Authors Note: Thanks to Luke-1539 for proofing this.

Disclaimer: Halo, Sangheili, Rtas and Thel belong to Bungie Studios. However, Original Characters, like Zeno, belong to me.

Chapter 10: Retribution

Weeks passed and in that time Zeno saw Rtas blossom in his new role as commander. Rtas still came to him from time to time, mostly to talk about his time with Anko. However, he never mentioned his past before Anko. Zeno tried to ask him about it indirectly a couple of times, but Rtas always changed the subject: it was clear Rtas was not ready to talk about that to anyone, not even to someone he trusted. Therefore, he stopped asking.

There was one problem during this time: Miko. His lover was growing increasingly annoyed at the attention Zeno gave Rtas. No matter how many times he told him that there was nothing going on between them beyond brotherhood, Miko would not be soothed. Zeno was at a loss as to what to do and hoped Miko got over it soon.

"Rtas was in here again…." Miko stated one day when he returned from his duties for the day, sniffing the air.

"He was here on official business," Zeno said as he removed his armor pieces.

"Official huh? Why did he not just use the comm?" Miko growled faintly as he started removing his own armor pieces.

"Miko, you know that, like his father, he prefers to do business face to face."

"Right…So what kind of business did he have? The feel you up kind?"

"We were discussing my swordsmanship progress, nothing more." Zeno was quickly getting fed up with Miko's accusations.

"Swordmanship…Please tell me you are not bedding…."

Zeno rounded on him. "I am not cheating on you…You are the only one my hearts call for."

"Why does he keep coming to you then!?"

"We share similar histories and because of that he knows I understand his loss. He knows he can come for me for comfort without ridicule."

"Comfort…Just what sort of comfort have you been giving him?"

Zeno groaned and rolled his eyes. "Not to the level you did with me when Kou died. Now please, stop looking for evidence of cheating when none exists."

"So you just covered your tracks then…."

This time Zeno punched the wall next to him, Miko jumping in shock. "Miko…For the last time…There is nothing going on between me and Rtas!" Zeno snapped.

They stared at each other, their snouts nearly touching. It took a moment for Zeno to recognize that he had frightened his lover. "Miko, I am sorry…," he said softly, his face turning apologetic.

"Just…Stay away from me…." Miko whined, pushing Zeno away and leaving the room.

"Miko!" Zeno cried as he went after him. "I would never actually hit you."

"How can you be so sure of that!?" Miko said as he continued to walk down the hall. "You were willing to hit a wall in anger, what about next time?"

"I did not strike you after you struck me that one time," Zeno pointed out. "And back then I would have had every right to strike back!"

"That was then…This is now…Just…Stay away from me." Miko turned and pushed him away again.

An act that likely saved both their lives.

Zeno wasn't sure what happened at first. He heard a deafening noise and a rush of heat, followed by him hitting the floor, his wits and breath knocked out of him. As his senses returned, he heard screams of agony and the smell of burning flesh, metal and rubber. When his eyes finally focused, he saw the ruined remains of a conduit, burning and sparking and on the floor not far from him was Miko, on fire.

"Miko!" Zeno leapt to his feet, not caring if he was injured himself or not. Scanning the hallway, he quickly found the emergency fire extinguisher and seized it. "Miko close your eyes!" he said as he started to dose the flames on Miko. After the fire was out on Miko, he turned the extinguisher onto the burning conduit, putting it out as well. Then he tossed the extinguisher aside and knelt by Miko to assess his injures, his hearts sickened by what he saw.

The fire had burned though his bodysuit completely over his left breast, shoulder and arm. A large patch of his left breast was blackened with at least a second degree burn that traveled up to his shoulder and down his arm, the surrounding flesh purple, blistered and swelling. Miko was whimpering in pain and Zeno felt terrible that there was nothing he could do for him personally to ease it. "H-how…B-bad?" Miko said through clenched mandibles.

Zeno could not bring himself to lie to him. "Looks rather bad…," he said, tears in his eyes.

"Oh Gods…It…It hurts so much…."

"Just…Stay with me, Miko." He nuzzled his face. "Do not leave me…."

"What happened here!?" The voice of Rtas said. Zeno looked up to see the commander running down the hall toward them.

