Part 12

Duo led Wufei outside and closed the entrance door. It was chilly outside, but the young American was still barefoot and only in his shorts and T-shirt. He dragged Wufei over to an old rusty car in the middle of the courtyard.

"Sorry, Wu, but I really need to get this done, but we can talk while I'm workin' anyway ! So whaddya think ?"

"Where did you pick the strange idea that I actually can think, Maxwell ? You and Quatre have been doing a job of getting my brain out of my skull after persuading me I didn't need it."

Duo looked up.

"Gee, you're pissed !"

Wufei moved uneasily.

"Not really", he said reluctantly. "It's just … Am I the only one to find the situation completely awkward or what ?"

"It's totally weird, I know, but … you said you trusted Cat, didn't ya ?"

"I do. And if I'm totally honest with myself, I don't even have a bad feeling about this guy. It's strange really. He's very strong, I can feel it. He is dangerous. He could kill us all in a second and I'm not even sure he would break a sweat about it. Just think how he shot the guy who was holding us at gunpoint last night. One shot, in the dark, at a hundred meters of distance. But somehow, when Quatre comes into the game …"

"Yeah, I see what ya mean", Duo said, examining the car's motor. "Shit, I'm gonna miss some pieces !"

He took out a cell phone. Wufei caught himself idly wondering where in hell Duo could have tucked a cell phone, then slapped himself mentally for even thinking it. Maxwell was Maxwell, period. He could do things no one else could, and trying to understand them would be a danger to anyone's sanity.

"Hey Howie", Duo said, once someone took the line. "Yeah, it's me… Listen, I bet Hil told ya I'm leaving with Cat in a couple of days, and Dana just left me her car and …. Yeah, it fucked up again right in the middle of Grimson Street, so … Nah, it's just I'm missing a few pieces and … hang on !"

Duo's gaze flew to the entrance of the junkyard. Wufei's followed and met the two men that had been there the first time he had met Duo. This time, they were talking to the owner of the Thai restaurant that was just across the street, but still shooting nasty looks towards them.

"Howie, bring your butt here pronto", Duo said in his cell phone. "The Geek Squad is back, and as much as I like to beat'em up, I really have some other things to do at the moment !"

He hung up. Wufei raised an eyebrow.

"Geek Squad ?"

"What would you call them ?", Duo smirked, before turning back to work on his motor.

O.O.O.O.O

Neither Quatre nor Heero said a word before the door of the living-room closed behind Wufei and Duo. Then, Quatre took a deep breath.

"Okay. I don't really know where to start this … I guess I first should explain how I could detect you every time you came near me. I suppose you've been wondering about it."

Heero nodded. Quatre fidgeted, trying to find a way to explain it all, and frowning when he couldn't find simple words.

"Oh, screw it !", he finally said. "Heero, the reason you cannot hide from me is because I am an empath. You know what it means, right ?"

Heero's eyes widened as he nodded. He had actually done some research on empathy once. The only empaths who had ever been studied by the scientific community were poor people isolated in psychiatric wards because they had been unable to shut other people's feelings and had been driven mad by them. And the innocent eighteen-year-old boy in front of him was telling him he was an empath. 'It means that he has a strong will or some good practice to be able to keep his sanity', Heero thought. 'Yet, it does explain a lot of things, actually.'

"It all started when I was seven, and I have been working on it since then. That day you broke into my room, you left a trace that I could pick up", Quatre kept on.

"But how can you say it was me ?"

"Every person has his or her own empathic signature, as I call it", Quatre said with a smile. "With some practice it becomes easier to distinguish them. Actually, I had to learn that quick, because this was the only way for me to know how to differentiate my own feelings from other people's. Then, I learnt how to block them out."

Heero nodded again.

"And … why didn't you block me out ?"

Quatre laughed softly, shaking his head.

"Would you believe me if I told you I honestly don't know ? I just happen to react to some people more strongly than to others. That's how it was with Duo. Also with Wufei, and with some of my sisters. And with you. Some feelings leave a deeper mark in my mind. Every time it has happened, I have felt drawn towards that person. And every time, that person became someone very close to me."

