Cannibals

By DragonMage

Notes: Thanks for the all the comments, again. I love 'em and they make me sooo happy! *V* Okay, now I've hit a little rock while writing this. There's so many things to add that it's gonna be pretty hard for me to work it all in. *sweatdrop* Excuse my shabby work, onegai! *V*

"Nothing can happen more beautiful than death."

---Walt Whitman

Chapter 5

Zechs looked over the map. "So, Duo and I take care of the lair?" He asked, looking up to meet dark focused eyes.

"Yes."

"Why do we get the sissy job?" Zechs demanded, feeling a bit put out.

"Because you're more familiar with that area of the neighborhood. It's in your territory, not mine. That attack is in mine so I can use it to my advantage. You really don't want to run into a dead end, do you?" Wufei asked pointedly. He picked up the pencil and began to make some marks. "You both already know that the lairs are under the streets and they can stretch on forever. Be careful when you plant the plant the bombs and make sure no one gets hurt around in the surrounding area."

"You want us to actually blow the sewers to Kingdom Come or do you want us to burn the place down?" Zechs asked, frowning as he calculated how much ammo he had left from the last fight.

"Burn it. Then the Corps can step in and put it out. We don't want to blow out any faulty lines and cause a part of the city to sink, do we?" Wufei tapped at a spot he circled with the red pencil. "This place is especially faulty. Be cautious there." He pointed to another point in the surrounding area. "And that place is heavily populated. No human casualties."

Zechs rolled his eyes. "Come on, Wufei, I'm not an idiot. Of course I know *that*. I'll be fine! Don't you worry your pretty Asian head." He smiled charmingly.

Duo snickered. "You worry too much, Wu-Wu. Heero and me have been doing this for a while. Of course we know what to do and how cautious to be."

"Of course. You can trust Duo," Heero said, nodding as he looked at his friend. "He knows what to do and how to do it."

Duo grinned. "Thank you for believing in me, Heero. I'm touched."

"I'm only telling them that because it's true," Heero said matter-of-factly.

Wufei nodded. "Do you two need any weapons?"

Looking up, Zechs nodded thoughtfully. "I think I'm low on bombs. Or at least the ones that set fire to everything."

"You used it about two weeks ago, remember?" Wufei said, cocking his head to the side. "I remember hearing about it on the news."

"Oh yeah!" Zechs nodded, suddenly remembering where the rest of his stock had gone. "Nasty Cannibals. The smell was horrible!"

"All right. Well, I guess its all set. Let's get ready," Wufei said, looking at the men at the table. "We have some Cannibals to fry."

~*~

"Meia?" Wufei slipped into his daughter's room and found her reading on the bed. She looked up when she saw Wufei and smiled.

"Hello, Papa. How did the meeting go for you and your friends?" the girl asked innocently as she closed her book and slid it away. She sat up and invited her father to sit down beside her.

Wufei smiled and kissed Mariemeia on the forehead before settling back. "Thank you for being patient with me, Meia. I know it's probably hard sitting in your room all day and I can't let you out because it's too dangerous."

"Of course. I understand."

"Mariemeia, I have to go out again," Wufei began slowly.

Mariemeia's face suddenly tensed. "Oh. One of those again, huh?"

"Yes. It's very important and this time Heero will be going with me. I'm going to leave you home alone, all right? You're a good girl and you'll behave yourself and keep out of trouble. I'm sorry I have to leave you again but it's very, very important. Do you understand, Mariemeia?" Wufei asked gently.

The little girl nodded. "Of course, Papa. I understand perfectly well. You've gone out before and I'm always a good girl."

"Yes. I really am sorry, Meia. I hate leaving you like this. I wish we could have dinner together, but you know what I do is--"

"Important." Mariemeia cut off Wufei. "I know. And I understand." She reached out and hugged Wufei tightly. "Just...be careful, all right?" She knew that her father did something dangerous at night. She was smarter than to believe her father's lie of being an artist--but she'll never tell him that! She just hoped her father was careful in his 'night job' and come home safely. When she was much younger she remembered her father sometimes coming home with wounds but she never questioned them. She knew her father did something important and she tried her very best to understand and cope. She just hoped she wasn't going to lose Papa Wufei like she did Papa Treize.

