Chapter 7
It was about 3 am when Duo left his room in silence and made his way back to the basement. Once at the door he placed his hand against the door and concentrated, reaching out his mind to scan the room. Sure enough, Heero was still in there guarding Christian. Looks like Duo had to be a little more careful; Heero was always a light sleeper. He went into the living room and stood on the floor directly above Christian's cell and focused his energy to complete this simple task. A light purple aura surrounded Duo and he slowly melted through the floor and down into the darkness of Christian's cell.
He relaxed and the light around him disappeared. He snuck over to Christian's sleeping form and reached out to tap him. Christian caught his wrist and covered his mouth before he had a chance to react.
"I knew you were coming," Christian whispered with a smile.
"How?" Duo whispered back when he pulled Christian's hand from his lips.
"You're always loud when you're trying to be quiet." Another brotherly smile.
"Baka." Duo wrapped his arms around Christian. "Gods, I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you too." Christian hugged Duo tightly but released him the second he felt Duo's body tense up. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing much," Duo said rubbing his bruised chest, "It's just that Kek got me pretty good. I've healed up, but it's still sore."
"Understood. You know you're one hell of a guy to track down in this life."
"Heh, well we really have no choice." Duo's face took a serious look. "This war is effecting everything and there's no room for error. One mistake could cost you your life, or your friends'."
"I saw, I was at the battle a few days ago. When I saw the blast hit you I had to interfere. I didn't mean to meddle in your affairs." Christian bowed his head, in shame.
Duo lifted Christian's chin and looked in his eyes. "Thank you for disobeying me and for saving my life. It's too early in the game to end it all now."
The blond smiled and poked Duo in the side. "Anytime."
Duo's slight giggle alerted Heero to his presence. The Japanese pilot shook off sleep for a brief second and looked into the cell. It was dark; so dark he could barely see the prisoner, but he could make out the shadow. But as he looked harder he could've sworn he saw two shadowed figures behind the bars. He got up to have a closer look.
Duo panicked and almost forgot about his abilities in fright. He slowly moved back from Christian and backed into a dark corner. There he closed his eyes and sunk into the shadows; he blended into the wall in darkness and was hidden from view.
Heero peered into the cell only to see Christian sitting up with his back against the wall and his head bowed over his crossed arms. Heero "hn"ed and Christian lifted his head to look at the teen. They stayed that way for a few moments.
"Are you hungry?" Heero asked.
Christian was shocked by the unexpected question for a second then replied, "Yes."
"Hn. I will be back in 3.5 minutes. If you move from that spot you will not eat until noon." And Heero was gone.
Christian looked to the corner where Duo had disappeared and nodded his head slightly, signaling that he could come back. Duo's body appeared from the shadows and he stood beside Christian. He had a familiar grin on his face; the one that Christian was used to seeing every time that Duo played with his magic.
"Christian, I can't stay long but I will see you in the afternoon. We need to figure a way to get you from behind these bars and into your own room without giving us away. And I need your help with you know who." Duo pointed to his head to emphasize his point.
Christian nodded. "Yes Master Allen, I mean Duo-sama. Sleep well."
The two old friends shared one last hug before they heard Heero re-enter the basement. Duo stepped back into the shadows, this time seeping through the walls into the next room, which just happened to the wash room. From there he made his way back to his room and settled down for the night, smiling to himself. Christian was there and he would help.
*~*~*
The next morning, Duo headed down to the basement and sat in the chair where Heero had been while watching Christian last night. The two longhaired young men look at each other, waiting for the other to speak.
Heero installed audio equipment in here so be careful about what you say. Duo warned.
Noted. Christian replied. "So when are you guys going to let me contact my superior?" he asked aloud.
"You mean that Dumatre fellow? I don't know. It's not my place to decide. And besides, how would you go about contacting him?" Duo asked conversationally.
"With a laptop, if I was allowed access to one."
