The Bear

Wufei's head slowly raised from his latest mission report, conveniently hidden under a beat-up paperback, and stared at the door. Trowa's eyes trailed away from the local news. Quatre blithely ignored all the warning sounds coming from the path leading to their tiny safehouse. The blond even managed a complete non-reaction worthy of the other two pilots as the front door slammed open, and the three within were treated to a typical verbal barrage from Duo Maxwell. Unfortunately, this was not his typical post-mission blather. The long-haired pilot was seething in anger and viciously throwing his gear into a corner. Quatre's eyes widened, and he snapped around to track the other pilot.

"Duo!" The tense cry caught the teen up short. There was a sort of staring contest between the two personable pilots. "Just tell us what happened." Wufei blinked at the blond's slow command. Duo snarled and seemed on the verge of returning to his incomprehensible ranting before taking a deep breath.

"It was another set-up," he ground out. "We blew up ..." Duo ducked his head so his bangs shadowed his eyes. "We blew up ... a lot of non-combatants." His voice was small, and his hands were clenched tightly on the hem of his black shirt. Quatre's posture softened, and he slumped against the back of the couch with a quietly shocked exhale. Wufei swallowed nervously before standing and pulling the American down into a near-by recliner. The self-proclaimed ShiNoKami curled into a protective ball, shuddered once, andame ame still and silent. Quatre's hand reached out and settled gently beside the braid. Trowa's eyes moved back to the door, and he finally moved to stand.

"Duo," he waited for the soft sound of acknowledgement from Wufei's shoulder. "Where's Heero?" Duo's head snapped up and scanned the room. He frowned.

"Said he'd be right behind me," he mumbled, his usual energy still subdued. Quatre bit his lip and looked back to Trowa. The circus performer nodded and turned to the still open door. He paused as it swung further open, and Heero appeared in the frame. Green eyes swiftly assessed the hollow look in the blank face. They flickered down to the slight bulge in the green tank top and back. Heero stepped forward, his training making him shut and bolt the door before moving closer to Trowa. A vaguely familiar light in the dark blue eyes forced Trowa to move closer. Heero looked up at Trowa, one hand raising and then disappearing into his shirt to pull out an old, torn-up teddy bear. The three watching from their seats stared on in confusion.

"They were orphans," Heero murmured. Duo choked, clutching Wufei, yet refusing to turn his face from the strange drama that seemed to be unfolding. Trowa nodded and looked closely at the stuffed animal. The fur was patchy, old, and seemed burnt in a few places. It was well taken care of otherwise. Tears and rips had been fixed with small, neat stitches, even if it was missing an ear. A second look revealed the straight, almost methodical positioning of the tears. They looked more like purposeful cuts than anything. Trowa blinked at the open hand appearing between he and Heero. A wave of understanding flashed in Trowa's eyes as the taller teen handed Heero a knife. Their eyes held for a moment before Heero calmly settled on the floor, holding the bear firmly between crossed calves. Trowa stepped back, and the four pilots watched in morbid fascination as Heero slowly sliced off the bear's left paw. They watched as Heero pulled out black thread and a needle from a pouch around the bear's neck. He tucked stuffing back into the arm and carefully sewed up the stump. Trowa's eyes wandered over the bear again, seeing the missing eyes and unstitched mouth. Blind, mute, half-deaf, and now one-handed, the bear seemed broken and useless. Heero stitched the severed paw closed and tucked it into the pouch along with the thread and needle. Trowa briefly wondered if the other missing pieces were stashed in that pouch waiting for the day they could be precisely stitched back in place. Heero stood, the bear disappearing back into the green tank top.

"There won't be any trumpets blowing, come the judgement day." His eyes were blank. Heero may have cultivated a cold, remote look during training, yet the teen had never been this empty. He turned and left, presumably to return the bear to the Gundam. Trowa caught Wufei's eye, quickly flicking to Duo. Wufei nodded. They would make sure neither pilot was alone this night. Especially this version of Heero. Trowa followed their strongest pilot, plans of keeping him trapped between four warm bodies and four steady heartbeats settling firmly in his head.

Duo touched Quatre's hand, a quiet thanks from the loud pilot. Wufei urged the braided teen up, directing both blond and brunette to aid in the making of a large, impromtu pallet foe nie night. Duo stared at the door, red light from the setting sun streaking the walls.

"And on the bloody mornin' after," he sing-songed, "one tin soldier rides away."

**

Song: One Tin Soldier (The Legend of Billy Jack) by Coven