Heero POV

The day after Duo panicked and took me for a checkup with Sally I was to go on Duo and I's first patrol. I was nervous. What if I wasn't good enough? What if I couldn't keep up? What if I just slowed Duo down? I didn't think it would happen, but I wasn't certain.

It didn't help that Duo panicked over what must have been some weird sort of muscle cramp and took me for a check up. I was tired and I really didn't feel like putting up with Duo's melodrama, but I could feel that he really was upset so I went along with him. It was embarrassing, but I guess it was worth it for that kiss I got.

The next day I woke up feeling good, if a bit sore. Duo massaged my muscles, but seemed a little tentative about doing it. I wondered about it a bit, but didn't ask. Sometimes it was hard to understand what was going through Duo's head.

We started out of the castle at about four in the evening. The rest of the day was spent memorizing maps and descriptions of the kids we were after. For a while I thought we weren't going out at all, but I asked Duo and he explained it to me.

"The kids won't be up if we go out this early. The pickpockets will be out and about, but most of the kids in the group we're looking for are thieves, and they start their trade after dark. They'll probably be sleeping most of the day so they can be wide awake at night. We'll be better off seeing if we can't find one of them and track them back to their hideout than to look for the hideout itself in the catacombs."

When I thought about it, I wondered why I didn't think about it like that myself, but I supposed it was one of the reasons Duo was so good at finding the kids, he could think like them. So I didn't complain when we spent the whole day just lounging around. Everyone else seemed to know Duo's routine too, since they weren't surprised to find us still in the castle. Sally even stopped by and thanked Duo for something, though I never really found out what.

We left the castle on foot, heading up a winding tunnel to the surface. I wondered about it, since I had seen that the surface was nothing but trees and forest, but didn't question Duo. When we got to the end of the tunnel we pushed open a second large, heavy door like the one we had gone through to get into the tunnel. On the other side was a huge city where there should have only been forest. I gapped for a minute, unable to comprehend where my equation had bee mistaken.

"I thought it'd be better just to show you than to explain," Duo told me, a grin on his face, "The whole city has a spell over it so that it can't be seen from above and it can't be found by any other route than the one road leading in and out of it. It gives us an advantage over other armies if they do attack because the only way to get to us is to walk right into our land and, most likely, right into a trap. Sorry I couldn't tell you before but..."

I shook my head. I understood that it would be a long time before I knew all the secrets of Haven, but I was alright with that. It was enough that I was trusted by them, I didn't need to know everything.

The city was immense, but not unusual. It was much like the other cities I had visited with Odin, perhaps a bit bigger. Duo pointed out that the city sat on top of an underground river and a system of catacomb tunnels. That was most likely where the kids were hiding, since many of the abandoned buildings had been remodeled and were now occupied.

We started our search outside of a dinner. It was a pretty normal place, middle class, with most of the patrons being merchants or travelers. The little girl had dirty brown hair and wide green eyes. She was about seven years old and in tattered clothes. Her hands and face, though, were fairly clean except for a few smudges of dirt. I was curious as to why someone in so dire a situation would waste time on cleanliness.

"You'd be amazed at what will turn a person away. Some of 'em won't give ya money just because they don't want to get their hands dirty. Also, it helps if you have a pretty face, for some reason. You would think the more desperate you look, the more they'd give, but that isn't always the case. She's young and cute, so people are willing to give her money. But not enough, of course. That's just her cover. What she really is..."

The girl slid up to a couple and took a hold of the man's pants in her tiny little fist, as if trying to get his attention. When he bent down to shoo her, she slipped her hand into his pocket and took his wallet.

"...is a pickpocket."

"Do we follow her?" I asked as the girl skipped a ways down the street.

"No, not yet. Let's go inside and get some dinner. She'll be heading home as soon as the dinner crowd leaves, the street aren't safe for her after dark. If we're lucky, she'll lead us back to her lair. Hopefully we'll get there before the thieves of her group leave. If not we'll have to wait for them to come back and hope they don't get spooked and try to run."

We went inside and ordered a light dinner. I kept my eye on the little girl outside, thinking she might leave before we did, until Duo scolded me about it.

