Disclaimers: I do not own GW.

Warnings: General warnings such as OOCs, shounen ai.

Notes: This is the promised Sequel to A Place to Belong. Not a long story but I hope you like my attempt at 2x6x2 anyway.

Leaving the Past

Chapter Three

"Tresses?" Trowa said in disbelief while Quatre smiled in amusement. They were quickly escorted into the CEO's room after Zechs made an appearance outside Duo's office.

Zechs smiled. "It was Duo's idea of a joke."

"Braids and tresses?" Trowa repeated. "That's the lamest thing I have ever heard."

Zechs shrugged. "Yes, I know. It works. Who cares?"

"Duo doesn't know about us coming here, does he?" Quatre guessed, studying Zechs carefully. It had been years since he saw the former Sanq prince. The last time they met, Zechs had been a wreck. His wife, Lucrezia Noin had just died in a car accident and he had gotten together with Wu Fei at a spur of the moment thing.

Wu Fei had many times expressed his unhappiness that he was merely a replacement for Noin, but he had promised Noin at her deathbed that he would look out for Zechs. He had broken that promise when Duo left without a word. Zechs had been irate at Duo, for having his someone to lean on taken from him once more. He had taken off after Duo, ranting about revenge for being so thoughtless and selfish.

But from what Quatre could see, all resentment and discontent had been erased from Zechs. He seemed truly happy about who he was, and what he was going to do.

"No, my assistant intercepted that called. Thankfully," Zechs leaned back against the sofa, resting his chin on steepled fingers.

"Thankfully?" Trowa was still slightly babbling from surprise.

"Yes, thankfully," Zechs repeated cryptically.

"You want Duo to meet us, don't you?" Quatre exclaimed.

Zechs clapped his hands softly with just a hint of mocking. "Very astute, Mr Winner."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want him to end up like me all those years ago." He was met by confused silence. "I was resentful of what life dealt me, I was rapidly getting to the end of my rope. Wu Fei wasn't helping. He tried his best to be there for me, but he was right, I was merely using him." He took a deep breath and corrected, "We were merely using each other. Our honourable dragon lusted after a taken man and he felt the pinch of guilt. I knew this. And when that taken man become available, he did the first thing even I would do, went for the opportunity of a lifetime."

Quatre and Trowa listened in awe. They knew there were undercurrents of something going on with the dynamics of their friends' relationships but they had never guessed it was that complicated.

"I was, of course, naturally pissed off at the reason for my being alone again, and took off after Duo Maxwell. I think both of you were more biased that you let on. I am sure Heero was heartbroken over the whole thing, but Duo wasn't even covering his tracks properly, I found him within a week," Zechs' tone had a small amount of admonishment in it and it caused the two opposite him to colour deeply. "He appeared fine and seemed to have some idea of what he wanted in life and what he wanted to accomplish. While I was a ranting fool. I attacked him repeatedly, physically as well as verbally. He took one look at me and punched me in the stomach. He said a lot of things to me, all of which I shall not repeat for they are for me ears only. In short, he reminded me that I still had a life and a promise to keep to Noin."

"And what has changed now?" Trowa asked.

Zechs' brows furrowed. "In helping me, I never really realised that Duo also needed his own healing. He hides very well, and not all the time physically. It was only recently I noticed that he really missed his friends, he really needed to face his past. And he had started to act like a belligerent child over the incident a month ago when I forced him to return to Sanq." He sighed. "He really hasn't forgiven me for making him face his past. But he still wants to marry me next week." He reached into his coat pocket and retrieved four envelopes. "These were originally the reason he went back to Sanq. Of course, these are not the invitations, he tore them up and burned them before burying them in our backyard when he came home."

The two winced. Yes, now those actions really told them that Duo really had some issues. Was forgiveness no longer a part of their friend's personality?

"Congratulations on your impending marriage," Quatre muttered, fingering the invitation hesitantly. He had been driven to try to alleviate his own guilt, but he didn't give much thought of what Duo might think of him, of them. From what Zechs had described, Duo was actually starting to hate them.

"Thank you. It was my honour that he said yes."