"I…I am not sure commander," Zeno said, looking at the conduit. "I think the conduit exploded…Miko was caught in the explosion."

Rtas knelt down beside them and assessed Miko's injures himself. "I need a medical team here immediately," he said into his comm. "Barracks level six, section three, hall nine. Bring burn equipment." Rtas then turned his attention to Zeno. "Are you injured, Zeno?"

"If I am, it is not nearly as life threatening as Miko's," Zeno replied.

"You should have yourself checked to be sure."

"I will not leave Miko's side, commander. Not until I know Miko will be alright."

"Are you sure, Zeno? You could have inter…."

"Commander, not even a direct order will make me leave his side," Zeno growled.

Rtas looked a bit taken back at the venom in Zeno's voice. "Zeno, I am just concerned about your well being…."

"St-stay away from him…," Miko hissed suddenly. "He…He's mine."

"Miko, do not start that foolishness now," Zeno said with a sigh.

Rtas blinked with shock. "You think me and Zeno are…." He stopped and shook his head. "No, Miko, there is nothing like that going on between us. I do not lean that way besides…."

Miko's eyes widened in surprise, and then filled with sadness and guilt. "Zen…Zeno…I am so sorry…."

"Miko, it is alright. I forgive you. Save your strength for healing," Zeno told him.

"I am such a fool…."

"Miko…."

The medical team arrived then. They quickly ensured Miko was stable and put him onto a gurney before rushing him toward the infirmary, Zeno hot on their heels. Rtas stayed at the scene to investigate why the conduit blew. Zeno stayed as close to Miko as he could as they worked on him, but unfortunately due to the nature of burns, they could not give him any painkillers as they tended to his wounds and every cry of pain was like a stab in Zeno's own hearts.

A couple of nurses did their best to look over Zeno himself, but Zeno would have none of it while Miko was on the operating table. It took him nearly biting one of them before they got the hint. They got their chance when the doctors were finished with Miko and transferred him to a room for monitoring: the worse Zeno had was a few bruises from when he hit the floor. "How is he? Will he be alright?" Zeno asked when he was finally able to grab one of the doctors.

"He will live," the doctor said. "The worse burns are second degree, but that means there will be scarring. When he is healed he will need therapy on his arm to ensure it regains its full function."

"I…I understand." The thought of Miko being scarred in such a way was disturbing: worse, he had no idea how Miko would react to the news. "Can I see him?"

"You may. I warn you though: he is doped up on painkillers so he can get some rest. If he is awake, he likely will not make any sense."

Zeno simply nodded and went into the room. Miko's left arm and chest wrapped in bandages and he reeked of burn gel and other medicines, but he was sleeping peacefully. Ignoring the smell, Zeno sat down by his bed and took his uninjured hand into his own: with his other hand, he gently stroked Miko's face. You really like to throw obstacles in our relationship don't you Gods? he thought. First Yuteri and that aftermath, then dung Juwi tries to pull on us, this jealousy stunt and now this. When will you stop testing us?

He got no answers, he never did. With a sigh, Zeno lay his head down next to Miko's and quickly dozed off.

Zeno was awakened by a gentle shaking.

"Bwah?" Zeno moaned as he groggily opened his eyes and looked up to see Rtas standing beside him. "Commander?"

"Get yourself something to eat, Zeno and return to your quarters for the night. I will watch over him for you," Rtas said softly.

"Commander, I am fine," Zeno protested, sitting up.

"I insist, for the sake of your own health and wellbeing."

Zeno opened his mouth to argue, but the look on Rtas' face made it clear he was not going to budge on the issue. With a sigh, Zeno stood up, feeling a slight ache in his back due to the position he was sleeping in. "If he awakens while I am away…Can you…?"

"I will send word to you, do not worry."

"Thank you, commander." He started to leave, then paused and asked. "Any idea what caused that conduit to blow?"

"There are some leads, but I do not want to judge until I have all the facts," Rtas replied, shaking his head. "I will let you know."

Zeno nodded and left the infirmary, heading for the mess hall. Once there he got food, but found he had no appetite. He managed to force himself to eat some food, but eventually gave up and pushed his tray away. Though he knew Miko would survive his injuries, his hearts were still sick from the thought of him being injured so. The thought that he could have lost him weighed heavily on his mind: he could not even begin to imagine what life would be like for him without Miko.

