Part 9

Minako looked at the look of horror on Duo's face as the scene on the floor of the opera house unfolded. Where Duo looked horrified Heero had slipped into the same battle stance as Mamoru. "It's nothing to do with us." She said, putting her hand on Duo's shoulder, "and it's nothing to do with you. It's all the shifting of Dathyl politics, this was for Tobin and for Alister, we were just the excuse. They won't move against us."

"The Seraphim just like to show off." Aeka said behind them, standing up and smoothing out the lines of her velvet gown. "Ignore them, for the most part they are just a pain. Matherion wants a war, and we won't give him one, so he does stunts like this to rally support for their cause."

"We might as well go." Mamoru said, his hand still tight around the hilt of his sword. "Tobin will not finish the show now."

"Your name." Heero said, "is the same as the one in the opera."

"Of course," Aeka answered with a winning smile, her red hair falling around her face in an appealing manner which served to hide the red over and below of the strip of velvet around her throat. "I was named for the character in the story because she was brave and strong, and she was added to the opera when I came to Dathyl. Do you want to go backstage?"

"Are you sure that we can, Heika?" Despite Aeka's demands to the contrary Heero insisted on calling her by title.

"I can do what I like in this country." She answered with a wink. "And besides Tobin and I are old friends, and as prima donna he pretty much gets his own way. We'll just wait for Alister."

Duo suspected that this was a salve for his tattered nerves and reached out and took Heero by the hand, Heero jumped a little, alerting Mamoru to the gesture, but then gripped his fingers just as tight. Mamoru smiled a little and gestured with his head to Minako. She smiled just as warmly as he did, but neither Heero or Duo saw it. "He can meet us down there." Minako said standing. "The Seraphim won't make a move now, come on, before our darling Tobin wanders off and we won't get backstage."

Aeka laughed, it was a bright peal of a noise. "It takes longer than that to get out of those dresses."

"I'm learning that." Duo murmured, "Prima keeps dressing me like a girl."

Heero stood up and pulled Duo to his feet. "Baka," he murmured but Minako suspected that when he said it he was actually saying something else. Mamoru had obviously noticed it as well, but it wasn't in her husband's nature to mention something like that, especially to her. Mamoru never spoke of love to her. In twenty years of marriage he had never spoken of love to her. In her heart she gave a small and brief prayer that Duo was happier with her Senshisha than she was with hers. To Duo though, she said nothing.

Aeka noticed the look of pain that flashed across Minako's face, and squeezed her hand with a smile. Duo didn't notice that either. Heero however did, and jerked his hand away, ramming it into the pocket of the jacket he wore.

The back of the opera house was a maze that they were ushered into with a minimum of fuss and a small contingent of guards, even though they were all here incognito just to watch the show. People bustled about carrying large screens and back drops, a man carrying a violin dropped a quick curtsey before he continued screaming obscenities at a ballet dancer who had obviously missed her cue.

"Mina," the prima donna said gliding forward, he had stripped out of Onestra's elaborate white gown and his black hair was short and slicked back with sweat, he wore a white wool sweater and a pair of tight black leather trousers. He was a very attractive man, Heero noticed, apart from a pair of acid green eyes that weighed him up and a thin scar that crossed his face. "Aeka, my twin stars, did you see me, I would have been a..." He stopped as he noticed something. Duo was turned away from him, watching some of the ballet girls bicker over a dress that they both seemed to think was there. "Avili?" The man asked, pushing past them and putting his hand on Duo's shoulder. As he looked Duo in the face he was torn for a moment. Then he slapped Duo hard across the face. "How dare you?" He asked, yanking on his braid. "How dare you?"

Heero punched him hard in the stomach. "Unhand him, or I'll unhand you." He said in a tone of voice that sounded like steel on granite.

"Tobin," Aeka said, stepping between them, "this is Duo, he came to see the show," Tobin hadn't let go his death grip of Duo's braid, but his other hand was protecting his stomach where Heero had punched him, and he had not held back the blow in any way. "He's one of Adam's guests. He wouldn't have known."

Slowly, and warily Tobin looked like he would let go of the braid when there was a distinctive sound of a knife being unsheathed. "Let him go." Mamoru said, "this has nothing to do with you, Vivikan D'Cevni, he just wanted to congratulate you on your performance."

"Are you sure it's a girl, Mamoru?" Tobin asked, his voice was like gravel in cream, and sounded nothing like the voice he sang with. "From where I stand it's a girl…" That was as far as he got before Heero launched at him.

Alister appeared from nowhere pulling Tobin out of the way as Mamoru caught Heero holding him back from what appeared to be ripping Tobin's throat out. "I can handle myself." Duo said pulling a pair of knives from his sleeves. "And my hair is my own." He kicked Tobin hard in the shins. "You owe me an apology, I am not Avili, I'm not nearly half as pretty as her, and she gave me a message for you, she said to tell you it was fine."

"Duo!" Mina snapped as the colour and the fight drained from Tobin as if a plug had been pulled. "That message wasn't for him."

"Mina," Tobin growled, "you said that you could not see her."

