I would like to dedicate
this fic to Tai! Girl, what I would do without you? Hopefully, I wonīt ever
need to find out J
by
KatiKat
When
Heero pulled in breath through his tightly clenched teeth, Duo looked away,
looking distinctly green. Trowa was stitching the wound on the Enforcerīs upper
arm with a simple needle and a black thread. Duo really didnīt need to watch
it. So he distracted himself with looking around the small hut, not so
different from their own. There was a table, two chairs, one bed and the
fireplace, where a fire was cracking happily. On the shelves there were no
knives or other weapons like in their hut had been, though. They were full of
herbs, jars with strange fluids and ointments. The hut smelled like a meadow in
high summer.
"Donīt
be such a wuzz," Trowa said, smirking at Heero, who glared at him with all
his might. "So," the Healer continued, cutting the thread with a
small, sharp knife, "you pulled Duo out of the fire and then I came,
right?"
Heero
nodded, his eyes fixed on the braided lifebearer. "Yes. And now our home
is destroyed and we will have to find a new one quickly. We canīt live here
indefinitely after all." He flexed his arm and grimaced at the pull of the
stitches.
"You
can stay as long as you want and you know that." The Healer started to put
away the ointments and bandages he had used to take care of Heeroīs wounds.
"You still didnīt tell me, why you left the hut in the first place,
Duo," he said, putting the things back on the shelves, his back turned to
the lifebearer.
When
Duo didnīt answer immediately both Heero and Trowa turned to him, their
eyebrows raised in askance.
The
lifebearer flushed deeply and lowered his eyes, then he muttered something
under his breath.
"What
did you say?" Heero asked, putting on the tunic he had borrowed Trowa.
"I
went to the stream for water," Duo said a little more loudly.
The
Enforcer frowned. "But there was at least half of the bucket before I
left. Iīve always made sure there is enough water so that you wouldnīt need to
go out."
Duoīs
blush deepened. "I kind of... I had a little mishap with the dinner I was
cooking." The lifebearer squirmed on the hard wood chair.
Heero
nodded as if that explained everything, but Trowa, seeing Duo squirm in his
seat and noticing the palor of his skin and the black circles under his eyes,
narrowed his eyes. In the last couple of days, Heero came often to visit the
Healer. He didnīt say much, but it was pretty obvious that Duo had been
irritable and annoying and all in all not the best companion one could wish
for. And so, when he put two and two together, everything clicked.
"Duo,
did you get your bleeding?" Trowa asked bluntly.
The
lifebearer looked as if his eyes would pop out of his head, then looked away
and blushed so deeply, that Trowa feared he would catch fire.
"Duo?"
Heero asked and when he didnīt get any answer, he stood up, crossed the small
room and crouched in front of his mate. "Duo, look at me." When the
lifebearer shook his head wildly and kept on wringing his hands nervously,
Heero raised his hand and took Duoīs chin between his fingers, then he lifted
the braided manīs head, so that he could look directly into the violet eyes.
"Is that true?"
Duo
blinked a couple of times, then nodded slightly, clearly embarrassed by the
whole conversation.
Unmindful
of Trowa, who started to potter around the fireplace, Heero smiled brightly,
then tugged Duo down into his arms. He hugged the lifebearer tightly,
whispering into his ear in a coarse voice.
"Iīm
so happy for you, for us."
Hearing
Heeroīs words, Duo exhaled in relief and hugged his mate back. He had been
afraid that Heero wouldnīt want to have children. Their child would become the
next Enforcer, after all. He could have understood if Heero wouldīve wanted to
spare his child that sort of fate.
"Hear,
drink this," Trowaīs voice sounded from the fireplace.
When
the two mates separated and looked over, the Healer was pouring a steaming
liquid into a porcelain cup. He then returned the pot of hot water back on the
place by the fire and handed the cup to Duo, stepping over Shinigami, who was
sprawled on the ground by the fire. The lifebearer took it reluctantly and
sniffed at it. The smell was sweet and nothing like the concoction Trowa poured
into him when he lost his child.
"What
is it?" Duo asked.
Trowa
dusted his hands off and propped them on his hips. "Well, since youīre
bleeding, you need something that will help you replace all the blood youīve
lost."
Duo
frowned. "I never needed to drink anything during this time before."
"Yeah,
and half of the time you felt dizzy and kept fainting any time you got up. Am I
right?"
Duo
nodded reluctantly.
"Thatīs
because your Healer is a traditionalistic idiot, who is convinced that the body
of a lifebearer musnīt be polluted during his time," Trowa said, rolling
his eyes in disgust. "What crap! Itīll be nothing more than this brew,
some tea and some cheka leaves for you the next three days, though."
