To DragonFlame Mistress- I'm glad you like it.
To Patricia16- I'm ignoring you until you leave an original review.
Chapter Two
Duo sat upright in the hospital bed, playing with the end of his braid. He was understandably nervous, considering there were two police detectives in his room, and he'd somehow gotten banged up pretty bad last night. He didn't remember much, except that he'd gone to check out a possible location for the orphanage he wanted to open when he grew up.
One of the detectives, a pretty woman with short reddish-brown hair named Olivia Benson, was talking to the nurse near the door. Her partner, a tall, balding man named Elliot Stabler, was out in the hall on his phone.
Detectives and nurses are all nice enough, Duo supposed, but all things considered, he wanted Heero. For a semi-mute Japanese dumbass, Heero had a very soothing presence that always calmed Duo down.
His prayers were answered when Detective Stabler hit the wall, Detective Benson was moved bodily out of the doorway, and two strong familiar arms wrapped themselves around his neck.
"You…baka!" Heero scolded quietly, trying his best to hug Duo without hurting him. "Why the hell did you sneak out? Do you have any idea how worried I was?"
"H-hey, calm down, Ro!" Duo exclaimed, patting Heero on the back. "I'm supposed to be the emotional one in this relationship, remember?"
"Gomen." Heero whispered, not letting go. "I just… you disappeared, Duo. I thought you were dead."
"Me? Dead?" Duo repeated. "You can't kill me. I'm like a cat with nine lives, my friend; I'll just keep coming back."
Heero laughed, finally letting go. "Even if you were dead, you'd probably come haunt me just to have someone to annoy." He cracked, smiling.
"Excuse me," Detective Benson said, clearing her throat to catch the boys' attention, "but who are you?"
"This here's my best bud, Heero." Duo said, grinning. "For a semi-mute Japanese dumbass, he ain't half-bad."
"If you were anyone else, I'd take offense to that." Heero said, a small smile gracing his usually stoic features.
"But since I'm cheerful, lovable, impossible-to-hate me, you'll let me get away with it, won't you?" Duo's grin widened, and he wrinkled his nose.
"Hush." Heero said, back to his usual almost-emotionless self now that he was sure Duo was all right.
"I love you, too, Ro." Duo replied.
"Well… Heero." Detective Benson interrupted again. "Can I talk to you out in the hall for a second?"
"Hn." Heero replied with a nod, sending Duo a glance that spoke volumes before stepping into the hall.
In the Hallway
"Heero." Olivia said, closing the door to Duo's room. "That's a rather unusual name."
"It's Japanese." The tall teenager explained shortly.
"It's nice." She said, smiling. "You seem fairly intelligent, so I'll skip the usual procedures. Your friend Duo was raped and beaten last night."
No surprise registered on the boy's face; he merely raised an eyebrow, indicating he probably already knew. "What have you found out?" He asked in a hypnotic monotone.
"Almost nothing." Olivia sighed. "We were hoping maybe you could help us out with this. Can you think of anyone who would want to hurt Duo enough to do something like this?"
"Dozens." Heero stated. "Duo makes enemies as easily as he makes friends." He set his palms against the window and pressed his forehead against the cool glass, closing his eyes. "It's the way he is. He never lies, even when the truth can hurt. He does what's right, and sometimes, people suffer because of it."
"Can you give us a few names?" Olivia asked, pulling out a small notebook and pen. "Just a place to start?"
"Relena Peacecraft, for one." Heero told her, pausing to let her scribble the name down. "Arnold Newart. Kenny Assell. Just about any street rat you can name. Will that be enough for now?"
"Yeah." Olivia said, closing her notebook and shoving it back into her pocket. "Be sure to give me a call if you think of anyone else, okay?"
"Hn." Heero agreed before turning and walking back to Duo's room.
That Night
"It's a distinct possibility." Olivia said, her face troubled. "MO's the same, victim's physical description's the same-"
"With one small exception." Munch interrupted. "If, indeed, we're looking at the same perp, Mr. Maxwell will be the only male vic."
"And the only surviving one." Finn added. "But it still kinda feels right, ya know?"
"Detective Benson." A new voice interrupted the conversation, drawing the attention of the three participants and the hitherto silent Elliot to the door.
Heero Yuy stood there, leaning against the doorframe slightly, like one of the stereotypical anti-heroes of a cheap 80's movie, one hand holding a laptop.
"Heero, what are you doing here?" Olivia asked, standing up.
"I want to help." Heero said simply. "And before you turn me down, I want you to hear me out. I know how to do this job; back in Japan, I did this to stay alive. I'm at least as good at this as any of you, and that is not a boast."
