Late late late! Damn, I am so tired of all my Fanfiction being late!
Buuuuut, summer's here and hopefully I'll be able to finish this and start
posting the sequel. I already outlined it and I think you'll love it.
Anyway, here's part fifteen. Sorry for the wait!
P.S. It has recently come to my attention that everything in Italics in this story has been erased in the posting of all the previous chapters, so for the next week I will be going through each chapter, fixing it, and reposting. If you wish, you can go back and see it.
P.P.S. I have recently started a new Fanfiction site called Smudge of Ink and I am looking for authors who are willing to allow me to archive their work. Just email me at Miakamyway.com and head it with Re: smudge of ink so I know what you're talking about. And lastly, request for fanart is still up. I hope to see some good ones soon!
Miaka
Also, thank DrkNuriko for getting my ass in gear! Go read her stuff.
Part Fifteen: The Guardians and The Past, Part Four,
Quatre's Sanity, Duo's Spirit
In the Room of Requirement, Trowa lay on the soft grass, surrounded by his comrades-in-arms, one hand clutched by his petit fiancé. He groaned and attempted to sit up, changed his mind and just lay there reviewing the facts of the last fifteen minutes.
He'd been in his past, first when he was about one and one half, then when he was ten, around the time he'd begun working for Doktor S on Heavyarms. It was like a big, very realistic flashback. Was this what the Guardians had meant by the Doors of Past Occurrences?
"Trowa? Trowa, are you alright?" Quatre begged, tugging on Trowa's arm and drawing him from his thoughts.
"I'm fine, Quatre," he said, moving his hand to fully grip Quatre's. "What's wrong?"
Tears filled Quatre's eyes. "It wasn't like Duo and Wufei. You fell out of the door, and you were unconscious. I thought you were dead!" the blond wailed, throwing himself on his fiancé. Surprised, and a little shocked, Trowa pulled Quatre closer and held him tightly.
"I'm fine, angel. Look, nothing is wrong with me," Trowa murmured, rubbing Quatre's back. "You have to remember, I am a Gundam pilot. Something like this won't be the end of me."
Quatre leaned back and glared at Trowa, tears still glistening in his aquamarine eyes. "It's not the same, and you know it!" he snapped. "Everything is different now. We are to be married. Sometimes that overshadows the fact that you are a pilot."
"I understand," Trowa said, sighing. "I won't put your feelings aside like that again."
Excuse the interruption, Master, but it shall be ten more human minutes until it is time for the noon meal. I believe you must go Kiaarah said, moving into their circle. Heero, Duo and Wufei sat on the grass to the side, patiently waiting for the two lovers to make up. They were used to situations like this.
"But Quatre, Duo and Heero must still go through the doors," Trowa said. Quatre stood, his leader face slipping into place. The others also got to their feet and stood at attention in front of him.
"I will go through my door. It shouldn't take too long. My past was fairly uneventful. Then Trowa, Wufei and I will go to lunch. You, Heero, and Duo will stay here and go through your doors. If you do not make it to lunch, I'm sure Harry can arrange something before our next class," he said.
"Sir!" the others said, saluting sharply. They immediately split off into two groups. Heero and Duo went to stand near their doors, Quatre stood in front of his, and Trowa and Wufei headed to the exit and stood on either side, as if guarding it. Nodding to them, Quatre turned to the white door. Alecea flitted up to him.
"Be careful, Heru," she said. Quatre nodded, and then stepped through the door. The effects were immediate. His surroundings changed to an expensively decorated room. He lay on the king sized bed in the center, and a buxom maid tinkered with something over by the vanity mirror. She looked familiar.
It hit Quatre like a ton of bricks. The maid was Cilia, the servant from his childhood, and the room was the room he'd occupied when he was thirteen, right before he'd run away from home and joined the Maguanac Corps. Before he could think further, Celia pressed him down into the bed and strapped him down. With dawning realization, Quatre remembered the main reason he had run away. The daily injections by his maid, a lady even more twisted than Dr. J. Past fairly uneventful, his ass! How could he forget something like this?
"Good morning, Master Quatre. I trust you slept well?" Celia asked, grinning evilly as she pulled a large syringe containing bright blue liquid out of her bag. "Are you ready for your medicine? Now don't bite me this time, okay dear?"
The syringe contained Polyhtorline (completely made up), a drug many idiots believed could cure homosexuality. Quatre's father, meaning well and looking out for his business, had hired Celia, a licensed Polyhtorline nurse, to give him the treatment. Ever since then Quatre had regretted opening up to his sister Fatiya. He hadn't known she was such a tattletale, and immediately exposed him to their father. Now, once a day, Quatre was submitted to an injection that induced horrible hallucinations and visions, supposedly to 'drive away' his homosexual tendencies. All it had done was make the poor boy unstable.
"No! NO!!" Quatre cried, struggling against his bonds. Celia just cooed at him, stroking his feather soft blond hair and murmuring baby words. Ever since she'd entered his life, Celia seemed to think that Quatre was just one cute baby to her, something to play with and cuddle at her leisure. But that wasn't the worst of it. She took part in the second phase of his treatment. Exposure to the opposite sex. In other words, after he stopped screaming from the visions, Celia raped him.
(A/N: I'm sorry if this offends anyone. I didn't mean it that way. Things get better after this chapter, so don't abandon me now.)
"There you go, young Master," Celia crowed, shoving the needle into his arm. Quatre watched in sick fascination as the syringe emptied into his blood stream and his vision clouded. The last thing he heard was a happy little giggle as everything went black.
He opened his eyes to the cockpit of a mobile suit, two years obsolete from the ones currently used by OZ. A battle raged around him as suits a light cream color flitted around on the defensive. They were the Maguanacs, and he was currently in the battle he'd assisted them with in his thirteenth year. Shaking his head clear, Quatre snatched up the controls and began to fight, his old and awkward abilities showing through. It was like he couldn't control himself, couldn't show the skill he had acquired in all his 16 years.
"Master Quatre, behind you!" came the voice of Rashid, leader of the Maguanac Corps and Quatre's first true friend.
"Hai!" Quatre called, swinging around in the suit and firing at an enemy. The enemy suit exploded, and Quatre allowed himself a little happiness, before he quickly prayed for the person's soul. "May Allah protect you," he whispered.
"Master Quatre!" came Rashid's call again. But it came too late. A suit slammed into Quatre, throwing him forward. Since the suit was old, the harness snapped and Quatre slammed into the console, blood pouring from a wound from his head. He blacked out...
