A/N: Okay, so I didn't quite make it to updating all my current fics by Christmas, but I still think I did pretty good, because this is the last of them. If I manage to keep to my resolution to write a thousand words a day, updates should hopefully be coming more often. Now, don't expect them every day, because that thousand won't always be in fics I'm posting, or even on fics at all. But it will be pretty often. So, in terms of this chapter, I hope you enjoy. I am currently posting without my beta though, so there may be some typos that I missed. In fact, it's likely. I don't own Gundam Wing or Yami no Matsuei.
Oh! I've been pondering writing what's going on with their younger counterparts while Duo and Wufei are taking their places. Any interest?
The Clock Moves Backwards
Chapter Seven
Troubles with Empaths
Quatre's happy mood faded as they approached the safe house. There was still no life. He couldn't feel if Duo and Wufei waited inside or if a pair of corpses did.
"We're back!" he called as they entered.
"Welcome home."
He nearly dropped the bags he carried, hastily setting them down as he ran to the living room.
Duo stretched out on the sofa with a book in hand, his hair half out of his braid. The blonde couldn't help but to stare. The pilot of Deathscythe didn't have a single scratch on him.
"Did you get me anything?" he asked cheerfully, setting the book down and rolling onto his stomach.
"Oh Duo," Quatre said with a whisper. He ran forward and dropped to his knees next to the couch to wrap his arms around the other teen, pressing his face against the cotton of his shirt. When Duo shifted to face him better, he moved to rest his forehead against the other pilot's shirt. "I couldn't feel you. You screamed and then I couldn't feel you. I thought you were dead."
"I'm fine, Quatre," Duo said soothingly. "How many times have I told you that you can't keep a good shinigami down?"
He placed a hand on the fair head, trying to comfort his friend. But as soon as skin touched skin, Quatre froze with a sharp gasp. Where there had been nothing, nothing for the empath to feel, there was suddenly an unbelievable presence, overwhelming, grasping, drowning-
"Duo, stop!"
The presence was ripped around, leaving Quatre gasping but able to breathe once again. In front of him, Wufei had a hand wrapped around Duo's wrist, having pulled the braided pilot's hand away from him. Both looked ashen as they stared at him.
"Are you alright?" Wufei asked softly, his voice sounding oddly worried for someone who usually kept the others at arms' length. He released Duo's hand after giving it a brief squeeze.
Duo stared at his hand in horror before clutching it to his chest and curling in on himself, as though to keep the limb from doing any more damage.
"What happened?" Quatre asked, pulling his arms back and mirroring Duo's closed posture. He was back to not being able to feel anything from the two, even as he kneeled less than a foot away from the clearly alive pilots.
"You may want to build up your wards before you touch him again," Wufei said softly.
His statement both failed to answer Quatre's question and opened up a whole slew of new ones, making his eyes widen. Of the pilots, only Trowa had been hold about his empathy, and even then he hadn't mentioned the efforts he'd made in shielding himself, not wanting his lover to worry. But, somehow, Wufei knew of both. And had been able to recognize that whatever it was that happened, had happened because of it.
The Chinese man turned to Duo. "You weren't hurt?"
"I'm fine, Wufei."
He apparently didn't believe Duo, and looked strangely used to the answer, as he started to check the other man over, tipping Duo's head up to look closely at his eyes. To all appearances, the street orphan looked just as used to the treatment, because he put up no fight. For Quatre, none of it made any sense. Duo should not have been so willing to be pampered, had never been willing to be pampered before. It just wasn't right!
"Are you sure you're alright?" Duo asked, turning away from Wufei's tending to cast another worried look at Quatre. He'd never reacted like that before, so why was it happening now? Had he really gotten that much more powerful in the years since the war? And for that matter, had Quatre's control gotten that much better?
Quatre tried to give him a reassuring smile, but even Wufei could see how shaky it was. The blond hadn't quite recovered all the way from... whatever that had been. He still didn't understand it. "Of course, Duo. I'll be fine, just give me a moment to catch my breath." He pushed his hair away from his face. "Probably just a bit of pent up stress from yesterday."
Duo tried not to flinch at the direct lie to his face, knowing full well that Quatre was not fine and that it wasn't just from the battle. Quatre's habit of trying to protect everyone by sugarcoating his own pain wasn't a surprise, but he wasn't so used to it anymore.
Heero and Trowa came through the door before Quatre could make a second attempt at checking Duo over (it was worth a try if Wufei was allowed), and the clown immediately put down his shopping bags to stride over and pull Quatre into his arms. Heero stopped in the doorway for a moment, shoulders stiff at the sight of Duo healthy and alive, when for all logic he should have been at the very least severely injured. He shook his head. "You have the strangest luck, Duo."
Duo grinned, brushing Wufei's hands away from him. They didn't need to bring up too many more questions, and acting all lovey dovey in front of Heero would bring up a shit ton of questions. "You know me. Nothing can bring down Shinigami." He squirmed off the couch. "Sorry for slipping out of my share of the shopping. I promise I'll make it up to you guys. So, whose turn is it to make dinner tonight? Because I'm starving."
"You're always hungry," Wufei said with a snort as he shook his head and stood up. "As bad as your- as Howard."
That hadn't been what he'd meant to say originally. Heero narrowed his eyes as he looked at the other Asian pilot. What had Wufei meant to say? The fact that Quatre was even more shaken now than he'd been earlier when he'd thought that the other two were dead didn't escape his attention either.
It deserved a good deal of further investigation, but if something had already happened with Quatre, the two would be alert, so it would have to wait. But not for long.
Duo breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't get immediately pounced on by his old partner, even though he knew that it couldn't last. Heero just didn't work that way. If he did, he wouldn't be Heero. He glanced over to Wufei with a minute grimace to make sure that his guard realized it too. From the tiny nod, Wufei had already noticed it too. Good. At least they were already on the same little paranoid page.
"Let me get you some tea," Trowa said softly as he unwound himself from his lover with some reluctance. When he received a small smile, he brushed his lips over Quatre's hair before heading into the kitchen and picking up the left behind groceries. There wasn't a question about asking the blond to help, not when he was still so shaken.
"You probably shouldn't touch me," Duo said with a small wince, repeating the warning because it really did deserve it. Man, if Trowa was walking on glass, then he'd really screwed up. He was going to string that fox up by his tails when they figured out how to get back home. Because he was not happy with having to stay away from Quatre.