"I'm always careful. Besides, I have someone to help me now," Wufei said, smiling. "I'll be okay. I'm not going alone anymore."

"And for that I'm glad." Mariemeia smiled. "Is Heero a good person?"

"Yes, I believe so."

"...is he going to be staying for a long time?" the young girl asked slyly.

Wufei laughed and ruffled Mariemeia's hair. His daughter knew of his 'preferences' and the girl had no trouble with it at all. In fact, he was afraid one day, when Meia was older, he was going to be set up with someone.

"I don't think he'll be interested in me that way," Wufei said, shaking his head.

"Why not? You're so handsome!"

"Not everyone is like me."

"They should be." Mariemeia smiled. "But...at least try, Papa. You're so lonely..."

"I am not! I have you," Wufei protested.

"No. You need someone more than me. Papa, admit it, you've have no one...special in your life. I think you need *someone* who can make you happy the way I can't."

"Meia, that's really sweet of you." He stopped. Then smiled. "All right. We'll see." He knew Mariemeia was right but...Heero? Impossible. Right?

~*~

Wufei winced as he took off his shirt and looked over his wounds in front of the bathroom mirror. A majority of them had healed. Only one rather nasty claw wound on his back was still healing and even bleeding a little through the linen bandages. The rest of his body was a map of faded bruises and angry red marks. He had been ignoring the pain and strain he had been putting on them all morning and afternoon but now they were really starting to aggravate him.

He was slowly unwrapping the bandages around his chest when a pair of hands appeared and began to help him. He started and looked up into the mirror to find Heero standing behind him, tanned face soft with sympathy for his injuries.

"I think I might be of some help. You don't look so good there," the Japanese man said softly as he finished unwrapping the bandages and throwing them onto the bathroom counter. "You heal pretty fast." He examined the nasty gash down Wufei's back and raised his eyes to meet Wufei's in the mirror. "This one might leave a scar."

"Don't worry. It's not my first," Wufei said softly. He began to take off the bandages around his arms. Heero helped him. He tried to ignore the warm heat running through his body. Heero's sudden closeness caused his pulse to race just a bit and his skin to flush just a bit. He was thankful for his own golden skin that hid most of the blush. The rest he could blame on the wounds.

"I can see that," Heero remarked after a moment, one strong finger tracing a thin scar down Wufei's left side. "How did you get this one?"

Wufei swallowed hard. "About eight months ago. One of them caught me off guard and took a nasty swipe at me."

"And this one?" Heero touched a scar just below Wufei's right shoulder blade.

Now his breathing was becoming heavier and he couldn't do a thing about it. His pulse sped up and he felt warmer, especially around the places Heero had touched. What was this man doing to him? He had never felt like this before. Something like desire was totally foreign to him and he suddenly was at loss with himself and his body. Was he supposed to react like this? He had no idea. Abruptly, he felt himself close up.

"Two years ago. It had been a major Cannibal raid. Before I became a hunter. Are you going to help me with my wounds or talk about old scars? We have a job to do and we can't be late. It just means another life is lost," Wufei said sharply, almost wincing at his tone. He hadn't meant to sound so harsh but he couldn't help it. When he was caught off guard or unsure, his defenses immediately shot up higher.

"Helping. I was just curious," Heero said softly. The bandages fell away and Heero got some fresh ones as well as the anti-bacterial spray from the first aid kit on the sink. He gently yet firmly began to wash Wufei's wounds before spraying them with the anti-bacterial--ignoring Wufei's slight tense and hiss of pain--and wrapped up Wufei's wounds. He helped the man into his shirt, buttoning it against Wufei's protests. He smiled slightly as he finished the last button, looking into Wufei's eyes. "Take off your pants."

Wufei started his eyes widening slightly as he was pulled from the gentle spell that Heero had wove around him with his careful ministrations on his wounds. "Excuse me?"

"You have some wounds on your legs that need to be taken care of. Take off your pants," Heero repeated. His hands went to Wufei's fly but the man slapped his hands away.