"I don't think so. Heero's attached to his laptop at the fingertips, and I seriously doubt he'd let you look at it, let alone use it."
"Don't you have one or one of the others?"
Duo nodded. "Nope."
"My master's going to know I'm here when I don't check in at noon today."
"And how will he know you're here and not somewhere else?"
"Well he did send me here. He knows how to contact you." Christian stressed the statement and raised a brow at Duo, hoping he'd catch his drift.
Duo did. He understood perfectly what Christian was suggesting. He felt so stupid for not thinking of it himself. Good idea, Christian. Remind me to give you a present later.
Christian chuckled silently. Will do.
"We'll it's been nice chatting with you but I got to go. Maybe we could continue this later." Duo got up and left the room smiling at Christian until he disappeared up the stairs.
Once out of the basement Duo went into the living room where Heero sat with his headset on; on which he listened to Duo and Christian's conversation. He nodded at the American and took the headset off, face as stony as ever.
"That didn't help much. But it did let us know we have been located," Heero said, typing a command on his laptop.
"Yeah… Heero? Do you really think this guy is an enemy? I mean, he could be on our side." Duo flopped down on one of the plush chairs the decorated the room.
"He could be, but we have to sure. He knows lot about us and if he's an enemy we must be eliminate him and his employer. But if he's on our side… I don't know what we'll do."
Duo considered this for a short while before he left to go up to his room. He closed the door, locking it, and lifted his mattress and pulled out his laptop. He connected his laptop and spent about ten minutes securing the line and covering his tracks. After all the equipment was set up and ready to go, Duo cast an illusion spell that decorated his room so elegantly the Treize Kushranda himself would have begged for his decorator's number. Calling upon the spell left him with a dull ache in his head. The more power he used for other things, the less power he had to protect himself from Kek.
Duo unbraided his hair and pinned it up so it looked as if it fell just below the ears. He called upon another spell, but this one didn't tap into his powers. It was a spell he could call upon as naturally as breathing. A light purple mist rose up and swirled around him and when it thinned out it revealed Duo dressed in the exact same clothes as in his dream when he met Kek. He modeled in the full-length mirror, feeling an odd sense of deja vu. He dimmed the lights and pressed the button to contact Heero's laptop and waited. He didn't have to wait long.
Heero opened the message on the second beep and glared at the unfamiliar person on the other end. Duo could tell that he was now in the basement, watching Christian more than likely.
Duo waited for Heero to say something then he remembered who he was referring to. With a slight shake of his head, he sighed and spoke.
"Pilot 01, you have something, or rather someone, that belongs to me," his voice deeper than usual.
"And you are?" Heero all but growled. No doubt he was upset with someone finding and contacting him.
"I am Lord Dumatre and you have my assistant, Christian."
"Dumatre?" a voice asked. It sounds like Wufei was back from his impromptu mission.
"Dumatre," Heero said, taking control of the conversation, "I don't know who you are or who you work for, but I expect no trouble from you. As far as I'm concerned, this meeting is over." Heero made like he was going to disconnect the laptop when Duo spoke up quickly.
"I wouldn't be so hasty, Mr. Yuy," he said, "You are in no position to deny me, for I know your location and could easily share that knowledge with one of your enemies."
Wufei stepped into the line of view of the screen and peered at Duo. For a second, Duo actually thought Wufei could tell it was he until he spoke. "You must remember, Dumatre, that we have your assistant as our prisoner. And you must find this man very important to you if you're personally going through all this trouble." Wufei finished with a self-satisfied smirk for his deduction.
"Mr. Chang, I need not worry about his safety in your hands…"
"You'd disregard his life? That is dishonorable!"
Duo narrowed his eyes. "If you are quite finished, I was saying I do not need to worry about him because despite your reputation as ruthless terrorists, you are honorable young men and I trust you. Now please let me speak with him, if only for a short time. Please?" His eyes softened and waited for their verdict.
