Title: Tiles
Author: kc-chan ([email protected])
Rating: PG-13 to NC-17; this part- PG13
Warning: Language, Violence, yaoi, Angst, AU, possible OOC, lemon later on.
SPECIAL WARNING- real chants are used here folks, I take no responsibility if you happen to use them and you get hurt/injured. I personally don’t mess around with things I have no control over. No daemons were summoned during the scripting of this fic. In fact, I don’t think I want to test them. Three rules to life- never be around before, during, or after a daemon summoning.
Pairings: 6x5/5x6 ; 1x2/2x1; 3x4/4x3 ; mentions of 13x6 & 5xM/Mx5. . . and urm. . . non-canon later. ^^;;
SPOILERS: to be safe I’ll say the entire series especially Blind target, Episode Zero manga, and Endless Waltz..
Archive: www.wired-dna.net; anyone else please email me (not like I am going to say no or anything. . .)
Disclaimer: not mine. . .

This part dedicated to: Trixie-san; Cheshire-san; Azzie; Red Pearl-san; Steelsong-san;

Tiles
Part 3

By: kc-chan

~~~~~’~~@@~~’~~~~~

He had been watching the country roll past him for what seemed like days. It had only been two hours since he had last looked at his watch. . . a few minutes ago. Zechs was not comforted by that thought, it only proved that is usual patience was dwindling and rather too rapidly for his tastes. Many may have not attributed patience to him, but he did consider it one of his finer points. Who else could have put up with most of his acquaintances for as long as he had? Not many he could think of.

Their cab had been following a winding road for some while, the lines of trees providing no real scenery after the first twenty minutes. Not many other roads had spurned off from this one either. He swore if the tree line didn’t break soon he might have to strangle Une, who was calmly sitting next to him.

And then there had been that almost feral look Duo Maxwell had given him earlier that morning. Something akin to death peering through your hapless body and consuming your soul in a fiery mass. Those violet orbs literally seemed to rip through him. He did think about the fact that perhaps the others were still wary of him. It wasn’t as if they could forget the past. He had opened fired on them more than once, and tried to kill at least a few of them on several occasions.

Hell, Wufei had nearly killed him a few times, but they seemed to work well together.

Then, thinking back, he realized perhaps the key reason they all seemed to work well together. They never talked about the war. Wars. Nobody really mentioned fighting OZ. It was like that was something that existed but was unofficially sworn off anybodies conversation list. With good reason, just thinking about it brought up a whole skew of emotions he knew he didn’t want to deal with. . .

And he didn’t want to begin to think what the others thought. He raked a hand through his hair. Then again, on some level he did *want* to talk about it. Not the battles themselves, but something to get the ever present guilt lingering, just under the surface. Someone who would understand exactly what he felt.

The only thing he prayed would never be mentioned would be Mariemaia’s little skirmish. It still had an effect on his small partner, and from time to time he could see it. Wufei had been nearly inconsolable for the first few days following its end. Black eyes locked in shock over what he had done. And for the life of him, Zechs swore he would never forget the look of pure hopelessness that lay in the boy’s eyes.

He had initially suggested, after Sally pushed for Une pulling the Chinese boy into their fold, that the boy be paired off with him. Something had. . . twitched, for a lack of a better word, inside him the moment he had laid eyes on the boy after Mariemaia’s war. Something he wanted to be near, hold, protect. . . But more on the level that the boy intrigued him. An enigma that held such mystery that it begged him to reach out and touch the boy. Break open a layer or two of that mask of infinite sadness. . .

“How did you convince Chang to take the case?” Une’s voice cracked through his thoughts.

“Huh?” Zechs blinked, turning slightly to regard the woman next to him.

And for the life of him, Une seemed amused at catching him off guard. “I asked ‘How did you convince Wufei to take the case?’” She repeated with a grin.

“I didn’t. In all actuality, I never even asked if he was staying on the case. He never protested. . .” the blonde hedged.

“So you never asked,” she finished. Sighing, she shifted, and crossed her legs, leaning slightly against the window. “He doesn’t like it?”

“I can’t say any of us *like* the case, Lady. Wufei, however, I have been lead to believe by his comments and attitude, disapproves of the Preventer’s being even involved in the case,” Zechs replied, carefully wording his answer to try not and convey too much personal observation into it.

“Could you have been more obtuse in answering that, Marquise?” She sighed, rolling her eyes.

Chuckling, he shook his head. “Forgive me. I just didn’t want to give you my personal insight before giving you facts, that’s all, Lady.”

“So, in other words, he hates it,” she asked him.

“He finds it to be a waste of time, and forgive me for saying this so abruptly, we both find ourselves feeling we are missing some very key elements that were purposefully left out, Lady.” Zechs turned and looked briefly out the window, thinking over his next few thoughts before continuing.

“He didn’t find the manila folder full of the occult research amusing,” the Sank blonde finished, still not removing his gaze from the window.

Silence lingered before she responded softly, “He’s not a believer in much? I would have thought. . .”

“Hn. I thought the same, but obviously certain things can be trained into a person as well as out,” the reply was swift and rather blunt for him. Blue orbs carefully kept up their mask of indifference though, not conveying a single personal thought.

“And you?” Brown eyes caught his.

“A case is a case, Lady. If it is deemed important by you and our superiors, then it must be important,” he intoned back.

Concern warmed her eyes. “Are you sure you’re feeling all right, Zechs?”

He sharply looked away. “It certainly is a convince that certain people happen to be here at the right time. You should know that as cordial as we all may act, we don’t play well together.”

“Really, myself and others were lead to believe otherwise. . .”

Turning his head, just putting her back into his focus, he replied, “We may joke, Lady, and we may take lunch together, but the only reason most of them work with me is because I am Wufei’s partner. Don’t take acquainted friendliness to be anything other than just that.”

She blinked a few times, letting that rather frank statement settle into her thoughts. Lady Une may have been only been briefly introduced to their workings, but she knew. . . “I think all of you are a bunch of juvenile idiots.”

“Gee, thank you, Lady. Is that a professional opinion, or just a personal one?” He snorted.

A small grin graced her lips. “Personal. I think that given time, the lot of you will be holding Holiday parties and camping trips together.”

That thought almost made the former Lightning Count cringe. “I really don’t think an enclosed space that held all the major players of two former wars and a handful of able terrorists would ever be considered a thought of a sane person.”

“I think you are all closer than you think.” She smiled.

He decided to ignore that and take advantage of being in an enclosed space to wheedle answers from her. “So, what is the deal with Hirde?”