Duo
nodded unhappily. He knew that the lifebearers couldnīt eat any solid foods
during their bleeding to minimize the risk of infection. He opened his mouth to
say something when suddenly Shinigami sprang to his feet, growling silently.
Immediately
Heero stood up from his crouch and gripped the knife that was lying on the
table. Trowa followed his example and took a long hunting knife still in its
sheath from the shelf. They both turned to the door, watching it intently.
When
the impatient knock sounded through the hut, Shinigamiīs growling turned into a
loud bark. Trowa and Heero moved to the door. The Enforcer laid one hand on the
latch while the Healer stepped to the other side of the door, so that when the
door opened he would be hidden from the sight of their unexpected visitor.
Trowa then pulled the knife out of the leather sheath and nodded at Heero.
"Who
is there?" the Enforcer asked, his voice flat and cold.
"Heero,
itīs me, Wufei. Open the door!" the villagerīs voice was intense,
bordering on desperation.
Heero
looked at Trowa, who shrugged. The Enforcer then turned to Duo. The
lifebearerīs eyes were wide open and he was gripping the cup so tightly that it
threatened to shatter.
"Heero,
open up. Itīs important! Iīve some really bad news," the voice sounded
through the thick door again. It had now more than just a hint of desperation.
"Open
the door, Heero," Duo said then, his voice quiet. When he saw Heeroīs eyes
narrow, the lifebearer sighed. "Itīs obvious that he must have been
looking for us, so whatever he wants to tell us must be really important and we
should at least hear him out."
Heero
clenched his jaw and stared a moment longer at his mate. Then he too sighed,
ordered Shinigami to get back and tore the door open. Immediately sharp, cold
wind pushed inside, a veil of snow flakes tearing through the door, which
melted when hit by the warmth inside.
A
white clad figure stood in the doorway, covered from head to toe in snow, which
helped him to blend with his surroundings. The man staggered inside.
Heero
slammed the door shut and pressed the point of his knife against the manīs
back. "What do you want?" he asked his voice full of hostility.
"I warned you the last time."
Wufei
breathed in deeply and pushed the hood off his head. He looked down at the wide
eyed Duo and his features, red from the cold outside, twisted in sorrow. The
lifebearer blinked, a sense of foreboding gripping his heart.
The
black haired man turned slowly to face Heero. "I remember what you told
me, but it doesnīt matter now," he said, his voice hollow.
Heero
frowned, his weapon still pointed at the man he considered an enemy. "So,
what was so important?"
Wufei
sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, there was only
the strength of resolve in his black irises. "You have to take Duo and get
out of here. Now!" he said, his voice hard.
Heero
exchanged glances with Trowa, who was now frowning too. "Why?" the
Enforcer asked. "You know that as an Enforcer I canīt leave the village.
My duty is to protect the people, even if I hate them with all my heart."
The
black manīs lips twisted into a bitter grimace. "People? There are no
people to protect anymore, Yuy!"
There
was the sound of a chair scrapping against the wooden floor. Duoīs voice was
trembling when he asked: "What are you saying?"
Wufei
turned to the pale lifebearer. "Howard and the Sweepers came..."
Duoīs
eyes lit up. "Uncle Howie?"
Seeing
Duo light up at the name of the man who destroyed everything they had, he
snarled: "They killed them! All of them. Every man, woman and child in the
village is dead! Howardīs mercenaries slaughtered them all!" He knew was
being to harsh with the lifebearer, but the sight that he encountered when he
came back from Meiranīs village, where he had hidden his pregnant mate, was
still burned into his mind. The whole village in flames, mercenaries beheading
the rest of the men still alive. And among them, Howard, with Father Maxwell at
his feet.
The
porcelain mug shattered on the hard wood floor. "No... Youīre lying,"
Duo whispered.
Wufei
felt himself propelled around, a hand gripping his shoulder tightly. "What
did you say?" Heero demanded, his voice hoarse. "Tell us everything from the
beginning."
The
black haired man swallowed painfully, but started to speak in a soft voice.
"It began a couple of weeks ago. Father Maxwell was getting impatient,
rude; he changed a lot after you took Duo away. He collected all the money the
villagers had to give and it was still too little for him. He refused to tell
any of us more. And then, today, Howard and his mercenaries came. I thought it
was weird and had a bad feeling about it. Father Maxwell looked shocked; he was
white as a ghost when he saw them. He said..." Wufei turned around to look
at the shocked Duo. "He said he came to claim his mate he paid so well
for. He came for you, Duo," he added.
