Heero ignored the question, continuing to type with inhuman speed.

    “Heero... what is the significance of the phrase?” Trowa asked calmly, glancing at Wufei who was still upset at the lack of response to his question.

    “I don't know yet.  I'm looking.” Heero replied as he typed.

    Quatre frowned.  “What does Somnium Recondo mean again...?”

    “Dream store in Latin,” Trowa murmured.

    Quatre turned the card around thoughtfully.  “So it says `Dream Store' with `Dream Weaver' written below it….  Isn't that redundant?”

    “Not really,” Trowa answered calmly, “since it was written in different languages.  Does dori-mu shokkou mean anything else maybe?  Or somnium recondo...?”

    “According to the cross-references,” Quatre said as he stood and paced the room, “'Recondo' can also mean `lay up or hoard,' and `somnium' means...” He paused and read directly from the dictionary, “ `dream, fancy, day-dream /foolishness, nonsense'.”

    “And the Japanese?” Trowa prompted.

    “Dori-mu means only dream, but shokkou can also mean a worker in a factory.”  Quatre sighed.  “These alternative meanings will either solve the problem, or only confuse us more.”

    “This is useless,” declared Wufei suddenly, “I'm going.  Tell me when you find something.”  He shut the door so firmly as he left it was bordering on a slam.

    Quatre blinked and said quietly, “He must be really worried.”

    There was no answer to the comment save the sound of Heero's fingers flying relentlessly over the keyboard.

    She smiled mournfully to herself as she watched the search engine spit out dead end after dead end.  Turning the volume up on the ancient radio sitting next to her she leaned back in her chair.

    “...means...” pause, “ `dream, fancy, day-dream /foolishness, nonsense,'” a boy's soft, almost feminine voice was saying.

    She beamed and flipped the switch that allowed the conversation to be recorded still but didn't broadcast it.  Laughing quietly, knowing the group of boys wouldn't hear, she shook her head in amusement.  “Good boys,” she purred softly, watching what those same boys would be seeing on their computer flash across her screen.  Sometimes it was very nice to be an expert at bugging... although truth be told it had been quite easy with the space-case Duo.

    Duo.

    She sighed sadly, all the mirth fading from her golden brown/dark blue eyes.  “I -tried- to warn him...”  Biting her inner lower lip, she suddenly and angrily swiped at the papers littering the desk she sat at.  “God damnit!” she yelled to the air, “WHY?!”  

    She barely registered the sound of her door opening in time.  With swift and precise moves she erased all evidence of the boys from her computer's memory.  Standing and turning around in the same movement she faced her opponents.

    Several nondescript men and women dressed professionally watched her calmly.  A tall man dressed all in black pushed between them and stood before her.  “Cressida,” he growled.

    Looking away a moment, Cressida turned back with a glare smoldering her strange eyes as she regarded the man.  “Dori,” she growled back.

    Ignoring the name correction, the man continued with a slightly disgusted expression.  “You get too attached to the guinea pigs.  Lord Canowicakte will see you now.”  The tall, bulky man turned on his heel and exited the room.

    Dori's eyes flashed a moment in defiance but she closed them and murmured almost regretfully, “I'm sure he will.”

    The men and women waited for her to leave before they all exited the room, shutting the door behind them.

    Holding her hand to her cheek she glared, holding back a cough.

    “What are you doing?” Canowicakte asked calmly, watching the rebellious teen crouched on the floor.

    “Nothing,” she spat.

    Cano glanced to his aide Pradosh, who immediately kicked her hard in the stomach.  Dori fell to her back with a strangled cry, muffled by her promise to herself to make as little noise as possible.  Pradosh, still wearing all black, ignored the inconsequential blood that splattered his boots.  He glanced back at Cano, who watched Dori with an expression bordering on languid curiosity.  “What are you doing?” Cano calmly asked again.

    Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Dori glared back intensely.  Her golden brown eyes slowly turned completely into the midnight blue that usually was only hinted at.  Cano smiled like a cat with a mouse backed into a corner.  “Nothing,” she replied again, growling the two syllables dangerously.  Cano's smile grew.

    Pradosh grabbed Dori's short hair, hauling the startled girl to her feet.  The assistant looked to his leader for guidance.  “Teach her,” Cano said simply, lazily turning his back on the scene of the girl getting beaten.  Pouring himself a glass of red wine, Cano sipped calmly as he spoke.  “You should know better than to interfere with a Träumer.”  Cano swirled the contents of the glass, idly watching the reflection of Cressida falling against a wall and sliding down.  Blood splattered the pristine walls now, causing Cano to crinkle his nose the slightest in disgust.  “Pradosh.”  He needed say no more; stepping back, Pradosh crossed his arms and stared at the slumped girl.  “Cressida, I am losing my patience.  You dirty my blood, then my business, and now my home.  There is little more I will take from you.”  Cano quirked an eyebrow the tiniest bit before repeating in a stern voice.  “What are you doing?”

