Sorry I took so long! Thanks to ShiroKitsune for convincing (threatening)
me to get another chapter out ^^;;
Warnings: We have time shifting, folks. Somewhere along the line we jump backwards and recap a different view from a different character… and yeah. That's just so when it comes along you don't get all confused. Oh, and there's no Duo history here. Next chapter, promise.
-chapter four-
"Duo will be out for a long time, so we should go get some supper while we can." He shot one last glance to his braided friend, then marched out of the room. Quatre glanced at Trowa, and the tall boy shrugged. They followed Heero almost immediately after, walking quickly to keep up with the Prussian-eyed boy's strides.
---
Zechs paused, staring at the door to the room the Chang boy was in. It was silent on the inside, signaling he was either asleep or unconscious. Wufei Chang was NEVER quiet. He glanced at his watch, frowning when the timer read 8:55 PM.
Guess I'll have to postpone a meeting with Duo's comrades until tomorrow, he thought. Sighing softly, he glanced at the white door one last time before marching back towards his office.
---
Grumbling, Heero walked back into his and Trowa's room twenty minutes later. His roommate followed in behind him, who was followed by Quatre. Quatre was carrying a plate of food that Dorothy had managed to save for them.
"We're lucky," Quatre said, smiling playfully. "We might have gone our first day without tasting the institution's fine late-night cuisine."
Trowa arched an eyebrow at him. Sometimes the boy was too optimistic for his own good. He turned back to Heero, who was shoving Duo towards the wall that the bed was against. Duo was still unconscious, and Heero had taken care that his braided friend's neck wasn't bent at some odd angle. He was, however, sleeping on his left arm and probably would wake up with no feeling in it whatsoever.
"Aren't you going to eat, Heero?" Quatre asked, picking at the macaroni on the plate. He seated himself on Trowa's bed, eating the food with his fingers.
"No," Heero replied. "You two eat. I don't like the sauce they put on that shit."
Rather than arguing, Quatre and Trowa obliged and soon the entire plate was spotless. Trowa shot Quatre a curious look when he'd finished.
"Really, Quatre, you didn't have to lick the plate clean. I'm sure the dishwasher doesn't mind." Trowa had allowed the thin blonde to eat most of the food, hoping it would help to put some meat on his bones.
"I just hate leaving messes. I used to do it all the time. I didn't even know I was doing it until somebody screamed."
"Just because you made a mess?"
Heero glanced up as Quatre's face took on a twisted smile. The blonde's eyes darkened and he chuckled softly.
"Well, I don't think the maid appreciated the blood stains. They're horrid to try and get out. I used to leave bones in the sinks and toilets." He paused to chuckle again, placing a hand over his mouth. "I don't think my family appreciated that."
"Is that why you're here, Quatre?" Heero interrupted Quatre's monologue to question him. They hadn't heard Quatre's story yet, either.
The blonde nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "They said I wasn't safe. I killed the animals and smeared their blood on the floors. We had such beautiful marble floors…" Quatre whispered, reaching out as if to touch his imagination's image of marble floors. He stopped midway, blinking in surprise. Glancing around, he saw Trowa and Heero watching him intently. He pulled his hand back, blushing.
"Sorry," he mumbled. Heero nodded, settling back on the bed next to Duo.
"If Trowa doesn't mind, Quatre, you're welcome to stay here." Heero draped an arm over his eyes, signaling that he was ready to sleep. Quatre opened his mouth to speak, but closed it and looked back at Trowa. Trowa shrugged, edging further back onto the bed and laying lengthwise. The blonde smiled at the welcome feeling, not wasting any time in lying back next to his tall friend.
---
"Onna…" Wufei murmured, looking around the white room blearily. He couldn't see Meiran anywhere. "Where are you? Onna?"
He cleared his throat, blinking hard. The white walls hurt his eyes. Usually Meiran would curl next to him and help him sleep. Where was she now?
He could still remember their wedding. Their clans had been feuding for centuries, and their bond was to put an end to the fighting. She had objected at first, but after a year's engagement she told him she loved him. She loved HIM, because he would fight for her sake, even if she didn't need it. He had proved that to her before they'd been wed.
