See all warnings and disclaimers in the first chapter.
A/N: This is a pointless author's note to say, remember the title of the last chapter. X3
The Way Wolves Are
Despite Duo's pleaded warnings, Heero transformed as soon as he heard them coming. He was dead determined to free himself and get Duo out of here. It was rapidly getting to the point where he plain couldn't stand it anymore. He was going to lose his mind if he didn't do something. He was a wolf, an alpha. And wolves were notoriously protective of their packs. Duo was his packmate.
He lunged at the first human who came through the door. He completely caught the goon off-guard, and he went down with a heavy thud. Heero was a blur of motion, and his jaws closed around the fragile throat with a sickening crunch. Blood, hot and coppery, poured into his mouth, fueling his anger and aggression.
All this happened in seconds, and Heero wasted no time leaping at the second man to follow the first. There, just a few bodies behind him, was Relena. A red haze filled Heero's vision. He was going to annihilate that bitch! He was barely aware of his own terrible snarling.
Unfortunately, the second man had a few seconds' warning. He got his arm up to shield his throat. So instead of killing him instantly, Heero's jaws crushed the bones in his forearm. He screamed, toppling backward, lashing out with one balled fist. The blow glanced off Heero's skull, but in his rage he scarcely felt it. He viciously shook the mangled arm, hearing an awful tearing of muscle and ligament. The man screamed even louder as a few of his cohorts spilled into the room around them.
"Get to Duo!" Relena called in a shrill voice.
Heero leaped at a third while a fourth scuttled around the bed where the blind boy lay. Wave after wave of burning, intense hatred rolled off Heero as he scrambled to stop the human from touching his Bonded. He hadn't even known Duo that long, but the intimacy of the link they shared had made the boy precious to him.
He didn't make it. The bastard actually hit Duo so hard across the face it stunned Heero, as well. Blind, helpless Duo, who'd not done anything! Two others were on the wolf in an instant, the whining discharge of their stunners hurting Heero's ears.
But his anger must have been affecting Duo adversely, too. Because Duo abruptly leaped into frenzied motion. He grabbed his attacker, clawing at his face. His anger fueled Heero's all over again, feeding off each other in a vicious cycle. Heero wished more than ever now that Relena's device, whatever it was, wasn't blocking his telepathy.
His jaws locked around the ankle of one human, and another crunch of bone sent him down. The other looked horrified as he brought his stunner to bear, but Heero was quicker. He dodged the electric flash of energy and lunged at the man, almost howling in rage. This one was smarter. He managed to get his stunner in the way of Heero's jaws. Heero didn't let that stop him for a second. He exerted pressure, never ceasing for a second to snarl. With a strained shriek the metal bent under the force.
That completely unnerved the man. Eyes wide in terror he flung it away, shoving Heero with all his might so he could flee. Heero let him go, spinning to go to Duo. Who was doing a remarkable job holding off his attacker. His blindness kept him from gaining the upper hand, but that was when Heero reached him.
This one was not lucky like his fellows with broken bones. Heero hit him on the back, and his powerful jaws clamped shut around the back of his neck and upper spine. His limbs flopped briefly like a beached fish, then he fell on top of Duo with a heavy thud.
Heero immediately transformed, shoving the man away and grabbing Duo's hand. There was no one else in the room, and in their haste the door was left wide open. Ignoring the two dead bodies and the blood liberally coating them both, the Telmaran bolted into the hallway. He could see hordes of humans coming with energy rifles. Their stun setting wouldn't merely hurt.
Aborting his headlong rush, he pivoted to run the opposite way. If he could just get far away enough from the room, he could call out to his people. He had to get Duo to safety! Guiding Duo around every obstacle, he felt it the instant he was free of that hateful device's influence. He instantly sent out a furious, nearly wordless cry.
The energy rifle's discharge hit him in the center of the back. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.
o8o o8o
Wufei sat up straight, his massive head swinging toward Trowa. The panther met his eyes with an equally startled gaze. He looked up at his Bonded.
"I'll be back in a minute, Quatre," he said, rising and following Wufei without another word.
The two powerful wildcats paced outside to the gardens.
"I'm sure you heard that, too?" Wufei asked.
"Of course!" Trowa said urgently. "That was Heero. He was so angry I'm feeling his anger."
"He cut off very abruptly," Wufei mused, starting to pace. "Which means he is under duress, like we were afraid. Perhaps he was hit with a stun blast. Or worse."
Trowa shook his head, feeling the strong aftereffects of Heero's anger. "He didn't manage to send any information, but at least we know where he is now. That came from somewhere right here on Terra."
