Warnings: Angst! Lots and lots and lots of angst! Heh. Shounen-ai, language… nothing much else in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Gundam Wing characters at all and I don't make any money off of this, I promise! I do own the profusion of Other Characters, who are seriously starting to take over this fic. I'm not going to name them all, save the more important ones. Shiakara, Nihrana and Tia'ara… Hey, I really like the sounds "ara" and "ana" at the end of all my names, don't I…?

Author's Note: Yeah, as mentioned above, the Other Characters are starting to get a little out of hand in this fic, but the fact was that I ran out of Gundam Wing names I could think of. Every character I could come up with has been used. Really. *nods* Then again, I'm sure I don't have every name from Gundam Wing, but all the ones I could think of were used. So that's why all the Other Characters. My apologies for that. Umm… more angst. *grins* And the bad stuff will start happening soon. Treize is poised to strike and there's only one day before he does so! Every mage in the land (and even out of the land) is in dire trouble. What will happen?! Yep… Too much Coke today… Note to self: Do not drink anymore Coke…

On with the fic!

~ ~ ~

"Enough…" it was Trowa's quiet, calm tones this time that broke through Quatre's anguished sobs and the Head Mage's angry, incensed snapping. Previously it had been Nihrana or Shiakara who had done the mediating, but the pantherin was sick of it. This wasn't helping any of them and it was helping Duo even less.

He was actually surprised the five of them hadn't been thrown into the dungeons of the University by now – he was certain there were dungeons. There must be, for where else would they be keeping Duo? The elf may be featherbrained at times, but he was still an elf and one couldn't stick an elf in a normal room, lock it, and expect him to remain there. He would find a way out. The only way, surely, to keep one in, would be to lock him in a place specifically designed to keep prisoners in.

At any rate, his single word had somehow silenced the two, much to the relief of everyone else around the table. He wasn't sure why they had finally shut up, but they were looking at him expectantly, so he thought he should probably say something else.

"All we want to know, sir, is where our friend is being held… Is that really so much to ask?" he murmured, absently brushing his hair away from his eye only to have it fall back again.

"Held…? You make it sound as though we tied him up in the dark with chains…" Milliardo murmured from his place, an amused little smirk hovering about his lips at the widening of Quatre's eyes.

"He certainly didn't come here of his own free will," Wu Fei muttered. "It was only the threat of my death that forced him to come."

"Indeed," Trowa affirmed. "It wasn't his choice to come here."

"We never restrained him," Shiakara said truthfully, not bothering to mention that Heero had hurt him once and they had kept him from leaving the one time he tried to.

"Then why didn't he come home to us?" Quatre said softly, voice breaking on the last word.

"I can't tell you that. I don't know what goes on inside his mind. He's still here. He's safe and you'll be safe. Why not stay the night and speak with him in the morning?" Shiakara suggested, hoping fervently they'd agree to this and that she'd live through the glare being levelled at her from the Head Mage's direction.

"Shiakara, I don't think-" he started, but she cut him off, wincing as she did so.

"With all due respect, sir, I don't think anything more is going to be resolved tonight. We're all tired and tempers are high. Wouldn't it be better if we all came back to this tomorrow with clear heads and a present Duo?"

His glare intensified when he realised there was nothing he could say to refute that without being terribly rude to their company. Otherlings… He had known the elf would be a problem from the moment he'd noticed the pointed ears… And now he had a faery, two cat-things and two centaurs staying the night in his University! It had been hard enough to allow Nihrana, though he was essentially human, and then Shiakara…

"Alright. All right. They can stay the night, Shiakara, but you're in charge of finding them somewhere to stay and it's on your head if anything untoward comes of this…" he muttered, then pushed to his feet and stalked out.

"What…? Does he think we're going to steal the candles…?" Wu Fei muttered.

"Nah, he thinks you're going to rape and pillage, 'Fei!" Nihrana said with a smirk.

"Wu Fei! Gods, you're as bad as Duo!"

"Well I do try." Nihrana smirked.

"You don't change, do you Nihrana?" Milliardo observed dryly, though his eyes remained fixed on his half-finished drink.