They had been walking around the mountainous region of the area, slowly ascending a steep incline. The dog had come out of nowhere, and had charged straight for Meiran. Wufei had not thought about the consequences, he had merely reacted. He'd pushed Meiran out of the way, taking the dog's strike full-force to his side. He had fallen down the hill with the mongrel, landing at the bottom with one broken arm, a twisted ankle, and a large amount of cuts and bruises. The dog lay dead three feet from him. Meiran had screamed at him, cursed him for trying to be brave, and told him she loved him and would never leave him. He had smiled softly at her as he slipped into a state of unconsciousness that would last for eight days.
They were married three days after he'd woken up. She would not have it any other way, and forced him to walk down the aisle with a black sling around his broken arm. He had been embarrassed, but he would do it for her. He would do anything for her.
Anything meant everything. He would take for her, he would give for her, he would kill for her, and he would die for her. Meiran had not wanted him to die, however. She had died instead. She had died in her sleep, and her spirit had come back to him in his grievance. Her spirit had reassured him, telling him she had been happy when she'd died for she was in the arms of the man she loved.
He had told the elders of her. They did not believe him, and blamed his statements on grief and loss. They would not believe him, and Wufei had taken it upon himself to see that all plans his wife had intended for the clan were realized. The elders had chosen to ignore him once again. Enraged, Wufei had taken justice into his own hands, single-handedly killing fourteen of the elders and members of their families before he was caught. He had been labeled mentally insane when he'd told the court he had done it for Meiran. They had almost immediately sent him to Scaerview, where he had been a resident for over a year.
"Meiran," he murmured, lowering his eyes to the painfully white floor. A shadow materialized on the floor, and he looked up quickly to see a Chinese girl with jet-black hair pulled back into short, spiky pigtails smiling at him. He smiled back, noticing that she was in her sleeping attire. "Is it time to sleep, my wife."
Meiran smiled brightly, dark brown eyes shining in the fluorescent lighting. She was an apparition, but to Wufei she was more alive than most people in the asylum were. She placed a kiss to his temple, curling her arms around his shoulders and laying her head on his right. He rested his head against the wall, imagining the touch of her arms around him and the head on his shoulder. He didn't need to feel her to know she was there, however, and he soon drifted into dreamless sleep.
---
Duo's eyes opened slowly. Taking a short glance around the room he was in, he shut his eyes again and buried his face in the pillow. He remained this way for ten minutes before abruptly launching himself off the bed with an annoyed grunt. He landed on the hard floor with a loud THUD and sat up, rubbing his back gingerly. A quick glance around the room confirmed his suspicions: he was in his room.
He took a deep breath, standing up slowly. The effects of the sedative were wearing off, but he was still quite dizzy. He walked into the bathroom, limping slightly from his fall. There were no mirrors, one sink, one toilet, and a showerhead sticking out of the wall that they called a shower. He closed the bathroom door for privacy, quickly divesting himself of his clothing and turning the water dial built into the wall.
Thirty minutes and quite a large amount of water later, Duo emerged from the bathroom with wet hair, a scratchy towel, and an unusually depressed look on his face. He was drowsy, not stupid. He knew that he'd be tested later that day. He also knew that there was a chance of him losing roommate privileges entirely. On top of it all, his sedatives would turn into caffeine-inducers after a certain amount of time. He gave himself an hour before he was bouncing off the walls, laughing like a maniac.
I'd probably fit in better that way, he thought bitterly. He wanted to sleep, but not with the impending doom of sugarhighdom peeking around the corner and laughing at him. Not to mention the fact that he had a headache that felt like it was slowly tearing apart his skull with teeny tiny pliers…
If anything, Duo had a very gifted imagination.
Duo sighed, slipping on his boxers and uniform pants. He sat on his bed, rubbing his temples with his fore and middle fingers. He was so caught up in willing his headache away that he neglected to hear his door being opened. His head shot up as a shadow fell over him, and he looked into cool, uncaring eyes. Duo smiled; he knew those eyes.
"Hey, Heero." Heero nodded to him, sitting on the bed as well. He swung his legs up and over Duo's head, lying back on Duo's bed comfortably.
"Sleep good?" At Duo's affirmative response, Heero snorted. Duo glanced back at his friend curiously, only to find his eyes closed.
"What's up, Heero?" One cobalt eye opened lazily.