And woke again, still in the mobile suit. Or not. The suit wasn't the same, yet it seemed familiar to him. It was Heero's Gundam, Wing Zero. Quatre realized he was in a new secure harness, and the view before him was breathtaking. It was the Earth, glowing ethereally in outer space. He didn't have much time to look because his hands reached out and toggled the controls to flip the large mobile suit over. The view screen rolled slowly, depicting the starry ocean, before fixing on the one thing Quatre hoped to never see again.
It was one of the colonies in L4 colony cluster (A/N: Sorry if this is wrong, but my internet isn't working right now so I can't check if this is the right colony.) It was the colony he had destroyed in anger and sadness after his father blew himself up on the research satellite he wished to keep away from the enemy.
Tears formed in Quatre's eyes as his hands moved with out his permission, as if he were a puppet. He felt the weight of the zero system helmet, and the tears ran faster. It appeared he would have to run through the memory completely again, watch himself destroyed thousands of people in blind rage. Only this time, he was very aware of what he was doing. And it would tear him up inside, most likely worst than the first time. At least then he found out after the fact.
His uncontrollable hands pressed the buttons that would seal his mental state for months to come. His mouth yelled out it's anguish at what he was about to do. His mind crumbled under the weight of it all. And Quatre cried as L4 colony exploded in a rain of fire and a super nova to rival many he had seen.
The mental strain of it was too much and Quatre snapped, his past and present self merging to emit the same keening wail of pain and remorse. It was like he looked through two pairs of eyes as he jammed the controls in an Earthly direction and shot off through space. Finally, he fell unconscious.
And fell out of the white door back into the Room of Requirement. The other pilots gathered around him and helped him up, worried looks on their faces. "Uneventful childhood, ne?" Heero said, with a snort. Trowa glared at him and hugged his love to his chest.
Quatre straightened and stood before them again, a leader. "Okay, Heero, Duo, finish up here and meet us in the Great Hall as son as possible. If class has already started, don't worry. We will still be there. Trowa, Wufei, let's go to lunch." The four pilots saluted and went their separate ways. Heero and Duo approached the doors to their pasts, and the others went through the Room's main door.
After Quatre and the others left, Heero and Duo turned to look at each other. An expression of apprehension graced Duo's face. As usual, Heero was expressionless. Heero was the first to speak.
"If we both enter at the same time, it will cut down the ETA to only about five minutes. With estimations from the other pilots' times, we might be able to make lunch," he said. Duo nodded, the anxious look still on his face. "Daijoubu ka?" Heero asked, his voice slightly detached.
"I'm fine, Hee-chan. It's just...my past isn't all roses, ya know?" Duo said, a slight grin on his face. He shrugged. "Anyhoo, let's get this show on the road, ne?" Heero nodded and turned to his blue door. Grabbing the knob, he looked at Duo. The braided teen also grabbed the handle of his black door. Both nodded to the other, and stepped in.
Harry and Draco talked and laughed companionably as they headed back to school for lunch. They had completely forgotten about the eagle that had interrupted their almost kiss. But the eagle hadn't forgotten them. Oh no, Belamey St. Juste hadn't forgotten them at all. How could she forget the man she planned to marry?
Snickering to herself in a weird eagle voice, Belamey rubbed her wings together and plotted. She would not allow herself to lose her raven haired love to that blond demon. With another eagle laugh, Belamey flew deeper into the Forbidden Forest.
(A/N: Eagle explained, Hikaru)
"Draco and Harry are still not here?" Blaise asked Hermione as they sat at the Gryffindor table together. They'd been in the Great Hall ten minutes, most spent talking by the entrance, but the blond Slytherin and green eyed Gryffindor hadn't showed.
"No. I wonder what's keeping them. Do you think they finally managed to take the next step?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah right, 'Mione. Draco and Harry actually getting a clue? That's like saying Ron isn't a complete and utter arse, and Dumbledore would look sexy in a thong," Blaise joked, grinning.
"Do you really think so, Mr. Zabini?" came a familiar voice. Hermione and Blaise froze, then turned pale faces to the figure behind them. It was Albus Dumbledore. "Interesting luncheon conversation, Ms. Granger."
"Eheh, good afternoon, Professor. Is there something you need?" a shocked Hermione asked.
Dumbledore smiled. "Actually, there is. Have you seen the foreign boys, by any chance? I must speak to them about a rather urgent matter," he said.
"Um, we haven't seen them since free period started, Professor. Sorry," Blaise said, a slight red tinge on his cheeks. He'd never been so embarrassed in his life.
"Oh. Well, then. I'll leave you two to think about my possible undergarments. Good day." And the sly old coot walked away with a slight bounce in his step, eyes twinkling. Hermione and Blaise fell over.
"Oh Merlin, I think I lost a few years there," Hermione said, clutching her heart. "Where's my copy of Hogwarts: A History? I need some comfort reading."
"Where's my stuffed bunny? I think I need a cuddle," Blaise muttered. Hermione snorted and Blaise glared at her. "What?" he snapped.
"Stuffed b-bunny?" she snorted. "What's it's name, Cuddles?" She fell down in an explosion of laughter.
"Her name is Constance, and she doesn't like to be talked about when she can't answer!" Blaise said angrily. Hermione just laughed harder. Blaise huffed and turned away, pouting. Hermione straightened and looked apologetic. She moved closer to Blaise and hugged him.
"I'm sorry, Blaise. I didn't mean that," she apologized. "I'll hug you while Constance isn't here, okay?" Blaise turned in Hermione's arms, a smile on his face. He opened his mouth, and...
"Well, isn't this sweet," said another familiar voice. The two friends sighed. This was just their day for interruptions. Both turned to see Ron Weasley glaring down at them. "What is this scum doing at the Gryffindor table, Hermione?"
"He isn't scum, Weasley. If anyone is scum, it's you. Now leave us alone," Hermione snapped, glaring right back at him.
"Now see here, you little slut.." Ron began. Before he could continue, a hand fell on his shoulder, hard. Ron turned slowly to see his assailant.
"Is there a problem here, Weasel?" Draco Malfoy demanded. Behind him was Crabbe and Goyle, but they were deliberately standing back, probably to show Draco didn't need them to take care of Ron.
Ron spun out of Draco's grip and pulled out his wand, aiming it at the Slytherin's face. "Back off, Malfoy, before I show you what I learned last year," he yelled, face an angry red.
"You mean, what I taught you, Ron?" Harry said from the sidelines. The Gryffindor smirked, which looked strangely alluring on his usually smiling face. "Trust me, Draco could wipe the floor with you, no wands needed."
"Why you disgusting traitor!" Ron shrieked, beginning to sound hysterical. Something poked him in the back and he spun around again, to meet the stony face of Wufei Chang, the expressionless face of Trowa Barton, and the slightly disturbing smile of Quatre Winner. All three stood in front of Hermione.