Heero looked at Wufei then Trowa, who'd just recently walked into the screen's view. Finally his eyes settled on the man on his laptop screen. At his nod, Duo released the breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Your time is limited and your conversation will be monitored." Heero said curtly.
"I expected no less."
Heero turned the screen toward the cell and it lit up the blond man's face, along with the smiles the two briefly shared. Christian sat cross-legged in front of the bars, his wrists bound and tied in front of him. But despite him confined state he looked oddly comfortable and calm.
"Good evening Lord Dumatre," he said with a respectful bow of his head.
"Good evening Christian. Trouble seems to delight in following you, doesn't it?"
"Yes sir," Christian chuckled, "I'm sorry for this m'lord."
Duo knew Christian was apologizing for a lot more than the previous day. He smiled. "Think nothing of it. I just want you to know that you are sorely missed."
Christian's eyes took a playful glint to them and he smirked openly. "How missed, m'lord?"
Duo laughed outright and then took a teasing tone. "Extremely. You can only imagine what I'll do to you as soon as you're safely home."
"I look forward to it."
"I'm sure. But back to the matter at hand, I want you to tell them why you are there. I'm guessing my time has expired, so I shall let you go. Behave yourself and take care of them. Goodbye Christian." And with that, the screen went blank.
Christian looked away from the screen and at the faces of the young men in the room and noticed that the smallest one, Quatre, had entered somewhere during his chat with Duo. The young man was looking at him oddly, as if trying to figure out a puzzle, which considering the situation, was an appropriate thought. Heero took his laptop back and all was silent, until curiosity got the better of Quatre.
"What did he want you to tell us?" he asked.
"The reason I was sent here," came Christian's simple answer.
"Oh. Well then please tell us so we can figure this out."
"I'll tell you when you all are here. Duo Maxwell still isn't present."
"I'll go find him, he should still be in the house," Heero said firmly, daring anyone to argue. He left the basement and went in search of the braided baka.
Allen-sama, Heero just left to look for you, so I suggest you prepare yourself. Christian mentally projected to Duo.
No answer.
Allen-sama?
Give me a moment, stall him or something… Duo replied, sounding stressed.
Confused, Christian mentally rattled a few pots in the kitchen and temporarily drew Heero's search there. Why'd you make me do that, m'lord?
I'm a little dizzy and I have a severe headache, if you get my drift. That illusion spell took a little more out of me than I thought. I need a moment to steady myself.
Alright. But please hurry, your friends are getting a bit anxious.
Yeah, yeah. I'm coming down right now. I'm too worn out to locate Heero, so where is he?
Hmm… the den area.
Thanks.
Duo departed from his room, rebraiding his hair as he made his way down the main stairs. He saw Heero peering into the doorway that led to the laundry room. He smiled at the brief glimpse of Heero's firm ass as he leaned into the room.
"Hey Heero, looking for someone?" he asked casually as if unaware of Heero's target.
Heero turned around and looked at the beautiful vision before him. Duo was slowly descending the stairs like an angel floating down from the heavens, braiding his chestnut tresses, the light glittering off the red and gold hues. If not for his iron control, Heero would have stared openly. He had only imagined what Duo's hair would look like out of its customary braid but his dreams didn't hold a candle to the glorious tresses. Heero had to stop that train of thought before he uttered the sigh that was lodged in his throat. (1)
Duo wondered what the Wing Zero pilot could possibly be thinking about to distract him so much. He cleared his throat, seemingly to shake Heero from his stupor.
Heero blinked and shook his head. "The prisoner is ready to speak, you must also be in attendance."
"Ok!" Duo bounced his way down the stairs and took a chance and grabbed Heero's arm dragging him back to the basement before he could protest. Unknown to Duo, Heero couldn't be happier.
*~*~*
(1) Someone told me I was leaning closer to Christianx2 instead of 1x2, so that's there as a reminder.