"They moved you last night," he said. Duo's brow furrowed.
"Moved me? Wasn't I here the whole time?"
Heero shook his head. "You showed up at mine and Trowa's room. I think you were a little… disoriented." Heero's smirk told him he had been VERY disoriented, and he didn't doubt it.
When Heero frowned, he almost questioned him again. He stopped himself when his friend beat him to it.
"They let Quatre stay. But they took you." Duo blinked in surprise.
"Q-man stayed in your room?" Heero nodded. "Well, that's interesting." Duo chuckled softly, pitying poor Trowa. "Did he pull a switch?"
Heero's canine teeth shined when he grinned. "Damn right. Scared the shit out of Trowa. Quatre started screaming, and some new guards came rushing in. He stopped when they came in, smiling like a little angel. They looked around the room, took you, and left."
The violet-eyed boy eyed his companion suspiciously. "You let them take me?"
Heero chuckled. "Of course not. I'm willing away sedatives myself, you know." Duo grinned. He and Heero were best friends for a reason.
"They were prepared for you I guess."
Heero shook his head. "Nah," he said. "I think they were freaked out by the screaming. I've never seen a bunch of guards as pathetic as them. Dorothy had to give the shot, everyone else was freaking out and trying to get out the door."
"Dorothy?"
"Yeah," Heero confirmed. "They're getting on her ass for discipline."
"'They' as in Treize," Duo mumbled.
"Better believe it."
Duo sighed. "Did Zechs come after you for a group session yesterday?"
"No." Heero shook his head. "I'm expecting him to show up sometime today. Quatre and Trowa got their suits. When they came Quatre did another switch and started yelling at the woman that brought them. It was entertaining."
"I'm sure." Duo smirked, imagining the poor woman's surprise when an angel came after her screaming like a demon. About clothing. Oh yeah, that was definitely a Quatre thing to do. He watched Heero stretch out lazily and yawn, flopping back on his bed.
"Comfy?" he joked. Heero just smirked, eyes opening slowly.
"You're not tired?" Heero asked.
"Hell yes," Duo exclaimed. "But I can't sleep when I'm being pumped with caffeine."
Heero's nose crinkled in distaste. "Hn. Those ones suck."
"Damn right," Duo grumbled. "The damned pink bunnies are back. They brought friends."
Heero shook his head. "I don't think they'll ever leave you alone."
"I should be so lucky."
Four evenly spaced knocks on the door shook them from their conversation. Duo frowned slightly before calling out.
"Come on in, Dorothy."
---
Dorothy sighed softly, walking through the halls after her meeting with Treize. She had been having quite a few meetings with the director of the institution in the past few days, and he was starting to grate her nerves. He had a reason for everything, and his reasons were always changing into full-fledged stories that she didn't give a rat's ass about. He always chose HER to tell his "stories" to.
"Why can't he go bother Hilde or Sally? Why does he have to bug me all the time?" she mumbled as she made her way to Zechs' office. She knocked briefly to announce her arrival before barging in. Zechs glanced up at her before returning his gaze to the file folder in his hands.
"Dorothy. How can I help you?"
"Don't screw around, Zechs. You want my charges in a therapy session or something, am I right?"
Zechs arched a platinum eyebrow at the blond orderly. "Therapy? I suppose you could call it that. It is actually…" Dorothy held up a hand, cutting off his explanation.
"Please, Zechs. Please, for God's sake, do not explain it to me." Zechs smirked.
"You've been to Treize's office?"
Dorothy sank into the chair Duo had been in the previous day. "Too many times in too little time."
Zechs chuckled, a deep sound that seemed to echo in the roomy office. "I know what you mean. And about the session, Treize believes that Maxwell kid needs to be re-evaluated." Zechs shrugged. "Who am I to argue with his Excellency?"
Dorothy rolled her eyes at their nickname for the Scaerview director. "Nobody argues with him. That's the problem, he's all high and mighty and thinks he knows everything."
"He may have a point with Duo, though. He's seemed oddly unbalanced lately. Haven't you noticed?" Dorothy didn't respond, simply cocking her head to the side and shrugging. She had noticed Duo's unique persona since the day he walked – or, was dragged– into the asylum. He could seem completely oblivious one minute and be totally aware the next. He was an enigma.
