Warnings and Disclaimer: see previous chapters
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Chapter 8:
Awareness came to Zechs in stages, which told him immediately that whatever had happened the previous day had be highly stressful. As a solider, awakening was usually an instant thing. His internal clock told him it was a little after nine in the morning. He'd slept in. The blond Preventer sat up and put his feet on the floor, wondering exactly how much of his day with Collins was real and how much had been a dream. More than that, he was hoping most of it was a dream. Heaving a sigh, he surged to his feet and stretched, listening to his back pop with a long string of satisfying cracks. He made a move to go to the bathroom when he realized that someone was watching him intently. Slowly turning around, blue locked with violet.
Duo was curled up in his bed like a kitten, most of his body hidden under either a blanket or his massive wings, but his face was visible, and his eyes were wide awake. The violet orbs held an indescribable emotion for an instant before it was hidden with a smile. "Good morning."
Blue eyes just stared for a moment, reality setting in. "Duo?"
"Yes?" the First asked, rising to his feel in a soundless motion of pure grace. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
"You're Owned?" the blue-eyed man asked, mind feeling sluggish.
Duo smiled affectionately. "I'm your Owned, Zechs. Remember?"
"I remember," he stated. I was just hoping that I was wrong. As if sensing the unsaid sentence, Duo's brows knit slightly and he went to his Master's side. Carefully making his movements clear, he moved the almost snow-white hair over a shoulder. He reveled in the softness of the older man's hair, but didn't linger, moving almost instantly to start massaging his neck, being careful of his razor sharp talons. Zechs almost melted into the strong hands as they worked their way over his shoulders and down to the small of his back, but no further. The First stopped when his Master began to sway on his feet.
"Feel better?" there was a teasing lilt to his voice.
The blond raised an eyebrow. "Where did you learn to do that?"
He shrugged. "I'm not really sure. I guess I'd call it an inborn talent," he smirked. "I gave a lot of back rubs to the guys after stressful missions. A little bit of trial and error, but mostly, just feeling things out. Are you going to take a shower? If not, I'll brush your hair for you," he offered. The tall Preventer stopped and thought about both questions. After that massage, he didn't really need the shower to loosen up, and that's all he was going to take it for anyway.
"Okay. You can brush my hair," he stated, seeing the hopeful look in the First's eyes, but held up his hand to stop any overreaction. "But I get to brush yours," he finished. Duo made a face.
"But—" A look from Zechs stopped him.
"That's the condition," he stated finally. "Unless of course, you don't want me to—"
"No! It's not that… I'd like nothing more, it can just be so tedious," he complained, fingering the golden locks. "I didn't think you'd want to mess with it."
"Duo, in case you've failed to notice, my hair is awfully long too," the blond pointed out.
"Yeah, but it takes on a whole new level of pain in the butt once you can sit on it. Yours is down to your waist, and because you're so damn tall, that's really long, but you still don't ever sit on it," he countered, then shrugged. "But if you want to," there was a bit of anticipation in his eyes.
Zechs nodded. "Just lemme go get washed up real quick."
Duo went to his trunk and pulled out a brush, fiddling with it in his hands as he waited for Zechs to come out. It only took a few moments and the blond Preventer did look much more awake.
"Turn around and sit yourself down. I'm brushing your hair first," he informed, not giving the Owned a chance to object. With a mock glare, Duo did as told, folding his wings over his shoulders like a cape. The older man took the brush and began at the ends, noting the chestnut mass trailed a good foot on the bed. "I can't believe it's down to your knees," he commented, mostly for the sake of conversation. "Has it always been this long? I know braiding shortens it… speaking of which, why don't you wear your hair in a braid anymore?" he wondered, noting that the winged man went very still for a moment before answering.
"It grows really fast now… Kelvare…" hate crept into his tone as he spoke of the dead man. "Kelvare cut off my braid. But since the Owned are supposed to be aesthetically pleasing, he managed to amplify whatever moderates your hair growth. As a result, most of the Owned have really long hair. It's just a pain to get cut every other week… as for the braid… It grew back so fast, I just didn't think to start putting it back in a braid," he explained. "Besides, it wouldn't have been the same… it's not the hair that Sister braided for me anyway…" there was a distance in his voice that Zechs knew only came from speaking of his past. A tone somehow wistful, longing, pained and very, very far away all at the same time. It was a tone that made the heart ache.
