[4xD] 4/7 "The most noble of weaknesses" Chapter 3

[Darkwing]

Standard disclaimers: See first chapter.

Author note: I apologize with all the readers for the delay. I didn't mean to make you wait, but life lately forced me to keep my mind busy elsewhere. I hope the wait will be worthy, but in any case, thanks for being here.

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The most noble of weaknesses
By Darkwing
Chapter three

In the morning, the creepy melancholy of the previous evening had turned into a lazy drowsiness. Quatre would have liked to sleep some more but, whether the new bed or the dreams that tormented him, he couldn't really rest.
Since his father had died, he had never dreamt of him, but the past night brought him back to life again, even if just for a few hours. In an obsessing succession of events, he perceived the same feel of loss of that tragic day, when he left him forever. He felt like within his mind time had frozen in that very moment. The reason why that night he lived those instants again was something that he wasn't curios to know. Maybe the discussion of the previous evening about children and families had a bad influence on him, so now, instead of being relaxed and enjoying his holiday, he was tense and anxious.
At last he slowly wore something and got down to have breakfast. As he ate his simple meal, made with yogurt and honey, he found himself staring at the chair where Dorothy sat with little Tonka the previous evening. It made a strange impression on him, to see her so at ease as she held the child. He already intimately knew that, behind that cold fa?ade, Dorothy hid a gentle soul, but it had been good to see his perceptions confirmed. It seemed that she finally accepted those grace and kindness that during the war tormented her so much.
"May I sit here?"
Quatre blinked, caught by surprise. He raised his gaze and met the enigmatic smile of the woman object of his thoughts.
"Yes...Yes, of course." He immediately stood up to help her with the chair, but she didn't allow him the chivalrous gesture and sat down before he could even move.
She laid fruit salad and orange juice on the table. "Slept well, then?" She begun, with affected naturalness, as she sipped her juice.
"Not bad, thank you."
Quatre hesitated an instant, studying her eyes. She didn't believe him, of course. And he wasn't surprised at all. Comprehension had always been strangely instinctive for them: dazzling lights, broken by moments of impregnable darkness. All their secrets had always been thin as a smokescreen: a simple eyelash could make it disappear as well as make it impenetrable. He wouldn't be surprised if Dorothy also lived empathic experiences.
Suddenly he felt speechless. His disease went unnoticed and Dorothy kept on tasting her fruit, completely oblivious, at least so he hoped.
"So did you already decide what you're going to do today?" The woman's question required a too hard effort to Quatre, whose brain was completely busy with other thoughts. He lingered his gaze on those rosy lips, slightly wet with the sweet fruit juice. 'I wonder if she's aware that she's so beautiful...'
"Quatre?" Dorothy leaned on the table, staring at his eyes. "Are you all right?"
"Uh! Yes, I'm sorry...I was thinking."
One of her half amused and arrogant smiles lit her face. "I know that."
Quatre gulped. He felt the unpleasant sensation that he just primed the fuse of the challenge that she implicitly threatened. Perhaps that was the best moment to evade. "I still have to decide, and you?"
She shrugged. "I actually didn't. I usually improvise."
Quatre's heart started to run wild. Perhaps he could invite her to pass the rest of the day with him...But what if she refused, or worse, if she laughed at him? After all she never hid her disdain for him. More likely, if he asked her out for a day-trip, he'd damage her opinion about him even more. On the other hand...Didn't he come on Earth to resume their relationship? By the way, which relationship was he talking about?
So resolving that since it was really unlikely that their bond could worsen more, he wouldn't loose anything if he tried. Besides he knew by experience that to face the situations, even the more tricky, was better than to wait for their spontaneous solution.
He quietly cleared his voice and begun, with the same tone that he used when he sat negotiating with associates and customers. "Well, in that case...Since both sides apparently meet difficulties to plan an effective resolution, my advice is this: let's join our forces to increase the chances of success of the common task."
Dorothy put her teaspoon into her dessert bowl and studied his expression. She appeared perplexed. "What is this? A date, mister Winner?"
Quatre surprised himself as he held her questioning gaze and smiled, unusually playful. "What do you think about: an ingenious compromise, miss Catalonia?"
She returned the smile. "I think you didn't change at all, Quatre Winner. You chose the wrong profession, you should be a politician."
Quatre accepted her statement with a shrug. "Is this a yes?"
"It's."
He nodded. "All right. Let's finish our breakfast, then. We'll meet again here in a few minutes, okay?"
"Okay."