“Huh?” was Lady Une’s brilliant reply.

“I mean she’s dead and then she isn’t. She is in two different countries simultaneously, in one she’s dead and the other she’s making social calls,” Zechs elaborated, carefully watching the brown haired woman’s face.

“Well, obviously one isn’t Hirde. I couldn’t tell you. Only Maxwell would know for sure,” she replied, desperately trying not to think about it. Any emotion would be reflected in her eyes, and damn her twice, she knew how easily Zechs could read people if he tried. In many ways he was so like Trieze that it frightened her.

Blue eyes caught everything. “I never knew Duo had the ability to call dead people. The wonders that boy can work.”

Opening her mouth, she could reply nothing. The man had maneuvered her into a rather tight spot.

“I don’t like being kept from things, Lady,” his voice took on a rather sinister and cold tone.

Shivering slightly, she remembered why she truly hated seeing the Lightning Count angry. And for a mere moment she felt herself slip into Anne’s fearful state of mind. “I don’t know. Really, Zechs. I truly don’t know!”

He eased off slightly. “So as for Hirde and her connection to Paris?”

“That’s something I want to know as well,” Anne whispered, slowly taking back her mental control.

Zechs opened his mouth to reply.

His answer was cut short by the driver’s announcement. “Nous sommes presque l�, madam.”

“Merci.” She nodded. <1>

Clear eyes narrowed at her, and looking out the window, he watched as they turned off the winding road they had been on for over two hours. And the sight that greeted him as the trees parted made his stomach lurch and bile climb into his mouth. The onslaught of emotions hammered his brain, and forcing him to struggle to remain cold while trying not to throw up.

//Young blue eyes looked over, rather skeptically, at his friend. “You want to repeat that?”

The taller boy smiled, ginger hair loosely falling in front of one of his eyes. “I mean it! You don’t believe me, do you, Millardo?”

Pale lips pouted. “Why should I? That stuff would be something Relena would buy into with all her thoughts of princes and ponies. Save it, Trieze.”

Darker hued eyes twinkled, and reaching out grabbed his younger friend’s hand. “Then I will have to prove it to you.”

Blonde hair danced around his shoulders as he chased his ginger haired friend down the halls of this Parisian summer home. Laughs echoing against the manor’s old and faded wallpapers. A set of rather old doors opening into a grand library. . .//

“Lady, why are we here?” Zechs asked, looking up at the sickeningly familiar grand home he had spent more than one summer at in his youth.

“Can I ask you a question?” she inquired, looking over at him.

“Depends,” he replied bluntly.

“How much do you remember?” her words said little to anybody but the two of them. And the weight they carried haunted and scared him.

“It wasn’t an accident we were placed on this case, was there?” he asked steadily, keeping all emotion from reaching his words or features.

“I’m sorry,” was all she offered.

“Not yet, Lady,” he responded, ice eyes flashing dangerously, and opened the door of the cab. Stepping out he repeated his threat, “Not yet.”

Waiting for her as she had the cab depart, he switched between watching her and cautiously looking at the old Krushranada Summer Manor. No words were exchanged as she pulled a set of keys from her purse and opened the large doors.

Memories of the place were no more than ghosts. He swallowed the lump that grew in his throat as he looked around to see furniture covered in white sheets and dust collecting.

Perhaps able to read his thoughts, Une sighed. “Luckily dust is the only thing that has really grown here, Zechs.” Watching her taller friend wander over the old halls and rooms, now under sheets aged to creams and tans. Even their footsteps left a trail in the white dusty wood floors.

“This way.” And with that whispered she took his arm. Winding through the old halls, Zechs swore he heard the ghostly echoes of far happier times swirling about him. Eyes would flicker over certain doorways and he could swear he saw the faint ghostly image of three children playing their games. Laughter coming so easily. No real cares in the world.

“In here,” Une whispered again. Leading him through large double doors.

Breath hitched in his throat and his world stopped as memories hit him harshly.

// “In here!” a chuckle called to him.

“Trieze?” the small blonde called out, finally peeking in a door and seeing no one. Giving off a frustrated sigh he turned and looked behind him. A large pair of double doors loomed above him. “That’s strange,” he murmured, eyeing them with caution. He had been positive that they weren’t there a second ago.

He pulled down on the ornate silver handle, leaning on the heavy door to get the leverage to push it open. Large blue eyes glanced around the wood. “Trieze?”

Sun filtered into the large room. Walking in a little more, he called out again. “Trieze? Are you in here?”

A rich laugh gave his friend away. Spinning on his heels, he turned swiftly to see the ginger haired boy sitting on one of the large couches, smiling, and holding a large open book on his lap.

“You were reading?” the young blonde exclaimed, rather put out.

“You took too long.” The elder boy shrugged. “Besides, I wanted to show you this.” He indicated with a nod of his head to the book placed on his lap.

“A book?” Millardo snorted, blowing his pale bangs from his eyes.

“Yes. A book.” Trieze grinned back.

The former prince walked forward, taking a seat next to his friend. The book looked rather old, faded with time. The pages were like many of the old books he remembered from his father’s private library.

"So, what's so special about it?" The young blonde

As if to demonstrate for the boy, Trieze held out his held and chanted in a tongue far sweeter than the more throaty tones of his native Czech or even any Germanic language.

Icy blues blinked and stared at the older boy’s palm. “What’s supposed to happen?”

A grin spread itself along the other boy’s lips. “Something.”

“Nothing is happening. . .”

“Because I can’t do that type of majik,” the reply came.

“Oh.” Then after a long pause, “Then what was the purpose?”

“I want you to do it now,” Trieze stated with a triumphant grin.

One pale blonde eyebrow lifted in skepticism. “Why? I am not in the mood for stupid games, Trieze.”

“Try it,” the elder boy encouraged.

With a puff of annoyance, Zechs stuck out his hand, in a looser manner than his friend and looked at the words. For once his foundations in Latin seemed to have paid off. Tripping over the words, he managed to read it. Turning his eyes from the worn pages to his open palm he looked at it.

A few seconds later a small spark appeared in it, dancing with the lights of silver and blues; coming to life on the boy’s small palm.

“Trieze. . .” Zechs whispered, eyeing the flame with awe, curiosity, and fear.

“Close your palm. . . It’ll be all right. . .” And for the life of him it was. //

“Zechs?” Anne asked, looking up at her beautiful friend. Reaching out, a soft hand to touch his arm. “Zechs, are you all right?”

Blinking rapidly, he looked down to see a pretty brunet looking up at him in worry. Summoning a smile to his lips he nodded. “Ghosts, Anne. Nothing to worry yourself about.”

“Aa. . .” She nodded, slim fingers pulling down on the ornate handles to the double doors. They swung open, both creaking from not being moved in so long. Both held their breathe as the doors gave way to a vast library that hadn’t seen their faces in a good six years. . .