"I can't." Minako said quietly. "She's the Taiyo-sama, I could never see her, but Duo is Shinigami." There was a lump in her throat as she spoke. "He can." She stepped in front of Duo for the first time. "Don't touch him." She said, "he couldn't withstand your death visions any more than I can."

"Nor mine," Aeka said, "all the horrors he has seen are his own, but he shouldn't have to share ours."

"You believe him?" Tobin grated out.

"Is there a party and I wasn't invited?" A tall dark blonde said from, he wore the leafed mail that Selestin had worn, but there was a towel around his neck and his face was scoured red. "It's always that way, I swear, ladies, you're all determined to keep him for yourselves, Mina, Ellie." He looked at Aeka when he said that. "Alister, Mamoru, you two are new." He looked at Heero and Duo, "and such pretty boys too, I'm Josian, because no one else here will introduce me."

"It's not a party, Jose," Tobin growled. "Mina brought the new Shinigami for me to meet, he had a message for me from Avili, but the new Senshisha took objection to my grief."

"Omae o korosu," Heero said distinctly.

"I don't think you can," Josian answered with a smile, "bigger, meaner, and more violent people have tried and failed, he has the best scar on his chest where someone stabbed him in the chest. If such things were possible I would say he was immortal, but Onestra and I," he slapped Tobin on the back, "were going on to a party at Lady Millicent's town house, I'm sure she'll be flattered if you all came, the more the merrier and all that, and Millicent would hate to hear it but she's a terrible bore."

Heero's glare seemed to answer the question, but Duo put the words in the air instead. "I don't think so, master Tobin and I haven't got on to the best start, he didn't like my hair, ya'no."

"Your hair is just like hers," Josian's tone suddenly became sombre, "and the shape of your face and your height and build, but you are not her. We never speak of her, not here." Tobin's face looked as if it was broken, the scar that crossed his forehead glowed a bitter red.

"You loved her." Duo said, "and she loved you." He stepped forward. Alister went to step in but Minako's gaze held him still. "She called you her kitten, and said she owned you, and you let her." Duo reached up and touched Tobin's face without fear in any way. "And you sang, you sang only for her. Even tonight, though all the nobles of the country were here to see you perform you sang only for her." Tobin looked distraught.

"K'so." He swore. "Come along, Jose, if we're to make Millie's party we want you out of that armour. Mina, as always, it's been a pleasure, Ellie, you know I love you with all my heart. Alister, I trust we're fine for lunch tomorrow." He went to turn away. "Little Shinigami," he looked Duo in the eye, and his gaze was the colour of frozen green fire, "answer me a single question, if you will."

Duo nodded.

"Are you in love?" He asked, his voice a breathy whisper. Fixed in the power of his gaze, like a snake, Duo made an involuntary step forward, "because if you're in love I won't waste your time," Tobin was taller than Duo and had to lean down to match his eyes. "But someone so beautiful deserves to be in love." He reached out to touch the length of Duo's jaw.

"Foolishness." Heero snorted breaking the spell. He was still restrained by Mamoru, but it gave the impression that it was the only thing stopping Heero from killing him.

"Tobin!" Alister snapped, "leave the boy alone, Master Shinigami," he said taking Duo's hand and pulling him back.

"Surely the Shinigami can choose for himself." Tobin said, "he can come with me to the party and know love, if only briefly, or he can return to the great mausoleum." He stroked his fingertips across Duo's pink lips.

"He's not Avili," Josian said putting his hand on Tobin's shoulder. "Come on, before that boy works a way free. You should know better than to aggravate a Senshisha, after the amount of times that someone had to rescue you." He bowed to the ladies, "sorry ladies, but I will have to love and leave you, because someone is still smarting that the Seraphim interrupted his show and is spoiling for a fight, and I get the impression that the little Senshisha will more than give him one." He had Tobin firmly by the arm and pulled him away.

Back in their suite in the palace Heero took his clothes off with what was just short of a killing rage, he would not even look at Duo. He noticed the bed was turned down and there was a small metal pan in the centre, obviously to warm it. He threw his boots against the wall, and shattered a glass that he intended to pick up. "What is wrong with you?" Duo asked, sitting on the bed and crossing his arm.

"You, baka." Heero answered, "We're in this thing up to our eyebrows and you're picking fights and then you prepare to jump in bed with this man who was seconds before going to kill you."

Duo was horrified that Heero would have even suggested such a thing. "And you?" Duo answered in the same tone of voice, "you would have ripped his throat out."

"At least I was trying to stop him killing you." Heero answered, pulling the flannel shirt that Prima had hung in front of the fire over his head, "you would have gone with him and I would have found you in a ditch somewhere, some terrorist you turn out to be, some pretty eyes lech at you and you're ready to ditch everything and run off with him."

"I wouldn't have run off with him." Duo shouted back. "Sometimes I really regret busting you out of that damn hospital."

"Don't you dare." Heero snarled back, he turned and with a launch pinned Duo to the bed, "how many times have I saved you, the least you could do is try and save yourself," he was panting with rage and his eyes were flickering with contained emotion. "baka." He stood up. "Now get ready for bed. Minako wants to see us in the morning."

Duo climbed into the bed and pulled his trousers off, throwing them to the floor. "Thanks," he said as Heero blotted out the light, "for standing up for me."