See all warnings and disclaimers in the first chapter.
A/N: No note today. Nothing interesting ever happens to me.
In the Game of Chess . . .
The Telmaran made Denan Maxwell leave after a day. They were extremely particular about what humans could stay with them indefinitely, and pretty much the only ones who could were the Bonded. Heero introduced Duo to his sisters, one of whom was Bonded to a human girl, and they'd chosen to return to Tel'Mar after one year and stay there for the rest of their lives.
Duo had never met her, but he knew the family name. She was the daughter of one of the Vice Chancellors. She seemed very nice, and Duo loved all of Heero's sisters. Apparently Heero was a lot younger than even the youngest, and they fussed over him like crazy. Constantly checking his wounds, making sure he ate, making sure Duo ate, making sure they got enough sleep, were warm enough, were comfortable enough, etc.
While Heero grumbled about it, Duo just enjoyed it. He hadn't had this kind of attention since before his mother got sick, and that seemed like forever ago. She'd died when he was only eleven. Of course, Duo could sense that Heero didn't really mind, it just distantly annoyed him.
Today, however, started out different. Duo woke completely wrapped in Heero's embrace, not so unusual. Since coming here Heero had grown more comfortable with physical intimacy, though the pair seldom advanced past kissing and holding each other. They did sleep completely naked, that at Heero's insistence.
"I love the feel of your skin," he had explained.
Heero was idly nibbling on Duo's neck and shoulder when Duo woke, occasionally applying warm pressure with his tongue. Duo said nothing, simply enjoying the sensation and closeness. It lasted far shorter than he would have liked, though. He heard someone coming, and with their typical lack of respect for privacy, whoever it was just barged right in.
Wolves, he was discovering, didn't worry about things like that. "Did I wake you?" came the familiar voice of one of Heero's sisters.
"No," Heero said aloud, not stopping his tender ministrations.
Making it very hard for Duo to concentrate.
The next came aloud, telling Duo she'd transformed. "Well, we just received a very . . . um, let's say unexpected message from Relena Peacecraft. To the three clan O'Daijas. Father wanted you to hear it, Heero. Tell him if it was true or not."
At the mention of Relena, Heero came fully alert, pulling away from Duo as anger filled his mind, bright and hot. "What does that filthy bitch want?"
"Just come to our meeting cavern, and you can hear the message yourself. Lady Une brought it over."
Heero grabbed Duo's arms just a little too tight, pulling him upright. "Tell them we'll be right there."
Duo heard her leave, though she said nothing else. Heero immediately pulled Duo against his chest, his mind at once full of apology and the burning desire to rend and kill. Because of their position Duo could not really find his balance, and Heero's knee slid between his thighs.
"I'm sorry, Duo," he whispered, the words falling hotly on Duo's ear.
It was hard to focus on an apology when both of them were naked and Heero was touching him like that. And that knee kept subtly moving, making Duo gasp. "He-Heero," he managed, "your father . . ."
"I know," Heero said, then he gave a very soft chuckle. "I just wanted to say good morning properly. I was interrupted."
Needless to say, they didn't get into the meeting cavern until . . . somewhat later. By silent consent everyone gathered was in human form so Duo could hear them, and they greeted the pair warmly. Duo could feel some amusement on their parts, letting him know they knew what had held him up. He felt himself flushing, but Heero seemed unfazed.
"So, let us hear this message," he said, sitting and pulling Duo down beside him.
"Good morning to you, too, son," his father rumbled, sounding definitely amused.
Heero just grunted, still unruffled.
"All right," Lady Une said. "Here it is."
"Greetings, people of Tel'Mar," came Relena's unmistakable voice. "I have just found out Heero clan Yuy and his Bonded, Duo Maxwell, have made their way to the safety of your world. I cannot express my gladness for this. As I'm sure you've been made aware, the two of them were in my custody for a short duration. Having spent some time with the Telmaran, I am well aware that this constitutes as a violation of the Treaty of Tel'Mar. However, there is something you must know, at whose behest my actions were taken, the motives behind them, and how we've both been used in a plot most foul."
Heero made a rude sound.
The message continued. "I am somewhat ashamed to admit that my actions were forced. Upon a terrible threat I captured the pair for someone who planned to use them and your people against the empire. Dorothy Catalonia, my cousin and heir to the Andarian throne, has only very recently poisoned her father, and it is believed he will not live out the week. Dorothy had planned to use the Telmaran people in an effort to turn them against the Chancellors and overthrow the parliamentarian government that keeps our empire running smoothly."
Duo could feel Heero getting more disbelieving and angry by the word.
"I would deeply appreciate the chance to visit your great world one more time and explain all this in person," Relena concluded, "so that you may see I am sincere and do not lie. Thank you for considering. I throw myself at your mercy."
"If she throws herself at my mercy, I will rip her limb from limb," Heero snarled.