He was also Treize Kushranada's personal hemorrhoid.
Dorothy grinned wolfishly. "We should get them in a room together again."
It was Zechs' turn to roll his eyes. "Please, Dorothy. Last time we had to remodel the whole office."
"I never knew Treize could run so fast."
"I never knew Duo could wield a chair so expertly."
They both smiled, relaxing for what seemed to be the first time in ages. Dorothy had befriended the young counselor soon after she'd begun working at the asylum. He was young, had a good sense of humor, and liked to make fun of the director as much as she did. The fact that Zechs was young for a counselor, mid-twenties in age, didn't really make much of a difference in Scaerview for most of the staff was younger than he was. All, however, were older than eighteen years. Dorothy and Hilde were the youngest, being nineteen.
"Okay Dore, for real now. How can I help you?"
"Leave them alone." She needn't say whom, he knew exactly which charges she meant.
"You know I can't do that, Dore." Dorothy frowned.
"Yeah, but it would be great if you would anyway."
Zechs smiled sadly. They were not innocent boys, all of them were highly disturbed and some had even taken the lives of others. Nonetheless, they were still children. They hadn't even finished High School, for God's sake!
"I wish I could, Dore. I really do."
"I know, I know," Dorothy mumbled irritably, rubbing her temples. "I think they've grown on me. Heero and Duo are such NICE guys… I almost can't believe that they'd do the things they did…"
"But they did," Zechs pointed out. "And you should remember that. They're still potentially dangerous. You can't let your guard down around them."
"But, Duo…"
"Especially Duo." Dorothy pursed her lips. She knew he was right; he had his job for a reason. Duo had been eerily calm for months and she knew it was starting to affect her psychologically.
"Damnit," she mumbled. "I need a vacation." Zechs chuckled again, and she joined in shortly after.
"I'll tell you what happens in the session later on, Dore." She smiled wanly and stood to leave.
"Thank you. I'll talk to you again later, Zechs." The long-haired man nodded to her and she walked out of the office, heading towards Duo's room.
She paused, hearing mumbling on the other side. Heero's in there, she thought before knocking on the door. Four evenly spaced knocks, that was code for when she was alone. She heard Duo call out and opened the door cautiously.
Her suspicions had been correct; Heero was lounging next to Duo on the bed and watching her. She stared back at him until he smirked.
"You're normal again."
Dorothy arched a thin, split eyebrow. "I wasn't always normal?"
Duo grinned. "Heero's joking, Dore. You know that you were never REALLY normal." He winked and she smiled warmly at him. She could see the effects of sedatives on him, and the way his fingers twitched showed that the caffeine was kicking in as scheduled. She felt horrible for them doing that to him, but it had been required.
"I know, Duo. How are the both of you feeling today?"
She knew Duo's cheeriness wouldn't last long, and hoped to get a pleasant answer from him at least. She knew to expect something sarcastic from Heero; that was the way he worked.
Unfortunately for Dorothy, Duo's cheery attitude didn't even last that long. His eyes darkened warningly, but she was used to it and stood her ground, evenly returning his stare.
"I'd feel much better if I knew that 'Fei wasn't in that white hell hole." Dorothy resisted the urge to sigh.
"I have no control over that Duo, Treize has taken it out of my hands. Hopefully Wufei will not have to stay there long, but Treize believes this will help him in the long run." Duo sighed, holding his head in his hands.
"And?" Heero prodded. Dorothy's eyebrows rose minutely, but she answered him readily.
"And you," she glanced at Duo, who looked up somberly. "Have a date with Mr. Treize this afternoon. Don't be late, Duo. You'll be called down around four o'clock."
At this statement, a dangerous grin spread across Duo's face. This time he would give the director a piece of his mind, come hell, high water, or sedative-bearing nurses.
---
TBC
A/n: Again, sorry for the long wait. Did you like the little bit with Wufei? I might do that with all the chars if you guys like…but don't worry, Duo's history is next on the list! I swear!
If you enjoy my writing and want some shounen-ai, I'm working on a fic called Dead Without Knowing on my page. Check it out if you want… I enjoy it, and my muses keep bugging me with ideas for it. It'll be updated in maybe a week or two… I don't know. Latas.