~~~~~’~~@@~~’~~~~~

The air rushed about them, cool and clear. They were panting, not very visibly, but enough that after a good solid quarter hour of running and leaping impossible lengths, their lungs were pounding in their rib cages.

“Great, now that you’ve gotten in your adrenaline rush for the hour, perhaps we can check to even see if she followed us?” the tall brunette asked.

Cobalt blue eyes snapped towards the taller boy and a small smirk covered his lips. “Not getting in enough exercise?”

The Frenchman snorted. “I’m getting at least the same amount of exercise as you. . .” and continued with a smirk of his own, “Possibly more.”

A snort of disbelief. “She’s not following.” Raking a hand through his messy mop, Heero refrained from sighing. “You sure it was *her*?”

Leaning on the brick chimney on the rooftop, Trowa shrugged. “I’m pretty sure. It was only a mere second, but to double check I’ll ask Quatre to confirm it through his networks.”

“Ask him to confirm that the Noventa’s use Karmatic and Chaotic majik,” the Japanese boy added.

A nod.

“Good. Let’s go check through those files, whilst I get started on the search through the data banks.” Heero replied and walked towards the edge of the building.

“We can go to my hotel room. It’s closer,” Trowa said, while snagging the former pilot’s wrist. Receiving a dark glare Trowa grinned. “Would you mind it so terribly if we took a cab instead of running across the Paris roofline?”

He received a simple, “Hn.”

“Then I suggest we take the stairs down to the lobby and call one from there. Agreed?”

“Aa.”