Quatre sighed and scratched his head.

"In the beginning, I think it was nothing more than a game for me. I was furious to be targeted, and I thought I could make it harder for whoever it was who was sent after me. After all, it's not every day that a killer finds out his target can locate him right away, uh ?"

"How did you do that ?"

"I'm not going to say that's easy, but I am actually working daily to improve my gift … or curse, as you wish to name it. It has it ups and downs, unfortunately. Being able to locate people from what they're feeling is one aspect of empathy. For example, if I feel someone is shivering, I can deduce that they're somewhere where it's cold. I can only manage it at small range for the moment, but basically, that's how I found you, that first day on L1, and then again when you sent that decoy after Wufei and I."

"And what happened that night … when I came to kill you ?"

"You hacked into my laptop. You saw the message."

Heero nodded.

"Well, I knew you were scared from that moment on. I could feel it. From the day I first felt your trace, you were always there somewhere in the back of my mind, I couldn't get you out. I felt you become increasingly scared of meeting me. I felt your confusion when I played my little game. I felt that you couldn't decide what you do. I knew you wouldn't be able to kill me. But I needed to be sure."

"So you decided to let me in completely."

"I let your feelings take over me for you to see them. Because I knew you were hiding from them and I knew it wouldn't do any good. Maybe it was foolish, or even selfish for me to do so, but it worked, didn't it ? You didn't kill me, and you began to think about yourself."

"That was the point of it ? Making me look at the pain I was desperately trying to hide from ? But why ? I don't understand."

"I can't understand anymore than you do unless you tell me a bit more about you and what caused you to be in so much pain, Heero", Quatre said gently. "I can feel your pain. I cannot guess why you're in pain. You have to tell me. If you want to. I never push that kind of things. Some people tend to regard empathy as an intrusion into their souls, and I can't blame them for it."

Heero straightened against the back of his armchair.

"Why me ?", he finally asked weakly. "I need to know why."

Quatre shot him a sad smile.

"Are you ready to hear a long story that will probably not make any sense ? Because if you want to know why I let you come near me, why I almost made it easier for you to approach me, I'll have to start some way back."

"Okay", Heero said, not really sure that was the appropriate answer, or even if there was an appropriate answer to that.

Quatre braced himself.

"No one has ever heard that story but Duo, although I'm sure Wufei guessed part of it. He's quite perceptive. Anyway, it all goes back to when I was born, actually."

Quatre's eyes glazed as he lost himself in the memory, hearing his own voice talking far away.

"My mother died in childbirth. I was raised by my eldest sister. I don't really know how much this death actually affected me, but I suppose this is part of the explanation. I … I have always felt that something was missing in my life. I've been raised by loving relatives, I am not deprived, I had everything I could dream of and a family who loved me, and yet … Something, someone was missing. I couldn't say what or who. But I began, almost unconsciously at first, to reach out to people to try to find what it was I was missing."

Quatre made a short pause.

"Empathy made it more complicated and more easy at the same time. You see, when it first started, I was around seven. Duo was living with me with his sister at the time. It was … plain terrifying. I could feel everyone around me and I couldn't shut them out. I could hear all those voices in my head. It was unbearable. I felt torn, like I was going to explode from all the mixed feelings."

Heero swallowed, looking transfixed as Quatre kept on with his story, his gaze still blurred.

"Duo brought me back that time. He told me he didn't really know what was happening, but I had saved him, and he felt like he owed this to me. He allowed me to concentrate on him only, and I was able to come back. After that, Iria discovered what was going on, and I started practicing to block people out and decide when I would want to feel and when I wouldn't. I still lack practice in certain areas, though", he added with a smile. "Wufei could tell you that pain can overwhelm me very easily. The same thing is true with sadness and very intense emotions."

"What happened after that ?"