"Some things about me have changed…" Nihrana replied softly, then silently. ~We need to talk, Milliardo…~

Milliardo made no reply to that, but he didn't move as Shiakara jumped gracefully from her chair, landing delicately on the floor and looking to the mismatched group to follow her as she walked out. They did, Trowa murmuring something to Quatre as they went, trying to calm him down.

"I'm really not so sure I want to talk to you…" Milliardo murmured, still not looking up from his intense contemplation of his drink.

"But I want to talk to you. All you have to do, is listen," Nihrana replied with equal softness, moving chairs so he sat beside Milliardo and could speak quietly with him.

"I don't even know if I want to do that, Nihrana."

"Nihrana… You haven't called me that since… Well not for a long time anyway."

"I figured I lost the right to call you love or even lover," Milliardo snapped sarcastically, though he knew Nihrana was talking about a shortened version of his name Milliardo used to use, 'Rana.

"You're not going to make things easy on me, are you?" Nihrana murmured.

"Well why should I? Do you think it was easy on me when you left me alone in bed, saying something about another man? Do you think the three weeks I stayed in that bed crying were easy on me? Do you think it was easy on me to have to try and answer questions on why you left that I didn't even know the answers to? Do you think it's been easy on me to keep loving you and be unable to find anyone else, because there's always you between us, always, even if they don't know I ever had you? You think any of that was easy…? Well it wasn't, 'Rana. It wasn't…"

"Old habits die hard…" Nihrana murmured, referring to the instant use of his nickname so he could avoid having to take responsibility for all that pain for just a little longer.

"Yes… Yes, they do…" Milliardo agreed, before he leaned closer to Nihrana and reached out to him, pulling him close before he had a chance to protest.

"M-Milliardo, don't-" Nihrana started, but his words were silenced as Milliardo put a hand to the back of the sorcerer's head and pulled him even closer, into a deep kiss. Nihrana made a muffled protest into the kiss, but Milliardo had learned since he knew the mage and he was dominating with barely a thought.

When he finally came up for air, Nihrana pulled away, shaking his head.

"Milliardo, you can't do that again."

"I can, actually," Milliardo replied nonchalantly.

"Well, yes you can, but I'd rather you didn't… I… I came back to see you… To apologise and explain myself to you. What I did was wrong and I know that now, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. I did love you, Milliardo, but…" Nihrana trailed off, chewing his lip as he thought a moment. "There's a race of people with wings, kind of like mine. I met him there, before I ever came here and, in fact, before I even had my own wings. It was there that I got the wings and my staff and I had to come here to learn about the staff and… I tried to forget him with you. I used you shamelessly to try and forget the other half of my soul…"

"Well that's poetic…" Milliardo muttered.

"It… it's true though, Milliardo. They have a special term for it, Iana'alee. It means 'life-mate' and it's only used with regard to two people destined for one another by the gods."

"Oh please!"

"I thought… I thought you'd understand, Milliardo. I loved you, I still do, but it's more than that with Arikendl. We share a bond…"

Milliardo looked away.

"You might at least be honest with me, 'Rana… Nihrana, instead of making up some fairytale…"

"It's not a fairytale, Milliardo. Do you think I would have left you if I could have stayed? If there wasn't some overwhelming reason why I had to leave you? I never lied when I told you I loved you. I always did and I always will, but there's nothing more I can give you. I can't give you myself."

"Of course the fact that you love me makes it all better…" Milliardo sneered the word 'love', barely noticing as Nihrana flinched at his harsh words.

"I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am that I never explained it to you at the time… I was young and afraid of hurting you, so I didn't want to see the hurt, even though I knew it would be there anyway. I… I guess I wanted to ask for your forgiveness, but… I think I already have your answer on that one… I… guess I'll just… go, then…"

"Go…?" Milliardo asked softly when Nihrana had nearly reached the door. "That sounds so very final… You mean go as in leave the University, don't you? Go back to your… Iana'alee…"

"Yes… Yes, I do. There's no more reason for me to stay here and I have an appointment the day after tomorrow. What I came here for, I'm not going to get, so what's the point in staying any longer? I thought perhaps we could still be friends, but I guess it wasn't to be. I'm sorry, Milliardo. I never meant to hurt you… I hope you know that much."

He made his way to the door, then, stopping only when he reached it and turning to look at Milliardo one more time.