Ari-muse: (waves) Ciao.
Warnings: We have time shifting, folks. Somewhere along the line we jump backwards and recap a different view from a different character… and yeah. That's just so when it comes along you don't get all confused. Oh, and there's no Duo history here. Next chapter, promise.
-chapter four-
"Duo will be out for a long time, so we should go get some supper while we can." He shot one last glance to his braided friend, then marched out of the room. Quatre glanced at Trowa, and the tall boy shrugged. They followed Heero almost immediately after, walking quickly to keep up with the Prussian-eyed boy's strides.
---
Zechs paused, staring at the door to the room the Chang boy was in. It was silent on the inside, signaling he was either asleep or unconscious. Wufei Chang was NEVER quiet. He glanced at his watch, frowning when the timer read 8:55 PM.
Guess I'll have to postpone a meeting with Duo's comrades until tomorrow, he thought. Sighing softly, he glanced at the white door one last time before marching back towards his office.
---
Grumbling, Heero walked back into his and Trowa's room twenty minutes later. His roommate followed in behind him, who was followed by Quatre. Quatre was carrying a plate of food that Dorothy had managed to save for them.
"We're lucky," Quatre said, smiling playfully. "We might have gone our first day without tasting the institution's fine late-night cuisine."
Trowa arched an eyebrow at him. Sometimes the boy was too optimistic for his own good. He turned back to Heero, who was shoving Duo towards the wall that the bed was against. Duo was still unconscious, and Heero had taken care that his braided friend's neck wasn't bent at some odd angle. He was, however, sleeping on his left arm and probably would wake up with no feeling in it whatsoever.
"Aren't you going to eat, Heero?" Quatre asked, picking at the macaroni on the plate. He seated himself on Trowa's bed, eating the food with his fingers.
"No," Heero replied. "You two eat. I don't like the sauce they put on that shit."
Rather than arguing, Quatre and Trowa obliged and soon the entire plate was spotless. Trowa shot Quatre a curious look when he'd finished.
"Really, Quatre, you didn't have to lick the plate clean. I'm sure the dishwasher doesn't mind." Trowa had allowed the thin blonde to eat most of the food, hoping it would help to put some meat on his bones.
"I just hate leaving messes. I used to do it all the time. I didn't even know I was doing it until somebody screamed."
"Just because you made a mess?"
Heero glanced up as Quatre's face took on a twisted smile. The blonde's eyes darkened and he chuckled softly.
"Well, I don't think the maid appreciated the blood stains. They're horrid to try and get out. I used to leave bones in the sinks and toilets." He paused to chuckle again, placing a hand over his mouth. "I don't think my family appreciated that."
"Is that why you're here, Quatre?" Heero interrupted Quatre's monologue to question him. They hadn't heard Quatre's story yet, either.
The blonde nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "They said I wasn't safe. I killed the animals and smeared their blood on the floors. We had such beautiful marble floors…" Quatre whispered, reaching out as if to touch his imagination's image of marble floors. He stopped midway, blinking in surprise. Glancing around, he saw Trowa and Heero watching him intently. He pulled his hand back, blushing.
"Sorry," he mumbled. Heero nodded, settling back on the bed next to Duo.
"If Trowa doesn't mind, Quatre, you're welcome to stay here." Heero draped an arm over his eyes, signaling that he was ready to sleep. Quatre opened his mouth to speak, but closed it and looked back at Trowa. Trowa shrugged, edging further back onto the bed and laying lengthwise. The blonde smiled at the welcome feeling, not wasting any time in lying back next to his tall friend.
---
"Onna…" Wufei murmured, looking around the white room blearily. He couldn't see Meiran anywhere. "Where are you? Onna?"
He cleared his throat, blinking hard. The white walls hurt his eyes. Usually Meiran would curl next to him and help him sleep. Where was she now?
He could still remember their wedding. Their clans had been feuding for centuries, and their bond was to put an end to the fighting. She had objected at first, but after a year's engagement she told him she loved him. She loved HIM, because he would fight for her sake, even if she didn't need it. He had proved that to her before they'd been wed.
