Title: The Ribbon and the Ring 23?

Author: Seraphim Grace
Archive: if you want it ask, I just like to know where they are. http/seraphim-grace. http/ Always appreciated and replied to.
Rating: 18 (This is an open rating so I don't have to worry).
Pairings: 1x2
Warnings: Angst. Some gore. Some incredibly bad French.

Notes: AU, and features necromancy.

The Garvem investigated the bodies all night, occasionally asking Wufei questions he didn't know the answers to, and some he did. They were tall, thin men, who looked tired but nevertheless treated the bodies with respect. They sketched them, they described them, just as Sir Gereint had done with the tomb in Sidi, then they took them away for burial. They offered him tea and someone sat with him whilst they did their investigation. They had an Angel come from the barracks who decided the bodies were at least a hundred years old and closed their investigation with the admonition to Wufei that if he needed to talk that they were there. Wufei almost scoffed at them, they were treating him like the victim when he had committed so many horrors in his lifetime. Nevertheless it was kind of them.

When they had gone, leaving Wufei the details and Danev fussing over their wake, he did not like the Garvem in the palace. Wufei had been told why. He understood the reason but also knew why Devlin, who had more reason to hate the Garvem than most, had gone to fetch them.

When they had gone Josian, who had been quiet for most of the evening, with Tobin having taken everyone else for dinner, spoke up, "I'll get Duo," he said, "this is his task, not the Garvem's."

Danev looked confused but it was Quatre of all people who spoke up, "he is the Lord of Meirin, he can bring peace to the dead."

Danev shook his head, "it's late, it can wait till morning now."

Duo sat at the breakfast table of the Scarlet Arches looking smug and kiss swollen. He was almost as smug as Trowa who had brought it to a whole new art and kept breaking into grins for no apparent reason. Heero was equally kiss swollen and kept biting his lower lip with his front teeth as if trying to recapture the taste of something precious. Jored and Deakon were sat holding hands and Bunny looked exasperated by the whole affair as if he was in a room of lunatics.

Tobin was studiously eating the eggs in front of him so he pretended not to see Heero shyly reach across the table and squeeze Duo's hand and the bright grin that Duo rewarded them with.

"By Acuya's golden veil," Bunny snapped, exasperated, "it's not even like you had sex."

"Well that's good to know," Josian said from the door where he had just walked in.

"Joss," Tobin said brightly, "you always have the absolute best timing, so, are you here to rescue me?"

Josian looked around the table, Trowa was beaming under his bang, Heero and Duo were smiling shyly at each other and Jored and Deakon had taken to feeding each other. "It is rather nauseatingly sweet in here, Bunny, my commiserations, unless you were with glowing bang boy here." Bunny shook his head as he pushed his breakfast away. "Well, I've been sent to get Duo, he is needed, the rest of you can stay here and suffocate in your sappiness if you like." Tobin looked horrified. "Duo, Heero, are you coming?"

Heero looked at Duo and offered him another shy smile.

"Well," Tobin said with just a hint of fatalism, "that's two of them gone."

Josian heard Bunny as he went to the door, "and who's bright idea was it to come here?"

Duo and Heero walked up Well Street hand in hand. Josian decided that he wasn't with them. They walked into the palace noticing the two Garvem on the gate, "they're going to make the place over," Josian said, "act of parliament, it was announced this morning." He shrugged it off, "We'll be relocating to Amitre in the next few days, but you're needed in the Okiya."

That word stopped Heero in his tracks, "The Halcyon Okiya?" he asked, "I thought it was gone."

"No, just lost in the palace." Josian replied, "your friend, Wufei, found it, there were bodies," he stopped and looked down at Duo, he stood nearly a whole head taller than him, "they were children, that's why we needed you."

Duo went quiet for a moment, then nodded. "I am the lord of Meirin," he said quietly, "I belong to the dead."

Heero blinked because the statement had been so very like Minako and not Duo. He then pulled him into a bear hug, "I am here for you," he said softly into his ear, "Come what may."

Josian rolled his eyes, "it's always true love at sixteen," he said, "almost makes me envious." His tone however belied his sarcasm.

Duo stumbled from the Okiya and into Heero's arms. Heero looked almost concerned as he swept him up into his arms with as little effort as if he was a paper doll. The Cadacus was there suddenly, "you are his rock," he said softly, "you are his shield and his staff." Then ruffled Heero's messy brown hair. "We'll leave for Amitre in the morning."

"They starved to death, Heero," Duo said looking up at him, "they were locked in and left to starve."

"Hush," Heero said stroking his hair softly, the braid like a weight in his hand, "you've sent them home."

Duo cried that night, even when he didn't want to. He couldn't help it, they had been babies and they had crowded around him, looking for their mothers, the Okiya princesses had been there and been so kind, they had held the little girls hands and offered Duo sad slow smiles. Eluneth had been silent and it was Achren who had walked them through. "We're hungry, Niisan," one of the girls had said, "can you help us?"

After that it was a blur, he just knew he had released them and then Heero was there and the sharp and soothing smell of cordite and his warmth. Who would have thought that Heero could be so warm? Duo thought of how he had spent the previous night, curled up with Heero kissing in a boudoir on the other side of the city and the children had been hungry, so very hungry.

Yet Heero was there, regardless, and although Duo wanted to, he couldn't send him away.