"Are you bothering Miss Granger, Weasley?" Wufei asked, his wand brushing Ron's throat.
"Because if you are," Trowa said.
"We'll have to take care of that," Quatre finished.
"And I'm almost positive you won't like it," Hermione added from behind them. She giggled happily, still clutching Blaise. The dark haired Gryffindor grinned. (A/N: Sorry to interrupt, but have any of you ever noticed that the real Blaise from JK's books is a blonde girl, yet the Blaise created from us fans is dark haired, and a boy? Just wondering)
Ron paled even more and stepped back, crashing into Draco. He spun away from the blond and hurried across the Great Hall to the doors. "This isn't over, Granger!" he yelled. "I'll catch you someday when you don't have your little friends protecting you!"
"I'll be waiting, Ronnikins!" Hermione called after the redhead, making the boy blush so red he rivaled his hair. Hermione grinned and turned back around in her seat, waving the teens around her to sit down. Draco and Harry sat beside Hermione, Crabbe and Goyle sat beside Blaise, and Quatre, Trowa and Wufei sat in front of them.
"That was brilliant, Draco, coming in like that. The Weasel won't approach us for weeks, most likely," Blaise said, smirking.
"I doubt it, Blaise. He is a tenacious little bugger, I must say," Draco said. Then it was his turn to smirk. "He might not have caught you off guard if you weren't going on about Cuddles again, you know."
Blaise blushed red, with either anger or embarrassment, no one was sure. "Her name is Constance, for Merlin's sake, Draco! You've known me for 12 years and you still get it wrong! And you shouldn't—"
"Talk about someone when they aren't there to answer. I know, Blaise. You've told me many times before," Draco drawled. "If I didn't know it was a stuffed animal, I might just think you were in love."
Blaise's skin color reached new heights and he pulled his wand out to cast a quick calming charm on himself. Breathing deeply, he turned a 100 watt glare on Draco. "I am not in love with Constance, you git. I simply appreciate the comfort she gives me," he said regally. He ruined it when he stuck out his tongue and muttered, "So there."
Beside Draco, Harry was trying his best not to laugh out loud but a stray snort escaped. Then entire group turned on him. "What's so funny, Potter?" Draco asked, curious. Harry just shook his head and turned away to snicker in peace. Draco simply shook his head. "Going on six years and I still don't understand that boy." Shrugging, he turned to Wufei, Quatre and Trowa.
Have a lie in before lunch?" he asked.
"No," Quatre said, the only one understanding the weird British term for "nap". After all, he had been trained in 13 different languages. "We were in the Room of Requirement."
"Where, what?" Hermione piped up. "How did you know about the Room?"
Wufei stopped flipping the pages of his book labeled IT"S ALIVE! The Art of Animating Inanimate Objects by Iggy Mobilus, and answered her. "Maxwell showed it to us." He went back to the intricacies of owning a talking toaster.
"Duo showed you? But how? Not many know of the Room. Maybe 30 students, at the most," Hermione argued.
"Books, remember?" Quatre said. "Duo explained this at that bar awhile back. We have books in our world all about yours. He probably knows this castle better than a lot of you."
"Books, you say?" Draco said, intrigued. "Might you have any of these...books...with you?"
"I'm sorry, but no. We didn't exactly pack to come here," Quatre said apologetically. "All we have is our weapons and the clothes we came in with."
"And the Guardians," Wufei said, looking up from instructions on how to charm a business suit to dance and sing Frank Sinatra songs off key. "But I am not sure they count since Headmaster Dumbledore was the one to provide us with them."
"That reminds me. Kiaarah," Trowa said, speaking for the first time since Ron left. The air shimmered in front of the Gryffindor table and Trowa's gryphon appeared in her regular form, the size of a full grown line. Many students gasped and shied away.
"What in blue blazes is that?!" came Seamus Finnigan's yell. Trowa sighed and got up. He leaned forward to whisper to the gryphon. The gryphon growled back and Trowa nodded. He waved his hand in dismissal and Kiaarah nodded and disappeared. Trowa returned to his seat and looked at Quatre and Wufei.
"Heero and Duo went through at the same time, most likely in an attempt to cut down the time it takes and make it to lunch," he said.
"Heero's idea, no doubt," Wufei said, skipping over a potion to give living room furniture sentient minds and razor sharp teeth.
"No doubt," Quatre said. "I hope they make it. These grilled cheese sandwiches are really good." Crabbe and Goyle nodded their agreement. Everyone else just looked confused.
"Went through what at the same time?" Hermione asked. "What are they doing in the Room of Requirement?"
"Don't worry about it, Hermione. They aren't doing anything bad. And they should make it to class, no problem," Quatre soothed.
The mention of class sidetracked Hermione and she latched onto the subject with a vengeance. "Good, because class is really important and you don't want to miss any, especially if you're an exchange student, because that kind of thing goes on your permanent record. Honestly, they—"
"Hermione!" three voices chorused in annoyance. Harry, Draco and Blaise looked at each other and laughed. The subject of Harry's cousin and Duo was dropped, and they went back to lunch, joking all the while.
No one noticed the venomous glare of Pansy Parkinson directed at the blond sitting at the Gryffindor table.
He tumbled out of the door and right into a pile of toys, particularly a large toy castle. Scared he had ruined someone's things, Duo immediately began grabbing pieces of it and trying to put it back together. As he was trying desperately to connect two bricks, Duo noticed something strange about his hands and arms. They were small and chubby, baby fat still in evidence. Looking down, Duo saw that he wore an expensive navy blue dress shirt with an unfamiliar crest on it, and similarly priced black dress pants. Horrified, he dropped the bricks.
"Let me get that for you, Master Daniel, sir," said a pleasant male voice. Large hands descended and picked up the pieces of the castle and reconstructed them. Once finished, the same hands handed Duo one of the small figurines, a wizard in periwinkle blue robes. Duo followed the hands up and arm to a face. The man had dark reddish black hair, a flat nose, and wore a grey suit with the same crest as Duo's shirt.
"Who are you?" Duo asked in a childish voice hard with distrust. He had learned at an early age that you can't trust old men that smile at you. It usually meant trouble.
"I'm your new nanny, Master Daniel," the man said in a deep south Wales accent, smiling and confirming all of Duo's fears. "My name is Tiberius. You may call me Mister Tiberius."
"I may call you whatever I want," Duo snapped, every inch of his breeding showing through. He'd seen his father say the same phrase to a recalcitrant servant just the other day, and had been practicing it since.