"Once I was able to control this, I began to look for what I missed in a different manner. I could explain how I felt now. I felt like there was a part of my soul that was missing, as if I had lost it. I needed to find it back. So I used my empathy to try and find it back. It didn't work that well, except that I now have some very valuable friends. Duo for one, and Wufei. For a while, Duo and I were together. I thought he might just be the person I was looking for, but he wasn't. He understood it and we decided to stop it there. But since then, he has remained my closest friend. And he still one of the only persons who can bring me back when I overdo it."

"What has it to do with me then ?"

Quatre smiled, his eyes focusing a bit more.

"From the first moment I felt your soul, I knew. It took me a while to realize it, but I knew even back then, when I first picked up that ace of spades on my desk. I knew I had found the missing part of my soul."

Heero was left gaping.

"Heero … you must tell me if I'm wrong, but I am sure, deep down in your heart you've been feeling the same way all your life."

Heero nodded, unable to utter a word.

"And … again, I may be wrong, but I felt … I think something is different in the connection I have with you. Because usually, I can shut people out at will. But with you, I couldn't. I mean, I could feel you in the back of my mind, but you never were completely out of my mind. And I think … tell me if I am wrong, but I think it's the same for you, isn't it ? You can feel me too. You felt my presence last night."

Heero nodded again.

"But how … what … I am not …", he sputtered.

"I know", Quatre said. "You should not be able to. And that's why I'm even more sure that you are the person I have been looking for all my life, Heero. Because I never felt this with anyone else, not even Duo."

A heavy silence fell as Heero tried to process the information. It was too much in too little time. In a few days, he had gone from being asked to kill Quatre Winner to developing a strange bond he couldn't put a name on. And everything Quatre said to explain made so much sense. Only, Heero wasn't sure he was ready to accept everything that this implied.

"Heero ?"

Heero looked up, a lost look on his face. 'I haven't felt so lost in a long long time. And I don't like it.' Quatre was looking at him, worry on his features.

"Heero .. just … don't panic, okay ? This is new for me too, and Allah knows I didn't plan any of this. I just … I wanted to challenge you, to prove you you didn't scare me. Then, I got into your soul, and I was trapped. I couldn't let you go."

"How … how did you get in in the first place ?"

'Yeah, right, Yuy', Heero thought immediately. 'That's exactly the right question to ask. That's not what you want to know, is it ? You want to know what he feels for you. You want to know if he would be able to do for you just what Odin did for you. You want to know if he can … love … you. But you can't ask. You're afraid to ask.'

"You know Heero, even a person with no special training can block empathy. It does not require a great amount of concentration if you know the person in front of you is an empath. But I was allowed into your soul because you let me in."

"I let you in ?", Heero repeated incredulously.

"As I told you, I cannot explain better until you tell me what happened to you, Heero. But even if you were trying to ignore it, your soul was screaming in pain. Screaming so loud that there was no way I could ignore it, even if I had wanted to. It just took over me, and once I was in, I couldn't get out again. I didn't want to get out."

Suddenly, Quatre got up from the couch and went to sit on the floor just in front of Heero.

"I don't know what any of this means, Heero. I am a little scared by it too, but there's one thing I am sure of. I don't want you to leave me. I want you to stay with me. I want you to explain me your pain, and to help me heal mine. I need you. I don't know why, I don't even care why, it's just that way."

Quatre looked up expectantly.

"Do you feel the same way, Heero ?"

"I …"

"You don't have to answer right away."

Heero closed his eyes to try and think rationally. Except that all rational thoughts seemed to elude his mind every time he was in the same room than Quatre. All he knew right now was that he wanted to take the little blond in his arms and hold him tight and never let go, and that was weird enough for him to pause and think.

'What do I really want ? Do I even know what I want ? Do I know what I feel ? How long has it been since I last felt anything for real ? I've been too busy trying to run away from my own life. And here he comes, and puts my world upside down, and I should hate him for it, and I can't. I want him to be safe. Honestly, what's wrong with me ?'

"Quatre, I … I don't really know what to answer to your question. I need time."