* * * * *

As he helped Dorothy to get on the motorboat that they rent, Quatre couldn't believe that it was really happening. The girl immediately accepted and she also appeared enthusiast about the trip by boat that he proposed. Personally he didn't feel like being a seaman, but if he could pilot Sandrock, he was sure that he wouldn't need to sweat too much to understand how how to make things work. Anyway, before leaving, a quick inspection of the control panel was due. He didn't want to cut a poor figure.
"So, where are we going, captain?" Dorothy crossed her legs and sat on the passenger's padded seat.
Quatre stopped his inquiry and turned to her. She had already gotten rid of her dress and she was ready to enjoy the bright sun. Her one-piece swimsuit, of a soft lilac hue that made her hair appear even fairer, didn't allow too much to imagination. Hugging her slender body, it gave her an elegant yet sensual look. Quatre briefly wondered if she chose on purpose to wear such a low-neck opening, because if that was the case, he had to admit at least to himself that she hit the bull's eye.
Once again she ignored his disease.
'I'm sure she's doing this on purpose! I'll be damned if not!' Quatre tried his best to play his role and overlook to his unexpected hormonal peaks. He was confused to death, but now he wouldn't admit it even under torture. He came there to meet her and now, as if nothing was happening, she was trying to...yeah, to what? To win a match to her favorite game: 'cat-against-mouse'? Was she trying to take fun of him? Or she wasn't doing anything, and he was the one whose blood was boiling because of a stupid lack of fabric? He was loosing the thread of his thoughts.
"What is it? Did you loose your thread once again, Quatre?" She asked in total innocence.
Quatre started. What? Could she read his mind now?
"You look a bit absent-minded, Quatre. Are you sure that everything's okay? If you're not feeling good we can meet another day."
The boy recomposed himself quickly. "No, no. Absolutely not. I?m really fine, thank you. I was just recollecting my mind about how the engine works. Now?Any idea about our destination?"
She seemed to accept the explanation. "Someone told me that on the other side of the island there are some lovely bays, and they can be reached only by sea."
"Perfect then! We have a route!"
Thanking the Heavens for not having to bear the unnerving girl's quiet stare, Quatre turned away to pay attention to the maneuvers necessary to leave. He started the engine and let the moorings go. Then he sat on the driving seat and, cautiously, gave power. The motorboat gently responded to his touch, quickly gaining a speed higher than Quatre thought possible. However he didn't allow his surprise to control him and, without too much effort, he subdued the vehicle, driving it out of the small harbor.
He didn't need too much time to relax. Actually the boat was quite simple to pilot: a gas throttle, an handle for the forward and reverse gear and the steering wheel, not too different from a car one, were the only necessary devices. If you added that the sea was exceptionally quiet, their cruise couldn't be more comfortable.
"Can't we go faster?"
Quatre arched his brows, casting a perplexed glance to the log's [2] readings. "More than this?"
Dorothy stood up and joined him, going near the driving seat. Her long locks, shaken by the wind, caressed his forearm. "It's more fun, isn't it?"
The radiant girl's eyes conveyed her enthusiasm into him. "Okay. Hold tight, then!"
He pushed the handle to full throttle and the hull suddenly bristled on the waves, accelerating to its maximum speed.
Dorothy laughed and Quatre followed her. To feel the wind between the hair and the sprinklings of water on the face gave him a sense of freedom. He slightly turned toward the girl and he found that her happy expression was wonderful. He was sure that he had never seen her like that. In the uproar of the engine and the whistling of the wind, Dorothy caressed his arm to call up his attention, completely oblivious about the interest that she was already getting. "That way!" She pointed to a thin rocky promontory.
Quatre corrected the route, following her advice. In a few minutes they doubled the cape and he slew down the speed. "Is this the place?"
Dorothy clapped her hands, excited. "Isn't it beautiful?"
"Wonderful." He stated, not completely certain if his word was referred to the uncontamined bay or to the dreamy girl's eyes.
Evidently unable to relax, Dorothy stood still by his side, leaning against the controls to keep balance. "Let's come closer! I can't wait to take a dip!"
Quatre slowly leaded the motorboat into the desert inlet. Now he had to anchor. Well, but it couldn't be too difficult. After all he just needed to throw the anchor into the water, right? Not really certain about the best order to complete all the necessary operations, he stopped the boat, thinking.
This time Dorothy intervened. "Move over there or, once anchored, the undercurrent will push us on those rocks."
"Yes, you're right." Quatre stopped where she suggested and went to the anchor-winch, letting the chain free. "Here it is. It reached the bottom." He said, turning off the device in satisfaction.
Dorothy stared at him in disbelief. "You must give more chain! At least a three to one rate between the length of the chain and the depth, otherwise the mooring won't be safe."
Quatre raised an amazed eyebrow. "I didn't know you were so expert."
"I'm not in fact, but when I was younger my father used to take me with him on his yacht."
Quatre smiled, following her advice once again. He had never seen her so relaxed and radiant. Actually he didn't know that she was able of such enthusiasm. So it was a second surprise for him, when she pulled out of her bag flippers, diving mask and knife and quickly got ready for her bathe.
"Where are you going?"
Dorothy laughed. "Can't you guess it? Swimming!"
"Yes, I can see this, but...What about all this arsenal?" The young man pointed to the long knife that she was now tying to her right calf.
"I'm going to fish." She stated, with that predatory gaze of hers. Now ready she approached the side of the boat and plunged, giving her back to the water to avoid the strong impact against the glass of the mask. "Hand me that rack, please." She asked, as she emerged.
Quatre accomplished, taking the small rope bag that hung from the girl's bag. "Fishing what?"
"Oysters." She took the net from the boy's hands and tied it around her waist. "But what are you waiting for? Will you stay aboard the whole day?"
"Uh...No, I'm coming. Wait, please."
He got rid of his clothes and quickly grabbed his equipment, plunging into the sea. The water was sparkling and warm. A real wonder! "I'm ready." He stated, resurfacing.
"Good. Let's go, then." Dorothy rejoiced. "In this island there are more oysters than daisies in a grass field!"
Without any further comment, they swam toward the coast, where the water was less deep.
Quatre had already seen the bottom of the sea, but just on television, during some documentary. And most of times, the seabeds that were portrayed during the cultural transmissions belonged to exotic tropical islands, exceptionally picturesque for the gaudy colors of their flora and fauna. Here it was really different.