Tiberius's eyes hardened. "No you cannot, young Master. As your nanny it is my duty to train you in the ways of the world. And snapping at everyone who displeases you is not how to go about it," he said.
Duo's large blue eyes narrowed. "Mista Tibewius, was it?" he said, horrified when he stumbled over his "R's". Clearing his throat, he glared at the man, as if he was the case of the slip up. "Mister Tiberius," he began again. "I don't believe you're my nanny. Nannies are girls."
"Not all nannies, Master Daniel. Recently the Queen has approved male nannies. I am indeed your new nanny," Tiberius said.
"I don't believe you," Duo said. "Wait here while I get my daddy. He'll know what to do with you." Duo began to head out of the nursery, but Tiberius closed the door. Seeing this, Duo scowled. "Move, old man."
Tiberius's eyes narrowed on the small child, then his face returned to normal. "I think someone needs some time alone," he said, reaching down and picking Duo up. "How about a time out in the closet, Master Daniel?" He began walking toward the small nursery closet.
"Put me down this instant!" Duo screamed, wriggling wildly. "My daddy will have your head for this! You'll never work in this town again!" The result of too much television for once came in handy for the five year old, and he spat out insults only the men of highest power ever used. Too bad Tiberius didn't care.
He put Duo down in the closet and shut the door tight, locking it. Duo pounded on the door and demanded to be let out, but no response was forthcoming except an admonishment to think on what he'd done. What that was, Duo didn't know, but until his father came how, all he could do was wait. That realized, he got comfortable and prepared his insults for the moment the door opened.
The scene shifted to a large brick building. Young children laughed and played in the large front yard of the building, careful not to dirty their cream school uniforms. After all, they were the toddlers of the rich and famous. Can't have dirty kids, now can you?
In one corner, deep in the shadows, sat one miserable boy. He had long chestnut brown hair that flowed to mid back and was contained in a tight braid. His big blue-violet eyes were shadowed and glistening with unshed tears and his cherry lips trembled. His small black satchel was thrown carelessly in the dirt, and his little cream school shorts and jacket were covered in dirt. He was a victim of another assault by the older students.
Duo was the richest boy at St. Barnabas Academy for Boys, and many resented him for that, even at a young age. When some boys got a toy BMW, Duo got a toy Ferrari. When some boys got a tricycle, Duo got a motor bike (though it wasn't very fast. He was still a kid). Where one got a Ferris wheel for his birthday, Duo got the entire carnival. It pissed many off to no end.
Especially the 2nd graders currently pushing the young, unhappy boy around. It wasn't like Duo asked for any of his things, really. But the three boys in front of him most likely didn't care about all that. The first one, a sandy haired boy by the name of William Lancaster, was the ringleader. His father owned some of the shuttles at the shuttle terminal. Too bad Duo's father owned the shuttle terminal.
Behind him were the Curtis twins, Marcus and Lucas. Both had dark hair and cold blue eyes. And both glared at Duo with hatred. The Curtis' owned several ships on the merchant's dock just south of the school. The dock brought in loads of money every year. Duo's father owned the dock itself, and the Curtis' had to pay a docking tax. Pretty much everyone in the town owed the Cassells money for something.
"Think you're so hot, Cassell, just because your Dad owns all our stuff?" Lancaster barked, pushing Duo into the wall. Duo whimpered and attempted to dust off his uniform. His mother hated when he was dirty, and the last time he'd come home with dirt on his clothes she'd yelled at him and locked him in his room. Then his nanny, Tiberius, locked him in the nursery closet like he'd done the first time he'd met Duo. Duo didn't like it in that closet.
The twins grabbed Duo's hands and held them to the side, while Lancaster delivered a punishing right hook (for a 7 year old, anyway). Duo tried to hold in the tears, but couldn't. They flowed down his pale cheeks in rivers.
"Aww, look, the little Cassell is crying," Lancaster taunted. Not so hot now, are you?" And William laughed. The Curtis twins joined in. Before they could do anything else, Duo heard the voice of his nanny calling him. His brow furrowed. He hadn't seen Tiberius in a week. His father had said he had fired him because of an "unnatural preoccupation with my son". Duo didn't know what that meant, but he was pretty sure Tiberius wasn't his nanny anymore.
"Master Cassell, it's time to go home!" came Tiberius' yell. The three bullies released Duo, grinning. The expected him to catch it from the nanny for his clothes. Duo probably would.
"See you later, Cassell," Lancaster spat, his grin turning feral. The twins matched the look. Scared, Duo grabbed his bag and darted off to where he'd heard his nanny. What he came upon shocked him. There stood Tiberius, looking the worse for wear with bags under his eyes, a wrinkled suit, and messy hair. He looked like hell warmed over. Duo approached cautiously.
"Mister Tiberius?" he whispered. The nanny turned on him so quickly Duo almost fell over in his haste to back up. The look in his nanny's eyes was scary. "I thought my daddy fired you?" The look in Tiberius' voice hardened even more and frightened Duo twice as much.
"Yes, he did. But he hired me back. And I'm to take you home," he said, trying for oily sweetness and only getting evil intent in his voice.
"Um..." Duo said, backing up. Lightning quick, Tiberius reached out and grabbed Duo's wrist. Duo struggled, but Tiberius was a lot older and stronger. Duo kicked out and got Tiberius in the shin and darted away, but Tiberius caught him again and wrestled Duo into a red van parked in front of the school. No one attempted to help Duo. The young boy was usually in trouble for something and being dragged to some car or other, so no one paid any mine.
"I'm going to get your father to give me my job back," Tiberius snarled, dragging Duo into the van. "And if he doesn't, then he'll never see you again." At this Tiberius laughed cruelly, strapped Duo into the seat, and drove off. No one gave it another thought. And young Daniel Cassell wasn't seen for an entire year.
The scene switched to the day Tiberius died of drug use. Duo had been with the man for a year, his parents having refused to give Tiberius back his job or pay any type of ransom for their son. Now Duo was left with a dead druggie in a dirty room, and the clothes on his back. He didn't know a thing about living outside the room. Nothing at all. But he was free, and that was all that matter.
A year living with a made man who had a serious crush on him was the worse thing to ever happen to Duo. But it paled considerably to his time on the streets, the subsequent death of Solo, and the destruction of Maxwell church. All of it boiled down to where he was currently. A bitter boy with a bitter past and a hatred for his family so deep nothing could penetrate it.
With that last scene and thought, Duo tumbled out of the black door. He tumbled onto the grass and lay there, lost in thought.
Tsuzuku or TBC
Next chapter will be Heero's past and some plot development around Dumbledore, plus a little bonding time with Harry and Heero. They are cousins, after all.