They had been walking around the mountainous region of the area, slowly ascending a steep incline. The dog had come out of nowhere, and had charged straight for Meiran. Wufei had not thought about the consequences, he had merely reacted. He'd pushed Meiran out of the way, taking the dog's strike full-force to his side. He had fallen down the hill with the mongrel, landing at the bottom with one broken arm, a twisted ankle, and a large amount of cuts and bruises. The dog lay dead three feet from him. Meiran had screamed at him, cursed him for trying to be brave, and told him she loved him and would never leave him. He had smiled softly at her as he slipped into a state of unconsciousness that would last for eight days.
They were married three days after he'd woken up. She would not have it any other way, and forced him to walk down the aisle with a black sling around his broken arm. He had been embarrassed, but he would do it for her. He would do anything for her.
Anything meant everything. He would take for her, he would give for her, he would kill for her, and he would die for her. Meiran had not wanted him to die, however. She had died instead. She had died in her sleep, and her spirit had come back to him in his grievance. Her spirit had reassured him, telling him she had been happy when she'd died for she was in the arms of the man she loved.
He had told the elders of her. They did not believe him, and blamed his statements on grief and loss. They would not believe him, and Wufei had taken it upon himself to see that all plans his wife had intended for the clan were realized. The elders had chosen to ignore him once again. Enraged, Wufei had taken justice into his own hands, single-handedly killing fourteen of the elders and members of their families before he was caught. He had been labeled mentally insane when he'd told the court he had done it for Meiran. They had almost immediately sent him to Scaerview, where he had been a resident for over a year.
"Meiran," he murmured, lowering his eyes to the painfully white floor. A shadow materialized on the floor, and he looked up quickly to see a Chinese girl with jet-black hair pulled back into short, spiky pigtails smiling at him. He smiled back, noticing that she was in her sleeping attire. "Is it time to sleep, my wife."
Meiran smiled brightly, dark brown eyes shining in the fluorescent lighting. She was an apparition, but to Wufei she was more alive than most people in the asylum were. She placed a kiss to his temple, curling her arms around his shoulders and laying her head on his right. He rested his head against the wall, imagining the touch of her arms around him and the head on his shoulder. He didn't need to feel her to know she was there, however, and he soon drifted into dreamless sleep.
---
Duo's eyes opened slowly. Taking a short glance around the room he was in, he shut his eyes again and buried his face in the pillow. He remained this way for ten minutes before abruptly launching himself off the bed with an annoyed grunt. He landed on the hard floor with a loud THUD and sat up, rubbing his back gingerly. A quick glance around the room confirmed his suspicions: he was in his room.
He took a deep breath, standing up slowly. The effects of the sedative were wearing off, but he was still quite dizzy. He walked into the bathroom, limping slightly from his fall. There were no mirrors, one sink, one toilet, and a showerhead sticking out of the wall that they called a shower. He closed the bathroom door for privacy, quickly divesting himself of his clothing and turning the water dial built into the wall.
Thirty minutes and quite a large amount of water later, Duo emerged from the bathroom with wet hair, a scratchy towel, and an unusually depressed look on his face. He was drowsy, not stupid. He knew that he'd be tested later that day. He also knew that there was a chance of him losing roommate privileges entirely. On top of it all, his sedatives would turn into caffeine-inducers after a certain amount of time. He gave himself an hour before he was bouncing off the walls, laughing like a maniac.
I'd probably fit in better that way, he thought bitterly. He wanted to sleep, but not with the impending doom of sugarhighdom peeking around the corner and laughing at him. Not to mention the fact that he had a headache that felt like it was slowly tearing apart his skull with teeny tiny pliers…
If anything, Duo had a very gifted imagination.
Duo sighed, slipping on his boxers and uniform pants. He sat on his bed, rubbing his temples with his fore and middle fingers. He was so caught up in willing his headache away that he neglected to hear his door being opened. His head shot up as a shadow fell over him, and he looked into cool, uncaring eyes. Duo smiled; he knew those eyes.
"Hey, Heero." Heero nodded to him, sitting on the bed as well. He swung his legs up and over Duo's head, lying back on Duo's bed comfortably.
"Sleep good?" At Duo's affirmative response, Heero snorted. Duo glanced back at his friend curiously, only to find his eyes closed.
"What's up, Heero?" One cobalt eye opened lazily.
"They moved you last night," he said. Duo's brow furrowed.