"If you stare at her, she's going to realize we're following her. Then she'll probably lead us on a merry chase that does not end with her leading us to the other kids. One rule of the streets is you never lead a predator to your nest."

I finished the meal staring doggedly at my plate, once in a while glancing at Duo but nothing more. Duo seemed relaxed, talking and joking. Every once in a while he would glance out the window and look around, like he was waiting for someone. His eyes would grave over the little girl but never stop on her, like he wasn't concerned about her at all. I was starting to think that I would have more to learn about this job than I had thought.

It was about an hour before Duo showed an signs of leaving. When he did leave, he didn't walk the way the little girl was walking. Instead, he went in the same direction, but a little to the left of her. As she went down the alley, he turned and we around the building, jogging once he was out of sight so that he would be able to cut her off.

Duo was almost silent as he walked and I was hard pressed to do what he was doing. The sudden turns and stops were taxing to me, since I didn't know just what was going on.

There were several times I almost slipped up.

The little girl didn't have an idea she was being followed. She led us to a more rundown part of the city, a dirty place where most of the buildings were still empty. As we walked, a local officer on a horse came by. He looked at the girl, but made no move to stop her. When he saw us following her, he moved to intercept, but a smile from Duo stopped him in his tracks. He waved and continued on his way.

I finally messed up when the girl turned abruptly and ducked down a small alley. The rocks were wet and loose, Duo had no problem pivoting on them, but I slipped and fell. The girl turned with a gasp and was off like a rabbit. Duo bolted after her immediately and I scrambled to my feet and followed them.

It was only a few minutes before Duo cornered the girl in a small alley, but it felt like hours. We all ran at breakneck speeds and the little girl was panting heavily when we finally caught up with her. She fell to her knees and took a second to catch her breath, but she wasn't finished.

"You had better not try anything," she said, "or my brother will have your heads. He owns this part of town."

"Well, you tell him to drop by and see us sometime sweetheart," Duo said calmly, slowly walking up to her and dropping to his knees, "'cause right now you have to come with us."

Her eyes gained a look of terror and she lunged away from Duo, trying to make an escape. I moved in front of her and intercepted, grabbing her by the shoulders as she kicked and screamed.

"Thanks Heero," Duo said as he rose and came over to us. Near the entrance of the alley we could here footsteps and the officer from earlier came around the corner.

"Everything alright down there?" he asked, calmly walking down the alley toward us. The girl in my arms stiffened and backed up, eventually backing into me.

"Actually, Joe, I have a bit of a favor to ask you. Could you take the little princess here? I wanna see if I can't catch the rest of the band tonight."

"No problem. I'm almost done with work and I can drop her off on the way home. After we stop for some cake and ice-cream at Sally's Dinner, that is," the officer knelt and smiled at the girl, "Does that sound good to you?"

"Am I under arrest?" the girl asked, her eyes wide and fearful. The officer, Joe, and Duo both laughed loudly and I even cracked a smile.

"No, kitten, you're not under arrest," the officer told her, "We just don't want you living on the streets anymore. I'm going to take you to a home where you can eat everyday and sleep in a warm bed and go to school. How does that sound?" he asked.

"I think you're lying," the girl said, looking at the ground, "All the other kids disappear and they never come back. Something awful must have happened to them!" she cried, hugging herself to my legs. Joe looked a bit surprised, but Duo looked at her with a deep sense of understanding.

"Hey, kid," he said, kneeling down beside Joe, "I know it's hard to believe that we're gonna help ya, but we are. The other kids didn't want to come back enough to escape. I know they miss you a lot, but they aren't allowed to leave the orphanage and they don't want to run away They've left it up to me to bring you to them, and that's just what I'm doing. Go with Joe, he's a nice guy. You'll see the others soon enough," Duo told her. It was odd, she seemed to really listen to him.

Duo patted the girl on the head, then stood up.

"We've got to get going," he told me starting to walk out of the alley, "See ya later, Joe!" he called. Joe was still on one knee, talking to the girl, when I left the alley and the sight of them behind. I knew she'd be alright.

