. Come this way; I have places set aside for us. Where is Duo?”

“He's getting his hair done,” Heero grumbled.

Aragorn blinked. “By Elrond's hairdressers?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, dear. I better go get him or he might miss dinner.” He led them to a set of empty divans. “These are for you. Please sit down and help yourselves while I rescue, um, I mean, retrieve your companion.” He hurried out of the dining hall.

“That doesn't sound good,” Quatre said.

“I'm glad I didn't let them do mine,” Zechs said.

Several minutes passed before Aragorn returned with Duo. Duo's hair now resembled the elves, with a dozen slender braids starting from between his temples to just above his ears. The braids were pulled back and bound together with a beautiful golden clasp in the shape of a human hand. The rest of his hair hung down his back in a dark shimmering wave that was caught at the very bottom by a bright silver ribbon. As he passed through, there was a smattering of applause. The three hairdressers, who followed Aragorn and Duo in, bowed with delighted smiles on their faces.

Duo took a seat with the others and immediately started eating. “They wanted to do more than just tie it off at the bottom,” he said, “but Aragorn told them no. They're pretty dedicated. But man that felt good.” He grinned at Heero. “I'll let you run your fingers through it later.”

Heero scowled, but his eyes were fixed on Duo's luxurious brunette locks. “Yeah, maybe.”

“Duo's so getting laid,” Quatre muttered. “Heero's a sucker for long hair.”