By the time I managed to get back down the fire escape and back on to the street their fight with the girl demon was almost finished; as I emerged from the alleyway she went down in a small flash of silver from Wufei's hand—a dagger. The woman had stood by and watched, and Zechs hadn't even drawn his gun. He had a scratch on his arm, though, from holding the demon still so Wufei could get a clear strike. As he let go of her and she fell to the ground, her wings disintegrating—a curious but useful property which prevented the general populace from discovering their presence—they heard my footsteps and turned to look at me.
Zechs gave me the once-over, and then nodded. "Sorry about earlier—even I can be wrong sometimes." Good—he was going to be civil about it. I accepted his apology with a nod, and decided to stop wondering about whether he still sensed me as a demon.
"Sorry," Wufei muttered as well, but he didn't seem as happy or sincere about it.
Things were easier to take when I was hunting; I was almost a different person then, because my passion for wiping them out gave me more self-assurance. For Wufei, I reserved a shrug. "It's all right. I just got freaked out a little."
Zechs nodded in understanding. "It was a big accusation—I should have expected that you would run, because you didn't seem the type to put up a fight about it." Apparently, he could see that I was much more in control of myself at the moment and that if he had accused me again I might not have been so forgiving.
Ignoring them for a moment, I bent down to wipe my sword on a small patch of grass surrounding a stunted tree that was planted in front of the building I had pushed the demon off of, and then sheathed it. Wufei, as if to show his superiority, took a white handkerchief out of his pocket and cleaned his dagger on that before putting it back. The handkerchief he dropped unceremoniously into the gutter. I pretended that I hadn't noticed, and he looked a little miffed.
The woman, who hadn't said anything up until this point, stepped forwards. "Thank you for your assistance. I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Lucrezia." She held out her hand to me, but I neglected to shake her hand. She didn't seem at all perturbed, but instead withdrew her hand like she'd never offered. I wondered who, exactly, she was; she seemed more aloof than Wufei, but there was coolness there—nothing like Wufei's flaming arrogance. Since she had been talking with Zechs the first time I had seen her, and she held herself the same way, I assumed that she was probably something like second-in-command or at least his confidant—or even his wife, perhaps.
She stepped back again, and Zechs took over. "Well, since you're obviously not a demon, you're more than welcome to join us if you choose to do so. I do usually test new recruits out, and since I think this can be counted as such you've passed my inspection."
Again, I nodded. "Thank you, but I don't know... I'm used to working alone."
"That's understandable. There's no pressure."
I mulled over my answer. "I suppose... I'll think about it." I had every intention of accepting, but I didn't know whether he would want me to leave Father Maxwell and Sister Helen and come live at their residence. I would have to ask Quatre or Heero about it—I didn't want to leave, but I knew that I would have to eventually, if only to protect them.
Zechs nodded, and I turned and left.
Sister Helen caught me again as I came in, but I was ready to face up to her.
"Duo..." she threatened, knowing that I knew what was to come.
I looked up at her. "I was hanging out with friends," I told her with a smile. She looked shocked for a moment, and I brushed past her and went to my room—not caring that my sword was still strapped to my waist, but I didn't think she had noticed it. Father Maxwell and Sister Helen had a tendency to be wonderfully blind in the places where it counted most.
I untied my sword and laid it on my bed while I undressed, then stared at it for a moment before slipping it underneath my bed. I'd never brought it into the church before. I knew that it meant things were changing—no, they had changed, and all in the space of a single day.
I knew I would leave them, and go with Heero, but I still wanted them to understand. If Trowa had told Heero and Quatre where I lived, then I supposed it wouldn't matter if I invited Heero over and introduced him to Father Maxwell and Sister Helen. Perhaps that they would be so shocked that it would cover my leaving, or perhaps they would be so upset that they would want me out—although I hoped they cared about me enough to not do the latter.
I went to bed imagining how it might turn out, and making plans for tomorrow.
