-1Chapter 18

Wufei and Heero had dragged the man back into his house. Heero had deposited the man on a nearby couch while Wufei went into the kitchen to find a wash cloth and a basin. Upon finding the basin, he filled it with tap water and returned to the man.

When he entered the room, Heero had nodded at him before heading toward the stairs and walking up them. Wufei clearly got the message. He was to take care of the man while Heero searched for the reason they came out here. Heero was going to search for some written documentation of the Sohma's history while he took care of their unknowing host.

Wufei set the basin on the coffee table near the man before wetting the cloth, wringing and folding it, then setting it upon the man's forehead. The man did not stir, but this should help him gain consciousness sooner rather than later.

Wufei looked around the room. Pictures hung on the walls of the man and those that were sure to be the man's family and friends. Some were of the man when he was younger. Looking closer, Wufei could say that there was a resemblance between this man and Heero. One could pass over it if they were not looking for it, but if one took the time to notice, it was there for all to see.

Was it possible? Could this man somehow be related to Heero?

Turning back to check on the man, Wufei rewet the cloth before replacing it back on the man's head. Wufei let his eyes wonder once more, falling once again on the pictures. Taking the time, Wufei studied the pictures closer. In none of them was a woman who Wufei could pick out to be Heero's mother.

Looking around the room, Wufei spotted a well-worn photo album. Wufei gathered it in his anxious hands before walking back towards the man. Setting the album on the coffee table, Wufei started to go through the pictures. Every so often Wufei would stop to check on the man. Wufei saw pictures of the man when he was a child, awards and ribbons he had gotten while in school. It wasn't until after the man had left his schooling days was there any picture of a woman who also resembled Heero.

Before Wufei could study the woman farther, the man had let out a low moan. Wufie abandoned the album and turned his attention back to the man. Once more, he rewet the cloth and set it back on the man. When the cloth was laid on the man was when his eyes shot open. The man's eyes searched around for a few seconds before they landed on Wufei's. "What happened?"

"You fainted when you saw us," said Heero as he entered the room. "Or rather, me."

Wufei raised an eyebrow, a silent question of whether Heero had found anything worth noting upstairs. A slight nod was his answer. Heero than gave a pointed look at the open photo album. Wufei answered with a smile, the album did hold some importance.

The man carefully sat up, the cloth falling to his lap. "You?... You're not…" The man wore a confused expression on his face. His eyes were taking in every aspect of Heero, wonder filling his mind. "I… I never knew."

Before much more could be said, a loud noise pierced the silence, turning three pairs of eyes to look outside through a window. All three quickly got up and ran towards the front door. The door was hastily opened. The sight that met the three of them was one all would remember.

Duo was beaten, lying on the ground, with a young girl sitting on his back while pulling his braid.

Wufei couldn't hold it back. He laughed.