"No, thank you. I can do this myself. Thank you for your help," Wufei said abruptly, a warm flush coloring his cheeks. It was obvious now and none of his dark coloring could hide it. He looked away from Heero's intense gaze and waited for the man to leave the bathroom.

Heero cocked his head to the side. Wufei was almost afraid he wouldn't leave. But he obeyed Wufei's wishes and left after a few moments, closing the door behind him with a soft 'click'.

Wufei breathed a sigh of relief and dropped his pants. He then began to work on his cuts and lacerations on his thighs and calves. He wondered, absently, as he tended to a nasty cut, what would have happened if he allowed Heero to tend to the wounds on his legs. He almost blushed again when he realized that the man would have to touch his thighs, and those were far to close to...other parts of his anatomy.

Confused and flushed, Wufei quickly finished tending to his wounds and pulled his pants back on. He washed his hands and disposed of all the dirty bandages and gauze's. He combed his hair and pulled it back into a ponytail that fell down to his mid-back, his long bangs framing his face. He left the bathroom into his bedroom where he started getting ready. He changed into a tight, white shirt that showed off his chest and arms, a pair of comfortable white pants that covered his long, shapely legs and bottom, a black belt wrapped around his waist ending with a simple silver buckle. He grabbed his belt and clipped it on. He pulled on his heavy, black boots, tying them off tightly so none of the laces would come loose during a fight. Grabbing a short, white coat, Wufei slid it on and smoothed it down. He walked over to his weapons chest and began to collect everything he thought he would need. Zechs had already taken the bombs he needed. After he geared up, he went to check his reflection. He nodded in satisfaction and left the room.

He found Heero outside, pulling on a long, black leather trench coat that Wufei hadn't seen before. The Japanese man looked at him when he stepped into the room and raised an eyebrow.

"You ready?"

"Of course," came the confident reply.

~*~

Duo smiled as he walked down the empty streets of the outskirts of Tier. The sun was just setting, coloring the sky with multiple colors of orange, pink, blue, and purple. The sight was almost soothing. He had managed to get away from Zechs for a few hours while the other man prepared for the attack tonight. He stopped when he heard near-silent footsteps approach him.

"Master Duo," came a gravelly voice behind him.

Duo turned around and his smile turned strangely cheerful. "Ah, you came! That's good. I want you clear out the lair in this neighborhood."

The Cannibal in front of him blinked. "Why?"

"Because I said so. I wouldn't be telling you clear out unless it was important, wouldn't I? Don't question my orders," Duo said, hard and almost ruthless in its cheerfulness. "Remember whom you're speaking to."

The Cannibal nodded sharply. "Of course, Master Duo. When?"

"Now. As fast as possible. Before it gets too dark," Duo ordered sharply, making sure his orders were going to be followed. He wasn't going to lose *any* of the Cannibals. They were too important to have their numbers cut down *now*, of all times. "Those are simple orders. Make sure they're followed or Mother won't be happy."

Even for a creature as simple as a Cannibal suddenly trembled at the mention of Madame Une. "Of course, Master Duo." The thing nodded before turning and disappearing into the coming shadows of the evening.

Duo smiled, satisfied. <Well, that takes care of it for tonight. I hope Heero's ready.> He then turned and started back to Zechs' place. He didn't want to take took long. He didn't want to arouse any suspicion, after all.

~*~

Zechs' head snapped up when he heard the door closed in the outer apartments of his room. He stepped outside from the bathroom and watched as Duo strode into the room.

"Did you get what you needed?" the older man asked.

Duo smiled and nodded. "Exactly." He dug into his pocket and pulled out some small, round bombs. "These can take out anything within fifty yards."

"Good. We might need them once the Cannibals are flushed out from the sewers and take the streets," Zechs said, nodding in approval. "You ever attacked lairs before?"

"Of course," Duo said smoothly, his rich voice filled with confidence. "I know what to do, Zechs. I'm not a rookie."

"No, I don't think you are," Zechs agreed before disappearing back into the bathroom.

Smiling in amusement, Duo walked over to the bathroom door and peeked inside to find Zechs shoving daggers into his boots. "Was that a compliment? I've been getting so many of those today!"