"And, by the way… you're still as beautiful as you ever were…"

Milliardo closed his eyes as Nihrana slipped out of the room, the ever-present soft hissing of his feathers as they shifted and moved beginning to fade.

~'Rana!~ Milliardo called out within his mind, plaintive and horribly sorrowful. He could just hear Nihrana's footsteps enough to know that they'd stopped.

~Milliardo?~ the sorcerer sent back.

~I love you still…~

~I know… and I'm sorry.~

~I… I forgive you, 'Rana… I really do… How could I not? We… can be friends, if the offer still stands…~

~It still stands, Milliardo.~

* * *

"'Ere, lads, mind yerselves! Master Yuy's on 'is way an' ee's less than 'appy with some such. Be'ave while the boss talks to 'im, yer?"

A chorus of yes's rose from the small group of kitchen hands when their eldest was done with his orders and he nodded to them as they all went back to their work. They knew if they did what they were asked, there would be a little extra in their next meal for making the head cook's job easier by behaving.

"I know what's wrong," whispered one lad to the next as the two of them scrubbed the dishes.

"Shh! You heard our orders!" the second replied, scrubbing harder.

"Yeah, but I know what's wrong!"

The second lad chewed his lip as he worked, taking a furtive glance at Heero as he appeared in the doorway and began speaking in hushed tones with the head cook. He was curious, he couldn't deny that, but if he got in trouble, the other lads would blame him for the loss of that little extra and, as such, would make his life hell for a week… Oh, but he wanted to know!

"Alright, but make it quiet, yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah. 'Course! Okay, here's the deal. You know that elfin? The one with the long hair?"

"There is only one elfin here you dolt!"

"Yeah, well you know about him?"

"'Course I know about him! Who doesn't?"

"Yeah, well, bet you didn't know the elfin and Master Yuy are having it off?"

The second lad's eyes went as round as saucers and he had to fight to exclaim loudly "What?!" He managed to keep it to a whisper and they didn't even catch a look from the head cook, who was still busy with a less-than-happy-looking Heero.

"Yup. Saw them run from the bathing room to Master Yuy's rooms in just towels and they sure didn't go in there just to get dressed. They came out together a lot later when they heard Master Peacecraft was coming back."

"Master Yuy's fucking an elfin?!" That was a little loud and the lad winced as Heero's head snapped up, prussian eyes pinning him in place.

"What was that…?" he asked softly, and the lad knew enough to read the danger in the tone.

"Er… I… uh… that is… uh… I mean… I…"

"Yes…?" A chocolate brow arched and Heero actually looked interested in what he had to say.

"I'm sorry, sir…" the lad managed, shrinking back and wishing he could just sink into the floor.

"I'm certain you're sorry I caught you, because you know you're going to get in trouble, but are you sorry for what you said? Would you be sorry to Duo if he had heard and it had hurt him? He's a person too, you know, and just because his ears are pointed, that doesn't mean he has no feelings. You talk about him as though he's a thing instead of a person…"

With that, Heero turned on his heel and strode out, leaving behind a lad whom he knew was in strife with his boss and his fellow workers. Better that than having his head torn off, Heero decided, which was what he would have done if he'd stayed any longer. And it wasn't really the boy he was angry with; it was himself for behaving as he had towards Duo and for not being able to find him!

"Where are you…?" he muttered to himself, reaching out with his mind. He knew, though, that Duo knew how to hide his mental signature, because he'd taught the elf how himself. Still, it couldn't hurt to try. He might get a reply this time…

~Duo…?~

The thought he got back was in elvish and so scathing, he could feel it, even if he couldn't understand it. He winced, but didn't block the pain, knowing the elf had every reason to be angry with him.

~Duo, where are you…?~

Yet another retort in scathing, sarcastic elvish, ending finally in something Heero could understand.

~And you're a fucking prick, besides!~

~I know.~

Silence to that one, then only a feeling of intense sorrow before Duo shuttered his mind again.

~Dammit, Duo! Let me come talk to you! Please!~

Still nothing, and Heero closed his eyes, trying once more.