"I know", Quatre answered simply. "But you offered to protect me."

"I did, and that is what I will do. Even if I don't know how I feel right now, there's just one way to find out, ne ?"

"So you'll stay with me ?", Quatre asked, his face lightening.

Heero couldn't help but smile too.

"I'll stay. I need … I need to know what is happening to me, and I need to know it fast. I just … I can't keep on running away. I'm tired of it. There's too much I forced myself not to think about. I need to look into it and put everything in order again."

"I'll help you, if you let me", Quatre said hesitantly.

Heero reached out, but stopped in mid-air.

"Will you ?"

Quatre took the offered hand.

"I will, Heero. Anata wa hitoride dewa arimasen (1)."

"You can speak Japanese very well."

"I took classes. Same thing for Chinese, German, Italian and Spanish. And Arabic is my mother language. But that's not really the point, is it ?"

"No. But … thank you."

'He cannot tell me he needs me', Quatre thought, 'but that's okay. I know it. I can wait.'

Quatre got up and stretched, arching his back.

"I don't know about you, but this gave me a headache. Maybe we should let the guys in again. Oh, by the way, I hope you'll get along with Duo okay."

"Why, is he always that way ?", Heero asked, puzzled.

"He's worse", Quatre answered with a grimace. "He was actually kind of gentle with you, so don't push him over the edge, okay ? That is, if he doesn't jump off the edge by himself of course. You have to know this before we decide what we are going to do, once you've thought it over. The Quatre Raberba Winner Package comes with attachments, and Duo is one of them."

"Hn. I see."

"Not yet."

Heero got up.

"I should probably go now."

Quatre turned around to look at him.

"What ? But why ? You said you were staying !"

"I said I would stay with you, but it would not be wise for me to tag along with the rest of you. There are enough people after us. It is best if I stay in the shadows, and watch over you from there. Everyone in the trade already knows I turned my back on the Doctors. It's as though I declared open war on most of them. There's no need to make their work easy."

"Yes, you're probably right", Quatre admitted dejectedly.

"And .. I need some time alone to think", Heero added.

"Of course."

Before Heero could react, Quatre's arms were around his neck, and the teenager was looking in his eyes with something that looked like supplication.

"You'll come back ? You swear ?"

Almost instinctively, Heero closed his arms around Quatre.

"I'll come back", he said very low. "We still have lots to discuss."

"Good."

And suddenly, Quatre's face was too close, and Heero felt lips against his own. Right at that moment, if melting into a puddle on the floor had been an option, Heero would have taken it gladly. They hadn't even talked everything out yet, but this felt … right. Quatre pressed his body closer, and Heero held him tighter. The colony could have blown up around them, they wouldn't even have noticed.

They broke the kiss, both breathing in short gasps, and some color crept on Quatre's cheeks.

"I'm sorry, I just … I wanted to give you a good reason to come back. Did it work ?"

Heero saw the little spark in the green-blue eyes that told him that this kiss had probably been planned all along, but he didn't care.

"Hai", he just answered. "I think it did."

Quatre let go off him and Heero started to walk towards the door, but he froze near the window.

"What is it, Heero ?"

Heero pointed to two figures outside.

"Oh, those two", Quatre said. "They were here a couple of days ago, offering the protection of their boss. Duo threw them out. I see Howard and Hilde are here, so maybe this time they will understand, since apparently they were thick enough not to take Duo seriously the first time."

"I can't go out through the front door. I can't risk them seeing me. They work for Kushrenada."

"WHAT !"

"Just believe me. I'll go out through the back door."

"Wait, I .. I don't even know how to contact you !"

"I know how to get through to you. I'll find a safe way to let you know. And don't worry about your trip, I hacked in the database enough to know your schedule. I won't travel with you, but I'll be on L3 when you arrive."

"I'll wait. Take care of you, please."

Heero just nodded and disappeared through the back door.

O.O.O.O.O

"You think they'll come back, Howard ?", Duo asked as he watched the two retreating forms leaving the junkyard.