It was about 3 am when Duo left his room in silence and made his way back to the basement. Once at the door he placed his hand against the door and concentrated, reaching out his mind to scan the room. Sure enough, Heero was still in there guarding Christian. Looks like Duo had to be a little more careful; Heero was always a light sleeper. He went into the living room and stood on the floor directly above Christian's cell and focused his energy to complete this simple task. A light purple aura surrounded Duo and he slowly melted through the floor and down into the darkness of Christian's cell.
He relaxed and the light around him disappeared. He snuck over to Christian's sleeping form and reached out to tap him. Christian caught his wrist and covered his mouth before he had a chance to react.
"I knew you were coming," Christian whispered with a smile.
"How?" Duo whispered back when he pulled Christian's hand from his lips.
"You're always loud when you're trying to be quiet." Another brotherly smile.
"Baka." Duo wrapped his arms around Christian. "Gods, I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you too." Christian hugged Duo tightly but released him the second he felt Duo's body tense up. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing much," Duo said rubbing his bruised chest, "It's just that Kek got me pretty good. I've healed up, but it's still sore."
"Understood. You know you're one hell of a guy to track down in this life."
"Heh, well we really have no choice." Duo's face took a serious look. "This war is effecting everything and there's no room for error. One mistake could cost you your life, or your friends'."
"I saw, I was at the battle a few days ago. When I saw the blast hit you I had to interfere. I didn't mean to meddle in your affairs." Christian bowed his head, in shame.
Duo lifted Christian's chin and looked in his eyes. "Thank you for disobeying me and for saving my life. It's too early in the game to end it all now."
The blond smiled and poked Duo in the side. "Anytime."
Duo's slight giggle alerted Heero to his presence. The Japanese pilot shook off sleep for a brief second and looked into the cell. It was dark; so dark he could barely see the prisoner, but he could make out the shadow. But as he looked harder he could've sworn he saw two shadowed figures behind the bars. He got up to have a closer look.
Duo panicked and almost forgot about his abilities in fright. He slowly moved back from Christian and backed into a dark corner. There he closed his eyes and sunk into the shadows; he blended into the wall in darkness and was hidden from view.
Heero peered into the cell only to see Christian sitting up with his back against the wall and his head bowed over his crossed arms. Heero "hn"ed and Christian lifted his head to look at the teen. They stayed that way for a few moments.
"Are you hungry?" Heero asked.
Christian was shocked by the unexpected question for a second then replied, "Yes."
"Hn. I will be back in 3.5 minutes. If you move from that spot you will not eat until noon." And Heero was gone.
Christian looked to the corner where Duo had disappeared and nodded his head slightly, signaling that he could come back. Duo's body appeared from the shadows and he stood beside Christian. He had a familiar grin on his face; the one that Christian was used to seeing every time that Duo played with his magic.
"Christian, I can't stay long but I will see you in the afternoon. We need to figure a way to get you from behind these bars and into your own room without giving us away. And I need your help with you know who." Duo pointed to his head to emphasize his point.
Christian nodded. "Yes Master Allen, I mean Duo-sama. Sleep well."
The two old friends shared one last hug before they heard Heero re-enter the basement. Duo stepped back into the shadows, this time seeping through the walls into the next room, which just happened to the wash room. From there he made his way back to his room and settled down for the night, smiling to himself. Christian was there and he would help.
*~*~*
The next morning, Duo headed down to the basement and sat in the chair where Heero had been while watching Christian last night. The two longhaired young men look at each other, waiting for the other to speak.
Heero installed audio equipment in here so be careful about what you say. Duo warned.
Noted. Christian replied. "So when are you guys going to let me contact my superior?" he asked aloud.
"You mean that Dumatre fellow? I don't know. It's not my place to decide. And besides, how would you go about contacting him?" Duo asked conversationally.
"With a laptop, if I was allowed access to one."