"Shut up, Duo, and go get ready," Zechs said in a not so annoyed voice. He brushed his hair out before tying it back snugly, so none of his hair got in the way.

"Why don't you braid it like me?" Duo asked.

"Because I don't like braids," Zechs said, shrugging. He grabbed a belt of automatic clips, small daggers and bombs and snapped it around his trim waist. His guns laid, gleaming against the marble counters of the bathroom sinks, ready to be used.

"What's wrong with braids?"

"Nothing. I just don't like braids." Zechs tried to ignore Duo's curious looks but in the end he gave in. "All right! My mom used to braid my hair--it's the only reason why I have long hair now--and she used to braid them so tight I believe blood was cut off from my scalp. They were so painful! Ever since then I refuse to wear a braid unless I can help it."

"Why is your hair still long? You could have cut it off a long time ago," Duo pointed out.

"Vanity. Don't I look better with long hair?" Zechs asked cockily, arching an eyebrow. Duo smirked at the words but he had to agree, though, Zechs *did* look good with long hair. He couldn't imagine the blue-eyed man with any other kind of hair.

"Yes, you do," the younger man purred as he slipped up to Zechs and started wrapping his arms around him.

Zechs sighed and pushed Duo away. "You're very persistent, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. I really don't see what's so bad about it. I want you, I know *you* want me. So why don't we do something about it?" Duo demanded, pouting just a bit.

"Because I don't sleep with co-workers. Now, let's get moving, okay?" Zechs asked. He picked up his guns and slid them into their holsters, comforted by the weight there. He had come to learn that his gun was very, very useful in tense situations and he didn't go anywhere without them. If he did, he would have ended up dead by now, and then where would he be? Well, besides being six-feet under.

"All right, all right," Duo said mildly. "We can go. You're so pushy!"

"Hmph."

~*~

Wufei tried to ignore the warm feeling of having Heero's arms wrapped around his waist as they drove down the empty streets of Tier. It wasn't every day he actually had a passenger on his motorcycle. He never even took Mariemeia out on it. Usually they walked everywhere they wanted to go. Cars were too inconvenient since he didn't have the space to store it away.

So it was strange to have Heero sitting behind him, the older man's warmth against his back and his arms loosely around him. It was hard not to lean into them, to feel the strength and comfort there. It was strange and it unnerved him a great deal but he didn't dare show it. He wasn't going to show Heero that he made him nervous. If *Heero* made him nervous, how was he going to deal with the Cannibals? He needed to get his emotions and body under control so he would live through another fight with them. Lives depended on it, after all.

Heero was silent throughout the ride. He really didn't have anything to say, merely enjoying the feeling the Wufei's small body in his arms. It was nice, really. He wasn't used to touching someone so much. He had only hugged Duo twice so far in their years together as brothers and sons to Madame Une. He just wasn't a touchy-feely person. Being familiar with someone like that just never appealed to him. He liked to have his space--literally. But having Wufei so close didn't bother him at all. In fact, he liked it very, very much.

After a while, they finally came to their destination. Wufei eased the motorcycle to a stop and looked around. It was deathly quiet and there wasn't a single sign of life. He frowned slightly and got off, holding the motorcycle as Heero did the same. He then kicked out the stand and continued to take in his surroundings.

"Is it always this quiet around here?" Heero asked, looking midly curious. "When do you suppose the attack was going to take place?"

"Actually, it should be going on right now," Wufei replied, confused and annoyed. "I don't understand it. Quatre is never wrong." He looked down at his watch and shook his head. "They should be at least appearing around this part of the neighborhood."

Heero shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe they're late."

Wufei gave him a sharp look. "Late?" He demanded incredulously. He was very tempted to smack the other man. <Late? Is he insane?> Instead he just shook his head and started walking, his boots splashing through puddles of dirty water. "We might as well look around. If you're right, and they're late, we might as well scope out the surroundings and use it to our advantage."

"Sure," Heero agreed, jogging to catch up with his 'partner.' He wasn't really at all that concerned with finding some Cannibals lounging about though, or even an attack happening. If he was correct, Duo had done his job, and then all he had to do was just sit back and watch.

