Fifth part, huh? Well this is certainly taking up more time than I wanted it to! I was bored, darn it…I wanted to write something quick and easy…but no! It had to turn into a series, didn't it?!
Damn you,
fanfic!!
Fanfic: "No,
damn you!"
Wannon:
"Grrr…DAMN YOU!! Damn you to HELL!!"
Fanfic:
"Nein…Omae o korosu!"
Wannon: "WAAGH!!
CREEPY FANFIC!!"
Fanfic: "Heh,
heh, heh…"
~ Wannon-chan ~
Blood Money – Part Five.
"Nice to see you again…Zechs." Heero said, the tone of his voice conveying nothing. Zechs accepted Heero's proffered hand, shaking it firmly.
"I could say the same…" Zechs replied, his voice nearing a sultry purr. Heero frowned.
"Not now. We have a mission to accomplish." He told the other man sternly. Zechs sighed.
"Fine. What do you want me to do?" he asked. Heero sat down, gesturing for Zechs to do the same. He turned his Prussian blue eyes to the ice-blue ones of Zechs, his gaze unwavering.
"I need you to get rid of Chang Wufei."
~ * ~
Duo decided to stop off at his apartment on the way to Quatre's estate.
I just hope Heero's not there. If he is…I'll just pretend I know nothing. I can't handle any kind of confrontation right now…he thought, quietly walking up the stairs to his and Heero's apartment door. He heard muffled voices behind the door and, curiosity piqued, pressed his ear to the door.
"…what do you want me to do?" a deep, almost raspy male voice queried. Duo frowned.
He's got another man in there! Trowa was right…he thought dejectedly, before listening once more.
"I need you to get rid of Chang Wufei." – Heero's voice this time.
Chang Wufei?! Who's that?…and just what does he mean by 'get rid of'…? Come to think of it, he never did tell me what he did for a living…Duo thought. He decided to enter the apartment, and see who Heero was talking to.
Just act like you know nothing…
He knocked on the door, then flung it open.
"Hee-chan!" he exclaimed, as he threw himself at the surprised youth. He landed in Heero's lap, and wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. Zechs cleared his throat loudly, and Duo feigned surprise at his presence.
"Oh! I'm sorry…I didn't see you there. You a friend of my Hee-chan's?" he asked casually, still reclining in Heero's lap. Zechs frowned.
"You could say that…" he muttered, frowning deeper when he saw the surprisingly warm smile Heero directed at the back of the braided boy's head, thinking nobody saw it. He then began to nuzzle at the chestnut hair, a look upon his face that Zechs had never seen before…a look of happiness. Duo grinned at Zechs.
"Well, I'm Duo! Nice to meetcha!…uh, what's your name?" he asked, ignoring Heero's affectionate behavior for the moment. Zechs continued to frown.
"Zechs. Zechs Merquise." He said, his voice clipped. Duo smiled sweetly at him, wriggling a little in Heero's lap, causing him to gasp quietly and nip at Duo's earlobe. The little tease turned to look at Heero, who stared back at him, eyes quickly beginning to glaze with lust.
"Not that I'm complaining, but aren't you supposed to be going for a walk with Quatre today?" Heero queried. Duo nodded, resisting the urge to kiss Heero, who was so very close to him.
"Yup. I stopped off here to say hi, and have a shower. Oh, and Trowa was a little upset yesterday…he and Quatre are still having problems. That's why I wasn't home last night, I stayed over to comfort him…sorry if I worried you, or anything." Duo said, his tone of voice hopeful.
"Hn." Heero replied, that familiar sexy, smoldering look appearing on his face.
Uh-oh…you'd better retreat, Duo! You can't resist that! He told himself. He yawned deeply, and removed himself from Heero's lap.
"I'm gonna go have that shower now. Pleasure meeting you, Zechs…" he said. Heero got up and began to follow him, but Duo turned him away with a playful shove.
"You have a guest, Heero! Don't be rude!" he said with a grin, before flouncing to the shower. He left Heero and Zechs in a rather uncomfortable silence.
~ * ~
Heero felt a pang of disappointment as he watched Duo leave.
Minx…he thought affectionately, before shaking his head and frowning at himself. He turned to look at Zechs, who was shooting him a death glare.
"…What?" Heero finally asked. Zechs stood up angrily.
"What do you mean, 'what'?" he exclaimed, walking forward and continuing to glare.
"Exactly that. What's your problem?" Heero replied coolly. Zechs sputtered, his face becoming an angry shade of red.