"I have no idea, but if they do, that's the ultimate proof that those guys don't even have one brain for two", Howard answered. "I'm not happy to see ya leave, kid."

"Hey", Hilde protested. "I can take care of those jerks as well as Duo !"

"I'm sure ya can, kid", Howard said, "but it's not safe anyway. I don't like the rumors I've heard. That German guy is … let's say too secretive to be honest, uh ?"

"He ain't the first crime lord we have 'round, Howard", Duo said, "and he ain't gonna be the last ! But God, his cronies are useless !"

The conversation was interrupted when the front door opened and Quatre came out.

"Quatre ?", Wufei asked. "Where is Heero ?"

"He left through the back door", Quatre explained. "He saw those two guys and said they worked for Treize Kushrenada, and he couldn't afford being seen. I suppose it's just as good I didn't come out sooner."

"Wait a min, Cat !", Duo said, frowning. "Ya're tellin' us that this German or whatever they call him is in fact Kushrenada ?"

"I don't know. Heero just told me that those people were working for him."

"Well, if we needed one more proof that this Mr Kushrenada is involved in dirty business, there it is", Wufei said dryly. "I am starting to dislike that man quite violently myself."

"Never met him, but if the man matches those guys, then I don't like him either", Duo said.

"Actually, he does, in his own suave and unctuous way", Wufei said thoughtfully. "It looks like he hasn't given up on trying to make more money in illegal trades. I suppose your threats and the fact that you emptied your accounts and drained three billions out of his hands was enough to trigger the need to find new funds, Quatre."

"Probably", Quatre admitted. "I will need to talk about this to my father. He will want to know."

"Uh, Cat …"

"Yes ?"

"How did it go with Heero ?"

Quatre shifted uneasily.

"I'm not sure, but I think it went pretty fine. He swore he would be back. He said it would not be wise to stay with me all the time, and he'll protect me better if he does it … how did he say … 'from the shadows'. He will just keep on following me pretty much like he did before, only this time, he will save my life and not try to kill me."

"He's right", Wufei said.

Duo looked at him with eyes wide as saucers.

"Wu, weren't you the one goin' all 'we shouldn't trust him' ?"

"I acknowledge talent and wisdom when I meet them, Maxwell", Wufei snapped. "Yuy took the best decision considering the situation. And my name is Wufei."

"If you say so", Duo said with a shrug.

Wufei controlled the anger rising in his chest.

"Kids … would you care to explain what ya're talkin' about ?", Howard interrupted.

Duo turned to his boss, looking embarrassed.

"Look, Howard, that's probably not wise. The more you know, the more you're in danger. Hilde knows enough, you just ask her. I promise I'll make you a full account once this is all over, 'kay ?"

Howard grumbled something, but nodded nonetheless.

"Cool", Duo said. "I really wasn't up to start telling the whole story. Cat, get in before you freeze or put on some warm clothes ! How many times do I have to remind ya that we are not on L4 here ?"

"I'm going, Mom", Quatre pouted, sticking his tongue at Duo.

"Go with him", Duo told Wufei. "I gotta finish this (he pointed to the car), I might as well use Hilde and make her day while she's here ! Oh, and try to have him eat something, or his sis will accuse me of starving him !"

O.O.O.O.O

AC 198 August 13th, Global Security Agency Headquarters, 5:00 PM

"Do you realize what you are asking for, Agent Wind ?", Commander Watanabe asked angrily.

"I happen to remember quite accurately what I wrote in my report, sir", Zechs replied icily, his blue gaze not wavering. "I actually wrote it only a few hours ago."

"Agent Wind, we simply cannot let you handle this case on your own with only your men to back you up. This is unacceptable."

Zechs slammed both hands on his superior's desk and stared at him.

"You will forgive me for saying this, sir, but I don't give a damn what you think. This is my case, my investigation and I will do it my way. Period."

"Agent Wind, you seem to forget who you are talking to."

"I do not. You, on the contrary, seem to forget who I am."

Commander Watanabe's face flushed with anger.