~Duo! Duo… lover… I-~

~Lover! That was all it was about with you, wasn't it?! How much of a thrill did it give you, to fuck an elf? Huh?! Was it as good as you thought it would be? Was I as sweet and tender as you thought? Did you like it? Did you enjoy it? I bet you did… Fucking prick…~

Now Heero felt the sorrow full force and it was only enhanced by his own feelings of sorrow and guilt and shame. How could he have treated Duo so? The elf had done nothing to deserve it. Nothing.

~Duo… I want… I need to talk to you…~

~No you don't. You want to throw me on my back and-~

~Duo! Please! Now who's the one making race generalisations? Please let me come and talk to you. I don't want to do this mentally. We need to talk!~

~I'm not going to show you the way. You'll just have to look harder if you really want to talk to me.~

This time when Heero tried throwing a thought to open air, Duo didn't respond. Nor did he respond on the second or third tries. So then… he would have to keep looking.

Damn Duo…

Heero had to smile at that thought. He just couldn't help it. Then again, he thought if he didn't smile, he'd be crying with frustration.

* * *

Liraya sighed and lifted a hand, dumping water over Kiranuy's head without a second thought. The young mage's constant teasing was wearing on her nerves, and she couldn't help but pull the childish prank. It worked, at any rate, and he dropped his shielding in shock at her actions, laughing. She took the moment offered to fry him with a bolt of lightening.

"You're dead," she murmured with a smirk.

"Something makes me think that wouldn't work in a real battle," came a sharp voice from the door and Liraya whirled to see the Lady Une standing there, glaring over her spectacles.

Liraya had always been afraid of Lady Une, even more so than The Master, because it didn't seem to her that there was anything gentle about the female mage, while Treize could be seen often times in his rose garden, and smiled a lot. Une had never smiled, that Liraya had ever seen and she was certainly in a fine mood now.

~I can almost see the thundercloud over her head…~ Kiranuy thought to Liraya, a smirk evident in his mind-voice, though his face was humble as he looked at Une, fiery red hair plastered to his forehead from the water dumped on it and bright yellow-brown eyes down-cast.

~Shut. Up. You'll get me into trouble again!~ she hissed back, her face equally as straight and humble.

"I don't appreciate Mr. Treize's trust being so disregarded in favour of… fun. You're in this room for practice, not play," Une pointed out, her tone brooking no arguments. Nonetheless, Kiranuy argued.

"We wasn't playing, Lady. It were my fault. I been annoying her for the last hour and she done had enough, Ma'am. I shoulda never been teasing her when we was s'posed to be practicing. It were really all my fault. It aint never been Liraya's."

~Kira! She'll-~ Liraya's thought barely got anywhere before Une raised an eyebrow and Kiranuy fell to the floor, curling instinctively into the foetal position, though nothing he could do could protect him short of a shield and he couldn't summon his thoughts enough to put one up.

"I also don't appreciate being talked back to and you would do well to remember that…"

Kiranuy was lucky, he realised, as the pain stopped and Une turned on her heel. She could have made him squirm for a lot longer than that and he knew it. His nerves twitched in memory as he pushed himself into a sitting position, hand held to forehead.

"You can't leave well enough alone, can you?!" his friend growled as she knelt beside him.

"You know me," he said nonchalantly, flashing a bright grin at her that she couldn't help but respond to.

"You're an idiot," she insisted, brushing his wet hair back from his forehead and searching his eyes to see if he was hiding the real pain from her.

"I be fine, Liraya and you of all people should know I'm made of sterner stuff than what it looks like I am. And it were almost you got in trouble too and the fault were all mine. Don't be worrying yourself on my account. Just be happy I were feeling nice enough to not let you take the fall."

He winked at her and she rolled her eyes.

"As if you would have. Dipshit."

"I love you too," he said with a wink.

"Oh go on. You know you're my best friend. Now lets get back to doing what we were supposed to be doing in the first place."

"You know… I still don't get why we be needing the practice. How are it one mage could ever best ten? The numbers don't allow for it. It don't make no sense why we should have to work so hard for such a small thing."

"Don't ask. Don't tell," was the only reply she gave him before standing and offering him a hand to help him to his feet. He shrugged as she helped him up and they went back to their exercises.

