Milliardo pulled out a fresh sheet of lined paper, carefully transposing the writings from the scribbled-on sheets lying before him. In a practiced cursive he methodically copied the drafted words and sentences between the many crossed out and abandoned attempts at expressing himself. He went on several minutes uninterrupted. Duo’s voice could be heard, getting louder as he neared the room Milliardo occupied; no one replied to his incessant babbling.

“What’cha doin’?”

Milliardo was caught trying to cover up the scraps of drafted works. “I was writing a letter.”

The newest revision of his letter was on top the askew stack of papers and Duo’s curious cobalt eyes scanned the lines.

“Why?” Duo questioned. Being reluctant to complete any task that involved so much writing and rewriting, he couldn’t understand why the older boy would bother.

“If you must know, I was asked to keep a written correspondence with an acquaintance. I am only fulfilling my duty as a gentleman by adhering to my word.”

Duo shrugged and looked at the paper again; he could only make out the heading before Milliardo covered the entire letter. “That’s the name of the girl at the park,” he announced with a little bit of pride at his reading skills. “How come it only has one name? Weren’t there two of them?”

“Yes,” was Milliardo’s one syllable answer.

“Wouldn’t it make sense to write both names ‘stead of writing a whole nuther letter to the other one?”

Becoming a little frustrated with Duo’s barrage of questions, Milliardo irritably replied, “I’m only writing to one. And quit referring to them as ‘that girl’ and ‘the other one.’ They have names—Noin and Sally.”

“It doesn’t seem fair to write to one and not the other,” Duo continued, ignoring Milliardo’s temper. A look from the blond warned him to be a little more cautious in choosing his words. “Is Treize going to write Noin’s sister?”

Duo figured that since the four older chibis had spent the afternoon together, naturally letters would be due to both girls.

“Sally isn’t Noin’s sister,” Milliardo bluntly answered. He tried to continue to write but the braided chibi remained in the room, hovering over his shoulder.

“If you wanna talk to her so much why don’t you just go to her house?”

Slightly happy that Duo wasn’t asking why he wanted to talk to Noin but still annoyed at being questioned, Milliardo said, “She lives too far away.”

“Then how come Sally and Noin were at our park?”

“They were visiting.”

“Why would someone come all the way HERE to visit a park?” Duo innocently asked.

“Their father was visiting a business person and they didn’t want to stay with him all day.”

“If their not sisters how come they have the same father?”

Milliardo just gave him a strange glance.

“Oh.” Pleased with the obliging manner in which his questions were being answered, Duo asked more, “Then that was their mom watching them at the park?”

“No.”

“Well then, who was that woman?”

“She was their nanny.”

“What’s a nanny?”

Milliardo paused, searching for an answer the young boy would understand. “Someone who takes care of them.”

“Isn’t that what a mom and dad are ‘posed to do?”

“Yes, but he was busy.”

Duo was about to respond but the other boy went on, “A nanny is like a permanent baby-sitter.”

The only thing that Duo could associate with the word permanent was a marker; the kind that never fades away or washes out, the ones Melody kept away from him. “Why is she per-mint?”

“Because she lives with them.”

“Then why isn’t she a mom ‘stead of a nanny?”

Clearly Duo wasn’t going to accept the facts, and Milliardo had no way to explain it, even if he understood for himself what the situation was. “I don’t know. Now, could you please leave so I can finish?” The statement was cold but not said in an uncivil tone so Duo obeyed and left.

Relena’s pink crayon only strayed from the lines a couple times as she rapidly moved it back and forth, filling in the area. On Quatre’s picture the sky was cloudless and shaded in the deepest, most perfect of blues the atmosphere was ever known to hold. Even Duo was coloring, albeit his box housed far more broken crayons than anyone else’s. Though he wasn’t talking he was humming a non-song; a simple tune that changed melodies frequently, almost as many times as he switched the color he was using. Treize supervised the activity, peering from his book occasionally to make sure the waxy substance stayed on the paper and nowhere else. It might not have been necessary, but Melody appreciated his assistance anyway.