“Good.”

~~~~~~’~~@@~~’~~~~~~

Quatre looked up to notice his friends walking towards him. Giving them a radiant smile, he felt that Wufei was feeling a great deal better. Waving them over, Duo grabbed the Chinese boy’s hand and raced towards him.

Nodding to the maitre’de, the wild American half dragged the black eyed boy to his table. “Hey Q-man. Hope we didn’t keep you waiting.”

Waving a hand in a gesture of dismissal, Quatre grinned. “Not at all. I really just arrived myself.”

“Great! Well, I gotta use the men’s room. I’ll be back in a sec.” Duo grinned and with his braid dancing behind him, he headed off to the indoors of the caf� to relieve himself.

“Please, take a seat,” the blonde offered.

Complying, Wufei took a seat and opened his mouth to apologize for his behavior, but Quatre beat him to it. “Please, forgive me. We all tend to forget sometimes how. . . delicate some of your sensibilities are.”

The blonde didn’t expect the humored snort and eye roll the Asian gave him. Unwillingly, the beginnings of a smile crept onto the boys lips. “I think the word is over sensitive, Quatre. And there’s nothing to forgive you for.”

“But-“

“I. . . I need to learn to lighten up.” Wufei dropped his gaze to his hands. Fingers began to play with the cloth napkin allotted to the table. He wanted to say that he needed them more than they needed him. That he would rather die than loose their friendship. That he was sorry for betraying them. . . That-

Pale fingers touched his bronze ones, calming their motions for the moment. Blinking and daring to look up, black eyes blinked straight into a turquoise gaze. “Don’t ever think we would let you go. You’re our friend, Wufei. A dear friend. You haven’t betrayed anyone, only yourself.”

Wetness crawled into those black orbs. He offered a shy smile to the Arabian in thanks.

“Are you all right? If you ever need to talk just know that Duo isn’t the only one who understands you. We may not be the closest in our small group, but believe me when I think I can understand you. And that I know very intimately what you are going through.”

He was given a wide eyed look of shock and disbelief. “You? But you-“

Shaking his head, blonde hairs twinkling in the afternoon sun, Quatre grinned. “I wasn’t always nice, Wufei.”

A snort of disbelief. “You? You’re one of the most caring and feeling people the world has. . .”

The Arabian blushed at the compliment. “If you ever have the time ask any of my sisters, hell, ask Abdul or Rashid. Na'am, I was the hellion of a child. A snobbish little brat. I do not begin to understand how they put up with me. . .” <2>

Wufei let the boy pause to gather his thoughts. “I ran away one day. My father and I tended to. . .disagree. . . on certain subjects. He was a pacifist through and through.” Quatre paused and regarded his friend. Was it him, or did the other boy flinch slightly at the word pacifist? Storing that information away for another time, he continued, “You see my mother was weak, and desperately wanted children.”

“No woman is weak upon bearing thirty children. . .” Wufei interceded.

Smiling sadly Quatre shook his head. “No. She didn’t bear any of literally. We were all test-tube babies.”

Wufei blinked. He never expected that. <2a>

Shaking his head from the old memories, the blonde continued. “I found it shocking when I found out. Rather depressed over the whole deal. . . You see I was a rotten and spoiled child. I was the only boy in our family. The youngest child to boot. So I always assumed I was special because I was to inherit my father’s business. Looking back I feel bad. I would have strangled myself long ago. So, being depressed by the news I was merely a test-tube baby I ran away.” A rich chuckle. “Lucky for me I ran into the Maganacs. Somewhere along the way they were impressed by my fearlessness. . . And well to make my already long story short, I learned a few things about giving.”

Silence dwelled about them comfortably for a few long moments before Quatre added, “I understand you because I understand that you feel you’ve never lived up to someone’s expectations. I don’t pretend to know who, but somewhere along the way the showed you something you thought you lacked, and you dwelled on it. For the longest time I use to think that my father could merely make another of me if he didn’t like my attitude. Iria told me during the first war that when I left to fight, it was our father who worried about me the most. I still in may ways blame myself for his death, and always will. I still believe that half of the time I will never live up to his expectations of me. . .”

Slowly, a slight almost self depreciating smile came over Wufei’s lips. “I can understand that. . . Most of my clan wanted nothing to do with me. I never lived up to their expectations. . . and never will.” Pausing, he finally met the other boy’s eyes. “But I highly doubt anyone in their right mind could ever be disappointed in you. I. . . I will always be a rather large disappointment to my clan.”

Duo picked that moment to walk back to the table. “Hey Wu. Don’t go looking depressed on me. I thought I told you that I would kick your cute lil ass if you did that.”

Quatre laughed. “I highly doubt you could beat him up Duo.”

Giving them a flirty wink and plopping down in his chair, he replied cheekily. “Are you saying that I am weak, Winner?”

“He wasn’t saying it, Maxwell. He was stating it.” Wufei grinned at his braided friend.

Mock pouting, Duo snorted. “I know when I am being insulted. . .” Holding a dramatic pose for a moment, then breaking it with his characteristic grin, he asked the black eyed boy again. “You sure you’re alight?”

Shaking his head and grinning, the Chinese boy looked up, black eyes sparkling with the ill-seen inner light. “Not yet, but I’m getting there. . .”

With amazing timing, the waiter interrupted that statement with asking for their orders. Blinking, Quatre chuckled and ordered for all three of them. Turning back to the table he smiled, “This is a wonderful place. Trowa and I were here last time we visited. Iria use to come here when she was studying with a Dr. Temora during her post-graduate work.”

“How is she doing, by the way?” Duo asked. “I never did thank her for fixing me up.”

“She’s doing quite well. I believe she’s. . .” He tipped his head to the side in a moment’s thought. “I believe she is one of the L3 colonies, helping up there whilst they get repaired.”

“Aa.” Duo nodded. “Speaking of L3, didga all hear? Noin’s newbies got sent up to work with the repair work up there.”

“They aren’t ‘newbies’, Duo, if they have been with the Preventer’s over six month’s.” Wufei replied.

Playing with a bread stick, Duo replied by sticking out his tongue.

“How are the Preventer’s doing?” Quatre asked, sipping gently from his wine.

“Feeling restless, eh, Quat-man?” Duo teased.

“Hardly. I actually think dealing with all those damned lawyers and business workers on a daily basis will be enough action for me now. . .” The blonde replied with a smile.

Seeing an opening, Wufei absently asked, “Speaking of Preventer’s. . . What do you both think of the case?”

Violet and turquoise eyes blinked with surprise. It was rare they were caught off guard, but Wufei was always good at surprising them. Smiling, Wufei asked again, “What do you think of the case?”

Duo scowled. “I thought we had today off. . . No fair bringing up work on vacation days, Wu-man!”

With a chuckle, Quatre grinned. “Touch�. I think I understand.”

Blinking again, the American looked at the blonde if he had grown another head. “Get what? I swear that you must read people’s thoughts sometimes Q-man. . .”

“No, it wasn’t coincidence that Trowa and I were here.”

That seemed to shock Wufei. “How’d you. . .”

With a cunning grin, the blonde waved him off. “I’m not the only one good at reading people, Chang. But to answer you’re question, which I’m telling you right now you won’t like the answer, Lady Une asked us to check out some. . . rather interesting rumors that had been mulling about the Preventer’s spy community.”

“What sort of rumors?” Wufei pressed, but suddenly it felt as if his stomach was sinking. Something itched his skull. Something he couldn’t quite grasp. . .

“Rumors of a small cult group that had been, shall we say imitating the look of a vampirish slaying. Naturally, those groups had nothing to do with anything. The real rumored whispers were that they were using an old branch of druidism majik.” The blonde continued.

“But druid majik-“ Duo started.

A nod cut off the rest of the American’s words. “No kidding. Many druid covens are deeply upset that their majik would be used in such a manner.”

The itch became stronger. Trying desperately to ignore the forming headache, Wufei asked, “Why you?”

A careless shrug. “Why not. I tend to keep tabs on many groups. Who else could she have turned to? The Barton’s would have brought up too many rumors, mainly bad, with the press. The Mansfield’s haven’t been involved with the networks lately, and most of the old Houses simply don’t practice like they use to.”

“I’m not following. . .” Wufei began, before he felt a swift wave rush through him.

Duo leaned forward. “Hey, Wu-man?”