Duo winced when his Bonded squeezed his hand so hard the bones crackled.
"Please, Heero," Lady Une's voice said. "If what Relena says is true, then she deserves to be heard."
Heero was up in an instant. "And what she did to Duo?" he spat.
"Will also be taken into consideration," the doe said smoothly.
o8o o8o
Heero stared at her, impotent fury raging through him. They were actually going to give Relena a chance to fill their heads with lies? The white doe looked at Heero's father.
"I can see your son will not be satisfied with that answer, so please keep him and his Bonded here while we discuss the matter with the Peacecraft girl."
Heero couldn't stop his low, constant growl. "And what about Duo? His father has a doctor to take him to. One that can help him regain his sight!"
Lady Une gave him a vexed look. "Then we will send Duo home to his father, and you can stay right here."
At that Heero instantly recoiled, leaping back to Duo's side and pulling his Bonded as close as physically possible. "No!" he snapped. "You're not separating us!"
His father frowned at him. "Don't be childish, Heero," he said. "You're not the first Telmaran to be apart from his Bonded for awhile. You will still be able to speak with him."
Baring his teeth, Heero reached for Duo in his mind. Duo didn't resist him, even though he wasn't sure what Heero wanted or what he was doing. The depth of his trust reached Heero, so he was careful as possible in what he did next. His father's eyes widened—so did every other Telmaran's in the cavern.
"Heero, stop it!" his father snapped.
Him and all of his sisters converged on him at once just as Duo gasped, his blind eyes squeezing shut as Heero delved into him deeper than ever had or ever would. He forced himself beyond Duo's conscious thought, driving deeper and deeper until his thoughts found Duo's subconscious mind, his unconscious mind, and deeper still. Hands grappled with him, but he held onto Duo so tight he knew that pale skin would be bruised in the morning.
He didn't care and he didn't stop, hearing himself snarling and Duo start softly crying. It hurt. What he was doing hurt them both. This was forbidden, because it was far, far too dangerous. Especially for such a young Telmaran so new to his Bond. But he didn't care. He didn't stop, not until he'd forced himself so deep into Duo he wasn't sure where they separated, where they became two distinct individuals.
"Heero," Duo gasped, even his mental voice tinged with tears, "what . . . are you doing?"
Gritting his teeth against the pain, Heero brushed his lips over Duo's temple. "Sorry. I know it hurts. But I can't let them take you away from me!"
They managed to pry him apart from Duo, but by then it didn't matter. It was too late.
"Damn it, Heero!" his father growled, his anger roiling off him in waves.
Heero glared at him, red tinting his vision. "You can't do it now," he hissed.
"Get him out of here," the Yuy clan O'Daija snapped to Heero's sisters. "I'll deal with him later."
They had to drag a snarling Heero from the cavern.
The forced separation didn't last long. In fact, Heero started deteriorating so fast that his sisters quickly went for their father. When his father came back, he leveled Heero with a scathing look.
"Your behavior is appalling," he said in a hard voice. "You're acting like a pup, Heero. What has gotten into you?"
"Duo," Heero said in a weak voice, putting all the venom into his glare that he could muster. "The contract states that he's my responsibility, not yours!"
His father knelt at his side, reaching out and stroking Heero's washed-out cheek. "Why did you do that, Heero? You could have killed both yourself and him."
Heero simply looked at him, unrepentant.
His father sighed. "All right. You can return with Duo to the human worlds. But I've requested that Trowa and Wufei keep a close watch on you. We will hear Relena out, and we won't tolerate you acting on your own, Heero."
He could accept that. For now. "Fine," he ground out. His head pounded a vicious beat, and nausea rippled through him.
For a moment his father simply watched him. "If your fool actions didn't cause that poor boy such misery, I'd make you suffer to teach you a lesson," he said at length. Then he sighed. "Get up. I'll help you go to him."
Heero grudgingly accepted his father's arm, because he wasn't sure he could walk otherwise. The closer he got to Duo, however, the stronger he felt until by the time he saw his Bonded, he pulled away from his father and quickly ran to Duo, enfolding him in his embrace. Duo made a soft, relieved sound.
"We're sending you two back to Terra tonight," the Yuy clan O'Daija announced. "Until then, Heero, I think you had better tell your Bonded exactly what you just did to him." And he swept out.
Heero watched him go, unapologetic. Then he yanked Duo close to press a searing kiss to his lips. At first Duo didn't resist, but after a moment he pushed Heero back.
"I do want to know what you did," he said quietly. "I felt like we were close before. But now I feel like I can't live and breathe without you."
Heero made Duo lie back against him, pressing his cheek to his beloved's forehead. "Telmaran have the ability to break past the psychic barriers in a human's mind," he said presently. "The mind has three parts. The conscious mind, which you and I linked when we Bonded. The subconscious mind, the most powerful part of any mind, the part where all memories are retained. And the unconscious mind, the part of the mind that makes us who we are, a part that cannot be accessed in a person's own mind. I broke past these barriers in your mind, using the power of your subconscious mind to break past my own. The reason you felt that pain is because it's not exactly a natural process. It's . . . dangerous."
