Chapter 9

Heero woke up the next morning feeling tired and cranky but he got up anyway and bathed before changing into the formal clothing he was going to wear to the funeral which was to begin sooner or later in the morning. Everything was set and ready, now he just hoped everything turns out as planned. There was a pretty good chance something might happen--like his or his brother's assassination--and they all needed to be prepared.

After the bath and the change of the clothing, Heero stood in front of his mirror, smoothing out his clothes before leaving his room. He was walking down the hall when he bumped into Relena. Gods, why didn't the girl just go home already? He didn't want her around and had made that perfectly clear.

"Prince Heero," Relena breathed as she dropped a rather low bow, revealing her half-naked breast to him in the process. She stayed like that for a while before straightening up, but even then Heero could see the delicate bulge of her breast against the tight material. The girl was a regular slut.

"Princess Relena. I had thought you'd be home by now," Heero remarked coldly.

"Oh, my brother won't miss me. Besides, I have more important things to do here," Relena said sweetly.

"And what is that?"

"Why, to comfort you of course, Your Highness. Your father's death must obviously hurt you," Relena simpered.

Heero thought ironically to himself. At least he knew Wufei wouldn't do this. Heero looked away from Relena and was about to dismiss the girl when his breath caught. He stared past the princess's shoulder and at Wufei who stood at the end of the hall. He was dressed in the black dress that had been left in his room, his long hair pulled up in some fancy bun with ringlets coming down the sides of his face. He looked a bit annoyed and uncomfortable but Heero got a good view at all the naked flesh the dress revealed. Heero wondered as he continued to stare like the city idiot.

"Prince Heero? What is the matter?" Relena demanded sharply, annoyed that she was being ignored completely by the prince.

Heero swiftly snapped himself out of his thoughts and blinked at Relena. "What was that?"

"I asked you if you'd like to escort me to the church where the funeral will be held. I have no escort, you see," Relena said coyly as she ducked her head and fluttered her lashes like a demure lady.

"Ah, well, um..." Heero tried to think of a quick excuse so he could reach Wufei before the bandit left. He was obviously looking for someone. But who?

"Yes?" Relena prodded.

Wufei's face suddenly lit up and Lord Duo stepped into view.

"I'd love to," Heero said without thinking as he watched Wufei smile at Duo as they two linked arms and walked off. Together.

"Wonderful," Relena cooed as she slipped her arm possessively around Heero's and held him close to her warm body. "Let's go then!"

~*~

"What do you think of all of this? What with the king being dead. Do you think Prince Trowa will make a good king?" Duo asked as he and Wufei walked slowly down the hall to the doors that led to the church that was connected to the palace.

"I don't know. What I do know is that Trowa is a responsible prince and level headed," Wufei said quietly. "And I believe he will make a fine leader after he gets the hang of everything. Leadership is sometimes born to one person and sometimes it's not. Prince Trowa only needs to have a little bit of responsibility and experience."

"So, you're saying Prince Trowa isn't cut out for it?" Duo mused.

"Oh, he is. He's just...How should I say this? Well, as much as I hate to admit it, Prince Heero would make a very good leader. But since Prince Trowa is crown prince he's going to be king and I think with time he'll become very capable. Do you see what I'm getting at?" Wufei asked as he turned and looked up at Duo.

"Yes, I believe I do," Duo said, nodding as they reached the doors. The guards pulled them open and they stepped inside.

"I'm sorry, Duo, but I have to find Heero," Wufei said softly as he patted Duo on the hand before slipping away without another word. Where was the prince? He needed to stay by the idiot's side and make sure he doesn't get killed.

When Wufei almost gave up on looking for Heero when the prince appeared. With Princess Relena on his arm. Pushing down at the sudden anger and jealousy flaring through him, Wufei smoothly made his way over to Heero and bowed in front of the prince and the seething princess.

"Your Highness, I believe it's time you take your seat. I'll show you to yours, Princess Relena," Wufei said in the soft voice he had down to the last syllable.

"That won't be--" Relena began angrily.

"I'm sorry, Princess, but Lady Celeste is right. You must take your seat elsewhere," Heero interrupted smoothly.

"But--!"

"I'm sorry but it won't be right if you're at my side. Lady Celeste is under my care and we are to appear in public together. Besides, you're not suppose to be here in the first place," Heero said, raising an eyebrow.