"I don't think so. Heero's attached to his laptop at the fingertips, and I seriously doubt he'd let you look at it, let alone use it."
"Don't you have one or one of the others?"
Duo nodded. "Nope."
"My master's going to know I'm here when I don't check in at noon today."
"And how will he know you're here and not somewhere else?"
"Well he did send me here. He knows how to contact you." Christian stressed the statement and raised a brow at Duo, hoping he'd catch his drift.
Duo did. He understood perfectly what Christian was suggesting. He felt so stupid for not thinking of it himself. Good idea, Christian. Remind me to give you a present later.
Christian chuckled silently. Will do.
"We'll it's been nice chatting with you but I got to go. Maybe we could continue this later." Duo got up and left the room smiling at Christian until he disappeared up the stairs.
Once out of the basement Duo went into the living room where Heero sat with his headset on; on which he listened to Duo and Christian's conversation. He nodded at the American and took the headset off, face as stony as ever.
"That didn't help much. But it did let us know we have been located," Heero said, typing a command on his laptop.
"Yeah… Heero? Do you really think this guy is an enemy? I mean, he could be on our side." Duo flopped down on one of the plush chairs the decorated the room.
"He could be, but we have to sure. He knows lot about us and if he's an enemy we must be eliminate him and his employer. But if he's on our side… I don't know what we'll do."
Duo considered this for a short while before he left to go up to his room. He closed the door, locking it, and lifted his mattress and pulled out his laptop. He connected his laptop and spent about ten minutes securing the line and covering his tracks. After all the equipment was set up and ready to go, Duo cast an illusion spell that decorated his room so elegantly the Treize Kushranda himself would have begged for his decorator's number. Calling upon the spell left him with a dull ache in his head. The more power he used for other things, the less power he had to protect himself from Kek.
Duo unbraided his hair and pinned it up so it looked as if it fell just below the ears. He called upon another spell, but this one didn't tap into his powers. It was a spell he could call upon as naturally as breathing. A light purple mist rose up and swirled around him and when it thinned out it revealed Duo dressed in the exact same clothes as in his dream when he met Kek. He modeled in the full-length mirror, feeling an odd sense of deja vu. He dimmed the lights and pressed the button to contact Heero's laptop and waited. He didn't have to wait long.
Heero opened the message on the second beep and glared at the unfamiliar person on the other end. Duo could tell that he was now in the basement, watching Christian more than likely.
Duo waited for Heero to say something then he remembered who he was referring to. With a slight shake of his head, he sighed and spoke.
"Pilot 01, you have something, or rather someone, that belongs to me," his voice deeper than usual.
"And you are?" Heero all but growled. No doubt he was upset with someone finding and contacting him.
"I am Lord Dumatre and you have my assistant, Christian."
"Dumatre?" a voice asked. It sounds like Wufei was back from his impromptu mission.
"Dumatre," Heero said, taking control of the conversation, "I don't know who you are or who you work for, but I expect no trouble from you. As far as I'm concerned, this meeting is over." Heero made like he was going to disconnect the laptop when Duo spoke up quickly.
"I wouldn't be so hasty, Mr. Yuy," he said, "You are in no position to deny me, for I know your location and could easily share that knowledge with one of your enemies."
Wufei stepped into the line of view of the screen and peered at Duo. For a second, Duo actually thought Wufei could tell it was he until he spoke. "You must remember, Dumatre, that we have your assistant as our prisoner. And you must find this man very important to you if you're personally going through all this trouble." Wufei finished with a self-satisfied smirk for his deduction.
"Mr. Chang, I need not worry about his safety in your hands…"
"You'd disregard his life? That is dishonorable!"
Duo narrowed his eyes. "If you are quite finished, I was saying I do not need to worry about him because despite your reputation as ruthless terrorists, you are honorable young men and I trust you. Now please let me speak with him, if only for a short time. Please?" His eyes softened and waited for their verdict.