"I figured," Duo said dryly. "I started feeling sick only a few seconds after you left the cavern."
"So did I," Heero confirmed. "Our people forbid it a long time ago, this subconscious merging. Besides creating a level of dependency, it opens doorways to total control. I could make you say or do anything I wanted, and you could do the same to me. It just requires a little concentration."
Duo fell silent, breathing slow and even. "All right," he said at length. "I just wanted to know."
A little surprised his love wasn't angry, Heero shifted just enough to look down at him. Duo's eyes were closed, his face a little pale but peaceful. After a moment he smiled.
"I'm not angry," he murmured. "I just really wish you would tell me before you do something like this."
Heero let out a sheepish little laugh. "I'm sorry."
"It's all right," Duo murmured, turning his head to press a kiss to Heero's throat.
A deep, deep contentment stole over Heero. For the first time he felt like he could wait patiently until his moment came for Relena. "I love you, Duo," he whispered, brushing his lips over Duo's forehead.
"I know," Duo breathed, grinning. "I can feel it. Although I can't tell anymore if that's your love for me or mine for you."
"What's the difference?" Heero mused, tilting his head down to once more capture Duo's lips.
This time his Bonded didn't pull away.
o8o o8o
"I have absolute confidence in Lucrezia Noin's abilities," Duo's physician, Doctor Sally Po, said in a warm voice. "I've been studying her procedure for some time now, watching her trial patients, Duo. She's skilled and efficient. I think your chances for success are high."
Duo stroked his fingers over the top of Heero's head. He was nervous. Sally had brought them together to set up an appointment with Doctor Noin for his first treatment. Heero sat quietly beside him, sending waves of loving reassurance, head resting on Duo's leg.
"I'm ready to meet her," he said at last.
"All right," Sally said, her smile audible. "Let me tell her."
Moments later she returned, and an unfamiliar voice greeted him. "Hi, Duo," she said, taking Duo's hand. "I'm Lucrezia Noin. A mutual friend of ours came to me and asked me to see what I could do for you."
Duo cocked his head. "Mutual friend?"
"Yes. One Zechs Marquise. He came to me out of the blue, asking a favor."
Well. That was a surprise. "I'm glad he's okay. Where is he?"
"Staying with me, actually," Noin said. "So let's get down to business, shall we?"
She explained the procedure in depth. It was risky, she admitted. It required delicate precision work most physicians weren't willing to try. But Noin was confident and determined to help the victims of the awful virus that had killed his mother.
"It's a pretty grueling six-week treatment period," Noin said. "You'll be in a lot of pain. Of course, I have some strong painkillers, but at high doses you do have to limit your intake. And after the treatment period, it will be an additional four weeks before I can remove the bandages on your eyes. But I am confident in my techniques, and I have faith in my patients."
"Duo," his father said abruptly, capturing Duo's hand, "I want you to give this a try. You won't be facing it alone. I'll be by your side the whole time. And of course you have Heero, too."
Heero whined softly in agreement.
After the longest hesitation of his life, Duo took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay."
o8o o8o
Trowa and Wufei sat side-by-side listening to Relena reiterate what she'd said in her message to the Telmaran people. She was dressed in a simple white gown, which for some reason made her look quite vulnerable. She had the most earnest expression on her face Trowa had ever seen.
And the strangest part was, everything she said had to be true. There was no deception in her mind, nor was there any lie in her scent. It completely and totally baffled him. According to her, Dorothy had masterminded all this. Which, consequently, made a lot of sense. Further, she could not be lying. He would have been able to detect it. Every Telmaran in this room would have been able to detect it.
"Thank you for bringing this before us, Relena," Lady Une said. She looked a trifle . . . unsettled. "If what you say is true, we will forever consider you friend to our people."
She gave a most graceful curtsy and was escorted out. Trowa rose and padded to Lady Une's side. She took her primary form of the stunning white doe.
"I can't figure this one out," Trowa admitted. "She wasn't lying. And yet, when she spoke with my Bonded she spoke hardly a word of truth."
"Humans are tricky," Wufei said after a moment. "I don't think even she is good enough to fool us, though."
Lady Une nodded. "No, I agree. This will require some looking into. Trowa, Wufei, I want you to speak with your Bonded. If there is indeed a foul plot here, we will unravel it."
They both nodded.
o8o o8o
Relena left Tel'Mar with a sense of ultimate victory. She had just pitted the Telmaran people against her cousin, lover, and adversary. She would be empress yet! And she could see she'd won their belief. They were surprised, but they believed her.
Because the same device she'd used to control Heero could be used for other purposes. Truly, this was her time. Finally, finally it was her time!