Shaking his head, he made his way back to his quarters. Once there though, he found himself unable to relax enough to fall asleep. He was not used to not having Miko's warm body next to his anymore and after some tossing and turning, he finally gave up and just stared at the ceiling, letting his thoughts wander. Even then, he would not get any peace.

Someone buzzed his door and Zeno, thinking it was word of Miko being awake, rushed to the door to answer. He was not expecting to see Henun 'Fiteree in the doorway. "Henun, what can I help you with?" he asked.

"How is Miko?" the smaller Sangheili asked, obviously nervous going by how he kept looking around him.

"He will live, but there will be scarring," Zeno replied.

"Thank the Gods." Henun looked relieved. "Have you seen the commander?"

"Rtas? He is with Miko right now. Why?"

The other SpecOps looked really nervous now and started to fidget. "Because I know why that conduit exploded…," he said, lowering his head.

"What!? How?" Zeno grabbed the other male by the shoulders, Henun squawking slightly in surprise.

"Ju-Juwi…," Henun stammered. "You know how he hates you both. He wanted to get you back for all the pranks and humiliation you caused him. He rigged that conduit to blow remotely when you two were close enough."

Zeno was bewildered by what he was hearing: he and Miko stopped playing pranks on Juwi weeks ago, so there was no reason to do such a thing. "I tried to stop him…," Henun continued. "Warned him that it might have killed someone, but he did not care. By the Gods…He laughed when the conduit went off…Oh Gods…How I wish I was able to warn you two before hand."

"Why not?" Zeno's tone was hot and aggressive. That Juwi deliberately tried to do this got the rage in his hearts burning.

"Juwi would not let me out of his sight. I was only just now able to get away from him. He knew I would tell someone. He even threatened my well-being. That is why I was looking for the commander, to not only tell him what I just told you, but to request for a transfer: I can no longer work with the likes of Juwi in good conscience."

"Where is Juwi now?"

"Sl-sleeping. I was hoping I could get to the commander and tell him before he awakens and finds me gone."

Sleeping.... The thought of Juwi sleeping with a smile on his face due to what he did really angered him. "Well you best be going, Henun," Zeno said calmly, though underneath he was seething with rage. "If Juwi sees you gone, he will no doubt conclude you went to tell someone about this and possibly make a run for it."

"R-right, I will be going now," Henun said with a nod. "Speedy recovery to Miko…."

"Thank you."

Henun sped off down the hall and Zeno closed the door. For a brief moment, he just stood there, debating with himself. Stay here and let the commander take care of it? Or go after Juwi himself and get a little payback on Miko's behalf?

The worse they will do to him is jail him, maybe demote him, he thought. Not good enough for what he did. With a growl, he put his armor on, grabbed his swords and slipped out the door. Part way down the hallway, he activated his camo. It took him less then a moment to reach Juwi and Henun's quarters. The door was unlocked, no doubt so Henun could slip back in without disturbing Juwi. That suited Zeno just fine, as it meant less tracks to cover.

He entered the room and looked down upon Juwi in his bed: there was indeed a smile on the bastard's face. With a growl, he kicked his bed, startling the Sangheili awake. "Huh? What?" Juwi blabbered sitting up. Zeno checked himself, staying still, letting Juwi get his senses first.

"Henun? Was that you?" Juwi looked over at Henun's bed and his eyed widened when he saw it was empty. "That little…." The other male quickly got up and headed for the door, rage in his eyes. That was when Zeno acted.

Still invisible due to his active camo, he reached out and seized Juwi by the neck. Juwi gasped in both shock and pain, his hands grabbing a the invisible hand that was holding him. Zeno debated for a moment on want to do, then a smile creased his invisible face as an idea dawned on him. Taking the hilt of one of his swords with his free hand, he bashed Juwi in the head with it, knocking him out cold. Zeno let his unconscious body fall, and then took up his other sword in his other hand.

You burned Miko, so now I will burn you, he thought as he ignited his swords. He briefly wondered if he should remove his bodysuit. Nah, leave it on.

With a cruel grin, he got to work….

A/N: Only one more chap to go...