Quatre screamed in terror as he woke from his vision, sweat streaming from his body. "NO!"

The door surged open as Trowa nearly tore it from its hinges in his concern for the Seer. Quatre still sat cross-legged in front of the makeshift shrine, swirls of smoke about his body. The sticks of incense had burned to nothing but ashes, their scent making the tall boy nauseous. Quatre's head had fallen to his chest and Trowa could see tears glistening on his cheeks.

"Quatre?"

The blonde boy looked up at the soft voice, sniffling slightly. He smiled gently, rising from the floor with unconscious grace. His green tunic clung to him wetly, and even his leather breeches showed signs of dampness. His vision quest had taken him longer than anticipated...and shown him more than he was prepared to see.

"I am disturbed, Trowa. I was shown..." His voice caught for a moment as he relived the scenes that had played before him. The village burning, the Beloved girl dying in her mate's arms, the only survivor dragged away to a Fate worse than death...

"I was shown the destruction of the Dragon Clan. The entire village was destroyed. Only one remains."

Trowa's head hung in sympathy. It was hard on the Seer, an empath of incredible strength who could feel the emotions of the people around him and those his unexpected visions brought to him. An entire Clan...killed...

"We must save him."

The Seer swept past Trowa with determination, pale blue eyes flashing with anger. The taller boy did not fight, knowing that nothing could sway his lover when he got this way. Quatre was not quick to anger; it was his soothing personality that had kept him and his companions together for so long.

"But Quatre..."

Quatre was already at his destination a short distance down the hallway, slim hand pounding on the door before him. A muffled shout came from within and a disheveled boy opened the door a crack, peering out with sleep hazed violet eyes.

"Whaddya want?"

"I need you."

The door opened further, revealing the half naked youth. His hair was pulled into a messy braid that fell over one shoulder, a sheet clutched about his waist. "Aww, Quatre. I'm flattered, really. But what about..."

Quatre's hand silenced the clever retort. Duo lost his smile and came fully into the hall. "What is it?"

"A Beloved has been murdered. And one taken."

Trowa repressed a shudder at the look of utter rage that stole across Duo's face. The thin boy had been raised by Beloved parents who were murdered when they refused to mate with any others. He had been forced to live on the streets, naming himself Shinigami, an old God of Death. He protected all Beloveds with a passion that bordered on fanatical, and had even rescued a Beloved that had been with him ever since.

"Where?"

Quatre sighed, suddenly sorry that his friend had to be let in on such terrible knowledge. He knew that Duo's cause had been particularly sensitive ever since he had rescued Heero, an abused Beloved who had been forced to become a Killer of the Word, the world's most dangerous assassin.

"Dragon Clan. A day's ride south."

Duo went back into his room, door slightly ajar. When he reemerged moments later, he was dressed in a black tunic and breeches, travel cloak thrown over his arm. A cloaked shadow stood at his back.

"Heero," Quatre acknowledged the shadow, smiling grimly as the other boy followed Duo from the room they shared. Heero was a slim youth, his Beloved abilities giving him impossible strength and agility. Cold blue eyes stared from beneath an unruly shock of dark brown hair, taking in his surroundings with calculated efficiency. His face could have been handsome if not for the mask of burgundy leather that covered his mouth and part of his nose.

Quatre had originally believed it a cover for a hideous scar that the youth didn't want seen. Duo had corrected him later, after detailing his rescue of the strange assassin. The Beloved boy's powers had been subverted, making him a Killer of the Word, able to destroy or kill by just speaking. The mask was an enchantment that allowed him to speak without his power coming to bear.

Heero was without a doubt the most dangerous individual in the world...and he seemed content to follow Duo around, a silent shadow at his back. The violet eyed boy had explained it as something akin to a life debt. He was bound to Duo until death.

The blonde caught Duo's arm before he left. "Take him to Sanctuary. We will meet you there."

He watched the chestnut haired youth leave with a nod, his Beloved following without a sound. Quatre stared after them until even their shadows had gone from the wall, his heart heavy with worry. He turned to his lover and claimed his hand. "Come, Trowa. I must seek another vision...perhaps one that will help us repair that damage that has been done."

Wufei found himself drowning in comfort when he awoke, his body sunk into a soft mattress and covered with fine, thick blankets. He raised only his head at first, taking in his surroundings. The huge bed was the only feature in the light colored tent, unlit braziers guarded the draped doorway.

He moved slowly, still feeling the influence of Zechs' sleeping spell. He found that he was completely naked, a realization that somehow didn't shock him. His body tingled, an indication that he was still in Throe, though the light from outside the tent showed him that another day had been lost since his capture...and the destruction of his people.

He bit back the cry the threatened on his lips. With calming breath, he pushed back the overwhelming despair...the vision of Meiran's sightless eyes as her spirit touched him on its journey to the other side...

A stir at the entrance called his attention. Treize stood there, bare to the waist, golden hair wet and dripping. Wufei's gaze tuned stone as he beheld the soldier standing there. He had no illusions as to why he'd been taken; he had only wait...either to fight back with all his strength or to discover a way to kill himself before his fate was sealed.

He hissed as he saw the Seer step from behind the tall soldier, platinum hair tinted with the first beginnings of the sunset outside. Blind white eyes studied him as if he were nothing more than an animal, to be beaten or loved.

"Dragon."

Wufei fought to control the fury that surged through his body as the name of his clan rolled from Treize's murdering tongue. "Say that again and I will kill you, murderer."

"Feisty."

Zechs stepped forward as Wufei struggled to rise from the bed. His sleeping spell would be slow in wearing off; the Beloved would be helpless for a while. Still, he knew Wufei would be more than capable when it came to killing his captors. Zechs had admired the boy's skills as a martial artist as he fought off the invaders who were destroying his home.

With terrifying grace, Zechs wrapped his arms around Treize's waist and began to massage the muscled abdomen. His hands left the skin slick and shiny and a heady odor began to fill the room.

The Seer laughed as he watch realization dawn in their captive Beloved's eyes. "Oh, yes. You can feel yourself reacting already...it will be as if he were your own mate. My pheromones will see to that."

Wufei was too weak to do anything more than shake his head helplessly. Zechs' scent reached him and the Throe returned with a vengeance, sweeping him from any semblance of coherent thought. He tried to focus his thoughts with memories of Meiran, but even they were weak compared to the call of his own body.

"Meiran..." he whispered as Treize sat next to him, strong body sinking the bed further until Wufei felt trapped by the mattress, walls of white linen. Somehow Treize had become completely naked, his body still glistening with Zechs' oil. The boy was lost as the soldier bent to kiss him.

With a mock salute, the white eyed Seer left the two alone, knowing with sick satisfaction that even lost in the Throe, Wufei would still fight Treize to the bitter end.

And Treize wanted it that way.

Zechs stood staring at the rising moon, soft material of the tent behind him moving gently with the evening breezes. He smiled cruelly, body tensed in anticipation. With a moan of pleasure, his muscular frame shuddered as the shrill scream of Chang Wufei tore through the darkness.