Wufei frowned as he walked down a narrow alley, checking everything out around him. He was feeling sick in the stomach. He knew--just *knew*--something was wrong. There was something very off about everything...

That was about the moment his foot kicked into a spare head on the floor. He stopped and stood there for a moment, his eyes wide. He looked down and stifled a scream of shock. He took a few steps back, staring at the head in horror. It had been a man around the age of forty, his dark eyes wide in pain and fright, the mouth had dropped in a silent scream of horror. <I'm gonna be sick.> Realization dawned on him before he even looked around that there was going to be a body. And even more bodies...and even more heads...with blood *everywhere*.

"Oh god..." Wufei turned and stumbled out of the alley. He looked up at the buildings and saw broken glass from the windows. There was a young girl hanging out of the window, her doll still caught in her dead hand. He swallowed hard and forced himself to step back on to the streets.

"What's wrong?"

Wufei whirled around, pale under the moonlight that suddenly revealed itself from behind the clouds.

"It...it...It already happened. The attack happened...hours ago," the Chinese man whispered. He swallowed and shook his head, feeling as if someone had punched him in the gut with a dagger and helped him commit seppuku. "We were late. We were too late. We came too late."

"What do you mean?" Heero asked, looking faintly worried. He looked past Wufei and his eyes widened when he saw the head rolling around at the edge of the alley. His eyes widened slightly. "Impossible! I thought you said Quatre was always right!"

"And he usually is," Wufei managed to choke out. He shook his head. "I don't...I don't...understand..."

Heero was afraid Wufei was going to faint. He reached out and touched the young man on the shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. So we were late. Come on, let's go back."

"You don't understand!" Wufei shouted, pulling away. "I...I promised myself I would never let anyone die if I could help it. I knew there was an attack tonight but I came too late! I let those people down and now they're dead...all of them. And they're children stolen!" Sadness, horror, anger and hate filled him as he backed away from Heero and started for his bike. Tears stung his eyes as he walked. He couldn't believe it. He was *late*! People had died because he was *late*. He couldn't have prevented this but he was LATE. It was unforgivable! Blood was on his hands. He could have prevented those deaths but he didn't. Why? Because he was late. It seemed utterly impossible, crazy, like a bad nightmare.

<Oh god,> he thought numbly as he reached his motorcycle and leaned heavily against it. His hands gripped the handles tightly, almost until the rubber began to bite into his hands, pinching them. His knuckles were white, the bones pushing against them almost painfully. <Late. People died because I was late. How stupid is that? How impossibly stupid and idiotic and impossible...and...oh gods!> He fell against his motorcycle, unaware as arms caught him and lifted him up. His mind was in turmoil. <I could have saved them! I came here to save them!! Yet...yet...they're all dead. That little girl...that man...Families. Tomorrow the Corps are going to show up to clean up this mess...A mess that wouldn't have happened if I had just been there!> He dimly felt himself being settled against a warm body on his motorcycle. His eyes blank and unseeing.

Heero made sure Wufei was settled comfortably and safely against him before he started up the engine. Then he pulled back on the gas and turned the motorcycle around. Once he had a sure footing on everything, he headed back to the apartment. All the while he tried to ignore the feeling that he had done something very, very bad to the young man in his arms.

~*~

"I don't get it," Zechs complained as he kicked over a wooden bucket on the dirty floor. It bounced a few times and then fell to a stop on its side. It rolled back and forth a bit before finally settling to a stop.

The room they were in was clearly a Cannibal lair. The only complication was that there were no Cannibals. Anywhere. They were gone. They had abandoned the lair and it had been recently. He had checked out and found that it had been very recently. In fact, it he wasn't mistaken, it could have been in the same day.

"What don't you get?" Duo asked with mock curiosity, looking up at the taller man with wide, violet eyes.

"There's no one here! Wufei said that there's supposed to be a lair here. Well, there was. But something's missing."

Duo's lips quirked. He found this *very* amusing. "Oh? And what's that?"