Any questions I haven't answered that you have, email me and I'll either answer the email back or answer them all in the next chapter and credit you for plot development. Until the next!
P.S. It has recently come to my attention that everything in Italics in this story has been erased in the posting of all the previous chapters, so for the next week I will be going through each chapter, fixing it, and reposting. If you wish, you can go back and see it.
P.P.S. I have recently started a new Fanfiction site called Smudge of Ink and I am looking for authors who are willing to allow me to archive their work. Just email me at Miakamyway.com and head it with Re: smudge of ink so I know what you're talking about. And lastly, request for fanart is still up. I hope to see some good ones soon!
Miaka
Also, thank DrkNuriko for getting my ass in gear! Go read her stuff.
Part Fifteen: The Guardians and The Past, Part Four,
Quatre's Sanity, Duo's Spirit
In the Room of Requirement, Trowa lay on the soft grass, surrounded by his comrades-in-arms, one hand clutched by his petit fiancé. He groaned and attempted to sit up, changed his mind and just lay there reviewing the facts of the last fifteen minutes.
He'd been in his past, first when he was about one and one half, then when he was ten, around the time he'd begun working for Doktor S on Heavyarms. It was like a big, very realistic flashback. Was this what the Guardians had meant by the Doors of Past Occurrences?
"Trowa? Trowa, are you alright?" Quatre begged, tugging on Trowa's arm and drawing him from his thoughts.
"I'm fine, Quatre," he said, moving his hand to fully grip Quatre's. "What's wrong?"
Tears filled Quatre's eyes. "It wasn't like Duo and Wufei. You fell out of the door, and you were unconscious. I thought you were dead!" the blond wailed, throwing himself on his fiancé. Surprised, and a little shocked, Trowa pulled Quatre closer and held him tightly.
"I'm fine, angel. Look, nothing is wrong with me," Trowa murmured, rubbing Quatre's back. "You have to remember, I am a Gundam pilot. Something like this won't be the end of me."
Quatre leaned back and glared at Trowa, tears still glistening in his aquamarine eyes. "It's not the same, and you know it!" he snapped. "Everything is different now. We are to be married. Sometimes that overshadows the fact that you are a pilot."
"I understand," Trowa said, sighing. "I won't put your feelings aside like that again."
Excuse the interruption, Master, but it shall be ten more human minutes until it is time for the noon meal. I believe you must go Kiaarah said, moving into their circle. Heero, Duo and Wufei sat on the grass to the side, patiently waiting for the two lovers to make up. They were used to situations like this.
"But Quatre, Duo and Heero must still go through the doors," Trowa said. Quatre stood, his leader face slipping into place. The others also got to their feet and stood at attention in front of him.
"I will go through my door. It shouldn't take too long. My past was fairly uneventful. Then Trowa, Wufei and I will go to lunch. You, Heero, and Duo will stay here and go through your doors. If you do not make it to lunch, I'm sure Harry can arrange something before our next class," he said.
"Sir!" the others said, saluting sharply. They immediately split off into two groups. Heero and Duo went to stand near their doors, Quatre stood in front of his, and Trowa and Wufei headed to the exit and stood on either side, as if guarding it. Nodding to them, Quatre turned to the white door. Alecea flitted up to him.
"Be careful, Heru," she said. Quatre nodded, and then stepped through the door. The effects were immediate. His surroundings changed to an expensively decorated room. He lay on the king sized bed in the center, and a buxom maid tinkered with something over by the vanity mirror. She looked familiar.
It hit Quatre like a ton of bricks. The maid was Cilia, the servant from his childhood, and the room was the room he'd occupied when he was thirteen, right before he'd run away from home and joined the Maguanac Corps. Before he could think further, Celia pressed him down into the bed and strapped him down. With dawning realization, Quatre remembered the main reason he had run away. The daily injections by his maid, a lady even more twisted than Dr. J. Past fairly uneventful, his ass! How could he forget something like this?
"Good morning, Master Quatre. I trust you slept well?" Celia asked, grinning evilly as she pulled a large syringe containing bright blue liquid out of her bag. "Are you ready for your medicine? Now don't bite me this time, okay dear?"
The syringe contained Polyhtorline (completely made up), a drug many idiots believed could cure homosexuality. Quatre's father, meaning well and looking out for his business, had hired Celia, a licensed Polyhtorline nurse, to give him the treatment. Ever since then Quatre had regretted opening up to his sister Fatiya. He hadn't known she was such a tattletale, and immediately exposed him to their father. Now, once a day, Quatre was submitted to an injection that induced horrible hallucinations and visions, supposedly to 'drive away' his homosexual tendencies. All it had done was make the poor boy unstable.
"No! NO!!" Quatre cried, struggling against his bonds. Celia just cooed at him, stroking his feather soft blond hair and murmuring baby words. Ever since she'd entered his life, Celia seemed to think that Quatre was just one cute baby to her, something to play with and cuddle at her leisure. But that wasn't the worst of it. She took part in the second phase of his treatment. Exposure to the opposite sex. In other words, after he stopped screaming from the visions, Celia raped him.
(A/N: I'm sorry if this offends anyone. I didn't mean it that way. Things get better after this chapter, so don't abandon me now.)
"There you go, young Master," Celia crowed, shoving the needle into his arm. Quatre watched in sick fascination as the syringe emptied into his blood stream and his vision clouded. The last thing he heard was a happy little giggle as everything went black.
He opened his eyes to the cockpit of a mobile suit, two years obsolete from the ones currently used by OZ. A battle raged around him as suits a light cream color flitted around on the defensive. They were the Maguanacs, and he was currently in the battle he'd assisted them with in his thirteenth year. Shaking his head clear, Quatre snatched up the controls and began to fight, his old and awkward abilities showing through. It was like he couldn't control himself, couldn't show the skill he had acquired in all his 16 years.
"Master Quatre, behind you!" came the voice of Rashid, leader of the Maguanac Corps and Quatre's first true friend.
"Hai!" Quatre called, swinging around in the suit and firing at an enemy. The enemy suit exploded, and Quatre allowed himself a little happiness, before he quickly prayed for the person's soul. "May Allah protect you," he whispered.
"Master Quatre!" came Rashid's call again. But it came too late. A suit slammed into Quatre, throwing him forward. Since the suit was old, the harness snapped and Quatre slammed into the console, blood pouring from a wound from his head. He blacked out...
And woke again, still in the mobile suit. Or not. The suit wasn't the same, yet it seemed familiar to him. It was Heero's Gundam, Wing Zero. Quatre realized he was in a new secure harness, and the view before him was breathtaking. It was the Earth, glowing ethereally in outer space. He didn't have much time to look because his hands reached out and toggled the controls to flip the large mobile suit over. The view screen rolled slowly, depicting the starry ocean, before fixing on the one thing Quatre hoped to never see again.