Thoughtlessly, the blue-eyed man wrapped his arms around the Owned, an ingrained response to that tone of voice. He hadn't heard it so many times that his reaction was habit so much as the inability not to. Duo reacted instantly to the arms encircling him, holding the arms across his chest and leaning back into his Master's embrace eagerly. "I'm sorry…"
"Don't be," the First replied. "Kelvare gave me you, whether he's alive to know it or not. That's all that's important." And try as he might, Zechs couldn't make himself let go.
~~~~~
Ultimately, Collins called the two away from their comfortable embrace. Duo quickly finished his own hair, then did Zechs' with the same quick efficiency as his own, but with the utmost gentility. In the end, the blond persuaded the chestnut haired man to braid his hair again. The First gave his Master the honors of his first new braid. They dressed quickly and were on their way.
"Where are we going?" the Preventer wondered as Duo lead him down hall after hall, all the while playing with his braid as if he'd never had one before.
"You still have to finish your inspection, don't you? That means you need to see how we're trained," he explained. "You'll be with Collins in the observation booth. It's a one-way mirror, so you'll be able to see us, but we can't see you." He walked down a set of stairs then opened the door at the bottom. "Here ya go. I'll be down below," he winked, then was out the door.
"Good morning, Preventer Merquis, I trust you slept well?" Collins smiled at the taller man as he entered somewhat hesitantly. There were multiple monitors keeping track of specific areas, and what appeared an intercom system. But an entire wall was a one-way mirror overlooking what was clearly a training area. Mats, equipment and weapons were all scattered around the room, along with what was clearly an obstacle course. Zechs had to admit, everything looked legit. "Please, have a seat. I'm certain Duo will be by shortly to say hello and show off a bit."
"Show off?"
"Of course. The celings are 30 feet high in there. It gives them plenty of room to learn to fly and to hone their skills," the scientist clarified, and began to point out specific areas when a black blur passed the mirror, startling both. Collins stared out the mirror mildly irritated but not angry. "Cute," he muttered. "That's your Owned, there, playing with us."
The blond could do nothing but stared as Duo slowed on his passes and became clearly visible, waving, soon doing flips and tricks. The scientist had been right about the braided man doing tricks for their benefit, but it was still somewhat surprising. And beautiful. Duo's skill in the air was entrancing. It became more apparent as other Owned joined him and began an impromptu game of aerial tag. Though words couldn't be made out individually, laughs and shrieks, growls and playful roars could be. Somehow, it became apparent that everyone was "it" except the First, and the other half dozen made serious endeavors at tagging their elder. The one time prince could honestly say, he'd never seen anything so beautiful in his life.
"Stunning, aren't they?" there was a deep tone of pride in Collins' voice, and no little bit of awe. "This is what makes everything worth it," he added, watching the seven dart around. An eighth was watching unsure from the floor. The blond noticed somewhat belatedly that the wings and tails of the Owned were all tattooed different colors, between reds, greens, grays, black, even purples and oranges. It made them look all that much more mystical.
"Who's that down there?" Zechs wondered, pointing at the pretty, but clearly skeptical boy with un-dyed wings and tail, who almost appeared to be hiding. "Why isn't he joining in?"
The scientist smiled. "That's the thirty-second. This is his first day meeting Duo and only his second day in the Basement," Collins stated. "From what I've heard, he's very cynical. He also thinks that the opinion of the First is nonsense. He thinks it's all trumped up fairy tales. Duo'll put an end to that, I suspect."
"Can he fly?"
"Not yet. He's too afraid to try. Like I said, I'm sure Duo will put an end to that though. He taught most of the Owned how to fly. Taught himself, though I won't lie about the number of bruises and near broken bones he gave himself trying," he chuckled at the memories. "Fortunately, the bones in their hands, feet, tails and wings are much stronger than normal bones. Or he'd have broken his tail more times than I'd like to count."
Knowing what an adrenaline junkie the braided man could be, the blond laughed as well. He could only too clearly picture a stubborn Duo, looking like a deformed Dalmatian, stating that he only needed one more try to get it right.