"The Cannibals!" Zechs shook his head and frowned. "This doesn't make any sense. Wufei's always right. If he said there's a live lair, there's a live lair. I don't get it. His contacts are always right."

"Maybe they found out you were coming and fled," Duo suggested innocently.

Zechs snorted. "How could they have? No one could have found out. We had made sure of that."

"Maybe they have someone on the inside."

"Cannibals? Anyone can spot a Cannibal a mile away. They're ugly little bastards. It's hard *not* to notice them," Zechs stated.

"Aw, come on. Not *all* Cannibals are ugly," Duo protested lightly.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, you're making fun of me," Zechs said, narrowing his eyes at Duo.

<Hmm...Better stop before he gets suspicious.> Duo smiled and shook his head. "I just find it amusing that you made a mistake. It's never happened to *me* before."

"You might be perfect but some people aren't. Shit. Let's get out of here and head back to Wufei's place. We have to tell him that it was dud and find out if you're right and there actually *is* someone on the inside." Zechs started for the stairs that lead up to the surface from the sewers. "The Cannibals might be mindless but I don't think Madame Une is. If she was, she wouldn't have gotten so far."

Duo made a sound of agreement and followed. He got a pretty nice eyeful of Zechs' ass in the process. He smiled as Zechs grabbed his hand and hauled him out of the hole the rest of the way. He fell against him and smiled.

"Helloo.."

"Duo. No time for play. This is serious." Zechs pushed him away and headed for the car. "If this starts happening more often, we might be in trouble."

<Oh. But isn't that what we want?> Duo smirked and slid into the passenger seat. He didn't bother with the seatbelt as he settled comfortably and waited for Zechs to get inside. Once the blonde was in, they were driving down the street, back to Wufei's apartment.

"It can't be that bad, can it?" Duo remarked after a moment. "I mean, we didn't have to fight tonight or get dirty."

Zechs sighed and made a turn. It was a moment before he replied. "I don't know, Duo. I think I'd rather get dirty than to find an empty lair when there's supposed to be a live one."

Duo shot Zechs a look. "You really take this seriously don't you? It's just not some rich-boy fantasy game?"

"Why would it be?" Zechs asked, looking at Duo from the corner of his eye. "No, Duo. This is not some 'rich-boy fantasy game'. I take this seriously. Half of this city would be wiped out if Wufei and I hadn't started this Cannibal hunting business. You must understand that, Duo. Lives are at stake in this battle between human and Cannibal. We can't lose."

"Yes, that's true," Duo agreed softly, not at all liking how Zechs put up his argument. "But what about the Cannibals?" He decided to test the limits. "Don't they deserve to live?"

"No."

"Why?"

Zechs looked confused for a moment. "What do you mean, 'why'? Duo, they kill people. They *eat* people."

"Yeah, well, it's what they do. It's their nature. It's not their fault."

"They're not natural, Duo," Zechs said, shaking his head. "They're monsters. Creations of an insane woman. They were children kidnapped from hospitals and their mothers to be raised as...those things! They're not human anymore, Duo. They're just something evil that needs to be wiped out."

"So you're going to wipe them out for something that's not even their fault?" Duo demanded, anger welling up inside of him even though in the back of his mind he knew he shouldn't push this. It was too dangerous.

"Yes. It's too late for them. If we stop it now, no more children will be taken from their mothers and no more human beings will be made into those *things*. Their minds and bodies were destroyed the minute they ate human flesh." Zechs looked at Duo, baffled. "I don't get it. Why are you taking up the Cannibals' side? You're a Cannibal hunter!"

Duo looked away, staring straight ahead. He didn't want to look Zechs in the eye as he lied. There was something about the golden man that demanded the truth and that was something he couldn't give. "Sometimes...I find it unfair. But I know that we have to fight because so many lives depend on it."

"All right. I guess I understand that. I'm sorry, Duo."

Duo shook his head. "No. I'm sorry." <Mother. What is he talking about? Children being *taken* away? Weren't they abandoned? Mother...what's going on?> For the first time, Duo felt his convictions waver just a bit.

