Duo POV

I knew something was off before we even reached the castle walls. It hadn't started a good day, but it kept steadily getting worse. First we found fifteen female dragons holed up in a cave without the male anywhere in sight. Then Zechs discovered that one of the dragons had a gold ring around her tail, which meant she was tame.

The only people that had managed to domesticate dragons were the Chinese. The dragons originated in the deepest tunnels on earth, burrowed though the Tibetan mountains into lava pits deep underground. The Chinese had been around the dragons longest, it was only natural that they knew the most about them. It was also said that they produced some of the best sorcerers in the world because of how much they mingled with the dragons, but that could not be proved. Sorcery in China was severely forbidden, believing that it took power away from the gods.

Usually dragons would spend the summer in China then migrate to Australia for the winter. It wasn't uncommon for a young male dragon to overshoot his return and end up in Mongolia, Kazakhstan, or even Russia. It wasn't a complete surprise that the dragons ended up at Wing, it was only a few miles away from the borders of Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan. Usually it was a simple matter of removing the male so the females would fly back to the mountains, and far away from any people they could injure.

However, a tame female could not get lost; it had to be stolen. Which meant the other dragons had to be some kind of illusion, possibly changelings, creatures that could change shape at will but gained no extra powers. The changelings would hide the presence of the other dragon, it was suspicious to see a female dragon alone since they always traveled in groups. Which meant that someone had done a lot of planning to steal the dragon and must have had a good reason.

I just prayed the reason wasn't war.

China and Russia had an alliance, not exactly a friendship, but a mutual respect. China revered the dragons and, though they were used to help make food for the rising population, were cherished above all other animals. The Chinese would rather lose a thousand men in battle than one dragon. And I worked directly under the ruler of Russia, Treize. We had been friends for several years, he and Zechs had been friends for like forever. He hadn't told either of us about any plans to attack China, so I knew there were none. Besides that, Treize hated unnecessary killing and would only go to war if he absolutely had to.

Which meant that someone was planning war and it wasn't us or China.

On top of all that, we had discovered about two hundred eggs in the cave and there was no way to tell a real dragon egg that was fertile, a real dragon egg that was not fertile, and an egg from a changeling apart. Which meant that all of them had to be chipped apart, since they were covered in a sticky substance that dried like cement, and taken back to the capitol along with their mother. That could take weeks. Then they would all have to be returned to China, which would require Treize to go there as a figure of good-will. Then there would be an investigation and a lot of suspicion. Things were going to get a bit strained soon.

Needless to say, all I really wanted to do when I got back to the stronghold was curl up with Heero and pretend that this whole mess was not going to happen. But I knew that wasn't going to happen when I got within range of our link.

Because I was so far away, the feeling were fuzzy, and I wasn't looking for them so I didn't notice them for a while. When I did notice them I realized that Heero was scared, terrified even. He was so scared and in so much pain that he was systematically shutting down his mind, piece by piece, in order to get away from it.

I was so surprised I almost fell out of the air.

I turned on as much speed as I could. I had to get there and find out what could possibly be hurting Heero so bad, what the hell was going on. I knew he had been a bit upset when my friends had shown up, but he'd get used to it. I was hoping he'd talk to me, but I never thought it was more than just a bit of nervousness. And if it was more I thought he'd at least tell me. I knew it couldn't possibly be causing as much pain as Heero was putting out.

In the back of my mind, I realized that Zechs, Noin, and Quatre had all sped up with me and were probably wondering if I had lost my mind, but I was so focused on Heero that I didn't bother with them.

I didn't land until I was nearly at the door. I must have startled the hell out of the men guarding the outer wall, cause I flew in and knocked one's hat right off his head. Looking back, I'm really glad the front doors had already opened, because I probably would have crashed right through them. Sally was already at the door with Mei to meet us, but I didn't stop for her. She gave me a worried look when I rushed by, but didn't follow because of the baby. I knew she'd come to see what all the commotion was about once Noin had the baby settled. Zechs and Quatre followed me immediately.

I could tell right away that Heero was not in the room. From what I could feel he was in the damn dungeon! As I got closer I could hear Heero screaming and it scared me. Heero could barely show when he was in pain, for him to be screaming it must have been insanely bad. I followed his screams since they were easier to track than our link and, to tell the truth, I was too angry to think straight. My feet pounded the ground and I skidded around corners and down passages until I singled in on one door. I grabbed the handle and pushed, ready and willing to break the thing down if it was locked. The door slid open easily and slammed off the wall beside it.