Relena was pink in indignation and rage but she bit her tongue and said nothing as she whirled around and disappeared to find a seat somewhere.

Wufei watched in amusement as the princess shoved and snapped at poor innocent people in her path.

"Shall we, Lady Celeste?" Heero asked, mockingly holding out his arm.

"Of course, Your Highness," Wufei said as he placed his hand on Heero's arm and followed the prince to the front pews where Prince Trowa and several other important delegates and lords were seated. They took their place and waited for the funeral to begin.

The whole church was silent as the prayers were said and the people sang to the king's memory as the priest lead the way. Wufei kept on scanning the church discreetly to make sure there wasn't a single thing out of place and was satisfied to find that everything was as it should be. There was nothing to interfere with the funeral. Or at least that was how it seemed so far. He couldn't be positive that no assassin was going to appear. The person could show up at any moment and send an arrow flying through the air or a dagger into either prince's heart and Wufei couldn't allow that.

Trowa had went up and spoke encouraging and good words to the people and about his father. Then Heero went up and things were still okay. Then the coffin was lifted by four men and was slowly carried out as the music played and the people began to file out of the church to see the burial of the king.

Trowa and Heero lead the way. Wufei stayed relatively close since he couldn't stay by Heero's side without raising strange suspicions.

Just when they were out of the church, Wufei saw something move up in the tiers. His eyes narrowed and he glimpsed a figure moving through the curtains. Then he saw a glint of metal.

Wufei started shoving and pushing as he ran towards Heero and Trowa. The crowd had moved ahead of him while he had stood there, staring up into the tiers. He tried with all his might to catch up to the princes and was almost there when his sharp ears heard the thwang of the bow releasing the arrow.

"Heero!" Wufei shouted in panic as he dove forward and grabbed the prince by the shoulders. Then he turned around still gripping Heero and using his body as a shield and covering Heero effectively.

Heero's eyes widened as he watched Wufei jump in front of him and grab him roughly by the shoulders. Then he felt himself jerked sharply around as Wufei shielded his body. Then he heard a painful gasp cut through Wufei as the bandit's eyes widened in shock and pain. Heero was stunned as he watched Wufei collapse into his arms, an arrow sticking out of his back.

"Wufei!" Heero screamed as he supported the fallen bandit.

Wufei raised his head painfully and flashed Heero a quick smile to say it was all right before passing out completely.

Panic and fear shot through the crowd and people began to scream and run towards the doors to escape so as they wouldn't be taken down by any mysterious assassin. Trowa and Quatre were at Heero's side immediately, all three of them covering Wufei's body from any harm. Duo appeared his well, his violet eyes wild in fear for Wufei's safety.

"Oh gods, why did she do that?" Duo demanded as he knelt down beside Heero and stared at the arrow in Wufei's back in shock. "Celeste..."

"Fuck, we've got to get out of here!" Heero shouted to his brother. "We can't regain order. We have to get out of here and find a doctor."

Trowa nodded. He gestured to Quatre and they both stood up to shield Heero as the prince lifted Wufei into his arms. Duo also helped by pushing people away from them and making a path towards the side doors that were near empty. Everyone was running through the main doors.

"We've got to protect you two as well!" Quatre shouted. "What if the assassin tries again?"

"He won't have a good shot," Duo shouted over the din. "There's too much chaos. Besides, he probably already fled having failed." He looked behind his shoulder at Wufei again. "Why did she do that?" His violet eyes were full of confusion and sorrow.

Heero looked up at Duo and saw that the lord actually cared for Wufei. Heero wasn't going to figure that one and he didn't want to. All he wanted was a doctor to make sure Wufei lived. True to his word, the bandit protected him and took an arrow for him.

"Poison," Trowa suddenly exclaimed. He touched Wufei's wound and raised his blackened fingers. "We've got to get him to a doctor and fast before he dies not from just blood loss but poison!"

Duo blinked in confusion but shoved it away. He would think about what Prince Trowa said later. The most important thing was to get help for Lady Celeste.

"Come on! We're almost there!" Trowa shouted.

Heero looked down at Wufei and took a deep shaking breath as they pushed through the doors and rushed for a doctor.

~*~

A doctor was found quickly and the arrow was removed. Luckily Wufei was unconscious the whole time and wouldn't feel any of the pain until later when he woke up. If he woke up. The wound was washed thoroughly and burned to stop the constant bleeding. It was a painful process and Quatre and Duo had looked away when it was done. They were both happy that Wufei as unconscious while it was being done. Then the antidote for the poison was given to Wufei before they put him to bed.