"Moved me? Wasn't I here the whole time?"
Heero shook his head. "You showed up at mine and Trowa's room. I think you were a little… disoriented." Heero's smirk told him he had been VERY disoriented, and he didn't doubt it.
When Heero frowned, he almost questioned him again. He stopped himself when his friend beat him to it.
"They let Quatre stay. But they took you." Duo blinked in surprise.
"Q-man stayed in your room?" Heero nodded. "Well, that's interesting." Duo chuckled softly, pitying poor Trowa. "Did he pull a switch?"
Heero's canine teeth shined when he grinned. "Damn right. Scared the shit out of Trowa. Quatre started screaming, and some new guards came rushing in. He stopped when they came in, smiling like a little angel. They looked around the room, took you, and left."
The violet-eyed boy eyed his companion suspiciously. "You let them take me?"
Heero chuckled. "Of course not. I'm willing away sedatives myself, you know." Duo grinned. He and Heero were best friends for a reason.
"They were prepared for you I guess."
Heero shook his head. "Nah," he said. "I think they were freaked out by the screaming. I've never seen a bunch of guards as pathetic as them. Dorothy had to give the shot, everyone else was freaking out and trying to get out the door."
"Dorothy?"
"Yeah," Heero confirmed. "They're getting on her ass for discipline."
"'They' as in Treize," Duo mumbled.
"Better believe it."
Duo sighed. "Did Zechs come after you for a group session yesterday?"
"No." Heero shook his head. "I'm expecting him to show up sometime today. Quatre and Trowa got their suits. When they came Quatre did another switch and started yelling at the woman that brought them. It was entertaining."
"I'm sure." Duo smirked, imagining the poor woman's surprise when an angel came after her screaming like a demon. About clothing. Oh yeah, that was definitely a Quatre thing to do. He watched Heero stretch out lazily and yawn, flopping back on his bed.
"Comfy?" he joked. Heero just smirked, eyes opening slowly.
"You're not tired?" Heero asked.
"Hell yes," Duo exclaimed. "But I can't sleep when I'm being pumped with caffeine."
Heero's nose crinkled in distaste. "Hn. Those ones suck."
"Damn right," Duo grumbled. "The damned pink bunnies are back. They brought friends."
Heero shook his head. "I don't think they'll ever leave you alone."
"I should be so lucky."
Four evenly spaced knocks on the door shook them from their conversation. Duo frowned slightly before calling out.
"Come on in, Dorothy."
---
Dorothy sighed softly, walking through the halls after her meeting with Treize. She had been having quite a few meetings with the director of the institution in the past few days, and he was starting to grate her nerves. He had a reason for everything, and his reasons were always changing into full-fledged stories that she didn't give a rat's ass about. He always chose HER to tell his "stories" to.
"Why can't he go bother Hilde or Sally? Why does he have to bug me all the time?" she mumbled as she made her way to Zechs' office. She knocked briefly to announce her arrival before barging in. Zechs glanced up at her before returning his gaze to the file folder in his hands.
"Dorothy. How can I help you?"
"Don't screw around, Zechs. You want my charges in a therapy session or something, am I right?"
Zechs arched a platinum eyebrow at the blond orderly. "Therapy? I suppose you could call it that. It is actually…" Dorothy held up a hand, cutting off his explanation.
"Please, Zechs. Please, for God's sake, do not explain it to me." Zechs smirked.
"You've been to Treize's office?"
Dorothy sank into the chair Duo had been in the previous day. "Too many times in too little time."
Zechs chuckled, a deep sound that seemed to echo in the roomy office. "I know what you mean. And about the session, Treize believes that Maxwell kid needs to be re-evaluated." Zechs shrugged. "Who am I to argue with his Excellency?"
Dorothy rolled her eyes at their nickname for the Scaerview director. "Nobody argues with him. That's the problem, he's all high and mighty and thinks he knows everything."
"He may have a point with Duo, though. He's seemed oddly unbalanced lately. Haven't you noticed?" Dorothy didn't respond, simply cocking her head to the side and shrugging. She had noticed Duo's unique persona since the day he walked – or, was dragged– into the asylum. He could seem completely oblivious one minute and be totally aware the next. He was an enigma.