The room was empty except for Heero, huddled in a corner, who looked unharmed. I took a deep breath in relief, the adrenalin that had ben invading my system dissipating. Zechs and Quatre came up behind me and I could see the questions on their faces.

Heero started to scream again. The three of us all had the same feeling of need to protect someone we had accepted as our own, so we all moved to see what was the matter with Heero at once. It was dark in the room, so it was difficult to see, but it was clear when Heero plastered himself against the wall, backing away from us and screaming in terror.

Heero was afraid of us?

I took a deep, calming breath. Damn, that hurt. And I was more confused than ever. Why would Heero be afraid of us? I realized that I had to find out, but Heero was so scared of the three of us he'd probably have a heart attack if we all moved at him again.

"Guys, wait outside, I'm gonna see what's wrong with Heero," I told them. I could see that they were both as hurt and confused as I was, but they nodded and obeyed, bringing me a torch so I could shut the door.

Moving slowly, I put the torch in a holder on the wall and looked around the room. It was small, with no light, meaning Heero had been submerged in total darkness. Even the torch only managed to cast long shadows and dim lighting.

The cell was pretty standard, rough walls and a dirty floor, nothing to be afraid of. So what had Heero so scared? I had never seen him like this. He stood, back pressed up against the wall as far as it would go, watching me like I was a snake or something. I could see him shaking and hear his deep, sobbing breaths from the other side of the room. Slowly, I approached him. He slid away from me, keeping his back to the wall, every time I took a step toward him. Finally, I got him backed into a corner, and he did the last thing I ever thought he'd do.

He sat down on the floor and cried. Really cried.

It hurt so bad to see him there and know that, in some way, I had caused it.

I was scared. So scared. I knew something was wrong, something was hurting him, but I couldn't fight it, I couldn't find it. When I get scared, I get angry. I have personality flaws like that. I couldn't help it. I grabbed Heero by the arms and pulled him out of the corner. He struggled like I was the devil, but I was still stronger.

"Heero, what the hell's the matter with you?" I ground out, but Heero couldn't hear me over his own fear. I could feel the pulse in his tiny wrists racing, but ignored it. It had to be him, had to be some kind of joke. Something. "Damnit Heero! You're scaring me! Knock it off!"

I knew I was out of control, that I was only scaring Heero more, but I couldn't help it. Never in my life had I expected Heero to react so strongly to anything. I was just getting used to how much he had on the inside and how little he showed on the outside, when he did this. I grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him hard, his head pitching back and forth as I tried to get him to knock it off. All of a sudden he couldn't seem to take it anymore and let out a scream that raced through my bones and chilled my very core. I let go of him like he was on fire and he scuttled back into his corner, pulling his knees up to his chest and protecting his head with his arms, like I would attack him.

I took a moment to calm my racing heart. Heero needed me to be calm and gentle, not half as crazed as he was. Slowly, I sat down in front of him and tried to look small and meek. I don't think it worked, because when I reached out to touch him, he cringed away. I realized he was muttering something under his breath, but I couldn't catch it.

"Heero? Heero, tell me what's wrong," I asked him softly. He simply cringed and started muttering faster.

"Heero? Heero, please, it's me, Duo," I told him and finally got a response. He froze, his head coming up just the tiniest bit, a hint of blue showing from behind his bangs.

"D-Duo?" he asked in the tiniest whisper.

"It's me," I told him, daring to reach out and lightly rub my fingers over his hand, "It's me."

And that was all it took. In a moment, I had an armful of Heero sobbing brokenly into my chest. Slowly, I put my arms around him and pulled him into my lap. Tears cascaded down his cheeks and my shirt was soaked within minutes.

"....please. Don't let them get me... don't hurt me, don't let them hurt me... no more, can't take more... sorry, so sorry... dirty, get it off me!... what did I do?... don't, can't make me, don't want to... don't let them hurt me!... alone... no! Not alone! Please, not alone!..." his litany continued, unstopping, unshaken by his tears, barely understandable. I wanted to stop him, to ask who did this, who was going to hurt him, but realized that he was too far gone to answer me anyway. Careful not to startle him, I ran my hands over his body, assessing that he was not physically injured in any way. As for his mind... I could only hope that he was alright.