It was one of the colonies in L4 colony cluster (A/N: Sorry if this is wrong, but my internet isn't working right now so I can't check if this is the right colony.) It was the colony he had destroyed in anger and sadness after his father blew himself up on the research satellite he wished to keep away from the enemy.
Tears formed in Quatre's eyes as his hands moved with out his permission, as if he were a puppet. He felt the weight of the zero system helmet, and the tears ran faster. It appeared he would have to run through the memory completely again, watch himself destroyed thousands of people in blind rage. Only this time, he was very aware of what he was doing. And it would tear him up inside, most likely worst than the first time. At least then he found out after the fact.
His uncontrollable hands pressed the buttons that would seal his mental state for months to come. His mouth yelled out it's anguish at what he was about to do. His mind crumbled under the weight of it all. And Quatre cried as L4 colony exploded in a rain of fire and a super nova to rival many he had seen.
The mental strain of it was too much and Quatre snapped, his past and present self merging to emit the same keening wail of pain and remorse. It was like he looked through two pairs of eyes as he jammed the controls in an Earthly direction and shot off through space. Finally, he fell unconscious.
And fell out of the white door back into the Room of Requirement. The other pilots gathered around him and helped him up, worried looks on their faces. "Uneventful childhood, ne?" Heero said, with a snort. Trowa glared at him and hugged his love to his chest.
Quatre straightened and stood before them again, a leader. "Okay, Heero, Duo, finish up here and meet us in the Great Hall as son as possible. If class has already started, don't worry. We will still be there. Trowa, Wufei, let's go to lunch." The four pilots saluted and went their separate ways. Heero and Duo approached the doors to their pasts, and the others went through the Room's main door.
After Quatre and the others left, Heero and Duo turned to look at each other. An expression of apprehension graced Duo's face. As usual, Heero was expressionless. Heero was the first to speak.
"If we both enter at the same time, it will cut down the ETA to only about five minutes. With estimations from the other pilots' times, we might be able to make lunch," he said. Duo nodded, the anxious look still on his face. "Daijoubu ka?" Heero asked, his voice slightly detached.
"I'm fine, Hee-chan. It's just...my past isn't all roses, ya know?" Duo said, a slight grin on his face. He shrugged. "Anyhoo, let's get this show on the road, ne?" Heero nodded and turned to his blue door. Grabbing the knob, he looked at Duo. The braided teen also grabbed the handle of his black door. Both nodded to the other, and stepped in.
Harry and Draco talked and laughed companionably as they headed back to school for lunch. They had completely forgotten about the eagle that had interrupted their almost kiss. But the eagle hadn't forgotten them. Oh no, Belamey St. Juste hadn't forgotten them at all. How could she forget the man she planned to marry?
Snickering to herself in a weird eagle voice, Belamey rubbed her wings together and plotted. She would not allow herself to lose her raven haired love to that blond demon. With another eagle laugh, Belamey flew deeper into the Forbidden Forest.
(A/N: Eagle explained, Hikaru)
"Draco and Harry are still not here?" Blaise asked Hermione as they sat at the Gryffindor table together. They'd been in the Great Hall ten minutes, most spent talking by the entrance, but the blond Slytherin and green eyed Gryffindor hadn't showed.
"No. I wonder what's keeping them. Do you think they finally managed to take the next step?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah right, 'Mione. Draco and Harry actually getting a clue? That's like saying Ron isn't a complete and utter arse, and Dumbledore would look sexy in a thong," Blaise joked, grinning.
"Do you really think so, Mr. Zabini?" came a familiar voice. Hermione and Blaise froze, then turned pale faces to the figure behind them. It was Albus Dumbledore. "Interesting luncheon conversation, Ms. Granger."
"Eheh, good afternoon, Professor. Is there something you need?" a shocked Hermione asked.
Dumbledore smiled. "Actually, there is. Have you seen the foreign boys, by any chance? I must speak to them about a rather urgent matter," he said.
"Um, we haven't seen them since free period started, Professor. Sorry," Blaise said, a slight red tinge on his cheeks. He'd never been so embarrassed in his life.
"Oh. Well, then. I'll leave you two to think about my possible undergarments. Good day." And the sly old coot walked away with a slight bounce in his step, eyes twinkling. Hermione and Blaise fell over.
"Oh Merlin, I think I lost a few years there," Hermione said, clutching her heart. "Where's my copy of Hogwarts: A History? I need some comfort reading."
"Where's my stuffed bunny? I think I need a cuddle," Blaise muttered. Hermione snorted and Blaise glared at her. "What?" he snapped.
"Stuffed b-bunny?" she snorted. "What's it's name, Cuddles?" She fell down in an explosion of laughter.
"Her name is Constance, and she doesn't like to be talked about when she can't answer!" Blaise said angrily. Hermione just laughed harder. Blaise huffed and turned away, pouting. Hermione straightened and looked apologetic. She moved closer to Blaise and hugged him.
"I'm sorry, Blaise. I didn't mean that," she apologized. "I'll hug you while Constance isn't here, okay?" Blaise turned in Hermione's arms, a smile on his face. He opened his mouth, and...
"Well, isn't this sweet," said another familiar voice. The two friends sighed. This was just their day for interruptions. Both turned to see Ron Weasley glaring down at them. "What is this scum doing at the Gryffindor table, Hermione?"
"He isn't scum, Weasley. If anyone is scum, it's you. Now leave us alone," Hermione snapped, glaring right back at him.
"Now see here, you little slut.." Ron began. Before he could continue, a hand fell on his shoulder, hard. Ron turned slowly to see his assailant.
"Is there a problem here, Weasel?" Draco Malfoy demanded. Behind him was Crabbe and Goyle, but they were deliberately standing back, probably to show Draco didn't need them to take care of Ron.
Ron spun out of Draco's grip and pulled out his wand, aiming it at the Slytherin's face. "Back off, Malfoy, before I show you what I learned last year," he yelled, face an angry red.
"You mean, what I taught you, Ron?" Harry said from the sidelines. The Gryffindor smirked, which looked strangely alluring on his usually smiling face. "Trust me, Draco could wipe the floor with you, no wands needed."
"Why you disgusting traitor!" Ron shrieked, beginning to sound hysterical. Something poked him in the back and he spun around again, to meet the stony face of Wufei Chang, the expressionless face of Trowa Barton, and the slightly disturbing smile of Quatre Winner. All three stood in front of Hermione.