~*~

<He still hasn't snapped out of it. *Now* I'm getting worried,> Heero thought, frowning as he sat on the edge of the bed, staring at Wufei. The Chinese man was propped up against the headboard of the bed, staring off at nothing. He hadn't taken off any of his clothing. His boots were still on. He just sat there, staring at air, his eyes wide and blank, unfocused. It unnerved Heero. Wufei hadn't spoken a single word since he retreated into himself, hadn't made a single sound. He hadn't even protested when Heero parked the motorcycle clumsily, scraping the paint a bit. Heero had thought that at least *that* would have snapped Wufei out of his self-retreat long enough to yell at him for messing his bike up.

"Wufei?" Heero started slowly, softly.

No response.

Heero reached out and shook Wufei slightly. Nothing. He sighed and shook harder. "Come on, Wufei. Snap out of it. So we came too late. It's not our fault. We didn't even know. You didn't even know. You can't blame yourself." Nothing.

Taking a deep breath, Heero was prepared to yell at Wufei when he heard a knock on the door. He turned around and watched as the bedroom door opened to reveal Mariemeia's worried face.

"Mr. Heero? What's...what's happened to Papa?" the little girl asked in a small voice. Her deep blue eyes fell onto her father and they widened slightly, taking in the strange trance her father had fell into. "Papa?"

She had run and was in Wufei's lap before Heero could stop her. He cursed and was about to yank her off Wufei when the Chinese blinked and looked up. He seemed almost surprised to see Mariemeia there, as if he hadn't seen her there until that very instant.

"Meia..."

"Papa! What's wrong?" Mariemeia asked, frowning as she placed her small, pale hands on Wufei's equally pale face. "Are you sick?"

"Meia...Heero..."

Heero stood up and grabbed Mariemeia's slim arms. He pulled her out of Wufei's lap and set her down on the floor. He grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him so she wouldn't try to climb into Wufei's lap again.

"Mariemeia, listen to me. You're Papa is all right. He's just a bit dazed, okay? The job didn't go as good as we planned. Do you understand?" Heero asked slowly, his eyes darting over to Wufei who still sat as still as a doll, eyes blank and lifeless. He wasn't seeing anything around him. He wouldn't do any good at comforting Mariemeia at the moment.

"Will Papa be all right?" Mariemeia whispered almost fearfully.

Heero took a deep breath. "I don't know. Go to your room, Mariemeia and stay there. I'll get you when Papa is all right, okay?"

"Promise?" Mariemeia asked, her skin wan and her lips trembling.

"Promise."

Mariemeia nodded jerkily and stole a glance at Wufei for a moment before running from the room. Heero only relaxed when he heard the door to her room slam shut. He then straightened and looked over at Wufei. Mariemeia was easy to take care of. Wufei was going to be *much* harder.

"Wufei?" Heero sat down on the bed again and reached out to touch the Chinese man on the shoulder. "Wufei? I know you're in there. You reacted when Mariemeia appeared. Now snap out of it and talk to me!"

"Don't. Go away, Heero. Go home to Steel City. Please," Wufei murmured, his expression slightly pained. Then it became blank again. His head fell forward and he stared at his hands lying in his lap. "Go. I don't want you here."

That tore at Heero's heart and he had no idea why. Instead of focusing on the pain in his chest, he focused on getting Wufei to react. This wasn't healthy at all.

"No! I'm not leaving until I know you're okay. And you're not! Wufei, please, it wasn't your fault."

"It was. It was. I should have been there. But I wasn't and now they're all dead," Wufei whispered. He pulled his legs up and wrapped his arms around them, his chin settling on his kneecaps. He continued to stare at nothing. "I should have been there, protected them, saved them. But I wasn't. They're all dead."

"This is a war, Wufei. It happens. Don't let this tear you apart like this!" Heero grabbed Wufei's shoulders and shook him. "Don't! Many, *many* people have died before you took up the task of Cannibal hunting. Imagine all those lives you saved since then. Because of you, *they* lived."

"But I didn't do my job," Wufei said slowly, tensely. "I failed. I failed!!" He screamed the last words.

Slap!

Heero pulled back his hand and watched as Wufei sat there, trembling from the force of the blow.

