From The Manwell: Again, thanks for the reviews. And yes, asking if this will be a 4x5 is cheating! (grins mysteriously)
Follow the Lights
- Four -
"You found him."
"Yeah... mind giving me a hand, here?"
"Sure..."
"What happened to him?"
"What I warned you would happen if he turned away from me."
"Will he be all right?"
"Maybe. We'll just have to wait and see."
"I'll take the first watch."
"Thank you. I... thank you."
"Get some rest."
"Yes, you need to save your strength."
"Hey, who's in charge around here?"
"Don't argue with us."
"Damn it."
"You're welcome."
...ooo...
Soft whispers pull at the edge of Wufei's awareness. He frowns, resisting the call, but something won't let him return to the warmth of unconsciousness. Something has happened. Something he must remember...
Come with me...
Wufei's eyes snap open as the memory breaks over him in an icy wave.
Duo. Duo had found him. Had lulled him into...
The darkness...
Wufei rolls onto his side, unsure of what to expect, but discovers himself tucked into a reasonably comfortable bed.
"You're awake."
He blinks at the familiar voice for a moment before turning his face toward the sound. He frowns as the outline of a figure becomes discernable in the dim room. He says nothing, hesitant to say the name lest it shatter the illusion.
"We were concerned. You slept for a long time."
Another familiar voice. Wufei closes his eyes and takes a moment to run his hands over the smooth sheets covering the mattress beneath him. "Where am I?"
"Somewhere safe," the first voice – the one that could almost be Heero's – tells him.
"Just rest," the second coaches quietly. "You really had a lot taken out of you."
Wufei groans, feeling every part of himself ache with exhaustion. "Duo... We have to..."
"Duo will be all right."
Wufei shakes his head. "No... no, I... he..."
A warm hand settles over his forehead. "Go back to sleep, Wufei. Heero and I are on duty. Just concentrate on rebuilding your strength."
"But Duo... we need to..."
"We need to find a way to repay him for the risks he's taken for us," Heero says with genuine inflection.
Wufei sighs deeply, not understanding but not having the energy to comprehend it anyway. Resigned to this continued confusion and frustration, Wufei allows his body to sink further into the mattress. He knows he will have to be careful. He will have to wait for his strength to return and watch for the moment when he can get himself and the others out of this situation. He just hopes he'll be lucid enough to recognize it when it arrives.
...ooo...
Duo shouldersthe door open and smiles weakly at his guests.
"Is everything in place?" Trowa asks softly over Wufei's sleeping form.
In reply, Duo nods wearily. "Yeah. It's all done. The rest is up to Quatre now."
Lying across his own cot with his legs dangling over the edge, Heero says, "You should let us help you."
Arcing a brow, Duo drawls lazily, "What are you really trying to say, Yuy?"
"You're exhausted, Duo," Trowa tells him. "Didn't you rest like we told you?"
"Rest? Hah! What's that?"
"Duo..." Heero growls.
Holding up a hand, Duo relents. "I did lie down but I couldn't relax. Sorry, guys. Still, it was better than nothing."
"You won't be able to go through with you plans if you don't get some rest," Heero points out mercilessly.
"Let us help you, Duo."
Duo shakes his head. "No. When he gets here, you are to stay right where you are. Do you understand me?"
Heero growls in frustration. "Damn it, Duo..."
"No, Heero. Listen to me. I own you and you will do what I say. You and Trowa will stay here and guard Wufei. I didn't have enough left in me to complete The Owning before he passed out. And I will not let Quatre have him. You got that, Yuy?"
Their gazes clash and in an instant Duo's exhaustion is completely erased. After a long moment, Heero nods reluctantly. "I've got it."
Duo relaxes, leaning against the doorframe once again. "Good." He offers a gentle smile to the other young man. "Don't worry so much, Heero," he says in a soft, intimate voice. "I'm a helluva lot stronger than I look."
"You'd better be," Trowa contributes.
Duo spreads his hands, palms up and beseeches, "What happened to the faith, guys? I've come this far. I won't let you go now."
Trowa almost grins. "We know, Duo."
Heero folds his arms behind his head and glares at the ceiling. "You damn well better not screw this up, Duo." Heero glances in the direction of the doorway, his glare sharpened with fear for the other young man's well-being.
"Aw, you two. I'm getting all misty-eyed over here..."
Trowa snorts softly.
Heero lets out an explosive sigh that's almost an expletive.
Duo grins widely at Heero's consternation. "Heh. I'm in charge here, Yuy, so you might as well get used to taking orders."
"I didn't ask for this."
"No, you didn't. Neither did Trowa nor Wufei nor Quatre nor I for that matter. But everything has been set in motion. All we can do is follow it through and see where it leads us."
The room is quiet for a very long moment. And then: "You get yourself killed and I'll damn you to hell myself."
"Heero..." Duo replies slowly, leaning his head against the doorframe and closing his eyes. "The whole point of this is to avoid being damned to hell at all costs. Besides..." Duo continues, opening his eyes to regard his charges, "you're forgetting what I promised you. I've never fallen through on a promise yet." Duo's expression hardens with determination. "And I'm not about to start now."
...ooo...
Quatre stares at the empty room, his hands slowly fisting at his sides. He shouldn't have left him alone. He shouldn't have left Wufei alone for an instant.
And now...
He shakes his head as he allows himself to slump down against the east wall of the meditation room. At his feet lay a single sheet of paper with a neatly printed address staring back at him.
Wufei...
He's lost all of them, now.
"Damn you, Duo Maxwell."
What fate awaits them now in the custody of that madman?
Madman.
Who would have thought he'd ever think of one of his closest friends in such a manner?
Oh, Duo... what have we come to?
What had happened to them all? Duo, insane and unstable. Trowa, Heero, and Wufei now at his mercy. And Quatre, the last chance they have.
Last chance.
The words echo in his mind reminding him of the daunting task before him. And there is no room for failure. Before this night is over, Quatre is going to do whatever he can – whatever he has to – in order to restore this tilted, stilted world to its proper axis.
"I hope you're ready for me, Duo Maxwell, because if you think you've looked into the face of death you've got an unpleasant surprise ahead of you..."
And with that, Quatre picks himself up and starts making his preparations for the confrontation that will decide the fate of five young men. Five former friends.
- End of Part Four -