Tegan poked her head through the doorway. “Treize, do you know where Milliardo is?”

“He’s writing a letter to Noin,” Duo blurted out, bluntly adding, “I don’t know why, though. It seems weird to me.”

“Thank you,” Tegan said, and left to continue her search.

“Noin, that’s the girl from the park, right?” Treize asked, placing a marker in his book.

Relena cheerfully provided an answer, “Yeah, an’ she has a dog. He’s really big and they call him Snuffy.”

“I do believe he is quite infatuated with her.”

“Is that a bad thing? It doesn’t sound very nice,” Quatre voiced his concern for the older boy’s situation.

Duo asked, “He’s what?”

“He likes her,” Treize clarified for the younger chibis.

“I like Snuffy. An’ I like Noin too,” Relena added. “Does that mean I’m fat-chaited?”

“NO! You’re so silly, Relena,” Duo answered. “Milliardo LIKES her. An’ I don’t think you can be fat-chaited with a dog.”

“You don’t haf’ ta be mean ‘bout it an’ you probbly don’t know n’way.”

Relena took out a new crayon; its color reminded her of the fluffy fur of her K-9 friend. She looked it over, a smile curved her lips and made her cerulean eyes glow. Quickly she pushed the chair away from the table, jumping down and running form the room. In the hall she nearly knocked over Tegan, without stopping she called over her shoulder, “Sorry, Tegan!”

Relena found Melody and waited, not so patiently, for her opportunity to ask a question. She bounced up and down, chewing on her bottom lip, thinking the seconds were like hours. At last she could speak without interrupting. “Melody,” Relena eagerly started, already using her most persuasive grin and imploring eyes. “Can I go over to Hilde’s?” She drew in a breath, “Pleeeeeease?”

The sky shone in brilliant hues of orange and pink, the streetlamps would be turning on soon. Relena burst through the front door, grinning happily, Hilde following close behind.

“Hey girls, did you have fun?” Melody greeted the chibis.

“Uh huh!” the girls chimed simultaneously.

Hilde straightened her posture to deliver her message in a sweet voice, all the while glancing around to catch a glimpse of the boy she dubbed her boyfriend. “Thank you for lettin’ Relena come an’ play. She is welcome at my house any time an’ so is any of the other chibis.” With her quaint speech finished, she bowed her head of short blue hair and left, pausing halfway across the yard to turn and wave at Relena.

“TAG! You’re it an’ you’re never gonna catch me, wu~FEI.”

“This is injustice, I don’t wanna play, Maxwell.”

“You just say that because you aren’t gonna catch me an’ you’ll be it forever,” Duo taunted, rather unwisely.

“Guys, we aren’t s’posed to run in the house.” Quatre said, while running around the table to avoid being tagged by Wufei.

Though all the boys knew better, they continued running and shouting, telling the others to stop but not wanting to be the first one.

“If you don’t wanna run in the house go back outside,” Wufei advised.

“Can’t,” Trowa dodged the others. “It's gettin’ dark, an’ last time we played in the dark Duo ran into a tree.”

Heero smirked at the memory and Wufei nearly laughed. Duo became indignant, puffing up his chest and declaring, “It wouldn’t a happened if Heero didn’t push me.”

Wufei charged at Duo, who had momentarily forgotten to avoid being ‘it.’ They both stumbled, tumbling as the Chinese boy collided with the American’s chest, tangling in his long braid and landing at Melody’s feet when she came to investigate the commotion. Relena followed a few feet behind.

“What’s all the yelling about?” Melody asked as she helped the two boys off of the floor. Since a response wasn’t volunteered from any of the group, their webmommie scanned the round dirty faces, reading in them the answer.

Tegan, having heard the uproar as well and wanting to prevent any disaster all the noise may incur, stood in the doorway watching in silence. She held back a smile as she wondered if the chibis had been rolling in the dirt or just picking up hands full and rubbing it on their bodies. If it was true that you could tell how much fun young ones had by how dirty they are, the chibis had had a wonderful day.