Heero looked at Wufei then Trowa, who'd just recently walked into the screen's view. Finally his eyes settled on the man on his laptop screen. At his nod, Duo released the breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Your time is limited and your conversation will be monitored." Heero said curtly.
"I expected no less."
Heero turned the screen toward the cell and it lit up the blond man's face, along with the smiles the two briefly shared. Christian sat cross-legged in front of the bars, his wrists bound and tied in front of him. But despite him confined state he looked oddly comfortable and calm.
"Good evening Lord Dumatre," he said with a respectful bow of his head.
"Good evening Christian. Trouble seems to delight in following you, doesn't it?"
"Yes sir," Christian chuckled, "I'm sorry for this m'lord."
Duo knew Christian was apologizing for a lot more than the previous day. He smiled. "Think nothing of it. I just want you to know that you are sorely missed."
Christian's eyes took a playful glint to them and he smirked openly. "How missed, m'lord?"
Duo laughed outright and then took a teasing tone. "Extremely. You can only imagine what I'll do to you as soon as you're safely home."
"I look forward to it."
"I'm sure. But back to the matter at hand, I want you to tell them why you are there. I'm guessing my time has expired, so I shall let you go. Behave yourself and take care of them. Goodbye Christian." And with that, the screen went blank.
Christian looked away from the screen and at the faces of the young men in the room and noticed that the smallest one, Quatre, had entered somewhere during his chat with Duo. The young man was looking at him oddly, as if trying to figure out a puzzle, which considering the situation, was an appropriate thought. Heero took his laptop back and all was silent, until curiosity got the better of Quatre.
"What did he want you to tell us?" he asked.
"The reason I was sent here," came Christian's simple answer.
"Oh. Well then please tell us so we can figure this out."
"I'll tell you when you all are here. Duo Maxwell still isn't present."
"I'll go find him, he should still be in the house," Heero said firmly, daring anyone to argue. He left the basement and went in search of the braided baka.
Allen-sama, Heero just left to look for you, so I suggest you prepare yourself. Christian mentally projected to Duo.
No answer.
Allen-sama?
Give me a moment, stall him or something… Duo replied, sounding stressed.
Confused, Christian mentally rattled a few pots in the kitchen and temporarily drew Heero's search there. Why'd you make me do that, m'lord?
I'm a little dizzy and I have a severe headache, if you get my drift. That illusion spell took a little more out of me than I thought. I need a moment to steady myself.
Alright. But please hurry, your friends are getting a bit anxious.
Yeah, yeah. I'm coming down right now. I'm too worn out to locate Heero, so where is he?
Hmm… the den area.
Thanks.
Duo departed from his room, rebraiding his hair as he made his way down the main stairs. He saw Heero peering into the doorway that led to the laundry room. He smiled at the brief glimpse of Heero's firm ass as he leaned into the room.
"Hey Heero, looking for someone?" he asked casually as if unaware of Heero's target.
Heero turned around and looked at the beautiful vision before him. Duo was slowly descending the stairs like an angel floating down from the heavens, braiding his chestnut tresses, the light glittering off the red and gold hues. If not for his iron control, Heero would have stared openly. He had only imagined what Duo's hair would look like out of its customary braid but his dreams didn't hold a candle to the glorious tresses. Heero had to stop that train of thought before he uttered the sigh that was lodged in his throat. (1)
Duo wondered what the Wing Zero pilot could possibly be thinking about to distract him so much. He cleared his throat, seemingly to shake Heero from his stupor.
Heero blinked and shook his head. "The prisoner is ready to speak, you must also be in attendance."
"Ok!" Duo bounced his way down the stairs and took a chance and grabbed Heero's arm dragging him back to the basement before he could protest. Unknown to Duo, Heero couldn't be happier.
*~*~*
(1) Someone told me I was leaning closer to Christianx2 instead of 1x2, so that's there as a reminder.