The
lifebearer stared at him, as if Wufei was crazy. Duoīs knees buckled and couldnīt
support him anymore and so he plopped back into the chair. "No, thatīs
impossible... Iīve known Uncle Howie since I was a child. He always brought me
sweets from his travels. He is like my real uncle. He would never... I mean,
Iīm just a child in comparison to him."
"I
heard him saying that..." Wufei whispered.
Duo
bowed his head, the expression of sick shock still on his face.
"And?"
Heero probed further impatiently.
Wufei
sighed again, the turned to Heero. "I got Meiran out of there since I had
a really bad feeling about the whole thing. I took him to his fatherīs village,
then returned to see how things turned out..." his voice trailed off.
"The village was in flames, bodies were everywhere. They were all dead,
slaughtered..."
Heero
clenched his jaw, then released Wufeiīs shoulder and turned to where his warm
jacket lay.
"What
are you doing, Heero?" Trowa asked. That seemed to bring Wufei out of his
contemplation.
"Iīm
going to the village," the Enforcer answered, his voice ice cold.
Wufei
opened, then closed his mouth a couple of times, watching Heero dress.
"Why?" he asked in the end.
"I
will look for survivors and..."
"And
what?" Wufei interrupted him. "They are dead! All of them!" he
shouted harshly. "There is no one to save. You will only forfeit your life
if you go there." He caught the Enforcer by the sleeve of his jacket.
Heero
pulled his arm out of the black haired manīs grasp and glared at him.
"Then I will die with them. It was my duty to protect them and I
failed."
Wufei
looked helplessly toward Trowa, who was staring into the flames in the
fireplace, then to Duo whose eyes were still downcast.
"What
about Solo...?" the lifebearer asked in a soft voice. "Is he..."
he swallowed painfully. "Is he dead too?"
Hearing
the desperate question, everybody turned to Duo. The longhaired young man was
pale and trembling.
Wufei
managed to find a small reassuring smile for the benefit of his ex-lover.
"No. He is in Salīs village. He wanted to spend the winter festivities
with him."
Duo
blinked once, twice, then crystalline tears started to run down his pale
cheeks. "Itīs my fault," he whispered. "All of it. All I do is
destroy everything I touch." His tone was full of self-loathing.
Heero,
half dressed, crossed the room and knelt in front of his mate, gripping his
loveīs hands in his calloused ones. "Itīs not your fault. You didnīt know.
You couldnīt know," the Enforcer said softly. "If someone is to
blame, then itīs me. Iīm the Enforcer. I shouldīve been there to save them,
to-"
"Bullshit!"
Wufei snapped, interrupting their guilt trip. "If there is one person you
should blame, then itīs Father Maxwell. It was him who sold Duo to Howard; he
spent all the money he got so that he had to steal the money of the villagers.
He caused it. He and Howard." Wufei looked Heero firmly in the eyes.
"And what would youīve done, if you hadīve been there? Stood up against a
small army? You may be good, but there is at least thirty of them and youīre
alone." When Heero still glared at him, he continued, his tone desperate
to make them understand. "Do you think anybody from the village wouldīve
helped you? Do you think they wouldīve lifted a finger to protect Duo?"
Heero
stood up slowly and laid one hand on Duoīs shoulder. "It doesnīt
matter," he said, his voice flat. "I know my duty. The Enforcer
protects the village and dies with it."
"Why?
Why are you so intent on losing your life?" This time Wufei screamed. He
came here to give them a chance to escape before the mercenaries came for them.
Instead he was losing precious time arguing about whose fault it was.
"If
I couldnīt protect them, I will at least revenge them," Heero said, his
tone completely emotionless.
Wufei
clenched his hands, still covered with gloves, in fists. "You would rather
die, than live a life with Duo?" He pointed at the distressed lifebearer.
Something
dangerous flashed through Heeroīs eyes. "So that I can live like
you?" When Wufei only blinked in confusion, Heero continued: "All you
did was save your own mate. You just turned tail and ran!"
Cold
furry gripped Wufei. "Yeah? And what should I have done, huh? Run from
house to house and yell at the people that I had a bad feeling? Or should I
have fetched you, so that you could die in a blaze of glory and leave Duo
alone?"
The
two men looked at each other, the anger in their eyes clashing together.
"He
is right, Heero," Trowa said softly, who had been until now only following
the conversation silently. "He is right and you know it, and thatīs why
you are so pissed. The villagers wouldnīt have done anything. They grew too
lazy in the time since the last war. They grew to depend on the skills of the
Enforcer. They wouldīve sacrificed you, Duo, me, maybe even one another."
The
silence in the hut grew heavy, the soft whining of Shinigami who seemed to
follow their argument too the only sound besides the cracking fire.
"Only
four persons survived from the village, Heero," Wufei said quietly, his
voice suddenly void of any sign of anger. "Solo will surely stay with Sal.