A small knock sounded on the door, but the whole place could have been hit by a catapult by the reaction Heero had. He gasped and jumped behind me, hiding behind my wings. The knock came again and the door opened before I could reply, revealing Sally. She stepped into the room. Heero cowered behind me, using me as a shield. Sally looked from Heero to me, confusion and concern growing on her face.

"I heard there was something was wrong with Heero," she told me.

"Don't listen to her!" Heero whispered shrilly, looking at me with pleading eyes. Sally frowned, more confused than angry.

"I don't know what's going on," I told her softly, reaching to run my hands reassuringly though Heero's bangs. Sally nodded once, her eyes taking on that serious light that they get when she's in doctor mode.

"Bring him out into the light, I can't see him in here."

It was a bit of a struggle to get Heero out of the cell, he was so scared that his legs wouldn't hold him. I ended up just sweeping him off his feet and carrying him out the door. Once Heero was in the light we had some problems again. Heero didn't want anyone but me near him or touching him. While Zechs and Quatre left without too much fight, I needed Sally to stay and help me figure out what was wrong with Heero. More than that, we had to get his clothes off so that Sally could examine him.

Heero's shirt came off pretty easily, since I grabbed it without letting him on to what I was about to do. It was plain to see that he wasn't going to react well to being naked in front of someone he didn't want to be around, but I couldn't just leave him alone. I didn't have any idea what to do, I was praying that Sally did. Heero looked up at me with those innocent, confused puppy eyes as I held his shirt in my hand and I had the overwhelming feeling that I was about to do something terrible. I wanted so badly just to wrap him up in a giant bubble and fly him away from all this, but I couldn't. It almost broke my heart.

I reached for the waist of his pants and he caught on; Heero is anything but stupid. He grabbed my hands and the tears, which had been coming nonstop, started gushing again.

"Please, no. Please, Duo I'm so sorry! Please, please! I don't want to do that! I-I'm s-sorry please! I didn't m-mean to! I-I c-can't..." his sobs were coming so hard that he couldn't speak and simply bowed his head against my shoulder.

"Heero," I said, swallowing so I didn't start crying too, "Heero look at me," I said and tilted his head to look into my eyes, "I won't let you be hurt. Sally's going to help you, but you have to trust us."

Heero looked over his shoulder, then leaned forward and cupped his hand around my ear in a childish gesture of seclusion, whispering, "That's not Sally."

I stared at him, open mouthed, for almost a minute. Sally must have heard him, because she had the same confused look I was wearing. I wanted to contradict him, to make him see how crazy what he was saying was, but I knew it wouldn't help. Instead, I leaned forward and rested my forehead against his, shutting my eyes.

"Trust me," I whispered. Heero looked at me, still afraid, but nodded and I was once again amazed by his courage. His faith in me was nothing short of scary.

Before he could change his mind, I pulled the rest of his clothes off, putting my wings around him so he didn't get chilled. Sally stepped forward and touched him, just touched his arm, and he squeaked and tried to hide behind me again. I was ready for it this time, and caught him in a hug, both to keep him calm and to keep him from running away.

Sally's examination was quick, though her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she took his pulse. In the end she was frowning and looked more confused than ever. I felt panic inside me rise, a feeling of dread washing over me. She had to know what was wrong with Heero, she had to.

Sally stepped back for a moment, her eyes trailing over Heero's shaking form. Heero had stayed quiet through the whole ordeal, though he flinched every time Sally spoke or touched him. Nervously, his eyes flicked over to Sally then back to me.

Sally must have caught something in those eyes, because she struck like a snake, grabbing Heero's face and forcing him to look at her. Heero screamed and frantically tried to get away, but I had a good hold on him and he wasn't thinking straight in his panicked state.

"Oh god no!" Sally muttered her eyes taking on a look the I definitely did not like. "Duo, hold him here. I have to go get something," she said and was out the door. Heero whimpered, turning back to me and burying himself in my arms. I helped Heero back into his underwear, figuring it would be better to have to take them off again than embarrass Heero in front of everyone.

I didn't know how long Sally would be, so I pulled Heero to the floor with me and sat him in my lap, tucking his head under my chin and holding him against my chest. I rocked him gently and he soon fell into a sort of daze; too tired to stay awake, but to wired to go too sleep.

Heero jolted awake with the return of Sally, only a few minutes later. He frowned, tightening his hold on me. Heero's eyes immediately went to the needle and vile in her hand, he started to pant in fear and his pulse, which had been calming, shot back up. Then he turned those big blue eyes on me.