"You did *not* fail, Wufei," he said slowly, forcefully. "It was bad, yes. But worse has happened." <Why am I doing this? I should leave him like this. Leave him broken. It's better for Mother and the rest of them. If there's a broken hunter, our numbers won't drop anymore. We'll finally be able to launch the attack. I shouldn't be doing this. I shouldn't be bring him back.

<But gods! To see him hurting like this, it kills me. I can't believe I actually *feel* for him. I never feel for anyone save Duo and Mother. I don't understand this. Why do I care if he's broken? He should be! It's better that way.>

Yet no matter how much he tried to convince himself it was better to leave Wufei shattered, he couldn't. Seeing Wufei in so much pain was like a dagger to his heart. This man was so strong, had so much fire in him, so much passion and determination. And he was so pure, so *noble*. He had only known Wufei for less than two days but he already knew that Wufei was as good as they came. It hurt to see that fire and passion flicker and die in those ebony eyes. <I shouldn't be doing this.> But no matter how many shouldn'ts ran through his head, he couldn't stop. Shouldn't and couldn't were such different things.

Heero reached out and cupped Wufei's face, his palm pressed against the burning skin there where his hand had connected. He looked straight into Wufei's eyes.

"You did your best. It wasn't your fault. Don't blame yourself, don't kill yourself over this," he whispered fiercely. "It wasn't your fault they attacked earlier--" <No, it was mine.> "--you didn't know. How could you have? Do you have some sort of special power that told you so?"

"I wish I had," Wufei replied in a dead voice. "If I did, I could have saved them." His voice broke and he closed his eyes, trying to stop the tears from flowing. Yet they fell anyway. Glistening tears tracked their way down his ghostly pale face, leaving wet trails that made his whole expression so much more sorrowful and pained. His suffering was so great yet so contained. "So many lives....Gods, so many lives. I promised myself to try and not allow another massacre like that happen ever again."

"Yes, and you *did* try."

"Tried and failed." Wufei spat out the words like poison, his dark eyes flashing briefly before the light died.

"Damnit! Listen to me! You did *not* fail! If it weren't for you, so many more lives would have been taken these past years!"

Wufei swallowed hard and looked at Heero, his eyes not really meeting the others. "But... I did...Didn't I? I let those people die..."

"No, you did not. If it was your fault, than it's mine as well. Remember? I came with you. I was supposed to help you save those people as well," Heero whispered softly. He didn't know what did him in. Maybe it was vulnerability Wufei was showing, the way his lips trembled and his eyes begged for some sort of comfort, or maybe it was just the passion that had build up inside of him since he had first seen the Chinese man. But it had happened either way and he hadn't been able to do a single thing to stop himself.

He leaned forward and kissed Wufei. A firm, sweet kiss meant to comfort and ease away the pain. He gathered Wufei's body into his arms and continued to kiss the man, never breaking it. Wufei didn't respond at first but after some coaxing he finally did. It was tentative at first but he soon caught onto the idea of kissing and responded with a little bit more passion. Heero's heart soared as he felt Wufei finally respond, finally have some sort of fire in him again.

He pulled Wufei into his lap and cradled the younger man in his arms, kissing him passionately. He requested permission to plunder Wufei's mouth and it was given after a moment of uncertainty. Wufei had never been kissed before, that was for sure. Heero had came up to the surface a few times with Duo to visit the local brothels for 'fun', as his brother always said. He had became experienced over time, whether or not he wanted to.

Finally they needed to breathe. Heero pulled away slightly, his lips lingering against Wufei's. He pressed another soft, gentle kiss to the swollen lips, breathing heavily. "I...I'm here, Wufei."

Wufei looked up at him with passion glazed eyes. They abruptly cleared as memories flooded his mind and caused the very same eyes to reflect the pain deep inside his soul. He curled up against Heero, clinging to him like a lifeline. Then he let it all go and sobbed against the older man, begging for comfort that was readily given.

~*Owari Chapter 5*~

I thought that it was appropriate place to end. I think. Anyway! *V* Comments! *throws boxes of chocolate, strawberry and vanilla Pocky to random readers*