"That's enough ! Don't throw all the weight of your family and your money in this !"

"You never miss an opportunity to remind me that I'm probably just some bored rich kid who wants his adrenaline rush !", Zechs snapped back. "Even after I have proven that I can do my job as well, and even better than all your other agents put together !"

Commander Watanabe stopped the retort he had been about to blurt out. Because Agent Wind was right. He was their best element, no matter what his background was. In three years, he had solved more cases than any other recruit, topped all the classes and courses he had been asked to attempt, and was notorious for never failing to end an inquiry.

"And if I may add this, sir, technically, on this case, I outrank you", Zechs added after a pause. "Colonel Fujirawa gave the case to me, and she specified that I should be given free rein to investigate as I wished."

"You didn't have to do the undercover job yourself !"

"My men are not experienced enough in this area. I will not risk their lives for something I can do by myself."

"Agent, Wind, listen …"

"No, Commander Watanabe, listen to me", Zechs interrupted, exasperated. "I enrolled because I wanted to serve my country and the international security. I have been working undercover for six months now. I am offering the Doctors, Kushrenada and Dermail on a silver plate, and you want to blow my cover and destroy all my work. So let me tell you one thing. I will finish what I have started, with or without the GSA. I have enough resources of my own to finish that job without official backup. I reported back to you. No one knows the situation as I do. I am the only one who can finish this."

Commander Watanabe sighed.

"Are you sure your information is accurate ?", he said tiredly.

"I am, sir. I heard that phone call myself. Yuy is no longer a threat to the young Winner, quite the contrary, it seems. But the fact that they put Lady Une in the game is what makes it dangerous."

"Why that ?"

"Because of Mr Winner's bodyguard, Chang Wufei."

Zechs put a file on Watanabe's desk. The man took it and ruffled through it rapidly.

"What does this have to do with the situation ?"

"If you read carefully, sir, you'll notice that it is most probable that Lady Une killed Long Meiran. Chang doesn't know yet, but if he somehow learns about it …"

"We can't have a civilian walking into an operation like this !"

"I didn't suggest that, and if I were you, I would check this young man's background thoroughly before I call him a civilian. He's more than able to defend himself and his employer if need be. But it would probably not help to have him on a personal vendetta."

'At least, it wouldn't help you. I personally don't care. What would I do if the same thing had happened to me, I wonder ?'

"For the last time, Commander Watanabe, I ask you to let me handle things my way."

"You're taking this too personally, Agent Wind."

"So what if I am ? You know perfectly well that if the Doctors have their way with the young Winner, they'll go after my sister next ! If you just let me do what I want, this could be over in less than a month."

Commander Watanabe sighed again.

"Fine. Do as you wish. I cannot go against Colonel Fujirawa's wishes. I expect regular reports, though. And you will take backups with you."

"I will take backups if I need them, sir. I will not call them just in case and take the risk to blow my cover. Believe me, I am quite safe. I worked hard enough for it."

"If you say so. By the way, you are on leave for three days. Your contact will give you the suitable excuse you must give to Treize to be able to go. But I think this is most inconvenient to take some leave right now."

"I need to, sir. I'll be careful. Besides, I have not seen my family for three months. It does no good to a man's morale."

"I understand. Dismissed."

Zechs turned around and left the office.

'Good, I finally get to do things my way. About time ! One more day and they would have sent agents in uniforms and everything would have been ruined. They didn't want to believe that an undercover approach was the best way to do this, and even now, they think they can go and charge and arrest everyone. We're lacking far too much evidence as it is to arrest anyone. Thank God Colonel Fujirawa has enough sense for all of them. I don't know who put her in charge, but for once, they were inspired.'

Zechs took out a cell phone and hit a speed-dial button. A familiar voice he had been longing to hear rang back.

"Yes ?"

"Lena, it's Mil."

O.O.O.O.O

(1) Japanese for 'You are not alone'. Everybody please repeat after me : 'Doumo arigatou gozaimasu, Laurence-sama !'