Simultaneously, Quatre stood. “Wufei? What’s wrong?”

Duo looked quickly over at his blonde friend. “Q? What’s wrong with him?”

Turquoise looked over their friend, as bronze fingers clutched handfuls of black silk, and the boy’s face scrunched up in absolute pain. Frantically, Quatre started over to their friend. “Wufei!”

Duo shot up and growled. He had felt a slight change in the air, a new scent that reeked of majik.

“Duo?!” Quatre asked desperately. He couldn’t block them all from the crowd, who were starting to take notice of their outburst. Having Duo transform would *not* be good. “Duo, please!”

He had a spilt second in which he rushed forward as the Asian boy dropped in a dead faint. Golden limbs like rags in his pale arms. “Wufei!!”

“C’est donc lui.” A rich alto voice addressed them. Stepping out from the shadows of another table, a shapely woman stood up and walked towards them. “Vraiment tr�s beau…” she added, eyes running over the black haired boy. Grinning, she stopped a few feet short of them and nodded.

“L� o� sont mes fa�ons? Je suis Eglantine Delmare.” <3>

Turquoise eyes hardened and his hand shot out. “Duo. Back,” he hissed, eyes never leaving the woman. He had, until that moment, merely heard her name whispered in the most elite and hidden of majik covens. The name was only loosely linked to a few black market dealings, most including exotic animals and artifacts. Quatre had kept an open file on her, but merely believed it to be a name of a group working in illegal activities, a rumor and that was it.

He hated the fact that he was dead wrong.

Duo looked over slightly to where the Arabian boy was cradling their friend. “Quat?”

“I said get back.” The blonde hissed again.

Eglantine giggled and Duo complied to his friend’s demand. He knew the blonde was worried and that there was no may to hide this from the crowd of forming onlookers. . . and that could mean trouble for the Arabian.

“No need to get abrasive. I am merely here on a business trip,” she began.

“Then why bother us?” Duo hissed, eyes narrowing.

“I’ve been paid by important members of a society to . . . accrue . . . a certain object for them.” She started taking a step forward, but stopped short at Duo’s warning growl. “Excuse me gentlemen, I am merely here to pick up my clientele’s purchase.”

“Meaning?” Quatre asked.

“I am here to collect Chang Wufei. . .By *any* means necessary.”

The American did not take kindly to those words. “Fuck off, lady.”

Despite the other boy’s threats, and the feel of his close friend draping in his arms, Quatre refused to show any sighs of fear. He had to be the level headed one here… “I’ve heard of you, Madame Delmare. I did not realize you were into slave trade as well.”

She turned her attention off the Chinese boy, and up towards the blonde. “Ha. Not the slave trade, Mr. Winner. But that doesn’t concern you, nor do I have any obligation to tell you why I am here, only that Chang is a highly valuable commodity.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you? Wu is *not* some piece of meat you can toss about for your business deals. Nobody *owns* him! Now, back off. *Now*,” Duo hissed, barely restraining himself from attacking her on the spot.

Eglantine chuckled and extended her arm to the side. From the sky swooped down a large black crow, and delicately came to a rest on her outstretched hand. And Duo froze. They were in it bad now was the only thought to repeat itself through his mind as his throat became dry.

Flapping off her hand, the gangly bird transformed into a graceful girl, no older than them. Black hair that framed her wild violet eyes.

And two sets of violets met, the girl swooshed her tail, and suddenly Duo found himself slammed backwards by the force of her attack.

Repressing a growl, he attempted to thwart her advance with a roundhouse to her rib cage. He succeeded in cracking a few of them and removing her from his body. But in doing so, he also managed to make her even more pissed.

Eglantine seemed amused as Duo forced himself to transform, though it was obviously against his will. Her beautiful Elita was poetry in motion. Watching the two graceful, cattish creatures dodge and attack one another. A maunderic ballet. Claws thrashing at each other, growls and hisses. It was a regular cat fight.

It also happened to draw quite a hefty crowd.

Quatre sighed and tightened his grip on the boy in his arms. It felt as if his brain was throbbing, trying to collapse his skull. Attempting to watch Duo, protect them from the wanton eyes of the gathering crowd, and worry about his own and Wufei’s safety was having its toll with him.

Another rich chuckle drew his eyes back to the tall woman. Instantly his grip tightened on his friend once more. He had seriously hoped it would not have come to this. Slowly, he pushed himself up, cradling the unconscious boy in his grip.

“You can’t stop me Mr. Winner. I have never let my clientele down before. He has been paid for, now let my property go,” Eglantine hissed, stalking forward.

There was a reason he was chosen to be a Gundam pilot those years ago. Turquoise eyes lost all of their innocence and charm, becoming hard and war-torn. A swift movement found Madame Delmare thrown back by the force of the chair swung in her direction.

Concentrating on standing up, she didn’t notice the blonde place the unconscious boy on the ground, nor his leg connecting with her body.

It wasn’t his policy to show off his skills, especially in a public place. But he would leave the cover-up to his publicist, after all, that was what they were for. Besides, it lifted some concern and helped him to keep her away from Wufei.

She grunted as another punch landed. The thought that Winner would have never shown such outward displays of violence in public was completely unfounded she was discovering. Another kick was landed, sending her crashing into a wall. Damn, but the boy was tough if you pressed the right buttons. For future reference, she made note not to attack Mr. Winner’s friends whilst the boy was in clear view. Who would have thought this would have come from such an innocent looking child.

From the corner of her green eyes, she noticed that Maxwell had transformed. His brown tail swooshing behind him as delicate brown ears stood straight up. Feral violet eyes seemed to glow with an unnatural unholy light. There was nothing in either file that would have said these boys could fight like professionals.

Auburn strands of hair had fallen in front of her face as she failed to defend herself from another kick. Falling to her knees with a hiss, she dared to look up at her sparing partner. Blonde hair was only slightly ruffled, but those eyes were not the eyes of any child she had ever seen. Neither was the tone in his voice. “Je vous conseille de partir, Madame. Maintenant.”

“Elita!” She managed to call out. Standing she backed off towards the sidewalk. And noticed her opening. She knew how to stop the blonde boy.

Duo snarled as the black haired girl dodged his last attack. But eyes widened as he looked up and saw the majik swarming about the building. “Quatre! She’s-“

All words were drowned as the caf�’s structure was ripped apart by a summoned daemon.

Quatre gasped, one hand reaching up to touch his heart…

‘Pain…Screams… Blood… The blood… Oh Gods! Allah…. ‘ Words and thoughts, wild emotions tore through his being. Struck still as the building collapsed about him, smothering the innocents… The innocents.

Duo scrambled over pieces of the structure that had collapsed, ignoring the site of the people he trampled to get to the blonde. “Quatre!!” he desperately yelled. Stronger arms grabbing the slighter Arabian and dodging out towards the walk.

Violet and turquoise eyes widened as they realized what was happening… “Wufei!!” Quatre managed, trying to push away from the American. Trying to reach for his fallen friend. “WUFEI!”

The American didn’t notice the blonde boy sinking next to him. Frozen, unable to move as he watched the other cat-girl toss his best friend into the black car that pulled up. Watching her climb in and violet orbs pierce his one last time before the dark window cut off his last view of his friend.

And the woman smirked, “Messieurs,” and ducked into the car.

Duo watched as the car sped away through the narrow Parisian streets… The silence about them, as he realized that nobody else had survived the building’s cave in… They were buried under some remains of a seventeenth century structure.

He released a scream when it finally all hit his mind… “’FEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!” Panting, harshly, ignoring the wetness swelling in his eyes. A small white dove flitted past him and he heard rather than saw his friend collapse next to him.

Falling to his knees, he cradled the blonde’s head in his lap. Wiping away the tears and blood from the boy’s head. “We’ll get him back, Q… I promise. We’ll make that bitch suffer. She doesn’t know who she just crossed. Nobody gets away with taking my family.”

An insane smirk, just this side of madness, slid onto the former 02 pilot’s face. “You better hide well lady, cause this hunt ain’t over yet. Shinigami is coming for ya.”