"What the hell was that? You're not supposed to let him…manipulate you like that!"
"…manipulate me? You think he's manipulating me?! You have no idea about what kind of relationship Duo and I have, Merquise…" Heero snapped, his tone warning.
"Oh, so you have a relationship now?! Heero, you're taking this whole 'boyfriend' act a little too seriously! What about me? What about us?!" he asked. Heero's eyes narrowed.
"There is no 'us'. There never was…or will be." He replied calmly. "You were simply a way to amuse myself…a toy, of sorts. Duo…he's different. He wasn't at first, but there's something different about him…"
"What?! How could you possibly choose him over me?!" Zechs exclaimed. "Does he even know your occupation?!"
Heero looked evasive, and Zechs smiled slyly.
"Uh-huh, that's what I thought…I can't wait to see how long he'll stick around once he finds out…" Zechs said with satisfaction. Heero glowered at him.
"Zechs. It's not your place to comment on my relationships…just do your job. Go now." He said smoothly, pointing to the now-open door. Zechs gave Heero one last glare before he left.
~ * ~
Duo heard the conversation end, and quickly dashed back to the bathroom, hopping into the already-running shower. Then he began to wait for Heero's imminent arrival.
Trowa was right…he was using that Zechs guy as a toy…but why am I different? And what kinda business is he in anyway?! Maybe coming back here was a bad idea…he thought anxiously. Just then, the bathroom door opened, and Heero stepped inside, opening the shower door and grabbing hold of Duo's braid.
"Hee-chan?" Duo queried. Heero spun Duo to face him, and scowled.
"This shower has been running for ten minutes. Yet your hair is still in a braid, and mostly dry…which means you've just got in. What were you doing, Duo? Eavesdropping?" he asked suspiciously. Duo tried to look innocent, and failed miserably. He opted for the truth instead.
"I'm sorry…" he said. Heero looked angry, but Duo could see sadness behind it.
"Duo…you're a liability now." He informed him, uncharacteristically reaching out to touch the other's cheek. Duo flinched at the words.
"Heero…what are you saying? What did you mean about 'getting rid of Chang Wufei'? Who is he?" he asked boldly. Heero sighed, casting an appreciative glance at Duo's naked form.
"I don't think it's the right kind of place to be talking about it…finish your shower first. I'll be in the living room." He said, detaching his eyes and letting go of Duo's braid. He then left quickly.
Shit…I'm in too deep, can't back out now…
~ * ~
Zechs stormed inside furiously, his angry expression causing members of his 'family' to give him concerned looks as he passed. Zechs had only one member of his blood relatives left, and that was his sister, Relena. A whiny little brat of a girl, and absolutely besotted with Heero. She was part of his assassins, but was only a deliverer of messages. She was part of the reason Zechs betrayed his 'family'. Heero had caught him whilst he was spying on him, and threatened not only his life, but the life of his sister, who recognised him. Zechs had complied, and soon after, he and Heero had their 'fling'.
Zechs began to think of his 'family'. They were really the only ones he'd ever known, he'd grown up with them all…they trusted, relied on and respected him, yet he betrayed them. He betrayed them only to find he was being betrayed himself.
How ironic…he
thought snidely. I'll never be able to right my wrongs now…but maybe I can start
doing the right thing…
Zechs immediately sought out Treize and Wufei.
The Chinese youth was training hard, while Treize busied himself with his roses, occasionally casting an appreciative glance at his Dragon. Zechs cleared his throat loudly, catching their attention.
"…Yes?" Wufei asked.
"I need to talk to you…" he looked at Treize. "…both of you." He finished. Wufei and Treize shared a look, then glanced at Zechs.
"Speak." Wufei commanded. Zechs took a deep breath before beginning.
"I am…a traitor…"
~ * ~
Heero waited impatiently for Duo to get out of the shower. He was having an internal debate with himself.
You're being irrational again, Yuy. Maxwell knows too much already! You should dispose of him…but you can't can you? Because you're weak! His inner voice said. Heero snarled at it.
I'm not weak! And I'll prove it…he told himself. He went into his and Duo's room, removing a box from under their bed. He opened it to find a loaded pistol, which he took out with a grin. He then returned to the living room, watching and waiting for Duo.
It'll be so easy…just aim and fire… he thought. He heard a door open, and saw tendrils of steam advancing into the living room, with Duo amongst it. Heero was ready for him. He stood up abruptly, his gun leveled at Duo's chest.
"Omae o korosu…" Heero said softly, his eyes hard. Duo's jaw dropped, and the towel he was using to dry his hair fell from his hand to land almost silently on the floor.