    Dori coughed, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth.  Grimacing at the sharp, metallic taste of blood, she slowly looked back up.  She visibly hesitated, glaring at Cano as if challenging him silently.  The Hawaiian man simply watched her calmly.  Dori opened her mouth, an acidic retort on the tip of her tongue.  Her gaze finally caught his fully and she froze.

    Death.

    His eyes promised torturous death.

    Gasping quietly, Dori slowly lowered her head as her eyes smoldered at the floor angrily.  “I'm sorry, Father.”  Her voice came out a little rougher than she intended.

    Frowning minutely, Cano regarded his daughter before waving a lazy hand toward his assistant.  Pradosh kicked Dori in the ribs as Cano watched dispassionately.  She rolled, slamming into the wall with a yelp.  Her shoulders shook as she held in the sobs.  Pradosh smirked, walking slowly toward her.

    With extreme effort, Dori pushed herself to her hands and knees, a trail of thick blood flowing from her cut lips.  She spit pathetically, gagging against the taste in her mouth.  Pradosh stood directly beside her, suddenly bringing his foot up and slamming it onto her lower spine.  She fell to her stomach as he stood on her back with enough pressure to keep her from moving.  Struggling at first, Dori slowly realized she had no way out.  Straining until she could see Cano, she finally ceased moving.  The Hawaiian leader stood and sauntered over to her casually.  He peered at her a moment with languid grace.  “You know exactly what we stand for, Cressida.  If you interfere, you will die.  Relation or none.  Step lightly, child.  I have no qualms with arranging your disappearance.”  Pradosh pushed on her back for emphasis.  Dori coughed and closed her eyes, feeling the world close in around her.  “In fact,” Cano continued thoughtfully, “I may have an even better idea....”

    <Fuck,> Dori thought miserably as she realized what her father had in mind.  She looked up quickly, hoping her eyes had returned to the normal golden brown.  Whenever she got especially pissed or deceptive they turned.  “Father, I-“

    “I have more important business to attend to.”  Canowicakte glanced at Pradosh before he turned and strode back to the desk, ordering, “Take her away.”  Dori felt strong arms yank her up and drag her toward the door.  She let her head hang, hoping she looked thoroughly beaten emotionally and mentally now along with the physical.

    In reality, she was anything but.

    Heero narrowed his eyes.  “Here is a connection.”

    Quatre looked over with forced eagerness, his aquamarine eyes barely held open as he struggled against sleep.  “How so?”

    Heero frowned and there was only the sound of him typing for a few long moments.  Quatre was already half-asleep when Heero finally answered.  “Shokkou... Japanese... worker in a factory....  There is a factory a few miles East of here that specializes in Japanese trinkets.”

    Quatre yawned and asked sleepily, “Trinkets...?”

    Heero looked over with a meaningful look as he closed his laptop and began getting it ready for transport.  “Hn,” he grunted affirmatively.  “To help people sleep.  The company claims to give even the worst insomniac the best dreams.”

    Quatre blinked, waking up suddenly.  “What is the company called?  Somnium Recondo?”

    Heero shook his head once, quickly.  “That would be too easy.  As it was I wouldn't have made it without the cross-reference of a factory worker and the fact the name was written in Japanese.  The company is just called Moonbeams.”

    Quatre frowned as he stood, following Heero to the door.  “Then what does Somnium Recondo mean?”

    Heero grunted softly and said simply, “I don't know yet.  But we will visit this factory.  Get the others.  I'll meet you in the car.”

    Quatre nodded, already striding down the hallway.

    <Hang on Duo... we're coming.> thought the Arabian as he narrowed his eyes in determination.  <I promise.>

~    Ever heard of a phrase, “Too good to be true”?  I  always wondered exactly that meant.  I mean, fuck, if it's too good to be true, does truth have to be only the shittiest dredges of the dirtiest gutters of life?  Why can't reality be something you'd dream of?  Is that too much to ask?

    I think someone once said “Where there's a will there's a way.”  Cheesy, isn't it?  But I guess I always figured, if you believe in something enough, it'll come true.  Look at the war.  I figure, Relena believes enough that the war will end, so it probably will... eventually.

    Hrm.  That came out wrong.  I don't mean to say Relena is the see all and end all of peacedom.  I guess I just mean... if you're willing to put enough effort behind it, something's bound to happen. I guess maybe just not how you think.... Fuck, I don't know.  I don't even know where I was in the story.  Everything seems so jumbled anymore.  It's harder to pay attention.  So... umm... oh yeah.  Heero.