"Duo, please... don't let her. Please... don't let her hurt me," he said and I shushed the litany that was ready to start pouring out of him.

"Duo," Sally said, grabbing my attention. Her eyes were hard and I could tell we were about to do something none of us would like. "Hold him still," she finished and I wrapped Heero's body in my arms, immobilizing him.

Sally grabbed Heero's hand and he let out a scream that reverberated through the room. He kicked, struggled, and tried to get loose, but couldn't. In the end, it was his tears and his quiet begging for me to save him that hurt me so much. I tried to calm him, tried to sooth him, but it was like there was a barrier between our minds. Inside him was only fear and pain.

Sally pricked Heero's finger with the pin, collecting the tiny drop of blood that formed there, then exited the room, closing the door softly behind her. I released Heero, realizing that I would only scare him more by holding him down. He immediately got up and I felt a pang of regret, thinking he had stopped trusting me. Heero went to his corner, surprising me by reaching over and tugging me there with him. I curled up with him on the cold floor of the room, listening to the soft sobs coming from his body, in the shadows of the room.

The next time Sally opened the door Quatre and Zechs were with her. Heero didn't even bother to look up at them, just buried himself deeper in my chest.

"Duo," Sally called softly, "I need to speak with you for a moment. Alone," she added sadly.

I rose, biting my lip and knowing how much this was going to hurt Heero, and made to follow her. Heero followed like a puppy at my heals the whole way to the door, where I turned around before Zechs and Quatre could grab him and frighten him.

"Heero, I have to go with Sally for a moment," I cannot tell you the depth of the pain that came into those two, beautiful blue eyes, "Just for a second. I'll be back before you even know I'm..."

"No! No, don't leave me, please! I'll be good, I promise. I'll do anything! Duo, Duo please! I-I can't... They'll hurt me! Duo you-you have to stay! I can't-can't lose you too! Please! Don't leave me! Not alone! Don't leave!"

I couldn't keep a tear from falling down my cheek as I backed away from Heero. Quatre and Zechs held him back as he tried to follow me, but he struggled as hard as he could, his eyes glued to me. It wasn't until the thick wooden door of the dungeon began to swing shut that I saw despair creep into his eyes. He really though that I was never coming back.

"Make this fast," I growled at Sally. She nodded and began, the way she always does, bluntly.

"Heero's not crazy. Somebody gave him a drug called Hell. It's a hallucinogen. It makes people see and hear thing that aren't happening and twists things that are. It also multiplies that pain inflicted by any wound increases a person's heart-rate dramatically."

Red invaded my vision.

"Are you telling me that someone purposefully did that to Heero!"

"Don't you dare do this, Duo Maxwell!" Sally's sharp reprimand hit me, bringing me back to myself as I met her accusing stare, "Heero needs you. You! Not the Shinigami! You're the only person he trusts, the only person he knows won't hurt him. It's up to you to keep him calm and help him through this. If you abandon Heero now you'll be worse than the person that did this!"

She was right and I knew it, so I nodded.

"What should I do?"

"Take him some where you can make him feel safe. Keep him calm. You need to get him to drink something or he'll get dehydrated from all those tears. I'll bring something up later to make him drowsy, but he can't have sleeping drugs or he'll have nightmares worse than any he's had before and he won't be able to get away from them. This should only last twenty-four hours, but it's critical that you be with him. So go!"

And with that I was bolting back down the hall to Heero. I threw open the door to his cell and found Heero huddled in a corner, Quatre kneeling next to him, trying to console him, Zech standing guard next to the door. Quatre always tried to be friends with everyone and he'd never had anyone be frightened of him off the battlefield before, so I know Heero's fear hurt him quite a bit. Zechs was more of a soldier, so it didn't affect him as much, but I could still see it hurt.

Heeros' eyes lit up with joy, hope, and relief the minute he saw me and he bolted across the room, and threw himself into my arms sobbing again. I lifted him in my arms and walked out of the room without any explanation to the other two; I figured Sally would handle it. It seemed like one minute we were in the dungeon, the next we were in front of the door to our room. Quietly I opened the door, Heero had fallen into his half-sleeping state again, and laid him on the bed, keeping a hold of his hand as I curled up beside him. Heero immediately curled up against me, too tired to be scared, and fell asleep in my arms. I watched the sunset through our window.

It might have just been me, but there seemed to be something foreboding about it.