* * *

A huge part of Duo screamed at him to just let Heero in. Tell the mage where he was and hear what he had to say, if only it meant he got to look at him for a while. The other part shouted the first part down, told him he was acting like a lovesick puppy dog and needed to pull himself together. That second part sneered and berated; the best shot in his Clan, the fastest with a sword and he was begging for a scrap, the scrap that was few moments in Heero's presence.

"I never asked for any of… of… this shit!" Duo growled, new tears slipping down his cheeks, following paths that had barely been left alone since he came up here.

The horizon was glowing softly, a precursor to the rising of the sun, and he realised he had been up here for a good few hours. He and Heero had gone to the baths after dinner and slept a while after… things happened, but not long, so he had been up here likely half the night.

The sun rose and now, if he looked very closely, he could see the waves racing each other across the ocean to the cliffs, eager to be the first to smash apart on the cruel rocks. And he could see the snow on tops of the highest mountains in the Jy'rakid range, sparkling where the sun gilded it silver. And it was all so, so beautiful. It looked as though it would be a nice day and Duo couldn't help but think that was slightly unfair. He snorted, and had to laugh sadly at himself, knowing the day and nature didn't care how he felt and so it shouldn't. It was bigger than an elf and his sadness.

The breeze blew gently in through the window, ruffling his hair and drying the tears, which had slowed to a stop… for the moment. It just hurt so badly. Even the beauty of the snow and the line of ocean he could just see was overwhelmed by the pain and he wanted to hold Heero again. To kiss his lips and touch his hair and know – or think – that he was loved.

"I thought he loved me too…" Duo whispered, choking back another bout of crying with supreme effort.

He reached out with his mind to find a tiny, tiny mind that was a blue bird. It had only recently been discovered by himself and Heero that Duo had a decent amount of Talent in the area of BeastSpeaking, and ever since, he had used it whenever he could. The blue bird gave a happy chirrup and shot like an arrow to land beside Duo on the windowsill then climbed onto his soft boot and up his leg to perch on his knee.

"You ever been in love with a cat, little one?" Duo wondered. "Stupid, huh? That's what I've done; fallen in love with someone I shouldn't love. And… and… it… it hurts… because he… he… he doesn't love me…" And Duo was gone again, tears racing each other down his cheeks in order to throw themselves off his jaw-line.

He was still so angry with himself for letting it happen, but that didn't stop the pain. Nothing stopped the pain, not even when the little bird chirruped at him and tried to cheer him up. It spoke of the smell of the ocean and the feel of the spray as it crashed against the rocks and flew up to caress little feathers. It told him of the sun rising over the trees of the forest as it slowly woke from a night of rest. It painted pictures of the snow-covered land far to the south, where wolves and huge land-bound carnivorous birds were the only animals who could survive on the little rats and tiny other animals who could live in the snow. And then it changed to speaking of the desert, kilometres of nothing but sand between the lush green oases that dotted the area, where camels and the cousins of the snow-birds went every night for water. And then it asked why he wasn't with his own kind.

It was hard to explain to the bird, who knew nothing of mage Talent and nothing of affection save knowing the best mate when he saw it, and then only staying with her long enough to make sure the species would be furthered. He knew nothing of human or elven concerns beyond the fact that the humans sometimes destroyed the homes of his kind and the elves sometimes shot them down for the decoration their bright blue feathers could provide. It was best, then, to avoid the non-winged, but when called by the elven mage's mind, there was naught he could do but follow, curious. And, as it turned out, the elf wasn't so bad, only very, very sad. The bird tried to understand, but he couldn't really, and he spoke again of the cool green forest and the juicy berries to be found there, if one knew where to look.

Duo smiled sadly and turned his eyes to the newly risen sun as he listened to the bird's happy meanderings. Eventually, he let it fly back to where it had come from, and he was alone again.

"Duo…?"

The soft voice speaking his name actually made him jump and nearly fall out the window. He hadn't expected Heero to be able to find his hiding place. No, that wasn't right. He hadn't expected Heero to keep looking. It was the mage's quick reaction, throwing bands of air around the elf and pulling him back from the edge of the sill, that saved him, but Duo didn't pay that any mind. He was Heero's apprentice after all and it was Heero's duty to look after him.

"What?" he growled.

"I think we really need to talk…"

* * *

Author's note: O_o Is that a cliff-hanger?! How did that get there? *evil smirk*