~~~~~~~~’~~@@~~’~~~~~~~

“You really are no fun,” Heero muttered as they walked out the lobby of the building.

“I know.” Trowa grinned, shielding his eyes from the afternoon sun.

The Japanese boy walked to the street, attempting to haul over a cab. Aside from nearly loosing his life a few different times from the Parisian cabbies, he had yet to manage to call one over.

A brilliant flash of white wings caught the green eyed boy’s eyes. Swooping down towards them, a small dove landed on Trowa’s outstretched fingers.

It took merely a moment for him to realize who sent it and what it meant. Releasing it into the air again, the taller boy nabbed Heero’s wrist and took off in a fast passed sprint after the bird in flight.

“What’s wrong?” the perfect soldier asked, pulling his wrist from the taller boy’s grip. Matching the sprint’s pace with hardly an effort.

“Quatre. They’re in trouble.”

No other words were needed as they dashed through the old streets, plowing over people, shoving through the swarms of people walking in the midday sun.

Green eyes followed the bird’s trail in the air, not caring about anything else but his small, beautiful lover.

Heero skidded to a halt. He felt the older boy follow his example… The building was in shambles, and the fact that no one was noticing meant that they had found them. Crawling over a bit of the structures remains, he saw his love cradling the Arabian’s head.

He felt cloth brush past him as Trowa rushed forward and collected his lover from the American. Placing a gentle hand to cup the boy’s pale cheek, he quietly called out the boy’s name…

Turquoise lingered half way between shock and desperation. Tears had long stopped, but their stains were still apparent on the boy’s cheek. “What happened?”

“Where’s Wufei?” Heero asked, helping his lover up. He decided not to make mention of the fact that his love was transformed, something he knew Duo would not have done in public unless it was absolutely necessary.

A choked back sob came as a response from the Arab, and he snuggled into his lover’s chest, seeking a haven from the overpowering emotion seeping out of the ruins of the restaurant.

Standing up, Duo leaned on his lover. “Some bitch made off with ‘Fei.”

Two pairs of shocked eyes looked over at him. “What?”

Duo sighed, slowly de-transforming into his human form. “Some bitch attacked us. Claiming som’thin about having sold our Fei to somebody. Then she had her lackey cat-bitch attack me whilst she moved in on Q-man.”

A self critical, bitter laugh escaped the usually cheerful pilot. “Oh Q gave her hell, that is until she decided to collapse the whole fuckin building on us.”

Heero stiffened. “Wufei is-“ Thinking the worse. Their comrade buried to death under…

Another embittered laugh. “She grabbed Wu like he was some fuckin package and her and cat-girl made off in a black car. No plates. No distinguishing features. They don’t realize who we were. I mean they knew us more by majikical reference than the fact we were Gundam pilots. She never expected Q to hit her. It was in her eyes, the shock.”

