Even though he knew Duo was still there, hiding in Heero's shadow, Quatre felt better when he couldn't see him. Out of sight, out of mind. The journey by coach was relaxed, now that they were in no particular hurry, and Quatre and Heero passed the time in conversation while Trowa listened and occasionally joined in.

In such close quarters, it wasn't long before Quatre noticed Heero's scars. Unlike Trowa, who had not asked about them, Quatre could not let something like that go unquestioned.

"Would you like me to take care of those?" Quatre offered, simply because that was what he did; he didn't think to ask Heero where they came from first. Heero - who had, again, been rubbing at them unconsciously but this time didn't notice Quatre was watching - was startled by the question.

"No," he answered sharply, then added, "It's all right. They're mostly healed up already."

"What happened?"

Unlike how he had so quickly answered the question Trowa never asked, Heero hesitated. To tell Trowa something like that was fine; Quatre was another matter entirely, but he was bound to realize eventually so Heero told him. "They're from Duo."

Quatre's face turned to exactly the expression he did not want to see: pity, and confusion.

"Why would you let him do that to you?"

Heero shrugged it off. "I don't mind it." It was mostly truth - no, he didn't mind it, but that still didn't mean he'd gotten comfortable with it, or with Duo. There was always that element of fear lurking at the foundation of their relationship, even though he knew Duo would never go far enough to seriously wound or kill him. Nor was their relationship in the other world absolutely perfect, but at least it didn't include the elements of pain and fear and their unusual symbiosis. Quatre wouldn't - no, couldn't - understand, but Heero didn't expect him to.

"But... why?" Quatre couldn't accept that answer.

"Because," Heero replied with another shrug. "If I didn't want it, I would have left when I had the chance, after Duo and I first met here."

"Would you have?" Duo asked him. Heero didn't truly know the answer, but suspected it was probably 'no'.

"I just don't understand why you'd choose something like that," Quatre said, upset.

"You don't have to understand - it was my choice, not yours. So don't worry about it," Heero assured him. "Are you happy with the choice you made?"

Quatre, taken aback by his question, glanced over at Trowa. "I... yes." He smiled, and reached over to take Trowa's hand. "You're right. I wouldn't expect anyone else to understand why I chose what I did to end up in this mess. It's really the same thing in the end, isn't it?"

Three and a half days later, they arrived in the bustling city of Dharthing. Since Heero had agreed to pay, they let him pick the inn where they'd stay that night. Though it was still only mid-afternoon they settled into their rooms. There would be plenty of time later to explore the city, if it was going to be their new home.

"I was here a couple months ago," Duo said, tapping his fingers on the windowsill as he looked out at the city. "Now I wonder if Wufei was here then and we missed each other." He turned to look at Heero and smiled.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet. I guess I'll just tag along tomorrow without letting him know I'm there, and see what happens."

"What about Quatre and Trowa?"

"What about them?" Duo asked.

"I mean... is it safe to leave them here? Are you sure they'll be safe from both the healers and other shadow children?"

Duo shrugged. "It's up to them, I guess. Although... I recall that there are quite a few sorcerers in this city. If it turns out that Wufei's friend is one of them, then they can take care of it; if not, I can always pay one of them for some protection - if you're that worried. But I don't think there will be any problems. The healers got the message and won't try to reclaim either of them, and they're useless to us until Quatre's passed on enough of his magic to Trowa - which won't happen if they can keep their hands off each other. Maybe I can get a sorcerer to give them a spell for that," Duo said with a laugh.

"Are we going to stick around here for a while?" Heero asked, changing the subject.

"Depends. Do you want to take another job, or do you want to follow me around for a while?"

"If you've got jobs to do..." Heero trailed off as Duo grinned.

"Let's just see what happens tomorrow."

Treize thought he felt something poking at the protective barrier around the house, but it was such a tiny feeling that he immediately forgot about it when his housekeeper bustled into the room and told him that there were three young men standing at the gate and she didn't know what to do because he'd told her he was only expecting two.

He smiled and, without getting Wufei, went out to meet them.

Treize was not surprised to see that the third person was Heero - Wufei had mentioned in passing that Duo was not invited - though it was clear all three of them were surprised to see him.

"Please, come in," he said as he opened the gate for them and invited them inside.

"But... you're..." Quatre began.

"It's complicated; I'll let Wufei explain," Treize told them. "Though I'm sure you can see why he was so reluctant to volunteer to shelter you - I had to do quite a bit of persuading. The payment he told me you'd be providing was... too much for me to pass up." He smiled, and gestured for them to follow him up the short path through the house. He felt something, again, as they passed through the gate - something coming through the barrier. Wufei had told him Quatre was a healer, so he assumed that was the magic he felt.

Quatre and Trowa stuck close to each other; Heero seemed fairly unfazed by Treize's sudden appearance and introduction - though, unbeknownst to anyone else, Duo was howling with laughter in his ears.

Wufei met them almost inside the door and, after giving Treize a dirty look for not getting him before coming to the door - Treize smiled back - he noticed Heero standing behind the two he'd invited and went off.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

Heero shrugged. "You never said I couldn't come with them."

Wufei scowled, but it was the truth and he couldn't do anything about it now that the damage was done. "Then you have to promise that you will never, ever tell Duo about this. Any of you," he added, though Trowa and Quatre had already agreed.