    His arms were around me and it was utopia.  I never wanted to leave.

    But after what could have been a century but was probably a few hours, I started to realize how wrong this was.  I mean, isn't it really selfish to abandon the world to war just so I could feel loved?  My utopia was getting drained of its beauty by the second.  Suddenly Heero's arms were mocking me... I mean he wasn't but the fact that he fit me so perfectly, that I loved him so much, that his fire was so strong... Suddenly it was all a joke.  Some sort of horrible prank played on yours truly.

    “Look at Duo,” I could hear the other pilots saying, “He's unable to cope with reality so he lives in his dreams.” “Look how weak he is.”  “Look how dependant he is on Heero.  Isn't that sad?”  “Do you see his expression?  That's called ignorance.”  Yeah... it's not necessarily anything any of them would say, but it didn't matter.

    It was the truth.

   So... I pushed him away.

    I guess I actually tried to push him, and found him too strong.  So I squirmed and he frowned, tightening his grip. So I finally shoved on his chest, gaining little leverage, until I stomped on his foot and squeezed between his arms.  He stepped back as I fell away from him, feeling such a sudden emptiness I actually lost my breath for a few moments. Heero watched me calmly, then approached me with that sexy walk of his.  I turned my head away, backing up.  He continued to come at me and I continued to back away.

    Suddenly resistance forced me to stop.  I looked back and saw only the pure white but still, I couldn't move backwards anymore than I could walk through a brick wall.  Looking back at Heero I discovered him to be right in front of me.  He pressed into me, pinning me to the invisible wall.  I tried to dodge but he had me good.

    “Heero-“

    Instead of answering he kissed me passionately.  I felt his tongue enter my mouth, moving his warmth within me.  I groaned unconsciously, temporarily unable to think.  His hands moved underneath my shirt, playing up and down my skin in tantalizing, fiery patterns.  I leaned into his every move, completely forgetting I had wanted to resist him.  But then one of his hands strayed down my stomach, toward my pants.  And, luckily, that reminded me.

    I jerked, trying to pull away.  He only leaned against me harder, his left  hand moving faster on my torso while his right worked at my zipper.  I pushed at him with all my strength but he seemed unaffected.  His mouth was still over mine, but then he began trailing white hot kisses around my chin, down my neck, toward my shoulders and chest.  I whimpered, fighting against the hormones raging in me.  “Heero, please-“

    He finally managed to unzip my pants and pulled them down in the same fluid motion.  His hand immediately reached for the elastic holding of my boxers.  I groaned at the thought of resistance, but continued to struggle.  He wrapped his right arm, which had been trailing my stomach, around my back and arms, pulling me toward him even more.  His mouth found mine once again.  His left hand began to yank off my boxers.

    Panicking now, I jerked around in his grip, hoping to loosen it.  He let go of my arms and I felt a brief sense of hope.  But it was immediately destroyed when he pulled me away from the wall and shoved me on the floor.  I was so surprised and my pants were wrapped around my lower legs so I immediately lost my balance, crashing painfully on the floor.  Heero was on me immediately, one hand holding my chest down firmly as his mouth trailed closer to my groin.  I squirmed uncontrollably, feeling the pleasure begin to overwhelm my resolve.  I knew if he made it to his target I'd never be able to say no.

    In a sudden burst of inspiration I purred.  Maybe I could distract him and run.  Heero stopped and pulled away, still holding me down.  He blinked, `cause I hadn't ever done that before... even in my previous dreams.  Shit.  He looked so cute like that.  I briefly lost my will again.  Half-lidding my eyes, I stared up at him and purred, “Let me.”  He blinked again, unused to this, but willing to try.  He took his hand from my chest and I immediately sat up, crawling over him. He laid back, staring up at me curiously.  I pulled his shirt off and hungrily licked and kissed his chest.  He moaned, moving around very sexily.  I smirked.  Lying fully on him then, I stopped out of shock.  Whereas when Heero was seducing me his touch was fire, I was surprised to realize that when I seduced him, he was ice.  Hard, unyielding, hurtful ice that was so cold it burned.  I swallowed, staring into his face a moment.

    I could see Heero, I mean the real Heero, from the real world... I could see that Heero in my Heero.  And suddenly I felt incredibly disgusted with myself.  I felt like I was using Heero.  Cheapening Heero.

    Raping Heero.

    Gagging at the thought, I pulled away from Heero and stumbled backwards, holding a hand to my mouth.  I felt like I was going to throw up.  Turning and running, I felt hot tears fall down my cheeks as I choked back sobs.

    I felt so dirty.

    I felt like I had turned Heero into a whore.

    I never wanted to see him again. ~