"And now we have a much smaller area for our people to search," Wufei added. "Can Quatre spare you to join me?"
"Yes. If you'll bide a moment, I'll let him know."
At Wufei's nod, Trowa padded into the manor again. His Bonded lay like a god of sensuality across a tastefully colored loveseat, a single lock of golden hair falling tantalizingly across his aqua eyes. Everything about his lazy sprawl to the way he held his book was pure art. Changing forms with a smile, Trowa leaned down, pushing the book out of the way to give the slightly younger human a warm kiss.
Quatre responded with leisurely passion, parting for Trowa's questing tongue when the Telmaran probed for entry. Only when the pair began feeding off each other's desire did Trowa break away, with a good portion of regret. He quickly filled his Bonded in on what had been happening with the missing Heero and his Bonded.
"Wufei and I just felt him try to contact us," he explained, stroking Quatre's pale cheek. Oh, how he loved caressing that infinitely smooth, silken skin.
"Heero," Quatre murmured. "You think you know where he is?"
"A general location," Trowa confirmed. He grinned crookedly. "A much smaller general location. We know he's on Terra, and we can probably figure out exactly which city or rural area."
"That's good," Quatre said, smiling softly, "since his Bonded is a dear friend of mine. Did you know Duo and I were rumored to be lovers once?"
Trowa blinked. "No. What caused a rumor like that?"
Quatre's smile turned into a grin. "When you meet Duo, you'll know what I mean when I say he's just hard to keep the hands off of. I was always touching him, holding his arm or hand, or wrapping an arm around his waist or shoulder. That was before his father cloistered him on Hedara for his safety." The youth made a face. "I missed him terribly. He was my best friend."
"Sounds like you were close," Trowa commented. "We have reason to believe they're in danger. Heero's call was incoherent with anger, hate, and even fear. It takes a lot to make a wolf afraid. They're always the boldest and most aggressive of the Telmaran."
For a moment, Quatre was silent. "I don't suppose you managed to glean anything from his call? Such as why he's been missing?"
"Unfortunately, no," Trowa said.
At these words, Quatre's expression became somewhat pensive. His brows drew together in a delicate frown, and he tapped his lower lip. Trowa could feel his mind working, probably trying to piece together the facts and draw a likely conclusion. He didn't know anyone better at doing that than Quatre. The youth was extremely sharp. And no one in the empire was a better player at the game of intrigue than Quatre Winner.
"What are you thinking?" he asked, at last unable to stand it.
Quatre's blue eyes met his. "I'm wondering if Relena has them," he said. "At first I thought it might be Dorothy. But no, that doesn't make sense."
It was Trowa's turn to frown. "But why would she want to kidnap Duo and Heero? Seems to me she has nothing to gain."
Quatre was silent a moment longer, then he shrugged. "I don't know yet. I'll think about it. But promise me something. When you find Heero, don't let him act on his own. I want to see how things play out before we take any action. All right?"
Trowa nodded slowly. "All right. That won't be easy. If it is Relena that has them, her days are numbered. Heero won't stop until he's killed her, and thanks to the Treaty of Tel'Mar, there's not a damn thing anyone can do about it."
The look that crossed Quatre's face was quite amused. "I know. I haven't had so much fun in several years. When you find them, bring them right to my manor. Duo's health has always been pretty frail; I'm sure he'll need some place quiet to rest for awhile."
"All right," Trowa said again. He leaned down to steal another kiss from lips that tasted like honey and the richest wine before reluctantly pulling away and changing back into his primary form.
Wufei was idly watching some butterflies flit over brightly-colored flowers. He stood when Trowa padded back out to him. "Ready?" he asked.
Trowa nodded. "Yes, but Quatre has one request. I'll fill you in on the way."
o8o o8o
Most of the Imperial Court showed up to witness the condemnation or exoneration of Relena Peacecraft. The emperor of the Andarian Empire presided as judge while the six Chancellors acted as jury. In cases of high treason such as these, it would take a majority vote to clear her name.
And when all the facts were heard, all the lack of facts pointed out, and everything discussed until all parties were worn out with it, the emperor called for the Chancellors to make a decision. The three Vice Chancellors found Relena to be innocent of treason. That came as no surprise to anyone, not even Dorothy Catalonia. But only two of the Prime Chancellors found her to be guilty. The big surprise came when Denan Maxwell sided with Relena and found her to be innocent, thus clearing her name.
Relena and her brother were once more placed back in line for the throne, should anything happen to Dorothy. Relena spent little time celebrating in elation her victory. Because it was time to turn the tables on her devious cousin and show her that payback, crude euphemisms aside, was indeed a bitch.