He paused to catch his breath. “Q got knocked by her collapsing the building. We didn’t expect it. They died slowly and painfully. Q felt them all.”

Heero moved away from his love and slammed his fist into the wall. “Kuso!”

Slim hands encircled his waist, and a head touched the top of his back. “We are getting him back, even if I have to rip apart Paris to do so. Nobody hurts my family.”

Feeling the pain his lover was going through, the Japanese boy turned and pulled the American to his chest. Running fingers through the white dusted, plaster filled mop of hair.

Trowa nodded and turned back to the blonde in his grip. Those soft eyes flickered and fingers curled their hold on his shirt. “Wufei… shoef… shoef…” <4>

“Duo.”

The violet eyed teen turned to the Frenchman at the sound of his name being said. “Tro?”

“Go get Anne and Zechs.”

With a slow nod, Duo moved forward, his fingers sliding out of his lover’s strong grip. He transformed and with a beat of his wings he took to the air, separating his thoughts and his senses for now. He had to find Anne. Someone’s life was depending on it.

Heero watched his love take to the air and waited, as if his eyes were memorizing the moment. Shuffling through the debris he moved over to the green eyed boy and his love. “Let’s call a cab and get out of here. Quatre won’t be able to block us much longer.”

Trowa slowly nodded. “Aa.”

~~~~~~’~~@@~~’~~~~~

Zechs looked up at Anne through the fringe of his platinum bangs. Finding her immersed in weaving her way through stacks of articles haphazardly placed about the room’s adjoining office, he quietly moved towards the door.

Silently closing it after he got into the hall, he smiled. Freedom. Oh he had been ready to die of boredom. She didn’t know this place like he did. Sure she had visited once or twice with her father, when different political events were happening. A summer or two when they were children. He had spent every summer from the time he was seven to fourteen. This was his and Trieze’s paradise.

Smooth fingers ran themselves along the engraved walls. Time had not touched their place. Sure there was an inch of dust on the floor and the white sheets dragged with its weight, but it was still their house. Pity he was here on time other than his vacation time… and sadly there was no longer a Trieze Krushranada to enjoy it with him…

He stopped and turned to face the doors. A small graceful smile parted his lips. “Couldn’t hide it from me forever, you bastard.”

Placing both hands on the silver handles, he pushed them open sending a white puff of dust into the room.

Carefully closing the door behind him he strode forth, direction clear to him. Third shelf along the window’s shelf line. Five up from the floor.

There were the few precious books of his childhood.

A tapping on the window shattered his attention from the dust filled shelf towards the nearby window. Eyes narrowing, he moved in the direction of the glass, a small raven perched along its wooden edge, tapping at the window. Ice blue eyes met the black tiny orbs of the bird, and saw a flash of violet spark behind them. His senses began screaming like they hadn’t in years.

It was Duo. The blonde’s lips spread into a smile and he chuckled as the bird ruffled its feathers in almost impatience.

“Suddenly there came a tapping, as of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door…” He flicked open the latch to the double windows and pushed one open, admitting the bird.

It hopped onto the floor and in a flash of light transformed into Duo. Violet eyes pinned the former Sank prince. “Yeah, thank Mr. Poe, go bother Lenore.”

A gentle smile graced the older man’s face. “What brings you out here?”

The American merely cocked a brown eyebrow, and fixed the blonde with a strange look. “So I take it birds transform into humans around you normally, Blondie? Call it odd, but if someone turned from an animal into something human in front of me I would have pissed in my pants.”

The Sank prince actually twitched at the nickname. “Blondie?”

Duo broke out into a wide spread grin. “What, does Wu have a better pet name for you?”

“I would have thought a pet name was something Yuy would have given you.”

“Shut up, Zechs,” Duo growled. “Come on,” he stated, mood switching from playful to dangerous in moments. Grabbing a hold of the Sank’s wrist, the violet eyed teen headed towards the door.

“Where are we going?”

“To find Annie.”

He had to smile at that. The mere thought of Une being called by that bastardization of her first name by the wild American almost made him laugh out loud. If it wasn’t for the quick string of events and the sudden chill that ran up his spine.

“Duo-“

The American stopped at the almost hypnotic tone Zech’s voice took. Turning his head slightly to regard the man, Duo noticed the blonde was looking off for a second. “What?”

A flicker then it was gone, but it definitely left him with more than just a hunch. “What happened?”

“Let’s find Annie and I’ll tell ya,” was all the American replied, but his eyes, perhaps for the first time since the Lightning Count had ever seen them, had become hard and flat. Whatever happened it was bad…

“She’s this way,” Zechs murmured and lead Duo out of the library and down the halls towards the study and office, where he had left Une mere minutes ago. She was still there paging through endless letters, but when the American entered the room her head popped up and turned to gaze at them.

Seeing the braided boy, Lady Une dropped her pages, ignoring them fluttering to the ground. “Duo! What happened?”

Her throat suddenly became dry and her stomach dropped as she looked into this eyes. The eyes of a war child and death. “Oh, Goddess…”

He moved closer, fingers loosely moving over the paper filled desk. “We were attacked this afternoon.”

Hazel-brown eyes widened. “Who? Why… How?” Her mind raced over and past itself, stumbling over its own thoughts.

Leaning back with a sigh, those intelligent eyes looked up at her again. “Does the name
Eglantine Delmare mean anything to you?”