"There he goes. The poor boy won't know what hit him," Collins pointed out. Zechs just smiled. Duo's force of personality could be extremely overwhelming.
"He looks a little young," he commented smoothly.
"Thirty-two? Yes. He's been on the waiting list since it began. He was cleared for it early, but he wasn't old enough. He turned eighteen about a week ago. As I said, this is his first encounter with the First."
"Do you always call them by numbers?"
"There's no point in getting them attached to names that may change when they Imprint. Besides, the name that anyone but their Master gives them is nigh unimportant to them anyway. Some won't even recognize it as applying to them. Oh, dear, he's decided to be stubborn," he made a face. Duo was trying to coax the younger man into climbing the rock wall, but the new Owned was, sure enough, being obstinate.
"Is there anyway we can hear what's going on?"
"Certainly," Collins turned and pressed a button, allowing the camera closest to the argument to focus in and sound came on.
"…overrated, over-privileged deformity!" the newest Owned yelled. Zechs winced as he saw violet eyes narrow thoughtfully.
"Is that so?" there was a dangerous lilt to his voice as he crossed his arms over his chest. The blond jumped to his feet, eyes wide as he turned to Collins. "We have to get in there! We have to stop them!"
"We can't do anything, Preventer. If we go in there, or any other normal human being they'll Imprint. We can't have that. Trust your Owned to handle it."
"That's what I'm worried about… that he's going to handle it permanently…"
"Well, at least I'm not afraid to use what was given to me. You're skulking down here, afraid to try to fly in case you fail. What kind of Master wants an Owned who can't even use the wings he was given?" Duo challenged. "And deformity or no, I have a Master now, which is more than you can say."
"You've been here for a year!"
"Of my own volition," violet eyes became cold. "I think it's time for a little tough love," he stated, a decidedly unnerving grin gracing his lips. Without sound or warning, he pounced upon the younger Owned and threw him around his shoulders, using one hand to keep both feet and tail from doing damage, while using his own tail to keep the thirty-second's hands from harming him. He walked over to the rock wall and began to climb it effortlessly. Zechs merely stared in disbelief as he watched his Owned navigate the jagged side as though he were on a wire. Once up to the top, he negligently tossed the youth against the side, forcing him to cling or fall, then dropped down to make sure the younger one had no way to go except out.
"Let me down!"
"You're perfectly capable of getting down. What do you think your wings are for?"
"They're useless! Now get out of my way so I can get down, or I'm going to hurt you!"
"You can't use your hands or feet or you'll fall. You can't use your wings, and by the way your tail's waving about, I'd say you don't have the best control of it either. Exactly how do you plan to 'hurt me'?" the braided Owned taunted, batting playfully at the whip-like tail.
"Is that safe?" Zechs wondered, feeling a little calmer.
"He might break a wrist or ankle if he falls, but I doubt that Duo'll let him fall," Collins replied, completely calm.
"I can't do this!!"
"Of course not. Not when you're thinking like that you can't," Duo told the youth flatly. He pointed to the other Owned who had lost interest in the battle of wills and had gone back to their game of aerial tag. "You're Owned, little brother. Part of that is being able to use those wings. Collins didn't give you wings to look intimidating, he gave them to you to be used. You can do it. I will help you, but you have to let me," he explained, pushing himself away from the rock and flapping his wings to hover next to the youth. "I won't let you fall," he promised, holding out his hand. The boy swiped at it, and Duo sighed, drifting away before coming back. "Look, we can do this one of two ways: easy or hard. Easy way, I'll help you. Hard way, I'll drop you. I keep telling you those wings are meant to be used. You'd be surprised how quickly they figure out what to do when you're falling from 30 feet," he pointed out.
"You wouldn't!?"
"Why is everyone always so damned sure of that?" Duo's tone was directed inward and he obviously wasn't expecting an answer. "Okay, kiddo, I'm losing my patience. We're doing this the hard way," he stated, pushing away from the wall, grabbing an ankle as he did, and giving the youth a sharp tug to pull him away from the wall.
"HELP!! Lemme go!!" the thirty-second cried, flailing about.