He was also Treize Kushranada's personal hemorrhoid.
Dorothy grinned wolfishly. "We should get them in a room together again."
It was Zechs' turn to roll his eyes. "Please, Dorothy. Last time we had to remodel the whole office."
"I never knew Treize could run so fast."
"I never knew Duo could wield a chair so expertly."
They both smiled, relaxing for what seemed to be the first time in ages. Dorothy had befriended the young counselor soon after she'd begun working at the asylum. He was young, had a good sense of humor, and liked to make fun of the director as much as she did. The fact that Zechs was young for a counselor, mid-twenties in age, didn't really make much of a difference in Scaerview for most of the staff was younger than he was. All, however, were older than eighteen years. Dorothy and Hilde were the youngest, being nineteen.
"Okay Dore, for real now. How can I help you?"
"Leave them alone." She needn't say whom, he knew exactly which charges she meant.
"You know I can't do that, Dore." Dorothy frowned.
"Yeah, but it would be great if you would anyway."
Zechs smiled sadly. They were not innocent boys, all of them were highly disturbed and some had even taken the lives of others. Nonetheless, they were still children. They hadn't even finished High School, for God's sake!
"I wish I could, Dore. I really do."
"I know, I know," Dorothy mumbled irritably, rubbing her temples. "I think they've grown on me. Heero and Duo are such NICE guys… I almost can't believe that they'd do the things they did…"
"But they did," Zechs pointed out. "And you should remember that. They're still potentially dangerous. You can't let your guard down around them."
"But, Duo…"
"Especially Duo." Dorothy pursed her lips. She knew he was right; he had his job for a reason. Duo had been eerily calm for months and she knew it was starting to affect her psychologically.
"Damnit," she mumbled. "I need a vacation." Zechs chuckled again, and she joined in shortly after.
"I'll tell you what happens in the session later on, Dore." She smiled wanly and stood to leave.
"Thank you. I'll talk to you again later, Zechs." The long-haired man nodded to her and she walked out of the office, heading towards Duo's room.
She paused, hearing mumbling on the other side. Heero's in there, she thought before knocking on the door. Four evenly spaced knocks, that was code for when she was alone. She heard Duo call out and opened the door cautiously.
Her suspicions had been correct; Heero was lounging next to Duo on the bed and watching her. She stared back at him until he smirked.
"You're normal again."
Dorothy arched a thin, split eyebrow. "I wasn't always normal?"
Duo grinned. "Heero's joking, Dore. You know that you were never REALLY normal." He winked and she smiled warmly at him. She could see the effects of sedatives on him, and the way his fingers twitched showed that the caffeine was kicking in as scheduled. She felt horrible for them doing that to him, but it had been required.
"I know, Duo. How are the both of you feeling today?"
She knew Duo's cheeriness wouldn't last long, and hoped to get a pleasant answer from him at least. She knew to expect something sarcastic from Heero; that was the way he worked.
Unfortunately for Dorothy, Duo's cheery attitude didn't even last that long. His eyes darkened warningly, but she was used to it and stood her ground, evenly returning his stare.
"I'd feel much better if I knew that 'Fei wasn't in that white hell hole." Dorothy resisted the urge to sigh.
"I have no control over that Duo, Treize has taken it out of my hands. Hopefully Wufei will not have to stay there long, but Treize believes this will help him in the long run." Duo sighed, holding his head in his hands.
"And?" Heero prodded. Dorothy's eyebrows rose minutely, but she answered him readily.
"And you," she glanced at Duo, who looked up somberly. "Have a date with Mr. Treize this afternoon. Don't be late, Duo. You'll be called down around four o'clock."
At this statement, a dangerous grin spread across Duo's face. This time he would give the director a piece of his mind, come hell, high water, or sedative-bearing nurses.
---
TBC
A/n: Again, sorry for the long wait. Did you like the little bit with Wufei? I might do that with all the chars if you guys like…but don't worry, Duo's history is next on the list! I swear!
If you enjoy my writing and want some shounen-ai, I'm working on a fic called Dead Without Knowing on my page. Check it out if you want… I enjoy it, and my muses keep bugging me with ideas for it. It'll be updated in maybe a week or two… I don't know. Latas.
Ari-muse: (waves) Ciao.