Natural and earthy hues shaded on the submerged rocks, completely covered with little brown and dark green seaweeds, rosy blooms of spirographs and tiny mollusks and crustaceans that belonged to hundreds different species. Shoals of black damselfishes, so similar to little swallows, swam everywhere, floating in the crystal water as if time was meaningless for them. Every now and then, amidst the rocks, darted a bigger silver fish whose name was unknown to Quatre. The silence of the water, and the apparent absence of gravity, remembered him of the light sensation that he experienced in the vacuum of space. It was pleasant to taste a familiar sensation in such an alien place.
A dull noise, seemingly coming from everywhere, suddenly crushed the silence of the sea depth. The noise recurred. Quatre looked around, curios, searching for the cause. Just then he noticed that Dorothy was nowhere to be found. Panic-stricken he increased his efforts, searching for the girl, but she wasn?t surfacing. He would have liked to shout out and call her, but he couldn?t do that in the water. ?Oh, my God, Dorothy!?
What happened? Immediately the peace he felt just a few moments before turned into turmoil. She disappeared! What happened? ?Dorothy?Dorothy!?
The repetition of the unspoken recall within his mind just increased his sense of anguish. He frantically swam, without following a particular direction, sounding the bottom of the sea, to seek for the young woman. Only a few times in his life he had felt so anxious for someone else state. When his father was killed, perhaps, and when he shot Trowa, influenced by the Zero System. In that moment he couldn?t do anything to bring those that he loved to safety ? his sister Iria and Heero held him back with opposite purposes ? but this time nobody could prevent him from getting Dorothy out of troubles. Whichever trouble it could be!
Something seized his ankle, pulling with strength. Ready to face the assaulter, he turned quickly, hoping that the disadvantage for being caught by surprise didn?t cost him too much. He didn?t know how he could fight underwater, but if the Dorothy?s disappearance was due to some?
?Dorothy?? He swallowed a mouthful of water, when he let the snorkel fall for the surprise. He coughed, half-choking.
The girl frisked by his side and pulled the mask on her forehead. She looked at him as if he had turned insane. 'Or better? foolish!' Quatre mentally corrected himself.
?What happens? You were swimming like a madman.? She commented. Then she assumed a look that was half mischievous and irreverent. ?What was that? An attempt to make a hit with me?? She laughed.
?No, well? I actually lost you.? He confessed, feeling awkward like never before, with that mask that closed his nose.
She bit her lip. ?I?m sorry.? She stated, unexpectedly. ?It?s just that I found a good hunting area and?Well, I?m not used to follow other people.?
Quatre tried to reassure her. ?Don?t worry. What truly matters is that everything's okay.?
He thought to see that she was blushing, but he was unsure of that because the enthusiasm got the best of her again. ?Come here. I?ll show you.?
Determined to not to let her run away again, he followed her by close distance. They swam for a while before they met a big submerged rock, vertically splat into two stubs. Between the two huge fragments opened a crack large enough to allow a man to pass. Dorothy waved a finger, pointing to the slit and then dove in, but not before drawing out her knife. Quatre admired her fluid movements completely charmed. She could move with the same grace and naturalness of a dolphin. Diving seemed an effortless task for her.
Once inside the crack, he saw her bustling with her knife on the edge of the rock, as if she was trying to break it. The noise she made was similar to that he heard before. Quatre was dumbfounded when a small irregular splinter fell under the few, careful blows. The easiness with which she crumbled that boulder had been amazing, but now? What was she doing with that piece of rock?
Using her flippers, she resurfaced. ?Seen?? She panted. ?Now it's your turn.?
Quatre raised a perplexed eyebrow. ?My turn?For what??
She laughed heartily ?For what? Quatre, sometimes I wonder if you know how much you can be funny.?
Completely embarrassed, he shook his head. ?I probably don?t.? He answered in total frankness.
Evidently moved to pity by the idiocy that affected him since he had landed onto Earth, Dorothy approached him, showing the mossy stone that she collected. It was now that Quatre noticed that the ?stone? wasn?t what he previously thought.
?Look,? Dorothy started, ?this is the point where the shell sticks on the rock.? She pointed where the knife?s blade exposed the mother of pearl of the oyster. ?If the whole shell is attached to the rock you can let it there: you won?t ever be able to take it without breaking it. But, if it?s like this, the bottom valve isn?t completely incorporated inside the rock and so you can tear it off with the knife.?
Quatre laughed. ?I mistook it for a stone.? He confessed.
Dorothy giggled in return. ?So you must have thought me crazy!?
Quatre accepted Dorothy?s knife and prepared himself for the immersion. ?I must say that you actually confused me.? He said, before biting his snorkel.
He dove with a somersault. Immediately the floating golden hair belonging to the girl appeared by his side. She quickly surpassed him brushing with her stomach against the submerged rock. She pointed out a spot, where she obviously noticed a good prey and then moved away. The pearly lips of a shell opened on the rock, camouflaged by the rough brownish vegetation. As the mollusk noticed the intruder, it suddenly closed its valves, in a desperate, and often effective, attempt of defense. Quatre didn?t give up and searched for a slit where he could slip in the blade, levering. After a few blows, the shell came off the rocky couch where it was born to fall into the hands of the young man.
?It looks like you just caught your first oyster.? Dorothy stated, as Quatre emerged.
Breathing deeply, he handed her his prey that she put into her net. ?If you didn?t show me that, I think I couldn?t have found it.?
?I know.? She nodded. ?But once you get used to it, it?s easy. And here there are a lot of these.?
?So I?m not hopeless.? Quatre joked.
She smiled lightly. ?Don?t play the modest. You didn?t do bad at all for being someone that has seen the sea once or twice in a life. You keep the knife. I?ll use a stone to take them off.? She offered.
Worried that Dorothy could hurt herself by using a cutting stone, Quatre didn?t even notice the compliment that he just received. ?Not on your life! If you want to keep your hunting, you?ll use this!? He turned the blade over his fingers and put the knife into the girl?s hand. Astonished by the determination in the companion?s gaze, Dorothy accepted his order in an unusual passive way.
As Quatre dove again, searching for a stone that he could use, she stared at the shining blade, holding it firmly in her hand. A painful shiver run across her spine, when she recalled the feeling that she felt in the very moment when, a still too close day, she plunged her foil into Quatre?s side, spilling his blood.
The sea swallowed the silent tear that escaped her eyes.