"As you wish," the First grinned darkly. "Just a tip, you may want to at least try to use your wings as a parachute, or the landing is going to hurt," he informed and let go. Almost reflexively, the falling Owned did just as he had been instructed and landed somewhat clumsily. Duo landed lightly an instant later, throwing his experience into stark contrast with the most recent Owned's amateurishness. "Nicely done. Ready to try again?"
"Get ready, Preventer. You're about to find out exactly why the Owned must be owned," Collins warned, leaning forward.
The thirty-second was breathing erratically and glared at his elder through mussed brown bangs. Suddenly, his eyes lit up in red light and he charged the First with a roar.
"Oh, for the love of—" the braided Owned was cut off as he blocked the first attack. "You know you're really taking this too personally," he informed, blocking attack after attack with the ease of a long-time practitioner.
"You're a monster!!"
Violet flashed red for an instant, and his whole demeanor changed. His stance shifted subtly, eyes hardening. "You would do well to look in a mirror before tossing petty insults," there was a dangerous competence in his tone. The youth's tail whipped out, only to be caught easily and used against him. Pulled unwillingly toward his opponent, the youngest Owned was surprised as he caught a backhanded fist against his jaw, sending him flying several feet. "Is that all you have? Why would any Master want someone weak as you?" he demanded. The aerial games had ceased and the other Owned were watching silently, intently. It was clear they had no intention of interrupting. Duo walked towards his fallen opponent at a predator's pace: controlled, entrancing and deceptively slow. The youngest scuttled backwards awkwardly, tripping over wings and tail as he tried desperately to get away from the First. "A disgrace to the Owned you are… jealous to boot," he tossed his hand in a disgusted motion.
"I am not a disgrace!" the thirty-second protested, beginning to regain some dignity.
"Really? You cannot fly, you trip over your own tail. You're foolish, headstrong and careless. You're unskilled. How could you have been chosen to become one of the Desolo?"
The youth got to his feet. "I'll prove to you I deserve to be Owned! I'll fly! I'll fight! I'll do whatever is demanded of me so that I can serve my Master to the best of my ability," he proclaimed. The First looked unimpressed.
"That is easy to say. Much more difficult to accomplish," his eyes narrowed skeptically, but thoughtfully. "Come," he commanded, turning silently on a heel.
Zechs was very near trembling in anxiety. "How often does this happen?" he demanded.
Collins shrugged. "A fair amount come and decide that the First is all hype. This isn't totally normal, but it isn't unusual. About as many challenge him as accept him. It doesn't usually take long for them to learn to respect his power. We've had one or two who just get stubborn about accepting his authority, but without Masters, the Desolo are very pack-ish. Your Duo is without question the Alpha male around here. Those who don't except that, challenge it. When they fail, they're outcast," he explained. "It's one of the reasons the Owned must be so. I'm not sure where this pack mentality came from, since neither Kelvare nor I used canine genes, but if they were released as they are, without a Master to control them, think about how much damage they could do."
Zechs looked down just in time to see Duo crush what appeared to be a steel disk as though it were a soda can and then take a single leap before being airborne, taunting the youngest to join him. The thirty-second climbed the rock wall again and the blond, now looking closely at the camera images could see deep claw marks in the rock. "What is the rock wall made out of?" he asked.
"Rock. Not a whole lot else would hold up to this group." He scoffed. "Honestly, an army probably wouldn't stand up very well to a Pack of Owned.
A stone settled in the pit of the Preventer's stomach as he watched the antics of the Owned with a tactical eye. The thirty-second was learning rapidly, as the First flew around him, calling out tips and sometimes making physical adjustments then dropped out of sight. He reappeared a moment later, colliding with the glass mirror, clinging to it for an instant and sending a cocky smirk to those who he knew were behind it before taking wing again. Both Zechs and Collins had nearly toppled out of their chairs and the Preventer had his gun in his hand. Slowly, he put it away, walking to the mirror and taking in the cracks that looked as if a bullet had hit them. Places where those talons had dug in.
"Four-inch-thick bullet-proof glass," Collins informed, getting to his feet. "And it still would not keep them out if they really wanted to get in."
Worried blue eyes turned on the scientist. "My God, Collins… what have you created?"
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TSUZUKU…