"H-Heero?" he asked in a soft whisper.
Violet eyes met Prussian blue, and Heero felt himself weakening.
"Omae o korosu!" he said firmly, as if trying to persuade himself to do it. Duo's eyes quickly filled with tears, which began a slow journey down his face. He squeezed his eyes shut, sending more tears cascading down.
"Only because it's you, Heero…" he whispered.
"What?" Heero asked, clearly puzzled.
"I'll make it easy for you…I won't struggle. I don't mind dying, but only because it's you that will kill me…" he said, eyes still closed. Heero's eyebrows rose.
"Why…?" he asked, almost afraid of the answer. He let the hand holding the gun drop to his side for the moment.
"Because I love you, Heero. And what disgusts me is that I didn't love you any less when Trowa told me what you did to him…" Duo blurted. Heero rose the gun back up to point it at Duo's heart.
Trowa told him…he knows! He can't live now…He thought. Duo opened his eyes again, looking at him blankly.
"Do it, Heero…" He mumbled. Heero cocked the pistol, readying it to be fired, and re-aimed, his hands began trembling slightly.
"DO IT!" Duo yelled, and Heero squeezed his eyes shut, pulling the trigger at the same time. He heard a gasp, and slowly opened his eyes.
Duo was alive…not even a scratch.
The same couldn't be said for his towel, however. A bullet hole now disfigured it, the misshapen bullet now lay embedded in the floor.
Duo fell to his knees, and Heero let the gun drop to the floor with a clatter. He backed away, collapsing onto the couch.
"Heero…" Duo gasped, wiping tears away. "You…you didn't kill me…"
Heero frowned.
Mission failed…he thought. But when he looked into the relieved eyes of Duo Maxwell, he wasn't so sure.
Maybe…mission accomplished? He wondered. As soon as he'd thought that, Duo was on his feet and stampeding towards him.
"Heero!" he exclaimed, as he climbed into his lap. "I love you…" he whispered softly, and Heero felt a strange flutter in his chest.
Do I love Duo?…I don't know…but I certainly feel differently about him, compared to everyone else I've ever known…he thought, kissing Duo deeply.
"You won't love me once you hear my story…" he said, once the kiss had been broken. Duo frowned.
"Tell me…" he prompted, and Heero looked away, too ashamed to look him in the eyes.
"I'm…the ringleader of the biggest group of assassins there is…but we're really short on money, business hasn't exactly been great lately. So we needed to find an easy source of money…we found Quatre Winner. I decided to find out who was the closest friend of his…and I found you. Even luckier, you happened to be in his will…so we decided that I would pretend to be interested in you, and find some way to knock off Winner. Once that was done, I would have easy access to the money you would be given from his will…therefore re-establishing my assassins" he said truthfully. Duo glared.
"You pretended to be interested in me?!" he exclaimed. Heero snorted.
"At first…but now I'm not too sure…" he admitted. Duo grinned, but soon that expression was replaced with a deep frown.
"You're going to kill Quatre?!" he snarled. Heero nodded.
"Yes. And you, my 'love', are going to help me…"
~ * ~
"Traitor?!" Wufei exclaimed, taking a menacing step towards Zechs.
"…Yes. I've been working for Heero, to keep my sister safe. But I've come to realise that my loyalties should…do lie with you. I'm going to help you kill Heero…If you'll trust me…" he said slowly. Wufei sneered.
"Why should we? For all we know, this could be a trap!…we should kill you right here, right now." He said angrily. Zechs began to look nervous, shooting Treize a speculative glance. The aristocratic-looking man seemed brooding, unsure.
"Dragon, no…" he said suddenly, and Wufei re-sheathed the dagger he had been drawing.
I need to watch him…he's very fast…Zechs thought.
"Why?! Are you going to trust him, knowing he betrayed us?!" Wufei snapped. Treize looked thoughtful.
"I want to find out a little bit more…Zechs, will you answer my questions? I can assure you our methods of making you talk will not be pleasant…"
"Of course…I'll tell you anything you want to know." Zechs answered honestly.
"If you've been working for Heero, then why didn't Une tell us she saw you with him?" Treize asked. Zechs hung his head.
"Une has been dead for months now…I was responsible for her death. I'm so sorry…she was a dear friend." He said sadly. Wufei bristled.
"You know, you aren't making yourself look any better, Merquise! I'll bet you killed Noin, too!" he accused. Zechs looked shocked.