Trowa was disturbed. While Duo had always been one of the more emotional ones of the five of them, along with Quatre, he didn't fall prey to such extremes of emotion. Duo was extremely good at hiding what he thought if he had the compulsion to and he was always in control, despite all outwardly appearance of him being brash and mouthing off. Trowa had always knew there was a rather large brain behind those blank eyes of Duo Maxwell. And the success of this company was a very clear indication of it. Now, Duo was acting very much like a petulant child, and it made it clearer just how much closer he was on the brink of total emotional collapse. But it took him seven years to get to this point? That long?

"It took him that long because I didn't bring anything up. I was afraid myself that he would leave me if situations were put right between all of you," Zechs admitted, not really pleased with himself.

Trowa blinked. Did he say that out loud?

"It took me even longer to realise that Duo wasn't going to leave me no matter what. It was only then the kid in me that wanted to keep him only to myself went to sleep and I started to stir things up with him." Zechs exhaled and relaxed, having said his piece. "I want him to come to me unfettered by the past so we can build a future together. Call it a wedding present. We even had a uterus implanted in him so we could have biological children together."

"What!" Trowa and Quatre gasped.

Zechs smirked. "Aaah, just checking if you were with me. Both of you looked like you were a million miles away."

"It's really not that funny," Quatre protested, his eyes narrowing. "I still don't understand how that business plan ended up on my table."

Zechs shrugged. "Fate?"

"Like you need financing."

Zechs rubbed a finger across his chin, contemplating. "That may not be such a remote possibility, especially if Winner Inc is providing the financing…" And invaluable contacts to future business opportunities, was the unspoken phrase.

Trowa almost groaned as an unholy gleam appeared in Quatre's eyes and his partner sat forward, his body language changing completely to one of he seen used in all of his boardrooms. He was in 'business mode'. Trowa was sure that Quatre would have started negotiations there; he had heard over and over about how B&T would be good to be added to Winner Inc's company portfolio, when there was a familiar voice wafting from outside.

"Is Zach in there?" Came Duo's familiar voice.

"Yes, Max," Zech's assistant answered. "But he has a meeting with potential investors."

"Investors?" Duo's tone was confused. "Why do we need investors?"

"They are different, Max. They are from Winner In…"

The door slammed open before the sentence was complete and Duo came storming into the room. His angry eyes swept through the room until they landed on Quatre and Trowa. He marched up to stand next to Zechs and stabbed a finger at them.

"What the hell are they doing here?" He spat.

Zechs rose gracefully to his feet and laid a hand on Duo's shoulder, which was furiously shrugged off. "They are here by my invitation."

Duo turned hurt accusing eyes at Zechs. From where Trowa was, he could see disbelief and betrayal in them. "You did what? You knew how I felt about them, you knew what they did to me, and yet you still call them here?" He whispered, his voice dropping.

Zechs pulled Duo close to him, strong arms encircling the shaking American. "Enough of this Duo. You still care for them. They can't still hurt you this badly if you no longer care for them. And you need to speak with them, work it out, get things off your chest. You need…"

"Say 'closure' and I am going to explode," Duo growled softly.

Quatre and Trowa felt like interlopers, knowing that this is an intensely private moment between the two. But they wanted to be there, they wanted to speak with Duo. They had to.

Zechs pressed a kiss on Duo's temple. "You need it. You have been bursting at the seams for months now. It's not healthy."

Frustrated, Duo pushed him away. "And it's all your fault, you did this. You made me go back, you made me meet them and you called them here!" He was screaming almost hysterically. "I don't want to be in the same room as them and who knows what the next thing you would do? Sell our company to them?"

"That's not fair," Zechs scolded.

"Who knows what you might decide? You're flighty and undecided as it is. I don't even know if you are really want to marry me or if you are afraid to be alone…" Duo didn't manage to finish that statement as he went flying to the ground, his jaw exploding in pain. He sat up, staring at Zechs in utter amazement, a thin stream of blood snaking down the side of his lip where his tooth had cut.

"Do not doubt what I feel for you," Zechs' tone was cold and unforgiving.

Quatre shot up from his seat, running toward his fallen friend when Duo shot up and ran out of the room.

"How could you do that?" Quatre turned on Zechs who was flexing his fist.

"I am not going to coddle him," Zechs stated, crossing his arms in front of him. "He's being an unreasonable brat and I am not going to make any excuses for him." He walked over to the chair and sank in it. "I'm sorry, I… I will speak to him about it later. He is in no condition to speak logic to right now."

Trowa tugged at Quatre's arm, recognising the subtle dismissal.

"But…" Quatre stared at the open door.