Duo watched as Anne’s eyes became unfocussed as she raced through probably lists of names she kept track of in her head. Pausing for a few moments, she seemed to reach an uncertain answer, “Not that I can say. It’s not ringing any bells… Why?”

“She had a familiar too, Annie. Elita, or something like that. My caliber.”

“No… That’s near…I mean it’s *possible* but rarely heard…” Une stuttered.

“She mentioned something about collecting a purchase for her clientele… She got Wu. She dropped a building around us. Q-man nearly fainted from shielding us and the emotions of the people dying,” the words dripped from his mouth like poison.

“No… Gods…No!” Anne mumbled, trembling.

Zechs reached forward, but Duo was across the room before he even touched her, catching the brown haired woman in his arms. “Annie… Come on…. Come on… Don’t faint on me. You’re stronger than that…” Duo kept murmuring softly to her, running fingers through her brown strands of hair.

Life flickered back into her eyes as it all finally registered in her mind. And slammed forward in a hysterical scream “NOOOOOOOOOOO! NO! NO!! Gods, its my fault!! NO…no..no!!”

“Anne!” Zechs sternly said, holding her chin between his hands, trying to get her to focus.

Nothing seemed to phase her. “Forgive me for this…” the blonde murmured and moved his hand. A slap stung across her cheek, not harshly, but enough to jolt her attention back to them.

She sat huddled in her pet’s arms, hand gently cradling her slightly pink cheek. “Zechs…oh Zechs… I’m so sorry… I didn’t know… I…”

“Shhhhh…” Duo whispered, nuzzling his cheek against her hair. “Shhhhh… No one is blaming you. But we have to get back… We need to open up trails for Wu…”

Zechs was already ahead of them, cell phone pressed to his ear, on the line with a cab company giving them directions by the time Duo looked up at him. Snapping the black phone closed, he finally looked over at the former 02 pilot, raking a frustrated hand through his platinum locks.

“Let’s wait for the cab, ne, Zechs?” Duo suggested, cradling the Preventer’s leader against him. He walked past the blonde and out of the office door, pausing to glance over his shoulder and asked, “Coming?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah… Give me a second Duo,” he asked and headed back to the library.

Violet eyes watched with wonder at the back and trail of the former prince. “Sure…”

The tall man disappeared into the doors and reemerged a few minutes later carrying a stack of eight books. “Let’s go.”

“Catching up on some library reading, Zechs?” Duo inquired, nodding his head towards the dusty stack in the man’s hands.

“If there is trouble coming, there are certain things we may need to read up on. Call it soldier’s intuition.”

“So it's true…” Duo whispered, following the blonde to the house’s porch.

“What’s true?”

“You. I mean, Anne mentioned some things, that’s all.” He paused, closing his eyes in the breeze passing through. “What’s in those books?”

“I’m going to find the bitch that took him.”

An understanding smile formed on the violet eyed teen’s face. “Aa. I was right.” He observed the man standing next to him.

“About?”

“You and your feelings for our Wu-man.” Duo replied, satisfied with the slight blush that streaked the blonde’s cheeks.

“I assume this is where you tell me to leave him alone?” Zechs continued to stare ahead. He always knew it was going to come to this. Too much had happened between them in the past for them to really accept him. The blonde didn’t want Duo to see the pain in his eyes…

“Hell no.” Duo chuckled.

That made the blonde turn to him. “Huh?”

The boy stifled a chuckle. “Hell no, Blondie. I was going to ask when you were going to jump him. Our Wu has definite jump-ablity factor on him. And has a damn fine little ass.”

Zechs had the decency to blush bright red. “Actually, I thought perhaps holding him and kissing him would be a better route to go, Maxwell.”

Then as if the previous conversation had never stopped, the American's mood switched back to its darkness. “Aa. I’m going to kill that bitch if she’s even touched one hair on his arrogant head,” Duo spat out, eyes turning hard as the sounds of the cab neared.

“Something is happening that can’t be good… Not when Une reacts like *that*… How’s Quatre?”

“He’s in bad shape and will be one unpleasant son-of-a-bitch when he finally gains consciousness…” Duo bemoaned. “The problem is why Wufei…?”

“Who said its Wufei they are after?” Zechs asked back.

“She obviously wanted him,” Duo snorted.

“I don’t know. She’s a closet sadist? She has a thing for pretty Asian boys?”

Another snort. “Doubt it. Wufei is not a nice kitty to play with.”

A dry chuckle escaped the blonde. “Unless you know how to stroke him…”

“Maaaaa! Are you saying you have tamed our prickly Wu-bear? Are you, Zechsie?” Duo grinned, somehow lightening the mood.

“I only wish.” The blonde sighed dramatically.

Silence stirred between them. It was their way to cut between bluntness, scathing remarks, and teasing. Out of all the former Gundam pilots, Zechs got along the least with the American. At least in his humble opinion…

“Whatcha thinking about?” Maxwell asked, just as the cab pulled into the drive.

A heavy sigh escaped the Sank prince. “That for once Duo we might be heading into something we don’t have a great deal of knowledge about. That for once we might actually be out of our league…” He paused and looked over one last time at the American cradling the brown eyed woman to his chest. Sighing, and running his fingers through his hair he headed towards the cab. “And that thought frightens me, Maxwell. That for the first time in our lives we don’t have an ace up our sleeves… That we are *completely* and *thoroughly* helpless.”

<1> “We’re almost there, madam.”
“ Thank you.”
<2> Na’am is Arabic for Yes.
<2a> Forgive the side note, but Quatre never was told to my knowledge of his real birth in the series. So, he is still left with the belief that him and his sisters were all test-tube children. We know he isn't... but he don't.
<3> “Then he’s the one.” ; “Absolutely beautiful. . .” ; “Where are my manners? I am Eglantine Delmare.”
<4> “shoef…” look out.

more to come!!
carrin the banner!
kc-chan

www.wired-dna.net