It wasn't until after dark that we found our next target. The boy was just coming out of a dark house. He was dressed all in black and had a brown napsack on his back. He was amazingly silent and graceful as he moved over the fence and down the street. Oddly enough, a small, partially developed pair of dark blue wings stuck out the back of his clothing, revealing him to be a demon. He was young, no older than ten, but still older than the girl we had picked up.

"There aren't a lot of demon orphans," Duo told me in a whisper, "but they end up in the same boat as the rest of the orphans, sometimes worse since the pimps like them better than the regular kids."

It was soon clear that he was drastically skinny. His movements were sluggish and he seemed an easy mark. It was easy to follow him, as he moved slowly. We soon followed him into a sewer drain and down a long tunnel. It wasn't long after that before he turned a corner and led us into his lair.

We peaked around the corner and found the place to be a small room filled with about ten children. In the center was a small fire which little room and made it mildly warmer, though still not comfortable. The boy that we had followed seemed to be their leader and the other children immediately surrounded him as he entered. Duo pointed to a second exit as I watched the children and moved to circle to it, leaving me to guard the first exit. In a moment Duo was at the other exit and gave me the okay signal. We both moved into view.

"Hey kids," Duo said, stepping into the room, "what's up?"

The reaction was immediate. Most of the children gasped or screeched, backing away from us toward the corner. A few of them huddled behind their leader, while the leader went into a defensive stance. A second later, he charged me.

It was easy to defeat the boy. After all, he had no training in fighting and was neither as big nor as strong as I was. The hard part was making sure neither of us got hurt. Instead of kicking him, like I would most opponents that charged me, I tripped him and pinned him to the ground. He flailed his arms trying to escape, but soon tired himself out. The room was silent except for the boy's harsh breathing.

"Let him go!" one of the girls cried, "He's hurt!"

I instantly rolled the boy over, but couldn't see any wounds. Duo held his position guarding the other exit, though I could tell he was watching the boy. Quickly I glanced over the parts of the boy I could see. He was thin, definitely under nourished and dehydrated, dirty, and a bit bruised up. His clothes were ragged and he seemed a bit lethargic, but his brown eyes were clear and, though his hair, the dirt seemed to be hiding a light brownish blonde color, could possibly be hiding a head wound, I couldn't see anything that needed immediate medical attention.

"Where does it hurt?" I asked him calmly, but I could tell from his eyes that he wasn't going to reply. I gently eased his shirt up and found a deep knife wound in his lower abdomen. It was swollen and slightly infected, but it wasn't bleeding. It looked to be about a week old, but hadn't been treated right and wasn't healing. I pressed down on the boy's stomach above the wound and heard him hiss in pain, but couldn't feel any broken ribs. There was also no sign of internal bleeding. I came to the conclusion that the boy needed to see a doctor, but he wasn't in any immediate danger.

"He needs a doctor, Duo," I told him. Duo nodded then asked, "How soon?"

"Two, maybe three hours. Any longer and the infection could spread or he could get a fever. I'd like to get him to Sally as soon as possible."

"Alright then, you heard the man. All you kids, follow Heero. I'll keep an eye on the rear. Heero, I need you to carry that kid."

I nodded and lifted the boy in my arms. He made a moaning sound, but didn't fight me. His heart rate was high and I could tell he was scared. Of course, since the kids basically thought we were kidnaping them, I could understand why.

"What's your name?" I asked the boy in my arms. He looked away for a moment before sighing.

"Name's Chase," he told me, "And you'd a never been able to catch me if I weren't hurt."

"Well, maybe when you're better we could race," I told him. He sneered at me.

"If I get better."

"What do you mean?"

"With a wound like this, I'm not going to live. It's already turning yellow, pretty soon I'll get hot and die."

"We won't let that happen. You're going to see a doctor who can fix it."

"Yeah right. What the hell would you waste yer money like that for? There's all kinds a brats out here to work for ya."

"Maybe that's not what we want."

The boy went white and started to struggle.

"I won't let ya pimp me! Everybody run! Dammit leggo!"

"Hush! We aren't going to do anything like that. We aren't going to hurt you."

"Hey Heero," Duo called, "What's going on up there?"

"Nothing, just a little misunderstanding."

"Ah. Trying to explain where we're goin' huh? Well, it's usually better to just let the kids find out for themselves. Come on, we're almost there."