"Quatre, please, let's just go."

XXxxXX

Duo didn't remember what he was doing. He remembered bursting out of Milliardo's room, much to the shock of his assistant and leaving the office. His mind shut down while his legs brought him home. Yes, home. Their new two-storey house in the suburb was home. But for how long? Milliardo probably didn't want him anymore. That's why he hit him. Milliardo was probably sick of him. Sick of his constant need for reassurances, need for love and affection. Sick of his fear of being alone and abandoned. He felt slightly sick with guilt as he recalled exactly what he threw at the blond. He threw his own fears at him lover.

Yes, that had to be it. His lover lashed out at him because he had also decided he had enough, that he didn't want someone who took up all his time all the time.

He didn't even hear the tiny voice in the back of his mind reminding him that he actually deserved to be punched in the face. He skittered to a stop in front of the mirror in the dining room and stared at the growing bruise on his face. It was a stark indication that eventually, everyone left Duo Maxwell. He pushed himself away from the wall and stalked up the stairs.

Well, since Duo Maxwell was meant to be alone, he had better learn to live with being alone.

At the top of the stairs, he broke into a run and headed for their room. There was a bittersweet feeling at knowing that soon it wouldn't be their room anymore. He had no more place here. He rifled through the closets, looking for his suitcase. Where was his suitcase? It was always there, there was no reason for him to hide it or throw it away. Where did Milliardo put it? He began to pull his clothes from the closet frantically, throwing them in a messy pile on the bed.

"Duo, stop it!" Vice-like grip closed over his wrists. "What are you doing?"

"Let me go," Duo muttered, trying to break the grip. He pushed whoever it was aside and resumed thrashing his closet. "Have to leave. Mill won't want me to stay. Have to go."

Arms, strong arms encircled his waist, tightening to the point of pain. "No, please, don't leave me," a soft voice implored.

Duo stilled, recognising the voice even through the horrid noise in his head. "Mill?" He asked, uncertainly. It couldn't be Milliardo, Milliardo wouldn't want him anymore.

"You bleeding idiot," the same familiar voice whispered hoarsely in his ear. "What are you doing?"

Duo turned, almost afraid of who he might see. "Mill?" He asked again. He was pulled toward the warm body and hugged within an inch of his life.

"Stop running!" Milliardo shook his lover, concern and fear showing clearly on his normally impassive face. "I won't ever give you up, ever! Live with it, you flaming asshole."

Duo's defences collapsed and he threw himself deeper into those comforting arms, those shielding arms and let go.

XXxxXX

"Ow," Duo complained petulantly at having a packet of frozen peas slapped none too gently on his bruised jaw.

"Stop complaining," Milliardo scowled, rearranging so Duo's head lay on his lap. "You deserved that punch. You were being an idiot." His words and tone were harsh but the soft caress of his hand through Duo's hair said something else entirely.

"Sorry," Duo muttered sheepishly. "I didn't know why I said what I said."

"Well," Milliardo answered reluctantly. "Perhaps I shouldn't have done all of that without first consulting you. I forgot what happened when your mind shut down." He barely suppressed a shudder of terror. He had forgotten how Duo reacted adversely to things. It had been so long that this little hiccup had happened. He didn't want to think what would have happened if he hadn't made it back home on time.

He might have had to cancel the wedding celebrations. When Duo Maxwell wanted to stay hidden, he stayed hidden.

Duo had been rather shocked at the intensity of his emotions. He had thought he let everything passed a long time ago. He had been pissed beyond belief when Milliardo and Hilde had rattled on and on about closure. He was completely certain he needed no closure. Now, he wasn't certain about anything any longer.

"I think perhaps you are right," Duo muttered under the peas.

"Ex… excuse me? What? Please repeat?" Milliardo asked, amused. The bastard.

"I said… You. Are. Right."

"Oh look," Milliardo pointed outside the window.

"What?" Duo raised himself up a little to see.

"Pigs flying."

Duo whacked him with a throw pillow. "I am not that stubborn." He hit his lover again after an extended silence, which generally meant Milliardo didn't agree but he was too refined to put up an argument. "I still am not comfortable with them. I still don't know what to do with them."

Milliardo smiled in relief and continued stroking his lover's hair. "It doesn't matter anymore. Admitting you have a problem is already one step toward a solution."

And deep within, Milliardo felt that everything would indeed be alright.

tbc...