When Wufei had been stripped out of his clothing Duo had been shocked out of his mind to find that the person he had been calling Lady Celeste this whole time was actually a man, a bandit named Wufei. Quatre babbled quickly and explained everything. Then he asked for Duo's silence and the lord gave it to him. Duo didn't care of Wufei was a woman or man, he just wanted him to stay alive. He liked Wufei and he didn't want to see the man die. Of course, when Wufei woke up he had a lot of explaining to do!

The doctor told them all to leave and that the only thing they could do was pray that Wufei pulled through. Besides, they had a funeral to take care of.

Heero was numb as he followed Trowa, Quatre and Duo out of Wufei's room back to the church to settle all the chaos. He didn't know how they did it but they managed to finish up the funeral properly despite all the panic. When Trowa gave them a brief explanation of what had happened everything marveled at Lady Celeste's bravery. Relena had tried to speak with Heero, to "comfort" him but the prince had finally had enough of the princess's simpering ways and told Relena simply to leave him alone and go home. Wufei was the only one on his mind and he didn't want to deal with an annoying princess at all!

When everything was finished up, Heero rushed back to Wufei's room. The doctor was gone, probably to get supplies, and he was left alone with the bandit. Trowa, Quatre and Duo had taken up the responsibility of continuing the funeral like nothing had happened.

Pulling up a chair, Heero sat down beside the bandit and took the slim hand into his own. He stared down at the familiar sword calluses and kissed them gently as he stared up at Wufei's slumbering expression. The bandit was deathly pale and his breathing was too slow for Heero's comfort but he was alive. And that was all that mattered at the moment.

"It looks like your fulfilled your promise, Wufei," Heero whispered as he ran his fingers over Wufei's limp hand. "I'm so sorry, Wufei. I never dreamed you would actually get hurt." He sighed shakily as he tried not to give into tears. Gods, everything was shit. He had fallen in love with a man who really didn't like him at the moment and the same man was now laying in a sick bed because of him. Wufei had gotten hurt because of him. The original purpose of having Wufei around to was keep himself alive...But somehow it all changed. Heero wanted Wufei there to keep him company, to talk to him, to laugh with him, to love with him.

Closing his eyes, Heero laid his cheek against Wufei's hand and waited impatiently for the bandit's recovery.

~*~

A week and a half later...

Heero stretched tiredly as he walked down the hall to Wufei's room. He had stayed by the bandit's side every single day, only leaving when either Quatre or Duo came and insisted he cleaned up and got some rest. Trowa was too busy ruling the country even though his crowning had not happened yet. But no one cared. Heero was too busy worrying about Wufei to give a damn for anything else. All he wanted as Wufei to wake up and be his annoying, sweet self again.

Pushing open the door, Heero expected to see what he saw every day. Wufei laying there, as pale as death with no sign of life. But today, it was different. Wufei was awake and on his side. His dark eyes were open and they were staring blankly at nothing.

"Wufei?" Heero said softly as he approached the man slowly. He sat down on his chair beside the bed and reached out to place his hand on Wufei's shoulder.

Wufei jerked and gasped as pain lashed out through his body from the sudden moment. He looked up and dark velvet clashed with Prussian. Wufei laid there, breathing painfully as Heero's hand hovered inches from his shoulder.

"Heero," the bandit managed to ground out painfully. "What are you doing here?"

"Checking up on you. Are you okay? Why are you on your side?" Heero asked as he stood up and began to ease the bandit back down.

"No," Wufei said, shaking his head. His lips were pressed tightly together and he was white. He was obviously in deep pain.

"What?"

"It hurts when I lie on my back," Wufei said through clenched teeth. He breathed slowly to ease the pain but it really didn't help. He wanted to just die. The pain was incredible. How did he survive this?

Without thinking, Heero took off his boots and slid into bed beside Wufei. Then he gently lifted the man into his arms and cradled him like a glass doll. He rested Wufei comfortably against his warm, firm chest and held on to him loosely.

"There, is that better?" he whispered into Wufei's ear while he enjoyed Wufei's slim body pressed against his own. Although, he wished it was under better circumstances. Wufei was far too thin, cold and pale. He rubbed his hands up and down Wufei's arms in hopes to warm the bandit up. He had lost too much blood.