"Are you bothering Miss Granger, Weasley?" Wufei asked, his wand brushing Ron's throat.
"Because if you are," Trowa said.
"We'll have to take care of that," Quatre finished.
"And I'm almost positive you won't like it," Hermione added from behind them. She giggled happily, still clutching Blaise. The dark haired Gryffindor grinned. (A/N: Sorry to interrupt, but have any of you ever noticed that the real Blaise from JK's books is a blonde girl, yet the Blaise created from us fans is dark haired, and a boy? Just wondering)
Ron paled even more and stepped back, crashing into Draco. He spun away from the blond and hurried across the Great Hall to the doors. "This isn't over, Granger!" he yelled. "I'll catch you someday when you don't have your little friends protecting you!"
"I'll be waiting, Ronnikins!" Hermione called after the redhead, making the boy blush so red he rivaled his hair. Hermione grinned and turned back around in her seat, waving the teens around her to sit down. Draco and Harry sat beside Hermione, Crabbe and Goyle sat beside Blaise, and Quatre, Trowa and Wufei sat in front of them.
"That was brilliant, Draco, coming in like that. The Weasel won't approach us for weeks, most likely," Blaise said, smirking.
"I doubt it, Blaise. He is a tenacious little bugger, I must say," Draco said. Then it was his turn to smirk. "He might not have caught you off guard if you weren't going on about Cuddles again, you know."
Blaise blushed red, with either anger or embarrassment, no one was sure. "Her name is Constance, for Merlin's sake, Draco! You've known me for 12 years and you still get it wrong! And you shouldn't—"
"Talk about someone when they aren't there to answer. I know, Blaise. You've told me many times before," Draco drawled. "If I didn't know it was a stuffed animal, I might just think you were in love."
Blaise's skin color reached new heights and he pulled his wand out to cast a quick calming charm on himself. Breathing deeply, he turned a 100 watt glare on Draco. "I am not in love with Constance, you git. I simply appreciate the comfort she gives me," he said regally. He ruined it when he stuck out his tongue and muttered, "So there."
Beside Draco, Harry was trying his best not to laugh out loud but a stray snort escaped. Then entire group turned on him. "What's so funny, Potter?" Draco asked, curious. Harry just shook his head and turned away to snicker in peace. Draco simply shook his head. "Going on six years and I still don't understand that boy." Shrugging, he turned to Wufei, Quatre and Trowa.
Have a lie in before lunch?" he asked.
"No," Quatre said, the only one understanding the weird British term for "nap". After all, he had been trained in 13 different languages. "We were in the Room of Requirement."
"Where, what?" Hermione piped up. "How did you know about the Room?"
Wufei stopped flipping the pages of his book labeled IT"S ALIVE! The Art of Animating Inanimate Objects by Iggy Mobilus, and answered her. "Maxwell showed it to us." He went back to the intricacies of owning a talking toaster.
"Duo showed you? But how? Not many know of the Room. Maybe 30 students, at the most," Hermione argued.
"Books, remember?" Quatre said. "Duo explained this at that bar awhile back. We have books in our world all about yours. He probably knows this castle better than a lot of you."
"Books, you say?" Draco said, intrigued. "Might you have any of these...books...with you?"
"I'm sorry, but no. We didn't exactly pack to come here," Quatre said apologetically. "All we have is our weapons and the clothes we came in with."
"And the Guardians," Wufei said, looking up from instructions on how to charm a business suit to dance and sing Frank Sinatra songs off key. "But I am not sure they count since Headmaster Dumbledore was the one to provide us with them."
"That reminds me. Kiaarah," Trowa said, speaking for the first time since Ron left. The air shimmered in front of the Gryffindor table and Trowa's gryphon appeared in her regular form, the size of a full grown line. Many students gasped and shied away.
"What in blue blazes is that?!" came Seamus Finnigan's yell. Trowa sighed and got up. He leaned forward to whisper to the gryphon. The gryphon growled back and Trowa nodded. He waved his hand in dismissal and Kiaarah nodded and disappeared. Trowa returned to his seat and looked at Quatre and Wufei.
"Heero and Duo went through at the same time, most likely in an attempt to cut down the time it takes and make it to lunch," he said.
"Heero's idea, no doubt," Wufei said, skipping over a potion to give living room furniture sentient minds and razor sharp teeth.
"No doubt," Quatre said. "I hope they make it. These grilled cheese sandwiches are really good." Crabbe and Goyle nodded their agreement. Everyone else just looked confused.
"Went through what at the same time?" Hermione asked. "What are they doing in the Room of Requirement?"
"Don't worry about it, Hermione. They aren't doing anything bad. And they should make it to class, no problem," Quatre soothed.
The mention of class sidetracked Hermione and she latched onto the subject with a vengeance. "Good, because class is really important and you don't want to miss any, especially if you're an exchange student, because that kind of thing goes on your permanent record. Honestly, they—"
"Hermione!" three voices chorused in annoyance. Harry, Draco and Blaise looked at each other and laughed. The subject of Harry's cousin and Duo was dropped, and they went back to lunch, joking all the while.
No one noticed the venomous glare of Pansy Parkinson directed at the blond sitting at the Gryffindor table.
He tumbled out of the door and right into a pile of toys, particularly a large toy castle. Scared he had ruined someone's things, Duo immediately began grabbing pieces of it and trying to put it back together. As he was trying desperately to connect two bricks, Duo noticed something strange about his hands and arms. They were small and chubby, baby fat still in evidence. Looking down, Duo saw that he wore an expensive navy blue dress shirt with an unfamiliar crest on it, and similarly priced black dress pants. Horrified, he dropped the bricks.
"Let me get that for you, Master Daniel, sir," said a pleasant male voice. Large hands descended and picked up the pieces of the castle and reconstructed them. Once finished, the same hands handed Duo one of the small figurines, a wizard in periwinkle blue robes. Duo followed the hands up and arm to a face. The man had dark reddish black hair, a flat nose, and wore a grey suit with the same crest as Duo's shirt.
"Who are you?" Duo asked in a childish voice hard with distrust. He had learned at an early age that you can't trust old men that smile at you. It usually meant trouble.
"I'm your new nanny, Master Daniel," the man said in a deep south Wales accent, smiling and confirming all of Duo's fears. "My name is Tiberius. You may call me Mister Tiberius."
"I may call you whatever I want," Duo snapped, every inch of his breeding showing through. He'd seen his father say the same phrase to a recalcitrant servant just the other day, and had been practicing it since.
Tiberius's eyes hardened. "No you cannot, young Master. As your nanny it is my duty to train you in the ways of the world. And snapping at everyone who displeases you is not how to go about it," he said.