TBC?

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[2] Log. It's a small device, applied on the hull of a boat (that generally looks like a small helix) that is used to measure the boat's speed. This sensor is connected to a receiver on board that returns the value in the right unit. (Usually 'knots', defined as 'nautical miles per hour').
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AN: As always, thank you for reading. And please, don?t miss to let me have your opinions.
Kisses,
Darkwing

[takisha16]

Hey you updated!
This was a great chapter! Dorothy was acting sooo coy! and Quatre
bought it hook line and sinker!
I loved their time on the boat and their fishing. Although...I would imagine
Dorothy would look better in a bikini, I'm not saying overly skimpy (eww)
but maybe a nice black one? much more sexy!
I love how Quatre acted all flustered when he though he lost her.
I love this story!
Keep it up!

[Darkwing]

*giggles* Well...I always thought that Dorothy might act a little coy, so I'm glad that you don't think 'this' Dorothy out of character.

I'm sorry if you preferred her unequivocally sexy. I made that choice to underline her ambiguous personality, that can appear neat and graceful, but also dark and malicious. So, I thought that a 'childish' look could make a nice contrast with her seductive attitude and exhalt this characteristic of hers. But of course you're free to picture her in the way you want. This is the nice thing of a written story. You reader are the one that makes it real.

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, Takisha! You don't know how much you make me happy every time you give me your opinion! *TIGHT HUGGGGGS*

[GundamVixen]

Aww!! they're so cute!!

It looks like she did learn how to cry! lol!

Love it!

I never read fics on this ship, since I just never have but! I love it! they're cute together even though she was deranged with her own war mania in the series. I wish we would have seen more of her in EP. That would have been interesting, couldn't have hurt. Would have helped squash the T/Q theories. lol but ah well!

Good job!! I like this chapter as much as the other one sbefore! you have a knack of portraying them how they truely are!!!