Wufei didn't want to admit it but it did feel better. He sighed softly as he settled against Heero and closed his eyes. The last thing he could remember clearly was jumping in front of Heero to shield him from the arrow. Then there was the flashing bit of pain as the arrow embedded itself in his back. Anything after that was a completely blank. He couldn't remember anything else.

"How long have I been out?" he finally asked.

"A week and a half," Heero replied as he continued to warm Wufei up with his hands. He ran them all over the bandit's body, occasionally brushing against cool bare skin. He ignored the desire that had suddenly flared inside of him. Wufei was hurt and he wasn't going to do anything until Wufei was better. And that included Wufei wanting and allowing him to.

"Really? What happened?"

"You got shot in the back with a poisoned arrow. We found a doctor and we got the arrow out. It was cleaned and then burned before we gave you an antidote and put you to bed," Heero explained while he massaged Wufei's hands with his own, enjoying the feeling of Wufei's skin against his own. He ran his fingers over the calluses and the finger tips before bringing them up to his lips and kissing them gently. "Gods, do you realize what you did to me when you passed out in my arms?"

Wufei swallowed painfully and refused to open his eyes. "Why are you doing this?" His voice was hoarse and slightly cracked.

"Doing what?"

"Being so nice. You were never nice before..."

"I'm sorry," Heero whispered painfully as he tightened his hold around the one and only person he loved. "Gods, I'm sorry."

"Stop this," Wufei whispered as he tried to pull away. But it was impossible. He was too weak and Heero's hold was too firm. He just ended up falling back against Heero's chest and aggravating his wound. "Uugh!"

"What's the matter?" Heero asked worriedly as he pulled back and searched Wufei's eyes.

"My wound is giving me hell," Wufei said painfully, his teeth clenched together and his eyes squeezed shut.

"Oh." Heero helped Wufei adjust again until he was comfortable before they both settled back down on the bed and sat there in silence.

Eventually during the silence Wufei fell asleep in Heero's arms. Heero smiled as he kissed Wufei on the cheek before he settled back and fell asleep as well.

~*~

Wufei slowly healed and Heero stayed constant at his side until the bandit finally kicked the prince out of the room saying he needed his privacy. When Wufei appeared again he was dressed in men's clothing and a tray of food was laid out for him. He ate it slowly, still having trouble digesting anything as a side effect from the poison but the doctor assured him it would pass so he didn't worry too much about it.

When he finished the food, Wufei pushed the tray away and sat at the table for a long time. He stared out of the window, just thinking as he tried to gather his thoughts. There was a jumble of confusion working through him as he healed. Heero was being so gentle and kind to him...He was never like that before. Why was he like this now? Didn't he have Princess Relena? Why did he even bother? It was just a mess and Wufei had no idea what to make of it.

Knock! Knock!

"Come in," Wufei called out as he continued to stare out of the window, looking at the fluffy white clouds and listening to the bright chirping of the birds.

"Wufei?"

Blinking, Wufei turned around and his eyes widened slightly as he watched Duo step into his room and walk towards him.

"Duo," Wufei sighed as he looked down at his hands. "What are you doing here?"

"Making sure a friend is okay, of course," Duo said cheerfully as he sat down across from Wufei at the table. "How do you feel?"

"Oh, like how anyone would feel after getting shot by a poisoned arrow. I'm just peachy," Wufei said sarcastically, unable to bite back the response.

Duo smiled. "You're okay."

"What are you doing here? Why are you here?" Wufei asked, looking up at Duo. "You know the truth."

"Yeah, so? Wufei, you're still the same person I met as Lady Celeste. It doesn't matter to me. Besides, now I finally understand why you're the way you are," Duo laughed. He cocked his head to the side and smiled. "Don't worry. I just want to know if you're okay."

"I'm tired. I feel cold. And in pain," Wufei said, shrugging and then wincing when he felt his bandages shift against his wound. "But other than that, I'm all right."

"That's good to hear," Duo said, nodding. He stood up and walked over to Wufei and pressed his lips gently against Wufei's forehead. "Don't you worry about anything. Everything will be okay, so don't think so much. You need to focus your attention on healing instead of trying to fix everything. Heero, Trowa and Quatre can do that for you."

Wufei sat there in shock as Duo left the room. He reached up and brushed his fingers where Duo has kissed him. Then he smiled.

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*grins* Ah, I think this chapter was better than the last! Comments, please!!