Heero shrugged. "I won't." He didn't have to lie; if Duo already knew, there was no point in telling him.

"Let's not stand around in the hall," Treize interrupted. "To the drawing room." He led them down the hallway and into the room. Once everyone was seated - save for Wufei, who stood pacing nervously until Treize chided him about it and he sat - the housekeeper came back with a tray of tea and snacks and laid them on the table before disappearing again.

"Help yourselves," Treize suggested, and helped himself while no one else reached for anything. After taking a bite and noticing that no one was doing or saying anything, he motioned to Wufei. "Go ahead, then."

Wufei took a deep breath. "First, I just want you to know that there is absolutely nothing between Treize and I in the other world, except what was already there before this stupid thing started," he said. "I kept telling you and telling you that I didn't want to mix up my lives in one world with the other, and now you obviously know why. Just because I owe him a lot in this world doesn't mean I owe him anything in the other. I want to make absolutely clear to you that I still have nothing to do with him there. And if you are going to stay here, the rule in this house is that we do not discuss the other world! If you want to talk to each other about it, that's fine, but I don't want to hear it - here or there."

Treize found Wufei's attitude about the whole thing quite amusing, though he couldn't say anything or Wufei would get angry with him about it. At a time like this, making him upset would only make things worse for everyone, so he restrained himself and kept it toned down.

"It's just as he says," Treize assured them. "Our relationships here and there are completely opposite of each other." If one of the three got the meaning he implied, they didn't show it. "Now, I'm interested in that payment Wufei mentioned..."

"Gets right to the point, doesn't he? Go ahead and give it to him."

Heero reached into his pocket and expertly flipped the coin up in to the air towards Treize, who caught it in his palm and examined it closely. "So this is what they look like. I've always wondered," Treize said as he turned the surprisingly light silver coin over in his fingers. "And this is guaranteed? Can I only use it once, or...?"

"Just once," Heero answered. "They'll take that as counter-payment instead."

"Excellent. But, if I can, may I ask where you got something like this?"

"From Duo."

Treize looked surprised for just a moment, before he smiled and slipped the coin in his pocket. "I see."

"He's a goddamn Sherlock Holmes. He knows I'm here, or at least that I am what I am and you're my host," Duo said silently to Heero, then laughed. "I wonder if he'll tell Wufei so I don't have to."

"Can I ask something too?" Quatre said, speaking for the first time since they'd come in. His question was addressed to Wufei.

"What?"

"If it's all right... I just wondered what he did for you that you ended up here with him."

"He saved my life and gave me a place to stay. That's all you need to know," Wufei replied tritely. "I owe him here, and I won't let what he's done in the other world interfere with that."

"That's not what you said when I found you," Treize said, hiding his smile and chuckle behind his hand. Wufei scowled at him, but didn't refute it. Before he made it worse, Treize changed the subject. "I've had my housekeeper prepare some rooms for you. Wufei, why don't you go show them and let them put their bags away, and maybe show them and around the house, too?" he suggested.

Wufei grumbled to himself, but Treize knew he couldn't stay contrary forever.

"Fine. Come on," he said to Quatre and Trowa, who got up and followed them out of the room - leaving Treize and Heero alone. Treize listened until their footsteps had faded down the hallway and it was safe for them to talk about things Wufei didn't want to hear.

"How much did Wufei tell you about their... predicament?" Heero asked, taking his cues from Duo.

"Nothing. He only said they needed a place to stay. Do I need to know?" Treize asked, suddenly curious.

"It would probably be helpful," Heero answered. "Especially if you can do anything for them. You're a sorcerer, right?" He never would have guessed it by himself, but he had Duo with him, and Duo knew about that sort of thing.

"Yes, and so is Wufei."

Heero looked surprised. "Really? He never said anything about that. But he's Tsothian, isn't he?"

"Yes. I still haven't gotten the entire story out of him, but I gather he was living there, presumably happily though having to hide his magic, until they were attacked and he was captured. Somebody must have known what he was, because they bound his magic - badly - and he might have died if I hadn't found him."

"How did he wind up here, then?"

"Slave traders."

Heero almost laughed, but stopped himself; Duo had no such restraint.

"He's free now, of course," Treize said. "But you were saying...?"

"Oh, right," Heero said, then took a deep breath and got out the most awkward part of the explanation first. "I guess the most important part that you need to know is that they're not allowed to have sex. Quatre's a - well, an ex-healer. I don't know how much you know about that, or..."

"I know healers are supposed to remain celibate, yes. If there's a reason, they keep their secret guarded closely."

"It's because their magic screws with their lover, and the shadow children like to pick them up when that happens," Heero explained.

"I was wondering where they entered the equation..." Treize mused with a knowing smile.

"Anyway, the healers already tried to off Quatre but Trowa took care of them, and then Duo made sure they wouldn't be coming back. And they're safe from the shadow children as well, as long as Trowa doesn't get any more of Quatre's magic."

"Which is transferred during intercourse. I understand," Treize said. "I'm sure I can come up with something if they're having trouble keeping their hands off one another."

"Hopefully they can keep it in the other world and have that be enough," Heero said, and then their conversation was cut off by the entrance of Treize's housekeeper.

"Lunch is almost ready," she informed Treize, who nodded.

"You'll have to go and find Wufei and the other two and tell them. We'll meet them in the dining room," he said, and stood up. She left, and Heero followed Treize out of the room.