All four detectives looked skeptically at the teen, obviously sure he had no idea what was going on.
"Look, Heero," Elliot said, breaking the growing silence before it got too uncomfortable, "I realize you're upset, and believe me, I understand, but-"
"I doubt you do." Heero interrupted. "I am not a child, Detective, for all that I am young. I know exactly what's happening, and I believe that I may see what you will miss, simply because you will not be looking for it."
That little half-speech drew raised eyebrows from the adults. Olivia shared a quick glance with John, who nodded in answer to her silent question. This boy was indeed no child.
"Okay, kid." John said, speaking for the both of them. "You can help –unofficially. We can't risk the media getting wind of this."
Heero snorted in response to the subtle warning, putting his laptop down on a desk and opening it.
"Let's get to work." He said shortly.
The Next Morning
"Go ahead." Duo said threateningly, glaring at the doctor in front of him. "I dare you. See what happens, old man."
"A challenge, Mr. Maxwell?" The doctor replied evenly. "You are in no position to be challenging anyone."
The two glared at each for a full minute before the doctor made his move, and, with unexpected speed, slammed down on the button that destroyed Duo's outlaying airfield and decreased his flight force by half.
"NOOO!" Duo screamed, dropping his controller. "My commanders were in that hangar! That was a dirty trick, old man!"
"Tactics, my friend." The doctor said calmly. "Tactics win and loose wars. I simply have a better grasp of them than you."
"That was totally unfair!" Duo persisted. "Heero, tell him that wasn't fair!"
"He didn't break any rules, Duo." Heero replied, shrugging helplessly. "In the spirit of the game, it was not only fair, but expected as well. Perhaps you should start playing again before his co-op unit takes out your command center."
With a frustrated growl, Duo grabbed his controller off the blanket and resumed play with an air of grim determination. He was so caught up in trying to beat the doctor he didn't even notice Heero slip out the door.
At the Winner Mansion
"Would you like something to drink, Miss Benson?" Quatre asked with a polite smile, guiding Olivia and her partner to one of the public sitting rooms. "Coffee, perhaps? Or maybe you'd prefer tea?"
"No thank you," Olivia said, unable to keep from smiling back. "I'm fine."
"And you, Mr. Stabler?"
"Same here, kid." Elliot answered. "Where are the other boys?"
"Heero's still at the hospital with Duo," Quatre informed the detective, busily setting out tea and snacks. "Wufei's in the practice salle, working on his swordsmanship, and Trowa should be about five feet east, hiding in the hallway."
"How do you do that?" Trowa asked with a good-natured laugh, stepping into view. "I can never win, can I?"
"Nope." Quatre agreed, all smiles. "As long as you're within five miles of me, I'll be able to pinpoint your exact location. You can't hide from me, Trowa."
"That's… amazing!" Olivia exclaimed. "How did you do that?"
"I don't really know, Miss Benson," The small blond confessed. "Ever since I met Trowa, we've had some kind of psychic connection. I always know where he is, and he can sometimes find me the same way. A fortuneteller once called it 'psychic magnetism',"
"Sounds interesting." Elliot commented. "Look, I hate to bring this up, but we need to talk to you boys."
"About Duo, right?" Quatre guessed, his face loosing all trace of humor.
"Yeah," Elliot said, shifting uncomfortably. "I don't suppose either one of you have any idea who did this to him?"
"If I did, rest assured he'd be beyond reach of the law by now." Trowa stated flatly, while Quatre simply shook his head. "Duo is a very dear friend of ours, and we won't stand by if someone hurts him."
"I figured. Tell me, was Duo planning to go out that night?"
"Not that any of us were aware of," Quatre answered. "We've all been through a lot in our lives, so we make a special point of telling someone if we're leaving."
"And Duo never mentioned plans outside the house?"
"No. Not to us."
"What about a member of the staff?" Olivia asked quietly. "Could he have told one of them?"
"Possibly," Quatre conceded. "If he were in a hurry and couldn't find one us, he might have. But surely whoever he told would have informed me?"
"Maybe they forgot." Elliot suggested. "It's not uncommon for people close to the victim to forget things like that,"
"Hold on a sec," Quatre said, running out of the room, leaving the detectives alone with Trowa. He was back in the promised second, shaking his head. "No one told Rashid anything, either," He said. "It doesn't make sense."
And it's about friggin time I updated this thing! I don't even want to think about how long it's been! I'm really sorry to everyone who was waiting for this chapter for its length and crummy content, but this is what happens when I'm not pestered constantly. So my little cousin will stay on my case until chapter 3 is done. Right Crystal?