Meiran and I will live at my mateīs village. And that leaves only Duo."
Wufei paused to let his words sink. "You know what that means? There is
still one villager left who needs your protection, and it doesnīt matter that
itīs your mate. He is the one who now owns the right to an Enforcer. And your
duty is to protect him."
Heero
clenched his teeth together. He understood the logic behind Wufeiīs words, he
didnīt like it though. It seemed too selfish to him.
"They
will be here soon," the black haired man continued. "Iīm sure one of
the villagers, if not Father Maxwell himself, told them where they can find
you. And when they see the mess at your hut, they will know that there is only
one place where you could go to. Here." Wufei looked at Trowa, who was now
watching him with a grim expression. "Iīve never been here and I still
managed to find this place. There are dozens of them and if they
spread..." he let his voice trail off.
For
a moment, nothing happened. It looked as if they were figures frozen in time.
Then Heero whispered: "I shouldīve known something was wrong."
Trowa
sighed and uncrossed his arms. "How? From what I saw you had problems of
your own. But thatīs the past. Now we have to think about the future. And the
decision is yours."
Heero
sighed deeply, scrubbing his face with his hands. Then it seemed as if
everything snapped back into focus. He had made a decision. "We go,"
he said, his voice firm, no doubts left. "Trowa, give Duo something warm
to dress in. We have to pack food, some clothes, blankets and weapons."
Trowa nodded. "Donīt pack anything thatīs not absolutely necessary."
Wufei
sighed in relief. Finally. He just hoped it wasnīt too late. He took off his
gloves and reached into the inside pocket of his warm jacket. "Here,"
he said, handing something over to Heero, while Trowa moved to pack already.
The
Enforcer frowned as a heavy money purse slid into his hand. "What is
it?"
The
black haired man shrugged. "Thatīs all I could get together in such a
short time. You canīt stay in the woods through the whole winter, that means
you have to head south, to the cities. This will help you survive in the
beginning," he explained. He felt still little bad that he couldntīdo
anything more for them.
"Wufei-"
Heero started to protest, but the black haired man stopped him with a raised
hand.
"I
made some wrong decisions in my life and they caused a lot of pain. Thatīs all
I can do for you. I would give you my horse too, but I suspect that where
youīre heading, it would be more of a burden than help."
Heero
looked at him for a moment, as if gauging if his offer was genuine, then closed
his hand over the purse and nodded. He tucked it safely into the inner pocket
of his jacket, then turned around, only to spot Duo still sitting rooted in his
place. He crouched in front of him. Seeing the shocked, hazy look in the violet
eyes, he caught Duoīs face in his hands and swept the tears away with his
thumbs.
"We
have to move, Duo. Now! Can you do that for me?" he asked gently, as if
speaking to a skittish colt.
Duo
slowly nodded and allowed Heero to help him get up. He still didnīt say
anything though. The world around him was changing too quickly. Just minutes
ago he was happy that he finally found his lost memories, that he could have
children again and now they were going to be refugees, on the run. His mind was
still refusing to accept the truth.
It
took a matter of minutes to get together small packs containing clothes, food
and weapons for the three of them. Then they were standing there, about to
leave one life behind and step into another one, but reluctant to take the step
anyway.
"I...
uhm..." Wufei wanted to say something, anything. He knew that this was
probably the last time he would ever see Duo, but the words just wouldnīt came.
So instead he quickly caught Duo in his arms and hugged the warmly clothed
lifebearer tightly. "Iīm so sorry about everything that happened," he
whispered into Duoīs ear.
"I
know," the longhaired man answered in the same, hushed tone. "Iīm
sorry too. I loved you, you know that, right?"
Wufei
shut his eyes tightly, feeling the tears prickle behind his eyelids.
"Yeah, I loved you too." With that he pulled back and looked Heero
directly in the eyes. "Protect him," he said, making it sound like an
order.
The
Enforcer nodded. Then Trowa moved and opened the door, letting the ice cold air
seeped in from the outside. Shinigami shot out and the four men followed him.
In
front of the hut they split up, Wufei taking his horse from where he left him
behind the hut, out of the cold wind and the other three men heading slowly
into the woods.
Duo
stopped among the first trees and turned around, watching his former lover
disappear into the darkness together with his old life. What would they do now?
They had no home, nowhere to go to. They only had themselves. Would it be
enough? Was it even worth trying?
The
lifebearer felt a tug on his arm. He looked around and spotted Heero, the man
he loved more than his own life, standing next to him in the darkness.
"We
have to go!" the Enforcer shouted over the wind.
Duo
nodded slowly, then turned around and together with his mate and his best
friend he headed towards an unknown future.
The
End