The only clean chibi, with the exception of multi-colored markers on her fingers, was Relena. She stood hands on hips, clicking her tongue, shaking her head at the disorderly mess.

“Tegan, please take the boys into the bathroom and help them wash off.” Remembering that even though dirt and mud were some of the boys’ favorites, water too held many pleasures, so Melody revised her last statement, “Just take Wufei, Trowa, and Quatre, I’ll take care of Heero and Duo.”

A good day didn’t need to be finished with a flooded bathroom, and though the chibis respected Tegan and listened to her a majority of the time, five grimy, hyper boys was quite a deal to handle. Hopefully this split would work, seeing how Wufei and Duo didn’t seem to want to get along at the present moment. Melody handed Duo a damp wash cloth and supervised as he begrudgingly scrubbed away several layers of filth.

Speaking as if she would forget her own name if she didn’t say it then and there, Relena asked, “Melody can I have a stamp an’ an env’lope?”

“I’ll find them after dinner. Is that okay?” Melody smiled at the enthusiastic girl as she rinsed the cloth and handed it to Heero, who almost as disdainfully as Duo began to apply the wet surface to his skin, grimacing each time he looked for a clean spot to finish the task. “Just remind me not to forget, okay?”

“Good, ‘cause we looked at Hilde’s an’ couldn’t find any. Then Hilde asked Howard but he was busy an’ when he wasn’t we forgot to ask again.” Relena paused, but only for a second. “I was gonna ask right when I came home but I forgot ‘cause the boys were making too much noise.”

“What do you need them for?”

“What everyone needs a stamp an’ env’lope for—to mail sumfin’.” Relena stepped away from Duo so he couldn’t look at the paper in her hand.

Curious about everything, as always, Duo asked her another question, “Who’s it for?”

Relena chose to ignore Duo. “Melody, can you put this somewhere safe so it won’t get durty or ripped?” Mentally she added, “Where Duo can’t look at it.” With that said she entrusted the paper to her webmommie’s care.

Melody took the letter, glancing at the colorful lettering, written in an inexperienced hand. Leaving the three chibis with the task of setting the table, she placed it somewhere safe, as Relena had requested, and checked on the others, informing them dinner would be soon.

“Who’s it for?” Duo persisted.

“I’m not tellin’.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t haf’ta, Duo, an’ you don’t need to know.” Carefully Relena arranged Heero’s plate and silverware across from where she had previously placed hers.

Duo nudged Heero, “Maybe she’s writin’ to her new boyfriend.”

“Am I s’posed to be conserved?” Heero replied in monotone, completely unfazed and totally unconcerned.

To defend her undying affection for the impassive boy with unruly locks of chocolate brown hair, Relena deigned to answer Duo, “Me an’ Hilde wrote it to Snuffy.”

“You wrote a letter to a dog?”

“Yeah I did. An’ just what’s so wrong with that Heero?” Relena’s hands had once again been placed firmly on her hips and she stared vehemently at her beloved, waiting for his answers.

Wufei supplied the most obvious answer, “Dogs can’t read?”

Relena hadn’t realized he had come in; sometimes he seemed to move without making a sound. She knew he wouldn’t really care but she said it anyway, “That’s why we drew a picture to go with it, an’ even if he can’t read it someone can read it to him.”

“Humph.”

Exasperated, Relena sighed. Wufei was so impossible, he had no imagination and she doubted if he would ever even write a letter to a person, sentiments such as letter writing weren’t high on his priorities. The girl went on to explain further, “You couldn’t always read, an’ I bet there are still words that you don’t know. An’ if Hilde an’ me wanna write to Snuffy there’s nuthin’ wrong with it.”

“Girls are as silly as chickens.” Relena huffed at his response and Wufei went on, “They sound like chickens too. We could hear you two cackling all day.”