I was surprised to see Duo take the lead and heard us through the heavy door that led from the city to the castle.

"Duo? Where are we going?"

"Guess I forgot to tell you. The orphanage is in the castle. I had Treize open it there so we could keep better track of the kids and they'd be safe from the old thugs. It's also closer to Sally, who insisted on being the orphanage's doctor."

The kids were all enthralled by the paintings and such of the castle. They stared with unbridled awe. I could even see Chase gazing at the paintings and tapestries from my arms, though he managed a bit more restraint than the others.

We passed the kitchen on our way to the orphanage. The cook, an older woman named Mona, came out to greet us.

"Oh, Duo, is that the new batch of orphans?" she asked him, "Here, let me get you something for the dears."

She bustled into the kitchen and came out again with a box of hard candies. I had learned very early that Mona was fond of candy and always had at least six pieces on her at any given time. It was fortunate that she gave most of it away, or she would have been much more plump than she currently was.

At first the children were tentative about taking the candy, but as soon as one took it and popped it into his mouth the others eagerly joined in. I made sure Chase was able to get a piece and, though he was still distrustful about us, he seemed a bit more relaxed.

It was only a few feet down the hall that we found the orphanage. At first it didn't seem like much, just a sign on a door that read, "Solo Maxwell Memorial Orphanage."

Inside it was like a complex. There was a large room with a series of door, all marked with a different label and color. A blond woman came out of a door marked Staff and smiled the kids.

"Hello there. My name is Sister Anna. Welcome to the Solo Maxwell Memorial Orphanage. You are all allowed to go where you please inside this compound. The blue door is your sleeping quarters. Everyone has their own bed but you'll all sleep in the same room. The green door is to our indoor garden and playground. The brown door is our school room and the orange room is where all of you will eat. The purple door is the bathhouse and, yes, you will all have to get baths once a week, but if you're good you can play with the bubbles. We'd prefer if none of you went into the staff rooms, but if you need one of us for anything you're welcome to come in and get us. Now, if you will all just sit down, one of the sisters will take you and help you bath and get you some clothes, then you can go to sleep. I know most of you aren't used to going to bed this early, but we need you to be up in the daytime so you can all attend class. Now, who's first?"

The children had all begun sitting down and seemed very taken with Sister Anna, so I took my leave with Chase, though Duo stayed to help settle and guard the new orphans, in case they still tried to run away. We headed straight for Sally's office, knowing she'd still be in even though it was getting late. We weren't disappointed when we got there, Sally immediately set to work on Chase.

"Well, let's see what we have here. Take off your shirt, hon," Sally said after I had put Chase down on the examining table. Chase looked at Sally distrustfully but did as she asked, removing his shirt. Sally only took a second to look at the wound before turning and getting a vial off of her cabinet. Chase watched as she picked up the needle before bolting toward the door. I stepped in front of him and managed to catch him, then put the struggling boy back on the table.

"Dammit! She's not going to hurt you!" I yelled as the boy kicked and screamed.

"Hold him still," Sally told us as she swabbed his arm and quickly injected him. Once the shot was over the boy started to settle down and we were able to release him.

"You're going to feel sleepy," Sally told him, "Don't try and fight it. Trust me, you don't want to be awake while I fix your cut," she said, then bustled out of the room.

"What's she gonna do to me?" Chase asked, grabbing my arm from his place on the bed.

"I told you already, she's going to fix your cut."

"But... why?"

"Because it's her job. This is what she does."

"Why are you helping me?"

"Because I was told to. Because the king doesn't want kids on his streets anymore. Because this is what I do. Because you needed it. Any of those answers would be acceptable."

"Will you be here when I wake up?" he asked me, his eyes starting to droop.

"Yeah," I sighed, knowing my conscience wouldn't let me leave now that he'd asked. And then his eyes closed and his breathing deepened in sleep.

Sally came back a few minutes later. She didn't seem surprised to see the boy asleep as she shooed me into the hall.

"I'll wait out here," I told her.

"I don't see why. It'll be hours before the boy wakes."

"I promised him I'd be here when he woke."

"Ah. I see. Well then, I'll call you in when I'm finished."