"No! I didn't, I swear…I loved her like a sister…she was very special to me. I wasn't aware that she had been so careless, and those tears I cried for her were real!" he protested. Treize nodded.
"And what can you say to make us believe you are telling the truth? How can we trust you?" he queried. Zechs frowned.
"I was sent back here for another reason…to kill Wufei. Heero thinks I'm actually going to do it, but I'm not going to…I wouldn't have drawn attention to myself…you know that." He said.
"True…well I, for one, am going to trust you. And I will take part in the mission now…but as backup. Wufei…we don't have much to lose. I know I acted weak before, but now that Zechs has come clean, I feel stronger. We will go through with this, and if we die…so be it. We will die together." Treize said smoothly. Wufei still looked dubious, but Zechs knew that he would go along with it…he didn't have much of a choice.
"Let's start planning…" Wufei said. It was as close as he would come to agreeing…not that Zechs minded.
~ * ~
Quatre played with a strand of his hair, waiting for Duo to arrive.
Where is he? I'm so lonely…he thought. He hated being alone and bored like this. It got him thinking of Trowa…
He sniffled a little, and moved to retrieve his violin from its case, looking at it lovingly.
Trowa gave this to me on our anniversary…he thought, beginning to play. The long, sad notes floated around the room, flooding it with raw emotion. Tears fell from Quatre's closed eyes, tracking unnoticed down porcelain cheeks. He let out all his pain into the music, creating a bittersweet melody. He didn't even notice the phone ringing.
I wish Trowa was here…
~ * ~
Trowa frowned at the screen.
Why won't he answer? I hope nothing's happened to him! He thought anxiously. He had decided to try and work things out with Quatre, but there was no answer. He was so worried, the fact that Duo and he ware scheduled to go out didn't come into it at all. Trowa frowned, grabbed his sister's car keys and rushed out the door.
~ * ~
"Help you?! You want me to help you kill my best friend?! I can't believe this! No, Heero. No. I won't do it!" Duo yelled. Heero raised an eyebrow.
"I don't think you have much of a choice…" he began. "You have to choose between me, or Winner. If you choose Winner, you'll most likely die…by my hand." He said matter-of-factly. Duo frowned.
"You want me to choose you? Does that mean you love me, too?" he asked hopefully. Heero shook his head.
"No. I have no idea what love is. But I don't hate you, if it's any consolation…" he said.
"If you don't hate me, then why are you doing this?!" Duo snapped.
"Because if Quatre doesn't die…you will. I can't have you out there, knowing as much about me as you do…it's a major security risk." Heero said. Duo chewed that thought over.
"I understand…but I don't like it. I've known Quatre since we were kids!" he said. Heero kissed his temple.
"If you want to be with me…you'll have to make sacrifices. They may not be nice, but they have to be done." He said softly.
"Damn you, Heero…why does it have to be like this?!"" he wailed, frustrated. Heero wrapped his hand around some of Duo's silky hair, pulling him in close.
"You'll get used to it…I did." He said. "Will you cooperate, or do I have to try and kill you again?"
Duo sighed, his eyes tearing up.
"I'll cooperate. But I'll never forgive myself…" he whispered. Heero kissed him deeply.
"Blame it on me. I'll take your burdens. One more can't possibly hurt." Heero offered.
Yuy…you have never been this open before…whatever happened to 'Hn'? the inner voice asked. Heero silenced it angrily.
"Go now, Duo. Take Quatre out for his walk. Take him to the park, it should be empty this time of day. And remember…not a word to Winner. You tell him and it's all over, you die. Got it?" he asked. Duo nodded glumly, braiding his hair quickly, and kissing Heero goodbye.
"I still love you, Heero…" he whispered in his ear. Heero muttered a soft 'baka' in reply, before Duo began to leave.
"See you soon, Hee-chan…" he said dejectedly, his face the perfect picture of misery. He left then, and Heero left five minutes after, heading for the park. That would be the setting for Winner's demise.
End of Part Five.
Finished! Okay,
I can most definitely promise that
the next part is where everything
will happen, cos I've already begun writing it…it's just not finished yet. I'll get there soon, I promise. All the action lovers should be happy. Maybe.
And a few warnings for the next chapter:
DEATH!!!!!
DEAAATTTHHHH! ::snigger::
No
really…there'll be much death and destruction…hopefully sap, too. Me no know.
I hope you like
the last chapter. It might end
abruptly, but there should be an epilogue, so yay for that.
It's been
incredibly draining for me…damn fanfics control my entire life…but enough about
me.
~ Wannon-chan ~
is done ranting.