Duo's large blue eyes narrowed. "Mista Tibewius, was it?" he said, horrified when he stumbled over his "R's". Clearing his throat, he glared at the man, as if he was the case of the slip up. "Mister Tiberius," he began again. "I don't believe you're my nanny. Nannies are girls."
"Not all nannies, Master Daniel. Recently the Queen has approved male nannies. I am indeed your new nanny," Tiberius said.
"I don't believe you," Duo said. "Wait here while I get my daddy. He'll know what to do with you." Duo began to head out of the nursery, but Tiberius closed the door. Seeing this, Duo scowled. "Move, old man."
Tiberius's eyes narrowed on the small child, then his face returned to normal. "I think someone needs some time alone," he said, reaching down and picking Duo up. "How about a time out in the closet, Master Daniel?" He began walking toward the small nursery closet.
"Put me down this instant!" Duo screamed, wriggling wildly. "My daddy will have your head for this! You'll never work in this town again!" The result of too much television for once came in handy for the five year old, and he spat out insults only the men of highest power ever used. Too bad Tiberius didn't care.
He put Duo down in the closet and shut the door tight, locking it. Duo pounded on the door and demanded to be let out, but no response was forthcoming except an admonishment to think on what he'd done. What that was, Duo didn't know, but until his father came how, all he could do was wait. That realized, he got comfortable and prepared his insults for the moment the door opened.
The scene shifted to a large brick building. Young children laughed and played in the large front yard of the building, careful not to dirty their cream school uniforms. After all, they were the toddlers of the rich and famous. Can't have dirty kids, now can you?
In one corner, deep in the shadows, sat one miserable boy. He had long chestnut brown hair that flowed to mid back and was contained in a tight braid. His big blue-violet eyes were shadowed and glistening with unshed tears and his cherry lips trembled. His small black satchel was thrown carelessly in the dirt, and his little cream school shorts and jacket were covered in dirt. He was a victim of another assault by the older students.
Duo was the richest boy at St. Barnabas Academy for Boys, and many resented him for that, even at a young age. When some boys got a toy BMW, Duo got a toy Ferrari. When some boys got a tricycle, Duo got a motor bike (though it wasn't very fast. He was still a kid). Where one got a Ferris wheel for his birthday, Duo got the entire carnival. It pissed many off to no end.
Especially the 2nd graders currently pushing the young, unhappy boy around. It wasn't like Duo asked for any of his things, really. But the three boys in front of him most likely didn't care about all that. The first one, a sandy haired boy by the name of William Lancaster, was the ringleader. His father owned some of the shuttles at the shuttle terminal. Too bad Duo's father owned the shuttle terminal.
Behind him were the Curtis twins, Marcus and Lucas. Both had dark hair and cold blue eyes. And both glared at Duo with hatred. The Curtis' owned several ships on the merchant's dock just south of the school. The dock brought in loads of money every year. Duo's father owned the dock itself, and the Curtis' had to pay a docking tax. Pretty much everyone in the town owed the Cassells money for something.
"Think you're so hot, Cassell, just because your Dad owns all our stuff?" Lancaster barked, pushing Duo into the wall. Duo whimpered and attempted to dust off his uniform. His mother hated when he was dirty, and the last time he'd come home with dirt on his clothes she'd yelled at him and locked him in his room. Then his nanny, Tiberius, locked him in the nursery closet like he'd done the first time he'd met Duo. Duo didn't like it in that closet.
The twins grabbed Duo's hands and held them to the side, while Lancaster delivered a punishing right hook (for a 7 year old, anyway). Duo tried to hold in the tears, but couldn't. They flowed down his pale cheeks in rivers.
"Aww, look, the little Cassell is crying," Lancaster taunted. Not so hot now, are you?" And William laughed. The Curtis twins joined in. Before they could do anything else, Duo heard the voice of his nanny calling him. His brow furrowed. He hadn't seen Tiberius in a week. His father had said he had fired him because of an "unnatural preoccupation with my son". Duo didn't know what that meant, but he was pretty sure Tiberius wasn't his nanny anymore.
"Master Cassell, it's time to go home!" came Tiberius' yell. The three bullies released Duo, grinning. The expected him to catch it from the nanny for his clothes. Duo probably would.
"See you later, Cassell," Lancaster spat, his grin turning feral. The twins matched the look. Scared, Duo grabbed his bag and darted off to where he'd heard his nanny. What he came upon shocked him. There stood Tiberius, looking the worse for wear with bags under his eyes, a wrinkled suit, and messy hair. He looked like hell warmed over. Duo approached cautiously.
"Mister Tiberius?" he whispered. The nanny turned on him so quickly Duo almost fell over in his haste to back up. The look in his nanny's eyes was scary. "I thought my daddy fired you?" The look in Tiberius' voice hardened even more and frightened Duo twice as much.
"Yes, he did. But he hired me back. And I'm to take you home," he said, trying for oily sweetness and only getting evil intent in his voice.
"Um..." Duo said, backing up. Lightning quick, Tiberius reached out and grabbed Duo's wrist. Duo struggled, but Tiberius was a lot older and stronger. Duo kicked out and got Tiberius in the shin and darted away, but Tiberius caught him again and wrestled Duo into a red van parked in front of the school. No one attempted to help Duo. The young boy was usually in trouble for something and being dragged to some car or other, so no one paid any mine.
"I'm going to get your father to give me my job back," Tiberius snarled, dragging Duo into the van. "And if he doesn't, then he'll never see you again." At this Tiberius laughed cruelly, strapped Duo into the seat, and drove off. No one gave it another thought. And young Daniel Cassell wasn't seen for an entire year.
The scene switched to the day Tiberius died of drug use. Duo had been with the man for a year, his parents having refused to give Tiberius back his job or pay any type of ransom for their son. Now Duo was left with a dead druggie in a dirty room, and the clothes on his back. He didn't know a thing about living outside the room. Nothing at all. But he was free, and that was all that matter.
A year living with a made man who had a serious crush on him was the worse thing to ever happen to Duo. But it paled considerably to his time on the streets, the subsequent death of Solo, and the destruction of Maxwell church. All of it boiled down to where he was currently. A bitter boy with a bitter past and a hatred for his family so deep nothing could penetrate it.
With that last scene and thought, Duo tumbled out of the black door. He tumbled onto the grass and lay there, lost in thought.
Tsuzuku or TBC
Next chapter will be Heero's past and some plot development around Dumbledore, plus a little bonding time with Harry and Heero. They are cousins, after all.
Any questions I haven't answered that you have, email me and I'll either answer the email back or answer them all in the next chapter and credit you for plot development. Until the next!