I waited outside for about an hour before Sally called me back in.

"I'm all finished. The wound was infected, but it was in the early stages and was easy to clean. It was pretty deep, but missed any internal organs, so it was still just a flesh wound. It's going to take a while to heal and there might be a lot of scarring, but the boy will fully recover."

Sally left soon after that, saying she wanted to check on the other children that had just come in and give them their first checkups. I asked her to tell Duo where I was.

It was another twenty minutes of waiting before Chase stirred. He moaned in his sleep and began pushing some unseen force away from him, his hands coming out from under the pristine white sheets to fight off his attackers. He was mumbling desperately and incoherently. I knew the signs of a nightmare well and set to waking him.

"Chase, wake up. It's just a dream. Wake up," I called softly, shaking him slightly. He came awake abruptly, bolting upright. We sat in silence for a moment, the only sound being Chase's heavy breathing.

"Chase? Are you aright?"

"What's going on? Where am I?"

"You're in the palace. We brought you hear earlier, remember? Sally tended the wound on your stomach."

"W-where are my clothes? What happened to my clothes?" Chase asked, his voice taking on a hysterical edge. I rose from my seat beside the bed in case he tried to run again.

"Calm down. The wound on your stomach is very low. Sally might have undressed you so your clothes didn't get in the way while she was working. We'll get you other clothes."

"I-I need them now. I have to check on the others. And Rain. Rain didn't come back today. She's still out there, all alone, I have to go get her!"

"The little girl, brown hair, green eyes, pickpocketing by the dinner? We picked her up before we got you. She's already in the orphanage. You can go see her when you're better, for now you need to rest."

It was a long time before either of us spoke. Chase's eyes were far away in memory and thought. I knew that he needed to lie down, but I didn't want to frighten him by pushing him down to the bed.

"Am I really safe?" he asked me quietly. I nodded. Chase let out a deep breath and allowed himself to fall back to the bed and I returned to my seat. As I sat down, Chase turned his face away from me and started breathing oddly. It was a moment before I realized he was crying.

"Chase, are you alright? Did you pull the stitches on your stomach?" I asked. Chase shook his head, but still wouldn't look at me.

"I didn't think it would happen," he told me, his voice thick with tears, "I was safe for a long time. I lived with my family, my father was a banker, my mother was a beautiful woman, and my grandmother always read stories to me. I was so happy. Then soldiers came... and... and... I was alone. I knew my family. I had a mom and a dad, but I ruined it! I let them be taken away! I deserved to be out in the cold! I even knew my birthday, but I didn't know what day it was or what year so I never knew how old I was. I could read and write, but it never mattered. I let my family die! I..."

I took him in my arms, as I had often done with Duo, and held him while he cried onto my shoulder. It was strange. In some ways it was exactly the same as it was when I held Duo, in others it was completely different. Either way, I comforted him as best I could as he cried himself out. Eventually, he tired and stopped crying.

"Go to sleep," I ordered, lying him back against the bed, "I have to go now, but I will be back. You are safe, trust me. Sleep now, I'll come and see you tomorrow."

I knew Chase didn't want to let me go, but he was too tired to fight and simply nodded, trusting me to return.

I quickly found Duo, watching the children smile as one of the sisters read them a story. Some of them were huddled together in little groups, others sat by themselves listening to the story in rapt fascination. Duo was smiling, watching them as I approached and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Everything went well with Chase."

"Who?"

"The boy we picked up, that's his name."

"He told you his name already? That's unusual. The older ones are pretty stubborn about saying their names most of the time. So he's doing alright?"

"Yes. I promised I'd go see him tomorrow."

"I'll go with you. I'd like to go tonight, but I'm kind of hungry and tired. How about we head back?"

I nodded, but Duo didn't move, continuing to watch the kids. After what seemed like a very long time he said without looking at me, "This is why I do it. It's not the pay, or any sense of duty or anything like that. I just like watching the kids smile, I like knowing their safe and not out on the streets. But mostly, it's the smiles."

He rose and we started walking toward our room. I was hungry and tired from the day and wanted nothing more than to eat and go to sleep. Then a thought struck me.

"Hey Duo?"

"Yeah?"

"We get paid?"